Grasmere in 1810, and at Rydal Mount from 1813 to his death in 1850.
He makes occasional excursions to Scotland or the Continent, and at
long intervals visits London, where Carlyle sees him and records his
vivid impressions. For many years Wordsworth enjoys the sinecure of
Distributor of Stamps for Westmoreland (400 pounds a year), and on his
resignation of that office in his son's favor, he is placed on the
Civil List for a well deserved pension of 300 pounds. On Southey's
death, in 1843, he is appointed Poet Laureate. He died at Grasmere on
April 23rd, 1850.

Wordsworth's principal long poems are: _The Prelude_ (1805 published
1850); _The Excursion_ (1814); _The White Doe of Rylstone_ (1815) and
_Peter Bell The Waggoner_ (1819). His fame rests principally on his
shorter narrative poems, his meditative lyrics, including his two great
odes, _To Duty_ and _On the Intimations of Immortality_, and on the
sonnets, which rank with the finest in the language. The longer poems
have many fine passages exhibiting his powers of graphic description,
and illustrating his mystical philosophy of nature.

Thomas Carlyle's description of Wordsworth is of interest: "For the
rest, he talked well in his way; with veracity, easy brevity, and
force, as a wise tradesman would of his tools and workshop, and as no
unwise one could. His voice was good, frank, and sonorous, though
practically clear, distinct, and forcible, rather than melodious; the
tone of him, businesslike, sedately confident; no discourtesy, yet no
anxiety about being courteous. A fine wholesome rusticity, fresh as
his mountain breezes, sat well on the stalwart veteran, and on all he
said and did. You would have said that he was a usually taciturn man,
glad to unlock himself to audience sympathetic and intelligent, when
such offered itself. His face bore marks of much, not always peaceful,