1592997946000 1556803507000 Standard Record object-110005517 1747159851972 1681742690000 1747159409017 adlib fitz-online adlib-object-110005517 https://data.fitzmuseum.cam.ac.uk/id/object/110005517 b64eb334-f6dc-3988-b369-de5433dce7df 5 person reference agent-192551 adlib-agent-192551 b494e74a-20ec-3ce9-be5f-3267eaba4253 Seward, Anna person reference agent-198683 adlib-agent-198683 7e8947bd-8aa7-3fbc-8d50-d176e429f260 Long, William FRS, FSA person reference agent-199113 adlib-agent-199113 1a60dd71-1e58-36ad-8671-68757aa0bbd4 Williams, Helen Maria person reference agent-199104 adlib-agent-199104 f51109c2-99a2-365f-8b1d-e9d302037daa Knowles, Mary person reference agent-199140 adlib-agent-199140 5e650665-61d6-3712-a196-ea111d697d74 Beridge, Dr John person reference agent-199141 adlib-agent-199141 631877ff-f845-3783-ab40-ba82430f83c8 Beridge, Maria (later Mrs Twigge) person reference agent-198502 adlib-agent-198502 b67bd5fa-4f2a-302b-afaa-81f4c4f45ec8 Hayley, Eliza content description Hayley writes to say he is sorry that Seward and Mary Knowles are too busy to visit Eartham, and explains that he and Eliza are expecting a visit from their "dear Friends of Derby" (Dr and Mrs Beridge) in early May "& I may possibly fly up to London, as they have strongly sollicited me to meet them there.--- in which case I shall not fail to pay my devotions to you, surrounded as you may be by a thousand Rabbis, who, if they have any Taste, will undoubtedly prefer your songs to those of Solomon.---" He writes that he is "glad to hear that you, & our younger Sister of Parnassus [Helen Maria Williams] are so pleased with each other ... there is nothing I think that we may not hope from her Genius ... Perhaps the greatest danger to which modern Poets are exposed, is that of having their poetical Enthusiasm extinguished by the hypercritical & fastidious Spirit of a Polished Age.- There is much Criticism in the World, which operates like the dangerous Nostrum of a Quack;- which, under the pretence of strengthening the Judgement, gives the Imagination a Stroke of the Palsy.- I believe my Critique on yr Louisa was of this quacking Kind:- But I entreat you to sacrifice my Criticisms to the most dirty of divinities, whenever you feel them insulting the Majesty of yr Fancy -- If in your Poetry, my dear, You chuse imperfect Rhymes to mingle, Supposing they relieve the Ear By variations of the Jingle; Though yet I cannot think with you Pray never yield to my corrections! For I may learn, as Lovers do, To idolize your Imperfections---" He continues by explaining that Seward is wrong in thinking that Long "is no admirer of your Louisa", and advises her not to publish "the first single Epistle", but to wait until she has completed the whole work, as "you will grow indolent, be disgusted by the absurdity of some nonsensical Critic, & never compleat yr design". Hayley/XII/31 1 accession number Hayley/XII/31 110005517 priref 110005517 uri https://data.fitzmuseum.cam.ac.uk/id/object/110005517 https://data.fitzmuseum.cam.ac.uk/id/object/110005517 reference agent-149638 adlib-agent-149638 7376d833-d0a7-3be0-916e-9c892b7a24d8 The Fitzwilliam Museum 1783 1783 1783-04-20 reference agent-198487 adlib-agent-198487 4dbae6db-a725-3bfd-b34e-5d215b1a85e6 Hayley, William 1 sheet, folded. William Hayley to Anna Seward: letter object OBJECT