II.

To BENJAMIN ROBERT HAYDON.

20 November 1816.

My dear Sir

Last evening wrought me up, and I cannot for

bear sending you the following.

Yours unfeignedly

John Keats

Removed to 76 Cheapside

"The following " was the sonnet beginning

Great spirits now on earth are sojourning;

Lord

which will be found at page 82 of Volume I of this edition. Houghton says-" Haydon in his acknowledgment, suggested the omission of a part of it;" and the hiatus was certainly not in the sonnet originally, the line being filled up with the words in a distant Mart; but in a second copy written by Keats and inserted in Haydon's journal those words are omitted and points are substituted. It should perhaps be mentioned that this little note has already been printed in the second volume of Benjamin Robert Haydon: Correspondence and Table-Talk, where it closes thus"Yours imperfectly,

John Keats."

But, although the word unfeignedly is not very clearly written, that is certainly the word. The correspondence with Haydon opened briskly it will be seen that the next letter is dated the afternoon of the same day as the above.