Letter from William Wordsworth, near Bootle Cumberland, to Sir George Beaumont, 1811 August 28 : autograph manuscript signed.

Trying to explain why he has not written for almost 12 months and hoping he will be forgiven; remembering their Tour to the Leasowes and Hagley a year ago; relating, at length and in detail, the story of a fine painting "...of Eugh-trees at Hagley which we missed" and telling him the painting is owned by a man who lives in Hagley should Sir George be there again and wish to see it; mentioning that last autumn, while in Wales, he spent a day and a half with [Uvedale] Price at Foxley; saying Price was very kind and showed him "...all the beauties of his place;" saying "I was not in a kindly or genial state of mind while Mr. Price was taking so much friendly pains for my entertainment. His daughter put me out of tune by her strange speech, looks, and manners; and then, unluckily, Fitzpatrick was there, a torch that once may have burnt bright, but is now deplorably dim. It was to me odd to see a host and a guest who appeared to have so little satisfaction in each other's company, and full as odd to see a Hostess and a Guest so snugly and peaceably content with each other. But this looks like a scandal, which is bad enough from the lip, but in a Letter is intolerable;" describing, in detail, the grounds at Foxley, its lack of physical variety and the resulting monotony from being overly controlled; saying "This relish of humanity Foxley wants, and is therefore to me, in spite of all its recommendations, a melancholy spot - I mean that part of it which the owner keeps to himself and has taken so much pains with;" asking Sir George "...whether your Pencil has been busy last winter, in the solitude and uninterrupted quiet of Dunmow;" saying he has changed his residence in Grasmere, describing the new house and hoping Sir George will visit; telling him that two pictures which he owns painted by Sir George of the Coleorton landscape inspired a sonnet which he writes with the first line 'Praised be the Art whose subtle power could stay;" saying that he and Mary will soon return to Grasmere, but due to the unfavorable weather at the sea-side their child did not benefit from the bathing; describing what they've seen in the area around where they are staying; quoting a poem from the poet Thomson, beginning with the line "I care not, Fortune, what you me deny"; describing "...a bleak and treeless coast" the view of the Isle of Man from their window, the sky, the weather, and the land around him; expressing the beauty of a sunset during an evening walk and referencing Milton's Paradise Lost.