Page:The Life of William Morris.djvu/735

326 difference between his poetry and his drivel is so striking.

"I have been through the poems, and find that the only ones that have any interest for me are—1. Ancient Mariner, 2. Christabel, 3. Kubla Khan, and 4. the poem called Love. This would make a very little book, about 60 pages. There is one other which at least has some character, though rather tainted with Wordsworthianism; it is called The Three Graves, and is about as cheerful as the influenza. But then it is copyright; and at the best it would rather water down the good ones."

This volume, which finally included thirteen of Coleridge's poems, was the last of the series of reprints of modern poetry issued from the Kelmscott Press. It was not printed till a year later, having been postponed to another volume of selected poems of Herrick, for whom Morris had only a modified liking. "I like him better than I thought I should: I daresay we shall make a pretty book of it," was all he would say after looking through the "Hesperides" and "Noble Numbers" when the Kelmscott edition was in preparation.

In March he was buying manuscripts of Messrs. Quaritch and Leighton, and also at sales at Sotheby's and Christie's, and hungering after more, though indignant at the prices which were asked for them. "I bought," he writes to Ellis on the 19th, "for ₤15 10s. (much too dear) a Guldin Bibel (Augsburg, Hohenwang, circa 1470), a very interesting book which I much wanted. Also I bought for ₤25 (much too dear) a handsome 13th century French MS., but with little ornament, because it looked so handsome I hadn't the heart to send it back. The Mentelin Bible Quaritch bought for himself: 'tis a very fine book, and I lust after it, but can't afford it. The prices were preposterous.