Hampstead, Saturday Night February 14, 1818.

My dear Brothers--When once a man delays a letter beyond the proper time, he delays it longer, for one or two reasons--first, because he must begin in a very common-place style, that is to say, with an excuse; and secondly things and circumstances become so jumbled in his mind, that he knows not what, or what not, he has said in his last--I shall visit you as soon as I have copied my poem all out, I am now much beforehand with the printer, they have done none yet, and I am half afraid they will let half the season by before the printing. I am determined they shall not trouble me when I have copied it all.--Horace Smith has lent me his manuscript called "Nehemiah Muggs, an exposure of the Methodists"--perhaps I may send you a few extracts--Hazlitt's last Lecture was on Thomson, Cowper, and Crabbe, he praised Thomson and Cowper but he gave Crabbe an unmerciful licking--I think Hunt's article of Fazio--no it was not, but I saw Fazio the first night, it hung rather heavily on me--I am in the high way of being introduced to a squad of people, Peter Pindar, Mrs. Opie, Mrs. Scott--Mr. Robinson a great friend of Coleridge's called on me. Richards tells me that my poems are known in the west country, and that he saw a very clever copy of verses, headed with a Motto from my Sonnet to George--Honours rush so thickly upon me that I shall not be able to bear up against them. What think you--am I to be crowned in the Capitol, am I to be made a Mandarin--No! I am to be invited, Mrs. Hunt tells me, to a party at Ollier's, to keep Shakspeare's birthday--Shakspeare would stare to see me there. The Wednesday before last Shelley, Hunt and I wrote each a Sonnet on the River Nile, some day you shall read them all. I saw a sheet of Endymion, and have all reason to suppose they will soon get it done, there shall be nothing wanting on my part. I have been writing at intervals many songs and Sonnets, and I long to be at Teignmouth, to read them over to you: however I think I had better wait till this Book is off my mind; it will not be long first.

Reynolds has been writing two very capital articles, in the Yellow Dwarf, on popular Preachers--All the talk here is about Dr. Croft the Duke of Devon etc.

Your most affectionate Brother

JOHN.