PE in Florence (intending to return in autumn). Mss. of Stobaeus. Niebuhr has (illicitly?) improved and reprinted a palimpsest publication of Mai. Visit of Bekker and Brandis to Oxford - working on Aristotle, and thwarted by Mai in Milan and by del Furia in the Laurentian (Florence). Praise of Bekker's collations. Blomfield unlikely to continue with Aeschylus after his appointment to the living of (St Botolph's) Bishopsgate.
PE thinking of priesthood - advises against Canterbury because of the danger of invasion and the plague of troops - Oxford or Cambridge the only provincial situations which would thoroughly suit PE.
Mr Collins has remarked upon PE's age - HH advises against retaliation. Violent love is neither reasonable nor desirable at PE's time of life - and a calculated marriage is a risk, since the necessary sacrifices are not always compensated for.
PE should 'kiss and be friends,' according to the ancient method of making up quarrels. PE should not have shown HH's letter to X (name unclear - HH does not know which letter) - she might not like to have her name taken in vain by a stranger. HH will never allude to the other business, that of Miss B.
Busy - lectures, pupils, wide acquaintance, medal and scholarship exams, publishing two books (2nd ed Hippolytus, 1st number of Museum Criticum). Asks for two new sheets of the Heracleidae. Articles in Mus Crit longer than expected and without much variety, so may not at first be popular. Asks for a short notice of any new publication PE sees, and for his views on the Mus Crit when it appears.
Still very busy - simultaneous publication of two books. Thanks PE for complete copy of Heracleidae. Mus Crit longer than expected (140)(128 pages). Hippolytus will be finished the next day, and a copy will be sent to PE. Sidler's Dochmiaea unsatisfactory - hopes for a better attempt from PE. More on Barker - an 'unprincipled dog.' PE has deferred coming to Cambridge.
The long holiday has so relaxed him that he cannot settle down to Greek. Has revised one sheet of Maltby's Thesaurus. At the meeting in London PE had said he might write an article on Fox and Wakefield's correspondence (published June 1813).
PE has given him leave to address him in the language of familiarity ('My dear Elmsley')('My dear Sir'). Hurt that PE prefers to write for the Classical Journal than for the Museum Criticum. A question of circulation and therefore publicity - but the Class Journal cannot be found in Cambridge bookshops because half of it is written by Barker - only Dobree has a copy. Burney's Phrynichus, and news of college appointments.
