352—to John Murray
November 15, 1813.
Dear Sir
,—Mr. Hodgson has looked over and
stopped
, or rather
pointed
, this revise, which must be the one to print from. He has also made some suggestions, with most of which I have complied, as he has always, for these ten years, been a very sincere, and by no means (at times) flattering critic of mine.
He
likes it (you will think
flatteringly
, in this instance) better than
The Giaour
, but doubts (and so do I) its being so popular; but, contrary to some others, advises a separate publication. On this we can easily decide. I confess I like the
double
form better. Hodgson says, it is
better versified
than any of the others; which is odd, if true, as it has cost me less time (though more
hours
at a time) than any attempt I ever made.
Yours ever, B.
P. S.—Do attend to the punctuation: I can't, for I don't know a comma—at least where to place one.
That Tory of a printer has omitted two lines of the opening, and
perhaps more
, which were in the MS. Will you, pray, give him a hint of accuracy? I have reinserted the 2, but they were in the manuscript, I can swear.