Thomas Poole, Nether Stowey, to John Sheppard, 44 Bernard Street, London, 2 February and 3 March, 1837.

My dear Sir

        You often occur to my Mind, and always awaken affectionate feelings towards you, and therefore I need not add that every testimony I receive of your regard is most grateful to me.

        I have read with great interest and instruction your “Autumn Dream” which you were so kind as to send me by our Friend Mr G. Ward.

        As a Poem it has indeed great merit, and often reaches the true sublime—instances—the openings of the 1st, 4th & 5th parts—few things are superior to the latter, both as to originality of thought, and the dignity and harmony of the language—

        Then there are certain lines scattered over the Poem which will burn into, or upon every Mind to which they are conveyed—such as p: 9: “Unrolls the ceaseless Poem of the Universe”—p. 73 (Earth) “which dost serve but as a ponderous Chariot to transport those weary ones.”

        Again the two descriptions of the appearance of the Saviour are remarkably fine.   All the descriptions of Scenery are individually beautiful: but there are, I think, too many of them; and indeed the fault of the Poem, (if it be a fault,) is that its Objects are too often repeated.  This remark will also apply to the various Colloquies.—

        The allusions drawn from various Learning give additional interest to the Poem.

        The Characters you have placed in Paradise are to me very interesting; but I am afraid the worldly Heart is often too proud to anticipate the meeting of some of them there—You will naturally reply—Such can scarcely be there themselves.

        I could fill my sheet in praises of your Poem if I were to go on page by page—and I do not know that I could find other faults than those I have generally hinted at: but I wish to say a few words on the Subject of the Poem and the appendices and to beg you to clear up to my mind, if you can, difficulties which so intimately concern us all—tho’ I inquire hopeless waiting “The great Teacher Death.”

        I heartily believe, especially because Revelation has told us so, that we shall carry our present consciousness to the other World; and I confide on then meeting and knowing those whom I have known in this World.

        Difficulty the first—What would be my feelings if those whom I had loved were not there?  Could it be Paradise to me if they were in torment?  Could I be happy, even if they were in a higher Mansion (as you have placed the patriarchs and apostles,) separated from them?

        To say the Truth, I cannot help thinking, and you have expressed yourself conscious that the subject is open to the remark, that our admitting a state of consciousness between Death and Judgment does open on broad Principles an argument which may be well versed in favour of Purgatory.  You have (as I have said) made different Mansions in Paradise—as they ascended from Fenelon to the Apostles, they may descend from Fenelon to Hades.  I am aware of the blessed words—“This Night thou shalt be with me in Paradise” but was it not the Night—the sleep of unconsciousness, which should appear (tho’ ten thousand ages had passed) to the penitent Thief as the night of the same day.  I have often mentioned, speaking of sleep, that I never slept but once, and thus it was//        

2nd March   This letter was written thus far on the 2d day of last month when I was suddenly interrupted by a Messenger from Bristol announcing that my only Sister, the person in the World the most dear to me, was unexpectedly at the point of death—I was at Bristol in a few hours, and on my arrival found that her spirit had departed, after three days illness, at about the moment that I was speculating as above on the Night of death!! She had [asked—paper torn] to see me: but I was too late, yet [paper torn] did see me and stopped my presumptuous suggestions.  However this may be, what I was going to add above was---that once, I fell asleep at 11 oclock and was awoke, by the light of the Sun at 6 oclock in the morning.  My sleep was so profound—the unconsciousness was so perfect; that I, alarmed, fancied I had fallen asleep for a few minutes and had forgotten to put out my candle!!!  Again, an Ancestor of mine (a Female) fell asleep on a Sunday afternoon and could not be awakened for a week—on awaking on the following Sunday afternoon, she inquired if it was time to go to Church.—She lived for years afterwards and I was never informed that she had been unconscious during a week of her Life.

      I should like to be able to believe in Purgatory, and in an ultimate universal Redemption: and I almost do in the last, tho I have little or no authority for the first.

        The Resurrection of the Body has always been to me a very difficult doctrine: [“]for as our Saviours Body did not see corruption,“ I pause at the breach of the analogy—I endeavour to reconcile it considering the difference in our Saviour’s Body before and after his Resurrection, by supposing that change may have been miraculously effected in his Body during the three days, which is in ours by corruption, and hence he rose with the glorious Body (which could be material or immaterial—visible or invisible—after which we aspire.   As to a living germ of every Life which has existed remaining,  I think we discover analogies enough in things to lead us to the supposition—there is the bulbous root in the egyptian Mummy, of which you have spoken so exquisitely: and the recent discoveries of my Friend Cross and latterly confirmed by doctr Farraday of Germs imbedded in Flint for perhaps thousands of ages being by suitable stimulus awakened into Life—As to the great distinction of human Life compared to the Life of other terrestrial animals or of vegetable Life; it seems to me to be this—That we have no reason to suppose that any other species of Life, if I may so speak, has any consciousness or thought of any Being or Power out of the reach of their senses ie any religious feeling—without which I believe no Race of Man has ever been discovered.  Every germ of every species of Life may be immortal and may, or may not, be awakened into activity at the Will of the Creator.

        It will give me pleasure to hear from you and to learn very plainly which those crude thoughts may suggest to you—Nothing but my perfect confidence in, and affection for you would induce me so to dare open my heart my hopes my doubts before you

                                                         yours my dear Sir

                                                                     sincerely

                                                                                 Thos Poole

Southey passed three days with me—We could agree on every thing but Politics.  My niece Mrs Sandford is residing at Dunchurch—they have been lately much afflicted by the death of Mr Sandford’s Mother in their Home—when you write to our excellent Friends the Browns; pray remember me most kindly to them—I trust your Son is going on to your satisfaction, and that you are both in the enjoyment [of] great Health—

Text: Joseph Angus Papers, acc. no. Angus 168, Angus Library, Regent's Park College, Oxford. For background and extensive notes on Poole, Sheppard, and the above letter, see Timothy Whelan, “Thomas Poole’s ‘Intimations of Immortality’ in a Letter to John Sheppard, February 1837,”  Romanticism 11 (2005), 199-223.