‘With no unholy madness’

Coleridge, aside from his interest in Gilbert’s field of knowledge, printed an essay of Gilbert’s and an extract from The Hurricane in his short-lived periodical The Watchman. Furthermore, as author of the apocalyptic poems ‘Religious Musings’ and ‘Ode to the Departing Year’, he shared common ground with Gilbert in his subject matter.Coleridge’s interest in Neoplatonism and attraction to visionary experience made Gilbert an interesting but problematic figure for him.This chapter follows the debates between them, and Coleridge’s manoeuvring as he pursued modes of thought that ran counter to his prior allegiance to the rationalistic Unitarianism of Joseph Priestley.