Journals of Dorothy Wordsworth, Vol. 1 (of 2)

When he was gone we again debated whether we should go back to Tarbet, or throw ourselves upon the mercy of one of the two gentlemen for a night's lodging. What we had seen of t...

_Sunday, 14th February._--A fine morning. The sun shines out, but it has been a hard frost in the night. There are some little snowdrops that are afraid to put their white heads...

_Friday Evening, 16th July._-- ... Sara, Tom, and I rode up Bedale. Wm., Mary, Sara, and I went to Scarborough, and we walked in the Abbey pasture, and to Wykeham; and on Monday...

_January 3rd._--Sunday. Mary brought us letters from Sara and Coleridge and we went with her homewards to ... Parted at the stile on the Pooley side. Thomas Wilkinson dined with...

Left Dumbarton at about eleven o'clock. The sky was cheerless and the air ungenial, which we regretted, as we were going to Loch Lomond, and wished to greet the first of the Sco...

Strong-bodied if ye be to bear Intemperance with less harm, beware, But if your Father's wit ye share, Then, then indeed, Ye Sons of Burns, for watchful care There will be need.

Wherever we looked, it was a delightful feeling that there was something beyond. Meanwhile, the sense of quiet was never lost sight of; the little peaceful lakes among the islan...

_Tuesday, 17th._--A very rainy morning. We walked into Easedale before dinner. The coppices a beautiful brown. The oaks many, a very fine leafy shade. We stood a long time to lo...

_Tuesday._--A mild morning. William worked at _The Cuckoo_ poem. I sewed beside him.... I read German, and, at the closing-in of day, went to sit in the orchard. William came to...

_Thursday._--I sate out of doors great part of the day, and worked in the garden. Had a letter from Mr. Jackson, and wrote an answer to Coleridge. The little birds busy making l...

We went on, looking before us, the place losing nothing of its hold upon our minds, when we discovered a woman sitting right in the middle of the field, alone, wrapped up in a g...

_Tuesday, 8th June._--Ellen and I rode to Windermere. We had a fine sunny day, neither hot nor cold. I mounted the horse at the quarry. We had no difficulties or delays but at t...

Cast anchor between six and seven o'clock. The moon shone upon the waters. The shores were visible rock; here and there a light from the houses. Ships lying at anchor not far fr...

The Castle stands nobly, overlooking the Clyde. When we came up to it I was hurt to see that flower-borders had taken place of the natural overgrowings of the ruin, the scattere...

After having stayed some time, we returned by the same footpath into the main carriage-road, and soon came upon what William calls an ell-wide gravel walk, from which we had dif...

I sowed the flowers, William helped me. We then went and sate in the orchard till dinner time. It was very hot. William wrote _The Celandine_.[66] We planned a shed, for the sun...

_February 1st._--About two hours before dinner, set forward towards Mr. Bartholemew's.[4] The wind blew so keen in our faces that we felt ourselves inclined to seek the covert o...

_Friday, 12th September._-- ... The fern of the mountains now spreads yellow veins among the trees; the coppice wood turns brown. William observed some affecting little things i...

A few fragments from her Grasmere Journal were included by the late Bishop of Lincoln in the _Memoirs_ of his uncle, published in 1850. The _Recollections of a Tour made in Scot...

_Monday, 31st October._[76]-- ... William and S. went to Keswick. Mary and I walked to the top of the hill and looked at Rydale. I was much affected when I stood upon the second...

At the opening of the pass we climbed up a low eminence, and had an unexpected prospect suddenly before us--another lake, small compared with Loch Ketterine, though perhaps four...