{"admin":{"added":1592997946000,"created":1550757292000,"flag":"Standard Record","id":"object-110005480","indexed":1747159851991,"modified":1681740190000,"processed":1747159409017,"source":"adlib","stream":"fitz-online","uid":"adlib-object-110005480","uri":"https:\/\/data.fitzmuseum.cam.ac.uk\/id\/object\/110005480","uuid":"5b03841c-f869-3c32-9e15-24e1950c502e","version":5},"agents":[{"@link":{"relation":"person","type":"reference"},"admin":{"id":"agent-192551","uid":"adlib-agent-192551","uuid":"b494e74a-20ec-3ce9-be5f-3267eaba4253"},"summary_title":"Seward, Anna"},{"@link":{"relation":"person","type":"reference"},"admin":{"id":"agent-198502","uid":"adlib-agent-198502","uuid":"b67bd5fa-4f2a-302b-afaa-81f4c4f45ec8"},"summary_title":"Hayley, Eliza"},{"@link":{"relation":"person","type":"reference"},"admin":{"id":"agent-164374","uid":"adlib-agent-164374","uuid":"6dc6d8ee-f986-30b1-a547-036e43de6644"},"summary_title":"Gibbon, Edward"},{"@link":{"relation":"person","type":"reference"},"admin":{"id":"agent-198930","uid":"adlib-agent-198930","uuid":"1fea5e78-0434-323a-beda-72986aed6c73"},"summary_title":"Pratt, Samuel Jackson"},{"@link":{"relation":"person","type":"reference"},"admin":{"id":"agent-198931","uid":"adlib-agent-198931","uuid":"9209f873-07a2-36f9-bac6-2ce1c67907c5"},"summary_title":"Miller, Lady Anna"}],"content":{"description":[{"type":"content description","value":"Hayley writes to Seward: \"You have metamorphosed me into (what I never thought of becoming) that unpleasant, but very useful Creature a Critic -- tho perhaps you have given me only the Form of the animal, without the virtues; for I am much of Gray's opinion, & think the worst verse in he world a better Thing than most observations upon it.\" He confesses that \"I hardly ever correct my own poetry, unless forced into that irksome drudgery by a Friend generous & stubborn enough to say, that it must be done; & as I am more & more convinced every day, that such a Friend is one of the greatest Blessings a Poet can possess, allow me to hope, that you will love me the better for my critical severity in sending your spelendid little Poem [\"Poem to the Memory of Lady Miller\"] to the Anvil again.\"\n\nHe writes that she can take her time \"for if yr poem is printed the beginning of the Winter, it will be in excellent season -- Mrs H [Eliza Hayley] will be at Bath about that Time, & I am sure she will promote the circulation of it by every means in her Power.\"\n\nHayley proceeds to explain that \"I resign the pleasure of her society during the winter\", as Eliza's \"very tender constitution\" makes her unable to cope with winters at their home (Eartham in Sussex), adding that, \"if our Souls were not in much better harmony than our nerves\", they would be \"a couple very ill-matched\" as, while hers cannot \"endure cold\", his \"(at least my optic ones) are no less injured by Heat\".\n\nHe informs Seward that, while he is \"passionately fond of my Hermitage in the very depth of Winter\", he dare not read by candlelight. Fortunately, his nursemaid (Sarah Betts, not named in the letter) reads to him, and \"actually read to me the last 2 volumes of Gibbon before Eliza returned from Bath in the Spring.\" He then tells her that Gibbon has written promising to spend a few days at Eartham in September, and he would be happy to show him Seward's poem, as Gibbon would be an excellent critic partly because he knew Lady Miller.\n\nHe then returns to Samuel Jackson Pratt's misuse of one (or more) of Seward's letters (see Hayley\/XII\/I), again exhorting her to forgive Pratt, but also \"to learn from what is past, how much we odd Beings called Authors ought to be on our Guard in the article of letters. For Heavens sake let no mortal peep at the hasty scrawls, that I dispatch to you, for I scribble to you not only in the most careless Haste, but with all the Frankness of the most unguarded affection.\"\n\nHayley then writes about the projects he is working on (His Essay on Epic Poety and additions to his Essay on History) and says that he has \"thrown aside all my papers &c for these last two days to devote myself entirely to yr more interesting Muse, at least for all the Time, that I dare to make use of my inflammatory rebellious eyes, which so frequently fail me when I have most occasion to call for their service...\"\n\nIn a postscript he adds \"I fancy the Lady, [unnamed] you expected, did not speak of yr poetical Brother in a Tone, that harmonized with yr enthusiastic Spirit -- I cannot suppose myself in her good Graces, as in Truth she is no Favourite of mine - for I have lately had much serious occasion to complain of her conduct towards me, which I should not however Even hint at to you in fraternal confidence, but from the Fear of her having endeavoured to sink me a little in yr good opinion...\""}]},"identifier":[{"accession_number":"Hayley\/XII\/2","primary":true,"type":"accession number","value":"Hayley\/XII\/2"},{"priref":"110005480","type":"priref","value":"110005480"},{"type":"uri","uri":"https:\/\/data.fitzmuseum.cam.ac.uk\/id\/object\/110005480","value":"https:\/\/data.fitzmuseum.cam.ac.uk\/id\/object\/110005480"}],"institutions":[{"@link":{"type":"reference"},"admin":{"id":"agent-149638","uid":"adlib-agent-149638","uuid":"7376d833-d0a7-3be0-916e-9c892b7a24d8"},"summary_title":"The Fitzwilliam Museum"}],"lifecycle":{"creation":[{"date":[{"earliest":1781,"latest":1781,"value":"1781-08-12"}],"maker":[{"@link":{"type":"reference"},"admin":{"id":"agent-198487","uid":"adlib-agent-198487","uuid":"4dbae6db-a725-3bfd-b34e-5d215b1a85e6"},"summary_title":"Hayley, William"}]}]},"measurements":{"dimensions":[{"value":"1 sheet, folded."}]},"summary_title":"William Hayley to Anna Seward: letter","title":[{"value":"William Hayley to Anna Seward: letter"}],"type":{"base":"object","type":"OBJECT"}}