s a curse."

It will be seen that Haydon's character of Keats is in some respects
very highly laudatory: he speaks of the poet's unselfishness and
generosity in terms which may possibly run into excess, but cannot
assuredly have fallen short. What he remarks as to "irregularities"
seems to show that these had (at least in Haydon's opinion) taken
somewhat firm root with Keats, and had not merely come and gone with a
spurt, as a relief from feelings of depression or mortification; nor can
we altogether forget the statement that, on the night of February 3,
1820, which closed with the first attack of blood-spitting, Keats
"returned home in a state of strange physical excitement--it might have
appeared to those who did not know him one of fierce intoxication."
Physical excitement which looks like fierce intoxication, without being
really anything of the sort, can be but a comparatively rare phaenomenon;
nor do I suppose that an impending attack of blood-spitting would
account for such an appearance. Brown, however, was still more positive
than Lord Houghton in excluding the idea of intoxication on that
occasion; he even says, "Such a state in him, I knew, was
impossible"--an assertion which we have to balance against the general
averments of Haydon. Keats's irritation at the remonstrances which
Haydon addressed to him upon irregularities, real or assumed, is
mentioned by the painter without any seeming knowledge of the fact that
Keats had (as shown by his letter of September 20, 1819, already cited,
to his brother George) cooled down very greatly in his cordiality to his
monitor; and he may perhaps have received the remonstrances in a spirit
of stubbornness, or of apparent irritation, more because he was out of
humour with Haydon than because he could not confute the allegations,
had he been so minded. As to the charge of want of decision of
character, want of power of will, we must try to understand what is the
exact sense in which Haydon applies these terms. He appears from the
context to refer more to indefiniteness of literary aim, combined with
sensitiveness to critical detraction and ridicule, than to anything
really affecting the basis of a man's character in his general walk of
life and commerce with the world. A few words on both these aspects of
the question will not be wasted. We need not, however, recur to the
allegation of over-sensitiveness to criticism, or of being "snuffed out
by an article," which has alrea