He learnt German thoroughly at a time when few Englishmen had acquaintance with its literature.

To Goethe's genius he never did justice, having been offended by that great man's failure to acknowledge a book that Taylor sent to him, exactly as Carlyle and Borrow alike were afterwards offended by similar delinquencies on the part of Walter Scott.

When he settled again in Norwich he commenced to write for the magazines, among others for Sir Richard Phillips's _Monthly Magazine_, and to correspond with Southey.
At the time Southey was a poor man, thinking of abandoning literature for the law, and hopeful of practising in Calcutta.

The Norwich Liberals, however, aspired to a newspaper to be called _The Iris_.
Taylor asked Southey to come to Norwich and to become its editor.
Southey declined and Taylor took up the task.

The _Norwich Iris_ lasted for two years.