Letter from Edward Thomas to the poet Gordon Bottomley. Sent from Berryfield Cottage, Ashford, Petersfield, Hampshire. Archival ref: 424/1/1/1/10/107
Ashford
9 viii 08
My dear Gordon your letter
deserves to be arrived
at a better hur (for letters)
than midnight, but
I cannot choose. I am so
pressed by work & time.
For I am now deep in my South
Country bode trying
to face forward the first draft
while there is not much
reviewing to be done. I have
in fact got through nearly
half of it & a curious artificial
thing it is as a
result in trying to make it
continuous instead of [illegible]
I force myself at it every day now, with
desperation increased by my appointment as Assistant
Secretary to a Royal Commission on Welsh monuments
(prehistoric &c). What the work will be I don't
know, but it certainly means much of London &
I dread lest it means Early office hours. if it does I
must chuck it soon. How I can do Borrow &c in
evenings in London I can't see. So more than ever do
I thank you for offering to read the Jefferies proofs.
I have sent in the M.S. & they will soon begin to arrive
now. But I am very sorry you are ill again &
pray that this renewed blessed weather has put you
right. Tell me if it has. I enjoyed the rain at the
interval almost as much as the heat itself. - Oh you
should be out in our hill in the full moon when
the crickets sing & the owls hoot & the glow worms
glow & there is no wind even, let alone a man - Still
if you have time don't be afraid if any 'objectionable

Ashford
9 viii 08

My dear Gordon, your letter deserves to be arrived
at a better hour (for letters) than midnight, but
I cannot choose. I am so pressed by work & time.
For I am now deep in my South Country bode trying
to face forward the first draft while there is not much
reviewing to be done. I have in fact got them nearly
half of it & a curious artificial thing it is as a
result in trying to make it continuous instead of [illegible]. I force myself at it every day now, with desperation increased by my appointment as Assistant Secretary to a Royal Commission on Welsh Monuments (prehistoric etc). What the work will be I don't yet know, but it certainly means much of London and I dread lest it means daily office hours. If it does I must chuck it soon. How I can do Borrow etc in evenings in London I can't see. So more than ever do I thank you for offering to read the Jefferies proofs. I have sent in the MS and they will soon begin to arrive now. But I am very sorry you are ill again and pray that this renewed blessed weather has put you right. Tell me if it has. I enjoyed the rain of the interval almost as much as the heat itself. Oh you should be out on our hill in the full moon when the crickets sing and the owls hoot and the glow worms glow and there is no wind even, let alone a man - still if you have time don't be afraid of any 'objectionable
particularly about Jefferies. By the way, did you
see my review fo 'Old England' & did you care about
the Cornish ending? Thanks for your suggestions
about the SmithCountry & I will remember Palmer -
I wish I had some of his work by me to inspire & warn.
But I have nothing better than Cotman Cox & De Wint.
Oh Lord, my dippings into 15 closely written note
books about the South Country ! I have dragged
Cornwall in, as I dragged Wales into the Heart of
England (at the end)

Your bergamot flourishes here. Don't forget to
give me a piece of rosemary when you can. But
we don't know yet whether we shall long be able to
stay here. A friend may build a house & let it to us
on the hill top 1/2 a mile away & 400 feet above us, just not in sight of the sea & Isle of Wight -
but rather far for Merfyn's school.

Helen has just gone to Cornwall. I can hardly
get another walk in before I go to London, I am afraid,
but shall try. I had been asked to go to Long Melford
(Borro's & Isobel Berners' Long Melford) in Suffolk
for mid-September. Now it seems impossible.

Goodbye. My love to you all.

Edward Thomas