Autograph letter : [Torquay], to Richard Hengist Horne, "Monday" [1841 February 8?].

Discussing the critical review in the Athenæum of his Chaucer essay; speculating that George Darley may have written the review; commenting, "Yet I have an interest in the Athenæum, for all its sins. They have been as kind to me, I do believe, on different occasions, as their consciences would let them - & the editor is liberal enough to send me a number every week on account of a few very occasional contributions of mine, deserving no such gratuity;" complimenting him on his Preface to their dramatic poem; referring to her health saying "...the headache is no excuse! I have not frequent headaches - & if just now I am rather more feverish & uncomfortable than usual, the cause is in the dreadful weather - the snow & east wind - & not in our Psyche. These external causes do however affect me as little, - even less, my physician says, - than might have been feared - & I think steadily, hope steadily, for London at the end of May...so to attain a removal from this place which has been so eminently fatal to my happiness. The only gladness associated with the banishment here has been your offered sympathy & friendship. Otherwise bitterness has dropped on bitterness like the snows - more than I can tell, -- & independent of that last most overwhelming affliction of my life, -- from the edge of the chasm of which I may struggle b̲u̲t̲;" suggesting, in a postscript, "Psyche Agonistes" as a title."