I  have  not  the  Edinburgh  with  me,  and  so  cannot
give  you  the  exact  passage  in  the  critique ;  but  I  know
there  is  mention  made  therein  of  "The  Princess"  coming
out  among  the  dying  and  the  dead.  Now  I  certainly
did  not  mean  to  kill  anyone,  and  therefore  I  put  this
new  line  into  the  old  king's  mouth,

I  trust  that  there  is  no  one  hurt  to  death,
and  in  the  old  tourneys  it  really  did  happen  now  and
then  that  there  was  only  a  certain  amount  of  bruises
and  bangs  and  no  death.  Perhaps  the  Editor,  not  you,
inserted  the  passage.  With  respect  to  the  "  Elegies  \"
I  cannot  say  that  I  have  turned  my  attention  to  them
lately.  I  do  not  know  whether  I  have  done  anything  new
in  that  quarter  since  you  saw  them,  but  I  believe  I  am
going  to  print  them,  and  then  I  need  not  tell  you  that
you  will  be  perfectly  welcome  to  a  copy,  on  the  condition
that  when  the  book  is  published,  this  avant-courier  of  it
shall  be  either  sent  back  to  me,  or  die  the  death  by  fire
in  Curragh  Chase.  I  shall  print  about  twenty-five  copies,
and  let  them  out  among  friends  under  the  same  condi-
tion of  either  return  or  cremation.  The  review  in  the
Westminster  was  not  one  of  "  The  Princess,"  but  of  two
or  three  of  the  old  Poems.
*  **  In  Memoriam."


1840]  MRS   GASKELL   AND   SAMUEL  BAMFORD.  283

I  have  sent  you  a  most  shabby  note  in  return  for
your  long  and  agreeable  one,  but  pray  forgive  me :  I  have
such  a  heap  of  correspondence  just  now,  half  of  which
will  never  get  answered  at  all.
