London,
Thursday night
Midnight
My Dear Mother
I think I shall not be able to go down to Brighton because I have appointed Nicole 1 to be at Lacock on Monday morning to make important experiments with me. I wish I could imitate the Enchanter in Southey’s poem, who changed himself into seven enchanters of equal power with himself, & thus was enabled easily to overcome the difficulties which had previously been too much for him.2
In London the weather is very warm & excessively rainy, I am glad there are some sea breezes at Brighton – If you have a clear sky on the 1st of February look at the planet Mars soon after dark & you will see the Moon come up to him slowly and eclipse him for 20 minutes or ½ an hour, which will be very pretty through a Telescope.
Your affte
Henry
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