The Works and Life of Walter Savage Landor (Volume 1); Life, by J. Forster (Paperback)

This historic book may have numerous typos, missing text or index. Purchasers can download a free scanned copy of the original book (without typos) from the publisher. 1876. Not illustrated. Excerpt: ... 'way of portraiture.' The biographical portion is indeed a little masterpiece; and the letter accompanying the essay, when sent to me, told me of the progress of another and more important literary labour also undertaken at my suggestion, and to which I gave such help as he invited from me during the next three following years. This was the Collection and Eevision of all his Writings; a part of the design of which was that it should be completed with the completion of his seventieth year. But, by the labour involved in the preparation of it a delay of more than six months after he had seen his seventy-first having intervened, he laughingly declared that this had freed him from a certain other resolution he would else have kept. 'I have youth on 'my side/ he wrote to Lady Elessington in November 1844: 'I shall not see seventy for nearly three months to come. Once "beyond seventy I will never write a line in verse or prose for publication. I will be my own Gil Bias. The wisest of ns are unconscious when our faculties began to decay. Knowing this I fixed my determination many years ago. Meanwhile I am acting religiously on Forster's advice. I pluck out my weeds all over the field, and leave only the strongest shoots of the best plants standing.' To me he wrote in another letter a few weeks later: 'I am working very hard at the Collection, and will be mindful of your warnings. Old men are apt to stumble and fall flat when they totter into poetry. We all are archbishops at a certain age; but some can bear Gil Bias better than the others can. Yet I hope yon will not have to repent of your wish to draw the world's attention to my grave. People will not read my writings until then; and then, if they like to do so, they may perhaps find, both in prose and poetry, what ma...