ABSTRACT
Horatio (commonly ‘Horace’) Smith (1779–1849), a London stockbroker of liberal political sympathies, was best known as the joint author, with his brother James (1775–1839), of Rejected Addresses (1812), a collection of literary parodies of contemporary writers. Smith became acquainted with Godwin through their mutual friendship with Shelley, whom Smith had met in late 1816 at the cottage of Leigh Hunt. Already an admirer of Shelley’s poetry, Smith soon became a reliable friend, and he first met Shelley’s father-in-law and political mentor in 1817. After Shelley left England in 1818, Smith was frequently called upon to act on his behalf, in both personal and professional matters. His role as an intermediary in Shelley’s financial dealings brought him into increased contact with Godwin, whose Juvenile Library business was on the verge of bankruptcy in 1820 and 1821. After Shelley’s death, Smith continued to see Godwin occasionally and also became a friend and literary adviser to Mary Wollstonecraft Shelley for many years.
