Earl Grey on Early Rising

Thomas Hood to The Duke of Devonshire

Winchmore Hill.

[April, 1831]

My Lord Duke,

On learning that Your Grace is at Chatsworth, I send off as many titles as have occurred to me; promising myself the honour and pleasure of waiting upon Your Grace with some others on the 14th, and am, My Lord Duke, Your Grace's most obliged and obedient servant,

Thos. Hood.

TITLES FOR THE LIBRARY DOOR, CHATSWORTH

On the Lung Arne in Consumption. By D. Cline.

Dante's Inferno; or Description of Van Demon's Land.

The Racing Calendar, with the Eclipses for 1831.

Ye Devill on Two Styx (Black letter). 2 Vols.

On cutting off Heirs with a Shilling. By Barber Beaumont.

Percy Vere. In 40 volumes.

Galerie des Grands Tableaux par les Petits Maitres.

On the Affinity of the Death Watch and Sheep Tick.

Lamb's Recollections of Suett.

Lamb on the Death of Wolfe.

The Optician. By Lord Farnham.

Tadpoles; or Tales out of my own Head.

On the Connection of the River Oder and the River Wezel.

Malthus' Attack of Infantry.

McAdam's Views in Rhodes.

Spenser, with Chaucer's Tales.

Autographia; or Man's Nature, known by his Sig-nature.

Manfredi. Translated by Defoe.

Earl Grey on Early Rising.

Plurality of Livings, with regard to the Common Cat.

The Life of Zimmermann. By Himself.

On the Quadrature of the Circle; or Squaring in the Ring. By J. Mendoza.

Gall's Sculler's Fares.

Bish's Retreat of the Ten Thousand.

Dibdin's Cream of Tar -- .

Cornaro on Longevity and the Construction of 74's

Pompeii; or Memoirs of a Black Footman. By Sir W. Gell.

Pygmalion. By Lord Bacon.

Macintosh, Macculoch, and Macaulay on Almacks.

On Trial by Jury, with remarkable Packing Cases.

On the Distinction between Lawgivers and Law-sellers. By Lord Brougham.

Memoirs of Mrs. Mountain. By Ben Lomond.

Feu mon pere--feu ma mere. Par Swing.

-from Memorials of Thomas Hood collected, arranged, and edited by his daughter with a preface and notes by his son / 2 volumes (Boston: Tichnor and Fields, 1860) pp. 29-31.

unreal folios

The Duke of Devonshire to Thomas Hood

London.

[February 8th, 1831.]

Sir,

Accept my best thanks for the beautiful copies of the "Comic Annual," which I have had the pleasure of receiving from you; you could not have selected a person who has enjoyed more the perusal of your works.

I am almost afraid of making the following request, but perhaps it may be as amusing as it must be easy to you to comply with it, in which case alone I beg you to do it.

It is necessary to construct a door of sham books, for the entrance of a library at Chatsworth: your assistance in giving me inscriptions for these unreal folios, quartos, and 12mos, is what I now ask.

One is tired of the "Plain Dealings," "Essays on "Wood," and "Perpetual Motion" on such doors,--on one I have seen the names of "Don Quixote's Library," and on others impossibilities, such as "Virgilii Odaria,"-- "Herodoti Poemata"--"Byron's Sermons"--&c., &c.; but from you I venture to hope for more attractive titles--at your perfect leisure and convenience. I have the honour to be, Sir, with many excuses.

Your sincere humble servant,

Devonshire.

-from Memorials of Thomas Hood collected, arranged, and edited by his daughter with a preface and notes by his son / 2 volumes (Boston: Tichnor and Fields, 1860) pp. 28-29.