to you such an anthology as would gladden your very heart. As
for _The Songs of Scandinavia_, all the ballads would be ready
before departure, and as I should take books, I would in a few
months send you translations of the modern lyric poetry. I hope
this letter will not displease you. I do not write it from
_flightiness_, but from thoughtfulness. I am uneasy to find
myself at four and twenty drifting on the sea of the world, and
likely to continue so.--Yours most sincerely,

G. BORROW.

This letter is printed in part by Dr. Knapp, and almost in its entirety
by Mr. Herbert Jenkins. Dr. Knapp has much sound worldly reflection upon
its pathetic reference to 'drifting on the sea of the world.' If only,
he suggests, Borrow had not received that unwise eulogy from Allan
Cunningham about his 'exquisite Danish ballads,' if only he had listened
to Richard Ford's advice--which came too late in any case--'Avoid poetry
and translations of poets'--how much better it would have been. But
Borrow had not the makings in him of a 'successful' man, and we who
enjoy his writings to-day must be contented with the reflection that he
had just the kind of life-experience which gave us what he had to give.
Here Borrow holds his place among the poets--an unhappy race. In any
case the British Museum appointment was not for him, nor the military
career. Had one or other fallen to his lot, we might have had much
literary work of a kind, but certainly not _Lavengro_. To return to the
correspondence:

To Dr. John Bowring

7 MUSEUM ST., _June 1, 1830._

MY DEAR SIR,--I send you _Hafbur and Signe_ to deposit in the
Scandinavian Treasury, and I should feel obliged by your doing
the following things.

1. Hunting up and lending me your Anglo-Saxon Dictionary as
soon as possible, for Grundtvig wishes me to assist him in the
translation of some Anglo-Saxon Proverbs.

2. When you write to Finn Magnussen to thank him for his
attention, pray request him to send the _Feeroiska Quida_, or
popular songs of Ferroe, and also _Broder Run's Historie, or
the History of Friar Rush_, the book which Thiele mentions in
his _Folkesagn_.--Yours most sincerely,

G. BORROW.

To Dr. John Bowring

7 MUSEUM STREET, _June 7, 1830._

MY DEAR SIR,--I have looked over Mr. Grundtvig's manuscripts.