3-057-423 - Heritage Art/Heritage Images

Instructions for the printing of William Wordsworth's poems, 1807. Wordsworth explains how he wants the stanzas to appear on the page, and adds a note about how the death of Horatio Nelson at the Battle of Trafalgar in 1805 has influenced his writing. '2nd Sheet - General direction for the Printer. These two volumes are to be printed [?] with the Lyrical Ballads, in a stanza of four lines, four stanzas in a page. The first page of each Poem only printing 2 or 3 stanzas according to the length of the Title...The following Note must be inserted at the end of the Poem which stands last in this sheet "Character of the Happy Warrior"/ note - The above verses were written soon after tidings had been received of the death of Lord Nelson, which event directed the Author's thoughts to the subject. His respect for the memory of this great fellow-countryman induces him to mention this; though he is well aware that the verses must suffer from any connection in the Reader's mind with a name so illustrious'. From Poems in Two Volumes.