13 August 1866 – 19 August 1866

Lodgings far from ready, bring books. Meet Aubrey De Vere in Ashly Lane, coming to call on me. Chat, ' going to Ireland, then back to Bournemouth — Laurence Bloomfield^ etc' ; with me to station. I to Brockenhurst. Here's Ned and Madam and Pip and Baby ! They much like Stanwell House.

Ned and I crossed to the Island and visited Tennyson, who received us very friendlily and took us up to his den.

Very fine. South wind. Ned, Georgie and I to Brockenhurst. Field-path, stiles, Ober Green, heather : Queen's Bower. Sit by the little bridge. Oakenshaw, big oak, brook, insects, big beech. Ned sketches. I read aloud Robin Hood and the Monk. Skirt New Park to other wood, they tired. Ned does not paint down here (it's his holiday), and only makes a few pencil sketches. He occupies himself, when in the mood, with designs for the Big Book of Stories in Verse by Morris, and has done several from Cupid and Psyche ; also pilgrims going to Rome, and others. He founds his style in these on old Woodcuts, especially those in Hypnerotomachia^ of which he has a fine copy. His work in general, and that of Morris too, might perhaps be called a kind of New Renaissance.