balance

thown

off

depends on the degree of moral pain, which a man feels in relinquishing the idea of God. And here, I think, is the moral fault of unbelief:-that a man can bear to make so great a moral sacrifice, as is implied in renouncing God. He makes the greatest moral sacrifice to obtain partial satisfaction to his intellect: a believer ensures the greatest moral perfection, with partial satisfaction to his intellect also; entire satisfaction to the intellect is, and can be, attained by neither. Thus, then, I believe, generally, that he who has rejected God, must be morally faulty, and therefore justly liable to punishment. But of course, no man can dare to apply this to any particular case, because our moral faults themselves are so lessened or aggravated by circumstances to be known only by Him who sees the heart, that the judgment of those who see the outward conduct only, must ever be given in ignorance.

XLVI. TO J. T. COLERIDGE, ESQ.

Rugby, April 5, 1832.

I could still rave about Rydal—it was a period of five weeks of almost awful happiness, absolutely without a cloud; and we all enjoyed it I think equally-mother, father, and fry. Our intercourse with the Wordsworths was one of the brightest spots of all, nothing could exceed their friendliness-and my almost daily walks with him were things not to be forgotten. Once, and once only, we had a good fight about the Reform Bill during a walk up Greenhead Ghyll to see "the unfinished sheepfold" recorded in "Michael." But I am sure that our political disagreement did not at all interfere with our enjoyment of each other's society: for I think that in the great principles of things we agreed very entirely-and only differed as to the τὰ καθ' ἕκαστα. We are thinking of buying or renting a place at Grasmere or Rydal, to spend our holidays at constantly; for not only are the Wordsworths and the scenery a very great attraction, but as I had the chapel at Rydal all the time of our last visit, I got acquainted

with the poorer people besides, and you cannot tell what a home-like feeling all of us entertain towards the valley of the Rotha. I found that the newspapers so disturbed me, that we have given them up, and only take one once a week; it only vexes me to read, especially when I cannot do any thing in the way of writing. But I cannot understand how you, appreciating so fully the dangers of the times, can blame me for doing the little which I can to counteract the evil. No one feels more than I do the little fruit which I am likely to produce; still I know that the letters have been read and liked by some of the class of men whom I most wish to influence; and, besides, what do I sacrifice, or what do I risk? If things go as we fear, it will make very little difference whether I wrote in the Sheffield Courant or no, whereas, if God yet saves us, I may be abused, as I have been long since, by a certain party; but it is a mistake to suppose that either I or the school suffer by that. I quite think that a great deal will depend on the next three or four years, as to the permanent success of Rugby; we are still living on credit, but of course credit will not last for ever, unless there is something to warrant it. Our general style of composition is still bad, but where the fault is, I cannot say; some of our boys, however, do beautifully; and one copy of Greek verses (Iambics) on Clitumnus, which was sent in to me about a month ago, was one of the most beautiful school copies I ever saw. I should like to show it to you, or even to your brother Edward; for I do not think any of his pupils could write better—τοῦτο δὲ, ὡς ἐικὸς, σπάνιον.

XLVII. TO REV. G. CORNISH.

Rugby, June 9, 1832.

We are again, I believe, going to the lakes in the holidays: to a great house near the head of Winandermere, Brathay Hall; because our dear old house at Rydal is let for a twelvemonth. We all look with delight

to our migration, though the half year has gone on very happily as far as the school is concerned, and I am myself perfectly well; but in these times of excitement the thirst for a "lodge in some vast wilderness," is almost irresistible. We are going to have a dinner here for all the town on passing the Reform Bill:-the thing was to be, and I have been labouring to alter its name, and to divest it of every thing political, in order that every body might join in it; but of all difficult offices, that of a peacemaker seems to me to be one of the hardest. What a delightful man we have in Grenfell-so lively and so warm-hearted. I thought of you and of Bagley Wood, and old times, when I walked with him the other day in the rain to a wood about four miles from here, dug up orchis roots, and then bathed on our way home, hanging our clothes on a stick under a tree, to save them from being wet in the interval. . . . I do not wonder at what you say about the civility and compliance of the people with your instructions, as Rural Dean. I think it is so still,—and the game is yet in our hands if we would play it; but I suppose we shall not play it, and five or ten years hence it will be no longer ours to play. 120,000 copies of the Penny Magazine circulate weekly! We join in kindest love and regards to you all. Would that we might ever meet, before perhaps we meet in America or at sea after the Revolution.

XLVIII. TO REV. J. E. TYLER.

Rugby, June 10, 1832. Your letter interested me exceedingly. I have had some correspondence with the Useful Knowledge people about their Penny Magazine, and have sent them some things which I am waiting to see whether they will publish. I want to give their Magazine a decidedly Christian character, and then I think it would suit my notions better than any other; but of course what I have been doing, or may do for them, does not hinder me from doing what I can for you. I only suspect I should wish to liberalize

The

your Magazine, as I wish to Christianize theirs; and probably your Committee would recalcitrate against any such operation, as theirs may do. The Christian Knowledge Society has a bad name for the dulness of its publications; and their contributions to the cause of general knowledge, and enlightening the people in earnest, may seem a little tardy and reluctant. This, however, touches you, as an individual member of the Society, no more than it does myself; only the name of the Society is not in good odour. As for the thing itself, it is one on which I am half wild, and am not sure, that I shall not start one at my own expense down here, and call it the Warwickshire Magazine; and I believe that it would answer in the long run, if there were funds to keep it up for a time; but "experto crede," it is an expensive work to push an infant journal up hill. objection to a magazine is its desultoriness and vaguenessit is all scraps; whereas a newspaper has a regular subject, and follows it up continuously. I would try to do this as much as I could in a magazine. I would have in every number one portion of the paper for miscellanies, but I think that in another portion there should be some subjects followed up regularly; e. g. the history of our present state of society traced backwards; the history of agriculture, including that of inclosures; the statistics of different countries, &c., &c. I suppose the object is to instruct those who have few books and little education; but all instruction must be systematic, and it is this which the people want: they want to have agxà before them, and comprehensive outlines of what follows from those agxài; not a parcel of detached stories about natural history, or this place, or that man,-all entertaining enough, but not instructive to minds wholly destitute of any thing like a frame, in which to arrange miscellaneous information. And I believe, if done spiritedly, that systematic information would be even more attractive than the present hodgepodge of odds and ends. Above all, be afraid of teaching nothing: it is vain now to say that questions of religion

and politics are above the understanding of the poorer classes: so they may be, but they are not above their misunderstanding, and they will think and talk about them, so that they had best be taught to think and talk rightly. It is worth while to look at Owen's paper, "The Crisis," or at the "Midland Representative," the great paper of the Birmingham operatives. The most abstract points are discussed in them, and the very foundations of all things are daily being probed, as much as by the sophists, whom it was the labour of Socrates' life to combat. Phrases which did well enough formerly, now only excite a sneer; it does not do to talk to the operatives about our "pure and apostolical church," and "our glorious constitution," they have no respect for either; but one must take higher ground, and show that our object is not to preserve particular institutions, so much as to uphold eternal principles, which are in great danger of falling into disrepute, because of the vices of the institutions which profess to exemplify them. The Church, as it now stands, no human power can save; my fear is, that, if we do not mind, we shall come to the American fashion, and have no provision made for the teaching Christianity at all. But it is late, and I must go to bed; and I have prosed to you enough; but I am as bad about these things as Don Quixote with his knight-errantry, and when once I begin, I do not readily

stop.

XLIX. TO HIS NEPHEW, J. WARD, ESQ., ON HIS MARRIAGE. Brathay Hall, July 7, 1832.

A man's life in London, while he is single, may be very stirring, and very intellectual, but I imagine that it must have a hardening effect, and that this effect will be more felt every year as the counter tendencies of youth become less powerful. The most certain softeners of a man's moral skin, and sweeteners of his blood, are, I am sure, domestic intercourse in a happy marriage, and