Letter from Samuel Taylor Coleridge, Keswick, to Sir George and Lady Beaumont, 1803 September 22 : autograph manuscript signed with initials.

Saying to Sir George and Lady Beaumont that he has been very ill from gout and describes, in detail, his symptoms; telling them that he received two letters from Southey while in Perth, the first informing him of "...his approaching Loss, the second of his arrival at Keswick / I altered my plans immediately - took my place in the Mail, & hastened home to yield him what small comfort, my society might afford. Previously to my taking the Coach, I had walked 263 miles in 8 days, in the hope of forcing the Disease into the extremities - and so strong am I, that I would undertake at this present time to walk 50 miles a day for a week together. In short, while I am in possession of my will & my reason, I can keep the Fiend at arm's Length; but with the Night my Horrors commence - during the whole of my Journey three nights out of four I have fallen asleep struggling & resolving to lie awake, & awaking have blest the Scream which delivered me from the reluctant Sleep...To morrow I expect to receive the new Gout medicine from Welles, who in consequence of a request from my friend, Mr. Beddoes, has written me a very obliging letter. If he cure me, I will raise up a new Sect in his honor...;" mentioning that he left Wordsworth and his sister at Loch Lomond due to his illness and "walked myself to Glen Coe, & so on as far as Cullen, then back again to Inverness, & thence over that most desolate & houseless Country by Aviemore, Dalnacardoch, Dalwhinny, Tummel Bridge, Kenmore, to Perth, with various Digressions & mountain climbings;" describing the violence of his attacks of gout which prevented him from writing and caused him to fall "...in an hysterical Fit with long & loud weeping to my own great metaphysical amusement & the unutterable consternation & bebustlement of the Landlord, his Wife, children, & Servants, who all gabbled Gaelic to each other, & sputtered out short-winded English to me in a strange Style -;" telling them that he found one of Southey's books which reminded him of Lady Beaumont and that his wife will reply to Lady Beaumont's letter when she is less occupied with the children and housework; saying that he is enclosing a sheet of verses that he promised and adding "In a few weeks I shall, if I live & am tolerably well, send you three Specimens of my Translations from your Drawings. If you should really like them, I will go on & make a Volume / I cannot help saying, & it seems as if I had more Love toward you than toward myself in my heart while I am saying it, that I myself have been unusually pleased with what I have done."