George Bloomfield to an Unknown Correspondent [probably James Burrell Faux], undated [late summer/autumn 1820?]
Free Thoughts on the Humours of the chase and the Park
In the year 1769 our Esquire at Honington (Mr Quince) had a party of Gentlemen Boys at his House On a Visit to Master Quince, the Young Norfords from Bury &c,—My Self and Brothers were invited as Mrs Q knew though we were very poor, our Mother took all possible care of our Morals,—The young Gentlemen proposed Squirrell hunting in Euston park,!!—My Brothers and Me were affraid to go, But the young Gentlemen Said they knew Mr King the Keeper would Let us hunt, we went, and Just as my Brother Nat had ascended to the top of the Lofty Oak to dislodge the Squirrel The Duke and Dutches of Grafton in an Open Carriage and pair of poneys drove up, the Duke immediately ordered us out of the park and Desired us to hunt on our own premises!!
There higmightinesses the Critics have converted the free fields of Genious into A Park and have long Usurped the sole propriety thereof to themselves, But it some times happen that the unlearnd poor are sufferd to Enter this Literary park to hunt for fame and profit. Bob Burns the ploughman and Nan Yearsley the Milk Woman were very successfull, And Jiles the Farmers Boy[1] did wonders!!
But poor Nat had the same Luck in the Literary park as we had in Euston park was orderd out by the Lords of the Soil!! Poor Snip[2] was deemd A poacher!! he saucily enterd the park and Mounted Aloft in Heroics and gave the lie Direct to the new scheme of philosophy!! Tis said that some 40 years ago the frightful brain of A German philosopher found out that by Education &c Mankind might be raised to A State of perfection little short of the perfection of Angells, so that War and all the great Evils of humanity would ceace for ever, !!! ——Nat opposed those Utopian notions in beautifull Blank Verse,[3]
The Critics could not find fault with the Poetry so they seized the augument, Yet if ever Augument had Reason, common Sense, and Scripture on its side it is Snips argument, But the Critics cried him down!! Where then said they is Mans free Agency, where his allmost Angelick Mental powers, Virtues &c &c In short they soon sent poor Snip packing out of their park, This new Scheme of perfection was call’d the new Light hence sprang The Rights of Man Age of Reason &c &c, Capel Loffts[4] Nest of poets were markd by the Critics My Brother Isaac was A Sinner in Rhyme, but never dared to Enter their park!!——poor old Crispin made his Lowest, most humble Bow, and Crawld into their park on his hands and knees,!![5] And is when arrived on the side of the grave Haild by Giles as A Brother bard!!!!!———[6]
I corisponded with Giles 30 Years, no language can express the pleasure I received from that Corrispondence 5 years ago My Letters were answerd by his Son or Daughter, my corrispondence with them soon dropd for I know no more of Genteel Life then I do of Astronomy, After 5 years Silence I receivd the inclosd in his own hand, I did never Expect a Line from him in his own hand, though 10 years younger than My Self I am Sorry he is older as to health[7]
[1] i.e his brother Robert Bloomfield, named Giles in The Farmer’s Boy.
[2] Nathaniel Bloomfield, as well as the poet of An Essay on War, was a tailor – hence ‘snip’.
[3] In his Essay on War, Nathaniel argued against the philosophy of William Godwin and in the vein of Thomas Malthus: war was to be welcomed because it relieved poverty by keeping population in check.
[4] The Suffolk gentleman, poet and literary editor who helped the Bloomfields into print.
[5] St Crispin is the patron saint of shoemakers, so ‘Crispin’ means a shoemaker: here George refers to himself and his own poems, published late in life in pamphlet form with the aid of local gentlemen who wished to relieve his poverty. See Friendly Hints (1822).
[6] Robert Bloomfield (‘Giles’) had welcomed George as a published poet in 1820, after a period of estrangement between the brothers caused by what Robert saw as George’s tendency to toady to gentlemen would-be patrons.
[7] Robert Bloomfield had largely stopped writing letters because nearly blind. He would die in 1823.
Robert Bloomfield (1766-1823), Poems and Prose 
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