IX. THE FEASTS OF THE VANDALS 399

170. But the following letter from Samuel Prout, written just at the moment when my father’s pride in the success of the book was fast beguiling him into admission of its authorship, at least in our own friendly circle, expresses with old-fashioned courtesy, but with admirable simplicity and firmness, the first impression made by my impetuous outburst on the most sensible and sincere members of the true fellowship of English artists, who at that time were doing each the best he could in his own quiet way, without thought either of contention with living rivals, or of comparing their modest work to the masterpieces of former time.

“HASTINGS, July 2nd, 1843.

“DEAR SIR,-I beg to apologize for not sooner acknowledging, with my best thanks, your kindness in adding another to many obligations.

“Please to believe that I am ambitious of meriting your many acts of kind consideration, but I am ashamed and vexed to feel a consciousness of apparent rudeness, and a trial of patience which nothing can extenuate. I must fear that my besetting sin of idleness in letter-writing has been displeasing to you, although your note is politely silent on the subject.

“I am sorry to say that for months together my spirits have sunk so low, that every duty and every kindness have been sadly neglected.

“In consequence of this nervous inactivity, the Water Colour Exhibition contains almost all I have been able to accomplish since last year. The drawing of Petrarch’s House,¹ which you wished me to make, was finished some time since, but is so unlike what I am sure you expected, that I deferred saying anything about it till another was made. Alas! the things I ought to have done have not been done. I intended bringing it to town with me, and asking the favour that it might remain in your possession till I had made something more worthy. My trip to town has been put off month after month, and I expect the resolution will not awake till the last day of seeing sights. Should you not be in town, both drawings shall be left at Foord’s.*

“Permit me to say that I have been indulged with a hasty perusal of a work on art and artists by ‘A Graduate of Oxford.’ I read the volume

* The letters quoted in the text of Præterita will always be given without omissions even of trivial passages. Of those arranged in Dilecta, I give only the portions which seem to me likely to interest the reader; and even take leave to drop superfluous sentences without stars or other note of the omission, but so that the absolute meaning of the writer shall be always kept.

¹ [A drawing of this subject was No. 67 in the Prout Exhibition: see Vol. XIV. p. 430.]

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