Page:The Life of William Morris.djvu/678

ÆT. 57] Plain," which owing to this accidental collocation of circumstances was the first book printed at and issued from the Kelmscott Press, was printed off on the 2nd of March, and the last on the 4th of April. Only two hundred copies on paper, besides six on vellum, were printed. It was issued in May by Messrs. Reeves and Turner, Morris's ordinary publishers. The printing had been carried through under great difficulties. Towards the end of February Morris was laid up for several weeks with a severe attack of gout, attended by other symptoms of an alarming kind. On consultation the kidneys were found to be gravely affected; and he was told that henceforth he must consider himself an invalid to the extent of husbanding his strength and living under a very careful regimen.

In the height of the attack, and before he was able to hold a pen,—"my hand seems lead and my wrist string"—he writes to Ellis with unconquerable spirit:

"And now as to the joint enterprise: I have got my type and am hard at work on the Glittering Plain, which I hope to get out in about six weeks time; about the same time I expect the first instalment of my due stock of paper; and I don't see why we then should not be ready to go ahead with G.L., only I certainly must see you before we settle matters. Meantime, as soon as I can stand up, or before, I will get a mere trial page or two of the G.L. set up, and then you can get some idea of the number of pages.

"Yes, 'tis a fine thing to have some interesting work to do, and more than ever when one is in trouble—I found that out the other day."

From Folkestone, where he had gone to pick up his strength after this illness, he writes a month later, "I think I shall make some scratch of a border to each life or section. I want to make it grand. I have a