Old as the hills that feed it from afar, Is the light ash! that, pendent from the brow Of yon dim cave, in seeming silence makes A soft eye-music of slow-waving boughs, Powerful almost as vocal harmony To stay the wanderer's steps and soothe his thoughts. "FORTH FROM A JUTTING RIDGE" FORTH from a jutting ridge, around whose base Rising to no ambitious height; yet both, O'er lake and stream, mountain and flowery mead, Ever beheld. Up-led with mutual help, To one or other brow of those twin Peaks Were two adventurous Sisters wont to climb, And took no note of the hour while thence they gazed, The blooming heath their couch, gazed, side by side, In speechless admiration. I, a witness. And frequent sharer of their calm delight 1 To be found on the right of the coach road, not far from the "firgrove," surrounded by thick shrubbery, but still heath-clad. With thankful heart, to either Eminence In time's abyss, are privileged to endure INSCRIPTION FOR A MONUMENT 2 IN CROSTHWAITE CHURCH, IN THE VALE OF KESWICK 1843-1845 YE vales and hills whose beauty hither drew The poet's steps, and fixed him here, on you His eyes have closed! And ye, loved books, no more To works that ne'er shall forfeit their renown, Adding immortal labours of his own— For the State's guidance, or the Church's weal, 1 Mary Wordsworth and Sarah Hutchinson. 2 Southey's monument stands on the east end of the altar tomb in the Church of St. Kentigern. Informed his pen, or wisdom of the heart, TO G. HUNTLY GORDON, ESQ. Rydal Mount, July 29, 1829. MY DEAR SIR, I hope you have enjoyed yourself in the country as we have been doing among our shady woods, and green hills, and invigorated streams. The summer is passing on, and I have not left home, and perhaps shall not; for it is far more from duty than inclination that I quit my dear and beautiful home; and duty pulls two ways. On the one side my mind stands in need of being fed by new objects for meditation and reflection, the more so because diseased eyes have cut me off so much from reading; and, on the other hand, I am obliged to look at the expense of distant travelling, as I am not able to take so much out of my body by walking as heretofore. I have not got my MS back from the 1 whose managers have, between them, used me shamefully; but my complaint is principally of the editor, for with the pro 1 An annual to which Wordsworth had been induced to become a contributor. prietor I had little direct connection. If you think it worth while, you shall, at some future day, see such parts of the correspondence as I have preserved. . . . I am properly served for having had any connection with such things. My only excuse is, that they offered me a very liberal sum, and that I have laboured hard through a long life, without more pecuniary emolument than a lawyer gets for two special retainers, or a public performer sometimes for two or three songs. Farewell; pray let me hear from you at your early convenience, And believe me faithfully Much obliged, your WM. WORDSWORTH. TO CHARLES AND MARY LAMB FROM RYDAL MOUNT, 9th Jan., 1830. MY DEAR FRIENDS, My nephew John will set off to-morrow evening to Oxford, to take his Master of Arts degree, and thence proceed to London, where his time will be so short, there is no chance of being able to go to see you; but there is a possibility that your brother may happen to be in town at the same time. I do not ask you, Miss Lamb, to write, for I know you dislike the office; but dear Charles L., you whom I have known almost five-and-thirty years, I trust I do not in vain entreat you to let me have the eagerly desired letter at your earliest opportunity, which letter will, we hope, bring us tidings respecting H. C. Robinson. We have not heard anything concerning him since his departure from |