12 June 1826. Price, Uvedale to Browning, Elizabeth Barrett.

              Foxley

June 12th 1826

Dear Miss Barrett

I had heard with much satisfaction, from Mrs Barrett’s letter to my daughter, how favourably you had received my remarks & criticisms; but have great pleasure in receiving the same intelligence under your own hand, & in your own words. I am in general very apt to put down what remarks occur to me, whenever I am much pleased with any work: & in the present case I was interested in the work, in the writer, & in all that belongs to her.

You have very candidly acquiesced in the greater part of my criticisms; & have done right in defending yourself against those that did not carry conviction: I, again shall do right in defending my criticisms where I still think them well founded; & the discussion may not be useless, tho’ it should fail to alter your opinion. With regard to aonian, I agree with you in all you say of it; & am much pleased with your illustrations & quotations, particularly that from Gray: I agree with you that we have as good a right to the inspiration of the Aonides, Pierides or whatever name they may be called by, as the Romans had; & certainly full as good a one as the French have to Boileau’s “Chastes Nymphes de Permesse,” but all this does not meet my objection, or, at least what I meant to object; which is to any Epithet as superfluous, & to such as one as Aonian as tending to mislead. If I mistake not, you could only intend to say that Cowley’s first productions