portrait by William Hazlitt
from a letter to Coleridge
Discussing Southey's poem "The Spider" in comparing to Burns. "I would persuade you, if I could... to commence a series of these animal poems, which might have a tendency to rescue some poor creatures from the antipathy of mankind... I love this sort of poems, that open a new intercourse with the most despised of the animal and insect race. I think the vein may be further opened. Peter Pindar hath very prettily apostrophised a fly, Burns hath his mouse and his louse, Coleridge less successfully hath made overtures of intimacy to a Jackass, therein only following at unresembling distance Sterne & great Cervantes -- Beyond these I know of no other examples of breaking down the partition between us and our 'poor earth born companions...'" Includes an 18 line poem, Marmor loquitor, on the death of a volunteer at home in bed and who wished to be buried in his regimentals.
