The Life of Nelson

This two-volume 1813 'eulogy' of Nelson, ending with his heroic death at Trafalgar, was intended to inspire young sailors.

As Southey states in this two-volume 1813 work, his account is intended to be 'clear and concise enough to become a manual for the young sailor'. Volume 2 continues the story from Nelson's return from Egypt, until his appointment as commander of the British fleet, and his death in 1805.Robert Southey (1774–1843), Romantic poet and friend of Coleridge, was Poet Laureate from 1813 to 1843. He also wrote historical works and was a noted scholar of Portuguese. (His three-volume history of Brazil is also reissued in this series.) As Southey himself states, many lives of Nelson had been written since the hero's death at Trafalgar in 1805, but what he is attempting in these two volumes, published in 1813, is a work 'clear and concise enough to become a manual for the young sailor … till he has treasured up the example in his memory and in his heart'. In this 'eulogy', Volume 2 continues the story from Nelson's return from Egypt to the battle of Copenhagen, and the subsequent brief respite of the Peace of Amiens, until his appointment as supreme commander of the British fleet, and his death in the hour of victory.