edition of Lyrical various details of Dorothy's description of the leech Ballads, 1800 . gatherer. See May 4 and 7, 1802 (pp. 398 and
5. The brother of Joseph Cottle, Bristol publisher 400), for William working on the poem he origiof the first edition of Lyrical Ballads. nally called 'The Leech Gatherer.'
6. Sally Lowthian, who had been a servant in the 8. The sheepfold (pen for sheep) in William's house of the Wordsworths' father. 'Michael'; lines 1?17 of the poem describe the
7. William's 'Resolution and Independence,' walk up Greenhead Ghyll.
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39 4 / DOROTHY WORDSWORTH
Sheep bleating & in lines & chains & patterns scattered over the mountains. They come down & feed on the little green islands in the beds of the torrents & so may be swept away. The Sheepfold is falling away it is built nearly in the form of a heart unequally divided. Look down the brook & see the drops rise upwards & sparkle in the air, at the little falls, the higher sparkles the tallest. We walked along the turf of the mountain till we came to a Cattle track? made by the cattle which come upon the hills. We drank tea at Mr Simpson's returned at about nine?a fine mild night.
Sunday 12th October. Beautiful day. Sate in the house writing in the morning while Wm went into the Wood to compose. Wrote to John in the morning? copied poems for the LB, in the evening wrote to Mrs Bawson. Mary Jameson & Sally Ashburner dined. We pulled apples after dinner, a large basket full. We walked before tea by Bainriggs to observe the many coloured foliage the oaks dark green with yellow leaves?The birches generally still green, some near the water yellowish. The Sycamore crimson & crimson-tufted?the mountain ash a deep orange?the common ash Lemon colour but many ashes still fresh in their summer green. Those that were discoloured chiefly near the water. William composing in the Evening. Went to bed at 12 o'clock.
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1801
Tuesday [Nov.] 24th. A rainy morning. We all were well except that my head ached a little & I took my Breakfast in bed. I read a little of Chaucer, prepared the goose for dinner, & then we all walked out?I was obliged to return for my fur tippet & Spenser9 it was so cold. We had intended going to Easedale but we shaped our course to Mr Gell's cottage. It was very windy & we heard the wind everywhere about us as we went along the Lane but the walls sheltered us?John Green's house looked pretty under Silver How?as we were going along we were stopped at once, at the distance perhaps of 50 yards from our favorite Birch tree it was yielding to the gusty wind with all its tender twigs, the sun shone upon it & it glanced in the wind like a flying sunshiny shower?it was a tree in shape with stem & branches but it was like a Spirit of water?The sun went in & it resumed its purplish appearance the twigs still yielding to the wind but not so visibly to us. The other Birch trees that were near it looked bright 8c chearful?but it was a Creature by its own self among them. We could not get into Mr Gell's grounds?the old tree fallen from its undue exaltation above the Gate. A shower came on when we were at Ben- son's. We went through the wood?it became fair, there was a rainbow which spanned the lake from the Island house to the foot of Bainriggs. The village looked populous & beautiful. Catkins are coming out palm trees budding? the alder with its plumb coloured buds. We came home over the stepping stones the Lake was foamy with white waves. I saw a solitary butter flower in the wood. I found it not easy to get over the stepping stones?reached home at dinner time. Sent Peggy Ashburner some goose. She sent me some honey? with a thousand thanks?'alas the gratitude of men has & c'1 I went in to set
9. A close-fitting jacket worn by women and chil-'Alas! the gratitude of men / Has oft'ner left me dren. A tippet is a stole or scarf. mourning.'
1. A quotation from William's 'Simon Lee':
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THE GRASMERE JOURNALS / 395
her right about this & sate a while with her. She talked about Thomas's having sold his land?'Ay' says she I said many a time 'He's not come fra London to buy our Land however' then she told me with what pains & industry they had made up their taxes interest &c &c?how they all got up at 5 o'clock in the morning to spin & Thomas carded, & that they had paid off a hundred pound of the interest. She said she used to take such pleasure in the cattle & sheep? 'O how pleased I used to be when they fetched them down, & when I had been a bit poorly I would gang out upon a hill & look over t' fields & see them & it used to do me so much good you cannot think'?Molly said to me when I came in 'poor Body! she's very ill but one does not know how long she may last. Many a fair face may gang before her.' We sate by the fire without work for some time then Mary read a poem of Daniell upon Learning.2 After tea Wm read Spenser now & then a little aloud to us. We were making his waistcoat. We had a note from Mrs C., with bad news from poor C very ill. William walked to John's grove?I went to meet him?moonlight but it rained. I met him before I had got as far as John Baty's he had been surprized & terrified by a sudden rushing of winds which seemed to bring earth sky & lake together, as if the whole were going to enclose him in?he was glad he was in a high Road.
In speaking of our walk on Sunday Evening the 22nd November I forgot to notice one most impressive sight?it was the moon & the moonlight seen through hurrying driving clouds immediately behind the Stone man upon the top of the hill on the Forest side. Every tooth & every edge of Rock was visible, & the Man stood like a Giant watching from the Roof of a lofty castle. The hill seemed perpendicular from the darkness below it. It was a sight that I could call to mind at any time it was so distinct.
$ $ $
1802
Thursday [Mar. 4]. Before we had quite finished Breakfast Calvert's man brought the horses for Wm.3 We had a deal to do to shave?pens to make? poems to put in order for writing, to settle the dress pack up &c &. The man came before the pens were made & he was obliged to leave me with only two? Since he has left me (at Vz past 11) it is now 2 I have been putting the Drawers into order, laid by his clothes which we had thrown here & there & everywhere, filed two months' newspapers & got my dinner 2 boiled eggs & 2 apple tarts. I have set Molly on to clear the garden a little, & I myself have helped. I transplanted some snowdrops?The Bees are busy?Wm has a nice bright day. It was hard frost in the night?The Robins are singing sweetly?Now for my walk. I will be busy, I will look well & be well when he comes back to me. O the Darling! Here is one of his bitten apples! I can hardly find in my heart to throw it into the fire. I must wash myself, then off?I walked round the two Lakes crossed the stepping stones at Rydale Foot. Sate down where we always sit. I was full of thoughts about my darling. Blessings on him. I came home at the foot of our own hill under Loughrigg. They are making sad ravages in the woods?Benson's Wood is going & the wood above the River. The wind has blown down a small fir tree on the Rock that terminates John's path?I
