week. She mentioned it to me some time ago, and. I thought I had parried it. ; but
having been ..... of the week, at least what was ...... cfaiq)elplate, and. I touud on.
P R I VA T E
C O R R ES P ON D EN C E HORACE
WA L P O L E
VOL
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IV
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VATE
PR I
C O R R E S P ON D E N C E
WA LPO LE
H OR ACE
E A R L O F O R FO R D
NOW
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F IR S T C O LL EC T E D
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V OL UMES
VO L
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1 7 75 — 1 7 9 7
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L O N DO N PR INT E D
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H ON
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To
TH E
WALPO LE
H ORACE
H ON H
TH E
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A li r
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C ONWA Y
g t o n s t re e t , -
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have made m e v e ry h appy by saying your j ourney to N aples is l a i d aside P erhaps it made too great impression on m e ; but you m ust r e fl e c t that al l my life I have satisfied myself with y our being perfect instead of trying to be so myself I don t ask you to return though I wish it : i n truth there is nothing to invite you I don t want you to come and breath e fire an d sword against the Bostonian s like that secon d duke of A lva the inflexible lord G G or to anath ematize th e cour t and all its works like the in corruptible B who scorns lucre except whe n he can buy an hundred thousand acres from nake d C aribs for a song I d on t want you to do any thing like a party man I trust you think of every party as I do with contempt from lord C hatham s .
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mustard bowl down to l o r d R o cki n gh a m s harts horn A ll perhaps will be tried in their turns ; and yet if they had genius might n ot be mighty enough to save u s — From som e ruin or other I think nobody can an d what signifies an option of mischiefs ? A n account is come of the B ostonians having voted an army of sixteen th ousan d m en who are to be called mi nu te me n as they are to be ready at a m inute s warning Two directors or com m issioners I don t know what they are called are appointed There has been too a kin d of m utiny i n the 5 th regiment A soldier was found drunk o n his post Gage i n this time of d a ng er thought rigour necessary and sent the fellow to a court mart ial They ordered 2 00 lashes Th e general ordered them to i mprove their sentence N ext day it was publish ed in the Boston Gazette H e called them before h im an d required them on oath to abjure th e com munication : three officers refused P oor G is to be scape goat not for this but for what was a reason against employing him incapacity I wonder at the precedent ! H owe i s talke d of for his successor — Well I have done with y ou ! N ow I shall go gossip with lady -
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You must kn ow m a d a m that n e ar B ath is erected a n e w Pa rn a s s us composed ofthree laurels a myrtl e tree a weeping willow and a View of the A von which has be en n e w christened H elicon Ten ,
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years ago th ere l ived a madam an Ol d rough humourist who passed for a wit ; her daughter who passed for n othing married to a captai n full of good natured o fli c i o u sn e ss These ‘ good folks were friends of miss R ich who carried m e to dine with them at now Pindus They caught a little of what was then called taste buil t and planted and begot children till the whole caravan were forced to go abroad to r e t ri e v e A las ! Mrs Miller i s re tu rn e d a b e a uty, a genius a S appho a tenth m use as romanti c as mademoiselle S cuderi an d as sophisticated as Mr s V The captain s fingers are loade d with cameos his tongue runs over with vi m ) ; a nd that both m ay c ontribute to the improvement O f their own country th ey have introduced bou t s They hold a P arnassus r z me s as a new discover y fair every Thursday give out rhym es and themes and all the flux Of quality at Bath contend for th e p rizes A R oman vase dressed with pink ribbons and myrtles receives the poetry which i s draw n out every festival ; six j udges of these Olym pic gam es retire and select the brightest compo which the respective su ccessful ack no w si ti o n s 4“ ledge k neel to Mrs C alliope kiss her ,
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C OR R E S P OND EN C E
O F TH E
fair hand and are crowned by it with myrtl e You may think this With — I don t kno w what a fiction or exaggeration —B e dumb u nb e l i e vers ! Th e col lection i s printed published —Yes on my faith ! there are bou ts r ime s on a buttere d m uffin by her grace th e duchess of N orthumber land ; receipts to make them by C orydon the l r others very p etty by venerable alias ; lord Palmerston ; some by lord C m any by Mrs her s elf th at have no fault b ut wanting m etre and immortality promised to her without end or measure In short since folly whi c h n ever ripens to madness but in thi s hot climate ran distra c ted there n ever was any thing so entertaining or so dull —for you c annot read so long as I have been telling ,
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BE F ORE I could finish this I r e ceived y our dis patches by sir T Cla rg e s and a most entertaining letter in three tomes I t is being very dull not to be able to furnish a quarter so m uch from your o w n country but what c an I do ? You are embarked i n a n e w world and I am living on th e scraps of an Ol d one of which I am tired The best I can do is to reply to your letter and not attempt to amuse you wh en I have nothing to say I think th e parliament meets to d ay or in a day or two —but I hope you are co ming —Your brother says s o and mada me d a De ffand says so ; and .
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it is time to leave Paris when you know ninety of the inhabitants There seems m uch 3 and a fie c t a t i on i n those that will n ot know you ; afie c t at i o n is always a littleness — i t has been eve n rude but to be sure th e rudeness one feels least is that which i s addressed to one before there has been any acquaintan ce “ N inon came because on mada me d u D effa n d s m entioning i t I concluded it a new work an d am disappointed I can say this by heart The picture of m adame de P rie which you don t seem to value and so m adam e d u D e fia n d says I believe I shall dispute with you ; I think it charming but when off ered to m e years ago I woul d n ot take it —i t was now given to you a l ittle d mon i n ten ti on I am sorry that amongst all th e verses you have sent m e you shoul d have forgotten what you comm end the m ost L es tr ol s excla ma ti ons ; I hope you will bring the m with you Voltaire s are intolerably stupid and not a b ove th e level of officers in garrison S ome of M de Pez ay s are very pretty th ough there is too much of them ; and i n truth I had seen the m before Those on m adame de l a Valiere pretty t oo but one i s a l ittle tired of Venus an d the Graces I am m ost pleased with your own —an d if you have a m in d sure
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C ORR E SPOND E NC E
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to like them still better m ake m ad am e d u D e fia n d 5 show you m ine which are neither French nor m easure nor m etr e S h e is unw i ll i ng to tell m e Yours are reall y ge nteel so ; which diverts m e an d new 6 I envy you the R ussian anecdotes m ore than M de Ch a m fort s fables of which I k n OW n o thing ; and as you say n o m ore I conclude I lose " The stories of sir C harl es are so far n ot much not new to m e that I h eard them of him from abroad after h e was mad : but I bel ieve no m ortal of his acquaintan ce ever heard them before ; nor di d they at all correspon d with his form er life with his treatment of his wife or his history with I say M rs Wo fli n gt o n gui n e toz t pas d upe nothing on th e other stories you tell m e of bil lets dropped e t pour c a us e I think I have touched all your paragraph s an d h ave nothing new to send you in retu rn I n truth I go no where but into private room s ; f o r I am not enough recovered to r e launch into th e world when I have so good an excuse for avoid '
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n ot a
of
pp
e ar
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i by M d
in Russ ia w hi ch
r e vol u t o n
the
th e t h r on e ,
h a d h e ar d i t y
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rea d
e la
in
Rulh i e r e ,
m
an us c r
n ow
ip t i
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pl
ace d
p bl i h pi t
a
u
s
Ch
ar l es
en
ud e s
H an b ury to c
a ce at a
Will i a ms
i m rc u
b al l
s t a n ce s
at
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Mr
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V e rs a i lle s
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C
on w a
m i t y en
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r va e
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s a
a
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on w a
Th i ll k p l t g 3
do
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ac c o un t
at h e r n e
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in
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ons as
h av
H ON H OR .
AC E WALPO L E
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it The bootikins have done wonders ; b ut e ven two or three such victories will cost too dear I submit very patiently to my lot I a m ol d and broken and it n ever was my syste m to i mpo se upon myself whe n one can deceive nob ody else I have spirits enough for my use that is amongst my f riends and contemporaries : I like young peo ple and their happiness for every thing but to l ive wi t h ; b ut I cannot learn their language nor tell th em Ol d stories of which I m ust explai n every step as I go P olitics the proper resource of a e I detest I am contented but se e few that are so — an d I never will be led by any man s self interest A great s c ene is Opening of whi ch I cannot expect to see the en d ; I am pretty s ure not a happy end —s o that i n short I a m determine d to think th e rest of my life but a postscript : an d as this h as been too long a n one I wi ll wish you good night repeating what you know already ,th at the return of you three is the m ost agreeable prospect I expect to s ee re alized A dieu ! i ng
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A l i ngt on s tre et A p ri l 1 1 I T H A N K you dear sir for your kind letter a nd the good account you give of yourself—nor can I bl ame your ch ange from writing —that is tran r
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scribing to reading —sure you ought to dive rt yourself rather than others —though I sh oul d n ot so if your pen had n ot confined itself to tran sa y scripts I a m perfectly well and heed n ot the weather ; t hough I wish the seasons cam e a littl e oftener into their own places instead of each oth ers From N ovember till a fortnight ago we had warmth that I shoul d Often be glad Of in summer an d since we are not sure of it th en was rejoiced when I coul d get it For myself I am a kind of delicate H ercules ; and though m ade of paper have by temperan c e by using as mu ch col d water inwardly an d outwardly as I c a n and by taking no pre c autions against c at c hing c old an d braving all weathers become capable of su ffering by none My biennial visitant the gout has yiel ded to the bootikins an d staid with m e this last time but five weeks in lieu of five m onths S tronger men perhaps would kill themselves by my practice but it has done so long with m e I sh all trust to it I intended writing to you on Gray s L ife if you had not prevented me I am charmed with it and prefer it to all the biography I ever saw The style is ex c ellent simple unaffected : the method admirabl e artful and j udicious H e has fl a me d the fragments !as a person said ] so well that they are fine drawings if not finished pic tures For my part I am so interested i n it that ,
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I shall certainly read it over and over I do n ot find that is l i kely t o be the case with many ye t N ever was a book which people pretended to expect so much wit h impatience less devoured at l e a s t i n London where quartos are not of qui c k digestion Faults are fou nd I hear at E ton with the Latin P oems for false quantities — n o m atter —th ey are equal to the E nglish —an d can one say m ore A t C ambridge I shoul d think th e book would both Offend much and please ; at l east if they are as sensible to h umour as to ill humour : and there is orthodoxy enough to wash dow n a cam el Th e S cotch and the R eviewers will be still m ore ang ry an d the latter h ave not a syllabl e to pacify them S O th ey who wait for their decision s wil l probably miss of reading th e m ost entertaining book i n th e world —a punish ment which they wh o trust to such wretch ed j udges deserve ; for wh o are more contemptible than such j udges but they who pin th eir faith on th em P I n answer to you yourself my good sir I shall not subscribe to your censure of Mr Mason who m I love and admire and wh o has sh ewn th e greatest taste possibl e i n the execution of this S urely h e has s a i d enough i n gratitude work and d one far beyond what gratitude coul d demand It seems delicacy i n not expatiating on the lega particularizing more gratitude would have cy ; lessened the e vidence Of friendship and made the .
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j usti ce done to Gray s character l ook m ore like a debt H e speaks of him in slender circumstances not as dist ressed : and so he was till a ft er th e deaths of his parents and aunts ; and even then surely not rich I think he does somewh ere say that h e m eant to be buried with his m other and n ot specifying any other place con firm s it In short Mr Mason shall never know your criticism s ; h e has a good h eart and would feel them th ough certainl y not apprized that he would m erit them A m an wh o has so called out a ll his frie nd s virtues could n ot want them himself I shall be much obliged to you for the prints you destine for m e The earl of C umberlan d I h ave and will not rob you of I wi sh you h ad b een as successful wit h M r G as with Mr T I mean ifyou are not yet paid — now is the time for h e has sol d his house to the duke of Marlborough I suppose he wil l not keep his prints long : b e c hanges his p u rsuits continually and extravagantly and then sells to indulge n e w fancies I have had a p iece of luck within these t w o days I have long lam ented our having no certain piece written by A nne Boleyn s brother lord R ochford I have found a very pretty copy of verses by him in the new published vol ume of the N ugae A n t i q u ae though by mistake h e is cal le d earl of i nstead of viscount R och ford They are taken from a M S dated twenty eight years after the a u thor s death and are much in the manner of lord ’
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s and sir T Wyat s poems I should at first have doubted if they were not counterfeited o n reading my noble authors ; but th en th e blunder o f e a r l for vi s coun t would hardly have been com m itted A little modernized and softened i n the cadence they woul d b e very pretty I have got the rest of the Digby pictures b ut at There i s on e very large of sir a very high rate Kenelm h is wife an d two sons in exquisite pre servation though th e heads of him an d his wife — yet th e n o t so highly finished as those I h ave b oys an d draperies are so amazing that together with th e size i t is cert ainly the m ost capital m i n i a t u r e i n the world : there are a few m ore very fine too I shall be happy to shew them to you wh enever you B u rn h a m iz e I m ean before A u gust when I prop ose m aking my dear old blin d frien d a visit at P aris —n othing else would carry m e thither I am too Ol d to seek diversions and t o o indolent to rem ove to a distan ce by choice though not so imm oveable as you to m uch less distance A dieu ! pray te l l m e what you hear is said of Gray s L ife at C ambridge Yours ever ’
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A l i gt o t ee t Ap il 25 I 7 7 5 T H E least I can do dear sir in gratitude for the cargo of prints I have received to d ay from you , is to send you a medicine A pair of bootikins will set out to morro w m orning in th e m a c hin e that goes from the Queen s head i n Gray s inn lane To be certain you had better send for them where the machine inns lest they sh ould neglect delivering them at M ilton My n ot losing a m oment shews my zeal — but if you can bear a little pain I shoul d not pre ss you to use th em I have s ufl e re d so dreadfully that I constantly wear th em to dim inish th e stock Of gout i n my con sti t u t i o n ; but as y our fit is very slight an d will not last and as you are pre t t v su re by its beginning so l ate that yo u will never have m uch ; an d as th e gout c ertainly carries off other complaints had not you better endure a little when it is rather a r e m edy than a disease ? I d o not desire to b e e n t i re l y delivere d from the gout for all reform ation s do but m ake roo m for som e n e w grievance : and i n my opinion a disorder that requires no ph ysi H owever I c i a n is preferable to any that does have put relief i n your power and you will j udge for yourself You must tie th em as tight as you can bear the flannel next to th e flesh and when you take them o ff it should be in bed : rub you r r
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to know I a m in th e right —but the world in g e n eral always wants to be tol d how to think as we l l as what to think The print I agree with you th ough like is a very disagreeable likeness and th e worst likeness of him It gives t h e primness he had when u nder constraint ; an d there is a blackness in th e countenance which was like him only the last tim e I ever saw him when I was m uch struck with it ; an d th ough I did not appre h end him in danger it l e f t an impression on m e that was uneasy and almost propheti c of what I h eard but too soon a ft er leaving him Wil so n drew th e pi c ture under mu ch su c h impression an d I could not bear it in my room ; M r Maso n altered it a little but still it is not well n or gives any idea of the determined virtues Of his heart It j ust serves to help th e read e r to an i mage of the person wh ose genius and integrity they m ust a d mire if they are so happy as to have a taste for either The P eep into the Gardens at Twickenham is a silly little book of which a few little copies were printe d som e years ago for presents an d which now sets up for itself as a vendable book It is a m ost i naccurate superficial blundering accoun t of Twickenham and oth er places drawn u p by a Jewess who has married twice an d turned C hris t ian poetess and authoress S h e has printed her p oem s too and one complimentary copy of m ine w hich i n good breeding I could not help sending ,
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her in return for viol ent compliments i n verse to m e I do not remember that hers were good ; m ine I know were very bad an d certai nly never intended for th e press I bou ght th e first volum e of Manchester but could not read it ; i t was m uch too learned for m e an d seemed rath er an accou nt of Babel than Manchester I m e a n i n point Of antiquity TO be sure it is very ki n d i n an author to promise one the history of a country town an d give one a cir c u m s t a n t i al account of the antedil uvian world into th e bargain But I am S i mpl e an d ignorant an d desire n o m ore than I pay for A nd then for my progenitors N oah and the S axons I have n o cu Bishop Lyttelton u sed to r i os i t y about them plagu e m e to death about barrows an d tumuli an d R oman camps an d all those bumps in the ground that do n ot am ount to a m ost imperfect ichnography ; but in good truth I am content with al l arts when perfected nor inquire how i n e n i o usl y p eopl e contri ved to do without them g an d I care still less for remains Of art that ret ai n Mr Bryant who is sublim e i n n o vestiges of art unknown knowledge diverted m e m ore yet I h ave not finished this work no m ore than h e has There is a great ingenuity in discovering all his tory !though it has n ever been written ] by e tym o l ogies N ay h e convinced m e that the Greeks h ad totally m istaken all they went to learn i n Egypt by doing as the French do still j udge wrong .
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by the ear but as I have been trying n o w and then for abov e forty years to learn something I have not time to unlearn it all again though I allow this is our best sort of knowledge If I should die whe n I am not clear i n the H istory Of the World below its first three thousand years I should be at a sad loss on m eeting with H omer and H esiod or any of those m od er ns i n the E lysian fields before I kno w what I ought to think of them Pray do not betray my ignorance : th e R evie w ers and such literati have called m e a l ea r n e d a n d I am sorry they ever h eard i ng e n i ous g en tleman my name but don t let the m know h o w i r re ve r e n tl I speak of th e erudite whom I dare to say y they admire These wasps I suppose w ill be very angry at the j ust contempt Mr Gray had for th em an d wil l as insects do attempt to sting in hope s that their twelvepenny readers will suck a little venom from the momentary tremor they raise but good night —an d once m ore th a n k you for the prints Yours ever -
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I A M extremely concerned dear sir to h ear you h ave been so long confined by th e gout Th e painting of your house m ay from the damp h ave given you col d — I don t conceive that paint c an a ffect one otherwise if it does not make one sick as it does m e of all things D r H e b e r d e n (as every physician to m ak e himself talked Of wil l set u p some n e w hypothesis ) pretends that a damp house and even damp sheets which have ever been reckoned fatal are wholesom e to prove his faith h e went into h is own new house totally u naired and survived it A t Malverne they certainly put patients into sheet s j ust dipped i n th e spring — however I am glad you have a better proof that dampness is not m ortal an d it is better to be too cautious than too rash I am perfectly well an d expect to b e so for a year an d a half I desire no m ore of the bootikins than to curtail my fits Thank you for the n ote from North s L ife though having reprinted my P ainters I shall never have an opportunity of u sing it I am still m ore obliged to you for th e Offer of a n Ind e x to — my C atalogue bu t as I myself kno w exactly where to find every thing in it and as I dare to say nobody else wi l l w a n t i t I shall certainly not put you to that trouble voL IV ,
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C O RRE S P OND ENC E
18
O F TH E
Dr Glynn will certainly be m ost welcome to se e my house and shall if I am not at h ome —still I h ad rather know a few days before because else h e may happen to come when I have company as I h ave oft en at this time of th e year and then it i s i mpossible to let it be seen as I cannot ask my company who may have come to see it too to go out that somebody else m ay see it and I shoul d be very sorry to have the Doctor disappointed These di fficulties which have ha ppened more than once have obliged m e to give every ticket for a pa rt i c u l a r day ; therefore if Dr Glynn will be s o good as to advertise m e of the day he intends to com e here with a direction I shall send h i m word what day he can see it I h ave j ust run through the two vast folios of H e has taken infinit e H utchins s Dorsetshire pains ; indeed all but those that would m ake i t n entertaining Pray can you tell m e any thing of some relation s of my own the Burwells My grandfather m arried sir Je ff e ry Bu rwell s daughter of R ougham i n Su f folk S ir Jcfl e ry s mother I i magine was daught er O f a Je ffe ry P itman of S u ffolk ; at least I kno w there was such a man in the latte r and that w e quarter the arm s of P itman But I can not find wh o lady B u rwell sir J efl e ry s wife was E d m on d s on h as search ed i n vain in th e H erald s Ofli c e and I have out lived all the ancient of my f a m i ly so long that I know not of whom to inquire; .
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A C E WALP OL E
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of th e neighbourhood There is an ol d walk i n th e Park at H oughton calle d Si r Jef f e ry s W alk where th e old gentleman used to teach my father (sir R obert ) h is book Those very ol d trees encouraged my father to plant at H ough ton When people u sed to try to persuade him n othing woul d gro w there h e said why will n ot other trees grow as well as those in sir J e fl e ry s Walk i —O ther trees have grown to som e purpose ! Did I ever tel l you that my father was descen ded fr o m lord B urleigh P Th e latter s grand daughter by his son E xeter married sir Giles A llington whose daughter married sir R obert C rane father of sir E dward Walpol e s wife I wan t but lady Burwell s nam e to make my genealogic tree shoot out stems every way I h av e recovered a barony i n fee which has n o de fect but i n being antecedent to any summons to Parl iam ent that of the Fitz O sbert s : an d on my m other s side it has m ounte d th e L ord knows wh ither by the Phili pps s to H enry V I I It h and has sucked i n Dryden for a great uncle : and by lady Phil ipps s m oth er Darcy to E dw ard III and there I stop for brevity s sake é— is a second A dam ; e specially as E dward III wh o al most is not descended from E dward ? as p os terity wil l b e from C harles II a n d all the princes in E urope from James I I am th e first a ntiquary of m race P eople don t know how y en t ertai ning a study i t is Who begot whom i s a mo st amusing kind of huntin g ; one recovers a b ut you '
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C OR R E S P ON D E NC E
20
OF TH E ’
grand father instead of breaking one s own neck and then one grows so piou s to th e memory of a thousand persons one never heard of before On e finds h o w C hristian names c am e into a family with a worl d of oth er dele c tabl e erudition You cannot i magine h o w vexed I was that Bloomfield died b e fore h e arrived at H oughton I had promised myself a whole crop of notable ancestors — but I think I have pretty well unkennelled them m ysel f A dieu ! dear sir Yours ever .
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I found a family of Whaplode in Lincoln shire who give our arms and have persuaded my s elf that Whaplode is a c orruption of Walpole and cam e from a branch wh en we lived at Walp ol e i n Li ncolnshire .
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C ON WA Y
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S t ra w b erry h ll , -
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TH E
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whole business of thi s letter would lie in half a line S hall you have roo m for m e on Tuesday the 1 8 t h ? I am putting myself into m otion that I m ay go farther I told madame d u D efl a n d h ow you had scolded m e on her account and she has ch arged m e to thank you and tell you how m uch I would give any thi n g sh e wi s hes to se e you too .
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ort of body who feels for every body and a good d eal for herself is of a certain age wears well has som e pretensions that she thinks very reasonable still and a gouty h usband Well ! she was talking to Mr R afto r about captain M a little before he died Pray sir does the captain ever c om m u nicate his writings to Mrs M Oh dear n o madam ; he has a sovereign contempt for her ” understanding P oor woman A nd pray sir — give m e leave to a sk you : I think I have heard that they very seldom sleep together Oh n o ver mada m ! Don t you know all that ? P oor ” woma n ! I don t kno w whether you will laugh ; but Mr R aft or wh o tells a story better than any body made m e laugh for two hours Good night s
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To
C OU NT E S S
TH E
or
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A ILE S B U R Y
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F m t th i d f t h w t A g t 1 7 I N TE R P R E T I N G your ladyship s orders in th e most ’
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personal sense as respecting the dangers of the s ea I write the instant I am landed I di d not i n truth set out till yesterday m orning at eight o clock ; but finding the roads horses postillions tides winds m oons an d captain Fe c tors i n th e pleasantest humour in the world I embarked a l most as soon as I arrived a t Dover and reach ed C al ais before the sun was a wake —and here I am ,
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IH O N H O R .
AC E WAL PO L E
fo r t he
23
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sixth time in my life with only th e trifling distance of seven and thirty years bet ween my first voyage and the present Well I can only say in e xcuse that I am got into t h e l a n d of S truldbru gs where one is never too ol d to be young an d where la bequi lle d a pe r e B a rn a ba s blossom s like A aron s rod or the Glasto nbury thorn No w to be sure I sh al l be a l i t tl e m ortified if y our ladyship wanted a letter of n ews and did n ot at a ll tro uble your h e a d a b out my navig ation H o w ever you will not tell on e so ; and therefore I will persist in bel ieving that this good news will be r e and that the c e i ve d with trans port at P ark place bells of H enley will be set a ringing The rest Of my adventures m ust be deferred till they have hap pened which is not always the case of travels I Pa ri s b e c a use I have s end you no compliments fro m not g o t th ith er nor delivered th e bun dle which Mr C onway sent me I did as your l adyship commande d b uy three pretty little m edallions i n They f rames of filig rai n e for our dear old friend will not ruin you h aving cost not a guinea an d half; b ut it was all I coul d find th at was genteel an d p o rtable ; and as she does not measure by guineas bu t attentions she will be as much pleased as if you had se nt her a dozen acres of Park place As they are i n bas relief too they are ,
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C O R R E S P O ND ENC E
24
OF TH E
that is a material circumstanc e to her Indeed I wish the Diomede had even so m uch as a pai r of N ankin ! A d i eu tou te la cker e fi rmi lle ! I think of C c tober with m uch satisfaction ; i t wi ll double t h e pleasure of my return .
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To
TH E
C O U NT E S S
or
A I LE S B U R Y
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P i A ugus t 20 1 7 7 5 I H AVE been sea sick to death ; I have been poi I have been stifled by so n e d by dirt and vermin heat choked by dust and starved for want of any thing I coul d tou ch : and yet madam h ere I am perfectly well not in the least fatigued and thanks to the rivelled parchments formerly faces which I have seen by h undreds I find myself al m ost as young as when I came hither first in th e last century In spite of my whi ms and delicacy and laziness none of my grievances have been m ortal : I have borne them as well as if I set up for a philosopher like the sages of this town In deed I have foun d my dear Ol d woman so well and looking so much better than sh e did four years ago that I am transported with pleasure an d thank your ladyship and Mr C onway for driving m e hither Madam e d a De ffand cam e to m e th e i n stant I arrived and sat by me whilst I stripped and ar s,
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H ON H OR .
AC E W ALP OL E
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dressed myself ; for as she said since she cannot see there was n o harm i n my being stark S h e was charmed with your present but was so kind as to be so m uch m ore charm ed with my arrival that sh e did not t h i nk of i t a m oment I s at with h e r till half an hour a fter two in the m orning an d had a letter from h er before my eyes were open again In short her soul is im mortal an d forces her body to bear it company This is the very eve of madam e C l otilde s wed ding ; but m onsieur Turgot to th e great grief of lady M will su ff er n o cost but one ban quet one b all an d a play at Versailles C ount V iri gives a banquet a ba l ma s que and a firework I think I shall see little but the l ast from wh ich I will send you r ladyship a rocket in my n e xt l e t t e r L ady M I believe ha s had a private audi ence of the e mb a ss sa d o r s leg b ut en tou t bi en e t honne ur an d only to satisfy h er cerem o nious cu I am j ust r i o s i ty about any part of royal nudity going to her as she i s to V ersailles ; an d I h ave not tim e to add a word m ore to the vo ws of your ladyship s Most faithful ,
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C OR RES P OND E NC E
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To
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H ON H S .
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OF TH E
C ONWA Y
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Pa is r
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delays of the post and its departure befor e its arrival saved m e some days Of anxiety for lady A i l e sb u ry an d prevented my telling you h o w con cerne d I am for ber accident ; though I trust by this time sh e has not even pain left I feel the ho rror you must have felt during her su ffering i n the dark and on th e sight of her arm and though n obody admires her n e edle work m ore than I still I am rej oiced that it will be the greatest su fferer H owever I am v e ry i m pa t i e n t for a farther account M adame d a De ffand who you kno w n ever loves h er friends by halves and whose impatience never allows i ts elf t i me to inform itself was out ofher wits because I coul d not explain exactly h o w th e acci dent happened and where S h e wanted to write directly though the post wasj ust gone ; an d as soon as I could m ake her easy about the accident sh e fell into a new distress about her fan s for madame de Marchais an d concludes th ey have been over turned and broken too I n short I never saw any think like her—S h e has made engagements fo rm e til l Monday se nnight ; i n which are included I ,
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HON H OR .
AC E WALPO L E
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don t know h ow m any journeys into the country ; and as n obody ever leaves her without her enga ging them for another time all these parties will b e so many polypuses that wil l shoot out into n e w ones eve ry way Madame de Jonsac a great fri en d of mine , arri ved the day before yesterday an d m a dame d a D efl a n d has pinned her down to m eeting m e at her house four times before n ext Tues day a ll parentheses that are n ot to i nterfere with our other suppers ; and from those suppers I never get to bed before two or three o clock In short I n eed have the activity of a squirrel an d th e s trength of a H ercu les to go through my labours not to count how many demél és I have had to an d h ow m any mem oi r es to present r ac commo d e against To n t o n wh o grows the greater favourite the more people he devours A s I am th e only perso n wh o dare correct him I have al ready i a s iste d on his being confined i n th e B astile every day after five O clock T other night h e fl ew at lady Barrymore s face , and I though t would have torn her eye out ; but it ended in biting her finger Madam e S he was terrified ; she fel l into tears d u De ffand who has too m uch parts not to see perceiving that sh e e very th ing i n its true light had not beaten Tonton half enough im mediately told us a story of a lady wh ose dog having bitte n ,
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A favouri te
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C ORRES P OND E NC E
28
OF TH E
piece out of a gentleman s leg the tender dame i n a great fright cried out Won t it make my dog sick L ady Barrymore has taken a h ouse S h e wil l be glutted with conquests : I never saw any body so much admired I doubt her poor little head will be quite overset Madam e de Marchais i s charming : eloquence and attention itself I cannot stir for peach es nectarines grapes an d bury pears You woul d think P omona was in love with m e I am n ot so transported with N cock an d hen They are a tabor and pipe that I do n o t understand H e mouth s an d she squeak s and neither articulates M d E n t ra g u e s I h ave not seen Upon the whole I am much more pl eased with Paris than ever I was ; and p erhaps shall stay a littl e longer than I i a 3 tended The H arry G re n vi l l e s are arrived I ‘ dined with them at madame de V i ry s who has completed the conquest of France by h er behaviour on madame C lotilde s wedding and by the fetes she gave Of other E nglish I wot not but grieve the R ichm onds do not com e I a m c harmed with doctor Bally ; nay and wit h ’
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G ill b th t t h fi t l T mpl H m i d mi M g t B k Mi H i t S p d S h h d m i d M l m t d Vi y w h h w mi i t t L d f m h f T i Sh i f th l d i t wh m G y l d g t y i dd 3
H e nry
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C ORR ES P OND E NC E
30
H e r H erculean
OF TH E
weakness which could not resist strawberri es and cream aft er supper has sur m ounted all th e ups an d d owns which followed her excess ; b u t her impatience to go every where a nd do every thing has been atten ded with a kind of relapse and another kind of giddiness : so that I am n ot quite easy about h er as they allow her to take n o nourishm ent to recruit and she will die Of inanition if she does not live upon it S h e cannot l ift her head from th e p illo w withou t ét our d i s semens an d yet h e r spiri ts gallop faster She t han any body 3 and so do her repartees h as a great supper t o n ight for the duc de C hoi seul a nd was i n such a passion yesterday wit h h er cook about i t and that put Tonton into such a rage that n os d a mes d e s a i n t J os eph thought the devil or th e philosoph ers were flying away w ith the i r convent ! A s I have scarce quitted h er I can have ha d nothing to tell you If she gets well , as I tr ust I shall set out on the 1 2 t h ; but I cannot leave h er i n any danger — though I sh all ru n m any mysel f if I stay longer I have kept such bad h ours with this ma la de that I have had al arms of gout ; an d bad weather worse inns an d a voyage i n winter will ill suit m e The fans ar rived at a propitious m oment and sh e i mm e d i a t e l y had them opened on her bed an d felt all t he patterns a n d had all the papers described Sh e was al l satisfaction and thank s an d swore m e to do her full j ustice to lady A il e sb u ry and Mrs ,
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H ON H OR A C E WALP OL E .
31
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Dam e r L ord H arring ton and lady H arriet are arrived ; b ut have announced an d persisted in a strict invisibility I kn o w nothi ng of my cher e pa t r i e but what I learn from the London C hronicle ; an d that tells m e that th e trading towns are suing o u t le t tr es d e n oble sse that is entreating the king to p ut an end to commerce that they m ay all be gentlemen H ere agriculture economy reformation ph il o s o phy are the bon ton even at court Th e two n ations seem to have crossed over and figure d in ; but as people that copy take th e bad with the good a s well as the good with th e bad th ere was two days ag o a great h orse race i n th e plain de S ablon between th e comte d A rt o is the du c de C hartre s monsieu r de C o n flan s and th e du c de L auzun The latter won by th e a ddre s s Of a littl e E nglish postillion wh o i s i n such fashion that I d on t kn o w wheth er the A cadem y will n ot give h im for the subj ect of an e l og e Th e duc de C hoiseul I said, i s here ; and as h e has a second t im e put o ff his departure ce la f ai t I shall n ot b e at all surprise d bea ucoup d e br ui t if he resumes th e reins as (forgive m e a pun ) h e M essrs de Turgot a n d h as th e R eine already Malesherbes cert ainly totter—but I shall tell you n o m ore til l I see you ; for though this go es by a private hand it is so private that I don t k now it being an English m erchant s who l od ges in this h ot el and wh om I do not know by sight : so per .
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O F TH E
haps I may bring you word of this letter mysel f I flatter myself lady A il e sb u ry s a rm has recovered its straightness an d its cunning M adame d u D e fl an d says I l Ov e you better than an y th ing in th e world If true I hope yo u h ave not less penetration : if you have not or it i s not true what w oul d professions ava i l —S O I leave that matter i n suspense A die u ! .
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Oc t ob e r 7
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MADA ME d a D e fl a n d was quite wel l yesterday ; an d at n ear one this m orning I l e ft t h e duc de C hoiseul the duchess de Gram m ont the prince an d princess of B e a uve a u p rincess of P oix th e m arechale de Luxembourg duchess de L auzun ducs de G on t au t e t de C habot and Cara c c i ol i, roun d her chaise long ue and sh e herself was not a dumb personage I have not heard yet h o w she has slept and m ust sen d away my letter this mo m ent as I must dress to go to dinner with m on l sie ur de Malesherbes a t m adam e de Vi ll e g ag n o n s I m ust repose a great while after all this living i n company ; nay intend to go very littl e into the worl d again as I do not admire th e French way of burning one s can dle to the very snu ff i n public Tell Mrs D a m e r t h at the fashion n ow is to erect the toupee into a high detached tuft of hair like a cockatoo s cre st and this toupée they cal l la phys i onomie—I d on t guess why My Ia qua i s is come back fro m S t Joseph s and '
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W ALP OL E
AC E
33
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ay s Marie de Vichy has had a very good night ’ — Philip let my chaise b e ready a n d is quite well o n Thursday s
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To
R EV
THE
MR
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C OLE
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S t ra wb e rry h l l , D e c 1 0, 1 7 7 5 -
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I W A S very sorry to have been here dear sir the day yo u called on m e i n town It is so di ffi cult to u ncloister you that I regret not s e e i ng you when you are out of y ou r own a mbry I have nothing n e w to tell you that is very Ol d ; but you can inform m e of something within your own district Wh o i s t h e a uth or E B G of a 3 versio n of Mr Gray s Latin O des into E nglish and of an E legy on my wolf devoured d og p oor Tory ? a name you will m arvel at in a dog of m ine ; b ut his godm other was the wido w of alder m an P arsons who gave h i m a t Paris to lord C on way an d he to me The author i s a poet but m ake s m e blush for he calls Mr Gray an d m e Alas ! I have n o genius ; an d if cong en i a l p a i r any symptom Of talent so inferior to Gray s that ,
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re .
a
or
e rl
ns er
.
y
of
B enn e t
-
l
c ol e e , g
b ut
C ORR E S P OND E NC E
34
OF TH E
Milton and Quarles might as well b e C oupled to gether We rode over the A lps in the same chaise b ut Pegasus drew on his side an d a cart h orse on m ine I am too j ealous of his fam e to let u s be coupled together This author says h e has lately printed at C am bridge a Lati n translation of th e Bards ; I sh o ul d be much obliged to you for it I do not ask yo u if C ambridge has produced an thing for it n ever es ave made an d H u o o y y y discoveries ? H a s Mr L ort ? Where is he P Does Mr Tyson engrave n o m ore My plates for S trawb erry advance l eisurely I am about nothing I grow Ol d and l azy and the present worl d cares for nothing b ut pol itics an d sa t isfies itself with writing i n newspapers If th ey are not bound up and preserved i n libraries po s z ivas t e ri ty will imagine that th e art of pri nti n g R gone out of use L ord H ardwick e has i n dee d reprinted his heavy volume of S i r Du dl e y C arle ton s Dispatches an d says I was in th e wrong to despise it I never met with a ny body th at thought otherwise What signifies raising th e dead so Often , when they die the next m inute ? A di eu ! Yours ever .
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H ON H ORAC E .
To
COUNTESS
THE
WALP OLE
35
.
AIEESB U RY
or
.
A rl i ngt s t re e t D e 1 2 1 7 7 5 — 5 h d o u e ar t h at scream Di y DOn t he i i i h t éde d g ‘ madam it w as Ohly t he duchess Of K i hg s t ori last 1 Sdnd ay wa s Sevenni ght at chapel : b ut it i s be tter tOb e pre pai éd ; fo r she has sen t word to th e hOus e ’ Of IOril s; tha t her he rve s il i e s O bad s h e i nt éh ds to screa m fo r th ese two m o rit li s a n d th er e f O r e the ey mus t put Off h er trial Theyare tOtak e her t h rOés i hto c onsidera ti on to day and t hat ther e m ayhe é li ffic i en t i OOm f or t h e len gth of he r Veil an d tra in ‘ ith En d a tt ehd an t s h a Ve a m in d tO treat her w r I sh O I hOpe s O fO r h all h l d lik e to e sthi i nst é ld i iii bjdii id a hd Be sides I c Oh l udé it WOul d hring yOu r la dyship t O tOwn YOu O ‘ e timel y n Ot i c e shall haV T he re is ari oth ei c o rii e dy i hfini te ly w O it h see H e i s P revill e a n d i ii g mOfis i e ii r l e Tessier ii a nd Mrs Cail l a ud an d Garrick an d We stO Clive all tog ether ; a n d as perfect in the i n qs t i nsigni fic ant part as i n th e m ost d ifli c dlt To b e ther sii re it i s hard to give up l o O l n such fine w e O i i when on e can play from m orn m g till 1 ig l t I i1 London ; P arri c a n scarce get a h o ii s e ti ll t e n OOlbck! If yOu happ en to s ee th e gen eral y our ’ h ll sb an d mak e my co mplime nts to h i m 1 1 1 ad zi ii1 his f ri ei id the ki ng Of P r ussi a i s gOi hg t Oth e devil r th e Great xahdé a ii fl Alé on
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To
RE V
TH E
.
MR
.
C OL E
.
A l in gt o s t ee t D e c 1 4 th 1 7 7 5 O U R letters probably passed by each other on the road for I wrote to you on Tuesday and have this i nstant re ceive d one from you whic h I answer directly to beg pardon for my incivility nay i a gratitude i n not thanking you for your present of a whole branch of m ost respectable ancestors th e D er eh a ug ks —why th e D er eka ug hs alone would m ak e gentlemen of half th e m odern peers E nglish or Irish I doubt my j ourney to France was got into my head an d left n o room for a n additional quarter but I have given it to E dmondson and ordered him to take care that I am born again fro m the D er e /z a ug ks This E dm ondson has got a ridiculous notion into his head that another an d m uch ancienter of my progenitors sir H enry Wal pole married his wife Isabella Fitz O sbert when she was wido w to S i r Walter J e rn eg a n ; whereas al l the Ol d Tes ta men t says sir Walter married sir H enry s widow Pray sen d me your authority to confoun d this gainsayer if you know any thing particular of the matter I had not heard of the painting you tell me of A s those boobies the S ociety of A ntiquaries have gotten h ol d of it I won der their pi e ty did not m ake them bury it again as they did the clothes of E d I have some notion that i n Vertue s ward I n
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C ORRE S P OND E NC E
38
OF TH E
woul d lay a plan for any thing in amn ove rg rpw n m etropo li s hurryin g to i ts fall ? I will return you Mr Gough s l et terwhe nI g e t A di eu a frank 1 11
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To
TH E
R E V Nh t .
C OL E
.
.
Jan 26 , 1 7 7 6
.
.
I H AVE de ferr e d answerin g your las t l etter dear sir, till I can not ans wer wi th my ow n h and I r oss ade a pil rima e at ristmas 5 C h Q e e n C t m o u , g g 1 i l h cau h there e s n ow t t l b w g p 7m t h s ; y m a g a A l ri so ne d th ere for a fortni ht nd sen h om a e t p g b ound hand an d fo ot by th e gout The p ai n I f rO i z en ad quit for I hav on e su e O e s e h s n p p nothi ng b ut in flam matio n an d swel li n g a nd they abate In reali ty this 1 s owin g ho the bootikin s hic thou they do not cure th e h gout take o ut w h, g You w h Oa re sti ll more apt t o be a n i ts st ing i nval id feel I fear thi s Hyperb orea n s e as gn; I shoul d be gl ad to hear yo u di d n ot I t hought I had at once jumpe d upon a di s c o very of th e Object of the painte d room at th e R ose Tavern but shal l n ot pl um e mys elf upon my l a clg till I have seen th e c h a mbe r be c a u s e Mr Gough s5 account see ms to date t he style of th e pain ti ng earlier than will serve m y hypo thesi s I had no data to go upon but t h e s c i te h ay ing belonged to ,
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H O N H O R AC E .
W ALP O L E
39
.
th e fam ily
of Tufton (for I do not think the de s cription at all answers to the t aking of Francis I nor is it at all credible t hat there shoul d be arm s i n the pai nting and ye t neither those of France or I turned imm ediately to lord Th an e t s A u stria ) pe digree i n C ollins s peer age and foun d at once i an heroic a d ve n t ure pe rfor m e d by one of the fa m ily that accords remarkably with th e principal circum stance It is the rescue of the elector Pa la ti n e son of our queen of B ohemia from an a m b us c a d e laid for h im by th e duke of L orrain The arm s Or and G ules I though t were th ose of L or rain wh ich I s ince find are A rgent an d Gules The Argent indeed m ay be turn ed yellow by age as Mr Gough says he does n ot know wh ether th e crescent i s red or black But th e great impedi m ent is that this ach ievement of a Tufton was perform ed i n th e reign of C harles II N o w i n that reign wh en we were becom e singularly i g anachronism s an d bl un ders n or a n t of chivalry m igh t easily b e com mitted by a modern painter yet I shall n ot adhere to my discovery unless I find the pai nting correspon d with th e style of th e m odern tim e to whic h I woul d assign it ; n o r will I see through th e ey es of my hypothesis but fairly I shal l now turn to anoth er subj ect Mr A stl e wh o h a s l eft m e off ever since the fatal era of R i c hard III for n o reason that I c an conceive but my h aving adopted his discovery which for .
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C OR R E S P O ND E N C E
40 -
OF TH E
aught I kno w m ay b e a reason with an antiquary l ately sent m e th e attainder of George duke of Clarence which he has found in th e Tower and prin ted ; and on it as rather glad to c on f ut e m e and himself th an to have foun d a curiosity h e h ad written two or three questions which tended t o accuse R ichard of having forged the instru ment though to the instrument i ts elf i s added another which confirm s my acquittal of R ichard of th e m urder of C laren ce —b ut alas ! P assion i s a spy ing glass tha t does but m ake the eyes of Folly m ore blind I sent him an an swer a copy of ‘ S which I en close ince that I have heard no ,
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T HOM A A TL S
x fr o
S
E, E S Q ‘
W7 51
D e c 1 9 th , .
81 3 ,
I A M m uch h ave
ob l
me
s en t
ig
Y ou h a ve
.
f
s i r, a r e
d e rs ta n d i t , yo u yo u rs e l , Y ou s a y, of a n s w e r n g
i
k
pp y i if I
yo u m y t h a n s fo r th e a added a u e s t io n t o i t , w h ch , q
e d , a n d r e t urn
m
or e
ro
a
ca
p
a
.
b l e th a n
an
er
ou
nu
y b o dy
p b bl t h t th i i t m nt t f m d by R i h d d k f G l I f byfl m d y ? w f th b l d i t h t b m d w p I h l d th i k p i i t t w w xp d i t f i tt d b y g g i w m l f t h t h h h t h i b B t th g I pp y m fi g d y si t i w iti g o m j dg b t t t h m y ly f th t g Y y di g m h d p m f g d by bi d Y th mi m y f i h y w i th p d t ff g d A t Of Att i d my imp l I d f d d di g h t ; as
ra
e an
a rou s a
a
ou
a
o
a
e an
or
ne ,
a
er
n u
ra n c
ou
e
urn s
e ar
e o
e
ean
u
e
s
or
e
r
e
er
.
er
ou r
one
n or
oo
n
ou
a
ar
a n
er,
an s n ce .
n ve r s a n
n
ou
,
uc
or
e
s
a
e
e
n
ac s o
an .
en s o
oe s
a
en
an
re a
n s ru
”
n
r, s o c
an
s
e
n use
o u,
re c e
ou
o
,
ra
n
ore
a
a
r n ces o
er
e
e
ou ce s e r
n
ver
o
e , c an
n e ve r
u
ou
s
,
e re n o
e,
os e
su
as
ar
c
e
ra
Is i t
.
ee
r
a
er
c s
e un
e rs a n
u
n
s
on
an
a n
n
.
AC E WALP OL E
H ON H OR .
41 -
.
more of him nor shall I suppose till I see this n e w proof of R ichard s guil t adopted into the an ,
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’
th e
s ugg es t
i
r e v ol t n
if i t h
s u c h a n on e , e
i
w o ul d
ik
a b s u rd a
tr c
t u rb ul e n t
T
a re
f
be
at
u n l e ss
,
ig
n,
he
s ed
i
m
ve
i
n
i
I f it co
.
a va
il
k mk
sa
on o
s ac
o
a
i
c a rr e d
en e d
i
.
e u s e of s o
d
i n th e p t h re e h u n
g
wh o
os e
by i t
u
fl a w s in g ol d l e g e n d s , am n ew
s c ov e r n
I
m mm i i b t y y g w h h d t t q i m T j i pp h t t t y y l th L hi t i m imi l th t i Ri h d w d j t t th i m m t I d t k w w h th t h im p R dd ld i t d h i m I wh m t b li th t M th y w p b b ly b d b i g t t h t h i d t h i g i th b t pp y h fi m ti f Ri h d i t m A th d k f B ki gh m f th d th f C l pp i t d t p i t d th x t i i t i i d ib l t h t w d w d i b tt f m l m y b d th t h ld h h th b x ti Wh h l R i h d h ld h l d h i gh t w d i ll i t w pp i t d f E gl d t l x t i w i th ll hi ffi it l k f t f t i l h i h t t m if p i i d w d g y g l i t tl m w i th f m l i ty t h th l w it f th t th i k Th pp i tm t t f t h d k f B k t im l t i gh m f th t ffi m t d d th i mp b b il i ty ! d w k f p g t i ] t R i h d f g i g th i t m t D id R i h d lly d th i g b t w h t t d d t i hi e rs u a d e d , s i r ,
ou r
u es
ar
c
on
e
ro
er
e
o
an
n
or a
r a
,
,
a
e
e
n
a
a
or
o
c
e ca
eas
or e
e ve n
,
e
ore
us
n
or
a
su
ar
e re r o
re a
e cu a
a
ce , s e e a
e
e cu
on
o no
n
a
a
ar
s
n
o a
an o
c
u
ar
’
s
a
er
or
e
r
a
s en e c
a
en e
ers
o n e oo
a
uc
a
e
o
s
on
o
e o
u
ro
n
a
an
ce rs ,
e
oo o
a
e r e c a rr e
e c a re e s s
en
n
s a
,
s o
r oc e e
,
e
nn o
s
n cre
en a
s e
e,
uc
se
on e r .
on ,
a
s
o
or
a
o n
o
on ,
n
’
ar
o
er
o a
n
c
e
u
u
an
s
e
o
e
,
.
a
s or a n s
no
e, see n o
on
a
e cu
a
a
e
r
n
e
,
n
or
.
o
ne
on
’
n
os e
an cas r an
er s
s
e e
een
or, a s
as
a c on
er n e n
e
o su
a ss s e
e o
a re n c e .
ro
re o c e
u
.
un ca
co
en
o
on
u
e,
a ve
a
uc
ve r
o
e en
ou
s
rs
a
a
o su
av e
ou
ar
e ve
ou
s
a
o
ea
o n e
as a
c
s ur
us
th e
an e ve n
na
av e s e n
ou
c en ce o
e s
e
no
ea s e
e
.
or e c r
as a
a
a
e
; an
ou
w ou ld
ou
t
o
as
re se n
re
th a t
pl
i
b ig o t t e d t o
so
.
be
ead
s o s h ort a n
r e as u r n
se
to
w i th ou t th e f or
i
im l f w i th t ti f ti f th ld b gl d f d i
nd
ul d
l tt l e t o d o in
so
g
h
us e d
f or t h e
an
a
d r e d ye a rs a ft e rw a r d s s h ou e h is c h a ra c t e r A s th e re a re m e n
p
xi t
i pl
c n ot o r e ty,
u
gg e r a t e d a n d w e a w h y R c h a r d s h ou l d a
th a t h av a
x
o n ce e
f
o rg e d a c t
ow e r a
p bli l l m ki
a t t er o f
on se n s e o f a
a d n o t r e a l ly e
t h e re o r e c on c e
c an n ot
mm
m
a
b y f or c e , th e f or c e w oul d
e cu t on
an d
ge ry,
I
x
b e i ng
i g t o th e c o
i t w oul d b e
imm e d i a t elypress i n g
o rg e ry, on c as e s
a n a c t of a tt a n d e r
b e c a us e
in t o
f
us e of s uc h a
an
n s ru
n c re as e
en
.
s
C O R R ES P OND E NC E
42
OF TH E
of the S ociety against which I h ave reserve d some othe r stigm as for i t ,
.
.
un
p p l i ty by gl tt i g m ki d w i th l i f g i d t i l t m i l d wh i h ? di ti g ry n n I t k e th i pp rt i ty si f tell ing y h w yI o
u
u ar
an
e ve
c
es ,
s ur
n
es ,
n
e ec
c ou
v
a
“
s o
a
l on
t o h a ye s e e n
y
q ain t
6 51 2 0
u
an e
c
ou
m e , thqugh
l
l
ou
i i s t I Own
of .
i
ik
l tt l e .
t o t al k
e
i mp
ortan c e , a
i
I f th
f
d a re d t o
or
W o ul d
f
or
w as
e re
h a ve
re
i
f
.
n eve r
T M
s ir
.
s
ac;
i
w t h qr t y ex
ar
re
m ]
.
h e l d , w o ul d R
p
i
se rvant
c h a rd
i
h i m w th
r o a ch e d
'
A s R i c h a r d de c l a r e d h is s uc c e s s or,
of
t a in d e r
I f it i
w o ul d h e
W a rw i c k
s su
c o uld
he
hi s h e
i
p
’
s
he
os e d
r e t en
h a v e d on e
f th ? f g d th a
.
h a ve
so a
b
surd
or
d th a t
it
f
ph
s o,
f
if h e h a d
th a t
Wa r w i c k
of
E a rl
th e
ew
of
h ea r
e ve r
ge d
h ie
an a c t o f a t
or
er
e
e act,
t k n ow n
o ul d n o t s o r ec e n t a n
set as
w h en
,
be
’
a ct s
if
r
he
wh e n
a c t w as n o
W
?
r
pp
ne
B a c on
l or d
or e n or
o rg ery
p
w Our
er
g y D i d n e th e r
a
II
m n et
fo r i t
an act e g
H e n ry V
en t
a
p w ell re t t d y n
‘
a
ar
ld
t o th i s l et t e r
a dd ed
p li m
i
i
.
s u ch
no
re n e
g d, e ob l g e d h u l b
Your t o be
to
th s o
o ve r
I am, s i r, w th gre a t
! Queries
s e rr
o
I s h all b e
d h o w, gl ad
if y
.
ou
r, o
,
an
‘i
1
,
un
o
ah
e r es , a n d
or
i
n
id
Wa r w i c k
e
,
h e d e cl a r e d h i m
g
un
k
n ow n ,
h a ve
p im
t h e re h a d b e e n n o s u c h a rl a en t g ey ? a n d t h a t w h c h o r ge d i t , w o u l d n o t t h a t h a v e r o v e d i t a d o ub l e
r ov e d
or
a
i f
as
f g y ? Th t th f m th b g i ti Th d i app p t i l i ty f t h h i t i e ac
er
or
ave
us
e a rs
or
H e n ry h ou s e of
e
o
a
ar
V II
of
th a t
en u n e a n d
een
.
.
s t ra c e
or
an d
p li a m e n t ‘
on s o f
.
e
xi
a ll
i i
re c or
t h e r t tl e ,
s ted ,
th e t
s or a n s o f
t o d e s t r oy
Y k
a1
e re ore , a n d t h e
,
p p li m
im
en t
a
th e e v
ge ,
th a t
a c c o un t
a
th ough
e s,
th a t
ds
ar
for
id
o ur
p
ass ed
ent
i
nsu
i
th e
fii
f
c en c
n t e r es t
i ty t id ti g
a u th o r
wan
it ,
o t h e r r e c or d
no
and
g a ye
t h at
n
o
ev
y
bf the
en ce
ON
H
.
HOR A C E WALP OL E
43
.
Mr E dmondson has found a con firmation of arried Je rn e g a n after Isabella Fi t g o sb e rt h a vi n g m Walpole I forget where I foun d my arm s of Though they di ffer from yours Of s ir Fi tz osb e r t s R oger th co l o urs are th e same a n d t h ey agree e wi th yours of W il li a m Fi t z o sb or n e Ther e was n o ac cu racy i n spel l i fi gnames even till mu ch lat er ages an d yo u kno wth at di ffe re nt b ra nches of t he same fa il y made li ttl e variati on 1 n th ei rco at s I a mvery sorry for t he d eath of poor H enshaw of w hich I had n o t heard I am y ours m ost sincerely .
‘
v
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m
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P
The
queries added to th e letter to Mr A stle were not sent with it an d as I reserve them f o 1 a future answer I beg you will shew the m to n obody .
S
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To
RE V
THE
.
MR
C OLE
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A l i n g t o n s t r e e t M a ch 1 1 7 7 6 I A M sorry to tell you that th e c ur1 ous old painting at the Tavern i n Fleet street is addled by the sub e c t turning out a little too old A las it i s n ot ! j th e story of Francis I bu t of S t Paul A ll the coats of arms that should hav e been French and Austr ian and that I ha d a mind to couve 1 t into Palatine an d L or 1 ain are the bea rings of Ph ar1 sal c r
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C OR R ES P OND ENC E
4A
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nobility In short Dr P ercy was h ere yesterday an d tells m e that over M r Gough s imaginary Pavia is written D a mascus i n capital letters O h our antiquaries ! Mr A stle has at last called on m e but I was not well enough to see him I shall return his visit when I can go out I hope this will b e i n a week : I have no pain l eft but have a codicil of nervous fevers for which I am taking the bark I have nothing n e w for y ou i n our old way an d there fore will not unnecess arily lengthe n my letter which was only i ntended to cashi er th e old paint ing though I hear the antiquaries still go on with — i h aving a drawing take n from t Oh ! our anti .
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To D R
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A l i gt o s t e e t A p il 4 1 7 7 6 IT is bu t fair when one quits one s party to give — notice to those one abandon s a t least m odern patriots wh o often i m bibe their principles of honour at N ewmarket use that civili ty You and r
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i ph y i i l g t l d t P i i l k wl d g th f h i ki hi p f p wh ppl i d t h im f m d i l i t A n E n gl s h s
oor
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C O R RES P OND E NC E o r
46
T
HE
r w ro ans of the poo a h who em l ys his 1 d o k c d e g p l oq u e n ce t o tempt the g ood young m h on arc by e ‘ n w a e h i erso l vi s to acrifice th e ma s of sub s s s p h r e c t s t vile es of the few e to i But w h do I j p g y 6111 1 i t el o q u e h c e ? Th e fu mes of i nt erest had so dl o ud ed h i s rh eto ric t h at he falls into a d ow n I r i c i s m : — H e tell s th e king i n i ht that h e t rg t end e d t ax On th e pro prie tors of l and wil l a ffect t he p ropertyno t only of th e rich bu t Of th e poor I should be glad to k n ow wh at is th e proper ty of th e poor ? H ave th e poor lande d estates ? Are t h os e wh o ha ve lande d e s tates the p oor ? Are th e p ill s uff e r b y th e tax; t h e wr et hh e d OOr that w l abou re rs wh o ar e dragge d from the ir fam ishin g But i t i s w icke d famili es to work on t h e i Oa d s el oq uenc e Wh en it finds a reason or giv es a reas on fdr conti n uing the abu s e —The advoc ate tell s th e ki ng th os e abus es are pr esque cons acr es p a r can b e ancie iz he te — Ind ee d he say s all that said for nobility i t i s eb nisa cr ee pa r Z a nczen ne té ad d th i s t h e l engt h Of th e pedigree of ab uses f eed ers th e mrespectable ! H i s argsmeh t s are as co nt empti bl e Wh en h e tri es to d az zl e th e king by th e gi ea t fin a m es of Henry qu atre and S ulley of Loui s ! IV; a n d C olbert two couple wh om nothing but a m e rce na ry orator would have classed togeth er N o r were all four equally ven e rab l e; w oul d it prove any thing s ees gnod kings an d go od m 1 n1 st e rs if such hav e been m ay h ave erred ; nay m ay '
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H O N H OR .
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47
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h ave done the best th ey could Th ey Would no t h ave been good if th ey wish ed their erro rs should b e preserved th e long er they h ad l asted In short sir I think this resistan c e of the par li amen t to th e adorable refor mation planned by Mess rs d e Tu rgot and Maleshe rbes i s more n r a n l h e g m a t i c a l l y scandalou s th an the wildest ty y p I f orget wh at the nation was tha t of d espo t i sm ” re w e d libert y Whe n it wa s offe red This oppo A whol e si t ib n t b so n oble a w ork i s Wors e use its o wn h a pi ne ss ; b u le ref hese e m a t o t p p y p r ofl i a t e magi strates resist ha pi n e ss f or others p p g — r i t l a n ot milli s for os t e N do th e n o f or y y p y half vi ndicat e Mau pe ou wh o Crushed them ? A n d yb u dear sir wil l yo u n o w Chi d e iny apo St acy ? H a Ve I n ot clea red m yself tb you r eye s ? I do not see a shadow of soun d l ogi c i n all mon sieur S eg u i e r s speech es but i n his proposing that the soldiers sh oul d work on th e roads and that passengers shoul d con tribute to their fabri c ; though as France i s not so luxuriously m a d as E ngland I do n ot believe passen gers coul d sup port th e e xpe n c e of the roads That argum ent t h erefore 1 s li ke anoth er that th e avocat proposes t o the ki ng an d Which h e modestlyo wns he be li eves woul d be impr acti cabl e I beg yo ur pa rd on si r fdr givi ng yu th l s long O tr oubl e ; b ti t I cou l d n ot h e lp Ve ntin g myself w hen sh ock ed t o find such r enegade condu ct m a p arlia ment that I was rej oiced had b een restored .
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C ORR E S P OND ENC E
48
OF TH E
P oor human kind ! is it always to breed s e rpents from its own bowels ? In one country it choose s its representatives and they sell it and themselves —i n oth ers it exal ts despots in another i t resists th e despot when he consults the good of his people ! C an we wonder m ankind is wretch ed when m en are su ch beings ? P arliam ents run wild with loyalty when A merica i s to be en slave d or butch ered They rebel when their country i s to b e set free I am not surprised at the idea of the devil being al ways at our elbows They wh o i nvented him n o doubt could n ot conceive how m en coul d be so atrocious to one another without th e intervention of a fiend Don t you think if h e had never been heard of before th at h e woul d h ave been invented on th e l ate partition of ! P oland ! A dieu dear sir Yours m ost sincerely ,
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To
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MR
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C OL E
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A p ril 1 6th 1 77 6 Y o u will be con cerned my good sir for what I h ave th 1 s minute heard from his nephe w that poor Mr Gra n ger was seized at th e commu nion table on S unday with an apoplexy and died yesterday m orning at five I have answered the l etter with a word of advice about his M S S that th ey may ,
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H ON H OR .
AC E WALP OL E
49
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not fall into the hands of booksellers H e h a d bee n told by idle people so many gossiping stories that i t would h urt him and living persons if all his colle ctions were to be printed ; for as he was incapable of telling an u ntruth himself h e sus — d e t e c nobody el se too great goodness i n a p biographer Yours ever .
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Th e wh ol e worl d i s occupie d with th e duchess o f Kingston s trial I don t tell you a word of it for you will not care about i t these two hundred years .
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MR
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C OL E
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i J
S t ra wb e r ry h ll , -
un e
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1 776
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MR G R A N GE R S papers have been purchased by lord Mount S tewart wh o has the portrait of fr en z y as well as I and though I am th e head of the sec t I have n o longer the rage of propaga ting i t n or would I o n any account take th e trouble of revising and publishing th e MSS M r Granger had drowned his taste for portraits i n th e ocean of biography ; an d th oug h he began with el ucidating prints h e at last only sough t prints that h e m ight write t he lives of those they rep t e H i s work was grown and growing so s ented E VOL I V ’
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C OR RES P OND E NC E
50
OF TH E
volum inous that an abridgem ent o nly could h av e m ade it useful to collectors I am not surprised that you will not assist Dr K i ppi s bishop La n d and William Prynne could never agree Y ou are very j ustly m ore averse to Mr Masters wh o is a pragmatic fellow an d at best troublesome If th e agate knives you are so good as to r e commend to m e can be tolerably auth enticated have any royal m arks or at least ol d setting of the time an d will b e sol d for two g uineas I shoul d not dislike h aving them : thou gh I have scarce roo m to stick a knife an d fork But if I trouble you to pay for t h e m you m ust let m e k now al l I owe you al ready for I know I am in your debt for prints and pamphlets and this new debt wi ll make th e whol e considerabl e enough to be remitted I h ave lately purchase d three apostle spoons to add to th e one you was so kind as to give m e What i s be c om e of Mr E ssex ? does he never visit Lon don ? I wish I could tempt him thither or h ither I am not only thinking of building my o ffices i n a collegiate style for which I have a good design an d wish to consul t him b ut I am actually wanting assi st an ce at this very mom ent about a sm aller galle ry that I wish to add this sum mer ; and which i f Mr E ssex was here h e sh oul d build directly It I S scarce worth asking h im to take t h e j our n ey on purpose though I woul d pay for h i s j ourney hither and back an d Would lodge him '
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AC E WALP OL E
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here for the necessary time I can onl y beg you to m entio n it to him as an idle j aunt the obj ect i s so trifling I wis h m o re that you could com e with h im : do you leave your p oor parishioners an d their soul s to them selves P if you do I h ope Dr K ippi s will seduce th em A dieu de ar sir Yours ever .
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S t ra wb e rry h l l , -
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1 1 th , 1 7 7 6
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I A M grieved and feel for your gout I know th e vexations an d disappointments it occasions an d h ow o ft en it will return wh en one thinks it going i t represents life and its vicissitudes I k now it m akes m e content when one does n ot feel actual pain and what contents may be called a ble ssing : b ut it i s th at sort of blessing that extinguishes hopes an d views an d 1 8 n ot so l u xur 1 ous but one can bear to relinquish it I s eek amusem ents n o w to am use m e I u sed to 1‘ b ecause I had an impulse and ru s h into them ‘ wi she d for what I soug h t My want of Mr E ssex h as a littl e of both kin ds as it is for an additi on t o thi s place for which my fond ne ss is n ot wor n out I shall be v ery gl ad to see hi m h e re either on t he ,
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C O R R E S P OND ENC E
52
2 ot b
O F TH E
or 2 1 5 t of this month an d shal l have n o engagement till the 2 3 d and will gladly pay his j ourney I am sorry I m ust not hope that you will a ccompany him Yours ever ,
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TH E
H ON H S .
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C O N WA Y
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S t ra wb e r ry h ll , -
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8 0, 1 7 7 6
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I WA S v ery glad to receive your letter not only be cause always most glad to hear of you but because I wished to write to you and had ah s ol ut e ly n othing to say till I had something to answer I have lai n but two nigh ts in town since I saw you have been else constantly h ere very m u ch employed though doing h earing knowing exactly nothing I have had a Gothic a rchitect fro m C ambridge to design m e a gallery which will end i n a m ouse that is in a n hexagon closet of seven feet diameter 1 have been m aking a beauty room which was e ffected by buying two dozen of sma ll copies of sir P eter Lely and hang i ng them up ; and I have been making h ay which i s not m ade because I put i t off for three days as I chose it sho ul d ador n the landscape whe n I was to have company ; and so the r ain i s c ome a n d h as drowned i t H owever as I ca n eve n turn c alculator wh en i t i s to com fort m e for n o t ,
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C OR RE S P OND ENC E
54
OF TH E
saying I am going to do wh at I am not going t o do is wretch ed enough Whatever is sai d of m e without truth any body i s welcom e to believe that pleases In fact though I have scarce a settled purpose about any thing I think I shall never write any m ore I h ave written a great deal t oo m uch u nless I had written better an d I know I sh ould n ow only write still worse O ne s talent whatever it is does not improve at near sixty yet if I liked it I dare to say a good reaso n woul d not stop my inclination —b ut I am grown most i ndolent i n that respect and m ost absol utely i n di ff erent to every p urpose of vanity Yet with ou t vanity I am become still prouder and m ore c on I have a contempt for my country t e m pt u ous m en th at m akes m e despise their approbati on The applause of slaves an d of the foolish m ad is below ambition M ine i s th e haughtiness of an an cient B ri ton that cannot write what woul d please this age an d woul d not if he could What ever happens i n A m erica this country is undone I desire to b e re ckone d of th e last age an d to be thought to have lived to b e superannuated pre serving my senses only for myself and for th e f e w I value I cannot aspire to b e traduced like A lgernon Sydney and con tent mysel f with s a cri Unalterable in fic i ng to h i m amongst my lares m y principles careless about m ost things belo w essentials indulging myself in t ri fles by system .
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annihilating myself by ch oice but dreading folly at a n unseemly age I contrive to p ass my tim e yet see its termination a p agreeably e nough proach without anxie ty This i s a true picture of my mind ; an d it m ust be true because drawn for you whom I w 0 ul d n ot deceive and could no t if I would Your question on my being wri ti n g dre w it forth though with m ore seriousness — than th e report deserve d yet talking to one s dearest frien d is neither wrong nor out of season I have always Nay you are my best apology contented myself with you r being perfect or if you r modesty dem ands a m itigated term I wil l say unexceptionabl e It is com ical to be sure to have always been m ore solicitous about the virtu e of one s frien d than about on e s own yet I repeat it y ou are my apol ogy though I never was so unre asonable as to m ake you answerable for my faults in return : I take the m wholly to myself But enough of this When I kno w my own m ind for hitherto I h ave settled no plan for my summer I will com e to you A dieu ,
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MR
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C OL E
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J You
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2 d 1 3 776 , y
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so good to m e my dear sir , th at I am quite ashamed I m ust not send back your a re
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C OR R ES P OND ENC E
56
O F TH E
charm ing present but wish you would gi ve m e leave to pay for it an d I shall have the sam e obligation to yo u and still m ore It i s beautiful i n form and colours an d pleases m e excessively In the m ean time I have i n a great hurry (for I came home but at noon to m eet Mr E ssex ) c h osen out a few prints for you such as I thin k you will like an d beg you to accept them : they enter into n o one of my sets I am heartily grieved at you r account of your self and know n o comfort b ut submission I was absent to see general C onway wh o i s far from well We m ust take our lot as it falls ! j oy an d sorro w i s m ixed till the scene closes I am out of spirits and sh all not m end yours M r E ssex i s j ust setting out and I write i n great h aste but a m as I h ave so long been Most truly yours ,
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C OL E
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S t ra w b e r ry h ll , -
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I W R OT E to you yesterday dear sir n ot only in great haste b ut i n great confusion and did n o t say half I ought to have done for the pretty vase you sent me and for your constant obliging atten tion to m e A ll I can say is that gr atitude attempted even i n my haste an d concern to put ,
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H ON H O R .
AC E W ALP O L E
57
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its word : a nd I did not m ean to pay you l which hope you wil really allo w m e to do but I ) ( The t o express my sensibility of your kindness fact w as that to avoid disappointing Mr E ssex when I had dragged hi m hith er from C ambridge I had returned hither precipitately an d yet late f rom Park place whith er I went the day before to see general C onway wh o has had a littl e attack of th e paral yti c kind You wh o can remember how very l ong and dearly I have loved so near a relation and particular friend and wh o are full o f nothing b ut frien dly sensations can j udge h ow sh ocked I was to find him m ore changed than I expected I su ffere d so m uch i n constraining and com manding myself that I was n ot sorry as the h ouse was full of relations to have the plea of Mr E ssex to get away and cam e to sigh here by myself It is perhaps to v ent my concern that I write now Mr C onway i s in n o manner of danger is better his head n or speech are a ffected an d the physicians wh o barely allo w th e attack to b e of th e paralyti c nature , are cl ear it is l ocal S til l h as i t operated i n th e m uscles of the face such a revol ution i n my m ind as n o tim e a t my can e fface It has at on ce damped every ag e p urs uit wh ic h my spirits h ad even now prevente d m e from being weane d from I m ean a Vi m? It i s like a m ortal distemper i n myself ; for can am usements am use if there is but a glimpse a of out living one s friends ? I have had v ision
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C O R R E S PO ND ENC E
58
O F TH E
dream s i n which I thought I wished for fame —i t was not certainly posthumous fam e at any di stance : I feel I feel i t was confined to the m emory of those I love It seem s to m e impossible for a m an who has n o friends to do any thin g for fam e —and to m e the first position i n friendship i s to intend one s friends should surviv e one —but it i s not reasonable t o Oppress you wh o are su ff erin g gout with my m elancholy ideas Let m e know as yOu m end What I have said will tell you what I hope so m any years have told you that I a m very constant and sincere to frie nds of above forty years I doubt Mr E ssex p erceive d that my m ind was greatly bewildered H e gave m e a direction to Mr Pe n t i c ro ss who I recollect Mr Gray; not you told m e was turned a m eth o d ist teacher H e was a blue coat boy an d cam e hither then to som e of my servants having at that age a poetic turn A s h e has reverted to it I hope the enthusiasm will take a m ore agreeable plea I have not heard of him for m any years an d thought h e was settle d somewhere near C ambridge : I fin d i t is at Wallingford I won der those m admen an d knaves do not begin to wear o ut as their folly is n o longer new a n d as knavery can turn its han d to any trade according to th e humour of the age whic h i n cou ntries like this is seldo m constant Yours most fait hf ull y ,
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WALP OL E
H ON H S
T HE
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59
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C ONWA Y
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Th T HA N K you for your l etter
u r s da
y, 3 1
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I send this by the coach You will have found a new scen e —n ot an unexpected on e by you an d m e th ough I d o not pretend I thought it so near I ir a th e r i ma n e d France would h ave instigated or winked at i g H ere is a solution o f S pain s beginning with us th e A merican s declaring them se lves i ndependent O h ! the folly th e m adness th e guilt o f having pl unged u s into this abyss ! Were we an d a few m ore endued with any uncomm on penetration — They wh o did not s e e a s far wou ld not I No am impatient to he a r the complexion of tod ay I suppose it will on t h épart of adm ini stration have been a wretch ed farce of fear daube d over with airs of b ullying You I do not doubt have acted l ike yo urself feeling for our situation above i n an d unprovoked but at t h e criminality s ul t i n g that h as brought u s to this pass P ursu e your own path n or l ean to the court that m ay be paid to you on eith er side as I am sure you will not r e gard th eir being displease d th at yo u do not go as far as their interested views m ay wish If the court shoul d receive any m ore of what .
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C OR R E S P OND E NC E
60
OF TH E
they call good news I think th e war with Franc e will be unavoidabl e It was the victory at L ong Island and the frantic presumption it occasioned A n d n ow that has ripened France s m easures we are to awe the m by pressing —an act that speaks our i m pot e n c e l —which France did not want to learn ! I woul d have come to town but I had declare d so m uch I w ould not that I thought it woul d l ook a s if I cam e to enj o y the distress of the m i n i s t e rs — but I do n o t enj oy the distress of my country I th ink we are undone I h a ve al wa ys though t so —whether we enslaved A m eri ca or lost i t totally—S o we th at were against th e war could expect no good issue If y ou do return to Park place to m orro w you will oblige m e m uch by breakfasting h ere : you know it wastes you very littl e tim e I am gl ad I did not know of Mrs D a m e r s sore throat till it is almost well P ray take care and do not catch it Thank you for your care of m e I will n ot stay a great deal here but at present I n ever was bet ter in my life — an d h ere I have n o vexatious m o m ents I h ate t o d i spu t e ; I scorn to triumph m y self an d it is very di fficul t to keep m y temper when others do I own I have another reason for my retirement which i s prudence I h ave th ought of it late but at l east I will n o t run int oany n e w It would co t m ore than I care to m e x e n ce e s p ,
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C OR R ES POND E N C E
To
TH E
REV
MR
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o r TH E
C OL E
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S t r a w b e r ry h l l , A u g 1 9 , 1 7 7 6 -
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I H AV E tim e b u t to write you a lin e and it is as usual to beg your help i n a sort of literary d i ffi culty I have received a l etter dated C atherine ” H e n P rescot hall from whom I doubt I ” h ave forgotten ; for he begins Dear S i r and I prote st I cannot recoll ect him though I ought H e says h e wants to sen d m e a few classi cal dis co urses an d h e speaks with re spect of my father and by his t re m b l i n g h a n d see m s an ol d m an All these are reasons for my treati ng hi m wi th great regard ; and being afraid of hurting him I h ave w ri tten a sh o rt a n d very civil an swer d i ” R e v Dr P rescot G od kn ows r e c t e d to th e wh ether h e is a clergym an or a doctor an d per h aps I may h ave betrayed my forgetfulness b u t I th ought i t was best to err on th e over c ivil s ide Tell m e som ething about hi m ; I dread his Dis co urses Is he the stran ge m an that a few years ago sent m e a volume of an un com m on form a nd of more un comm o n m atter ? I suspect so Y o u shall certainly have two or three of my prints by Mr E ssex when he returns hither and h ence an d a n y thing else you will command I am j ust now i n great con cern for th e terrible death of general C onway s son i n law Mr Damer of which perhaps yo u i n your solitude have not ,
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AC E W ALPO L E
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hear d —You are happy who take n o part b ut i n the past world for th e mor t ui n on mor d en t nor do any of th e extrav a gant and distressing things that perhap s th ey di d i n their lives I hope t h e gout that persecutes eve n i n a hermitage has left you Yours m ost sincerely ,
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C OL E
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S t ra w b e rry h l l , S e t 9 , 1 7 7 6 -
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MA Y I troubl e you , dear sir when yo u see our friend Mr E ssex t o tell h im that th e tower i s covered in and that wh enever he has n othing to do after this week I shall b e very glad to see h i m h ere if he will only sen d m e a lin e two or th ree days be fore hand I have earn e d this littl e tower higher than th e roun d On e and i t has an exceedingly pretty e ffect breaking the long lin e of the h ouse pi cturesquely an d looking very an : cient I wish this or any th ing else coul d tempt l I a i l m ust correct ou hither t e error in t h e t y spelli ng of a nam e i n th e p edigree you was so kind as to m ake out for m e last year ; th e Dere haugh s were n ot of C olton but of C oulston h all Thi s I discovered oddly thi s m orning O n ope n ing a patch box that belonged to my m other an d w hich I have not opened for man ye ar s I fo u nd y ,
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C OR RE S P OND ENC E
64
O F TH E
extremely smal l silv e r collaring about thi s size 0 but broad an d flat I rem ember i t was i n an ol d satin bag of coins that my m other found i n ol d I call it a col H oughton when sh e first married lar fro m th e breadth ; for it woul d not be large enough for a fairy s lap dog It was probably made for a n i nfant s little finger and m ust h ave been for a ring n ot a collar ; for I believe though she was an heiress young ladies did not elope so early i n those days I never kne w how it cam e i nto th e family b ut n ow it is plain for th e i n scription on the outside is of C oulston hall ” S u ff and it is a confirmation of your pedigree I have tied it to a pi e c e of paper with a long i n scription and it is so small it will n ot be m elted down for th e weight ; and if n ot l os t from its di m i n u ti ve person m ay remain in the family a long w hile an d be preserve d when som e gam ester m ay spend every other bit of silver h e has in t h e worl d ; at least if one woul d mak e heir loom s one m ust take care that th ey have no Valu e n ow i n th em I fancy Mrs P rescot is returned for I have h eard n o more of the doctor I wish you m ay b e able to tell m e your gout i s gone Yours ever an
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I was turning over E dmondson this even ing and Observed an odd concurrence of circum By hi s s tances i n th e present lord C armarthen .
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H OR
AC E WALP OL E
65
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m other
he is the representative of th e great duke of Marlborough an d of old treasurer Godolphin by his father of th e lord treasurer duke of Leeds and by his grandmother is descended from the lord treasurer Oxford Fe w men are so well a n c e s t or e d in so sh ort a compass of time ,
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A RL
OF
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T R A FFOR D
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S tra w b e rry h l l , Nov 2 , 1 7 7 6 -
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TH OUG H inclination an d consciousness that a man of my age who is n either in parliam ent nor i n business has little to do in the worl d keep m e a good deal out of it yet I will not my dear lord encourage you i n retirem ent to which for the i n t e r e s t of your friends yo u have b ut too m uch p en s i t The m anners of th e age cannot be p y agr eeable to those wh o have live d in som ething soberer tim es ; n or do I think except i n Fran ce wh ere old peopl e are n ever out of fashion that i t i s reasonable to tire those whose youth and spirits m ay excuse some dissipation A bove all things it is my resolution never to profess retirem ent lest w he n I have lost all my real teeth the imaginary one called a colt s should h urry m e back an d m ake m e ridiculous But one never outlives all one s contemporaries ; on e may assort with th em Fe w E nglishmen too I have observed can bear V OL I V F ,
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C OR R ES P O ND E N C E
66
O F TH E
solitude without b eing hurt by it O ur climat e m akes us capricious and we must rub off our rough nesses an d humours against one another We have too an a lways increasing resource which i s that though we go not to the young they must come to u s : younger usurpers tread on their heels as they did on ours and revenge us that h ave been deposed They may retai n their titles like queen C hristina sir M and lord N R b ut th ey find th ey have n o subjects If we coul d but live l ong enough we should hear lord C Mr S 8 m complai n of th e airs and abominable hours of th e youth of th e age You see my dea r lord my easy philosophy c a n divert itself with any thing even with visions ; whic h perhaps i s the bes t way of treating th e great vision itself life For half one s tim e one shoul d laugh wi th th e world ; t h e other half a t it an d then it is hard if we want amusem ent I am heartily glad for your lordship s an d lady A nne Co n olly s sakes that general H owe is safe I sincerely interest myself for every body you are concerned for I wil l say n o m ore on a subj ect o n which I fear I am so unlucky as t o di ffer ve ry m uch with your lordship having always funda ment ally disapproved our conduct with A m eri ca Indeed the present prospect of war with Fran ce when we have so m uch disabled ourselves and are exposed i n so many quarters i s a topic for gene ral lamentation rather than for canvass ing of .
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WALP OL E
H O N H O R AC E .
67
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pinions wh ich every man mu st form fo r hims elf and I doubt the m om ent i s a dvancin g when we shall be force d to think alike at least on th e pre o
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have n ot been yet above a n igh t at a tim e i n town —b ut shall be glad to give your lordship an d lady S trafio rd a m eeting t h ere whenever yo u please Your m ost faithful h umble servant I
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MR
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C OL E
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S t ra w b e rry h ll , D e c 9 , 1 7 7 6 -
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I K N OW you love an episcopal print an d therefore I send you one o f t w o th at h a v e jus t been given to m e A s yo u h ave tim e an d patienc e too I recomm end to you to peruse sir John H awkins H is tory of M usic It is true there are five h uge vol u m e s i n quarto an d p erhaps you may not care fo r th e ex p ense ; b ut surely yo u c an borr ow the m i n th e University an d though you may no m ore than I deligh t i n the sci enti fic th e re i s s o m uch about cathedral service and ch oirs and other ol d m at ters that I am sure yo u wil l be am used with a great deal particularly th e two last vol umes an d th e fac simile s of ol d m u si c in th e first I doubt i t i s a work that wil l not sell rapidly but it m ust have a place i n all great libraries ,
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C ORR ES POND ENC E
68
Pray tell Mr
OF TH E
his ceiling is nearly finishe d and very well executed A s we have not had ab ove two or three cold days I hope the winter agrees with you an d that your complai nts are gone off A dieu dear sir Yours m ost sincerely '
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E ssex
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S t rawb er ry h i ll , D e c 9 , 1 7 7 6 -
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A s I have not the satisfaction of being acquainted with you I m ust think myself very particularly obliged by your pres e n t of the two fine and very like prints of Bish op Trevor and beg you will b e pleased to accept my sincere thanks If y ou ever happen to pass this way I shall be extremely glad to sh e w you the collection you have so h an dsomely adorned and to have an Opportunity i n person of assuring you how gratefully I am sir your m ost obliged an d obedient h umble servant ,
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D ar
C OR RE S POND EN C E
70
O F TH E
ther person i n my picture The other outside is a cardinal called by Mr Ives Babington ; but I b elieve C ardinal Beaufort f or the l ion of E nglan d stands by h im which a bastardly prince of th e blood was m ore likely to assum e than a true one H i s face i s not very like n or very unlike the face i n my picture ; but this is shaven —b ut n ow com es the gre at point O n the inside is H umphrey duke of Gloucester kneeling—not only as exac tly r e s embling m ine as possible but with the sam e al m ost bal d head and th e precisely same furre d robe : A n apostle like p ersonage stands behind him h old i ng a golden c halice as hi s r highness s off er ing and whi c h i s remarkable th e duk e s velvet c a p of state with hi s coronet of strawberry leaves I u sed to say to corroborate my hypothesis that th e scull of duke H umphrey at S t A 1b a n s was very like th e form of head i n my picture wh ich argu m ent diverted th e late lord H olland extrem ely b ut I trust n o w that nobody will dispute any l onger my perfect acquaintan ce with a ll d ukes of Gl ou — e b y th e way did I ever tell you that wh e n o s t er I published my H istoric Doubts on R ich ard III my niece s m arriage n o t being then acknowledged George S el wyn said h e did not think I sh oul d h ave d ou bl e d about the duke o f Gloucester ? O n th e inside of the other shutter is a m an u nknown : h e is in a stable as Joseph might be but over h i m h angs a shield of arms that are n either Joseph s nor Mary s The col ours are either black and .
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H O N H OR .
AC E WALPO L E
71
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whit e or so change d as not to be distinguishable l‘ I conclude the perso n who is i n red and white was th e donor of the altarpiece or b e n e fa c tor ; and What I want of you is to discover him a n d his arm s ; and to tell m e whether duke H u m h rey Beaufort Kempe and Babington were p connected with S t E d m on d sb u ry or wh ether this unknown person was n ot a retainer of duke H u m h re at l east of th e royal family p y A t t he sam e sale I bought a curious pair that I conclude came fro m Blickling with H obart impa l ing Boleyn fro m wh ich latter fam ily the former enj oyed that seat H o w does thi s third winter of t h e season agree with yo u ? The wind to day is sharper than a razor an d blows i cicles into one s eyes I was confined for seven weeks with th e gout yet am so well recovered as to have bee n abroad to d ay th ough it i s as m ild under the pole P ray can you tell m e the title of the book that Mr Ives dedi c ate d to m e ? I n ever saw it for h e was so odd ( I cannot call it modest lest I should s eem not so myself) as never to send it to m e an d I never coul d get it Yours m ost truly ,
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MR
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C OL E
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Fe b 2 7 , 1 7 7 7 .
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see dear sir that we thought on each other j ust at the sam e moment ; but as usual you was thinking of obliging m e and I of giving you trou ble You h ave fully satisfied m e of th e connexion between the Lan castrian princes an d S t E dmonds bury E dmondson I conclude ; will be able to fin d out the proprieto r of the arms impaling Walrond I am well acquainted with sir A Weldon an d th e A u l i c u s C o q u i n an ae an d will return them with Mr I v e s s tracts which I intend to buy at th e sale of his books Tell m e h ow I m ay conve y th em to you m ost safely Yo u say Ti ll I shew an inch ” nation to borrow m ore of your MS S I hope yo u do not think my appetite for that loan is in the least dim inished I sh ould at all m inutes an d ever be glad to peruse them all — but I was not sure you wishe d to len d them to m e th ough you de ny m e nothing—and my own fear of their coming to any m ischance m ade m e very m odest about asking for th em —but now whenever you can send m e any of them with perfect security I e agerly and i m u d e n tl : you cannot oblige m e ask to see them p y m ore I assure you I am sorry Dr E n i s got into such a dirty scrape There is scarce any decent m ediu m observed Y OU
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H ON H O R .
A C E W ALP O L E
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present between wasting fortunes and fabricating them —an d both by any disr eputabl e m anner : for as to saving m oney by prudent economy th e m e th od i s too slo w i n propo rtion to consumptions even forgery alas ! seem s to b e the counterpart or restorative of the rui n by gaming I h ope at l east that robbery on the highway will go out of fashion as too piddling a profession for gentlem en I enclose a card for your friends b ut m ust a d v e rt i s e them that March is i n every respect a wrong m onth for seeing S trawberry It n ot only wants its leaves and beauty then but m ost of th e small pictures and curiosities which are taken down and pa c ked up i n winter are not re stored to their places till the weather i s fine and I am m ore there U m l ess they are c onfined i n tim e your frien d s had m uch better wait till May—but h owever th ey will b e very wel com e to go wh en they please I am m ore personally intereste d i n h Opi n g to see you th ere this summ er — you m ust visit my n ew to w er Diminutive as it is it adds m uch to the antiqu e air of the whole i n b oth fronts You know I shall sympathize with you r g o u t and you are always m aster of your own hours Yours m ost sincerely at
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A ll ud i ng t o D D od d r.
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To
TH E
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MR
C OL E
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A l i g ton s t re e t M y 2 2 1 7 7 7 I T is not owi ng to forgetfulness negligence or — idleness to n one of which I am subj ect that you have n ot h eard from m e since I saw you dear sir but to my miserable occupation with my poor n e phe w who engrosses my wh ole attention and will I doub t destroy my health if he does n ot re cover his I have got hi m within fourtee n m iles of town with diffi culty H e is rather worse than better m ay recover i n a n i nstant as he did last tim e or rem ain i n his present sullenness I am far from expecting h e should ever be perfectly i n his senses which i n my Opinion h e scarce ever was H i s i nterval s expose h i m to the worst people his re l apses overwhel m m e I have put together som e t ri fl e s I promised you and wi l l beg Mr L ort to be th e bearer when he goes to C ambridge if I kno w of i t A t present I have tim e for n othing I like My age an d ineli n ation call for retirem ent : I envie d your happy h ermitage and leisure to follow your inclination I have al ways li ved pos t an d shal l n o w die be fore I can bait — yet it is n ot my wish to be unemploy e d could I but choose my occupations I wish I could think of the pictures you mention or had time to see Dr Glyn n and the master of E manuel I dote on C ambri d ge and coul d like to be often r
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W AL P OL E
H O N H OR AC E .
75
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there —The beauty of King s C ollege C hapel n o w i t is restored penetrated m e with a visionary long ing to b e a m onk i n it though my l ife has bee n p assed i n turbule nt scenes in pleasures —o r rather p astimes and in m uch fash ionabl e di ssipation still books anti q uity and vz r tzl kept h ol d of a cor n e r of my heart an d since n ecessity has forced m e of late ye ars to be a m an of business my disposition — ten ds to b e a recl use for what remains but it wil l n ot be my lot an d th ough th ere is som e excuse for the young doing what they like I doubt an old m an sh oul d do n othing bu t what h e ou ght and I h op e doing one s duty is th e best preparation for death S itting with one s arm s folded to think about it is a very lazy way of preparing for it If C harles V had resolved to m ake som e amends f or his ab ominabl e ambition by doing good his duty as a k ing there would h ave been infinitely m ore On e may m erit than going to doze i n a convent avoi d active guilt in a sequestered life but th e vi r tue of i t i s m erely n egative though inn ocence is beautiful I approve much of you r corrections on sir J H awkins an d sen d th em to th e magazine I want the e xact blazon of Willia m of H atfield his arm s I m ean the prince buried at York : Mr Mason an d I are going to restore his m onum ent an d I have not time to look for th em : I kno w you will be so good as to assist Yours m ost sincerely ’
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C OR R E S P OND E NC E
76
To
REV
THE
MR
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OF TH E
C OL E
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Ma y 2 8 , 1 7 7 7
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I H AV E but tim e for a word Mr Lo rt has j ust been h ere and does not return to C ambridge this month : he has advised m e to sen d th e box by th e waggon ; an d it goes to m orrow by Burley s from th e Bull It is a large box and yet c ontains very little an d less worth sending you ; b ut th e glass required b ran I found m ost of the pieces w hi ch makes the bulk I bought at M r I v e s s had su ff ered so m u ch by being brought to L ondon an d carried to Twick enham that they were too broken to o ffer you Y ou will fin d indee d but one good piece that in this shape The strange ol d ivory carvi ng was given to m e by the dowager duchess of A i g uil l on There are a few proofs of views of S trawberry ; b ut som e tim e or oth er you shall have a n e w and complete set There is S trawberry s pedigree too ; but I can fin d no pri nt o f G a ng i n e lli I am ash amed so large a b ox sh ould contai n only such rubbish A dieu .
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S t r a w b e rry h ll , -
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I T H A N K you for your noti ces dear sir an d shall remember that o n Prince William I did see the ,
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C O R R E S P ON D E NC E
78
O F TH E
ley shoul d never have been h eard of till the eigh teenth century The youth and industry of the form er are m ira c les too yet still m ore c redible There is not a symptom i n th e poem s but the ol d words that savours of R owley s age—change t h e ol d wor d s for m odern an d the whol e constructio n is of yesterday Th e othe r story you tell m e is very credibl e and erfectly in character p You rs e ver .
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C O NW A Y
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D ON T be alarm ed at this th ousandth letter i n a ‘ week This is m ore to lady H amilton than to you P ray tell her I have seen m on s i e u r la B a la z lle ’ H e brought m e her letter yester d Ag i ncour l day : and I kep t h im to sup s leep in the m odern phrase and breakfast here this m orning ; an d fl a t ter myself h e was and sh e w ill be content wi th th e regard I paid to h er l etter ’
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H O N H O R AC E .
W ALP OL E
79
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The weather i s a th ough t warm er to day and I am as busy as bees are about th ei r hay My ’ Mys s ia n s have cost m e as m uch as if 1 had hired them of the landgrave 4 I am gl ad your invasion is blown over I fear I m ust i nvite those d a t bottom ed vessel s hither a s the S w i ssess N ec ker has directe d the m to the port of Twickenham M adam e de Blot i s too fine an d m onsieur S chomberg one of the m ost dis agreeable cross contemptuous savage s I ever s a w I have often supped with him at th e duchess d e C h oi s e ul s and could not bear him ; an d n o w I m ust be cha rmé an d pen e t r é an d c om blé to s e e h i m : and I shall act it very ill as I always do M adam e N ecker s wh en I don t d o what I like letter i s as affecte d an d p r éczeus e as i f Ma rm on t el had written it for a P eruvian m ilk m aid S h e s ays I am a ph ilosopher and as like madame de S e wh o was as u nlike a ph il os o v i g n éas two peas pher as a gridiron A s I have n one of m adam e de S evign e s natural easy wit I am rej oi c ed that I am n o m ore l ike a philosopher neither, an d still less like a pki los oplze ; which i s a being com ounded o f D U rf e y an d Diogenes a pastoral p coxcomb and a supercilious brute -
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C O R R E S P O ND E NC E
To
TH E
RE V
MR
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O F TH E
C OL E
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S t ra wb e r ry h ll , A ug 3 1 , 1 7 7 7 -
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are very kind dear sir i n giving m e an a c count o f y our health an d occupations an d i n quiring after m ine I am very sorry you are not as free from gout as I have been ever sin c e February ; but I t rust it will only keep you from other complaints an d never prevent your am using yourself which you are one of those few happy beings that can always do ; an d your temper is s o good an d your min d so naturally philosophic composed an d contented that you neith er want th e world care about it n or are a ffected by any thing that occurs i n i t —This is true wisdom but wisdom wh ich n othing can give but constitution Detached amusem ents have al w ays made a great part of my own delight and have sown my life with som e of i ts best m oments My intention was that they sh oul d be th e employments of my l atter years but fate seems to have chalked out a ve ry di fferent scene for m e ! The m isfortun e of my neph ew has i nvol ved m e i n business an d consequently care and opens a scene of disputes with whic h I shall n ot m olest your tranqui llity The dan g erous situation i n which his royal highness th e duke of Gloucester has been and out of which I doubt h e is s c arce yet emerged though better h as added m ore th orns to my ,
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W ALP OL E
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uneasy m ind The d uchess s daughters are at In H ampton court and partly u nder my care one word my whole su m mer has been engrossed b y duties which h ave confined m e at home with out indulging myself i n a s i ng l e pursuit to my taste I n short as I have told you before I ofte n wish myself a m onk at C ambridge Writers on government condemn very properly a recluse life, as contrary to nature s interest wh o loves pro Bu t as n ature seem s not very desirous c reation that we sh ould procreate to threescore years an d t e n I think convents very suitabl e retreats for those who m our A lma M a ter does not e m ph a t i cally call to h er Opus M ag n u m A nd though to be sure grey hairs are fittest to conduct state a ffairs yet as the R ehoboam s of the world (Louis ! V I excepted ) do n ot always trust t h e rudder of government to an cien t hands ; old gentlemen m ethink s are very ill placed !when not at the counci l b oard ] any where but i n a Cloister A s I have n o m ore vocation to th e ministry than to carrying on my family I sigh after a dormitory ; an d as i n si x weeks my clock wil l strike sixty I wish I had nothing m ore to do with th e worl d I a m not tired of living but —but what signifies sketching visions ? O ne m ust take one s lot as i t com es ; b itter and s w eet are poured into every To morrow may b e pl ea santer than to dav cu p O ne must emb race N othing lasts of one colou r G V OL I V ’
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C OR RE S P OND E NC E
8?
OF TH E
the Cloi ster or take the chances o f the worl d a s they present them selves ; and since uninterru pt e d happiness wo ul d but embitter th e certainty that even that m ust end rubs and crosses sh oul d b e softened by th e sam e consideration I am n ot so busied b ut I shall be very gl ad of a sight of your MS and will return it carefully I will thank you too for th e print of Mr J e n yn s which I have n ot nor h ave s e e m —A dieu ! Dear si r Yours m o s t cordi al ly ,
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To
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S t r awb e r ry h ll , S ept 1 6, 1 77 7 -
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I H AVE received your volum e safely dear sir an d h urry to thank you b efore I have read a page that yo u may be in n o pain about its ar rival I will return it with th e greatest care as so on as I h ave finished it ; an d at th e sa me t i me w i ll sen d Mr E sse x the b ills as I b eg you will l et h i m I have n o less reason for writing i mm ed i kno w n fid e n c e you ately to thank you for th e great c O pl ace in me You tal k of n onsens e ; al as ! what a re al l our opinions else ? if we search for truth before w e fix our principles what do we fin d bu t doubt ? An d wh ic h of u s b e gi ns th e ; s earch a ,
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AC E WALP O L E
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Nay,
where can we hunt but i n volumes of error or p urposed del usion H ave not we too a bias i n our own m inds—our passion s ? They will turn the scale i n favour of the doctrines m ost agreeabl e to them Yet let u s be a little vai n : yo u an d I di ffer radically i n our principles and yet i n forty years th ey h ave never cast a gloom over our friendship We could give the world a reason th at it would n ot like We have both been sin cere have both been consistent and neither adopted our principles nor have varied t he m for our interest Your labour as far as I am acquainted with it a stonishes m e ; i t shows what can b e achiev ed b y a m an that does not lose a m om en t ; and whi c h is still b etter how happy the m an ; i s wh o can always I do not believe that th e proud e mploy hi mself prelate who would not make you a little happier i s h alf so m u ch to be envied Thank you for th e print of S oa m e J e n yn s : it i s a proof of sir Joshua s art wh o co ul d give a strong resemblance of so uncouth a countenan ce ; without leaving it di s agr eeab l e The duke of Gloucester is miraculously re F or two whole days I doubted whether v i ve d he was not dead I hope fatalists an d omen m ongers wi l l be confuted ; and thus as his gran d father broke the charm of the second of the n ame being an unfor tu n ate prin ce the duke will baffle G 2 tabul a
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C OR R ES POND ENC E
84
OF T H E
that which h as m ade the title of Glou cester u n pr opitious A dieu Dear sir Yours m ost gratefully ,
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C ON W A Y
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I H AVE got a d elightful playth ing if I had tim e for play It is a n ew sort of cam era obscura f or drawing the portraits of persons or prospects or i nsid es of rooms and does not depend on th e su n or any thing The m isfortune is that there is a vast deal of mach inery and putting together and I am the worst person living for m anaging it You kno w I a m impenetrably dull i n every thing that requires a grain o f comm on sense The l n e on Friday and try if h e v e n t o r is to come to m can m ake m e remember my righ t hand from my le ft I could as soon have invented my m achine as m anage it ; yet it has cost m e ten guineas and may cost m e as m uch m ore as I ple ase for i m proving i t You will concl ude it was t h e dearness tempted m e I believe I must keep an as tro n o ,
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C O R RES P OND EN C E
86
OF THE
Is n ot th e old wardrob e there still ? There was one from the time of C ain but A dam s breeche s and E ve s under petticoat were eaten by a goat i n the ark Good night ’
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S t ra wb e rry h ll , S e t 2 2 , 1 7 7 7 -
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I R E T U R N you your MS dear sir with a thou sand thanks an d shall be impatient to hear th at yo u receive it safe It has am used m e m u ch and I admire M r Baker for h aving bee n able to sh ow so m uch sense on so dry a subj ect I wish as you sa you have materials for it that you would write y his life H e deserved it m uch m ore than m ost of those he h a s recorded H i s book on th e D e fi c i e n c i e s of L earning i s m ost excellent —an d far too little kn own I admire his m oderatio n too which was extraordinary in a m a n who had suf f e re d so m uch for his principles Yet they warped even h im for h e rejects bishop Burnet s character of bishop Gunning i n p 9 00 and yet in th e very n ext page gives the sam e character of him B ar net s words are he had a great confusion of things i n his head but coul d bring nothing into m eth od pray compare this with p 2 0 1 I see nothing i n which they di ffer except that B um e t ,
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H ON H OR .
AC E W ALP O L E
87
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does not talk so m uch of his comeliness as Mr Baker I sh all n o t com men d y ea r m oderation whe n you excuse such a man as bishop Watson N o r o ught you to b e angry with Burnet but with the witnesses on whose eviden ce Wa t son was con vi c t e d To tell you th e truth I am glad wh e n s u ch faults are found with Burnet for i t sh ows his en emies are not angry at h is telling falseh oods but th e truth Must n ot an historian say a bishop w a s convicted of sim ony if h e was ? I will tell you w hat was said of Burnet s H istory by on e whose testim ony you yourself will n ot dispute —a t least you would n ot i n any th i ng else That confessor said Dam n h im h e has tol d a great deal of ” 9 truth b ut where the devil did h e learn it This w as S t A tterbury s testi mony I shal l take th e liberty of reproving you too d ear sir for defending that abom inable m urderess queen C hristina —and how can you doubt her conversation with Burnet ? you must k now there are a thou sand evidences of her la ughing at th e religion sh e embraced If you approve h er I will all o w you to condem n l ord R ussel and Algernon Well as we sh all n ever have the sam e S idney h eroes w e will not dispute about them n or shall I find fault whe n you have given m e so m uch en t e rt a i n m e n t : it woul d b e very ungrateful an d I h ave a th ousand obligations to you and want to have m ore I want to see m ore of your MS S they .
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C OR R ES P O ND E NC E
88
OF T H E
are full of curiosities and I love som e of yo ur heroes too : I h onour bishop Fisher and love M r Bak er I have foun d very f e w errata indeed an d have corr ec ted a few with a pencil ; all are very tri fling In p 2 last li n e b u t one or ig i ni a l is written for or ig i na l and in p 6 line 7 of the copy of verses lg es t for ly es i n p 1 0 line 1 7 a u then tic probably for u n a u the n tz c In p 2 00 yo u are a little m i s t ak e n g The late king of France was not silent from rule ; but shy n ess : h e c o u l d scarce ever be persuaded to speak to entire strangers If I m ight choose I shoul d like to see you r account of the persons edu c ated at King s but as you m ay have obj ections I insist if you have that you m ak e m e no word of answer It is p er haps impertinent to a s k it an d silence will lay neither of us under any di ffi c ul ty I have n o right to make such a request n or do now but o n th e foot of its p roving totally indi ff eren t to you You will m ak e m e blam e m yself i f i t should a m oment distress y ou and I am sure you are too good natured to put m e out of hu mour with my self which your m aking n o answer would u o t do I encl ose my b i ll s for Mr E sse x and wil l trouble you to send th em to hi m I again thank you an d trust you will be as friendly free with m e as I have been with you : you kno w I am a d b rother m onk in every thing but rel igious a n ,
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H ON H OR .
AC E W ALPOL E
89
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political Opinions I only l augh at the thirty nine a rticles : but abh or C alvin as m uch as I do the quee n of S weden for h e was as thorough an as sassin Yours ever -
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A s I have a great m ind and indeed ought ,
when I require it to sh o w m oderation an d whe n I have n ot ough t to confess it which I do for I o wn I am n ot m oder ate on certain points ; if o u y are busy yourself an d will send m e the mat erial s I will draw up the life of Mr Baker ; or i f you are not content with it you shal l b urn it i n ,
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I n good truth I revere conscientious martyrs of all sects comm unions an d parties I heartily pity them if they are weak m en When they are as sensible as Mr Baker I doubt my own under stan ding m ore than his I know I h ave not his virtues but sh oul d deligh t i n doing j ustice to the m ; an d perh aps from a m an of a di ff erent party th e testi mony would b e m ore to his honour I do n ot call myself of di fferent principles ; b e cau se a m an that thinks him self boun d by his oath can be a m an of n o p rinciple if h e vi o lates it I do n ot m ean to deny but many m en migh t think king James s breach of his oath a dispensa tion from theirs ; but i f t h e y did n o t th ink so or did n ot thin k the i r duty to t h e i r c o u nt ry obliged ,
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C OR R E S P OND E NC E
90
O F TH E
them to renounce their king I should n eve r defen d those who took the new oaths from i n terc et ,
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To
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MR
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C OLE
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S t ra w b erry h l l , Oc t 2 , 1 7 7 7 -
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a litt l e u neasy dea r sir at n ot h ea ri n g t h a t I sent o u h ave receive d your precious volum e y it as you ordered t o th e Quee n s H ead in Gra y s i n n lane yesterday w as sevennigh t an d my o wn servant carried it an d th ey assured him you woul d receive it the n ex t day With i t I trouble d you with a little parcel for Mr E ssex A s h e prom ised m e to c o me hither the beginning of this m onth I a m i n hopes h e i s com ing and will bring m e word of your having received your book I sho ul d b e out of my wits if you had n ot Yours e ver I
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Oc t ob e r 5 , 1 7 7 7
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are exceedingly goo d and I shall assuredly accept your proposal i n the fullest sense and to beg I m ay expect you o n e nsur e M rs Damer ,
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AC E W ALPOL E
S aturdaynext
91
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th e 1 1 t h If lord and lady Willia m C ampbell will do m e th e h onour of accompanying you I shall be m ost happy to see them an d ‘ Let me know about them e xpect m iss C aroline th at the state bedchamber m ay be aired My d ifli c ul t i e s about rem oving from hom e a ri se from the consciousness of my own weakness I m ake it a rule as m uch as I can to c onform wh erever I go Th ough I am thre esco re to d ay I sh oul d n o t think that an age fo r givi ng every t hing up ; but it is for whatever one has n ot You th ough not a vast de al s trength to pe rform younger are as healthy and strong thank God as ever you was : and you cannot have i deas of th e m o rt ific a t i o n of being sta re d at by stran g ers an d servants when one h obbles or cannot do as others do I delight in being with you and th e R ich monds an d those I love and know ; but the crowds of young peopl e and C hich e ster folks and o fficers an d strange servants m ake m e afrai d of Goodwood I own My spiri ts are never l o w bu t th ey will seldom last out the whole day ; an d thoug h I dare to say I appear to many capricious and di fferent from th e rest of the world there i s m ore reason i n my beh aviour than there seems You know in London I seldom stir out in a m orn .
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C O R R E S P O ND E NC E
92
O F TH E
ing an d al ways late ; an d it is because I want a great deal of rest E xercise never did agree with m e ‘and i t is hard i f I do not know myself by this tim e ; and what has don e so well with m e wi ll probably suit m e best for th e rest of my life It would be ridiculous to talk so mu c h of myself an d to enter into such trifli n g details b ut y ou are t h e person i n th e worl d that I wish to convince that I do not act m erely from hum our or ill humour ; though I confess at th e sam e tim e that I want yo ur bonlz ommze and h ave a disposition n ot to c are at a ll for peopl e that I do not ab sol utely like I coul d say a great deal m ore on this head but it is n ot proper ; th ough wh en one h as pretty mu c h done with th e world I think with lady Blandford that one may indulge one s self i n one s own whim s an d partialities i n one s own h ouse I do n ot m ean stil l less to profess retirem ent because i t i s l ess ridiculou s to go on with th e worl d to th e last than to return to it : but i n a quiet way it has long bee n my p urpose to dr op a great deal of it O f all things I am farth est from not intending to com e often to P ark place when ever you have little co m pany 3 and I had rather b e with you i n N ovember than in July because I am so totally unabl e to wal k farther than a snail I will never say any more o n these subj ects because there m ay be as much aff ectation i n being over old as folly My idea of age is that one i n being over young has noth ing really to do b ut what one ought and ,
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C O R R ES POND E NC E
94
OF TH E
of l ove aff ection frie n dship taste liking I sh oul d draw them rose colour carmine blue gr een yel l o w for my c ontempo raries : for n ew comers the first would be of no col ou r ; th e others purple brown crimson and Changeable R emember one te ll s one s creed only to one s c onfessor that i s sub s ig z ll o I write to you as I think ; t o othe r s a s I m us t A dieu ! ,
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C OL E
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S t ra wb erry h ll , Oc t 1 9 , 1 77 7 -
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I T H A N K you m u ch dear sir for the sight of t h e book whi ch I return by Mr E ssex I t is not new t o m e t hat B u m e t paid his court on the other side i n th e form er part of h is life : n or wil l I insist that h e changed on convicti on which m igh t be said an d ge n erally i s for al l converts even th ose who shift their principles th e m ost glaringly from interest D uke L a u de rdale indee d was such a dog that th e h onestest m an m us t have been driven to detes t him howev e r con nected with hi m I doubt B u r n e t c o uld no t be blin d to h i s character when h e wro te th e dedi cation In truth I have given up m a ny of my saints but not on the accusati on s of such wretch es as Dalrymple and Macph erson : nor can men so m uch th eir opposites shake my faith i n lord R ussel a nd Al g er non S i dn ey I do not re ,
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H ON H OR .
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linqui s h those that sealed their integrity w it h thei r blood but such as hav e take n th ir ty p ie ces of sil ,
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I was sorry you said we had any varian ce We h ave di ffered in sentim ents b ut n ot in frie n ds hip Two m en however unl ik e i n principles may b e p erfect friends whe n b oth are sincere i n th eir Opi Much l ess sha ll we quarrel about ni ons as we are those of our sepa rate parties si nce very f e w on c i t he r side have been so invari ably con si stent a s yo u a nd I h ave b een ; an d th erefore we are m ore sure of each other s integrity t h a n that of m en wh om we know less an d who did vary from them se lves A s you and I are only specul ativ e persons an d n o actors i t w oul d b e very idle to s quabble abo ut t h ose th at do not exist In sh ort we ar e I trust i n as perfect good hum our with each oth er a s we h ave b ee n these forty years P ray do not hurry yourself about the an e cd ote s of Mr Ba k er nor n eglect other oc cupati on s o n tha t account I shall certainly not ha v e tim e to do any thing thi s ye ar I e xpe c t the duk e a nd duchess of Gloucester i n a very few day s m us t go to town as soo n as th ey arrive and sh all pro bably h ave n ot m uch i d le l e i sur e b ef or e n ext s um mer I t is n ot very discreet to look even so far f or w ar d n or am I apt an y l onger t o l ay di stant plans A li ttl e se dentary l iterary am us em e n t i s i nd e e d n o .
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C OR R E S P OND ENC E
96
O F TH E
very lofty castle i n the air if I do lay th e found er; tion in idea seven or eigh t m onths beforehand Whatever M S S you len d me I shall be very grateful for They entertain m e exceedingly an d I promise you we will not have the shado w of an argument about them I do n ot love disputatio n even with those m ost indi fferent to m e Y our pardon I m ost sincerely beg for having contested a single point with you I am sure it was not with a grain of ill hum ou r toward s you : o n th e contrary it was from wishing at that m om ent that you did not approve though I disliked —but even that I give up as u nreason able You are in th e right dear sir not to apply to Masters for any papers h e may have relating t o M r Baker It is a tru mpery fellow from whom one wo uld rather receive a refusal than an obliga tion I am sorry to hear M r L ort has the gout an d still m Ore concerned that you still su ff er from it S uch patience an d temper as yours a re t h e only palliatives A s th e b ootikins have so m uch abridged an d softened my fits I do n ot expect their retur n with the alar m an d h orror I u sed to do and that is bei ng cured of one half the complai nts I had scarce any pain last time and di d not keep my be d a day an d had no gout at all in either foot M a y not I ask you if this is not som e m erit in th e b ootikins ? To have cure d m e of my appre h e n ,
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C ORRE S P OND E NC E
9B
OF TH E
instituted and i nducted by a presbyterian In truth I who have not the sam e zeal aga inst dis senters do n ot at all desire to peruse the H istory of their A postles which are generally very unin .
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You must excuse the sh ortness of this i n which too I have been interrupte d : my neph ew i s as suddenly recovered as he did last time ; a n d though I am far from thi nking him perfectly in his senses a great deal of his disorder i s removed which though it will save m e a great deal of troubl e hurries m e at present and forces m e to conclude Yours m ost sincerely ,
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C OL E
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A p il 2 3 1 7 7 8 I T H A NK you dear sir for the notice of Will iam L e Wo rc e s tre s appearance and will send for my book as soon as I go to town which will not b e ti l l next week I have been here since Friday as much a hermit as yourself I wante d air an d quiet havin g been m uch fatigued on my nephew s amendment trying to dissuade him from making th e campaign with hi s militi a ; but i n vai n ! I n ow dread hearing of s ome eccentric freak I am s orry Mr Ty so n S t ra wb e rry h ill ,
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ha s
AC E W ALP OL E
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quite dropped m e th ough he som etim es comes t o town I a m still m ore concerned at your f re que nt disorders —I hope their c hief seat i s un wi l l i n g n e s s to m ove Yo ur B a ke ri a n a w ill be very welcome about June : I shall n ot be completely resident h ere till then ; at leas t not have l eisure as May is th e m onth I have m ost visits fro m town A s fe w spare h ours as I have I have contrived to go through Mr P ennant s Welsh Tour an d Mr Warton s second volu m e both wh ich come wi t hi n the circl e of your p u rsuits I have far advance d too in lord H ardwick s first vol ume of S tate Pa pers I have yet found nothing that appears a new scene or sets t h e ol d i n a new light ; yet they are rather amusing though not in proportio n to th e bu l k o f the vol umes O n e likes to hear actors — speak for them selves but on the other hand they use a gr eat many m ore words than are meces sary : and when one knows the even ts from his tory it is a little tiresome to go back to the details an d th e delays I sh oul d be glad to employ M r E ssex on my o ffi ces b ut th e impending war with Fran ce deters m e It is not a season for e xpen ce ! I co uld l ike to l eave my littl e castle complete ; but though I am only a spectator I cannot b e indiff ere n t to th e m elanch oly aspe ct of the times as th e country gentleman was who was going out wit h h is hounds as th e two armies at E dge hill were going to e n ,
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gage ! I wish for pe ace and tranquillity and shoul d be glad to pass my remaining h ours i n the i dl e an d retired amusements I love and without any solici tude for my country A dieu ! Yours m ost sincerely ,
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To
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REV
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MR
C OL E
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A l i ngt o s t e e t May 2 1 1 77 8 I W I LL not flatter you : I was not i n the least a mused with eith er S imon S im eon or William of Wyrc e s tre If there was any thing tolerabl e i n either it was the part omitted or the part I did which was the Journey to Jerusal em n ot read about whi ch I have not the smallest curiosity I thank you fo r m entioning the Gen tleman s M aga zine which I sent for Mr E ss e x h a s called upon m e and le ft m e th e drawing of a bridge with which I am perfectly pleased —but I was unluckily out of town ; h e le f t n o directio n and I know not where to seek h i m in this ove rgrown b ottle of hay I still hope h e will call again before his return M ay not I shoul d not I W ish you j oy on the restoration of popery I expect soon to see cap u chins tramping about and Jesuits i n hig h pla ces We are relapsing fast to our pristine state and h ave nothing but our i sland and our old religion Mr N as mi th s publication directed m e to n
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which happened two years after our correspond ence an d after h e had exhausted both h i s re sources and his constitution have m ade it m ore easy to prove that I never saw him knew nothing of his ever being i n L ondon an d was the first p er son instead of th e last on whom he had practised his impositions an d founde d hi s chim eri c h op es of prom otion My very first or at least secon d lett e r ; undeceive d hi m i n th ose Views an d our correspondenc e Wa s brok en off be f ore he quitt ed hi s m aster s business an d Bristol so th at his dis appointm ent with m e was but his first ill success ; and h e resente d my in credulity so m uch that h e n ever condescen de d to l et m e see him I ndeed w hat I have sai d n o w to you and whi ch cann ot b e controverted by a shadow of a doubt would be I coul d only add to th e S u fficient vindication proofs a vain regret of never having known h is distresses which his amazing geni us wo uld h ave tempted m e to relieve th ough I fear he h a d n o oth er claim to comp assion M r Warton has said enough to open th e eyes of every one who is h ot greatly prej udiced to his forgeries Dr Milles i s one wh o will not mak e a b o w to D r P ercy for but wh e n n ot being as wilfully blin d as him self h e gets a bea m i n his eye that h e takes for an a n tique truth there is no persu ading hi m to sub mit to be couched A dieu dear sir Yours m ost sincerel y ,
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To
TH E
ACE
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W ALP O L E
Mn
C OL E
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i J
S tr a w b e rry h ll , -
1 03
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un e
3, 1 77 8
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I W I L L n ot dispute with you dear sir on patriots and p olitics O n e p oi nt i s past controversy that the ministers have ruined this country ; and i f th e ch urch of E nglan d s satisfied with being reconcile d to the ch urch of R om e and thinks it a compen sa tio n for th e loss of A m eri ca and a ll cre dit i n E u r ope sh e is as silly a n ol d wom an as any granny i n an alms house France i s very glad we are g rown such fools an d soon saw that the presbyte rian Dr Frankli n had m ore sense than ou r m inis ters together S h e has got over all her prej udices has expelle d th e Jesuits an d m ade the protesta nt It i s a S wi s s N ecker h er comptroller general l ittl e woeful that we are relapsing i nto the n on sense th e rest of E urop e i s shaking off ! an d it is th e m ore deplorable as we know by repeated e x h e ri e n c e t at this country has always been dis p graced by Tory administrations Th e rubri c i s the only gai ner by th em i n a few m artyrs I do not know yet what i s settled about the spot of lord C hatham s interm ent I am no m ore an enth usiast to his m em o ry than you I kne w h is faults and his defects — yet on e fact cannot only not be controverted but I doubt m ore rem ar kabl e ev ery day I m ean th at under him we attained n o t o n ly o ur highest elevation but the m ost solid ,
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C OR R E S POND E N C E
1 04
OF TH E
authority in E urope When th e names of Marl boro ugh and Chatham are still pronounced with awe i n Fran ce our little cavi ls make a puny sound N ations that are beaten cannot be mistaken I have been looking o u t for your friend a set of my h eads of pai nters and find I want six or seven I t hink I have some odd ones in town if I h av e not I will have deficie n cies supplied from th e pl ates thoug h I fear they will not be good as so m any have been taken o ff I shoul d be very u ngrateful for all your kindnesses if I negl ected any oppor t u n i ty of ob l iging you dear sir Indeed our ol d and unal terable friendship i s credita bl e to u s both an d very u n com m on between two persons wh o di ffer so m u c h in th eir opinions relative to c hurch and state — I believe the reason is that we are both sincere an d n ever m eant to take advantage of our principles whi ch I allow is too com m on on both sides and I own too fairly m ore com m on on m y side of th e question than on yours There is a reason too for tha t : th e h onours an d em ol uments are in the gift of th e crown : th e nation has no separate treasury to reward its friends If Mr Tyrr wh i t has opened h is eye s to C hatter ton s forgeries there is an instance of conviction against strong prej udice ! I have dra wn up an account of my transaction with that marvellous young m an you shall see it one day or other but I do not intend to print it I have taken a tho rough d islike to b eing an author ; and if it wo uld .
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m an and still less an old an d unalterable fr iend as I have ever found you The destruction that Vi o lent arbitrary principles have d rawn on this blinded country has m oved my indignati on We n ever were a great an d happy country til l the R e vol u tion The system of these days tended to overturn an d h as overturned that establishm ent and brought o n th e disgraces that ever attended the foolish an d wi c ked councils of th e house of S tuart If m an is a rational being h e has a right to m ake use of his We we al on e r eason an d to enj oy his liberty alm ost h ad a constitution that every other nation This 1 s all U pon earth envie d or ought to envy I conten d for I will give you up whatever de s c ri pt i o n s of m e n you please ; that is the leaders of parties not the principles These cannot Ch ange th ose generally do when power fall s i nto th e hands of them or th eir party because m en are corruptible which truth is n ot But the m ore the leaders of a party dedicate d to liberty are ap t to change the m ore I adore th e principl e because it shews that exten t of p ower is not to b e truste d e ve n wi th th ose that are th e m ost sensible of th e Value of liberty M a n i s a domineering an imal ; but my a n d i t has n ot only b een my principle practice too to q uit every body at the gate of th e palace I trust we shall not m uch di ffer on these outlines b ut we will bid a d i e u t o th e subj ect : it is n ever an agreeabl e one to those who do not m ean to make a trade of it ,
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AC E
W ALP OL E
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I heartily wish you m ay not find the p onti ff what I think th e order and what I know him if you m ean th e high priest of Ely H e is all I have bee n describing an d worse : an d I h ave too good a n Opinion of you to believe that he will eve r serve you Wh at I s ai d of d i s cl ai m i n g auth orship by n o m eans alluded to Mr B aker s lif e It would be en ough that you desire it for m e to u ndertake it Indeed I am inclined to it because he was what you an d I are a party man from pri nciple n ot from inter est : and h e wh o was so can did surely i s entitled to the strictest candour You shall sen d m e your papers whenever you please If I can succee d to your sati sfaction I sh all be content ; though I assure yo u there was n o aff ectation i n m y saying th at I fin d my sm all talen t decl ine I sh all write th e life to oblige you with out any th oughts of p ublicati on u nl ess I am better pleased than I ex peet to be an d even the n n ot i n my own life I h a d rather shew that I am sensible of my own de feets an d th at I have j udgment enough n ot to h ope praise for my writings ; for surely when they ar e not obnoxious an d one only leaves them b e h ind one i t is a mark that one is not very vai n of th em I have found the whole set of my Painters an d and I wil l se nd them the first time I go to town will have my papers on C hatterton transcribed for ,
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C O R RE S PO N D E N C E
1 08
OF TH E
you though I am m u ch chagrined at you r giving m e no h ope of seeing you again here I will not say m ore of it ; for whil e it i s i n my power I wil l certainly m ak e you a Visit now an d th en if there is no other way of our m ee ting Mr Tyrrw h it I hear h as actually published an Appendix in whic h h e gives up R owley I have not seen it but will S hall I beg you to transcribe the passage i n which Dr K ippi s abuses my father and m e for I shal l not b uy th e new edition only to purchase abuse o n m e and mine : I m ay be angry with liberties h e takes with sir R obert but not with myself ; I sh all rather take it as a flattery to be ranked with him ; th oug h there c an be no thing worse said of my fat h er than to place u s togeth er Oh ! that great that goo d ma n ! Dr K ippi s m ay as well throw a stone at the sun I am sorry you have lost poor Mr Bentham Will you say a civil thing for m e to his widow if she is living an d you think it n ot improper ? I have not forgotten their great kindness to m e Pray send m e your papers o n Mr Prior s genero r to M Baker I am sorry it was not so s it y Prior is m uch a favourite with m e t h oug h a Tory nor did I ever hear any thing ill of him H e left his party but n ot his friends and s eem s to m e t o h ave been very amiable Do you k no w I preten d to be V ery impartial sometimes Mr H ol lis wrote against m e for not being Whig enough I am of ‘
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C ORR E S P OND E NC E
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which i s the hosts of cuckoos : one woul d not think one was in Doctors C ommons It i s very disagreeable that the nightingales shoul d sing but half a dozen songs and the other beasts squall for two m onth s together Poor M rs C live has been robbe d again i n her own lane as she was last year an d has got th e j aundice she thinks with the fright I don t m ake a visit without a bl underbuss ; so one m ight as well be i nvade d by th e French Though I live i n the centre of m inisters I do not know a sylla ble of politi cs ; an d though within hearing of lady wh o i s but two m iles off I have not a word of news to sen d your ladyship I live like B e r e cyn t h i a surrounded by nephews an d nie ces big and little I have fifteen near m e : yet P ark place is ful l as m uch i n my m 1 u d and I beg for its history Your m ost faithful n ience,
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H ON H S .
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C ON W A Y
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8 , 1 77 8
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I H AVE had som e conversation with a m inisterial person on the subj ect of pa c i fic at i on with France ; an d he dropped a hint that as we shoul d not have m uch chance of a good p eace , th e opposition woul d make g reat clam our on it I said a fe w ,
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W ALP OL E
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words on the duty of ministers to do wha t they thought right be the c onsequence what it woul d But as honest m en do not want such lectures an d dishonest wil l not let th e m weigh I waved that theme to dwell o n what i s more likely to be per suasive and wh ich I am firmly persuaded is n o le ss true than th e former m axi m ; an d that w as th at the m inisters are s till so strong that if th e y coul d get a peace that woul d save the nation though not a b rilliant or gl orious on e th e natio n i n gener al would be please d wit h it and th e clam ours of the opposition b e insignificant I added what I think true too that no time i s to be lost in treating ; n ot only for preventing a blow b ut from the c o nsequen ces the first m i s fo r tune would have The nation is n ot yet alienate d from the court b ut it is growing so is grown so e nough for any cala mity to have violent e ffects A ny internal disturbance woul d advanc e th e hostile designs of France A n insurrection fro m di stress would b e a double invitation to invasion and I am sure m uch m ore to b e dreaded eve n per s o n a lly b y the ministers than the ill humour s of O p position for even an inglorious peace T o do the op p osition j ustice i t is n ot com pose d of i n c e n di ari e s P arliamentary speeches raise n o tumul ts ; but tumults woul d be a dr eadful th orough bass to speech es The ministers do n ot know the strengt h t h ey have le ft (supposing they apply it i n ti m e ) if they are afraid of m ak ing any peace Th ey were ,
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too s anguine in making war ; I hope they will not be too timid of m aking peace What do you think of an idea of mine of offer i n g France a neutrality ? that is to allow her t o as sist both u s and the A mericans I know she would assist only them but were it not better t o connive at her assisting them without attacking us than her doing both ? A treaty with her woul d perhaps be followed by one with A m erica We are sacrificing all the essentials we c a n re cover for a few words and risking the i n d epe n J d ence of this country for th e n ominal suprem acy Fran ce seem s to le ave u s tim e for o ver A m erica treating S h e m ade no scrupl e of begging peace of us i n 6 3 that sh e m igh t lie by an d recover h er V advantages I as n ot that a wise precedent Does not she now sho w that i t was ? Is not p olicy the hon our of n ation s I m ean not m o rally but has E urop e left itsel f any other h onour A n d since it has really left itself n o honour a n d as littl e m orality does not th e m orality of a na tion consist i n its preserving itself i n as much happiness as i t can ? Th e invasion of P ortugal by S pain i n th e l ast war th e partition of Poland h ave abrogated the law of nations Kings have left no ties between one another Th eir duty to their people is s t ill allowed H e i s a good king that preserves his people ; an d if tempori sing ? answers th at end i s it not j ustifiable You w h o are as m oral as wise answer m y questions G ro .
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was neither supported by Mr Prior nor bishop B ur net ; but t h e s e a re m ere negatives SO is t h e question whether he i ntende d to compile an A thenaz Ca n ta br ig i ens is or not ; an d on that you say but little as you h ave not seen h is papers i n f th e M useum I wil l examine t h e printed c ata logue and try if I can discover th e truth thence when I go to town I will also borrow th e new B i og raph i a as I wish to kn ow m ore of th e e xpul sion A s i t i s our only fa c t one woul d not be too dry on it Upon th e w h ole I think that it woul d be preferabl e to draw u p an ample character of Mr B aker rather than a life The o n e was m ost beautiful amiable conscientious ; th e o th e r totally barren of m ore than one event : and though you have taken excellent pains to disco V e r all that was possibl e yet there is a n obscurity h angs over the circumstan ces than even did a t ten d h i m ; as his connection with bishop C rewe an d his living H i s own m odesty comes out th e b righter but then it composes a character not a .
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an d his censures I am per H e betrays a pert f e c tl y ind ifferent to them m alignity in hinting an intention of being severe on my father for the pleas ure of exerting a right I allowed and do all o w to b e a j ust one though it is n ot j ust to do i t f or that reason ; however let The truth will n ot h urt h i m say his pleasure my f ather ; falsehood wi l l recoil on the a uthor .
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WAL POL E
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a sserting that my censure of Mr A ddison s ch a racter of lord S omers is not to be j ustified i s as h e does not i n truth cannot a silly ips e d i s i l show why it is n ot to be j ustified Th e pas sag e I allud e d to is the argum ent of an old woman and Mr A ddison s being a w riter of true h u m our i s not a j ustification of his reasoning like a supe r In the oth er passage you have s t i t i o us gossip sent m e Mr K i ppi s i s perfectly in th e right an d corre cts m e very j ustly H a d I even seen arch bishop A bbot s P reface wi th th e outrageous flattery on and lies of James I I shoul d cer t a i n l y never h ave said H ones t A bbot coul d n ot I shoul d have said an d do say I never er l tt a f saw grosser perversion of truth On e c a n almost excuse th e fault s of Jam e s when his bishops were such base sycophants What can a king think of human nature when i t produces such wretches ? I am too impartial to prefer puritans to clergy m en or vi ce ver sa when W h itgi ft an d A bbot only ran a ra c e of servility an d adulation : th e result is that priests of all re ligions are the same James and h is Levites were worthy of each other ; the golden calf and the idolaters were well cou pled and it is pity t hey ever c ame out of th e wilderness I am very glad Mr Tyson has e s caped death and disappointment pray wi sh him j oy of both from m e H a s n ot th i s Indian summer dispersed your complaints ? We are tol d we are to be invaded O ur A bbots an d Wh i tg ifts n ow s ee H is
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C ORR E S P OND E NC E
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wi th what successes and consequences their preach i ng u p a crusade against A m erica has bee n crowned ! A rchbishop Markham m ay have an Opportunity of exercising his m artial prowess I doubt h e would resemble bishop C rewe more than good Mr Baker Let u s respect those only wh o are Israelites indeed I surrender Dr Abbot to you C hurch and presbytery are hum an nonsense i nvented by knaves to govern fools C hurch an d king are term s for m onopolies E xa l ted n oti on s h u r h are contradiction s i n term s to c c a m t r s t e o f the lowliness an d humility of th e gospel There i s nothing sublime but the divinity N othing i s sacred but as his work A tree or a brute stone i s m ore respectable as such than a m ortal calle d an archbishop or an edifice called a church which are the puny and perishabl e productions of men C alvin and Wesley had j ust the sam e Views as the P ope ; power an d wealth their o h r Baker M I abhor both and admire c e t s j
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I like P opery as wel l as you and have shown I do I like it as I like chival ry an d They all furnish one with i deas an d r omance Visions which presbyterianis m does not A G o thie church or a convent fill one with romantic dreams —b ut for the mysterious the ch urch i n the abstract it is a j argon that m eans nothing or and I rej ect it and its a great de al too m uch apo s tles from A thanasius to bishop Keene .
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C O RR E S P OND ENC E
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The French fleet sailed on the 7 th consisting of 3 1 ships of the line 2 fifty gun ships and 8 frigates This state i s probably m ore authentic than those at Lloyd s Thus you see h o w big the m oment is ! and unl ess far more favourable to us in its burst t ha n good sense allows one to promise it m ust lea ve Ca n we expect to beat with u s greatly exposed — ? consid ra le loss and then where h ave b o ut e we another fleet ? I need not state th e da nger from a reverse The S panish a mbassador certainly arrived on Monday I sh all go to town on Monday for a day or two ; therefore i f you write to m orrow direct to A r lingtou street I a d d no m ore : for words are unworthy of the si t uation ; and to blame n ow woul d be c hildish It is h ard to be g amed for against one s c on sent ; b ut wh en one s country i s at stake one m ust throw o ne s self out of the questi on Whe n one is o l d and nob ody one must be whirle d with th e curre nt an d shak e one s wings like a fly if one ligh ts on a pe bble The prospect is so dark that on e sh all rej oice at whateve r does not h ap pen that may Thus I have composed a sort of ph i losophy for myself that reserves every p ossible chan c e You want none of these artificial aids to your resolution Invincible courage and imm a ,
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AC E WALPO L E
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culate integrity are not dependent on the folly of mi nisters or o n th e events of war A dieu .
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To
RE V
T HE
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MR
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C OL E
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S tr awb e rry h ll , -
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UP ON reviewing your papers dear sir I think I c a n m ake m ore of them than I at first conceived I have even com menced the life an d do not dis like my ideas for it if the execution does bu t answer A t present I am interrupted by ano ther task which you too have wished m e to undertake In a word somebody has published C hatterton s works an d c harged m e heavily for having dis countenanced h im H e even calls for th e i n d i g nation of the public against m e It is som ewhat singular that I am to be offered up as a victim at th e altar of a notorious impostor but as m any sai nts have been i mpostors so m any innocent persons have been sacrificed to them H owever I sh al l n ot be patient un der this attack but shal l publi sh — the n arrative I m entioned to you : a n answer I wo uld as you know have avoided e ntering i nto this aff air if I could ; b ut as I do not despise public esteem it i s necessa ry to sh ow how ground less t h e accusation is Do not speak of my i n tention as perhaps I sh all not execute it imme ,
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I am not in the least ac q uainted with the Mr B ridges you m ention nor kno w that I ever saw him The tomb for Mr Gray i s actually erected and at th e generous expense of M r Mason an d w ith an epitaph of four l ine s as you heard an d written by h im —b ut th e scaffol ds are not yet removed I was i n town yesterday an d inten ded to vi sit it but there i s digging a vaul t for the family of N o rth umberland which ob structs th e removal of th e boards I rej oice i n your amendment an d reckon it among my obligations to th e fine weather an d h Ope it will be th e m ost lasting of them Yours ever .
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YOU R Observatio n of R owley not bei ng m entioned by William of Wyrc e s t re i s very strong indeed dear sir a n d I sh all certainly take noti ce of it I t has suggested to m e that he is not named by Bal e or P itts — i s he ? Wil l you trouble yourself to l ook ? I conclude h e i s not or we shoul d have R owley i s the reverse of king h eard of it A rthur and all th o se heroes that have been ex ,
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com es to want provo c atives th e produce wi l l soon be feeble Ad ieu Yours m ost sincer ely
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I T H I N K it so very uncertai n wh eth er this lett er wi ll find you that I write it m erely to tell yo u I received yours to day I recollect n othing partic ul arly worth s e eing i n S ussex that you h ave not see n (for I think you h a Ve seen C oudray and S t a n sted an d I know you have P etworth ) but H urst Monceaux near Battle ; an d I don t kn ow whether it is not p ulled do w n T h e site of A rundel castle is fine and there are some good tombs of th e Fi t z al a n s at t h e church but l ittle remains of th e castle ; in the room of which is a m odern brick house ; an d i n the late duke s time the ghost of a giant walked there his grace said b ut I suppo s e the present duke has laid it i n the R e d S e a of claret Beside Knowle and P enshurst I shoul d think there were several seats of old families in Kent worth seeing ; but I do n o t know them I p oked out S ummer hill for th e sake of the B a by lonienne in Grammont ; but it is now a m ere farm house ,
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WALP OL E
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Don t let them persuade you to visit L eeds castle which i s not worth seeing You have been n ear losing m e and half a doze n fair cousins to day The Goldsmiths company dined i n Mr S hirley s field next to P ope s I went to H am with my three Wal d e g rave nieces and miss Keppel an d saw th em land an d dine i n tents erected for the m from th e opposite shore You may i magine how beautiful the sigh t was i n s uch a spot and in such a day ! I stayed an d d ine d at H a m and a fter dinner lady Dysart with lady B ri dget Tol l e m a c h e took our four nieces on th e water to see the return of th e barges but were to se t m e down at lady Browne s We were with a footman and th e two watermen t e n i n a littl e boat A s we were i n the m iddle of the river a large r boat full of people drove directly upon u s o n purpos e I bel ieve they were drunk We call e d to them to no purpose ; they beat directly against the middle of our l ittle ski ff b ut thank you did n ot do u s th e least harm n o thank s to them Lady Malpas was in lord S tratford s garde n and gave u s for gone In short N eptune never woul d have had so beautiful a pri z e as the four girls I hear an express has been sent to to o ff er him t h e m as te rsh ip of the horse I had a m ind to make you guess but you never ca n to lord E xeter ’
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me kno w the m oment you return to
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S t ra w b e rry h ill , A u g 22 , 1 7 7 8 -
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I B E G you will feel no uneasiness dear sir at h aving sh own my name to Dr Glyn I can never suspect you who are giving m e fresh proofs of your frien dship an d solicited for my reputation of doing any thing unkind I t is true I d o n ot think I shal l publish any thing ab out C hatterton Is not it an affront to Innocence not to be per f e c t ly sa t isfied in her ? My pamphlet for such it would b e is four times as large as th e narrative i n your h ands an d I think woul d not discredit me but in truth I am grown much fonder of truth than fam e ; an d scribblers or their patrons shal l not provoke m e to sacrifice the one to th e other L ord H ardwicke I kno w has long been my enemy latterly to get a sight of the C onway papers he has paid great court to m e which to show h o w little I regarded his enm ity I let h i m see at least the m ost curious But as I set as littl e valu e on his friendship I did not grant a n other o f his requests Indeed I have made more than one foe by not indulging th e variety of those '
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C ORR E S P OND E NC E
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til l one i s remembered and remembered by wh om ? The scavengers of li terature ! R evie w ers are like sextons who i n a charnel house c a n tell you to what Joh n Thompson or to what Tom Matth ews such a scull or su ch belonged — but who wishes to know The fam e that is only to b e fo un d i n such vaults i s like the fire s that burn u n known i h tombs and go out as fast as th ey are discovered L ord H ardwicke is welcome to live am ong th e dead if he likes it and can contrive to live n o where else C hatterton did abuse m e under th e ti tle of Baron of O tranto but unluckily th e pictur e i s m ore l ike Dr Milles and C h atterton s own devo tees than to m e who am but a recreant anti an d as th e poor lad found by experien ce u ar y q did not swallow every fragment that was o ff ered to m e as a n t iqu e ; though that i s a fea t ure h e h as bestowed up o n m e I have seen too the criticism you menti o n on the C astle of O tranto in the preface to t h e Old E nglish Baron It is not at a ll oblique but though mixed with high compliments directly attacks the visionary part which says th e author or authoress m akes one laugh I do assure you I have not had th e smallest i nclination to return that attack It woul d even be ungrateful for th e work is a professed imitation of mine only stri p ped of the marvellous —and so entirely stripped except in one awkward attempt at a ghost or t w o ,
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H O N H OR .
ACE WALPO L E
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it is th e m ost insipid dull nothing you ever It c e rt ai n l v does not m ake one laugh ; fo r sa w what m ak es one doze seldom makes one merry I am very sorry to h ave talked for near three pages on what relates to myself who should be of n o consequence if people did not mak e m e so wh ether I will or n ot My not replying to them I hope is a proof I do not seek to m ake m yself th e topic of conversation — H o w very foolish are th e squabbles of authors ! They b uzz and are trouble som e to day an d th en repose for ever on som e shelf in a college library close by their an t ag o n i s t s like H enry VI an d E dward IV at Windsor I sha l l be in town i n a few days an d will send you the h eads of painters which I l e ft t h e r e ; a n d along with th e m for yoursel f a translation of a French play that I have j ust printed there It is not for your reading but as one of the S trawberry editions an d one of the rar est for I have printed but seventy fiv e copies It was to oblige lady C raven the translatress ; an d wil l be an aggravation of my offen c e to Si r Dudley s S tate Papers I h op e this Elysian sum mer for it ha s b e e n ab ov e Indian has dispersed all your c o mplhi n t sl Yet it does not agree with fruit ; the p e a ches a n d n ectarines are shrivelled to the si ze of d a m s i n s , and h alf of th em drop Yet you remember what p ort ly bellies the peaches had at Paris where it is generally as hot I suppose our fruit trees are so t hat
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1 28
OF TH E
accustomed to rain that they don t kno w how behave without it A dieu Yours ever ~
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I can divert you with a new adventure that has happened to m e i n th e literary way About a m onth ago I received a letter from a Mr Jonathan S cott at S hrewsbury to tell m e h e was possessed of a M S of lord H erbert s A ccount of the C ourt of France which h e designe d t o publish by subscription an d which h e desired m e to subscribe to and to assist i n the publication I replied that h aving been obliged to th e late lord Po wis and his widow I coul d n ot m eddle with any such thing without knowing that it had th e co nsent of th e present earl and his m other A nother letter com mending my reserve told m e Mr S cott had applied for it form erly and woul d aga in now This showe d m e they did n ot consent I have j ust received a third letter own ing the approbation is not yet arrived but to keep m e employed i n th e m ean tim e th e m odest Mr S cott whom I never saw nor kno w m ore of tha n I did of C hatterton proposes to m e to get his f ourth son a place i n the civil department i n India ; th e father not choosing it sh oul d b e in the m ilitary his three el der son s being engaged i n that branch alr eady —If this fourth son breaks his neck I suppo se it will b e laid to my ch arge ! .
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1 30
OF THE
sinc e bee n rathe r w ea risom e i n appli catio ns to m e wh ich I received very civilly but encourage d no farther When he wanted m e to be his p rinter I own I was not good C hristian enough not to b e pleased with refusing an d yet in as well bre d ex cuses as I coul d form pleading what was true at th e tim e , as you know that I had lai d down my press — I shal l r hut so mu ch for this idle story t hi n k n o m ore of i t b ut adhe re to my paci fic system Th e antiqua ri ans will be as ri d i cul ou s a s they u s ed to b e ; an d sinc e i t i s imp ossibl e to i n f us e taste i nt o th e m they wil l b e as d ry an d dull as their predecessors On e may reviv e wh a t pe r! is h e d but it wi l l p e rish again i f m ore life i s not; breath ed into it than it enj oye d originally Fact s dates an d nam es will never please th e m ultit ude u nless there i s som e style and m anner to r e c o m m en d th em and u nl ess som e n ovelty is struck ou t from their app earance Th e best m erits of the S ociety lies in their prints ; for their v ol u me s , no mort al w i l l ever touch the m but an anti q u ary Their S axon an d Danish discoveries are not worth m ore th a n m on uments of the H ottentots and fo r R oman remains i n Brit ain they are upon a foot with wh at ideas we should get of Inigo Jone s i f s omebody was to publi s h views of h uts an d h ouse s that our ofi ce rs r un up at S enegal a nd Goree B ishop Lyttleton used to to rm ent m e with b ar» r ows and R oma n camps and I would as soon h av e a ttended to th e turf graves i n o ur c h urc h
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AC E WALP OL E
1 31
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rds I have n o curiosity to know how awkward an d cl umsy m e n have been i n the dawn of arts or in th eir decay I exempt you entirely from my general censure on antiqu a ries both for your singular m odesty i n publi shing n othing yourself and for col le cting stone an d brick for others to build with I w i sh your m aterial s m ay ever fal l int o good hands perhaps th ey will ! our empire i s falling to piece s ! we are relapsing to a little i sland In that state m en are apt to i nquire how great th eir ancestors have been ; and wh en a kingdom is pas t doi n g any thing the few that are studious l o ok into th e m emorials of p ast ti m e ; nations like pri vate person s seek lustre from their progenitors wh en th ey h ave none in them selves and the furthe r they are from the dig n ity of their source : Whe n h alf its colleges ar e tumbled down th e an ci en t u niversity of C ambridge will revive from you r col lections an d you will b e quoted as a l ivi ng witness t h at saw its splendour S ince I began th is letter I have had an o t he r cur i ous ad venture I was in th e H olbein c h auf ber when a chariot stopped at my d oor A lette r J w a s brought u p—an d wh o shoul d be belo w b ut — Dr K ippi s The letter was to announce hi mse lf an d his busines s fl attered m e on m y wri ti ngs d e sire d my assi sta n ce an d parti cularly my dir e cti on and aid for hi s writing th e life of my father I a y
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C ORRE S P OND E NC E
1 32
OF TH E
desired h e woul d walk up and received him very civilly taking not the smallest n otice of what yo u had told m e of his flirts at m e i n the new Bi og ra phia I told him if I had been applied to I coul d h ave pointed out many errors i n th e old edition bu t as they were chiefly i n the p rinting I sup p ose d they woul d b e co rrected With regard to my father s life I said it might be partiality but I had s u ch confiden c e i n my father s virtues that I was satisfied the m ore his life was examined the clearer they woul d appear That I also thought that th e life of any man written under the d i re c tion of his family did nobody honour ; and that as I was persuaded my father s would stan d th e test I wish ed that none of his relations shoul d i nterfere i n it That I did n ot doubt but th e doctor wo ul d speak impartially and th at was all I desired H e replied that he did suppose I though t i n th at manner and that a ll he aske d was to be assisted i n facts an d dates I said if he woul d please to write the life first and the n comm uni I would point out any errors i n c a t e i t to m e facts that I should perceive H e seem ed mightily — well s a ti s fie d an d so we parted —but is n ot it odd that people are continually attacking m e and then come to m e for assistance but whe n men write for profit they are not very del i cate I have resumed Mr B aker s lif e and pretty ,
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l iev e, was a very dirty fello w ; for besides bei ng expe lle d the H ouse of C om mons on the affair of H arburg lottery he was re ckone d to have twice s old the dissenters to th e court ; but in sh ort what credit can a B i og raphi a B ritannica which ought to b e a stan dard work deserve when th e editor is a m ercenary writer wh o runs about to r e l a t i o n s for directions an d adopts any tale th ey deliver to h i m ? This very instance i s a proof that it is not a j ot m ore credi ble than a peerage The authority i s said to b e a neph ew of j udge Foste r (consequently I suppose a frien d ofj udge B a i ri ngt o n ) an d h e p retends to have foun d a scrap Of paper nobody knows on what occasion written that seems to be connected with nothing an d i s called a palliative if n ot an excuse of lord B s crim e A man i s expelled from parliam ent for a scan d alou e j ob an d it is called a sufli c i e n t ex c use to say the m inister was his enemy ; and this near forty years after the death of both ! an d wi thout any impeach ment of the j ustice of th e sentence : i nstead of which we are tol d th at lord B was su s e c te d of havi ng o ffen ded sir R W wh o took that p S upposing he did Opportunity of being revenged which at m ost you see is a suspicion grounded on it woul d at least imply that h e had a suspicion foun d a good opportunity —a m ost admirabl e a o quittal ! S i r R Walpole was expelled for having indor s ed a not e that was not for his own ben e fit ,
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WALP OLE
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ever supp ose d to be and it was the act of a whole outrageous party ; yet aband oned as parl i a ments so metimes are a minister wo ul d not find the m ve ry complaisant i n g ratifying his private r e venge against a m ember with out som e notorious crime N ot a syllabl e is said of any de fence th e culp rit m ade ; and had m yfather been gui lty of such vi olence an d i nj usti ce it is totally in credibl e that h e whose m inutest act s an d his m ost innocent w ere so rigorously s cru tin ised tortu red an d black e ne d shoul d never h av e heard that act of power Complained of The pres ent lord Barrington wh o oppo sed him sa w h is fall an d the secret com mi tte e app oi nted to canvass hi s life when a retr ospect of twenty yea rs was desired an d only ten allowed , Would certainly ha ve pleaded f or th e longer term had he had any thing to say i n beh alf of his f ath er s s entenc e Wo ul d so warm a patriot then th ough so obedient a courtier now hav e suppressed th e ch arge to th is h our ? This lord B whe n I was going to publish th e second e dition of my nobl e authors begged it as a favour of m e to suppress all m ention of his father —a str ong presump tion that h e was ashamed of him —I am well repaid ! but I am certai nly n ow at liberty to record that good ma n I shall —and sh all take n otice of th e satis f actory m anner in which hi s son s have whitewashed their pat ri arch ! I recollect a saying of th e present peer that w i l l divert you when contrasted with forty years of ser n or
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vility which eve n in this age makes him a prove rb It was i n his days of virtue H e said if I shoul d ever be so u nhappy as to h ave a place that woul d m ake it necessary for m e to h ave a fine coat on a ” birth day I would pin a bank bill on my sleeve h e had a place i n less than t wo years I think — an d has had almost e very pl ace that e ve ry a d m i n i s t ra tion could bestow S uch were th e patriots that opposed that excellent m an my fath er ; al lowe d by al l parties to h ave been as incapable of reveng e as eve r m in ister was—b ut whose e xperien ce of m ank in d drew fro m h im that m e mor abl e saying that very f e w m en ough t to b e prime m inisters f or it i s n ot fit m any sho u l d know h o w b a d me n ” are one can see a little of it with out being a prime m inister If one sh uns mankind and flies to books one m eets with t h e i r m e a n n e s s an d falseh ood there too ! one has reason to say there i s but on e good that is God —Adi e u ! Yours e ver ,
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Oc t ob e r 1 4 , 1 77 8
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I T H I N K you tak e i n n o newspapers nor I believe condescen d to read any more m odern than the P a r i s (3 la M a i n at the time of the L ig ue — co u se quently you have not see n a new scandal on my ,
C ORR E S P ONDENC E
1 38
OF TH E
There archbishop Wake with whom one copy of the wi l l had b een deposited (as a noth er was I think with th e duke of Wol fe nb ut tl e wh o h ad a p ension for sacrificing it whic h I kn ow the lat e duke of N ewcastl e transacted ) advan ced and deli vere d th e wi l l to the king wh o put it into his pocket an d went out of council without opening it t h e a rchb i shop n ot h aving courage or pre sen ce of m ind to desi re it to be read a s h e ought to h ave done These circ umstances wh ich I sole m nly ass ure you are strictl y true prove that my fath e r n e i th er advi sed n o r was consul ted ; n or is it credible tha t th e king i n one nigh t s tim e sh ould h av e passe d from the intention of disgracing him to m ake h i m his bosom confident on so delicate an aff air I was onc e tal king to th e late lady S uffolk th e former mistress on that extraordinary event S h e I cannot j ustify th e deed to th e legatees s aid b ut towards h is father th e late king was j ustifiable for George I had burnt two will s m ade i n favou r ” of George I I I suppose th ey were th e testa m ents of th e duk e an d duchess of Z ell parents of Ge orge I s wife , wh ose treatm ent of h e r they alw ays resented I said I know th e transaction s of th e d uke of N The late lord Wal d egr av e sh owe d m e a l etter f rom that duke to th e first earl of Wal d eg rav e then a m b as s a d o r at P aris with directions ab out that tra n s act ion or at le ast about paym ent of the pension I forget which I ha ve somewhere b u t cannot ,
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1 39
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turn to it now a m emorandum of that affair an d who the p rince was whom I m ay m istak e i n calling duke of Wol fe n b u t tl e There was a third copy of the will I likewise forget wi t h whom deposited The n ewspaper says which i s true that lord C he sterfiel d filed a bill in chancery against the late king to obl ige him to produce th e wil l an d was silenced I think by payment of There was another legacy to his own daughter th e quee n o f P ru ssia which has at tim es been a n d I believ e , i s sti l l claimed by th e king of P russia Do n ot m ention any p art of this story b ut it is worth preserving as I am sure you are s atisfie d It m ay perhap s b e with my scrupulous veracity authe nti ca t ed hereaft er by coll ateral evidence that If ever tr u history does com e to m ay com e out e l ight my fath er s character will have j ust honour pai d to it Lo rd C hesterfield on e of hi s sh a rp est enem ies has n ot with all his prej udices le ft a very an d it woul d alon e u nfavourable account of him be r aised by a comparison of their two characters Think of on e wh o calls sir R obert th e corrupter of youth leaving a system of education to poi son them from th eir nursery ! C hesterfield P ulten ey and Bol ingbroke were th e sain t s th at reviled m y f ath er I be g your pardon but you will allow m e to ope n my heart to you wh en it is full Yours ever ,
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C O R R E S P OND E NC E
1 40
To
H ON H S
TH E
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OF TH E
C ONWA Y
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Oc t ob e r 2 3 , 1 7 7 8
H AV I N G
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thus told you al l I know I shall add a f e w words to say I concl ude you h a ve known as m uch ,by my not h aving heard from you S houl d the post o ffi c e or secretary s o fli c e set th eir wits at work to bring to light all th e intelligen ce contained u nder th e above h iatus I am confident they will discover nothing th ough it gives an ex act des cription of all they h ave b een about them selves My personal history is very short I have had — assembly an d the rheum atism an d am buying n a a house —and it rains — and I shall plant th e roses against my treillage to m orrow Th us you know what I h ave done su ffered am doing and shall do L et m e know as m uch of you in quantity n ot i n quality Introductions to and con cl usions of let ters are as m uch out of fashion as to a t & c on letters This sublim e age reduces every thing to its quintesse nce : all periphrases an d expletives are so m uch i n disuse that I suppose soon the o n ly ” way of making l ove will b e to say L i e d own L uckily the lawyers w ill not part with any syn ony m ou s words and will consequently prese rve the redundancies of our language —Dixi r
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C OR R ES P OND E NC E
1 452
OF TH E
several passages ; and I trust it to y ou for you r own satisfaction not as a finishe d thing or as I am determined it shoul d remain A nother favour I beg of you is to criticise it as largely an d severely as yo u please you have a right so to do as it is b uilt with your own m aterials ; nay you h ave a right to scold if I have nay since I have employed the m so diff erently from your i n tention All my excuse is that you com municat e d th em to one who did not deceive you an d who you was pretty sure woul d m ake nearly the use of the m that he has m ade Was n o t you P d i d n ot you sus p a ct a littl e that I coul d not write even a Li fe of Mr Baker wi thout talking Whiggism !—Well if I h ave ill t reate d the cau se I a m sure I have ex al t ed th e m artyr I have thrown new ligh t on his virtu e f ro m hi s notes on the Gazettes and you wi ll a d m i re him m ore though you may lo ve m e le s s for my chym istry I s h oul d b e truly sorry if I d i d l ose a scruple of your friendship You have eve r bee n as candi d to m e as Mr B ake r was to h i s a n t ag on i s t s a n d our friendship i s another pr oof t h at m en of th e m ost opposite principles c an agree i n every thing else an d n ot quarrel about them A s my MS contains ab ove twenty pages of my writing on larger p aper th an this you cannot re c e i v e it speed ily —however I have p er for m ed my pr omise an d I hope you will not be totally di scon tent though I am not sati sfied with myself I h av e e xe cute d by snatches and by lo n g i nterrupti ons ; ,
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HON H OR AC E WAL POL E .
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not having bee n eager about it I find I wante d that ardour to inspi re me ; an other pr oof of wha t I tol d you that my small talent is wa ning an d wants provocatives It shal l b e a warning to m e A dieu ! P S I have long had a cast of one part of t h e great seal of quee n H en rie tta that you m ention as you m ay fin d i n t he catal ogue of S trawberry i n th e green closet It is her figure u nder a canopy an d
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To
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C OL E
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A l in gt o s t e e t N O 4 1 77 8 Y OU will see by my secretary s han d that I a m not able to writ e my s elf ; indeed I am in b ed with the gout i n si x places lik e Dani e l i n th e d en ; b ut as the l i ons are sl umb ering r ound me a n d l eave m e a m om ent of respite I e mploy it t o g i v e you one You h ave misunderstood m e dea r sir ; I h ave not said a w ord that will lower Mr Baker s ch aracter ; on the contrary I think b e w i ll com e out b righter from my ordeal In tr uth as I have draw n out his lif e from your papers it is a kin d of p ol iti cal epic in which his conscience i s the hero that a lway s t riumphs over hi s i n terest up on the S hall you d i slik e yo ur mo st opposite occasi ons saint i n th is ligh t ? I ha d transc rib ed ab o ut h alf w h e n I fell ill l as t r
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C ORRE S P OND E NC E
1M
OF TH E
week If the gout does not seize my right hand; I shall probably have full leisure to finish it during my recove ry but shall certainly n ot be able t o send it to you by Mr L ort Your promise fully satisfies m e My life c a n never extend to twenty years A ny one that s aw m e this m om ent wo ul d not tak e m e for a Meth u salem I have n ot strength to dictate m ore n ow except to add that if Mr N i chol ls h as seen my n arrative about C hatterton it can only b e my letter to Mr B of which you have a copy ; th e larger one has not yet been out of my own house I am dear sir Yours m ost sincerely .
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I forgot to say th at you certainly shall have e v ery scrap of your MS S carefully returned to you ; and yo u will find that I have barely sipped here and there an d exhausted nothing .
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C OL E
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S t ra wb e rry hi ll yJ a n 3, 1 7 7 9 -
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last a ft er ten weeks I have been ab le to r emove hither i n hopes change of air and the frost will assist my recovery ; though I am n ot one of those ancients that forget the register and ,
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C ORRE S P OND ENC E
146
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A mpthill was thrown down as I hear from lady ,
O ssory
this morning I remember to have bee n told that bishop Kidder an d his wife were kil led i n their bed i n the palace of Gloucester in 1 7 0 9 and yet his heirs were sued for dilapidations Lord de Ferrers who deserves his a ncient h o nour s is going to repair the castle at Tamworth and has fl attered m e that he will consult m e H e h a s a violent passio n for ancestry — and c on s e quently I trust wil l n ot stake th e patrimony of the Ferra ri i Townshends and C omptons at the haz ard table A little pride woul d not hurt our n obility cock and hen A dieu dear sir ; sen d m e a g ood account of yourself: Yours ever .
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To
HON H S
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C ONWA Y
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A rl i ngt on s tre e t Ja n 9 1 7 7 9 YOU R fl ight to B ath would have m uch surprised m e if Mr C who I think heard it from S tanley h a d not prepared m e for it S ince you was amu sed I am glad you went especially as you escaped being initiated i n Mrs Miller s follies at B ath E aston which you would have m entioned Sh e would certainly have sent some trapes Of a muse t o press you had she known what good epigrams you w rite -
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H ON HO R .
AC E WALP OL E
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I went to S trawb erry partly out of prudence partly from e nn ui I thought it best to air myself before I go i n and out of hot room s here and had my house thoroughly warmed for a week pre vi o u s ly and then only stirred from the red room to the blue on th e same floor I staye d five days a n d was n either the better nor th e worse for it I was quite tired with having neither company b ooks nor amusement of any kind E ith er fro m the emptiness of th e town or th at ten weeks of gout have worn out the patience of all my a c quaintance but I do not see three persons i n thre e days This gives me but an uncomfortable prosp ec t for my latter days : it is but probable that I m ay b e a cripple in a fit or two m ore if I have strength to go through them ; an d as that will be long li fe I cannot mak e o n e outlives one s acquaintance n e w acquaintan ce nor interest myself at all about th e young except those that belong to m e ; nor does that go beyond contributing to their plea with out having m uch satis faction i n their s ures conversation But —one m ust take every thing I have h ad as it comes and make th e best of it a m uch happier life than I deserve an d than m il l ions th at deserve better I shoul d b e very weak if I coul d n ot bear the un comfortableness of ol d age when I can afford what comforts it is capabl e any poor old people have none of them ! H ow m of I am ashamed whenever I am peevish and r e c ol lect that I have fire and servants to help me ,
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C OR R E S POND E NC E
1 48
OF TH E
I hear admiral Keppel is i n high spirits with the great respect and zeal expressed for him In m y own opinion his constitution will not stand th e struggle I am very uneasy too for th e duke " wh o is at Portsmouth and will be at of R least as m uch agitated has written a large pamphlet Si r and a very good one It i s to sho w that when e ver the Grecian republics taxed their dependents the latter resisted and shook off the yoke H e has printed but twelve copies : th e duke of G sent m e one of them There is an a n e c d o t e o f my father on the authority of ol d Jack White which I doubt It says h e woul d n ot go on with th e ex c ise scheme though his friends advi se d it I cannot speak to the parti c ular event as I was then at school ; but it was more like him to h ave yielded against his sentiments to Mr P elham and h is candid — or say plausible and timid friends I have heard him say that h e never did give up his opinion to such men but h e always repented it H owever th e anecdote in the book would be m ore to his honour But what a strange man is sir I suppose n o w h e has written this book h e will change his opinion and again be for — or if he does not kno w his c arrying on the war own mind for two years together why will h e take places to m ake every body doubt his h o nesty ? .
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1 50
O F TH E
You know my printer is my secretary too : do not imagine I am giving myself airs of a numerous househol d of o fficers I shall be glad to see th e letter of Mr Baker you mentioned You will per c e i ve t w o or three notes in my MS i n a di ff erent hand from m ine or that of my a mcm uens i s (still the same o fli c e r) they were added by a pe rson I lent it to and I have e fl a c e d part of the last I m ust finish lest Dr Jacob should call and my parcel not be ready I hope your sore throat i s gone ; my gout has returned again a little with taking the air only b ut did n ot stay —however I am stil l confined an d almost ready to remain so to prevent disappointment Yours m ost sincerely .
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To
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MR
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C OL E
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A l i gt o s t e e t J 28 1 7 7 9 I W R I T E i n as m uch hurry as you did dear sir and thank you for the m otive of yours : mine i s to prevent your fatiguing yourself i n copying my MS for wh ich I am n Ot in the least haste : pray keep it till another sa fe conveyance presents itsel f You may bring the gout t hat is I a m sorry to h ear flying about you into your hand by weary ing it r
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H ON H O R .
AC E W ALP OLE
1 51
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can you tel l m e I m ay well be cautious about my MS and yet advise m e to print it no —I shall n ot provoke nests of hornets till I a m dust as they will b e too If I dictated tales when ill i n my bed I must have been worse than I tho u ght ; f or as I know n othing of it I m ust have been light headed Mr L ort was certainly misinformed th ough he seem s to have tol d you th e story kindly to the honour of my philosophy or spirits — b ut I had rather hav e no fam e than what I do not deserve I am fretful or l o w spirited at times i n the gout l ik e oth er weak ol d m en an d have less to boast than m ost m en I have some strange things i n my dr awer even wilder than the C astle of O tranto an d called H ieroglyphic Tales — b ut they were n ot written lately nor in th e gout n or w h atever they may seem written when I was out of my senses I sh owed one or two of th em to a person since my recovery who may have m entioned them and occasioned Mr L ort s misintelligence I did not at all perceive that the latter looked i ll ; an d h ope h e is quite recovered You sh all see C hat terton soon A dieu ! H ow
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C ORR E S P OND E NC E
1 52
To
TH E
R EV
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MR
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OF TH E
C OL E
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S
F
e b r ua r
4 y , 1 779
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I H AVE received the MS an d though you forbi d my naming the subj ect m ore I l ove truth an d truth i n a friend so much that I mu st tell you that so far fro m taking your sincerity ill I had much rather you sh oul d act with you r native h o n est sincerity than say you was pleased with my MS I have always tried as m uch as is in human nature to divest myself of th e self love o f an a u thor ; i n th e present case I had less di fficulty th an ever for I never thought my life of Mr Baker on e of my least indi ff erent works You m ight e beli eve m have sent m e your long letter what e ver it contained ; it would not have made a m o m enta ry cloud between u s I have not only friendship but great gratitude for you for a thou san d instances o f kindness —and shoul d detest any writing of mine that made a breach with a friend an d still m ore if i t could m ake m e forget Obligations .
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Yours most cordially
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C O RR E S P OND E NC E
1 54
To
TH E
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MR
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OF TH E
C OL E
i M
S t ra w b e r ry h l l , -
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a r ch
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YO U R last called for no answer ; and I have s o little to tell you that I only write to d ay to avoi d the air of remissness I cam e h ither on Friday for this last week has been too h ot to stay i n L ondon ; b ut March is arrived this m orning with his north easterly m al ice and I suppose wi l l assert h is ol d style claim to the third of A pril T h e p oor infant apricots will b e the victim to that I have been m uch H erod of th e almanack amused with new travels through Spain by a Mr S winburne —a t least with the A lhambra of the inner parts of which there are two beautiful p ri nts The Moors were the m ost polished an d had m ost taste of any people in the Gothic ages ; an d I hate the knave Ferdinand and his bigo t ed queen for destroying them These n ew travel s are simple and do tell you a littl e m ore than late voyagers by whose accounts one would think there was nothing i n S pai n but m uleteers an d fandangos In truth there does not seem to be m uch worth seeing b ut prospects — and thos e u nless I were a bird I would never visit when the accommodation s are so wretched M r C umberlan d has given the town a masque called C al ypso which is a prodigy of dulness Would you believe that such a sentimental writer ,
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AC E WALP OL E
1 55
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would be so gross as to make cantharides one of the ingredients of a love potion for enam ouring Telemachus ? If you think I exaggerate h ere are the lines ,
To t h e s e , t h e h ot H i spa n i an fl y S h al l b i d h is l a ng u d ul s e b e a t h gh
i p
Proteus and A ntiope are
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Minerva s m issioners for ’
securing th e p rin ce s virtue an d i n recompense t hey are m arried and crowned king an d queen ! I have bought at H udson s sale a fine desig n of a chimney piece by H olbein for H enry VIII I f I h ad a room le ft I would erect It is cer t a i n l y n o t so Gothi c as that i n my H olbein room ; but there is a great deal of taste for that bastard style ; perhaps it was executed at N onsuch I do intend under M r E ssex s in spection to begin my ofli c e s next sprin g — I t is late i n my day I confess to return t o brick and m ortar ; but I shall be glad to perfect my plan or the next p os s e sso r will marry my castle to a Doric stable There is a perspe c tive through two or three rooms i n th e A lhambra that migh t easily be improve d i n t o Gothic though there seem s b ut small a fi n i ty between the m ; and they might b e finished withi n with Dutch tiles an d painting or bits of ordinary m arble as there m ust be gilding M osaic seem s to be th eir chief ornaments for walls ceilings and floors Fancy m ust sport in the furniture ’
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C ORRE S P OND E NC E
1 56
OF TH E
and mottos might be gallant and would be very A rabesque I would have a mixture of colours but with a strict attention to harm ony an d taste ; and som e one should predominate as supposing it the favourite colour of th e lady who was sove reign of the knight s aff ections wh o built th e h ouse C arpets are classically Mah ometans an d fountains —b ut alas ! our climate til l last sum mer was never romantic ! Were I not so ol d I woul d at least b uild a Mo ori sh n ov e l —for you see my h ead runs on Granada —and by taking the m ost picturesque parts of th e M ahometan an d cathol ic religions and with the m ixture of A frican an d S panish names one m ight m ake something very agreeable —a t least I will not give the hint to Mr C umberland A dieu ! Yours ever ,
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MR
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C OL E
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A l i gt on s t e e t Ap il 1 2 1 7 7 9 A s your gout was so con cise I will not condole on it but I a m sorry you are liabl e to it if yo u do but take the air Than k you for telling m e of t h e ven dible curiosities at the alderman s For S t P eter s portraits to hang to a fairie s watch I shall not think of it both as I do not believe it very l ike and as it is composed of invisible writing for which r
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1 58
OF TH E
them I will not enter on a subj ect which I h ave p romised y ou to drop All I allude to n o w i s the shocking m urde r of m iss R ay by a divine I n my own opinion we are growing m ore fit for Bedlam than for Mahomet s paradise The poor — riminal i n question I am persuaded is m ad an d c the m isfortune i s the law does not kn o w how to define the shades of m adness ; and thus there are twenty out pensioners Of Bedlam for one that is confined You dear sir have ch osen a w i s e r pa th to happiness by depending on yoursel f for am use m ent Books and past ages draw one into no scrapes and perhaps it is best not to know much of m en till th ey are dead I wish yo u health you want nothing else Yours most trul y ,
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A rl in gt on
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C OL E
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SIR ,
I H AV E received the plates very safely but hope you n o r th e alderm a n wil l take it i l l that I r e turn them They are extremely pretty and u n comm only well preserved —but I am sure they are not by R ubens nor I believe after his designs for I am persuaded they are older than his t im e In truth I have a great many of the s am e sort ,
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H O N H OR .
AC E WALP OL E
1 59
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and do not wish for m ore I shall send the m back on Thursday by the Fly and wil l beg you to inquire a fter them ; and I trust they will arrive as safely as they did to Yours ever .
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To
TH E
REV
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MR
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C OL E
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A p il 2 3 1 7 7 9 I OUG H T not to trouble you so Often when you are n ot well ; but that i s th e very cause of my writing You left o ff abrup tly from disorder an d now therefore I wish t o know it i s gone They are T h e plates I h ope got hom e safe pretty especially t he reverses ; but the drawing i n general is bad Pray tell m e what yo u mean by a pr ice d cata logue Of the pictures at H oughton Is it a printed one ? if it is where i s it to be h a d P—odd ques tions from me and wh ich I should n ot wish to h ave m entioned as c oming from m e I have bee n tol d to day that they are actually sold to the C zarina —s ic tr ansi t ! m ortifying enough were n ot every thing tran sitory ! we m ust recollect that our g ri e fs and pains are s o as well as our j oys and glories ; an d by balancing the account a grain of comfort is to b e extr a cted A dieu ! I r
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C ORRE S P OND E NC E
1 60
OF TH E
shall be heartily glad to receive a better accoun t of you .
To
TH E
RE V
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MR
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C OLE
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A rli gt on s t e e t May 2 1 1 7 7 9 A s Mr E ssex has tol d m e that you still continu e out of order I a m impatient to h ear fro m yourself h ow you are Do send m e a line : I h Ope it will b e a satisfactory one Do you know that Dr D u c a rel has published a translation of a H istory of th e A bbey of Bec ! There is a pretty print to it ; an d one very curious cir c um stan ce at least val uable to u s disciples of The ra m h unting was A lma M a ter E tonens i s derived from the manor of Wrotha m in N orfolk which formerly belonged to B e e and being for f e i t e d together with other alien priories was bestowed by H enry V I o n our college I do not repine at reading any b ook fro m which I can learn a single fact that I wish to know For th e lives of the abbots they were according to th e author all pinks of piety an d holiness —but there are few other facts amusing especially with regard to th e custom s of those savage times —especially that th e empress Matilda was buried i n a bull s hide and afterwards had a tomb covered with n
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C O R RE S PO ND ENC E
1 62
To
TH E
H ON H S .
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OF TH E
C ONWA Y
A r l i n g t on
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May 2 2
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1 779
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h ear of u s no o ft ener tha n we of you you will be as m uch behin d hand i n news as my lady Lyttelton We have seen a traveller that saw you ‘ in your isl and but i t sounds like hearing of Ulysse s — Well ! we m ust b e content You are not only not dethroned but owe th e safety of l our dominions to y our own skil in fortification y If w e do not hear of you r extending your c on i ue s ts h s it not less than all our m odern w q y heroes have done w h om prophets have foretol d an d g az ettes celebrate d — o r who h ave foretol d an d celebrated them selves P ray be content to be cooped u p in an islan d that has no neighbours when the H owes an d C lintons and Dunmores and B urgoynes an d C ampbells are n ot yet got beyon d 2 t h e great river Inquiry ! To day s papers say 3 that the li ttle prince of O ra n ge is to i nvade you agai n — but we trust sir James Wallace has clippe d I r you
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H ON
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A C E WAL P OL E
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h is wings so close that they will not grow again this season though he is so ready to fl y N othing m aterial has h appened since I wrote last — s o as every m om en t of a civil war is pre cions, every on e has been turned to the interest of diversion There have been three m asquerades an i nstall ation an d th e ball of the knights at th e H aymarket this week ; not to m ention Al m ac k s Festino lady Spencer s R anelagh and Vauxhall Operas and plays The duchess of B olton too saw m asks so many that th e floor gave way an d t h e company i n th e di ning room were n ear falling on th e heads of those in the parlour an d exhibiting all that has n ot yet appeare d i n Doctor s C om m ons A t th e knights ball was such a profusio n of S trawberries that people could hardly get i nto th e s upper room I could tell you m ore but I do not love to exaggerate Lady A il e sb u ry tol d m e this m orning that lord B ristol has got a calf with two feet to each leg I am convinced it is by th e duchess of Kingston wh o has two of every thing where others have but one A dieu —I am going to sup with Mrs Abingto n and hope Mrs C live will not hear of it Yours e ver ,
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C ORR E S POND ENC E
To
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MR
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O F TH E
C OLE
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S t ra wb e r ry h l l , -
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un e
2, 1 779
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most sincerely rej oiced dear sir th at yo u — n d yourself at all better an d trus t it is an ome n fi of farther am endm ent M r E ssex surprised m e m telling m e that you wh o keep yourself so war by an d so numerously cl oth ed do yet sometimes if rite in you r gar d e n for t h e sun shines sit and w h ours at a time It is m ore than I sh oul d readily do w h ose habitudes are so very differen t from yours Your compl aints see m to dem an d perspiration but I do not venture to advise I understan d 11 0 constitution b ut my own an d sh oul d kill Milo if I m anaged him as I treat myself I sat i n a win dow on S aturday with th e east wind blowing on my neck till n ear two in the m orning — an d i t s eems to have don e m e good for I am better within these two days than I have been these six m onths My spirits have been depressed an d my nerves so aspen that the smallest n o i s e d i s t u rb e d m e To day I do not feel a complaint ; wh ich i s s omething at n ear sixty two I don t know w hether I have n ot m i sinformed you nor am sure it was Dr D uc are l who translated the account of the A bbey of Bec —h e gave it to Mr Lort ; b ut I am not certain h e ever published it You was th e first that notified to m e the fifth vol um e of th e A rc h mol og ia I am not m uch AM
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C OR R ES P OND E NC E
1 66
OF TH E
I think I tol d you I had purchased at Mr I ve s s s al e a handsom e coat in painted glass of H obart i mpal ing B oleyn but I can fin d no such match i n my pedigree yet I have h eard that Blickling belonged to A nn Boleyn s father Pray reconcile all this to m e L ord de Ferrers i s to dine here on S aturday ; an d I have got to treat him with an account of ancient painting formerly in the hall of Tam worth castle ; they are m entioned i n Warton s Observations on the Fairy Queen vol 1 p 4 3 Do not put you rself to pain to answe r this on l y b e assure d I shall be happy to know when you are able to write with ease You m ust leave your cloister if your transcribing leaves you ’
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MR
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L OR T
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S t ra wb e rry h ll , -
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1 7 79
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I A M sorry dear sir you could n ot let m e h ave the pleasure of your company ; b ut I own you h ave partly n ot entirely made m e am ends by th e sight of your curious M S which I return you w ith your other book of inaugurations The sight of the MS was particularly welcome to m e because the lo n g visit of H enry V I and h is uncle Gloucester to S t E dmund s Bury a c counts for those rare altar tablets that I bought at '
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AC E WALP OL E
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Mr Iv e s s sal e on which are incontestably the portraits of duke H um phrey cardinal B eaufort and the s a m e archbishop that is i n my m arriage of I know the h ouse o f L a ncaster were H enry VI patrons of S t E dm und s B ur y ; b u t so long a v i si t is d emonstration p Th e fourth person on m y pan n el s is u n known It m ay b e that O ver his head is a coat o f arm s of W Curt eys th e abbot or th e alderman as h e is i n scarlet H i s fig ur e and th e d uke s are far an d wo rthy of a good s uperior to the other two Italian m aster The cardinal and th e archbi shop a re in the dry h ard m anner of the age I wish you woul d call an d look at th em ; they are at M r Bonus s i n O xford road ; the two prelates are I per e mptoril y enjoined Bonus m uch damaged to repair only an d not repai nt them ; an d th us by p utting hi m out of his way I have put him so mu ch out of h u mour too that h e has kept the m these two years and n ot finishe d the m yet I design the m for the four void spaces i n my chapel on th e sides of th e sh rine The duke of Gloucester s face is so like though younger th a t i t proves I guessed right at his figure in my mar The tables cam e out of th e abbey of Bury r i ag e were procured by old P eter L e N eve norroy an d c ame by his widow s marriage to Tom Martin at whose sale Mr Ives bought th em We have very few pri ncely portraits so ancie nt so authentic a n d none so well painted as the duke and fourth ’
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C OR RE S P OND E NC E
1 68
O F THE
w erson These e re the insides of th e door s p » hich I had split into two an d val u e t h e m ex w t r e m e ly This account I think will be m or e s a t i s fa c t o ry to you than notes Pray tell m e how you like th e pictures wh e n you have exami ned them I sh all s e arc h i n E d m on d s On s n e wVocabulary of A rm s for th e coat which contains three bull s he ad s on six pi eces ? but the colours are eith er white an d black or t h e l atter is becom e so by tim e I hope you are not going out of town yet ; I shall probably be ther e som e day in next week I see advertized a b ook some thing in the Way of your inau gurations called Le Cos tume do you kno w any thing of it ? C an you tell m e wh o is the a uthor of the S econd A nticipation on the E xhi b i tion ? Is not it Barry the painter ? Your much obliged .
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C ONW A Y
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S t raw b e rry h l l , S a t urd ay, -
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5 , 1 779
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I WR I T E to you m ore seldom than I am disposed to do fro m having nothing positive to tell you ; a n d fm being unwilling to say and unsay every m inu te someth ing that is reported positively T he confident assertions of the victory over D E s ta i n g are totally vanish ed —and they who i nvented ,
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C ORRE S P OND ENC E
1 70
T he in q uiry
OF TH E
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go es on and lord H arrington did himself and Burgoyne h onour B arr é an d g o an d v ernor Johnstone have had warm words Burke has been as frantic for the R om an C atholics as lord George Gordon against them The par l i a m e n t i t is said is to rise on th e 2 1 5 t You will not col lect from al l this that our pro I fe a r there is not m ore discretio n s pect clears up i n th e treatment of Irelan d than of A m erica The court seems to b e i nfatuated an d to think th a t n othing is of any consequen c e b ut a maj ority i n parliament th ough they have totally lost al l p ower b ut th at of provoking Fortunate it had b een for th e king and kingdom had th e court had n o m aj ority for these six years ! A m erica had still b een ours —and all th e lives an d all the m il lions we have squandered ! A m aj ority that has lost thi rt e en provinces by bul lyi ng an d vapouring an d th e most childish m enaces will b e a b ra ve / c ou n t e rm a t c h for France and S pain and a rebellion in Ireland ! In short it is plain that there is no thing a maj ority i n parliament c a n do b ut outvote a m i n o ri t y ; and yet by their own accounts one would think they could not do even that I saw a paper t other day that began with this Iri s c i s m A s th e m inority h ave lost u s th irteen provinces St e I ,
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H ON H OR AC E .
W ALP OL E
171
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k now
nothing th e minority have done or bee n s uffered to do b ut restore the R oma n C athol ic religion — and that too was by the desire of th e court This is however th e presen t style They a n n o u n c e d with infinite appl ause a new production of Ti ck ell —i t has appeared an d i s a most paltry perform ance It i s called th e C assett e verte of M de S artine and pretends to b e his correspond ence with the Opposition N ay they are so piti fully m ean as to laugh at doctor Franklin wh o h as such thorough reason to sit an d laugh at them What triumph it m ust be to him to see a m iserable pamphlet all th e revenge they can tak e ! There is another still duller called Opposition M ornings i n which you are lugged in I n truth it i s a compliment to any m an to ex cept him o ut of th e number of those that have contributed to th e shocking disgraces inflicted on thi s u ndone coun t ry ! When lord C hatham was minister he never replied to ab use but by a victory I know no p rivate news : I h ave been h ere ever since T uesday enj oying my tranqui l lity as m u c h as an h onest m an can do who sees his country ruined It 1 5 j ust such a peri od as makes philo sophy wisdom There are great m om en t s whe n every man is calle d on to exert himself but wh en folly infatuation delusion incapacity and r ofl i a c i t fl ing a nation away and it concurs g y p self and applauds its destroyers a man who has ,
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C ORR ES P O ND EN C E
1 72
OF THE
l e n t n o hand to the m ischief and ca n neither pre vent n o r remedy th e mass of evils is fully j ustified i n s i tt i ng al o of and behold ing th e tempest rage with sil ent s corn and in dignan t compassion Nay, I I have I Own som e comfortabl e reflections rej oice that there i s still a great continent of E ng l i s h m e n who will remai n free an d independent and wh o laugh at the impotent m aj orities ofa pro I care not whether general s ti t u t e parliam ent Burgoyn e an d governor J oh n s t o n e cross over and fig u r e in an d supp ort or oppose ; n or wh eth er M r Burke or the superior of the Jesuits i s high comm issioner to the kirk of S cotlan d My ideas are such as I have always had an d are too plai n and simple to comprehen d m od ern confusions ; and therefore th ey suit with those of few m en What will b e the issue of this chaos I know n ot and probably shall not see I do see with satis faction tha t wha t wa s me d i ta te a has failed b yth e grossest folly ; an d whe n one has escape d: the worst l esser evils m ust be endured with patien ce A fter this dull e ff usion I wil l divert you with a story that m ade m e laugh this m orning till I cried You know my S wiss David and his i n c o mpre h e n sible pronunciation H e cam e to m e and said if " A uh ! dar is Meses wants som e of you r large flags to p ut i n h er great With m uch ado I found out that M rs had sent for l eave to take up som e flags out of my meado w for her grotto ,
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1 74
O F TH E
at Mr C onway s not talking of this ! It gossips about th e living as fam iliarly as a m odern news paper I long to hea r what says about it I wish the newspapers were as accurate ! They have been circum stantial about la dy Wa ls i ng ham s b irth day clothes which to be sure on e i s glad to know only unluckily th ere i s n o such person H owever I dare to say that her dress was very becoming an d that sh e looked charmingly The m onth of June according to custom i m m emorial i s as cold as C hristm as I had a fire last night an d all my rosebuds I believe woul d have been v ery glad to sit by it I have other grie vances to boot ; but as th ey are annual s too wi d e — — I will n ot torm en t people to see my house t e lic your ladyship with them : yet I know n othing else N one of my neighbours are com e into th e country l one wou d think all th e dowagers were et : y elected into the n ew parliament A dieu m y dear m adam ! ’
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Th e t i tl e
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l l i h t t e y
Wal s i n gh a m
yea r
1 7 80
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w a s n ot
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of
H O N H OR .
To
TH E
AC E W ALP OL E
HO N
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1 75
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C ONWA Y
i J
S t ra wb e rry h l l , -
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1 6, 1 7 7 9
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YOU R countess was h ere last Thursday an d r e that tol d us how slowly c e i v e d a letter fro m you you receive ours When you will receive this I cannot guess ; b ut i t dates a new aera which you with reason did not care to look at as possible In a word b eh old a S panish war ! I m ust detail a littl e to i ncrease your wonder I h eard here th e day before yesterday that i t was likely ; and that n ight received a l etter from Paris telling m e (it was of the 6 th) that m onsieur de B e a u ve a u was going they kne w n ot whither at the h ead of m en with three li e u t e n an t g e n e ral s an d six o r eight m arechaux de camp under him Yesterday I went to town an d T W h app ened to call on m e —H e who used to be i nform e d early did n ot believe a word either of a Spanish war or a French expedition I saw som e other persons i n the evening as ignorant A t nigh t I went to sup at R ich mon d h ouse Th e duk e sai d the Brest fleet was certainly sailed and had got the start of ours by twelve days ; that m onsieur de B e au ve a u was on board with a large su m of m oney an d with white an d r ed cockades ; an d that there woul d certainly b e a S panish war H e added that th e opposition were then p res s ing in t h e h o u s e of com mons to have the parliame nt continue sitting ,
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C OR RE S P ON D EN C E
OF TH E
and urging to know if we were n ot at the eve of a S panish war ; but th e ministers p ersisted i n th e prorogation for to m orro w or Friday and woul d n ot answer on Spain I said I woul d make you won der But no Why should th e parliament continu e to sit ? A re n ot the m inisters an d th e parliam ent the sam e thi ng ? A n d h o w has either h ouse sh own that it has any talent for war ? The duke of R ich m on d does n ot g u e ss w h i th e r the B rest fleet is gon e — H e thinks if to Ireland we sh oul d have known it by this tim e H e has h eard that the prince of B e auv e a u has said h e was going on an expedition that woul d b e glorious 1 11 th e eyes of p osterity —I asked if that might n ot m ean Gibraltar ? The duke doubts b ut hopes it as h e thinks it n o w i se measure on their side ; yet h e was very m elanch oly as you will b e on this h ea vy ac c ession to our distresses Well ! here w e are a r i s e t f oci s an d all at stake ! What c a n we b e m eaning ? Unabl e to conquer A m erica before sh e was assiste d scarce able to k eep Fran ce at bay—are we a m atch for b oth and —What c an be ou r Vie w ? nay what S pai n too c a n be our expectation ? I s ometimes thi nk w e r eckon it wil l b e m ore creditable to be forced by France an d S pain to give up A meri ca than It o h ave th e m erit with the latter of doin g it w it h grac e —But as C ato says I am w ea ry of c onj e c t u es—T h i s m us t e n d th e m -
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C O R R E S P O ND E NC E
78
O F TH E
they were su ff ocated a n d when they rem ounted the legs and wings of chickens and remnants of ham (fo r th e supper was not rem oved ) poisoned them m ore A druid in an arbour distributed verses to th e ladies ; then th e Baccelli an d t h e dancers of th e opera dan ced ; and th en danced the company ; and then it being m orning an d th e Candles burnt out the windows were opened ; and then the stewed danced assembly were such sh ock ing figures that they fled l ike ghosts as th ey l ooked I supp ose there will be n o m ore balls unless th e Fren ch land and then we shall show we do n ot mi nd it Thus I have told you al l I kno w You will ponder over these things in your littl e distant island when we have forgotten them There is another person one doctor Franklin wh o I fancy is not sorry that we divert ourselves so well ,
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H ON
TH E
G E OR G E
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H A R D I NG E
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S tra w be r ry h l l, -
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1 4 7 79 , y
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AV E n ow received the drawings of Grignan a n d know not how to express my satisfaction and I
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H O N H O R AC E .
W ALP OL E
1 79
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gratitude but by a silly witticism that is like th e studied quaintness of the last age In short they are so m uch m ore beautiful than I expected that I a m n ot surprised at y our having surprised m e by exceeding even what I expected fro m you r well known kindness to m e ; they are c harmingly ex e c ut e d an d with great taste I own too that Grignan is grander an d i n a m uch finer situation than I had i magined as I con cl uded that the witch ery of Madam e de S evign e s ideas and style had spread th e same leaf gol d over pla ce s with whic h she gilded her f r i en d s A ll that has appeare d of them since t he publication of her l etters has lowered them A single letter of her daughter that to Paulina with a descripti on of th e duchess of Bourbon s toilette is worthy of th e m oth er Paulina s own letters contain not a little worth reading ; one j ust divines that sh e m ight have written well if sh e h ad had any thing to write about (which however woul d not have signifie d C oulanges was a silly good t Oher grandmother ) h umoure d gl utton that flattered a rich wido w for h er dinners H i s wife was sensible but dry an d rather peevish at growing old Unluckily nothing m ore has com e to ligh t of madam e de S evign e s son wh ose short letters i n the collection I a m al most pr ofa ne enough to prefer to his mother s an d which m akes m e a stonished t h a t sh e did not love his wit so unaff ected an d so congenial to h er own i n preference to th e eccentric and so ,
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C ORR E S P O ND ENC E
1 80
OF T H E
h i s ti c a t e d p
reveries of her sublime and ill h u m oured daughter Grignan alone maintains its dignity and shall be consecrated h ere among other m onuments of that bewitching period an d am ongst which one l oves to l ose oneself an d drink oblivion of an aera so very unlike ; for th e awkward bigots to despotis m of our tim e have not m adame de Sevign e s address nor can paint a n Indian idol with a n hundred hands as graceful as the A pollo of th e Belvidere When will you com e an d accept my th anks ? will Wednesday next suit you ? But do you kno w that I m ust a sk o u not to leave your gown b ehin d you which y indeed I n ever kne w you p ut on willingly but t o com e i n it I shall want your protection at West m inster H all Yours m ost cordially -
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C OU NTE S S
T HE
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A IL ES B U RY
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S a t u r d a y n gh t ,
J
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1 y 0, 1 7 7 9
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I C O UL D not thank your ladyship before th e po s t went out t o day as I was getting into my chaise to go an d dine at C arshalton with my cou sin T Wal pole when I received your kind inquiry about my eye It i s quite well a gain and I hope the next attack of the gout will be any where rather than i n that quarter ,
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C OR R E S P OND E NC E
1 82
i sl a n d z
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OF T H E
we m ust be undone by our expense should the sum m er pass without any attempt My cousin thinks they will try to destroy P ortsmouth and Ply mouth —but I have seen nothing in the present French ministry that looks like bold enter prise We are mu ch m ore adventurous that set every thing to th e hazard : but there are suc h n umbers of ba r ones se s that b oth talk and act wit h passion that on e would think th e nation h ad l ost its senses E very thing has m iscarried that has been undertaken and the worse we succeed th e m ore i s risked yet th e nation is not angry ! H ow can one conj ecture during such a deliriu m ? I som etimes al m ost think I m ust be i n the wrong to be of so contrary an opinion to m ost m en yet when e very m isfortune th at h as happened h ad been foretol d by a few why should I n ot think I have been i n the right ? H a s n ot al most every singl e event that has been announ ced as prosperous pro ve d a gross falsehood an d often a silly on e ? A re we not at t his m om ent assured that Washington can not possibly amass a n army of above 8 000 m en ! an d yet C linton with m en an d with the hearts as we are told too of three parts of the colonies dares not show his teeth with out th e wall s of N e w York !—C a n I b e i n th e wrong i n not believing what i s so contradictory to m y senses We coul d not conquer A merica wh en it stood alone ; then France supporte d it and we did n ot m end the To make it still easier we have driven matter ,
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? pain into the all iance Is his wisdom Woul d S t it be presumption even if one were single to think that we must have the worst in such a contest ? S hall I be like th e mob an d expect to conquer Fran ce and S pain an d th en th under upon A me rica P—N ay but the higher m ob do not expect such success Th ey woul d not be so angry at the house of Bourbon if not m orally certain that those kings destroy all our passionate desire an d e xpe c We bullied an d t a t i o n of conquering A m erica threatened and begged an d noth ing would do Yet i ndependence was still the wor d No w we rail at th e two m onarchs —an d when they have banged us w e shall sue to them as humbly as we di d to the C ongress A ll this my senses suc h as they are tell m e has been an d wil l b e the case What i s worse all E urope is of th e sam e opinion ; and though forty th ousand ba r ones ses may b e ever so angry I venture to prophesy that we shall make b ut a very foolish figure whenever we are so lucky as to obtain a p eace ; and posterity that m a y have prej udices of its own wil l still ta k e th e liberty to pron ounce that its an cestors were a woful set of p oliticians from the year 1 7 7 4! to I wish I knew when If I migh t advise I woul d recomm en d Mr B to comman d the fleet i n the room of sir C harles H ardy The fortune of th e B s is powerful enough to b e fli e calculation Good n ight mad am ! .
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I have not written to Mr C on way since this day sevennight n ot having a teaspoonful of news to send him I wil l beg your ladyship to tell him so
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C OL E
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S t ra w b e rry hill ,
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I A M concerned dear sir that yo u gave yourself the troub l e of transcribing the catalogue an d prices which I received l ast night and for whic h I am exceedingly obliged to you P artial as I am to the pictures at H oughton I confess I think My father s whol e col t hem m uch overval ued lection of whi c h alone h e had preserve d the prices cost but 4 0 000l and after his death there were three sales of pictures among which were all th e W hole lengths of V andyke bu t three which h a d been sent to H oughton but not fitting any of the spaces left cam e back to town Few of the rest sol d were very fine but n o doubt sir R obert h a d paid as d ear for m any of them ; as purch asers are not perfect connoisseurs at first Many of the valuations are not only exorbitant but inj udicious They who m ade the estimate seem to have considered th e rarity of the hands m ore than the e xcellence Three th e magi c by C arlo M aratti as it is called and O ffering two supposed Pau l Veronese are very indi fferent ,
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but it i s not i mpossible Mr E ssex agreed with m e —that Ja rvis s windows for Oxford aft er sir Josh ua R eynolds will not succeed Most of hi s colours are opake an d their great beauty depen d ing on a spo t of light for sun or m oon is an i m p osition When h is paintings are exhibited at C haring cross all the rest of th e room is darkened to rel ieve them That cannot be done at N e w C ollege or if done th e chapel woul d be too dark If there are other lights the e ff ect will b e lost This sultry weather W ill I h ope quite restore you ; people need not go to L isbon and N aples if we continue to have such sum mers Yours m ost sincerely .
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I T E from decen cy dear sir not from having ,
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th ing particular to say but to thank you for y ff our o er of letting m e see th e arm s of painte d y glass which h owever I will decline lest it shoul d b e broken ; and as at present I have no occasion to employ the painter If I build my ofli c e s per haps I m ay have ; b ut I have dropped that though t for this year The disastrous times do not inspire expense O u r alarm s I conclude do not r ufli e our herm itage We are returning to our state y an
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of islandhood and sh all have l ittle I believe to boast but of what we have been I see a H istory of Alien P riories announced do you know any thing of it or of th e author ? I am E ver yours m ost sincerely ,
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or
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S t ra w b e rry hil l , -
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1 7 79
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I A M n ot at all surprised my dear m adam at the ‘ in trepidity of Mrs Dam er ; sh e al w ays was th e h eroic daughter of a h ero H e r sense and cool n ess n ever forsake her I who am not so firm shuddered at your ladyship s account N o w that sh e has stood fire for four h ours I h ope sh e wil l give as clear proofs of her understan ding of wh ich I have as high opinion as of h er courage an d not return in any dan ger I am to dine at Ditton to m orrow and will cer t a i n l y talk on th e subj ect you recom men d — ye t I am far till I have h eard m ore from thi nking wit h your ladyship tha t m ore troop s and artillery a t Jersey would be desirable A ny considerable quantity of either especially of the former cannot ,
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C O RR E S P OND E NC E
1 88
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be spared at this m oment when so big a cloud h angs over this island nor would any nu mber ava il if the French s houl d be m asters at sea A large garrison would but tempt th e French thither were i t b ut to distress this cou ntry ; and what i s worse woul d encourage Mr C onway to mak e an i mpracticable defence If h e is to remain i n a situation so unworthy of him I confess I had rather h e was totally in capable of m aking any defence I love him enough n ot to m urm ur at his exposing him self where his country and h is h onour demand him — but I would not have him m easure h imself i n a place unte nable against very superior force My present comfort is as to him that France at this m oment has a far vaster obj e c t I h ave good reason to believe th e governm ent knows that a great army i s ready to embark at S t Mal oe s but wil l not stir till after a sea fig h t wh ich we do not know but m ay be engaged at this m o m ent O ur fleet is allowed to b e the finest ever set forth b y this country — but i t is i nferior in n u mber by sevent een ships to the united squ adron of the Bourbons France if successful m eans to pour i n a vast m any th ousands on us an d has threatene d to b urn th e capital itsel f Jersey my dear m adam does n ot enter i nto a calcul ation of such magnitude The m oment is sing ularly awful —yet the vaunts of enemies are rarely executed successfully and ably H ave we trampled A merica ? un der our foot ,
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our ridicul ous pretensions now proved to be utte rly impracticable for with an inferior navy at hom e ? can we assert sovereignty over A m erica It is a contradiction i n term s a n d i n fact It may b e h ard of digestion to relinquish it b ut it i s i m po s sible to pursue it A dieu my dear madam ! I have not left room for a line more ,
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I A M writing to you at ran dom not knowing whe ther or when th i s letter will go : b ut your brother tol d m e last night that an o ffi cer wh ose nam e I h ave forgot was a rrive d from Jersey an d woul d return to you soon I am sensibl e how very sel dom I h ave written to you — but you have bee n few m oments out of my th oughts What they h ave been you wh o know m e so m inutely m ay well gu ess and why they do n ot pass my lips S ense experience circum stances can teach one to com mand one s self outwardly but do n ot divest a m ost friendly heart of its feelings I b e l ieve the state of my m in d has contributed to bring on a very weak and decaying body my pre sent disorders I have not been well the whole sum mer ; b ut for these three week s m uch other wise It has at last ende d i n the gout which to all appearance will be a sh ort fit ,
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public a ffairs I cannot S peak Every thing is so exaggerated on all sides that what grains of truth remain i n the sieve woul d appear cold and insipid ; and the great man oeuvres you lear n as soon as I In the naval battle b etween Byron and d E s t a i n g our captains were worthy of any age i n our story You may i magine h ow happy I am at Mrs D a m e r s return and at her not being at Naples as she was likely to have been at th e dread ful explosion of Vesuvius S urely it will have glutted sir Willia m s rage for volcanos ! H o w poor lady H amil t on s nerve s stood it I do n o t conceive O h mankind ! mankind —A re there n ot calami ties e nough i n store for us but m ust destructio n be our am usem ent an d pursuit ? I sen d this to Ditton wh ere i t m ay wait som e days ; but I woul d n ot su ff er a sure opportunity to slip with out a line You are more obliged to m e for al l I do not say than for whatever elo u e n c e itself could pen q On
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I unseal my l etter to add that u n d oub t e d ly you wil l com e to th e m eeting of parliam ent which will b e in October N othing can or ever di d make m e advise you to take a step u nworthy of y oursel f —B ut surely you h ave higher and m ore s acred d uties than the g o v e r n m e n ts o f a m ole hill ! .
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N ov 1 6, 1 7 7 9 .
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ough t not to accuse yourself only when I have been as silen t as you S urely we have been friends too long to admit cerem ony as a go bet w een I have thought of writing to you seve ral times b ut foun d I had nothing worth telling you I am rej oiced to hear you r health h as been b etter : m ine has b een worse th e whol e sum me r and autu mn than ever it was W ithout any positive distemper and th ence I con clude it is a failure i n my constitution —o f which being a thing of course we will say no m ore —n obody but a phy s i c i a n is boun d to hear what h e cannot cu re —an d if we will p ay for what we cann ot expect it is our own fault I have seen doctor Lort wh o seem s pleased with becoming a limb of C anterbury I heartily wish th e m itre m ay not d evolve b efore it has beam ed substant ially on h im In the m ean tim e h e will be delighted with ransacking th e library at L ambeth ; and to do him j ustice his ardour i s l iterary not interested I am m uch obliged to you dear sir for t a king the troubl e of transcribing Mr Tyson s Jou rnal which is entertaining B ut I am so ignorant as n ot to know where H atfiel d P riory is Th e three h eads I remember on the gate at Whitehall ; there ,
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than I used t o do it i s v ery agreeable to be so pleasantly lodged and to be in a war m i n n as one passes through the last val e A dieu ! Yours ever ,
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B e r k e l ey s quar e -
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D ec 27 , 1 77 9 .
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I H AV E two good reasons agains t writing noth ing to say; and a lame m ufll e d hand ; an d therefore I ch oose to write to you for it sh ows remembrance For th ese six weeks al most I have been a prisoner with the gout b ut begin to creep about my room H ow have you b orne th e late delu g e and t h e pre fi se n t frost ? H o w do you like an e a r] bishop ? H a d not we one before in ancien t days ? I have not a a book in town but was not there an A nth ony B eck or a H ubert de Burgh that was bishop of D urham and earl of Kent or have I confounded the m Have you seen R udder s n e w H istory of G l ou ? H i s addition to sir R obert A t kyn s i r r h e c e st e s m ake it the m ost sensible history of a county that we h ave had yet for his descripti ons of th e s ci t e , soil products an d prospects of ea ch parish a r e extremely good an d pictu resque an d h e treats fanciful prej udi ces and S axon etym ologies whe n u nfounded and traditions with due contempt ’
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I will n ot spin this note any further but shall I have be glad of a lin e to tell m e you are w ell not seen Mr L ort since h e rooste d under the m etropolitan wings of h i s g ra c e of Lambeth Yours ever ,
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Ja n 5 , 1 7 80
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W H EN you said that you feared that your parti c ul a r account of your very providential escape would deter m e from writin g to you again I am s ure dear sir that yo u spoke only from m odesty a n d not from thinking me capable of b ein g so cri m i n al ly indi fferent to any thing m uch less under such danger as you h ave run that regards so ol d a fri e nd and on e to wh om I owe so m any obliga tions I am but too apt to write letters on trifling or n o occasion s ; and should certainly have tol d you th e interest I tak e in your accident and h ow happy I am that it had n o conse q uen ces of any It is hard that temperance itself which you s ort are sh o uld b e punished for a good natured tran s r e s s i on of your own rules and where the e xcess g I w as o nly staying out beyond your u ual h our s am he artily glad you did not j ump out of you r chai se ; it h as ofte n been a much worse precaution th an any c onse quences from ri sking to remain i n o 2 ,
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it ; as you are lame too might h ave been very fatal Thank God ! all ended so well Mr Ma s ters seems to have b e en more frightened with not i m What an absurd man to be re a t e r r e as on g patient to n otify a disagreeable event to you an d i n so boisterous a manner an d which he coul d not know was true since i t was not ! I shall take extremely kin d your sending m e your picture in glass I have carefully preserved th e slight outline of yours elf i n a gown an d night cap which you once was so g oo d as to give m e because there was som e likeness to your features though it is too ol d even n ow For a portrait of m e i n return you might have it by sending the painter to th e anatomical school and bidding h i m dra w th e first skeleton he sees I should expect a ny l i m n e r would laugh in my face if I o ffered it to him to be copied I th ought I had confounded th e ancient count bishops as I had an d you have set m e right Th e new temporal ecclesiastical peer s estate is m ore t han twelve thousan d a year though I can scarce b elieve it is eighteen as the last lord said The pict ure found n ear the altar i n Westminster Ab bey about th ree years ago was of king S ebert ; I saw i t and i t wa s well preserved with som e others w orse —but they h ave fooli shly buried it again behind their n ew altar piece ; and so It h ey h ave a very fine tomb of A nn of C leve close to the altar which they did not kno w till I told them ,
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have discovered the pictures ; and through the octagon itself you would have perc eived the shrine of E dward the C onfessor which is m uch higher than the level of the choir —but m e n w h o a sk advice seldom foll o w it if you do not happen to light on the same ideas with themselves Yours most sincerely ,
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— l H The oughton pictures are not ost but S to H ough ton and England
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B e rk el e y s quare -
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I H AV E been tur ning ove r the new second volum e of the B i og ra ph ia and find th e additions v ery poor and lean performances The lives entirely n e w are partial an d flattering being contributions of the friends of those wh os e l iv es are recorded This publ icatio n made at a tim e whe n I have lived to se e several of my c on temp oraries deposited i n this national temple of fa me has made m e smil e a n d re fl ect that m any preceding authors wh o have bee n installed there w ith m uch respect may have been as trifling per s on a e s as those we have known and now behold g co nsecrated to m emory T hree or four have struck me particul arly as Dr Birch who was a ,
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worthy g ood natured soul full of industry and and running about like a young s e tting a c tivity dog i n quest of any thin g n ew or old and with n o parts taste or j udgment Then th ere is Dr B lackwell t he m ost imp ertinent literary coxcomb u pon earth — but th e editor has been so j ust as to i nsert a very m erited satire o n h is C ourt of A u gustus The third is Dr Brown that m ountebank wh o for a little tim e made as mu ch noise by his e stimate as ever quack did by a nostrum I do n o t kno w if I ever told o u h o w m uch I was y struck the only time I ever saw h i m You kno w one obj ect an d the anathemas of his estimate was the Italian Opera — yet did I fin d h i m one even ing in Passion week ac c omp anying som e of the Italian singers at a concert at lady C arlisle s A clergyman no doubt is n ot obliged to be on his k nees the whol e we ek be fore E aster an d music and a concert are harmless amuseme n t s ; but when C ato or C alvin are out of character re for m ation becomes ridiculous —but poor Dr B rown was m ad and th erefore might be i n earnest whe th er he played th e fool or the reformer You recollect perh aps the threat of Dr K i ppi s to m e which is to be executed on my father for my calling the first e dition of th e B iog raphi a th e Vi n di c a t i o Britannica — but ob se fve h o w truth e m erges at l ast ! In his ne w volume he confesses t hat t h e article of l ord A rlington wh i ch I h ad '
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specified as one of the most censurable is th e one m ost deserving that cen sure and that the cha r a c t e r of lord A rlington is a l li a te d bey on d a ll p t r uth a n d r ea s on — words stronger than mine—yet m ine deserved to draw vengeance on my fath er ! so a Presbyterian divine inverts divine j udgment and visits the sins of the children on the parents ! C ardinal Beaton s character softene d in th e first e d ition gentle Dr K i ppi s pronounces ex tr eme ly d e t e s t a ble —yet was I to blam e for hinting such defects in th at work ! —and yet my words are quoted to sh ow that lord Orrery s poetry was ridiculously bad I n like manner Mr C umber land wh o assumes th e whole honour of publishing his gran dfather s L ucan and does not deign to m ention its being published at S trawberry hill th ough by th e way I believe it will be oftener ( purchased for having been printed there than for Weari ng Mr C umberlan d s name to the dedi ca tion ) and yet he quotes m e for having praised his ancestor in one of my publications These little instances of pri de an d spleen divert m e —an d then make m e reflect sadly on human weaknesses I am very apt myself to like what fl a t t e rs my Opinions or passions and to rej ect scornfully what thwarts them even in the sam e persons Th e m ore one lives th e m ore one d iscovers one s ugli n esses in th e features of others ! — A dieu ! dear sir I hope you do not su ffer by this severe season Yours ever ,
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looks as if devastation woul d stil l open new fields o f blood ! The prospect darkens even at hom e but h owever you and I may di ffer in our poli tical principles it would be happy if every body w ould pursue theirs with as little rancour H ow s eldom does it happen in political contests that any sid e can count any thing but its wounds ! your habitudes seclude you from m e ddling in our divisions ; so do my age an d my illnesses m e S ixty two is not a season for bustling among young partizans Indeed if th e times grow per fe ctly serious I shall not wish to reach sixty E ven a superannuated spectator is then a t hree m i serable being ; for tho ugh insensibility is one of the softenings of ol d age neith er one s feelings or enj oym ents c a n be ac c ompanied with tranquillity We veteran s m ust hide ourselves in inglorious i n security and lament what we cannot prevent ; nor s hall b e listened to till misfortunes ha v e brough t th e actors to their senses ; and then it will be too late or th ey will cal m them selves faster than we could preach — but I hop e the experience of the last century will have som e oper ation and check S urely too we shall recollect th e o u r animosities ruin a civil war would bring on when accompanied by such collaterals as French an d S panish wars Providence alone can steer u s amidst a ll these rocks I shall watch th e interposition of its mg i s with an xi ety a nd humility It saved us this last b ut s ummer and n othin g el se I am s ure did ,
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often th e mu tu al follies of en emies are the i n st ru If it pleases not to inspire w is m ents of h eaven dom I shall b e content if it extricates us by the reciprocal blunders an d oversights of all partie s of which at l e ast we ought never to despair It is almost my systematic b eli ef tha t as cunning and penetration are sel dom exerted for good ends it i s the absurdity of m ankind that often acts as a succedane um an d carries on and maintains the equilibri um that H eaven designed shoul d subsist A dieu dear s ir Shall we live to lay down our h eads i n peace ? Yours ever .
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second volume of sir G eorge R o d ney s exploits i s arrived to d ay I do n ot know the auth enti c circumstances for I have not been abroad yet b ut they say he has taken four m ore S panish ships of the line an d five frigates ; of the former one of ninety guns S pain w a s sick of h o w fortunate if she wo uld re th e war before — .
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I have j ust got a new history of L eicester in six small vol umes It seem s to be s upe rfic i al —but th e author is young an d talks m odestly which if i t wil l not serve instead of merit makes o n e at least h op e he will improve and not g row insolent on age and more knowledge I have al so received from P aris 9 copy of a n ill umination fro m l a C ite des dames of C hristi na of Pisa i n the French ki ng s ,
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There is her own portrait with three alle gori c figures I have learnt m uch more about her an d of her amour with an E nglish peer b ut I have n ot time to say more at present .
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I H AV E this moment received your portrait in glass dear sir a nd am impatient to thank you for i t and tell you h ow m uch I val ue it It is better executed than I own I expected and yet I am not quite satisfied with it The drawing is a little incorrect th e eyes too small in proportion an d the mouth exaggerated In short it i s a strong likeness of your features but n ot of your c oun t e nance which is better and m ore serene H o w ever I a m enough content to place it at S traw berry amongst all my favourite brittle transitory relics which will soon vanish with th eir founder — and with his no great unwillingness for himsel f! I take it ill that you shoul d think I shoul d sus pe ot you of asking i ndi r ectly for my noble authors — and much more if you woul d n ot be so free as to ask for them d i r ectly a m ost trifling present surely —and from you who have made m e a thou sa nd ! I know I have some copies i n my old ho use in A rlington street I hope of both volumes I am ,
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but recollect how m uch th emselves have over charged some yards of buckram A dieu Yours m ost cordially
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Mr Pe n n i c ott has sh own me a m ost cu r i o us a n d delightful picture It is R ose the royal gardener presenting the first pine appl e raised i n They are i n a garden E ngland to C harles II with a view of a good private house suc h as there are several at S unbury an d about London It is by far the best likeness of th e king I ever saw ; the countenance ch eerful good humoured an d very sensible H e is in brown lined with orange an d many black ribands a large fla ppe d h a t dark wig not tied up nor y et bushy a point cravat n o waistcoa t an d a tasselle d handkerchief hanging from a low pocket The whole is of the smaller landscap e size and extremely Wel l c o loured with perfect harm ony I t was a legacy from L ondon grandson of him wh o was partner with Wise
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complim ent m e my good friend on a saga city that is surely very common H ow freque ntly ,
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do we see portraits that have catch ed the features and missed the countenance or character — which is far m ore d i fli c ul t to hit nor 1 5 1 t u nfreque nt to hear that re mark m ade I have confessed to you that I am fon d of local histories It is th e general execution of them that I condemn and that I call the wor st ki n d qf r ea d i ng I cannot compreh end b ut that they migh t be performed with taste I did m ention this win ter the n ew edition of A t kyn s s Gloucestershire as h a vi n g additional des c riptions of situations that I though t had m eri t I have j ust got another a V iew of Northumberland i n two vol umes quarto with cuts ; but I do n ot devour it fast for the a u thor s predilection is to R oman anti quities which such as are found i n th i s i sl a n d are very indi fferent an d inspire m e wi th little curiosi ty A barbarous country so remot e from th e seat of empire an d occupied by a few l egions that very rarely de c ided great events is not very interes ing though an t y one s own country —N or do I car e a straw for a ston e that preserves th e nam e of a standard bearer of a cohort or of a colonel s daughte r Th en I have n o patience to read th e tiresom e disputes of anti u ari e s to n settle forgotte names of vanishe d q t owns and to prove that such a village was called something else in A n t on i n us s Itinerary I do \ not say th e Gothi c anti quities I l ike are of m o r e i mportanc e ; but at least t h ey exist The seite of a R oman camp of which n othing remains b u t a ,
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bank gives me not the smallest pleasure On e knows they had square camps has one a clearer i dea from the spot which is barely distinguishable H o w ofte n does it happen that the lumps of earth are so imperfect that it is never clear whether they are R oman Druidic Danish or S axon fragments the m oment it is uncertain it is plain they fur n ish no specific idea of art or history an d th en I n either desire to see or read of them I have bee n diverted too by another work in which I am per a littl e concerned Yesterday was pub s on a l l y li s h e d an octavo pretending to contain the corre s po n d e n c e of H ackman an d Miss R ay that b e m urdered I doubt whether th e letters ar e g e and yet if fictitious they are executed n uin e — well and enter into his character her s appears less natural an d yet the editors were certainly m ore likely to be in possession of h ers than his It is not probable that lord S andwich shoul d have sent what h e found in her apartments to the press N o account is pretended to be given of how they came to light You will wonder h ow I should be concerned in this correspondence wh o never saw either of the l overs i n my days In fact my being dragged in i s a reason for doubting the authenticity ; n or can I bel ieve that th e long letter in which I am freq uently mentioned could be written by the wretched lunatic It pretends that miss R ay desired him to give her a part ic ul a r a c c o un t of ,
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C OR R E S P OND E NC E
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seven years younger t h an he was —and h o w coul d h e reply by reproaching m e with old ag e wh o was then not twenty three ? I shall m ake n o answer to these absurdities nor to any part of the work Blunder I see peopl e will and t alk of what they do not u nderstand ; an d what care I ? There is another trifling m istake of still less co n sequence Th e editor supposes i t was Ma cph e r son wh o comm unicated O ssian to m e It Wa s sir David Dal rymple w h o sent m e the first specimen — acpherson did once come to m e but my cre M d uli ty was then a little shak en L ady A i l e sb ury has promised m e Guinea eggs for you b ut they have not yet begun to lay I am well acquainted with l ady C raven s little tale dedicated to m e It is careless and incorrect b ut there are very pretty things in it I will stop for I fear I have written to you too m uch lately O n e you did not m ention : I think i t was of th e 2 8 t h of l a s t m onth You rs entirely ,
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I CA N N O T be told that you are extremely ill and refrain from begging to hear that you are bett e r Let me have but one line if it is good it will ,
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atisfy m e If you was n ot out of o rder I woul d scold you f o r again m aking e xcuses about the N oble A uthors it was not kind to be so formal about a trifl e We do not d ifl e r so m uch in politi cs as you think for wh en they grow t oo s erious they are so far from i n fla m i n g my zeal they make m e m ore m oderate ; and I can as easily discern the faults on my own side as on the oth er ; n o r w o u ld assist Whi gs m ore than Tories in altering th e con s
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The project of annual parliaments or of adding a hundred m embers to the H ouse of C om mons would I think h e very u nwise and w ill n ever h ave my approbation —b ut a temperate m an is not likel y to be listened to i n turbulen t times ; and when one has not youth an d l ung s or ambi ti on to make oneself atten ded to on e can only be s ilent and lam ent and preserve oneself blameless of any mischief that is done or attempted Yours most sincerely ,
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MR Godfrey the engraver tol d me yesterday that Mr Tyson is dead —I am sorry for it th ough h e had left m e o ff A m uch older friend ,
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of 11 1 1 11 8 died yesterday but of whom I m ust say the sam e George Montagu whom you m ust re member at E ton and C ambridge I should have been exceedingly concerned for hi m a f e w years ago but he had droppe d me partly from politics and partly from caprice for we never had any quarrel ; b ut he was grown an excessive h umour ist and had shed almost all his friends as well as me H e had parts an d infinite vivacity and original ity till of late years and it g rieve d m e m uch that h e had changed to wards me after a friendship of between thirty and forty years I am told that a nephew of the provost of King s h as preached and printed a m ost fl aming sermon which condemns the whole opposition to the stake P ray who i s it and on what occasion ? Mr Bryant has published an answer to Dr Priestley I bought it but though I have a great value for the author the subj ect is so metaphysical and so above hum an decision I soo n laid it aside I hope yo u can send m e a good account of yourself tho ugh the spring i s so unfavourable Yours most sincerely ,
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choose to do as I have an aversion to literary squabbles ; one seem s to think one s self too i m portant when one engages in a controversy on one s writings ; and when one does n ot vindicate them the answer passes for victor as you see Dr K i ppi s al lots the palm to Dr Mill es though you know I have so much m ore to say in defence of my hy po thesis I h ave actually som e h opes of still more of which I h ave heard bu t till I see it I shall n ot reckon u pon it as on my side M r Lort tol d m e of king Jam es s procession to S t P aul s but they ask such a price for it an d I care so little for James I that I have not been to look at the picture Your el ectioneering will probably be increased i mmediately Ol d M r Thomas Townsend i s at th e point of death Th e parliament w ill probably be dissol ved before another session We wanted nothing but drink to inflam e our m adness whic h I do not confine to politics — but what signifies it to throw out gen eral censures We ol d folks are apt to think nobody wise bu t ourselve s — I wish th e disgraces of the s e last two or three years d i d n ot j ustify a little s everity m ore than flows from the peevishness of years ! Yours ever ,
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P you will bring your eggs to a fair m arket A t last I have got from Bonus my alta r doors which I bought at Mr Ive s s ; h e has repaire d them admirably I woul d not su ffer hi m to repaint or varnish them Three are indubitably duke H umphrey of Gloucester cardinal Beaufort and a rchbishop Kemp The fourt h I c annot mak e out It is a man i n a crimson garment lined with white and not tonsu red H e is in the stable with cattle an d has the air of Joseph —but over his head hangs a large shield with these arm s I
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Th e C ornish chough s are sable on or the other three divisi ons are gules on the first of which is a gol d crescent Th e secon d arms have three bull s heads sable h orned or The chevron was so changed that Bonus thought it sable b u t I think it was gules and then it woul d be Bullen or Boleyn Lord de F e rra rs says the first are the arm s of sir Bartb o l o m e w Tate wh o he finds m arried a S anders Ed ,
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new Dictionary of H eraldry confirm s both arm s for Tate and S anders except that S an ders bore th e chevron ermine —which it may have been But what I wish to discover is wheth er sir Bartholomew Tate was a bene factor to S t E d m o n d sb u ry wh ence these doors c am e or was i n any shape a retainer to the duke of Gl oucester Or cardinal B eau fort The duke s an d sir Bartbo l o m e w s figures Were on the insides of th e doors which I have had sawed into four a n n e l s ) and p ( are painted in a far superior style to the cardinal an d th e archbish op which are very hard an d dry The t wo others are so good that they are in th e styl e of th e school of the C aracci They at least were painted by som e Italian th e draperies have large an d bold folds an d one wonders how they could be executed in th e reign of H enry V I I sh all be very glad if you can help m e to any lights at least about sir Bartholomew I intend to place them in my chapel as they will aptly accompany the shrine The duke an d archbishops agree per f e c tl y with their portraits in my marri a ge of H enry V I an d prove how rightly I guessed Th e car d i n al s is rather a longer and thi nn er visage —but that h e might have i n the latter end of life ; an d i n the marriage h e has th e red bonn et on which sh ortens his face O n th e door he is represented in the c hara c ter h e ought to have possessed a pious contrite look not th e truer resemblance whi c h S hakespear drew —h e dies and makes no sign s
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m uch t oo dignified a pri so n f or hi m —but he h ad le ft no other I came out of tow n on Friday having seen a good deal of the shocking transaction s of We d n e s day night — i n fact it was di fficult to be i n L ondon an d not see or think some part of i t in fl a m e s — I saw those of the King s Bench N e w prison and those on th e three side s of th e Fleet m arket which united into one blaze The town and parks are n ow one camp —the next disagreeab le sight to th e capital being in ashes It will still not h ave been a fatal tragedy if it brings th e nation one and all to their s e n ses It will still be n ot quite an u n happy country i f we re fl ect th at the ol d c on st it u tion exactly as it was in the last reign was th e m ost desira ble of any in the universe It made us — E urope w e have a vast th en th e first people in deal of groun d to recover — but c a n we take a bet ter path than that whi ch king W illiam pointed out to u s ? I m ean the system h e left us at the revo I am averse to a ll changes of i t —i t fitted l utio n u s j ust as i t was For some time even individuals m ust be upon their guard O ur new and n ow imprisoned apos tle h as d elivered so m any conge nial saint P eters from j ail that one hears of nothing but robberies h ighway Your lordship s sister lady o n th e Browne and I have been at Twickenham park this evening and kept together and had a horse .
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man at our return Baron d Ag uil a r was shot at in that very lane o n Thursday nigh t A troop of the fugitives had rendezvoused i n C o m b e w oo d an d were dislodged thenc e yesterday by t h e light horse I do not know a syllable but what relates to these d isturbances The newspapers h ave n e l e c t e d few truths L ies without their natural g propensity to falsehoods they coul d n ot avoid for every m inute produces some at least e xagg e ra tions We were th reatened with swarm s of good protestants d br u ler from all quarters and report sent various detachm ents from the metropol is on similar erran ds ; but thank God they have been but reports ! O h ! wh e n shall we have peace an d tranquillity ? I hope your l ordship and lady S tra fford will at least enj oy th e latter in your charming woods I have long doubted which of our passions is th e strongest — perhaps every one of them is equally strong in some person or other but I have no doubt but ambition is the m ost de testable and the m ost inexcusabl e ; for its m is chiefs are by far th e m ost extensive an d its enj oy m ents by n o m eans proportioned to its anxieties The latter I believe is the case 0? m ost passions —but then all but ambition cost little pai n to any but th e possessor A n ambitious man must be divested of all feeling but for him sel f The tor ment of others is h is high road to happiness Were the transmigration of souls true and acc o m ’
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by consciousness how delighted would p Al exander or C roesus b e to find themselves o n f our legs and divested of a wis h to conquer n e w worlds or t o heap up all the wealth of this ! A dieu my dear lord ! I am m ost gratefull y Your lordship s obedient humble servant ,
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m ay like to know one is alive dear sir after a massacre and the c on fl ag ra t i on of a capita l I was i n it both on th e Friday and on the B la ck We d ne s d ay ; the m ost horrible sight I ever b e held an d whi ch for six hours together I ex e c t e d to end i n hal f the town being reduced to p ashes I can give you littl e account of th e original of this sh ocking affair ; negligence was certainly its n urse and religion only its godmother T h e ostensible author is i n the Tower Twelve or f ou rteen thousan d m e n h ave quelled all tumults ; and as no bad account is com e from th e country except for a mom ent at B ath and as eight days h ave passed—nay m ore since th e commencem en t I flatter myself th e wh ole nation is shocked at t h e scene ; and that if plan there was it was laid only in and for the m etropolis The lowest and Yo u
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lived the m ! the present prospect is t oo thick t o see through i t is well hope n ever forsakes u s A dieu Yours m ost sincerely
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I A N S W E R your letter the m oment I receive it to beg yo u wi ll by no m eans take any notice not even indirectly and without my nam e of the life of Mr Bake r I a m earnest against i ts being known to exist I sho ul d be teazed to sho w it M r Gough migh t inquire about i t — I do not de sire his acquaintance ; an d above all th ings I a m determined if I can help it to have no controversy while I live You know I have hithe rto suppresse d my answers to th e criti cs of R ichard I I I f or th at rea son ; —and above all things I hate th eologic or p olitical controversy — nor need you fear m y d i s h uti n g with you thoug we disagree very cousi p d e rab ly i ndeed ab out papists an d presbyteri ans I hope yo u have not yet sent the MS to Mr L ort and if you have not do entreat you to e fface n u de cipherably what you have said about my life of Mr Baker I a m heartily glad you enj oy health a nd am equally sorry you are teazed about Burnham I '
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have thank God been better lat ely than for a year past —but I have some tho ughts of going to Malvern for a m onth or six weeks the end of this m onth I am sorry the eggs failed If th e j ourney was too long it is vai n to o ffer you m ore though I c an procure them n ext season P ray satisfy me that no m ention of M r Baker s life shall appear i n pri n t I can by n o m ean s Conse nt to it and I a m sure you will prevent it Yours sincerely ,
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I A M very h appy at receiving a l etter from your lordship this m oment as I thought i t very long s in ce we had corresponded b ut am afraid of b e ing troublesome when I have n ot th e excuse of thanking you or som ething worth telling you w hich i n tru th is ri ot the case at present No s oul , wh eth er interested or n ot b u t deafens one I always deteste d them even abo u t electio n s w hen i n parliament ; and when I lived a good de al at White s preferred h ea rin g of N ewmark et to elections ; for th e form er being uttered in a l anguage I did n ot understa n d did not en gage .
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my attention ; but as th ey talked of elections i n E ng li sh I could not help knowing what they said It does surprise me I own that people can ch oose to stu ff their heads with details and cir c u m s t a n c e s of which in six weeks they will n ever hear or think more The weath er till n ow has been the chief topic of conversation Of late it h a s been the third very hot summ er ; but t e freshed by so little rain that the banks of th e Thames have been an d are I believe like those of th e Man z anares The night before last we h ad som e good sh owers and to d ay a thick fog has dissolved i n some as thin as gauze S till I am not quite sorry to enj oy th e weather of adust climates — without their tempests an d insects L ady C o w p er I lately visited and b ut lately : if what I hear i s true I shall be a gainer for they talk of lord D h aving her house at R ichmond : l ike your l ordship I c on fe s s I was surprised at his choice I know nothing to the prej udice of th e yo u ng lady — b ut I shoul d not have selected for so gentle and very amiable a m an a sister of th e empress of fashion nor a daughter of the goddess of wisdom They talk of great dissatisfactions i n the fleet Geary and Barrington are certainly re tired It looks if this deplorable war sh ould continue as if a l l our com man ders by sea and land were to be d isgraced or d isgusted The people h ere have christened Mr S hirley s “
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not a third real sum m er an d so very dry one assisted your complaints ? I h ave been r e m ark ab ly well and better than for these fiv e years Woul d I coul d say the sam e of all my friends b ut alas ! I expect every day to h e a r th at I have lost my dear old friend m adame d a D e ff and S h e was indeed near eighty four but r etained all her interior faculties —two days ago th e l etters from P aris forbad all h opes So I r eckon myself dead as to France where I have kept u p n o oth er connexion I am going at last to publish m y fourth vol um e of P ainters which th ough printed so long I have literally treate d by H orace s rule N on umque p re ma t ur i n a nnwn Tell m e h ow I shall send it to you Yours e ver ,
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B erk el ey s qua re -
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O ct 3 , 1 7 80 .
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not go to Malvern an d therefore cannot certify you my good sir wheth er Tom H earne m istook stone for brass or not tho ugh I dare t o I S ust your criticis m sa j y My book if I can possibly shall g o t o t h e i n n to m orrow or next day at least Y o u will find a great deal of rubbish i n it with all your par tiality —but I shall have done with it
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H O N HO R AC E .
WA LP OL E
22 7
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I
cannot thank you enough for your goodness about your n otes that you promised Mr Gros s but I cannot possibly be l es s generous and l ess d isinterested : nor can by any m eans be the cause of your breaking your word In sh ort I insist o n your sen ding your notes to h im — an d as to my life of Mr B aker if it is known to exi st n obody c an m ake m e produce it soon er than I pl ease nor at a ll if I do not please ; so pray send your accounts an d leave m e to be stout with our antiquaries or curious I shall not satisfy the latter and don t care a straw for the former The m aster of Pembroke (who he i s I don t know ) is like the lover who said .
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I have been i n Kent with Mr Barrett b ut was not at R amsgate ; the master going thither per It is a mistake not worth rectify i ng 5 saw m e I have n o time for m ore being in the m idst of the delivery of my books Yours ever .
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MR
C OL E
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B erk el ey s q ua re -
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Nov 1 1 , 1 7 80 .
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I A M af raid yo u a re not well my good sir ; for you are so obligingly punctual that I think you woul d '
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C ORR E S PO ND E NC E
22 8
OF TH E
h av e acknowledged th e receipt of my last volum e i f you were not out of order L ord Dacre l ent m e th e new edition of Mr Gough s Topography and the ancient m aps an d quantity of additions tempted m e to b uy i t I h ave not go ne through m uch ab ove half of th e first volum e an d find it more entertaining than the first edition Thi s is no parti ality for I think he seem s rather disposed though civilly to fin d cavils with m e Indeed i n th e passage i n which I am m ost m entioned he not only gives a v ery confused b ut quite a wrong ac count : as i n other places h e records som e t ri fl e s i n my posses sion not worth recording — but I know that we antiquaries are but too apt to think that whatever has had the honour of entering our ears is worthy of being laid before th e eyes of every body else The story I m ean is p xi of the pre face N o w th e th ree volumes of drawings and tombs by Mr L e th ue illi e r an d sir C harles Fr e d e ri c k e for whi c h Mr G says I refused 2 ool and are now lord Bute s — are not lord Bute s but m ine an d for which I never was asked Qool and for whi c h I gave 6ol full enough The circumstances were m uch m ore entertaining than Mr G s perplexed account Bishop Lyttleton told m e sir C harles Fr e d e r i c k e complained of Mr L s n ot bequeath ing the m to him as he had been a j oint labourer with him ; and that sir C harles wished I would not bid against h im for them as th ey were to be ,
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23 0
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My very curious picture of R ose th e royal g ar d e n e r presenting th e first a nanas to C harles II p roves the culture here earlier by s everal years P 3 7 3 h e seems to doubt my a ss e rt i o n o f G ra v el o t s making drawings of tombs i n G l o u c e s t e r s h i re bec a use h e never m et with a n e n ra g y v i n s from t hem I took my accou t from Vertue n g wh o certainly k new what h e said I bough t at V ertue s own sal e som e of G ra v e l o t s drawings of our regal m onuments which V ertue engraved b ut which is stronger Mr Gough h im self a f e w pages after V iz i n p s 8 7 m ention s G rave l ot s d rawings of Tewkesbury church —which b eing in Glou cestershire Mr G m i ght have believed m e th at Gravelot did draw i n that county This i s a littl e like Mr M a s t e rs s being angry with m e for taking liberties with bishops and Chancellors an d then abusing grossly one wh o had been both bish op and c hancellor I forgot th at in t h e note on sir C harles Fr e d e ri c k e M r G ou gh f c al l s M r Wo rs e l ey Wortley In p 3 5 4 h e says R ooker exhibited a drawing of Waltham cros s to th e R oyal A cademy of S cie nces pray where is that academy ? I suppose h e means that of painting I find a f e w omissions ; one very comical ; he says P ensh urst was celebrated by B en Jons on and seem s to tally i n the dark as to h o w m uch m ore fame i t owes to Waller We antiquaries are a little apt to get laughed at for knowing wha t e very body has forgotten and for b eing ignorant ,
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H ON H O R .
AC E WALPOL E
231
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of what every child knows D o n o t tell him of these things for I do n ot W ish to vex him I hope I was mistaken and shal l h ear that you are well Yours ever .
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B e rk el ey s qua re -
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Nov 2 4 , 1 7 80
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I A M sorry I w as so m uch i n th e right in guessing you had been ill but at our age th ere is l ittl e s a a i c t y i n such divination In my present holidays g f rom the gout I h ave a lit tl e rheumatism or som e of those accompanim ents I have m ade several m ore notes to the n ew To h ra o b ut n one of consequence enough to p g p y transcribe It is well it is a book only for th e adept or th e scorners woul d often l augh Mr Gough sp e aking of som e cross that has b een t e m oved says there i s now a n u nme a n mg ma r ke t S aving his reverence and our hou se i n its place prej udices I doubt there is a good deal m ore They mea n i ng i n a m arket house than i n a cross tel l m e that there are numberless mistakes Mr P ennant whom I saw yesterday says so H e is n ot one of our plodders ; r ather the other ex trem e H i s corpor a l spirits (for I cannot call them anim al ) do not allow him ti m e to digest any thing H e gave a round j ump from o m i t h ol ogy to anti ,
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C O R R E S P OND EN C E
28 2
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and as if they had any relation though t y q h e understood every thing that lay between them These adventures divert m e wh o am got on shore an d find how sweet it is to look back o n those wh o are toiling i n deep waters w h ether in ships or cock boats or o n old rotte n plank s I am sorry for th e dean of E xeter ; if h e dies I conclude th e leaden m ace of the A ntiquari an S ociety will be given to j udge B a rrm g t on uit
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I endeavoured to give our antiquaries a l ittl e wrench towards taste —b ut i t was in vain S an dby an d our engravers have lent th em a great deal b ut th ere it stops C aptain Grose s dissertation s a r e as dul l an d silly as if th ey were written for th e O strogoth maps of the beginning of the Ne w T o og ra ph y ; an d which are so square and so i n p comprehensible that they look as i f they were i chnographies of th e n e w Jerusalem I a m de lighted with having done with the profession s of author an d printer and inten d to be m ost com f o r t ab ly l a zy I was going to say idl e (but that woul d not be new ) for the rest of my days If there was a peace I woul d build my o ffic e s i f there i s not soon we shall be bankrupt—nay I do not know what may happen as it is —well ! Mr Grose will h ave plenty of ruins to engrave ! The R oyal A cademy wil l make a fine mass with what remains of old S o me rs e t h ouse .
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C O R R ES P OND E NC E
2 34
OF T H E
my new fou rth vol um e I printed six hundred ; b ut as they ca n be h a d I believe n ot a third part i s sold This a ver y plain lesson to m e that my e ditions sell for their curi os i ty an d not for any merit i n the m and so they would if I printed M oth er Goose s Tal es and but a few A s m y A n ecdotes of Painting have b een p ublish ed at such distant periods an d in three d ivision s com l e t e sets wil l b e seldom seen ; so if I am humbl e d p I may b e v ai n a s a printer ; and a s an author whe n on e has noth in g else to b e vain of it i s cer t a i n l y very l ittle worth whil e to be proud of that I wil l n o w trust you with a secret b ut beg Mr Gough m ay n o t know it for he will print it directly Though I forgot A l ma M a te r I have not forgotten my A lma: N u t r i ce s wet or dry I m ean E ton an d King s I have lai d aside for t h em and left them i n my will as complete a set as I could of all I have printed A fe w I did give the m at firs t —but I have for neither a per f e c t set of the A necdotes I mean n ot th e two fir s t v olumes I shoul d be m uch oblige d to you if without naming m e you could inform yourself if I di d sen d to King s those two first volumes I believe n ot I will n o w e xpl ai n w h at I said above of Mr Go ugh H e has learnt I suppose from my e h gravers that I have had some views of S trawberry Slap dash down it went an d he hill engraved has even specified each view in his second volume Of
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H OR
AC E W ALP OL E
2 35
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This curiosity is a little im pertinent —but h e has made m e som e am en ds by a n ew blunder for h e says they are engraved for a second edition of my C atalogue N o w I h ave certainly printed b ut one e dition for which the prints are designed H e says tr uly that I printe d but a few for use ; c on sequently I by n o m eans wished th e wh ole world should kno w i t b ut h e is very silly an d so I wil l say n o m ore about him Dr L ort called yesterday an d asked if I had any m essage for you ; but I had written too lately Mr P ennant h a s b een as I think I told you i n town by this ti m e I con clude h e i s as lady Town ley says of fifty poun ds all over th e kingdom Wh en Dr Lort returns I shall b e very glad to read your transcript of Wo l se y s Lette rs ; fi r i n your hand I ca n read them I will n ot have t he m but by so me very safe conveyance and will re turn them with equal care I can h ave n o objection to R obin Masters being wooden h ead of the A ntiquarian S o c iety ; but I suppose h e is not dignified enough fo r them I sh oul d prefer the j udge too because a coif m akes h i m m ore l ike an old woman and I reckon that So c i e ty t h e m idwives of superannuated m i scarriages I am grieved for the return of your h ead aches I d oubt you write too much Yours m ost sincerely ,
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C O RR E S P OND E NC E
2 36
OF TH E
do n ot know whether I can obey his commands b ut that I will i f I can A s to a distinguishe d pla c e I beg not to be preferred to m uch better authors ; nay th e m ore conspicuous th e m ore likely to be stolen for the reasons I have given you of there being f e w c o m pl e t e sets and true collectors are migh ty apt to steal .
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ME
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C OL E
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B e r k el ey s qua r e -
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D e c , 1 9 , 1 7 80
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I C A N N OT leave you for a m oment i n error my good sir when you transfer a compliment to m e to which I have n ot th e m ost slender clai m ; an d defraud anoth er of it to whom it is due The friend of Mr Gray i n who m authorship caused no j ealousy or varian ce as Mr M a i n w a ring says truly i s M r Mason I certainly n e ver excelled in poetry an d never attempted the species of poetry alluded to odes Dr L I suppose is r e m oving to a l iving or a prebend at least ; I h ope so H e m ay r u n a risk if he carries his book to Lambeth S on o son a te ven tr i Ir e hor e e mez z a as Al exan der VIII said to his nephew when h e was chosen pope i n extrem e old age My lord of C anterbury s is not extreme but very tottering I found i n Mr Gough s n e w edition that i n the P epysian library i s a view of the theatre in Dorset ,
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OF TH E
sin ce th e description was m a de that I must a dd them in th e appendix or reprin t it ; and what i s m ore inconvenient the positions of m any of th e p ictures h ave been changed ; and so it wil l be a lam e piece of work A dieu my dear sir Yours m ost cordially ,
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C O NW A Y
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y 3, 1 7 8 1
a n ua r
A FT E R I had written my note to you l ast night
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called o n wh o gave m e th e dismal a o count o f Jamaica th at you will se e i n the gazette an d of th e damage done t o our shipping A dmiral R owley i s safe ; b ut they are i n apprehensions for Walsingham H e told m e too what is n ot i n th e gazette ; th at of th e expedition against the S panish settlements not a singl e m an s urvives ! Th e papers to d ay I see speak of great danger to Gibraltar repeate d to m e his great ‘ desire that you sh ould publish your speech as h e tol d you I d o n o t con ceive why he i s so eager for it for he professes total despai r about A me ri ca ,
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f or l e av e t o b rin g in
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A me ic r
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H ON H O R .
AC E WALP OL E
2 39
.
It looks to me as if there was a wish of throwing the blam e som ewhere — but I profess I am too simpl e to dive into the obje cts of sh ades of i a We shall b e t ri g u e s ; nor do I care ab out them reduced to a m iserable littl e island ; an d from a m ighty empire sink i nto as i n s ig n ific a n t a country as Den mark or S ar dinia ! When our t ra d e a n d m arine are gon e th e latter of which we keep u p by unnatural e fforts to which ou r debt will put a stop we shall lose the E ast In dies as P ortugal did ; an d then France will dictate to u s m ore i mp e r i o u sl y th an ever we di d to Ireland which is i n a m anner already gone too ! These are m ort ifying reflections to which a n E nglish m in d cannot easily accomm od ate itself — But alas ! we have bee n pursuing the very conduct that France would h ave prescribed an d m ore than with all h er pre sumption she could have dare d to expect C oul d sh e flatter herself t h a t w e would take n o a dvantage of the dilatoriness an d unwillingness of Spain to ? enter into th e war that we would rej ect the di s p osition of R ussia t o z s u pport u s ? an d th at our still m ore n atural frien d H olland woul d b e drive n into th e league against u s ? A ll this has hap pened ; an d l i ke an infant we are delighted with havi ng set our own frock i n a b l az e l —I sit and gaz e hy ? w ith astonishm en t at our phren sy —Yet w A re n ot n ations as liable to intoxication as i nd ivi duals ? A re n ot predictions founded on cal culation — oft ener rejected than th e prophecies of drea m ers ? .
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C OR R ES POND E N C E
24 0
OF TH E
D o we n ot act precisely like C harl es Fox wh o th ought h e had discovered a new truth in figures , when h e preached that wise doctrine that nobody could want m oney that woul d pay enough for it ? —The consequen ce was that in two years h e left h i m s el f w i t h o u t the possibility of borrowing a shil ling I a m not surprised at the spirits of a boy of — parts I am n ot surprised at the peopl e —I do wonder at govern ment that gam es away its con sequence For wh at are we n o w reall y at war with A merica Fran ce S pain and H olland —N o t with hop es of reconquering A m erica n ot with th e sm allest prospect of conquering a foot of lan d from Fran ce S pain or H ollan d N o ; we are at war on th e defen siv e to protect what is left or m ore truly to stave o ff for a year perhaps a pea c e that mu st proclai m our nakedness an d impoten ce I woul d not willingl y re c ur to that womanish vision of som ething m ay turn up i n our favour ! That something m ust be a naval victory that will annihilate at on ce all th e squadron s of E urope m ust wip e o ff forty m illion s of new debt —recon cile th e affections of A meri ca that for six years we have laboured to al ienate : an d that must recall out of the grave th e armies and sailors that are perished — and that must m ake th irteen provinces w illing to receiv e the law without the necessity of k eeping ten thousand m en am ongst them Th e giganti c imagination of lord C hatham would n ot entertain such a chimera L ord perh aps ,
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I a m very sorry yo u h a ve been at all indispo sed I will take th e utmost care of your 5 9 t h volum e for which I give o u this receipt ) and w ill r esto r e y ( it the instant I ha ve had tim e to go through it Witness my hand '
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ME
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C OLE
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Feb 9 , 1 7 8 1 .
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I H AD not tim e dear sir wh en I wrote last to a n swer your letter nor do m ore than cast an eye on your MS To say th e truth my patience is not tough enough to go through Wol sey s n e g ot i a tions I see that y ou r perseveran ce w as forced to m ake th e utmost e fforts to transcribe them They are i m measurably verbose n o t to m ention th e bl u nders of the first copyist A s I read only f or am usement I cannot so late i n my life pur chase i n fo rmation o n what I do n ot m uch ca re about at the price of a g re at d éal of ennu i Th e ol d wills at th e end of you r vol um e divert ed m e m u ch m ore than the obsole t e politics I shall say l w ven l e about hat o u call ur o d a n ot hi n o y y g Every bo dy m u st j u dge for him self i n th o se ma t ters : n or are you or I of an ag e to chang e long form ed Opinions as ne ither of us i s gov ern ed by self i nt e rest P ray tell me how I m ay m o st safely I val ue all your MS S : so r etur n your vol um e that I should never forgive m yself i f a ,
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single one cam e to any accident by your so obligingly lending them to m e They are great treasures and contain something or other that must suit m ost tast es : not to m ention your amaz ing i ndustry neatness legibility with notes arms & c — I kno w n o such repositor ie s Y o u will recei ve with your MS Mt Kerri ck s an d Mr Gough s l etter s The forme r i s very ki nd Th e i nau gu ration of t li e A n ti qua ted S oci ety i s bur l e s qu e —and so is their dearth of m aterials for a n oth er volume : c a n they ever w an t such rubbish as com pose thei r pre c e ding a nnals ? I think it probabl e that s tory should b e s t one : h owever I ne Ve r piqued myself on re clo rd i ng every m ason I have preserved but too many that di d n ot deserve to be m entioned I dare to say that when I am gone m a ny m ore such will be a dded to my volum es I had n ot heard of poor M r P ennant s misfortune I am very sorry for it for I believe him to b e a v ery h onest good nat ured m an H e certainly was too lively for his propor tion of understanding and too impetuous to make th e b est use of what he had H ow ever it is a cre dit to u s antiquaries to h ave on e of our class disordered by vivacity I hope your goutines s is dissip ated a nd that this l as t fln e week has set you on your feet again You rs most sincerely and grate fully ; ,
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C ORRESPOND E NC E
244
To
THE
RE V
MR
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OF T HE
C OLE
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DEA E
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you have not lighted on a trusty person t o f etch your MS I am unwilling to detain it longer f rom you , and th erefore shall send my pri nter wi t h it to m orrow m ornin g to the Gree n Dragon a o cording to your directions ; though I should not h ave ventured it i n that manner unless you your self had warrante d m e I do n ot know on wh at day the waggon sets out but I have ordered the book to be left at Mr S alm on s at C ambridge till called for My lady O rford ordered herself to be buried at L eghorn the only place i n Tuscany where protest ants have burial Therefore I suppose she did n ot aff ect to change O n the contrary I believe sh e had n o preferen ce fo r any s ect but rather ? laughed at all I kno w nothing n ew neith er i n novelty nor a n t 1 q u 1 ty I hav e had no gout this winter and therefore I call i t my le ap y ea r I a m sorry it is not yours too It is an age since I s a w Dr L ort I hope illness is not the cause You wil l be diverte d w ith hearing that I am chosen an honorary member of t h e new A n ti qu a rian S ociety at E dinburgh ; I accepted for two reasons First it is a feath er that does not de hither ; and secondly to show .
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C ORRE S P OND ENC E
2 46
OF TH E
of what he call ed S tate P apers Pray send m e an answer as soon as you can at leas t of as m uch as o u ha ve heard about this thing y I shall be obliged to you for a sight of the old wills you mention b u t not j ust yet as I shoul d n o t have tim e to read them n o w and m ight detain them too long Your MS went to th e Green Dragon on Friday n ight and they said the waggon would set out the n ext day Yours ever .
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MR
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C OL E
B e r k e l ey s q u a r e -
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are so good nature d that I am sure yo u will be glad to b e told that th e report of Mr P ennant being d isordered is not true H e is come to town —has b een with m e an d at least is as com posed as ever I saw him H e i s going to publish another part of his Wel ch tour which h e can w e ll affor d thou gh I beli eve he does not lose by his works An aunt i s d e ad exce e dingly rich who had g iven so me thousands to h i m and his d augh ter but suddenly changed her mind an d left all to his sister who has m os t n obly given him all that been destined in the cancelled will sh has j ust published the first volume of Y ou
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H ON H O R .
AC E WALP OL E
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his Worcestershire It is a folio of prodigious cor — h and dry enoug but then it is finely e l n e e c u t y p dressed and has m any heads an d views Dr L ort was with m e yesterday an d I never sa w him better n or has h e been m uch out of o r der I hope your gout h as le ft you ; but here a re winds b itter enough to give one any thing Yo urs ever .
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Ma
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C OL E
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A p il 3 1 7 8 1 I A M very sorry dear sir that in my last letter b ut one I took n o notice of what you said about lord H ardwicke ; the truth was I am perfectly i n d i fl e ré n t about what h e prints or publishes There is generally a little indirect m alice but so m u ch m ore dullness that the l atter soo n s ufl oc a t e s the form er This i s telling y ou that I coul d n ot b e n or am I offen ded at any thing you said of him likely to suspect a sincere friend of disobliging m e You have proved the direct contrary these forty years I ha ve n ot time to say mo re but am E ver m ost truly Yours r
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C OR R E S POND E NC E
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To
TH E
RE V
MR
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OF TH E '
C OL E
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B e rk el ey s quare Ma y 4 -
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1 781
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A LL not only be ready to show S trawberry hill a t any tim e he ch ooses to Dr Farmer as your friend ; but to b e h onoured with his acquaintance though I am very shy n ow of c ontracting n e w I have great respect for his character and abilities and j udicious taste ; and am very clear that he has elucidate d Sh ak spe a re i n a m ore reasonable and satisfactory manner tha n any of his aff ected com m e n ta t ors wh o only compl imented him with learn ing that he had n ot i n order to display their own Pray give m e tim ely notice whenever I am likely to see Dr Farmer that I m ay not be out of the w ay when I c a n have an opportunity of sh owing attention to a friend of yours and pay a small part o f your gratitude to h im There shall be a b e d at his service ; for you know S trawberry cannot b e seen in a m oment ; nor are E nglishm en so li a n ts as to get acquainted in th e tim e they are walking through a h ouse But n o w my good sir how coul d you su ff er your prej udiced partiality to m e to run away with you so extravagantly as to call m e one of the greatest characters of the age ? You are too h onest to flat ter too much a herm it to b e interested and I am too powerless and insigni ficant to b e an object of court were you capable of paying it from merce
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C ORRES P OND ENC E
250
O F TH E
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itti bookselle rs ; and I a m forced to p ublish it m yself to prevent piracy A ll I c an do i s to con dem u i t myself ; an d that I shall I am reading Mr P ennant s n e w Welch tour ; h e has pleased m e by m aking very handsom e m e n — tion of you B ut I will not do what I have bee n bl aming My poor dear m adam e d u D effa n d s little dog is arri ved S h e m ade m e promise to tak e care of i t the last tim e I saw her ; that I will m ost reli i and make it as happy as is possible I have o usl g y n ot m uch curiosity to see your C ambridge R aphael but great desire to see you an d will certainly th is sum mer accep t your invitation which I take m uch kinder than your g r ea t cha r ac ter though both fl owed fro m the same friendship Mine for you is exactly what it has been ever since you knew (and few m en can boast so u ninterru pted a friendship as yours an d that of) .
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I have seen th e Monthly
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H ON H S .
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C O N WA Y
S tra wb e r ry h ll , S un da y -
R e v1 e w
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May 6,
1 78 1
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I S UPP E D with your countess on Friday at lord Frederick C ampbel l s wh ere I heard of the relief of Gibraltar by Darby The S panish fleet kept ’
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H ON H O R .
AC E WALP OLE
25 1
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cl ose in Ca d iz m —howev er h e li fted up his l e g A s h e is a nd j ust squirted contempt o n the m disembarrassed of his transports I s uppos e the ir ships will scramble on shore rather than fight Well I shall be perfectly content with our fleet coming back i n a whol e skin It will b e enough to have ou t qu i xot e d Don Q uixote s own nation A s I kne w your countess would write the nex t day I w a i t e d till she was g one out of town an d would not have m uch to tell you not that I have either ; and it is giving myself an air to preten d to know more at Twickenham than sh e ca n at H enley Though i t is a bitter nort h east I came hither to d ay to look at my lilacs though ‘ and to get from P haraoh for which a la l a ce g th ere is a rage I doted o n it above thirty years ago ; but it is not decent to sit u p all night n o w with boys and girls the banker (2 la H e and h i s associate mod e h as been demolished sir went early t other night to B rook e s s before C harles Fox and Fitzpatrick who keep a bank there were come But they soon arrived at t acke d their rivals broke thei r ” bank and won above 4 000l There said Fox ” H e did stil l so sh ould all usurpers be served l better ; for h e sent for his tradesmen and paid as far as the money would go In th e m ornings he continues his war on lord N orth b ut cannot break tha t bank The court has carried a sec ret committee for India afl a i rs —and it i s suppo sed ,
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that R umbol d is to be the sacrifice —but as h e is I conclude he w il l n ear as rich as lord C live escape by the same golden key I tol d you i n my last that Tonton was arrived I brought him this m orning to take possession of his new villa ; but his inauguration has not been at all pacific A s he has already found out that h e m ay be as despotic as at saint Joseph s h e b e gan with exiling my beautiful littl e cat —upon which ho w ever we S h all not quite agree H e th en fl e w at one of my dogs who return ed it by biting h is f oot till i t bled ; b ut was severely b ea t En 2 for it I immediately rung for Margaret to dress his f oot ; but in the midst of my tribulation could n ot keep my countenance ; for sh e cried P oor little thing h e does not understand my lan guage I hope sh e will not recollect too that h e is a Papist ! '
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I CA M E before dinner an d find your long letter of the 3 d You have m istaken Tonton s sex who is a cavalier and a little of the mous que tai r e still ; but if I do not correct his v ivacities at least I shall not encourage them like my dear old friend ,
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C O R RES P OND E NC E
2 5 4‘
To
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S t r a w b e rry h ll ,
OF TH E
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M a y ! J un e ]
1 6, 1 7 8 1
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Yo u n last account of yoursel f was so indi fferent that I am impatient for a better : pray send m e a m uch be tter I know littl e in your way b ut that sir R ich ard Wors el ey has j ust publishe d a H istory of t h e Isle of Wigh t with m any views poorly done enough ; Mr Bul l is h onouring m e at least my A n ecd otes of Painting exceedingly H e has l et every page into a pompous sheet and is adding every print of portrait building & c that I mention and tha t he It Ca n g et an d spe c im ens of a ll o ur engrave rs will m ake eight magnificent folios an d be a m ost N ichols the printer has Valuable body of our arts published a n e w L ife of H ogarth of near t wo h undred pages many m ore in truth t h an it r e quired —c hi efly it is the lifiz of h is works contain ing all t h e variations and notices of any persons wh om he h ad i n vi e w I cann ot say there are d isc overies of ma ny prints which I have n ot m en t i on e d though I hear M r Gulston says h e has fifteen such ; but I suppose he only fancies so Mr Ni chol s says o ur pri n tsel l e rs are already add ing H og a rth s name to several spurious M r S tevens I hear has been allowed to ransack Mrs H og arth s house for obsolete and u nfinished plates whic h are to be completed and published Though ,
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WAL P OL E
H O N H O R AC E .
25 5
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she was not pleased with my account of her hus ba nd and seems by these transactions to have en I assure you I have m u ch c o urag e d the second more reason to be satisfied than she has th e editor o r editors being m uch c i vi l le r to living m e than to dead H ogarth yet I should not have c om plained E very body has the sam e right to speak their sentiments N ay in general I have gentler treatment than I expected and I think the worl d and I part good friends I am n o w setting about t h e completion of m y O de s S t ra w b e rri a n ae A painter is to com e hither on Monday to m ake a drawing of the Tribune and finish T S a n d b y s fin e view of the gallery to which I could n ever get him to put t h e l a s t hand They will then be engraved with a fe w of th e Chimney pieces which will complete the plates I m ust add an appendix of cu ri osities purchased or acquired since the catalogue was printed This will be awkward but I canno t afford to thro w away an hundred copies I shal l take care if I c a n tha t M r Gough does not get fresh i n t e l l i e n e s from my engravers or he will advert ize my g supplement before the b OOk appears I d o not th ink it was very civil to publish s u c h pri va t e in t e ll ig e n c e to which h e had n o right without m y l eave ; b ut every body seem s to think h e m ay do what is good i n his own eyes I saw the other day i n a collection of seats (exquisitely engraved ) a very rude insult on the duke of Devonshire .
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C ORRE S P OND E NC E
256
The
OF TH E
designer went to draw a View of w ithout askin g leave and was—n ot hindered for h e has given it ; but he says h e was treated i lli be the h ouse not being shown without tickets r a l ly which he not only censures but calls a singu l a ri ty though a frequent practice i n other pl aces an d practised ther e to my knowledge for th ese thirty years —so every bod y is to come into your house if he pleases draw it whether youplease or not and by th e sam e rule I suppose put an y thing into his pockets that h e likes I do know by experience what a grievan ce it is to have a h ouse worth b eing seen and though I submit i n consequ ence to great inconvenien ces they do not save m e fro m m any rudenesses Mr S ou t h c o t e was force d to sh ut up his garden for the savages who came as connoisseurs scribbled a thousand brutalities i n the b uildings upon his religion I m yself at C anons sa w a beautiful table of oriental alabaster that had been S plit i n two by a b uck i n boots j umping up backwards to set upon it I have placed the oaken head of H enry I II " over th e m iddle arch of th e armoury Pray tell m e what the church of Barnwell near O undle was which his m ajesty endowed and whence hi s head came Yours m ost sincerely .
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C OR RE S P ON D ENC E
25 8
O F TH E
ovelty I have no fear but it will be still born if it is twin with any babe that squall s and makes m uch noise A t the same time with yours I received a letter from another cousin at Paris who tells m e N ecker is on the verge an d in th e postscript says h e h as actually resigned I heard so a few days ago ; but this i s a ful l co nfirmation Do you remember a conversation at your house at supper i n which a friend of yours s po ke very an d seemed to wish his u n favourably of N ecker fall ? In my own opinion they are much i n the wron g It i s true N ecker lab oured with all his shoulders to restore th eir finances ; yet I am pe r ttention to that great object s ua d e d that his a m ade hi m clog all their m ilitary operations They will pay dearer for m oney ; b ut m oney they will h a ve — nor is it so dear to them for when th ey have gotten it th ey have only n ot to pay A m onsieur Joly de Fleury is comptroller general I — i h n n o t but as they change so k n OW g of him o ft en s om e able m an will prove minister at last a nd t here they will have the advantage again Lord Cornwallis s courier Mr Broderi c ,is n ot e d ; so you are a little precipitate in arriv e t y th inki ng A m erica so m uch nearer to b e i ng sub d ned which you have oft en swallowed up as if m ethinks that era o u w e re a m inister ; and yet y has been so f requently p ut off that I w on d e n yo u are n ot c ured of b e ing sanguine —o r rath e r of believi ng the magnificent lie s that every trifli ng
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WALP OL E
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dvantage gives birth to If a quarter of th e A mericans had j oined the royalists that have been said to j oi n all th e colonies woul d not hold them But at le ast they have been like the trick of kings and queens at cards ; where one of two goes back every turn to fetch another H owever thi s is o nly for conversation for th e m o m e n t With such aver sion to disputation I have n o zeal fo r making Ic on v e rts to my ow n 0p1 n ro n n ot e ven on points t h at touch m e nearer a
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May 3 1
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you see the papers you will find that there w a s a warm debate yes terday on a fresh proposal fro m H a rley fo r pa c ific a t i on with A m erica ; i n which the ministers were roundly reproache d wit h their boas ts of the returning z eal of the colonies ; and which thoug h it ought by their own accounts to be so much nearer comp l ete they coul d n ot m ain mm to be at all e ffectual ; though e ven yesterday a repo rt was revived of a second victory of l ord C ornwall is This debate prevented another o n the marriage bi ll whi ch C harles Fox wants to get a n d which he told m e he was going to re e al e d p I m ention this from the circumstance of l abour th e moment when h e tol d m e so I had been t o was com e to town : as I came see if l a d y A u p S t James s street I saw a c a rt an d porters at C s door ; C oppers and old che sts of d ra wer s lo adin g I n short hi s success at f aro has awa IE
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O F TH E
ho st of Creditors bu t unless his ba n k had swelled to the Size of the bank of E ngland it could n ot h a ve yi e l d e d a sop a piece for each Epsom too h a d been unpropitious — and one cre d i t o r has act u ally seized and carried off his g o od s which did not see m worth rem oving A s I re turned ful l of this scene whom sh oul d I find sauntering by my own door but C ? H e cam e u p and talked to me at th e coach window on th e m arriage bill with a s m uch s a ng jr oi d as if he knew nothing of what had happened —I have no admiration for i nsensibility to one s own faults especially when committed out of vanity P erhaps the whole philosophy c o nsisted i n th e co mmission If y ou Coul d have been as mu c h to blam e the l ast t hing you would bear well woul d be your own r e The m ore m arvell ous Fox s parts are fl e c tion s th e more on e is provoked at his foll ies which com fort so many rascals and blockheads and m ake all that is admirable and amiable in him only m atter of regret to those who like hi m as I do I did intend to settle at S trawberry on S unday but must return o n Thursday for a party made at M arlborough house for princess A melia I am continually tempted to retire entirely— an d should i f I did not see h o w very unfit E n glish tempers are for living quite out of the world We grow abominably peevis h and severe on others if we are n ot constantly rubbed against and polished by
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C O RR ES P O ND E N C E
262
O F TH E
had heard of no such letter Th e French wou ld be foolish indeed if they ran their heads a th ird time against your rocks when watched by t h e mos t vig ilant of all governors Your nephe w ” is arrived wit h the fl eet : my door ope ned G 5 t other morning ; I looked towards the com mo n hori z on of heads but was a foot an d a h alf belo w any face The han dsomest gian t i n the worl d made but one step cross my room ; and seizing my hand gave it such a rob ust gripe that I squall e d ; for b e crush e d my poor chalk stones to powder When I had recovered from th e pain of his friendly salute I said It m ust be G C an d yet is it possible —Why it is not fifteen m onths ago since you was but six feet ”— high I n a word he is W ithin an inch of R obert an d E dward with larger limbs almost as hand some as H ugh with all the bloom of youth ; an d i n short another of those com ely sons of A nak th e breed of which your brother and l ady H erti ford have piously restored for the comfort of the daughters of S ion H e is delighte d with having tap ped his warfare with the siege of Gibraltar and burn s t o stri de to A merica The to wn h e says i s totally destroye d ; and between two a n d three hundred persons were killed Well ! it i s pity lady H ertford has done breeding : we shall want such a race to r e people even the ruins we do not lose ! The rising generation does give on e s ome hopes — I confine myself to some of this .
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AC E WALP OL E
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year s birds The young William P itt has again displayed paternal oratory The other day on t he commission of accounts he answer e d lord N orth an d to re him limb fro m limb If C harles Fox co u l d fe el one should think such a rival with an unsp otted character woul d rouse him What; if a P itt and Fox shoul d a g a i n b e rival s ! — A still newer orator has appeare d in the India busi ness a Mr Banks and against lord N orth too a n d with a m erit that th e very l ast crop of orators left out of their rubric—modesty ; A s you ng P itt i s m odest t oo one would h Ope som e genuine E ng lish may revive ! ’
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TH I S i s the season of opening my cake house I have ch osen a bad spot if I m eant to retire ; and calculated ill when I m ade it a puppet show La st week we had two or three m astiff days ; for they were fie rc e r than our com mon dog days It is cooled again ; but rain is as g re a t a rarity as i n E gypt ; an d father T ham es is so far from being a Ni le that he is dying for thir st himsel —But it would be prudent to reserve paragraph s of wea ther till people are gone out of town ; for then I c a n have little to send you else from hence -
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Te xi er
m i scarried of
C OR RES P OND EN C E
2 64
Pygmalion
OF TH E
The expense woul d have mo unte d to 1 5 01 and he could get but sixty subscribers at a guinea a piece I am glad his experience an d I did not ex pect s u c c e ss h a ve taught him thrift it S heridan had a heavier miscarriage last night The tw o Ve s t ri s had imagined a fete ; and con ' cl uding that whatever they designed would capti v a te the town and its p urses were at the expense of 1 2 001 and d i s t rib u t i n g t i c k e t s at two guineas It ended a pie ce disposed of not two hun dred i n a bad opera that began three h ou rs l at e r than usual , and at quadruple t h e pri c e There were b ushels of dead flowers lamps country dances Y e t they are not abused as and a cold supper poor Le Te xi e r was last year .
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I C ON C L UD E my l etter and I hope our present correspondence very agreeably ; for your brother tol d m e last night that you have writte n to lord H ill sboro u gh for l eave to return If all our g o vernors coul d leave their dominions in as good plight i t were lucky Your brother owned what the Gazette with all its circumsta nces cannot con ceal that lord C ornwallis s triumphs have but in crease d our l osses with out leaving m y hopes I am tol d that his army which when he parted from C linton am ounted to m en does n ot now co ntain above as m any h undred except the de T he Ga z et te to my sorro w and yo ur ta ch me n ts ,
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t e rd ay :
it was fro m who has passe d a day and night here It was not from my being a f ello w scholar of Ve st ri s but fro m his being t u rned antiquary ; the last patina I shoul d have thought a Macaroni wou ld have taken I am as prou d of such a disciple as of having converted Dicky Bateman from a C hinese to a Goth Though h e was the founder of the S h arawadgi taste i n England I preached so e ffectually that h is every p agoda t ook t h e veil T h e methodist s say one m ust h ave been very wicked before one c a n b e of the elect —ye t i s t h a t extrem e m ore distant from the ton whi ch avows kn owing and liking nothing but th e fashion of the instant to studying what wer e t h e m od e s of five hundre d years ago ? I hope this conversion will not rui n s fortune under the lord lieutenan t Mr of Ireland H o w his Irish maj esty will be shocke d s shoe when he asks h ow large prince B buckles are grown to be answered h e does not know but that C harles Brand on s c od pi e c e at the last birth day had three yards of velvet in it ! a n d that the duchess of Buckingham thrust out her chi n two inches farther than ev er i n admira tion of it ! a n d t h at the march ioness of Dorset h ad p ut out her j aw by endeavouring to imitate h e r ! We have at last had some rains which I hop e extended to Yorkshire an d that y our lordship has found Wentworth castle i n the bloo m of ve rd ure .
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AC E WALP OL E
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I always as in duty b ound wish prosperity e very body and every thing there and am Your lordshi p s ever devoted and grateful h umble servant '
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MY go o d s i r you forget that I h aVe a cousin e ldest s o n of lord Walpol e and of a m arriageabl e age who has the same C hristian n am e as I The m iss C hurchill he has married is my niece second daughter of my sis t er lady M ary C hurchill so that if I were i n my dotage I m ust h ave looke d o u t for another bride — i n sh ort I hope you wil l h ave no occasion to w i sh m e j oy of any egregiou s folly I do congratulate you on yo ur better health a n d on the duke of R u t l a n d s civilities to n e I y ea 3 a m a little sur prised at his brother w h o i s a s m an h avi ng a propensity to divinity an d wonde r o u obj ec t to it ; the church n a vigant would be y A s to or thod oay n fi x a n extension of i ts power cuse m e if I think it means n othi ng at all b u t every man s own o pinion We re e ve ry m an to d efine h i s faith I am p ersuaded that no two m en are or ever were e xac tly of t h e s a me opinion i n a ll points ; and as m en are m ore angry at others for di ff ering with them on a sing le point tha n ,
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26 8
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satisfied with th eir concurrence in all others each would deem every body else a heretic : Ol d or new Opinions are exactly of the same authority for every opinio n m ust h ave been n e w when first started ; and no man has nor ever h ad more righ t than another to dictate unless inspired S t P eter and St Paul disagreed fro m th e earliest tim e and wh o can be sure w h i c h wa s in the right ? and if one of the apostles was in th e wrong who may not be m istaken ? When ? you will tel l m e which was the orthodox and which the het erodox apo i s tl e I will allo wth at you k n o w w h a t orthodoxy is Y o u a n d I are perhaps the t w o pe r s on s who agree the b e s t w i t h very di fferent way s of thinking and perhaps t h e reason is that we have a m u t u a l estee m for each other s sincerity and from an ex ri e n c e of more than forty years e are persuaded p that n e i t h e r of us ha s any interested views For m y o w n part I c onfess honestly that I am far from having the same charity for t h o s e w h o m I suspect of mercenary views If Dr Butl er when a p rivate clergyman wrote Whig pamphlets and when b i sh op o f O xfo rd preaches Tory serm ons I sh oul d n ot tell him that h e does not know what orthodoxy is but I am convinced he does not c are The duke of R utland seem s m uch w h at i t is more liberal tha n Butler or I wh en h e is so civ i l to you though you voted against his brother I am not acquainted with his grace but I r espect his behaviour ; he is above prejudices ,
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nam e sounds familiar to me — but just n ow I cann ot consult my papers or books from the i m pediment of my guests A s I am actually pre I shall a ring a n e w edition of my A necdot es p very soon have occasion to search I am sorry to hear you complain of the gout but trust it will be a short parenthesis Yours m ost gr atefully .
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S t ra wbe rry h ill , A ug 3 1 , 1 7 8 1 -
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YOU R l ordship s too friendly parti ality sees talents in m e which I am sure I do not po ssess With all my desire of amusing you an d with all my sense o f gratitude for your long and unalterable goodness it i s quite impossible to sen d you an entertaining lette r from hence The insipidity of my life that is passe d with a few old people that are wearing out lik e mysel f a fter surviving so m any of my acquaint ance can furnish no m atter of correspondence Wh at few novelties I hear come stale and not till they have been hashe d i n th e n ewspapers ; an d though we are engaged in such big and wid e war s they produce no striking events nor fur ni sh any thing but regrets for t he lives and mill ions we fling away to no purpose ! On e cannot divert whe n mpute ; nor e xtract e n tertainment one c a n only c o .
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from prophecies that there is no reason to col our favourably We have indeed foretold success for seven years together b ut debts and taxes have been the sole completion If one turns to private life what is there to fur nish plea sing topics Dissipation without obj ect pleasure or genius is th e only colour of the times O n e h ears every day of som ebody undon e but c an we or they tel l h ow except wh en it is by th e m os t expeditiou s of all means gaming ? A n d n ow even the loss of an h undred thousand p ounds i s not rare enough to be surprising On e m ay stare o r growl but cannot relate any thing th at is worth hearing I do not l ove to censure a younger age ; but i n good truth they neithe r am use m e nor e n able m e to amuse oth ers The pleasantest event I know happened to m y s elf last S unday morning w h en general Co nway v e ry u nexpe ctedly walke d i n as I was at brea k H e lo oks as well f ast i n his way to P ark place i n health an d spirits as ever I saw hi m ; an d though he s taid b ut hal f an hour I was pe rfect ly content as h e 1 5 at home I am glad your lordship l ikes th e fourth book of Th e Garden which 1 8 admi rably col oured The vers ion of Fr e sn oy I think th e finest translation I It 1 3 a m ost beautiful poem extracted e ver saw from as dry an d prosaic a parcel of verses as could be put together : Mr Mason has gilded lead an d burnished it highly Lord and lady H arcourt I .
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should think would make him a visit and I hope for their sakes will visit Wentworth cas tle A s th ey both have taste I should be sorry they did not see the perfectest specimen of architecture I know Mrs Damer certainly goes abroad this winter I am glad of it for every reason but h er absence I am certain it will be essential to her health an d she has so eminently a classic genius and is her self so sup erior a n artist that I enjoy the pleasure sh e wil l have in visiting Italy A s your l ordship has honoured al l the produc tions of my press with your acceptance I ventur e to enclose th e last wh ich I printed to oblige the a" L 8 There are m any beautiful and poetic expressions i n it A wedding to be sure is neither a new nor a promising subj ect nor will outlast the favours : still I think M r Jones s ode is u n c o m m oul y good for the occasion at least if it does not m uch charm lady S t rafl or d and yo u r l ordship I know you will receive it kindly as a tribute f rom S trawberry hill as every homage is due to you both from its m aster You r devoted humble servant ,
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27 4
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first for this reason : I expect sum mons to N une ham every day ; and besides having never loved two j ourneys instead of one I gro w m ore covetous of my tim e as I have little left and therefore had rather take Park place going an d coming on my way to l ord H arcourt I don t know a word of news public or private I am deep in my dear ol d friend s papers There are som e very delectabl e ; an d though I believe nay kno w I have not quite all there are m any which I almost wonder after th e little delicacy 2 th ey have shown ever arrived to my hands I dare to say they w ill n ot be qu ite so j ust to the public ; f o r t h o ug h I cons ented that th e corr e s po n d e n c e with V oltaire shoul d be given to the editors of his works I am persuaded th at there are m any passages a t least which th ey will sup press, as very contemptuous to his chief votaries I m ean of th e votaries to h is sentiments —for lik e other heresiarchs h e despise d h is tools If I live to see th e edition it will divert m e to collate it with what I have m my hands You are the person in th e worl d the fittest to en counter the m eeting yo u m ention for th e 8 ch oice of a bridge You have temper and patience ,
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AC E
W ALP OL E
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enough to bear wit h fools and false taste I so unlike you have learned some patien ce with both sort s too but by a m ore summary method than by waiting to instil reason into them Mine is only by leaving them to their own vagari es an d by despai ring that sense and taste shoul d e v er extend th emselves A dieu .
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In Voltaire s letters are some bitter traits on the king of P russia which as he i s defender of their no faith I concl ude will be r aye s too .
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I A M glad to hear sir that your accou nt of H o 2 garth c alls for an other edition ; an d I am very sensible of your great c ivility in offering to chan g e i passages that cr ticise my o w n work T hough an y I a m much oblige d by the offer I sh oul d blush to myself if I even wishe d for that complaisance Good God ! sir ; what am I that I sh ould be offended at or above criticism or correction ? I do n ot know who ought to b e —I am sure no ,
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C O R R E S P O ND E N C E
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author I am a private man of n o consequence and at best an author of very moderate abilities I n a work that c omprehends so mu c h biography as my A necdotes of Painting it woul d h ave been impossible even with m u c h m ore diligen ce tha n I employed not to make n umberless mistakes It is kind to m e to point out those errors to the world it is j ustice N o r have I reason to be dis pleased even with th e manner I do remember that i n many passages you have been very civil to m e I do not recollect any harsh phrases A s my work is partly critical as well as biographic there too I had n o reason or right to expect de ference to my op i n 1 ons C riticism I doubt h as n o very c ertai n rul e to go by ; in matters of taste it is a still m ore vague an d arbitrary scien ce A s I am very sincere sir in what I say I wil l with the same i ntegrity own that in one o r t w o places of your book I think the criti c ism s on m e are n ot wel l founded For instance ; in p 3 7 I am told that H ogarth did not deserve the com l i m e n t I p ay him of not descending to the i nde p l i c a c y of the Flem ish and Dutch painters It i s very true that yo u have produced some instances to which I had not a d ve rt e d w h e re he has been guilty of the same fault though I think not i n all you alledge nor to the degree alle d ged : i n som e I think th e humour compensates for the i n d e l i cacy which is never the case with th e Dutch ; and in one particular I think it is a m erit ; I mean .
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27 8
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any additional lights to your n ew publication ; indeed what additional lights I have gained are from your work which has furnishe d m e with m an y I am going to publish a new e dition of al l the five vol um es of my A necdotes of P ainting in which I shall certainly i nsert wh at I have gathered from you This edition will be in five thin octavos without cuts to m ake the purchase easy to artists an d such as c annot aff ord the quartos which are grown so extravagantly dear that I am ashame d of it Being p ublishe d too at diff erent periods and being many of them cut to pieces for th e h eads since the rage for port raits has been carried so far it is very rare to m eet with a complete set My corre cted copy i s now in the printer s hands except th e last v ol ume i n which are my additions to H ogarth from your list and perhaps one or two m ore ; but that volume also I have le ft in town though not at the printer s as to complete it I m ust wait for hi s n e w works which Mrs H ogarth is to p ublish When I am settled i n town sir I sha ll be very ready if you please to call on m e in Berkeley square to com municate any additions I have m ade to my account of H oga rth On e or two t ri fl e s I h ave inserted in the m argin of your a o count wh ich I will now m ention though scarcely worth your adopting P 8 4 o f yours It is impossible H enry VIII and A nna Boleyn co uld h e meant for portraits of ,
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the late prince an d m iss Vane The stature and faces of both are totally unlike You ask sir where the picture is or was ? It was at Vauxhall in the portico of th e ol d great room on the right hand as you enter t h e g ard e n I rem ember i t there P 1 4 7 last line There never was a d uke of Kendal but an i nfant son of James II Th e arms en g raved were certainly those of th e d uchess of Kendal an d the same with those I have in a lozenge It m ust h ave been a m istake if wri tten duke or i n a mal e shield P 1 4 8 The print of Monti cell i Cuz z on i an d H e yd e g g r e if etche d by him was n ot designed by him but the last countess of Burlington ; nor is it Montic elli b ut Farinelli : M onti celli was not i n E nglan d till m any years aft er th e C u z z o n i I do not at present recollect any thing m ore that can b e Of use to you ; an d am .
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Your oblige d and obedi ent humble servant
To
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I H AVE b een here again for three days te ndi ng a n d n ur sing an d waiting on Mr Je ph s on s pl ay I have brought it into the worl d w as w ell delivered of i t ,
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stand on its own l egs —and I am going b ack to my own quiet hill n ever likely to have any thing m ore to do with t heatres Indeed it has seemed strange to m e who for these three or four year s have not been so m any ti mes in a play house nor knew six of the actors by sight to be at two r e h e a rs a l s behind th e scenes in the green room and acquainted with half the company The C ount of N arbonne was played last night with great applause an d without a single m urmur of disapprobation Miss Young has charm e d m e S h e playe d with intelligence that was quite s urpri sing Th e applau se to one of her speech es lasted a m inute an d recomm enced twice before th e play could go on I am sure you will be pleased with the c on d ufit an d th e easy beautiful language of the pl ay a n d s t ru c k with her acting
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fresh m ark of your lordship s kindness and friendship calls on m e for thanks and an answer : every oth er reason would enj oin m e silence I n ot only gro w so Ol d but the symptoms of age increase so fast that as they advise m e to keep out of the world that re tirement makes m e less fit to be i n forming or entertaining The philosophers wh o ’
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has swallowed up all our principles will reign again i n three days with its wonted sovereignty I had rather be sile nt than vent my indignation —Yet I on any other sub c annot talk for I cannot think It was not six days ago that in th e height ct e j of four raging wars I saw in the papers an account of th e opera an d of the dresses of the company ; and thence the town and then c e of course the whol e nation were informed that M r F h ad very little p owder i n hi s hair Woul d n ot on e think that our newspapers were penned by b oys j us t com e from school for th e information of their sisters and cousins ? H a d we had Ga z et t es and Morning P osts i n those days would th ey hav e bee n fille d with such tittle tattle after the battle of Agincourt or i n the m ore resembling week s after th e battle of N aseby ? Did th e French trifle equally eve n dur 1 ug the ridiculous war of th e Fronde ? If th ey were as impertinent then at l east they had wit i n their l evity We are m onkeys i n con duct an d as cl umsy as bears when we t ry rt o gambol I have no patience with m y coun Oh my lord try ! an d shall leave it without regret — C an we be prou d when al l E urope scorn s us I t w a s wont to envy us s ometimes to hate us but never de James the first was contemptible spi s e d us before b ut he did not lose an A merica ! H i s eldest grand son sold u s his younger lost u s—b u t we kept our selves N o w we have run to meet th e ruin — and it is coming ! ,
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AC E WALP OL E
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I beg your lordship s pardon if I h ave said t oo much — b ut I do not bel ieve I have You h ave never sol d yourself and there fore h ave not been accessary to our destruction You m ust be happy now no t to h ave a son wh o woul d live to grovel in the dregs of E ngland Your lordship has long been so wise as to secede from the follies of y our countrym en May yo u an d lady S tra fl o rd l ong enj oy the t ranquillity that has been your option even i n better days an d may yo u amuse your self without giving l oose to such reflections as have o v e rfl o w e d i n this letter from Your devoted humble servant ’
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WE are both hearty friends my dear sir for I see we have both been reproaching ourselves wi th si lence at th e same mom ent I am m uch concerned th at you have b a d cause for yours I have had less though indisposed too in a part material for correspondence my right hand whi ch has been i n lab our of ch al k stones this whole sum mer and at ti mes so nervous as to tremble so much that ex cept when quite necessary I have avoided a pen I h ave been delivered of such a qua n tity of chal ky m atter that I a m not only al most free from pain ,
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but hope to avoid a fit this winter H ow there c a n be a doubt what the gout is amazes m e ! what i s it but a concretion Of humours that either stop the fine vessels cause pain an d inflamm ation u p and pass away only by perspiration ; or wh ich dis charge themselves into chalk stones which some times remain i n their beds sometim es make their passage outwardly I have experienced all three It may be obj e c te d that the som etimes instan t a n e o u s removal of pain from one limb to anoth er is too rapid for a current o f chalk—true but n ot for the h umour before coagulated A s there is evidently too a degree of wind m ixe d with the gout may not that wind b e i mpregnate d with the noxious e ffl uvi a espe c ially as th e latter are pent up i n the body and may b e corrupted —I hope your present complaint in th e foot will c lear th e rest of your person : many thanks for your etching of Mr Browne Willis : I shall value it not only as I am a collector b ut because h e was your friend What shall I say about Mr Gough ? h e i s not a pleasant man and I doubt will teaze m e about m any things som e of which I never cared about an d al l which I interest myself li t tle about n o w wh en I seek to pass my remnant in most indolent tranquillity H e has not been very ci vil to m e h e worships the fools I despise and I conceive has n o genuine taste —yet as to trifling resentments when the objects have not acted with bad hearts I can most readily lose them Please Mr Gough .
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will be two hundred y ears out Of my re ach Mr Bryant I did find begged a vast many questions which proved to m e his own doubts Dr Glynn s foolish evidence made m e laugh an d so did Mr Bryant s sensibility jb r me h e says C hatterton treated m e very cr ue lly in on e of his writings I a m sure I did not feel it so I suppose Bryant m eans u nder th e title of baron Of O tranto which i s written with hum our I must have been the sensitive plant if any thing i n that character had h urt m e ! M r Bryant too an d the dean as I see by extracts i n the papers have d ecorated C hat terton with sanctimonious honour —th ink of that young rascal s note when sum moning u p his gains and losses by wri ting for an d against Be c kford h e ” says A m glad h e is dead by 3 1 6d The r e was a lad of too n ice honour to be c apable of forgery ! and a lad wh o they do not deny forged th e poem s in the style of O ssian an d fifty other things In the part s I did read Mr Bryant as I expected reasons admirably and staggered m e ; but when »I took up the poems called R o wley s again I protest I can not see th e smallest air of antiquity b ut th e old words Th e whole text ure is con ceived on i deas Of the prese nt century The l iberal mann er of thinking of a m onk so long before the R ef orm ation i s a s s t u pe n d ou s — an d h where h e m et with O vi d s Me t a m o rph o se s E c lognes and plan s of Greek tragedies when even C axton a printer took V irgil s Z E n e i d for so rare .
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a novelty are not less incomprehen sible — though on these things I s pe ak a t random nor have searched for the re ra when the Greek and Latin c lassics came again to light—a t present I imagine long after our E dward I V A n other thing struck m e i n my very cursory perusal of Bryant H e asks wh ere C hatterton could find so much knowledge of E nglish events ? I coul d tell h i m wh ere h e might by a very natural hyp othesis though m erely an hypothesis It a p pears by t h e eviden ce that C an n i ng e l eft six ch ests of MS S and that C hatterton got possessio n of some or several N o w what was therein s o C a n n i n e h imself b as a diary drawn up by o a b r ly g p or som e ch urchwarden or wardens , or by a monk or m onks ? Is any thing m ore natural than for such a person amidst the events at Bristol to set down such other publi c facts as happen ed i n th e Was not such al most all r est of the kingdom ? th e m aterial s of our ancient story ? There is a c t u a ll y such an one with some curi ous collateral facts if I a m not mistaken for I write by m e m ory i n th e H istory of F a rnese or Fou ntain s Abbey I forget which —i f C hatterton found such an one di d he want th e exten sive literature on which so much stress is laid ? H ypoth esis for h y o th e s i s I am sure this is as rational an one as p th e supposition that six chests were fille d w ith poem s neve r else heard of These are my indigested thoughts on this m at ,
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ter—n ot that I ever intend to digest them —for I will n ot at sixty four sai l back into the fourteenth an d fifteenth centuries and be drowned in an ocean of monkish writers of those ages or of this ! Yours m ost sincerely -
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B e rk e l e y s q u a r e -
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th ese three weeks I h ave h ad the gout in my left elbo w an d hand and can yet but j ust bear to lay the latter on the paper while I write with the other H owever this is n o complaint f o r it is th e shortest fit I have had these sixteen years and with trifling pain ; th erefore as th e fits de crease i t does ample h onour to my b oot ik e n s regimen an d m ethod N ext to my b o o t i ke n s I ascribe m u c h credit to a diet drink of clock roots as o f which Dr Turton asked m e for the receipt th e best h e h ad ever seen and which I will sen d you if you please It came from an ol d physician at R ich mond wh o did amazing service with it i n i nveterate scurvies th e parents or ancestors at least I believe of all gouts Your fit I hope is quite gone Mr Gough has been with m e —I never saw a m ore dry or m ore cold gentleman H e told m e his n e w plan is a series of E nglish m onuments
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B erk el ey s q ua re -
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Feb 1 4 , 1 7 8 2 .
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I H AV E received suc h treasures from you dear sir through the ch annel of Mr Nichol s that l neither know h o w to thank you nor to find time to peruse the m so fast as I am impatient to d o Y o u m ust complete your kindness by letting m e detain them a few days till I have gone through them when I will return them m ost carefully by the same i ntervention ; an d parti cularly th e c u rio n s pi ece of enamel ; for though you are as usual generous enough to Offer it to m e I h ave plundered you too Often already ; and indeed I have room left for nothing m ore nor have that mi serly appetite of continuing to hoard what I cannot enj oy nor have m uch time left to possess I have al ready looked into your beautiful il lu m i n a t e d MS copied from Dr S t uk el ey s letter a n d with A necdotes of th e A ntiquaries of Bennet C oll ege ; an d I have found therein so many charm ing i ns t ances of your candour h um ili ty and j us ti ce that I grieve to deprive Mr Gough for a m inute even of th e possession of so valuable a tract I will not inj ure h im or it by begging y ou to can c e l what relates to m e as it would rob y ou of part of your defence of Mr Baker If I wish to have i t detain ed from Mr Gough till the period a fli xe d in the first leaf or rather to my death whi ch wi l l ,
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probably precede yours it is for this reason only ; Mr Gough is apt as we antiquaries are to be i m patient to tell the worl d a ll he knows which is n u lu ckily m uch more than th e worl d i s at all impa tient of knowing For what you call y our fl a mi ng z e a l I do not in the least obj ect to i t We have agreed to tol erate each other an d certainly are n either of us i nfallible I think on what we dif fer m ost is your calling my Opinion s f as hi on a ble th ey were wh en we took them up : I doubt it is yours that are m ost i n fashion n o w at least i n this country The emperor seem s to be of our party ; but i f I like his n otions I do n ot admire his j udg m ent which is too precipitate to be j udgment I smiled at M r G ough s idea of my declining his acquaintance a s a m emb er of that Obnoxi ous society of anti q uaries It i s their folly al one that is obnoxiou s to m e — and can th ey h elp that ? I shall very cheerfully assist him I am glad you are undeceived about th e con t rov e rs i al piece i n th e Gentleman s Magazine which I sh ould have assured you as you now kn ow that it was not m ine I declared i n my D ef e nce th at I would publish n othing m ore about that questi on I have not n or intend it N either was it I that wrote th e prol ogu e to the C ount of N arbonne but Mr Jephson himself On th e op o s i t e page I will add the receipt for the diet p drink : as to my regimen I shall not specify it N o t only you woul d n ot adopt it but I shoul d ,
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C O R R E S P O ND E N C E
29 2
O F TH E
tremble to have you In fact I never do pre scribe i t as I am persuaded it would kill the strongest m an in E ngland who was n ot exactly of the sam e temperament with me and who had not embraced it early. It con sists i n tem perance t o quantity as to eating —I do not mind the quality ; but I am persuaded that great absti nence with the gout is dangerous ; for if one does not take nutriment enough there cannot b e strength s u ffi cient to fling out the gout and then it deviates to palsies But my great nostru m i s th e u s e of col d water inwardly and outwardly on all occa sions and total disregard of precaution against catching cold A hat you k now I never wear my breast I never button nor wear great coats 8 m I have often had th e gout i n my face (as last week ) and eyes and instantly dip my head in a pail of col d water which always cures it and does not send it any wh ere else A ll this I dare do because I have so for these forty years weak as I look ; b ut Milo would not have lived a week if he had played such pranks My d iet drink is not all of so Quixote a disposition ; any of the faculty will tell you how inn ocent it i s at least In a f e w day s for I am a rapid reader whe n I like my m atter I will return al l your papers and letters ; and in the m ean tim e thank you m ost sincerely for the use of them and am You r ever oblige d .
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minute accura c y about very indi fferent prints I do not doubt but there is a swarm of dimin utive inaccuracies in my A necdotes well if there is I bequeath free leave of correction to th e micro scopic intellects of my continuators I took dates and facts from the sedulou s and faithful V ertu e and pique d myself on l ittle but on giving an idea of th e spirit of the tim es with regard to th e arts at the di ff eren t periods The specimen you present m e of Mr Gough s detail of our m onuments is very di fferently treated proves vast industry an d sh ows m ost c ir c u m s ta n tial fidelity It extends too m uch farther than I expected for it seem s to embrace the wh ol e m ass of our m onum ents nay of som e that are vanished It is not what I though t an intention of r e pre senting our m odes of dress from figures on m onu ments but rather a history of our tombs It is fortunate th ough h e m ay not th ink so that so many of the m ore ancient are destroyed since for three or four centuries they were clum sy I know I am but a fragment of an r ude and u gly antiquary for I abhor all S axon doings and what ever did not exhibit som e taste grace or ele s a and some ability in the artist if I N a n Ce y g m ay say so to you I do n ot care a straw for arch bishops bish ops mitred abbots and cross legged knights When you have one of a sort you have seen all H owever to so superficial a s tud en t i n a n ti qui ty as I am M r Gough s work i a o t .
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unente rta ining It has frequently anec dotes and queen s and histori c per c ircum sta nces of kings s o n ag e s that i nterest m e though I care not a stra w about a serie s of bishop s who had only Ch ristian names or were rem oved fro m on e old ch urch to a newer S till I shall assist Mr Gough wit h whatever h e wants in my possession I b e lieve he is a ve ry worthy m an and I should be a churl not to oblige any m a n who is s o innocently employed I have felt th e selfish the proud avarice of those who hoard literary curiosit i es for them selves alone as other m isers do m oney I observed in your account of th e count bishop H ervey that you call one of his de dicators Martin Th at Mr S herloc k is an S herlock E s q p 5 3 Irish clergyman ; I am acquainted with him H e is a very amiable good nat ured m an an d want s j udgm ent not parts H e is a little damaged by aiming at S terne s capricious pertness which t he original wore out an d wh ich having been ad m ired and cried up to the skies by foreign writers of review s was on th e contrary too sev e rely treate d by our own That inj usti c e shocked Mr S h e rlo c k wh o has a good h eart and much sim l i c i an d sent him in dudgeon last year to t p y Ireland determined to write no m ore ; y e t I a m pe rsu a de d he will so strong is his pro pensity to b e i n g a n author ; and if he does correction may make him m ore attentive to what he says and .
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C ORR E S P O ND E N C E
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OF T H E
writes H e has no gall on th e contrary too m uch b enevolence in his indiscriminate praise ; but he has made many ingenious criticisms H e is a j ust a due enthusiast to S h ak s pe a re : but alas ! he scarce likes R ichardson less Pray woul d it be possible to get a print of Mr C owper by Mr Tyson m entioned i n your M S p 4 5 ? B e ware ! do not pl unge into your n atural generosity and say I h ave on e at your service : you have put m e on my guard against your b ountiful spirit I vow solemnly I will n ot accept a n on ly on e ; nor without that vow would I have nam e d it There i s another favour I am inclined to ask but u pon con dition too that you refuse it if you have th e least Obj ection I have a curiosity to see what th e count bishop and Wilkes wrote i n an Al bum you m ention in p 5 2 It i s m erely a curiosity to see them I give you my honour I will return your transcript without transcribing it ; yet decline my requ est if it i s n ot agreeable to you The first minute I c an spare a servant to send into the city all your papers written an d printed and the enam el shall be conveyed to Mr N ichols ; every thing but the two prints of Mr Br Willis for which I thank you Mr N ichols has been with m e hi m self he i s a very m odest intelligent man riting and am pretty N o w I have done with w sick of the world an d th e great world I have les s ,
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corroborated by such palpable pill age of Pope an d Dryden S till the b oy remains a pro d ig y by wh atever means b e procured or produced th e edifice erected — and still it will be foun d i n explicabl e how h e foun d tim e or materials for operating such miracles You are i n another error abou t sir H arry E ngle field who cannot b e going to m arry a daughter of lord C adogan unless he has a natural one of wh om I n ever heard L ord C adogan has n o daughter by his first wife an d his el dest girl by my niece i s n ot five years Ol d The act of the em e ro r to which I allu ded d ru c is th e general e s t p tion of convents in Fl anders an d I suppose i n his Germ an dominions too The pope suppressed the carnival as m ourning and proposes a j ourn ey to V ienna to implore m ercy This is a little dif f e re n t from th e tim e when the ponti ff s trampled on t h e neck s of emperors and called it trampling I h ope you h ave re super A spi d em e t D r ac on em I was mu ch ce i v e d your cargo back undamaged obliged to you and am Yours ever l gy,
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a r ch
8, 1 782
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is very pleasing to receive congratulation from a frien d on a friend s success —that su ccess how ever i s n ot so agreeabl e as th e universal esteem allowed to Mr C onway s character w hich not only accomp a nies h is tri umph b ut I believe con tributed to it To day I suppose all b u t his ch aracter will b e reversed ; for th ere m ust h ave been a miraculous change if the P hilistines do not bear as ampl e a testimony to their Dagon s h o nour as convi ction does to that of a virtuous man In truth I am fa r from desi ring that th e Opposi t i On sh oul d prevai l yet : the nation is not s uffi an d it i s c i e n t l y changed nor awakened enough sure of having its feelings repeatedly attacke d by m ore woes ; th e blow will have m ore e ff e ct a littl e tim e hence : the clamour m ust be lou d enough to drown the hu z zas Of five h oarse bodies th e S cotch Tories C l ergy Law an d A rmy who would soon croak if new m inisters cannot do what the ol d have m ade impossible ; and therefore till general distress involves all i n complaint and lays th e cause undeniably at the righ t doors victory will be but m omentary and the conquerors woul d soon be rendered m ore unpopular than the vanquished ; for depend upon it the prese nt m inisters woul d not be as decent and as harmless an oppos ition as IT
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the present Thei r c riminality m ust be l egally proved and stigmatized or the pageant itself would soon be restore d to essence Base m on ey will pass till cried down I wish you m ay keep your promise of calling upon m e better than you have done R em ember that though y ou have tim e enough before you I h ave not ; and c o n se quently m ust b e m uch m ore impatient for our m eeting than you are as 1 am dear sir You rs most sincerely .
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B e r k e l e y s qu a r e -
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TH O U G H I have scarce tim e I m ust write a line to thank you for th e print of Mr; C owper and to tell you h ow ash amed I am that you should have so m u c h attention to m e on the slightest wish I ex press when I fear my gratitude is not half so a c tive th ough i t ought to exceed obligations Dr Farmer has been with m e and though it was but a sh ort visit b e please d me so m uch by his easy simplicity and good sense that I wish for m ore acquaintance with him I do n o t know whether the emperor will atone to you for dem olishing the cross by attacking the crescent The papers say h e has declared war H e seem s to me to be a with t h e Turks ,
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these do z en years I h ave deal t in nothing but E ngl ish French and a little Ital ian an d d o not think if my l ife depended on it I coul d write four lines of p ure L atin I h ave had occasion once or twice to speak that language an d s oo n found that all my verbs were Italian with R om an terminations I would not on any account draw you into a scrape by depending on my skil l i n what I have half forgotten But you are i n the m etropolis of L ati um If you distrust you r own knowledge which I do n ot especi ally from th e spe cimen you h ave sent m e surely yo u m ust have good critics at your elbow to consult In truth I do not love R oman i nscriptions i n l ieu of our own language though if any where proper in an university — neither can I approve writing what th e R om ans th em selves woul d n ot u nderstand What does it avail to give a Latin tail to a Guildhall ? Though th e word used by m oderns wo u l d m ajor convey to C icero the i dea of a mayor ? Ar chi tectus I believe is th e righ t word ; but I doubt wh ether veter i s ja m per a n t i — is classi c for a dilapidated b uilding but do u c e g not depend on m e ; consult some better j udges Though I a m glad of the late r evolu ti on a word for which I h ave great reverence I shall certainly I abhor exultation n ot disput e with you thereon If the change produces pe ac e I shal l m ake a bon Personal interest I h ave none ; fire i n my heart you an d I sh all certainly never profit by the poli .
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tics to which we are attached The A rch aeologic epistle I admire exceedingly though I am sorry it attacks Mr Bryant whom I love and respe ct The dean is so absurd an oaf that he deserves to be ridiculed Is any thing m o re hyperbolic th an his preferences of R owley to H omer Sh ak s pe a re an d M ilton Whether R owley or C hatterton was the auth or are t h e p oem s i n any degree compa rabl e to those auth ors P i s not a ridiculous auth or an obj ect of ridicule ? I do n ot even guess at your m ean ing in your concl usive paragraph o n that subj ect : Dicti onary writer I suppose alludes to Johnson : b ut surely you do not equal the com p iler of a dictionary to a genuine poet ? Is a brickmaker on a level with Mr E ssex ? N o r can I hold that exquisite wi t an d sati re are Billings gate ; if they were Milles and Johnson woul d b e able to write an an swer to the epistle I do as li t tl e guess whom you mean that got a pension by Toryism — i f Johnson too ; he got a pension for having abuse d pensioners an d yet took one him self which was contempti bl e enough S til l less kn o w I wh o preferred opposition to prin ciples which is not a very com mon case ; wh oever it was as P ope says .
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Th e w ay h e t oo w as s tran gely r oun d ab out
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With Mr C hamberlayne I was very little ac u a i n t e d nor eve r saw hi m six times in my life q It was with lord Walpole s branch h e was intimate .
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an d to whose eldest son Mr C hamberl ayne h ad been tutor This poor gentleman had a m ost excellent c haracter universally and has been more feelingly regretted than almost any m an I ever kne w This is all I am able to tell you I forgot to say I am also i n the dark as to the person you guess for the author of the epistle It cannot be the same person to whom it is generally attributed who certainly neither h as a pension nor has deserted his principles nor has reason t o be j ealous of those he laugh ed at for their abili ties are far below his I do not m ean that it is his but is attribute d to him It was sent to m e n or did I ever see a l in e of it till I read it in print I n on e respect i t is m ost credible to be his for there are not two su ch inimitable poets in E ngland I smiled on reading it an d sai d to myself Dr ” Glynn is well Off to have escaped ! H i s language indeed about m e has been Billingsgate ; but peace be to his an d the manes of R owley if they have ghosts wh o never existed The epistle has n ot put an en d to that controversy which was grown so tiresome I rej oice at having kept my resol u tion of not writing a word more on that subj ect The dean had swollen it to an enormous bladder ; th e arch aeologic poet pricked it with a pin ; a sha rp one indeed and it burst Pray send m e a better account of yourself if you can Yours m ost sincerely .
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C O R R E S P ON D E N C E
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My gout thank you i s dormant ; th e rest such rest as th ere is gives m e no trouble I send you a n e w S trawberry edition which you will find extraordinary n ot only as a m ost accurate translation but as a piece of genuine French n ot m e t aph ys i c k e d by l a H arpe by Thomas 85 0 an d w ith versions even of M ilton into p oe t ry th ough i n the F r enc h language The duc has had 1 00 copies and I myself as m any for pres ents non e w ill b e sold so th eir i m aginary value will ri s e I have seen ove r an d over ag a i n Mr Barrett s pl ans and approve the m exceedingly The Gothic parts are classic ; you m ust consider the whol e as Gothic m odernized i n parts not as what it is the reverse Mr Wyatt if m ore empl oye d i n that style will show as m uch taste and imagination as h e does in Grecian I shall visit L ee n ext summ er I remain you rs ever ,
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A pril 1 7 8 2 A s it is said to b e so m uch desired th e author consents t o let the whole of the L etter on C hat t e rt on b e p rinted in the Gentleman s Magaz i ne ; bu t not in a se para t e pamphlet ,
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B e rk e l e y s q ua re Ma y -
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very sorry for the sh ock you have had i n th e loss of your niece dear sir ; an d so I am for I woul d say m ore m y old frie nd Dr A pth orpe but as I am confine d with an uncom m on com laint for m e a violent cold cough and tigh tness p o n my breast for which I have be en bloode d two d ay s together with all possible success ; yet as my it is rather awkward to write a rm i s boun d up how e ver I coul d n ot help telling you I partake of whatever a ff ects you n or defer complying with your request I prefer sending a card lest Mar aret wh o is no scholar b ut by rote should make g any mistake i n giving her verbal or writte n orders to which sh e is less accustom ed th an to cards I hope you will soon re cover your indispositio n an d am a n d flurry E ver yours AM
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MR
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B e r k el ey s q ua re May 24 -
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1 7 82
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lway s kind to m e dear sir i n all re but I have been forced to recur to a s e ct s p The p ai n r ou g h e r prescri ption th a n as s s m ilk YOU
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O F TH E
and oppression on my breast oblige d m e to b e blooded two days togeth er which remove d my col d an d fever ; b ut as I foresaw le ft m e th e gout i n their room I have had it in my left foot an d han d for a week but it is going This col d i s very epidemic I have at least h al f a doze n n ieces and great nieces confine d with it but it is n ot dangerous or lasting I shall send you withi n this day or two the n e w edition of my A necdotes of P ainting you wil l find very little n e w ; it i s a ch eap edition for th e u s e of artists and that at l east they who really want th e b ook an d no t t h e curiosity m ay have it with out being forced to give th e outrageous price at which the S trawberry edi tion sells m erely because i t is rare I could assure M r Gough that the let ter on C hatterton c ost m e very small pains I had n o thing to do but recollect and relate th e exact truth There has been published another piece o n it whic h I cannot tell whether m ean t to praise o r blam e me ; so wretch edly i s it written ; and I h ave received another anonym ous one dated Ox ford (which may b e to disguise C ambridge) an d which professes to treat m e very severely though stu ff ed with fulsome compliments It abuses m e for speaking m odestly of myself—a fault I hope I shall n ever m end ; avows a g reeing w ith m e o n the s upposit i on of th e poem s which m ay be a lie for it is n ot uncharitable to conclude that a n anony m ous writer i s a liar ; acquits m e of being at a ll ,
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her h usband s o n and daughter i n l aw In truth I have n ot roo m for any more pict ures any where ; yet without pl unde ring you or without imp o v e ri s h i n my elf I have super n u merary pictures s g with whi ch I can furnish your vacanc 1 es ; b ut I m ust get wel l first to look th e m out : as yet I can n ot walk alone ; an d my posture as you see m akes m e write ill It i s imp ossible to recover in suc h weather —never Was such a sickly tim e I have not yet seen bishop N ewton s L ife I will not give three guineas for wh at I would n ot give three pence his Works ; his L ife I conclude will b e borrowed by all th e magazines and there I shall see it I kno wn oth ing of A cci l i a tor —I h ave forgotte n som e of my good Latin an d l uckily never kne w an bad h aving always detested m onkish bar ; y b a ri s m I have j ust finished Mr P ennant s new volume ; parts of wh ich am used m e th ou gh I kne w every syllable that was worth knowing b e fore for there is not a word of novelty ; an d i t is tiresome his giving such l ong extracts out of Dugdale an d other com mon books and telling one long stories about all th e m ost celebrated characters in the E nglish history besides pan egy rics on all who sh owed him their houses : but the — prints are charming th ough I can not con ceive why he gave one of the countess of C umberland who never did any thing worth m emory but recording the very nigh t o n which she conceived -
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H O N H OR .
ACE
WALP OL E
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31 1
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The Fair C ircassian was written by a Mr Pratt who has p ublish ed several works under th e nam e of C ourtney Mel m oth The play might h ave b een written by C u mberlan d —i t i s bad enough I did re ad the latter s coxcombical anecdotes but saw n othing on myself except m ention of my P ainters Pray what i s the passage yo u m ean on m e or Vertu e ? Do not write on p urpose to answer this it is n ot wor th wh ile I have j ust bought a m ost curious old pictur e a p ortrai t of one of wh om I never saw a h ead—i t is R obert Vere duke of Ireland th e great favour i te of R ichard II It is evidently very ancient being only part of a larger piece o n board B e h in d th e h ead i s this rem nant of an inscription which being defective and th ence u nintel ligible sh ows i t i s not an imposition I m ean n ot a m o dern cheat ; th ough perhaps n ot a gen u in e por trait ; h ere is what rem ai ns .
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The syll able s under R ob e rt us V erus D ux which I h ave drawn Dux H ibernia Dub lin a lin e are evidently D ub l i n i ae M arch io m ore recent n ot on O xon iae C omes O x on Baron th e sam e piece of Ba ro board I im agine R a ri Bula the part wanting N ebo migh t be as I have O b 1 3 9 3 supplied it on the right hand R o ber t
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but I can make n othing Of th e three last pieces of words which might be parts of Irish baronies Will you be so good a s to l ook into C ollins 8 house of V ere or Dugdale 85 0 for I have no book i n town Let this too be at your leisure ; for I am i n no hurry except to he ar that you are bett er A die u ,
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TO
M E NIC H O L S .
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B e rk el e y s q uar e -
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1 9 , 1 782
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S IR ,
JU S T this m oment on ope ning your fifth volum e of M iscellaneous P oem s I find th e Translatio n of C ato s S peech into Latin a t trib u t e d (by c o m m on fame ) to bishop A tterbury I c a n m ost p o s i t i ve ly assure you that that Translation was t h e work of D r H enry Blan d afterwards head m aster of E ton school provost of th e C ollege th ere and dean of Durham I have m ore than once heard m y father sir R obert Walpole say that it was h e h im self who gave that Translation to Mr A d di son wh o was extremely surprised a t the fidelity and beauty Of it It may be worth whil e sir o n some future occasion to m ention this fact i n s ome one of your valuable an d curious publication s I am sir with great regard ,
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and if the others will be of any u s e to you If they are n ot I assure you th ey are n ot worth returning though I bought the m all at Mr S hel don s i n l ots with other articles : on e i s a portrait of S elden the t hree others are an altar piece with doo rs an d arms which by the flouris hing sort of m antl e round them seem to b e Flem ish or Dutch Mr C umberlan d s br us qu e r ie i s not worth n oti ce n or did I remember it M r P ennant s i m pe t u o s it you m ust overl ook too th ough I love your y delicacy about your frien d s m emory N ob ody th at kn ows y ou will suspect you of wanting it ; b ut in the ocean of books that overflows every day wh o will recollect a thousandth pa rt of wh at i s i n m ost of th em ? By th e n umber of write rs one shoul d naturally suppose there were m ultit udes of readers ; but if there are which I doubt th e lat ter only read the productions of th e day Indee d if they di d read former publi cations they woul d h ave n o occasion to read the m odern which like Mr P ennant s are borrowed wholesal e from th e m ore ancient : it i s sad to say that the borro wers add littl e new but m istakes I have j ust been turning over Mr N i c h ol s s eigh t vol umes of S elect P oem s which he has swelled unreasonably with large collop s of Ol d authors m ost of wh om little d eserved revi vifying I bought them for th e bio graphical notes i n which I have foun d both i n accuracies and blunders For instan c e one that made m e laugh I n lord La n s d o w n s Beauties he c a n c y,
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H ON H OR .
A C E WALP OL E
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celebrates a lady or Mr s Vaughan Mr N ichol s turns to the peerage Of t h a t time an d finds a duke of Bolto n m arried a lady A nn Vaugh an ; h e i n s ta n t l sets her dow n for the lady i n question an d y introduces h er to posterity as a beauty Unluckily sh e was a m onster —so u gly that the duke then m arquis of Winchester b eing forced by his fath er to marry her for her great fort une was believed never to have consumm ated an d p arte d fr om her as soon as his father died ; b ut if our predecessors are exposed to these m isrepresentati ons what shall we be when not only all private history is detailed i n th e n ewspapers but scarce ever with tolerable fidelity I have long said that if a para graph i n a newspaper contains a word of truth it i s sure to be accompanied with two or three blun ders yet wh o will believe that papers published i n th e face of the whole town sh oul d be nothing but m agazines of lies e ver y one of which fifty persons coul d co ntradi c t an d disprove ? Yet so it certainly is and future history wi ll probably be ten times falser than all pr e ceding A dieu Yours m ost sincerely ,
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MR Walpole is m uch obliged to Mr N i c hols for the prints and will beg another of Mr Bowyer for his C ollection of H eads as h e shall put the one h e has received to Mr Bowyer s L ife M r Walpol e has no Obj ection to being name d for th e anecdote of Dr Bla nd s Translation as it is right to authenticate it .
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S t r a w b e rr y h ll , -
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I H AV E been more dilatory than usual dear sir i n replying to your last ; but it called for no parti c n lar answer n or h ave I n ow any thing worth telling you M r Gough an d Mr N ichol s dined with m e on S aturday last I lent the former th ree an d twenty drawings of m onuments out Of Mr L e t h u i l l i e r s books for h is large work which will b e a m agnificen t one Mr N ichols is as you say a very rapid editor an d I m ust commend him for being a very a c curate one I scarce ever s a w a book so correct as his Life of Mr Bowyer I wish i t deserved the pains he has bestowed on it every way and that h e would n o t dub so many m en ,
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he a d of the church employed ! I hope th at you h ave recovered your spirits and that summ er which i s arrive d at l a st will m ake a great amend m ent i n you Yours most sincerely
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T R A FFOR D i A
S t ra wb er ry h l l , -
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1 6, 1 7 82
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this letter reaches your lordship I believe it m ust be conveyed by a dove ; for we are all under water an d a postman has n ot wh ere to set th e sole of his foot They tell m e that in th e north you have not been so drowned wh ich will be very fortun ate ; for i n these parts every thing is to be apprehended for the corn th e sheep an d th e camps — b ut i n truth al l kinds of prospe cts are m ost gl oomy an d even i n lesser lights uncomfort able H e re we cannot stir but arm ed for battle M r P otts who lives at Mr H i n d l ey s was a t ta cke d and robbed last week at the end of Gun lane by five footpads wh o had two blun n er sb u r y derb u ss e s Lady Brown e and I do contin ue going to Twickenh am park ; bu t I d o n f t know how long it wil l be pr ude n t nor whether it is so n ow I have not been at P ark place ; for Mr C onway i s n ev e r th ere at least only for a night or t wo H is re g iment was reviewed ye sterday at A shford ,
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H O N H OR AC E .
W ALP OL E
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common b ut I did not go to see i t —In truth I have so little taste for comm on sights that I never did see a review in my life I was in town last week yet saw not m onsieur de Grasse ; n or have seen th e giant or th e d w arf P oor Mrs C live is certainly very declining but has bee n better of late and which I am glad of thinks herself better All vision s that comfort one are desirable —the con ditions of m ortality do not bear b eing prye d into ; n or am I an admirer of that philosophy that s c rutinizes into th em : th e philo sophy of deceiving one s self is vastly preferabl e What signifies anticipating what we cannot pre vent ? I do n o t preten d to send your l ordship any news for I do not kno w a tittle nor inquire P eace is the sole event of which I wish to hear For pri vate n ews I have outlived alm ost all the world with wh ich I w as acquainted an d h ave n o curio about the next generation scarce m ore than s it y about the 2otb century I wish I was less i n d if f e re n t for the sake of the few with wh om I c orre s o nd your lordsh ip in pa r t i c u l a r w h o are al ways s o p good an d partial to m e and on whom I sh o ul d i n dubitably wait were I fit to take a long j ourney ; but as I W alk no better th an a tortoise I m ak e a conscience of not i n c o m m od a t i n g my friends who m I shoul d only confine at home In deed both my feet and hands are so lam e that I now s carce ever dine abroad Being so antiquated an d ,
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C ORRE S P OND E NC E
320
OF TH E
i n sipid I will release your l ordsh i p an d am with my unalterable respects t o lady S trafford Your l ordship s m ost devoted h umble servant ,
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S t ra w b e r ry h ll , A u g 1 8 , 1 7 82 -
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M R Walpole is extremely obliged to Mr N ich ols .
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for the books an d prints an d begs when he sees M r Gough to thank hi m for his obliging present O f Mr Brow n s tract ,
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S t ra w b e rry h ll , S e t 1 7 , 1 7 8 2 -
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I H A D not tim e yesterday to say what I had to say ab out y our coming h ith er I should certainly be happy to see you an d lady A i l e sb u ry at any time ; b ut it woul d b e unconscionable to expect i t whe n you have scarce a whol e day i n a m onth to p ass at your own house and to look after your O w n works Friends I know lay as great stress upon t ri fl e s as upon seri ous points ; b ut as th ere n ever was a m ore sin cere attachm ent than m ine so it is t h e most reasonabl e on e too for I al w ays think for you m ore than mysel f Do whatever yo u .
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C ORR ES POND E NC E
322
OF TH E
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u s o for I do n o even wish di suade t t o ; y , as I am sure I understand nothing of the matte r; a n d therefor e m e an no more t han to k e ep you r di scretion awake The tem pest of Monday night alarme d m e t oo fo r t he fl ee t : and as I have nothing to do but to ca re I feel for individuals as well as f o r the public ’ an d think of all tho s e wh o may be lost an d of all t ho se wh o may be m a de m iserable b y such los s I ndeed I care m ost for indiv iduals —f or as to th e public it seem s to be total l y insensibl e to e v e ry thing ! I k n o w nothing worth repeati ng ; an d havin g now an sw e r ed all your l etter shall bi d you g ood n ight
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S t ra wb e rry h ill , Oc t ob er 3, 1 7 82
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thin k it l on g since I had the honour of h ea r i n g fro m your lordship ; but conscious how l ittle I coul d repay you with any entertainm en t I w a ited wit h patience In fact I believe sum m er correspondences often turn on complaints of wan t of news It is unlucky that th at is generally the season of cor responden ce as it is of separation P eopl e ass embled i n a ca pi tal contrive to fur ni sh m atter b ut then they have n o t oc cas i on to writ e D1 1)
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W A LP O L E
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S u mmer
being the seaso n of campa igns ought — I am gl ad when th at is n o t t o be m o re fertile t h e c as e for what is an account of a bat tl e but a li st of bu rials ? V ul tures a nd birds of p rey migh t write with pl easur e to th eir correspondents i n t he A lp s of such event s but they ought to be melan c h oly topics to those wh o have no beaks or talons A t t his moment if I was an epicure among t h e s harks I sh ould rej oic e that general E l liot has j ust s en t the carcases of 1 5 00 S paniards down to mar k et under Gibraltar — b u t I am more please d that h e di spatched boats and saved som e of those whom h e had overset What mus t a man of so m uch fee ling have su ffered at being forced to do his d uty so well as he has done ! I remember hearing s uc h a n other humane being that b rave old admiral sir C harl e s Wager say that i n h i s life h e had ne ver kill e d a fly This demolition of the S panish armada is a grea t event —a very good one if i t prevents a battle b e twe en lord H owe an d th e combined fl eet s as I s h ould h ope ; and yet better if it produces peace ; th e only political crisis to wh ich I look with eager Were that happy m oment arri ved there i s n e ss a mpl e m atter to empl oy ou r great m en , i f we have a n y i n retrieving the a ff airs of this countr y if they ar e to b e ret rieve d —But though our sedent a ry litic a i ns write a b un da n c e of lette rs in t h e ne ws o p p ape r s full of p l an s of public spi ri t I doubt the it
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C O RR ES P O ND E NC E
324
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nation is not sober enough to set about i t s o wn work i n earnest When none reform themselve s littl e good is to be expected We see by the ex cess of highway men h o w far evils will go b efore any attempt is made to cure them I am sure fro m th e m agn l t ud e of this inconvenien ce tha t I am not ta lking merely like a n old m an I have l ive d here above thirty years an d used to go every w here r o und at all hours of the night without any precaution I cannot n o w stir a m il e f r o m my own house after sun set without one or two servants with blunderbusses I am n ot surprised your lord ship s pheasants were stolen a woman was take n last S aturday night l oaded with n ine geese an d they say has impea c hed a gang of fourtee n house break ers —but these are under graduates —w h e n they sho uld have taken their doctor s degrees th ey would not have piddled i n such little game Those regius professors the nabobs have taught men not to plunder for farthings I am very sensible of your lordship s kindness H e is a sensibl e to my nephew Mr C well beh aved young man and I trust woul d not h ave abused your goodness Mr Mason writes to m e that h e shall be at Yor k at the end of this m onth I was to hav e gone t o N uneham ; but the house is so little advanced t hat it is a question whether they can receive me M as on I doubt has been idle there I am sure .
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32 6
O F TH E
I do not write m erely from sympat hi s ing friend ; ship b ut to beg that if your bile is not closed or h ealin g you wil l let m e know for t he bark i s essential yet very di fficult to hav e genuine My apothe cary here I believe has som e v e ry good and I will send you some directly I will thank you but n ot trouble you with an account of myself I had no fit of th e gout n or any n e w complaint ; but it is with th e utm ost di fficulty I keep th e hum our from lam ing me e n t i re l y especially i n my b a n d s which are a m in e O f chalk stones ; but as they discharge themselves I fl atter my self they prevent h eavier attacks I do take in th e E uropean Magazine and think it i n general on e of the b est I forgot what was said of m e s om e t i m e s I am corrected sometimes flattered and care for neither I h ave not seen the answer to Mr Warto n but will send for it I shall not be sorry on my own acco unt if Dr L ort quits Lambeth and com es to S avill e— ro w which is i n my neighbourhood —but I d i d not think a wife was th e stal l where he would set up his staff You have given m e the only reason why I can not b e quite sorry that you do not print wha t you had prepared for the press N o kin d intention towards m e from you surprises m e — but then I want n o new proofs My wish for whatever shall be the remain der of my l ife is to be qui et an d forgotten Were my course to recommence and ,
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AC E WA LP OL E
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I c ould think i n youth a s one does at si xty five ha ve n o n otion I shoul d have courage to appear Do you kno w too that I l ook o n as an author f a m e n ow as th e idlest of all visions ? but thi s them e would lead m e too far I collect a n e w com fort from your letter Th e our l a te st wr i ti ng i s m uch better than i n m ost of y If your pain we re not ceased yo u (3o l etters n o t have forme d your letters so firmly and di I will not say more l est I should draw s t i n c tl y o u into greater fatigue ; l e t me have b ut a s in l e y g line i n answer Yours m o s t c ord ia l ly -
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TH E
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G EOR G E H A R D I NG E
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B e rke l ey s q uar e May 1 7 -
,
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1 783
TH O UG H I sh all n ot be fixed at S trawberry on thi s d a y f ortnight I will accept your o ffer dear s i r b e c au se my time is m ore a t my dispos al th a n yours and you m ay n o t h ave any other day to b es tow u po n m e later I thank you for your second which I shal l read as carefully as I did the former It i s not your fault if you have n ot yet m ade sir white as driven sno w to m e N ature has providentially given us a po w erful antidote to eloquence or the cri minal that has the best advocate woul d escape B ut when rh e ,
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3 28
t o ri c
d l og i c
OF T H E
my lords th e j udges in steps p rej udice and without one argument th at wil l mak e a syllogism confutes Messrs Dem o sthenes Tully an d H ardinge and makes th eir l ordships see as clearly as any ol d woman i n E ngland that be li ef is a m u c h better rul e o f f a i th than d emons tr a ti on This is j ust my case : I do believe nay and I will believe t h a t n o man ever we nt to In dia with hon est intentions If b e t e turns with i t is plain that I was i n th e right : B ut I have ; stil l a stro n ger proof my ” l ord C oke says S e t a thief to catch a thief : i “ it my lo rd A f says is a rogue Sir er o I cannot ive so complete an answer to g g th e rest of your note as I t rus t I h ave done to your pleadings b e c ause the latter is in print an d your note is MS N o w unfortunately , I cannot read half of it ; for give m e leave to say that eithe r your band or my specta c les are so bad that I generally gue ss at your m eaning rather than deci pher it an d this tim e th e context has not served m e well Y o u sh a11 com ment on it when I see you ; till when I am as usu ally M uch yours an
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C O R RE S POND E NCE
3 30
OF TH E
probably they will deter others from a similar — j aunt nor such is their fic kl e n e ss are the French constant to any thing but admiration of themselves Their A ngl omanie I hear has mounted — o r de scended — from our cus t oms to our persons E u glish pe ople are i n fashion at V e rsailles A Mr who wrote som e pretty verses at Bath t w o or three years ago i s a favourite th ere O n e wh o w as so or may b e still t he bea u D i ll on cam e upo n to purchase at a very di fferent erran d —i n sh ort any price a book written by L inguet which w as j ust coming out called A n t oi nette That will tell your lordship why th e bea u D i llon was the mes senger M onsieur de Guignes an d h is daughters c am e h ithe r—b ut i t was at eight o clock at n ight in the h eight of th e deluge You m ay b e sure I was m uch flattere d by such a visit ! L w a s forced to ligh t candles to sh ow them any thing ; and m ust have lighted th e m oon to show them the views If this i s their way of seeing E ngland they might as well look at i t with an opera glass fro m the s hore of C alais Mr Mason is to come to m e on S unday an d will fin d m e mighty busy in making my lock of hay which is n ot yet cut I do n t know why but people are always m ore anxious abou t th ei r hay than t heir corn or twenty oth er things that cost them m o re I suppose my l ord C hesterfiel d o r som e such d ic ta t or m ade it fashionable to care ,
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H O N H OR .
AC E WAL PO L E
831
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bout one s hay —Nobody betrays solicitude about etting in his rents g We have exch anged spring and su mmer for autumn and winter as w e l l as day for night If religion or law enj oined people to love light an d r ospects an d verdure I should not wonder if per p n o nor if s oci e ty v e rs e n e s s made us hate th e m — made u s prefer living al w ays in town to solitude a n d b eauty Bu t that is not the case The m os t fa s h i on ab l e hurry into th e country at C hristmas an d E as ter l et the weath er b e ever so bad —an d th e finest ladies wh o will go n o whithe r till eleven at certainly pass m ore tiresom e hours in Lon n ight don alone than they would in the c ountry B ut all this i s no business of mine : they do what th e y l ik e an d so do I ; and I am e x c eedi n gly tol eran t ab out people wh o are perfectly indi fferent to me The sun an d th e seasons were not gone ou t of — ; fashion wh en I was young an d I m ay do what I will with them n ow I am ol d : for fashion is f ort u Were I five n a t e l y n o law b ut to its devotees I dare to say I shoul d think every a n d twenty whim of my contemporaries very wise as I did then In one ligh t I am always on the side of the young ; for they only silently despise those who do not conform to their ordonnances ; but age is very apt to be angry at the change of c us toms an d pa rtial to others no better founded It is happy whe n we are occupied by n othing m ore serious It is happy for a nation when m ere ’
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3 32
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fashion s are a topic that can employ its attention ; for though d issipation m ay lead to graver m o m ents it com men c es with ease and tranquillity ; and they at least who l ive before t h e s c e n e shifts are fortunate considering and comparing them selves with the various regions wh o enj oy n o pa rallel felicity I confess my reflections are cou le ur I did n ot much expect to d e r os e at present l ive to see peace with out far m ore extensive rui n than has f al l e n o n u s I will not probe futurity i n search of less agreeabl e conj ectures Prog n o s — may see many seeds of dusky hue but I t i c a t o rs Without any om ens a m too old t o look forwards com m on sense tells one that i n th e revolution of ages nations m ust have unprosperous periods But why shoul d I torm ent mysel f for what may happen in twenty years after my death m ore tha n for what m ay happen in two hundred ? N o r shall I be m ore interested in the one than in the other This is n o indi ff erence for my country : I wish it coul d always b e happy — but so I do to all other cou ntries Yet wh o c ould ever pass a tran quil m oment if such future speculations vexed hi m A dieu my good lord I doubt this letter has m ore m ark s of senility th an th e one I announ ced at the beginn ing When I had no news to send you it was no reason for tiring you with common places But you r lordship s indulgen ce spoils m e Doe s n o t i t l o o k a s if I th ought that becau se ‘
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C O R R ES P O ND E NC E
33 4
O F TH E
ole w orth Yet it woul d be dishonest n o t t o warn your l ordship that if my letters have had any intrinsic rec o m mendation they m ust l ose of it every day Years an d frequent returns of gout have m ad e a ruin of m e Dullness in th e form of indolence grows upon m e I am inactive lifeless and so indi fferent to m ost things that I n either inquire a fter nor rem ember any topics N othing is so that migh t enlive n my l etters insipid as my way of passing my time But I n eed not specify what my letters speak — They c a n have no S pirit left —an d would b e p erfectl y i na nimate if attach me n t and gratitude to your l ordship were as liable to b e extinguished by old a e as o ur m ore a mus i ng qu alities I m ake n o g n e w c onne c tions ; b ut ch e rish those that remai n with a ll the warmt h of youth and the pi e ty of gray hairs The weather here has been and is with very f e w intervals sultry to this mom ent I think it has been of s er vice to m e ; t h ough by overheating myself I had a few days of lam eness The h arvest is h alf over alrea dy all round u s and so pure that n ot a po ppy or c orn fl ow e r i s to be seen E very * fie ld se em s to h a ve b een weede d like B s b ow ling gree n If C eres who is at least as old as ma ny of ou r fashi on able ladie s, loves tricki ng h er s el f mi t i n flowe r s as th ey do sh e m ust be m orti t itfie d ; and wit h mo re reason ; fo r sh e looks we ll a lw ay s wit h t o h n o t s of ultra mar in e a n d vermili on p s
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335
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which m odern g od desses do n ot f o r half so l ong as the y think they do A s P rovidence showers so ma ny blessings on u s I wish the peace m ay con — hem ecessary I am sure i t was and ! N firm t whe n i t cannot restor e u s wh ere shoul d we h ave b e e n b a d the war continue d ? Of our situation an d pr ospect I co nfess my opinion is m elanch oly — not We fl ung fro m present p olitics b ut from past away the m ost brilliant p osition —I doubt for a I l ong season With politics I have totally d one wis h the present ministers m ay last ; for I think better of their principles than of those of t heir opponents (with a few salvo s on both sides ) a nd so I do of th e i r abilitie s B ut it would be folly B i n m e to concern myself about new generation s — H o w little a way c a n I see of their progr ess ! I am rather surprised at t h e n ew cou n tess of H o w could a w om an b e ambitious of r e s e mbli ng Prom eth eus to b e pawed a n d clawed a nd gnawe d by a vulture ? I beg your earldom s par d on ; but I could not con ceive th at a coro n et was s o very tempting L ady Browne is quite recov ered —unless she r el apses from what we suffer at Twicken ham par k an ol d seaman w h o is come fi o m a lord N to R ich mo n d on a V i s i t to the d uk e of Montros e I th in k t he poor m an m ust be out of his sen ses a t l ea st h e talks u s ou t of ours It i s t h e mo st i n c e s s an t a nd i ncoherent rh apsody th a t ever was h ea r d He sits by th e c ar d table , an d pour s on .
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C O RR E S P OND E NC E
8 36
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OF TH E
that ever happened in h i s w oy ages or h is memory H e details the ship s allow an c e and talks to h er as if she w a s his first mate Then in th e m ornings h e carries his daugh ter to town to see S t Paul s an d th e Tower and West m inster abbey ; and at night disgorges all be bas seen ; till we don t kn o w the a c e o f spades from queen E lizabeth s pocket pistol i n th e arm ou ry M ercy on us —4 A n d m er c y o n your lordship too Why shoul d you be stunned with that alarum ? H ave you had your earth quake my l ord ? Many have had theirs I assure you I h av e h a d m ine A bove a week ago when broad a w ake the doors of the cabinet by my bed side rattled withou t a breath of wind I imagi ned som ebody was walking on th e leads or had broken into the roo m under m e It was between four and five in the m orning I rang my bell Before my servant coul d com e it happened again ; an d was exa c tly lik e the h ori z o n t a l t r e m o r I fel t from th e earthquake som e years ago A s I had r u n g o n c e it is plain I was awake I rang again ; bu t h eard nothin g m ore I am quite persuaded there was som e comm otion ; n or is it surprising that th e d re a d fuL e rupt i o n s of fire o u the coasts of I taly and S icily should have occasioned som e alteratio n that has ex tended faintly hither an d contributed to t he b e a t s an d m ists that have been so extraordi nary George Montagu said of our last earthquake that it was s o tame yo u m ig h t b a ve stroked it It al l
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To
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C ONW A Y
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S t ra wb e rry h ll , A ug 1 5 , 1 7 83 -
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address from the Vol unteers i s cu rious indeed and upon the first face a l ittle Irish What ! would th ey thro w o ff our parliament and yet amen d i t ? It i s like correcting a question i n the h ou se of com mons an d the n voting against it But I sup pose they rather m ean to i ncrease confusion here that we may not be at l eisure to impede th eir pr o gress — a t l east this m ay be th e intention of the l eaders Large bodies are only l ed by being i n earn est th em selves when their leaders are n ot so : b ut my head is not clear enough to apply it to diff erent m atters n or could I do any good if it were O ur wh ole system i s becom e a disj ointed chaos —an d ti m e m ust digest i t — or blow i t up shortly — I see n o way into i t —nor expect any thing favourable b ut from chance that often stop s confusion on a sudden To restore us by any system i t would require a singl e head furnishe d with wisdom temper address fortitude full an d u ndivide d power an d sin cere patriotism divested of all personal views Where is that prodigy to b e found and h o w sh ould i t have the power if i t had all the rest ? A nd if it had the power h ow could it be divested o f that power again ? A n d if i t were not how long wou ld i t retain its vir tues ? P ower an d wisdo m would soon u nite like Antony
TH E
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a nd
Augus tus ,
to annihilate their colleague virtue for being a poor creature like L epidus In short the mass of matter is too big for m e : I a m going out of the world and cannot trouble myself about it I do th ink of your part i n it an d wish to pre serve yo u wh ere you are for th e benefits th at yo u may contrib ute I have a high opinion of Mr F and believe that by frankness you may becom e real friends wh ich woul d be greatly advantageous There i s n o competition i n m y t o th e country m in d where you are concerned : b ut F i s the m inister with who m I m ost wish yo u unite d i ndeed to all th e rest I am indi ff erent or a dverse ; b ut besides his superior abilities h e has a libe r a l ity of acting that i s to my taste : it i s l ike my f ather s plainness and has none of the paltry little fin e s se s of a s t atesman Your parties do n ot tempt m e because I am n ot well enough to j oin in them n or yet will they stop m e though I had rather fin d only yo u an d lady A il e sb u ry a n d M rs Dam er I am not seriously il l —nay a m better upon th e whole than I was last year : but I perceive decays enough i n m yself to be sensibl e that th e scale may easily be inclined to th e worst side This observation m akes m e v ery indi ff erent to every thing that is not m uc h at my heart C onsequently what con cerns you i s as it h as always been for above forty years a prin ! A dieu c i al obj ect p ,
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C OR RE S P OND E NC E
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S t r a wb e rry h l l , S e t 1 2 , 1 7 8 3 -
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Y OU R lordship tells m e y ou hope my su m m er has glided pleasantly like our Thames I cannot say it has passed very pl easantly to m e though like t h e Thames dry an d low ; for somehow or oth e r I c aught a rheu matic fever i n the great h eats an d cannot get rid of it I h ave j ust been a t Pa rk place and N uneham i n hopes change of air woul d cure m e ; b ut to n o purpo se Indeed as want of sleep is my chief complaint I doubt I m ust m ake u se of a very di fferent and m ore disagreeable t e m edy the air of L ondon the only plac e th at I ever fin d agree with m e whe n I am out of order I was there for two nights a fortnight ago and slept perfectly well In vain has my predilecti on for S trawberry m ade m e try to persuade myself that this was all fancy ; bu t I fear reason s that appear strong th o u gh contrary to our inclina tions m ust be good ones L ondon at this ti me of year is as nauseous a drug as any in an a pot h e cary s shop I coul d fin d n othing at all to do an d so wen t to A s tl ey s which indeed was m uch h e yond my expectation I do not wonder any longer that Darius was chose n king by the i nstructions h e gave to his horse ; nor that C al igula made his consul A stley can m ake his dance minuets and .
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From this place I can se n d yo u r l ordship n o th ing n ew or entertaining n or expect m ore gam e i n town whither n oth ing but search of health shoul d carry m e P erhap s it is a vain chace at m y age ; but at my age one cann ot trust to n ature s operating cures without aiding h er ; it i s always tim e enough to aban don one s self whe n n o care will palliate our decays I h ope your l ordship an d l ady S trafford will long b e i n no wan t of such attentions ; nor shoul d I h ave talke d so m uch of my own cracks had I h ad any th ing else to tel l y ou It woul d b e silly to aim at viva city wh en i t i s gone : an d th ough a lively ol d m an i s som etim es an agreeable being a preten d ing old m an I S ridiculous A ches an d an apo th e tis s uffi c ary cannot give on e genuine spirits ; cient if th ey do not m ake one peevish Your lordship is so kind as to accept of m e as I am and you shall fin d n othing m ore co unterfeit in m e than th e sincere respect an d gratitude with which I have th e h onour to b e Y ou r lordship s Most devoted humble servant .
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T R A FFOR D i
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S t rawb e r ry h ll , Oc t 1 1 , 1 7 8 3 -
M Y rh eumatism
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I thank your l ordship is cer It was very t a i n ly better though not q uite gon e troublesome at night till I took the bark ; b ut that medicine m akes m e sleep like opium But I will s ay n o m ore about it n othing i s so troublesome as to talk of chronical complaints : has one any righ t to dra w on the compassion of oth ers when o n e m ust renew th e address dai ly an d f or m onths ? The aspect of Ireland is very tempestuous I doubt they will hurt us materially without b e n e fit ing themselves If they Obtain very sh ort parlia m ents they wi l l h urt themselves m ore than us by introducing a confusion that wi l l prevent their i mprovem ents Whatever country does adopt sh ort parliaments will I am entirely persuaded be forced to recur to their f orm er practice —I m ean if th e disorders introduced do n ot produc e despotism of some sort or other I am very sorry Mr Mason concurs i n trying to revive th e asso Methinks our state is so deplorable th at c i a t i on s every healing m easure ought to be attempte d i n stead o f innovations For my own part I expect n othing but distractions an d am not concerne d to be so old I a m so old that were I disposed to n ovelties I shoul d think they little became my age I sho uld be ashamed when my h our shall ,
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34 4
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com e to b e caugh t in a riot of country squire s and parsons an d haranguing a m ob with a sha k ing head A leader of fa c tion ought to be young and vigorous If an aged gentleman does get an ascendant h e m ay be s ure that younger m en are counting on his exit an d only flatter him to suc while they are laughing at o ecd to his influen c e his mispl aced activity A t least these woul d be my thoughts who of all things dread being a j est to the j uvenile if th ey fin d m e out of my sphere I have seen l ord C an d i t has a s play great deal of m erit—perhaps m ore than your l ord ship woul d expect The l anguage and i mages are th e best part after the two principal scenes which are really fine I did as your lordship knows an d says always like an d esteem lady F I scarce know my lord ; but from what I have heard of hi m i n the H ouse of L ords have c onceived a good opinio n of his sense : of his character I n ever h e ard a n y ill —which is a great testimonial i n his favour when there are so m any horrid characters and when all that are conspicuous have their m inu t est actions tortured to depose against them You m ay be sure my dear l ord that I heartily pity lady S t rafford s and your loss of four legged friends S ense an d fidelity are wonderful re c o m m e n d a t i o n s ; and whe n one meets with them and can be confident that one is not i mposed upon I c annot think that the two addition al legs are any ,
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To
OF T H E
G OVE RNOR P O WN ALL i
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S t ra w b e rry h ll, Oc t 2 7 , 1 7 8 3 -
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I A M extremely obliged to you sir for the val u able com munication m ade to m e It i s extremely so to m e as it does j ustice to a m em ory I revere to th e highest degree ; and I flatter myself that it woul d be acceptable to that part of the worl d that loves truth — and that part will be the m aj o rity as fast as t h ey pass a w ay wh o h ave an interest i n preferring falsehood H appily truth i s longer lived than th e passions of individuals ; and when m ankind are not m isled they can distinguish white fro m black I myse l f do not preten d to be unprej udiced ; I m ust be so to th e best of fathers ; I shoul d be ashamed to be quite i mpartial No w onder then sir if I am greatly pleased with so able a j ustification yet I am not so blinded but that I can discern solid reasons for admiring your You have placed that defence on soun d d efen ce and new grounds ; and though very briefly have very learned ly stated and d istinguishe d the land marks of our constituti on an d th e encroachm ents m ade on it by j ustl y referring the principles of l iberty to the S axon system and by imp uting the ,
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H O N H OR .
AC E W ALP OL E
3 47
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corruption s of i t to th e N orman This was a great deal too deep for that superficial m ounte bank H um e to g o—for a m ountebank h e was H e mounted a system in the garb of a philosophi c empiric but dispen‘se d n o drugs but what h e was authorised to ven d by a royal patent an d whic h were full of Turkish Opium H e had studied n o thing relative to the E nglish constitution before queen Elizabeth an d had selecte d h er m ost arbi t ra ry acts to countenance those of th e S tuarts ; and even hers h e misrepresented ; for her worst deeds were levelled against the nobil ity those of th e S tuarts a gainst th e pe ople H ers c o n s e qu ently were rather an obligation to th e people ; for the m ost h einou s p art of despotism is th at it produces a thousand despots instead of one M u l ey Moloch cannot lop off many heads with hi s own han ds —a t least h e tak es th ose in his way those of his courtiers —but his bash aws an d vi c e roys spread destruction every wh er e —Th e flimsy ignorant blundering m anner in which H um e exe c u t e d the reigns preceding H enry VII i s a proof h ow l ittl e h e had exam ined the history of our con I coul d say m uch m uch m ore sir i n s t i t u t i on comm endation of your work were I n ot a ppre h e n s i ve of being biassed by the subj ect S till that it would not b e from flattery I will prove by taking the l iberty of making t w o obj ections ; an d they are only to the last page b ut one P erhaps you will think that my first obj ection does sh o w .
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that I a m too m uch biasse d — I own I a m sorry to see my father compared to Sylla The latter was a sanguinary u surper a m onster — the former th e m ildest m ost forgiving best natured of m en an d a leg a l minister N o r I fear will the only light i n which you compare them stand the test Sylla resigne d his power voluntarily insolently — per haps timidly as h e m ight think h e had a better chance of dying i n his bed if h e retreated than by continuing to rule by force My father did not retire by his o w n option H e had lost th e m a S of the ouse of C om m ons ylla you say o ri t H j y sir retire d unimpeach ed —i t is true but covered with blood My father was not i mpeac he d i n our strict sense of the word ; but to my great j oy h e was i n e ffect A se c re t committee a worse i n u i s i t i o n than a j ury was nam ed not to try hi m q —but to si ft h is life for crim es an d out of such a j ury chosen i n th e dark and not on e of the m h e m ight challenge he h ad som e determ ined ene m ies m any oppon ents an d but two h e Coul d sup pose h is friends A n d what was the consequence ? A man charged with every state cri m e almost for twenty years was proved to have done — what ? P ai d some writers much m ore than th ey deserved for h avi ng defended h im against ten th ousand an d ten thousan d l ib el s (s o m e of wh ich had been written by his inquisitors ) al l which libel s were confessed to have been l ies by his inquisitors themselves fo r t h e y could n o t produce a shadow of one of t h e .
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C ORRE S P ON D E NC E
35 0
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the king wh o made him so ? Did not th e late king m ake my father an earl an d dismiss hi m with a p ension of 4 OOOl a year for his life ? C ould h e or we n ot think these ampl e rewards ? What rapa cio n s sordi d wretches m ust h e an d we have been an d be coul d we entertain su ch an idea ? A s f a r h ave we all been fro m thinking h i m n eglected by his country Did n ot h is country see an d kn ow these rewards ? an d coul d it th ink these r e wards inadequate ? Besides sir great as I hol d my father s services they were sol id an d silen t n ot osten sible They were of a kind to which I h ol d your j ustification a m ore suitabl e reward th an pecuniary recompences To have fixed the h ouse of H anover on the throne to h ave main t a i n e d this country in peace and a ffl uen ce for twenty years with th e other services you record sir were actions th e eela t of which must be ill us t ra t e d by tim e an d reflection and whose splendor h as bee n brought forwarder than I w i s h i t had by comparison with a period very dissimilar ! I f sir R obert had not th e comfort of leaving h is family i n affl uence i t was n ot imp utable to h is king or h is country P erhaps I am prou d that h e did not H e died forty thousand pounds in debt That was th e wealth of a m an that had been taxed as th e plunderer of his country ! Yet with all my adora tion of my father I am j ust enough to own that it was his own fault if h e died so poor H e had m ade H oughton m uch too magnificent for the ,
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m oderate estate which he l eft to support it ; an d as he n ever I repeat it with truth n e ver got any m oney but in the S outh S e a and while he was pay m aster his fondness for h is patern a l seat an d his boundless generosity were too expensive for his fortune I will mention one instan ce whic h will sho w how littl e he was disposed to turn the favour of the crown to his own profit H e laid out four teen th ousand pounds o f his o w n m oney on R ich m ond N e w P ark I coul d produce other reason s too why sir R obert s family were n o t i n so c om f o rt ab l e a situation as the world del uded by m is representation might expect to see the m at his My eldest broth er ha d been a very bad death economist during his father s life an d died himself fift y thousand pounds i n debt or m ore ; so th at to this day neith er sir E d w ard n or I h ave receive d th e five thousand p ounds a piece which sir R obert le ft u s as our fortunes I do n ot l ove to charge the d e ad ; therefore wil l only say that lady O r ford (reckoned a vast fortune which ti ll she died sh e n ever pro v e d ) w a s t e d vast sum s ; nor did my brother or father ever receive but th e twenty th o usand pounds wh ich sh e brough t at first an d wh ich were spent o n th e wedding an d christen ing ; 1 m ean in cl udin g her j ewels ’ I beg pardon sir f or this tedious detail which is m inutely perhaps too m inutely true ; bu t wh en I took the lib erty of contesting any part of a work which I adm ire so m uch I owed it to yo u ,
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C OR R E S P OND EN C E
352
OF TH E
and to myself to assign my reasons I trust th ey will satisfy you ; and if they do I am sure you will alter a paragrap h against which i t is t he duty of th e family to exclaim Dear as my fa t h e r s m emory i s to my soul I can never sub scribe to th e position that he was u nrewarded by th e h ouse of H an over I have the h onour to be sir with great respect an d gratitude Your m ost obliged and obedient hu mble servant .
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I did n ot take th e liberty of retaining your es say sir ; but sh oul d be very happy to have a copy of it at your leisure .
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TO G OV E RNO R P OWN ALL B e r k e l e y s q u a re -
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N ov 7 , 1 7 83 .
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m ust allow m e sir to repeat my thanks f or the second copy of your tract on my father and for your great con descension i n altering the two passages to which I presum ed to obj ect ; an d wh ich are not only m ore consonant to exactnes s but I h ope n o disparagem ent to th e piece To m e th ey are quite satisfactory A n d it i s a com fort to m e too that what I begged to have changed was not any reflection prej udicial to his m em ory ; but i n the first point a parall e l n ot Y OU
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35 4
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dent than an ingenious one ; as I valu e the hono ur of your lordship s friendship m ore than such tinsel bits of fame as can fall to my share an d of wh ich I am particularly sick at present as th e P ubli c A dvertiser dressed m e out t other day with a heap of that dross which he h ad pi llaged from som e other strolling playwrights wh o I di d n ot desir e shoul d be plundere d for m e Indeed when the parliament does meet I doubt nay h ope i t will m ake less sensation than u sual Th e orators of Dublin have brought th e flowers of Billingsgate to so high perfecti on that o urs comparatively will have n o m ore scent tha n a dead dandeli on If your lordship has not see n the speeches of Mr F and M r G you m ay perhaps still think that our oyster women c a n be m ore abusive than m embers of parliam ent S ince I began my letter I hear that the m eeting of the delegates from the volunteers is adj ourne d to th e first of February This seem s a very f a I don t like a reformatio n vourab l e circum stance b egun by a P opish army ! Indeed I did h ope that p eace would bring us peace at least n ot m ore than the discords in cidental to a free governm ent : but we seem not to have attained that era yet ! I hop e it wil l arr ive though I may not see it I shall not easily believe that any radical alteratio n of a c on s t i t u t i o n that preserved us so long an d carri ed us to so great a h eight will recover our afl a i rs There i s a wide diff erence between correcting abuse s ,
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removing landmarks N obody disliked more than I the strides that were attempte d towards i n c reasing the prerogative ; but as the excellence of our constitution above a l l others consists i n th e balance established between th e three p owers of king lord s and com mons I wish to see that e qui librium preserved No single m an nor any pri Vate j unto has a right to dictate laws to all three In Ireland truly a stil l worse spirit I appreh en d to be at bottom in short it is phre nsy or folly to suppose that a n army compose d of three parts of C atholics can be intended for any good pu rposes These are my sentiments my dear l ord and , ou know very disinterested For myself I h ave y n othing to wish but ease and tran quil lity for th e rest of my time I have no enmities to avenge I do h Ope th e pres ent administra tion will last as I b elieve there are mor e h onest m en i n it than i n though I have e t that could replace them an s y n ot a grai n of partiality m ore than I had for their Mr Fox I think by far the ablest an d a ssociates soundest head in E ngland an d am persuaded that the m ore he i s trie d the greater m an he will a p pear P erhap s it is impertinent to trouble your l ord ship with my creed i t is certainly of no co u se but I hav e nothing else that u e n c e to any body q could entertain you and at so serious a crisis can one think of t rifl e s ? In general I am not sorry th e less t hat the nation i s m ost disposed to tri fl e an
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85 6
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i t takes part the more leisure will the m inisters have to atten d to th e m ost urgent points Whe n so many individuals assum e to b e legislators it i s l ucky that very f e w obey their institutes I rej oice to h ear of lady S t raff o rd s good healt h and am her and your l ordship s Most faithful humble serv ant ,
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To r u n E A R L
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YOU R l o rdship i s
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1 7 83
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partial to m e and my idl e l etters that I am afraid of writing t he m —not l e st they sh ould sink bel o w the stan dard you have pleased to a ffi x to the m i n your own mind bu t ’ f rom fear of bei ng intoxicated into attempting to keep them u p to it which woul d destroy their only m erit their being w ri t t e n n a t u rall y and with Gratitud e and good breeding ou t pretensions compel m e to m ake d ue answers ; but I entre at your lordship to be assured that however vain I am of your favour my only ai m i s to preserve t h e h onour of your friendshi p; that it is all the praise I a s k or wish ; and that with r eg a rd t o l etter writing I a m firmly persuaded that it i s a province i n wh ich wom en will always shine superiorly ; for our sex is too j eal ous of the reputation of good s ense to condescend to hazard a th ou sand t rifl es so
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b ut by no m ean s so laconic had m ore success T hough his first essay it was not at all dash ed b y bashfulness —an d though h e migh t h ave blush e d for discovering so m uch personal rancour to Mr Fox he rather seemed to be i mpatient to dis charge it Your lordship sees i n the papers that th e two h ouses of Irelan d have firmly resisted the innova tions of the vol unteers Indeed it was tim e fo r th e protestant proprietors to m ake their stand ; for though th e catholics beh ave decently i t w oul d b e into their hands th at the prize woul d fall The delegates it is true h ave sent over a m ost loyal address — bu t I wish their actions m ay n ot contra ’ s di s c o m fit u r e here dict their words M r will I suppose carry him back to a fiel d wh erein his wicked spirit m ay have m ore e ffect It is a very serious m oment ! I am i n pai n lest you r county my dear l ord (you kno w what I m ean ) sh ould countenance such pernicious designs I am impatient for next m onth for the pleasure of seeing you r lordship an d lady S trafford and am of both The devoted h umble servant .
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B e rk e l e y s qu a re We d n e s da y May 5 -
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YOU R cherries for ought I know m ay like Mr Pitt b e half ripe before others are i n bl ossom ; b ut a t Twickenham I am sure I coul d find date s an d pomegranates on the quickset h edges a s soon as a cherry i n swaddling cloth es on my walls The very leaves on th e horse ch esnuts are little snotty nosed things that cry an d are afraid of th e n orth W ind and cling to th e bough as if old p oker was coming to take them away For my part I have seen nothing like spring but a chim ney and yet I have been three s weeper s garland ; day s i n th e country — an d th e consequence was that I was glad to come back to town I do not wonder that you feel di ff erently ; any thing i s warmth an d verdure when compared to p oring over m em orials In truth I think you will be m uch happier for being out of parliament Y o u coul d do n o good th ere ; you have n o views Of and when neither duty nor a mbition to satisfy ambition calls (I do not condescen d to n am e ava rice wh ich never i s to be satisfied n or dese rve s to be reasoned with n or h as any place in your breast ) I can not conceive what sati sfaction an el derly man can have i n listening to the passion s or fol l ies of others : n or is eloquence such a ban quet when one k nows that whoever th e c ook s ,
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C O R R E S P ON D E NC E
360
OF TH E
are whatever th e sauces one has eaten as good beef or mutton before — and perhaps as well dressed I t is surely time to l ive for one s self when one has n ot a vast while to live ; an d you I am persuaded wil l live th e longer for leading a cou ntry life H ow m uch better to be planting na y m aking experiments o n sm oke (if n ot too dear ) than reading application s from o fficers a quarter of wh om you could not serve nor content three quarters ! You h a d not tim e for n ecessary exercis e ; and I believe would have bl inde d yoursel f In short if you will l ive in th e air al l day be totally idle and not re ad or write a lin e by candle light an d retren ch your suppers I shal l rej oice in you r having n othing to do but that dreadful punish ment pleasing yoursel f! N obody has any clai ms on you ; you have satisfied every point of ho nou r ; yo u have no cause f or being particularly grateful to the opposition ; and you want n o excuse for l iving for yoursel f Your re solutions o u economy are not only prudent but j ust ; and to say th e truth I b e li e ve th at if yo u had continued at th e head of the army you woul d have ruined yourself You have too m uch gene to have curbed yourself and woul have ro s i t d y had too l ittle tim e to attend to doing so I kno w by myself h o w pleasant it i s to h ave laid up a l ittle for those I love for those that depend on m e an d for old servants Moderate wishes may be sati s — and which 1 5 still better are less liable to fle d ,
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C O RR E S P O ND E NC E
3 62
OF TH E
You see m to think that I might sen d you m or e news S o I might if I woul d tal k of elections b ut those you know I hate as i n general I do all details H o w M r Fox has recovere d such a m aj ority I do not guess ; still less do I compre hen d h o w there Could b e so m any that had n ot v oted after the pol l had lasted so long Indeed I should b e sorry to understand suc h mysteries Of n ew peers or n e w elevations I h ear every day b ut am quite ignorant which are to be true R umour al w ays creates as m any as t h e king when h e m ak es several In fact I do kno w n othing A dieu .
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The sum mer is com e to town but I hope is gon e into th e country too .
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C ON W A Y
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S t ra wb e rry h ll , -
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May 2 1 , 1 7 8 4
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I A M perfectly satisfied with your epitaph and woul d n ot h av e a syllable altered It tell s exactl y what i t m ean s to s ay and that truth being an e n ,
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H O N H OR .
AC E W ALP OL E
36 3
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wants n o addition or ampl ification N or do I love late language for m odern facts n or wi l l E uropean tongues perish since printing has been discovered I should approve French least of all ; it woul d be a kind of insult to th e vanquished a n d besides the example of a hero shoul d be hel d out to h is countrymen rather than to th eir enem ies You must take care to h ave th e word ca us e d i n th e last line but one spelt rightly an d n ot c o mi um,
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I kno w nothing of th e parliam e nt but what yo u saw i n the papers I cam e hith er yesterday an d am tran sported like you with th e beauty of th e country ; aye and with its perfum ed air too Th e li la c ti d e scents even th e insides of the room s I desired lady A i l e sb u ry to carry you lord Me l c omb e s Diary It I S curious indeed not so m uch from the secrets it blabs which are rather charac t e ri s t i c than n ovel but fro m th e wonderful folly of the author wh o was so fond of talking of hi m self that h e tells all he knew of him self though scarce an event that does n ot betray his pro flig a cy ; and (which is still m ore surprising that he shoul d disclose ) alm ost every one exposes th e contempt in wh ich he was hel d and his consequential dis appointm ents an d disgraces ! —Was ever any m a n the better for another s experience —What a les son is here against versatility I wh o have lived through all the scenes n u folded e m entertained —b u t l shoul d think that to .
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O F TH E
younger readers half th e book must be u n i n t e l l i H ib l e e explains nothing but th e circum stances g o f his own situation ; and though h e touches on m any important periods h e leaves the m u n d e v e loped an d o ft e n u ndetermined It is diverting to hear h i m rail at lord H alifax and others for the very kind of double dealing which he relates coolly of himself i n th e n ext page H a d b e go ne back wards h e migh t h ave given h alf a dozen vol um es of his own life with similar anecdotes and v a .
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I am m ost surprised that whe n self love i s th e whol e ground work of the perform ance there should b e little or n o attem pt at shining as an author though h e was one A s h e had so m uch w i t too I am amazed that not a feature of it a p pears The di scu ssion i n the appendix on th e late prince s questio n for increase of allowance i s the only part in which there i s sense or honesty There is i n the imperfect account of R ochfort a strong circum stan ce or two that pl eased m e much There are many passages that will d i s please several others throughout Mr C oxe s Travels are very di fferent : plain clear sensibl e i nstructive and entertaining It i s a noble work and preci ous to m e who d eligh t i n quartos : the two volumes contain twelve hun dred pages — I have already devoured a quarter though I have h ad them but three d ays -
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C O R R E S P O ND E N C E
3 66
OF TH E
weather to c u t my hay — though nature certainly never intended hay shoul d be cut dry as it always rains al l June —But here is a worse calamity : o n e i s n ever safe by day or night : Mr s Walsingham who has b ought your brother s late h ouse at Ditton was robbed a f e w days ago in th e high road within a mile of home at s even i n the evening The d i i min or um g en ti um pilfer every thing L ast n ight they stole a coupl e of yards of lead Off the pediment of th e door of my cottage A gentle m a n a t P utney wh o has three m en servants , had his h ouse broken open last week and l ost som e fine m iniatures which h e val ued so m uch that he would not hang the m u p You m ay i magine what a pai n this gives m e in my baubles ! I h ave been making the round of my fortifications thi s m orning an d ordering new works I am concerned for the account you give m e of Life does not appear t o b e such a j ewel as to preserve it carefully for i t s o w n sake I think the same of its g ood th ing s : if they do not procure am usemen t or com fort I doubt they only produce th e contrary —Yet it is silly to refine ; for probably whatever any man does by choice h e kn ows will please h i m best or at least will p re vent greater un easiness I therefore rather re tract my concern ; for with a vast fortune m ight cer tainly do what he w ould an d if at h i s age h e can wish for m ore than that fortune will obtain I m ay pity his taste or temper : but I shal l ,
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think that you and I are m uch happier wh o can find enjoyments i n an h umbler sphere n or envy I wh o have those who have n o tim e for trifling never done any thing else am not at all weary of my occupation E ven three days of continued rain have not p ut m e out of hum our or spirits C es t bea ucoup d i r e for an A ng loi s A dieu ! ,
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H ON H S .
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S t ra w b e rry h l l , -
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un e
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I N S T E A D of coming to you I am thinki ng of packing u p an d going to town for winter so desperate is th e weather ! I found a great fire at Mrs C live s this evening an d Mr R aft o r hanging over i t like a sm oked ham They tell m e my h ay will b e all spoiled for want of cutting ; b ut I h ad rather i t sh oul d b e destroyed by standing th an by being m owed as th e former will cost me an d tis very dear to make n othing but the crop n oth ing but a water souchy of it You know I have lost a n iece an d found an o th er nephew : h e makes the fifty fourth reckon ing both sexes We are certainly an affection ate f amily for of late we d d nothing but m arry on e another H ave not Y OU felt a little twinge i n a rem ote * corner of you r heart on l ady s dea th She ,
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36 8
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dreaded death so extremely that I a m glad s h e h ad not a m om ent to b e sensibl e of it I have a great a ffection for sudden deaths —they save one s self and every body else a deal of ceremony The d uk e a n d duchess of M breakfasted h ere o n M onday an d seeme d m uch pleased though it rained the whole tim e with an Egyptian darkness I sh ould have though t there h ad been deluges enough to destroy all Egypt s othe r plagues ; b ut the n ewspapers talk of locusts — I suppose relations of your beetles th ough probably n o t so fond of green fruit ; for th e scene of th eir campaign i s Queen square Westminster W h ere there certainly has n ot been an orchard since the rei gn of C anute I h ave at last seen an a i r balloon —j ust as I once did see a tiny revie w b y passing on e acci dentally on H ounslow h eath I was g o i ng l a st and over n ight to lady O nslow at R ich mond Mr C ambridge s field I r aw a b undle in th e a i r not bigger than th e m oon and sh e h erself coul d not h ave d e s c e n d e d with m ore composure if sh e had expected to find E ndymion fast asleep It seem ed t o light on R ich mond hill ; but M rs was going by an d her coife ur e prevente d H my seeing it alight The papers say that a bal loon has been m ade at P aris representing t h e castl e of S t o ck h ol m i n complim ent to th e king of S wede n ; b u t that they were afraid to let it off so I suppose it will be served u p to him i n a ‘
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370
O F TH E
the earth is covered with such ab undant harvests ! They tal k of an earth quake having been felt i n London H a d sir W H amilton been there h e would thin k the town gave itself great airs H e I believe is pu tting up volcanos i n his own coun try In my youth philosoph ers were eager t o ascribe every uncom m on discovery to the deluge ; now it i s the fashion to solve every appearance by I c o n fl a ra t i on s f there was such an inundation g u pon the earth and such a furnace u nder it I am amazed that N oah and company were n ot boil ed to death Indeed I a m a gre at sceptic about h uman r e asonings ; the y predominate only for a tim e l ike other m ortal fashions an d are so Ofte n expl oded after th e m ode is passed that I hol d them little m ore serious though th ey call them selves wisdom H o w m any have I lived to s e e established and confuted ! For i ns tan ce the n e c e s si ty of a south er n con tinent as a balan ce w a s supposed to be unan swerable an d so it was t ill captai n C ook found t h e re w a s no such thing We are poor silly anim als : we live for an instant upo n a particle of a b oundless universe an d are m uch like a butterfly that sh ould argue about the natur e of th e s easons and wh at creates their v icissitudes an d does not exist itsel f to see one annual revol a tion of the m A dieu my dear lord —If my reveries are fool ish rem ember I give them for no better If I .
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W ALP O L E
AC E
37 1
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depreciate h uman wisdom I am sure I do not a ssume a grain to myself n or have any thing to value myself upon m ore than being Your l ordship s M ost obliged h umble servant ,
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C ONWA Y
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S t ra wb e rry h l l, A ug 1 4 , 1 7 8 4 -
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As lady C offers to b e p ostman I cannot resist .
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writing a line th ough I have n ot a word to say In good sooth I know n othing h ear of nothing but robberies an d h ouse breaking ; Consequently n ever think of m inisters India directors and such h onest m en M rs C live has been b roken open and M r R af t or miscarried and died of the fright L ady h as lost all her liveries an d h e r temp er and lady has cried her eyes out o n l osing I n short as I do a lurch and almost her wig not l ove exaggeration I do n ot believe there have bee n above threescore high way robberies withi n this week fifty seven houses that h ave been broken a n d two hundred and thirty that are to b e ope n stripped on th e first opportunity We are i n great h opes h owever that the king of S pain n ow he has demolishe d Algiers the m etropolitan see of t h ieves will come an d bombard R ich mond Twick e nham H ampton court a n d all th e suffragan citie s .
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C O R R E S P O ND E N C E
37 9
O F TH E
that swarm with pirates and banditti a s h e has a better knack at destroying vagab onds than at ré covering h is own Irelan d is i n a blessed way ; a n d as if th e cli m ate infected every body that sets foot th ere the v iceroy s aides de camp have bl un d er e d into a riot that will set all t h e h um o urs afloat I wish you j oy of th e sum m er being come n o w i t is gon e which is better than not coming at all I hope lady C will return with an account of you r al l being pe rfectly well A dieu ,
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summ er i s com e at l ast my lord drest as fin e as a birth day though n ot with so m any flowers on its head In truth th e sun is an ol d fo ol w h o apes the m odern people of fashio n by arri ving t oo " l ate : th e day i s go i ng to bed before he m akes hi s appearan ce ; an d one has scarce tim e to admir e h i s e mbroidery of green an d gold It was cruel to behold su ch expanse of corn every wh ere and yet see it all turne d to a water souch y If I coul d admire Dante which asking Mr H ayley s pardon ; I do not I woul d have written an olio of Jews an d Pagans an d sent C eres to reproach m aster N oa h w i th breaking his promise of the world never being ,
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37 4
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not part with the original which i s sharper and M r Wyat th e architect sa w th e m m ore alive h ere lately ; and said he was sure that if th e ide a was given to th e best statuary i n E urope h e woul d n o t produce so perfect a groupe Indeed with ‘ th e se dogs and th e riches I possess by lady Di poor S trawberry m ay vie with m uch prouder col lections A dieu my good lord ! when I fol d u p a letter I a m ashamed of i t —but it is you r o w n fault Th e last thing I shoul d think of woul d b e trou bling your lordship with such i nsipid stuff if you did not command it Lady S t rafl ord will h e ar m e testim ony how often I have protested against it I am he r ladyship s an d your lordship s Obedient humble servant ,
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A s I have h eard nothing from you I flatter my sel f lady A m ends or I think you would hav e ,
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brough t her again to th e physicians : you will I concl ude next week as towards the en d of i t the ,
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D i a n a Be a u c le rc
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H ON H O R .
AC E
W ALP O L E
37 5
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ten days th ey nam e d will be expired I m ust be i n town myself about Thursday on some little business of my own A s I was writing this my servants called m e a way to see a balloon —I suppose Blanchard s that was to be let off from C helsea this m orning I saw it from th e com m on fiel d before th e windo w of my roun d tower It appeare d about a third o f th e size of the m oon or l ess whe n setting s omething above th e tops of t h e trees on the level hori z on It was then descending ; and after u sing and decl ining a little it sunk slowly behind the trees , I sh oul d th ink about or beyon d S unbury at five minutes after one But you know I am a very inexact guesser at m easures an d distan c es an d m ay b e m istaken in m any m iles ; an d you know h o w little I have atten ded to those a i rg on a u ts only t oth er night I diverted my self wit h a sort of m editation on future a i rg on a ti on supposing that i t will not only b e perfe c ted b ut wil l depose na I did not finish it because I am not v i g a t i on skilled l ik e th e gentleman that use d to write p olitical ship news i n that style which I wante d to perfect my essay : but in th e prel ude I observe d h ow ignorant th e ancients were i n supposing Icarus m elte d th e wax of his wings by too near access to th e sun whereas h e would have b een froz en to death b efore h e m ade the first post on that road N ext I discovered a n allian ce between bishop Wilkins s art of flying an d his plan of an universa l .
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C O R R E S P O N D E NC E
3 76
OF TH E
l anguage ; the latter of which he n o doubt c al c u l ated to prevent the want of an i nterpre t er when h e shoul d arrive at th e moon But I chiefly am used myself with idea s of the change that woul d be m ade in th e worl d by the s ubstitution of balloons to ships I supposed our seaports to become d eser te d vi llag e s an d S alisbury plain N ewmarket heath (a nother canvass for alter an d all downs (b ut the Downs ) a tion of ideas ) arising into dock yards for a erial vessels S uch a fi eld would b e ample i n furnishing new spec u l a t i o n s —B ut to come to my sh ip news The good balloon D aad al us capt Wing ate ll fly i n a few days for C hina ; he will stop a t the top of the M onum ent to take in passengers A rrived on Brand sands the V ulture cap t N abob ; the Tortoise sno w from Lapland ; the P et e n l air fro m V ersailles ; th e Dreadnought from m ount E tna sir W H ami lton commander ; the Tympany Mon tg ol fie r ; and the Mine A i n a Foun b andbox from th e cape of Good H ope dered i n a hurrican e the Bird of Paradis e f rom m ount A rarat The Bubble S heldon took fire and was burnt to h er gallery ; an d th e Ph oenix i s to be cut down to a second rate In those days O l d S arum will again be a town an d have houses There will h e fights i n the air with win d i n it guns and bows and arrows ; an d th ere will be pro d igi o u s increase of land for tillage especially i n France by breaking up all public roa d s as useles s .
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C O R R E S P O ND ENC E
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OF TH E
ear as yo u remark i s perfect — but th at being a gift of nature am az es m e less H e r ex pression s are m ore exalted than poetic ; and dis cover taste as you say rath er th an discover fl ights of fancy and wild i deas as one shoul d ex peet I shoul d therefore advise her quitting blank verse which wants the highest colouring to dis t i n g u i s h it fro m prose ; wh ereas h er taste an d p robably good sense migh t giv e su fficient beauty to h er rhy m es H e r not b eing learne d is anoth er reason against h er writing i n blank verse M ilton employed al l his reading nay all his geographi c knowledge to enrich h is language —an d succeeded They wh o h ave im itated h i m in th at particular h ave been m ere m onkeys ; an d they wh o n egle ct ed it flat an d p oor Were I not persu aded by th e samples you have sen t m e m adam th at this wom an has talents I sh oul d not advise h er encouraging h er propen sity lest it shoul d divert her from th e c are of her f a m ily and after the novelty i s over lea ve her worse than sh e was Wh en th e late queen pa t ro n i s e d S tephen Duck wh o was only a wonder at first and had n ot gen ius enough to support the character he had promised twenty artisans an d l abourers turned poets an d starved Your poetess and c a n scarce be m ore m iserable than sh e is e ven th e reputation of bein g an auth oress m ay procure her c ustomers : but as poetry i s one of H er
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AC E WALP OL E
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your least excellen cies m adam (your virt ues will forgive m e ) I am sure you will not only give h er counsels for her works but for her conduct ; an d your gentleness will blen d them so j udiciously that sh e wil l m ind th e fri en d as well as th e m is tress S h e m ust rememb er that she is a L a c t i l la not a P astora ; and is to tend real cows not A r cadian sheep What ! if I shoul d go a step farth er dear m a dam and take th e liberty of reproving yo u for putting into this poor woman s b a n d s such a f rantic thing as th e C astle of O tranto ? It was fit f o r n othing but th e age i n which it was written an age i n which m uch was known that require d only to be amused n or cared whether its am use m ents w ere conform able to truth an d the m odels of good sense ; that coul d not b e spoiled ; was i n n o danger of being too credulous ; and rather wanted to be brough t back to im agination than to b e l ed astray by it — b ut you will have m ade a burly b urly i n this poor wom an s head which it cannot develo pand digest I wil l not reprove without suggesting som e thing i n my turn Give her Dryden s C ock an d Fox the standard of g ood s e n s e poetry n ature an d ease I wo ul d recomm en d others of his tales : but her imagination is already too gloomy and sh oul d be enlivened ; for wh ich reason I do not na me Mr Gray s E ton Od e an d C hurch yard Prior s S olomon (for I doubt his A lma though far ,
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C OR R E S P OND E NC E
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OF TH E
superior is too learned for her limited reading) woul d b e very proper In truth I think t h e cast of the age (I m ean in its c o m po smo n s) i s too s ombr e T h e flimsy giantry of O ssian has intro The exhibition s at d u c e d m ountainous horrors S omerset h ouse are crowded with Brobdignag ghos ts R ead and explain to her a charming poetic familiarity called th e Blue S tocking C lub If she has n ot your other pieces might I take the liberty madam of begging yo u to buy the m for her an d let m e b e i n your deb t ? A n d that you r lessons m ay wi n th eir way m ore easily even though he r heart b e good w i ll you add a guine a or two as you see prop er —A n d tho u gh I do not love to b e nam ed y et if it woul d encourage a subscription I shoul d have n o scruple It wil l be best to begin m oderately ; for if she should take H ippocrene for P ac t olus we m ay hasten her ruin n ot contribute t o h er fortune O n recollection you h ad better call m e Mr A n y b ody than na me my nam e wh ich I fear is i n bad odou r at Bristol on poor C hatterton s a c count ; an d it m ay b e th ought that I a m atoning his ghost : though if his frien ds woul d show my l etters to him yo u woul d fin d that I was as tende r to him as to your m il kw o m an : but t h a t they have never done am ong other i nstances of their i n j ustice H owever I beg you to say nothing o n t hat subject as I have declared I woul d n ot I have seen our excellent friend i n C l a rg e s ,
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C OR RES P O ND EN C E
38 2
years wishing ter s plan for sweepers but th ree peopl e ; cause d a smile
to prom ote my excellent Mr P or alleviating th e woes of chimney n ever could m ak e impression on on th e contrary have generally .
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OF TH E
i ntelligence of hostilities com m enced between the D utch an d Imperiali sts m akes m e suppose th at France will support th e former — or coul d they resist ? Yet I had h eard that France would not S ome have thought as I h ave done that a comb ination of partition would h appen betwee n A ustria France an d P russia th e m odern l a w of nations for avoiding wars I know nothing : so my conj ectures m ay all be erroneous ; especially as one argues from reason ; a very i n adequate j udge as i t leaves passions caprices an d a c cidents out of its cal culation It does not see m th e interest of France that th e emperor s p ower shoul d in crease in their n eighbourhood and e x ten d to the sea C onsequently it is France s i n t e r e s t to protect H ollan d in concert with P russ i a This last i s a transie nt power and m ay determ ine o n th e death of the present king ; b ut th e I m perial i s a perm anent force and m ust b e the enemy of France however present con nection s m ay incline th e scale I n any case I h ope we shall n o way b e h ooked into th e quarrel ; not only from th e impotence of our circum stan c es b ut as I think it would decide th e l oss of Ireland which seem s tranquilli zing ’
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A C E W ALP O L E
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but shoul d we h ave any bickering with Fran ce she woul d renew th e m anoeuvres sh e practised so fatally in A m eri ca Th ese are my politics ; I do not know w ith whose they coincide or disagree nor does it signify a straw N othing will depen d on my opinion ; n or have I any opinion ab out them b ut whe n I h ave n othing at all to do th at amuses m e m ore or nothing el se to fill a l etter I can give you a sampl e of my idleness which m ay divert lady A i l e sb u ry and your academy of arts an d scien ces for a m in ute i n the evening It cam e into my h ead yesterday to sen d a card to l ady Lyttelton to ask wh en she woul d be i n town here it is in an heroic epistle ,
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F m tl F m h i ll t h Th i pi t l i Th t th d ro
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T h ( B f
a s
ust ven t
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q i
if yo u
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Ob d
u ra t e
t o see
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Po
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A s the sixth line goe s rath er
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a l l,
i n th e h a ll , n
us a e
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p ihi w i ll m t
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if h k igh t M th l m q i t
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o u gh n o r e c h o n o r r o c
e ore sh e
een ,
un as o g y n Ot
u re
t o th e
ol e
a c o t t a ge s o s
as r a d a n t a s e v e r
A re
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a
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An d
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t h e c a s tl e s o n s g n s
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near the core do not give a copy of it : ho w ever I sh oul d be sorry if it d is pleased ; though I do n ot believe it will but be taken with good humour as it w a s m e ant ,
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C OR RE S P OND E NC E
TO
MR
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O F TH E
PI NK E R TON
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M
a r ch
1 7 , 1 7 85
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I A M m u ch obliged to yo u sir for the many civi l an d kind expressions i n your letter and for t h e friendly inform ation you give m e P artiality I fear dictated the former ; but the last I c a n on ly ascribe to the goodness of your h eart I have p ublished nothing of any size but the pieces you m e ntion an d one or two sm all tracts n ow out of print an d forgotten The rest h ave been prefaces to som e of my S trawberry editions an d to a few other p ublications and som e fugitiv e pieces which I reprinted several years ago i n a smal l vol um e and which shal l be at your service with th e C atalogue of N obl e A uth ors With regard to the bookseller who has tak e n th e trouble to collect my writings (amongst which I do n ot doubt b ut he will generously b esto w on m e m any that I did not write according to th e laudable practice of such compilers) an d wh o also intends to w rite my life to which as I never did any thing worth the notice of the public he m ust likewise b e a vol un t e e r c on t rib u t or i t would be
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a ry,
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E ss a y
on
Ac cess i on o f
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the
H is t ory
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S tuart t o th a t
of
e da l s , an d
H o us e
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C O RR E S P OND E NC E
OF TH E
—
body to scattere d atom s an d su ch a n act i n one s ol d age is d eclaring a f o n d n e s s for th e i n discretions of youth or for t ri fl e s of an age which t h ough m ore m ature i s only th e l ess excusable I t i s m ost true sir that so far from b ein g prej udi ce d i n favour of my own wri tings I am persuaded that h a d I th ought early as I think n ow I sh oul d n ever h ave appeared as an auth or Ag e frequent il lness an d pain have given m e m any h ours of r e fl e c t i on i n th e interval s of th e l atter which b e sid es sh owing m e th e i nutility of all our littl e views have suggeste d an ob servation that I l ov e to enco urage i n myself from th e rationality of it I h ave learnt an d have pra c tised th e m ortifyin g task of comparing myself with great aut hors an d th at compari son has annihilated all th e flattery that self l ove could suggest I kn ow h ow tr i flin g my own writings are and how far below th e s tandard that constitutes ex cellen ce for t h e shades that distinguish th e degrees of m ediocrity th ey are not worth discrim ination ; and h e m ust b e h umble or easily satisfied wh o can b e content to glim m er for a m ome nt a little m ore than h i s brethren glow worm s Mine ther efore you find si r i s not hu m ility bu t pride When you n g I wishe d for f am e ; n ot examining wheth er I was capable of attaining it n or considering i n wh a t light fam e was desirable There are two s orts of h one s t fa m e —th at attendant on the tru ly grea t an d that b e tter ki nd which is due to t h e g ood I a
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A C E W ALP OL E
38 7
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fear I did n ot ai m at th e latter n or d iscovered that I coul d n ever compass th e form er H aving neglecte d the b est road an d h aving instead of th e other strolle d into a narrow path that led to n o oa l worth seeking I see th e idleness of my g o urn ey an d h ol d it m ore graceful to abandon m y j wanderings to chance or Oblivion than to mark s olicitude for t r i fl e s wh ich I think s o myself I b eg your pardon for talking so m uch about m yself ; but an answer was du e to th e u nmerite d a ttention you h ave pai d to my writings I tur n w ith m ore pleasure to speak on yours Forgiv e m e if I sh all blam e you wheth er you either aban “ don your intention or are too impatient to finish it Your preface proves that yo u a re capabl e of treating th e subj ect ably — but allo w m e to rep eat th a t it is a kin d of subj ect that ough t not to b e executed impetuously A m ere recapitulation of A m ore e n au thenticate d facts woul d b e dry l ar g e d plan woul d dem an d acquaintan ce with th e characters of th e actors and with the p r oba ble sources of m easures Th e age i s accustom ed to detail s an d anecdotes ; an d th e age im mediately preceding his own is less known to any m an than th e history of any other period You are y oung enough sir to collect information on m any parti c ul a rs that will occur in your progress from l iving ,
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Of wri t
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2 c 2
G
e orge
II
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C O R R E S P O ND E NC E
3 88
OF TH E
actors at l east from their contemporaries ; an d great as your ardour m ay b e you will find yoursel f delayed by th e want of m aterials an d by furthe r n ecessary in quiri es A s you have variety of talents why should you n ot exercise th em on work s that will adm it of m ore rapidity an d at th e sam e t i m e at l eisure m om ents com me nce digest and enrich your plan by collecting n ew m atter for it ? In one word I h ave too m uch zeal for your credit n ot t o diss u ade precipitation i n a work of th e kin d you m editate T h at I speak sin cerely an d without flattery you are sure as accident n ot design m ade you acquainted with my admira tion of your tract on m edals If I wish to del ay your history it m ust b e that i t m ay appear with more advantages ; an d I m ust sp eak disinterest e dl as my age will not allow m e to hop e to se e y it if not fini she d soon I should n o t forgive myself if I turned you from prosecution of your — work but as I am sure my writings c a n hav e give n you n o opinion of my having soun d an d deep j udgm ent pray foll o w your own an d allo w n o m erit but that of sincerity and zeal to th e sen t i m e n ts of Your obliged and obedient hu mble s ervant ,
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C OR R E S P O N D E N C E
390
OF TH E
some of your pretty infants rather than b e de t e c t e d and bl ush I n th e m ean tim e I beseech yo u not only to p ri nt y our specimen Of the la ng uag e tha t i s to be i n hi a s o n but have it entered at S t a tioners h all or ; f depend upon it if e ver a copy falls i nto th e hands o f a fine gentl eman yet unborn who sh all b e able both to read an d write h e will adopt you r letter f or his own an d th e Galim atias wil l give th e to n to the C ourt as E up h ues did near two hundre d years ago ; an d th en you will h ave c orrupted our — i anguage instead of defending an d surely it t : l i s not y our interest madam to have p ure E nglish grow ob solete If yo u do not prom ise to grant my request I w il l show your letter every where to those that ar e worthy of seeing i t — that is i ndeed i n very ; f e w pla c es for you s h a ll have th e honour of i t I t i s one of th ose comp ositions th at prove th em selves standards b y b e g tting i mitations ; an d if th e genuine paren t is unknown i t wil l be ascribe d to every body th at i s supp osed (i n h is own set) to have m ore wi t than the rest of th e world I sh oul d b e diverted I own to h ear i t faintly dis avowed by som e wh o would wish to pass for its ,
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” hi s E n l an d E u h u e s an d w as wr i t te n b y g ub l s h e d i n ua r t o i n 1 5 8 0
p i
q
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J
ohn
Lilly
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H O N H OR .
AC E W ALP O L E
39 1
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authors b ut still there is m ore pleas ure in doin g j ustice to m erit th an i n drawing vain pretensions into a scrap e ; and th erefore I th ink you an d I had better b e h onest an d a cknowledge it th ough to you (for I am out of th e question b ut a s evi den ce ) i t will b e painful ; for though th e proverb ” sa ys Tell truth an d sh am e th e devil I bel ieve h e is nev er half so m uch confoun de d as a certai n amiable young gentlewoman wh o i s discovered to have m ore taste an d abilities th an she ever ven tu re d to ascribe to herself even i n th e m ost private d ialogu es with her own h eart especially wh en th at native f rien d i s so pure as to have n o occasion t o m ake allowan ces even for self love For my part I am m ost seriously obliged to y ou m adam for an d am s o agreeable an d kin d a com mun ication with sincere regard Your m ost g ra t e fii l an d obedient h umble se rvant ,
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To
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PI NK E R T ON
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2 5 , 1 7 85
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I A M m uch oblige d to your book sir on m any accounts particularly for having recalled my m in d ,
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r , u n de
th e
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Her on
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C O RR E S P O N D E N C E
39 2
OF T H E
subj ec ts of delight to wh ich it was grown dulled by age an d i n d olen c e In consequence of you r I ask ed myself why you feel so r eclaiming it m uch dis regard to c e rl a i n authors w h ose fam e is establish ed — You have assign ed good reason s for withh olding your approb ation fro m some fro m th eir being i m itators It was n atural then t o ask m yself agai n w h en c e they had obtained so m uc h cel ebrity ? — I think I have di scovered a cause wh ich I do n ot rem emb er to have seen n oted ; a n d that cause I think was that such auth ors pos sessed grace Do n ot suspect m e for a disciple of lord C h e st e rfie l d —n or im agine that I m ean to erect grace into a capital ingredient i n writing But I do b elieve that i t i s a perfum e that will preserve fro m p utrefaction and i s distinct even from styl e It i s f ro m the c har m of gra ce that I believe som e auth ors n o t i n your favour obtaine d part of th eir renown Virgil in particul ar Thou gh I am far from disagreeing with you on — h im i n gen eral I think there i s such a want of invention (an d when h e di d i nvent i t was so fool i shly ) so little good sen se so l ittle variety and so l ittle power over th e passions that I have ofte n said from contempt for his m atter an d from th e charm of his har mony I b elieve I shoul d like him better if I was to hear the f E n ei d repeate d an d did not understan d Latin —But h e has m ore than h arm ony wh atever he utters is said gracefully A R oman farmer m ight not understand the to
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C O RR E S P O ND E NC E
3 94
O F TH E
from th e graces of his style —a capital merit of both Tibullus an d Propertius wh o certainly can n ot b oast of more m eaning than th ere i s i n H orace s odes Waller wh om you proscribe sir owed his fam e to th e graces of hi s m anner th ough b e frequently stumbled and even fell fia t —b ut a few of h is s maller pieces are as graceful as possibl e M ilton has m eri t so m uch superior th at I will only say that if his R aphael his S atan an d h is A dam h ave as m u c h dignity as th e A pollo Belvi d ere his E v e has al l th e delicacy of th e Venus of M edi ci an d his description of E den h as th e c o louring of Alban o H i s tenderness always imp rints ideas as graceful as G uido s Madonnas an d th e A llegro P enseroso an d C om us m igh t be den o m i n a t e d fro m th e thre e Graces M il ton s soul was full of poetry sense and fire an d h e had i mprove d all th ose qualities by study i ng th e best m odels Thus prepared h e gave a l oose to his genius which was too i mpetuous an d sublim e to b e curb ed by th e m echanism of rhym e which woul d ofte n h ave impeded his expressing all h e felt an d oftener p erhaps h ave oblige d hi m to add frigidities to help out th e return of th e sound The language th ere fore of M ilton s blank verse was not studied bu t th e natural application of his own tongue to deliver h i s own i deas The imitators of Milton on th e contrary study his ph r as e to express com mo n ,
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H ON H OR .
A C E WALP OL E
39 5
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ideas their own ideas void of his vigour Thenc e th e diction of Thom son A k e n s i d e is less easy than it would h ave been if th ey had writte n in rhym e Their language i s n ot poeti c b u t bombast prose or rath er prose dresse d i n poetic rags Th e P aradise Lost i s like M A ngelo s M oses —Th e S easons an d th e Pleasures of t h e Imagination like th e king of hea rts an d diam onds with robes m ade of patches Of gau dy colours that d o n ot unite an d di ffer from th e k naves but by the length of their trains C owley I think woul d h ave h ad grace for his mi nd was graceful if h e h ad had any c a r or if his taste had n ot been vitiate d by th e pursuit Of wit ; for fal se wit always deviates i nto tinsel or pertness P ertness i s m istake n affectation of grace as pedantry is erroneous dign ity — Th e fam iliarity of th e one an d th e cl um sine ss of th e oth er prevent or destroy grace N ature that produces samples of all qual i ties an d i n t h e scal e of gradation exhibits all p ossibl e sh ades aff ords u s types th at are m ore apposite than words Th e eagl e i s sublim e the li on m a e s ti c th e swan graceful th e m onkey pert the j bear ridiculously awkward I m ention these as m ore expressive than I c oul d m ak e definition s of my m eaning : b ut I will only apply th e swan u nder wh ose wings I will sh elter an ap ology for R acine whose pieces give m e th e i dea of that bird The colouring of th e swa n is pure his atti .
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3 96
OF TH E
tudes are graceful ; he never displeases yo u wh en sailing on his proper elemen t H i s feet are ugly his walk n ot natural — h e can soar b ut it is with d iffic ulty S till th e impression a swan leaves is that of grace S O does R acine Boileau m ay b e compared to th e dog wh ose sagacity i s remarkable as well as its fawning on i ts m aster an d its snarling at th ose h e dislikes If Boileau was too stern to admit th e plian cy of grace he co mpensate s by good sen se and pro ri e t f r I will drop animals ) an i s like H e o p y ( u pright m agistrate whom you respect b ut wh ose p ublic j ustice an d severity leave an awe that dis courages fam iliarity H i s c opies of th e an cients m ay be too servile — but if a good translator — deserves p raise Boileau deserves m ore h e cer and t a i n l y does n ot fall bel ow h is original s c on sidering wh en h e wrote h as a greater m erit still By his im itations h e h el d out to his coun t rym e n m odels of taste an d ban ishe d totally th e bad taste of h is predecessors For h is Lutrin replete with excellen t p oetry wit h um our an d satire h e certainly was n ot obliged to th e an cients E x cept H orace h ow little i dea had either G reek s or R oman s of wit an d h umou r ! A ristophanes an d L u cian compare d with m oderns were th e on e a bla c k guard th e other a b u fl o o n To my eyes th e Lutrin the Dispensary an d th e R ape of th e Lock are sta ndards of elegance an d grace n ot to be paralleled by antiquity an d are eternal and ,
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C OR R E S PO N D E NC E
398
O F TH E
am inclined to think contributes to grace when it i s not disgraced by pitiful lamentations l ike O vid s an d C icero s in their banish ment We respect m elanch oly A gay writer wh o sh oul d only e x p ress satisfaction without variety would soon b e nauseous M adam e de S evign e is an instance of both There i s too m u ch of grief for h er daughter s ah sence —yet it is always expressed by n ew t urn s an d n e w i mages Whe n sh e forgets h er concern an d retu rn s to h er na tural disposition gaiety eve ry paragraph h as novel ty —her allusion s her application s are th e happiest possibl e S h e has th e art o f m aking you acquainted with all her a c quaintan ce ; an d even with th e sp ots sh e i nh a b ited H e r language i s correct th ough u nstudied ; an d wh en h er m in d is full of any great event sh e i nterests you with th e warm th of a dramatic w ri ter n ot with the chilling i mpartiality of an historian P ray rea d her account of th e death of m arsh al Tu renne an d of th e arrival of king Jam es i n France an d tell m e whether you do not kn ow their pers on s as if you h ad live d at th e tim e For my part if you w ill allow m e a word of digression I hate th e cold i mpartiality recom m ended to histo ri an s — S i vi s me jle r e d ole n d um e s t pr i mum ip s i t i bi —But th at I may n ot wander again nor tire you nor contradi ct you any m ore I will finish only inter ceding for grace as an apology for several writ ers to wh om I think you a littl e t oo severe ,
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H ON H O R .
To
TH E
W ALP O L E
AC E
HON H S .
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C ONW A Y
39 9
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i
S t ra w b e rr y h ll , Oc t ob e r 6 , 1 7 85 -
I W ON D E R E D
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I di d n ot h ear from you as I con cl uded you returned You have m ade m e good am ends by th e entertaining story of your t ra v e l s If I were not too disj ointe d for l ong j ourneys I sh oul d like to see m uch of what you h ave seen ; b ut if I had the agility of V e s tri s I would n ot p urchase all that pleasure for my eyes at th e expense of my unsociability which co uld n ot have borne th e hospitality you experien ced It was always death to m e wh en I did travel E ngland to have l ords an d ladies receive m e a n d sh ow m e th eir castles instead of turning m e over to th eir h ousek eeper : i t hin dere d my seeing any thing an d I was th e wh ol e tim e m edita t ing my escap e : b ut l ady A an d you are n ot such n or shrink an d cl os e u p if a s ensitive p l ants str anger h olds out a h and I don t wonder you was di sappoint e d wi th Jar vis s windows at N e w C ollege : I had foretol d their m iscarriage : th e Ol d an d the new are as mismatched as an orange an d a lem on an d destroy each oth er ; n o r is there room enough to retire back and see h alf of th e n ew ; an d sir Joshua s washy Virtues m ake the N ativity a dark sp ot fro m the d arkness of t he S hepherds which ,
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40 0
happened as I kn ew i t would from m ost of Jar vis s col ours n ot being tran sparent I have n ot seen th e i mprovem ents at Blenheim I used to think i t on e of th e ugliest places i n E nglan d ; a giant s castle wh o had laid waste all th e country round him E very body n ow al l ows th e m erit of Brown s achievem en ts th ere O f all your survey I wish m ost to see Bea u D esert Warwick castle an d S towe I know by h eart the first I had rather possess th an any seat u pon earth —n ot th at I th ink i t th e m ost beautiful of all though charm ing because I am so intimate with all its proprietors for th e last thousand years I have often an d Often studied th e new plan of S towe : it i s pompous ; but though th e wings are altered th ey are n ot l ength ened Though three parts of th e edifi c es i n th e garden are bad th ey enrich th at insipi d country an d the vastness pleases m e m ore than I can defend I rej oi ce that your j aun t has been service ‘ abl e to lady A Th e cha r mi ng m a n i s a c tually with m e ; b ut n eith er h e n o r I can k eep our pro m ise incontinently H e expects two sons of his brother sir William whom h e i s to pack up and sen d to th e P eres de l Ora t o i re at P aris I expect lord and lady W to m orrow wh o are to pass a f e w days with m e : but b oth th e cha r mi ng ma n and I ,
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C O R R E S P O N D E NC E
4 02
To
Ma s H .
O F TH E
M OR E
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B e r k e l ey s q ua re -
IT
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Fe b 9 , 1 7 86 .
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is very cruel my dear madam wh e n you se nd m e su ch charm ing lines a nd say such kin d an d flattering th ings to m e an d of m e th at I cannot even thank you with my own p oor han d ; an d yet my han d is as m u ch oblige d to you as my eye a nd ear an d u nderstan ding My hand was i n great pain when your presen t arrived I opened it di an d sat to reading till you r m usic an d r e c tl my y own vanity composed a quieting dra u ght th at gli ded to th e ends of my fingers an d l ulle d th e throb s into th e deliquiu m that atten ds opiu m wh en it does n ot put one absol utel y to sl eep I don t b elieve that th e deity wh o formerly practised both p oetry an d physic when gods got their livelih ood by m ore th an one profession ever gave a recip e i n rhym e ; an d therefore since Dr Johnson has prohibite d applicati on to Pagan divin ities a n d M r Burk e has n ot stru c k m edicine an d poetr y out of th e list of sinecures I wish y ou m ay get a pa tent for life for exercising b oth fac ulties It would be a co mfortable event for m e ; for since ,
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Th e
p m oe
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Fl
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d e d i cated t o
Mr f Walpol e
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I can not wai t on you to thank you nor dare ask you ,
t o c al l
your d oves yourse l
f
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sit me i n y o ur P arn assian s end for you as m h s a Yet why s oul d i s s c i ne h yp y not I ask yo u to com e and see m e ? You are n ot s uch a pru de as to an d vi
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b l us h t o s h ow
co
mp i
a s s on ,
t h ough it shoul d n o t c h a n ce
An d
thi s ye a r t o b e th e
f hi as
o n .'
I can tell you th at powerful as your p oetry i s a n d old as I am I believe a visi t f ro m you w oul d do m e as much good al m ost as y our verses In th e m e an t im e I b eg you to accept of an and beli ev e a ddition to your S trawberry e di t i on s m e to b e with th e greate st gratitude Your too m uch h onoure d A n d m ost obl iged hu mble servant ,
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2 D 2
C OR R E S PO N D E NC E
TO
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H ON
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O F TH E
C O NW A Y
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S un d ay n gh t ,
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1 8 , 1 7 86
un e
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I s u pp o s a y ou h ave b een swearing at the east win d for parching you r verdure an d ar e n o w weeping f or th e rai n that drown s your h ay I h ave these calamitie s i n com m on and my constan t an d parti c ular one peopl e that c om e to see my h ouse which unfortunately i s m ore i n request than ever A lready I h ave h ad twenty eight sets h ave five m ore tickets give n out an d yesterday before I had dined three Germ an barons cam e My h ouse i s a torm ent n ot a comfort ! I was sent for again to din e at G u n n e rsb u ry on Friday an d was for c ed to send to town for a dress coat an d a sword There were th e prince of Wales th e prince of M e ckl enburg th e duke of P ortland l ord Cl a n b ras s il l ord an d lady C lerm o nt lo rd an d lady S outhampton l ord P elham an d M rs H owe Th e prin ce of M ecklenb urg wen t back to Wind sor after coffee ; an d the pri nce and lord and lady C lerm ont to town a ft er tea to hear som e n e w Fren ch players at lady William Gordon s Th e princess lady Barrym ore an d th e rest of u s play ed thre e pools a t com merce till ten I am afrai d I was tire d and gaped While we were at th e dairy the princess insisted o n my m aking som e verses on G u n n e rsb ury I pleaded being super I pro S h e would not excuse m e a n n ua t e d ,
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C OR R E S PO ND EN C E
4 06
my g oo d Mr c e r el y o u r frie nd , y
th ank s
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OF TH E
Walpo l e an d rem ain sin ,
AME L IA
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I think th is i s very genteel at seventy fi ve D O you kno w that I have bough t Jupiter S erapis as well a s th e Julio C l o v i o ! r assures m e h e has seen s i x of th e h and an d n o t one of th e m so fin e or so well pre s erved I am glad sir Joshu a R eyn ol ds sa w n o m o re excellence i n th e Jupiter than i n the C l o v i o ; or th e duke of P ortland I suppose woul d have purchased it as h e has th e vase for a th ousan d pounds I woul d not change I tol d sir W H am ilto n and the late duchess wh en I n e ve r t h ought it wou l d b e min e th at I had rather h ave th e h ead than th e vase I shall long for M rs Dam er to m ake a bu st to it an d th en i t will b e still m ore val uable I h ave depo sited b oth t h e Illu minati on an d th e Jupiter i n lady Di s cabinet wh ich i s worthy o f them An d h ere my collection winds u p—I will not purchase trum pery after such j ewel s Besid es every thing i s m u c h d earer i n Ol d ag e as O n e h as less ti m e to enj oy Go od ni gh t -
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r tla n d
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HO N
To R
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H OR
ACE
W A L I’ O L E
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IC H A R D G O UG H
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Esq
B e r k e l e y s q u a re -
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l
un e
2 1 , 1 7 86
ON
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com ing to t own yesterday upon business I found sir you r very m agnificent an d m ost va l u ab l e p resent for which I beg you will accept my m ost grateful thanks I am i mpatien t to return to Twickenham to read i t tran quilly A s yet I have only had tim e to turn th e print s an d to read th e preface ; but I s ee al ready o ver that it is both a n oble and laborious work an d w ill do great h onou r both to you an d to your coun try Yet one appreh ension i t has give n m e—I fear n ot l iving to see th e se c on d part ! Yet I shal l p re sum e to keep it unb oun d n ot only til l i t i s per f e c t ly dry an d secure but as I m ean th e bi nding sh oul d be as fine as it deserves I should be afrai d of not havi ng both vol umes exactly alik e —You r partiality I doubt sir has induce d you to insert a paper n ot so w orth y of the publi c regard as t h e rest of your spl endi d performance My l etter to Mr C ole whi ch I am sure I h ad utterly forgotte n to h ave ever written was a hasty indigested sketch like the rest of my scribblings and n ever cal c ul a t e d to l ead such well m editated an d accurate works as yours H aving live d familiarly with Mr ,
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C am de n s B ri tan i ’
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C O RR ES P O N D E NC E
4 08
C ole
f ro m
O F TH E
our boyhood I use d to write to h i m carelessly on th e o c casion s th at occurred A s it was al w ays on subj ects of n o importan c e I n ever th ought of enj oining s e c re sy I could n ot foresee that such idle c om m u n ications woul d fin d a pla c e i n a great national work or I sh oul d have bee n m ore attentive to what I said Your taste sir I fear h as for once been m isl ed an d I shall b e sorry for h aving i nno c ently bl emish ed a singl e page S in ce y o ur partiality (for such it certainly was ) h as gon e s o far I flatter myself you wil l have retained enough to accep t — n ot a retributi on b ut a t rifl i ng m ark of my regard in the littl e v ol um e that accompanies this ; i n wh i c h you will fi nd that anoth er too favourabl e reader h as b e stowe d o n m e m ore distin c tion th an I could pro cure for m yself by turning my sligh t essay on gardening into th e pure Fren c h of th e last age ; and whi c h i s wonderful has n ot debased Milto n — by French p oetry o n th e c ontrary I th ink Mi l ton h as given a dignity to French poetry nay an d h arm ony ; b oth wh i c h I th ought th at langu age al m ost in capable of receiving A s I woul d wish to give all th e value I can to my o ffering I will m ention t h a t l h ave printed but 4 00 copies half of which went to Fran ce ; an d as this i s an age i n w h ich m ere ra rities a r e preferre d to c om moner things of intrinsic worth as I have foun d by th e ridicul ous prices given for som e of my insignifican t publications m erely because th ey are s c arc e I ,
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4 10 -
O F T HE
colos sal m ask s There is n ot a sigh t in the island ' m ore worth y of being visit e d The bridge is as p erfe ct as i f bri d ges were natural p roduction s and as b eautiful as if it had bee n b uilt for Wen t worth castl e ; and the masks as if th e R om ans h ad left the m here We saw th em i n a fo rtunate m om ent ; for th e rest of th e ti me was very col d and the evenings as Chi ll as a n d un com forta bl e m any we h ave had l ately I n sh ort I am C om e to think that th e beginn i ng o f an ol d ditty which pas se s for a collection of blun ders was really a n old E nglish pastoral it is so descriptive of ou r cl im ate .
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I h ave been overwh elm ed m ore than ever by v i sitants to my hou se Yesterday I h ad coun t Og h i n ski wh o was a preten der to the crown of P olan d at th e last el ecti on an d has b een stripped of m ost of a vas t estate H e had on a ring of th e — o r I sh oul d h ave wish ed k ing of Pr ussia n ew him j oy o n th e death of on e of th e pl un derers of his country It has l ong been my opinion th at th e out pen of Bedl am are so n u merous t h a t t h e s i o n ers sh o rte st an d cheapest way woul d be to confi ne i n M oo rfie l d s th e f e w that rem ain i n th eir sen s es w ho woul d th en be sa fe ; and l et th e rest go at large They are t h e out pensioners wh o are for .
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H O N H OR .
AC E
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d es t roying poor dogs ! The wh ol e canin e race n ever did h al f so m uch misch ief as l ord George Go rdon ; n or even worry h ares bu t when h allooe d on by m en A s it i s a pe rse cution of animals I do n ot l ove h unting ; an d what ol d w riters m ention as a com m e ndati on m ake s m e hate it t h e m ore its being an i mage of war M ercy o u u s ! th at dest ru c tion of any s peci es sh oul d b e a sport or a merit ! What c ru e l u n r efl e c ti n g im ps we are ! E very b ody i s unwilling to die yet sacrific e s th e l ives of oth ers to mom entary pastim e or to th e still emptier vapou r fam e ! A h ero or a sportsman wh o wishe s for longe r l ife i s desirous of prol onging deva st ation We shall be cram m ed I suppose with pan egyrics an d e pitaph s on th e ki ng of Prussia — I am content that h e can n ow have an epi taph But alas ! th e emperor will write on e for hi m p robably i n bl ood ! an d whil e h e shuts convents for th e sak e of p opulation will b e u p be sides s t u fli n g h ospital s with mai med soldiers making th ousands of widows I have j ust bee n reading a n e w publ ish ed history of th e colleges i n O x ford by A nthony Wood and th ere foun d a feature i n a ch aracter th at always o ffended m e that of archbish op C hicheley wh o prompted H enry V to the i nvasion of Fran ce to divert h i m from squ eezing th e overgrown clergy When that priest m editated foun ding A ll S ouls and consulted his friends (who seem to ha ve bee n h onest m en ) what great matte r of piet y h e had ,
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C OR R E S P O ND E NC E
4 12
O F TH E
best perform to God i n h is ol d age h e was advised by the m to b uild an hospital for th e wounde d an d sick soldiers th at daily retu rned from th e wars th en h ad i n France —I doub t his grace s frien ds ” th ough t as I do Of his a rt ific e b ut continues th e h istorian d i s l ilri ng th os e m o ti on s an d valuing th e welfare of the decease d m ore than th e wounded an d diseased h e r e s ol ve d with h im self to prom ote h is design — which was to h ave m asses said for th e k ing queen an d him self 8 m while l iving ” — an d for th eir souls when dead i A n d th at m u m m ery the ol d foolish rogue th ough t m ore e fficacious than ointm ents an d m edicines for th e wretc hes h e had m ade ! A n d of the chaplains an d clerks h e i nstitute d i n that dorm ito ry on e was to teach grammar an d another pri ck song H ow history m akes one sh udder an d l augh by t urn s l But I fear I have wearied your l ordship with my idle declamation and you will repent h aving com m a n d e d m e to sen d you m ore letters ; and I can only plead that I am You r (perh ap s too ) obedient humbl e servant ,
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S t ra w b e rry h ll , Oc t ob e r 2 9 , 1 7 86 -
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sorry not to be apprise d of your i ntention Of going to town wh ere I would h ave met you ; WAS
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C O R RES PO N D E NC E
O F TH E
i t m i gh t lead you astray ; and if it i s right it wo uld prove t he Charade is not a good one H a d I any thing better I woul d n ot s end y ou c h ar a des unless fo r the nam e of th e aut h or I have had a letter from your broth er who tell s m e that he has his grandson S wi t h hi m who is a prodigy I say to my s elf ,
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e
I have see n prodigies i n plenty of late —aye and f orm erly too —b ut divin e as th ey have a ll b een each h as had a m ortal heel and has trodde n bac k a vast deal of their celestial path ! I beg to be excuse d from any m ore credulity I am sorry you have lost your fac totu m I suppose h e h ad discovere d that h e was too n ecessary to you E ve ry day c ures one of r e l i a n c e on others ; an d we acquire a prodigious s tock of experience by th e tim e that we sha ll Wel l ! I a m not c ea s e to have occasio n f or any clear b ut m aking or solving charades is as wi se as any thing we c a n do I should pardon professe d philosophers if they would allo wthat their wisdom i s o nly trifling i nstead of ca ll ing their trifling wisdom A die u ! ,
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LI Z A B E T H L AD Y B e r k el ey s qu ar e -
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C R AV E N
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N ov 2 7 , 1 7 8 6 .
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To my extre me surpri se madam whe n I k ne w not i n wh a t quarter o f the kn own or unkn o w n w orl d you was reside nt or existent my m aid i n Be rkeley squa re sent m e to S trawbe rry hill a n ote f r o m y o ur ladyship o ff ering to call on m e for a for a whirlwin d I sup pose was wait m ome nt ing at your door to carry yo u to Japan ; a n d as balloons have n ot yet settled any p ost o fli c e s i n t h e air you could n ot at lea s t di d n ot give m e any direction where to address you th ough yo u I m ust d id ki ndly rep roach m e with my silen ce en t er into a little justification be fore I proceed I heard fro m you f ro m V enice the n from P oland having whi ske d through Tartary fro m a n d then — P ete rsb urgh b ut stil l with n o dire ctions I said to my s elf I will write to Grand C airo which ” probably will b e h er n ext stage N o r was I to t ally in the wro ng—for there cam e a lette r f ro m C on s tantin opl e with a de s ign m ention ed of go i n g to the Greek islan ds an d orders to write to you at Vi e n na b ut with no b a nk er or other a ddress Spe ’
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at while I had e ve n st ro nger reasons 0
A fte rw ar ds m argra
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A nspa ch
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C O R R E S P O N D E NC E
O F TH E
th an th ese for silen ce For several m on th s I wa s disable d by th e gout from h olding a pen ; and you m ust k no w m adam that on e can t write whe n on e cannot write Then h o w write to la F i n a n ce e d a R oi ale Ga r be ? Yo u had been i n th e ten t of th e ch am of Tartary and i n th e haram of th e c aptai n pacha and du ring your navigation of th e JE g e a n were possibly fallen into the terrible power of a corsair H o w c oul d I suppose th at so m any de I s po t i c i n fi d e l s would part with your charm s ? n ever expected you again on C hristian grou nd I did n ot doub t your having a tal ism an to m ak e pe o pl e i n love with you ; but anti talism ans are quite a n ew specific Well wh ile I was in this quandary I received a del ightful drawing of th e castl e of O tranto — b ut still provokingly without any address H oweve r my gratitude for so very agreeable an d obliging a present c oul d n ot rest till I foun d you out I wrote to the du c hess of R i c h m ond to beg sh e woul d ask your broth er captai n Berk el ey for a direction t o you ; an d h e h as this very day been so good as to sen d m e one an d I d o n ot lose a m o m en t i n m ak ing use of it I give your ladyship a m illion of thank s fo r th e drawing which was really a very valuable g ift to m e I did n ot even k now that there was a castle of O tranto When th e story was finished I looked i nto th e m ap of th e kingdom of N aples for a wel l so unding n ame and that of O tra nto was ve ry so .
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C O R R ES P O N D E N C E
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To
Ma s H .
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OF TH E
M OR E
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B e rk el ey s q ua re -
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Ja n I , 1 7 8 7 .
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n ot i magin e dea r m adam that I pretend i n th e m ost distant manner to pay yo u for charm i ng poetry with insipid prose ; m u ch le ss that I ac quit a debt of gratitude for flattering ki nd ness a n d f riendship b y a m eagre tale that d oe s not eve n aim at cel ebrating you N o ; I h ave bu t two m o t i v e s for o ffer ing you the accom panying trifle th e first to pr o ve that th e m om e nt I h ave finish ed any thing y ou are of th e earliest i n my th ou ghts : the second that coming from my p res s I wish it m ay be adde d to your S trawbe rry edition s It i s s o far from being designed f or the p ublic that I h ave printed but forty Copies which I do n ot m e ntion to raise i t s val ue though it will wit h m er e but lest you s hould le n d it and l os e it c ollectors w hen I m ay n o t b e a b le to s u pply its pl ace C hristina i ndeed h a s som e title to connectio n w ith you b ot h fr o m h er learni n g a n d her m oral writings ; as you are ju s tly e ntitled to a l odging i n h er Ci te de s D a mes where I am sure he r three patronesse s woul d place you as a favo u rite e le ve of som e of th eir still m ore a miabl e sisters w ho m ust at this m omen t h e con doling with th eir n u DO
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AC E W ALP O L E
f o rtunate
4 19
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sister Gratitude whose vagabond found You li ng has so basely disgraced her an d herself was a spuri ou s issue of f ancie d that M rs Y with all their im m ortal a m use ; an d to b e sure virgi nity th e parish of Parnassus has been sadly and as n obody c h arged with their bantlings knows the fath ers n o wonder som e of th e mi sses have turn ed out woful reprobates I was very unl ucky i n not calling at Mr s Ve sey s the evening you was there for a m om ent ; but I h ope for better fortun e soon an d will be m uc h o bliged to you if you will tell m e when I m ay h op e for that pleasure Your m ost grateful an d faithful hu mble servant .
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Be r k e l ey s quare -
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Jan 2 , 1 7 8 7 .
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Y O U R ladyship tel l s m e th at you have kep t a j our n al of your travels —you know not wh en your f riends at P aris will give you tim e to p ut i t a u n e t —that is I concl ude an d h op e prepare it for th e p ress I do not wonder that those f ri en ds whether t alismanic or others are so assiduou s ifyou indulge the m ; bu t u nless they are of th e form er d e s cri p t ion they are unpardonable i f they kn o w what — they i nterrupt and deserve m u ch m ore that you s h oul d wish they had f all e n i nto a ditch th a n t h e ,
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4 20
O F TH E
poor gentlem e n who sigh m ore to see you in she e ts of holland than of paper To m e th e misch ief i s enormou s H o w proud I sh oul d b e to register a n oble authoress of my own country wh o has tra v e l l e d over m ore regions an d farth er than any f e m al e i n prin t ! Your lad yshi p has visited those i slan ds and shores whenc e formerly iss ued those travelling sages and legislators wh o sough t an d i mporte d w i sdom l aws an d religion into Gr eece ; and th ough we are so perfect as to want n one of th os e c ommodities the fam e of those philosophers i s certainly dim inish ed when a fai r lady h as gon e as far i n q uest of knowledge You h ave gone i n an age when travels are brought to a j uster stand ard by narration s being lim ite d to truth Formerly th e p er for m ers of th e longest voyages destroyed half th e m erit of their expeditions by rel ating n ot w h at th ey had but had n ot seen ; a s ort of com m unication that they m igh t have i m part e d w i th out stirri ng a foot from hom e S uch exaggerations drew discredit on travel s til ] peopl e would n o t believe that th ere existed i n oth er cou n tries any thing very di ff erent from what they s a w i n th eir o w n and because n o Patag o nians or gentry seven or eight feet high were really dis covered they would not b elieve that there were Lapland er s or pigmies of three and four Incre d ul i t y went so far that at last it was doubted whe t her C hina s om u c h as existed ; an d our count ry m an sir John Mandeville got an ill name be caus e, .
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4 22 -
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Peter the h ermit conj ured up th e first crusadoe s against th e i n fid e l s by running about from m onarch to m onarch Lady C raven sh ould b e as zealou s and as renowned ; an d every fair C ircassian woul d acknowledge that on e E nglish lady had repai d thei r country for th e secret wh ich another h ad E ive n to urope fro m th eir practice g I h ave th e honou r to b e m adam Your ladysh i p s m ost obedien t h umbl e servant .
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MO R E
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B e rk el ey sq ua re -
DEAR
MA DA M
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Fe b 23 , 1 7 8 7 .
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I N OT only send you la Ci tédes D a mes but C hris tin a s L ife of C harles V which wil l entert ain you m ore an d which when I wrote my brief history of h er , I did n ot know sh e h ad actually comp osed Mr D u t e n s told m e of it very lately an d actu ally — borrowed it for m e and b ut yesterday my Fren ch b ook seller sent m e three and twenty oth er vo ‘ l um es of those M emoir es H is tor i ques which I h ad ordered hi m to get for m e an d wh ich will keep my eyes to th e oar for som e tim e wheneve r ,
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K e r alio
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H O N H OR .
W ALP O L E
AC E
4 23
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have leisure to sail through such an ocean ; an d yet I shall embark with pl easure late as it is for — m e to un dertake such a hugeous voyage bu t a cre w of ol d gossips are n o i mproper company an d we shal l sit i n a warm cabin an d hear and tell old stories of past ti mes P ray k eep th e volum e as long as you please and borrow as m any m ore as you please for each vol um e i s a detach ed piece Yet I do not suppos e your fri ends will allow you m uch tim e for reading i n town ; and I h ope I shall ofte n b e th e bet t er for thei r h indering you Yours m ost sincerely an d most cordially l
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AV E very littl e to tell you since we m et b u t disappointm ents an d those of no great co u se
I
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Friday nigh t lady P embroke wrote to m e that princess Lub o m i rs ki was to dine with h er th e n ext day an d d esire d to com e in th e m orn ing to see S trawberry —Well my castle put on i ts rob es breakfast was prepared and I sh oved anoth er company out of th e house wh o had a ticket for seeing it The s u n sh one my hay was c ocked w e looked divinely —a n d at h alf a n h our a fter On
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two nobody c am e but a servan t from l ady P e m b rok e to say her P olish altitu de had sent her word sh e h ad anoth er engagem en t i n town that would k eep her too l ate —s o lady P e mbrok e s dinner was addled ; an d we h ad nothing to do but , lik e good C hri stian s if we c hose it to compel every b ody on the road wheth er th ey ch ose i t or n ot to com e in an d eat ou r soup an d bis c uits M e think s this li ber um ve to was rather imperti nent an d I begin to think that the partition of P ol an d was v ery right Yo u r brother has sen t m e a card for a ball on M onday bu t I have excused m yself I h ave n ot yet compasse d the wh ole circuit of my own garden an d I h ave had an i nflam m ation in one o f my eyes an d don t think I look as well as my h ouse an d my verdure ; an d h ad rather see my hay cocks than th e duchess of P olignac an d m a d am e L u b o m i r sk i Th e way to ke ep h i m had th e way to get m e an d I coul d crawl to it becau se I li ad an in cl ination ; b ut I h ave a great com man d of mysel f wh en I Lady C onsta n t h ave n o m ind to do any thing w as worth a n h undred a cs a nd i r aki s Let m e hear of you wh en yo u h ave n othing el se to d o ; th ough I s u ppose you have as little to tell as you se e I had ,
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littl e part of the w orld has been q uiet as u sual The duk e of Queensb erry h as given a sumptuou s dinner to the prin c esse de L a m b e ll e I n ever saw h er n ot even i n Fran ce c l v oi létou t I have n o particular p e ncha n t for sterling prin ce s and princesses m uch less for th ose of Frenc h pl ate Th e only entertaining thing I can tell you r l ordship from our district i s that ol d m ada m Fre n ch wh o lives close by th e bridge at H amp to n court wh ere b etwee n h er an d th e Thames s h e had nothing bu t one grass pl ot of th e wi dt h of her h ouse h as paved th at wh ole plot with black an d wh ite m arb l e i n diam onds exactly like th e floor of a church ; an d this curious m e t a m o rph o sis o f a garden into a pavem en t has cost h er thre e h undre d and forty po un d s z — a tarpaulin sh e m igh t h ave h a d for som e shillings which woul d h ave l ooked as well and migh t easily have bee n rem oved To b e sure th is exploit an d l ord Dudl ey s ob elisk bel ow a h edge with h is canal at righ t angles with th e Tham es an d a sham bridge n o broader than that o f a violin an d pa r a l le l to th e river are n ot p referable to th e m onsters i n c lipt yew s of o u r an cestors ; O ur .
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f ur c a, t a m e n
us
q u e re c u
r re t .
th e con tr a ry Mrs Wal singham is m aking h er h ouse at Ditton (n o w baptized Boyle farm ) very
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H O N H OR A C E .
W ALP O L E
4 27
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o rthodox H e r daughte r m i s s Boyl e wh o h as real genius h a s carve d th re e tablets in m arbl e with boys designe d by h erself Th ose sculpture s are for a chimn ey piece ; and sh e is pai nting pan n el s in grotesque for the l ibrary with pilasters of Miss C rewe wh o h a s glass i n black an d gold taste too h as decorated a room for h er m other s house at R ich m ond wh ich was lady Margaret C ompton s i n a very pretty m an ner H o w m uch m ore amiable th e ol d wom en of th e n ext age wil l be than m ost of th os e we rem ember w h o u se d t o tumble at on ce from gallantry to devout scan dal an d cards ! an d revenge on th e young of their ow n sex t h e d esertion of ours N ow they are ingenious they will n ot want am usem en t A dieu my dear lord ! I am m ost gratefully your lordship s very faithful h umble servant .
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M OR E
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i Ot
S t ra wb e rry h ll , -
c ob er
1 4 , 1 7 87
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A R MA D / n u I A M sh ocke d for hum an n ature at th e repeated m al evol e nce of this woman —Th e rank s o i l of My
DE
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A f t e rw
ar
ds
m
i
a rr e d
t o l o rd
F
H e n ry i t z g eral d
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C OR R E S P O ND E N C E
4 28 -
OF T H E
riches we are a c c usto m ed to see overrun wi th weeds and t h i s t l e s ; b u t wh o could expe c t that th e kindest seeds sown on poverty an d dire mis fortu ne s sh ould m eet with nothing but a rock at bottom ; C ath erine de M edici su ckled by p op es an d tran splante d to a thron e seem s m ore e xc u sable Thank heaven m adam for giving you so e xcellen t a heart — aye and so good a h ead You are not only ben evolen ce itself b ut with fifty tim es the genius of E f you are void of vani t y H o w strange that vanity sh oul d expel gratitude —Does n ot th e wretche d wom en owe h er fame to you as well as her a ffl ue n ce ? I c a n t e s t ify yo u r Dam e reminds m e of l abours for both th e Troubadours th ose vagrants whom I used to admire till I knew thei r history an d who u sed to p our out trumpery verses an d flatter or abuse accordingly as they were h oused an d c loth ed or dismissed to th e n ext parish Yet you did n ot set this person i n the sto c ks after procuring an an nuity for h er 1 I b eg you r pardon for renewing so disgu sting a subj ect an d will n ever m ention it again You have better amu sement ; you l ove good works a temper superior to revenge I h ave again seen our poor frien d i n C l a rg e s street : her facul ties decay rapidly ; an d of c ourse she su ff ers less S h e h as n o t an acquaintan ce in town ; an d yet told m e th e town was ve ry full a n d tha t sh e had had a good d eal of c ompany '
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C O R R E S P O ND E N C E
O F TH E
language the m ost capable of both But I di d n ot m ean to sen d you a dissertation I h op e it will n ot b e long before yo u rem ove to H ampton Yet why should I wish that — You will only be geographi cally nearer to L ondo n till February C annot you n o w and the n sleep at th e A delph i on a visit to poor Vesey and your frie n d s an d l et one know if you do ? Yours my dear m ad am m ost sin cerely .
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C ONWA Y
B erkel ey sq ua re -
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FR OM violen t contrary winds and by your letter going to S trawberry hill when c e I was com e I h a ve but j ust re ceive d it an d perhaps shal l only b e abl e to answer it by snatches being up to t h e chi n i n nephews an d n ie ces I find you kne w nothing of th e pa c i fic ati on Whe n I s a w y ou r letter I w he n you wrote h oped it woul d te ll m e you was coming back a s you r island i s as safe as if it w as situated i n t h e P acific O cean or at least as islands there use d to be till sir Joseph Banks ch ose to put them up I s ent you the good news on th e very day before ,
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n ow in
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H ON
H OR
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W ALP O L E
ACE
4 31
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i n ed you woul d lear n it wrote th ough I magi y by earlier intelligence Well I enj oy b oth you r sa fety a n d your great success whi ch is enhanced by its b eing o wing to you r ch aracter and abilities I hop e th e latter will b e allowed to operate by those who have n ot quite so m uch of eith er I shal l be wonderful glad to see little m aster 2 S tonehenge at P ark place : i t will look i n cha r a c t e r there ; but your own bridge i s so s t u e n p dous i n comparison th at h ere after th e l atter wil l b e th ought to h ave bee n a work of th e R om ans Dr S tukeley will burst hi s cere m ents to o ffer m isletoe i n your templ e — an d Mason on the contrary wil l die O f vexation and spite that h e can not have C aractacus acted on th e spot P eace to all s uch ! ou
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rue
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ki n dl es ,
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w h os e
on e
fa i r
Fm a
e
fi
res
in s pi re s ,
h e woul d i m m ortalize you for all you h ave been carry ing on i n Jersey and for all yOu shall carry Inigo Jon es or C h arlto n ; or s om eb o dy I fo r; ” i a n t um C h orea e t wh o calle d S toneh enge g g g ,
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Mr Wa l pol e .
e r s e y,
v e r n or o g
w h i ch th e s t a t e s o f th a t
g e ne ral
P a k pl a c e r
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th us ca l ls th e s ma ll
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Co
n wa
t o y
i i
d ru d
c te
mpl
e
di s covered
i s la n d h ad pr e se n te d
b e tran sport ed t o
to t h e i r
an d erec ted a t
C O R RE S P ON D E NC E
4 32
—this w ill be
the
v
c h o re a
OF T H E
— of the pigmies an d as
I forget too what is Latin for Lilliputians I wil l m ake a bad pun an d say ,
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por t a n t ur Pyg ma li on i s
a va r
O p es
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Pygmalion is as well sounding a nam e for such a nt m e m onarch as O beron —P ray do not -
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but transport th e c ath edral ? bf your doma i n o n our con ti n e n t I fi gure quarl es m aking pilgrimages to V i si t ‘ t our daughter s bridge an d the drui y an d if I were not too old to have any 5 left I woul d add a sequel to M i Li "
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G OU GH
A dieu !
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B e rk e l e y s q u a r e Ma y 8 -
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SINCE
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your dra ftsman w a s w i th m e S i r I can gi ve you a little better an swer to your queries than I ,
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mp l
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Th e d ru d
4 a re
Th e ke y s t on e s o f t h e c e n t re orn a e n t e d w t h h e a d s Of t h e
th e
H on
5
On e
of
c
te
m
.
Mrs of
Da
th e
Park pl ac e -
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i m
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e.
er, and e
x
a r ch
of
Th m
es
e c ut e d
H i e r oglyph i c
T
a
i Ii
b r d g e a t H e n l ey and s s , d e s gn e d b y
th e
P ortl
by h er in
al es ,
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i
i
c on t a n n g
a
a n d s to n e
p
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d es cr i t i on
C OR R E S P O ND EN C E
4 34 -
To
OF TH E
T H OMA S B ARRETT
Es o ‘ .
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B e r k e l e y s qu a r e -
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J
une
5, 1 788
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I W I S H I could charg e myself with a n y m erit whic h I always wish to have towards you de ar sir in let ting Mr Matth ew see S trawberry ; but i n truth h e has so m u ch m eri t an d modesty an d taste h imsel f that I gave hi m the ticket with pleasure — which it sel dom happens to m e to do ; for m ost of th o se who go thith er go because it i s the fas hion an d because a pa r ty i s a prevailing custom too ; an d my tran quillity i s d isturb e d b e cau se n obody likes to stay at hom e If Mr M atthew was really enterta ined I am glad —but M r Wyatt has m ade h i m too correct a Goth n ot to h av e seen all th e imper fection s an d bad e xe c u tion of my attempts ; for neither M r B e ntley n o r my work men had s tu d i e d t h e science and I was al w ays too desultory and impatient to c om sider th at I should please my s elf m ore by allow i ng ti me than by hurrying my plan s i n to e xe c u tion b efore th ey were ripe My house therefor e i s b ut a sketch by beginners ; your s is finished by a great master — and if M r Matthe w liked m ine i t was e n vi r tu os e wh o l oves the dawnings of a n art or the glim merings of its r estorat ion ,
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W ALPO LE
4 35
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I finishe d Mr Gibb on a full fortnight ago and was extrem ely pleased It is a m ost wonderful m a ss of inform ation not only on history bu t almos t on all the ingredients Of history as war governm ent com merce coin and what not If i t has a fault i t i s i n e mbracing too m uch a nd con s e quently i n not detailing enough an d i n stri ding backwards an d forwards from one set of princes to another an d from one subj ect to another ; so that without m uch histori c k now l edge and without m uch m em ory an d m uch m eth od in one s m em ory i t i s almost impossibl e n ot to h e som etimes bewildere d : n ay his own impatience to tell what h e knows m akes th e a u th or though com m only so explicit not perfectly clear i n h is expressions The last chapter of th e fourth v olum e I own m ade m e recoil and I could scarc ely push through it S O far from being c a t h ol i c or heretic I wish ed Mr Gibbon had n eve r h eard of M on ophysites N estorians or any such fo ol s —But the sixth vol um e m ade ample am ends ; M ahom et an d the pop es were gentlem en an d goo d I a bominate fractions of t heology and c ompany reformation Mr S heridan I hear did n ot q u ite sati sfy th e ’ p assionate exp ectation th at had been raised .
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Of his
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eec h
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We s t mi n st e r i
one o f t h e ch ar g es a g a n s t
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h al l ,
Mr Has t in gs .
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p
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2 17 2
on
b r i ng ing forw a rd
C ORR ES P O ND E NC E
4 36
OF TH E
But it was impossible he could w h e n pe opl e ha d worked th e mselves into an enthusiasm of Offering i ly guineas for a ticket to hear him fif ty — aye jj Wel l ! we are su nk and deplorable i n m any poin ts yet not ab solutely gon e whe n his tory an d e l o u e n c e thro w out such sh oots ! I thought I had q outlived my country ; I am gla d not to leave i t desp erate ! A dieu dear sir ! Yours m ost sincerely ,
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THE
E
A RL
or
i T
S t ra w b e rry h l l , -
S
T RA FF ORD
ue s d a
y
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igh t J ,
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1 7 , 1 7 88
un e
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I GU E S S my dear lord a n d only guess that you a r e a rrived at V Ve n t w o r t h castl e If you are not my l etter will lo se non e of its bl oom by w a i t i n g f or you ; for I have n othing fresh to tell you an d only write be c ause you enj oined it I settled i n my L illiputian towers b ut this m o rning I wish peopl e woul d com e into th e cou ntry on M ay day But as a nd fix i n town th e first of N ovember t hey will not I have made u p my m ind ; an d h aving so little time le ft I prefer L ondon whe n my friend s an d society are i n i t to living here al one or with th e weird sisters of R ichm ond an d I had additional reason now for t h e H ampton streets are as green as the fields : we are burnt t o the bone and have not a lock of hay to cover o ur ,
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4 38
O F TH E
has engrossed all fam e s tongues and trumpets Lord Townshen d said he shoul d be sorry were he force d to give a v ote directly o n Hastings be fore h e had tim e to cool ; an d one o f th e peers saying th e speech h ad n ot m ade the sam e impression on h im th e m arquis replied a seal might be fi nely c u t an d yet not b e i n fault for m aking a b ad i m pression I have you see bee n force d to se nd your lor d ship what scraps I b rough t from town : the n ext four m onths I doubt will reduce m e to my ol d sterility ; for I cannot retail Fren ch gazettes though as a good E nglishm an boun d to hop e they will contain a civil war I care still less about the doubl e i mperial campaign only h oping that th e p oor dear Turk s will heartily beat both emperor an d empress If th e first O ttoman s coul d b e p unish ed th ey deserved it b ut th e present p os s e s s o rs h ave as good pres c ription on their side as any people i n E urop e We ou rselves are S axon s Dan es N orman s —our n eighbours are Franks n ot Gaul s — who th e rest are Goths Gepid ae H e ruli M r Gibb on knows — an d th e D ut c h usurpe d the estates of herrings turbots and oth er m ari ne indi gen ae S till th oug h I do n ot wish the hair of a ’
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th e
F m ro
ch a r
i n th e
th e s
ge o f tr al of
i
p
e e ch
he
m
ade
c ru e l ty t o t h e
Mr H a s t .
i
n
g
s.
in
W es t mi n s t e r
B egu ms
of
the
-
h all ,
p i
on
rov n ce Of
br
i gi n
n
g
Be n a re s ,
H ON
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AC E
HO R
W ALP OL E
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Turk s beard to be hurt I do not say that it would n ot be amusing to have C onstantinople take n — m erely as a lu sty event —for n either could I live to see A then s revive nor have I m u ch faith in two such bloody minded vul tures c ock and hen as C atherin e an d Joseph conquer ing for th e benefit of humanity ; nor does my Ch ristianity admire the propagation of th e gospe l by th e m outh of cannon What desolation of p e a sants an d their families by th e episodes of f ora ge an d quarters — Oh ! I wish C atherine an d Joseph were brought to Westm in ster h al l an d worried by S heridan ! I h ope too that the p oor B egu ms ar e alive to hear of hi s speech —i t wi l l b e som e comfort th ough I doub t nob ody th ink s of restoring the m a quarter of a lac ! A dieu my dear lord ! You rs m ost faithfully ’
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M OR E
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y 4 , 1 7 88
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I A M soundly rej oi ced my dear m adam that th e present su mm er i s m ore favourable to m e than the l ast ; and that in stead of not ans w ering my letters i n th re e m onths you open th e campaig n firs t May not I fl atter my self that i t i s a sympto m of our being in better heal th I wish h owever you ? y ,
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C OR R E S P OND E NC E
44 0
O F TH E
had told m e so i n positive words an d th a t all your complaints have left you Welcome as is your letter i t would have been ten tim es m ore wel c om e bringing m e that assuran c e ; for don t think I forge t h ow ill you was last winter A s letters ‘ you say n ow keep their coach es I h ope those from Bristol will c all ofte n at my door I pro mi s e you I will never be denied to them N O botanist am I ; n o r wish e d to learn from ou i fi i s of all th e m uses that has a n ew n i n i y pp g g cation I h a d ra t h e r t h a t you h andl ed a n o a t e n pip e than a carnation one —yet setting layers ; I own is p re ferabl e to re ading n ewspapers one oft h e ch ronical m aladies of this a g e E very body r eads them nay quotes them though every body know s they are s t u fl e d with lies or bl unders —H o w sh ould i t be oth erwise ? If any extraordinary event happens w h o b ut m u st h ear it before it descen ds through a co ff ee h ouse to the runner of a daily paper ? They wh o are always wanting news are wanting to hear th ey d on t know what A l ower species in deed is that of t he scribes you m ention w h o every night c ompose a j ournal for th e satis faction o f such i lli te r a t z a n d fee d them with all th e vices and misfortunes of every private family —nay they n ow call it a d uty to p ublish all those calami ties which decency to wretche d rel ati ons ,
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C OR R ES P O ND E NC E
442 -
OF TH E
n ot it i ngeniou s ? an d was not the embassador so t o allow i t ? —N o doubt he took it for a compli m ent to h is own knee Well ! woul d we comm itted noth ing but follies ! What do we not com mit when th e abolition of sl avery hitch es ! .
Th Th
gh o ugh ou
C
ato
d
i
ed ,
th ou gh
B ru t u s d e a l t
Y e t pe r i sh d
ul l
th e g o d l -
ft
’
T
a ed
Ro
m
y
ik
e
s
pk o
e,
e s tr o
k
e,
!
have writte n ; an d I fear that e ve h if Mr S h eridan speaks trade th e m odern religion will predom inate A dieu my d ear m adam ! Yours m ost sincerely Y ou
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S t r a w b e r ry h ll , -
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3 88 2 1 1 7 , y
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W ON T you repen t h aving op en ed the c orre spo n den ce my dear madam wh en you find my l ette rs com e so th ick upon you ? In this instance h ow e ver I a m only to blam e i n part for b eing t o o r eady to take advice for the sol e reason for which a dvi ce ever i s taken because it fell i n with my i a ’
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said i n y our last that you feare d yo u took up tim e of mine to th e prej udice of th e p ubl ic ; i mplying I i magine that I m ight empl oy it i n You
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W ALP OL E
H O N H OR AC E .
MS
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omposing Waving b oth you r complimen t an d m y o w n vanity I will speak very seriously to you on th at subj ect an d with exact truth My simpl e writings have had b etter fortune than they h ad any reason to exp ect ; an d I fairly bel ieve in a great de gree b ecause gentlem en writers who do not w rite for i nterest are treated with som e civi l i ty if they do n ot Wr i t e ab s ol u t e non sense I think so because I have n ot unfr eq u ently known m uch better work s than m ine m u ch m ore n eg l e c te d i f th e nam e fortune an d situation of th e authors were bel ow m ine I wrote early fro m youth spirits an d van ity and from both the las t wh e n th e first n o longer existed I n ow sh udder when I reflect on my own b oldness ; an d with m o r t ific a t i on wh en I compare my own writin gs with th ose Of any g reat au t hors This is so true that I questio n wh ether it woul d b e p ossible for m e to su m u p cour age to p ublish any thing I have written if I c oul d recall tim e past an d sh oul d yet th ink as I think at pre se nt S O m uch for what i s over and out of my power A s to wri ting n ow I have totally forsworn th e profession for two solid reasons O n e I h ave al ready told you an d it is that I k no w my o wn writings are trifling and Th e other is that ligh t an d futil e Of n o depth as th ey were I am sensible they are better than I coul d compose n o w I am aware of th e decay of the m iddling parts I had and others m ay be s till m ore sensible of it H o w do I kno w b ut I am c
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C O R R E S P O ND E N C E
{4 4
O F TH E
uperannuated Nobody will be so coarse as to tel l m e so —b ut if I publish ed dotage all the worl d would tell m e s o — A nd wh o but run s that risk wh o is an author aft er seventy ? What happene d to th e greatest author of th is a g e an d wh o c e r t a i n l y reta ine d a very considerable portion of his a b ilities for ten years after my age ? V o l t a i re a t 8 4 I think w e n t t o P aris to recei ve th e incense i n person of his countrym en and to be witness of th eir admiration of a trage dy h e h ad written at that Me t h u s al e m ag e Inc en se h e d i d r e c ei ve till i t ch oked hi m ; an d at th e exh ibi tion of his pl ay h e was actually crown ed with laurel i n th e b ox w h ere he sat B ut wh at becam e o f h is poor pl ay ? — It die d as s oOn as h e did — w a s burie d with h i m — and n o m ortal I dare to say has ever read a line of i t sin c e it was so bad A s I am neither by a thou san dth pa rt so great with send you a n o r a quarter so littl e I will her e fragm ent that an a c cidental r e n c o n t r e s e t m e upon writing an d which I foun d so flat th at I wo ul d n ot fi nish it Don t believe th at I a m either begging praise by th e stal e artifice of hoping to b e contradicte d ; or that I think there is any oc c asio n to make you dis c over my caducity N o ; b u t th e fragment contain s a curiosity — E nglish verses writte n by a French prince of th e blood an d which at first I had a m ind to add to my R oyal and N obl e A uthors ; but as h e was not a R oyal author of ours a n d as I could not please myself s
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C O RR E S P ON D E NC E
M6
OF TH E
th at I have i n this le tter If so w h y it is like an Ol d m an to repeat him self—but at least I will not do so in print .
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MA T T E R for a letter alas ! my dear lord I hav e none —b ut a bou t letters I h ave great news to tell your l ordship only m ay the goddes s of post Offic e s grant i t b e true ! A m iss S of R ichm ond wh o is at Paris writes to Mrs B that a baron de l a Garde (I am sorry there are so many i n a a s i n th e geneal og of my story has foun d ) y vi ez l le a r m oz r e five hundred more letters of m adam e de S evign e an d that they will b e printed if th e expense i s n ot too great I am i n a taking lest they shoul d n ot appear before I set out for th e E lysian fields for th ough t h e writer i s one of th e fir st p ersonage s I sh oul d inquire after on my ar ri val I question wh eth er S t P e te r has taste enough to know wh e re she l odges : h e is m ore likel y to b e acquai n ted with S t C atherin e of S ienn a and S t Un d e c i m il lia ; and therefore I had rather see the let t ers the m selves It is true I h ave n o small doubt of the authenticity of the legend ; an d noth ing will persuade m e of its truth so m uch a s t h e non appearan c e of th e letters a m elanch oly ki n d of con v i c tion But I veh e m ently s us p e c t ,
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H ON H OR .
AC E
W ALP O L E
4 47
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om e n ew coinage like th e l e te rs of N inon de l E n c l o s pop e G a n g a n e l l i and th e princess P ala tine I have lately been reading som e fragment s of l etters of th e duchess of O rleans which a re ce rtainly genuine an d contai n som e curious c i r c u m s t a n c e s ; for th ough sh e was a simpl e gossip ing ol d gentlewoman yet many little facts sh e could n ot h elp l earning : an d to give h er her due sh e was ready to tell al l sh e knew TO our late que en sh e certainly did write often ; an d h er m a j esty th e n only pri ncess was ful l as ready to pay h er i n h er own coin an d a pretty considerabl e treaty of com m er ce for the exchange of scandal was faithfully exe cute d between th em i nsom uch t h at I rem ember to have h eard forty years ago that our g racious sovereign entrusted h er royal h ighness of O rleans with an intrigue Of on e of h er wom en of the b e d chamber Mrs S to wit ; an d the good d uchess entruste d i t to so m any oth er dear friends th at at last it got into th e U trech t Ga z ette an d cam e over hith er to th e sign al e d ific a t i o n of the court O f L eicester fie l d s This is an additional reason besides th e i ntern al evidence for my bel ieving th e letters genuine This Ol d dam e was m other of th e regent ; and w h en she died som ebody wrote on her tomb Cy s t l i s i i v t O e e This came over too ; an d n obody g coul d expoun d it til l our the n th i rd pri ncess C a t oline unravelled i t Idlene ss is the m other Of all vice s
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C O R R ES P ON D E N C E
44 8
O F THE
I wish well enough to posterity to h ope that dowage r highnesses will i m itate th e practice a n d write all th e t ri fl e s that occupy their royal brai ns ; for th e worl d so at l east l e a rn s s o m e true history whi c h th eir hu sbands never divulge ; especially if they are privy to their own h istory whi c h their m inisters keep from the m as m u ch as possible I do not believe the p re sen t king of France knows m uch m ore of what h e or rath er his queen i s actually doing than I do I rather pity hi m ; for I believe h e m eans well which i s n ot a comm on articl e Of my faith I shall go about the end Of this week to Park place where I expect to find th e druidic temple from Jersey ere cted H o w dull will th e world be if constant pilgrimages are n o t made thither ! where besides the delight Of th e scenes that temple th e rude great arch lady A il e s b ury s needle work s and Mrs D a m e r s Th am e an d Isis on H enley bridge with oth er Of her sculptures m ake it one of th e m ost curious spots i n th e island and unique I want to h ave M r C onway s comedy acted there ; and the n the father m oth er an d daughter would exhibit a theatre of arts as u n co mm on H o w I regret that your lordship did ! nO t hear Mrs Dam er speak the epilogue I am my dear lord Your l ordship s m ost faithful humble servant ,
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C O R R ES PO ND E NC E
4 50
S pectator
O F TH E
said wittily ough t to b e practised i n sober s adness by Ol d folks : whe n h e was d ull h e declare d it w as by design S o far to be sure we ought to Ob serve i t a s not to a ffect m ore spirits tha n we po ssess To be pu rp os ely s tupid wo u ld b e forb id ding o ur c orresponden ts to con tinue t h e in terco ur s e ; an d I a m so h appy i n enj oy ing t h e h on our Of you r lord ship s fr iendship th at I wil l b e content (if you can b e so ) with my n atu ra l i nanity without stu dying to in crease i t I have bee n at P ark place and a s sure y o u r l ord s hip tha t the Druidi c t emple vastly m ore than ans w ers my exp e ctation S mall i t is no doubt w hen you a re w ithin th e en closure an d but a C onway c hapel of ease to S toneh enge ; b ut M r has place d i t wi t h so m uch j udgme n t th at it h as a lofty e ff e c t an d infinitely m ore than it could h ave h ad if he had yie l d e d to M rs D a m e r s an d m y O pin ion wh o earnestly b egg e d to ha ve it place d wi thi n th e e nclo su re of the h o me grou nds It now stands o n th e ridge of the hig h hill with ou t back ed by t he horizon and with a grove on each si d e at a littl e distan ce ; an d being e xalted beyond a n d above th e range of firs th at climb u p th e s id e s wears al l the a pp ea r of t h e h ill from th e vall ey an ce Of an a n cient c astl e wh ose t owers a re onl y n ot destroyed ; an d devout as I am to sh attered Ol d castl e s and s m all tas te as I have for th e rui b a of ag es absol utely barbarou s it is i mp o s sibl e not to b e pl e ased wit h so ve ry rare an an tiq ui ty so ,
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HO N H O R A C E .
WALP O LE
45 1
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abs ol ute ly pe rfe ct an d it is di ffi cult to pr event visiona ry ideas fro m i mpr oving a prospe ct If as l ady A n ne C onolly tol d your l ordshi p I h ave had a g re at deal of company yo u m ust u n d ers t a n d it of m y h ouse n ot Of m e ; fb r I hav e ve ry littl e Inde ed last Monday both my hou se and I were i ncluded The duke of York sent me word th e night before that h e would com e an d see it and of cou rse I had the h onour of sho w ing it myself H e said an d i ndeed it see med so that h e was mu ch pleased ; at least I had every reason to be satisfied ; for I never saw any prince m ore gracious an d obliging nor h eard one utter m ore p ersonally kin d speeches I do not find that he r g r a ce th e cou nt ess of ‘ Bristol s will i s really kn ow n yet They tal k of two will s t o b e s ure i n her double capacity ; a n d they say sh e h as m a de three c oh eir esses t o h er j ewels the empre s s of R ussi a lady S alisb u ry The fi rst Of th os e and th e wh ore of Babylon l e g at ees I am n ot so rry i s in a piteous scrap e : I l ike th e king of S weden n o b et t e r than I do h er and th e e mpero r : b ut it is g o Od th at two d e Str oy e rs sh oul d b e p unish ed by a thi rd a nd t h at two crocodiles sh oul d b e g nawe d by an i n se ct T h ank Go d ! we a re not only at peace b ut i n foi l pl en ty n ay an d i n full beau ty too S till b etter ; ,
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Th é d uch e ss o f K ng s t on
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C O RR E S PO N D EN C E
$5 2
O F TH E
though we have had rivers of rain it has n ot , contrary to all precedent washed away our war m weather S eptember a m onth I generally disl ike for its irresolute mixture O f warm an d c old has h itherto b een perem ptorily fine The apple an d walnut trees bend down with fruit as in a poe ti c description of Paradise I am with great gratitude my dear lord Your l ordship s devote d h umble servant ,
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I D ON
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li ke defraud you of your compas sion my good friend profuse as you are Of it I really su ff ered scarce a ny pain at all from my last fit of gout I have kn own several persons wh o thin k there is a dignity i n complaining and if you a s k h ow they do reply Why —I a m pretty wel l —to d ay ; but if you knew wh at I su ffere d y es ter day —N o w m ethinks nobody has a right to tax another for pity on what is past ; and b e sides complaint of what i s over can only m ak e th e b e a r e r gl ad you are i n pain n o longer Yes ye s my dear madam you generally place your p ity so profitably that you shal l not waste a drop upon ’
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C O R R E S P O ND E N C E
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OF T H E I
e memb ranc e of h uman su ff e rings In sh or t I fear our nature is so liabl e to b e cor rupted an d p e rve rted by great nes s ran k power and wealth t hat I am inclined t o think that virt ue is th e c om h i o t e p oo r for t he wan t of ri ch e s t s n en a t o p nay I a m disp os ed to believe t hat t h e first font o or high ym had e en a m an of qu lity b r n a w a d a a p a prin ce w ho coul d n o t bear having w aste d hi s fort un e a nd w a s too lazy to work ; for a beggar hor n woul d t hi n k l ab ou r a m or e na t ural way of ge tting a livel ihoo d t han venturing his life 1 h ave something a si m ila r opin ion ab ou t co mmo n N O m odest gi rl thinks of m a ny m en t ill wo me n Sh e has b een in lo v e wit h one be e n ruin ed by n m a u n d t ab a n n e to et r u r o d B to my i d h them e — and it will fa ll h e avy on yo urs el f Co uld t he m ilk wo man h a ve been so b ad if you had m erely kep t h er from starving inste ad ef g i vi ng her opulen c e ? The s oi l I d oub t w as bad ; bu t i t cou l d n o t ha ve produ ce d th e ran k wee d of ingratitud e i f yo u had n ot d unge d it with gol d wh i c h ri se s fro m roc k an d seem s to m ee t w i t h a c ong eni al bed whe n i t fall s on t he h um an h eart A n d so Dr W arto n imagin e s I am writing Wal polian a ! —N o in truth n or a ny th i ng el s e n o r s hal l n o r will I g o out in a j est b oo k A g e ha s lu ckily l az y n ot o nly ma de m e pruden t b ut witho ut the l atter e xtingui she r I d o n o t a nd kno w b u t tha t farth i ng c an dl e my di screti o n would let my s a nd of li fe fli t to the la st s par kl e r
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HO N H O R A CE W A LP O L E .
4 55
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li ke wha t childre n call the parso n a n d You see by m y c ler k i n a bit of burnt paper wr i ta bi li ty in pressing my l e tters on you that my n has stil l a col t s t oo th le ft ; but I n ever in e p d a l ge the poor ol d chil d with m ore paper tha n thi s small sized sh ee t —I do n ot give it e n ough to m ak e a p a pe r kite a n d fly abroad on wing s of Y ou ought to c onti n u e writing for b o ok se llers u do good by your writings or at l east m ean i t ; o y an d if a virtu ou s i ntention fails it is a sort of coi n whi c h th ough thr own away st ill mak es th e donor wo rt h m ore than he was before h e gave it away I d elight too i n the temp e rat ure of your piety , an d that o u wou l d n ot se e t he enthusi a sti c e xor y c is t H o w sh ocking to s u pp os e t h at th e O m n ipO te n t C reator of worlds delegates his po wer to a m o m entary insect t o eje ct s up e rnatural spirits that he h ad permitted to infest anoth er inse ct an d had e r mitt ed t o vom it blasph em i es agai n st h im self p Pray db not cal l th a t enth u s iasm but de lirium —I p ity r eal enth usiasts b ut I w o ul d sha ve th eir h e ads T he ex or cist s asso a nd tak e away som e b l ood c iat es are in a: wor se pr e d icam ent I d oubt an d hope to ma ke enthus i asts If such abo mina bl e i m post ors were n ot r a th er a su bj ec t of in di gnat i o n I could smil e at th e riva lship between th em an d th e a n i m al m agn etist s w he ar e inveigling f o ols into the i r d ifie re nt pal es —A n d alas ! wh il e fo l ly has a sh ill ing le ft the re will be enthu siasts a n d of
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C ORR E S PO N D E NC E
4 56
OF THE
quack doctors an d there will be sl aves while th ere are kings or sugar planters I h ave re marked that th ough Jesuits Sec travel to distant Ea st an d West to propagate their religion an d traffic I never h eard of one that m ade a j ourney into A sia or A frica to preach th e doctrines of l iberty th ough those regions are so deplorably Oppressed N ay I m u ch doub t wh ether ever any ch aplain of th e regiments we have sent to India h as on ce wh ispered to a n a t i v e of Bengal that th ere are m ilder form s of governm ent than th ose of h is country —N o security of property i s n ot a wh ol esom e doctrin e to be inculcated i n a lan d In wh ere th e soil prod uces diam onds an d gol d sh ort if your Bristol exor c ist believes h e can cast out devils why does h e n ot go to L e a d e n h al l street ? There i s a c ompany whose nam e is legion By your g a mbols as yo u call th em after th e m ost ungamb oling p eeress i n Ch risten dom and by your j aunts I con c l ude to my great sati sfaction that you are quite well C h ange of scene an d air are good for your Spirits ; an d S eptember l ike al l our ol d ladies has given itself May airs an d m ust — h ave made your j ourney very pleasant Yet you will be gl ad to get back to your C owslip green though i t m ay o ff er you n othing b u t M i chael mas daisie s When you do leave it I wish you coul d p ersuade Mr s Garrick to settle sooner i n London There is full as good h ay to be m ade in town at ,
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C OR R E S PO N D E NC E o r TH E
4 58
whi c h is th e m ore who l e some the high er it i s a d dressed My opinion the n i s that whe n any pe r s o n a g e has sh o w n as m uch as i s possible in his or h er best walk (an d n ot to repeat both genders every m inute I will us e t h e m al e as t he com m on of th e two) he sh o ul d take up his S t rulb rug i s m an d b e h eard of no m or e Instanc es will be still m ore explanatory V ol t aire ought to have p retende d to di e after A l z i r e M ahom et an d S em iramis an d Lord n ot h ave p ro du ce d hi s w retche d l ast p i ece s C ha tha m sh ou ld h a ve closed his p ol iti cal career with h is i m m o rtal wa r —A n d ho w weak w a s G a r ri c k when h e h a d qu itted t h e stage to limp a fter th e tatters of fam e by wri ting and r eading pitiful poem s an d even by s i tti ng to read plays whi c h he had act ed with su ch fire an d ene rgy —We have anoth e r ex am p le i n M r A n st ey ; wh o if h e ha d a frien d u p on ear th w ou l d h ave b ee n obliged t o h i m fb r b e ing kn o c ked on th e hea d th e m om e nt h e h ad p u bl ish e d th e fi r s t edition of t h e Bat h G uide ; for eve n in th e se cond h e had exh a us t ed h is wh ol e stock of inspi ration and has never wr i t ten any th ing tole rabl e s m ee Wh en su ch unequal a uth ors pri nt their works together on e m ay a pply i n a new l i gh t t h e ol d h a c k e d s im ile of M ez enti us w h o tie d toget he r th e li vin g an d the de ad We h ave j ust receive d th e works of an a ut h or from wh om I fin d I am to re ce iv e m u ch less ent e r t a i n m e n t t h a n I expecte d because I sh all hav e m u ch less to rea d than I inte nde d H is Me m oi rs s
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H O N HO R .
W AL P O L E
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am told a re alm os t wholly m ilitary whi c h th e refore I shall n ot r e ad and h is poetry I am sure I shall n ot look at beca u se I sh oul d u nder — tan i What I sa w of i t form erly convince d t s d me that h e wou l d n ot ha v e bee n a poet even if h e had written in his own la nguage ; an d th o ug h I d o n ot u n derstan d Ger man I am told it i s a fine languag e ; an d I can easily be lieve t hat any tongu e (not excepting ou r old b a rb a ro u s S a xon whi ch a bit of an an ti qua r y a s I a m I abh o r) i s It was curi o us mo re harm on i o us th an Fr ench ab su rdi ty ther efore to pi tch on the m ost unp oe t i c l angua g e i n E uro pe th e m ost barre n a n d t h e m ost c l ogged with di fficul t ies I ha ve hea rd R us an d both soun d ed m us i c al s ian and P ol is h sung but to aba n d o n o n e s own to n gue and n ot adopt Ital ian th at i s even swe e te r an d sof ter a nd cop io us th a n th e La tin w as a want of taste th a t I sh oul d think could n ot b e applaude d even by a Fre nc h m an b or n i n P rov en c e B ut what a la n g ua ge is th e Fren ch which m eas u re s verses by feet th at n eve r a re to be pronounced wh ich i s th e c a se w h erever the m ute e i s fo un d ! What poverty of variou s sounds for rhym e wh en le s t si mi lar caden ces should too ofte n o c cur th ei r m echanic bards a re obliged to marry mascul ine an d fem inin e term ination s as alternately as t he black an d whi te squa res of a ch e ss board ! N ay wi ll you believe m e m adam ? Y e s you wi l l ; for you m ay convince your own eyes that a s c e ne of I
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C O R R E S P O ND E N C E
4 60
O F TH E
Z
aire begins with three of the m ost nasal adverbs that ever snorted together i n a breath E nfin d on e d ef or m a z s are the culprits i n question n d one n ee d I tell you r l adyship th at th e En fi author I allu ded to at th e begi nning of this long tirade i s th e late king of P russia I am consciou s that I h ave taken a littl e liberty wh en I excom municate a to n gue i n which your ladyship has condescende d to write — but I only con dem n it for verse an d pieces of el oquence of w h ich I th ough t it alike incapabl e till I read It is a m ost sociabl e lan R ousseau of Geneva guage and ch arming for n arrative an d epistles Yet write as well as you wil l i n it you must b e liable to express yourself b etter in th e speech n a tural to you ; an d your own country h as a righ t to u nderstand all your work s and is j ealou s of th ei r n ot b eing as perfe c t as you coul d m ake th em Is it n ot m ore creditabl e to b e tran sl ated into a f oreign language than i nto your own ? an d will i t n ot vex you to h ear th e tran slation taken for the original an d to fin d vulgari sm s that yo u coul d not h ave com m itte d yourself ? But I have d on e an d will rel ease you m adam only ob serving that yo u flatter m e with a vain hope when you tell m e you sh al l return to E nglan d som e tim e or other Where wil l that tim e b e for m e ? —an d when it arrives sh all not I b e somewhere else ? I do n ot pretend to sen d your ladyship E nglish n ews nor to tell you of E nglish literature Y o u .
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C O R R E S P O ND E NC E
4 6?
O F TH E
fo rtu nate th at th ere i s not a symptom of pl an i n t he whole poem The lady flowers an d their l over s enter i n pairs or trios or as often as the c o upl es i n C assandra and you are not a whit m ore i n ter e s t e d about one h eroine an d her swai n tha n ab ou t another The si miles are beautiful fine an d som e times sublime : an d th u s th e episodes wi l l b e b etter rem embered than th e m ass of the po e m i tself, wh ich one cann ot call the s uh ect ; for c oul d on e call i t a subj e c t if any b o d y h ad composed a po e m on the m atches fo rm erly m ade i n th e Fl eet where as Wa i t w e l l says i n The Way of th e World they stood like couples i n row s ready to b egin a country P S till I flatter myself you will agree with dan ce m e that th e a u th or i s a great poet and coul d raise th e passion s an d p ossesses all the requisites of the art I foun d but a singl e bad v erse : i n the last canto one l ine ends e e r l ong Y ou will perhaps be s urprise d at meeting a Tru ffle converte d into a nymph an d inh abiting a p alac e studde d with e meralds an d ru bie s lik e a sa l oon i n the A rab i a n N i g ht s ! I h ad a m ore p articular m otive f or se ndi n g thi s poe m t o you : yo u will find th e bard espousin g you r poor Af ricans Ther e i s besides which will please yo u t oo , a h an dso me pan egy ric on t he a os tle k n i ty Mr H owa rd a u m p qf Mr s Ga rrick w ho m I had th e pl e asur e of m e e ting in h e r own b o x at Mr C on way s pl ay h a a u ve m e a m u h bet t e r c n t of yo r h e lt c a ou c , g .
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HON HOR .
A C E W AL PO L E
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which delighte d m e I am sure my good friend you partak e of my j oy at the great su ccess of his com edy Th e additional character of th e abb é please d m uch —I t w as added by th e advice of th e pla yers to enliven i t that is to stretch th e j aws — I sigh ed silently ; for it h e pit an d gallerie s Of t wa s originally so genteel an d of a pie ce tha t I w as sorry to h ave i t tumbled by coarse applaus es B u t this i s a se cret I am go i ng to Twickenham for two days on an and to avoi d th e as signation wi th th e S pring r i otous devoti on of to m orrow A gentleman es sayist h as print e d what h e calls s om e strict ures on my R oyal an d N oble A utho rs in rev e nge for my h aving spoken i rreveren tly (o n b is hop Burne t s auth ority ) of th e earl of A ngl es ey , w ho h a d the hon o ur it seem s of be ing the ge n H e a s ks m e by the way t l e m a n s grandfather why it was m ore ridicul ous i n th e duke of N e w castle to write his two com edies than in th e duke of Buckingham to write Th e R eh earsal —Al as ! I know b ut one reason ; whi ch i s th at it i s l ess ridiculous to write one excellent comedy than two very bad ones P eace b e with such answerers ! A die u my dea r mad am ! Yours m ost cordia lly ,
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C O R R E S P O ND E N C E
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To
MR
O F TH E
G OUG H
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B e r k e l ey s qua re Ma y 2 8 -
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1 7 89
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M R Walp ol e is extrem ely ashamed of re ceivin g so m agnificent a present from M r Gough and yet think s i t would be a want of th e respect an d gratitude h e owes him n ot to accept i t with a thousan d thanks an d with th e admiration it de serves an d to which the voice of the public wil l certainly give its deserve d praise an d i n which Mr Gough s well known j udgm en t and accuracy i s not likely to have left any errors and n one Mr Walpol e i s very sure that h e is capabl e of finding Mr Wal pol e begs pardon of Mr Gough for n ot thanking h im with his own hand ; b ut has be en very ill with th e gout for this m onth an d i s not yet able to write hi mse l f .
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M ORE
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S t ra wb e rry h ll , -
M A D A M HA A NN
un e
23, 1 7 89
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H,
are an errant reprobate an d grow wickeder an d wickeder every day You deserve to b e treated like a neg r e and your favourite S unday t o which you a re so partial that you treat t h e
Y ou
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C O R R ES ROND EN CE O F TH E
4 66
your best friends the m uses and keeping no me a s ur es with them —I ll be shot if th ey dictated t w o of th e b est lines with two syllables too m u ch i n each nay you h ave weak ened on e of th e m ,
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is far m ore expressive than s tea df as t Gardiner s and as Mrs Boscawen says w h o e ve r lgn o w s any thing of Gardiner coul d n ot wan t that superfluous epith et an d wh oever d oes n ot woul d n ot be th e wiser for your fool ish i nsertion Mrs Bosca wen did n ot call i t fo ol i sh b ut I do Th e secon d lin e as m esdem oisell es th e m us e s h anded it to you m iss was ’
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th e secon d a ll be i s a m ost u nne c essary tautology Th e p oem was perfec t an d faultless if you coul d h ave let i t al on e I wonder h o w you r m ischievou s fl ippan c y coul d h elp m ai ming that m ost n ew an d b eautiful ex pression sp ong e of s zns I should not h ave bee n surprised as you l ove verses too full of feet if you h ad change d i t to th a t s cr ubbi ng br us h of s z n s Well ! I will say n o m ore n ow : b ut if you do n ot orde r me a copy of Bonner s Ghost i n c o n t i n ever dare to l ook my printing h ou se i n u ently th e face agai n — O r com e I ll tell you wh at ; I will forgive all you r en ormities if you will let m e print your poem I l ik e to fil c h a littl e i m m o rta
N o t , Al l befl
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W A L P OL E
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4 67
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out of others an d the S trawberry press coul d neve r have a better opportunity I will n ot haggle for the public —I w ill b e content with p ri nting o nly two hun dre d cop ies of which you shal l have half and I half I t sh all cost you nothing b ut a Yes I only prop ose this i n case you do n ot m ea n to print i t you rself Tell m e sin cerely which yo u l ike —B ut as to n ot printing i t at all ch a rm ing an d u nexceptionable as i t i s yo u can not b e so preposterous I by n o m eans have a though t of detracti ng from you r own share i n your own poe m ; but as I do suspect that it caugh t som e inspiration from you r perusal of th e Botanic Garden so I hop e you will di scover that my styl e i s m u ch i mprove d by h aving lately studied t ravel s — Ther e I dipped and not in S t Giles pound w h e r e o n e would think this author h ad bee n e du cated A die u Your friend or m ortal foe as you behave on t h e p resent occasion li ty
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I A L M OS T th ink I sh al l never ab use you agai n nay I would not did n ot it prove so extrem ely ,
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C OR R E S P O ND E NC E
4 68
O F TH E
good fo r you N o walnu t tree is better for bein g threshed than you are an d though you have won m y heart by your complian ce I don t kn ow wh e th er my conscience will n ot insist on my using you i l l n ow and th en ; for i s there any preceden t f o r gratitu de not giving way to every other duty ? G ratitude like an earl s eldes t son i s b ut titular But I fear I am a n d h as n o place upon tr i a ls p unning sillily instead of thanking you seriously as I do for a ll o w m g m e to print your l ovely My p re ss c a n confer n o honour ; but verse s w h en I o fl e r it i t i s a certain m ark of my sin cerity and esteem It has bee n dedicate d to friendship to charity —t oo often to worthless self love ; som e tim es to th e rarity of the pieces and sometimes to th e m erit of the m n ow i t will unite th e first m otive an d th e last My fall for which you so kindly concern your sel f was not w orth m entioning ; for as I only bru ised t h e m uscles of my side instead of break ing a rib camphire infused in arqueb usade took o fi t h e pain an d all consequences i n five or six days : an d on e has n o righ t to draw on th e compassion of oth ers for what one h a s su ff ered an d is past S om e love to be pitie d on t hat score b ut forget th at they only excite m th e best natured j oy o n thei r deliverance You comm end m e too for not ; b ut my dear c omplaining of my ch ronical evil — m adam I should b e blam e able for th e reverse If -
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C OR R ES PO ND EN C E
4 70
O F TH E .
I do not propose putting your name u nl ess yo u desir e it as I think it woul d swear with th e air of an cientryyou h ave adopted i n th e sig nature an d n otes The auth oress will be n o se cret and as i t will certainly g e t i nto m agazines why sh oul d n o t you d eal privately before h an d with som e b ook sel ler and h ave a se cond e dition ready t o appear s oon after m in e is finishe d ? Th e di fficulty of get ting my edition a t first fro m th e p aucity of th e n umber an d from bein g only give n as pres ents will m ake th e secon d edition eagerly sought for ; an d I do n ot see why my anticipating t h e publ i cation sh oul d deprive you o f the profit R ather I than do that I woul d prin t a smaller n umber — w ish to raise an additional appetite t o that which I a m sur e I di d eve ry body h as for your w ri t i ng s — not m ean to inj ure you Pray th in k of thi s ; there i s tim e enough : I cann ot begin to pri nt under a week : my press h as lain fallow for som e tim e and my p rinte r m ust p repare ink balls 850 an d as I h ave b ut on e m an h e cannot b e expedi tious I seriou sly d o advise you to h ave a secon d edi tion ready : why sh ould covetou s booksellers r un away with a ll th e advantages of your genius ? They get eno ugh by th eir ampl e sh are of th e sal e I wi l l say n o m ore b ut t o repeat my thank s for y o u r c ons ent; which truly obliges m e ; an d I am h appy to have be en th e instrum ent of preser ving what your m odesty would have sunk My es t ee m ,
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HO N HOR .
AC E W ALP O L E
47 1
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ould not i ncrease ; b ut one l ikes to b e connecte d b y favours to th ose one highly values I am dear madam Your m ost sin cere adm irer an d obedient humble servant
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S t ra wb e rry h ll , -
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TH O U GH I am touchy en ough with th ose I l ove I did not think you dilatory n o r expect that answers t o l et t er s shoul d b e as qui c k as repartees I do pi ty you for th e ac c ident that m ade yo u thin k yourself remiss I enj oy y o ur patient s recovery ; b u t a l m os t s m i l e d u nawares at th e idea of h er b e i ii g sopped an d c om ing out of th e water brustling h h er feat ers an d erm ines and assu in th e u m p g dign ity of a J upi t e r Pluvius I beseech yo u n ot to fan cy yourself vain o n m y being your pri nter : would S apph o be p rou d th ough A ldus or E lzevir were h er typographer ? My press has n o rank b ut from its narrowness that i s from the paucity of its editions an d from being a v bl u n t e e r B ut a truce to complim ents an d to recipro cal h u mility P ray tell m e h ow I shal l co nvey your parcel to you : th e i mpression i s b e e m l I shall n ot dar l a s zg e t to sen d a copy n; u g i“ I do not know whether you will to Mrs ,
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C ORR E S P OND E N C E
4 72
O F TH E
venture Mrs Bosca wen shall h ave one but i t shall be in you r nam e : so authorise m e to presen t i t that neither of u s m ay tell t h e wh itest of fib s S hall I deliver any oth ers for you with in my reach to save you trouble ? I have n o m ore corre ctions to m ake I tol d you brutally at first of th e only two faults I fou nd an d you sacrificed them wit h th e patience of a m artyr ; for I conclude that wh en a good p oet knowingly sins against measure twice h e i s persuaded th at h e m akes am ends by greater beauties : i n such c ase docility deserves th e p al m branch I do not applau d your declining a L ondon edi tion —bu t you h ave b een so tractable that I wi l l let y o u have your way i n this though you o nly m ake over profit to m agazines Being an h onest p rinter myself I have little charity for those ban ditti of my profession wh o pil fer from every b ody they find on th e road A dieu my dear madam ! Yours m ost cordially and sincerely .
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H ON H S .
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I W R I T E a few lines only to confirm th e truth of m uch of what you will read i n the papers from Paris Worse may already be com e or i s expected every hour ,
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C O RR E S P ON D E NC E
4 74
OF TH E
province s be torn from th e 9 — r o v v n c O n the other h a n d i f the king prevail s what heavy despotis m will th e éta ts by th eir wan t of t e m pe r a n d moderatio n have dr awn on their country ! They might h ave obtaine d m any capital — oin s an d remove d great oppression t N o French p m onarch will ever sum m on éta ts again if this m o m ent has been th rown away Though I hav e st ocked myself with such a set of vi sions for th e even t eith er way I do not pre ten d to foresee what will h appen P enetration argu es fro m reasonab l e probabilities ; b u t chan ce an d folly are apt to contradic t cal cula tion a nd h itherto th ey see m to h ave full s éope for action O n e h ears of no genius on eith er side nor do sym There will perh aps s m t s of any app ear : u ch o p times an d te mpests bring forth at l ea st bring out great m en I do n ot take th e duk e of O rleans or M irabea u to b e built d a boi s d on t on les f ai t — n o ; n or m o n s i eur N e c k e r H e may b e a great traitor if h e made th e confu sio n designedly but i t i s a Woful evasion if th e promised financier sli ps i nt i) a black politician I adore liberty b u t I woul d bestow it a s h onestly as I coul d ; and a c i vil w ar b esides being a gam e of chance is p aying a very dear price for i t For u s w e are i n m ost danger of a deluge ; though I wonder we so frequently complain of long rains The saying about S t S w i th in is a p r oof of Ho w Often they rec ur ; for prove rbial sentences
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H ON H O R .
W ALP O L E
AC E
475
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the c hildren of exp erie nce n ot of proph e c y — n i h G ood g t l I n a few days I shall send you a ‘ beautiful little poe m from the S trawberry press a re
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To
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i M D
S t ra w b e r ry h l l , -
My
E! CEL L E N
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RIEN
M OR E
on day n
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I N E V E R shal l b e ang ry with your conscientious ness th ough I will not prom ise n ever to scol d it as you know I think you som etim es carry it too far—an d h ow pleasan t to have a friend to scold o n such groun ds ! I see a l l your delicacy i n what you call your d ou ble t r e a chery ari d your kind de sire o f connecting two Of y our frien ds The see ds 2 are sprung up already ; and the b i s h Op ha s already co ndescende d to m ak e m e th e first and indeed so u nexpected a visit that h ad I i n th e least sur m i s e d it I sh oul d certainly as becam e m e h ave pr evented hi m O n e e ffe ct h owever I can tell you your pimp — ill have his lordship has to i n g between u s W please your partiality flattere d m e so agreeably i n th e letter yo u betr ay ed that I shall never write to ,
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C OR RES P OND ENC E
4 76
O
F TH E .
you again without th e dread of attempting th e wit he i s so liberal as to besto w on m e ; and then eith er way I must b e dull or a ffe c ted — thoug h I h op e to have the grace to prefer th e form er an d then y ou only wil 1 b e th e s u fie r e r as we both sh oul d by th e l atter But I will com e to facts : they a re pl ain bodies c a n have n o t h i ng t o do with wit an d yet are n o t dull to those wh o h ave any thing to do with them A ccording to you r order I have del i ver e d Mrs Garri ck lady G h os ts to Mr s B oscawen J ul iana P enn Mrs Walsingham an d Mr Pepys M r Batt I am told leaves L ondon to day so I This m orning I s hall reserve h is to h i s r e t u rn carried hi s thirty to th e bishop o f L on d o n wh o sai d m odestly h e sh oul d n ot h ave expected ab ove ten I was delighte d with th e palace with t h e venerable chapel an d its painted e pi s c opa l i t i e s i n glass an d the brave hall Though i t rained I would crawl to Bonner s chair —In sh ort m y satisfaction woul d have bee n complete but for wanting the presen ce of that j esuitess the g ood old -
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To m orro w departs for L ondon to b e delivered to th e Bristol coa ch at th e Whit e horse cellar i n Piccadilly a parcel cont aining sixty f our Ghosts — one of which i s printed on brown for y our own -
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Bonne r s ’
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C ORR E S P OND E NC E
To
MR
OF TH E
G OUG H
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S t ra wb e rry h ll , A ug 2 4 , 1 7 8 9 -
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heartily lam ent with you sir th e dem o l i t i o n of th ose beautiful chapels at S alisbur y I was scandalized long ago at the ruinous state i n which they were i ndecently su ff ere d to rem ain It appears as strange t hat when a spirit o f re st o ration and decoratio n h as taken place it sh oul d b e mi xe d with barbarou s inn ovation A s m uch as taste has i mproved I do n ot believe tha t m odern execution w i l l e qu al o ur m od els I a m sorry that I ca n only regret n ot prevent I do n ot kno w th e bish op of S alisb ury even b y s ig h t and c e r t a i nl y h av e m o c re d i t to ob struct an y of S houl d I get sigh t of M r . Wyatt his plans I wil l rem on str ate w h i ch i t i s n ot easy to do against th e inten de d but probably with out su ccess as I do n o t s uppos e he h as a n : t h o ri ty e n o u g h t o int erp ose e fl ec t ua lly — still I will try It i s a n old complaint with m e sir that w b en fa mili e s are extin ct chapters tak e th e freedom of r emoving ancient m onuments an d even Of selling ov er again the site of such tomb s A scandalou s nay dishon est ab u se and very u m becoming clergymen ! Is it creditable for divi nes to tra ffi c for consecrated ground an d which th e ch ur c h had already sol d ? I do n ot wonder th at m agnificen t m onuments are out of fash ion whe n S H AL L
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H OR
W ALP O L E
AC E
4
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th ey are treate d so disrespect fully You sir al one have pl aced several out of th e reach of such a kind o f simoniacal abuse ; for to b uy i nto the church or to sel l th e ch urch s lan d twice over b reathes a sim ilar k i n d o f spirit ; P erh aps as th e subscr i ption i ndicates taste if som e of th e s ub s c ri bers coul d b e persuade d to obj ect to th e rem oval o f th two beautiful ch apels as contrary to their e vie w of beautifying it m igh t h ave good e ff ect ; or if som e l etter were p ublish e d i n the papers against th e destruction as barba rous an d th e r e sult of bad taste it migh t divert th e design I ze al ously wish it were stopped — b ut I kn ow n one of th e chapter or su bs cribers I have the h onour to be wi th great regard s i r You r m uch oblige d and m ost obedien t h umbl e servant .
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M OR E
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l I K N O W whence you wrote last,but n ot w here you are fl o w ; you gave m e n o h int I b el ieve you fly l est I sh ould purs u e an d as if you were an gry that I h ave force d you to sprout in to l aurel s Ye t you say you are vain of it and that you ar e n o ph il oso ph er —N o w i f you are a m s ure ou a r e a y ph ilosoph er ; for i t is a m axi m of m i n e a n d one S t ra wb e
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C ORRE S POND ENC E
4 80
O F TH E
of my o wn m aking that there never was a philo sopher that did not l ove s wee tmea ts You tell m e too that you like I sh oul d scol d you—but since yo u h ave appeare d as Bonner s ghost I think I shal l feel too m uch awe for though (which I never expected woul d b e i n my p ower) I have made you stan d i n a whi te s h ee t I d oub t my respect is increased I n ever di d rate you for being too bad but too goo d : an d if whe n u m ake up your week s account , you fin d but a o y f ra ction of vanity in th e s u m total you wil l fall to repenting an d com e forth on Monday as h umbl e " as Then if I hu ff my heart out you wil l only simpe r an d still wrap yourself up i n your obs t i n a t e goodnes s — Well ! tak e your own way ; I give you up to all your ab o m inabl e virtue s an d will go an swer the rest of your l etter I congratulate you on the dem olition of th e Bastill e I m ean as you do of its functions For the p oor soul i tself I had no ill will to it : on th e contrary i t was a curious sampl e of ancient cas tellar dungeons which the good folks th e foun ders took for palaces —yet I always h ate d to drive by i t knowing th e m iseries it contained O f itself it did not gobble U p pri soners to glut its m aw bu t received them by com m and The destructi on of i t was silly a n d ag re e ab l e to th e i deas of a m ob wh o do not know stones and bars and bolts from a If the country remains free t h e le ttre de ca chet Ba stille woul d b e as tam e as a ducking stool now ,
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4 82
OF TH E
do not i magine that th ey will be eman cipated at once —but their fate will be m uch alleviated as th e attempt will have alarmed their butch ers enough to m ake them gentler lik e th e E u ropea n m onarch s for fear of provoking the disinterested wh o h ave n o sugar planta tions to abolish th e h orrid tra ffic I do n ot un derstand th e m anoeuvre of sugar an d perh aps a m going t o talk nonsense as my idea m ay be impracticable —b ut I wish h um an wit which i s really very considerable i n m ech ani cs an d m erchantry coul d devis e som e m eth od of cultiva ting cane s an d making sugar without the m anual labour of th e h um an sp ecies H OW m any m ills an d inventi on s have there n ot b een discovere d to supply succedaneum s to th e work of th e h an ds and which b efore th e discoveries woul d have bee n t reated as v ision s ! It i s true manual lab our has someti mes take n i t very ill to b e excused and h as destroyed su ch m ills —b u t the poor n egroe s woul d n ot rise an d insist upon b eing worked to death Pray talk to som e ardent genius but do n ot na m e — me n ot m erely because I m ay have talked lik e an i diot bu t because my ignoran ce migh t ips o s amp th e i dea with ridicule P eople I ac to t f kno w do not l ove to b e p ut out of their ol d ways : n o farmer l istens at first to n ew i nvention s i n agri culture ; an d I don t doubt but bread was ori i n ll a deeme d a n ew fangled vagary by those who g y h a d seen their fathers l ive very comfortably upon ,
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corns N or is there any harm in starting n e w game to invention : m any excellen t discoveries have b ee n made by m e n wh o were d la cha sse of I am n ot quite s ure s o me thing v ery di fferent th at the arts of m aking gol d an d of living for eve r h ave b een yet found out yet to how m any n o ble discoveri es has th e pursuit of those nostrum s P oor chymistry h ad sh e not had such i n i v e r t h b g glori ous obj ects i n view If you are sitt ing unde r a c ow sl ip at your cot tage these reveries m ay am use you for half an h our at leas t mak e you smile ; an d for th e ease of your conscie nce which is al ways i n a panic t h ey require n o a ns wer I wil l n ot ask you ab out the n e w H istory of Bristol be ca us e you are too good a citizen to say a word against your native place —b ut do pray cas t your eye on the prints of the cathedral an d cas tl e l e s of C hatterto n s ignoran ce a n d of v r d az u t h e ch e f — B arrett s too and on two letters pretend e d to Mr h ave bee n sent to m e an d whi ch never were sent If my i ncredulity had wavered they would h ave fixed it I wish the m ilk wom an woul d assert th at B oa d i c e a s dairy m ai d h ad invente d D utch t iles ; it would be like C hatter t on s origin of h e r al d ry an d painte d glass i n th ose two letters I m ust h owever m ention on e word about m y In th e new fourth volu m e o f th e B i og raphi a s e lf Britannica I am m ore candidly treated about that ‘ oor l ad than usual : yet the writer s till a fl ir m s p a
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that according to my own a ccount my reply was too m u ch i n the comm on place styl e of co u rt replies N o w m y own words an d th e truth as th ey stan d i n print in t h e very letter of min e ‘ wh ich this auth or quotes were 5 I wr ote h i m ,
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h a d been hi s g ua r d i a n Is this — count a court reply ? N o r did I
I y
by m y own ac ; conceive for I n ever was a courtier that courtiers are wont t o — m ak e ten d er replies to th e p oor I am gl ad to h ear th ey do I ha ve k e pt th is letter som e days in my writing b ox till I coul d m eet with a stray m ember of parliam ent — for it i s not w orth m aking you pay for : bu t wh en you tal k to m e I cannot help answering i ncontinently — b esides can on e take and heat one s u p a lett e r at a l ong distan c e r eply o v e r a g a i n with the sam e interest that it o cc asioned at fir st ? A dieu ! I wish you m ay com e to H ampton befor e I leave these p urlieus ! Yours M or e an d M or e '
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C ONWA Y
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S t ra w b e rry h ll , S e t 5 , 1 7 8 9 -
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speak so unperemptorily of your m otion s th at I must direct to yo u at random : the m ost robable place where t o h it you I think will b e p Y OU
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C ORRE S P OND EN C E
4 86
OF TH E
with th em not like all ol d person s about thei r contempora ries to think it preserves th em long a ft er th ey are faded an d I am so unwa lking th at p rospects are m or e agreeabl e to m e wh en frame d and gl azed an d I lo ok at them through a windo w I t is yourselves I want to visit n ot your verdure Indeed except a parenth esis of scarce all A ugust there has been n o temptation to w al k ab road ; and th e tempter h i mself woul d not have persuade d m e if I could to h ave cli mbe d th at l o n g lost m ountain wh ence h e coul d sh ow one eve n th e antipodes It rained incessantly al l Jun e an d a ll July ; an d n o w again w e have torrents every day Je rn i n g h a m s brother th e Ch evalier i s arrive d fro m P aris an d does n ot diminish th e h orrors one h e a rs every day They are n o w i n th e capital dreading the sixteen thou san d deserters wh o hov er about the m I con cl ude that whe n i n th e cha ra c t e r of banditti the wh ole disban de d army h av e plundere d an d destroye d what th ey can th ey wil l congregate i nto separ a te arm ies u nder d ifferen t leaders wh o will hang out di fferent principle s an d th e kingdo m will b e a theatre of civil w ars ; and i nste a d of liberty th e nation will ge t petty tyrant s —perhaps p etty kingdom s —an d wh en m illion s h ave su ffered or b een sacrificed th e g o v e rn m e n t w i ll b e n o better than i t was — all o w ing to th e intemperan ce of the éta ts wh o m igh t h ave obta ined a good constitution or at least one m uch ,
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H ON H O R .
ACE
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m eliorated if they h ad set out with discretion and m oderation They have l eft too a sad lesson to despotic princes wh o will quote this precedent of franti c éta ts against assembling any m ore an d against all th e examp l es of senates an d parl iam ents that h ave preserve d rati onal freedom Let m e kn ow whe n i t will be convenien t to you to recei ve m e A dieu ! ,
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s u rprised my dear m adam th at th e n otice of my illness sh oul d h ave stim u l ate d you r predominant q u ality you r se nsibility I cannot do less i n return than relieve i t im m e di ately by assuring you that I am i n a m ann er recovered ; an d shoul d h ave gon e out b efore this time if my m in d were as m uch at ease as my p oor limb s I h ave p assed five m onths m ost u n comfortably ; th e two las t m ost u nhappily In June and S e p tember I had two b ad falls by m y own lamenes s a n d weakness an d was m u ch bruised while I w as witne ss to th e danger an d then to th e death , of my inval uabl e niece lady Dysart S h e was angeli c an d h as lef t no children Th e u nexp ected death of l ord Wald eg ra ve on e of th e m ost amiable of m en has not only depri ve d m e of him but has AM
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ope ned a dreadful s c ene of calam ities ! H e an d my niece were the happiest an d m ost domesti c of c ouples Your kind inquiri es after m e have drawn these details from m e for which I mak e n o ex cuse : good nature n e v er grudges its pity I wh o love to force your gravity to smile am seriously better pleased to indul ge your benevolen ce with a subj ect of esteem which th ough m oving your compas sion will be accompanied by n o compunction I will n ow a n swer your l etter Your plea th at n ot composition but bu siness has occasione d your silen ce is n o satisfaction to In my present anxious solitu de I h av e agai n me read Bonn er an d Florio an d th e Bas bleu ; and do you think I am pl eased to l earn that you h ave n ot been writing ? Wh o i s it says som ething like this line .
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They wh o think her earl Goodwin wi l l outg o S h ak spe a re might b e i n the right if they specifie d I believe sh e may write worse than i n what way h e som etim es did th ough that i s not easy ; but to excel h im — oh ! I have n ot words adequate to my contempt for th ose wh o can supp ose su ch a possibility I am sorry very sorry for what you tell m e of poor Barrett s fate Though he did write worse than S h a k s pe a re it is great pity he was tol d so ,
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i n n o t signing th e petiti o n of those of hi s new com m union The e ta ts are detestable and despicabl e ; and , i n fact guilty of th e outrages of th e P ari sian an d provincial m obs The m ob of 1 2 00 —n ot l e gis l ators b ut dissolvers of all l aws un ch ai ned t h e m a s t ifl s that had been tie d u p an d were sure to worry all wh o fell in th eir way To annihilat e a ll l aws h o w ever b a d an d to have n on e ready to r e pl ace t h em w a s procl aiming anarchy What shoul d on e thi n k of a mad doctor wh o shoul d l e t loose a lunatic s ufl e r hi m to b urn Be dlam ch op off th e h eads of the keep ers an d then consult with som e students i n ph ysi o on the gentl est m ode of treat ing deliriu m ? By a late vote I see th at th e 1 2 00 praters are reduced to 5 00 —t i ve la r ei ne B i lling s th e T h a te a l e s t ri s wh o has succeede d L oui s g q uatorz e A com m ittee of th ose A ma zo ns stopp e d the duk e of O rleans who to u se their style I b e lieve i s n ot a ba r r e l be tter h er r i ng Your r e flections on V e rt ot s passion for revol a tions a r e admirabl e an d yet it i s n atural for an h istorian to like to describ e tim es of action H al cyon days do n ot furnish m atter for tal ents ; th ey a little a re lik e th e virtuous couple i n a com edy insipid Mr Manly an d lady Grac e Mel l e fon t and Cynth ia do not interest one m uch Indee d , i n a tragedy where they are unhappy th ey gi ve the audience ful l satisfaction— and n o e nvy .
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The n ewspapers n o doubt th ough t doctor coul d n ot do b etter than to e spouse you H e certainly woul d b e very j udiciou s coul d h e obtai n you r consent — but alas ! you woul d soo n or som e of thos e s quabble about S ocinianism To tel l yc u th e truth I hate all th ose C on i sms that set p eople together s ta n t i n opoli t a n jargon s When you ap h y th e ears about pedantic term s ply scholast i c ph rases as happily an d genteelly as you do i n your Bas bleu th ey are deligh tful ; but don t m uddify your charm ing simplicity with con t ro ve rs i al distin ctions that will sour your sweet p iety S ects are the ban e of char ity and hav e del uge d th e worl d with blood I do not m ean by wh at I a m going to say to extort another l etter from yo u bef ore I have t h e pl easure of seeing you at H ampton ; but I real ly shall be m uch oblige d to you for a single line soon only t o tel l m e if m iss William s i s at S tok e with th e duchess of Beaufort To a sh o rt n ote cannot you add a sh ort P S o n the f ate of earl Goodwin ? ,
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A dieu my amiable frien d ! ,
Yours m ost sincerely
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CO R RE S PO N D E NCE O F TH E
49 2
MR S H
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is very provoking that people m ust always b e h anging or drowning them selves or going mad that you forsooth m istress m ay have th e diver sion of exercising your pity and good nature and an d intercession and all that beadroll of c harity v irtues that m ak e you so troublesom e and amiabl e w h en you might b e t e n t i m e s m ore agreeabl e b y writing things that wo ul d n ot cost on e above hal f You are a n ab s ol ut e ly walk a crown at a tim e ing h osp ital an d travel ab out into l on e a n d by e places with y our doors op en to house stray casual ties ! I wish a t l east that you would h ave som e ch ildren yourself that you might not b e plaguing one for all th e pretty brats that are starving and frien dless I suppose it was som e such Goody two or three th ousan d ye a rs a g o that suggested th e idea of an al ma m ater suckling the three h un ntess of d red an d sixty fiv e bantlings of th e co u Well as your n ewly adopted pe n H ainaul t s i o n e rs have t wo babes I i nsist o u y our accepting t wo guineas for th e m instead of one at presen t — I f that is wh en y ou shall b e present you can ) ( n ot circum scribe you r own charities you shall not stint m ine m adam wh o can a ff ord it m uc h better and d o not a n d wh o m ust b e dunned for al m s s cra m bl e over hedg es and ditch e s i n searching for IT
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I n o not forget your l ordship s com mands th ough I do recollect my o wn i nability to divert you E very year at my advanced tim e of l ife would m ak e m ore reasonable my pl ea of kn owing noth ing worth repeating especially at this seas on The general topic of election s is th e last subj e ct to which I could l isten : there is not one ab ou t which I care a straw : an d I believe your l ordship quite as i n d iff erent I am n ot m uch m ore e u f il z t of war or p eace ; I h op e for th e latter nay an d expect it because it i s n ot yet war P ri de an d an ger do n ot del iberate to the m iddl e of th e campaign ; an d I bel ieve even th e great in cen diaries are m ore intent o n m aking a good bargain than on saving th eir ho ; If they save lives I care not wh o is th e n our better poli t i cian : an d as I am ri ot to b e their j udge I do n ot inquire what fal se weights they fl ing into th e scales Two thirds of France wh o are n o t so humbl e a s I s eem to think th ey c an entirely n ew m odel t h e w orl d with m etaphysi cal compasses an d h ol d that no inj ustice n o barbarity need to b e counted i n m aking the exp eri m ent S uch legi slators are sublim e empirics an d i n th eir u niversal b enevolence have v e ry little i ndividual sensibility —In sh ort th e result of my re fl ections on what has passed i n E urope for these latter cen ’
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4 95
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is that tyrants have n o consciences an d r e formers n o feeling — an d the world su ffers both by — e the plague an d by th e cur What oceans of bl ood were L uther an d C alvin th e authors of being spilt ! The late Fren ch governm ent was detestable — yet I stil l doub t whether a civil war will n ot b e the consequence of th e revol utio n and then what m ay b e th e u psh ot ? Brabant was gri evously pro v ok e d —is it sure that i t w i l l b e emancipated ? For how sh ort a ti m e do people wh o set ou t o n th e m ost j ust principles advert to th ei r first springs o f motion an d retain c o n s 1 s t e n cy ? N a y how long c an prom oters of revolution s be sure of m aintainin g their o w n ascen dant ? They are like proj ectors wh o are com m only ruined while others m ak e for t un es Ou th e foundation lai d by th e i nventors I am al w ays your lordship s very devoted h umble servant t u ri e s
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We d n e s da y n i gh t
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i s certainly not from having any thing to tell you that I reply so soon but as th e m ost agree Th e go ut a bl e thing I can do i n my confinem ent cam e into my heel th e night before last perh a ps fro m th e deluge and damp I increased it yester day by limping about th e h ouse with a pa rty I had IT
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C ORR ES P O ND E N C E
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to breakfast To day I a m lying on th e s ettee u nable to walk al one or even to put on a slipper H o w ever as I a mm uch easier this evening I trust it will go Off I do not l ove disputes and shall n ot argu e with o about Bruce b ut if o u l ik e h i m you shal l ; y u y n o t ch oose an author for m e It is th e m ost ab surd obscure and tiresom e b ook I kn ow I shall admire if you have a clear con ception about m ost of the persons an d m atte rs i n his work —b u t in fact I do n ot believe you have Pray can you distinguis h between his cock a n d hen H e g h e s an d between al l Y a s ou se s an d Oz or os ? —an d do yo u firmly believe that an ol d m an an d hi s son were sent for and put t o d e a th because th e ki n g had run into a thorn b ush and w a s forced to leave his cl othes behind h im ? Is it your faith that one of their A byssinian maj esties pleaded not being abl e to contribute towards sending for a n ew A buna because h e had spent al l h is m oney at V enice i n l ooking glasses ? A n d do you really think that P eter Pae z was a Jack of all trades and built pa laces an d convents without assistance and fur n i s h e d them with h is own hands ? You wh o are a little apt to contest m ost assertions m ust have strangely let out your credulity ! I could put forty question s to you as wonderful and fo r my part; coul d as soon credit I am tired of f a i li n g at Fr ench barbarity an d folly They are m ore puerile now serious than -
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h as Offered t o be p ostman to you ; MR N wher e o though I have nothing or little n o s as a f thing to say I though t a s h ow it woul d look kinder to send n oth ing i n wri ting than by word of m outh S o the peace i s m ade , an d N othing th e first th e stocks drank its health i n a bumper ; but whe n th ey wak ed the n ext m orn ing they foun d they h a d re ckoned witho u t their h ost an d that th ei r m aj est ies th e king of big Britain an d t he king of littl e Spai n ha ve agree d to make pe a c e som e tim e if they can a gree u pon it ; an d so th e or other st ock s dre w i n their horns : but having great tru st i n so m e time or other they only fell two pegs l ower I wh o n ever b e l i e ve d t h e r e woul d be war keep my prOph e t i c stocks u p to pa r an d my con so l —ation still higher ; for when S panish pri d e t ruckles and E nglish pri de has had th e h o nour o f bullying I dare to say we sh all b e conten t with th e ostensibl e triumph as S pain will be wi th s om e se cret article that will leave her mu c h where sh e was be fore —V ide Falklan d s island s m atch with N ot h ing th e se cond M iss l o rd You asserted it so p eremptoril y L o ! it t ha t th ough I doubted it I q uoted you s dota g e , t oo k i ts ri s e solely i n p oo r ol d .
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W ALP OL E
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— hat st ll harps on conj unction s copulative but i t as they say on a remon s trance no w disavo ws it f rom her daughter N othing will com e of n o N othing th e third thing says king L ear and You r humbl e servan t ,
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I M U S T n ot pretend any longer my dear lord that Oh ! t his regi on is v oid of n ews and di versions w e c a n innovate as well as n eighbouring n ations If an earl S th ough h e can not b e a tribu ne i s a mb i t i o n s of being a plebeian h e m ay with out an d though a l a w b e as vulgar as h eart can wish w e h ave not a national assembly to lay th e axe to t h e root of nobility the peerage have got a pre L ast c edent for laying th emselves in th e kennel n igh t t h e earl of Barrym ore was so h umble as to p erform a b ufl o on dance and act S caramouch in a p antomim e at R i ch m ond for th e benefit of E dwin j un the com edian : an d I like an old fo ol b ut calling myself a philosopher that loves to stu d y h uman n ature i n all its d i sguis e s went to see th e er f orm nce a p Mr Gray thinks that som e M ilto n or s om e C ro mw el l may b e lost to th e worl d u nde r the ,
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5 00
O F TH E
garb of a ploughman O th ers m ay suppose th at s o m e e xc e ll e n t j a c k p udding m ay lie hidden under red vel vet an d ermine I c annot say that by th e experi ment of last nigh t th e latter hy pothesis has b een demonstrated any m ore than the inver s e p roposition i n France where th oug h there seem to be m any a s bloody minded rascals as C romwell I c an discover n one of h is abilities They h ave settled noth i ng like a constitution ; on the con t ra ry they seem to protract every th i ng b ut vio lence as m uch as they can i n order to keep thei r l ouis a d ay w h i c h i s m ore than two thirds of the assembly perhap s ever saw i n a m onth — I do n ot l ove l egislators that pay them se lves so amply ! They migh t h ave had a s good a con stitution as twen ty four m illions o f peopl e coul d comport A s th ey h ave vote d an a r m y o f an h undred and fi fty th ousand m en I kno w what thei r c o nstitution will be a ft er pa ssing through a c ivil war — m sh ort I detest them ; th ey h av e don e irreparabl e inj ury to l ibe rty for n o m onarch will ever sum mon él a ts again a n d all th e real serv ice that will result f ro m t h e i r fury will be that every king i n E urope f or these twenty or perhaps thirty years to c ome will b e content with th e prer ogat ive he h as with out venturing t o a ug m e n t it The empress o f R ussia has th rashed the king of S weden an d the k ing of S weden has thrashed the empress of R ussia I am more glad that both are beat en th an that either i s vic to ri o us ; for I do .
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C O R R E S PO NOE NC E o r T H E
5 02 and
i n t wo
d ays they hear of nothing b ut new hor poor soul s ! r o t s and di sappointments ; and then I can say nothing to comfort t hey a re in despair them but wh at I firmly b elieve which i s th at total anarchy mu st com e on rapidly —N obody pays th e taxes that are laid an d which intende d to produce e igh ty mi ll i on s a m onth do not b ring The ne w assembly will fal l on th e old i n six probably plunder the rich est and certainly dis approve of m uch th ey have done ; for can eight h undred new ignorants approve of what has bee n don e by twelve h undre d alm ost as ignorant an d — r i n i wh o were far fro m half ag e e g A n d th e n their i mm ortal constitution (which besides is to b e m ightily m ended ni n e years hence ) wi l l die b efore it has ou t any of its teeth b ut its grinders The exiles are enraged at th eir poor king fo r saving his o w n life by a forced acceptance ; an d yet I know n o obligation he h as to his n obless e w h o a ll ra n away to save their own lives ; n o t a gentleman b ut the two poor gen darm es a t Ver s ailles h aving lost their l ives i n his def enc e I suppose La Fay e tte B ar nave th e La me t h s Sec wi ll run away too when the n ew ti nker s an d co b b l e rs of whom the present elect are an d w i ll b e composed proceed on the levelling syste m ta ugh t the m by th eir predecessors wh o like othe r lev el l ers have take n goo d care of themselves Goo d D r P riestley s friend good m onsieur C ondorc et has got a place i n the treasury of a ye ar : ,
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HO N H OR .
cm zm o d i sc e
AC E
W A L PQLE
—A n d th u
503
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a s e t of rascal s who m ight with temper a n d discretion have oh witness t a i n e d a very wholesom e constitution P oland ! h ave c o mm i t tad infinite m is chie f infinite cruelty infinite inj usti c e and left a sh ocking pre ceden t against liberty unle s s the P oles are as m u ch admire d an d im itated as th e French ought t o b e det e sted I do not believe th e emperor will s tir yet H e or his m inisters m u st see that i t is the inter e s t o f Germany to l e t France destroy itsel f H is i nterference yet might unite and consolidate —a t l east che c k farthe r c o n f us i o w — an d though I r ather think that twenty thousand m en m ight m arch from one en d o f Fran ce to th e other as t hough the o fficers ofte n rall ie d Fren ch soldiers n eve r were stout ; yet having n o ofii c e rs n o di s n o subordination littl e resista nce m ight c i pl i n e Yet the e nthusias m t hat has been b e expecte d spread m igh t turn i nto c ourage S till i t were better for C aesar to wait Qu a rrel s amongst th e m selves will dissipate e nthusiasm ; an d i f they h ave they will soon h ave spi rit n o foreig n e nemy e n ough to turn their swords against on e another and what enthusiasm remains will soo n be con This i s v e rted i n t o th e i nveteracy of faction speculation n ot prophecy I do n ot pretend t o guess what will h appe n z —I do think I kno w what w ill not : I m ean th e system of experim ents tha t t hey cal l a constitution cannot last Ma r om ne s !
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C O R R E S P O ND E NC E
5 04
O F TH E
wo uld it b e if a set of m i litary n oble l ads ped an ti c a c a d e m i c i a n s c u ra t e s of v il : l ag es and c ountry advocates co ul d i n two years amidst the u tmost con fu sion and al tercati on am ongst themselv es dictated to or thwarted by obstinate clubs of vari ous factions h ave achieve d what th e wisdom of a l l ages and all n ation s has never b een abl e to compose —a system of g o v e rnm e n t that woul d set fou r and t w e ri ty mi l lions of people free and contain them wi thin any b o hn d s This too with out one great m an am ongst l l f th ey h ad had a s M i r ab e a u seem ed to t h e m I S— 1 o m i s e to h é — b ut as we k now that he was too p — a cons um mate villain there woul d soon have b een an en d of their vision of liberty A nd so ther e will be still unless after a civil wa r they split into small ki ng d oms or c o rn m o n w e a l t h s —A l ittle nation may be free ; for it can be upon its M illion s c annot b e so ; be c ause th e guard greater the number of m e n that are one peopl e the m ore vices the m hre abuses t h e re a r e that wil l either requir e or f u rri i s h pretexts for re strai nts ; an d if vices are the m other of laws: t he exe cution of laws is t h e father o f powe r —and of such parents one knows the progeny I did not th ink of Writing such a rhapsody when — — l h i d e I m 1 hope you o w a n shows i t I bega wil l be so wh en yo u receive it A dieu ! I have tired my hand Yours ever '
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C O R RE S P O ND E NC E
5 06
O F TH E
m e at l a st ; comfort yourself that your conscience n o t temptation for c e d yo u to write ; and be as sured I am as grateful as if you had written fro m ch oi ce n ot from duty your constant sp iritual di rector I have been out of order the wh ole sum m er but n ot very ill for above a fortnight I caught a painful rheumatism by going into a very crowde d church i n a rainy day where all the windows w ere open to h e ar our frien d th e bish op of L ondon preach a charity serm on h ere at Twi ckenham My gout woul d n ot resign to a n e w incumben t b ut cam e too ; an d both together have so lamed m y right arm though I am n ow using it that I can not yet exten d it entirely n or lift i t to th e top of my head H owever I am free from pain ; an d as P roviden c e though it supplied us originally with so m any bounties took care we m igh t shi ft with succedaneum s on th e loss of several of them I am conten t with what remains of my stock ; an d since all my fingers are not useless and that I have not si x hairs left I a m n ot m uch grieved at n ot being abl e to comb my head N ay sh oul d n ot such a shadow as I have ever been be thank ful that at the eve of seventy fiv e I a m not yet passed away ? I a m so littl e out of charity with th e bish op for having b ee n th e innocent cause of th e death of m y s houlder that I a m h eartily concern ed for h i m ,
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HO N H O R .
AC E
W A L PO L E
5 07
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her on M rs Po rte u s s accident It m ay have marbled h er complexion b ut I am persuaded h a s amiable goo d h umou re d n o t altered her l ively A s I kno w n ot wh ere to direct to c ountenance them and as you cannot suppose i t a s i n for a sheep to write to its pastor on a week day I wish you woul d mark th e interest I tak e i n thei r acci d ent and e s cape fro m worse m ischief I thank yo u m ost cordially for your inquiry 2 I a m i n the utmost perple xity a ft er my wives of m ind abo ut th em ; torn betwee n h opes an d fears I bel ieve th e m s e t out from Florence o n their return since yesterday se nnight an d co u se uently feel all th e j oy and impatience of expect q i ng the m i n five or six weeks b ut then beside s fears of roads bad inns accidents b e a t s an d colds an d th e sea to cross i n N o vember at last ; all my satis faction i s dash ed by th e u ncertainty wh ethe r I hav e t h ey com e through Germ any or France advised begged implored th at i t m ay not b e through those Iroquois Le s t ryon s A nthrop o phagi th e Franks ; an d then hearing pass po rts were ab olished an d th e roads m ore s e cure I ha lf c o ns ented as th ey wished it and the r oad i s m u ch sh orter ; and then I repented and have con t ra» dicted mys elf again —A n d now I kno w not which ’
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C O R R ES P O ND E N C E
5 08
O F TH E
route they will take ! n or shall enjoy any comfort f ro ni the thoughts of their return till they are ret urn e d safe Tis well I am doubly guaranteed or wh o knows as I a m as ol d al m o st as both h e r h u sb an d s togeth er b ut M rs B migh t have cast a ? longing eye towards m e H o w I l aughed at hear ing of her throwi n g a secon d m uckender to a M e ortly t h u sal e m ! a fat red faced veteran with a p hil l ock of flesh I con cl ude all h er grandfathers are dead ; or as th ere i s no prohibition i h t h e t a b l e o f consanguinity against m ale ancestors s h e w oul d certai nly h ave stepped back towar d s th e deluge an d ransacked her pedigrees on both sides for som e kinsm an of th e patriarchs I c oul d titter ‘ but I am too ol d t o b e i m a pl us i e ur s r epr i s e s proper and you are too m odest to be i mpr oper e d to and so I will drop th e subj ect a t th e heral d s o ffice s reso I am h appy at and h o n o u r Mi s s B l ut i on i n cas t ing away gol den or rath er gil t ch ains : o th e rs o ut of vanity woul d h ave worn the m til l they had eaten into th e b one O n that ch arming young woman s chapter I agree with you pe rfectly — n ot a j ot on D e bor a h whom you admire : I have n either read h er verses n or will A s I h ave n ot your aspen con science I cannot forgive t h e heart of a woman th at is party per pale blood and tenderness that curses o ur clergy and feels for negroes C a n I ,
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C ORR E S P ON D E NC E
5 10
(I
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TH E
m ay Y o u t e ll me n othing of your own he alth I flatter my s e l f i t is good ? I wish I kne w s o a u t h e n t i c al ly ! an d I wish I coul d guess when I s h oul d see you without your being staked to t h e fogs of the Tham es at C hristm as —I can not d es ire A dieu m y ver y val uabl e fr ien d ! I am t hat th ough unworthy Yours m o st cord ially -
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To
Ma s H .
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B e rkeley s q ua re , Jan 1 /
MY
MU C H
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T E E MED
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I H AV E not so long delayed an swering your letter f rom the pitiful revenge of recolle c ting how long your pe n i s fetch ing breath before it replies to — — h O ! n o Y o u know I love to he ap coa ls m ine ki n d n e s s on your h ead an d to draw you into o f l ittle sin s th at you m ay forgi ve yourself; by know i ng your tim e was emp l oyed on big vi rtu es On th e contrary you woul d b e revenged ; for here h av e yo u according t o y our n otion s i nveigl e d m e i nto the frac ture of a com mandmen t ; for I a m writing to you on a S un d ay being th e first m o m ent of leisure that I hav e had since I received our let er It does not i ndeed clash with my re t y li g i o u s i deas as I hol d paying one s debts a s good a deed a s praying an d r e a di n g s er m o ns for a who l e ,
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H ON H OR .
A C E W AL PO L E
511
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eve ry week whe n it i s impos sible to fix t h e a ttention to on e c ourse of thinking for so many — hou rs for fifty two day s i n every year Thus you — — B ut seriously and indeed s e e I can preach too I am lit tl e disposed to cheerfulness now —I a m and with busines s o verwhelm ed w ith troubles a n d business that I do not u nderst a n d — Law and the m anagem ent of a ruined estate are subj ects ill su ite d to a h ead that n ever studied any thing that i n worldly language i s called useful Th e t ranquill ity of m yremnant of life will b e lost or so pe rpetually i nterrupted that I expect littl e c om fort — n ot that I a m alre a dy intending to grow rich b ut th e m om ent on e is suppose d so th ere are so m any alert to tu rn one to their own a ccount th at I have m ore l etters to write to s atisfy —o r rath er to dissati s fy th em than about m y own aff airs though th e l atter are all confu si on I have such mi ssives on agricul ture p retension s t o livi n gs o ffers of taking care of my gam e as I am incapable of it self recom mendat ions of m aking my robe s an d roun d hints of taki ng ou t m y wr it that at least I m ay name a p roxy an d give my do rm a nt conscien ce to som ebo dy or o ther ! I tru st you think better of my heart an d u nderstan ding than to supp ose that I h ave listened t o any one of th ese n e w f r i en ds Yet though I have n egatived all I have bee n forced to ans wer s om e of them b efore you ; an d that will convinc e you h ow cruelly i ll I h a ve pa sse d my tim e lately d ay i n
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C O R R E S P O N D E NC E
5 12
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OF TH E
besides having been made ill with vexatio n and fatigue But I a m t ol e ra b ly w e l l agam 1 For th e other e m pty m e t a m o rph o s rs that h a s h appened to th e outward man you do m e justi c e in c on cl uding that i t c an do noth ing b ut tease m e i t is being called nam es in one s Old age I had rather b e my lord m ayor for th en I shoul d keep the n icknam e b ut a year an d m ine I may retain a little longer —not th at a t s ev e n ty fiv e I reckon on b ecoming my lord M ethusalem : Vainer h oweve r I believe I a malready become ; for I hav e waste d alm ost two pages ab ou t z m ys e l f and sai d not a tittle about you r h ealth whi c h I m ost cordially rej oice to h ear you are recovering an d a s fervently hop e y ou will entirely recover I h ave th e highest opinion Of t h e elem en t of water as a c onstant beverage h aving so deep a c onvie tion of th e goodness a n d wisdom of P rovidence that I am p ersuaded th at wh en it i n d u l g e d u s i n such a l ux urious variety of eatables and gave u s b ut on e drink able it intende d that our sole liquid should be both wholesom e an d c orre ctive — Y our syste m I know is di fferent You h old t h a t m u t t on and water were the only cock an d h en that were d e s ig n e d f o r our nou r ish m ent —b ut I am apt to '
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C O R R E S P O ND E N C E
514
OF TH E
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giant s b o ots that s tepped seven l ea gu e s at a stride as we are ass ured by th at accurate h isto rian M other Goose You are I kn ow m adam a n excellent walker ; yet m ethink s seve n leag ue s at on ce are a prod igious straddle for a fair lady B ut w hate ver i s your m anner of travelling f e w h e ro i n e s ancient or m odern can be c ompared to u o y for length o f jo u rn eys T h al e st ri s quee n of t h e A ma z ons an d M M or N N queen of S h eba we nt e ach of the m th e Lo rd kn ows h o w far to m eet A lexander th e g reat an d S olo m on th e wi se ; t h e on e to b e g t h e fa vo u r of having a daughter a I sup se and heiress by h im n d th e oth r e o , ; ) p ( says scandal to gran t a lik e favou r to t h e H ebrew m o n arch ; Yo ur l a dy sh ip wh o h a s m ore real A mazonian principl es n ever makes visits but to empress es queens an d princess es ; an d your co untry i s enriche d with th e m axim s of wisdo m virtue w h ich you collect i n you r travels an d For such great ends did H er o dotus Pythagoras an d other s a ges m ak e voyages to E gypt an d every distant kingdom ; an d i t i s amazing h o w m uch th eir own c ountries were benefite d by what those philo s opher s learned i n their peregrination s W e re it n ot that your l a dy ship i s actuated by su c h p ubli c sp irit I co ul d p ut yo u i n m ind m ada m of an Ol d st ory that m i gh t save you a great deal of fatigue an d da ng er — an d n e w I th ink o f it , as I h ave n othing better to fil l my le t ter wi th I will relate it to yo u ,
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H ON HOR .
AC E
W A L POISE
515
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Pyrrh us th e m artial and magna n im ous k ing o f E pi ru s (as my l ord Lyttelton woul d call h im ) being as I have h eard o s e e n G oodm a n Plutar c h ,
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i ntent o n his preparations for i nvading Italy ; Gineas on e of th e groom s of his b ed ch amber took th e liberty Of asking h is m aj esty what benefit he expe cte d to reap if he sh oul d b e successful i n conquering the R om a ns ? Jesu s ! sai d th e k ing e evishly why th e question answers itself Whe n ; p we have overcom e th e R omans no province n o town wh e th er Greek or Barbarian will b e able to resist u s : we shal l at once b e ma sters of all Italy C i n e as after a sh ort pause replied A n d h aving s ubdued Italy what shall we do n ext — D o n ext ? a nswere d Pyrrh us why sei z e S icily V ery likely quoth Gi neas ; bu t wi ll th at pu t an en d to th e war 4 Th e gods forbi d ! cried his m aj esty : wh en S icily is reduced L ibya an d C arthage will b e A n d then with ou t giving Ci w i thin our reach n n eas tim e to p ut i n a word th e heroic prin ce r a o ver A frica Greece A sia P ersia an d every oth er country h e had ever heard o f u po n th e face of God s e arth ; n ot on e of wh ich h e intended shoul d A t l ast when h e was es ca p e his vic toriou s sword a t th e en d of his geography and a l ittle out of breath Gin eas watched h i s opport unity an d sai d quietly Well sire an d whe n we h ave conquere d ? —Why the worl d wh at are we to do then ll a t h en said h is m aj esty extrem ely sati s fie d with h is
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C OR R ES P OND EN C E
5 16
O F TH E
Ow n prowess we will live at our c a s e ; we wil l spend whol e days in ban queting and carou s in g a n d will think of n othing b u t o u r pl easures H a d I had N o w m adam for th e appl ication th e h on our a f e w years ago of being your c o n fi d ential abigail when you meditated a visit to princess E s t e rh a z i I wo u l d h ave venture d to ask your ladyship of what advantage her acquaintan ce would b e to y ou ? P robably you woul d h ave told m e that sh e would introduce you to several el e c tresses an d m argravines wh ose courts you would Vi sit That h aving conque red all th eir h earts a s I am p ersuaded y ou would your n ext j aunt sh oul d b e to H esse ; from whence it woul d be b ut a trip to A ix wh ere m adam e d e R oc h oua rt lives S oar ing from th ence y ou would repair to th e imperial cou rt at V ienna wh ere resides the m ost august m ost virtuous an d m ost pl ump of empress es and queen s — n o I m istake I sh oul d only hav e said of e m préss e s ; f o r her maj esty of Den mark God b less her ! i s reported to be f ul l as virtuous an d three st one heavier S hall n ot you call at C open hagen m ada m? If you do you are n e xt door to t h e C zarin a wh o i s the quintessence of friendship n ext to th e as th e pr i n c e s s D a s ki off says whom late C zar h e r M uscovite m ajesty loves above all th e world A sia I suppose would n ot enter int o your ladyship s syste m of conquest for thoug h i t c ontains a sigh t of queen s and sultanas th e po or ‘
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C OR R E S P OND E NC E
518
OF TH E
i nquisitive ness : and this i s th e pith of this tediou s letter from m ad am You r ladyship s m ost faithful A uli c c ounsellor an d h umble admire r ,
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To
MR
G OUG H
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B e r k e l e y s q u a re -
L OR D
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M
a r ch
1 5 , 1 79 2
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O rford is
confined by th e gout i n his arm ; b ut h as examined th e MS C atalogu e an d cann ot p ossibly satisfy Mr G oug h whethe r i t is th e ori i n al or a copy from which Vertue made his g extracts A s well as lord O rford re colle cts V er tue extracte d h is list from a M S i n t he possessio n of Mr Bryan Fairfax ; but V ertue took out nothing b u t the pictures an d n on e of th e plate furniture &C A n d th ough lord O rford ob serve s th at som e of th e sam e pictures are m entioned as at different pal aces yet there see m e d to be several m ore th an are in the C atalogue of th e R oyal C olle ct ion pub l i s h e d by Batho w A nd thi s is all th e information l ord O rford can give Mr G ough .
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H ON H O R AC E W A L PO L E .
To
T HO M A S B A R R E TT Ber
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May 1 4 , 1 7 92
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D EAR Sm ,
TH OUG H my p o or fingers do n ot yet write easily I c annot help i nquiring if Ma b e u s e i s arrived a nd fits h i s destin ed stal l i n t h e s afely at L ee l ib rary My am endm ent is far sl o wer comme d e r a is on than ever an d my weakn ess m u ch gre ate r A n other fit I doubt will con fine m e to my ch ai r if i t doe s n ot do m ore —i t is n ot worth haggl in g ab out that Dr D a rwin h as appe a red superior in som e r e Th e Tri umph o f Fl ora s e c t s to th e form er part p beginning a t the 5 9 t h lin e i s m ost beautifu lly an d en chantingly i magined ; an d the twelve verses th at by m iracl e des c ribe an d compreh en d the creation of th e univ erse ou t O f ch aos are in my opinio n th e m ost sublim e passage in any author or i n any of th e few l anguages with which I am acquainte d There are a thou sa nd oth er verses m ost charm ing crowded with m ost poeti c o r i ndee d all are so i m ag ery gorgeous epithets and style —an d yet th e se four cantos do not pl ease m e equally wit h th e L oves of t h e Plants This seem s to m e al most ,
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C O R RE S P OND E NC E
5 20
O F TH E
as m uch a rhapsody of unconnected parts ; an d is so deep that I cannot read s i x lines togeth er an d k n o w what th ey are about til l I h ave studie d th e m i n the long notes an d th en perhap s do not compreh en d the m —But all this i s my fault not D r Darwin s Is h e to blam e th at I am n o n a tural philosopher n o chemist n o m etaphysician ? O n e m i sfortune will atten d th is gl oriou s work i t will b e little read b ut by those wh o h ave n o taste for poetry an d wh o will b e weighing a n d crit icising his pos i tions without feeling the i m agi n ation harm ony a n d e x r e s si o n of the ve rs i fic a p tion Is n ot i t extraordinary dear sir that two of our very best p oets Garth an d Darwin sh oul d h ave been physician s ? —I believe th ey have le ft all th e lawyers w rangling at th e turnpike of Par A dieu dear sir ! n a s s us Yours most cordiall y ,
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C O NW A Y
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S t ra w b erry h ll , -
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g us t 3 1 , 1 7 9 2
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Y O U R l ong letter an d my sh ort one crossed on e another u pon th e road I kne w I was i n your debt ; but I h ad nothing to say but what yo u kno w better th an I ; for you read all th e French papers and I read n one as they have l ong put ‘
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C O R RE S PO ND E NC E
5 22
O F TH E
kings and ge ne ral s and cann ot res t without i n ce n s ing a ll E ur o pe a a i n s t t h em g The du c h ess of York g ave a great entertainme nt at Oatlands on h er duke s b i r t h day sent to his trad e sm en i n t own to com e to it an d allowed two guin eas a piece to each fo r their carriage —gave th em a da nce a n d ope n e d the ball h erse l f with t h e prince of Wales A c om pany of s t roll ers c a m e to Weyb ridg e to ac t i n a barn : sh e w as s olici te d t o g o to it and di d out of c h arity a n d carri ed al l h er servan ts N ext da y a m e th o d is t tea ch e r cam e t o preac h a charity serm on i n the sam e th eatre a n d sh e consente d to h ear it on th e sa m e m o t i ve b ut h er servants desir e d t o be excused on n o t u n derstandi ng E nglish said th e d u ch e ss Oh b ut you went to th e com edy wh ich you u nde r stood less an d you shall go to th e serm on to w hi ch she gave h an dsomely a n d for them 1 l ike th is Tack this to my oth e r f ragm ent an d th en I t ru s t I sh al l not be a de faulter i n co rrespo n dence I o w n I a m beco m e an in d olent p oo r cre a tu re b ut is that strange ? Wi t h s eventyfive y ea rs ov e r m y h ead or o n t he point of b eing so ; wi t h a chal k st on e i n e v ery fin g e r ; with fe et so limping that I hav e b ee n but t w ice this whol e sum m er rou n d my o w n s ma ll g arden a nd so m uch weaker t ha n I w as c a n I b e very c o m fortable , b ut wh en ? All my stren gth s it t ing q u iet a nd d o in g n ot h i ng consi s t s i n my sleep wh ich is as vigorou s as at ,
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H ON H OR .
AC E
W ALP O L E
823
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twenty but with regard to letter writing I have so m any to write on bu siness which I do not u nderstand since the u nfortunate death of my n ephe w that though I m ak e the m as b rief as po s sibl e half a doze n sh ort ones tire m e as m uch as a long o n e to an Ol d frien d ; an d as the b usy ones m ust be executed I trespass on th e others an d remit th e m to an oth er day N orfol k has com e very m a l d p r opos i nto th e en d of my life an d cer t a i n l y never entere d i nto my views an d plan s ; an d I wh o coul d n ever learn th e m ultiplication table was n ot inte nded to tran sact lease s direct repairs of farm houses settle fines for ch urch lands nego ciate for l owering i nterest on m ortgages 8 m I n short as I was tol d form er ly th ough I k n ow se veral things I n ever understood any thing useful “ tol d A p r op os th e letter of which l ady C you is n ot at all worth your seeing It was an angry on e to a parson wh o oppresses my ten ants an d wi l l go to law with th e m ab out tythes Sh e cam e i n as I was writing i t ; an d as I took up the ch aracter of parson m yself an d preache d to h i m as pastor of a flock which it did n ot becom e hi m to l ead i nto the p aths of law instead of those of pea ce , I th ough t it would dive rt an d sh owed it t o her A dieu ! I have bee n writing to you till m id night and my poor fingers ach e Yours ever -
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C O R R E S P O N D E NC E
52 4
Ma
To
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O F TH E
GOUG H
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S t ra w b e rry h l l , No v 1 4 , 1 7 9 2 -
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I H A VE a portrait of Law an d sh oul d n o t obj ect to l etting a c opy of it b e taken ; b ut I doubt that could n ot be done b eing i n crayons by R osalba un der a glass ; an d any shaking being prej udicial to crayons I fixed th e picture in on e of th e niches of my gallery und er a n et work of carving when ce i t ca nnot b e rem oved without p ulling th e nich e to pieces Th e picture too b eing placed over th e fam ous statu e of th e eagl e th ere i s no getti ng n ear to it an d I certainly coul d not venture to let a ladder b e set ag a i n s t t h e statue I n d e e d a s th ere are extan t at l east three prints of La w there does n o t see m to b e another wanting I am sorry sir I c ann ot give you a m ore satisfacto r y answer abou t lady Wallingford I h ave m et h e r at two or th ree pl aces b ut I did not visit her nor h ave th e l east kn owl edge of h er h usban d s family n or to wh om sh e l eft any thing sh e had ; nor c a n I dire ct you at all wh ere to inquire I did not even k now that there i s an earl of Banbury l iving Your account sir of the C ornwal l m on um ent i s very c u ri o us I n ever m et with the painter s an d th ank yo u for it I a m w i t h great n am e regard sir Your obedi en t h u mble ser vant ,
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C O R RES P OND E NC E
5 26
OF TH E
b e s ufficient to call the m the F r e nch — I h ope n o other nation wil l ever deserve to b e confounde d with the m ! I n d ee d my dear friend I h ave an oth er reason for wishing to burn my pen entirely all my i d eas a re confounded an d over t urn e d — I do n ot know wheth er all I ever learne d in the seventy first yea rs of my seventy five was n o t wrong an d false : com m o n sense reasoning calculation conj ecture fr o m a nalo y an d from history of past events all all g h ave be en b afll e d ; n or a m I sure that what us ed to be though t th e result of experience an d wis H ave I n ot dom , was n ot a mass of m istak e s found do I n o t find th at t h e i nven tion of es ta b l i sh i n g m etal s as the s ig n s of pr o pe rty was a n u seless discovery or at l east only u seful ti l l th e a rt of m aking paper was found out ? N ay the latter i s preferable to gol d an d silver If the ores w ere adulterated an d cr i e d down n obody wo u l d tak e th e m i n exchange Depreciate pap er as m uc h as you will an d i t will stil l serv e all t h e k urposes of arter Trade sm en still b sh o s e e p p p s t oc k the m with g o od s and deliver their com m o — those coined rags P oor R ea so n w here d i t i e s f or a rt thou ? To sh ow you that m em ory an d argum ent a re of no v al ue at least with m e I th ought a year or two that t h i s paper m int wou l d soon blo w u p b e ca use I rem emb e red that when M r C harles Font an d e n e or t wo m ore yn n t h s of brilliant g e nius ,
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H ON H O R .
AC E
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5 97
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fi rst came to light an d i nto vast debts at pl ay they imparte d to th e world an important secret wh ich th ey h ad discovere d It was th at nobody n eede d to want m oney i f th ey woul d pay enough for it A ccordingly th ey borrowed of Jews at va s t u sury : b ut as th ey had m ade but an i n c o m h e inter e st so soon ex ceed e d l t e t e c al c u l a t i o n p the prin cipal that th e system did n ot maintain i ts groun d for ab ove two or three yea rs Faro h as p rove d a m ore subst a ntial speculation — B n t I m iscarri e d i n applying my rem embrance to t h e as s ign ats wh i ch still m aintain their ground ag ainst t hat l ong decri ed b ut as l ong adored corruptor of gold — Alack ! I do n Ot hear that virtue v i rt u e ha s flourish ed more f or the destru ction of i ts ol d e ne my ! S ha ll I add an oth er truth ? I hav e been so d i s a ring of n oth ing b ut b u ste an d fatigu e d h e d y g Fren ch m assacres & c an d foun d it so impossi ble t o sh i ft con v ersation to any othe r to pi c that b e fore I h a d been a mon t h in town I wish ed m i ss G would re viv e that pe opl e might ha ve a t l east o ne ot h e 1 subj ec t to m t er e s t the ear s an d But no wonder un iv e rs al t ongues of th e public at t e ntio n i s en g r o ss ed by th e present portentou s whe t her s c en e ! It seem s to dra w to a que sti o n E urope or Fran ce is to b e depopulated ; wh ethe r civilizati on can b e re c ove re d or t he repu b l i c of Ch ao s ca n b e supporte d by a ssas si n ation We ha ve h e a rd of the gol de n si l ver a nd i ron ag e s ; ,
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C O R R E S PO N D E NC E
28
OF TH E
the bra zen one existed while th e Fr ench wer e only pre d o m i n a n tly i n s ole n t What th e present a e will b e denominated I cann ot guess Though g th e paper age w ould be c h a ra c t e ri s t i c i t i s not e mphati c enough n or spe cifies th e eno rm ou s sin s of th e fiends that are th e agents I think it m ay b e style d th e diabolic age The duke Of O rlean s h as dethron ed S atan w ho sin c e his fall has never i nstigated su ch c rim es as O rleans h as perpetrated Let m e soften my tone a l i ttl e a n d harm oni s e y our p oor m ind by sweete r accents I n this d e l uge of triumphan t enorm ities what traits of th e sublim e an d beautiful may b e gleane d ! Did yo u h e ar o f m a d a m e E li z abeth , th e king s sister ? a sain t like yoursel f S h e dote d on h er brother for I n the tum ult i n sh e certainly kne w his soul July h earing th e p opulace a n d the poissardes h ad brok en i nto t h e palace she fl e w to th e king an d by embracing h i m trie d to shield his person The p opulace took h er for th e queen cried out Voi ld ” ce tte A u tr i chi en ne ! an d were pro ce ttc ch i ca ne S omebody to s ave c e e di n g to violence scream ed Th e Ce n es t p a s la r e m e c e s t princess said A ll ! m on D i e u / n e l e s d e t r ompez ”— I f that was not th e m ost sublime instan ce s a p of perfect innocence ready prepared fo r death I know n ot where to fin d on e S ublim e indeed too was th e sentence of good fath er E dgeworth th e king s confessor wh o thinking his royal penitent a l ittle dismayed j u s t ‘
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OF THE
C OR RE S P OND E NC E
530
ta ug ht
to dislike it t h re e fou rth s of th e cou ntry I maintain adored theirs We h ave th e perfectest ever yet devised — but if to your num erou s read ings of littl e pamphlets you woul d add on e m ore called Vi llag e p oli ti cs i nfinitely superio r to any thing o n th e subj e ct cl e arer b etter stated an d compreh endi ng th e wh ol e m as s of m atter i n the sh ortest compass you will b e m or e m istres s of th e s ubj e ct th a n any m a n i n E ngl a nd I k n ow wh o wro t e it b ut will not tell you beca u se you di d n o t tel l m e Your mo st faithful h umble servant an d friend o
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M ORE
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B e rke l ey s qu are , o
M
a rch
2 3, 1 7 9 3
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A L L cert a inly not leave o fi ta u nting your vir tues my excellent friend fo r I fin d it som etimes m ak e s you correct them I scolded you for your m odesty i n n ot acquainting m e wit h your Vz llag e ol i tic s even after they were p ublished ; an d you p have already con quere d that unfriendly del icacy and announ ce d another piece of wh ic h you are i n labou r S til l I see there wanted your gho stly fa ther the bish op of Lond on to enj oin you to b e I qui te shameless and avow your n atur al child d o approve h i s doctrine calling it by your own I
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H ON H O R A C E .
WA L P O L E
531
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ame will make its fortune If like R ousseau o u h ad le f t your b ab e among th e e nf a ns tr o uv é s y i t m igh t never be heard of m ore than his poor i ssue have b een ; for I can but observe that th e French patriots who have m ade such a fuss with h is ashes h ave not take n th e sm allest pain s to a t t empt to discove r his real progeny w hich m igh t n o t have bee n impossible by collating dates an d circum stances I a m proud of h a v i n g i m i t a t e d you at a great distance and bee n persuaded m uch against my w ill an d practice to let my n am e b e p ut to t he second subscription for th e p oor Fren ch clergy as it was though t i t m igh t tend to animate that c onsu mptive contribu tion I am i mpatient for your pam phlet n ot only as b eing yours b ut hoping it will m vrg ora t e horror t French atheism which I am grieve d to a gain s say did not by any mean s m ake due impression I did very early apply to y ou r conf ess or to beg h e woul d enj oi n his clergy to den ounce that shocki ng i mpiety I could al most recom m end to you to ad d a slight postscript on th e m a ssacre of that wretch M a nue l I do n ot l ove such inse c ts as we are disp ensing ju dg men ts —yet if the punish ment of that j ust v ictim m ight startle such p rofane crimi n al s i t migh t be charity to suggest th e hint to th em n
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C O R R E S PO ND E NC E
5 32
OF TH E 2 4 th
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I W A S interrupted an d could n ot finish my letter i n a breath as I m eant th e m omen t I had received yours from eagern ess to th ank you for the n oti ce of you r p ubli ca ti on I wish you had added th e n ame of your man m id w ife the printer ; but I trust to seeing you s tan d i n a black an d white Mrs Bo s cawen w as so sheet th e n ewspaper kind as to cal l on m e th e sam e day with the sam e i nformation from your letter to h er — but i n hers were som e words on the late bankruptcies m or e than were i n m ine that alarm u s and that th ough not explicit look as if you yourself h ave su ffered by th ose fail ures You have su ch a friendly an d feel ing h eart that it i s imp ossibl e to disce rn whether any grief is not rath er o n account of others tha n on your own P ray be confidential enough to tell m e ; for I have n ot such universal charity as to lament th e l o ss of oth ers as I sh o uld yours I m ust m odify th e massacre of M anuel : he has been a g o od deal stabbed b ut will they say r e cov e r P erhaps i t is better that som e of those assassins sh oul d liv e to ackn owl edge that Do not to others wh at you would n ot have done to you is n ot s o silly a m axim as m ost of t h e pre c e t s of m oral ity and justice have l ately bee n p — h n i s l a t o r s deeme d by phi los op er s a d leg titles sel f assume d by m en who have abolished all oth er titles ; a nd wh o h ave disgraced an d debased th e former denom ination an d under the latter have ,
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C OR RE S P OND E N C E
5 34
O F TH E
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grievances ! yet not under th e good late king B ut what calamities or d angers th reaten ed or h a d fallen on Priestley but want of papal p ower like h is pre decessor C alvin If you say his house was b urnt — but did h e i nten d the fire shoul d blaze on th at side of th e street ? Y our charity m ay b elieve h i m i nnocen t b ut your u nderstanding does n ot I Ve l l ! I am glad to hear he i s going to A m erica ; I h op e h e will not bring back scalping even to that n ation al assembly of which h e was prou d of being electe d a m ember ! I d oubt if C artouch e woul d h ave though t it an honour It was stuck up i n Ll oyd s coffee h ou se lately th at th e duke of O rleans was n am e d Chef d e la r e h ef d e la L i e u bli que though t it sh ould b e C I p .
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For th e best an d m ost c omfortabl e part of your l etter I have not thanked you yet my dear frien d ; I m ean th e prospe c t of seeing you next m onth an d thank the z odiac next m onth 1 8 very n ear I m ust now for my own sak e as well as yours h ope that you r health wil l continu e to i mprove as it 1 A pleasant wor d i s th e condition of th e bond — that c on ti nue ; it implies you have b een m ending Your postscript said yo u had been telling m e a l ie —So have I ; for on reading your l etter again I fin d y ou had nam e d you r a ccoucheur C adell I do not wonder h e has been sl ow I was tol d lately that he has said th at th e public i s so totally e n c es of that sor t rossed by politics and many pie ( g ,
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5 35
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conclude com e from his p ress ) that the receipts of h is sh op which used to be fiftee n thousan d a y ear h ave this ye ar decreased two th irds So the French par bri cole have destroyed our litera I
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phl e t and am ,
Mo st c or dially yours
To
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C ONWA Y
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S t ra w b e rry h l l , -
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un e
1 3, 1 7 9 3
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you m uc h for all your information — yet if what you s om e parts m a d e m e sm ile z it i t proves tr u e I rather think it d e heard of plo rable ! H o w ca n l ove of m oney o r vt h e still vainer of a l l vanities ambition of wearing a hig h but m ost i nsignificant office which even poor l ord ii could exe c ute te m pt a very Ol d m an wh o loves h is ease an d h is own way to stoop to wait like a footman b ehin d a chair for h ours an d i n a court when ce he h ad been cast ign om iniously ? I bel ieve I have m ore pride than m ost m e n alive I coul d be flatte red by honours acquired by m erit or by som e singular acti on of eclat — but for titles ribands O ffi ces Of n o b usiness wh i c h any bo d y an d must be given to many I s h o ul d jus t c a n fill as soon be proud of being the top squ i re i n a cou n I
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5 36
O F TH E
try v illage It i s only worse to have waded to d r s ti n c t i on through dirt like lord All this shift ing of scenes m ay as you say be S e d d ffl n d i t n umer us food to th e F r on de It i s p erfectly ridiculous to use any distinction of par ties but th e i ns an d th e ou ts Many years ago I th ough t that the wisest appellations for conten d ing facti on s ever assumed were th ose in th e R O m a n empire wh o calle d themselves the g r een s a nd it was so easy when t h ey ch anged sides t h e bl u e s to slide from one colour to th e oth er —an d then a bl ue migh t pl ead th at h e had n eve r b ee n t r ue bl ue but al w ays a g r ee n i s h blue ; an d vi ce ve r s ci I allow that th e steadiest party m an m ay be staggered by n ovel an d unforeseen circumstan ces Th e outrageous proceedings Of th e Fren ch r e pub lic e us h ave wounde d th e cau se of liberty an d will I fear h ave sh aken i t for centuries ; for C ondorcet and su ch fiends are worse than th e imperial an d royal dividers of P oland But I do n ot see why detestation of anarchy a nd assassination m ust i m m ediately m ak e on e fall i n l ove with garters an d seals I am sitting by th e fire as I have done ever since I cam e hith er ; an d sin ce I do n ot expect warm w eather in June I am wishi n g for rain or I sh all n ot h ave a m outhful of hay n or a n ose f ul of roses — Indeed as I have seen several fields of hay cut My I wonder i t h a s n ot bro u gh t rain a s u sual cree d is that rain is good for h ay as I conclude .
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C OR R ES P ON D EN C E
5 38
OF TH E
hy ae nas howl i n th e village nor to find scorpion s Indeed all th e way I cam e hom e I i n m y bed coul d bu t gaze at th e felicity of my countrymen The road was one string of stage coach es l oaded withi n an d with out with n oisy j olly folks an d chaises an d gigs th at had been pleasuring in cl ouds of dust ; every door an d ev ery wi n dow of every h ouse was open lights in every sh op every door with wom en si tting i n th e street every in n crow d e d with j aded horses and every ale house full of drunke n topers ; fo r you know th e E nglish always a n nounce their sense of h eat or cold by drinkin g Well ! it was i mpossible n ot to enj oy su ch a scen e of happiness an d a ffluence i n every village — an d am ongst th e lowest of th e peopl e an d wh o are tol d by villainou s scribblers that th ey are oppressed a n d m iserabl e — N e w stre ets new town s are rising every day an d every w h ere ; th e earth i s covere d with garden s an d crops of grain H o w bitter to turn from this E lysium to the Temple at P ari s The fien ds there have now torn h er son from th e qu een ! C an one believe that they are h uma n beings who m idst all their c on fusion s si t coolly m editating n e w tortures n e w a nguish for that p oor helpl ess miserable woman a fter four years of u nexampled su fferings ? O h ! if su ch cr i m es are n ot m ade a dreadful lesson this worl d m igh t b ecom e a th e atre of cannibal s ! I hope th e check s in Bretagne are l egends coi n What ca n one believe ? e d by m iscreants at P aris ,
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H ON H OR .
AC E
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5 39
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Well I will go to bed and try to dream of peace and pl enty ; an d th ough my lawn i s burnt an d my peas an d beans an d roses an d strawberries parche d I will bear it with patience till t h e b a r vest is got i n S aint S within can n ever h ol d h is water for forty days th ough h e c a n do th e con Good night ! tra ry Yours ever ,
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C ON W A Y
B e r k el ey s q uar e -
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C E R T A I N L Y sympath ize with you on th e reversed an d gl oomy prosp ect of affairs too extensive to detail in a l etter ; n or indeed do 1 know any thing m ore than I c ollect from n ewspapers and p ublic reports ; an d th ose are so overcharged wit h false h oods o u all sides that if on e waits for truth to em erge on e finds n e w subj ects to draw on e s a t tenti on before firm belief can settl e its trust o n any That th e m ass and resul t are bad is certai n ; an d th ough I have great al acrity in searching for comforts an d groun ds of new h opes I am pu z z led as m uch i n seeking resources as i n giving present credit R easoning i s out of the question : all cal culation i s ba ffl ed n oth ing happe ns that sense or experien c e said was probable I wait to see w hat wil l happen without a gues s at what is to be e x I
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A storm when th e parlia m ent m eets ,
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wi l l n o doubt be attempted H o w the ministers are prepared to combat it I don t kno w — b ut I — — i n l ffi f e c t i s u h op e i t spreads n o farth er : at y least I think they h a ve no cause to fear the n e w leader w ho is to make the attack I have neith er seen Mr Wilson s book nor his answerers S O far f rom reading p olitical pam l h t s I h unt for any b ooks except m odern no e p vels that will n ot bring Fra nce to my m ind or B ut every t hat at least will put it ou t for a tim e f resh pe r so rr one sees revives t he c onversation an d excepting a long successio n of fogs nobody talks of any th ing else ; nor of private news do I k no w a tittle A dieu Yours ever .
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Ma s H
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A p il 27 T H I S is n o plot to dra w you into com mitting eve n a good dee d on a S unday whi ch I suppose the l i ter a li ty of your conscience woul d haggl e about as i f th e day of the week constitutes the sin an d not th e n ature of the crim e But you m ay d e fe r your ans wer till to night is becom e to m orrow by the clock h aving struck one ; an d then yo u m ay do an innocent thing without any guilt whi ch a r
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54 9 -
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dre ssed like me sel dom possessed are happi ly e x l o d e d and laughed out of use N ext to being p ashamed of h aving good qualitie s b es towed on m e to which I sh oul d have n o title it woul d hu rt to be prai se d on my erudition whi ch is m ost super fi c i a l ; a n d o n my triflin g w ritings all of which turn on most trifling subj ects They amused m e while writing the m m ay have amu sed a few per so n s ; but have nothing solid enough to p rese rve them from b eing forgotten with oth er th i ngs of as l igh t a nature I would n ot h ave you r j udge m ent calle d i n ques tion hereafter if somebody readin g your A ulus G e ll i us sh oul d ask What were t hose writings of lord O which Mr Bel oe so m uch c o m m en ds ? Was lord O more than on e of the mob of ” ? e l n t w h o h Into th at class I e m e n w t a s e o w r t e i e g m ust sink —an d I had rather do so imper c eptibly than b e plunged down to it by th e interposition of the han d of a friend wh o coul d n ot gainsay th e sentence For you r own sake my good sir as we l l as i n pity to my feelings wh o am sore at you r o ffering wh at I can not accept restrain th e addr ess to a m ere in scription You are al lowe d to b e an ex c ell e n t translator of c lassic authors —h ow u n cl ass i c woul d a dedication i n th e ol d fashion m anner a p pear ! If you had p ublished a new e dition of H e r od o t u s or A ul u s G ell i u s would you h ave ve nture d t o prefix a Greek or L atin dedication to som e m o der n lo rd with a Gothic title ? ,
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S till l ess ,
AC E WALP OL E
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had th ose addres s es been i n v ogue at Ro me w oul d any R oman auth or have inscribe d h is work to M arcus the incompetent son of C i cer o an d tol d th e unfortunate off sp ring of so great a m an of h i s h ig h bi r th a n d d ecle nsi on of a mbi t i on ? which would h ave excited a lau g h on p oor Marcus w h o whatever m ay have been said of him h ad m ore sense than to leave proofs to the pu blic of his extrem e infer iority to his father I am sir & c & c ‘
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B erk e ley s qua re -
MY
B ES
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MADAM
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S a t u r d a y n g h t , Ja n
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1 795
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I L L never m ore complain
Of
your silen ce for I am perfectly convin c ed th at you have n o idle n o unempl oye d m om ents Your indefatigable b e n e v ol e n c e is i ncessantly occupied in good works an d your he a d an d y o u r heart m ake the utmost use of th e excellent qu alities of both You ha ve given pr oofs of the talents of one and you c er t ai n l y do not wrap th e stil l m ore precious talent of th e oth er in a n apkin Thank you a thou san d ‘— tim es for your m os t ingenious plan m ay great success reward you
I W
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oo t
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C ORRES P O ND E NC E
5et i
OF TH E
sent one instantly to th e duch es s of G l o uc e s ter whose piety an d zeal i mitate you rs at a di 2 stance ; but she says she cannot aff ord to subscribe j ust at this severe m oment wh en th e poor so m uch want her assistan ce —b ut sh e will on th e tha w an d should have been flattered by receiving a plan fro m yourself I sent another to l ord H who I trust wil l show it to a mu ch greater l ady ; and I repeated som e of the facts you tol d m e of th e foul fiends an d their anti M or e activity I sent to Mr White for h alf a dozen m ore of your plans and will distribute them wherever I have h opes of their taking root and blossoming To ’ m orrow I wi ll sen d hi m my subscription ; an d I flatter myself you will not think it a breach of S u n day n or will I mak e this long that I may n ot widen that fractur e —G ood night ! H o w cal m an d co mfortabl e m ust your slumbers be on th e pillow of every day s good deeds ! I
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Yesterday was dark as m i d nigh t —Oh ! that it m ay be th e darkest day i n a l l respects that we shal l B ut these are them e s too volum inous and see dismal for a letter an d which your zeal tells m e you f eel too i ntensely for m e to increase when yo u are doing all in your p ower to counteract them .
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To th e
k
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un d
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for th e
p m t i g th p i Ch p R p it y ro
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r nt n
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and
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P
C
CORRE S ON D EN E OF TH E
546
yet sta n ch ed that Al ec to s bla z ing ferocity A di e u ! a die u Yours from my heart ’
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P
S
I have subscrib ed White s to your pl an .
gui neas at Mr
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To
Ma s H .
M OR E
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B e rk e l ey s qua re -
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Fe b 1 3 , 1 7 9 5 ,
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your letter and p a cket of lays an d ‘ v irelays and heartily wish th ey m ay fal l i n bad ground an d produce a h undre d th ou s an d fold as I doub t is n ecessary H ow I admire th e activity of your zeal and perseveran ce S h ould a new ch urch ever b e b uilt I h op e i n a side c hapel there w ill be an altar dedi cate d to S t H annah V irgin an d Martyr ; an d th at your pe n worn to the bon e will be e nclose d i n a gol de n reli quaire a nd p r e serv ed on th e shrine These few wo rd s I have been forced t o dictate having h ad th e gout i n my right h an d above this fortnigh t ; b u t I trust it is going o ff ’ The duch ess w as mu ch pl e ased with your wri R E CE I V E D ,
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i p R p it y l h i gh
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th e 9
Che
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s t or e s ,
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ro
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t ra c t s , & c
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i
w r tt e n
ory
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Mr s H .
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n e ss
th e
d u ch e ss
of
Gl
o uce s t e r
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M
o re
for
HON HOR A C E WA LPO L E .
ti n g
547
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to h er an d orde re d m e to thank you You r frien d lady W is in town and looks very We ll A die u best of wome n Yours m ost cordi ally ,
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To W ILLIA
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RO S
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l 1 A p i 5 4 9 7 y q To judge of my satis faction and gratitude on r e c e i ‘ ving th e very acceptabl e present of your book sir , ou sh ould have known my extrem e impatience for y it fr om th e i nstant Mr E dwards had kindly favoure d m e with th e first chapter s You m ay consequentl y conceive the m o rt ific a t i on I felt at no t being abl e to thank you i m m ediately b oth for the volu m e and the obliging l etter that accompanie d it by my righ t arm an d han d b eing swelled an d rendere d quite im m oveabl e an d u sel ess of which you wil l perceive th e re m ains if you c a n read these lines w h ich I a m forci n g myself to write n ot w ithout ain th e first m om ent I have power to hold a p pen ; an d i t will cost m e some ti me I believe before I can finish my whole letter earn e st as I a m sir to give a loose to my gratitude
Be r
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C O RR E S P ON D E N C E
54 8
OF TH E
If you ever had th e pl easu re of r e a d ing s uc h a deli gh tful book a S you r o w n i magine sir what a comfort it m ust be to receive such an ano dyne i n th e m idst of a fit of th e gout th at has already lasted above nin e weeks and which at first I th ough t m igh t carry m e to L orenzo de Medici before h e shoul d com e to m e ! Th e complete vol um e has m ore than an swered th e expectat i on s which t h e s a m pl e h a d raised The Grecian simplicity of th e style i s p reserve d th r oughout the sam e judicious candour reigns i n every page ; an d wit h out allowing yourself that l i b e r ty o f i n d u l g i n g you r own b i a s z t o w a rd s good or against c riminal characters w h i ch f o ve rl ri g i d critic s prohibit your artful can dour compels you r readers to think with you with ou t s eem i ng to take a part yoursel f You have sh own fr om hi s o w n v i rt u e s abilities and heroic spirit why L a renzo de s erved to h ave Mr R os c o e z f o r hi s bio graph e r A n d since you h ave b ée n s o : si r (for h e was n ot com pletely k no wn b efore at le ast not out of Italy ) I sh al l b e extrem ely m istake n i f h e i s n ot henceforth al lowed to b e i n various ligh ts one o f the m ost excell ent an d greatest m e n with whom we are we l l acquai nted especi al ly ; if we reflect on th e sh ortness of h is life and th e narro w sphere i n which h e had to act P erh ap s I : Oug h t to blam e my own ignoran ce that I did n ot k no w Lorenzo as a beautiful poet : I confess I d i d n ot N o w I do I own I admire som e of his s onnets r
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C O RR E § PO ND E NCE OF TH E
son s which is when on e of each nation ve rs ifie s th e sam e ideas an d th oughts That n ovel poet I bol dly pron oun ce i s M r S everal of his tran slation s of L orenzo R o scoe are superior to the original s an d th e vers es m or e poetic —nor am I bribed to give thi s opinion by th e present of your book nor by any partial ity n or by th e surprise of finding so p ur e a writer of h istory as able a poet S ome good j udges to who m I ha ve sh own your translation s entirel y agre e with m e I w il l n am e one m ost comp etent j udge Mr H ool e so admirabl e a poet h im sel f a n d such a critic i n Italian as h e has proved by a transl ation of A riosto That I am not flattering you sir I will demon strate ; for I am no t satisfied with on e essential line i n your version of th e m ost be autiful I think of all L orenzo s stanzas It i s h is des c ription of jeal ousy i n page 2 6 8 equal i n my hu mbl e Opinion to Dryden s delineations of the passion s and t he last line of wh ich i s ,
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Ma i d or m e , e d
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The though t to m e i s q uite n e w a n d your t ran sl a‘ i M r H t ion I own does n ot com e up to oole t a n d I ham mered a t it but could n ot content our selve s —P erhaps by altering your la st c ouplet yo u .
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H ON H OR .
AC E WALP OL E
55 1
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m ay enclose the whole sense and m ak e it equal to the p receding six I will n ot ask your pardon sir for taking so m uch liberty with you You have displayed so m uch can dour and so m uch m odesty and are so free from pretensions that I a m confiden t you will allow that truth is the sole ingredient that ought t o comp ose deser ved in cense ; an d if ever c om me n dation was sincere n o praise ever flowed w ith purer veracity th an all I have said i n this l etter does fro m the h eart of sir You r i nfinitely obliged humble servant ,
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write a word to you th o u gh scarce tim e to w rite one to thank you for your great kindness about th e sol dier wh o shall get a substitute if h e WI L L
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A s yOu are or h ave been i n town your d aughter ,
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will have tol d you i n what a bustl e I am preparing not to resist but to receive an invasion of t oy — to m orrow an d cann ot even escape them al t i e s like admiral C orn wallis though seem ing t o make a semblance ; for I am to wear a sword and have appoi nted two aides de camp my n ephews George i“ If I f a ll as ten to one b ut and H orace C ,
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C OR RES P OND ENC E
552
O F TH E
I do to be sure it will b e a s uperb tumble at th e feet of a quee n an d eight daughters of kings ; for besides th e six princesses I am to h ave th e du chess of Yo rk an d t h e princ ess of O range ! Woe is m e at 7 8 and with scarce a hand an d foot to my back Adieu ! Y ours 85 0 ,
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C ONWA Y
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S t raw b e rry h ll , -
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7 , 1 795
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I AM n ot dead of fatigu e with my royal visitors as I expected to b e th ough I was on my poor lam e feet three wh ole h ours Your daughter who kindly assisted m e i n doing th e honours wi ll tell you th e p articulars an d h ow p rosperously I succeede d The quee n was u ncom m only condescending an d gracious an d de ign ed to drink my health when I presented h er with th e last glass an d to thank m e for all my attention s — Indeed m y m e m ory d e A s I had vi e i lle c our was but once i n default been assured that her Maj esty woul d b e attende d by her Chamberlain yet wa s n ot I had n o glove ready when I receive d her at the step of he r coach : yet sh e h onoured m e with h er han d to l ead h er up stairs ; nor did I recollect my omis sion whe n I led her down again S till tho ugh ,
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To
MR S H .
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OF TH E
MORE
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S t r a wb e r ry h l l , -
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are not only th e m ost b e n e fic e n t b ut th e m ost benevolent of h u man b eings N o t c onten t w ith being a perfect saint yo u rself whi c h (forgive m e for saying) does n ot al ways imply prodigi ous c o m p assion for oth ers ; n ot satisfied with being the m ost disinterested n ay th e reverse o f all patriots for you sacrifice your very slender fortune n ot to i mprove it b ut to keep th e po or h onest instead of corrupting th em an d you write politi cs as simp l y i ntelligibly an d u nartfully not as cunningly as you can to m islea d Well with all these gian t virtues you can fin d room an d tim e i n your h eart occup ation s for harbouring a n d exercising and wh at th ose m onkeys of pretensions th e French invente d an d called le s pe ti tes m or a le s which wer e to supply society with fil ig ra i n duties i n the room o f a l l V i rtues whi ch they aboli shed on their road to th e adoption of ph ilosophy and ath eism Yes t ho ugh for ever busied in exercising services an d charities for individuals or for whol e bodies of peopl e you do not l eave a cranny empty into which yo u can slip a kin dness You r inquiry after is so friendly that I cannot m e to m iss B t rust solely to h er th anking you for your le tter as I am sure sh e will havi n g sen t it to her as sh e i s bathing in the sea at Bogn o r rocks ; but I must You
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W ALP O L E
HO N H O R A C E .
555
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with infinite gratitud e give you a brief account of myself —a very poor on e indee d m ust I give C onde m ned as a cripple to my couch for th e rest of my days I doubt I am Though perfectly h eal ed and even with out a scar my leg i s so weakened that I have n ot recovered the least use of i t n or can m ove cross my chamber unless l i fted u p a n d hel d by two servants This constitutes m e totally a prisoner —But why s h ould n ot I be so ? What business had I to live t o th e brink of s eventy nine ? A n d why sh oul d on e l i tter th e worl d at that age ? Then I thank G od I have vast blessings ; I have preserved my eyes ears an d teeth I h ave n o pain left ; an d I woul d bet with any dorm ouse th at it cann ot outsleep m e An d w h en one can a fford to pay for every rel ief com fort Or assistan ce that can b e procured at four M ust n ot on e reflect s core dares one complain on th e th ousan ds of Ol d p oor wh o are su ffering ? m artyrdom an d have n on e of th ose alleviations O my good frien d I must consider my self a s a t my b est ; for if I drag on a littl e l onger c a n I Nay does e xpect to remain even so tolerably ? th e world p resen t a pleasing scen e A re n ot th e d evil s e scaped out of th e swine an d overrunning th e earth h eadl ong ? What a them e for m editation th at th e excellent h u man e Louis seize sh ould h ave b een prevented from saving h imself by that m on ster Drouet an d that that execrable wretch sh ould be saved eve n by th ose som e of whom one may .
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C O R R E S P ON D E N C E
556
OF TH E
suppose he m editate d to massacre ; for a t w li a t does a Fren c hm an stop —But I w i ll qu i t this shocking subj e ct and for anoth er reason to o : I om itted on e of my l osses al most th e use of my fi ngers : th ey are so lam e th a t I c a n n o t write a dozen lines legibly but am for ced to have recourse I will only repl y by a word or to my secretary two w e question y o u se e m to ask ; h ow I like 3 I d o not care to say how little Al a s ! sh e has reverse d experience which I have l ong though t reve rses its o w n ut i l i ty b y c om in g at t h e w r on g en d of our l ife wh en we d On o t want it This a u t h o r k n e w th e world a n d pe n étra t e d ch aracters before sh e had stepp ed over th e threshol d ; an d n ow sh e h as see n so m uch of i t sh e has little o r no i nsigh t at all — perhaps sh e apprehen de d having see n too m uch — an d kept th e b ags of foul air that sh e b rough t from th e C ave of Te m pe s t s too closely tied A dieu th ou wh o mightest b e one of th e clever e s t of wom en if thou didst not prefer being on e o f th e best ! A n d whe n I say on e o f the best I hav e not e ngaged my vote for th e second Yours m os t gratefully ’
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C OR R E SPOND ENC E
558
OF T H E
wait on you an d thank you I shall be happy t o h ave an Opportunity when ever you com e th is way Of telling you i n person h o w mu c h I a m charmed with so splendid a m onument of B ritish glori es an d which will be so proud an orn amen t to the libraries of any nati on I a m si r With the highest gratitude and respect You r m ost obedient hu mble serva nt ,
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R EV
THE
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WILLI A M
M A SO N
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p ur po rt of Dr R ob ertson s visit w as t o i n quire wh e re h e c oul d find m aterials for the reigns of king William an d queen A n ne whi ch h e m ean s I had to write as a supplem ent to David H um e h eard of his p urpose b ut d i d not own I k new it th a t my discouragem ent m igh t see m the m ore I do not care a straw what h e write s n a tural ab out th e ch urch s wet nurse goody An ne ; b ut n o S cot is worthy of bein g th e historian of William b ut Dr Watso n Whe n h e h ad t ol d m e hi s obj ect I said Write t he re ig n of k ing William Dr R obertson ! That i s a gre a t ta sk ! I look on him as th e greatest m an of m ode rn tim es since his an cestor William pri nce I soon foun d th e d oc tor had very of O range li ttle i d ea of h im or had take n upon trust th e TH E
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AC E WA LP O L E
5 59
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pitiful partial ities of Dalrymple an d Macpherson S i r I do n ot doubt b ut king William I said came over with a vie w to the crown N o r was h e called u p o n by patriotism for h e was n ot a n N o ; h is Engli sh m an to assert our liberties patri otism was of a high er rank H e aime d n ot at th e crown of E ngland from ambition but to employ its forces and wealth against Louis ! IV for th e com m on cause of the liberties of E urope The Whigs did not understand th e extent of h is v iews and the Tories betrayed him H e h as be en thought n ot to have understood us ; b ut th e truth w a s h e took either party as it was predominant that h e m ight sway th e parliament to support h is ” genera l plan T he doctor suspecting th at I doubte d h is principles bei n g enlarged en ough t o do j ustice to so great a ch a racter tol d m e b e h im self had b een b orn and bred a Whig th ough h e owne d h e was n ow a m oderate one I believe a I said M acpherson had don e v ery m oderate on e grea t inj ustice to another h ero th e duk e of M arl : b o rough wh om he accuses of betraying th e des ign on Brest to L o ui s ! IV The truth w as as I he ard o ft en in my y outh from my fath er my an d Ol d person s wh o had lived in th os e un cl e ti mes th at th e duke t ru s ted th e duche s s wi th t h e secret and she her siste r th e popish duchess of Tyrc o n n e l wh o was as p oo r an d as bigoted as a chur c h m ou se A corro b oration of this w as th e wise and s ententious an s wer of king Wi l liam to .
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C ORR ES P OND E N C E
5 60
OR T HE
th e d uke w h o m b e taxed with having b etrayed th e secret Up o n my h onour sir s a i d th e duke I told i t to nob ody but m y I did not tell i t to m ine said the ki ng I added that Ma c ph e rs on s a n d Dal ry m p le s i nvi diou s scandals really serv e but to h eighten th e a m az i n r e a t n e s s f o f t h e king s genius for if g g i they say true h e m aintained t h e c rOw n On his h ead th ough the n ob ility the c h urc h l m e n t h e country gentlem en th e people were agai nst hi m an d t hough al most all his own m inisters betrayed h im said I, n oth ing i s so silly as t O suppose that th e duk e of Marlborough and l ord Godolph in ever m ean t seriou sly to restor e king Jam es Both h ad o ff ended hi m too m uch to e x p eet forgiveness especially from so re morseless a nature Ye t a r e revol ution was so probable that i t i s n o wonder th ey kept u p a correspondence with him , at least to break th eir fall if he returned B ut as t h ey n e v e r di d e ffectuate th e least service i n his favour wh en th ey h ad th e fulles t p ow er n othing ca n b e i nferred but king James s folly i n continuing to lean on th e m To im agine th ey m eant to sacri fice his weak daugh ter whom they governed ab sol utely to a m an who was sure of being governed by others on e m ust h ave as l ittl e sense a s Ja m e s him self had The precise truth I take to have been this Marlborough an d Godolphin both knew th e m eanness an d credul ity of James s charact er '
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C O R R E SP O N D E NC E
5 6?
To
REV
TH E
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O F TH E
W ILLI A M
M A S ON
.
I H AV E b ee n reading a n e w Frenc h translation of the elder Pliny of wh om I n ever read b ut scraps before ; because i n th e poetic a l m anner i n wh ich we learn Latin a t E ton we n ever becom e a c m u a i n t e d with th e nam es of th e co m onest things q too u n d ig n ifie d to b e admitted into verse ; and th erefore I never h ad patience to search i n a dic ti onary for th e meaning of every sub stantive I fin d I shall not have a great deal l ess trouble with th e translation as I am n ot more fam iliar with thei r com m on a r og ue s than with t h e L a t i n H owever th e b eginn ing goes o ff very gl ibly as I am n ot yet arrive d bel o w th e planets B ut do y ou k no w that th is stu d y of wh i c h I have n ever th ought sin c e I l earnt astronomy at C ambridge h as f u rn 1 s h e d m e with som e very entertaining i deas ! I have l ong bee n weary of th e c om m on j argon of p oet ry You bards h ave e xhauste d all th e nature we are acquai nte d with ; you hav e treated u s with th e sun m oon and stars the earth an d th e ocea n m ountains and valleys 85 0 & c u n der every possible aspect In sh ort I h ave l ong e d for som e A m eri c an poetry i n whi c h I might fin d new appearances of n ature an d con sequently of art But my present ex cursion into th e sky has aff orded m e m ore entertaining prospects an d n ewer ph aenomena If I was as good a p oet as ,
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H ON H O R .
W ALP O L E
AC E
5 63
.
you are I woul d i m mediately c ompose an idyl or a n elegy the scen e of which shoul d be l aid i n S aturn or Jupiter ; and then instead of a n ig g a i d ly soliloquy by the ligh t of a single m oon I woul d descri b e a n i g h t i l lu mi n a t e d by four or five m oons at least an d th ey should b e all in a perpendi c ul ar or h orizontal line according as C elia s eyes (wh o probably in that country has at l east two pair ) are disposed in longitude or latitude You m u st allo w that this sy ste m woul d diversify poetry am az ingl y —A n d then S aturn s belt ! which th e tran slato r says in h is notes is not roun d th e plane t s waist l ike th e shingles b ut i s a gl obe of crystal that e u cl oses the whole orb as yo u may have see n an ena melled watch i n a case of gl ass If you do n ot p erceive what infinitely pretty things m ay b e said either i n poetry or roman c e on a brittle heave n of crystal an d what f ui b e l o w e d rainbows they mus t h ave i n that country you are neith e r th e O vid n or n atural ph ilosopher I take you for P ray send m e an eclogue directly u pon this plan an d I give yo u leave to adopt my idea Of S aturnian C elias h aving their every thing quadrupl ed which woul d form a m uch m ore entertaining rhapsody than S wift s though t of magnifying or dim inishing th e spe c ies in his G ulliver H o w m uch m ore ex ecution a fine woman woul d do wi th two pair of pi er cer s ’ or four ! an d h ow m uch long er the h oney m oon would last if both th e sexe s have (as n o doubt they have ) four times the pas 2 o 2 ,
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C O R RE S P OND ENC E
96 4
OF T H E
mo m ,
an d four times th e m ean s of gratifying them ! I ha ve ope n ed n e w worlds to you You must b e four ti m e s th e poet y ou are an d th en you wi ll b e above M ilton a n d e qual to S h a k s pe a re th e only t w o m ortals I am acquai nted with wh o ven t u r e d b eyon d th e visi b le di urnal S phere ; an d pre served th ei r intellects Dryde n h i mself woul d h ave talked n onsense and I fear bawdy on my plan ; but you are too good a divi ne I am sure to treat my quadrupl e love b ut platonically I n S aturn n ot w ithstanding their glass case th ey are suppos e d to b e very col d ; b ut platoni c l ove of i tself prod u ces frigid conceits enough an d yo u n ee d n ot augment th e dose —But I will not d i e tate The subj e ct is n e w ; an d you wh o h ave so m uch i magination will sh oot far beyon d m e Fontenell e woul d h ave m ade som ething of th e idea even in prose ; but Al g a r o t t i w o uld dishearten any b ody from attempting to meddle with t h e system of the universe a secon d tim e i n genteel dialogue Good night ! I am going to bed M ercy on m e ! if I should drea m of C elia wit h four ti mes th e usual attractio ns ! -
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C O R R ES P O N D E N C E
5 66
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&c
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sen d m e n o m ore su ch laurels which I desire no m or e than their leaves when de c ke d with a scrap of tinsel an d stu c k on t w el fth cake s that l ie on the shop boards of pastry cook s at C hristmas I shall be quite content with a sprig of rosemary thrown after m e when the parson of th e paris h com m its my dust to dust Til l th e n pray ma dam accept th e resignation of You r ancient servant ,
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W OR K S
B I OG R A PH I C A L
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:
LD
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BY
AN D S O
B R AD F UT E E D I N BU R G H ; C UMM I N G DUB L I N
AN D
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lv & & u E F ll d T R y l S i y f A i u i T d E di i vl R l S m b ll i h d i h P i d h E g vi g y fi A i Qu Pi b d Thi m ly u i u d i i gW k p i df m l MS S g i I Lb y W mp i d y ih b f J h E v ly d m li u i f p h g du i g vl F I ly id d l E gl d p p t i u Ch l I I d f ub u ig i p d i h v um b i gi l d f m l b dp h p id T M igi l j l f m S Ed d N y Ki g C h l d u g p m p id f h ig i g l l i m d h E v ly um u l f m E d d S J p d ) 8 Ed d N S Ri h d B H d (L d Cl f BiihC u F dd i l P l L p h i S d E dm b h d p T t
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by H enry Gol bu m
Co
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LAT E MAJ ES TY QUE EN C HAR f LO TT E f m Au h i D um t ; by J W L L D Au t h f S h id B i g ph i l D i i y & t i i g um u A t h Li f d i ll u i v f h S t H i t y f th B i i h C u d u i g h l t F i f y Y l g l 8 m b ll i h d W h P i d h Pl t 1 5 I b d P t I I p ely t m pl t t 9 T HE L IF E f S IR J O S H U A R EY N O L D S l t P e i d t f N m m mE s A C m p i mg O igi l A th R y l A d m y By J d f D J h D G ld m i h Bu k G i k d m y h d i i i 2 l 8 C h d d i i mb ll i h d W i h P t h d S E t t g h Pl t P i l l l b d d LE TT E RS f m th e C OU R T f T RIP OLI w i tt d i g Y R id i th t C u t y Publi h d f m th O igi l i h T p i f t h F m i ly f th l R T ul E q th B it l C Th i d E d i i i 2 v l 8 wi h v l l u d Pl t 2 8 T H E L IF E f t h e Rt H R B S H ER I D AN b y J W LL D Wi h p t i u l A u t f hi F m i ly d C i d w f m Au h i D um t d i llu d Wi h O igi l C p d d v ty f i t t i g A d t f d i i g i h d P m g hm d B k F D G i k & d The S D P J h ll b f d Ed i i 2 v l 8 mb ll i h d i h v l fi P t it P i l l 8 b d f M EMO l R S f C O U NT D E LA S CA S A S th C mp i mmu i d by H i m lf S d E di i 8 8 6 d N p l ANEC DO T E S Of t he C O U RT d FA M I LY f NAP O L E ON f th S u i f h E mp BU ON APAR T E by M i L ui 8 Di t i F h 1 0 6d M EMOIRS f L U CI EN B U ONAPA RTE d w n f m h i d h Pi t C p d u h i D um t 2 v l 8 m 1 8 Di t e
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