,,cwru ,preservation ,department        
,digital ,library       ,,little        
,,memoirs ,,of ,,the ,,nineteenth       
,,century  ,,by ,,george ,,paston       
#aijb    ,,preface  ,for these sketches 
of minor celebrities of the nineteenth  
century1 it has been my aim to choose   
subjects whose experiences seem to      
illustrate the life--more especially the
 literary and artistic life--of the     
first half of the century2 and who of   
late years1 at any rate1 have not been  
overwhelmed by the attentions of the    
minor biographer4 ,having some faith in 
the theory that the verdict of          
foreigners is equivalent to that of     
contemporary posterity1 ,i have included
 two aliens in the group4 ,a visitor to 
our shores1 whether he be a ,german     
princeling like ,pckler-,muskau1 or a   
gilded democrat like ,n4 ,p4 ,willis1   
may be expected to observe and comment  
upon many traits of national life and   
manners that would escape the notice of 
a native chronicler4  ,whereas certain  

readers of a former volume--',little    
,memoirs of the ,eighteenth             
,century'--seem to have been distressed 
by the fact that the majority of the    
characters died in the nineteenth       
century1 it is perhaps meet that ,i     
should apologise for the chronology of  
this present volume1 in which all the   
heroes and heroines1 save one1 were born
 in the last quarter of the eighteenth  
century4 ,but ,i would venture to submit
 that a man is not1 necessarily1 the    
child of the century in which he is     
born1 or of that in which he dies2      
rather is he the child of the century   
which sees the finest flower of his     
achievement4     ,,contents  ,,benjamin 
,,robert ,,haydon1  ,,lady ,,morgan     
7,,sydney ,,owenson7  ,,nathaniel       
,,parker ,,willis  ,,lady ,,hester      
,,stanhope  ,,prince ,p,,ckler-,,muskau 
,,in ,,england  ,,william ,,and ,,mary  
,,howitt     ,,list ,,of ,,illustrations
  ,,benjamin ,,robert ,,haydon1  ,,lady 
,,morgan  ,,nathaniel ,,parker ,,willis 

,,lady ,,hester ,,stanhope ,,on         
,,horseback  ,,lady ,,hester ,,stanhope 
,,in ,,eastern ,,costume  ,,prince      
,p,,ckler-,,muskau  ,,mary ,,howitt     
,,benjamin ,,robert ,,haydon  ,,part ,i 
,if it be true that the most important  
ingredient in the composition of the    
self-biographer is a spirit of childlike
 vanity1 with a blend of unconscious    
egoism1 few men have ever been better   
equipped than ,haydon for the production
 of a successful autobiography4 ,in nave
 simplicity of temperament he has only  
been surpassed by ,pepys1 in fulness of 
self-revelation by ,rousseau1 and his   
,memoirs are not unworthy of a place in 
the same category as the ,diary and the 
,confessions4 ,from the larger public1  
the work has hardly attracted the       
attention it deserves2 it is too long1  
too minute1 too heavily weighted with   
technical details and statements of     
financial embarrassments1 to be widely  
or permanently popular4 ,but as a human 
document1 and as the portrait of a      

temperament1 its value can hardly be    
overestimated2 while as a tragedy it is 
none the less tragic because it contains
 elements of the grotesque4 ,haydon set 
out with the laudable intention of      
writing the exact truth about himself   
and his career1 holding that every man  
who has suffered for a principle1 and   
who has been unjustly persecuted and    
oppressed1 should write his own history1
 and set his own case before his        
countrymen4 ,it is a fortunate accident 
for his readers that he should have been
 gifted with the faculty of picturesque 
expression and an exceptionally keen    
power of observation4 ,if not a scholar1
 he was a man of wide reading1 of deep  
though desultory thinking1 and a good   
critic where the work of others was     
concerned4 ,he seems to have desired to 
conceal nothing1 nor to set down aught  
in malice2 if he fell into mistakes and 
misrepresentations1 these were the      
result of unconscious prejudice1 and the
 exaggerative tendency of a brain that1 

if not actually warped1 trembled on the 
border-line of sanity4 ,he hoped that   
his mistakes would be a warning to      
others1 his successes a stimulus1 and   
that the faithful record of his         
struggles and aspirations would clear   
his memory from the aspersions that his 
enemies had cast upon it4  ,haydon was  
born at ,plymouth on ,january #bf1      
#aghf4 ,he was the lineal descendant of 
an ancient ,devonshire family1 the      
,haydons of ,cadbay1 who had been ruined
 by a ,chancery suit a couple of        
generations earlier1 and had            
consequently taken a step downwards in  
the social scale4 ,his grandfather1 who 
married ,mary ,baskerville1 a descendant
 of the famous printer1 set up as a     
bookseller in ,plymouth1 and1 dying in  
#aggc1 bequeathed his business to his   
son ,benjamin1 the father of our hero4  
,this ,benjamin1 who married the        
daughter of a ,devonshire clergyman     
named ,cobley1 was a man of the         
old-fashioned1 ,john ,bull type1 who    

loved his ,church and king1 believed    
that ,england was the only great country
 in the world1 swore that ,napoleon won 
all his battles by bribery1 and would   
have knocked down any man who dared to  
disagree with him4 ,the childhood of the
 future historical painter was a        
picturesque and stirring period1 filled 
with the echoes of revolution and the   
rumours of wars4 ,the ,sound was crowded
 with fighting ships preparing for sea1 
or returning battered and blackened1    
with wounded soldiers on board and      
captured vessels in tow4 ,plymouth      
itself was full of ,french prisoners1   
who made little models of guillotines   
out of their meat-bones1 and sold them  
to the children for the then fashionable
 amusement of 'cutting off ,louis       
,,xvi4's head4'  ,benjamin was sent to  
the local grammar-school1 whose         
headmaster1 ,dr4 ,bidlake1 was a man of 
some culture1 though not a deep classic4
 ,he wrote poetry1 encouraged his pupils
 to draw1 and took them for country     

excursions1 with a view to fostering    
their love of nature4 ,mr4 ,haydon1     
though he was proud of ,benjamin's early
 attempts at drawing1 had no desire that
 he should be turned into an artist1 and
 becoming alarmed at ,dr4 ,bidlake's    
dilettante methods1 he transferred his  
son to the ,plympton ,grammar-school1   
where ,sir ,joshua ,reynolds had been   
educated1 with strict injunctions to the
 headmaster that the boy was on no      
account to have drawing-lessons4 ,on    
leaving school at sixteen1 ,benjamin1   
after1 a few months with a firm of      
accountants at ,exeter1 was bound       
apprentice to his father for seven      
years1 and it was then that his troubles
 began4  ',i hated day-books1 ledgers1  
bill-books1 and cashbooks1' he tells us4
 ',i hated standing behind the counter1 
and insulted the customers2 ,i hated the
 town and all the people in it4' ,at    
last1 after a quarrel with a customer   
who tried to drive a bargain1 this proud
 spirit refused to enter the shop again4

 ,in vain his father pointed out to him 
the folly of letting a good business go 
to ruin1 of refusing a comfortable      
independence--all argument was vain4 ,an
 illness1 which resulted in inflammation
 of the eyes1 put a stop to the         
controversy for the time being2 but on  
recovery1 with his sight permanently    
injured1 the boy still refused to work  
out his articles1 but wandered about the
 town in search of casts and books on   
art4 ,he bought a fine copy of ,albinus 
at his father's expense1 and in a       
fortnight1 with his sister to aid1      
learnt all the muscles of the body1     
their rise and insertion1 by heart4 ,he 
stumbled accidentally on ,reynold's     
,discourses1 and the first that he read 
placed so much reliance on honest       
industry1 and expressed so strong a     
conviction that all men are equal in    
talent1 and that application makes all  
the difference1 that the would-be       
artist1 who hitherto had been held back 
by some distrust of his natural powers1 

felt that at last his destiny was       
irrevocably fixed4 ,he announced his    
intention of adopting an art-career with
 a determination that demolished all    
argument1 and1 in spite of              
remonstrances1 reproaches1 tears1 and   
scoldings1 he wrung from his father     
permission to go to ,london1 and the    
promise of support for the next two     
years4  ,on ,may #ad1 #ahjd1 at the age 
of eighteen1 young ,haydon took his     
place in the mail1 and made his first   
flight into the world4 ,arriving at the 
lodgings that had been taken for him in 
the ,strand in the early morning1 he had
 no sooner breakfasted than he set off  
for ,somerset ,house1 to see the ,royal 
,academy ,exhibition4 ,looking round for
 historical pictures1 he discovered that
 ,opie's ',gil ,bias' was the centre of 
attraction in one room1 and ,westall's  
',shipwrecked ,boy' in another4  ',i    
don't fear you1' he said to himself as  
he strode away4 ,his next step was to   
inquire for a plaster-shop1 where he    

bought the ,laocon and other casts1 and 
then1 having unpacked his ,albinus1 he  
was hard at work before nine next       
morning drawing from the round1 and     
breathing aspirations for ,high ,art1   
and defiance to all opposition4 ',for   
three months1' he tells us1 ',i saw     
nothing but my books1 my casts1 and my  
drawings4 ,my enthusiasm was immense1 my
 devotion for study that of a martyr4 ,i
 rose when ,i woke1 at three or four1   
drew at anatomy till eight1 in chalks   
from casts from nine till one1 and from 
half-past two till five--then walked1   
dined1 and to anatomy again from seven  
till ten or eleven4 ,i was resolute to  
be a great painter1 to honour my        
country1 and to rescue the ,art from    
that stigma of incapacity that was      
impressed upon it4  ,after some months  
of solitary study1 ,haydon bethought him
 of a letter of introduction that had   
been given him to ,prince ,hoare1 who   
was something of a critic1 having       
himself failed as an artist4 ,hoare     

good-naturedly encouraged the youth in  
his ambitions1 and gave him             
introductions to ,northcote1 ,opie1 and 
,fuseli4  ,to ,northcote1 who was a     
,plymouth man1 ,haydon went first1 and  
he gives a curious account of his       
interview with his distinguished        
fellow-countryman1 who also had once    
cherished aspirations after high art4   
,northcote1 a little wizened old man1   
with a broad ,devonshire accent1        
exclaimed on hearing that his young     
visitor intended to be a historical     
painter3 ',heestorical painter6 why1    
ye'll starve with a bundle of straw     
under yeer head4' ,as for anatomy1 he   
declared that it was no use4 ',sir      
,joshua didn't know it2 why should you  
want to know what he didn't8 ,michael   
,angelo6 ,what's he to do here8 ,you    
must paint portraits here4' ',i won't1' 
said young ,haydon1 clenching his teeth1
 and he marched off to ,opie4 ,he found 
a coarse-looking1 intellectual man who1 
after reading the introductory letter1  

said quietly1 ',you are studying        
anatomy--master it--were ,i your age1 ,i
 would do the same4' ,the last visit was
 to ,fuseli1 who had a great reputation 
for the terrible1 both as artist and as 
man4 ,the gallery into which the visitor
 was ushered was so full of devils1     
witches1 ghosts1 blood and thunder1 that
 it was a palpable relief when nothing  
more alarming appeared than a little old
 and lion-faced man1 attired in a       
flannel dressing-gown1 with the bottom  
of ,mrs4 ,fuseli's work-basket on his   
head6 ,fuseli1 who had just been        
appointed ,keeper of ,academy1 received 
the young man kindly1 praised his       
drawings1 and expressed a hope that he  
would see him at the ,academy ,school4  
,after the ,christmas vacation of #ahje1
 ,haydon began to attend the ,academy   
classes1 where he struck up a close     
friendship with ,john ,jackson1         
afterwards a popular portrait-painter   
and ,royal ,academician1 but then a     
student like himself4 ,jackson was the  

son of a village tailor in ,yorkshire1  
and the protge of ,lord ,mulgrave and   
,sir ,george ,beaumont4 ,the two friends
 told each other their plans for the    
future1 drew together in the evenings1  
and made their first life-studies from a
 friendly coalheaver whom they persuaded
 to sit to them4 ,after a few months of 
hard work1 ,haydon was summoned home to 
take leave of his father1 who was       
believed to be dying4 ,the invalid      
recovered1 and then followed another    
period of torture for the young         
student--aunts1 uncles1 and cousins all 
trying to drive the stray sheep back    
into the commercial fold4 ,exhausted by 
the struggle1 ,haydon at last consented 
to relinquish his career1 and enter the 
business4 ,great was his delight and    
surprise when his father refused to     
accept the sacrifice--which was made in 
anything but a cheerful spirit--and     
promised to contribute to his support   
until he was able to provide for        
himself4  ,in the midst of all these    

domestic convulsions came a letter from 
,jackson1 containing the announcement   
that there was 'a raw1 tall1 pale1 queer
 ,scotchman just come up1 an odd fellow1
 but with something in him4 ,he is      
called ,wilkie4' ',hang the fellow6'    
said ,haydon to himself4 ',i hope with  
his something he is not going to be a   
historical painter4' ,on his return to  
town1 our hero made the acquaintance of 
the queer young ,scotchman1 and was soon
 admitted to his friendship and         
intimacy4 ,wilkie's ',village           
,politicians' was the sensation of the  
,exhibition of #ahjf1 and brought him   
two important commissions--one from     
,lord ,mulgrave for the ',blind         
,fiddler1' and the other from ,sir      
,george ,beaumont for the ',rent-,day4' 
,it was now considered that ,wilkie's   
fortune was made1 his fame secure1 and  
if his two chief friends--,haydon and   
,jackson--could not help regarding him  
with some natural feelings of envy1 it  
is evident that his early success       

encouraged them1 and stimulated them to 
increased effort4  ,haydon had been     
learning fresh secrets in his art1      
partly from an anatomical 'subject' that
 he had obtained from a surgeon1 and    
partly from his introduction1 through   
the good offices of ,jackson1 to the    
works of ,titian at ,stafford ,house1   
and in other private collections1 there 
being as yet no ,national ,gallery where
 the student could study the old masters
 at his pleasure4 ,haydon was now       
panting to begin his first picture1 his 
natural self-confidence having been     
strengthened by a letter from ,wilkie1  
who reported that ,lord ,mulgrave1 with 
whom he was staying1 was much interested
 in what he had heard of ,haydon's      
ambitions4 ,lord ,mulgrave had suggested
 a heroic subject--the ,death of        
,dentatus--which he would like to see   
painted1 and he wished to know if this  
commended itself to ,haydon's ideas4    
,this first commission for a great      
historical picture--for so he understood

 the suggestion--was a triumph for the  
young artist1 who felt himself          
gloriously rewarded for two years of    
labour and opposition4 ,he had1 however1
 already decided on the subject of his  
first attempt--,joseph and ,mary resting
 on the road to ,egypt4 ,on ,october    
#a1ahjf1 after setting his palette1 and 
taking his brush in hand1 he knelt down1
 in accordance with his invariable      
custom throughout his career1 and prayed
 fervently that ,god would bless his    
work1 grant him energy to create a new  
era in art1 and rouse the people to a   
just estimate of the moral value of     
historical painting4  ,then followed a  
happy time4 ,the difficulties of a first
 attempt were increased by his lack of  
systematic training1 but ,haydon        
believed1 with ,sir ,joshua1 that       
application made the artist1 and he     
certainly spared no pains to achieve    
success4 ,he painted and repainted his  
heads a dozen times1 and used to mix    
tints on a piece of paper1 and carry    

them down to ,stafford ,house once a    
week in order to compare them with the  
colouring of the ,titians4 ,while this  
work was in progress1 ,sir ,george and  
,lady ,beaumont called to see the       
picture1 which they declared was very   
poetical1 and 'quite large enough for   
anything' 7the canvas was six feet by   
four71 and invited the artist to dinner4
 ,this first dinner-party1 in what he   
regarded as 'high life1' was an alarming
 ordeal for the country youth1 who made 
prodigious preparations1 drove to the   
house in a state of abject terror1 and  
in five minutes was sitting on an       
ottoman1 talking to ,lady ,beaumont1 and
 more at ease than he had ever been in  
his life4 ,in truth1 bashfulness was    
never one of ,haydon's foibles4  ,the   
,joseph and ,mary took six months to    
paint1 and was exhibited in #ahjg4 ,it  
was considered a remarkable work for a  
young student1 and was bought the       
following year by ,mr4 ,hope of         
,deepdene4 ,during the season1 ,haydon  

was introduced to ,lord ,mulgrave1 and  
with his friends ,wilkie and ,jackson   
frequently dined at the ,admiralty1     
,footnote3 ,lord ,mulgrave had recently 
been appointed ,first ,lord of the      
,admiralty4 where they met ministers1   
generals1 great ladies and men of       
genius1 and rose daily in hope and      
promise4 ,haydon now began the picture  
of the ',death of ,siccius ,dentatus'   
that his patron had suggested1 but he   
found the difficulties so overwhelming  
that1 by ,wilkie's advice1 he decided to
 go down to ,plymouth for a few months1 
and practise portrait-painting4 ,at     
fifteen guineas a head1 he got plenty of
 employment among his friends and       
relations1 though he owns that his      
portraits were execrable2 but as soon as
 he had obtained some facility in       
painting heads1 he was anxious to return
 to town to finish his large picture4   
,mrs4 ,haydon was now in declining      
health1 and desiring to consult a famous
 surgeon in ,london1 she decided to     

travel thither with her son and         
daughter4 ,unfortunately her disease1   
angina pectoris1 was aggravated by the  
agitation of the journey1 and on the    
road1 at ,salt ,hill1 she was seized    
with an attack that proved fatal4       
,haydon was obliged to return to        
,devonshire with his sister1 but as soon
 as the funeral was over he set off     
again for town1 where his prospects     
seemed to justify his exchanging his    
garret in the ,strand for a first floor 
in ,great ,marlborough ,street4  ,he    
found the practice gained in            
portrait-painting a substantial         
advantage1 but he still felt himself    
incapable of composing a heroic figure  
for ,dentatus4 ',if ,i copied nature my 
work was mean1' he complains2 'and if ,i
 left her it was mannered4 ,how was ,i  
to build a heroic form like life1 yet   
above life8' ,he was puzzled to find1 in
 painting from the living model1 that   
the markings of the skin varied with the
 action of the limbs1 variations that   

did not appear in the few specimens of  
the antique that had come under his     
notice4 ,was nature wrong1 he asked     
himself1 or the antique8 ,during this   
period of indecision and confusion came 
a proposal from ,wilkie that they should
 go together to inspect the ,elgin      
,marbles then newly arrived in ,england1
 and deposited at ,lord ,elgin's house  
in ,park ,lane4 ,haydon carelessly      
agreed1 knowing nothing of the wonders  
he was to see1 and the two friends      
proceeded to ,park ,lane1 where they    
were ushered through a yard to a dirty  
shed1 in which lay the world-famous     
,marbles4  ',the first thing ,i fixed my
 eyes on1' to quote ,haydon's own words1
 'was the wrist of a figure in one of   
the female groups1 in which were visible
 the radius and ulna4 ,i was astonished1
 for ,i had never seen them hinted at in
 any wrist in the antique4 ,i darted my 
eye to the elbow1 and saw the outer     
condyle visibly affecting the shape1 as 
in nature4 ,that combination of nature  

and repose which ,i had felt was so much
 wanting for high art was here displayed
 to midday conviction4 ,my heart beat4  
,if ,i had seen nothing else1 ,i had    
beheld sufficient to help me to nature  
for the rest of my life4 ,but when ,i   
turned to the ,theseus1 and saw that    
every form was altered by action or     
repose-when ,i saw that the two sides of
 his back varied as he rested on his    
elbow2 and again1 when in the figure of 
the fighting metope1 ,i saw the muscle  
shown under one armpit in that          
instantaneous action of darting out1 and
 left out in the other armpits2 when ,i 
saw1 in short1 the most heroic style of 
art1 combined with all the essential    
detail of everyday life1 the thing was  
done at once and for ever4444 ,here were
 the principles which the great ,greeks 
in their finest time established1 and   
here was ,i1 the most prominent         
historical student1 perfectly qualified 
to appreciate all this by my own        
determined mode of study4'  ,on         

returning to his painting-room1 ,haydon1
 feeling utterly disgusted with his     
attempt at the heroic in the form and   
action of ,dentatus1 obliterated what he
 calls 'the abominable mass1' and       
breathed as if relieved of a nuisance4  
,through ,lord ,mulgrave he obtained an 
order to draw from the ,marbles1 and    
devoted the next three months to        
mastering their secrets1 and bringing   
his hand and mind into subjection to the
 principles that they displayed4 ',i    
rose with the sun1' he writes1 with the 
glow of his first enthusiasm still upon 
him1 'and opened my eyes to the light   
only to be conscious of my high pursuit4
 ,i sprang from my bed1 dressed like one
 possessed1 and passed the day1 noon1   
and the night1 in the same dream of     
abstracted enthusiasm2 secluded from the
 world1 regardless of its feelings1     
impregnable to disease1 insensible to   
contempt4' ,he painted his heads1       
figures1 and draperies over and over    
again1 feeling that to obliterate was   

the only way to improve4 ,his studio    
soon filled with fashionable folk1 who  
came to see the 'extraordinary picture  
painted by a young man who had never had
 the advantages of foreign travel4'     
,haydon believed1 with the simplicity of
 a child1 in all these flattering       
prophecies of glory and fame1 and       
imagined that the ,academy would welcome
 with open arms so promising a student1 
one1 moreover1 who had been trained in  
its own school4 ,he redoubled his       
efforts1 and in ,march #ahji1           
',dentatus' was finished4  ',the        
production of this picture1' he naively 
explains1 'must and will be considered  
as an epoch in ,english art4 ,the       
drawing in it was correct and elevated1 
and the perfect forms and system of the 
antique were carried into painting1     
united with the fleshy look of everyday 
life4 ,the colour1 light and shadow1 the
 composition and the telling of the     
story were complete4' ,his              
contemporaries did not form quite so    

flattering an estimate of the work4 ,it 
was badly hung1 a fate to which many an 
artist of three-and-twenty has had to   
submit1 before and since2 but ,haydon   
writes as if no such injustice had been 
committed since the world began1 and was
 persuaded that the whole body of       
,academicians was leagued in spite and  
jealousy against him4 ,lord ,mulgrave   
gave him sixty guineas in addition to   
the hundred he had first promised1 which
 seems a fair price for the second work 
of an obscure artist1 but poor ,haydon  
fancied that his professional prospects 
had suffered from the treatment of the  
,academy1 that people of fashion 7on    
whose attentions he set great store7    
were neglecting him1 and that he was a  
marked man4 ,a sea-trip to ,plymouth    
with ,wilkie gave his thoughts a new and
 more healthy turn4 ,together1 the      
friends visited ,sir ,joshua's          
birthplace1 and roamed over the moors   
and combes of ,devonshire4 ,before      
returning to town1 they spent a         

delightful fortnight with ,sir ,george  
,beaumont at ,coleorton1 where1 says    
,haydon1 'we dined with the ,claude and 
,rembrandt before us1 and breakfasted   
with the ,rubens landscape1 and did     
nothing1 morning1 noon1 and night1 but  
think of painting1 talk of painting1 and
 wake to paint again4'  ,during this    
visit1 ,sir ,george gave ,haydon a      
commission for a picture on a subject   
from ,macbeth4 ,after it was begun1 he  
objected to the size1 but our artist1   
who1 throughout his life1 detested      
painting cabinet pictures1 refused to   
attempt anything on a smaller scale4 ,he
 persuaded ,sir ,george to withhold his 
decision until the picture was finished1
 and promised that if he still objected 
to the size1 he would paint him another 
on any scale he pleased4 ,while engaged 
on ',macbeth1' he competed with         
',dentatus' for a hundred guinea prize  
offered by the ,directors of the        
,british ,gallery for the best          
historical picture4 ',dentatus' won the 

prize1 but this piece of good fortune   
was counterbalanced by a letter from    
,mr4 ,haydon1 senior1 containing the    
announcement that he could no longer    
afford to maintain his son4 ,this was a 
heavy blow1 but after turning over pros 
and cons in his own mind1 ,haydon came  
to the conclusion that since he had won 
the hundred guinea prize1 he had a good 
chance of winning a three hundred guinea
 prize1 which the ,directors now        
offered1 with his ',macbeth1' and       
consequently that he had no occasion to 
dread starvation4 ',thus reasoning1' he 
says1 ',i borrowed1 and praying ,god to 
bless my emotions1 went on more         
vigorously than ever4 ,and here began   
debt and obligation1 out of which ,i    
have never been1 and shall never be1    
extricated1 as long as ,i live4'  ,this 
prophecy proved only too true4 ,but     
,haydon1 though he afterwards bitterly  
regretted his folly in exchanging       
independence for debt1 and his pride in 
refusing to paint pot-boilers in the    

intervals of his great works1 firmly    
believed that he1 with his high aims and
 fervent desire to serve the cause of   
art1 was justified in continuing his    
ambitious course1 and depending for     
maintenance on the contributions of his 
friends4 ,nothing could exceed the      
approbation of his own conduct1 or shake
 his faith in his own powers4 ',i was a 
virtuous and diligent youth1' he assures
 us2 ',i never touched wine1 dined at   
reasonable chop-houses1 lived           
principally in my study1 and cleaned my 
own brushes1 like the humblest student4'
 ,he goes to see ,sebastian del         
,piombo's ',lazarus' in the ,angerstein 
collection1 and1 after writing a careful
 criticism of the work1 concludes3 ',it 
is a grand picture2 a great acquisition 
to the country1 and an honour to ,mr4   
,angerstein's taste and spirit in buying
 it2 yet if ,god cut not my life        
permanently short1 ,i hope ,i shall     
leave one behind me that will do more   
honour to my country than this has done 

to ,rome4 ,in short1 if ,i live1 ,i     
will--,i feel ,i shall1 7,god pardon me 
if this is presumption4 ,june #ca1      
#ahaj47'  ,at this time ,haydon devoted 
a good deal of his leisure to reading   
classic authors1 ,homer1 schylus1 and   
,virgil1 in order to tune his mind to   
high thoughts4 ,nearly every day he     
spent a few hours in drawing from the   
,elgin ,marbles1 and he piously thanks  
,god that he was in existence on their  
arrival4 ,he spared no pains to ensure  
that his ',macbeth' should be perfect in
 poetry1 expression1 form and colour1   
making casts and studies without end4   
,his friends related1 as a wonderful    
specimen of his conscientiousness1 that1
 after having completed the figure of   
,macbeth1 he took it out in order to    
raise it higher in the picture1         
believing that this would improve the   
effect4 ',the wonder in ancient ,athens 
would have been if ,i had suffered him  
to remain1' he observes4 ',such is the  
state of art in this country6'  ,in     

#ahaa ,haydon entered into his first    
journalistic controversy1 an unfortunate
 departure1 as it turned out1 since it  
gave him a taste for airing his ideas in
 print4 ,leigh ,hunt1 to whom he had    
been introduced a year or two before1   
had attacked one of his theories1       
relative to a standard figure1 in the   
,examiner4 ,haydon replied1 was replied 
to himself1 and thoroughly enjoyed the  
controversy which1 he says1 consolidated
 his powers of verbal expression4 ,leigh
 ,hunt he describes as a fine specimen  
of a ,london editor1 with his bushy     
hair1 black eyes1 pale face1 and 'nose  
of taste4' ,he was assuming yet         
moderate1 sarcastic yet genial1 with a  
smattering of everything and mastery of 
nothing2 affecting the dictator1 the    
poet1 the politician1 the critic1 and   
the sceptic1 whichever would1 at the    
moment1 give him the air1 to inferior   
minds1 of a very superior man4'         
,although ,haydon disliked ,hunt's      
',cockney peculiarities1' and           

disapproved of his republican           
principles1 yet the fearless honesty of 
his opinions1 the unhesitating sacrifice
 of his own interests1 the unselfish    
perseverance of his attacks upon all    
abuses1 whether royal or religious1     
noble or democratic1 made a deep        
impression on the young artist's mind4  
,towards the end of #ahaa the new       
picture1 which represents ,macbeth      
stepping between the sleeping grooms to 
murder the king1 was finished1 and sent 
to the ,british ,gallery4 ,it was well  
hung1 and was praised by the critics1   
but ,sir ,george declined to take it1   
though he offered to pay ,haydon a      
hundred pounds for his trouble1 or to   
give him a commission for a picture on a
 smaller scale4 ,haydon petulantly      
refused both offers1 and thus after     
three years' work1 and incurring debts  
to the amount of six hundred pounds1 he 
found himself penniless1 with his       
picture returned on his hands4 ,this    
disappointment was only the natural     

result of his own impracticable         
temperament1 but to ,haydon's           
exaggerative sense the whole world      
seemed joined in a conspiracy against   
him4 ',exasperated by the neglect of my 
family1' he writes1 'tormented by the   
consciousness of debt1 cut to the heart 
by the cruelty of ,sir ,george1 and     
enraged at the insults of the ,academy1 
,i became furious4' ,his fury1          
unfortunately1 found vent in an attack  
upon the ,academy and its methods1      
through the medium of the ,examiner1    
which was the recognised vehicle of all 
attacks upon authority4 ,the onslaught  
seems to have been justified1 though    
whether it was judicious is another     
question4 ,the ideals of ,english       
artists during the early years of the   
nineteenth century had sunk very low1   
and the standard of public taste was    
several degrees lower4                  
,portrait-painting was the only         
lucrative branch of art1 and the        
,academy was almost entirely in the     

hands of the portrait-painters1 who gave
 little encouragement to works of       
imagination4 ,the burden of the patron1 
which had been removed from literature1 
still rested upon painting1 and the     
,academicians found it more to their    
interest to foster the ignorance than to
 educate the taste of the patron4  ,over
 the signature of ',an ,english         
,student1' ,haydon not only exposed the 
inefficiency of the ,academy1 but       
advocated numerous reforms1 chief among 
them being an improved method of        
election1 the establishment of schools  
of design1 a reduction in the power of  
the ,council1 and an annual grant of    
public money for purposes of art4 ,in   
these days1 when the ,academicians are  
no longer regarded as a sacred body1 it 
is hard to realise the commotion that   
these letters made in art circles1      
whether professional or amateur4 ,the   
identity of the ',english ,student' was 
soon discovered1 and 'from that moment1'
 writes ,haydon1 'the destiny of my life

 was changed4 ,my picture was           
caricatured1 my name detested1 my peace 
harassed4 ,i was looked at like a       
monster1 abused like a plague1 and      
avoided like a maniac4' ,there is       
probably some characteristic            
exaggeration in this statement1 but     
considering the power wielded at this   
time by the ,academy and its supporters1
 ,haydon would undoubtedly have done    
better1 from a worldly point of view1 to
 keep clear of these controversies4 ,the
 prudent and sensible ,wilkie was much  
distressed at his friend's ebullition of
 temper1 and earnestly advised him to   
follow up the reputation his brush had  
gained for him1 and leave the pen alone4
 ',in moments of depression1' wrote     
,haydon1 many years later1 ',i often    
wished ,i had followed ,wilkie's advice1
 but then ,i should never have acquired 
that grand and isolated reputation1     
solitary and unsupported1 which1 while  
it encumbers the individual1 inspires   
him with vigour proportioned to the     

load4'  ,on ,april #c1 #ahab1 ,haydon   
records in his journal3 ',my canvas came
 home for ,solomon1 twelve feet ten     
inches by ten feet ten inches--a grand  
size4 ,god in heaven1 grant me strength 
of body and vigour of mind to cover it  
with excellence4 ,amen--on my knees4'   
,his design was to paint a series of    
great ideal works1 that should stand    
comparison with the productions of the  
old masters1 and he had chosen the      
somewhat stereotyped subject of the     
,judgment of ,solomon1 because ,raphael 
and ,rubens had both tried it1 and he   
intended to tell the story better6 ,he  
was now1 at the beginning of this       
ambitious project1 entirely without     
means4 ,his father had died1 and left   
him nothing1 and his ',macbeth' had not 
won the #cjj premium at the ,british    
,gallery4 ,his aristocratic friends had 
temporarily deserted him1 but the ,hunts
 assisted him with the ready liberality 
of the impecunious4 ,john lent him small
 sums of money1 while ,leigh offered him

 a plate at his table till ,solomon was 
finished1 and initiated him into the    
mysteries of drawing and discounting    
bills4  ,haydon already owed his        
landlord two hundred pounds1 but that   
seemed to him no reason for moving into 
cheaper rooms4 ,he called the man up1   
and represented to him that he was about
 to paint a great masterpiece1 which    
would take him two years1 during which  
period he would earn nothing1 and be    
unable to pay any rent4 ,the landlord1  
surely a unique specimen of his order1  
deliberated rather ruefully over the    
prospect set before him1 rubbed his     
chin1 and muttered3 ',i should not like 
ye to go--it's hard for both of us2 but 
what ,i say is1 you always paid me when 
you could1 and why should you not again 
when you are able8444 ,well1 sir1 here's
 my hand2 ,i'll give you two years more1
 and if this does not sell--why then1   
sir1 we'll consider what is to be done4'
  ,thus a roof was provided1 but there  
was still dinner to be thought of1      

since1 if a man works1 he must also eat4
 ',i went to the house ,john o' ,groat's
 where ,i had always dined1' writes     
,haydon1 'intending to dine without     
paying for that day4 ,i thought the     
servants did not offer me the same      
attention4 ,i thought ,i perceived the  
company examine me--,i thought the meat 
was worse4 ,my heart sank1 as ,i said   
falteringly1 ,i will pay you to-morrow4 
,the girl smiled1 and seemed interested4
 ,as ,i was escaping with a sort of     
lurking horror1 she said1 ,mr4 ,haydon1 
my master wishes to see you4 ,my ,god1  
thought ,i1 it is to tell me he can't   
trust6 ,in ,i walked like a culprit4    
,sir1 ,i beg your pardon1 but ,i see by 
the papers you have been ill-used2 ,i   
hope you won't be angry--,i mean no     
offence2 but ,i just wish to say1 as you
 have dined here many years and always  
paid1 if it would be a convenience      
during your present work to dine here   
till it is done--so that you may not be 
obliged to spend your money here when   

you may want it--,i was going to say    
that you need be under no               
apprehension--hem6 for a dinner4' ,this 
handsome offer was condescendingly      
accepted1 and the good man seemed quite 
relieved4  ,while ,solomon was slowly   
progressing at the expense of the       
landlord and the eating-house keeper1   
,haydon spent his leisure in literary   
rather than artistic circles4 ,at ,leigh
 ,hunt's he met1 and became intimate    
with ,charles ,lamb1 ,keats1 ,hazlitt1  
and ,john ,scott4 ,in ,january #ahac he 
writes3 ',spent the evening with ,leigh 
,hunt at ,west ,end4 ,his society is    
always delightful4 ,i do not know a     
purer1 more virtuous partner1 or a more 
witty and enlivening man4 ,we talked of 
his approaching imprisonment4 ,he said  
it would be a great pleasure if he were 
certain to be sent to ,newgate1 because 
he should be in the midst of his        
friends4' ,hazlitt won our hero's liking
 by praising his ',macbeth4' ',thence   
began a friendship1' ,haydon tells us1  

'for that interesting man1 that singular
 mixture of friend and fiend1 radical   
and critic1 metaphysician1 poet1 and    
painter1 on whose word no one could     
rely1 on whose heart no one could       
calculate1 and some of whose deductions 
he himself would try to explain in      
vain4444 ,mortified at his own failure  
in painting he resolved that as he had  
not succeeded1 no one else should1 and  
he spent the whole of his after-life in 
damping the ardour1 chilling the hopes1 
and dimming the prospects of patrons and
 painters1 so that after ,i once        
admitted him1 ,i had nothing but        
forebodings of failure to bear up       
against1 croakings about the climate1   
and sneers at the taste of the public4' 
,by the beginning of #ahad ,solomon was 
approaching completion1 but the artist  
had been reduced to living for a        
fortnight on potatoes4 ,he had now been 
nearly four years without a commission1 
and three without any help from home1 so
 that it is not surprising to learn that

 he felt completely broken down in body 
and mind1 or that his debts amounted to 
#aajj4 ,a frame was procured on credit1 
and1 failing any more suitable place of 
exhibition1 the picture was sent to the 
,water-colour ,society4 ,at the private 
view1 the ,princess of ,wales and other 
eminent critics pronounced against the  
,solomon1 but as soon as the public were
 admitted1 the tune changed1 and ,john  
,bull vowed it was the finest work of   
art ever produced in ,england4 ,if      
posterity has not indorsed this         
judgment1 the ,solomon is at least      
regarded1 by competent critics1 as      
,haydon's most successful work4 ',before
 the doors had been open half an hour1' 
writes ,haydon1 'a gentleman opened his 
pocket-book1 and showed me a #ejj note4 
,will you take it8 ,my heart beat--my   
agonies of want pressed1 but it was too 
little4 ,i trembled out1 ,i cannot4 ,the
 gentleman invited me to dine1 and when 
we were sitting over our wine1 agreed to
 give me my price4 ,his lady said1 ,but1

 my dear1 where am ,i to put my piano8  
and the bargain was at an end6' ,on the 
third day ,sir ,george ,beaumont and    
,mr4 ,holwell ,carr came to the         
,exhibition1 having been deputed to buy 
the picture for the ,british ,gallery4  
,while they were discussing its merits1 
one of the officials went over1 and put 
'sold' on the frame1 whereupon the      
artist says he thought he should have   
fainted4 ,the work had been bought at   
the price asked1 #gjj1 by two ,plymouth 
bankers1 ,sir ,william ,elford 7the     
friend and correspondent of ,miss       
,mitford7 and ,mr4 ,tingecombe4  ,poor  
,haydon now thought that his fortune was
 secure4 ,he paid away #ejj to landlord 
and tradesmen in the first week1 and    
though this did not settle half his     
debts1 it restored his credit4 ,the     
balance was spent in a trip to ,paris   
with ,wilkie1 ,paris being then 7,may   
#ahad7 the most interesting place on    
earth4 ,all the nations of ,europe were 
gathered together there1 and the ,louvre

 was in its glory4 ,so absorbed and     
fascinated was ,haydon by the actual    
life of the city1 that he finds little  
to say about the works of art there     
collected4 ,yet his first visit was to  
the ,louvre1 and he describes with what 
impetuosity he bounded up the steps1    
three at a time1 and how he scolded     
,wilkie for trotting up with his usual  
deliberation4 ',i might just as well    
have scolded the column1' he observes4  
',i soon left him at some ,jan ,steen1  
while ,i never stopped until ,i stood   
before the ,transfiguration4 ,my first  
feeling was disappointment4 ,it looked  
small1 harsh and hard4 ,this1 of course1
 is always the way when you have fed    
your imagination for years on a work you
 know only by prints4 ,even the ,pietro 
,martyre was smaller than ,i thought to 
find it2 yet after the difference       
between reality and anticipation had    
worn away1 these great works amply      
repaid the study of them1 and grew up to
 the fancy1 or rather the fancy grew up 

to them4444 ,it will hardly be believed 
by artists that we often forgot the     
great works in the ,louvre in the scenes
 around us1 and found ,russians and     
,bashkirs from ,tartary more attractive 
than the ,transfiguration2 but so it    
was1 and ,i do not think we were very   
wrong either4 ,why stay poring over     
pictures when we were on the most       
remarkable scene in the history of the  
earth4'  ,on his return to ,london1     
,haydon was gratified by the news that  
his friend and fellow-townsman1 ,george 
,eastlake1 had proposed and carried a   
motion that he should be presented with 
the freedom of his native city1 as a    
testimony of respect for his            
extraordinary merit as a historical     
painter4 ,furthermore1 the ,directors of
 the ,british ,gallery sent him a       
hundred guineas as a token of their     
admiration for his latest work4 ,but no 
commission followed1 either from a      
private patron or public body4 ,however1
 the artist1 nothing daunted1 ordered a 

larger canvas1 and set vigorously to    
work on a representation of ',christ's  
,entry into ,jerusalem1' a picture which
 occupied him1 with intervals of illness
 and idleness1 for nearly six years4    
,the year #ahae was too full of stir and
 excitement for a man like ,haydon1 who 
was always keenly interested in public  
affairs1 to devote himself to steady    
work4 ,the news of ,waterloo almost     
turned his brain4 ,on ,june #bc he      
notes3 ',i read the ,gazette with the   
account of ,waterloo the last thing     
before going to bed4 ,i dreamt of it1   
and was fighting all night2 ,i got up in
 a steam of feeling1 and read the       
,gazette again1 ordered a ,courier for a
 month1 and read all the papers till ,i 
was faint4444 ',have not the efforts of 
the nation1' ,i asked myself1 'been     
gigantic8' ,to such glories she only    
wants to add the glories of my noble art
 to make her the grandest nation in the 
world1 and these she shall have if ,god 
spare my life4444  ',june #be4--;,dined 

with ,hunt4 ,i give myself credit for   
not worrying him to death at this news4 
,he was quiet for some time1 but knowing
 it must come1 and putting on an air of 
indifference1 he said1 ,terrible battle 
this1 ,haydon4 ,a glorious one1 ,hunt4  
,oh yes1 certainly1 and to it we went4  
,yet ,hunt took a just and liberal view 
of the situation4 ,as for ,hazlitt1 it  
is not to be believed how the           
destruction of ,napoleon affected him2  
he seemed prostrated in mind and body2  
he walked about unwashed1 unshaved1     
hardly sober by day1 and always         
intoxicated by night1 literally1 without
 exaggeration1 for weeks1 until at      
length1 wakening as it were from his    
stupor1 he at once left off all         
stimulating liquors1 and never touched  
them after4'  ,it is in this year that  
we find the first mention in the        
,journal of ,wordsworth1 who1 throughout
 his life1 was one of ,haydon's most    
faithful friends and appreciative       
admirers4 ,on ,april #ac1 the artist    

records3 ',i had a cast made yesterday  
of ,wordsworth's face4 ,he bore it like 
a philosopher4444 ,we afterwards called 
on ,hunt1 and as ,hunt had previously   
attacked him1 and now has reformed his  
opinions1 the meeting was interesting4  
,hunt paid him the highest compliments1 
and told him that as he grew wiser and  
got older1 he found his respect for his 
powers1 and enthusiasm for his genius1  
increase4444 ,i afterwards sauntered    
with him to ,hampstead1 with great      
delight4 ,never did any man so beguile  
the time as ,wordsworth4 ,his purity of 
heart1 his kindness1 his soundness of   
principle1 his information1 his         
knowledge1 and the intense and eager    
feelings with which he pours forth all  
he knows1 affect1 interest1 and enchant 
one4 ,i do not know any one ,i would be 
so inclined to worship as a purified    
being4'  ,the new picture was not far   
advanced before the painter was once    
again at the end of his resources1      
though not of his courage4 ,fifty       

guineas were advanced to him by ,sir    
,george ,beaumont1 who had now          
commissioned a picture at two hundred   
guineas1 and ,mr4 7after ,sir ,george7  
,phillips1 of ,manchester1 gave him a   
commission of #ejj for a sacred work1   
paying one hundred guineas down4 ,but   
these advances melted rapidly away in   
the expenses attendant on the painting  
of so ambitious a work as the ',entry   
into ,jerusalem4' ,towards the close of 
the year ,haydon's health began to      
suffer from his excessive application1  
his sight weakened1 and he was often    
unable to paint for months at a time4   
,under these afflictions1 he was        
consoled by receiving permission to take
 casts of the ,elgin ,marbles1 the      
authenticity of which treasures had     
recently been attacked by the           
art-critic1 ,knight ,payne1 who declared
 that they were not ,greek at all1 but  
,roman1 of the time of ,hadrian4 ,such  
was the effect of ,payne ,knight's      
opinion that the ,marbles went down in  

the public estimation1 the ,government  
hesitated to buy them for the nation1   
and they were left neglected in a damp  
shed4 ,haydon was furious at this insult
 to the objects of his idolatry1 whose  
merits he had been preaching in season  
and out of season since the day that he 
first set eyes upon the ,theseus and the
 ,ilissus4 ,at this critical moment he  
found himself supported by a new and    
powerful champion in the person of      
,canova1 who had just arrived in        
,england4 ,canova at once admitted that 
the style of the ,marbles was superior  
to that of all other known marbles1 and 
declared that they were well worth      
coming from ,rome to see4 ',canova's    
visit was a victory for me1' writes     
,haydon1 who had received the sculptor  
at his studio1 and introduced him to    
some of the artistic lions of ,london4  
',what became now of all the sneers at  
my senseless insanity about the         
,marbles8 ,i1 unknown1 with no station  
or rank1 might have talked myself dumb2 

but for ,canova1 the great artist of    
,europe1 to repeat word for word what ,i
 had been saying for seven years6 ,his  
opinion could not be gainsaid4'  ,if our
 troubles are apt to come not in single 
file1 but in 'whole battalions1' our    
triumphs also occasionally arrive in    
squadrons1 or such at least was         
,haydon's experience4 ,hard upon        
,canova's departure came a letter from  
,wordsworth1 enclosing three sonnets1   
the last of which had1 he avowed1 been  
inspired by a letter of ,haydon's on the
 struggles and hardships of the artist's
 life4 ,this is now the familiar sonnet 
beginning1 ',high is our calling1       
,friend1' and concluding3   ',great is  
the glory1 for the strife is hard4'     
',now1 reader1' writes the delighted    
recipient1 'was not this glorious8 ,and 
you1 young student1 when you are pressed
 down by want in the midst of a great   
work1 remember what followed ,haydon's  
perseverance4 ,the freedom of his native
 town1 the visit of ,canova1 and the    

sonnet of ,wordsworth1 and if that do   
not cheer you up1 and make you go on1   
you are past all hope4444 ,it had1      
indeed1 been a wonderful year for me4   
,the ,academicians were silenced4 ,all  
classes were so enthusiastic and so     
delighted that1 though ,i had lost seven
 months with weak eyes1 and had only    
accomplished ,the ,penitent ,girl1 ,the 
,mother1 ,the ,centurion and the        
,samaritan ,woman1 yet they were        
considered so decidedly in advance of   
all ,i had yet done1 that my            
painting-room was crowd by rank1 beauty1
 and fashion1 and the picture was       
literally taken up as an honour to the  
nation4'  ,but1 alas6 neither the       
sonnets of poets nor the homage of the  
great would pay for models and colours1 
or put bread into the artist's mouth4   
,haydon could only live by renewed      
borrowing1 for which method of support  
he endeavours1 without much success1 to 
excuse himself4 ,once in the clutches of
 professional money-lenders1 he         

confesses that 'the fine edge of honour 
was dulled4 ,though my honourable       
discharge of what ,i borrowed justified 
my borrowing again1 yet it is a         
fallacious relief1 because you must stop
 sooner or later2 if you are punctual1  
and if you can pay in the long-run1 why 
incur the debt at all8 ,too proud to do 
small1 modest things1 that ,i might     
obtain fair means of subsistence as ,i  
proceeded with my great work1 ,i thought
 it no degradation to borrow1 to risk   
the insult of refusal1 and be bated down
 like the meanest dealer4 ,then ,i was  
liberal in my art2 ,i spared no expense 
for casts and prints1 and did great     
things for the art by means of them4444 
,ought ,i1 after such efforts as ,i had 
made1 to have been left in this position
 by the ,directors of the ,british      
,gallery or the ,government8'  ,the year
 #ahaf was distinguished in ,haydon's   
life as the epoch of his first1 or1 more
 accurately1 his last serious           
love-affair4 ,he was of a susceptible   

temperament1 and seems to have been a   
favourite with women1 whom he inspired  
with his own strong belief in himself2  
but he demanded much of the woman who   
was to be his wife1 and hitherto he had 
not found one who seemed worthy of that 
exalted position4 ,he had long been     
acquainted with ,maria ,foote1 the      
actress1 for whom he entertained a      
qualified admiration1 and by her he was 
taken one day to a friend's house where1
 ',in one instant1 the loveliest face   
that was ever created since ,god made   
,eve1 smiled gently at my approach4 ,the
 effect of her beauty was instantaneous4
 ,on the sofa lay a dying man and a boy 
about two years old4 ,we shortly took   
leave4 ,i never spoke a word1 and after 
seeing ,m---- home1 ,i returned to the  
house1 and stood outside1 in hopes that 
she would appear at the window4 ,i went 
home1 and for the first time in my life 
was really1 heartily1 thoroughly1       
passionately in love4 ,i hated my       
pictures4 ,i hated the ,elgin ,marbles4 

,i hated books4 ,i could not eat1 or    
sleep1 or think1 or write1 or talk4 ,i  
got up early1 examined the premises and 
street1 and gave a man half-a-crown to  
let me sit concealed1 and watch for her 
coming out4 ,day after day ,i grew more 
and more enraptured1 till resistance was
 relinquished with a glorious defiance  
of restraint4 ,her conduct to her dying 
husband1 her gentle reproof of my       
impassioned air1 riveted my being4 ,but 
,i must not anticipate4 ,sufficient for 
the present1 ,o reader1 is it to tell   
thee that ,b4 ,r4 ,haydon is1 and for   
ever will be1 in love with that woman1  
and that she is his wife4'  ,the first  
note that ,haydon has preserved from his
 friend ,keats is dated ,november #ahaf1
 and runs3   ',,my ,,dear ,,sir1--,last 
evening wrought me up1 and ,i cannot    
forbear sending you the                 
following4--,yours imperfectly1  ,,john 
,,keats4'  ,the 'following' was nothing 
less than the noble sonnet1             
beginning--',great spirits now on earth 

are sojourning1' with an allusion to    
,haydon in the lines3    ',and lo6 whose
 steadfastness would never take   ,a    
meaner sound than ,raphael's            
whispering4'  ,haydon wrote an          
enthusiastic letter of thanks1 gave the 
young poet some good advice1 and        
promised to send his sonnet to          
,wordsworth4 ',keats1' he records1 'was 
the only man ,i ever met who seemed and 
looked conscious of a high calling1     
except ,wordsworth4 ,byron and ,shelley 
were always sophisticating about their  
verses2 ,keats sophisticated about      
nothing4 ,he had made up his mind to do 
great things1 and when he found that by 
his connection with the ,examiner clique
 he had brought upon himself an         
overwhelming outcry of unjust aversion1 
he shrank up into himself1 his diseased 
tendencies showed themselves1 and he    
died a victim to mistakes1 on the part  
of friends and enemies alike4'  ,haydon 
gives a curious account of his first    
meeting with ,shelley1 which took place 

in the course of this year4 ,the        
occasion was a dinner-party at ,james   
,smith's house1 when ,keats and ,horace 
,smith were also among the guests4 ',i  
seated myself1' writes ,haydon1' right  
opposite ,shelley1 as ,i was told       
afterwards1 for ,i did not then know    
what hectic1 spare1 weakly1 yet         
intellectual-looking creature it was1   
carving a bit of broccoli or cabbage in 
his plate1 as if it had been the        
substantial wing of a chicken4 ,in a few
 minutes ,shelley opened the            
conversation by saying in the most      
feminine and gentle voice1 ,as to that  
detestable religion1 the ,christian-- ,i
 looked astounded1 but casting a glance 
round the table1 ,i easily saw that ,i  
was to be set at that evening vi et     
armis4444 ,i felt like a stag at bay1   
and resolved to gore without mercy4     
,shelley said the ,mosaic and ,christian
 dispensation were inconsistent4 ,i     
swore they were not1 and that the ,ten  
,commandments had been the foundation of

 all the codes of law on the earth4     
,shelley denied it4 ,i affirmed they    
were1 neither of us using an atom of    
logic4' ,this edifying controversy      
continued until all parties grew very   
warm1 and said unpleasant things to one 
another4 ,after this dinner1 ,haydon    
made up his mind to subject himself no  
more to the chance of these discussions1
 but gradually to withdraw from this    
freethinking circle4  ,the chief        
artistic events of the year1 from our   
hero's point of view1 were1 the final   
settlement of the ,elgin ,marbles       
question1 and his own attempt to found a
 school4 ,the ,committee appointed by   
,government to examine and report upon  
the ,marbles refused to call ,haydon as 
a witness on ,lord ,elgin's side1 but   
the artist embodied his views on the    
subject in a paper which appeared in    
both the ,examiner and the ,champion4   
,this article1 which was afterwards     
translated into ,french and ,italian1   
contained a scathing attack on ,payne   

,knight1 and was said by ,sir ,thomas   
,lawrence to have saved the ,elgin      
,marbles1 and ruined ,haydon4 ,however  
this may be1 the ,government1 it will be
 remembered1 decided to buy the         
treasures for #ce1jjj1 a sum            
considerably less than that which ,lord 
,elgin had spent on bringing them to    
,england4  ,the ,school of ,haydon was  
first instituted with three             
distinguished pupils in the persons of  
the three ,landseer brothers1 to whom   
were afterwards added ,william ,bewick1 
,eastlake1 ,harvey1 ,lance1 and         
,chatfield4 ,haydon set his disciples to
 draw from the ,raphael ,cartoons1 two  
of which were brought up from ,hampton  
,court to the ,british ,gallery1 and1 as
 soon as they were sufficiently         
advanced1 he sent them to the ,museum to
 draw from the ,elgin ,marbles4 ',their 
cartoons1' he writes1 'drawn full size1 
of the ,fates1 of ,theseus and the      
,ilissus1 literally made a noise in     
,europe4 ,an order came from the great  

,goethe at ,weimar for a set for his own
 house1 the furniture of which having   
been since bought by the ,government1   
and the house kept up as it was in      
,goethe's time1 the cartoons of my      
pupils are thus preserved1 whilst in    
,england the rest are lying about in    
cellars and corners_/ ,the early days of
 the ,school thus held out a promise for
 the future1 which unfortunately was not
 fulfilled4 ,haydon contrived to involve
 two or three of his pupils in his own  
financial embarrassments1 by inducing   
them to sign accommodation bills1 a     
proceeding which broke up the           
establishment1 and brought a lasting    
stain upon his reputation4  ,in #ahag   
,haydon was introduced to ,miss         
,mitford1 who greatly admired his work1 
and a warm friendship sprang up between 
the pair4 ,in ,may1 ,miss ,mitford wrote
 to ,sir ,william ,elford3 ',the charm  
of the ,exhibition is a chalk-drawing by
 ,mr4 ,haydon taken1 as he tells me1    
from a mother who had lost her child4   

,it is the very triumph of expression4  
,i have not yet lost the impression     
which it made upon my mind and senses1  
and which vented itself in a sonnet4' ,a
 visit to the studio followed1 and ,miss
 ,mitford was charmed with the room1 the
 books1 the great unfinished picture1   
and the artist himself--with his        
bonhomie1 navet1 and enthusiasm4 ,with  
all her heart she admires the noble1    
independent spirit of ,haydon1 who1 she 
declares1 is quite one of the old heroes
 come to life again--one of             
,shakespeare's men1 full of spirit1     
endurance1 and moral courage4 ,she      
concludes her account with an expression
 of regret that he should be 'such a    
fright4' ,now ,haydon is generally      
described by his contemporaries as a    
good-looking man1 though short in       
stature1 with an antique head1 aquiline 
features1 and fine dark eyes4 ,his later
 portraits are chiefly remarkable for   
the immensely wide mouth with which he  
seems to be endowed1 but in an early    

sketch by ,wilkie he is represented as a
 picturesque youth with an admirably    
modelled profile4  ,to ,miss ,mitford we
 owe a quaint anecdote of our hero1     
which1 better than pages of analysis1   
depicts the man4 ,it appears that ,leigh
 ,hunt1 who was a great keeper of       
birthdays and other anniversaries1 took 
it into his head to celebrate the       
birthday of ,papa ,haydn by giving a    
dinner1 drinking toasts1 and crowning   
the composer's bust with laurels4 ,some 
malicious person told ,haydon that the  
,hunts were celebrating his birthday1 a 
compliment that struck him as natural   
and well deserved4 ,hastening to        
,hampstead1 he broke in upon the        
company1 and addressed to them a formal 
speech1 in which he thanked them for the
 honour they had done him1 but explained
 that they had made a little mistake in 
the day6 ,as a pendant to this anecdote1
 ,miss ,mitford relates that ,haydon    
told her he had painted the head of his 
,christ seven times1 and that the final 

head was a portrait of himself4 ,it is  
only fair to remember that he always    
regarded it as the least successful part
 of the work4  ,while the picture was in
 progress1 ,haydon decided to put in a  
side group with ,voltaire as a sceptic1 
and ,newton as a believer4 ,this idea1  
founded on the intentional anachronisms 
of some of the old masters1 was         
afterwards extended1 ,hazlitt being     
introduced as an investigator1 and      
,wordsworth bowing in reverence1 with   
,keats in the background4 ,the two poets
 had never yet met in actual life1 but  
in ,december #ahag1 ,wordsworth being   
then on a visit to ,london1 ,haydon     
invited ,keats to meet him4 ,the other  
guests were ,charles ,lamb and          
,monkhouse4 ',wordsworth was in fine    
cue1' writes ,haydon1 'and we had a     
glorious set-to-on ,homer1 ,shakespeare1
 ,milton1 and ,virgil4 ,lamb got        
exceedingly merry1 and exquisitely      
witty1 and his fun1 in the midst of     
,wordsworth's solemn intonations of     

oratory1 was like the sarcasm and wit of
 the fool in the intervals of ,lear's   
passion4' ,although the specimens of wit
 recorded no longer seem inspired1 we   
can well believe ,haydon's statement    
that it was an immortal evening1 and    
that in all his life he never passed a  
more delightful time4 ,we have abundant 
testimony to the fact that the          
artist-host was himself an exceptionally
 fine talker4 ,hazlitt said that        
',haydon talked well on most subjects   
that interest one2 indeed1 better than  
any painter ,i ever met4' ,wordsworth   
and ,talfourd echoed this opinion1 and  
,miss ,mitford tells us that he was a   
most brilliant talker--racy1 bold1      
original1 and vigorous1 'a sort of      
,benvenuto ,cellini1 all air and fire4' 
,it was not until ,january #ahbj that   
the ',entry into ,jerusalem' was        
finished1 when the artist1 though       
absolutely penniless1 engaged the great 
room at the ,egyptian ,hall for its     
exhibition1 at a rent of #cjj4 ,his     

friends helped him over the incidental  
expenses1 and in a state of feverish    
excitement he awaited the opening day4  
,public curiosity had been aroused about
 the work1 and early in the afternoon   
there was a block of carriages in       
,piccadilly2 the passage was thronged   
with servants1 and soon the artist was  
holding what he described as a 'regular 
rout at noonday4' ,while ,keats and     
,hazlitt were rejoicing in a corner1    
,mrs4 ,siddons swept in1 and in her     
loud1 deep1 tragic tones1 declared that 
the head of ,christ was completely      
successful4 ,by her favourable verdict1 
,haydon1 who had his doubts1 was greatly
 consoled1 not because ,mrs4 ,siddons   
had any reputation as an art-critic1 but
 because he recognised that she was an  
expert on the subject of dramatic       
expression4 ,a thousand pounds was      
offered for the picture and refused1    
while the net profits from the          
exhibition1 in ,london alone1 amounted  
to #acjj4 ,haydon has been commonly     

represented as an unlucky man1 who was  
always neglected by the public and the  
patrons1 and never met with his         
professional deserts4 ,but up to this   
time1 as has been seen1 he had found    
ready sympathy and admiration from the  
public1 practical aid during the time of
 struggle from his friends1 and a fair  
reward for his labours4 ,with the       
exhibition of the ',entry into          
,jerusalem1' his reputation was at its  
zenith2 a little skilful engineering of 
the success thus gained might have      
extricated him from his difficulties1   
and enabled him to keep his head above  
water for the remainder of his days4    
,but1 owing chiefly to his own          
impracticability1 his story from this   
point is one of decline1 gradual at     
first1 but increasing in velocity1 until
 the end came in disaster and despair4  
,,part ,,ii   ,even while ,haydon was in
 the first flush of his success1 there  
were signs that he had achieved no      
lasting triumph4 ,sir ,george ,beaumont 

proposed that the ,british ,gallery     
should buy the great picture1 but the   
,directors refused to give the price    
asked--#bjjj4 ,an effort to sell it by  
subscription fell through1 only1 #bjj   
being paid into ,coutts'4 ,when the     
exhibition closed in ,london1 ,haydon   
took his masterpiece to ,scotland1 and  
showed it both in ,edinburgh and in     
,glasgow1 netting another #ijj1 which1  
however1 was quickly eaten up by hungry 
creditors4 ,the picture was too big to  
tempt a private purchaser1 and in spite 
of the admiration it had aroused1 it    
remained like a white elephant upon its 
creator's hands4  ,on his return to     
town1 after being fted by ,sir ,walter  
,scott1 ,lockhart1 and ',christopher    
,north1' ,haydon finished his commission
 for ,sir ,george ,phillips1 ',christ   
,sleeping in the ,garden1' which1 he    
frankly admitted1 was one of the worst  
pictures he ever painted4 ,scarcely was 
this off his easel than he was inspired 
with a tremendous conception for the    

',raising of ,lazarus4' ,he ordered a   
canvas such as his soul loved1 nineteen 
feet long by fifteen high1 and dashed in
 his first idea4 ,he was still deeply in
 debt1 still desperately in love 7his   
lady was now a widow71 and the new      
picture would take at least two years to
 paint4 ,nevertheless1 he worked away   
with all his customary energy1 and      
prayed fervently that he might paint a  
great masterpiece1 never doubting but   
that his prayers would be heard4  ,with 
the end of this year1 #ahbj1 ,haydon's  
,autobiography breaks off1 and the rest 
of his life is told in his ,journals and
 ,letters4 ,at the beginning of #ahba1  
when he was fairly at work on his       
,lazarus1 he confides to his ,journal   
his conviction that difficulties are to 
be his lot in pecuniary matters1 and    
adds3 ',my plan must be to make up my   
mind to meet them1 and fag as ,i can--to
 lose no single moment1 but seize on    
time that is free from disturbance1 and 
make the most of it4 ,if ,i can float1  

and keep alive attention to my situation
 through another picture1 ,i will reach 
the shore4 ,i am now clearly in sight of
 it1 and ,i will yet land to the sound  
of trumpets1 and the shouts of my       
friends4'  ,in spite of his absorption  
in his work1 ,haydon found time for the 
society of his literary friends4 ,on    
,march #g1 he records3 ',sir ,walter    
,scott1 ,lamb1 ,wilkie1 and ,procter    
have been with me all the morning1 and a
 delightful morning we have had4 ,scott 
operated on us like champagne and whisky
 mixed4444 ,it is singular how success  
and the want of it operate on two       
extraordinary men1 ,walter ,scott and   
,wordsworth4 ,scott enters a room and   
sits at table with the coolness and     
self-possession of conscious fame2      
,wordsworth with a mortified elevation  
of the head1 as if fearful he was not   
estimated as he deserved4 ,scott can    
afford to talk of trifles1 because he   
knows the world will think him a great  
man who condescends to trifle2          

,wordsworth must always be eloquent and 
profound1 because he knows that he is   
considered childish and puerile4444 ,i  
think that ,scott's success would have  
made ,wordsworth insufferable1 while    
,wordsworth's failures would not have   
rendered ,scott a whit less delightful4 
,scott is the companion of ,nature in   
all her moods and freaks1 while         
,wordsworth follows her like an apostle1
 sharing her solemn moods and           
impressions4'  ,in these rough notes1   
unusual powers of observation and       
insight into character are displayed4   
,that ,haydon also had a keen sense of  
humour is proved by his account of an   
evening at ,mrs4 ,siddons' where the    
hostess read aloud ,macbeth to her      
guests4 ',she acts ,macbeth herself much
 better than either ,kemble or ,kean1'  
he writes4 ',it is extraordinary the awe
 that this wonderful woman inspires4    
,after her first reading the men retired
 to tea4 ,while we were all eating toast
 and tinkling cups and saucers1 she     

began again4 ,it was like the effect of 
a mass-bell at ,madrid4 ,all noise      
ceased2 we slunk to our seats like      
boors1 two or three of the most         
distinguished men of the day1 with the  
very toast in their mouths1 afraid to   
bite4 ,it was curious to see ,lawrence  
in this predicament1 to hear him bite by
 degrees1 and then stop1 for fear of    
making too much crackle1 his eyes full  
of water from the constraint2 and at the
 same time to hear ,mrs4 ,siddons' 'eye 
of newt and toe of frog1' and to see    
,lawrence give a sly bite1 and then look
 awed1 and pretend to be listening4'    
,in the spring of #ahba ,haydon lost two
 intimate friends1 ,john ,scott1 who was
 killed by ,christie in the ,blackwood  
duel1 and ,keats1 who died at ,rome on  
,february #bc4 ,he briefly sums up his  
impressions of the dead poet in his     
,journal4 ',in fireside conversation he 
was weak and inconsistent1 but he was in
 his glory in the fields4444 ,he was the
 most unselfish of human creatures3     

unadapted to this world1 he cared not   
for himself1 and put himself to         
inconvenience for the sake of his       
friends4 ,he had an exquisite sense of  
humour1 and too refined a notion of     
female purity to bear the little arts of
 love with patience4444 ,he began life  
full of hopes1 fiery1 impetuous1        
ungovernable1 expecting the world to    
fall at once beneath his powers4 ,unable
 to bear the sneers of ignorance or the 
attacks of envy1 he began to despond1   
and flew to dissipation as a relief4    
,for six weeks he was scarcely sober1   
and to show what a man does to gratify  
his appetites when once they get the    
better of him1 he once covered his      
tongue and throat1 as far as he could   
reach1 with ,cayenne pepper1 in order to
 appreciate the delicious coldness of   
claret in all its glory--his own        
expression4'  ,june #bb1 #ahba1 is      
entered in the ,journal as ',a          
remarkable day in my life4 ,i am        
arrested6' ,this incident1              

unfortunately1 became far too common in 
after-days to be at all remarkable1 but 
the first touch of the bailiff's hand   
was naturally something of a shock1 and 
,haydon filled three folio pages with   
angry comments on the iniquity of the   
laws against debtors4 ,he was able1     
however1 to arrange the affair before   
night1 and the sheriff's officer1 whose 
duty it was to keep him in safe custody 
during the day1 was so profoundly       
impressed by the sight of the ,lazarus1 
that he allowed his prisoner to go free 
on parole4 ,this incident has been      
likened to that of the bravoes arrested 
in their murderous intent by the        
organ-playing of ,stradella2 and also to
 the case of the soldiers of the        
,constable who1 when sacking ,rome1     
broke into ,parmigiano's studio1 but    
were so struck by the beauty of his     
pictures that they protected him and his
 property4  ,in despite of debts1       
difficulties1 and the lack of           
commissions1 ,haydon1 who had now been  

in love for five years1 was married on  
,october #aj1 #ahba1 to the young widow1
 ,mary ,hyman1 who was blessed with two 
children1 and a jointure of fifty pounds
 a year4 ,his ,journal for this period  
is full of raptures over his blissful   
state1 as also are his letters to his   
friends4 ,to ,miss ,mitford he writes   
from ,windsor1 where the honeymoon was  
spent3 ',here ,i am1 sitting by my      
dearest ,mary with all the complacency  
of a well-behaved husband1 writing to   
you while she is working quietly on some
 unintelligible part of a lady's        
costume4 ,you do not know how proud ,i  
am of saying my wife4 ,i never felt half
 so proud of ,solomon or ,macbeth1 as ,i
 am of being the husband of this tender 
little bit of lovely humanity4444 ,there
 never was such a creature2 and although
 her face is perfect1 and has more      
feeling in it than ,lady ,hamilton's1   
her manner to me is perfectly           
enchanting1 and more bewitching than her
 beauty4 ,i think ,i shall put over my  

painting-room door1 ,love1 solitude1 and
 painting4' ,on the last day of the     
year1 according to his wont1 ,haydon    
sums up his feelings and impressions of 
the past twelve months4 ',i don't know  
how it is1 but ,i get less reflective as
 ,i get older4 ,i seem to take things as
 they come without thought4 ,perhaps    
being married to my dearest ,mary1 and  
having no longer anything to hope in    
love1 ,i get more content with my lot1  
which1 ,god knows1 is rapturous beyond  
imagination4 ,here ,i sit sketching1    
with the loveliest face before me1      
smiling and laughing1 and solitude is   
not4 ,marriage has increased my         
happiness beyond expression4 ,in the    
intervals of study1 a few minutes'      
conversation with a creature one loves  
is the greatest of all reliefs4 ,god    
bless us both6 ,my pecuniary            
difficulties are great1 but my love is  
intense1 my ambition is intense1 and my 
hope in ,god's protection cheering4     
,bewick1 my pupil1 has realised my hopes

 in his picture of ,jacob and ,rachel4  
,but it is cold work talking of pupils  
when one's soul is full of a beloved    
woman6 ,i am really and truly in love1  
and without affectation1 ,i can talk1   
write1 or think of nothing else4'  ,but 
if a love-match brings increased        
happiness1 it also brings weightier     
cares and responsibilities4 ,haydon's   
credit had been in a measure restored by
 the success of his last picture1 but   
his creditors seemed to resent his      
marriage1 and during the months that    
followed1 gave him little peace4 ,he was
 obliged1 in the intervals of painting1 
to rush hither and thither to pacify    
this creditor1 quiet the fears of that1 
remove the ill-will of a third1 and     
borrow money at usurious interest from a
 fourth in order to keep his engagements
 with a fifth4 ,in spite of all his     
compromises and arrangements1 he was    
arrested more than once during this     
year1 but so far he had been able to    
keep out of prison4 ,his favourite pupil

 ,bewick1 who sat to him for the head of
 ,lazarus 7being appropriately pale and 
thin from want of food7 has left an     
account of the difficulties under which 
the picture was painted4 ',i think ,i   
see the painter before me1' he writes1  
'his palette and brushes in the left    
hand1 returning from the sheriff's      
officer in the adjoining room1 pale1    
calm1 and serious--no                   
agitation--mounting his high steps and  
continuing his arduous task1 and as he  
looks round to his pallid model1        
whispering1 ,egad1 ,bewick1 ,i have just
 been arrested2 that is the third time4 
,if they come again1 ,i shall not be    
able to go on4'  ,on ,december #g1 the  
,lazarus was finished1 and five days    
later ,haydon's eldest son ,frank was   
born4 ,the happy father was profoundly  
moved by his new responsibilities1 as   
well as by his wife's suffering and     
danger4 ,on the last day of #ahbb he    
thanks his ,maker for the happiest year 
of his life1 and also 'for being        

permitted to finish another great       
picture1 which must add to my           
reputation1 and go to strengthen the    
art4444 ,grant it triumphant success4   
,grant that ,i may soon begin the       
,crucifixion1 and persevere with that1  
until ,i bring it to a conclusion       
equally positive and glorious4'         
,haydon's prayers1 which have been not  
inaptly described as 'begging letters to
 the ,almighty1' are invariably couched 
in terms that would be appropriate in an
 appeal to the ,president of a          
,celestial ,academy4 ,as his biographer 
points out1 he prayed as though he would
 take heaven by storm1 and although he  
often asked for humility1 the demands   
for this gift bore very little          
proportion to those for glories and     
triumphs4  ,the ,lazarus1 though it     
showed signs of haste and exaggeration1 
natural enough considering the          
conditions under which it was painted1  
was acclaimed as a great work1 and the  
receipts from its exhibition were of a  

most satisfactory nature1 mounting up to
 nearly two hundred pounds a week4      
,instead of calling his creditors       
together1 and coming to some arrangement
 with them1 ,haydon1 rendered           
over-confident by success1 spent his    
time in preparing a new and vaster      
canvas for his conception of the        
,crucifixion4 ,the sight of crowds of   
people paying their shillings to view   
the ,lazarus roused the cupidity of one 
of the creditors1 who1 against his own  
interests1 killed the goose that was    
laying golden eggs4 ,on ,april #ac1 an  
execution was put in1 and the picture   
was seized4 ,a few days later ,haydon   
was arrested1 and carried to the ,king's
 ,bench1 his house was taken possession 
of1 and all his property was advertised 
for sale4  ,on ,april #bb1 he dates the 
entry in his ,journal1 ',king's ,bench1'
 and consoles himself with the          
reflection that ,bacon1 ,raleigh1 and   
,cervantes had also suffered            
imprisonment4 ,his friends rallied round

 him at this melancholy period4 ,lord   
,mulgrave1 ,sir ,george ,beaumont1      
,scott and ,wilkie1 giving not only     
sympathy but practical help4 ,at his    
forced sale a portion of his casts and  
painting materials was bought in by his 
friends in order that he might be       
enabled to set to work again as soon as 
he was released from prison4 ,a meeting 
of creditors was called1 and ,haydon    
addressed to them a characteristic      
letter1 begging to be spared the        
disgrace of 'taking the ,act1' and      
complaining of the hardship of his      
treatment in being torn from his family 
and his art1 after devoting the best    
years of his life to the honour of his  
country4 ,but as the creditors cared    
nothing for the honour of the country1  
he was compelled to pass through the    
,bankruptcy ,court1 and on ,july #be he 
regained his freedom4 ,it was now his   
desire to return to his dismantled      
house1 and1 without a bed to lie upon1  
or a shilling in his pocket1 to finish  

his gigantic ',crucifixion4' ,but his   
wife1 the long-suffering ,mary1         
persuaded him to abandon this idea1 to  
retire to modest lodgings for a time1   
and to paint portraits and              
cabinet-pictures until better fortune   
dawned4  ,haydon yielded to her desire1 
but he never ceased to regret what he   
considered his degradation4 ,he would   
have preferred to allow his friends and 
creditors to support himself and his    
family1 while he worked at a canvas of  
unsaleable size1 a proceeding that most 
men would regard as involving a deeper  
degradation than painting pot-boilers4  
,haydon began his new career by painting
 the 'portrait of a gentleman4' ',ah1 my
 poor lay-figure1' he groans1 'he1 who  
bore the drapery of ,christ and the     
grave-clothes of ,lazarus1 the cloak of 
the centurion and the gown of ,newton1  
was to-day disgraced by a black coat and
 waistcoat4 ,i apostrophised him1 and he
 seemed to sympathise1 and bowed his    
head as if ashamed to look me in the    

face4' ,haydon's detestation of         
portrait-painting probably arose from   
the secret consciousness that he was not
 successful in this branch of his art4  
,his taste for the grandiose led him to 
depict his sitters larger than life1 if 
not 'twice as natural4' ,his objection  
to painting small pictures was partly   
justified by his weakness of sight4 ,it 
was easy for him to dash in heads on a  
large scale in a frenzy of inspiration1 
but he seemed to lack the faculty for   
'finish4' ,the faults of disproportion  
and apparent carelessness that disfigure
 many of his works1 are easily accounted
 for by his method of painting1 which is
 thus described by his son ,frederick1  
who often acted as artist's model3--    
',his natural sight was of little or no 
use to him at any distance1 and he would
 wear1 one over the other1 two or three 
pairs of large round concave spectacles1
 so powerful as greatly to diminish     
objects4 ,he would mount his steps1 look
 at you through one pair of glasses1    

then push them all back on his head1 and
 paint by the naked eye close to the    
canvas4 ,after some minutes he would    
pull down one pair of his glasses1 look 
at you1 then step down1 walk slowly     
backwards to the wall1 and study the    
effect through one1 two1 or three pairs 
of spectacles2 then with one pair only  
look long and steadily in the           
looking-glass at the side to examine the
 reflection of his work2 then mount his 
steps and paint again4 ,how he ever     
contrived to paint a head or limb in    
proportion is a mystery to me1 for it is
 clear that he had lost his natural     
sight in boyhood4 ,he is1 as he said1   
the first blind man who ever            
successfully painted pictures4'         
,unfortunately1 ,haydon's self-denial in
 painting portraits was not well        
rewarded1 for commissions were few1 and 
the clouds began to gather again4 ,one  
of his sitters had to be appealed to for
 money for coals1 and if such appeals   
were frequent1 the scarcity of sitters  

was hardly surprising4 ,on one occasion 
he pawned all his books1 except a few   
old favourites1 for three pounds1 and   
entries like the following are of almost
 daily occurrence in the                
,journal3--',obliged to go out in the   
rain1 ,i left my room with no coals in  
it1 and no money to buy any4444 ,not a  
shilling in the world4 ,sold nothing1   
and not likely to4 ,baker called1 and   
was insolent4 ,if he were to stop the   
supplies1 ,god knows what would become  
of my children6 ,landlord called--kind  
and sorry4 ,butcher called1 respectful1 
but disappointed4 ,tailor               
good--humoured1 and willing to wait4444 
,walked about the town4 ,i was so full  
of grief1 ,i could not have concealed it
 at home4'  ,in the midst of all his    
harassing anxieties1 ,haydon was        
untiring in his efforts to obtain       
employment of the heroic kind that his  
soul craved4 ,he had begun to realise   
that he had small chance of disposing of
 huge historical pictures to private    

patrons1 and that his only hope rested  
with the ,government4 ,even while       
confined in prison he had persuaded     
,brougham to present a petition to the  
,house of ,commons setting forth the    
desirability of appointing a ,committee 
to inquire into the state of national   
art1 and by a regular distribution of a 
small portion of the public funds1 to   
give public encouragement to the        
professors of historical painting4 ,no  
sooner did he regain his freedom than   
,haydon attacked ,sir ,charles ,long    
with a plan for the decoration of the   
great room of the ,admiralty1 to be     
followed by the decoration of the ,house
 of ,lords and ,st4 ,paul's ,cathedral4 
,this was but the beginning of a long   
series of impassioned pleadings with    
public men in favour of national        
employment for historical painters4     
,silence1 snubs1 formal acknowledgments1
 curt refusals1 all were lost upon      
,haydon1 who kept pouring in page after 
page of agonised petition on ,sir       

,charles ,long1 the ,duke of            
,wellington1 ,lord ,grey1 ,lord         
,melbourne1 and ,sir ,robert ,peel1 and 
seemed to be making no way with any of  
them4  ,haydon thought himself ill-used1
 throughout his life1 by statesmen and  
patrons1 and many of his friends were of
 the same opinion4 ,but both he and they
 ignored the fact that it is impossible 
to create an artificial market for works
 of art for which there is no           
spontaneous popular demand4 ,a despotic 
prince may1 if he chooses1 give his     
court painter carte blanche for the     
decorations of national buildings1 and  
gain nothing but glory for his          
liberality1 even when it is exercised at
 the expense of his people4 ,but in a   
country that possesses a constitutional 
government1 more especially when that   
country has been impoverished by long   
and costly wars1 the minister who       
devotes large sums to the encouragement 
of national art has the indignation of  
an over-taxed populace to reckon with4  

,it is little short of an insult to     
offer men historic frescoes when they   
are clamouring for bread4 ,haydon was   
unfortunate in his period1 which was not
 favourable for a crusade on behalf of  
high art4 ,the recent pacification of   
the ,continent1 and the opening up of   
its treasures1 tempted ,english noblemen
 and plutocrats to invest their money in
 old masters to the neglect of native   
artists1 who were only thought worthy to
 paint portraits of their patrons' wives
 and children4 ,we who have inherited   
the ,peel1 the ,angerstein1 and the     
,hertford collections1 can scarcely     
bring ourselves to regret the sums that 
were lavished on ,flemish and ,italian  
masterpieces1 sums that might have kept 
our ,barrys and ,haydons from           
bankruptcy4  ,in ,january #ahbd ,haydon 
left his lodgings1 and took the lease of
 a house in ,connaught ,terrace1 for    
which he paid1 or promised to pay1 a    
hundred and twenty pounds a year1 a     
heavy rent for a recently insolvent     

artist4 ,fortunately1 he acquired with  
the house a landlord of amazing         
benevolence1 who took pot-boilers in    
lieu of rent1 and meekly submitted to   
abuse when nothing else was forthcoming4
 ,as soon as he was fairly settled1     
,haydon arranged the composition of a   
large picture of ',pharaoh dismissing   
,moses1' upon which he worked in the    
intervals of portrait-painting4 ,a      
curious and obviously impartial sketch  
of him1 as he appeared at this time1 is 
drawn by ,borrow in his ,lavengro4 ,the 
hero's elder brother comes up to town1  
it may be remembered1 to commission a   
certain heroic artist to paint an heroic
 picture of a very unheroic mayor of    
,norwich4 ,the two brothers go together 
to the painter of ,lazarus1 and have    
some difficulty in obtaining admission  
to his studio1 being mistaken by the    
servant for duns4 ,they found a man of  
about thirty-five1 with a clever1       
intelligent countenance1 sharp grey     
eyes1 and hair cut  la ,raphael4 ,he    

possessed1 moreover1 a broad chest1 and 
would have been a very fine figure if   
his legs had not been too short4 ,he was
 then engaged upon his ,moses1 whose    
legs1 in ,lavengro's opinion1 were also 
too short4 ,his eyes glistened at the   
mention of a hundred pounds for the     
mayor's portrait1 and he admitted that  
he was confoundedly short of money4 ,the
 painter was anxious that ,lavengro     
should sit to him for his ,plutarch1    
which honour that gentleman firmly      
declined4 ,years afterwards he saw the  
portrait of the mayor1 a 'mighty portly 
man1 with a bull's head1 black hair1 a  
body like a dray horse1 and legs and    
thighs corresponding2 a man six foot    
high at the least4 ,to his bull's head1 
black hair and body1 the painter had    
done justice2 there was one point1      
however1 in which the portrait did not  
correspond with the original--the legs  
were disproportionately short1 the      
painter having substituted his own legs 
for those of the mayor1 which1 when ,i  

perceived1 ,i rejoiced that ,i had not  
consented to be painted as ,pharaoh1 for
 if ,i had1 the chances are that he     
would have served me in exactly the same
 way as he had served ,moses and the    
mayor4'  ,the painting of provincial    
mayors was so little to ,haydon's taste 
that by the close of this year we find  
him in deep depression of spirits1      
unrelieved by even a spark of his old   
sanguine buoyancy4 ',i candidly         
confess1' he writes1 ',i find my        
glorious art a bore4 ,i cannot with     
pleasure paint any individual head for  
the mere purpose of domestic            
gratification4 ,i must have a great     
subject to excite public feeling4444    
,alas6 ,i have no object in life now but
 my wife and children1 and almost wish  
,i had not them1 that ,i might sit still
 and meditate on human grandeur and     
human ambition till ,i died4444 ,i am   
not yet forty1 and can tell of a destiny
 melancholy and rapturous1 bitter beyond
 all bitterness1 cursed1 heart-breaking1

 maddening4 ,but ,i dare not write now4 
,the melancholy demon has grappled my   
heart1 and crushed its turbulent        
beatings in his black1 bony1 clammy1    
clenching fingers4'  ,it was just when  
things seemed at their darkest1 when the
 waters threatened to overwhelm the     
unfortunate artist1 that a rope was     
thrown to him4 ,his legal adviser1 ,mr4 
,kearsley1 a practical and prosperous   
man1 came forward with an offer of help4
 ,he agreed to provide #cjj for one year
 on certain conditions1 in order that   
,haydon might be freed from pressure for
 that period1 and be in a position to   
ask a fair price for his work4 ,when not
 engaged on portraits1 he was to paint  
historical pictures of a saleable size4 
,the advance was to be secured on a life
 insurance1 and to be repaid out of the 
sale of the pictures1 with interest at  
four per cent4 ,this offer was accepted 
with some reluctance1 and the following 
year was one of comparative peace and   
quiet4 ,the ,journal gives evidence of  

greater ease of mind1 and renewed       
pleasure in work4 ,haydon's love for his
 wife waxed rather than waned with the  
passing of the years1 and his children1 
of whom he too soon had the poor man's  
quiverful1 were an ever-present delight4
 ',my domestic happiness is doubled1' he
 writes about this time4 ',daily and    
hourly my sweet ,mary proves the justice
 of my choice4 ,my boy ,frank gives     
tokens of being gifted at two years old1
 ,god bless him6 ,my ambition would be  
to make him a public man4444 ,i have got
 into my old delightful habits of study 
again4 ,the mixture of literature and   
painting ,i really think the perfection 
of human happiness4 ,i paint a head1    
revel in colour1 hit an expression1 sit 
down fatigued1 take up a poet or        
historian1 write my own thoughts1 muse  
on the thoughts of others1 and hours1   
troubles1 and the tortures of           
disappointed ambition pass and are      
forgotten4'  ,portraits1 and one or two 
commissions for small pictures1 kept    

,haydon afloat throughout this year1 but
 a widespread commercial distress in the
 early part of #ahbf affected his gains1
 and in ,february he records that for   
the last five weeks he has been         
suffering the tortures of the ,inferno4 
,he was persuaded1 much against his     
will1 to send his pictures to the       
,academy1 and he was proportionately    
annoyed at the adverse criticism that   
greeted his attempts at portraiture4    
,this attack he regarded as the result  
of a deep-laid plot to injure him in a  
lucrative branch of his art4 ,he        
consoled himself by beginning a large   
picture of ',alexander taming           
,bucephalus1' the 'finest subject on    
earth4' ,through his friend and opposite
 neighbour1 ,carew the sculptor1 ,haydon
 made an appeal to ,lord ,egremont1 that
 generous patron of the arts1 for help  
or employment1 in response to which     
,lord ,egremont promised to call and see
 the ,alexander4 ,there is a pathetic   
touch in the account of this visit1 on  

which so much depended4 ,lord ,egremont 
called at ,carew's house on his way1 and
 ,haydon1 who saw him go in1 relates    
that ',dear ,mary and ,i were walking on
 the leads1 and agreed that it would not
 be quite right to look too happy1 being
 without a sixpence2 so we came in1 ,i  
to the parlour to look through the      
blinds1 and she to the nursery4'        
,happily1 the patron was favourably     
impressed by the picture1 and promised  
to give #fjj for it when it was         
finished4 ,in order to pay his models   
,haydon was obliged to pawn one of his  
two lay-figures1 since he could not     
bring himself to part with any more     
books4 ',i may do without a lay-figure  
for a time1' he writes1 'but not without
 old ,homer4 ,the truth is ,i am fonder 
of books than of anything on earth4 ,i  
consider myself a man of great powers1  
excited to an art which limits their    
exercise4 ,in politics1 law1 or         
literature they would have had a full   
and glorious swing1 and ,i should have  

secured a competence4'  ,the fact that  
,haydon was more at home among the      
literary men of his acquaintance than   
among his fellow-artists was a natural  
result of his intense love of books1 and
 his keen interest in contemporary      
history4 ,and it is evident that his own
 character and work impressed his       
poetical friends1 for we find that not  
only ,wordsworth and ,keats1 but ,leigh 
,hunt1 ,charles ,lamb1 ,miss ,mitford1  
and ,miss ,barrett addressed to him     
admiring verses4 ,for ,byron1 whom he   
never knew1 ,haydon cherished an ardent 
admiration1 and the following           
interesting passage1 comparing that poet
 with ,wordsworth1 occurs in one of his 
letters to ,miss ,mitford1 who had      
criticised ,byron's taste3--  ',you are 
unjust1 depend upon it1' he writes1 'in 
your estimate of ,byron's poetry1 and   
wrong in ranking ,wordsworth beyond him4
 ,there are things in ,byron's poetry so
 exquisite that fifty or five hundred   
years hence they will be read1 felt1 and

 adored throughout the world4 ,i grant  
that ,wordsworth is very pure1 very     
holy1 very orthodox1 and occasionally   
very elevated1 highly poetical1 and     
oftener insufferably obscure1 starched1 
dowdy1 anti-human1 and anti-sympathetic1
 but he never will be ranked above      
,byron1 nor classed with ,milton4444 ,i 
dislike his selfish ,quakerism1 his     
affectation of superior virtue1 his     
utter insensibility to the frailties1   
the beautiful frailties of passion4 ,i  
was walking with him once in ,pall      
,mall2 we darted into ,christie's4 ,in  
the corner of the room was a beautiful  
copy of the ,cupid and ,psyche 7statues7
 kissing4 ,cupid is taking her lovely   
chin1 and turning her pouting mouth to  
meet his1 while he archly bends down1 as
 if saying1 ,pretty dear6444 ,catching  
sight of the ,cupid as he and ,i were   
coming out1 ,wordsworth's face reddened1
 he showed his teeth1 and then said in a
 loud voice1 ,the ,dev-v-vils6 ,there's 
a mind6 ,ought not this exquisite group 

to have softened his heart as much as   
his old1 grey-mossed rocks1 his withered
 thorn1 and his dribbling mountain      
streams8 ,i am altered very much about  
,wordsworth from finding him too hard1  
too elevated1 to attend to the voice of 
humanity4 ,no1 give me ,byron with all  
his spite1 hatred1 depravity1 dandyism1 
vanity1 frankness1 passion1 and         
idleness1 rather than ,wordsworth with  
all his heartless communion with woods  
and grass4'  ,an attempt on ,haydon's   
part to reconcile himself with his old  
enemies1 the ,academicians1 ended in    
failure4 ,he heads his account of the   
transaction1 ',the disgrace of my life4'
 ,he was received with cold civility by 
the majority of the artists to whom he  
paid conciliatory visits1 and when he   
put his name down for election1 he      
received not a single vote4 ,a more     
agreeable memory of this year was a     
visit to ,petworth1 where1 as he        
records1 with ,pepysian naivet1 ',lord  
,egremont has placed me in one of the   

most magnificent bedrooms ,i ever saw4  
,it speaks more of what he thinks of my 
talents than anything that ever happened
 to me4444 ,what a destiny is mine6 ,one
 year in the ,king's ,bench1 the        
companion of gamblers and               
scoundrels--sleeping in wretchedness and
 dirt on a flock-bed--another reposing  
in down and velvet in a splendid        
apartment in a splendid house1 the guest
 of rank1 fashion1 and beauty4'         
,haydon's painting-room was now1 as he  
loved to see it1 crowded with           
distinguished visitors1 who were anxious
 to inspect the picture of ,alexander   
before it was sent to the ,exhibition4  
,among them came ,charles ,lamb1 who    
afterwards set down some impressions and
 suggestions in the following           
characteristic fashion3--   ',,dear     
,,raffaele ,,haydon1  ',did the maid    
tell you ,i came to see your picture8 ,i
 think the face and bearing of the      
,bucephalus-tamer very noble1 his flesh 
too effeminate or painty4444 ,i had     

small time to pick out praise or blame1 
for two lord-like ,bucks came in1 upon  
whose strictures my presence seemed to  
impose restraint2 ,i plebeian'd off     
therefore4  ',i think ,i have hit on a  
subject for you1 but can't swear it was 
never executed--,i never heard of its   
being--,chaucer beating a ,franciscan   
,friar in ,fleet ,street4 ,think of the 
old dresses1 houses1 etc4 ,it seemeth   
that both these learned men 7,gower and 
,chaucer7 were of the ,inner ,temple2   
for not many years since ,master        
,buckley did see a record in the same   
house where ,geoffrey ,chaucer was fined
 two shillings for beating a ,franciscan
 ,friar in ,fleet ,street4--,chaucer's  
,life1 by ,t4 ,speght4--,yours in haste 
7salt fish waiting74  ',c4 ,,lamb4'  ,in
 ,june ,haydon was again arrested1 and  
imprisoned in the ,king's ,bench4 ,once 
more he appealed to ,parliament by a    
petition presented by ,brougham1 and to 
the public through letters to the       
newspapers4 ,parliament and the larger  

public turned a deaf ear1 but private   
friends rallied to his support4 ,scott1 
himself a ruined man1 sent a cheque and 
a charming letter of sympathy1 while    
,lockhart suggested that a subscription 
should be raised to buy one or more     
pictures4 ,a public meeting of          
sympathisers was convened1 at which it  
was stated that ,haydon's debts amounted
 to #agfg1 while his only available     
asset was an unfinished picture of the  
',death of ,eucles4' ,over a hundred    
pounds was subscribed in the room1 and  
it was decided that the ,eucles should  
be raffled in ten-pound shares4 ,the    
result of these efforts was the release 
of the prisoner at the end of ,july4    
,during this last term of imprisonment  
,haydon witnessed the masquerade1 or    
mock election by his fellow-prisoners1  
and instantly decided that he would     
paint the scene1 which offered unique   
opportunities for both humour and       
pathos4 ,this picture1 ,hogarthian in   
type1 was finished and exhibited before 

the close of the year4 ,the exhibition  
was moderately successful1 but the      
picture did not sell1 and ,haydon was   
once more sinking into despair1 when the
 king expressed a desire to have the    
work sent down to ,windsor for his      
inspection4 ,hopes were raised high once
 more1 and this time were not           
disappointed4 ,george ,,iv4 bought the  
',mock ,election1' and promptly paid the
 price of five hundred guineas4 ,thus   
encouraged1 ,haydon set to work with    
renewed spirit on a companion picture1  
',chairing the ,member1' which was      
finished and exhibited1 with some       
earlier works1 in the course of the     
summer4 ,the king refused to buy the new
 work1 but it found a purchaser at #cjj1
 and the net receipts from the two      
pictures and their exhibition amounted  
to close upon #adjj1 a sum which1       
observes ,haydon1 in better             
circumstances and with less expense1    
would have afforded a comfortable       
independence for the year6  ,the ,eucles

 occupied the artist during the         
remainder of #ahbh1 and early in #ahbi  
he began a new ,hogarthian subject1 a   
,punch and ,judy show4 ,he was still    
painting portraits when he could get    
sitters1 and on ,april #ae1 he notes3   
',finished one cursed portrait--have    
only one more to touch1 and then ,i     
shall be free4 ,i have an exquisite     
gratification in painting portraits     
wretchedly4 ,i love to see the sitters  
look as if they thought1 ,can this be   
,haydon's--the great ,haydon's painting8
 ,i chuckle4 ,i am rascal enough to take
 their money1 and chuckle more4' ,it    
must be owned that ,haydon thoroughly   
deserved his ill-success in this branch 
of his art4 ,when ',punch' was finished 
the king sent for it to ,windsor1 but   
though he admired1 he did not buy1 and  
the picture eventually passed into the  
possession of ,haydon's old friend1 ,dr4
 ,darling1 who had helped him out of    
more than one difficulty4 ,a large      
representation of ',xenophon and the    

,retreat of the ,ten ,thousand' was now 
begun1 but before it was finished the   
painter was once more in desperate      
straits4 ,in vain he sent up urgent     
petitions to his ,maker that he might be
 enabled to go through with this great  
work1 explaining in a parenthesis1 ',it 
will be my greatest1' and concluding1   
',bless its commencement1 its progress1 
its conclusion1 and its effect1 for the 
sake of the intellectual elevation of my
 great and glorious country4'  ,in ,may 
#ahcj1 ,haydon was back again in the    
,king's ,bench1 where he had begun to   
feel quite at home4 ,he presented yet   
another of his innumerable petitions to 
,parliament in favour of ,government    
encouragement of historical painting1   
through ,mr4 ,agar ,ellis1 but as the   
ministry showed no desire to encourage  
this particular historical painter1 he  
passed through the ,bankruptcy ,court1  
and returned to his family on the #bjth 
of ,july4 ,during his period of         
detention1 ,george ,,iv4 had died1 and  

,haydon has the following comment on the
 event3--',thus died as thoroughbred an 
,englishman as ever existed in this     
country4 ,he admired her sports1 gloried
 in her prejudices1 had confidence in   
her bottom and spirit1 and to him alone 
is the destruction of ,napoleon owing4  
,i have lost in him my sincere admirer2 
and had not his wishes been continually 
thwarted1 he would have given me ample  
and adequate employment4'  ,although    
,haydon had regained his freedom1 his   
chance of maintaining himself and his   
rapidly increasing family by his art    
seemed as far away as ever4 ,by ,october
 #aeth he is at his wits' end again1 and
 writes in his ,journal3 ',the          
harassings of a family are really       
dreadful4 ,two of my children are ill1  
and ,mary is nursing4 ,all night she was
 attending to the sick and hushing the  
suckling1 with a consciousness that our 
last shilling was going4 ,i got up in   
the morning bewildered--,xenophon hardly
 touched--no money--butcher             

impudent--all tradesmen insulting4 ,i   
took up my private sketch-book and two  
prints of ,napoleon 7from a small       
picture of ',napoleon musing at ,st4    
,helena'7 and walked into the city4     
,hughes advanced me five guineas on the 
sketch-book2 ,i sold my prints1 and     
returned home happy with #h1 #ds4 in my 
pocket4444 7#beth7 ,out selling my      
prints4 ,sold enough for maintenance for
 the week4 ,several people looked hard  
at me with my roll of prints1 but ,i    
feel more ashamed in borrowing money    
than in honestly selling my labours4 ,it
 is a pity the nobility drive me to this
 by their neglect4'  ,in ,december came 
another stroke of good-luck4 ,sir       
,robert ,peel called at the studio1 and 
gave the artist a commission to paint1  
on a larger scale1 a replica of his     
small sketch of ',napoleon at ,st4      
,helena4' ,unluckily1 there was a       
misunderstanding about the price4 ,peel 
asked how much ,haydon charged for a    
whole length figure1 and was told a     

hundred pounds1 which was the price of  
an ordinary portrait4 ,taking this to be
 the charge for the ,napoleon1 he paid  
no more4 ,haydon1 who considered the    
picture well worth #ejj1 was bitterly   
disappointed1 and took no pains to      
conceal his feelings4 ,peel afterwards  
sent him an extra thirty pounds1 but the
 subject remained a grievance to ,haydon
 for the rest of his life1 and ,peel1   
who had intended to do the artist a good
 turn1 was so annoyed by his complaints1
 that he never gave him another         
commission4 ,the ,napoleon1 though its  
exhibition was not a success1 was one of
 ,haydon's most popular pictures1 and   
the engraving is well known4 ,wordsworth
 admired it exceedingly1 and on ,june   
#ab1 sent the artist the ',sonnet to ,b4
 ,r4 ,haydon1 composed on seeing his    
picture of ,napoleon in the island of   
,st4 ,helena1' beginning3    ',haydon6  
let worthier judges praise the skill4'  
,the close of this year was a melancholy
 period to poor ,haydon4 ,he lost his   

little daughter1 ,fanny1 and his third  
son1 ,alfred1 was gradually fading away4
 ,out of eight children born to this    
most affectionate of fathers1 no fewer  
than five died in infancy from suffusion
 of the brain1 due1 it was supposed1 to 
the terrible mental distresses of their 
mother4 ',i can remember1' writes       
,frederick ,haydon1 one of the three    
survivors1 'the roses of her sunken     
cheeks fading away daily with anxiety   
and grief4 ,my father1 who was          
passionately attached to both wife and  
children1 suffered the tortures of the  
damned at the sight before him4 ,his    
sorrow over the deaths of his children  
was something more than human4 ,i       
remember watching him as he hung over   
his daughter ,georgiana1 and over his   
dying boy ,harry1 the pride and delight 
of his life4 ,poor fellow1 how he cried6
 and he went into the next room1 and    
beating his head passionately on the    
bed1 called upon ,god to take him and   
all of us from this dreadful world4 ,the

 earliest and most painful death was to 
be preferred to our life at that time4' 
,by dint of borrowing in every possible 
quarter1 generally at forty per cent4   
interest1 and inducing his patrons to   
take shares in his ,xenophon1 ,haydon   
managed to get through the winter1      
though his children were often without  
stockings4 ,william ,,iv4 consented to  
place his name at the head of the       
subscribers' list1 and ,goethe wrote a  
flattering letter1 expressing his desire
 to take a ticket for the 'very valuable
 painting1' and assuring the artist that
 'my soul has been elevated for many    
years by the contemplation of the       
important pictures 7the cartoons from   
the ,elgin ,marbles7 formerly sent to   
me1 which occupy an honourable station  
in my house4' ,xenophon was exhibited in
 the spring of #ahcb without attracting 
much attention1 the whole nation being  
engrossed with the subject of ,reform4  
,haydon1 though a high ,tory by birth   
and inclination1 was an ardent champion 

of the ,bill1 as he had been for that of
 ,catholic ,emancipation4 ,his brush was
 once more exchanged for the pen1 and he
 not only poured out his thoughts upon  
,reform in his ,journal1 but wrote      
several letters on the subject to the   
,times1 which he considered the most    
wonderful compositions of the kind that 
had ever been penned4 ,after the passing
 of the ,bill he congratulates himself  
upon having contributed to the grand    
result1 and adds3 ',when my colours have
 faded1 my canvas decayed1 and my body  
has mingled with the earth1 these       
glorious letters1 the best things ,i    
ever wrote1 will awaken the enthusiasm  
of my countrymen4 ,i thanked ,god ,i    
lived in such a time1 and that he gifted
 me with talent to serve the great      
cause4'  ,on reading the account of the 
monster meeting of the ,trades ,unions  
at ,newhall ,hill1 ,birmingham1 it      
occurred to ,haydon that the moment when
 the vast concourse joined in the sudden
 prayer offered up by ,hugh ,hutton1    

would make a fine subject for a picture4
 ,accordingly1 he wrote to ,hutton1 and 
laid the suggestion before him4 ,the    
,birmingham leaders were attracted by   
the idea1 and the picture was begun1 but
 support of a material kind was not     
forthcoming1 and the scheme had to be   
abandoned4 ,lord ,grey then suggested   
that ,haydon should paint a picture of  
the great ,reform ,banquet1 which was to
 be held in the ,guildhall on ,july #aa4
 ,the proposal was exactly to the taste 
of the public-spirited artist1 who saw  
fame and fortune beckoning to him once  
more1 and fancied that his future was   
assured4 ,he was allowed every facility 
on the great day1 breakfasted and dined 
with the ,committee at the ,guildhall1  
was treated with distinction by the     
noble guests1 many of whom sent to take 
wine with him as he sat at work1 and in 
short1 to quote his own words1 ',i was  
an object of great distinction without  
five shillings in my pocket--and this is
 life6'  ,lord ,grey1 on seeing         

,haydon's sketches of the ,banquet1 gave
 him a commission for the picture at a  
price of #ejj1 half of which he paid    
down at once1 and thus saved the painter
 from the ruin that was again impending4
 ,then followed a period of triumphant  
happiness4 ,the leading men of the      
,liberal party sat for their heads1 and 
,haydon had the longed-for opportunity  
of pressing upon them his views about   
the public encouragement of art by means
 of grants for the decoration of        
national buildings4 ,although it does   
not appear that he made a single        
convert1 he was quite contented for the 
time being with the ready access to     
ministers and noblemen that the occasion
 afforded him1 and his ,journal is      
filled with expressions of his          
satisfaction4 ,we hear of ,lord         
,palmerston's good-humoured elegance1   
,lord ,lansdowne's amiability1 ,lord    
,jeffrey's brilliant conversation1 and1 
most delightful of all1 ,lord           
,melbourne's frank1 unaffected          

cordiality4 ,melbourne1 it appears1     
enjoyed his sittings1 for he asked many 
questions about ,hazlitt1 ,leigh ,hunt1 
,keats1 and ,shelley1 and highly        
appreciated ,haydon's anecdotes4        
,needless to add1 he did not allow      
himself to be bored by the artist's     
theories4  ,the sittings for the ,reform
 picture continued through #ahcc1 and   
the early part of #ahcd4 ,haydon was    
kept in full employment1 but domestic   
sorrows marred his satisfaction in his  
interesting work4 ,in less than twelve  
months1 he lost two sons1 ,alfred and   
,harry1 the latter a child of           
extraordinary promise4 ',the death of   
this beautiful boy1' he writes1 'has    
given my mind a blow ,i shall never     
effectually recover4 ,i saw him buried  
to-day1 after passing four days         
sketching his dear head in his          
coffin--his beautiful head4 ,what a     
creature6 ,with a brow like an ancient  
god6' ,in ,august ,haydon was arrested  
again1 and hurried away for a day and   

night of torture1 during which1 he      
confesses1 he was very near putting an  
end to himself2 but advances from the   
,duke of ,cleveland and ,mr4 ,ellice    
brought him release1 and in a few hours 
he was at home again1 'as happy and as  
hard at work as ever4'  ,in ,april      
#ahcd1 the ,reform picture was          
exhibited1 but the public was not       
interested1 and ,haydon lost a          
considerable sum over the exhibition4   
,the price of the commission had long   
since gone to quiet the clamours of his 
creditors4 ,on ,may #ab he writes3 ',it 
is really lamentable to see the effect  
of success and failure on people of     
fashion4 ,last year1 all was hope1      
exultation1 and promise with me4 ,my    
door was beset1 my house besieged1 my   
room inundated4 ,it was an absolute     
fight to get in to see me paint4 ,well1 
out came the work--the public felt no   
curiosity--it failed1 and my door is    
deserted1 no horses1 no carriages4 ,now 
for executions1 insults1 misery1 and    

wretchedness4' ,then follows the old    
story4 ',june #g4--,mary and ,i in agony
 of mind4 ,all my ,italian books1 and   
some of my best historical designs1 are 
gone to a pawnbroker's4 ,she packed up  
her best gowns and the children's1 and  
,i drove away with what cost me #dj1 and
 got #d4 ,the state of degradation1     
humiliation1 and pain of mind in which  
,i sat in that dingy back-room is not to
 be described4'  ,haydon now began a    
picture of ',cassandra and ,agamemnon1' 
and in ,july he received a commission to
 finish it for the ,duke of ,sutherland1
 who had more than once saved him from  
ruin4 ,on this occasion the ,duke's     
advances barely sufficed to stave off   
disaster4 ,studies1 prints1 clothes1 and
 lay-figures were pawned to pay for the 
expenses of the work1 and on ,october   
comes the entry3 ',directly after the   
,duke's letter came with its enclosed   
cheque1 an execution was put in for the 
taxes4 ,i made the man sit for          
,cassandra's hand1 and put on a ,persian

 bracelet4 ,when the broker came for his
 money1 he burst out laughing4 ,there   
was the fellow1 an old soldier1 pointing
 in the attitude of ,cassandra--up right
 and steady as if on guard4 ,lazarus'   
head was painted just after an arrest2  
,eucles was finished from a man in      
possession2 the beautiful face in       
,xenophon1 after a morning spent in     
begging mercy of lawyers2 and now       
,cassandra's head was finished in an    
agony not to be described1 and her hand 
completed from a broker's man4'         
,,part ,,iii   ,on ,october #af1 #ahhd1 
the ,houses of ,parliament were burned  
down4 ',good ,god6' writes ,haydon1 ',i 
am just returned from the terrific      
burning of the ,houses of ,parliament4  
,mary and ,i went in a cab1 and drove   
over the bridge4 ,from the bridge it was
 sublime4 ,we alighted1 and went into a 
public-house1 which was full4 ,the      
feeling among the people was            
extraordinary--jokes and radicalism     
universal4444 ,the comfort is that there

 is now a better prospect of painting   
the ,house of ,lords4 ,lord ,grey said  
there was no intention of taking the    
tapestry down2 little did he think how  
soon it would go4' ,haydon's hopes now  
rose high4 ,for many years1 as we have  
seen1 he had been advocating1 in season 
and out of season1 the desirability of  
decorating national buildings with      
heroic paintings by native artists1 and1
 with the need for new ,houses of       
,parliament1 it seemed as if at last his
 cause might triumph4 ,once more he     
attacked the good-humoured but          
unimpressionable ,lord ,melbourne1 and  
presented another petition to           
,parliament through ,lord ,morpeth4 ,but
 in any case it would be years before   
the new buildings were ready for        
decoration1 and in the meantime he would
 have been entirely out of employment if
 his long-suffering landlord had not    
allowed him to paint off a debt with a  
picture of ',achilles at the ,court of  
,lycomedes4'  ,in the summer of this    

year ,mr4 ,ewart obtained his ,select   
,committee to inquire into the best     
means of extending a knowledge of the   
arts and the principles of design among 
the people2 and further1 to inquire into
 the constitution of the ,royal         
,academy1 and the effects produced      
thereby4 ,haydon1 overjoyed at such a   
sign of progress1 determined to aid the 
inquiry by giving a lecture on the      
subject at the ,london ,mechanics'      
,institute1 under the auspices of ,dr4  
,birkbeck4 ,the lecture was a success1  
for ,haydon's natural earnestness and   
enthusiasm enabled him to interest and  
impress an audience1 and ,dr4 ,birkbeck 
assured him that he had made a 'hit4'   
,this was the beginning of his career as
 a lecturer1 by which for several years 
he earned a small but regular income4   
,but meanwhile ruin was again staring   
him in the face4 ,on ,september #bf he  
writes3 ',the agony of my necessities is
 really dreadful4 ,for this year ,i have
 principally supported myself by the    

help of my landlord1 and by pawning     
everything of value ,i have left4444    
,lay awake in misery4 ,threatened on all
 sides4 ,doubtful whether to apply to   
the ,insolvent ,court to protect me1 or 
let ruin come4 ,improved the picture1   
and not having a shilling1 sent out a   
pair of my spectacles1 and got five     
shillings for the day4 7#bith7 ,sent the
 tea-urn off the table1 and got ten     
shillings for the day4 ,shall call my   
creditors together4 ,in ,god ,i trust4' 
,the meeting of the creditors took      
place1 and ,haydon persuaded them to    
grant him an extension of time until    
,june1 #ahcf4 ,thus relieved from       
immediate anxiety he set to work on his 
picture with renewed zest4 ,the most    
remarkable trait about him1 observes his
 son ,frederick1 was his sanguine       
buoyancy of spirits4 ',nothing ever     
depressed him long4 ,he was the most    
persevering1 indomitable man ,i ever    
met4 ,with us at home he was always     
confident of doing better next year4    

,but that next year never came4444      
,blest as he was with that peculiar     
faculty of genius for overcoming        
difficulties1 he might have found life  
tame without them4 ,i remember his      
saying once1 he was not sure he did not 
relish ruin as a source of increased    
activity of mind4' ,but the struggle had
 begun to tell upon his powers1 if not  
upon his spirits1 and he was now        
painting pictures for bread2 repeating  
himself2 despatching a work in a few    
days that in better times he would have 
spent months over2 ready to paint small 
things1 since great ones would not sell2
 fighting misery at the point of his    
brush1 and obliged to eke out a         
livelihood by begging and borrowing1 in 
default of worse expedients such as     
bills and cognovits4 ,a less elastic    
temperament and a less vigorous         
constitution would have broken down in  
one year of such a fight4 ,haydon kept  
it up for ten4'  ,the first half of     
#ahcf went by in the usual struggle1 and

 in ,september ,haydon was thrown into  
prison for the fourth time4 ,on         
,november #ag he passed through the     
,insolvency ,court1 and on the following
 ,sunday he records3 ',went to church1  
and returned thanks with all my heart   
and soul for the great mercies of ,god  
to me and my family during my           
imprisonment4444 7#bith7 ,set my palette
 to-day1 the first time these eleven    
weeks and three days4 ,i relished the   
oil2 could have tasted the colour2      
rubbed my cheeks with the brushes1 and  
kissed the palette4 ,ah1 could ,i be let
 loose in the ,house of ,lords6' ,in the
 absence of commissions1 he now turned  
to lecturing as a means of support4 ,he 
lectured in ,leeds1 ,manchester1        
,liverpool1 and ,birmingham1 as well as 
in ,london1 and did good service by     
agitating for the establishment of local
 schools of design1 and by arousing in  
the minds of the wealthy middle classes 
some faint appreciation of the claims of
 art4  ,a valuable result of these      

lectures was the extension of ,haydon's 
acquaintance among the shrewd merchant  
princes of the north1 who recognised his
 artistic sincerity1 and were inclined  
to hold out to him a helping hand4      
,through the influence of ,mr4 ,lowndes1
 a ,liverpool art-patron1 ,haydon       
received a commission to paint a picture
 of ',christ blessing ,little           
,children1' for the ,blind ,asylum at   
,liverpool1 at a price of #djj4 ,so     
elated was he at this unexpected piece  
of good fortune that1 with              
characteristic sanguineness1 he seems to
 have thought that all his troubles were
 at an end for ever4 ,even his pious    
dependence on heavenly support          
diminished with his freedom from care1  
and he notes in a ,sunday entry3 ',went 
to church1 but prosperity1 though it    
makes me grateful1 does not cause me    
such perpetual religious musings as     
adversity4 ,when on a precipice1 where  
nothing but ,god's protection can save  
me1 ,i delight in religious hope1 but ,i

 am sorry to say my religion ever       
dwindles unless kept alive by risk of   
ruin4 ,my piety is never so intense as  
when in a prison1 and my gratitude never
 so much alive as when ,i have just     
escaped from one4'  ,the year #ahch     
passed in comparative peace and comfort4
 ,the picture for the asylum was        
finished about the end of ,august1 when 
,haydon congratulated his ,maker on the 
fact that he 7,haydon7 had paid his rent
 and taxes1 laid in his coals for the   
winter1 and enjoyed health1 happiness1  
and freedom from debt--fresh debt1 be it
 understood--ever since this commission4
 ,going down to ,liverpool to hang his  
work1 it was proposed to him by ,mr4    
,lowndes that he should paint a picture 
of the ,duke of ,wellington on the field
 of ,waterloo1 twenty years after the   
battle4 ,this was a subject after       
,haydon's own heart1 for the ,duke had  
always been his ideal hero1 his king    
among men4 ,overflowing with pride and  
delight1 he prays that ,providence will 

so bless this new commission that 'the  
glorious city of ,liverpool may possess 
the best historical picture1 and the    
grandest effort of my pencil in         
portraiture4 ,inspired by history1 ,i   
fear not making it the grandest thing4' 
,the ,liverpool committee wrote to the  
,duke1 to ask if he would consent to    
give sittings to ,haydon1 and received a
 promise that he would sit for his head 
as soon as time could be found4         
,meanwhile1 ,haydon set to work upon the
 horse1 which was copied from portraits 
of ,copenhagen4 ,while he was thus      
engaged1 ,d',orsay called at the studio1
 and bestowed advice and criticism upon 
the artist1 which1 for once1 was        
thankfully received4 ,haydon relates how
 ,d',orsay 'took my brush in his dandy  
glove1 which made my heart ache1 and    
lowered the hind-quarters by bringing   
over a bit of the sky4 ,such a dress6   
white greatcoat1 blue satin cravat1 hair
 oiled and curling1 hat of the primest  
curve1 gloves scented with              

eau-de-,cologne1 primrose in tint1 skin 
in tightness4 ,in this prime of         
dandyism1 he took up a nasty1 oily1     
dirty hog-tool1 and immortalised        
,copenhagen by touching the sky4 ,i     
thought after he was gone1 ,this won't  
do--a ,frenchman touch ,copenhagen6 ,so 
out ,i rubbed all he had touched1 and   
modified his hints myself4'  ,as there  
was no chance of the ,duke's being able 
to sit at this time1 owing to the       
pressure of public business1 ,haydon    
made a flying visit to ,brussels1 in    
order to get local colour for the field 
of ,waterloo4 ,a few weeks later he was 
overjoyed at receiving an invitation to 
spend a few days at ,walmer1 when the   
,duke promised to give the desired      
sittings4 ,on ,october #aa1 #ahci1 he   
went down 'by steam' to ,walmer1 where  
he was heartily welcomed by his host4   
,his ,journal contains a long and minute
 account of his visit1 from which one or
 two anecdotes may be quoted4 ,haydon's 
fellow-guests were ,sir ,astley ,cooper1

 ,mr4 ,arbuthnot1 and ,mr4 ,booth4 ,the 
first evening the conversation turned1  
among other topics1 upon the ,peninsular
 ,war4 ',the ,duke talked of the want of
 fuel in ,spain-of what the troops      
suffered1 and how whole houses1 so many 
to a division1 were pulled down1 and    
paid for1 to serve as fuel4 ,he said    
every ,englishman who has a house goes  
to bed at night4 ,he found bivouacking  
was not suitable to the character of the
 ,english soldier4 ,he got drunk1 and   
lay down under any hedge1 and discipline
 was destroyed4 ,but when he introduced 
tents1 every soldier belonged to his    
tent1 and1 drunk or sober1 he got to it 
before he went to sleep4 ,i said1 ,your 
grace1 the ,french always bivouac4 ,yes1
 he replied1 because ,french1 ,spanish1 
and all other nations lie anywhere4 ,it 
is their habit4 ,they have no homes4'   
,the next morning1 after his return from
 hunting1 the ,duke gave a first sitting
 of an hour and a half4 ',i hit his     
grand1 manly1 upright expression1'      

writes ,haydon4 ',he looked like an     
eagle of the gods who had put on human  
shape1 and got silvery with age and     
service4444 ,i found that to imagine he 
could not go through any duty raised the
 lion4 ,does the light hurt your grace's
 eyes8 ,not at all1 and he stared at the
 light as much as to say1 ,i'll see if  
you shall make me give in1 ,signor      
,light4 ',twas a noble head4 ,i saw     
nothing of that peculiar expression of  
mouth the sculptors give him1 bordering 
on simpering4 ,his colour was beautiful 
and fleshy1 his lips compressed and     
energetic4' ,the next day1 being        
,sunday1 there was no sitting1 but      
,haydon was charmed at sharing a pew    
with his hero1 and deeply moved by the  
simplicity and humility with which he   
followed the service4 ',arthur          
,wellesley in the village church of     
,walmer1' he writes1 'was more          
interesting to me than at the last      
charge of the ,guards at ,waterloo1 or  
in all the glory and paraphernalia of   

his entry into ,paris4'  ,it is probable
 that the ,duke was afraid of being     
attacked by ,haydon on the burning      
question of a ,state grant for the      
encouragement of historical painting1 a 
subject about which he had received and 
answered many lengthy letters1 for on   
each evening1 when there was no party1  
he steadily read a newspaper1 the       
,standard on ,saturday1 and the         
,spectator on ,sunday1 while his guest  
watched him in silent admiration4 ,on   
the ,monday morning1 the hero came in   
for another sitting1 looking extremely  
worn1 his skin drawn tight over his     
face1 his eyes watery and aged1 his head
 slightly nodding4 ',how altered from   
the fresh old man after ,saturday's     
hunting1' says ,haydon4 ',it affected   
me4 ,he looked like an aged eagle       
beginning to totter from its perch4' ,a 
second sitting in the afternoon         
concluded the business1 and early next  
morning ,haydon left for town4 ',it is  
curious1' he comments1 'to have known   

thus the two great heads of the two     
great parties1 the ,duke and ,lord      
,grey4 ,i prefer the ,duke infinitely4  
,he is more manly1 has no vanity1 is not
 deluded by any flattery or humbug1 and 
is in every way a grander character1    
though ,lord ,grey is a fine1 amiable1  
venerable1 vain man4'  ,during the      
remainder of the year1 ,haydon worked   
steadily1 and finished his picture4 ,on 
,december #b he notes3 ',it is now      
twenty-seven years since ,i ordered my  
,solomon canvas4 ,i was                 
young--twenty-six4 ,the whole world was 
against me4 ,i had not a farthing4 ,yet 
,i remember the delight with which ,i   
mounted my deal table and dashed it in1 
singing and trusting in ,god1 as ,i     
always do4 ,when one is once imbued with
 that clear heavenly confidence1 there  
is nothing like it4 ,it has carried me  
through everything4 ,i think my dearest 
,mary has not got it2 ,i do not think   
women have in general4 ,two years ago ,i
 had not a farthing1 having spent it all

 to recover her health4 ,she said to me1
 ,what are we to do1 my dear8 ,i        
replied1 ,trust in ,god4 ,there was     
something like a smile on her face4 ,the
 very next day came the order for #djj  
from ,liverpool1 and ever since ,i have 
been employed4' ,alas1 poor ,mary6 who  
had been chiefly occupied in bearing    
children and burying them1 that must    
have been rather a melancholy smile upon
 her faded face4  ,during the first part
 of #ahdj1 ,haydon seems to have been   
chiefly engaged in lecturing1 the only  
picture on the stocks being a small     
replica of his ,napoleon ,musing for the
 poet ,rogers4 ,in ,february he was     
enabled to carry out one of the dreams  
of his life1 namely1 the delivery of a  
series of lectures upon art in the      
,ashmolean ,museum at ,oxford1 under the
 patronage of the ,vice-,chancellor4    
,the experiment was a triumphant        
success1 and he exclaims1 with his usual
 pious fervour1 ',o ,god1 how grateful  
ought ,i to be at being permitted the   

distinction of thus being the first to  
break down the barrier which has kept   
art begging to be heard at the          
,universities4' ,he describes the       
occasion as one of the four chief       
honours of his life1 the other three    
being ,wordsworth's sonnet1 ',high is   
our calling1' the freedom of his native 
town1 and a public dinner that was given
 in his honour at ,edinburgh4 ,on ,march
 #ad he arrived home1 'full of          
enthusiasm and expecting 7like the      
,vicar of ,wakefield7 every             
blessing--expecting my dear ,mary to    
hang about my neck1 and welcome me after
 my victory2 when ,i found her out1 not 
calculating ,i should be home till      
dinner4 ,i then walked into town1 and   
when ,i returned she was at home1 and   
hurt that ,i did not wait1 so this begat
 mutual allusions which were anything   
but loving or happy4 ,so much for       
anticipations of human happiness6'  ,on 
,june #ab1ahdj1 ,haydon notes3          
',excessively excited and exhausted4 ,i 

attended the great ,convention of the   
,anti-,slavery ,society at ,freemasons' 
,hall4 ,last ,wednesday a deputation    
called on me from the ,committee1 saying
 they wished for a sketch of the scene4 
,the meeting was very affecting4 ,poor  
old ,clarkson was present1 with         
delegates from ,america1 and other parts
 of the world4' ,a few days later1      
,haydon breakfasted with ,clarkson1 and 
sketched him with 'an expression of     
indignant humanity4' ,in less than a    
week fifty heads were dashed in1 the    
picture1 when finished1 containing no   
fewer than a hundred and thirty-eight2  
in fact1 as the artist remarked1 with a 
curious disregard of natural history1 it
 was all heads1 like a peacock's tail4  
,haydon took a malicious pleasure in    
suggesting to his sitters that he should
 place them beside the negro delegate2  
this being his test of their sincerity4 
,thus he notes on ,june #cj3 ',scobell  
called4 ,i said1 ,i shall place you1    
,thompson1 and the negro together4 ,now 

an abolitionist1 on thorough principle1 
would have gloried in being so placed4  
,he sophisticated immediately on the    
propriety of placing the negro in the   
distance1 as it would have much greater 
effect4 ,lloyd ,garrison comes to-day4  
,i'll try him1 and this shall be my     
method of ascertaining the real         
heart4444 ,garrison met me directly4    
,george ,thompson said he saw no        
objection4 ,but that was not enough4 ,a 
man who wishes to place a negro on a    
level with himself must no longer regard
 him as having been a slave1 and feel   
annoyed at sitting by his side4' ,a     
visit to ,clarkson at ,playford ,hall1  
,ipswich1 was an interesting experience4
 ,clarkson told the story of his vision1
 and the midnight voice that said ',you 
have not done your work4 ,there is      
,america4' ,haydon had been a believer  
all his life in such spiritual          
communications1 and declares1 ',i have  
been so acted on from seventeen to      
fifty-five1 for the purpose of reforming

 and refining my great country in art4' 
,in #ahda the ,fine ,arts ,committee    
appointed to consider the question of   
the decoration of the new ,houses of    
,parliament1 sat to examine witnesses1  
but ,haydon was not summoned before     
them1 a slight which he deeply felt4    
,with an anxious heart he set about     
making experiments in fresco1 and was   
astonished at what he regarded as his   
success in this new line of endeavour4  
,during the past year1 the              
,anti-,slavery ,convention picture1 and 
one or two small commissions1 had kept  
his head above water1 but now the clouds
 were beginning to gather again1 his    
difficulties being greatly increased by 
the fact that he had two sons to start  
in the world4 ,the eldest1 ,frank1 had  
been apprenticed1 at his own wish1 to an
 engineering firm1 but tiring of his    
chosen profession1 he desired to take   
orders1 and1 as a university career was 
considered a necessary preliminary to   
this course1 he was entered at ,caius   

,college1 ,cambridge4 ,the second son1  
,frederick1 ,haydon fitted out for the  
navy1 and in order to meet these heavy  
extra expenses1 he was compelled to part
 with his copyright of the ',duke at    
,waterloo' for a wholly inadequate sum4 
,in the spring of #ahdb the ,fine ,arts 
,commission issued a notice of the      
conditions for the cartoon competition1 
intended to test the capacity of native 
artists for the decoration of the ,house
 of ,lords4 ,the joy with which ,haydon 
welcomed this first step towards the    
object which he had been advocating     
throughout the whole of his working     
life1 was marred by the painful         
misgiving that he would not be allowed  
to share the fruits of victory4 ,when he
 had first begun his crusade1 he had    
felt himself without a rival in his own 
branch of art1 not one of his           
contemporaries being able to compete    
with him in a knowledge of anatomy1 in  
strength of imagination1 or in the power
 of working on a grand scale4 ,but now  

he was fifty-six years old1 there were  
younger men coming on who had been      
trained in the principles of his own    
school1 and he was painfully aware that 
he had made many enemies in high places4
 ,still1 in spite of all forebodings1 he
 continued his researches in            
fresco-painting1 and wrote vehement     
letters to the papers1 protesting       
against the threatened employment of    
,cornelius and other ,german artists4   
,during this year ,haydon was working   
intermittently at two or three large    
pictures1 ',alexander conquering the    
,lion1' ',curtius leaping into the      
,gulf1' and the ',siege of ,saragossa1' 
for the days were long past when one    
grand composition occupied him for six  
years4 ,that the wolf was once again    
howling at the door is evidenced by the 
entry for ,february #f4 ',i got up      
yesterday1 after lying awake for several
 hours with all the old feelings of     
torture at want of money4 ,a bill coming
 due of #dd for my boy ,frank at ,caius4

 ,three commissions for #gjj put off    
till next year4 ,my dear ,mary's health 
broken up4444 ,i knew if my debt to the 
tutor of ,caius was not paid1 the mind  
of my son ,frank would be destroyed1    
from his sensitiveness to honour and    
right4 ,as he is now beating third-year 
men1 ,i dreaded any check4' ,in these   
straits he hastily painted one or two   
small pot-boilers1 borrowed1 deferred1  
pawned his wife's watch1 and had the    
satisfaction of bringing his son home   
'crowned as first-prize man in          
mathematics4' ,for one who was in the   
toils of the money-lenders1 who was only
 living from hand to mouth1 and who had 
never made an investment in his life1 to
 give his son a university career1 must 
be regarded1 according to individual    
feeling1 either as a proof of           
presumptuous folly or of childlike trust
 in ,providence4  ,as soon as his       
pictures were off his hands1 ,haydon    
began his competition cartoons of ',the 
,curse of ,adam and ,eve1' and ',the    

,entry of ,edward the ,black ,prince and
 ,king ,john into ,london4' ,he felt    
that it was beneath his dignity as a    
painter of recognised standing to       
compete with young unknown men who had  
nothing to lose1 but in his present     
necessities the chance of winning one of
 the money prizes was not to be         
neglected4 ,in the absence of any       
lucrative employment he was only able to
 carry on his work by pawning his       
lay-figure1 and borrowing off his       
butterman4 ,small wonder that he        
exclaims3 ',the greatest curse that can 
befall a father in ,england is to have a
 son gifted with a passion and a genius 
for high art4 ,thank ,god with all my   
soul and all my nature1 my children have
 witnessed the harrowing agonies under  
which ,i have ever painted1 and the very
 name of painting1 the very thought of a
 picture1 gives them a hideous taste in 
their mouths4 ,thank ,god1 not one of my
 boys1 nor my girl1 can draw a straight 
line1 even with a ruler1 much less      

without one4'  ,in the course of this   
year ,haydon began a correspondence with
 ,miss ,barrett1 afterwards ,mrs4       
,browning1 with whom he was never       
personally acquainted1 though he knew   
her through her poems1 and through the  
allusions to her in the letters of their
 common friend1 ,miss ,mitford4 ,the    
paper friendship flourished for a time1 
and ,haydon1 who was a keen judge of    
character1 recognised that here was a   
little ,donna ,quixote whose chivalry   
could be depended on in time of trouble4
 ,more than once1 when threatened with  
arrest1 he sent her paintings and       
manuscripts1 of which she took charge   
with sublime indifference to the fact   
that by so doing she might be placing   
herself within reach of the arm of the  
law4 ,one of the pictures that were     
placed in her guardianship was an       
unfinished portrait of ',wordsworth     
musing upon ,helvellyn4' ,miss ,barrett 
was inspired by this work with the      
sonnet beginning3     ',wordsworth upon 

,helvellyn6 ,let the cloud    ,ebb      
audibly along the mountain wind'2  and  
concluding with the fine tribute3       
',a vision free    ,and noble1 ,haydon1 
hath thine art released4    ,no portrait
 this with academic air1    ,this is the
 poet and his poetry4'  ,the year #ahdc 
brought1 as ,haydon's biographer points 
out1 'the consummation of what he had so
 earnestly fought for1 a competition of 
native artists to prove their capability
 for executing great monumental and     
decorative works2 but with this came his
 own bitter disappointment at not being 
among the successful competitors4 ,in   
all his struggles up to this point1     
,haydon had the consolation of hope that
 better times were coming4 ,but now the 
good time for art was at hand1 and he   
was passed over4 ,the blow fell         
heavily--indeed1 ,i may say1 was mortal4
 ,he tried to cheat himself into the    
belief that the old hostile influences  
to which he attributed all his          
misfortunes1 had been working here also1

 and that he should yet rise superior to
 their malice4 ,he would not admit to   
himself that his powers were            
impaired--that he was less fit for great
 achievements in his art than he had    
been when he painted ,solomon and       
,lazarus4 ,but if he held this opinion1 
he held it alone4 ,it was apparent to   
all1 even to his warmest friends1 that  
years of harass1 humiliation1           
distraction1 and conflict had enfeebled 
his energies1 and led him to seek in    
exaggeration the effect he could no     
longer attain by well-measured force4   
,his restless desire to have a hand in  
all that was projected for art1 had     
wearied those in authority4 ,he had     
shown himself too intractable to follow1
 and he had not inspired that confidence
 which might have given him a right to  
lead4'  ,although ,haydon loudly        
proclaimed his conviction that1 in face 
of the hostility against him1 his       
cartoons would not be successful1 even  
though they were as perfect as          

,raphael's1 yet it is obvious that he   
had not altogether relinquished hope4   
,in a letter to his old pupil1          
,eastlake1 who was secretary to the     
,fine ,arts ,commission1 he says3 ',i   
appeal to the ,royal ,commission1 to the
 ,first ,lord1 to you the secretary1 to 
,barry the architect1 if ,i ought not to
 be indulged in my hereditary right to  
do this1 viz41 that when the houses are 
ready1 cartoons done1 colours mixed1 and
 all at their posts1 ,i shall be        
allowed1 employed or not employed1 to   
take the brush1 and dip into the first  
colour1 and put the first touch on the  
first intonaco4 ,if that is not granted1
 ,i'll haunt every noble ,lord and you1 
till you join my disturbed spirit on the
 banks of the ,styx4'  ,on ,june #a1    
,haydon placed his two cartoons in      
,westminster ,hall1 and thanked his ,god
 that he had lived to see that day1     
adding with unconscious blasphemy1      
',spare my life1 ,o ,lord1 until ,i have
 shown thy strength unto this           

generation1 thy power unto that which is
 to come4' ,the miracle for which he had
 secretly hoped1 while declaring his    
certainty of failure1 did not happen4   
,on ,june #bg he heard from ,eastlake   
that his cartoons were not among those  
chosen for reward4 ,half stunned by the 
blow1 anticipated though it had been1 he
 makes but few comments on the news in  
his ,journal1 and those are written in a
 composed and reasonable tone4 ',i went 
to bed last night in a decent state of  
anxiety1' he observes4 ',it has given a 
great shock to my family1 especially to 
my dear boy1 ,frank1 and revived all the
 old horrors of arrest1 execution1 and  
debt4 ,it is exactly what ,i expected1  
and is1 ,i think1 intentional4444 ,i am 
wounded1 and being ill from confinement1
 it shook me4 7,july #ast7 ,a day of    
great misery4 ,i said to my dear love1  
,i am not included4 ,her expression was 
a study4 ,she said1 ,we shall be ruined4
 ,i looked up my letters1 papers1 and   
,journals1 and sent them to my dear     

,a,eschylus ,barrett4 ,i burnt loads of 
private letters1 and prepared for       
executions4 ,seven pounds was raised on 
my daughter's and ,mary's dresses4'     
,the three money prizes were awarded to 
,armitage1 ,cope1 and ,watts1 but it was
 announced that another competition1 in 
fresco1 would be held the following     
year1 when the successful competitors   
would be intrusted with the decoration  
of the ,house of ,lords4 ,haydon did not
 enter for this competition1 but1 as    
will presently appear1 he refused to    
allow that he was beaten4 ,on ,september
 #d he removed his cartoons from        
,westminster ,hall1 with the comment3   
',thus ends the cartoon contest2 and as 
the very first inventor and beginner of 
this mode of rousing the people when    
they were pronounced incapable of       
relishing refined works of art without  
colour1 ,i am deeply wounded at the     
insult inflicted4 ,these ,journals      
witness under what trials ,i began      
them--how ,i called on my ,creator for  

,his blessing--how ,i trusted in ,him1  
and how ,i have been degraded1 insulted1
 and harassed4 ,o ,lord6 ,thou knowest  
best4 ,i submit4'  ,during the year     
,haydon had finished his picture of     
',alexander and the ,lion1' which he    
considered one of his finest works1     
though the ,british ,gallery declined to
 hang it1 and no patron offered to buy  
it4 ,he had also painted for bread and  
cheese innumerable small replicas of    
',napoleon at ,st4 ,helena' and the     
',duke at ,waterloo' for five guineas   
apiece4 ,by the beginning of #ahdd his  
spirits had outwardly revived1 thanks to
 the anodyne of incessant labour1 and he
 writes almost in the old buoyant vein3 
',another day of work1 ,god be thanked6 
,put in the sea in ,napoleon at ,st4    
,helena2 a delicious tint4 ,how         
exquisite is a bare canvas1 sized alone1
 to work on2 how the slightest colour1  
thin as water1 tells2 how it glitters in
 body2 how the brush flies--now         
here--now there2 it seems as if face1   

hands1 sky1 thought1 poetry1 and        
expression were hid in the handle1 and  
streamed out as it touched the canvas4  
,what magic6 what fire6 what unerring   
hand and eye6 what power6 what a gift of
 ,god6 ,i bow1 and am grateful4' ,on    
,march #bd he came to the fatal decision
 to paint his own original designs for  
the ,house of ,lords in a series of six 
large pictures1 and exhibit them        
separately1 a decision founded1 as he   
believed1 on supernatural inspiration4  
',awoke this morning1' he writes1 'with 
that sort of audible whisper ,socrates1 
,columbus1 and ,tasso heard6 ,why do you
 not paint your own designs for the     
,house on your own foundation1 and      
exhibit them8 ,i felt as if there was no
 chance of my ever being permitted to do
 them else1 without control also4 ,i    
knelt up in my bed1 and prayed heartily 
to accomplish them1 whatever might be   
the obstruction4 ,i will begin them as  
my next great works2 ,i feel as if they 
will be my last1 and ,i think ,i shall  

then have done my duty4 ,o ,god6 bless  
the beginning1 progression1 and         
conclusion of these six great designs to
 illustrate the best government to      
regulate without cramping the energies  
of mankind4'  ,in ,july the frescoes    
sent in for competition were exhibited  
in ,westminster ,hall1 and in the result
 six artists were commissioned to       
decorate the ,house of ,lords1 ,maclise1
 ,redgrave1 ,dyce1 ,cope1 ,horsley1 and 
,thomas4 ',i see1' writes ,haydon1 'they
 are resolved that ,i1 the originator of
 the whole scheme1 shall have nothing to
 do with it2 so ,i will 7trusting in the
 great ,god who has brought me thus far7
 begin on my own inventions without     
employment4' ,the first of the series   
was ',aristides hooted by the           
,populace1' and the conditions under    
which it was painted are described in   
his annual review of the year's work3   
',i have painted a large ,napoleon in   
four days and a half1 six smaller       
different subjects1 three ,curtiuses1   

five ,napoleons ,musing1 three ,dukes   
and ,copenhagens1 ,george ,,iv41 and the
 ,duke at ,waterloo--half done          
,uriel--published my lectures--and      
settled composition of ,aristides4 ,i   
gave lectures at ,liverpool1 sometimes  
twice a day1 and lectured at the ,royal 
,institution4 ,i have not been idle1 but
 how much more ,i might have done6'  ,in
 #ahde ,haydon exhibited his picture of 
',uriel and ,satan' at the ,academy1 and
 'after twenty-two years of abuse1'     
actually received a favourable notice in
 the ,times1 ,for the ,uriel he was paid
 #bjj1 but five other pictures remained 
upon his hands1 their estimated value   
amounting to nearly a thousand pounds1  
and he was left to work at his          
,aristides with barely ten shillings for
 current expenses1 and not a single     
commission in prospect4 ',what a pity it
 is1' he observes1 'that a man of my    
order--sincerity1 perhaps genius in the 
,journal a private note is here         
inserted1 not perhaps1 is not employed4 

,what honour1 what distinction would ,i 
not confer on my great country6         
,however1 it is my destiny to perform   
great things1 not in consequence of     
encouragement1 but in spite of          
opposition1 and so let it be4' ,in the  
latter part of the year came one or two 
minor pieces of good fortune for which  
,haydon professed the profoundest       
gratitude1 declaring that he was not    
good enough to deserve such blessings4  
,the ,king of ,hanover bought a         
,napoleon for #bjj1 and a pupil came1   
who paid a like sum as premium4 ,his    
son1 ,frank1 who had taken his degree1  
changed his mind again about his        
profession1 and now 'shrank from the    
publicity of the pulpit4' ,haydon       
applied to ,sir ,robert ,peel for an    
appointment for the youth1 and ,peel1   
who seems to have shown the utmost      
patience and kindness in his relations  
with the unfortunate artist1 at once    
offered a post in the ,record ,office at
 #hj a year1 an offer which was gladly  

accepted4  ,thus relieved of immediate  
care1 ,haydon set to work on the second 
picture of his series1 ',nero playing   
the ,lyre while ,rome was burning4' ,the
 effect of his conception1 as he foresaw
 it in his mind's eye1 was so terrific  
that he 'fluttered1 trembled1 and       
perspired like a woman1 and was obliged 
to sit down4' ,under all the anxiety1   
the pressure1 and the disappointment of 
,haydon's life1 it must be remembered   
that there were enormous compensations  
in the shape of days and hours of       
absorbed and satisfied employment1 days 
and hours such as seldom fall to the lot
 of the average good citizen and solvent
 householder4 ,the following entry alone
 is sufficient proof that ,haydon1 even 
in his worst straits1 was almost as much
 an object of envy as of compassion3    
',worked with such intense abstraction  
and delight for eight hours1 with five  
minutes only for lunch1 that though     
living in the noisiest quarter of all   
,london1 ,i never remember hearing all  

day a single cart1 carriage1 knock1 cry1
 bark of man1 woman1 dog1 or child4     
,when ,i came out into the sunshine ,i  
said to myself1 ,why1 what is all this  
driving about8 though it has always been
 so for the last twenty-two years1 so   
perfectly1 delightfully1 and intensely  
had ,i been abstracted4 ,if that be not 
happiness1 what is8'  ,haydon had now   
staked all his hopes upon the exhibition
 in the spring of #ahdf of the first two
 pictures in his series1 ',aristides'   
and ',nero4' ,if the public flocked to  
see them1 if it accorded him1 as he     
expected1 its enthusiastic support1 he  
hoped that the ,commission would be     
shamed into offering him public         
employment4 ,if1 on the other hand1 the 
exhibition failed1 he must have realised
 that he would be irretrievably ruined1 
with all his hopes for the future slain4
 ,everything was to be sacrificed to    
this last grand effort4 ',if ,i lose    
this moment for showing all my works1'  
he writes1 'it can never occur again4   

,my fate hangs on doing as ,i ought1 and
 seizing moments with energy4 ,i shall  
never again have the opportunity of     
connecting myself with a great public   
commission by opposition1 and           
interesting the public by the contrast4 
,if ,i miss it1 it will be a tide not   
taken at the flood4'  ,by dint of       
begging and borrowing1 the money was    
scraped together for the opening        
expenses of the exhibition1 and ,haydon 
composed a sensational descriptive      
advertisement in the hope of attracting 
the public4 ,the private view was on    
,april #d1 when it rained all day1 and  
only four old friends attended4 ,on     
,april #f1 ,easter ,monday1 the public  
was admitted1 but only twenty-one       
availed themselves of the privilege4    
,for a few days ,haydon went on hoping  
against hope that matters would improve1
 and that ,john ,bull1 in whose support 
he had trusted1 would rally round him at
 last4 ,but ,tom ,thumb was exhibiting  
next door1 and the historical painter   

had no chance against the pigmy4 ,the   
people rushed by in their thousands to  
visit ,tom ,thumb1 but few stopped to   
inspect ',aristides' or ',nero4' ',they 
push1 they fight1 they scream1 they     
faint1' writes ,haydon1 'they see my    
bills1 my boards1 my caravans1 and don't
 read them4 ,their eyes are open1 but   
their sense is shut4 ,it is an insanity1
 a rabies1 a madness1 a furor1 a dream4 
,tom ,thumb had #ab1jjj people last     
week1 ,b4 ,r4 ,haydon #acc #a_/b 7the   
half a little girl74 ,exquisite taste of
 the ,english people6444 7,may1 #ahth7  
,i closed my exhibition this day1 and   
lost #aaa1 #hs4 #aj;d4 ,no man can      
accuse me of showing less energy1 less  
spirit1 less genius than ,i did         
twenty-six years ago4 ,i have not       
decayed1 but the people have been       
corrupted4 ,i am the same1 they are not2
 and ,i have suffered in consequence4'  
,in defiance of this shipwreck of all   
his hopes1 and the heavy liabilities    
that hung about his neck1 this          

indomitable spirit began the third      
picture of his unappreciated series1    
',alfred and the ,first ,british ,jury4'
 ,he had large sums to pay in the coming
 month1 and only a few shillings in the 
house1 with no commissions in prospect4 
,he sends up passionate and despairing  
petitions that ,god will help him in his
 dreadful necessities1 will raise him   
friends from sources invisible1 and     
enable him to finish his last and       
greatest works4 ,appeals for help to    
,lord ,brougham1 the ,duke of ,beaufort1
 and ,sir ,robert ,peel brought only one
 response1 a cheque for #ej from ,peel1 
which was merely a drop in the ocean4   
,day by day went by1 and still no       
commissions came in1 no offers for any  
of the large pictures he had on hand4   
,haydon began to lose confidence in his 
ability to finish his series1 and with  
him loss of self-confidence was a fatal 
sign4 ,the ,june weather was hot1 he was
 out of health1 and unable to sleep at  
night1 but he declined to send for a    

doctor4 ,his brain grew confused1 and at
 last even the power to work1 that power
 which for him had spelt pride and      
happiness throughout his whole life1    
seemed to be leaving him4  ,on ,june #af
 he writes3 ',i sat from two till five  
staring at my picture like an idiot1 my 
brain pressed down by anxiety1 and the  
anxious looks of my dear ,mary and the  
children4444 ,dearest ,mary1 with a     
woman's passion1 wishes me at once to   
stop payment1 and close the whole thing4
 ,i will not4 ,i will finish my six     
under the blessing of ,god1 reduce my   
expenses1 and hope ,his mercy will not  
desert me1 but bring me through in      
health and vigour1 gratitude and        
grandeur of soul1 to the end4' ,the end 
was nearer than he thought1 for even    
,haydon's brave spirit could not battle 
for ever with adverse fate1 and the     
collapse1 when it came1 was sudden4 ,the
 last two or three entries in the       
,journal are melancholy reading4  ',june
 #ah4--,o ,god1 bless me through the    

evils of this day4 ,my landlord1        
,newton1 called4 ,i said1 ,i see a      
quarter's rent in thy face1 but none    
from me4 ,i appointed to-morrow night to
 see him1 and lay before him every iota 
of my position4 ,good-hearted ,newton6  
,i said1 ,don't put in an execution4    
,nothing of the sort1 he replied1 half  
hurt4 ,i sent the ,duke1 ,wordsworth1   
dear ,fred and ,mary's heads to ,miss   
,barrett to protect4 ,i have the ,duke's
 boots and hat1 ,lord ,grey's coat1 and 
some more heads4  '#bjth4--,o ,god1     
bless us through all the evils of this  
day4 ,amen4  '#bast14--,slept horribly4 
,prayed in sorrow1 and got up in        
agitation4  '#bbnd4--,god forgive me4   
,amen4   ,,finis ,,of ,b4 ,r4 ,,haydon4 
',stretch me no longer on this rough    
world--,lear4'  ,this last entry was    
made between ten and eleven o'clock on  
the morning of ,june #bb4 ,haydon had   
risen early1 and gone out to a          
gunmaker's in ,oxford ,street1 where he 
bought a pair of pistols4 ,after        

breakfast1 he asked his wife to go and  
spend the day with an old friend1 and   
having affectionately embraced her1 shut
 himself in his painting-room4 ,mrs4    
,haydon left the house1 and an hour     
later ,miss ,haydon went down to the    
studio1 intending to try and console her
 father in his anxieties4 ,she found him
 stretched on the floor in front of his 
unfinished picture of ',alfred and the  
,first ,jury1' a bullet-wound in his    
head1 and a frightful gash across his   
throat4 ,a razor and a small pistol lay 
by his side4 ,on the table were his     
,journal1 open at the last page1 letters
 to his wife and children1 his will1    
made that morning1 and a paper headed3  
',last thoughts of ,b4 ,r4 ,haydon2     
half-past ten4' ,these few lines1 with  
their allusions to ,wellington and      
,napoleon1 are characteristic of the man
 who had painted the two great soldiers 
a score of times1 and looked up to them 
as his heroes and exemplars4  ',no man  
should use certain evil for probable    

good1 however great the object1' so they
 run4 ',evil is the prerogative of the  
,deity4 ,wellington never used evil if  
the good was not certain4 ,napoleon had 
no such scruples1 and ,i fear the       
glitter of his genius rather dazzled me4
 ,but had ,i been encouraged1 nothing   
but good would have come from me1       
because when encouraged ,i paid         
everybody4 ,god forgive me the evil for 
the sake of the good4 ,amen4'  ,this    
tragic conclusion to a still more tragic
 career created a profound sensation in 
society1 and immense crowds followed the
 historical painter to his grave4 ,among
 all his friends1 perhaps few were more 
affected by his death than one who had  
never looked upon his face--his 'dear   
schylus ,barrett1 'as he called her4    
,certain it is that1 with the intuition 
of genius1 ,elizabeth ,barrett          
understood1 appreciated1 and made       
allowances for the unhappy man more     
completely than was possible to any     
other of his contemporaries4            

,clear-sighted to his faults and        
weaknesses1 her chivalrous spirit took  
up arms in defence of his conduct1 even 
against the strictures of her           
poet-lover4 ',the dreadful death of poor
 ,mr4 ,haydon the artist1' she wrote to 
her friend ,mrs4 ,martin1 a few days    
after the event1 'has quite upset me4 ,i
 thank ,god that ,i never saw him--poor 
gifted ,haydon4444 ,no artist is left   
behind with equal largeness of poetical 
conception4 ,if the hand had always     
obeyed the soul1 he would have been a   
genius of the first order4 ,as it is1 he
 lived on the slope of genius1 and could
 not be steadfast and calm4 ,his life   
was one long agony of self-assertion4   
,poor1 poor ,haydon6 ,see how the world 
treats those who try too openly for its 
gratitude4 ,tom ,thumb for ever over the
 heads of its giants4'  ',could any     
one--could my own hand even have averted
 what has happened8' she wrote to       
,robert ,browning on ,june #bd1 #ahdf4  
',my head and heart have ached to-day   

over the inactive hand4 ,but for the    
moment it was out of my power1 and then 
,i never fancied this case to be more   
than a piece of a continuous case1 of a 
habit fixed4 ,two years ago he sent me  
boxes and pictures precisely so1 and    
took them back again--poor1 poor        
,haydon6--as he will not this time4444  
,also1 ,i have been told again and again
 7oh1 never by you1 my beloved7 that to 
give money there1 was to drop it into a 
hole in the ground4 ,but if to have     
dropped it so1 dust to dust1 would have 
saved a living man--what then8444 ,some 
day1 when ,i have the heart to look for 
it1 you shall see his last note4 ,i     
understand now that there are touches of
 desperate pathos--but never could he   
have meditated self-destruction while   
writing that note4 ,he said he should   
write six more lectures--six more       
volumes4 ,he said he was painting a new 
background to a picture which made him  
feel as if his soul had wings444 and he 
repeated an old phrase of his1 which ,i 

had heard from him often before1 and    
which now rings hollowly to the ears of 
my memory--that he couldn't and wouldn't
 die4 ,strange and dreadful6'  ,directly
 after ,haydon's death a public meeting 
of his friends and patrons was held1 at 
which a considerable sum was subscribed 
for the benefit of his widow and        
daughter4 ,sir ,robert ,peel1 besides   
sending immediate help1 recommended the 
,queen to bestow a small pension on     
,mrs4 ,haydon4 ,the dead man's debts    
amounted to #cjjj1 and his assets       
consisted chiefly of unsaleable         
pictures1 on most of which his creditors
 had liens4 ,in his will was a clause to
 the effect that ',i have manuscripts   
and memoirs in the possession of ,miss  
,barrett1 of #ej ,wimpole ,street1 in a 
chest1 which ,i wish ,longman to be     
consulted about4 ,my memoirs are to     
#ahbj2 my journals will supply the rest4
 ,the style1 the individuality of       
,richardson1 which ,i wish not curtailed
 by an editor4' ,miss ,mitford was asked

 to edit the ,life1 but felt herself    
unequal to the task1 which was finally  
intrusted to ,mr4 ,tom ,taylor4         
,haydon's ,memoirs1 compiled from his   
autobiography1 journals1 and            
correspondence1 appeared in #ahec1 the  
same year that saw the publication of   
,lord ,john ,russell's ,life of ,thomas 
,moore4 ,to the great astonishment of   
both critics and public1 ,haydon's story
 proved the more interesting of the two4
 ',haydon's book is the work of the     
year1' writes ,miss ,mitford4 ',it has  
entirely stopped the sale of ,moore's1  
which really might have been written by 
a ,court newspaper or a ,court          
milliner4' ,again1 the ,athenum1 a more 
impartial witness1 asks1 ',who would    
have thought that the ,life of ,haydon  
would turn out a more sterling and      
interesting addition to ,english        
biography than the ,life of ,moore8'    
,but the highest testimony to the merits
 of the book as a human document comes  
from ,mrs4 ,browning1 who wrote to ,miss

 ,mitford on ,march #ai1 #ahed1 ',oh1 ,i
 have just been reading poor ,haydon's  
biography4 ,there is tragedy6 ,the pain 
of it one can hardly shake off4 ,surely1
 surely1 wrong was done somewhere1 when 
the worst is admitted of ,haydon4 ,for  
himself1 looking forward beyond the     
grave1 ,i seem to understand that all   
things1 when most bitter1 worked        
ultimate good to him1 for that sublime  
arrogance of his would have been fatal  
perhaps to the moral nature1 if further 
developed by success4 ,but for the      
nation we had our duties1 and we should 
not suffer our teachers and originators 
to sink thus4 ,it is a book written in  
blood of the heart4 ,poor ,haydon6' ,mr4
 ,taylor's ,life was supplemented in    
#ahgd by ,haydon's ,correspondence and  
,table-talk1 together with a ,memoir    
written in a tone of querulous          
complaint1 by his second son1           
,frederick1 who1 it may be noted1 had   
been dismissed from the public service  
for publishing a letter to ,mr4         

,gladstone1 entitled ,our ,officials at 
the ,home ,office1 and who died in the  
,bethlehem ,hospital in #ahhf4 ,his     
elder brother1 ,frank1 committed suicide
 in #ahhg4  ,on the subject of ,haydon's
 merits as a painter the opinion of his 
contemporaries swung from one extreme to
 another1 while that of posterity       
perhaps has scarcely allowed him such   
credit as was his due4 ,it is certain   
that he was considered a youth of       
extraordinary promise by his colleagues1
 ,wilkie1 ,jackson1 and ,sir ,george    
,beaumont1 yet there were not wanting   
critics who declared that his early     
picture1 ',dentatus1' was an absurd mass
 of vulgarity and distortion4 ,foreign  
artists who visited his studio urged him
 to go to ,rome1 where he was assured   
that patrons and pupils would flock     
round him2 while1 on the other hand1 he 
was described by a native critic 7in the
 ,quarterly ,review7 as one of the most 
defective painters of the day1 who had  
received more pecuniary assistance1 more

 indulgence1 more liberality1 and more  
charity than any other artist ever heard
 of4 ,but the best criticism of his     
powers1 though it scarcely takes into   
account the gift of imagination which   
received so many tributes from the      
poets1 is that contributed to ,mr4      
,taylor's biography by ,mr4 ,watts1     
,r4,a4  ',the characteristics of        
,haydon's art1' he writes1 'appear to me
 to be great determination and power1   
knowledge1 and effrontery444 ,haydon    
appears to have succeeded as often as he
 displays any real anxiety to do so2 but
 one is struck with the extraordinary   
discrepancy of different parts of the   
work1 as though1 bored by a fixed       
attention that had taken him out of     
himself1 yet highly applauding the      
result1 he had scrawled and daubed his  
brush about in a sort of intoxication of
 self-glory444 ,in ,haydon's work there 
is not sufficient forgetfulness of self 
to disarm criticism of personality4 ,his
 pictures are themselves                

autobiographical notes of the most      
interesting kind2 but their want of     
beauty repels1 and their want of modesty
 exasperates4 ,perhaps their principal  
characteristic is lack of delicacy and  
refinement of execution4' ,while        
describing ,haydon's touch as woolly1   
his surfaces as disagreeable1 and his   
draperies as deficient in dignity1 ,mr4 
,watts admits that his expression of    
anatomy and general perception of form  
are the best by far that can be found in
 the ,english school4 ,haydon had looked
 forward in full confidence to the      
favourable verdict of posterity1 and to 
an honourable position in the ,national 
,gallery for the big canvases that had  
been neglected by his contemporaries4   
,it is not the least of life's little   
ironies that while not a single work of 
his now hangs in the ,national ,gallery1
 his large picture of ,curtius leaping  
into the ,gulf occupies a prominent     
position in one of ,gatti's restaurants4
 ,footnote3 ,three of ,haydon's         

pictures1 however1 are the property of  
the nation4 ,two1 the ',lazarus' and    
',may-day1' belong to the ,national     
,gallery1 but have been lent to         
provincial galleries4 ,one1 the ',christ
 in the ,garden1' belongs to the ,south 
,kensington ,museum1 but has been stored
 away4  ,as a lecturer1 a theoriser1 and
 a populariser of his art1 ,haydon has  
just claims to grateful remembrance4    
,though driven to paint pot-boilers for 
the support of his family1 he never     
ceased to preach the gospel of high art2
 he was among the first to recognise and
 acclaim the transcendent merits of the 
,elgin ,marbles2 he rejoiced with a     
personal joy in the purchase of the     
,angerstein collection as the nucleus of
 a ,national ,gallery2 he scorned the   
ignoble fears of some of his colleagues 
lest the newly-started winter           
exhibitions of old masters should injure
 their professional prospects2 he used  
his interest at ,court to have          
,raphael's cartoons brought up to       

,london for the benefit of students and 
public2 he advocated the establishment  
of local schools of design1 and1 through
 his lectures and writings1 helped to   
raise and educate the taste of his      
country4  ,haydon has painted his own   
character and temperament in such vivid 
colours1 that scarcely a touch need be  
added to the portrait4 ,he was an       
original thinker1 a vigorous writer1 a  
keen observer1 but from his youth up a  
disproportion was evident in the        
structure of his mind1 that pointed only
 too clearly to insanity4 ,his judgment1
 as ,mr4 ,taylor observes1 was          
essentially unsound in all matters where
 he himself was personally interested4  
,his vanity blinded him throughout to   
the quality of his own work1 the amount 
of influence he could wield1 and the    
extent of the public sympathy that he   
excited4 ,he was essentially religious  
in temperament1 though his religion was 
so assertive and egotistical in type    
that those who hold with ,rosalba that  

where there is no modesty there can be  
no religion1 ,footnote3 ,rosalba said of
 ,sir ,godfrey ,kneller1 ',this man can 
have no religion1 for he has no         
modesty4' might be inclined to deny its 
existence4 ,from the very outset of his 
career ,haydon took up the attitude of a
 missionary of high art in ,england--and
 therewith the expectation of being     
crowned and enriched as its ,priest and 
,king4 ,he clung to the belief that a   
man who devoted himself to the practice 
of a high and ennobling art ought to be 
supported by a grateful country1 or at  
least by generous patrons1 and he could 
never be made to realise that ,art is a 
stern and jealous mistress1 who demands 
material sacrifices from her votaries in
 exchange for spiritual compensations4  
,if a man desires to create a new era in
 the art of his country1 he must be     
prepared to lead a monastic life in a   
garret2 but if1 like ,haydon1 he allows 
himself a wife and eight children1 and  
professes to be unable to live on five  

hundred a year1 he must condescend to   
the painting of portraits and           
pot-boilers4 ,the public cannot be      
forced to support what it neither       
understands nor admires1 and1 in a      
democratic state1 the ,government is    
bound to consult the taste of its       
masters4  ,haydon's financial           
embarrassments were perhaps the least of
 his trials4 ,as has been seen1 he had  
fallen into the hands of the            
money-lenders in early youth1 and he had
 never been able to extricate himself   
from their clutches4 ,but so many of his
 friends and colleagues--,godwin1 ,leigh
 ,hunt1 and ,sir ,thomas ,lawrence among
 others--were in the same position1 that
 ,haydon must have felt he was insolvent
 in excellent company4 ,as long as he   
was able to keep himself out of prison  
and the bailiffs out of his house1 he   
seems to have considered that his       
affairs were positively nourishing1 and 
at their worst his financial            
difficulties alone would never have     

driven him to self-destruction4 ,mrs4   
,browning was surely right when she     
wrote3--',the more ,i think the more ,i 
am inclined to conclude that the money  
irritation was merely an additional     
irritation1 and that the despair1       
leading to revolt against life1 had its 
root in disappointed ambition4 ,the     
world did not recognise his genius1 and 
he punished the world by withdrawing the
 light444 ,all the audacity and bravery 
and self-calculation1 which drew on him 
so much ridicule1 were an agony in      
disguise--he could not live without     
reputation1 and he wrestled for it1     
struggled for it1 kicked for it1        
forgetting grace of attitude in the     
pang4 ,when all was vain he went mad and
 died444 ,poor ,haydon6 ,think what an  
agony life was to him1 so               
constituted6--his own genius a clinging 
curse6 the fire and the clay in him     
seething and quenching one another6--the
 man seeing maniacally in all men the   
assassins of his fame6 and with the     

whole world against him1 struggling for 
the thing that was his life1 through day
 and night1 in thoughts and in dreams   
444 struggling1 stifling1 breaking the  
hearts of the creatures dearest to him1 
in the conflict for which there was no  
victory1 though he could not choose but 
fight it4 ,tell me if ,laocon's anguish 
was not as an infant's sleep compared to
 this4'  ,haydon wrote his own epitaph1 
and this1 which he1 at least1 believed  
to be an accurate summary of his        
misfortunes and their cause1 may fitly  
close this brief outline of his troubled
 life3--  ',,here ,,lieth ,,the ,,body  
,,of  ,,benjamin ,,robert ,,haydon1  ,an
 ,english ,historical ,painter1 who1 in 
a struggle to make the ,people1 the     
,legislature1 the ,nobility1 and the    
,sovereign of ,england give due dignity 
and rank to the highest ,art1 which has 
ever languished1 and1 until the         
,government interferes1 ever will       
languish in ,england1 fell a ,victim to 
his ardour and his love of country1 an  

evidence that to seek the benefit of    
your country by telling the ,truth to   
,power1 is a crime that can only be     
expiated by the ruin and destruction of 
the ,man who is so patriotic and so     
imprudent4  ',he was born at ,plymouth1 
#bfth of ,january #aghf1 and died on the
 #bbnd of ,june #ahdf1 believing in     
,christ as the ,mediator and ,advocate  
of ,mankind3--  ',what various ills the 
,painter's life assail1 ,pride1 ,envy1  
,want1 the ,patron and the ,jail4'      
,,lady ,,morgan 7,,sydney ,,owenson7    
,,part ,i   ,illustration3 ,sydney      
,owenson1 afterwards ,lady ,morgan1     
,from a drawing by ,sir ,thomas         
,lawrence4  ',what1' asks ,lady ,morgan 
in her fragment of autobiography1 'what 
has a woman to do with dates8 ,cold1    
false1 erroneous dates6 ,her poetical   
idiosyncrasy1 calculated by epochs1     
would make the most natural points of   
reference in a woman's autobiography4'  
,the matter-of-fact ,saxon would hardly 
know how to set about calculating a     

poetical idiosyncrasy by epochs1 but our
 ,celtic heroine was equal to the task2 
at any rate1 she abstained so carefully 
throughout her career from all          
unnecessary allusion to what she called 
'vulgar eras1' that the date of her     
birth remained a secret1 even from her  
bitterest enemies4 ,her untiring        
persecutor1 ,john ,wilson ,croker1      
declared that ,sydney ,owenson was born 
in #agge1 while the ,dictionary of      
,national ,biography more gallantly     
gives the date as #aghc1 with a query4  
,but as ,sir ,charles ,morgan was born  
in the latter year1 and as his wife     
owned to a few years' seniority1 we     
shall probably be doing her no injustice
 if we place the important event between
 #aggh and #aghj4  ,lady ,morgan's      
detestation for dates was accompanied by
 a vivid imagination1 an inaccurate     
memory1 and a constitutional inability  
to deal with hard facts4 ,hence1 her    
biographers have found it no easy task  
to grapple with the details of her      

career1 her own picturesque1            
high-coloured narrative being not       
invariably in accord with the prosaic   
records gathered from contemporary      
sources4 ,for example1 according to the 
plain1 unvarnished statement of a ,saxon
 chronicler1 ,lady ,morgan's father was 
one ,robert ,mac,owen1 who was born in  
#agdd1 the son of poor parents in       
,connaught4 ,he was educated at a       
hedge-school1 and on coming to man's    
estate1 obtained a situation as steward 
to a neighbouring landowner4 ,but1      
having been inspired with an            
unquenchable passion for the theatre1 he
 presently threw up his post1 and       
through the influence of ,goldsmith1 a  
',connaught cousin1' he obtained a      
footing on the ,english stage4  ,the    
,celtic version of this story1 as       
dictated by ,lady ,morgan in her old    
age1 is immeasurably superior1 and at   
any rate deserves to be true4 ,early in 
the eighteenth century1 so runs the     
tale1 a hurling-match was held in       

,connaught1 which was attended by all   
the gentry of the neighbourhood4 ,the   
,queen of ,beauty1 who gave away the    
prizes1 was ,sydney ,crofton ,bell1     
granddaughter of ,sir ,malby ,crofton of
 ,longford ,house4 ,the victor of the   
hurling-match was ,walter ,mac,owen1 a  
gentleman according to the genealogy of 
,connaught1 but a farmer by position4   
,young1 strong1 and handsome1 ,mac,owen1
 like ,orlando1 overthrew more than his 
enemies1 with the result that presently 
there was an elopement in the           
neighbourhood1 and an unpardonable      
msalliance in the ,crofton family4 ,the 
marriage does not appear to have been a 
very happy one1 since ,mac,owen         
continued to frequent all the fairs and 
hurling-matches of the country-side1 but
 his wife consoled herself for his      
neglect by cultivating her musical and  
poetical gifts4 ,she composed ,irish    
songs and melodies1 and gained the title
 of ,clasagh-na-,vallagh1 or ,harp of   
the ,valley4 ,her only son ,robert      

inherited his father's good looks and   
his mother's artistic talents1 and was  
educated by the joint efforts of the    
,protestant clergyman and the ,roman    
,catholic priest4  ,when the boy was    
about seventeen1 a rich1 eccentric      
stranger named ,blake arrived to take   
possession of the ,castle of ,ardfry4   
,the new-comer1 who was a musical       
amateur1 presently discovered that there
 was a young genius in the              
neighbourhood4 ,struck by the beauty of 
,robert ,mac,owen's voice1 ,mr4 ,blake  
offered to take the youth into his own  
household1 and educate him for a liberal
 profession1 an offer that was joyfully 
accepted by ,clasagh-na-,vallagh4 ,the  
patron soon tired of ,connaught1 and    
carried off his protg to ,london1 where 
he placed him under ,dr4 ,worgan1 the   
famous blind organist of ,westminster   
,abbey4 ,at home1 young ,mac,owen's     
duties were to keep his employer's      
accounts1 to carve at table1 and to sing
 ,irish melodies to his guests4 ,he was 

taken up by his distant kinsman1        
,goldsmith1 who introduced him to the   
world behind the scenes1 and encouraged 
him in his aspirations after a          
theatrical career4  ,among the young    
,irishman's new acquaintances was       
,madame ,weichsel1 prima donna of ,his  
,majesty's ,theatre1 and mother of the  
more celebrated ,mrs4 ,billington4 ,the 
lady occasionally studied her roles     
under ,dr4 ,worgan1 when ,mac,owen      
played the part of stage-lover1 and1    
being of an inflammable disposition1    
speedily developed into a real one4     
,this love-affair was the cause of a    
sudden reverse of fortune4 ,during ,mr4 
,blake's absence from town1 ,robert     
accompanied ,madame ,weichsel to        
,vauxhall1 where she was engaged to sing
 a duet4 ,her professional colleague    
failing to appear1 young ,mac,owen was  
persuaded to undertake the tenor part1  
which he did with pronounced success4   
,but unfortunately ,mr4 ,blake1 who had 
returned unexpectedly from ,ireland1 was

 among the audience1 and was angered    
beyond all forgiveness by this premature
 dbut4 ,when ,robert went home1 he found
 his trunks ready packed1 and a letter  
of dismissal from his patron awaiting   
him4 ,a note for #cjj1 which accompanied
 the letter1 was returned1 and the      
prodigal drove off to his cousin        
,goldsmith1 who1 with characteristic    
good-nature1 took him in1 and promised  
him his interest with the theatrical    
managers4  ,according to ,lady ,morgan's
 account1 ,robert ,owenson1 as he now   
called himself in deference to the      
prevailing prejudice against both the   
,irish and the ,scotch1 was at once     
introduced to ,garrick1 and allowed to  
make his dbut in the part of ,tamerlane4
 ,but1 from contemporary evidence1 it is
 clear that he had gained some          
experience in the provinces before he   
made his first appearance on the ,london
 boards1 when his ,tamerlane was a      
decided failure4 ,garrick refused to    
allow him a second chance1 but after    

further provincial touring1 he obtained 
another ,london engagement1 and appeared
 with success in such parts as ,captain 
,macheath1 ,sir ,lucius ,o',trigger1 and
 ,major ,o',flaherty4  ,owenson had been
 on the stage some years when he fell in
 love with ,miss ,jane ,hill1 the       
daughter of a respectable burgess of    
,shrewsbury4 ,the worthy ,mr4 ,hill     
refused his consent to his daughter's   
marriage with an actor1 but the dashing 
jeune premier1 like his father before   
him1 carried off his bride by night1 and
 married her at ,lichfield before her   
irate parent could overtake them4 ,miss 
,hill was a ,methodist by persuasion1   
and hated the theatre1 though she loved 
her player4 ,she induced her husband to 
renounce his profession for a time1 and 
to appear only at concerts and          
oratorios4 ,but the stage-fever was in  
his blood1 and after a short retirement1
 we find him1 in #agga1 investing a part
 of his wife's fortune in a share in the
 ,crow ,street ,theatre1 ,dublin1 where 

he made his first appearance with great 
success in his favourite part of ,major 
,o',flaherty1 one of the characters in  
,cumberland's comedy1 ,the ,west        
,indian4 ,he remained one of the pillars
 of this theatre until #aghb1 when      
,ryder1 the patentee1 became a bankrupt4
 ,owenson was then engaged by ,richard  
,daly to perform at the ,smock ,alley   
,theatre1 and also to fill the post of  
assistant-manager4  ,by this time       
,sydney had made her appearance in the  
world1 arriving on ,christmas ,day in   
some unspecified year4 ,according to one
 authority she was born on ship-board   
during the passage from ,holyhead to    
,dublin1 but she tells us herself that  
she was born at her father's house in   
,dublin during a ,christmas banquet1 at 
which most of the leading wits and      
literary celebrities of the capital were
 present4 ,the whole party was bidden to
 her christening a month later1 and     
,edward ,lysaght1 equally famous as a   
lawyer and an improvisatore1 undertook  

to make the necessary vows in her name4 
,in spite of this brilliant send-off1   
,sydney was not destined to bring good  
fortune to her father's house4 ,a few   
years after her birth ,owenson1 having  
quarrelled with ,daly1 invested his     
savings in a tumble-down building known 
as the ,old ,music ,hall1 which he      
restored1 and re-named the ,national    
,theatre4 ,the season opened with a     
grand national performance1 and         
everything promised well1 when1 like a  
bomb-shell1 came the announcement that  
the ,government had granted to ,richard 
,daly an exclusive patent for the       
performance of legitimate drama in      
,dublin4 ,mr4 ,owenson was thus obliged 
to close his theatre at the end of his  
first season1 but he received some      
compensation for his losses1 and was    
offered a re-engagement under ,daly on  
favourable terms1 an offer which he had 
the sense to accept4  ,a short period of
 comparative calm and freedom from      
embarrassment now set in for the        

,owenson family4 ,mrs4 ,owenson was a   
careful mother1 and extremely anxious   
about the education of her two little   
girls1 ,sydney and ,olivia4 ,there is a 
touch of pathos in the picture of the   
prim1 methodistical ,english lady1 who  
hated the dirt and slovenliness of her  
husband's people1 was shocked at their  
jovial ways and free talk1 looked upon  
all ,papists as connections of          
,antichrist1 and hoped for the salvation
 of mankind through the form of religion
 patronised by ,lady ,huntington4 ,she  
was accustomed to hold up as an example 
to her little girls the career of a     
certain model child1 the daughter of a  
distant kinsman1 ,sir ,rowland ,hill of 
,shropshire4 ,this appalling infant had 
read the ,bible twice through before she
 was five1 and knitted all the stockings
 worn by her father's coachman4 ,the    
lively ,sydney detested the memory of   
her virtuous young kinswoman1 for she   
had great difficulty in mastering the   
art of reading1 though she learned      

easily by heart1 and could imitate      
almost anything she saw4 ,at a very     
early age she could go through the whole
 elaborate process of hair-dressing1    
from the first papillote to the last    
puff of the powder-machine1 and amused  
herself by arranging her father's old   
wigs in one of the windows1 under the   
inscription1 ',sydney ,owenson1 ,system1
 ,tte1 and ,peruke ,maker4'  ,mr4       
,owenson found his friends among all the
 wildest wits of ,dublin1 but his wife's
 society was strictly limited1 both at  
the ,old ,music ,hall1 part of which had
 been utilised as a dwelling1 and at the
 country villa that her husband had     
taken for her at ,drumcondra4 ,yet she  
does not appear to have permitted her   
religious prejudices to interfere with  
her social relaxations1 since her three 
chief intimates at this time were the   
,rev4 ,charles ,macklin 7nephew of the  
actor71 a great performer on the ,irish 
pipes1 who had been dismissed from his  
curacy for playing out the congregation 

on his favourite instrument2 a          
,methodist preacher who had come over on
 one of ,lady ,huntingdon's missions2   
and a ,jesuit priest1 who1 his order    
being proscribed in ,ireland1 was living
 in concealment1 and in want1 it was    
believed1 of the necessaries of life4   
,these three regularly frequented the   
,old ,music ,hall1 where points of faith
 were freely discussed1 ,mrs4 ,owenson  
holding the position of ,protestant     
,pope in the little circle4 ,in order   
that the discussions might not be       
unprofitable1 the ,catholic servants    
were sometimes permitted to stand at the
 door1 and gather up the crumbs of      
theological wisdom4  ,female visitors   
were few1 one of the most regular being 
a younger sister of ,oliver ,goldsmith1 
who lived with a grocer brother in a    
little shop which was afterwards        
occupied by the father of ,thomas       
,moore4 ,miss ,goldsmith was a plain1   
little old lady1 who always carried a   
long tin case1 containing a rouleaux of 

,dr4 ,goldsmith's portraits1 which she  
offered for sale4 ,sydney much preferred
 her father's friends1 more especially  
his musical associates1 such as         
,giordani the composer1 and ,fisher the 
violinist1 who spent most of their time 
at his house during their visits to     
,dublin4 ,the children used to hide     
under the table to hear them make music1
 and picked up many melodies by ear4    
,when ,mr4 ,owenson was asked why he did
 not cultivate his daughter's talent1 he
 replied1 ',if ,i were to cultivate     
their talent for music1 it might induce 
them some day to go upon the stage1 and 
,i would rather buy them a sieve of     
black cockles to cry about the streets  
of ,dublin than see them the first prima
 donnas of ,europe4'  ,the little       
,owensons possessed one remarkable      
playfellow in the shape of ,thomas      
,dermody1 the 'wonderful boy1' who was  
regarded in ,dublin as a second         
,chatterton4 ,a poor scholar1 the son of
 a drunken country schoolmaster1 who    

turned him adrift at fourteen1 ,dermody 
had wandered up to ,dublin1 paying his  
way by reciting poetry and telling      
stories to his humble entertainers1 with
 a few tattered books1 one shirt1 and   
two shillings for all his worldly goods4
 ,he first found employment as          
'librarian' at a cobbler's stall1 on    
which a few cheap books were exposed for
 sale4 ,later1 he got employment as     
assistant to the scene-painter at the   
,theatre ,royal1 and here he wrote a    
clever poem on the leading performers1  
which found its way into the green-room4
 ,anxious to see the author1 the        
company1 ,owenson amongst them1 invaded 
the painting-room1 where they found the 
boy-poet1 clad in rags1 his hair clotted
 with glue1 his face smeared with paint1
 a pot of size in one hand and a brush  
in the other4 ,the sympathy of the      
kind-hearted players was aroused1 and it
 was decided that something must be done
 for youthful genius in distress4       
,owenson invited the boy to his house1  

and1 by way of testing his powers1 set  
him to write a poetical theme on the    
subject of ,dublin ,university4 ,in less
 than three-quarters of an hour the     
prodigy returned with a poem of fifty   
lines1 which showed an intimate         
acquaintance with the history of the    
university from its foundation4 ,a      
second test having been followed by     
equally satisfactory results1 it was    
decided that a sum of money should be   
raised by subscriptions1 and that       
,dermody should be assisted to enter the
 university4 ,owenson1 with his wife's  
cordial consent1 took the young poet    
into his house1 and treated him like his
 own son4 ,unfortunately1 ,dermody's    
genius was weighted by the artistic     
temperament2 he was lazy1 irregular in  
his attendance at college1 and not      
particularly grateful to his            
benefactors4 ,by his own acts he fell   
out of favour1 the subscriptions that   
had been collected were returned to the 
donors1 and his career would have come  

to an abrupt conclusion1 if it had not  
been that ,owenson made interest for him
 with ,lady ,moira1 a distinguished     
patron of literature1 who placed him in 
the charge of ,dr4 ,boyd1 the translator
 of ,dante4 ,dermody must have had his  
good points1 for he was a favourite with
 ,mrs4 ,owenson1 and the dear friend of 
,sydney and ,olivia1 whom he succeeded  
in teaching to read and write1 a task in
 which all other preceptors had failed4 
,in #aghh ,mrs4 ,owenson died rather    
suddenly1 and the home was broken up4   
,sydney and ,olivia were at once placed 
at a famous ,huguenot school1 which had 
originally been established at          
,portarlington1 but was now removed to  
,clontarf1 near ,dublin4 ,for the next  
three years the children had the benefit
 of the best teaching that could then be
 obtained1 and were subjected to a      
discipline which ,lady ,morgan always   
declared was the most admirable ever    
introduced into a 'female seminary' in  
any country4 ,sydney soon became popular

 among her fellows1 thanks to her       
knowledge of ,irish songs and dances1   
and it is evident that her schooldays   
were among the happiest and most        
healthful of her early life4 ,the school
 was an expensive one1 and poor         
,owenson1 who1 with all his faults1     
seems to have been a careful and        
affectionate father1 found it no easy   
matter to pay for the many 'extras4'    
',i remember once1' writes ,lady        
,morgan1' our music-teacher complained  
to my father of our idleness as he sat  
beside us at the piano1 and we stumbled 
through the overture to ,artaxerxes4    
,his answer to her complaint was simple 
and graphic--for1 drawing up the sleeve 
of a handsome surtout1 he showed the    
threadbare sleeve of the black coat     
beneath1 and said1 touching the whitened
 seams1 ,i should not be driven to the  
subterfuge of wearing a greatcoat this  
hot weather to conceal the poverty of my
 dress beneath1 if it were not that ,i  
wish to give you the advantage of such  

instruction as you are now neglecting4' 
,the shaft went home1 and the           
music-mistress had no occasion to       
complain again4 ,after three years the  
headmistress retired on her fortune1 the
 school was given up1 and the two girls 
were placed at what they considered a   
very inferior establishment in ,dublin4 
,here1 however1 they had the delight of 
seeing their father every ,sunday1 when 
the widower1 leaving the attractions of 
the city behind1 took his little        
daughters out walking with him4 ,to this
 time belong memories of early visits to
 the theatre1 where ,sydney saw ,mrs4   
,siddons for the first and last time1   
and ,miss ,farren as ,susan in the      
,marriage of ,figaro1 just before her   
own marriage to ,lord ,derby4 ,during   
the summer seasons ,mr4 ,owenson toured 
round the provinces1 and generally took 
his daughters with him1 who seem to have
 been made much of by the neighbouring  
county families4  ,in #agid the too     
optimistic ,owenson unfortunately took  

it into his head that it would be an    
excellent speculation to build a summer 
theatre at ,kilkenny4 ,lord ,ormond1 who
 took an interest in the project1 gave a
 piece of land opposite the castle      
gates1 money was borrowed1 the theatre  
quickly built1 and performers brought at
 great expense from ,dublin4 ,during the
 summer the house was filled nightly by 
overflowing audiences1 and everything   
promised well1 when the attorney who    
held a mortgage on the building1        
foreclosed1 and bills to an enormous    
amount were presented4 ,mr4 ,owenson    
suddenly departed for the south of      
,ireland1 having been advised to keep   
out of the way until after the final    
meeting of his creditors4 ,his two      
daughters were placed in ,dublin        
lodgings under the care of their        
faithful old servant1 ,molly ,atkins1   
until their school should reopen4       
,sydney had been requested to write to  
her father every day1 and as she was    
passionately fond1 to quote her own     

words1 of writing about anything to any 
one1 she willingly obeyed1 trusting to  
chance for franks4 ,some of these       
youthful epistles were preserved by old 
,molly1 the packet being indorsed on the
 cover1 ',letters from ,miss ,sydney    
,owenson to her father1 ,god pity her6' 
,but the young lady evidently did not   
consider herself an object of pity1 for 
she writes in the best of spirits about 
the books she is reading1 the people she
 is meeting1 and all the little gaieties
 and excitements of her life4 ,somebody 
lends her an ,essay on the ,human       
,understanding1 by ,mr4 ,locke1 ,gent41 
whose theories she has no difficulty in 
understanding2 and somebody else talks  
to her about chemistry 7a word she has  
never heard at school71 and declares    
that her questions are so suggestive    
7another new word7 that she might become
 a second ,pauline ,lavosier4 ,she puts 
her new knowledge to practical effect by
 writing with a piece of phosphorus on  
her bedroom wall1 ',molly1 beware6' with

 the result that ,molly is frightened   
out of her wits1 the young experimenter 
burns her hand1 and the house is nearly 
set on fire4 ,the eccentric ,dermody    
turns up again1 now a smart young       
ensign1 having temporarily forsaken     
letters1 and obtained a commission      
through the interest of ,lord ,moira4   
,he addresses a flattering poem to      
,sydney1 and passes on to rejoin his    
regiment at ,cork1 whence he is to sail 
for ,flanders4  ,mr4 ,owenson's affairs 
did not improve4 ,he tried his fortune  
in various provincial theatres1 but the 
political ferment of the years          
immediately preceding the ,union1 the   
disturbed state of the country1 and the 
persecution of the ,catholics1 all spelt
 ruin for theatrical enterprises4 ,as   
soon as ,sydney realised her true       
position she rose to the occasion1 and  
the letter that she wrote to her father1
 proposing to relieve him of the burden 
of her maintenance1 is full of affection
 and spirit4 ,it will be observed that  

as yet she is contented to express      
herself simply and naturally1 without   
the fine language1 the incessant        
quotations1 and the mangled ,french that
 disfigured so much of her published    
work4 ,the girl1 who must now have been 
seventeen or eighteen1 had seen her     
father's name on the list of bankrupts1 
but it had been explained to her that1  
with time and economy1 he would come out
 of his difficulties as much respected  
as ever4 ,having informed him of her    
determination not to return to school1  
but to support herself in future1 she   
continues3--  ',now1 dear papa1 ,i have 
two novels nearly finished4 ,the first  
is ,st4 ,clair2 ,i think ,i wrote it in 
imitation of ,werther1 which ,i read    
last ,christmas4 ,the second is a       
,french novel1 suggested by my reading  
the ,memoirs of the ,duc de ,sully1 and 
falling in love with ,henri ,,iv4 ,now1 
if ,i had time and quiet to finish them1
 ,i am sure ,i could sell them2 and     
observe1 sir1 ,miss ,burney got #cjjj   

for ,camilla1 and brought out ,evelina  
unknown to her father2 but all this     
takes time4' ,sydney goes on to suggest 
that ,olivia shall be placed at a       
school1 where ,molly could be taken as  
children's maid1 and that she herself   
should seek a situation as governess or 
companion to young ladies4  ,through the
 good offices of her old dancing-master1
 ,m4 ,fontaine1 who had been appointed  
master of ceremonies at the castle1     
,sydney was introduced to ,mrs4         
,featherstone1 or ,featherstonehaugh1 of
 ,bracklin ,castle1 who required a      
governess-companion to her young        
daughters1 and apparently did not object
 to youth and inexperience4 ,the girl's 
dbut in her employer's family would     
scarcely have made a favourable         
impression in any country less genial   
and tolerant than the ,ireland of that  
period4 ,on the night of her departure  
,m4 ,fontaine gave a little bal d'adieu 
in her honour1 and as the mail passed   
the end of his street at midnight1 it   

was arranged that ,sydney should take   
her travelling-dress with her to the    
ball1 and change before starting on her 
journey4 ,of course she took no count of
 the time1 and was gaily dancing to the 
tune of ',money in ,both ,pockets1' with
 an agreeable partner1 when the horn    
sounded at the end of the street4 ,like 
an ,irish ,cinderella1 away flew ,sydney
 in her muslin gown and pink shoes and  
stockings1 followed by her admirers1    
laden with her portmanteau and bundle of
 clothes4 ,there was just time for      
,molly to throw an old cloak over her   
charge1 and then the coach door was     
banged-to1 and the little governess     
travelled away through the winter's     
night4 ,in the excitement of an         
adventure with an officer en route1 she 
allowed her luggage to be carried on in 
the coach1 and arrived at ,bracklin1 a  
shivering little object1 in her muslin  
frock and pink satin shoes4 ,her        
stammered explanations were received    
with amusement and sympathy by her      

kind-hearted hosts1 and she was carried 
off to her own rooms1 'the prettiest    
suite you ever saw1' she tells her      
father1 'a study1 bedroom1 and          
bath-room1 a roaring turf fire in the   
rooms1 an open piano1 and lots of books 
scattered about4 ,betty1 the old nurse1 
brought me a bowl of laughing potatoes1 
and gave me a hearty ,much good may it  
do you1 miss2 and didn't ,i tip her a   
word of ,irish1 which delighted her4444 
,our dinner-party were mamma and the two
 young ladies1 two itinerant preceptors1
 a writing and elocution master1 and a  
dancing-master1 and ,father ,murphy1 the
 ,p4,p4--such fun6--and the ,rev4 ,mr4  
,beaufort1 the curate of ,castletown4'  
,miss ,sydney was quite at her ease with
 all these new acquaintances1 and so    
brilliant were her sallies at dinner    
that1 according to her own account1 the 
men-servants were obliged to stuff their
 napkins down their throats till they   
were nearly suffocated4 ,the priest     
proposed her health in a comic speech1  

and a piper having come up on purpose to
 'play in ,miss ,owenson1' the evening  
wound up with the dancing of ,irish     
jigs1 and the singing of ,irish songs4  
,one is inclined to doubt whether       
,sydney's instructions were of much     
scientific value1 but it is evident that
 she enjoyed her occupation1 was the    
very good friend of both employers and  
pupils1 and knew nothing of the snubs   
and neglect experienced by so many of   
our modern ,jane ,eyres4  ,the death of 
,mrs4 ,featherstone's mother1 ,lady     
,steele1 who had been one of the belles 
of ,lord ,chesterfield's court1 placed a
 fine old house in ,dominic ,street1    
,dublin1 at the disposal of the family4 
,at the head of the musical society of  
,dublin at that date was ,sir ,john     
,stevenson1 who is now chiefly          
remembered for his arrangement of the   
airs to ,moore's ,melodies4 ,one day1   
while giving a lesson to the ,miss      
,featherstones1 ,sir ,john sung a song  
by ,moore1 of whom ,sydney had then     

never heard4 ,pleased at her evident    
appreciation1 ,stevenson asked if she   
would like to meet the poet1 and        
promised to take her and ,olivia to a   
little musical party at his mother's    
house4 ,moore had already made a success
 in ,london society1 which he followed  
up in the less exclusive circles of     
,dublin1 and it was only between a party
 at the ,provost's and another at ,lady 
,antrim's that he could dash into the   
paternal shop for a few minutes to sing 
a couple of songs for his mother's      
guests4 ,but the effect of his          
performance upon the ,owenson sisters   
was electrical4 ,they went home in such 
a state of spiritual exaltation1 that   
they forgot to undress before getting   
into bed1 and awoke to plan1 the one a  
new romance1 the other a portrait of the
 poet4  ,sydney had already finished her
 first novel1 ,st4 ,clair1 which she    
determined to take secretly to a        
publisher4 ,we are given to understand  
that this was her first independent     

literary attempt1 though she tells us   
that her father had printed a little    
volume of her poems1 written between the
 ages of twelve and fourteen4 ,this book
 seems to have been published1 however1 
in #ahja1 when the author must have been
 at least one-and-twenty4 ,it was       
dedicated to ,lady ,moira1 through whose
 influence it found its way into the    
most fashionable boudoirs of ,dublin4   
,be this as it may1 ,sydney gives a     
picturesque description of her early    
morning's ramble in search of a         
publisher4 ,she eventually left her     
manuscript in the reluctant hands of a  
,mr4 ,brown1 who promised to submit it  
to his reader1 and returned to her      
employer's house before her absence had 
been remarked4 ,the next day the family 
left ,dublin for ,bracklin1 and as      
,sydney had forgotten to give her       
address to the publisher1 it is not     
surprising that1 for the time being1 she
 heard no more of her bantling4 ,some   
months later1 when she was in ,dublin   

again1 she picked up a novel in a       
friend's house1 and found that it was   
her own ,st4 ,clair4 ,on recalling      
herself to the publisher's memory1 she  
received the handsome remuneration      
of--four copies of her own work6 ,the   
book1 a foolish1 high-flown story1 a    
long way after ,werther1 had some       
success in ,dublin1 and brought its     
author--literary ladies being           
comparatively few at that period--a     
certain meed of social fame4  ,mr4      
,owenson1 who had left the stage in     
#agih1 was settled at ,coleraine at this
 time1 and desired to have both his     
daughters with him4 ,accordingly1       
,sydney gave up her employment1 and     
tried to make herself contented at home4
 ,but the dulness and discomfort of the 
life were too much for her1 and after a 
few months she took another situation as
 governess1 this time with a ,mrs4      
,crawford at ,fort ,william1 where she  
seems to have been as much petted and   
admired as at ,bracklin4 ,there is no   

doubt that ,sydney ,owenson was a flirt1
 a sentimental flirt1 who loved playing 
with fire1 but it has been hinted that  
she was inclined to represent the polite
 attentions of her gallant countrymen as
 serious affairs of the heart4 ,she left
 behind her a packet of love-letters    
7presented to her husband after her     
marriage71 and some of these are quoted 
in her ,memoirs4 ,the majority1 however1
 point to no very definite 'intentions' 
on the part of the writers1 but are     
composed in the artificially romantic   
vein which ,rousseau had brought into   
fashion4 ,among the letters are one or  
two from the unfortunate ,dermody1 who  
had retired on half-pay1 and was now    
living in ,london1 engaged in writing   
his ,memoirs 7he was in the early       
twenties7 and preparing his poems for   
the press4  ',were you a ,venus ,i      
should forget you1' he writes to        
,sydney1 'but you are a ,laura1 a       
,leonora1 and an ,eloisa1 all in one    
delightful assemblage4' ,he is evidently

 a little piqued by ,sydney's admiration
 of ,moore1 for in a letter to ,mr4     
,owenson he asks1 ',who is the ,mr4     
,moore ,sydney mentions8 ,he is nobody  
here1 ,i assure you1 of eminence4' ,a   
little later1 however1 he writes to     
,sydney3 ',you are mistaken if you      
imagine ,i have not the highest respect 
for your friend ,moore4 ,i have written 
the review of his poems in a strain of  
panegyric to which ,i am not frequently 
accustomed4 ,i am told he is a most     
worthy young man1 and ,i am certain     
myself of his genius and erudition4'    
,dermody's own career was nearly at an  
end4 ,he died of consumption in #ahjb1  
aged only twenty-five4  ,if ,sydney     
scandalised even the easy-going society 
of the period by her audacious          
flirtations1 she seems to have had the  
peculiarly ,irish faculty of keeping her
 head in affairs of the heart1 and      
dancing in perfect security on the edge 
of a gulf of sentiment4 ,her work helped
 to steady her1 and the love-scenes in  

her novels served as a safety-valve for 
her ardent imagination4 ,her father1    
notoriously happy-go-lucky about his own
 affairs1 was a careful guardian of his 
daughters' reputation1 while old ,molly 
was a dragon of propriety4 ,sydney1     
moreover1 had acquired one or two women 
friends1 much older than herself1 such  
as the literary ,lady ,charleville1 and 
,mrs4 ,lefanu1 sister of ,sheridan1 who 
were always ready with advice and       
sympathy4 ,with ,mrs4 ,lefanu ,sydney   
corresponded regularly for many years1  
and in her letters discusses the        
debatable points in her books1 and      
enlarges upon her own character and     
temperament4 ,chief among her ambitions 
at this time was that of being 'every   
inch a woman1' and she was a firm       
believer in the fashionable theory that 
true womanliness was incompatible with  
learning4 ',i dropped the study of      
chemistry1' she tells her friend1       
'though urged to it by1 a favourite     
preceptor1 lest ,i should be less the   

woman4 ,seduced by taste and a thousand 
arguments to ,greek and ,latin1 ,i      
resisted1 lest ,i should not be a very  
woman4 ,and ,i have studied music as a  
sentiment rather than as a science1 and 
drawing as an amusement rather than as  
an art1 lest ,i should become a musical 
pedant1 or a masculine artist4'  ,in    
#ahjc1 the ,crawfords having decided to 
leave ,fort ,william and live entirely  
in the country1 ,sydney1 who had a      
mortal dread of boredom1 gave up her    
situation1 and returned to her father1  
who was now settled near ,strabane4     
,here she occupied her leisure in       
writing a second novel1 ,the ,novice of 
,st4 ,dominic1 in six volumes4 ,when    
this was completed1 ,mrs4 ,lefanu       
advised her to take it to ,london       
herself1 and arrange for its            
publication4 ,quite alone1 and with very
 little money in her pocket1 the girl   
travelled to ,london1 and presented     
herself before ,sir ,richard ,phillips1 
a well-known publisher1 with whom she   

had already had some correspondence4 ,if
 we may believe her own testimony1 ,sir 
,richard fell an easy victim to her     
fascinations1 and there is no doubt that
 he was very kind to her1 introduced her
 to his wife1 and found her a lodging4  
,better still1 he bought her book 7we   
are not told the price71 and paid her   
for it at once4 ,the first purchases    
that she made with her own earnings were
 a small ,irish harp1 which accompanied 
her thereafter wherever she went1 and a 
black 'mode cloak4' ,after her return to
 ,ireland1 ,phillips corresponded with  
her1 and gave her literary advice1 which
 is interesting in so far as it shows   
what the reading public of that day     
wanted1 or was supposed to want4  ',the 
world is not informed about ,ireland1'  
wrote the publisher1 'and ,i am in a    
condition to command the light to shine4
 ,i am sorry you have assumed the novel 
form4 ,a series of letters addressed to 
a friend in ,london1 taking for your    
model the letters of ,lady ,mary        

,wortley ,montagu1 would have secured   
you the most extensive reading4 ,a      
matter-of-fact and didactic novel is    
neither one thing nor the other1 and    
suits no class of readers4 ,certainly1  
however1 ,paul and ,virginia would      
suggest a local plan2 and it will be    
possible by writing three or four times 
over in six or eight months to produce  
what would command attention4' ,sir     
,richard concluded his advice with the  
assurance that his correspondent had it 
in her to write an immortal work1 if she
 would only labour it sufficiently1 and 
that her third copy was certain to be a 
monument of ,irish genius4 ,miss        
,owenson was the last person to act upon
 the above directions2 her books read as
 if they were dashed off in a fine      
frenzy of composition4 ,perhaps she     
feared that her cherished womanliness   
would be endangered by too close an     
attention to accuracy and style4  ,the  
,novice1 which appeared in #ahjd1 was   
better than ,st4 ,clair1 but such       

success as it enjoyed must have been due
 to the prevailing scarcity of          
first-rate1 or even second-rate         
novelists1 rather than to its own       
intrinsic merits4 ,the public taste in  
fiction was not fastidious1 and could   
swallow long-winded discussions and     
sentimental rhodomontade with an        
appetite that now seems almost          
incredible4 ,the ,novice is said to have
 been a favourite with ,pitt in his last
 illness1 but if this be true1 the fact 
points rather to the decay of the       
statesman's intellect than to the       
literary value of the book4 ,still the  
author was tasting all the sweets of    
fame4 ,she was much in request as a     
literary celebrity1 and somebody had    
actually written for permission to      
select the best passages from her two   
books for publication in a work called  
,the ,morality of ,english ,novels4  ,in
 the same year1 #ahjd1 an anonymous     
attack upon the ,irish stage in six     
,familiar ,epistles was published in    

,dublin4 ,so cruel and venomous were    
these epistles that one actor1 ,edwin1  
is believed to have died of chagrin at  
the attack upon his reputation4 ,an     
answer to the libel presently appeared1 
which was signed ,s4 ,o41 and has been  
generally attributed to ,sydney         
,owenson4 ,the ,familiar ,epistles were 
believed to be the work of ,john ,wilson
 ,croker1 then young and unknown1 and it
 may be that the lifelong malignity with
 which that critic pursued ,lady ,morgan
 was due to this early crossing of      
swords4 ,sydney herself was fond of     
hinting that ,croker1 in his obscure    
days1 had paid her attentions which she1
 as a successful author1 had not cared  
to encourage1 and that wounded vanity   
was at the bottom of his hatred4  ,the  
next book on which ,miss ,owenson       
engaged was1 if not her best1 the one by
 which she is best known1 namely1 ,the  
,wild ,irish ,girl4 ,the greater part of
 this was written while she was staying 
with ,sir ,malby ,crofton at ,longford  

,house1 from whose family1 as has been  
seen1 she claimed to be descended4 ,miss
 ,crofton sat for the portrait of the   
heroine1 and much of the scenery was    
sketched in the wild romantic           
neighbourhood4 ,about the same time she 
collected and translated a number of    
,irish songs which were published under 
the title of ,the ,lay of the ,irish    
,harp4 ,she thus anticipated ,moore1 and
 other explorers in this field1 for     
which fact ,moore at least gives her    
credit in the preface to his own        
collection4 ,she was not a poet1 but she
 wrote one ballad1 ',kate ,kearney1'    
which became a popular song1 and is not 
yet forgotten4  ,the story of ,the ,wild
 ,irish ,girl is said to have been      
founded upon an incident in the author's
 own life4 ,a young man named ,everard  
had fallen in love with her1 but as he  
was wild1 idle1 and penniless1 his      
father called upon her to beg her not to
 encourage him1 but to use her influence
 to make him stick to his work4 ,sydney 

behaved so well in the matter that the  
elder ,mr4 ,everard desired to marry her
 himself1 and though his offer was not  
accepted1 he remained her staunch friend
 and admirer4 ,the 'local colour' in the
 book is carefully worked up2 indeed1 in
 the present day it would probably be   
thought that the story was overweighted 
by the account of local manners and     
customs4 ,phillips1 alarmed at the      
liberal principles displayed in the     
work1 which he thought would be         
distasteful to ,english patriots1       
refused at first to give the author her 
price4 ,to his horror and indignation   
,miss ,owenson1 whom he regarded as his 
own particular property1 instantly sent 
the manuscript to a rival bookseller1   
,johnson1 who published for ,miss       
,edgeworth4 ,johnson offered #cjj for   
the book1 while ,phillips had only      
offered #bjj down1 and #ej on the       
publication of the second and third     
editions respectively4 ,the latter1     
however1 was unable to make up his mind 

to lose the treasure1 and after much    
hesitation and many heart-burnings1 he  
finally wrote to ,miss ,owenson3--      
',,dear ,,bewitching ,,and ,,deluding   
,,syken1--,not being able to part from  
you1 ,i have promised your noble and    
magnanimous friend1 ,atkinson who was   
conducting the negotiations1 the        
#cjj4444 ,it will be long before ,i     
forgive you6 ,at least not till ,i have 
got back the #cjj and another #ajj along
 with it4' ,then follows a passage which
 proves that the literary market1 in    
those days at any rate1 was not         
overstocked3 ',if you know any poor     
bard--a real one1 no pretender--,i will 
give him a guinea a page for his rhymes 
in the ,monthly ,magazine4 ,i will also 
give for prose communications at the    
rate of six guineas a sheet4'  ,the     
,wild ,irish ,girl1 whose title was     
suggested by ,peter ,pindar1 made a hit1
 more especially in ,ireland1 and the   
author woke to find herself famous4 ,she
 became known to all her friends as     

',glorvina1' the name of the heroine1   
while the ,glorvina ornament1 a golden  
bodkin1 and the ,glorvina mantle became 
fashionable in ,dublin4 ,the book was   
bitterly attacked1 probably by ,croker1 
in the ,freeman's ,journal1 but the best
 bit of criticism upon it is contained  
in a letter from ,mr4 ,edgeworth to     
,miss ,owenson4 ',maria1' he says1 'who 
reads as well as she writes1 has        
entertained us with several passages    
from ,the ,wild ,irish ,girl1 which ,i  
thought superior to any parts of the    
book ,i had read4 ,upon looking over her
 shoulder1 ,i found she had omitted some
 superfluous epithets4 ,dared she have  
done this if you had been by8 ,i think  
she would2 because your good sense and  
good taste would have been instantly her
 defenders4' ,it must be admitted that  
all ,lady ,morgan's works would have    
gained by the like treatment4  ,in an   
article called ',my ,first ,rout1' which
 appeared in ,the ,book of the ,boudoir 
7published in #ahbi71 ,lady ,morgan     

describes a party at ,lady ,cork's1     
where she was lionised by her hostess1  
the other guests having been invited to 
meet the ,wild ,irish ,girl4 ,the       
celebrities present were brought up and 
introduced to ,miss ,owenson with a     
running comment from ,lady ,cork1 which1
 though it must be taken with a grain of
 salt1 is worth transcribing3--  ',lord 
,erskine1 this is the ,wild ,irish ,girl
 you were so anxious to meet4 ,i assure 
you she talks quite as well as she      
writes4 ,now1 my dear1 do tell ,lord    
,erskine some of those ,irish stories   
you told us at ,lord ,charleville's4    
,mrs4 ,abington says you would make a   
famous actress1 she does indeed4 ,this  
is the ,duchess of ,st4 ,albans--she has
 your ,wild ,irish ,girl by heart4      
,where is ,sheridan8 ,oh1 here he is2   
what1 you know each other already8 ,tant
 mieux4 ,mr4 ,lewis1 do come forward2   
this is ,monk ,lewis1 of whom you have  
heard so much--but you must not read his
 works1 they are very naughty4444 ,you  

know ,mr4 ,gell2 he calls you the ,irish
 ,corinne4 ,your friend1 ,mr4 ,moore1   
will be here by-and-by4 ,do see1        
somebody1 if ,mrs4 ,siddons and ,mr4    
,kemble are come yet4 ,now pray tell us 
the scene at the ,irish baronet's in the
 ,rebellion that you told to the ladies 
of ,llangollen2 and then give us your   
blue-stocking dinner at ,sir ,richard   
,phillips'2 and describe the ,irish     
priests4'  ,at supper ,sydney was placed
 between ,lord ,erskine and ,lord       
,carysfort1 and was just beginning to   
feel at her ease when ,mr4 ,kemble was  
announced4 ,mr4 ,kemble1 it soon became 
apparent1 had been dining1 and had paid 
too much attention to the claret4       
,sitting down opposite ,miss ,owenson1  
he fixed her with an intense and glassy 
stare4 ,unfortunately1 her hair1 which  
she wore in the fashionable curly       
'crop1' aroused his curiosity4          
,stretching unsteadily across the table1
 he suddenly1 to quote her own words1   
'struck his claws into my locks1 and    

addressing me in his deepest tones1     
asked1 ,little girl1 where did you buy  
your wig8' ,lord ,erskine hastily came  
to the rescue1 but ,kemble1 rendered    
peevish by his interference1 took a     
volume of ,the ,wild ,irish ,girl out of
 his pocket1 and after reading aloud one
 of the most high-flown passages1 asked1
 ',little girl1 why did you write such  
nonsense1 and where did you get all     
those hard words8' ,sydney delighted the
 company by blurting out the truth3     
',sir1 ,i wrote as well as ,i could1 and
 ,i got the hard words out of ,johnson's
 ,dictionary4' ,that ,kemble spoke the  
truth in his cups may be proved by the  
following sentence1 which is a fair     
sample of the general style of the book3
 ',with a character tinctured with the  
brightest colouring of romantic         
eccentricity a father is describing his 
son1 the hero1 but marked by indelible  
traces of innate rectitude1 and ennobled
 by the purest principles of native     
generosity1 the proudest sense of       

inviolable honour1 ,i beheld him rush   
eagerly on life1 enamoured of its       
seeming good1 incredulous of its latent 
evils1 till1 fatally entangled in the   
spells of the latter1 he fell an early  
victim to their successful allurements4'
  ,the ,wild ,irish ,girl was followed  
by ,patriotic ,sketches and a volume of 
poems1 for which ,sir ,richard ,phillips
 offered #ajj before he read them4 ,a   
little later1 in #ahjg1 an operetta     
called ,the ,first ,attempt1 or the     
,whim of the ,moment1 the libretto by   
,miss ,owenson and the music by ,t4     
,cooke1 was performed at the ,dublin    
,theatre4 ,the ,duke of ,bedford1 then  
,lord-,lieutenant1 attended in state1   
the ,duchess wore a ,glorvina bodkin1   
and the entertainment was also          
patronised by the officers of the       
garrison and all the liberal members of 
the ,irish bar4 ,the little piece1 in   
which ,mr4 ,owenson acted an ,irish     
character1 was played for several       
nights1 and brought its author the      

handsome sum of #djj4 ,this1 however1   
seems to have been ,sydney's first and  
last attempt at dramatic composition4   
,the family fortunes had improved       
somewhat at this time1 for ,olivia1 who 
had gone out as a governess1 became     
engaged to ,dr41 afterwards ,sir ,arthur
 ,clarke1 a plain1 elderly little       
gentleman1 who1 however1 made her an    
excellent husband4 ,having a good house 
and a comfortable income1 he was able to
 offer a home to ,mr4 ,owenson and to   
the faithful ,molly4 ,for the present1  
,sydney1 though always on excellent     
terms with her brother-in-law1 preferred
 her independence4 ,she established     
herself in lodgings in ,dublin1 and made
 the most of the position that her works
 had won for her4 ,her flirtations and  
indiscretions provided the town with    
plenty of occasion for scandal1 and     
there is a tradition that one strictly  
proper old lady1 on being asked to      
chaperon ,miss ,owenson to the ,castle1 
replied that when ,miss ,owenson wore   

more petticoats and less paint she would
 be happy to do so4 ,yet another        
tradition has been handed down to the   
effect that ,miss ,owenson appeared at  
one of the ,viceregal balls in a dress1 
the bodice of which was trimmed with the
 portraits of her rejected lovers6      
,foremost among our heroine's admirers  
at this time was ,sir ,charles ,ormsby1 
,k4,c41 then member for ,munster1 ,he   
was a widower1 deeply in debt1 and a    
good deal older than ,sydney1 but if    
there was no actual engagement1 there   
was certainly an 'understanding' between
 the pair4 ,in ,may1 #ahjh1 ,miss       
,owenson was on a visit to the ,dowager 
,lady ,stanley of ,alderley at ,penrhs  
7one of the new friends her celebrity   
had gained for her71 whence she wrote a 
sentimental epistle to ,sir ,charles    
,ormsby4 ,the ,sir ,john ,stanley       
mentioned in the letter was the husband 
of ,maria ,josepha ,holroyd1 to whom he 
had been married in #agif4  ',the figure
 and person of ,lady ,stanley are       

inimitable1' writes ,sydney4 ',vandyck  
would have estimated her at millions4   
,though old1 her manners1 her mind1 and 
her conversation are all of the best    
school4444 ,sir ,john ,stanley is a man 
comme il y en a peu4 ,something at first
 of ,english reserve2 but when worn off1
 ,i never met a mind more daring1 more  
independent in its reflections1 more    
profound or more refined in its ideas4  
,he said a thousand things like you2 ,i 
am convinced he has loved as you love4  
,we sat up till two this morning talking
 of ,corinne4444 ,i have been obliged to
 sing ,deep in ,love so often for my    
handsome host1 and every time it is as  
for you ,i sing it4' ,the letter        
concludes with the words1 ',aimons      
toujours comme  l'ordinaire4' ,the pair 
may have loved1 but they were           
continually quarrelling1 and their      
intimacy was finally broken a year or   
two later4 ,lady ,morgan preserved to   
the end of her days a packet of         
love-letters indorsed1 ',sir ,charles   

,montague ,ormsby1 ,bart41 one of the   
most brilliant wits1 determined rous1   
agreeable persons1 and ugliest men of   
his day4'  ,the summer of this year1    
#ahjh1 ,miss ,owenson spent in a round  
of visits to country-houses1 and in     
working1 amid many distractions1 at her 
,grecian novel1 ,ida of ,athens4 ,after 
the first volume had gone to press1     
,phillips took fright at some of the    
opinions therein expressed1 and refused 
to proceed further with the work4 ,it   
was then accepted by ,longmans1 who1    
however1 were somewhat alarmed at what  
they considered the ,deistical          
principles and the taint of ,french     
philosophy that ran through the book4   
,ida is a houri and a woman of genius1  
who dresses in a tissue of woven air1   
has a taste for philosophical           
discussions1 and a talent for getting   
into perilous situations1 from which her
 strong sense of propriety invariably   
delivers her4 ,this book was the subject
 of adverse criticism in the first      

number of the ,quarterly ,review1 the   
critic being1 it is believed1 ,miss     
,owenson's old enemy1 ,croker4 ,as a    
work of art1 the novel was certainly a  
just object of ridicule1 but the        
personalities by which the review is    
disfigured were unworthy of a           
responsible critic4  ',the language1'   
observes the reviewer1 'is an inflated  
jargon1 composed of terms picked up in  
all countries1 and wholly irreducible to
 any ordinary rules of grammar and      
sense4 ,the sentiments are mischievous  
in tendency1 profligate in principle1   
licentious and irreverent in the highest
 degree4' ,the first part of this       
accusation was only too well founded1   
but the licentiousness of which ,lady   
,morgan's works were invariably accused 
in the ,quarterly ,review1 can only have
 existed in the mind of the reviewer4   
,one cannot but smile to think how many 
persons with a taste for highly-spiced  
fiction must have been set searching    
through ,lady ,morgan's novels by these 

notices1 and how bitterly they must have
 been disappointed4 ,the review in      
question concludes with the remark that 
if the author would buy a spelling-book1
 a pocket-dictionary1 exchange her      
raptures for common sense1 and gather a 
few precepts of humility from the       
,bible1 'she might hope to prove1 not   
indeed a good writer of novels1 but a   
useful friend1 a faithful wife1 a tender
 mother1 and a respectable and happy    
mistress of a family4' ,this            
impertinence is thoroughly              
characteristic of the days when the     
,quarterly was regarded as an amusing   
but frivolous1 not to say flippant1     
publication4  ,ida of ,athens received  
the honour of mention in a note to      
,childe ,harold4 ',i will request ,miss 
,owenson1' writes ,byron1 'when she next
 chooses an ,athenian heroine for her   
four volumes1 to have the goodness to   
marry her to somebody more of a         
gentleman than a ,disdar ,aga 7who1 by  
the way1 is not an ,aga71 the most      

impolite of petty officers1 the greatest
 patron of larceny ,athens ever saw     
7except ,lord ,elgin71 and the unworthy 
occupant of the ,acropolis1 on a        
handsome stipend of #aej piastres 7#h   
sterling71 out of which he has to pay   
his garrison1 the most ill-regulated    
corps in the ill-regulated ,ottoman     
,empire4 ,i speak it tenderly1 seeing ,i
 was once the cause of the husband of   
,ida nearly suffering the bastinado2 and
 because the said ,disdar is a turbulent
 fellow who beats his wife1 so that ,i  
exhort and beseech ,miss ,owenson to sue
 for a separate maintenance on behalf of
 ,ida4'  ,in #ahji ,lady ,abercorn1 the 
third wife of the first ,marquis1 having
 taken a sudden fancy to ,miss ,owenson1
 proposed that she should come to       
,stanmore ,priory1 and afterwards to    
,baron's ,court1 as a kind of permanent 
visitor4 ,a fine lady of the            
old-fashioned1 languid1 idle1 easily    
bored type1 ,lady ,abercorn desired a   
lively1 amusing companion1 who would    

deliver her from the terrors of a       
solitude  deux1 make music in the       
evenings1 and help to entertain her     
guests4 ,it was represented to ,sydney  
that such an invitation was not lightly 
to be refused1 but as acceptance        
involved an almost total separation from
 her friends1 she hesitated to enter    
into any actual engagement1 and went to 
the ,abercorns for two or three months  
as an ordinary visitor4 ,lord ,abercorn1
 who was then between fifty and sixty1  
had been married three times1 and       
divorced once4 ,so fastidious a fine    
gentleman was he that the maids were not
 allowed to make his bed except in white
 kid gloves1 and his groom of his       
chambers had orders to fumigate his     
rooms after liveried servants had been  
in them4 ,he is described as handsome1  
witty1 and blas1 a rou in principles and
 a ,tory in politics4 ,nothing pleased  
,lady ,morgan better in her old age1 we 
are told1 than to have it insinuated    
that there had been 'something wrong'   

between herself and ,lord ,abercorn4    
,in ,january1 #ahaj1 ,sydney writes to  
,mrs4 ,lefanu from ,stanmore ,priory to 
the effect that she is the best-lodged1 
best-fed1 dullest author in his         
,majesty's dominions1 and that the sound
 of a commoner's name is refreshment to 
her ears4 ,she is surrounded by         
ex-lord-lieutenants1 unpopular          
princesses 7including her of ,wales7    
deposed potentates 7including him of    
,sweden71 half the nobility of ,england1
 and many of the best wits and writers4 
,she had sat to ,sir ,thomas ,lawrence  
for her portrait1 and sold her ,indian  
novel1 ,the ,missionary1 for a famous   
price4 ,lord ,castlereagh1 while staying
 at ,stanmore1 heard portions of the    
work read aloud1 and admired it so much 
that he offered to take the author to   
,london1 and give her a rendezvous with 
her publisher in his own study4         
,stockdale1 the publisher1 was so much  
impressed by his surroundings that he   
bid #djj for the book1 and the agreement

 was signed and sealed under ,lord      
,castlereagh's eye4 ,the ,missionary was
 not so successful as ,the ,wild ,irish 
,girl1 and added nothing to the author's
 reputation4  ,it was not until the end 
of #ahaj that ,miss ,owenson decided to 
become a permanent member of the        
,abercorn household4 ,about this time1  
or a little later1 she wrote a short    
description of her temperament and      
feelings1 from which a sentence or two  
may be quoted4 ',inconsiderate and      
indiscreet1 never saved by prudence1 but
 often rescued by pride2 often on the   
verge of error1 but never passing the   
line4 ,committing myself in every way   
except in my own esteem--without any    
command over my feelings1 my words1 or  
writings--yet full of self-possession as
 to action and conduct4' ,after         
describing her sufferings from nervous  
susceptibility and mental depression1   
she continues3 ',but the hand that      
writes this has lost nothing of the     
contour of health or the symmetry of    

youth4 ,i am in possession of all the   
fame ,i ever hoped or ambitioned4 ,i    
wear not the appearance of twenty years2
 ,i am now1 as ,i generally am1 sad and 
miserable4'  ,in #ahaa ,dr4 ,morgan1 a  
good-looking widower of about           
eight-and-twenty1 accepted the post of  
private physician to ,lord ,abercorn4   
,he was a ,cambridge man1 an intimate   
friend of ,dr4 ,jenner's1 and possessed 
a small fortune of his own4 ,when he    
first arrived at ,baron's ,court1 ,miss 
,owenson was absent1 and he heard so    
much of her praises that he conceived a 
violent prejudice against her4 ,on her  
return she set to work systematically to
 fascinate him1 and succeeded even      
better than she had hoped or desired4   
,in ,lady ,abercorn he had a warm       
partisan1 but it may be suspected that  
the ambitious ,miss ,owenson found it   
hard to renounce all hopes of a more    
brilliant match4 ,the ,abercorns having 
vowed that ,dr4 ,morgan should be made  
,sir ,charles1 and that they would push 

his fortunes1 ,sydney yielded to their  
importunities so far as to write to her 
father1 and ask his consent to her      
engagement4  ',i dare say you will be   
amazingly astonished1' she observes1    
'but not half so much as ,i am1 for     
,lord and ,lady ,abercorn have hurried  
on the business in such a manner that ,i
 really don't know what ,i am about4    
,they called me in last night1 and1 more
 like parents than friends1 begged me to
 be guided by them--that it was their   
wish not to lose sight of me 444 and    
that if ,i accepted ,morgan1 the man    
upon earth they most esteemed and       
approved1 they would be friends to both 
for life--that we should reside with    
them one year after our marriage1 so    
that we might lay up our income to begin
 the world4 ,he is also to continue     
their physician4 ,he has now #ejj a     
year1 independent of his practice4 ,i   
don't myself see the thing quite in the 
light they do2 but they think him a man 
of such great abilities1 such great     

worth and honour1 that ,i am the most   
fortunate person in the world4'  ,to her
 old friend1 ,mrs4 ,lefanu1 she writes  
in much the same strain4 ',the licence  
and ring have been in the house these   
ten days1 and all the settlements made2 
yet ,i have been battling off from day  
to day1 and have only ten minutes back  
procured a little breathing time4 ,the  
struggle is almost too great for me4 ,on
 one side engaged1 beyond retrieval1 to 
a man who has frequently declared to my 
friends that if ,i break off he will not
 survive it6 ,on the other1 the dreadful
 certainty of being parted for ever from
 a country and friends ,i love1 and a   
family ,i adore4'  ,the 'breathing time'
 was to consist of a fortnight's visit  
to her sister1 ,lady ,clarke1 in        
,dublin1 in order to be near her father1
 who was in failing health4 ,the        
fortnight1 however1 proved an           
exceedingly elastic period4 ,mr4        
,owenson was not dangerously ill1 the   
winter season was just beginning1 and   

,miss ,owenson was more popular than    
ever4 ,her unfortunate lover1 as jealous
 as he was enamoured1 being detained by 
his duties at ,baron's ,court1 could    
only write long letters of complaint1   
reproach1 and appeal to his hard-hearted
 lady4 ,sydney was thoroughly enjoying  
herself1 and was determined to make the 
most of her last days of liberty4 ,she  
admitted afterwards that she had behaved
 very badly at this time1 and deserved  
to have lost the best husband woman ever
 had4  ',i picture to myself1' writes   
poor ,dr4 ,morgan1 'the thoughtless and 
heartless ,glorvina trifling with her   
friend1 jesting at his sufferings1 and  
flirting with every man she meets4' ,he 
sends her some commissions1 but declares
 that there is only one about which he  
is really anxious1 'and that is to love 
me exclusively2 to prefer me to every   
other good2 to think of me1 speak of me1
 write to me1 and look forward to our   
union as to the completion of every     
wish1 as ,i do by you4 ,do this1 and    

though you grow as ugly as ,sycorax1 you
 will never lose in me the fondest1 most
 doating1 affectionate of husbands4     
,glorvina1 ,i was born for tenderness2  
my business in life is to love4444 ,i   
read part of ,the ,way to ,keep ,him    
this morning1 and ,i see now you take   
the widow for your model2 but it won't  
do1 for though ,i love you in every     
mood1 it is only when you are true to   
nature1 passionate and tender1 that ,i  
adore you4 ,you are never less          
interesting to me than when you brillez 
in a large party4'  ,the fortnight's    
leave of absence had been granted in    
,september1 and by the end of ,november 
,dr4 ,morgan is thoroughly displeased   
with his truant fiance1 and asks why she
 could not have told him when she went  
away1 that she intended to stay till    
,christmas4 ',i know1 he writes1 'this  
is but a specimen of the roundabout     
policy of all your countrywomen4 ,how   
strange it is that you1 who are in      
general great beyond every woman ,i     

know1 philosophical and magnanimous1    
should in detail be so often            
ill-judging1 wrong1 and 7shall ,i say7  
little8' ,in ,december ,sydney writes to
 say that she will return directly after
 ,christmas1 and declares that the      
terrible struggle of feeling1 which she 
had tried to forget in every species of 
mental dissipation1 is now over2        
friends1 relatives1 country1 all are    
resigned1 and she is his for ever6 ,a   
little later she shows signs of wavering
 again2 she cannot make up her mind to  
part from her invalid father just yet2  
but this time ,dr4 ,morgan puts his foot
 down1 and issues his ultimatum in a    
stern and manly letter4 ,he will be     
trifled with no longer4 ,sydney must    
either keep her promise and return at   
,christmas1 or they had better part1    
never to meet again4 ',the love ,i      
require1' he writes1 'is no ordinary    
affection4 ,the woman who marries me    
must be identified with me4 ,i must have
 a large bank of tenderness to draw     

upon4 ,i must have frequent profession  
and frequent demonstration of it4       
,woman's love is all in all to me2 it   
stands in place of honours and riches1  
and what is yet more1 in place of       
tranquillity of mind4'  ,this letter1   
backed by one from ,lady ,abercorn1     
brought ,sydney to her senses4 ,in the  
first days of the new year 7#ahab7 she  
arrived at ,baron's ,court1 a little    
shamefaced1 and more than a little      
doubtful of her reception4 ,the marquis 
was stiff1 and the marchioness stately1 
but ,sir ,charles1 who had just been    
knighted by the ,lord ,lieutenant1 was  
too pleased to get his lady-love back1  
to harbour any resentment against her4  
,a few days after her return1 as she was
 sitting over the fire in a morning     
wrapper1 ,lady ,abercorn came in and    
said3  ',glorvina1 come upstairs        
directly and be married2 there must be  
no more trifling4'  ,the bride was led  
into her ladyship's dressing-room1 where
 the bridegroom was awaiting her in     

company with the chaplain1 and the      
ceremony took place4 ,the marriage was  
kept a secret from the other guests at  
the time1 but a few nights later ,lord  
,abercorn filled his glass after dinner1
 and drank to the health of ',sir       
,charles and ,lady ,morgan4'     ,,part 
,,ii   ,the marriage1 unpromising as it 
appeared at the outset1 proved an       
exceptionally happy one4 ,sir ,charles  
was a straightforward1 worthy1 if       
somewhat dull gentleman1 with no        
ambition1 a nervous distaste for        
society1 and a natural indolence of     
temperament4 ,to his wife he gave the   
unstinted sympathy and admiration that  
her restless vanity craved1 while she   
invariably maintained that he was the   
wisest1 brightest1 and handsomest of his
 sex4 ,she seems to have given him no   
occasion for jealousy after marriage1   
though to the last she preserved her    
passion for society1 and her ambition   
for social recognition and success4 ,the
 first year of married life1 which she  

described as a period of storm1         
interspersed with brilliant sunshine1   
was spent with the ,abercorns at        
,baron's ,court4  ',though living in a  
palace1' wrote ,sydney to ,mrs4 ,lefanu1
 early in #ahab1 'we have all the       
comfort and independence of a home4444  
,as to me1 ,i am every inch a wife1 and 
so ends that brilliant thing that was   
,glorvina4 ,n4,b4--,i intend to write a 
book to explode the vulgar idea of      
matrimony being the tomb of love4       
,matrimony is the real thing1 and all   
before but leather and prunella4' ,in a 
letter to ,lady ,stanley she paints ,sir
 ,charles in the romantic colours       
appropriate to a novelist's husband4    
',in love he is ,sheridan's ,falkland1  
and in his view of things there is a    
mlange of cynicism and sentiment that   
will never suffer him to be as happy as 
the inferior million that move about    
him4 ,marriage has taken nothing from   
the romance of his passion for me2 and  
by bringing a sense of property with it1

 has rendered him more exigent and      
nervous about me than before4'  ,the    
luxury of ,baron's ,court was probably  
more than counterbalanced by the        
inevitable drawbacks of married life in 
a patron's household1 where the husband1
 at least1 was at that patron's beck and
 call4 ,before the end of the year1 the 
,morgans were contemplating a modest    
establishment of their own1 and ,sydney 
had set to work upon a novel1 the price 
of which was to furnish the new house4  
,mr4 ,owenson had died shortly after his
 daughter's marriage1 and ,lady ,morgan 
persuaded her husband to settle in      
,dublin1 in order that she might be near
 her sister and her many friends4 ,a    
house was presently taken in ,kildare   
,street1 and ,sir ,charles1 who had     
obtained the post of physician to the   
,marshalsea1 set himself to establish a 
practice4 ,lady ,morgan prided herself  
upon her housewifely talents1 and in a  
letter dated ,may1 #ahac1 she describes 
how she has made their old house clean  

and comfortable1 all that their means   
would permit1 'except for one little bit
 of a room1 four inches by three1 which 
is fitted up in the ,gothic1 and ,i have
 collected into it the best part of a   
very good cabinet of natural history of 
,sir ,charles's1 eight or nine hundred  
volumes of choice books in ,french1     
,english1 ,italian1 and ,german1 some   
little curiosities1 and a few scraps of 
old china1 so that1 with muslin         
draperies1 etc41 ,i have made no        
contemptible set-out4444 ,with respect  
to authorship1 ,i fear it is over2 ,i   
have been making chair-covers instead of
 systems1 and cheapening pots and pans  
instead of selling sentiment and        
philosophy4'  ,in the midst of all her  
domestic labours1 however1 ,lady ,morgan
 contrived to finish a novel1           
,o',donnel1 which ,colburn published in 
#ahad1 and for which she received #eej4 
,the book was ill-reviewed1 but it was  
an even greater popular success than    
,the ,wild ,irish ,girl4 ,the heroine1  

like most of ,lady ,morgan's heroines1  
is evidently meant for an idealised     
portrait of herself1 and the great      
ladies by whom she is surrounded are    
sketched from ,lady ,abercorn and       
certain of the guests at ,baron's       
,court4 ,the ,liberal1 or as they would 
now be called1 ,radical principles      
inculcated in the book gave bitter      
offence to the author's old-fashioned   
friends1 and increased the rancour of   
her ,tory reviewers4 ,but ,o',donnel    
found numerous admirers1 among them no  
less a person than ,sir ,walter ,scott1 
who notes in his diary for ,march #ad1  
#ahbf3 ',i have amused myself           
occasionally very pleasantly during the 
last few days by reading over ,lady     
,morgan's novel of ,o',donnel1 which has
 some striking and beautiful passages of
 situation and description1 and in the  
comic part is very rich and             
entertaining4 ,i do not remember being  
so pleased with it at first4 ,there is a
 want of story1 always fatal to a book  

on the first reading--and it is well if 
it gets the chance of a second4'  ,the  
following year1 #ahae1 ,france being    
once again open to ,english travellers1 
the ,morgans paid a visit to ,paris1    
,lady ,morgan having undertaken to write
 a book about what was then a strange   
people and a strange country4 ,the pair 
went a good deal into society1 and made 
many friends1 among them ,lafayette1    
,cuvier1 the ,comte de ,sgur1 ,madame de
 ,genlis1 and ,madame ,jerome           
,bonaparte4 ,sydney1 whose ,celtic      
manners were probably more congenial to 
the ,french than ,anglo-,saxon reserve1 
seems to have received a great deal of  
attention1 and her not over-strong head 
was slightly turned in consequence4     
',the ,french admire you more than any  
,englishwoman who has appeared here     
since the ,battle of ,waterloo1' wrote  
,madame ,jerome ,bonaparte to ,lady     
,morgan1 after the latter had returned  
to ,ireland4 ',france is the country you
 should reside in1 because you are so   

much admired1 and here no ,englishwoman 
has received the same attentions since  
you4 ,i am dying to see your last       
publication4 ,public expectation is as  
high as possible4 ,how happy you must be
 at filling the world with your name as 
you do6 ,madame de ,stal and ,madame de 
,genlis are forgotten2 and if the love  
of fame be of any weight with you1 your 
excursion to ,paris was attended with   
brilliant success4'  ,madame de ,genlis1
 in her ,memoirs1 gives a more          
soberly-worded account of the impression
 produced by ,lady ,morgan on ,parisian 
society4 ,the author of ,france is      
described as 'not beautiful1 but with   
something lively and agreeable in her   
whole person4 ,she is very clever1 and  
seems to have a good heart2 it is a pity
 that for the sake of popularity she    
should have the mania of meddling in    
politics4444 ,her vivacity and rather   
springing carriage seemed very strange  
in ,parisian circles4 ,she soon learned 
that good taste of itself condemned that

 kind of demeanour2 in fact1            
gesticulation and noisy manners have    
never been popular in ,france4' ,the    
spoilt little lady was by no means      
satisfied with this portrait1 and ,sir  
,charles1 who was away from home at the 
time the ,memoirs appeared1 writes to   
console her4 ',you must not mind that   
lying old witch ,madame de ,genlis'     
attack upon you1' says the admiring     
husband4 ',i thought she would not let  
you off easily2 you were not only a     
better and younger 7and ,i may say      
prettier7 author than herself1 but also 
a more popular one4'  ,over the price to
 be paid for ,france1 to which ,sir     
,charles contributed some rather heavy  
chapters on medical science1 political  
economy1 and jurisprudence1 there was   
the usual battle between the keen little
 woman and her publisher4 ,colburn1     
having done well with ,o',donnel1 felt  
justified in offering #gej for the new  
work1 but ,lady ,morgan demanded #ajjj1 
and got it4 ,the sum must have been a   

substantial compensation for the wounds 
that her vanity received at the hands of
 the reviewers4 ,france1 which made its 
appearance in #ahag1 in two volumes     
quarto1 was eagerly read and loudly     
abused4 ,croker1 in the ,quarterly      
,review1 attacked the book1 or rather   
the author1 in an article which has     
become almost historic for its          
virulence4 ,poor ,lady ,morgan was      
accused of bad taste1 bombast and       
nonsense1 blunders1 ignorance of the    
,french language and manners1 general   
ignorance1 ,jacobinism1 falsehood1      
licentiousness1 and impiety6 ,the first 
four or five charges might have been    
proved with little difficulty1 if it    
were worth while to break a butterfly on
 a wheel1 but it was necessary to       
distort the meaning and even the text of
 the original in order to give any      
colour to the graver accusations4       
,croker had discovered1 much to his     
delight1 that the translator of the work
 7which was also published in ,paris7   

had subjoined a note to some of ,lady   
,morgan's scraps of ,french1 in which he
 confessed that though the words were   
printed to look like ,french1 he could  
not understand them4 ,the critic        
observes1  propos of this fact1 ',it is1
 we believe1 peculiar to ,lady ,morgan's
 works1 that her ,english readers       
require an ,english translation of her  
,english1 and her ,french readers a     
,french translation of her ,french4'    
,this was a fair hit1 as also was the   
ridicule thrown upon such sentences as  
',cider is not held in any estimation by
 the vritables ,amphitryons of rural    
savoir faire4' ,croker professes to be  
shocked at ,lady ,morgan's mention of   
,les ,liaisons ,dangereuses1 having     
hitherto cherished the hope that 'no    
,british female had ever seen this      
detestable book'2 while his outburst of 
virtuous indignation at her mention of  
the 'superior effusions' of ,parny1     
which some ,frenchman had recommended to
 her1 is really superb4 ',parny1' he    

exclaims1 'is the most beastly1 the most
 detestably wicked and blasphemous of   
all the writers who have ever disgraced 
literature4 ,les ,guerres des ,dieux is 
the most dreadful tissue of obscenity   
and depravity that the devil ever       
inspired to the depraved heart of man1  
and we tremble with horror at the guilt 
of having read unwittingly even so much 
of the work as enables us to pronounce  
this character of it4'  ,croker         
concludes with the hope that he has     
given such an idea of this book as might
 prevent1 in some degree1 the           
circulation of trash which1 under the   
name of a ',lady author1' might         
otherwise have found its way into the   
hands of young persons of both sexes1   
for whose perusal it was1 on the score  
both of morals and politics1 utterly    
unfit4 ,such a notice naturally defeated
 its own object1 and ,france went       
triumphantly through several editions4  
,the review attracted almost as much    
attention as the book1 and many protests

 were raised against it4 ',what cruel   
work you make with ,lady ,morgan1' wrote
 ,byron to ,murray4 ',you should        
recollect that she is a woman2 though1  
to be sure1 they are now and then very  
provoking1 still as authoresses they can
 do no great harm2 and ,i think it a    
pity so much good invective should have 
been laid out upon her1 when there is   
such a fine field of us ,jacobin        
gentlemen for you to work upon4' ,the   
,regent himself1 according to ,lady     
,charleville's report1 had said of      
,croker3 ',d----d blackguard to abuse a 
woman2 couldn't he let her ,france      
alone1 if it be all lies1 and read her  
novels1 and thank her1 by ,jasus1 for   
being a good ,irishwoman8'  ,lady       
,morgan1 as presently appeared1 was not 
only quite able to defend herself1 but  
to give as good as she got4 ,peel1 in a 
letter to ,croker1 says3 ',lady ,morgan 
vows vengeance against you as the       
supposed author of the article in the   
,quarterly1 in which her atheism1       

profanity1 indecency1 and ignorance are 
exposed4 ,you are to be the hero of some
 novel of which she is about to be      
delivered4 ,i hope she has not heard of 
your predilection for angling1 and that 
she will not describe you as she        
describes one of her heroes1 as seated  
in his piscatory corner1 intent on the  
destruction of the finny tribe4' ',lady 
,morgan1' it seems1 replies ,croker1 'is
 resolved to make me read one of her    
novels4 ,i hope ,i shall feel interested
 enough to learn the language4 ,i wrote 
the first part of the article in        
question1 but was called away to        
,ireland when it was in the press2 and  
,i am sorry to say that some blunders   
crept in accidentally1 and one or two   
were premeditatedly added1 which1       
however1 ,i do not think ,lady ,morgan  
knows enough of either ,english1        
,french1 or ,latin to find out4 ,if she 
goes on1 we shall have sport4'  ,early  
in #ahah ,colburn wrote to suggest that 
the ,morgans should proceed to ,italy   

with a view to collaborating in a book  
on that country1 and offered them the   
handsome sum of #bjjj for the copyright4
 ,by this time ,sir ,charles had lost   
most of his practice1 owing to his      
publication of a scientific work1 ,the  
,outlines of the ,physiology of ,life1  
which was considered objectionably      
heterodox by the ,dublin public4 ,there 
was no obstacle1 therefore1 to his      
leaving home for a lengthened period1   
and joining his wife in her literary    
labours4 ,in ,may1 the pair journeyed to
 ,london en route for the ,south1 ,lady 
,morgan taking with her the nearly      
finished manuscript of a new novel1     
,florence ,macarthy4 ,with his first    
reading of this book ,colburn was so    
charmed1 that he presented the author   
with a fine parure of amethysts as a    
tribute of admiration4  ,according to   
the testimony of impartial witnesses1   
,lady ,morgan made as decided a social  
success in ,italy as she had done a     
couple of years earlier in ,france4     

,moore1 who met the couple in ,florence1
 notes in his diary for ,october #ahai3 
',went to see ,sir ,charles and ,lady   
,morgan2 her success everywhere         
astonishing4 ,camac was last night at   
the ,countess of ,albany's 7the         
,pretender's wife and ,alfieri's71 and  
saw ,lady ,morgan there in the seat of  
honour1 quite the queen of the room4'   
,in ,rome the same appreciation awaited 
her4 ',the ,duchess of ,devonshire1'    
writes her ladyship1 'is unceasing in   
her attentions4 ,cardinal ,fesche       
7,bonaparte's uncle7 is quite my        
beau4444 ,madame ,mre 7,napoleon's      
mother7 sent to say she would be glad to
 see me2 we were received quite in an   
imperial style4 ,i never saw so fine an 
old lady--still quite handsome4 ,the    
pictures of her sons hung round the     
room1 all in royal robes1 and her       
daughters and grandchildren1 and at the 
head of them all1 old ,mr4 ,bonaparte4  
,she is full of sense1 feeling1 and     
spirit1 and not the least what ,i       

expected--vulgar4'  ,florence ,macarthy 
was published during its author's       
absence abroad4 ,the heroine1 ,lady     
,clancare1 a novelist and politician1 a 
beauty and a wit1 is obviously intended 
for ,lady ,morgan herself1 while ,lady  
,abercorn figures again under the title 
of ,lady ,dunore4 ,but the most striking
 of all the character-portraits is      
,counsellor ,con ,crawley1 who was      
sketched from ,lady ,morgan's old enemy1
 ,john ,wilson ,croker4 ,according to   
,moore1 ,croker winced more under this  
caricature than under any of the direct 
attacks which were made upon him4 ,con  
,crawley1 we are told1 was of a bilious1
 saturnine constitution1 even his talent
 being but the result of disease4 ,these
 physical disadvantages1 combined with  
an education 'whose object was          
pretension1 and whose principle was     
arrogance1 made him at once a thing     
fearful and pitiable1 at war with its   
species and itself1 ready to crush in   
manhood as to sting in the cradle1 and  

leading his overweening ambition to     
pursue its object by ways dark and      
hidden--safe from the penalty of crime1 
and exposed only to the obloquy which he
 laughed to scorn4 ,if ever there was a 
man formed alike by nature and education
 to betray the land which gave him      
birth1 and to act openly as the pander  
of political corruption1 or secretly as 
the agent of defamation2 who would stoop
 to seek his fortune by effecting the   
fall of a frail woman1 or would strive  
to advance it by stabbing the character 
of an honest one2 who could crush       
aspiring merit behind the ambuscade of  
anonymous security1 while he came       
forward openly in defence of the        
vileness which rank sanctified and      
influence protected--that man was       
,conway ,crawley4'  ,the truth of the   
portraiture of the whole ,crawley       
family--exaggerated as it may seem in   
modern eyes--was at once recognised by  
,lady ,morgan's countrymen4 ,sir ,jonah 
,barrington1 an undisputed authority on 

,irish manners and character1 writes3   
',the ,crawleys are superlative1 and    
suffice to bring before my vision1 in   
their full colouring1 and almost without
 a variation1 persons and incidents whom
 and which ,i have many a time          
encountered4' ,again1 ,owen ,maddyn1 who
 was by no means prejudiced in ,lady    
,morgan's favour1 admits that her attack
 on ,croker had much effect in its day1 
and was written on the model of the     
,irish school of invective furnished by 
,flood and ,grattan4 ,as a novelist1 he 
held that she pointed the way to ,lever1
 and adds3 ',the rattling vivacity of   
the ,irish character1 its ebullient     
spirit1 and its wrathful eloquence of   
sentiment and language1 she well        
portrayed2 one can smell the potheen and
 turf smoke even in her pictures of a   
boudoir4' ,in this sentence are summed  
up the leading characteristics1 not only
 of ,florence ,macarthy1 but of all     
,lady ,morgan's national romances4      
,italy was published simultaneously in  

,london and ,paris in ,june1 #ahba1 and 
produced an even greater sensation than 
the work on ,france1 though ,croker     
declared that it fell dead from the     
press1 and devoted the greater part of  
his 'review' in the ,quarterly to an    
analysis of ,colburn's methods of       
advertisement4 ,criticism of a penal    
kind1 he explained1 was not called for1 
because1 'in the first place1 we are    
convinced that this woman is wholly     
incorrigible2 secondly1 we hope that her
 indelicacy1 vanity1 and malignity are  
inimitable1 and that1 therefore1 her    
example is very little dangerous2 and   
thirdly1 though every page teems with   
errors of all kinds1 from the most      
disgusting to the most ludicrous1 they  
are smothered in such ,boeotian dulness 
that they can do no harm4' ,in curious  
contrast to this professional criticism 
is a passage in one of ,byron's letters 
to ,moore4 ',lady ,morgan1' writes the  
poet1 'in a really excellent book1 ,i   
assure you1 on ,italy1 calls ,venice an 

ocean ,rome2 ,i have the very same      
expression in ,foscari1 and yet you know
 that the play was written months ago1  
and sent to ,england2 the ,italy ,i     
received only on the #afth4444 ,when you
 write to ,lady ,morgan1 will you thank 
her for her handsome speeches in her    
book about my books8 ,her work is       
fearless and excellent on the subject of
 ,italy--pray tell her so--and ,i know  
the country4 ,i wish she had fallen in  
with me2 ,i could have told her a thing 
or two that would have confirmed her    
positions4'  ,almost simultaneously with
 the appearance of ,italy1 ,colburn     
printed in his ,new ,monthly ,magazine a
 long1 vehement1 and rather incoherent  
attack by ,lady ,morgan upon her        
critics4 ,the editor1 ,thomas ,campbell1
 explained in an indignant letter to the
 ,times1 that the article had been      
inserted by the proprietor without being
 first submitted to the editorial eye1  
and that he was in no way responsible   
for its contents4 ,colburn also wrote to

 the ,times to refute the ,quarterly    
reviewer's statements regarding the     
sales of ,italy1 and publicly to declare
 his entire satisfaction at the result  
of the undertaking1 and his willingness 
to receive from the author another work 
of equal interest on the same terms4 ,in
 short1 never was a book worse reviewed 
or better advertised4  ,the next venture
 of the indefatigable ,lady ,morgan1 who
 felt herself capable of dealing with   
any subject1 no matter how little she   
might know of it1 was a ,life of        
,salvator ,rosa4 ,this1 which was her   
own favourite among all her books1 is a 
rather imaginative work1 which hardly   
comes up to modern biographical         
standards4 ,the author seems to have    
been influenced in her choice of a      
subject rather by the patriotic         
character of ,salvator ,rosa than by his
 artistic attainments4 ,lady ,morgan was
 once asked by a fellow-writer where she
 got her facts1 to which she replied1   
',we all imagine our facts1 you         

know--and then happily forget them2 it  
is to be hoped our readers do the same4'
 ,nevertheless1 she seems to have taken 
a good deal of trouble to 'get up' the  
material for her biography2 it was in   
her treatment of it that she sometimes  
allowed her ardent ,celtic imagination  
to run away with her4 ,about this time  
,colburn proposed that ,sir ,charles and
 ,lady ,morgan should contribute to his 
magazine1 ,the ,new ,monthly1 and       
offered them half as much again as his  
other writers1 who were paid at the rate
 of sixteen guineas a sheet4 ,for this  
periodical ,lady ,morgan wrote a long   
essay on ,absenteeism and other         
articles1 some of which were afterwards 
republished4  ,in the spring of #ahbd   
the ,morgans came to ,london for the    
season1 and went much into the literary 
society that was dear to both their     
hearts4 ,lady ,caroline ,lamb took a    
violent fancy to ,lady ,morgan1 to whom 
she confided her ,byronic love-troubles1
 while ,lady ,cork1 who still maintained

 a salon1 did not neglect her old       
protge4 ,the rough notes kept by ,lady  
,morgan of her social adventures are not
 usually of much interest or importance1
 as she had little faculty or           
inclination for ,boswellising1 but the  
following entry is worth quoting3--     
',lady ,cork said to me this morning    
when ,i called ,miss ---- a nice person1
 ,don't say nice1 child1 'tis a bad     
word4 ,once ,i said to ,dr4 ,johnson1   
,sir1 that is a very nice person4 ,a    
nice person1 he replied2 what does that 
mean8 ,elegant is now the fashionable   
term1 but it will go out1 and ,i see    
this stupid nice is to succeed to it4   
,what does nice mean8 ,look in my       
,dictionary2 you will see it means      
correct1 precise4'  ,at ,lydia ,white's 
famous soires ,lady ,morgan met ,sydney 
,smith1 ,washington ,irving1 ,hallam1   
,miss ,jane ,porter1 ,anacreon ,moore1  
and many other literary celebrities4    
,her own rooms were thronged with a band
 of young ,italian revolutionaries1     

whose country had grown too hot to hold 
them1 and who talked of erecting a      
statue to the liberty-loving ,irishwoman
 when ,italy should be free4 ,dublin    
naturally seemed rather dull after all  
the excitement and delights of a ,london
 season1 but ,lady ,morgan1 though she  
loved to grumble at her native city1 had
 not yet thought of turning absentee    
herself4 ,her popularity with her       
countrymen 7those of her own way of     
thinking7 had suffered no diminution1   
and her national celebrity was proved by
 the following verse from a ballad which
 was sung in the ,dublin streets3--     
',och1 ,dublin's city1 there's no       
doubtin'1      ,bates every city on the 
say2    ',tis there you'll hear         
,o',connell spoutin'1      ,and ,lady   
,morgan making tay2    ,for 'tis the    
capital of the finest nation1      ,wid 
charmin' peasantry on a fruitful sod1   
,fightin' like divils for conciliation1 
,an' hatin' each other for the love of  
,god4'  ,our heroine was hard at work at

 this time upon the last of her ,irish  
novels1 ,the ,o',briens and the         
,o',flaherties1 which was published     
early in #ahbg1 and for the copyright of
 which ,colburn paid her #acej4 ,it was 
the most popular of all her works1      
especially with her own country-folk1   
and is distinguished by her favourite   
blend of politics1 melodrama1 local     
colour1 and rough satire on the ruling  
classes4 ,the reviews as usual accused  
her of blasphemy and indecency1 and so  
severe was the criticism in the         
,literary ,gazette1 then edited by      
,jerdan1 that ,colburn was stirred up to
 found a new literary weekly of his own1
 and1 in conjunction with ,james ,silk  
,buckingham1 started the ,athenaeum4    
,jerdan had asserted in the course of   
his review that ',in all our reading we 
never met with a description which      
tended so thoroughly to lower the female
 character4444 ,mrs4 ,behn and ,mrs4    
,centlivre might be more unguarded2 but 
the gauze veil cannot hide the          

deformities1 and ,lady ,morgan's taste  
has not been of efficient power to      
filter into cleanliness the original    
pollution of her infected fountain4'    
,lady ,morgan observes in her diary that
 she has a right to be judged by her    
peers1 and threatens to summon a jury of
 matrons to say if they can detect one  
line in her pages that would tend to    
make any honest man her foe4  ,there    
were other disadvantages attendant upon 
celebrity than those caused by inimical 
reviewers4 ,no foreigner of distinction 
thought a visit to ,dublin complete     
without an introduction to our author1  
who figures in several contemporary     
memoirs1 not always in a flattering     
light4 ,that curious personage1 ,prince 
,pckler ,muskau1 was travelling through 
,england and ,ireland in #ahbh1 and has 
left a little vignette of ,lady ,morgan 
in the published record of his journey4 
',i was very eager1' he explains1 'to   
make the acquaintance of a lady whom ,i 
rate so highly as an authoress4 ,i found

 her1 however1 very different from what 
,i had pictured to myself4 ,she is a    
little1 frivolous1 lively woman1        
apparently between thirty and forty1    
neither pretty nor ugly1 but by no means
 inclined to resign all claims to the   
former1 and with really fine expressive 
eyes4 ,she has no idea of mauvaise honte
 or embarrassment2 her manners are not  
the most refined1 and affect the aisance
 and levity of the fashionable world1   
which1 however1 do not sit calmly or    
naturally upon her4 ,she has the        
,english weakness of talking incessantly
 of fashionable acquaintances1 and      
trying to pose for very recherch1 to a  
degree quite unworthy of a woman of such
 distinguished talents2 she is not at   
all aware how she thus underrates       
herself4' ,the ,quarterly ,review seized
 upon this passage with malicious       
delight4 ,the prince1 as the reviewer   
points out1 had dropped one lump of     
sugar into his bowl of gall2 he had     
guessed ,lady ,morgan's age at between  

thirty and forty4' ,miss ,owenson1'     
comments the writer1 who was probably   
,croker1 'was an established authoress  
six-and-twenty years ago2 and if any    
lady1 player's daughter or not1 knew    
what she knew when she published her    
first work at eight or nine years of age
 7which ,miss ,owenson must have been at
 that time according to the prince's    
calculation71 she was undoubtedly such a
 juvenile prodigy as would be quite     
worthy to make a case for the           
,gentleman's ,magazine4'  ,another      
observer1 who was present at some of the
 ,castle festivities1 and who had long  
pictured ,lady ,morgan in imagination as
 a sylphlike and romantic person1 has   
left on record his amazement when the   
celebrated lady stood before him4 ',she 
certainly formed a strange figure in the
 midst of that dazzling scene of beauty 
and splendour4 ,every female present    
wore feathers and trains2 but ,lady     
,morgan scorned both appendages4 ,hardly
 more than four feet high1 with a spine 

not quite straight1 slightly uneven     
shoulders and eyes1 ,lady ,morgan glided
 about in a close-cropped wig1 bound    
with a fillet of gold1 her large face   
all animation1 and with a witty word for
 everybody4 ,i afterwards saw her at the
 theatre1 where she was cheered         
enthusiastically4 ,her dress was        
different from the former occasion1 but 
not less original4 ,a red ,celtic cloak1
 fastened by a rich gold fibula1 or     
,irish ,tara brooch1 imparted to her    
little ladyship a gorgeous and withal a 
picturesque appearance1 which antecedent
 associations considerably              
strengthened4'  ,in #ahbi ,the ,book of 
the ,boudoir was published1 with a      
preface in which ,lady ,morgan gives the
 following nave account of its genesis3 
',i was just setting off to             
,ireland--the horses literally          
putting-to--when ,mr4 ,colburn arrived  
with his flattering proposition for a   
new book4 ,taking up a scrubby          
manuscript volume which the servant was 

about to thrust into the pocket of the  
carriage1 he asked what was that4 ,i    
said it was one of my volumes of odds   
and ends1 and read him my last entry4   
,this is the very thing1 he said1 and   
carried it off with him4' ,the book was 
correctly described as a volume of odds 
and ends1 and was hardly worth          
preserving in a permanent shape1 though 
it contains one or two interesting      
autobiographical scraps1 such as the    
account of ,my ,first ,rout1 from which 
a quotation has already been given4 ,a  
writer in ,blackwood reviewed the work  
in a vein of ironical admiration1       
professing to be much impressed by the  
author's knowledge of metaphysics as    
exemplified in such a sentence as3 ',the
 idea of cause is a consequence of our  
consciousness of the force we exert in  
subjecting externals to the changes     
dictated by our volition4' ,unable to   
keep up the laudatory strain1 even in   
joke1 the reviewer 7his style points to 
,christopher ,north7 calls a literary   

friend to his assistance1 who takes the 
opposite view1 and declares that the    
book is 'a tawdry tissue of tedious     
trumpery2 a tessellated texture of      
threadbare thievery2 a trifling         
transcript of trite twaddle and         
trapessing tittle-tattle4444 ,like      
everything that falls from her pen1 it  
is pert1 shallow1 and conceited1 a      
farrago of ignorance1 indecency1 and    
blasphemy1 a tag-rag and bob-tail style 
of writing--like a harlequin's jacket4' 
,lady ,morgan bobbed up as irrepressibly
 as ever from under this torrent of     
7so-called7 criticism1 made a tour in   
,france and ,belgium for the purpose of 
writing more 'trapessing tittle-tattle1'
 and on her return to ,london1 such were
 the profits on blasphemy and indecency1
 bought her first carriage4 ,this       
equipage was a source of much amusement 
to her friends in ,dublin1 ',neither she
 nor ,sir ,charles1' we are told1 'knew 
the difference between a good carriage  
and a bad one--a carriage was a carriage

 to them4 ,it was never known where this
 vehicle was bought1 except that ,lady  
,morgan declared it came from the first 
carriage-builder in ,london4 ,in shape  
it was like a grasshopper1 as well as in
 colour4 ,very high and very springy1   
with enormous wheels1 it was difficult  
to get into1 and dangerous to get out   
of4 ,sir ,charles1 who never in his life
 before had mounted a coach-box1 was    
persuaded by his wife to drive his own  
carriage4 ,he was extremely             
short-sighted1 and wore large green     
spectacles out of doors4 ,his costume   
was a coat much trimmed with fur1 and   
heavily braided4 ,james ,grant1 the tall
 ,irish footman1 in the brightest of red
 plush1 sat beside him1 his office being
 to jump down whenever anybody was      
knocked down1 or run over1 for ,sir     
,charles drove as it pleased ,god4 ,the 
horse was mercifully a very quiet       
animal1 and much too small for the      
carriage1 or the mischief would have    
been worse4 ,lady ,morgan1 in the large 

bonnet of the period1 and a cloak lined 
with fur hanging over the back of the   
carriage1 gave1 as she conceived1 the   
crowning grace to a neat and elegant    
turn-out4 ,the only drawback to her     
satisfaction was the alarm caused by    
,sir ,charles's driving2 and she was    
incessantly springing up to adjure him  
to take care1 to which he would reply   
with warmth1 after the manner of        
husbands4'  ,in #ahhj ,lady ,morgan     
published her ,france 7#ahbi-cj74 ,this 
book was not a commission1 but she had  
told ,colburn that she was writing it1  
and as he made her no definite offer1   
she opened negotiations with the firm of
 ,saunders and ,otley4 ,colburn1 who    
looked upon her as his special property1
 was furious at her desertion1 and      
informed her that if she did not at once
 break off with ,saunders and ,otley1 it
 would be no less detrimental to her    
literary than to her pecuniary interest4
 ,undismayed by this threat1 ,lady      
,morgan accepted the offer of a thousand

 pounds made her by the rival firm4     
,colburn1 who was a power in the        
literary market1 kept his word4 ,he     
advertised in his own periodicals       
',,lady ,,morgan ,,at ,,half-,,price1'  
and stated publicly that in consequence 
of the losses he had sustained by her   
former works1 he had declined her new   
book1 and that copies of all her        
publications might be had at half-price4
 ,in consequence of these and other     
machinations1 the new ,france1 which was
 at least as good a book as the old one1
 fell flat1 and the unfortunate         
publishers were only able to make one   
payment of #ejj4 ,they tried to get     
their contract cancelled in court1 and  
,colburn1 who was called as a witness1  
admitted that he had done his best to   
injure ,lady ,morgan's literary         
reputation4 ,eventually1 the matter was 
compromised1 ,saunders and ,otley being 
allowed to publish ,lady ,morgan's next 
book1 ,dramatic ,scenes and ,sketches1  
as some compensation for their loss2 but

 of this1 too1 they failed to make a    
success4  ,the reviews of ,france were  
few and slighting1 the wickedest and    
most amusing being by ,theodore ,hook4  
,he quotes with glee the author's       
complacent record that she was compared 
to ,molire by the ,parisians1 and that  
she had seen in a 'poetry-book' the     
following lines3--     ',slendal 7sic71 
,morgan1 ,schlegel-ne vous effrayez     
pas--    ,muses6 ce sont des noms fameux
 dans nos climats4'  ',her ladyship1'   
continues ,theodore1 'went to dine with 
one of those spectacle and sealing-wax  
barons1 ,rothschild1 at ,paris2 where   
never was such a dinner1 no catsup and  
walnut pickle1 but a mayonese fried in  
ice1 like ,ninon's description of       
,seveigne's 7sic7 heart1 and to all this
 fine show she was led out by           
,rothschild himself4 ,after the soup she
 took an opportunity of praising the    
cook1 of whom she had heard much4 ,eh   
bien1 says ,rothschild1 laughing1 as    
well he might1 he on his side has also  

relished your works1 and here is a proof
 of it4 ,i really blush1 says ,miladi1  
like ,sterne's accusing spirit1 as ,i   
give in the fact--but--he pointed to a  
column of the most ingenious            
confectionery architecture1 on which my 
name was inscribed in spun sugar4 ,there
 was a thing--,lady ,morgan in spun     
sugar6 ,and what does the reader think  
her ladyship did8 ,she shall tell in her
 own dear words4 ,all ,i could do under 
my triumphant emotion ,i did4 ,i begged 
to be introduced to the celebrated and  
flattering artist4 ,it is a fact--to the
 cook2 and another fact1 which only     
shows that the ,hebrew baron is a ,jew  
d'esprit1 is that after coffee1 the cook
 actually came up1 and was presented to 
her4 ,he1 says her ladyship1 was a      
well-bred gentleman1 perfectly free from
 pedantry1 and when we had mutually     
complimented each other on our          
respective works1 he bowed himself out4'
  ,in spite of her egoism and her many  
absurdities1 it seems clear from        

contemporary evidence that in ,london1  
where she usually appeared during the   
season1 ,lady ,morgan had a following4  
,the names of most of the literary      
celebrities of the day appear amid the  
disjointed jottings of her diary4 ,we   
hear of 'that egregious coxcomb         
,d',israeli1 outraging the privilege a  
young man has of being absurd'2 and     
,sydney ,smith 'so natural1 so bon      
enfant1 so little of a wit titr'2 and   
,mrs4 ,bulwer-,lytton1 handsome1        
insolent1 and unamiable2 and ,allan     
,cunningham1 'immense fun'2 and ,thomas 
,hood1 'a grave-looking personage1 the  
picture of ill-health'2 and her old     
critical enemy1 ,lord ,jeffrey1 with    
whom ,lady ,morgan started a violent    
flirtation4 ',when he comes to          
,ireland1' she writes1 'we are to go to 
,donnybrook ,fair together2 in short1   
having cut me down with his tomahawk as 
a reviewer1 he smothers me with roses as
 a man4 ,i always say of my enemies     
before we meet1 ,let me at them4'  ,the 

other literary women were naturally the 
chief object of interest to her4 ,lady  
,morgan seems to have been fairly free  
from professional jealousy1 though she  
hated her countrywoman1 ,lady           
,blessington1 with a deadly hatred4     
,mrs4 ,gore1 then one of the most       
fashionable novelists1 she finds 'a     
pleasant little rondelette of a woman1  
something of my own style4 ,we talked   
and laughed together1 as good-natured   
women do1 and agreed upon many points4' 
,the learned ,mrs4 ,somerville is       
described as 'a simple1 little1         
middle-aged woman4 ,had she not been    
presented to me by name and reputation1 
,i should have said she was one of the  
respectable twaddling matrons one meets 
at every ball1 dressed in a snug        
mulberry velvet gown1 and a little cap  
with a red flower4 ,i asked her how she 
could descend from the stars to mix     
among us4 ,she said she was obliged to  
go out with a daughter4 ,from the       
glimpse of her last night1 ,i should say

 there was no imagination1 no deep moral
 philosophy1 though a great deal of     
scientific lore1 and a great deal of    
bonhomie4' ,for 'poor dear ,jane        
,porter1' the author of ,scottish       
,chiefs1 ,lady ,morgan felt the natural 
contempt of a 'showy woman' for one who 
looks like a 'shabby canoness4' ',miss  
,porter1' she records1 'told me she was 
taken for me the other night1 and talked
 to as such by a party of ,americans4   
,she is tall1 lank1 lean1 and           
lackadaisical1 dressed in the deepest   
black1 with a battered black gauze hat1 
and the air of a regular ,melpomene4 ,i 
am the reverse of all this1 and sans    
vanit1 the best-dressed woman wherever  
,i go4 ,last night ,i wore a blue satin1
 trimmed fully with magnificent         
point-lace1 and stomacher  la ,svign1   
light blue velvet hat and feathers1 with
 an aigrette of sapphires and diamonds4'
 ,as ,lady ,morgan at this time was     
nearer sixty than fifty1 rouged         
liberally1 and made all her own dresses1

 her appearance in the costume above    
described must at least have been       
remarkable4  ,lady ,morgan's last novel1
 a ,belgian story called ,the ,princess1
 or the ,bguine1 was published by       
,bentley in #ahcd1 and for the first    
edition she received1 #cej1 a sad       
falling-off from the prices received in 
former days4 ,as her popularity waned1  
she grew discontented with life in      
,dublin1 'the wretched capital of       
wretched ,ireland1' as she calls it1 and
 in a moment of mental depression she   
entered the characteristic query1',cui  
bono8' in her diary4 ,to the same       
faithful volume she confided complaints 
even of her beloved ,morgan1 but the    
fact that she could find nothing worse  
to reproach him with than a             
disinclination for fresh air and        
exercise1 speaks volumes for his marital
 virtue4 ,a more serious trouble came   
from failing eyesight1 which in #ahcg   
threatened to develop into total        
blindness4 ,it was in this year1 when   

things seemed at their darkest1 that a  
pension of #cjj a year was conferred on 
her by ,lord ,melbourne1 'in recognition
 of her merits1 literary and patriotic4'
 ,it was probably this unexpected       
accession of income that decided the    
,morgans to leave ,dublin1 and spend the
 remainder of their days in ,london4    
,they found a pleasant little house in  
,william ,street1 ,knightsbridge1 a new 
residential quarter which was just      
growing up under the fostering care of  
,mr4 ,cubitt4 ,lady ,morgan went 'into  
raptures over the pretty new quarter1'  
and wrote some articles on ,pimlico in  
the ,athenum4 ,she also got up a        
successful agitation for an entrance    
into ,hyde ,park at what is now known as
 ,albert ,gate4 ,for deserting ,ireland1
 after receiving a pension for          
patriotism1 and writing against the     
evils of ,absenteeism1 ,lady ,morgan was
 subjected to a good deal of sarcasm by 
her countrymen4 ,but1 as she pointed    
out1 her property in ,ireland was       

personal1 not real1 the tenant-farm of a
 drawing-room balcony1 on which annual  
crops of mignonette were raised for home
 consumption1 being the only territorial
 possession that she had ever enjoyed4  
,lady ,morgan's eyesight must have      
temporarily improved with her change of 
dwelling1 for in #ahci the first part of
 her last work of any importance1 ,woman
 and her ,master1 was published by      
,colburn1 to whom she had at last become
 reconciled4 ,this book1 which was never
 finished1 was designed to prove1 among 
other things1 that in spite of the      
subordination in which women have been  
kept1 and in spite of all the artificial
 difficulties that have been put in     
their way1 not only have they never been
 conquered in spirit1 but that they have
 always been the depositaries of the    
vital and leading ideas of the time4    
,the book is more soberly written than  
most of ,lady ,morgan's works1 but it   
would probably be regarded by the modern
 reader as dull and superficial4 ,it was

 generally believed that ,sir ,charles  
had assisted in its composition1 and few
 men have ever wielded a heavier pen4   
,the pair only issued one more joint    
work1 ,the ,book ,without a ,name1 which
 appeared in #ahdb1 and consisted       
chiefly of articles and sketches that   
had already been published in the       
magazines4  ,the ,morgans now found     
their chief occupation and amusement in 
the society which they attracted to     
their cheerful little house4 ,one or two
 sketches of the pair1 as they appeared 
in their later days1 have been left by  
contemporaries4 ,chorley1 an intimate   
friend1 observes that1 like all the     
sceptics he ever approached1 they were  
absurdly prejudiced1 and proof against  
all new impressions4 ',neither of them1 
though both were literary and musical1  
could endure ,german literature and     
music1 had got beyond the stale sarcasms
 of the ,anti-,jacobin1 or could admit  
that there is glory for such men as     
,weber1 ,beethoven1 and ,mendelssohn1 as

 well as for ,cimarosa and              
,paisiello4444 ,her familiar            
conversation was a series of brilliant1 
egotistic1 shrewd1 and genial sallies1  
and she could be either caressing or    
impudent4 ,in the matter of             
self-approbation she had no ,statute of 
,limitation1 but boasted of having      
taught ,taglioni to dance an ,irish jig1
 and declared that she had created the  
,irish novel1 though in the next breath 
she would say that she was a child when 
,miss ,edgeworth was a grown woman4'    
,her blunders were proverbial1 as when  
she asked in all simplicity1 ',who was  
,jeremy ,taylor8' and on being presented
 to ,mrs4 ,sarah ,austin1 complimented  
her on having written ,pride and        
,prejudice4  ,another friend1 ,abraham  
,hayward1 used to say that ,lady ,morgan
 had been transplanted to ,london too   
late1 and that she was never free of the
 corporation of fine ladies1 though she 
saw a good deal of them4 ',she          
erroneously fancied that she was        

expected to entertain the company1 be it
 what it might1 and she was fond of     
telling stories in which she figured as 
the companion of the great1 instead of  
confining herself to scenes of low      
,irish life1 which she described        
inimitably4 ,lady ,cork was accustomed  
to say1 ,i like ,lady ,morgan very much 
as an ,irish blackguard1 but ,i can't   
endure her as an ,english fine lady4'   
,in #ahdc ,sir ,charles died rather     
suddenly from heart disease4 ,his wife  
mourned him sincerely1 but not for long 
in solitude4 ,she found the anaesthetic 
for her grief in society1 and after a   
few months of widowhood writes3         
',everybody makes a point of having me  
out1 and ,i am beginning to be          
familiarised with my great loss4 ,london
 is the best place in the world for the 
happy and the unhappy2 there is a       
floating capital of sympathy for every  
human good or evil4 ,i am a nobody1 and 
yet what kindness ,i am daily           
receiving4' ,again1 in #ahde1 after her 

sister's death1 she notes in her diary3 
',the world is my gin or opium2 ,i take 
it for a few hours per diem--excitement1
 intoxication1 absence4 ,i return to my 
desolate home1 and wake to all the      
horrors of sobriety4444 ,yet ,i am      
accounted the agreeable rattle of the   
great ladies' coterie1 and ,i talk pas  
mal to many clever men all day4444 ,that
 ,park near me1 of which my beloved     
,morgan used to say1 ,it is ours more   
than the ,queen's1 we use it daily and  
enjoy it nightly--that ,park that ,i    
worked so hard to get an entrance into1 
,i never walk in it2 it seems to me     
covered with crape4'  ,among the friends
 of ,lady ,morgan's old age were the    
,carter ,halls1 ,hepworth ,dixon1 ,miss 
,jewsbury1 ,hayward1 and ,douglas       
,jerrold4 ,lord ,campbell1 old ,rogers1 
and ,cardinal ,wiseman frequented her   
soires1 though with the last-named she  
had waged a pamphlet war over the       
authenticity of ,st4 ,peter's chair at  
,rome4 ,rogers was reported to be       

engaged to one of ,lady ,morgan's       
attractive nieces1 the ,miss ,clarkes1  
who often stayed with her4 ,it was in   
allusion to this rumour that he said1   
',whenever my name is coupled with that 
of a young lady in this manner1 ,i make 
it a point of honour to say ,i have been
 refused4' ,to the last1 we are told1   
,lady ,morgan preserved the natural     
vivacity and aptness of repartee that   
had made her the delight of ,dublin     
society half a century before4 ',i know 
,i am vain1' she said once to ,mrs4     
,hall1 'but ,i have a right to be4 ,it  
is not put on and off like my rouge2 it 
is always with me4444 ,i wrote books    
when your mothers worked samplers1 and  
demanded freedom for ,ireland when ,dan 
,o',connell scrambled for gulls' eggs in
 the crags of ,derrynane4444 ,look at   
the number of books ,i have written4    
,did ever woman move in a brighter      
sphere than ,i do8 ,i have three        
invitations to dinner to-day1 one from a
 duchess1 one from a countess1 and the  

third from a diplomatist1 a very witty  
man1 who keeps the best society in      
,london4'  ,lady ,morgan was fond of    
boasting that she had supported herself 
since she was fourteen 7for which read  
seventeen or eighteen71 and insisted on 
the advantage of giving every girl a    
profession by which she could earn her  
living1 if the need arose4 ,speaking to 
,mrs4 ,hall on the subject of some girls
 who had been suddenly bereft of        
fortune1 she exclaimed3 ',they do       
everything that is fashionable          
imperfectly2 their drawing1 singing1    
dancing1 and languages amount to        
nothing4 ,they were educated to marry1  
and had they had time1 they might have  
gone off with1 and hereafter from1      
husbands4 ,i desire to give every girl1 
no matter her rank1 a trade or          
profession4 ,cultivate what is necessary
 to the position she is born to2        
cultivate all things in moderation1 but 
one thing to perfection1 no matter what 
it is1 for which she has a talent3 give 

her a staff to lay hold of2 let her     
feel1 ,this will carry me through life  
without dependence4'  ,with the         
assistance of ,miss ,jewsbury ,lady     
,morgan1 in the last years of her life1 
prepared a volume of reminiscences1     
which she called ,the ,odd ,volume4     
,this1 which was published in #ahei1    
only deals with a short period of her   
career1 and is of little literary       
interest4 ,the ,athenum1 in the course  
of a laudatory review1 observed that    
',lady ,morgan had lived through the    
love1 admiration1 and malignity of three
 generations of men1 and was1 in short1 
a literary ,ninon1 who seemed as brisk  
and captivating in the year #ahei as    
when ,george was ,prince1 and the author
 of ,kate ,kearney divided the          
laureateship of society and song with   
,tom ,moore4'  ,lady ,morgan1 though now
 an octogenarian1 was by no means       
pleased at these remarks4 ,she still    
prided herself on her fascinations1 was 
never tired and never bored1 and looked 

upon any one who died under a hundred   
years of age as a suicide4 ',you have   
more strength and spirit1 as well as    
more genius1 than any of us1' wrote     
,abraham ,hayward to her4 ',we must go  
back to the brilliant women of the      
eighteenth century to find anything like
 a parallel to you and your soires4'    
,but bronchitis was an enemy with which 
even her high spirit was powerless to   
cope4 ,she had an attack in #aheh1 but  
threw it off1 and on ,christmas ,day    
gave a dinner1 at which she told ,irish 
stories with all her old vivacity1 and  
sang ',the ,night before ,larry was     
,stretched4' ,on ,st4 ,patrick's ,day1  
#ahei1 she gave a musical matine1 but   
caught cold the following week1 and     
after a short illness1 died on ,april   
#afth4  ,thus ended the career of one of
 the most flattered and best abused     
women of the century4 ,held up as the   
,irish ,madame de ,stal by her admirers1
 and run down as a monster of impudence 
and iniquity by her enemies1 it is no   

wonder that her character1 by no means  
innately refined1 became hardened1 if   
not coarsened1 by so unenviable a       
notoriety4 ,still1 to her credit be it  
remembered that she never lost a friend1
 and that she converted more than one   
impersonal enmity 7as in the case of    
,jeffrey and ,lockhart7 into a personal 
friendship4 ,in spite of her passion for
 the society of the great1 she wrote and
 worked throughout her whole career for 
the cause of liberty1 and she was ever  
on the side of the oppressed4 ,an       
incorrigible flirt before marriage1 she 
developed into an irreproachable matron1
 while her natural frivolity and        
feather-headedness never tempted her to 
neglect her work1 nor interfered with   
her faculty for making most advantageous
 business arrangements4 ',with all her  
frank vanity1' we are told1 'she had    
shrewd good sense1 and she valued       
herself much more on her industry than  
on her genius1 because the one1 she     
said1 she owed to her organisation1 but 

the other was a virtue of her own       
rearing4' ,it would be impossible to    
conclude a sketch of ,lady ,morgan more 
appropriately than by the following     
lines of ,leigh ,hunt1 which she herself
 was fond of quoting1 and in which her  
personal idiosyncrasies are pleasantly  
touched off3--       ',and dear ,lady   
,morgan1 see1 see1 when she comes1      
,with her pulses all beating for freedom
 like drums1      ,so ,irish1 so modish1
 so mixtish1 so wild2      ,so          
committing herself as she talks--like a 
child4      ,so trim1 yet so            
easy--polite1 yet high-hearted1         
,that truth and she1 try all she can1   
won't be parted2      ,she'll put you   
your fashions1 your latest new air1     
,and then talk so frankly1 she'll make  
you all stare4'     ,,nathaniel ,,parker
 ,,willis  ,,part ,i   ,illustration3   
,nathaniel ,parker ,willis  ,any fool1  
said a wise man1 can write an           
interesting book if he will only take   
the trouble to set down exactly what he 

has seen and heard4 ,unfortunately1 it  
is only a very special kind of fool who 
is capable of recording exactly what he 
sees and hears--a rare bird who         
flourishes perhaps once in a century1   
and is remembered long after wiser men  
are forgotten4 ,it is not contended that
 the subject of this memoir was a fool  
in the crude sense of the word1 though  
he was responsible for a good deal of   
folly2 but he was inspired by that      
impertinent curiosity1 that happy lack  
of dignity1 and that passion for the    
trivial and the intimate1 which1 when   
joined to a natural talent for          
observation and a picturesque narrative 
style1 enable the possessor to          
illuminate a circle and a period in a   
fashion never achieved by the most      
learned lucubrations of the profoundest 
scholars4 ,thanks to his ,boswellising  
powers1 ',namby-,pamby ,willis1' as he  
was called by his numerous enemies1 has 
left an admirably vivid picture of the  
literary society of ,london in the      

'thirties1' a picture that steadily     
increases in value as the period at     
which it was painted recedes into the   
past4  ,willis came of a family that had
 contrived1 not unsuccessfully1 to      
combine religion with journalism4 ,his  
immediate forebears seem to have been   
persons of marked individuality1 and his
 pedigree was1 for the ,new ,world1 of  
quite respectable antiquity4 ,the       
founder of the family1 ,george ,willis1 
was born early in the seventeenth       
century1 and emigrated to ,new ,england 
about #agcj1 where he worked at his     
trade of brickmaking and building4 ,our 
hero's great-grandfather was a patriotic
 sailmaker1 who assisted at a certain   
historic entertainment1 when tar1       
feathers1 and hot tea were administered 
gratis to his ,majesty's tax-collector  
at ,boston4 ,his wife1 ,abigail1 was a  
lady of character and maxims1 who saved 
some tea for her private use when three 
hundred cases were emptied into ,boston 
,harbour1 and exhorted her family never 

to eat brown bread when they could get  
white1 and never to go in at the back   
door when they might go in at the front4
 ,the son of this worthy couple         
conducted a ,whig newspaper in ,boston  
during the ,rebellion1 and became one of
 the pioneer journalists of the ,west4  
,his son1 ,nathaniel's sire1 was        
invited1 in #ahjc1 to start a newspaper 
at ,portland1 ,maine1 where the future  
,penciller was born in #ahjf1 one year  
before his fellow-townsman ,longfellow4 
,a few years later1 ,mr4 ,willis        
returned to ,boston1 where1 in #ahaf1 he
 started the ,boston ,recorder1 the     
first newspaper1 he was accustomed to   
say1 that had ever been run on religious
 lines4 ,he seems to have been a        
respectable1 but narrow-minded man1 who 
loved long devotions and many services1 
and looked upon dancing1 card-playing   
and stage-plays as works of the ,evil   
,one4 ,his redeeming points were a sense
 of humour and a keen appreciation of   
female beauty1 which last characteristic

 he certainly bequeathed to his son4 ,it
 was his custom to sit round the fire   
with his nine children on winter        
evenings1 and tell them stories about   
the old ,dutch tiles1 representing ,new 
,testament scenes1 with which the       
chimney-corner was lined4 ,the success  
of these informal ,scripture lessons led
 him to establish a religious paper for 
young people called ,the ,youth's       
,companion1 in which some of our hero's 
early verses appeared4 ,his wife1       
,hannah ,parker1 is described as a      
charming woman1 lively1 impulsive1 and  
emotional4 ,her son1 ,nathaniel1 whose  
devotion to her never wavered1 used to  
say1 ',my veins are teeming with the    
quicksilver spirit my mother gave me4'  
,willis the younger was sent to school  
at ,boston1 where he had ,emerson for a 
schoolfellow1 and afterwards to the     
university of ,yale1 where he wrote much
 poetry1 and was well received in the   
society of the place on account of his  
good looks1 easy manners1 and precocious

 literary reputation4 ,on leaving ,yale1
 he was delivered of a volume of        
juvenile poems1 and then settled down in
 ,boston to four years' journalistic    
work4 ,samuel ,goodrich1 better known in
 ,england under his pseudonym of ',peter
 ,parley1' engaged him to edit some     
annuals and gift-books1 an employment   
which the young man found particularly  
congenial4 ,in his ,recollections ,peter
 ,parley draws a comparison between his 
two contributors1 ,hawthorne and        
,willis1 and records that everything    
,willis wrote attracted immediate       
attention1 while the early productions  
of ,hawthorne passed almost unnoticed4  
,in #ahbi ,willis started on his own    
account with the ,american ,monthly     
,magazine1 which had an existence of    
little more than two years4 ,he         
announced that he could not afford to   
pay for contributions1 as he expected   
only a small circulation1 and he wrote  
most of the copy himself4 ,every month  
there were discursive1 gossiping        

editorial articles in that 'personal'   
vein which has been worked with so much 
industry in our own day4 ,he took his   
readers into his confidence1 prattled   
about his japonica and his pastilles1   
and described his favourite bird1 a     
scarlet trulian1 and his dogs1 ,ugolino 
and ,l4 ,e4 ,l41 who slept in the       
waste-paper basket4 ,he professed to    
write with a bottle of ,rudesheimer and 
a plate of olives at his elbow1 and it  
was hinted that he ate fruit in summer  
with an amber-handled fork to keep his  
palm cool6  ,these youthful affectations
 had a peculiarly exasperating effect   
upon men of a different type2 and       
,willis became the butt of the more     
old-fashioned critics1 who vied with    
each other in inventing opprobrious     
epithets to shower upon the head of this
 young puppy of journalism4 ,however1   
,nathaniel was not a person who could   
easily be suppressed1 and he soon became
 one of the most popular                
magazine-writers of his time1 his prose 

being described by an admirer as        
'delicate and brief like a white        
jacket--transparent like a lump of sugar
 in champagne--soft-tempered like the   
sea-breeze at night4' ,unfortunately1   
the magazines paid but little1 even for 
prose of the above description1 and     
,willis presently found himself in      
financial difficulties2 while1 with all 
his acknowledged fascinations1 he was   
unlucky in his first love-affair4 ,he   
became engaged to a beautiful girl      
called ,mary ,benham1 but her guardian  
broke off the match1 and the lady1 who  
seems to have had an inclination for    
literary men1 afterwards married        
,motley1 the historian of the ,dutch    
,republic4  ,in #ahca the ,american     
,monthly ,magazine ceased to appear1 and
 ,willis1 leaving ,boston and his       
creditors without regret1 obtained the  
post of assistant-editor on the ,new    
,york ,mirror1 a weekly paper devoted to
 literature1 light fiction1 and the fine
 arts4 ,it was the property of ,morris1 

author of the once world-famous song1   
',woodman1 spare that ,tree1' and the   
editor-in-chief was ,theodore ,fay1 a   
novelist of some distinction4 ,soon     
after his appointment it was decided    
that ,willis should be sent to ,europe  
as foreign correspondent of his paper4  
,a sum of about a hundred pounds was    
scraped together for his expenses1 and  
it was arranged that he should write    
weekly letters at the rate of two       
guineas a letter4 ,in the autumn of     
#ahca he sailed in a merchant-vessel for
 ,havre1 whence he journeyed to ,paris  
in ,november4 ,here he spent the first  
five or six months of his tour1 and here
 began the series of ',pencillings by   
the ,way1' a portion of which gained him
 rather an unwelcome notoriety in       
,english society by reason of the       
'personalities' it contained4 ,when     
published in book form the ,pencillings 
were considerably toned down1 and the   
proper names were represented by        
initials1 so that people who read them  

then for the first time wondered what   
all the excitement had been about4 ,as  
the chapters which relate to ,england   
are of most interest to ,english        
readers1 ,willis's continental          
adventures need only be briefly noticed4
 ,the extracts here quoted are taken    
from the original letters as they       
appeared in the ,new ,york ,mirror1     
which differ in many respects from the  
version that was published in ,london   
after the attack by the ,quarterly      
,review4  ,in ,paris ,willis found      
himself in his element1 and was made    
much of by the ,anglo-,french community1
 which was then under the special       
patronage of ,lafayette4 ,one of the    
most interesting of his new             
acquaintances was the ,countess         
,guiccioli1 upon whose appearance and   
manners he comments with characteristic 
frankness4  ',i met the ,guiccioli      
yesterday in the ,tuileries1' he writes 
shortly after his arrival4 ',she looks  
much younger than ,i anticipated1 and is

 a handsome blonde1 apparently about    
thirty4 ,i am told by a gentleman who   
knows her that she has become a great   
flirt1 and is quite spoiled by          
admiration4 ,the celebrity of ,lord     
,byron's attachment would certainly make
 her a very desirable acquaintance were 
she much less pretty than she really is1
 and ,i am told her drawing-room is     
thronged with lovers of all nations     
contending for a preference which1      
having once been given1 should be       
buried1 ,i think1 for ever4' ,a little  
later he has himself been introduced to 
the ,guiccioli1 and he describes an     
interview which he has had with her1    
when the conversation turned upon her   
friendship with ,shelley4  ',she gave me
 one of his letters to herself as an    
autograph1' he narrates4 ',she says he  
was at times a little crazy--fou1 as she
 expressed it--but there never was a    
nobler or a better man4 ,lord ,byron1   
she says1 loved him as a brother4444    
,there were several miniatures of ,byron

 hanging up in the room2 ,i asked her if
 any of them were perfect in the        
resemblance4 ,no1 she said1 that is the 
most like him1 taking down a miniature  
by an ,italian artist1 mais il tait     
beaucoup plus beau--beaucoup--beaucoup4 
,she reiterated the word with a very    
touching tenderness1 and continued to   
look at the portrait for some time4444  
,she went on talking of the painters who
 had drawn ,byron1 and said the         
,american1 ,west's1 was the best        
likeness4 ,i did not tell her that      
,west's portrait of herself was         
excessively flattered4 ,i am sure no one
 would know her1 from the engraving at  
least4 ,her cheek-bones are high1 her   
forehead is badly shaped1 and altogether
 the frame of her features is decidedly 
ugly4 ,she dresses in the worst taste   
too1 and yet for all this1 and poetry   
and celebrity aside1 the countess is    
both a lovely and a fascinating woman1  
and one whom a man of sentiment would   
admire at this age very sincerely1 but  

not for beauty4'  ,the cholera          
frightened ,willis away from ,paris in  
,april1 but before he left1 the ,united 
,states minister1 ,mr4 ,rives1 appointed
 him honorary attach to his own embassy1
 a great social advantage to the young  
man1 who was thereby enabled to obtain  
the entre into court circles in every   
country that he visited4 ,at the same   
time the appointment somewhat misled his
 numerous new acquaintances on the      
subject of his social position1 while   
the 'spurious' attachship afterwards    
became a weapon in the hands of his     
enemies4 ,however1 for the time being1  
the young correspondent thoroughly      
enjoyed his novel experiences1 and      
contrived to communicate his enjoyment  
to his readers4 ,his letters were       
eagerly read by his countrymen1 and are 
said to have been copied into no less   
than five hundred newspapers4 ,he       
eschewed useful information1 gave       
impressions rather than statistics1 and 
was fairly successful in avoiding the   

style of the guide-book4 ,the summer and
 autumn of #ahcb were spent in northern 
,italy1 ,florence being the traveller's 
headquarters4 ,he had letters of        
introduction to half the ,italian       
nobility1 and was made welcome in the   
court circles of ,tuscany4 ,in the      
autumn he was flirting at the ,baths of 
,lucca1 and at this time he had formed a
 project of travelling to ,london by way
 of ,switzerland4 ',in ,london1' he     
writes to his sister1 ',i mean to make  
arrangements with the magazines1 and    
then live abroad altogether4 ,it costs  
so little here1 and one lives so        
luxuriously too1 and there is so much to
 fill one's mind and eye1 that ,i think 
of returning to naked ,america with     
ever-increasing repugnance4 ,i love my  
country1 but the ornamental is my       
vocation1 and of this she has none4'    
,this programme was changed1 and ,willis
 spent the winter between ,rome1        
,florence1 and ,venice4 ,wherever he    
went he made friends1 but his progress  

was in itself a feat of diplomacy1 and  
few people dreamt that the dashing young
 attach depended for his living upon his
 contributions to a newspaper1 payment  
for which did not always arrive with    
desirable punctuality4 ',i have dined1' 
he writes to his mother1 'with a prince 
one day1 and alone in a cook-shop the   
next4' ,he explains that he can live on 
about sixty pounds a year at ,florence1 
paying four or five shillings a week for
 his rooms1 breakfasting for fourpence1 
and dining quite magnificently for a    
shilling4  ,in ,june #ahcc1 ,willis was 
invited by the officers of an ,american 
frigate to accompany them on a six      
months' cruise in the ,mediterranean4   
,this was far too good an offer to be   
refused1 since it would have been       
impossible to get a peep at the ,east   
under more ideal conditions of travel4  
,willis's letters from ,greece and      
,turkey are among the best and happiest 
that he wrote1 for the weather was      
perfect1 the company was pleasant 7there

 were ladies on board71 and the         
reception they met with wherever they   
weighed anchor was most hospitable2     
while the ,oriental mode of life        
appealed to our hero's highly-coloured1 
romantic taste4 ,in the island of gina  
he was introduced to ,byron's ,maid of  
,athens1 once the beautiful ,teresa     
,makri1 now plain ,mrs4 ,black1 with an 
ugly little boy1 and a ,scotch terrier  
that snapped at the traveller's heels4  
,he describes the ci-devant ,maid of    
,athens as a handsome woman1 with a     
clear dark skin1 and a nose and forehead
 that formed the straight line of the   
,greek model4  ',her eyes are large1' he
 continues1 'and of a soft1 liquid      
hazel1 and this is her chief beauty4    
,there is that looking out of the soul  
through them which ,byron always        
described as constituting the loveliness
 that most moved him4444 ,we met her as 
simple ,mrs4 ,black1 whose husband's    
terrier had worried us at the door1 and 
we left her feeling that the poetry she 

called forth from the heart of ,byron   
was her due by every law of loveliness4'
  ,by this time the fame of the         
,pencillings had reached ,london2 and at
 ,smyrna ,willis found a letter awaiting
 him from the ,morning ,herald1 which   
contained an offer of the post of       
foreign correspondent at a salary of    
#bjj a year4 ,but as his letters would  
have to be mainly political1 and as he  
might be expected to act as             
war-correspondent1 which was scarcely in
 his line1 he decided to refuse the     
offer4 ,on leaving the frigate he       
loitered through ,italy1 ,switzerland1  
and ,france to ,england1 arriving at    
,dover on ,june #a1 #ahcd4 ,while at    
,florence he had made the acquaintance  
of ,walter ,savage ,landor1 who had     
given him some valuable letters of      
introduction to people in ,england1     
among them one to ,lady ,blessington4   
,landor also put into ,willis's hands a 
package of books1 whose temporary       
disappearance through some mismanagement

 roused the formidable wrath of the old 
poet4 ,in his ,letter to an ,author1    
printed at the end of ,pericles and     
,aspasia1 ,landor describes the         
transaction 7which related to an        
,american edition of the ,imaginary     
,conversations71 and continues3--  ',i  
regret the appearance of his book 7the  
,pencillings by the ,way7 more than the 
disappearance of mine4444 ,my letter of 
presentation to ,lady ,blessington threw
 open 7,i am afraid7 too many           
folding-doors1 some of which have been  
left rather uncomfortably ajar4 ,no     
doubt his celebrity as a poet1 and his  
dignity as a diplomatist1 would have    
procured him all those distinctions in  
society which he allowed so humble a    
person as myself the instrumentality of 
conferring4 ,greatly as ,i have been    
flattered by the visits of ,american    
gentlemen1 ,i hope that for the future  
no penciller of similar composition will
 deviate in my favour to the right hand 
of the road from ,florence to ,fiesole4'

  ,the end of this storm in a teacup was
 that the books1 which had safely       
arrived in ,new ,york1 returned as      
safely to ,london1 where they were      
handed over to their rightful owner1 but
 not in time1 as ,willis complained1 to 
keep him from going down to posterity   
astride the finis to ,pericles and      
,aspasia4 ,long afterwards he expressed 
his hope that ,landor's biographers     
would either let him slip off at        
,lethe's wharf1 or else do him justice  
in a note4 ,before this unfortunate     
incident1 ,landor and ,willis had       
corresponded on cordial terms4 ,the old 
poet wrote to say how much he envied his
 correspondent the evenings he passed in
 the society of 'the most accomplished  
and graceful of all our fashionable     
world1 my excellent friend1 ,lady       
,blessington1' while the ,american could
 not sufficiently express his gratitude 
for the introduction to that lady1 'my  
lodestar and most valued friend1' as he 
called her1 'for whose acquaintance ,i  

am so much indebted to you1 that you    
will find it difficult in your lifetime 
to diminish my obligations4'  ,willis   
seems to have arrived in ,england       
prepared to like everything ,english1   
and he began by falling in love with the
 ,ship ,hotel at ,dover1 'with its bells
 that would ring1 doors that would shut1
 blazing coal fires on ,june #a1 and its
 landlady who spoke ,english1 and was   
civil--a greater contrast to the        
,continent could hardly he imagined4'   
,the next morning he was in raptures    
over the coach that took him to ,london1
 with its light harness1 four beautiful 
bays1 and dashing coachman1 who         
discussed the ,opera1 and hummed airs   
from the ,puritani4 ,he saw a hundred   
charming spots on the road that he      
coveted with quite a heartache1 and even
 the little houses and gardens in the   
suburbs pleased his taste--there was    
such an affectionateness in the outside 
of every one of them4 ,regent ,street he
 declares to be the finest street he has

 ever seen1 and he exclaims1 ',the      
,toledo of ,naples1 the ,corso of ,rome1
 the ,rue de la ,paix1 and the          
,boulevards of ,paris are really nothing
 to ,regent ,street4'  ,willis called on
 ,lady ,blessington in the afternoon of 
the day after his arrival1 but was      
informed that her ladyship was not yet  
down to breakfast4 ,an hour later1      
however1 he received a note from her    
inviting him to call the same evening at
 ten o'clock4 ,she was then living at   
,seamore ,house1 while ,d',orsay had    
lodgings in ,curzon ,street4 ,willis    
tells us that he found a very beautiful 
woman exquisitely dressed1 who looked on
 the sunny side of thirty1 though she   
frankly owned to forty1 and was1 in     
fact1 forty-five4 ,lady ,blessington    
received the young ,american very       
cordially1 introduced him to the        
magnificent ,d',orsay1 and plunged at   
once into literary talk4 ,she was       
curious to know the degree of popularity
 enjoyed by ,english authors in         

,america1 more especially by ,bulwer and
 ,d',israeli1 both of whom she promised 
that he should meet at her house4       
',d',israeli the elder1' she said1 'came
 here with his son the other night4 ,it 
would have delighted you to see the old 
man's pride in him4 ,as he was going    
away1 he patted him on the head1 and    
said1 ,take care of him1 ,lady          
,blessington1 for my sake4 ,he is a     
clever lad1 but wants ballast4 ,i am    
glad he has the honour to know you1 for 
you will check him sometimes when ,i am 
away4444 ,d',israeli the younger is     
quite his own character of ,vivian      
,grey1 crowded with talent1 but very    
soign of his curls1 and a bit of a      
coxcomb4 ,there is no reverse about him1
 however1 and he is the only joyous     
dandy ,i ever saw4' ,then the           
conversation turned upon ,byron1 and    
,willis asked if ,lady ,blessington had 
known ,la ,guiccioli4 ',no2 we were at  
,pisa when they were together1' she     
replied4 ',but though ,lord ,blessington

 had the greatest curiosity to see her1 
,lord ,byron would never permit it4 ,she
 has a red head of her own1 said he1 and
 don't like to show it4 ,byron treated  
the poor creature dreadfully ill4 ,she  
feared more than she loved him4'  ,on   
concluding this account of his visit1   
,willis observes that there can be no   
objection to his publishing such        
personal descriptions and anecdotes in  
an ,american periodical1 since 'the     
,english just know of our existence1 and
 if they get an idea twice a year of our
 progress in politics1 they are         
comparatively well informed4 ,our       
periodical literature is never even     
heard of4 ,i mention this fact lest1 at 
first thought1 ,i might seem to have    
abused the hospitality or the frankness 
of those on whom letters of introduction
 have given me claims for civility4'    
,alas1 poor ,willis6 ,he little thought 
that one of the most distinguished and  
most venomous of ,british critics would 
make a long arm across the ,atlantic1   

and hold up his prattlings to ridicule  
and condemnation4  ,the following       
evening our ,penciller met a            
distinguished company at ,seamore       
,house1 the two ,bulwers1 ,edward and   
,henry2 ,james ,smith of ',rejected     
,addresses' fame2 ,fonblanque1 the      
editor of the ,examiner2 and the young  
,duc de ,richelieu4 ,of ,fonblanque1    
,willis observes3 ',i never saw a worse 
face1 sallow1 seamed1 and hollow1 his   
teeth irregular1 his skin livid1 his    
straight black hair uncombed4 ,a hollow1
 croaking voice1 and a small1 fiery     
black eye1 with a smile like a          
skeleton's1 certainly did not improve   
his physiognomy4' ,fonblanque1 as might 
have been anticipated1 did not at all   
appreciate this description of his      
personal defects1 when it afterwards    
appeared in print4 ,edward ,bulwer was  
quite unlike what ,willis had expected4 
',he is short1' he writes1 'very much   
bent1 slightly knock-kneed1 and as      
ill-dressed a man for a gentleman as you

 will find in ,london4444 ,he has a     
retreating forehead1 large aquiline     
nose1 immense red whiskers1 and a mouth 
contradictory of all talent4 ,a more    
good-natured1 habitually smiling1       
nerveless expression could hardly be    
imagined4' ,bulwer seems to have made up
 for his appearance by his high spirits1
 lover-like voice1 and delightful       
conversation1 some of which our ,boswell
 has reported4  ',smith asked ,bulwer if
 he kept an amanuensis4 ,no1 he said1 ,i
 scribble it all out myself1 and send it
 to the press in a most ungentlemanlike 
hand1 half print1 half hieroglyphics1   
with all its imperfections on its head1 
and correct in the proof--very much to  
the dissatisfaction of the publisher1   
who sends me in a bill of #af1 #fs4     
#d;d4 for extra corrections4 ,then ,i am
 free to confess ,i don't know grammar4 
,lady ,blessington1 do you know grammar8
 ,there never was such a thing heard of 
before ,lindley ,murray4 ,i wonder what 
they did for grammar before his day6    

,oh1 the delicious blunders one sees    
when they are irretrievable6 ,and the   
best of it is the critics never get hold
 of them4 ,thank ,heaven for second     
editions1 that one may scratch out one's
 blots1 and go down clean and           
gentlemanlike to posterity4 ,smith asked
 him if he had ever reviewed one of his 
own books4 ,no1 but ,i could6 ,and then 
how ,i should like to recriminate1 and  
defend myself indignantly6 ,i think ,i  
could be preciously severe4 ,depend upon
 it1 nobody knows a book's faults so    
well as its author4 ,i have a great idea
 of criticising my books for my         
posthumous memoirs4 ,shall ,i1 ,smith8  
,shall ,i1 ,lady ,blessington8'  ,willis
 fell into conversation with the        
good-natured1 though gouty ,james       
,smith1 who talked to him of ,america1  
and declared that there never was so    
delightful a fellow as ,washington      
,irving4 ',i was once1' he said1 'taken 
down with him into the country by a     
merchant to dinner4 ,our friend stopped 

his carriage at the gate of his park1   
and asked if we would walk through the  
grounds to the house4 ,irving refused1  
and held me down by the coat-tails1 so  
that we drove on to the house together1 
leaving our host to follow on foot4 ,i  
make it a principle1 said ,irving1 never
 to walk with a man through his own     
grounds4 ,i have no idea of praising a  
thing whether ,i like it or not4 ,you   
and ,i will do them to-morrow by        
ourselves4' ',the ,rejected ,addresses1'
 continues ,willis1 'got on his crutches
 about three o'clock in the morning1 and
 ,i made my exit with the rest1 thanking
 ,heaven that1 though in a strange      
country1 my mother-tongue was the       
language of its men of genius4'  ,one of
 the most interesting passages in the   
,pencillings is that in which ,willis   
describes a breakfast at ,crabb         
,robinson's chambers in the ,temple1    
where he met ,charles and ,mary ,lamb1 a
 privilege which he seems thoroughly to 
have appreciated4 ',i never in my life1'

 he declares1 'had an invitation more to
 my taste4 ,the ,essays of ,elia are    
certainly the most charming things in   
the world1 and it has been1 for the last
 ten years1 my highest compliment to the
 literary taste of a friend to present  
him with a copy4444 ,i arrived half an  
hour before ,lamb1 and had time to learn
 something of his peculiarities4 ,some  
family circumstances have tended to     
depress him of late years1 and unless   
excited by convivial intercourse1 he    
never shows a trace of what he once was4
 ,he is excessively given to mystifying 
his friends1 and is never so delighted  
as when he has persuaded some one into a
 belief in one of his grave             
inventions4444 ,there was a rap at the  
door at last1 and enter a gentleman in  
black small clothes and gaiters1 short  
and very slight in his person1 his hair 
just sprinkled with grey1 a beautiful1  
deep-set1 grey eye1 aquiline nose1 and a
 very indescribable mouth4 ,his sister1 
whose literary reputation is very       

closely associated with her brother's1  
came in after him4 ,she is a small1 bent
 figure1 evidently a victim to          
ill-health1 and hears with difficulty4  
,her face has been1 ,i should think1 a  
fine1 handsome one1 and her bright grey 
eye is still full of intelligence and   
fire4444  ',i had set a large arm-chair 
for ,miss ,lamb4 ,don't take it1 ,mary1 
said ,lamb1 pulling it away from her    
very gravely4 ,it looks as if you were  
going to have a tooth drawn4 ,the       
conversation was very local1 but perhaps
 in this way ,i saw more of the author1 
for his manner of speaking of their     
mutual friends1 and the quaint humour   
with which he complained of one1 and    
spoke well of another1 was so completely
 in the vein of his inimitable writings1
 that ,i could have fancied myself      
listening to an audible composition of  
new ,elia4 ,nothing could be more       
delightful than the kindness and        
affection between the brother and       
sister1 though ,lamb was continually    

taking advantage of her deafness to     
mystify her on every topic that was     
started4 ,poor ,mary1 he said1 she hears
 all of an epigram but the point4 ,what 
are you saying of me1 ,charles8 she     
asked4 ,mr4 ,willis1 said he1 raising   
his voice1 admires your ,confessions of 
a ,drunkard very much1 and ,i was saying
 that it was no merit of yours that you 
understood the subject4  ',the          
conversation presently turned upon      
literary topics1 and ,lamb observed3 ,i 
don't know much of your ,american       
authors4 ,mary1 there1 devours ,cooper's
 novels with a ravenous appetite with   
which ,i have no sympathy4 ,the only    
,american book ,i ever read twice was   
the ,journal of ,edward ,woolman1 a     
,quaker preacher and tinker1 whose      
character is one of the finest ,i ever  
met4 ,he tells a story or two about     
negro slaves that brought the tears into
 my eyes4 ,i can read no prose now1     
though ,hazlitt sometimes1 to be        
sure--but then ,hazlitt is worth all the

 modern prose-writers put together4 ,i  
mentioned having bought a copy of ,elia 
the last day ,i was in ,america1 to send
 as a parting gift to one of the most   
lovely and talented women in the        
country4 ,what did you give for it8     
asked ,lamb4 ,about seven-and-six4      
,permit me to pay you that1 said he1 and
 with the utmost earnestness he counted 
the money out on the table4 ,i never yet
 wrote anything that would sell1 he     
continued4 ,i am the publisher's ruin4  
,my last poem won't sell a copy4 ,have  
you seen it1 ,mr4 ,willis8 ,i had not4  
,it is only eighteenpence1 and ,i'll    
give you sixpence towards it1 and he    
described to me where ,i should find it 
sticking up in a shop-window in the     
,strand4  ',lamb ate nothing1 and       
complained in a querulous tone of the   
veal pie4 ,there was a kind of potted   
fish1 which he had expected that our    
friend would procure for him4 ,he       
inquired whether there was not a morsel 
left in the bottom of the last pot4 ,mr4

 ,robinson was not sure4 ,send and see1 
said ,lamb1 and if the pot has been     
cleaned1 bring me the lid4 ,i think the 
sight of it would do me good4 ,the cover
 was brought1 upon which there was a    
picture of the fish4 ,lamb kissed it    
with a reproachful look at his friend1  
and then left the table and began to    
wander round the room with a broken1    
uncertain step1 as if he almost forgot  
to put one leg before the other4 ,his   
sister rose after a while1 and commenced
 walking up and down in the same manner 
on the opposite side of the table1 and  
in the course of half an hour they took 
their leave4' ,landor1 in commenting on 
this passage1 says it is evident that   
,willis 'fidgeted the ,lambs1' and seems
 rather unaccountably annoyed at his    
having alluded to ,crabb ,robinson      
simply as 'a barrister4'  ,in ,london   
,willis appears to have fallen upon his 
feet from the very first4 ,to the end of
 his life he looked back upon his first 
two years in ,england as the happiest   

and most successful period in his whole 
career4 ,it was small wonder that he    
became a little dazzled and intoxicated 
by the brilliancy of his surroundings1  
which spoilt him for the homelier       
conditions of ,american life4 ',what a  
star is mine1' he wrote to his sister   
,julia1 three days after landing at     
,dover4 ',all the best society of       
,london exclusives is now open to       
me--me6 without a sou in my pocket      
beyond what my pen brings me1 and with  
not only no influence from friends at   
home1 but with a world of envy and      
slander at my back4444 ,in a literary   
way ,i have already had offers from the 
,court ,magazine1 the ,metropolitan1 and
 the ,new ,monthly1 of the first price  
for my articles4 ,i sent a short tale1  
written in one day1 to the ,court       
,magazine1 and they gave me eight       
guineas for it at once4 ,i lodge in     
,cavendish ,square1 the most fashionable
 part of the town1 paying a guinea a    
week for my lodgings1 and am as well off

 as if ,i had been the son of the       
,president4'  ,willis was constantly at 
,lady ,blessington's house1 where he met
 some of the best masculine society of  
the day4 ,at one dinner-party among his 
fellow-guests were ,d',israeli1 ,bulwer1
 ,procter 7,barry ,cornwall71 ,lord     
,durham1 and ,sir ,martin ,shee4 ,it was
 his first sight of ,dizzy1 whom he     
found looking out of the window with the
 last rays of sunlight reflected on the 
gorgeous gold flowers of an embroidered 
waistcoat4 ,a white stick with a black  
cord and tassel1 and a quantity of      
chains about his neck and pocket1       
rendered him rather a conspicuous       
object4 ',d',israeli1' says our         
chronicler1 'has one of the most        
remarkable faces ,i ever saw4 ,he is    
vividly pale1 and but for the energy of 
his action and the strength of his      
lungs1 would seem a victim to           
consumption4 ,his eye is as black as    
,erebus1 and has the most mocking1      
lying-in-wait expression conceivable4   

,his mouth is alive with a kind of      
impatient nervousness1 and when he has  
burst forth with a particularly         
successful cataract of expression1 it   
assumes a curl of triumphant scorn that 
would be worthy of ,mephistopheles4 ,a  
thick1 heavy mass of jet-black ringlets 
falls over his left cheek almost to his 
collarless stock1 while on the right    
temple it is parted and put away with   
the smooth carefulness of a girl's1 and 
shines most unctuously with thy         
incomparable oil1 ,macassar4' ,willis   
was always interested in dress1 being   
himself a born dandy1 and he was        
inclined to judge a man by the cut of   
his coat and the set of his hat4 ,on    
this occasion he remarks that ,bulwer   
was very badly dressed as usual1 while  
,count ,d',orsay was very splendid1 but 
quite indefinable4 ',he seemed showily  
dressed till you looked to particulars1 
and then it seemed only a simple thing  
well fitted to a very magnificent       
person4'  ,the conversation ran at first

 on ,sir ,henry ,taylor's new play1     
,philip van ,artevelde1 which the       
company thought overrated1 and then     
passed to ,beckford1 of ,vathek fame1   
who had already retired from the world1 
and was living at ,bath in his usual    
eccentric fashion4 ,dizzy was the only  
person present who had met him1 and1    
declares ,willis1 ',i might as well     
attempt to gather up the foam of the sea
 as to convey an idea of the            
extraordinary language in which he      
clothed his description4 ,there were at 
least five words in every sentence which
 must have been very much astonished at 
the use to which they were put1 and yet 
no others apparently could so well have 
conveyed his idea4 ,he talked like a    
racehorse approaching the winning-post1 
every muscle in action1 and the utmost  
energy of expression flowing out in     
every burst4 ,it is a great pity he is  
not in ,parliament4'  ,at midnight ,lady
 ,blessington left the table1 when the  
conversation took a political turn1 but 

,d',israeli soon dashed off again with a
 story of an ,irish dragoon who was     
killed in the ,peninsular4 ',his arm was
 shot off1 and he was bleeding to death4
 ,when told he could not live1 he called
 for a large silver goblet1 out of which
 he usually drank his claret4 ,he held  
it to the gushing artery1 and filled it 
to the brim1 then poured it slowly out  
upon the ground1 saying1 ,if that had   
been shed for old ,ireland4 ,you can    
have no idea how thrillingly this little
 story was told4 ,fonblanque1 however1  
who is a cold political satirist1 could 
see nothing in a man's decanting his    
claret that was in the least sublime1 so
 ,vivian ,grey got into a passion1 and  
for a while was silent4'  ,willis was   
now fairly launched in ,london society1 
literary and fashionable4 ,he went to   
the ,opera to hear ,grisi1 then young   
and pretty1 and ,lady ,blessington      
pointed out the beautiful ,mrs4 ,norton1
 looking like a queen1 and ,lord        
,brougham flirting desperately with a   

lovely woman1 'his mouth going with the 
convulsive twitch that so disfigures    
him1 and his most unsightly of pug-noses
 in the strongest relief against the red
 lining of the box4' ,he breakfasted    
with ',barry ,cornwall1' whose poetry he
 greatly admired1 and was introduced to 
the charming ,mrs4 ,procter and the     
'yellow-tressed ,adelaide1' then only   
eight or nine years old4 ,procter gave  
his visitor a volume of his own poems1  
and told him anecdotes of the various   
authors he had known1 ,hazlitt1 ,lamb1  
,keats1 and ,shelley4 ,another          
interesting entertainment was an evening
 party at ,edward ,bulwer's house4      
,willis arrived at eleven1 and found his
 hostess alone1 playing with a ,king    
,charles' spaniel1 while she awaited her
 guests4  ',the author of ,pelham1' he  
writes1 'is a younger son1 and depends  
on his writings for a livelihood2 and   
truly1 measuring works of fancy by what 
they will bring1 a glance round his     
luxurious rooms is worth reams of puffs 

in the ,quarterlies4 ,he lives in the   
heart of fashionable ,london1 entertains
 a great deal1 and is expensive in all  
his habits1 and for this pay ,messrs4   
,clifford1 ,pelham1 and ,aram--most     
excellent bankers4 ,as ,i looked at the 
beautiful woman before me1 waiting to   
receive the rank and fashion of ,london1
 ,i thought that close-fisted old       
literature never had better reason for  
his partial largess4'  ,willis was      
astonished at the neglect with which the
 female portion of the assemblage was   
treated1 no young man ever speaking to a
 young lady except to ask her to dance4 
',there they sit with their mammas1' he 
observes1 'their hands before them in   
the received attitude2 and if there     
happens to be no dancing1 looking at a  
print1 or eating an ice1 is for them the
 most entertaining circumstance of the  
evening4 ,late in the evening a charming
 girl1 who is the reigning belle of     
,naples1 came in with her mother from   
the ,opera1 and ,i made this same remark

 to her4 ,i detest ,england for that    
very reason1 she said frankly4 ,it is   
the fashion in ,london for young men to 
prefer everything to the society of     
women4 ,they have their clubs1 their    
horses1 their rowing matches1 their     
hunting1 and everything else is a bore6 
,how different are the same men at      
,naples6 ,they can never get enough of  
one there4444 ,she mentioned several of 
the beaux of last winter who had        
returned to ,england4 ,here have ,i been
 in ,london a month1 and these very men 
who were at my side all day on the      
,strada ,nuova1 and all but fighting to 
dance three times with me of an evening1
 have only left their cards4 ,not       
because they care less about me1 but    
because it is not the fashion--it would 
be talked about at the clubs2 it is     
knowing to let us alone4'  ,there were  
only three men at the party1 according  
to ,willis1 who could come under the    
head of beaux1 but there were many      
distinguished persons4 ,there was       

,byron's sister1 ,mrs4 ,leigh1 a thin1  
plain1 middle-aged woman1 of a serious  
countenance1 but with very cordial1     
pleasing manners4 ,sheil1 the famous    
,irish orator1 small1 dark1 deceitful1  
and talented-looking1 with a squeaky    
voice1 was to be seen in earnest        
conversation with the courtly old ,lord 
,clarendon4 ,fonblanque1 with his pale1 
dislocated-looking face1 was making the 
amiable1 with a ghastly smile1 to ,lady 
,stepney1 author of ,the ,road to ,ruin 
and other fashionable novels4 ,the      
bilious ,lord ,durham1 with his ,brutus 
head and severe countenance1 high-bred  
in appearance in spite of the worst     
possible coat and trousers1 was talking 
politics with ,bowring4 ,prince         
,moscowa1 son of ,marshal ,ney1 a plain1
 determined-looking young man1 was      
unconscious of everything but the       
presence of the lovely ,mrs4 ,leicester 
,stanhope4 ,her husband1 afterwards ,sir
 ,leicester1 who had been ,byron's      
companion in ,greece1 was introduced to 

,willis1 and the two soon became on     
intimate terms4  ,in the course of the  
season ,willis made the acquaintance of 
,miss ,mitford1 who invited him to spend
 a week with her at her cottage near    
,reading4 ,in a letter to her friend1   
,miss ,jephson1 ,miss ,mitford says3 ',i
 also like very much ,mr4 ,willis1 an   
,american author1 who is now understood 
to be here to publish his account of    
,england4 ,he is a very elegant young   
man1 more like one of the best of our   
peers' sons than a rough republican4'   
,the admiration was apparently mutual1  
for ,willis1 in a letter to the author  
of ,our ,village1 says3 ',you are       
distinguished in the world as the       
gentlewoman among authoresses1 as you   
are for your rank merely in literature4 
,i have often thought you very enviable 
for the universality of that opinion    
about you4 ,you share it with ,sir      
,philip ,sidney1 who was in his day the 
gentleman among authors4 ,i look with   
great interest for your new tragedy4 ,i 

think your mind is essentially dramatic2
 and in that1 in our time1 you are      
alone4 ,i know no one else who could    
have written ,rienzi1 and ,i felt       
,charles ,i4 to my fingers' ends1 as one
 feels no other modern play4'  ,willis  
was less happy in his relations with    
,harriet ,martineau1 to whom he was     
introduced just before her departure for
 ,america4 ',while ,i was preparing for 
my travels1' she writes1 in her own     
account of the interview1 'an           
acquaintance brought a buxom gentleman1 
whom he introduced under the name of    
,willis4 ,there was something rather    
engaging in the round face1 brisk air1  
and enjouement of the young man2 but his
 conscious dandyism and unparalleled    
self-complacency spoiled the            
satisfaction1 though they increased the 
inclination to laugh4444 ,he whipped his
 bright little boot with his bright     
little cane1 while he ran over the names
 of all his distinguished               
fellow-countrymen1 and declared that he 

would send me letters to them all4'     
,miss ,martineau further relates that   
the few letters she presented met with a
 very indifferent reception4 ,her       
indignation increased when she found    
that in his private correspondence      
,willis had given the impression that   
she was one of his most intimate        
friends4 ,in his own account of the     
interview he merely says3 ',i was taken 
by the clever translator of ,faust to   
see the celebrated ,miss ,martineau4    
,she has perhaps at this moment the most
 general and enviable reputation in     
,england1 and is the only one of the    
literary clique whose name is mentioned 
without some envious qualification4'  ,a
 budget of literary news sent to the    
,mirror includes such items as that     
',d',israeli is driving about in an open
 carriage with ,lady ,s41 looking more  
melancholy than usual4 ,the absent      
baronet1 whose place he fills1 is about 
to bring an action against him1 which   
will finish his career1 unless he can   

coin the damages in his brain4 ,mrs4    
,hemans is dying of consumption in      
,ireland4 ,i have been passing a week at
 a country-house1 where ,miss ,jane     
,porter author of ,scottish ,chiefs and 
,miss ,pardoe author of ,beauties of the
 ,bosphorus were staying4 ,miss ,porter 
is one of her own heroines grown old1 a 
still noble wreck of beauty4444 ,dined  
last week with ,joanna ,baillie at      
,hampstead--the most charming old lady  
,i ever saw4 ,to-day ,i dine with       
,longman1 to meet ,tom ,moore1 who is   
living incog4 near this ,nestor of      
publishers1 and pegging hard at his     
,history of ,ireland4444 ,lady          
,blessington's new book makes a great   
noise4 ,living as she does twelve hours 
out of the twenty-four in the midst of  
the most brilliant and intellectually   
exhausting circle in ,london1 ,i only   
wonder how she found time to write it4  
,yet it was written in six weeks6 ,her  
novels sell for a hundred pounds more   
than any other author's1 except         

,bulwer's4 ,bulwer gets #adjj2 ,lady    
,blessington1 #djj2 ,mrs4 ,norton1 #bej2
 ,lady ,charlotte ,bury1 #bjj2 ,grattan1
 #cjj2 and most other authors below     
this4 ,captain ,marryat's gross trash   
sells immensely about ,wapping and      
,portsmouth1 and brings him in #ejj or  
#fjj the book--but that can scarce be   
called literature4 ,d',israeli cannot   
sell a book at all1 ,i hear4 ,is not    
that odd8 ,i would give more for one of 
his books than for forty of the common  
saleable things about town4'  ,one more 
description of a literary dinner at     
,lady ,blessington's may be quoted      
before ,willis's account of this1 his   
first and most memorable ,london season1
 is brought to an end4 ,among the       
company on this occasion were ,moore1   
,d',israeli1 and ,dr4 ,beattie1 the     
,king's physician1 who was himself a    
poet4 ,moore had been ruralising for a  
year at ,slopperton ,cottage1 and1      
before his arrival1 ,d',israeli         
expressed his regret that he should have

 been met on his return to town with a  
savage article in ,fraser on his        
supposed plagiarisms4 ,lady ,blessington
 declared that he would never see it1   
since he guarded himself against the    
sight and knowledge of criticism as     
other people guarded against the plague4
 ,some one remarked on ,moore's passion 
for rank4 ',he was sure to have five or 
six invitations to dine on the same     
day1' it was said1 'and he tormented    
himself with the idea that he had       
perhaps not accepted the most exclusive4
 ,he would get off from an engagement   
with a countess to dine with a          
marchioness1 and from a marchioness to  
accept the invitation of a duchess4 ,as 
he cared little for the society of men1 
and would sing and be delightful only   
for the applause of women1 it mattered  
little whether one circle was more      
talented than another4' ,at length ,mr4 
,moore was announced1 and the poet1     
'sliding his little feet up to ,lady    
,blessington1 made his compliments with 

an ease and gaiety1 combined with a kind
 of worshipping deference1 that were    
worthy of a prime minister at the ,court
 of ,love4444 ,his eyes still sparkle   
like a champagne bubble1 though the     
invader has drawn his pencillings about 
the corners2 and there is a kind of     
wintry red that seems enamelled on his  
cheek1 the eloquent record of the claret
 his wit has brightened4 ,his mouth is  
the most characteristic feature of all4 
,the lips are delicately cut1 and as    
changeable as an aspen2 but there is a  
set-up look about the lower lip--a      
determination of the muscle to a        
particular expression1 and you fancy    
that you can see wit astride upon it4   
,it is arch1 confident1 and half        
diffident1 as if he were disguising his 
pleasure at applause1 while another     
bright gleam of fancy was breaking upon 
him4 ,the slightly tossed nose confirms 
the fun of his expression1 and          
altogether it is a face that sparkles1  
beams1 and radiates4'  ,the conversation

 at dinner that night was the most      
brilliant that the ,american had yet    
heard in ,london4 ,sir ,walter ,scott   
was the first subject of discussion1    
,lady ,blessington having just received 
from ,sir ,william ,gell the manuscript 
of a volume on the last days of ,sir    
,walter ,scott1 a melancholy chronicle  
of ruined health and weakened intellect1
 which was afterwards suppressed4 ,moore
 then described a visit he had paid to  
,abbotsford1 when his host was in his   
prime4 ',scott1' he said1 'was the most 
manly and natural character in the      
world4 ,his hospitality was free and    
open as the day2 he lived freely        
himself1 and expected his guests to do  
the same4444 ,he never ate or drank to  
excess1 but he had no system2 his       
constitution was ,herculean1 and he     
denied himself nothing4 ,i went once    
from a dinner-party at ,sir ,thomas     
,lawrence's to meet ,scott at another   
house4 ,we had hardly entered the room  
when we were set down to a hot supper of

 roast chicken1 salmon1 punch1 etc41 and
 ,sir ,walter ate immensely of          
everything4 ,what a contrast between    
this and the last time ,i saw him in    
,london6 ,he had come to embark for     
,italy1 quite broken down both in mind  
and body4 ,he gave ,mrs4 ,moore a book1 
and ,i asked him if he would make it    
more valuable by writing in it4 ,he     
thought ,i meant that he should write   
some verses1 and said1 ,i never write   
poetry now4 ,i asked him to write only  
his name and hers1 and he attempted it1 
but it was quite illegible4'            
,o',connell next became the topic of    
conversation1 and ,moore declared that  
he would be irresistible if it were not 
for two blots on his character1 viz4 the
 contributions in ,ireland for his      
support1 and his refusal to give        
satisfaction to the man he was willing  
to attack4 ',they may say what they will
 of duelling1' he continued1 'but it is 
the great preserver of the decencies of 
society4 ,the old school which made a   

man responsible for his words was the   
better4' ,moore related how ,o',connell 
had accepted ,peel's challenge1 and then
 delayed a meeting on the ground of his 
wife's illness1 till the law interfered4
 ,another ,irish patriot refused a      
meeting on account of the illness of his
 daughter1 whereupon a ,dublin wit      
composed the following epigram upon the 
two3--     ',some men with a horror of  
slaughter1       ,improve on the        
,scripture command4    ,and honour      
their--wife and their daughter--        
,that their days may be long in the     
land4'  ,alluding to ,grattan's dying   
advice to his son1 ',always be ready    
with the pistol1' ,moore asked1 ',is it 
not wonderful that1 with all the        
agitation in ,ireland1 we have had no   
such men since his time8 ,the whole     
country in convulsion--people's lives1  
fortune1 religion at stake1 and not a   
gleam of talent from one's year's end to
 another4 ,it is natural for sparks to  
be struck out in a time of violence like

 this--but ,ireland1 for all that is    
worth living for1 is dead6 ,you can     
scarcely reckon ,sheil of the calibre of
 the spirits of old1 and ,o',connell1   
with all his faults1 stands alone in his
 glory4'  ,in the drawing-room1 after   
dinner1 some allusion to the later      
,platonists caused ,d',israeli to flare 
up4 ,his wild black eyes glistened1 and 
his nervous lips poured out eloquence1  
while a whole ottomanful of noble       
exquisites listened in amazement4 ,he   
gave an account of ,thomas ,taylor1 one 
of the last of the ,platonists1 who had 
worshipped ,jupiter in a back-parlour in
 ,london a few years before4 ,in his old
 age he was turned out of his lodgings1 
for attempting1 as he said1 to worship  
his gods according to the dictates of   
his conscience1 his landlady having     
objected to his sacrificing a bull to   
,jupiter in her parlour4 ,the company   
laughed at this story as a good         
invention1 but ,dizzy assured them it   
was literally true1 and gave his father 

as his authority4 ,meanwhile ,moore     
'went glittering on' with criticisms    
upon ,grisi and the ,opera1 and the     
subject of music being thus introduced1 
he was led1 with great difficulty1 to   
the piano4 ,willis describes his singing
 as 'a kind of admirable recitative1 in 
which every shade of thought is         
syllabled and dwelt upon1 and the       
sentiment of the song goes through your 
blood1 warming you to the very eyelids1 
and starting your tears if you have a   
soul or sense in you4 ,i have heard of  
women fainting at a song of ,moore's2   
and if the burden of it answered by     
chance to a secret in the bosom of the  
listener1 ,i should think that the heart
 would break with it4 ,after two or     
three songs of ,lady ,blessington's     
choice1 he rambled over the keys a      
while1 and then sang ',when first ,i met
 thee' with a pathos that beggars       
description4 ,when the last word had    
faltered out1 he rose and took ,lady    
,blessington's hand1 said ,good-night1  

and was gone before a word was uttered4 
,for a full minute after he closed the  
door no one spoke4 ,i could have wished 
for myself to drop silently asleep where
 ,i sat1 with the tears in my eyes and  
the softness upon my heart4'     ,,part 
,,ii   ,having received invitations to  
stay with ,lord ,dalhousie and the ,duke
 of ,gordon1 ,willis went north at the  
beginning of ,september1 #ahcd4 ,the    
nominal attraction of ,scotland he      
found1 rather to his dismay1 was the    
shooting4 ,the guest1 he observes1 on   
arriving at a country-house1 is asked   
whether he prefers a flint or a         
percussion lock1 and a double-barrelled 
,manton is put into his hands2 while    
after breakfast the ladies leave the    
table1 wishing him good sport4 ',i would
 rather have gone to the library1' says 
the ,penciller4 ',an aversion to        
walking1 except upon smooth flag-stones1
 a poetical tenderness on the subject of
 putting birds out of their misery1 and 
hands much more at home with the        

goose-quill than the gun1 were some of  
my private objections to the order of   
the day4' ,at ,dalhousie1 the son of the
 house1 ,lord ,ramsay1 and his ,american
 visitor were mutually astonished at    
each other's appearance when they met in
 the park1 prepared for a morning's     
sport4  ',from the elegant ,oxonian ,i  
had seen at breakfast1' writes ,willis1 
'he 7,lord ,ramsay7 was transformed into
 a figure something rougher than his    
,highland dependant1 in a woollen       
shooting-jacket1 pockets of any number  
and capacity1 trousers of the coarsest  
plaid1 hobnailed shoes and leather      
gaiters1 and a habit of handling his gun
 that would have been respected on the  
,mississippi4 ,my own appearance in     
high-heeled ,french boots and other     
corresponding gear1 for a tramp over    
stubble and marsh1 amused him equally2  
but my wardrobe was exclusively         
metropolitan1 and there was no          
alternative4' ,it was hard and exciting 
work1 the novice discovered1 to trudge  

through peas1 beans1 turnips1 and corn1 
soaked with showers1 and muddied to the 
knees till his ,parisian boots were     
reduced to the consistency of brown     
paper4 ,he came home1 much to his own   
relief1 without having brought the blood
 of his host's son and heir on his head1
 and he made a mental note never to go  
to ,scotland again without hobnailed    
boots and a shooting-jacket4  ,on       
leaving ,dalhousie ,willis spent a few  
days in ,edinburgh1 where he breakfasted
 with ,professor ,wilson1 alias         
,christopher ,north4 ,the ,professor1 he
 says1 talked away famously1 quite      
oblivious of the fact that the tea was  
made1 and the breakfast-dishes were     
smoking on the table4 ,he spoke much of 
,blackwood1 who then lay dying1 and     
described him as a man of the most      
refined literary taste1 whose opinion of
 a book he would trust before that of   
any one he knew4 ,wilson inquired if his
 guest had made the acquaintance of     
,lockhart4 ',i have not1' replied       

,willis4 ',he is almost the only        
literary man in ,london ,i have not met2
 and ,i must say1 as the editor of the  
,quarterly ,review1 and the most unfair 
and unprincipled critic of the day1 ,i  
have no wish to know him4 ,i never heard
 him well spoken of4 ,i have probably   
met a hundred of his acquaintances1 but 
,i have not yet seen one who pretended  
to be his friend4' ,wilson defended the 
absent one1 who1 he said1 was the       
mildest and most unassuming of men1 and 
dissected a book for pleasure1 without  
thinking of the feelings of the author4 
,the breakfast had been cooling for an  
hour when the ,professor leant back1    
with his chair still towards the fire1  
and 'seizing the teapot as if it were a 
sledge-hammer1 he poured from one cup to
 the other without interrupting the     
stream1 overrunning both cup and saucer1
 and partly flooding the tea-tray4 ,he  
then set the cream towards me with a    
carelessness that nearly overset it1 and
 in trying to reach an egg from the     

centre of the table1 broke two4 ,he took
 no notice of his own awkwardness1 but  
drank his cup of tea at a single        
draught1 ate his egg in the same        
expeditious manner1 and went on talking 
of the ,noctes1 and ,lockhart1 and      
,blackwood1 as if eating his breakfast  
were rather a troublesome parenthesis in
 his conversation4' ,wilson offered to  
give his guest letters to ,wordsworth   
and ,southey1 if he intended to return  
by the ,lakes4 ',i lived a long time in 
their neighbourhood1' he said1 'and know
 ,wordsworth perhaps as well as any one4
 ,many a day ,i have walked over the    
hills with him1 and listened to his     
repetition of his own poetry1 which1 of 
course1 filled my mind completely at the
 time1 and perhaps started the poetical 
vein in me1 though ,i cannot agree with 
the critics that my poetry is an        
imitation of ,wordsworth's4'  ',did     
,wordsworth repeat any other poetry than
 his own8'  ',never in a single         
instance1 to my knowledge4 ,he is       

remarkable for the manner in which he is
 wrapped up in his own poetical life4   
,everything ministers to it4 ,everything
 is done with reference to it4 ,he is   
all and only a poet4'  ',what is        
,southey's manner of life8'  ',walter   
,scott said of him that he lived too    
much with women4 ,he is secluded in the 
country1 and surrounded by a circle of  
admiring friends1 who glorify every     
literary project he undertakes1 and     
persuade him1 in spite of his natural   
modesty1 that he can do nothing wrong4  
,he has great genius1 and is a most     
estimable man4'  ,on the same day that  
he breakfasted with ,wilson1 this       
fortunate tourist dined with ,jeffrey1  
with whom ,lord ,brougham was staying4  
,unluckily1 ,brougham was absent1 at a  
public dinner given to ,lord ,grey1 who 
also happened to be in ,edinburgh at the
 time4 ,willis was charmed with         
,jeffrey1 with his frank smile1 hearty  
manner1 and graceful style of putting a 
guest at his ease4 ,but he cared less   

for the political conversation at table4
 ',it had been my lot1' he says1 'to be 
thrown principally among ,tories        
7,conservatives is the new name7 since  
my arrival in ,england1 and it was      
difficult to rid myself at once of the  
impressions of a fortnight passed in the
 castle of a ,tory earl4 ,my sympathies 
on the great and glorious occasion the  
,whig dinner to ,lord ,grey were slower 
than those of the rest of the company1  
and much of their enthusiasm seemed to  
me overstrained4 ,altogether1 ,i entered
 less into the spirit of the hour than  
,i could have wished4 ,politics are     
seldom witty or amusing2 and though ,i  
was charmed with the good sense and     
occasional eloquence of ,lord ,jeffrey1 
,i was glad to get upstairs to          
chasse-caf and the ladies4'  ,willis    
aggravated a temporary lameness by      
dancing at the ball that followed the   
,whig banquet1 and was compelled to     
abandon a charming land-route north that
 he had mapped out1 and allow himself to

 be taken 'this side up' on a steamer to
 ,aberdeen4 ,here he took coach for     
,fochabers1 and thence posted to ,gordon
 ,castle4 ,at the castle he found       
himself in the midst of a most          
distinguished company2 the page who     
showed him to his room running over the 
names of ,lord ,aberdeen and ,lord      
,claude ,hamilton1 the ,duchess of      
,richmond and her daughter1 ,lady       
,sophia ,lennox1 ,lord and ,lady        
,stormont1 ,lord and ,lady ,mandeville1 
,lord and ,lady ,morton1 ,lord ,aboyne1 
,lady ,keith1 and twenty other lesser   
lights4 ,the duke himself came to fetch 
his guest before dinner1 and presented  
him to the duchess and the rest of the  
party4 ,in a letter to ,lady            
,blessington ,willis says3 ',i am       
delighted with the duke and duchess4 ,he
 is a delightful1 hearty old fellow1    
full of fun and conversation1 and she is
 an uncommonly fine woman1 and1 without 
beauty1 has something agreeable in her  
countenance4 ,pour moi-mme1 ,i get on   

better everywhere than in your presence4
 ,i only fear ,i talk too much2 but all 
the world is particularly civil to me1  
and among a score of people1 no one of  
whom ,i had ever seen yesterday1 ,i find
 myself quite at home to-day4'  ,the ten
 days at ,gordon ,castle ,willis        
afterwards set apart in his memory as 'a
 bright ellipse in the usual procession 
of joys and sorrows4' ,he certainly made
 the most of this unique opportunity of 
observing the manners and customs of the
 great4 ,the routine of life at the     
castle was what each guest chose to make
 it4 ',between breakfast and lunch1' he 
writes1 'the ladies were usually        
invisible1 and the gentlemen rode1 or   
shot1 or played billiards4 ,at two      
o'clock a dish or two of hot game and a 
profusion of cold meats were set on     
small tables1 and everybody came in for 
a kind of lounging half meal1 which     
occupied perhaps an hour4 ,thence all   
adjourned to the drawing-room1 under the
 windows of which were drawn up         

carriages of all descriptions1 with     
grooms1 outriders1 footmen1 and         
saddle-horses for gentlemen and ladies4 
,parties were then made up for driving  
or riding1 and from a pony-chaise to a  
phaeton and four1 there was no class of 
vehicle that was not at your disposal4  
,in ten minutes the carriages were all  
filled1 and away they flew1 some to the 
banks of the ,spey or the seaside1 some 
to the drives in the park1 and all with 
the delightful consciousness that speed 
where you would1 the horizon scarce     
limited the possessions of your host1   
and you were everywhere at home4 ,the   
ornamental gates flying open at your    
approach2 the herds of red deer trooping
 away from the sound of your wheels2 the
 stately pheasants feeding tamely in the
 immense preserves2 the stalking        
gamekeepers lifting their hats in the   
dark recesses of the forest--there was  
something in this perpetual reminder of 
your privileges which1 as a novelty1 was
 far from disagreeable4 ,i could not1 at

 the time1 bring myself to feel1 what   
perhaps would be more poetical and      
republican1 that a ride in the wild and 
unfenced forest of my own country would 
have been more to my taste4'  ,willis   
came to the conclusion that a ,north    
,american ,indian1 in his more dignified
 phase1 closely resembled an ,english   
nobleman in manner1 since it was        
impossible to astonish either4 ,all     
violent sensations1 he observes1 are    
avoided in high life4 ',in conversation 
nothing is so odd 7a word that in       
,english means everything disagreeable7 
as emphasis1 or a startling epithet1 or 
gesture1 and in common intercourse      
nothing is so vulgar as any approach to 
a scene4 ,for all extraordinary         
admiration1 the word capital suffices2  
for all ordinary praise1 the word nice2 
for all condemnation in morals1 manners1
 or religion1 the word odd44444 ,what is
 called an overpowering person is       
immediately shunned1 for he talks too   
much1 and excites too much attention4   

,in any other country he would be       
considered amusing4 ,he is regarded here
 as a monopoliser of the general        
interest1 and his laurels1 talk he never
 so well1 overshadow the rest of the    
company4'  ,on leaving ,gordon ,castle1 
,willis crossed ,scotland by the        
,caledonian ,canal1 and from ,fort      
,william jolted in a ,highland cart     
through ,glencoe to ,tarbet on ,lomond4 
,thence the regulation visits were paid 
to ,loch ,katrine1 the ,trossachs and   
,callander4 ,another stay at ,dalhousie 
,castle gave the tourist an opportunity 
of seeing ,abbotsford1 where he heard   
much talk of ,sir ,walter ,scott4 ,lord 
,dalhousie had many anecdotes to tell of
 ,scott's school-days1 and ,willis      
recalled some reminiscences of the      
,wizard that he had heard from ,moore in
 ,london4 ',scott was the soul of       
honesty1' ,moore had said4 ',when ,i was
 on a visit to him1 we were coming up   
from ,kelso at sunset1 and as there was 
to be a fine moon1 ,i quoted to him his 

own rule for seeing fair ,melrose       
aright1 and proposed to stay an hour and
 enjoy it4 ,bah1 said ,scott4 ,i never  
saw it by moonlight4 ,we went1 however1 
and ,scott1 who seemed to be on the most
 familiar terms with the cicerone1      
pointed to an empty niche1 and said to  
him3 ,i think ,i have a ,virgin and     
,child that will just do for your niche4
 ,i'll send it to you4 ,how happy you   
have made that man1 ,i said4 ,oh1 said  
,scott1 it was always in the way1 and   
,madam ,scott is constantly grudging it 
house-room4 ,we're well rid of it4 ,any 
other man would have allowed himself at 
least the credit of a kind action4'     
,after a stay at a ,lancashire          
country-house1 ,willis arrived at       
,liverpool1 where he got his first sight
 of the newly-opened railway to         
,manchester4 ,in the letters and        
journals of the period1 it is rather    
unusual to come upon any allusion to the
 great revolution in land-travelling4   
,we often read of our grandfathers'     

astonishment at the steam-packets that  
crossed the ,atlantic in a fortnight1   
but they seem to have slid into the     
habit of travelling by rail almost as a 
matter of course1 much as their         
descendants have taken to touring in    
motor-cars4 ,willis the observant1      
however1 has left on record his         
sensations during his first journey by  
rail4  ',down we dived into the long    
tunnel1' he relates1 'emerging from the 
darkness at a pace that made my hair    
sensibly tighten1 and hold on with      
apprehension4 ,thirty miles in the hour 
is pleasant going when one is a little  
accustomed to it1 it gives one such a   
pleasant contempt for time and distance4
 ,the whizzing past of the return       
trains1 going in the opposite direction 
with the same degree of velocity--making
 you recoil in one second1 and a mile   
off the next--was the only thing which1 
after a few minutes1 ,i did not take to 
very kindly4'  ,willis adds to our      
obligations by reporting the cries of   

the newsboys at the ,elephant and       
,castle1 where all the coaches to and   
from the ,south stopped for twenty      
minutes4 ,on the occasion that our      
traveller passed through1 the boys were 
crying ',noospipper1 sir6 ,buy the      
morning pippers1 sir6 ,times1 ,herald1  
,chrinnicle1 and ,munning ,post1        
sir--contains ,lud ,brum's entire       
innihalation of ,lud ,nummanby--,ledy   
,flor ',estings' murder by ,lud ,melbun 
and the ,maids of ,honour--debate on the
 ,croolty-,hannimals ,bill1 and a fatil 
catstrophy in conskens of loosfer       
matches6 ,sixpence1 only sixpence6'  ,in
 ,november ,willis returned to ,london1 
and took lodgings in ,vigo ,street4     
,during the next ten months he seems to 
have done a good deal of work for the   
magazines1 and to have been made much of
 in society as a literary celebrity4    
,his stories and articles1 which        
appeared in the ,new ,monthly ,magazine 
under the pseudonym of ,philip          
,slingsby1 were eagerly read by the     

public of that day4 ,he was presented at
 court1 admitted to the ,athenacum and  
,travellers' ,clubs1 and patronised by  
,lady ,charlotte ,bury and ,lady        
,stepney1 ladies who were in the habit  
of writing bad novels1 and giving       
excellent dinners4 ,madden1 ,lady       
,blessington's biographer1 who saw a    
good deal of ,willis at this time1 says 
that he was an extremely agreeable young
 man1 somewhat over-dressed1 and a      
little too dmonstratif1 but abounding in
 good spirits4 ',he was observant and   
communicative1 lively and clever in     
conversation1 having the peculiar art of
 making himself agreeable to ladies1 old
 and young1 dgag in his manner1 and on  
exceedingly good terms with himself4'   
,not only had ,willis the entre into    
fashionable ,bohemia1 but he was well   
received in many families of            
unquestionable respectability4 ,elderly 
and middle-aged ladies were especially  
attracted by his flattering attentions  
and deferential manners1 and at this    

time two of his most devoted friends    
were ,mrs4 ,shaw of the ,manor ,house1  
,lee1 a daughter of ,lord ,erskine1 and 
,mrs4 ,skinner of ,shirley ,park1 the   
wife of an ,indian nabob4 ,their houses 
were always open to him1 and he says in 
a letter to his mother3 ',i have two    
homes in ,england where ,i am loved like
 a child4 ,i had a letter from ,mrs4    
,shaw1 who thought ,i looked            
low-spirited at the opera the other     
night4 ,young men have but two causes of
 unhappiness1 she writes1 love and      
money4 ,if it is money1 ,mr4 ,shaw      
wishes me to say you shall have as much 
as you want2 if it is love1 tell us the 
lady1 and perhaps we can help you4 ,i   
spend my ,sundays alternately at their  
splendid country-house1 and at ,mrs4    
,skinner's1 and they can never get      
enough of me4 ,i am often asked if ,i   
carry a love-philter with me4'  ,at     
,shirley ,park1 ,willis struck up a     
friendship with ,jane ,porter1 and made 
the acquaintance of ,lady ,morgan1      

,praed1 ,john ,leech1 and ,martin       
,tupper4 ,mrs4 ,skinner professed to be 
extremely anxious to find him a suitable
 wife1 and in a confidential letter to  
her1 he writes3 ',you say if you had a  
daughter you would give her to me4 ,if  
you had one1 ,i should certainly take   
you at your word1 provided this expos of
 my poverty did not change your fancy4  
,i should like to marry in ,england1 and
 ,i feel every day that my best years   
and best affections are running to      
waste4 ,i am proud to be an ,american1  
but as a literary man1 ,i would rather  
live in ,england4 ,so if you know of any
 affectionate and good girl who would be
 content to live a quiet life1 and could
 love your humble servant1 you have full
 power to dispose of me1 provided she   
has five hundred a year1 or as much more
 as she likes4 ,i know enough of the    
world to cut my throat1 rather than     
bring a delicate woman down to a        
dependence on my brains for support4'   
,in ,march of this year1 #ahce1 ,willis 

produced his ,melanie1 and other ,poems1
 which was 'edited' by ,barry ,cornwall4
 ,he received the honour of a parody in 
the ,bon ,gaultier ,ballads1 entitled   
',the ,fight with the ,snapping ,turtle1
 or the ,american ,st4 ,george4' ,in    
this ballad ,willis and ,bryant are     
represented as setting out to kill the  
,snapping ,turtle1 spurred on by the    
offer of a hundred dollars reward4 ,the 
turtle swallows ,willis1 but is         
thereupon taken ill1 and having returned
 him to earth again1 dies in great      
agony4 ,when he claims the reward1 he is
 informed that3--     ',since you       
dragged the tarnal crittur     ,from the
 bottom of the ponds1     ,here's the   
hundred dollars due you     ,all in     
,pennsylvanian bonds4'  ,at the end of  
the poem is a drawing of a pair of      
stocks1 labelled ',the only good        
,american securities1' ,willis seems to 
have been too busy to ,boswellise this  
season1 but we get a glimpse of him in  
his letters to ,miss ,mitford1 and one  

or two of the notes in his diary are    
worth quoting4 ,on ,april #bb he writes 
to the author of ,our ,village in his   
usual flattering style3 ',i am anxious  
to see your play and your next book1 and
 ,i quite agree with you that the drama 
is your pied1 though ,i think laurels1  
and spreading ones1 are sown for you in 
every department of writing4 ,nobody    
ever wrote better prose1 and what could 
not the author of ,rienzi do in verse4  
,for myself1 ,i am far from considering 
myself regularly embarked in literature1
 and if ,i can live without it1 or ply  
any other vocation1 shall vote it a     
thankless trade1 and save my entusymussy
 for my wife and children--when ,i get  
them4 ,i am at present steeped to the   
lips in ,london society1 going to       
everything1 from ,devonshire ,house to a
 publisher's dinner in ,paternoster     
,row1 and it is not a bad olla podrida  
of life and manners4 ,i dote on ,england
 and true ,english1 and was never so    
happy1 or so at a loss to find a minute 

for care or forethought4'  ,in his diary
 for ,june #cj1 ,willis notes3          
',breakfasted with ,samuel ,rogers4     
,talked of ,mrs4 ,butler's book1 and    
,rogers gave us suppressed passages4    
,talked critics1 and said that as long  
as you cast a shadow1 you were sure that
 you possessed substance4 ,coleridge    
said of ,southey1 ,i never think of him 
but as mending a pen4 ,southey said of  
,coleridge1 ,whenever anything presents 
itself to him in the form of a duty1    
that moment he finds himself incapable  
of looking at it4' ,on ,july #i we have 
the entry3 ',dined with ,dr4 ,beattie1  
and met ,thomas ,campbell4444 ,he spoke 
of ,scott's slavishness to men of rank1 
but said it did not interfere with his  
genius4 ,said it sunk a man's heart to  
think that he and ,byron were dead1 and 
there was nobody left to praise or      
approve4444 ,he told a story of dining  
with ,burns and a ,bozzy friend1 who1   
when ,campbell proposed the health of   
,mr4 ,burns1 said1 ,sir1 you will always

 be known as ,mr4 ,campbell1 but        
posterity will talk of ,burns4 ,he was  
playful and amusing1 and drank gin and  
water4'  ,while staying with the        
,skinners in ,august1 ,willis met his   
fate in the person of ,miss ,mary       
,stace1 daughter of a ,general ,stace4  
,after a week's acquaintance he proposed
 to her1 and was accepted4 ,she was1 we 
are told1 a beauty of the purest ,saxon 
type1 with a bright complexion1 blue    
eyes1 light-brown hair1 and delicate1   
regular features4 ,her disposition was  
clinging and affectionate1 and she had  
enjoyed the religious bringing up that  
her lover thought of supreme importance 
to a woman4 ,general ,stace agreed to   
allow his daughter #cjj a year1 which   
with the #djj that ,willis made by his  
pen1 was considered a sufficient income 
for the young couple to start           
housekeeping upon4  ,willis1 who had    
promised to pay ,miss ,mitford a visit  
in the autumn1 writes to her on         
,september #bb1 to explain that all his 

plans were altered4 ',just before       
starting with ,miss ,jane ,porter on a  
tour that was to include ,reading1' he  
says1 ',i went to a picnic1 fell in love
 with a blue-eyed girl1 and 7after      
running the gauntlet successfully       
through ,france1 ,italy1 ,greece1       
,germany1 ,asia ,minor1 and ,turkey7 ,i 
renewed my youth1 and became a suitor   
for love4 ,i am to be married 7sequitur7
 on ,thursday week4444 ,the lady who is 
to take me1 as the ,irish say1 in a     
present1 is some six years younger than 
myself1 gentle1 religious1 relying1 and 
unambitious4 ,she has never been whirled
 through the gay society of ,london1 so 
is not giddy or vain4 ,she has never    
swum in a gondola1 or written a sonnet1 
so has a proper respect for those who   
have4 ,she is called pretty1 but is more
 than that in my eyes2 sings as if her  
heart were hid in her lips1 and loves   
me4444 ,we are bound to ,paris for a    
month 7because ,i think amusement better
 than reflection when a woman makes a   

doubtful bargain71 and by ,november we  
return to ,london for the winter1 and in
 the spring sail for ,america to see my 
mother4 ,i have promised to live mainly 
on this side of the water1 and shall    
return in the course of a year to try   
what contentment may be sown and reaped 
in a green lane in ,kent4'  ,while the  
happy pair were on their honeymoon1     
,lady ,blessington had undertaken to see
 the ,pencillings by the ,way through   
the press4 ,for the first edition       
,willis received #bej1 but he made1 from
 first to last1 about a thousand pounds 
by the book4 ,its appearance in volume  
form had been anticipated by ,lockhart's
 scathing review in the ,quarterly for  
,september #ahce4 ,the critic1 annoyed  
at ,willis's strictures on himself in   
the interview with ,professor ,wilson1  
attacked the ,pencillings1 as they had  
appeared in the ,new ,york ,mirror1 with
 all proper names printed in full1 and  
many personal details that were left out
 in the ,english edition4 ,lockhart     

always knew how to stab a man in the    
tenderest place1 and he stabbed ,willis 
in his gentility4 ,after pointing out   
that while visiting in ,london and the  
provinces as a young ,american sonneteer
 of the most ultra-sentimental delicacy1
 the ,penciller was all the time the    
regular paid correspondent of a ,new    
,york ,journal1 he observes that the    
letters derive their powers of          
entertainment chiefly from the light    
that they reflect upon the manners and  
customs of the author's own countrymen1 
since1 from his sketches of ,english    
interiors1 the reader may learn what    
,american breakfast1 dinners1 and       
table-talk are not2 or at all events    
what they were not in those circles of  
,american society with which the writer 
happened to be familiar4  ',many of this
 person's discoveries1' continues       
,lockhart1 warming to his work1 'will be
 received with ridicule in his own      
country1 where the doors of the best    
houses were probably not opened to him  

as liberally as those of the ,english   
nobility4 ,in short1 we are apt to      
consider him as a just                  
representative--not of the ,american    
mind and manners generally--but only of 
the young men of fair education among   
the busy1 middling orders of mercantile 
cities4 ,in his letters from ,gordon    
,castle there are bits of solid1        
full-grown impudence and impertinence2  
while over not a few of the paragraphs  
is a varnish of conceited vulgarity     
which is too ludicrous to be seriously  
offensive4444 ,we can well believe that 
,mr4 ,willis depicted the sort of       
society that most interests his         
countrymen1 born to be slaves and       
struggling to be lords1 their servile   
adulation of rank and talent2 their     
stupid admiration of processions and    
levees1 are leading features of all the 
,american books of travel4444 ,we much  
doubt if all the pretty things we have  
quoted will so far propitiate ,lady     
,blessington as to make her again admit 

to her table the animal who has printed 
what ensues4 ,here follows the report of
 ,moore's conversation on the subject of
 ,o',connell4 ,as far as we are         
acquainted with ,english or ,american   
literature1 this is the first example of
 a man creeping into your home1 and     
forthwith1 before your claret is dry on 
his lips1 printing table-talk on        
delicate subjects1 and capable of       
compromising individuals4'  ,the        
,quarterly having thus given the lead1  
the rest of the ,tory magazines gaily   
followed suit4 ,maginn flourished his   
shillelagh1 and belaboured his victim   
with a brutality that has hardly ever   
been equalled1 even by the pioneer      
journals of the ,wild ,west4 ',this is a
 goose of a book1' he begins1 'or if    
anybody wishes the idiom changed1 the   
book of a goose4 ,there is not an idea  
in it beyond what might germinate in the
 brain of a washerwoman4' ,he then      
proceeds to call the author by such     
elegant names as 'lickspittle1'         

'beggarly skittler1' jackass1 ninny1    
haberdasher1 'fifty-fifth rate scribbler
 of gripe-visited sonnets1' and         
'namby-pamby writer in twaddling albums 
kept by the mustachioed widows or bony  
matrons of ,portland ,place4'  ,the     
people whose hospitality ,willis was    
accused of violating wrote to assure him
 of the pleasure his book had given     
them4 ,lord ,dalhousie writes3 ',we all 
agree in one sentiment1 that a more     
amusing and delightful production was   
never issued by the press4 ,the ,duke   
and ,duchess of ,gordon were here       
lately1 and expressed themselves in     
similar terms4' ,lady ,blessington did  
not withdraw her friendship1 but ,willis
 admits1 in one of his letters1 that he 
had no deeper regret than that his      
indiscretion should have checked the    
freedom of his approach to her4 ,as a   
result of the slashing reviews1 the book
 sold with the readiness of a succs de  
scandale1 though it had been so         
rigorously edited for the ,english      

market1 that very few indiscretions were
 left4  ,the unexpurgated version of the
 ,pencillings was1 however1 copied into 
the ,english papers and eagerly read by 
the persons most concerned1 such as     
,fonblanque1 who bitterly complained of 
the libel upon his personal appearance1 
,o',connell1 who broke off his lifelong 
friendship with ,moore1 and ,captain    
,marryat1 who was furious at the remark 
that his 'gross trash' sold immensely in
 ,wapping4 ,like ,lockhart1 he revenged 
himself by an article in his own        
magazine1 the ,metropolitan1 in which he
 denounced ,willis as a 'spurious       
attach1' and made dark insinuations     
against his birth and parentage4 ,this  
attack was too personal to be ignored4  
,willis demanded an apology1 to which   
,marryat replied with a challenge1 and  
after a long correspondence1 most of    
which found its way into the ,times1 a  
duel was fixed to take place at         
,chatham4 ,at the last moment the       
seconds managed to arrange matters      

between their principals1 and the affair
 ended without bloodshed4 ,this was     
fortunate for ,willis1 who was little   
used to fire-arms1 whilst ,marryat was a
 crack shot4  ,in his preface to the    
first edition of the ,pencillings       
,willis explains that the ephemeral     
nature and usual obscurity of periodical
 correspondence gave a sufficient       
warrant to his mind that his            
descriptions would die where they first 
saw the light1 and that therefore he had
 indulged himself in a freedom of detail
 and topic only customary in posthumous 
memoirs4 ,he expresses his astonishment 
that this particular sin should have    
been visited upon him at a distance of  
three thousand miles1 when the          
,quarterly reviewer's own fame rested on
 the more aggravated instance of a book 
of personalities published under the    
very noses of the persons described     
7,peter's ,letters to his ,kinsfolk74   
,after observing that he was little     
disposed to find fault1 since everything

 in ,england pleased him1 he proceeds3  
',in one single instance ,i indulged    
myself in strictures upon individual    
character4444 ,i but repeated what ,i   
had said a thousand times1 and never    
without an indignant echo to its truth1 
that the editor of that ,review was the 
most unprincipled critic of the age4    
,aside from its flagrant literary       
injustice1 we owe to the ,quarterly     
every spark of ill-feeling that has been
 kept alive between ,england and        
,america for the last twenty years4 ,the
 sneers1 the opprobrious epithets of    
this bravo of literature have been      
received in a country where the         
machinery of reviewing was not          
understood1 as the voice of the ,english
 people1 and animosity for which there  
was no other reason has been thus       
periodically fed and exasperated4 ,i    
conceive it to be my duty as a literary 
man--,i know it is my duty as an        
,american--to lose no opportunity of    
setting my heel on this reptile of      

criticism4 ,he has turned and stung me4 
,thank ,god1 ,i have escaped the slime  
of his approbation4'  ,the winter was   
spent in ,london1 and in the following  
,march ,willis brought out his ,inklings
 of ,adventure1 a reprint of the stories
 that had appeared in various magazines 
over the signature of ,philip ,slingsby4
 ,these were supposed to be real        
adventures under a thin disguise of     
fiction1 and the public eagerly read the
 tawdry little tales in the hope of     
discovering the identities of the       
dramatis person4 ,the majority of the   
',inklings' deal with the romantic      
adventures of a young literary man who  
wins the affection of high-born ladies1 
and is made much of in aristrocratic    
circles4 ,the author revels in          
descriptions of luxurious boudoirs in   
which recline voluptuous blondes or     
exquisite brunettes1 with hearts always 
at the disposal of the all-conquering   
,philip ,slingsby4 ,fashionable fiction1
 however1 was unable to support the     

expense of a fashionable establishment1 
and in ,may #ahcf the couple sailed for 
,america4 ,willis hoped to obtain a     
diplomatic appointment1 and return to   
,europe for good1 but all his efforts   
were vain1 and he was obliged to rely on
 his pen for a livelihood4 ,his first   
undertaking was the letterpress for an  
illustrated volume on ,american scenery2
 and for some months he travelled about 
the country with the artist who was     
responsible for the illustrations4 ,on  
one of his journeys he fell in love with
 a pretty spot on the banks of the      
,owego ,creek1 near the junction with   
the ,susquehanna1 and bought a couple of
 hundred acres and a house1 which he    
named ,glenmary after his wife4  ,here  
the pair settled down happily for some  
five years1 and here ,willis wrote his  
pleasant1 gossiping ,letters from ,under
 a ,bridge for the ,new ,york ,mirror4  
,in these he prattled of his garden1 his
 farm1 his horses and dogs1 and the     
strangers within his gates4             

,unfortunately1 he was unable to devote 
much attention to his farm1 which was   
said to grow nothing but flowers of     
speed1 but was forced to spend more and 
more time in the editorial office1 and  
to write hastily and incessantly for a  
livelihood4 ,in #ahci1 owing to a       
temporary coolness with the proprietor  
of the ,mirror1 ,willis accepted the    
proposal of his friend1 ,dr4 ,porter1   
that he should start a new weekly paper 
called the ,corsair1 one of a whole crop
 of pirate weeklies that started up with
 the establishment of the first service 
of ,atlantic liners4 ,in ,may #ahci the 
first steam-vessel that had crossed the 
ocean anchored in ,new ,york ,harbour1  
and thenceforward it was possible to    
obtain supplies from the ,european      
literary markets within a fortnight of  
publication4 ,it was arranged between   
,dr4 ,parker and ,willis that the cream 
of the contemporary literature of       
,england1 ,france1 and ,germany should  
be conveyed to the readers of the       

,corsair1 and of course there was no    
question of payment to the authors whose
 wares were thus appropriated4  ,the    
first number of the ,corsair appeared in
 ,january #ahci1 but apparently piracy  
was not always a lucrative trade1 for   
the paper had an existence of little    
more than a year4 ,in the course of its 
brief career1 however1 ,willis paid a   
flying visit to ,england1 where he      
accomplished a great deal of literary   
business4 ,he had written a play called 
,the ,usurer ,matched1 which was brought
 out by ,wallack at the ,surrey         
,theatre1 and is said to have been      
played to crowded houses during a fairly
 long run1 but neither this nor any of  
his other plays brought the author fame 
or fortune4 ,during this season he      
published his ,loiterings of ,travel1 a 
collection of stories and sketches1 a   
fourth edition of the ,pencillings1 an  
,english edition of ,letters from ,under
 a ,bridge1 and arranged with ,virtue   
for works on ,irish and ,canadian       

scenery4 ,in addition to all this1 he   
was contributing jottings in ,london to 
the ,corsair4 ,as might be supposed1 he 
had not much time for society1 but he   
met a few old friends1 made acquaintance
 with ,kemble and ,kean1 went to a ball 
at ,almack's1 and was present at the    
famous ,eglinton ,tournament1 which     
watery catastrophe he described for his 
paper4 ,one of the most interesting of  
his new acquaintances was ,thackeray1   
then chiefly renowned as a writer for   
the magazines4 ,on ,july #bf ,willis    
writes to ,dr4 ,porter3--  ',i have     
engaged a new contributor to the        
,corsair4 ,who do you think8 ,the author
 of ,yellowplush and ,major ,gahagan4   
,he has gone to ,paris1 and will write  
letters from there1 and afterwards from 
,london for a guinea a close column of  
the ,corsair--cheaper than ,i ever did  
anything in my life4 ,for myself1 ,i    
think him the very best periodical      
writer alive4 ,he is a royal1 daring1   
fine creature too4' ,in his published   

,jottings1 ,willis told his readers that
 ',mr4 ,thackeray1 the author1          
breakfasted with me yesterday1 and the  
,corsair will be delighted to hear that 
,i have  engaged this cleverest and most
 gifted of all the magazine-writers of  
,london to become a regular             
correspondent of the ,corsair4444       
,thackeray is a tall1 athletic-looking  
man of about forty-five he was actually 
only eight-and-twenty1 with a look of   
talent that could never be mistaken4 ,he
 is one of the most accomplished        
draughtsmen in ,england1 as well as the 
most brilliant of periodical writers4'  
,thackeray only wrote eight letters for 
the ,corsair1 which were afterwards     
republished in his ,paris ,sketch-book4 
,there is an allusion to this episode in
 ,the ,adventures of ,philip1 the hero  
being invited to contribute to a ,new   
,york journal called ,the ,upper ,ten   
,thousand1 a phrase invented by ,willis4
  ,when the ,corsair came to an untimely
 end1 ,willis had no difficulty in      

finding employment on other papers4 ,he 
is said to have been the first ,american
 magazine-writer who was tolerably well 
paid1 and at one time he was making     
about a thousand a year by periodical   
work4 ,that his name was already        
celebrated among his own countrymen     
seems to be proved by the story of a    
commercial gentleman at a ,boston       
tea-party who 'guessed that ,goethe was 
the ,n4,p4 ,willis of ,germany4' ,the   
tales written about this time were      
afterwards collected into a volume      
called ,dashes at ,life with a ,free    
,pencil4 ,thackeray made great fun of   
this work in the ,edinburgh ,review for 
,october #ahde1 more especially of that 
portion called ',the ,heart-book of     
,ernest ,clay4' ',like ,caesar1'        
observed ,thackeray1 ',ernest ,clay is  
always writing of his own victories4    
,duchesses pine for him1 modest virgins 
go into consumption and die for him1 old
 grandmothers of sixty forget their     
families and their propriety1 and fall  

on the neck of this ,free ,pencil4' ,he 
quotes with delight the description of a
 certain ,lady ,mildred1 one of ,ernest 
,clay's numerous loves1 who glides into 
the room at a ,london tea-party1 'with a
 step as elastic as the nod of a        
water-lily4 ,a snowy turban1 from which 
hung on either temple a cluster of      
crimson camellias still wet with the    
night-dew2 long raven curls of          
undisturbed grace falling on shoulders  
of that indescribable and dewy coolness 
which follows a morning bath4' ,how     
naively1 comments the critic1 does this 
nobleman of nature recommend the use of 
this rare cosmetic6  ,in spite of his   
popularity1 ,willis's affairs were not  
prospering at this time4 ,he had        
received nothing from the estate of his 
father-in-law1 who died in #ahci1 his   
publisher failed in #ahdb1 and he was   
obliged to sell ,glenmary and remove to 
,new ,york1 whence he had undertaken to 
send a fortnightly letter to a paper at 
,washington4 ,this was the year of      

,dickens's visit to ,america1 and       
,willis was present at the ',boz ,ball1'
 where he danced with ,mrs4 ,dickens1 to
 whom he afterwards did the honours of  
,broadway4 ,in #ahdc ,willis made up his
 difference with ,morris1 and again     
became joint-editor of the ,mirror1     
which1 a year later1 was changed from a 
weekly to a daily paper4 ,his           
contributions to the journal consisted  
of stories1 poems1 letters1             
book-notices1 answers to correspondents1
 and editorial gossip of all kinds4  ,in
 ,march #ahde ,mrs4 ,willis died in her 
confinement1 leaving her 7temporarily7  
broken-hearted husband with one little  
girl4 ',an angel without fault or       
foible' was his epitaph upon the woman  
to whom1 in spite of his many fictitious
 bonnes fortunes1 he is said to have    
been faithfully attached4 ,but ,willis  
was not born to live alone1 and in the  
following summer he fell in love with a 
,miss ,cornelia ,grinnell at            
,washington1 and was married to her in  

,october1 #ahdf4 ,the second ,mrs4      
,willis was nearly twenty years younger 
than her husband1 but she was a         
sensible1 energetic young woman1 who    
made him an excellent wife4  ,the title 
of the ,mirror had been changed to that 
of ,the ,home ,journal1 and under its   
new name it became a prosperous paper4  
,willis1 who was the leading spirit of  
the enterprise1 set himself to portray  
the town1 chronicling plays1 dances1    
picture-exhibitions1 sights and         
entertainments of all kinds in the airy 
manner that was so keenly appreciated by
 his countrymen4 ,he was recognised as  
an authority on fashion1 and his        
correspondence columns were crowded with
 appeals for guidance in questions of   
dress and etiquette4 ,he was also a     
favourite in general society1 though he 
is said to have been1 next to ,fenimore 
,cooper1 the best-abused man of letters 
in ,america4 ,one of his most pleasing  
characteristics was his ready           
appreciation and encouragement of young 

writers1 for he was totally free from   
professional jealousy4 ,he was the      
literary sponsor of ,aldrich1 ,bayard   
,taylor1 and ,lowell1 among others1 and 
the last-named alludes to ,willis in his
 ,fable for ,critics 7#ahdh7 in the     
following flattering lines3     ',his   
nature's a glass of champagne with the  
foam on't1    ,as tender as ,fletcher1  
as witty as ,beaumont2    ,so his best  
things are done in the heat of the      
moment4      99       99        99      
99       99    ,he'd have been just the 
fellow to sup at the ',mermaid1'        
,cracking jokes at rare ,ben1 with an   
eye to the barmaid1    ,his wit running 
up as ,canary ran down1--    ,the       
topmost bright bubble on the wave of the
 town4'  ,after #ahdf ,willis wrote     
little except gossiping paragraphs and  
other ephemera4 ,in answer to           
remonstrances against this method of    
frittering away his talents1 he was     
accustomed to reply that the public     
liked trifles1 and that he was bound to 

go on 'buttering curiosity with the ooze
 of his brains4' ,he read but little in 
later life1 nor associated with men of  
high intellect or serious aims1 but     
showed an ever-increasing preference for
 the frivolous and the feminine4 ,in    
#ahej he published another volume of    
little magazine stories called ,people  
,i have ,met4 ,this appeared in ,london 
as well as in ,new ,york1 and ,thackeray
 again revenged himself for that close  
column which had been rewarded by an    
uncertain guinea1 by holding up his     
former editor to ridicule4 ,with        
mischievous delight he describes the    
amusement that is to be found in ,n4,p4 
,willis's society1 'amusement at the    
immensity of ,n4,p4's blunders2         
amusement at the prodigiousness of his  
self-esteem2 amusement always with or at
 ,willis the poet1 ,willis the man1     
,willis the dandy1 ,willis the          
lover--now the ,broadway ,crichton--once
 the ruler of fashion and heart-enslaver
 of ,bond ,street1 and the ,boulevard1  

and the ,corso1 and the ,chiaja1 and the
 ,constantinople ,bazaars4 ,it is well  
for the general peace of families that  
the world does not produce many such    
men2 there would be no keeping our wives
 and daughters in their senses were such
 fascinators to make frequent           
apparitions among us2 but it is         
comfortable that there should have been 
a ,willis2 and as a literary man myself1
 and anxious for the honour of that     
profession1 ,i am proud to think that a 
man of our calling should have come1    
should have seen1 should have conquered 
as ,willis has done4444 ,there is more  
or less of truth1 he nobly says1 in     
these stories--more or less truth1 to be
 sure there is--and it is on account of 
this more or less truth that ,i for my  
part love and applaud this hero and     
poet4 ,we live in our own country1 and  
don't know it2 ,willis walks into it1   
and dominates it at once4 ,to know a    
duchess1 for instance1 is given to very 
few of us4 ,he sees things that are not 

given to us to see4 ,we see the duchess 
in her carriage1 and gaze with much     
reverence on the strawberry-leaves on   
the panels1 and her grace within2       
whereas the odds are that that lovely   
duchess has had1 one time or the other1 
a desperate flirtation with ,willis the 
,conqueror4 ,perhaps she is thinking of 
him at this very moment1 as her jewelled
 hand presses her perfumed handkerchief 
to her fair and coroneted brow1 and she 
languidly stops to purchase a ruby      
bracelet at ,gunter's1 or to sip an ice 
at ,howell and ,james's4 ,he must have  
whole mattresses stuffed with the blonde
 or raven or auburn tresses of          
,england's fairest daughters4 ,when the 
female ,english aristocracy read the    
title of ,people ,i have ,met1 ,i can   
fancy the whole female peerage of       
,willis's time in a shudder2 and the    
melancholy marchioness1 and the         
abandoned countess1 and the             
heart-stricken baroness trembling as    
each gets the volume1 and asks of her   

guilty conscience1 ,gracious goodness1  
is the monster going to show up me8'    
,in #ahec ,willis1 who had been obliged 
to travel for the benefit of his        
declining health1 took a fancy to the   
neighbourhood of the ,hudson1 and bought
 fifty acres of waste land1 upon which  
he built himself a house1 and called the
 place ,idlewild4 ,here he settled down 
once more to a quiet country life1 took 
care of his health1 cultivated his      
garden1 and wrote long weekly letters to
 the ,home ,journal4 ,he had by this    
time five children1 middle age had      
stolen upon him1 and now that he could  
no longer pose as his own allconquering 
hero1 his hand seems to have lost its   
cunning4 ,his editorial articles1       
afterwards published under the          
appropriate title of ,ephemera1 grew    
thinner and flatter with the passing of 
the years2 yet slight and superficial as
 the best of them are1 they were the    
result of very hard writing4 ,his       
manuscripts were a mass of erasures and 

interlineations1 but his copy was so    
neatly prepared that even the erasures  
had a sort of 'wavy elegance' which the 
compositors actually preferred to print4
 ,his mannerisms and affectations grew  
upon him in his later years1 and he     
became more and more addicted to the    
coining of new words and phrases1 only a
 few of which proved effective4 ,besides
 the now well-worn term1 the 'upper ten 
thousand1' he is credited with the      
invention of ',japonicadom1'            
'come-at-able1' and                     
'stay-at-home-ativeness4' ,one or two of
 his sayings may be worth quoting1 such 
as his request for ,washington ,irving's
 blotting-book1 because it was the      
door-mat on which the thoughts of his   
last book had wiped their sandals before
 they went in2 and his remark that to   
ask a literary man to write a letter    
after his day's work was like asking a  
penny-postman to take a walk in the     
evening for the pleasure of it4  ,on the
 outbreak of the ,civil ,war in #ahfa1  

,willis went to ,washington as          
war-correspondent of his paper4 ,it does
 not appear that he saw any harder      
service than the dinners and receptions 
of the capitol1 since an opportune fit  
of illness prevented his following the  
army to ,bull's ,run4 ,the correspondent
 who took his place on the march had his
 career cut short by a ,southern bullet4
 ,willis1 meanwhile1 was driving about  
with ,mrs4 ,lincoln1 with whom he became
 a favourite1 although she reproached   
him for his want of tact in speaking of 
her 'motherly expression' in one of his 
published letters1 she being at that    
time only thirty-six4 ,he met ,hawthorne
 at ,washington1 and describes him as   
very shy and reserved in manner1 but    
adds1 ',i found he was a lover of mine1 
and we enjoyed our acquaintance very    
much4' ,one of the minor results of the 
great ,civil ,war was the extinguishing 
of ,willis's literary reputation2 his   
frothy trifling suddenly became obsolete
 when men had sterner things to think   

about than the cut of a coat1 or the    
etiquette of a morning call4 ,the nation
 began to demand realities1 even in its 
fiction1 the circulation of the ,home   
,journal fell off1 and ,willis1 who had 
always affected a horror of figures and 
business matters generally1 found       
himself in financial difficulties4 ,he  
was obliged to let ,idlewild1 and       
return1 in spite of his rapidly failing 
health1 to the editorial office at ,new 
,york4  ,the last few years of ,willis's
 career afford a melancholy contrast to 
its brilliant opening4 ,health1 success1
 prosperity--all had deserted him1 and  
nothing remained but the editorial      
chair1 to which he clung even after     
epileptic attacks had resulted in       
paralysis and gradual softening of the  
brain4 ,the failure of his mental powers
 was kept secret as long as possible1   
but in ,november1 #ahff1 he yielded to  
the entreaties of his wife and children1
 knocked off work for ever1 and went    
home to die4 ,his last few months were  

passed in helpless weakness1 and he only
 occasionally recognised those around   
him4 ,the end came on ,january #bj1     
#ahfg1 his sixty-first birthday4        
,selections from ,willis's prose works  
have been published within recent years 
in ,america1 and a new edition of his   
poems has appeared in ,england1 while a 
carefully written ,life by ,mr4 ,de     
,beers is included in the series of     
',american ,men of ,letters4' ,but in   
this country at least his fame1 such as 
it is1 will rest upon his sketches of   
such celebrities as ,lamb1 ,moore1      
,bulwer1 ,d',orsay1 and ,d',israeli4 ,as
 long as we retain any interest in them 
and their works1 we shall like to know  
how they looked and dressed1 and what   
they talked about in private life4 ,it  
is impossible altogether to approve of  
the ,penciller--his absurdities were too
 marked1 and his indiscretions too      
many--yet it is probable that few who   
have followed his meteor-like career    
will be able to refrain from echoing    

,thackeray's dictum3 ',it is comfortable
 that there should have been a ,willis6'
     ,,lady ,,hester ,,stanhope  ,,part 
,i   ,illustration3 ,lady ,hester       
,stanhope from a drawing by ,r4 ,j4     
,hamerton  ,there are few true stories  
that are distinguished by a well-marked 
moral4 ,if we study human chronicles we 
generally find the ungodly flourishing  
permanently like a green bay-tree1 and  
the righteous apparently forsaken and   
begging his bread4 ,but it occasionally 
happens that a human life illustrates   
some moral lesson with the triteness and
 crudity of a ,sunday-school book1 and  
of such is the career of ,lady ,hester  
,stanhope1 a ,pitt on the mother's side1
 and more of a ,pitt in temper and      
disposition than her grandfather1 the   
great ,commoner himself4 ,her story     
contains the useful but conventional    
lesson that pride goeth before a fall1  
and that all earthly glory is but       
vanity1 together with a warning against 
the ambition that o'erleaps itself1 and 

ends in failure and humiliation4 ,that  
humanity will profit by such a lesson1  
whether true or invented for didactic   
purposes1 is doubtful1 but at least     
,nature has done her best for once to   
usurp the seat of the preacher1 'to     
point a moral and adorn a tale4' ,lady  
,hester1 who was born on ,march         
#ab1aggf1 was the eldest daughter of    
,charles1 third ,earl of ,stanhope1 by  
his first wife ,hester1 daughter of the 
great ,lord ,chatham4 ,lord ,stanhope   
seems to have been an uncomfortable     
person1 who combined scientific research
 with democratic principles1 and        
contrived to quarrel with most of his   
family4 ,in order to live up to his     
theories he laid down his carriage and  
horses1 effaced the armorial bearings   
from his plate1 and removed from his    
walls some famous tapestry1 because it  
was 'so d----d aristocratical4' ,if one 
of his daughters happened to look better
 than usual in a becoming hat or frock1 
he had the garment laid away1 and       

something coarse put in its place4 ,the 
children were left almost entirely to   
the care of governesses and tutors1     
their step-mother1 the second ,lady     
,stanhope 7a ,grenville by birth7 being 
a fashionable fine lady1 who devoted her
 whole time to her social duties1 while 
,lord ,stanhope was absorbed by his     
scientific pursuits4 ,the home was not a
 happy one1 either for the three girls  
of the first marriage1 or for the three 
sons of the second4 ,in #agif ,rachel1  
the youngest daughter1 eloped with a    
,sevenoaks apothecary named ,taylor1 and
 was cast off by her family2 and in     
#ahjj ,griselda1 the second daughter1   
married a ,mr4 ,tekell1 of ,hampshire4  
,in this year ,hester left her home1    
which ,george ,,iii used to call        
,democracy ,hall1 and went to live with 
her grandmother1 the ,dowager ,lady     
,stanhope4  ,on the death of ,lady      
,stanhope in #ahjc1 ,lady ,hester was   
offered a home by her uncle1 ,william   
,pitt1 with whom she remained until his 

death in #ahjf4 ,pitt became deeply     
attached to his handsome1 high-spirited 
niece4 ,he believed in her sincerity and
 affection for himself1 admired her     
courage and cleverness1 laughed at her  
temper1 and encouraged her pride4 ,she  
seems to have gained a considerable     
influence over her uncle1 and contrived 
to have a finger in most of the         
ministerial pies4 ,when reproached for  
allowing her such unreserved liberty of 
action in state affairs1 ,pitt was      
accustomed to reply1 ',i let her do as  
she pleases2 for if she were resolved to
 cheat the devil himself1 she would do  
it4' ',and so ,i would1' ,lady ,hester  
used to add1 when she told the story4   
,if we may believe her own account1     
,pitt told her that she was fit to sit  
between ,augustus and ,mcenas1 and      
assured her that ',i have plenty of good
 diplomatists1 but they are none of them
 military men2 and ,i have plenty of    
good officers1 but not one of them is   
worth sixpence in the cabinet4 ,if you  

were a man1 ,hester1 ,i would send you  
on the ,continent with #fj1jjj men1 and 
give you carte blanche1 and ,i am sure  
that not one of my plans would fail1 and
 not one soldier would go with his boots
 unblacked4' ,this admiration1 according
 to the same authority1 was shared by   
,george ,,iii1 who one day on the       
,terrace at ,windsor informed ,mr4 ,pitt
 that he had got a new and superior     
minister in his room1 and one1 moreover1
 who was a good general4 ',there is my  
new minister1' he added1 pointing at    
,lady ,hester4 ',there is not a man in  
my kingdom who is a better politician1  
and there is not a woman who better     
adorns her sex4 ,and let me say1 ,mr4   
,pitt1 you have not reason to be proud  
you are a minister1 for there have been 
many before you1 and will be many after 
you2 but you have reason to be proud of 
her1 who unites everything that is great
 in man and woman4'  ,all this must1 of 
course1 be taken with grains of salt1   
but it is certain that ,lady ,hester    

occupied a position of almost           
unparalleled supremacy for a woman1 that
 she dispensed patronage1 lectured      
ministers1 and snubbed princes4 ,on one 
occasion ,lord ,mulgrave1 who had just  
been appointed ,secretary of ,state for 
,foreign ,affairs1 found a broken       
egg-spoon on the breakfast-table at     
,walmer1 and asked1 ',how can ,mr4 ,pitt
 have such a spoon as this8' ',don't you
 know1' retorted ,lady ,hester1 'that   
,mr4 ,pitt sometimes uses very slight   
and weak instruments wherewith to effect
 his ends8' ,again1 when ,mr4 ,addington
 wished to take the title of ,lord      
,raleigh1 ,lady ,hester determined to   
prevent what she regarded as a          
desecration of a great name4 ,she       
professed to have seen a caricature1    
which she minutely described1           
representing ,mr4 ,addington as ,sir    
,walter ,raleigh1 and the ,king as      
,queen ,elizabeth4 ,mr4 ,pitt1 believing
 the story1 repeated it to ,addington   
and others1 with the result that        

messengers were despatched to all the   
print-shops to buy up the whole         
impression4 ,of course no such          
caricature was to be found1 but the     
prospective peer had received a fright1 
and chose the inoffensive title of ,lord
 ,sidmouth4 ,lady ,hester despised ,lord
 ,liverpool for a well-meaning          
blunderer1 but she hated and distrusted 
,canning1 whom she was accustomed to    
describe as a fiery1 red-headed ,irish  
politician1 who was never staunch to any
 person or any party2 and she declared  
that by her scoldings she had often made
 him blubber like a schoolboy4 ,it      
cannot be supposed that her ladyship was
 popular with the numerous persons1 high
 and low1 who came under the ban of her 
displeasure1 or suffered from her pride2
 but she was young1 handsome1 and witty1
 her position was unassailable1 and as  
long as her uncle chose to laugh at her 
insolence and her eccentricities1 no    
lesser power presumed to frown4  ,for   
her beauty in youth we must again take  

her own account on trust1 since she     
never consented to sit for her portrait1
 and in old age her recollection of her 
vanished charms may have been coloured  
by some pardonable exaggeration4 ',at   
twenty1' she told a chronicler1 'my     
complexion was like alabaster1 and at   
five paces distant the sharpest eyes    
could not discover my pearl necklace    
from my skin4 ,my lips were of such a   
beautiful carnation that1 without       
vanity1 ,i can assure you1 very few     
women had the like4 ,a dark-blue shade  
under the eyes1 and the blue veins that 
were observable through the transparent 
skin1 heightened the brilliancy of my   
features4 ,nor were the roses wanting in
 my cheeks2 and to all this was added a 
permanency in my looks that no sort of  
fatigue could impair4' ,she was fond of 
relating an anecdote of a flattering    
impertinence on the part of ,beau       
,brummell1 who1 meeting her at a ball1  
coolly took the earrings out of her     
ears1 telling her that she should not   

wear such things1 as they hid the fine  
turn of her cheek1 and the set of head  
upon her neck4 ,lady ,hester frankly    
admitted1 however1 that it was her      
brilliant colouring that made her       
beauty1 and once observed1 in reply to a
 compliment on her appearance3 ',if you 
were to take every feature in my face1  
and lay them one by one on the table1   
there is not a single one that would    
bear examination4 ,the only thing is    
that1 put together and lighted up1 they 
look well enough4 ,it is homogeneous    
ugliness1 and nothing more4'  ,with     
,pitt's death in ,january1 #ahjf1 as by 
the stroke of a magic wand1 all the     
power1 all the glory1 and all the       
grandeur came to a sudden end1 and the  
great minister's favourite niece fell to
 the level of a private lady1 with a    
moderate income1 no influence1 and a    
host of enemies4 ,on his deathbed1 ,pitt
 had asked that an annuity of #aejj     
might be granted to ,lady ,hester1 but  
in the end only #abjj was awarded to    

her1 a trifling income for one with such
 exalted ideas of her own importance4 ,a
 house was taken in ,montagu ,square1   
where ,lady ,hester entertained her     
half-brothers1 ,charles and ,james      
,stanhope1 when their military duties   
allowed of their being in town4 ,here   
she led but a melancholy life1 for her  
means would not allow of her keeping a  
carriage1 and she fancied that it was   
incompatible with her dignity to drive  
in a hackney-coach1 or to walk out      
attended by a servant4 ,in #ahji        
,charles ,stanhope1 like his chief1 ,sir
 ,john ,moore1 fell at ,corunna4        
,charles was ,lady ,hester's favourite  
brother1 and tradition says that ,sir   
,john ,moore was her lover4 ,be that as 
it may1 she broke up her establishment  
in town at this time1 and retired to a  
lonely cottage in ,wales1 where she     
amused herself in superintending her    
dairy and physicking the poor4 ,but she 
suffered in health and spirits1 the     
contrast of the present with the past   

was too bitter to be endured in         
solitude1 and in #ahaj she decided to go
 abroad1 and spend a year or two in the 
south4 ,a young medical man1 ,dr4       
,meryon1 ,footnote3 ,afterwards ,lady   
,hester's chronicler4 was engaged to    
accompany her as her travelling         
physician1 and the party further        
consisted of her brother1 ,james        
,stanhope1 and a friend1 ,mr4 ,nassau   
,sutton1 together with two or three     
servants4 ,lady ,hester was only thirty 
when her uncle died1 but it does not    
seem to have been considered that she   
required any chaperonage1 either at home
 or on her travels1 nor does it appear  
that ,lord ,stanhope 7who lived till    
#ahaf7 took any further interest in her 
proceedings4  ,on ,february #aj1 #ahaj1 
the travellers sailed for the           
,mediterranean on board the frigate     
,jason4 ,it is not necessary to follow  
them over the now familiar ground of the
 early part of their tour4 ,gibraltar   
7whence ,captain ,stanhope left to join 

his regiment at ,cadiz71 ,malta1        
,athens1 ,constantinople1 these were the
 first stopping-places1 and in each     
,lady ,hester was treated with great    
respect by the authorities1 and went her
 own way in defiance of all native      
customs and prejudices4 ,at ,athens her 
party was joined by ,lord ,sligo1 who   
was making some excavations in the      
neighbourhood1 and by ,lord ,byron1 who 
had just won fresh laurels by swimming  
the ,hellespont4 ,lady ,hester formed   
but a poor opinion of the poet1 whose   
affectations she used to mimic with     
considerable effect4 ',i think ,lord    
,byron was a strange character1' she    
said1 many years later4 ',his generosity
 was for a motive1 his avarice was for a
 motive2 one time he was mopish1 and    
nobody was to speak to him2 another1 he 
was for being jocular with everybody4444
 ,at ,athens ,i saw nothing in him but a
 well-bred man1 like many others3 for as
 for poetry1 it is easy enough to write 
verses2 and as for the thoughts1 who    

knows where he got them8 ,many a one    
picks up some old book that nobody knows
 anything about1 and gets his ideas out 
of it4 ,he had a great deal of vice in  
his looks--his eyes set close together1 
and a contracted brow4 ,o ,lord6 ,i am  
sure he was not a liberal man1 whatever 
else he might be4 ,the only good thing  
about his looks was this part drawing   
her hand under her cheek1 and down the  
front of her neck1 and the curl on his  
forehead4'  ,the winter of #ahaj was    
passed at ,constantinople1 and the early
 part of #ahaa at the ,baths of ,brusa4 
,as ,lady ,hester had decided to spend  
the following winter in ,egypt1 a ,greek
 vessel was hired for herself and her   
party1 which now consisted of two       
gentlemen1 ,mr4 ,bruce and ,mr4 ,pearce1
 besides her usual retinue1 and on      
,october #bc the travellers set sail for
 ,alexandria4 ,after experiencing       
contrary winds for two or three weeks1  
the ship sprang a leak1 and the cry of  
',all hands to the pumps' showed that   

danger was imminent4 ,lady ,hester took 
the announcement of the misfortune with 
the greatest calmness1 dressed herself1 
and ordered her maid to pack a small box
 with a few necessaries4 ,it soon became
 evident that the ship could not keep   
afloat much longer1 and that the        
passengers and crew must take to the    
long-boat if they wished to escape with 
their lives4 ,they contrived1 in spite  
of the high sea that was running1 to    
steer their boat into a little creek on 
a rock off the island of ,rhodes1 and   
here1 without either food or water1 they
 remained for thirty hours before they  
were rescued1 and taken ashore4 ,even   
then their state was hardly less        
pitiable1 for they were wet through1 had
 no change of clothes1 and possessed    
hardly enough money for their immediate 
necessities4 ,lady ,hester described her
 adventure in the following letter1     
dated ,rhodes1 ,december1 #ahaa3--  ',i 
write one line by a ship which came in  
here for a few hours1 just to tell you  

we are safe and well4 ,starving thirty  
hours on a bare rock1 without even fresh
 water1 being half naked and drenched   
with wet1 having traversed an almost    
trackless country over dreadful rocks   
and mountains1 laid me up at a village  
for a few days1 but ,i have since       
crossed the island on an ass1 going for 
six hours a day1 which proves ,i am     
pretty well1 now1 at least4444 ,my      
locket1 and the valuable snuff-box ,lord
 ,sligo gave me1 and two pelisses1 are  
all ,i have saved--all the              
travelling-equipage for ,smyrna is gone2
 the servants naked and unarmed2 but the
 great loss of all is the               
medicine-chest1 which saved the lives of
 so many travellers in ,greece4'  ,as   
they had lost nearly all their clothes1 
and knew that it would be impossible to 
procure a ,european refit in these      
regions1 the travellers decided to adopt
 ,turkish costumes4 ,dr4 ,meryon made a 
journey to ,smyrna1 where he raised     
money1 and bought necessary articles for

 the shipwrecked party at ,rhodes4 ,on  
his return1 laden with purchases1 after 
an absence of five weeks1 'the          
packing-cases were opened to quote his  
own description1 and we assumed our new 
dresses4 ,ignorant at that time of the  
distinctions of dress which prevail in  
,turkey1 every one flattered himself    
that he was habited becomingly4 ,lady   
,hester and ,mr4 ,bruce little          
suspected1 what proved to be the case1  
that their exterior was that of small   
gentry1 and ,mr4 ,pearce and myself     
thought we were far from looking like   
,chaoshes with our yatagans stuck in our
 girdles4' ,lady ,hester1 it may be     
noted1 had determined to adopt the dress
 of a ,turkish gentleman1 in order that 
she might travel unveiled1 a proceeding 
that would have been impossible in      
female costume4  ,the offer of a passage
 on a ,british frigate from ,rhodes to  
,alexandria was gladly accepted by ,lady
 ,hester and her friends1 and on        
,february #ad1 #ahab1 they got their    

first glimpse of the ,egyptian coast4   
,after a fortnight spent in ,alexandria1
 they proceeded to ,cairo1 where the    
pasha1 who had never seen an            
,englishwoman of rank before1 desired   
the honour of a visit from ,lady        
,hester4 ,in order to dazzle the eyes of
 her host1 she arrayed herself in a     
magnificent ,tunisian costume of purple 
velvet1 elaborately embroidered in gold4
 ,for her turban and girdle she bought  
two cashmere shawls that cost #ej each1 
her pantaloons cost #dj1 her pelisse and
 waistcoat #ej1 her sabre #bj1 and her  
saddle #ce1 while other articles        
necessary for the completion of the     
costume cost a hundred pounds more4 ,the
 pasha sent five horses to convey       
herself and her friends to the palace1  
and much honour was shown her in the    
number of silver sticks that walked     
before her1 and in the privilege        
accorded to her of dismounting at the   
inner gate4 ,after the interview1 the   
pasha reviewed his troops before his    

distinguished visitor1 and presented her
 with a charger1 magnificently          
caparisoned1 which she sent to ,england 
as a present to the ,duke of ,york1 her 
favourite among all the royal princes4  
,the next move was to ,jaffa1 where     
preparations were made for the          
regulation pilgrimage to ,jerusalem4 ,in
 her youth ,lady ,hester had been told  
by ,samuel ,brothers1 the ,prophet1 that
 she was to visit ,jerusalem1 to pass   
seven years in the desert1 to become the
 ,queen of the ,jews1 and to lead forth 
a chosen people4 ,now1 as she journeyed 
towards the ,holy ,city with her        
cavalcade of eleven camels and thirteen 
horses1 she saw the first part of the   
prophecy fulfilled1 and laughingly      
avowed that she expected to see its     
final accomplishment4 ,lady ,hester had 
now replaced her gorgeous ,tunisian     
dress by a travelling ,mameluke's       
costume1 consisting of a satin vest1 a  
red cloth jacket shaped like a spencer1 
and trimmed with gold lace1 and loose1  

full trousers of the same cloth4 ,over  
this she wore a flowing white burnous1  
whose folds formed a becoming drapery to
 her majestic figure4 ,in this costume  
she was generally mistaken by the       
natives for a young ,bey with his       
moustaches not yet grown1 but we are    
told that her assumption of male dress  
was severely criticised by the ,english 
residents in the ,levant4  ,from        
,jerusalem the party made a leisurely   
tour through ,syria1 visiting ,csarea1  
,acre1 ,nazareth1 ,sayda1 where ,lady   
,hester was entertained by her future   
enemy1 the ,emir ,beshyr1 prince of the 
,drzes1 and on ,september #a1 #ahab1    
arrived at ,damascus1 where a lengthened
 stay was made4 ,lady ,hester had been  
warned that it would be dangerous for a 
woman1 unveiled and in man's dress1 to  
enter ,damascus1 which was then one of  
the most fanatical towns in all the     
,turkish dominions4 ,but the            
granddaughter of ,pitt feared neither   
,turk nor ,christian1 and rode through  

the streets daily with uncovered face1  
and though crowds assembled to see her  
start1 she received honours instead of  
the expected insults4 ',a grave yet     
pleasing look1' writes her chronicler1  
'an unembarrassed yet commanding        
demeanour1 met the ideas of the ,turks1 
whose manners are of this caste4444     
,when it is considered how fanatical the
 people of ,damascus were1 and in what  
great abhorrence they held infidels2    
that native ,christians could only      
inhabit a particular quarter of the     
town2 and that no one of these could    
ride on horseback within the walls1 or  
wear as part of his dress any coloured  
cloth or showy turban1 it will be a     
matter for surprise how completely these
 prejudices were set aside in favour of 
,lady ,hester1 and of those persons who 
were with her4 ,she rode out every day1 
and according to the custom of the      
country1 coffee was poured on the ground
 before her horse to do her honour4 ,it 
was said that1 in going through a       

bazaar1 all the people rose up as she   
passed1 an honour never paid but to a   
pasha1 or to the mufti4'  ,from the     
moment of her arrival at ,damascus1     
,lady ,hester had busied herself in     
arranging for a journey to the ruins of 
,palmyra4 ,the expedition was considered
 not only difficult but dangerous1 and  
she was assured that a large body of    
troops would be necessary to protect her
 from the robber tribes of the desert4  
,while the practicability of the        
enterprise was still being anxiously    
discussed by her ,turkish advisers1     
,lady ,hester received a visit from a   
certain ,nasar1 son of ,mahannah1 ,emir 
of the ,anizys ,footnote3 ,dr4 ,meryon's
 somewhat erratic spelling of ,oriental 
names is followed throughout this       
memoir4 7the collective name given to   
several of the ,bedouin tribes ranging  
that part of the desert71 who told her  
that he had heard of her proposed       
expedition1 and that he came to warn her
 against attempting to cross the desert 

under military escort1 since in that    
case she would be treated as an enemy by
 the tribes4 ,but1 he added1 if she     
would place herself under the protection
 of the ,arabs1 and rely upon their     
honour1 they would pledge themselves to 
conduct her from ,hamah to ,palmyra and 
back again in safety4 ,the result of    
this interview was that ,lady ,hester   
declined the pasha's offer of troops1   
and leaving the doctor to wind up       
affairs at ,damascus she departed alone1
 ostensibly for ,hamah1 a city on the   
highroad to ,aleppo4 ,but having        
secretly arranged a meeting with the    
,emir ,mahannah in the desert1 she rode 
straight to his camp1 accompanied by    
,monsieur and ,madame ,lascaris1 who    
were living in the neighbourhood1 and by
 a ,bedouin guide4 ,in a letter to      
,general ,oakes1 dated ,january #be1    
#ahac1 she gives the following account  
of her first experiment upon the good   
faith of the ,arabs3--  ',i went with   
the great chief1 ,mahannah el ,fadel    

7who commands #dj1jjj men71 into the    
desert for a week1 and marched for three
 days with their camp4 ,i was treated   
with the greatest respect and           
hospitality1 and it was the most curious
 sight ,i ever saw2 horses and mares fed
 upon camel's milk2 ,arabs living upon  
little else except rice2 the space      
around me covered with living things2   
#afjj camels coming to water from one   
tribe only2 the old poets from the banks
 of the ,euphrates singing the praises  
of the ancient heroes2 women with lips  
dyed bright blue1 and nails red1 and    
hands all over flowers and different    
designs2 a chief who is obeyed like a   
great king2 starvation and pride so     
mixed that really ,i could not have had 
an idea of it4444 ,however1 ,i have     
every reason to be perfectly contented  
with their conduct towards me1 and ,i am
 the ,queen with them all4'  ,the       
preparations for the journey occupied   
nearly two months1 the cavalcade being  
on a magnificent scale4 ,twenty-two     

camels were to carry the baggage1       
twenty-five horsemen formed the retinue1
 in addition to the ,bedouin escort1 led
 by ,nasar1 the ,emir's son4 ,still the 
risk was great1 for ,lady ,hester       
carried with her many articles of value1
 and of course was wholly at the mercy  
of her conductors1 who got their living 
by plunder4 ,but she sought the remains 
of ,zenobia as well as the ruins of     
,palmyra1 and had set her heart upon    
seeing the city which had been governed 
by one of her own sex1 and owed its     
chief magnificence to her genius4 ,mr4  
,bruce1 writing to ,general ,oakes just 
before the start1 observes3 ',if ,lady  
,hester succeeds in this undertaking1   
she will at least have the merit of     
being the first ,european female who has
 ever visited this once celebrated city4
 ,who knows but she may prove another   
,zenobia1 and be destined to restore it 
to its ancient splendour8'  ,the        
cavalcade set out on ,march #bj1 a sum  
of about #ej being paid over to the     

,emir for his escort1 with the promise  
of twice as much more on the safe return
 of the party4 ,the journey seems to    
have been uneventful save for the       
occasional sulks of the ,bedouin leader1
 and the petty thefts of his followers4 
,the inhabitants of ,palmyra had been   
warned of the approach of the 'great    
white queen1' who rode a mare worth     
forty purses1 and had in her possession 
a book which instructed her where to    
find treasure1 and a bag of herbs with  
which she could transmute stones into   
gold4 ,by way of welcome a body of about
 two hundred men1 armed with matchlocks1
 went out to meet her1 and displayed for
 her amusement a mock attack on1 and    
defence of1 a caravan4 ,the guides led  
the cavalcade up through the long       
colonnade1 which is terminated by a     
triumphal arch1 the shaft of each of the
 pillars having a projecting pedestal1  
or console1 on which a statue once      
stood4 ',what was our surprise1' writes 
,dr4 ,meryon1 'to see1 as we rode up the

 avenue1 that several beautiful girls   
had been placed on these pedestals in   
the most graceful postures1 and with    
garlands in their hands4444 ,on each    
side of the arch other girls stood by   
threes1 while a row of six was arranged 
across the gate of the arch with thyrsi 
in their hands4 ,while ,lady ,hester    
advanced1 these living statues remained 
immovable on their pedestals2 but when  
she had passed1 they leaped to the      
ground1 and joined in a dance by her    
side4 ,on reaching the triumphal arch1  
the whole in groups1 both men and girls1
 danced round her4 ,here some bearded   
elders chanted verses in her praise1 and
 all the spectators joined in the       
chorus4 ,lady ,hester herself seemed to 
partake of the emotions to which her    
presence in this remote spot had given  
rise4 ,nor was the wonder of the        
,palmyrenes less than our own4 ,they    
beheld with amazement a woman who had   
ventured thousands of miles from her own
 country1 and crossed a waste where     

hunger and thirst were the least of the 
perils to be dreaded4' ,it may be       
observed that the people of ,syria1     
excited by the achievements of ,sir     
,sydney ,smith1 had begun to imagine    
that their land might be occupied by the
 ,english1 and perhaps regarded ,lady   
,hester as an ,english princess who had 
come to prepare the way1 if not to take 
possession4  ,the travellers were only  
allowed a week in which to examine the  
ruins of ,palmyra1 being hurried away by
 ,prince ,nasar on the plea that an     
attack was expected from a hostile      
tribe4 ,after resting for a time at     
,hamah1 and taking an affectionate      
farewell of their friendly ,bedouins    
7,lady ,hester was enrolled as an ,anizy
 ,arab of the tribe of ,melken71 they   
journeyed to ,laodicea1 which was       
believed to be free from the plague that
 was raging in other parts of ,syria1   
and here the summer months were spent4  
,in ,october ,mr4 ,bruce received       
letters which obliged him to return at  

once to ,england1 and1 as ,dr4 ,meryon  
observes1 'he therefore reluctantly     
prepared to quit a lady in whose society
 he had so long travelled1 and from     
whose conversation and experience of the
 world so much useful knowledge was to  
be acquired4' ,lady ,hester had now     
renounced the idea of returning to      
,europe1 at any rate for the present4   
,she had some thoughts of taking a      
journey overland to ,bussora1 and had   
also entered into a correspondence with 
the chief of the ,wahabys1 with a view  
to travelling across the desert to visit
 him in his capital of ,derych2 but she 
finally decided on remaining for some   
months longer in ,syria4 ,she had heard 
of a house1 once a monastery1 at ,mar   
,elias1 near ,sayda 7the ancient        
,sidon71 which could be hired for a     
small rent4 ,the house was taken1 the   
luggage shipped to ,sayda1 and ,lady    
,hester and her doctor were preparing to
 follow1 when both fell ill of a        
malignant fever1 which they believed to 

be a species of plague4 ,for some time  
,lady ,hester's life was despaired of1  
but thanks to her splendid constitution1
 she pulled through1 though she was not 
strong enough to leave ,laodicea until  
,january1 #ahad4  ,lady ,hester had now 
become a sojourner instead of a         
traveller in the ,east1 and1 abandoning 
,european customs altogether1 she       
conformed entirely to the mode of life  
of the ,orientals4 ,mar ,elias1 which   
was situated on a spur of ,mount        
,lebanon1 in a barren and rocky region1 
consisted of a one-storied stone        
building with flat roofs1 enclosing a   
small paved court4 ',since her illness1'
 writes ,dr4 ,meryon1 ',lady ,hester's  
character seemed to have changed4 ,she  
became simple in her habits1 almost to  
cynicism4 ,scanning men and things with 
a wonderful intelligence1 she commented 
upon them as if the motives of human    
action were laid open to her            
inspection4' ,the plague having again   
broken out in the neighbourhood1 the    

party at ,mar ,elias were insulated upon
 their rock1 and during the early days  
of their tenancy were in much the same  
position as the crew of a               
well-victualled ship at sea1 having     
abundance of fresh provisions1 but no   
books1 no newspapers1 and no intercourse
 with the outer world4  ,in the autumn  
an expedition to the ruins of ,baalbec  
was undertaken1 and at ,beyrout1 on the 
way home1 a servant brought the news    
that a ,zym1 or ,capugi ,bashi1         
,footnote3 ,nominally a door-keeper1    
according to ,dr4 ,meryon1 but actually 
a ,turkish official of high rank4 was at
 that town on his road to ,sayda1 and   
was reported to be going to capture     
,lady ,hester1 and carry her to         
,constantinople4 ,her ladyship received 
the announcement with her usual         
composure1 and it turned out that she   
had long expected the ,capugi ,bashi1   
and knew the object of his visit4       
,scarcely had the travellers arrived at 
,mar ,elias than a message came to ,lady

 ,hester1 requesting her to meet the    
,zym at the house of the governor of    
,sayda1 since it was not customary for a
 ,turkish official to go to a           
,christian's house4 ,but in this case   
the haughty ,moslem had reckoned without
 his host4 ,lady ,hester returned so    
spirited an answer that the ,zym at once
 ordered his horses1 and galloped over  
to ,mar ,elias4 ,the doctor and the     
secretary1 knowing nothing of the       
mission1 felt considerable doubt of his 
intentions1 and put loaded pistols in   
their girdles1 determined that if he had
 a bowstring under his robes1 no use    
should be made of it while they had a   
bullet at his disposal4 ,in the ,turkish
 dominions1 it must be understood1 a    
,capugi ,bashi seldom comes into the    
provinces unless for some affair of     
strangling1 beheading1 confiscation1 or 
imprisonment1 and his presence is the   
more dreaded1 as it is never known on   
whose head the blow will fall4  ,in this
 case1 fortunately1 the ,capugi's visit 

had no sinister motive4 ,the fact was   
now divulged that ,lady ,hester had been
 given a manuscript1 said to have been  
copied by a monk from the records of a  
,frank monastery in ,syria1 which       
disclosed the hiding-places of immense  
hoards of money buried in certain       
specified spots in the cities of        
,ascalon and ,sayda4 ,lady ,hester1     
having convinced herself of the         
genuineness of the manuscript1 had      
written to the ,sultan through ,mr41    
afterwards ,sir ,robert1 ,liston1 for   
permission to make the necessary        
excavations1 at the same time offering  
to forego all pecuniary benefit that    
might accrue from her labours4 ,the     
custom of burying money in times of     
danger is so common in the ,east that   
credence was easily lent to the story1  
while the fact that treasure might lie  
for centuries untouched1 even though the
 secret of its existence was known to   
several persons1 was possible in a      
country where digging among ruins always

 excites dangerous suspicions in the    
minds of the authorities1 and where the 
discovery of a jar of coins almost      
invariably leads to the ruin of the     
finder1 who is supposed to keep back    
more than he reveals4  ,the ,sultan     
evidently believed that the matter was  
worth examination1 for he had sent the  
,capugi from ,constantinople to invest  
,lady ,hester with greater authority    
over the ,turks than had ever been      
granted even to a ,european ambassador4 
,it was arranged that the first         
excavations should be made at ,ascalon1 
and though ,lady ,hester1 having only   
just returned from ,baalbec1 felt       
disinclined to set out at once on       
another long journey1 the ,zym urged her
 to lose no time1 and himself went on to
 ,acre to make the necessary            
preparations4 ,as her income barely     
sufficed for her own expenditure1 she   
resolved to ask the ,english ,government
 to pay the cost of her search1 holding 
that the honour which would thereby     

accrue to the ,english name was a       
sufficient justification for her demand4
  ',i shall beg of you1' she said to    
,dr4 ,meryon1 'to keep a regular account
 of every article1 and will then send in
 my bill to ,government by ,mr4 ,liston2
 when1 if they refuse to pay me1 ,i     
shall put it in the newspapers1 and     
expose them4 ,and this ,i shall let them
 know very plainly1 as ,i consider it my
 right1 and not as a favour2 for if ,sir
 ,a4 ,paget put down the cost of his    
servants' liveries after his embassy to 
,vienna1 and made ,mr4 ,pitt pay him1   
#gj1jjj for four years1 ,i cannot see   
why ,i should not do the same4'  ,on    
,february #ae1 #ahae1 ,lady ,hester left
 ,mar ,elias on horseback1 followed by  
her usual retinue1 and on arriving at   
,acre spent about three weeks in        
preparing for the work at ,ascalon4 ,in 
compliance with the firmans sent by the 
,porte to all the governors of ,syria1  
she was treated with distinctions       
usually paid to no one under princely   

rank4 ',whenever she went out1' writes  
,dr4 ,meryon1 'she was followed by a    
crowd of spectators2 and the curiosity  
and admiration which she had very       
generally excited throughout ,syria were
 now increased by her supposed influence
 in the affairs of ,government1 in      
having a ,capugi ,bashi at her          
command4444 ,no ,turk now paid her a    
visit without wearing his mantle of     
ceremony1 and every circumstance showed 
the ascendency she had gained in public 
opinion4' ,in addition to her own six   
tents1 twenty more were furnished for   
her suite1 besides twenty-two           
tent-pitchers1 twelve mules to carry the
 baggage1 and twelve camels to carry the
 tents4 ,to ,lady ,hester's use was     
appropriated a gorgeous tilted palanquin
 or litter1 covered with crimson cloth1 
and ornamented with gilded balls4 ,in   
case she preferred riding1 her mare and 
her favourite black ass were led in     
front of the litter4 ,a hundred men of  
the ,hawry cavalry escorted the         

procession1 which left ,acre on ,march  
#ah1 and arrived at ,jaffa ten days     
later4 ,here a short halt was made1 and 
on the last day of ,march they set off  
for ,ascalon1 their animals laden with  
shovels1 pickaxes1 and baskets4 ,on     
arriving at their destination the tents 
were pitched in the midst of the ruins1 
while a cottage was fitted up for ,lady 
,hester without the walls4 ,orders were 
at once despatched to the neighbouring  
villages for relays of labourers to work
 at the excavations4 ,these men received
 no pay1 being requisitioned by         
,government1 but they were well fed and 
humanely treated by their ,english      
employer4 ,the excavations were carried 
on for about a fortnight on the site    
indicated in the mysterious paper4      
,during the first three days nothing was
 found except bones1 fragments of       
pillars1 and a few vases and bottles2   
but on the fourth day a fine1 though    
mutilated1 colossal statue was          
discovered1 which apparently represented

 a deified king4 ,dr4 ,meryon made a    
sketch of the marble1 and pointed out to
 ,lady ,hester that her labours had at  
least brought to light a treasure that  
would be valuable in the eyes of lovers 
of art1 and that the ruins would be     
memorable for the enterprise of a woman 
who had rescued the remains of antiquity
 from oblivion4 ,to his astonishment and
 dismay she replied1 ',it is my         
intention to break up the statue1 and   
have it thrown into the sea1 precisely  
in order that such a report may not get 
abroad1 and ,i lose with the ,porte all 
the merit of my disinterestedness4' ,in 
vain ,dr4 ,meryon represented that such 
an act would be an unpardonable         
vandalism1 and was the less excusable   
since the ,turks had neither claimed the
 statue1 nor protested against its      
preservation4 ,her only answer was3     
',malicious people may say ,i came to   
search for antiquities for my country1  
and not for treasures for the ,porte4   
,so1 go this instant1 take with you     

half-a-dozen stout fellows1 and break it
 into a thousand pieces4' ,michaud1 in  
his account of the affair1 says that the
 ,turks clamoured for the destruction of
 the statue1 believing that the trunk   
was full of gold1 and that ,lady ,hester
 had it broken up in order to prove to  
them their error4 ,be this as it may1   
reports were afterwards circulated in   
,ascalon that the statue had actually   
contained treasure1 half of which was   
handed over to the ,porte1 and half kept
 by ,lady ,hester4  ,on the sixth day   
two large stone troughs were discovered1
 upon which lay four granite pillars4   
,this sight revived the hopes of the    
searchers1 for it was thought that the  
mass of granite could not have fallen   
into such a position accidentally1 but  
must have been placed there to conceal  
something of value4 ,great was the      
disappointment of all concerned when1 on
 removing the pillars1 the troughs were 
found to be empty4 ,the excavations of  
the next four days having produced      

nothing of any value1 the work was      
brought to an end1 by ,lady ,hester's   
desire1 on ,april #ad4 ,she had come to 
the conclusion that when ,gezzar ,pasha 
embellished the city of ,acre by digging
 for marble among the ruins of ,ascalon1
 he had been fortunate enough to        
discover the treasure1 and she believed 
that his apparent mania for building was
 only a cloak to conceal his real       
motives for excavating4 ,the officials  
and soldiers were handsomely rewarded   
for their trouble1 and ,lady ,hester set
 out on her homeward journey1 minus her 
tents1 palanquin1 military escort1 and  
other emblems of grandeur1 but with no  
loss of dignity or serenity4  ,on       
returning to ,mar ,elias1 she caused    
some excavations to be made near ,sayda1
 but with no better success1 and after a
 few days the work was abandoned4 ,lady 
,hester had been obliged to borrow a sum
 of money for her expenses from ,mr4    
,barker1 the ,british consul at ,aleppo1
 and now1 observes ,dr4 ,meryon1 'as she

 had throughout proposed to herself no  
advantage but the celebrity which       
success would bring on her own name and 
that of the ,english nation1 and as she 
had acted with the cognisance of our    
minister at ,constantinople1 she fancied
 that she had a claim upon the ,english 
,government for her expenses4           
,accordingly1 she sent our ambassador an
 account of her proceedings1 and after  
showing that all she had done was for   
the credit of her country1 she asserted 
her right to be reimbursed4 ,she was    
unsuccessful1 however1 in her           
application1 and the expenses weighed   
heavily upon her means4 ,yet hitherto   
she had never been in debt1 and by great
 care and economy she still contrived to
 keep out of it4'  ,lady ,hester having 
apparently decided to spend the         
remainder of her days in ,syria1 ,dr4   
,meryon informed her that he was anxious
 to return to his own country1 but that 
he would not leave her until a          
substitute had been engaged4            

,accordingly1 ,giorgio1 the ,greek      
interpreter1 was despatched to ,england 
to engage the doctor's successor1 and to
 execute a number of commissions for his
 mistress4 ,during the autumn ,lady     
,hester was actively employed in        
stirring up the authorities to avenge   
the death of a ,french traveller1       
,colonel ,boutin1 who had been murdered 
by the ,ansarys on the road between     
,hamah and ,laodicea4 ,as the pasha of  
the district had made no effort to trace
 or punish the murderers1 she had taken 
the matter into her own hands1 holding  
that the common cause of travellers     
demanded that such a crime should not go
 unpunished4 ,dr4 ,meryon vainly tried  
to dissuade her from this course of     
action1 urging that the ,french consuls 
were bound to sift the affair1 and that 
she1 in taking so active a part1 was    
exposing herself to the vengeance of the
 mountain tribes4 ,as usual1 the only   
effect of remonstrance was to make her  
more determined to persevere in the     

course she had marked out for herself4  
,in the result1 she succeeded in        
inducing the pasha to send a punitive   
expedition into the mountains1 and      
herself directed the commandant1 by     
information secretly obtained1 where the
 criminals were to be found4 ,mustafa   
,aga ,berber1 governor of the district1 
led the expedition1 and carried fire and
 sword into the ,ansary country4 ,it was
 reported that he burnt the villages of 
the assassins1 and sent several heads to
 the pasha as tokens of his victories4  
,lady ,hester received a vote of thanks 
from the ,french ,chamber of ,deputies1 
after a speech by ,comte ,delaborde1    
explaining the services she had         
rendered4  ,news of the great events    
that were taking place in ,france had   
now reached ,sayda1 and ,lady ,hester1  
whose foible it was to think that the   
successors of ,pitt could do no right1  
was highly displeased at the action of  
the ,british ,government4 ,she gave vent
 to her sentiments in the following     

letter1 dated ,april #ahaf1 to her      
cousin the ,marquis 7afterwards ,duke7  
of ,buckingham3--  ',you cannot doubt   
that a woman of my character and 7,i    
presume to say7 understanding must have 
held in contempt and aversion all the   
statesmen of the present day1 whose     
unbounded ignorance and duplicity have  
brought ruin on ,france1 have spread    
their own shame through all ,europe1 and
 have exposed themselves not only to    
ridicule1 but to the curses of present  
and future generations4 ,one great mind1
 one single1 enlightened statesman1     
whose virtues had equalled his talents1 
was all that was wanting to effect1 at  
this unexampled period1 the welfare of  
all ,europe1 by taking advantage of     
events the most extraordinary that have 
occurred in any era4444 ,cease therefore
 to torment me4 ,i will not live in     
,europe1 even were ,i1 in flying from   
it1 compelled to beg my bread4 ,once    
only will ,i go to ,france1 to see you  
and ,james1 but only that once4 ,i will 

not be a martyr for nothing4 ,the       
granddaughter of ,chatham1 the niece of 
the illustrious ,pitt1 feels herself    
blush that she was born in              
,england--that ,england who has made her
 accursed gold the counterpoise to      
justice2 that ,england who puts weeping 
humanity in irons1 who has employed the 
valour of her troops1 destined for the  
defence of her national honour1 as the  
instrument to enslave a freeborn people2
 and who has exposed to ridicule and    
humiliation a monarch ,louis ,,xviii4   
who might have gained the goodwill of   
his subjects if those intriguing        
,english had left him to stand or fall  
upon his own merits4'  ,the announcement
 of the arrival of the ,princess of     
,wales at ,acre1 and the possibility    
that she might extend her journey to    
,sayda1 induced ,lady ,hester to embark 
for ,antioch1 where she professed to    
have business with the ,british consul4 
,it was considered an act of great      
daring on her part to go into a district

 inhabited entirely by the ,ansrys1 on  
whom she had lately wrought so signal a 
vengeance4 ,but the ,ansrys had         
apparently no desire to bring upon      
themselves a second punitive expedition1
 and though ,lady ,hester spent most of 
her time in a retired cottage outside   
the town1 in defiance of the warning    
that her life was in danger1 the tribes 
forbore to molest her4 ,in ,september   
she returned to ,mar ,elias2 and1 a few 
weeks later1 ,giorgio returned from     
,england1 bringing with him an ,english 
surgeon and twenty-seven packing-cases  
filled with presents1 to be distributed 
among ,lady ,hester's ,turkish friends  
and acquaintances4 ,on ,january #ah1    
#ahag1 ,dr4 ,meryon1 having initiated   
his successor into ,eastern manners and 
customs1 took leave of his employer1 and
 sailed for ,europe1 little thinking    
that he would ever set foot in ,syria   
again4     ,,part ,,ii   ,during the    
next ten or twelve years1 we get but a  
few scanty glimpses of the white ,queen 

of the ,desert4 ,after ,dr4 ,meryon's   
departure1 ,lady ,hester removed to a   
house in the village of ,dar ,jon1 or   
,djoun1 a few miles from ,mar ,elias4   
,to this house she added considerably1  
laid out some magnificent gardens1 and  
enclosed the whole within high walls1   
after the manner of a mediaeval         
fortress4 ,here she seems to have passed
 her time in encouraging the ,drzes to  
rise against ,ibrahim ,pasha1 intriguing
 against the ,british consuls1 and      
attempting to bolster up the declining  
authority of the ,sultan4 ,in the       
intervals of political business she     
occupied herself with superintending her
 building and gardening operations1     
physicking the sick1 and tyrannising    
over her numerous servants4 ,at ,mar    
,elias1 which she still kept in her own 
hands1 she maintained an eccentric old  
,frenchman1 ,general                    
,loustaunau1,footnote3 ,dr4 ,meryon's   
spelling4 who had formerly been in the  
service of a ,hindu rajah1 but who1 in  

his forlorn old age1 had wandered to    
,syria1 and there1 by dint of applying  
scriptural texts to contemporary events1
 had earned the title of a prophet4     
,like ,samuel ,brothers1 he prophesied  
marvellous things of ,lady ,hester's    
future1 which she1 rendered credulous by
 her solitary life in a mystic land1    
where her own power and importance were 
the chief facts in her mental horizon1  
came at length to believe4  ,in the     
,memoirs of a ,babylonian ,princess by  
the ,emira ,asmar1 daughter of the ,emir
 ,abdallah ,asmar1 the author tells us  
that as a girl she paid a long visit to 
the ,emir ,beshyr1 prince of the ,drzes4
 ,during this visit1 which apparently   
took place in the early 'twenties1' she 
was sent with a present of fruit to a   
neighbour's house1 and there found a    
guest1 a tall and splendid figure1      
arrayed in masculine costume1 and       
engaged in smoking a narghila4 ,the     
stranger1 who talked ,arabic with       
elegance and fluency1 discoursed on the 

subject of astrology1 and tried to      
dissuade the ,emira from taking a       
projected journey to the west1 where she
 declared the sun had set1 and the      
hearts of the people retained not a     
spark of the virtues of their           
forefathers4 ',soon afterwards1'        
continues the author1 'she rose1 and    
took her departure1 attended by a large 
retinue4 ,a spirited charger stood at   
the gate1 champing the bit with fiery   
impatience4 ,she put her foot in the    
stirrup1 and vaulting nimbly into the   
saddle1 which she bestrode like a man1  
started off at a rapid pace1 galloping  
over rocks and mountains in advance of  
her suite1 with a fearlessness and      
address that would have done honour to a
 ,mameluke4' ,the stranger was1 of      
course1 none other than ,lady ,hester   
,stanhope1 who1 at that time1 was on    
friendly terms with the ,emir ,beshyr1  
afterwards her bitterest enemy4  ,in    
#ahbf ,lady ,hester wrote to invite ,dr4
 ,meryon to return to her service for a 

time1 and he1 who seems all his life to 
have 'heard the ,east a-calling1' could 
not resist the invitation1 though his   
movements were now hampered by a wife   
and children4 ,he began at once to make 
preparations for his departure1 but was 
unable to start before ,september #ahbg4
 ,meanwhile1 ,lady ,hester had been     
gulled by an ,english traveller1        
designated as ',x4' in her letters1 who 
had induced her to believe that he was  
empowered by the ,duke of ,sussex1 the  
,duke of ,bedford1 and a committee of   
,freemasons1 to offer her such sums as  
would extricate her out of her          
embarrassments1 and to settle an income 
upon her for life4 ,how a woman who     
professed to have an almost supernatural
 insight into the characters and        
thoughts of men1 could have been        
deceived by this story1 it is hard to   
understand2 but apparently the          
difficulties of her situation1          
occasioned by her custom of making large
 presents to the pashas in order to keep

 up her authority1 as well as by her    
benevolence to the poor in her          
neighbourhood1 rendered her willing to  
catch at any straw for help4 ,this ',x' 
had promised to send her a hundred      
purses for her current expenses1 and to 
bring out from ,england masons and      
carpenters to enlarge her dwelling1 in  
order that she might entertain the many 
distinguished people who desired to come
 and see her4 ,in a letter to ,dr4      
,meryon on this subject1 ,lady ,hester  
writes3--  ',if ,x4's story is true1 and
 my debts1 amounting to nearly #aj1jjj  
pounds1 are to be paid1 then ,i shall go
 on making sublime and philosophical    
discoveries1 and employing myself in    
deep1 abstract studies4 ,in that case ,i
 shall want a mason1 carpenter1 etc41   
income made out #djjj pounds a year1 and
 #ajjj pounds more for people like you1 
and #ejj pounds ready money that ,i may 
stand clear4 ,in the event that all that
 has been told me is a lie4444 ,i shall 
give up everything for life to my       

creditors1 and throw myself as a beggar 
on ,asiatic charity1 and wander far     
without one parra in my pocket1 with the
 mare from the stable of ,solomon in one
 hand1 and a sheaf of the corn of       
,beni-,israel in the other4 ,i shall    
meet death1 or that which ,i believe to 
be written1 which no mortal can efface4 
,on ,september #g1 ,dr4 ,meryon and his 
family embarked at ,leghorn for ,cyprus1
 but on nearing ,candia their merchant  
brig1 which was taking out stores to the
 ,turks1 was attacked by a ,greek       
vessel1 whose officers took possession  
of the cargo1 and also of all the       
passengers' property1 except that       
belonging to the ,english party1 which  
they left unmolested4 ,the ,italian     
captain was obliged to put back to      
,leghorn1 and here ,dr4 ,meryon heard   
the news of the battle of ,navarino1 and
 of the shelter afforded by ,lady       
,hester ,stanhope to two hundred refugee
 ,europeans from ,sayda4 ,by this time  
she was at daggers-drawn with the ,emir 

,beshyr1 whose rival she had helped and 
protected4 ,the ,emir revenged himself  
by publishing in the village an order   
that all her native servants were to    
return to their homes1 upon pain of     
losing their property and their lives4  
',i gave them all their option1' she    
writes4 ',and most of them remained     
firm4 ,since that1 he has threatened to 
seize and murder them here1 which he    
shall not do without taking my life too4
 ,besides this1 he has given orders in  
all the villages that men1 women1 and   
children who render me the smallest     
service shall be cut in a thousand      
pieces4 ,my servants cannot go out1 and 
the peasants cannot approach the house4 
,therefore1 ,i am in no very pleasant   
situation1 being deprived of the        
necessary supplies of food1 and what is 
worse1 of water2 for all the water here 
is brought on mules' backs up a great   
steep4'  ,dr4 ,meryon was unable to     
resume his voyage at this time1 but in  
#ahbh1 the news that a malignant fever  

had attacked the household at ,jon1 and 
carried off ,lady ,hester's companion1  
,miss ,williams1 gave rise to fresh     
plans for a visit to ,syria4 ,the doctor
 had1 however1 so much difficulty in    
overcoming his wife's fears of the      
voyage1 that it was not until ,november1
 #ahcj1 that he could induce her to     
embark at ,marseilles on a vessel bound 
for the ,east4 ,the party arrived at    
,beyrout on ,december #h1 and found that
 ,lady ,hester had sent camels and asses
 to bring them on their way1 together   
with a characteristic note to the effect
 that it would give her much pleasure to
 see the doctor1 but that1 as for his   
family1 they must not expect any other  
attentions than such as would make them 
comfortable in their new home4 ,she     
hoped that ,dr4 ,meryon would not take  
this ill1 as she had warned him that she
 did not think ,english ladies could    
make themselves happy in ,syria1 and1   
therefore1 he who had chosen to bring   
them must take the consequences4 ,this  

letter was but the first of a long      
series of affronts put upon ,mrs4       
,meryon1 the result of ,lady ,hester's  
dislike of her own sex1 and probably    
also of her objection to the presence of
 another ,englishwoman in a spot where  
she had reigned so long as the only     
specimen of her race4  ,a cottage had   
been provided in the village of ,jon for
 the travellers1 and the ladies were    
escorted thither by the ,french         
secretary1 while the doctor hastened to 
report himself to ,lady ,hester1 who    
received him with the greatest          
cordiality1 kissing him on both cheeks1 
and placing him beside her on the sofa4 
,remembering her overweening pride of   
birth1 he was astonished at his         
reception1 more especially as1 in the   
early part of her travels1 she had never
 even condescended to take his arm1 that
 honour being reserved exclusively for  
members of the aristocracy4 ,he found   
her ladyship in good health and spirits1
 but barely provided with the           

necessaries of life1 having been robbed 
of nearly all her articles of value by  
the native servants during her last     
illness4 ,a rush-bottomed chair1 a deal 
table1 dishes of common yellow          
earthenware1 bone-handled knives and    
forks1 and two or three silver spoons1  
were all that remained of her former    
grandeur1 and the dinner was on a par   
with the furniture4  ,the house1 which  
had been hired at a rental of #bj from a
 ,turkish merchant1 had been greatly    
enlarged1 and the gardens1 with their   
summer-houses1 covered alleys1 and      
serpentine walks1 were superior to most 
,english gardens of the same size4 ,lady
 ,hester's constant outlay in building  
arose from her idea that people would   
fly to her for succour and protection   
during the revolutions that she believed
 to be impending all over the world2 her
 camels1 asses1 and mules were kept with
 the same view1 and her servants were   
taught to look forward with awe to      
events of a supernatural nature1 when   

their services and energies would be    
taxed to the utmost4 ,in choosing a     
solitary life in the wilderness1 far    
removed from all the comforts and       
pleasures of civilisation1 ,lady ,hester
 seems to have been actuated by her     
craving for absolute power1 which could 
not be gratified in any ,european       
community4 ,it was her pleasure to dwell
 apart1 surrounded by dependants and    
slaves1 and out of reach of that        
influence and restraint which are       
necessarily endured by each member of a 
civilised society4 ,she had become more 
violent in her temper than formerly1 and
 treated her servants with great        
severity when they were negligent of    
their duties4 ,her maids and female     
slaves she punished summarily1 and      
boasted that there was nobody who could 
give such a slap in the face1 when      
required1 as she could4 ,at ,mar ,elias 
her servants1 when tired of her tyranny1
 frequently absconded by night1 and took
 refuge in ,sayda1 only two miles away2 

but at ,dar ,joon their retreat was cut 
off by mountain tracts1 inhabited only  
by wolves and jackals1 and they were    
consequently almost helpless in the     
hands of their stern mistress4 ,the     
establishment at this time consisted of 
between thirty and forty servants1      
labourers1 and slaves1 most of whom are 
described as dirty1 lazy1 and dishonest4
 ,between them they did badly the work  
that half-a-dozen ,europeans would have 
done respectably1 but then the          
,europeans would not have stood the     
slaps and scoldings that the natives    
took as a matter of course4  ,for the   
last fifteen years ,lady ,hester had    
seldom left her bed till between two and
 five o'clock in the afternoon1 nor     
returned to it before the same hour next
 morning2 while for four years she had  
never stirred beyond the precincts of   
her own domain1 though she took some air
 and exercise in the garden4 ,except    
when she was asleep1 her bell was       
incessantly ringing1 her servants were  

running to and fro1 and the whole house 
was kept in commotion4 ,during the      
greater part of the day she sat up in   
bed1 writing1 talking1 scolding1 and    
interviewing her work-people4 ,few of   
her employs escaped from her presence   
without reproof1 and as no one was      
allowed to exercise his own discretion  
in his work1 her directing spirit was   
always in the full flow of activity4    
',on one and the same day1' says ,dr4   
,meryon1' ,i have known her to dictate  
papers that concerned the political     
welfare of a pashalik1 and descend to   
trivial details about the composition of
 a house-paint1 the making of butter1   
drenching a sick horse1 choosing lambs1 
or cutting out a maid's apron4 ,the     
marked characteristic of her mind was   
the necessity that she laboured under of
 incessantly talking4' ,her             
conversations1 we are told1 frequently  
lasted for seven or eight hours at a    
stretch1 and at least one of her        
visitors was kept so long in discourse  

that he fainted away with fatigue4 ,dr4 
,meryon bears witness to her marvellous 
colloquial powers1 her fund of anecdote1
 and her talent for mimicry1 but        
observes that every one who conversed   
with her retired humbled from her       
presence1 since her language was always 
calculated to bring men down to their   
proper level1 to strip off affectation1 
and to expose conceit4  ,at this time   
her political influence was on the wane1
 but a few years previously1 when her   
financial affairs were in a more        
flourishing condition1 and when it was  
observed that the pashas valued her     
opinion and feared her censure1 she had 
obtained an almost despotic power over  
the neighbouring tribes4 ,a remarkable  
proof of her personal courage1 and also 
of the supernatural awe with which she  
was regarded1 was shown by her open     
defiance of the ,emir ,beshyr1 in whose 
principality she lived1 but who was     
unable to reduce her1 either by threats 
or persecution1 to even a nominal       

submission to his rule4 ,not only did   
she give public utterance to her        
contemptuous opinion of the ,emir1 but  
she openly assisted his relation and    
rival1 the ,sheikh ,beshyr2 yet no      
vengeance either of the bowstring or the
 poisoned cup rewarded her rebellion or 
her intrigues4  ,her religious views1 at
 this time1 were decidedly complicated  
in character4 ,she firmly believed in   
astrology1 of which she had made a      
special study1 and to some extent in    
demonology4 ,but more remarkable was her
 faith in the early coming of a         
,messiah1 or ,mahedi1 on which occasion 
she expected to play a glorious part4   
,the prophecies of ,samuel ,brothers and
 of ,general ,loustaunau had taken firm 
possession of her mind1 more especially 
since their words had been corroborated 
by a native soothsayer1 ,metta by name1 
who brought her an ,arabic book which1  
he said1 contained allusions to herself4
 ,finding a credulous listener1 he read 
and expounded a passage relating to a   

,european woman who was to come and live
 on ,mount ,lebanon at a certain epoch1 
and obtain power and influence greater  
than a sultan's4 ,a boy without a father
 was to join her there1 whose destiny   
was to be fulfilled under her wing2     
while the coming of the ,mahedi1 who was
 to ride into ,jerusalem on a horse born
 saddled1 would be preceded by famine1  
pestilence1 and other calamities4 ,for a
 long time ,lady ,hester was persuaded  
that the ,due de ,reichstadt was the boy
 in question1 but after his death she   
fixed upon another youth4 ,in           
expectation of the coming of the ,mahedi
 she kept two thoroughbred mares1 which 
no one was suffered to mount4 ,one of   
these animals1 named ,laila1 had a      
curious malformation of the back1 not   
unlike a ,turkish saddle in shape1 and  
was destined by its mistress to bear the
 ,mahedi into ,jerusalem1 while on the  
other1 ,lulu1 ,lady ,hester expected to 
ride by his side on the great day4      
',hundreds and thousands of distressed  

persons1' she was accustomed to say1    
'will come to me for assistance and     
shelter4 ,i shall have to wade in blood1
 but it is the will of ,god1 and ,i     
shall not be afraid4' ,borne up by these
 glorious expectations1 she never       
discussed her debts1 her illnesses1 and 
her other trials1 without at the same   
time picturing to herself a brighter    
future1 when the neglect with which she 
had been treated by her family would    
meet with its just punishment1 and her  
star would rise again to gladden the    
world1 and more especially those who had
 been faithful to her in the time of    
adversity4  ,as soon as ,mrs4 ,meryon   
was settled in her new home1 and had    
recovered from the fatigue of the       
journey1 ,lady ,hester appointed a day  
for her reception4 ,what happened at the
 momentous interview we are not told1   
except that at the close ,lady ,hester  
attired her visitor in a handsome       
,turkish spencer of gold brocade1 and   
wound an embroidered muslin turban round

 her head4 ,unfortunately1 ,mrs4        
,meryon1 not understanding the ,eastern 
custom of robing honoured guests1 took  
off the garments before she went away1  
and laid them on a table1 a grievous    
breach of etiquette in her hostess's    
eyes4 ,still1 matters went on fairly    
smoothly until1 about the end of        
,january1 a messenger came from         
,damascus to ask that ,dr4 ,meryon might
 be allowed to go thither to cure a     
friend of the pasha's1 who had an       
affection of the mouth4 ,lady ,hester   
was anxious that the doctor should obey 
the call1 but1 greatly to her annoyance1
 he entirely declined to leave his wife 
and children alone for three or four    
weeks in a strange land1 where they     
could not make themselves understood by 
the people about them4 ,in vain ,lady   
,hester tried to frighten ,mrs4 ,meryon 
into consenting to her husband's        
departure by assuring her that there    
were ,dervishes who could inflict all   
sorts of evil on her by means of charms1

 if she persisted in her refusal4 ,mrs4 
,meryon quietly replied that her husband
 could go if he chose1 but that it would
 not be with her goodwill4 ,from that   
hour was begun a system of hostility    
towards the doctor's wife1 which never  
ceased until her departure from the     
country4  ,lady ,hester was not above   
taking a leaf out of the book of her own
 enemy1 the ,emir ,beshyr1 for she used 
her influence to prevent the villagers  
from supplying the wants of the         
recalcitrant family1 who now began to   
make preparations for their departure4  
,they were obliged1 however1 to wait for
 remittances from ,england1 and also for
 ,lady ,hester's consent to their       
leaving ,jon1 since none of the natives 
would have dared lend their camels or   
mules for such a purpose1 and even the  
consular agents at ,sayda would have    
declined to mix themselves up in any    
business which might bring upon them the
 vengeance of the ,queen of the ,desert4
 ,meanwhile1 a truce seems to have been 

concluded between the principals1 and   
,lady ,hester again invited the doctor's
 visits1 contenting herself with        
sarcastic remarks about henpecked       
husbands1 and the caprices of foolish   
women4 ,she graciously consented to     
dispense with his services about the    
beginning of ,april1 and promised to    
engage a vessel at ,sayda to convey him 
and his family to ,cyprus4 ,before his  
departure she produced a list of her    
debts1 which then amounted to #ad1jjj4  
,the greater part of this sum1 which had
 been borrowed at a high rate of        
interest from native usurers1 had been  
spent in assisting ,abdallah ,pasha1 the
 family of the ,sheikh ,beshyr1 and many
 other victims of political malignity4  
,the unwonted luxury of an admiring and 
submissive listener led the lonely woman
 to discourse of the glories of her     
youth1 and the virtues of her           
hero-in-chief1 ,william ,pitt4 ,she     
spoke of his passion for ,miss ,eden1   
daughter of ,lord ,auckland1 who1 she   

said1 was the only woman she could have 
wished him to marry4 ',poor ,mr4 ,pitt  
almost broke his heart1 when he gave her
 up1' she declared4 ',but he considered 
that she was not a woman to be left at  
will when business might require it1 and
 he sacrificed his feelings to his sense
 of public duty4444 ,there were also    
other reasons1 ,mr4 ,pitt would say2    
there is her mother1 such a             
chatterer6--and then the family         
intrigues4 ,i can't keep them out of my 
house2 and1 for my king and country's   
sake1 ,i must remain a free man4 ,yet   
,mr4 ,pitt was a man just made for      
domestic life1 who would have enjoyed   
retirement1 digging his own garden1 and 
doing it cleverly too4444 ,he had so    
much urbanity too6 ,i recollect         
returning late from a ball1 when he was 
gone to bed fatigued2 there were others 
besides myself1 and we made a good deal 
of noise4 ,i said to him next morning1  
,i am afraid we disturbed you last      
night4 ,not at all1 he replied2 ,i was  

dreaming of the masque of ,comus1 and   
when ,i heard you all so gay1 it seemed 
a pleasant reality4444 ,nobody would    
have suspected how much feeling he had  
for people's comforts1 who came to see  
him4 ,sometimes he would say to me1     
,hester1 you know we have got such a one
 coming down4 ,i believe his wound is   
hardly well yet1 and ,i heard him say   
that he felt much relieved by           
fomentations of such an herb2 perhaps   
you will see that he finds in his       
chamber all that he wants4 ,of another  
he would say1 ,i think he drinks asses' 
milk2 ,i should like him to have his    
morning draught4 ,and ,i1 who was born  
with such sensibility that ,i must      
fidget myself about everybody1 was sure 
to exceed his wishes4'  ,after          
describing ,mr4 ,pitt's kindness and    
consideration towards his household1    
,lady ,hester related a pathetic history
 of a faithful servant1 who1 in the     
pecuniary distress of his master1 had   
served him for several years with the   

purest disinterestedness4 ',i was so    
touched by her eloquent and forcible    
manner of recounting the story1' writes 
the soft-hearted doctor1 'and with the  
application ,i made of it to my own     
tardiness in going to her in her        
distress1 together with my present      
intention of leaving her1 that ,i burst 
into tears1 and wept bitterly4 ,she     
soothed my feelings1 endeavoured to calm
 my emotions1 and disclaimed all        
intention of conveying any allusion to  
me4 ,this led her to say how little     
malice she ever entertained towards any 
one1 even those who had done her injury1
 much less towards me1 who had always   
shown my attachment to her2 and she     
added that1 even now1 although she was  
going to lose me1 her thoughts did not  
run so much on her own situation as on  
what would become of me2 and ,i firmly  
believed her4'  ,dr4 ,meryon sailed from
 ,sayda on ,april #g1 #ahca1 and for the
 next six years we only hear of the     
strange household on ,mount ,lebanon    

through the reports of chance visitors4 
,after the siege of ,acre by ,ibrahim   
,pasha in the winter of #ahca-cb1 the   
remnant of the population fled to the   
mountains1 and ,lady ,hester1 whose     
hospitality was always open to the      
distressed1 declares that for three     
years her house was like the ,tower of  
,babel4 ,in #ahcb ,lamartine paid a     
visit to ,jon1 which he has described in
 his ,voyage en ,orient4 ,he seems to   
have been graciously received1 though   
his hostess candidly informed him that  
she had never heard his name before4 ,he
 explained1 rather to her amusement1    
that he had written verses which were in
 the mouths of thousands of his         
countrymen1 and she having read his     
character and destiny1 assured him that 
his ,arabian descent was proved by the  
high arch of his instep1 and that1 like 
every ,arab1 he was a poet by nature4   
,lamartine1 in return1 represents       
himself as profoundly impressed by his  
interview with this ',circe of the      

,east1' denies that he perceived in her 
any traces of insanity1 and declares    
that he should not be surprised if a    
part of the destiny she prophesied for  
herself were realised--at least to the  
extent of an empire in ,arabia1 or a    
throne in ,jerusalem4  ,lady ,hester    
formed a less favourable opinion of ,m4 
,lamartine than she allowed him to      
perceive1 and she was greatly annoyed at
 the passages referring to herself that 
appeared in his book4 ,speaking of him  
and his visit some years later1 she     
observed3 ',the people of ,europe are   
all1 or at least the greater part of    
them1 fools1 with their ridiculous      
grins1 their affected ways1 and their   
senseless habits4444 ,look at ,m4       
,lamartine getting off his horse        
half-a-dozen times to kiss his dog1 and 
take him out of his bandbox to feed him1
 on the route from ,beyrout2 the very   
muleteers thought him a fool4 ,and then 
that way of thrusting his hands into his
 pockets1 and sticking out his legs as  

far as he could--what is that like8 ,m4 
,lamartine is no poet1 in my estimation1
 though he may be an elegant versifier2 
he has no sublime ideas4 ,compare his   
ideas with ,shakespeare's--that was     
indeed a real poet4444 ,m4 ,lamartine1  
with his straight body and straight     
fingers1 pointed his toes in my face1   
and then turned to his dog1 and held    
long conversations with him4 ,he thought
 to make a great effect when he was     
here1 but he was grievously mistaken4'  
,it may be noted that all ,lady         
,hester's male visitors 'pointed their  
toes in her face1' in the hope of being 
accredited with the arched instep that  
she held to be the most striking proof  
of long descent4 ,her own instep1 she   
was accustomed to boast1 was so high    
that a little kitten could run          
underneath it4  ,a far more lifelike and
 picturesque portrait of ,lady ,hester  
than that by ,lamartine has been        
sketched for us by ,kinglake in his     
,eothen4 ,in a charming passage which   

will be familiar to most readers1 he    
relates how the name of ,lady ,hester   
,stanhope was as delightful to his      
childish ears as that of ,robinson      
,crusoe4 ,chief among the excitements of
 his early days were the letters and    
presents of the ,queen of the ,desert1  
who as a girl had been much with her    
grandmother1 ,lady ,chatham1 at ,burton 
,pynsent1 and there had made the        
acquaintance of ,miss ,woodforde of     
,taunton1 afterwards ,mrs4 ,kinglake4   
,the tradition of her high spirit and   
fine horsemanship still lingered in     
,somersetshire memories1 but ,kinglake  
had heard nothing of her for many years1
 when1 on arriving at ,beyrout in #ahce1
 he found that her name was in every    
mouth4 ,anxious to see this romantic    
vision of his childhood1 he wrote to    
,lady ,hester1 and asked if she would   
receive his mother's son4 ,a few days   
later1 in response to a gracious letter 
of invitation1 ,kinglake made his       
pilgrimage to ,jon4  ,the house at this 

time1 after the storm and stress of the 
,egyptian invasion1 had the appearance  
of a deserted fortress1 and             
fierce-looking ,albanian soldiers were  
hanging about the gates4 ,kinglake was  
conducted to an inner apartment where1  
in the dim light1 he perceived an       
,oriental figure1 clad in masculine     
costume1 which advanced to meet him with
 many and profound bows4 ,the visitor   
began a polite speech which he had      
prepared for his hostess1 but presently 
discovered that the stranger was only   
her ,italian attendant1 ,lunardi1 who   
had conferred on himself a medical title
 and degree4 ,lady ,hester had given    
orders that her guest should rest and   
dine before being introduced to her1 and
 he tells us that1 in spite of the      
homeliness of her domestic arrangements1
 he found both the wine and the cuisine 
very good4 ,after dinner he was ushered 
into the presence of his hostess1 who   
welcomed him cordially1 and had exactly 
the appearance of a prophetess1 'not the

 divine ,sibyl of ,domenichino1 but a   
good1 business-like1 practical          
prophetess4' ,her face was of           
astonishing whiteness1 her dress a mass 
of white linen loosely folded round her 
like a surplice4 ,as he gazed upon her1 
he recalled the stories that he had     
heard of her early days1 of the capable 
manner in which she had arranged the    
political banquets and receptions of    
,pitt1 and the awe with which the ,tory 
country gentlemen had regarded her4     
,that awe had been transferred to the   
sheikhs and pashas of the ,east1 but now
 that1 with age and poverty1 her earthly
 power was fading away1 she had created 
for herself a spiritual kingdom4  ,after
 a few inquiries about her              
,somersetshire friends1 the prophetess  
soared into loftier spheres1 and        
discoursed of astrology and other occult
 sciences4 ',for hours and hours this   
wonderful white woman poured forth her  
speech1 for the most part concerning    
sacred and profane mysteries4' ,from    

time to time she would swoop down to    
worldly topics1 'and then1' as her      
auditor frankly observes1 ',i was       
interested4' ,she described her life in 
the ,arab camps1 and explained that her 
influence over the tribes was partly due
 to her long sight1 a quality held in   
high esteem in the desert1 and partly to
 a brusque1 downright manner1 which is  
always effective with ,orientals4 ,she  
professed to have fasted physically and 
mentally for years1 living only on milk1
 and reading neither books nor          
newspapers4 ,her unholy claim to        
supremacy in the spiritual kingdom was  
based1 in ,kinglake's opinion1 on her   
fierce1 inordinate pride1 perilously    
akin to madness1 though her mind was too
 strong to be entirely overcome4 ,as a  
proof of ,lady ,hester's high courage1  
he notes the fact that1 after the fall  
of ,acre1 her house was the only spot in
 ,syria and ,palestine where the will of
 ,mehemet ,ali and his fierce lieutenant
 was not law4 ,ibrahim ,pasha had       

demanded that the ,albanian soldiers    
should be given up1 and their           
protectress had challenged him to come  
and take them4 ,this hillock of ,dar    
,jon always kept its freedom as long as 
,chatham's granddaughter lived1 and     
,mehemet ,ali confessed that the        
,englishwoman had given him more trouble
 than all the insurgents of ,syria4     
,kinglake did not see the famous sacred 
mares1 but before his departure he was  
shown the gardens by the ,italian       
secretary1 who was in great distress of 
mind because he could not bring himself 
to believe implicitly in his employer's 
divine attributes4 ,he said that ,lady  
,hester was regarded with mingled       
respect and dislike by the neighbours1  
whom she oppressed by her exactions4    
,the few 'respected' inhabitants of     
,mount ,lebanon apparently claimed the  
right to avail themselves of their      
neighbours' goods2 and the ,white       
,queen's establishment was supported by 
contributions from the surrounding      

villages4 ,this is quite a different    
account from that given by ,dr4 ,meryon1
 who always represents ,lady ,hester as 
a generous benefactress1 admired and    
adored in all the country-side4  ,in    
#ahcf ,lady ,hester discovered another  
mare's nest in the shape of a legacy    
which she chose to believe was being    
kept from her by her enemies4 ,in       
,august of this year she wrote to ,dr4  
,meryon1 who was then living at ,nice1  
and invited him to come and assist her  
in settling her debts1 and getting      
possession of this supposititious       
property4 ',a woman of high rank and    
good fortune1' she continues1 'who has  
built herself a palais in a remote part 
of ,america1 has announced her intention
 of passing the rest of her life with   
me1 so much has she been struck with my 
situation and conduct4 ,footnote3 ,this 
was the ,baroness de ,feriat1 who did   
not carry out her intention4 ,she is    
nearly of my age1 and thirty-seven years
 ago--,i being personally unknown to    

her--was so taken with my general       
appearance1 that she never could divest 
herself of the thoughts of me1 which    
have ever since pursued her4 ,at last1  
informed by ,m4 ,lamartine's book where 
,i was to be found1 she took this       
extraordinary determination1 and in the 
spring ,i expect her4 ,she is now       
selling her large landed estate1        
preparatory to her coming4 ,she1 as well
 as ,leila the mare1 is in the prophecy4
 ,the beautiful boy has also written1   
and is wandering over the face of the   
globe till destiny marks the period of  
our meeting4444 ,i am reckoned here the 
first politician in the world1 and by   
some a sort of prophet4 ,even the ,emir 
wonders1 and is astonished1 for he was  
not aware of this extraordinary gift2   
but yet all say--,i mean enemies--that  
,i am worse than a lion when in a       
passion1 and that they cannot deny ,i   
have justice on my side4'  ,after his   
former experience of ,lady ,hester's    
hospitality it is surprising that the   

doctor should have been willing to      
accept this invitation1 and still more  
surprising that his wife should have    
consented to accompany him to ,syria4   
,but the ,east was still 'a-calling1'   
and the almost hypnotic influence which 
her ladyship exercised over her         
dependants seems to have lost none of   
its efficacy4 ,accordingly1 as soon as  
the ,meryons could arrange their        
affairs1 they embarked at ,marseilles1  
landing at ,beyrout on ,july #a1 #ahcg4 
,here the doctor received a letter from 
,lady ,hester1 recommending him to leave
 his family at ,beyrout till he could   
find a house for them at ,sayda4 ',for  
your sake1' she continued1 ',i should   
ever wish to show civility to all who   
belong to you1 but caprice ,i will never
 interfere with1 for from my early youth
 ,i have been taught to despise it4'    
,here was signal proof that the past had
 not been forgotten1 and that war was   
still to be waged against the           
unfortunate ,mrs4 ,meryon4 ,in defiance 

of ,lady ,hester's orders1 the whole    
family proceeded to ,sayda1 whence ,dr4 
,meryon rode over to ,dar ,jon4 ,he     
received a warm personal welcome1 but   
his hostess persisted in her statement  
that there was no house in the village  
fit for the reception of his womenkind1 
as nearly all had been damaged by recent
 earthquakes4 ,it was finally arranged  
that ,mrs4 ,meryon and her children     
should go for the present to ,mar       
,elias1 which was then only occupied by 
the ,prophet ,loustaunau4  ,at this time
 ,lady ,hester's financial affairs were 
becoming desperate1 and she had even    
been reduced to selling some of her     
handsome pelisses4 ,yet she still       
maintained between thirty and forty     
servants1 and when it was suggested to  
her that she might reduce her           
establishment1 she was accustomed to    
reply1 ',but my rank6' ,her live-stock  
included the two sacred mares1 three    
'amblers1' five asses1 a flock of sheep1
 and a few cows4 ,a herd of a hundred   

goats had recently been slaughtered in  
one day1 because their owner fancied    
that she was being cheated by her       
goatherd4 ,now she decided to have the  
three 'amblers' shot1 because the grooms
 treated them improperly4 ,the          
under-bailiff received orders to whisper
 into the ear of each horse before his  
execution1 ',you have worked enough upon
 the earth2 your mistress fears you     
might fall1 in your old age1 into the   
hands of cruel men1 and she therefore   
dismisses you from her service4' ,this  
order was carried out to the letter1    
with imperturbable gravity4  ,after a   
short experience of the inconvenience of
 riding to and fro between ,jon and ,mar
 ,elias1 ,dr4 ,meryon persuaded his     
employer to allow him to bring his      
family to a cottage in the village2 but 
the nearer the time approached for their
 arrival1 the more she seemed to regret 
having assented to the arrangement4     
,frequent and scathing were her lectures
 upon the exigent ways of women1 who1   

she argued1 should be simple automata1  
moved only by the will and guidance of  
their masters4 ,she lost no opportunity 
of throwing ridicule on ,dr4 ,meryon's  
desire to have his family near him1 in  
order that he might pass his evenings   
with them1 pointing out that 'all       
sensible men take their meals with their
 wives1 and then retire to their own    
rooms to read1 write1 or do what best   
pleases them4 ,nobody is such a fool as 
to moider away his time in the slipslop 
conversation of a pack of women4' ,petty
 jealousies1 quite inconsistent with her
 boasted philosophy1 were perpetually   
tormenting her4 ,one of the many        
monopolies claimed by her was that of   
the privilege of bell-ringing4 ,the     
,mahometans1 as is well known1 never use
 bells in private houses1 the usual     
summons for servants being three claps  
of the hands4 ,but ,lady ,hester was a  
constant and vehement bell-ringer1 and  
as no one else in the country-side      
possessed house-bells1 it was generally 

believed that the use of them was a     
special privilege granted her by the    
,porte4 ,she was therefore secretly much
 annoyed when the ,meryons presumed to  
hang up bells in their new home4 ,she   
made no sign of displeasure1 but one    
morning it was discovered that the ropes
 had been cut and the bells carried off4
 ,cross-examination of the servants     
elicited the fact that one of ,lady     
,hester's emissaries had arrived late at
 night1 wrenched off the bells1 and     
taken them away4 ,some weeks later the  
,lady of ,jon confessed that she had    
instigated the act1 and declared that if
 the ,meryons' bells had hung much      
longer her own would not have been      
attended to4  ,soon after the doctor's  
arrival1 ,lady ,hester had dictated a   
letter to ,sir ,francis ,burdett1 in    
whom she placed great confidence1       
informing him of the property that she  
believed was being withheld from her1   
and requesting him to make inquiries    
into the matter4 ,when not engaged in   

correspondence1 discussing her debts1   
and scolding her servants1 she was      
pouring out floods of conversation1     
chiefly reminiscences of her youth and  
diatribes against the men and manners of
 the present day1 into the ears of the  
long-suffering doctor4 ',from her manner
 towards other people1' he observes1 'it
 would have seemed that she was the only
 person in creation privileged to abuse 
and to command2 others had nothing to do
 but to obey4 ,she was haughty and      
overbearing1 born to rule1 impatient of 
control1 and more at her ease when she  
had a hundred persons to govern than    
when she had only ten4 ,had she been a  
man and a soldier1 she would have been  
what the ,french call a beau sabreur1   
for never was any one so fond of        
wielding weapons1 and boasting of her   
capacity for using them1 as she was4 ,in
 her bedroom she always had a mace1     
which was spiked round the head1 a steel
 battle-axe1 and a dagger1 but her      
favourite weapon was the mace4' ,absurd 

as it may sound1 it was probably her    
military vanity that led her to belittle
 the ,duke of ,wellington1 of whose     
reputation she seems to have felt some  
personal jealousy4 ,yet she bears       
testimony to the esteem in which        
',arthur ,wellesley' was held by        
,william ,pitt4  ',i recollect1 one     
day1' she told the doctor1 ',mr4 ,pitt  
came into the drawing-room to me1 and   
said1 ,oh1 how ,i have been bored by    
,sir ,sydney ,smith coming with his box 
full of papers1 and keeping me for a    
couple of hours1 when ,i had so much to 
do4 ,i observed to him that heroes were 
generally vain1 and that ,lord ,nelson  
was so4 ,so he is1 replied ,mr4 ,pitt1  
but not like ,sir ,sydney4 ,and how     
different is ,arthur ,wellesley1 who has
 just quitted me6 ,he has given me such 
clear details upon affairs in ,india2   
and he talked of them1 too1 as if he had
 been a surgeon of a regiment1 and had  
nothing to do with them2 so that ,i know
 not which to admire most1 his modesty  

or his talents1 and yet the fate of     
,india depends upon them4 ,then1 doctor1
 when ,i recollect the letter he wrote  
to ,edward ,bouverie1 in which he said  
he could not come down to a ball because
 his only corbeau coat was so bad he was
 ashamed to appear in it1 ,i reflect    
what a rise he has had in the world4 ,he
 was at first nothing but what hundreds 
of others are in a country town--he     
danced hard and drank hard4 ,his star   
has done everything for him1 for he is  
not a great general4 ,he is no          
tactician1 nor has he any of those great
 qualities that make a ,caesar1 a       
,pompey1 or even a ,bonaparte4 ,as for  
the battle of ,waterloo1 both ,french   
and ,english have told me that it was a 
lucky battle for him1 but nothing more4 
,i don't think he acted well at ,paris1 
nor did the soldiers like him4'  ,about 
the end of ,october ,lady ,hester took  
to her bed1 and did not leave it till   
the following ,march4 ,she had suffered 
from pulmonary catarrh for several      

years1 which disappeared in the summer1 
but returned every winter with increased
 violence4 ,her practice of frequent    
bleeding had brought on a state of      
complete emaciation1 and left very      
little blood in her body4 ,if she had   
lived like other people1 and trusted to 
the balmy air of ,syria1 ,dr4 ,meryon   
was of opinion that nothing serious need
 have been apprehended from her illness4
 ,but she seldom breathed the outer air1
 and took no exercise except an         
occasional turn in the garden4 ,she was 
always complaining that she could get   
nothing to eat2 yet1 in spite of her    
profession 7to ,kinglake7 that she lived
 entirely on milk1 we are told that her 
diet consisted of forcemeat balls1      
meat-pies1 and other heavy viands1 and  
that she seldom remained half an hour   
without taking nourishment of some kind4
 ',i never knew a human being who took  
nourishment so frequently1' writes ,dr4 
,meryon1 'and may not this in some      
measure account for her frequent        

ill-humour8'  ,during her illness the   
doctor read aloud ,sir ,nathaniel       
,wraxall's ,memoirs and the ,memoirs of 
a ,peeress1 edited by ,lady ,charlotte  
,bury1 both of which books dealt with   
persons whom ,lady ,hester had known in 
her youth4 ,in return she regaled him   
with stories of her own glory1 of ,mr4  
,pitt's virtues1 of the objectionable   
habits of the ,princess of ,wales1 and  
of the meanness of the ,regent in       
inviting himself to dinner with         
gentlemen who could not afford to       
entertain him1 the whole pleasantly     
flavoured by animadversions on the      
social presumption of medical men1 and  
descriptions of the methods by which    
formerly they were kept in their proper 
place by aristocratic patients4 ,at this
 time1 the beginning of #ahch1 ,lady    
,hester was anxiously expecting an      
answer from ,sir ,francis ,burdett about
 her property1 and1 hearing from the    
,english consul at ,sayda that a packet 
had arrived for her from ,beyrout1 which

 was to be delivered into her own hands1
 her sanguine mind was filled with the  
hope of coming prosperity4 ,but when the
 packet was opened1 instead of the      
long-expected missive from ,sir         
,francis1 it proved to be an official   
statement from ,colonel ,campbell1      
,consul-,general for ,egypt1 that in    
consequence of an application made to   
the ,british ,government by one of ,lady
 ,hester's chief creditors1 an order had
 come from ,lord ,palmerston that her   
pension was to be stopped unless the    
debt was paid4 ,when she read the letter
 ,dr4 ,meryon feared an outburst of     
fury1 but ,lady ,hester1 who1 for once1 
was beyond violence1 began calmly to    
discuss the enormity of the conduct both
 of ,queen and ,minister4  ',my         
grandfather and ,mr4 ,pitt1' she said1  
'did something to keep the ,brunswick   
family on the throne1 and yet the       
granddaughter of the old king1 without  
hearing the circumstances of my getting 
into debt1 or whether the story is true1

 sends to deprive me of my pension in a 
strange land1 where ,i may remain and   
starve4444 ,i should like to ask for a  
public inquiry into my debts1 and for   
what ,i have contracted them4 ,let them 
compare the good ,i have done in the    
cause of humanity and science with the  
,duke of ,kent's debts4 ,i wonder if    
,lord ,palmerston is the man ,i         
recollect--a young man from college1 who
 was always hanging about waiting to be 
introduced to ,mr4 ,pitt4 ,mr4 ,pitt    
used to say1 ,ah1 very well2 we will ask
 him to dinner some day4 ,perhaps it is 
an old grudge that makes him vent his   
spite4' ,colonel ,campbell's letter had 
given the poor lady's heart1 or rather  
her pride1 a fatal stab1 and the        
indignity with which she had been       
treated preyed upon her health and      
spirits4 ,she now determined to send an 
ultimatum to the ,queen1 which was to be
 published in the newspapers if         
ministers refused to lay it before her  
,majesty4 ,this document1 which was     

dated ,february #ab1 #ahch1 ran as      
follows3--  ',your ,majesty will allow  
me to say that few things are more      
disgraceful and inimical to royalty than
 giving commands without examining all  
their different bearings1 and casting1  
without reason1 an aspersion upon the   
integrity of any branch of a family that
 had faithfully served their country and
 the ,house of ,hanover4 ,as no         
inquiries have been made of me of what  
circumstances induced me to incur the   
debts alluded to1 ,i deem it unnecessary
 to enter into any details on the       
subject4 ,i shall not allow the pension 
given by your royal grandfather to be   
stopped by force2 but ,i shall resign it
 for the payment of my debts1 and with  
it the name of ,british subject1 and the
 slavery that is at present annexed to  
it2 and as your ,majesty has given      
publicity to the business by your orders
 to your consular agents1 ,i surely     
cannot be blamed for following your     
royal example4  ',,hester ,,lucy        

,,stanhope4'  ,this was accompanied by a
 long letter to the ,duke of            
,wellington1 in which ,lady ,hester     
detailed her services in the ,east1 and 
expressed her indignation at the        
treatment she had received4 ,she was now
 left with only a few pounds upon which 
to maintain her house-hold until ,march1
 when she could draw for #cjj1          
apparently the quarter's income from a  
legacy left her by her brother1 but of  
this sum #bjj was due to a ,greek       
merchant at ,beyrout4 ,the faithful     
doctor collected all the money he had in
 his house1 about eleven pounds1 and    
brought it to her for her current       
expenses1 but with her usual            
impracticability she gave most of it    
away in charity4 ,still no letter came  
from ,sir ,francis ,burdett1 and the    
unfortunate lady1 old1 sick1 and wasted 
to a skeleton1 lay on her sofa and      
lamented over her troubles in a fierce1 
inhuman fashion1 like a wounded animal  
at bay4 ,in the course of time a reply  

came from ,lord ,palmerston1 in which he
 stated that he had laid ,lady ,hester's
 letter before the ,queen1 and explained
 to her ,majesty the circumstances that 
might be supposed to have led to her    
writing it4 ,the communications to which
 she referred were1 he continued1       
suggested by nothing but a desire to    
save her from the embarrassments that   
might arise if her creditors were to    
call upon the ,consul-,general to act   
according to the strict line of his     
duty4 ,this letter did nothing towards  
assuaging ,lady ,hester's wrath4 ,in her
 reply she sarcastically observed3--    
',if your diplomatic despatches are all 
as obscure as the one that now lies     
before me1 it is no wonder that ,england
 should cease to have that proud        
preponderance in her foreign relations  
which she once could boast of4444 ,it is
 but fair to make your lordship aware   
that1 if by the next packet there is    
nothing definitely settled respecting my
 affairs1 and ,i am not cleared in the  

eyes of the world of aspersions1        
intentionally or unintentionally thrown 
upon me1 ,i shall break up my household1
 and build up the entrance-gate to my   
premises2 there remaining as if ,i was  
in a tomb till my character has been    
done justice to1 and a public           
acknowledgment put in the papers1 signed
 and sealed by those who have aspersed  
me4 ,there is no trifling with those who
 have ,pitt blood in their veins upon   
the subject of integrity1 nor expecting 
that their spirit would ever yield to   
the impertinent interference of consular
 authority1 etc41 etc4' ,it must be     
owned that there is a touch of          
unconscious humour in ,lady ,hester's   
terrible threat of walling herself up1 a
 proceeding which would only make       
herself uncomfortable and leave her     
enemies at peace4 ,for the present      
matters went on much as usual at ,dar   
,jon4 ,no household expenses were       
curtailed1 and thirty native servants   
continued to cheat their mistress and   

idle over their work4 ,in ,march1 that  
perambulating princeling1 his ,highness 
of ,pckler-,muskau1 arrived at ,sayda1  
whence he wrote a letter to ,lady       
,hester1 begging to be allowed to pay   
his homage to the ,queen of ,palmyra and
 the niece of the great ,pitt4 ',i have 
the presumption to believe1 madam1' he  
continued1 'that there must be some     
affinity of character between us4 ,for1 
like you1 my lady1 ,i look for our      
future salvation from the ,east1 where  
nations still nearer to ,god and to     
nature can alone1 some day1 purify the  
rotten civilisation of decrepid ,europe1
 in which everything is artificial1 and 
where we are menaced with a new kind of 
barbarism--not that with which states   
begin1 but with which they end4 ,like   
you1 madam1 ,i believe that astrology is
 not an empty science1 but a lost one4  
,like you1 ,i am an aristocrat by birth 
and by principle2 because ,i find a     
marked aristocracy in nature4 ,in a     
word1 madam1 like you1 ,i love to sleep 

by day and be stirring by night4 ,there 
,i stop2 for in mind1 energy of         
character1 and in the mode of life1 so  
singular and so dignified1 which you    
lead1 not every one who would can       
resemble ,lady ,hester ,stanhope4'      
,lady ,hester was flattered by this     
letter1 and told the doctor that he must
 ride into ,sayda to see the prince1 and
 tell him that she was too ill to       
receive him at present1 but would       
endeavour to do so a few weeks later4   
,the prince was established with his    
numerous suite in the house of a        
merchant of ,sayda4 ,mehemet ,ali had   
given him a special firman1 requiring   
all official persons to treat him in a  
manner suitable to his rank1 his whole  
expenditure being defrayed by cheques on
 the ,viceroy's treasury4 ,the prince1  
unlike most other distinguished         
travellers who were treated with the    
same honour1 took the firman strictly   
according to the letter1 and could boast
 of having traversed the whole of ,egypt

 and ,syria with all the pomp of        
royalty1 and without having expended a  
single farthing4 ,dr4 ,meryon describes 
his ,highness as a tall man of about    
fifty years of age1 distinguished by an 
unmistakable air of birth and breeding4 
,he wore a curious mixture of ,eastern  
and ,western costume1 and had a tame    
chameleon crawling about his pipe1 with 
which he was almost as much occupied as 
,m4 ,lamartine with his lapdog4 ,the    
prince stated that he had almost made up
 his mind to settle in the ,east1 since 
,europe was no longer the land of       
liberty4 ',i will build myself a house1'
 he said1 'get what ,i want from        
,europe1 make arrangements for          
newspapers1 books1 etc41 and choose some
 delightful situation2 but ,i think it  
will be on ,mount ,lebanon4'  ,in his   
volume of travels in the ,east called   
,die ,rckkehr1 ,prince ,pckler-,muksau  
has given an amusing account of the     
negotiations that passed between himself
 and ,lady ,hester on the subject of his

 visit4 ,for once the niece of ,pitt had
 found her match in vanity and          
arrogance2 and if the prince's book had 
appeared in her lifetime1 it is certain 
that she would not long have survived   
it4 ,his ,highness describes how he     
bided his time1 as though he were laying
 siege to a courted beauty1 and almost  
daily bombarded the ,lady of ,jon with  
letters calculated to pique her         
curiosity by their frank and original   
style4 ,at last1 'in order to be rid of 
him1' as she jokingly said1 ,lady       
,hester consented to receive him on a   
certain day1 which1 from his star1 she  
deemed propitious to their meeting4     
,thereupon the prince1 who intended that
 his visit should be desired1 not       
suffered1 wrote to say that he was      
setting out for an expedition into the  
desert1 but that on his return he would 
come to ,jon1 not for one day1 but for a
 week4 ,this impertinence was rewarded  
by permission to come at his own time4  
,great preparations were made for the   

entertainment of this distinguished     
visitor4 ,the scanty contents of the    
store and china cupboards were spread   
out before the lady of the house1 who   
infused activity into the most sluggish 
by smart strokes from her stick4 ,the   
epithets of beast1 rascal1 and the like1
 were dealt out with such freedom and   
readiness1 as to make the ,european part
 of her audience sensible of the        
richness and variety of the ,arabian    
language4 ,on ,easter ,monday1 ,april   
#ae1 the prince1 followed by a part of  
his suite1 and five mule-loads of       
baggage1 rode into the courtyard4 ,he   
wore an immense ,leghorn hat lined with 
green taffetas1 a ,turkish scarf over   
his shoulders1 and blue pantaloons of   
ample dimensions4 ,from the excellent   
fit of his ,parisian boots1 it was      
evident that he felt his pretensions to 
a thoroughbred foot were now to be      
magisterially decided4 ,the prince has  
given his own impression of his hostess1
 whom he describes as a thorough woman  

of the world1 with manners of ,oriental 
dignity and calm4 ,with her pale1       
regular features1 dark1 fiery eyes1     
great height1 and sonorous voice1 she   
had the appearance of an ancient ,sibyl2
 yet no one1 he declares1 could have    
been more natural and unaffected in     
manner4 ,she told him that since she had
 lost her money1 she had lived like a   
dervish1 and assimilated herself to the 
ways of nature4 ',my roses are my       
jewels1' she said1 'the sun and moon my 
clocks1 fruit and water my food and     
drink4 ,i see in your face that you are 
a thorough epicure2 how will you endure 
to spend a week with me8' ,the prince1  
who had already dined1 replied that he  
found she did not keep her guests on    
fruit and water1 and assured her that   
,english poverty was equivalent to      
,german riches4 ,he spent six or seven  
hours tte-a-tte with his hostess each   
evening of his stay1 and declares that  
he was astonished at the originality and
 variety of her conversation4 ,he had   

the audacity to ask her if the ,arab    
chief who accompanied her to ,palmyra   
had been her lover1 but she1 not        
ill-pleased1 assured him that there was 
no truth in the report1 which at one    
time had been generally believed4 ,she  
said that the ,arabs regarded her       
neither as man or woman1 but as a being 
apart4  ,before leaving1 the prince     
introduced his 'harem1' consisting of   
two ,abyssinian slaves1 to ,lady        
,hester1 and was presented1 in his turn1
 to the sacred mares1 which had lost    
their beauty1 and grown gross and       
unwieldy under their rgime of gentle    
exercise and unlimited food4 ,leila     
licked the prince's hand when he        
caressed her1 and ,leila's mistress was 
thereby convinced that her guest was a  
'chosen vessel4' ,she confided to him   
all her woes1 the neglect of her        
relations and the ill-treatment of the  
,government1 and gave him copies of the 
correspondence about her pension1 which 
he promised to publish in a ,german     

newspaper4 ,to ,dr4 ,meryon she waxed   
quite enthusiastic over his ,highness's 
personal attractions1 the excellent cut 
of his coat1 and the handiness with     
which he performed small services4 ',i  
could observe1' writes the doctor1      
towards the end of the visit1 'that she 
had already begun to obtain an          
ascendency over the prince1 such as she 
never failed to do over those who came  
within the sphere of her attraction2 for
 he was less lofty in his manner than he
 had been at first1 and she seemed to   
have gained in height1 and to be more   
disposed to play the queen than ever4'  
,this1 alas1 was the last time that     
,lady ,hester had the opportunity of    
playing the queen1 or entertaining a    
distinguished guest at ,dar ,jon4 ,in   
,june1 when the packet brought no news  
of her imaginary property1 and no       
apology from ,queen or ,premier1 she    
began at last to despair4 ',the die is  
cast1' she told ,dr4 ,meryon1 'and the  
sooner you take yourself off the better4

 ,i have no money2 you can be of no use 
to me--,i shall write no more letters1  
and shall break up my establishment1    
wall up my gate1 and1 with a boy and    
girl to wait upon me1 resign myself to  
my fate4 ,tell your family they may make
 their preparations1 and be gone in a   
month's time4' ,early in ,july ,sir     
,francis ,burdett's long-expected letter
 arrived1 but brought with it no        
consolation4 ,he could tell nothing of  
the legacy1 but wrote in the soothing1  
evasive terms that might be supposed    
suitable to an elderly lady who was not 
quite accountable for her ideas or      
actions4 ,as there was now no hope of   
any improvement in her affairs1 ,lady   
,hester decided to execute her threat of
 walling up her gateway1 a proceeding   
which1 she was unable to perceive1      
injured nobody but herself4 ,she        
directed the doctor to pay and dismiss  
her servants1 with the exception of two 
maids and two men1 and then sent him to 
,beyrout to inform the ,french consul of

 her intention4 ,on his return to ,jon  
he found that ,lady ,hester had already 
hired a vessel to take himself and his  
family from ,sayda to ,cyprus4 ,he was  
reluctant to leave her in solitude and  
wretchedness1 but knowing that when once
 her mind was made up1 nothing could    
shake her resolution1 he employed the   
time that remained to him in writing her
 letters1 setting her house in order1   
and taking her instructions for         
commissions in ,europe4 ,he also begged 
to be allowed to lend her as much money 
as he could spare1 and she consented to 
borrow a sum of #bjjj piastres 7about   
#hj71 which she afterwards repaid4  ,on 
,july #cj1 #ahch1 the masons arrived1   
and the entrance-gate was walled up with
 a kind of stone screen1 leaving1       
however1 a side-opening just large      
enough for an ass or cow to enter1 so   
that this much-talked-of act of         
self-immurement was more an appearance  
than a reality4 ,on ,august #f1 the     
faithful doctor took an affectionate    

leave of the employer1 who1 as ,prince  
,pckler-,muskau bears witness1 was      
accustomed to treat him with icy        
coldness1 and sailed for western climes4
 ,to the last1 he tells us1 ,lady       
,hester dwelt with apparent confidence  
on the approaching advent of the        
,mahedi1 and still regarded her mare    
,leila as destined to bear him into     
,jerusalem1 with herself upon ,lulu at  
his side4 ,it is to be hoped that the   
poor lady was able to buoy herself up   
with this belief during the last and    
most solitary year of her disappointed  
life4 ,about once a month1 up to the    
date of her death1 she corresponded with
 ,dr4 ,meryon1 who was again settled at 
,nice4 ,her letters were chiefly taken  
up with commissions1 and with shrewd    
comments upon the new books that were   
sent out to her4  ',i should like to    
have ,miss ,pardoe's book on            
,constantinople1' she writes in         
,october1 #ahch1 'if it is come out for 
strangers 7i4e4 in a ,french            

translation72 for ,i fear ,i should     
never get through with it myself4 ,this 
just puts me in mind that one of the    
books ,i should like to have would be   
,graham's ,domestic ,medicine2 a good   
,red ,book 7,peerage1 ,i mean72 and the 
book about the ,prince of ,wales4 ,i    
have found out a person who can         
occasionally read ,french to me2 so if  
there was any very pleasing ,french     
book1 you might send it--but no         
,bonapartes or present times--and a     
little brochure or two upon baking1     
pastry1 gardening1 etc4444  ',feb4 #i1  
#ahci4--,the book you sent me 7,diary of
 the ,times of ,george ,,iv41 by ,lady  
,charlotte ,bury7 is interesting only to
 those who were acquainted with the     
persons named3 all mock taste1 mock     
feeling1 etc41 but that is the fashion4 
,i am this1 ,i am that2 who ever talked 
such empty stuff formerly8 ,i was never 
named by a well-bred person4444 ,miss   
,pardoe is very excellent upon many     
subjects2 only there is too much of what

 the ,english like--stars1 winds1 black 
shades1 soft sounds1 etc4444  ',may     
#f4--,some one--,i suppose you--sent me 
the ,life of ,lord ,edward ,fitzgerald4 
,it is ,i who could give a true and most
 extraordinary history of all those     
transactions4 ,the book is all stuff4   
,the duchess 7,lord ,edward's mother7   
was my particular friend1 as was also   
his aunt2 ,i was intimate with all the  
family1 and knew that noted ,pamela4    
,all the books ,i see make me sick--only
 catchpenny nonsense4 ,a thousand thanks
 for the promise of my grandfather's    
letters2 but the book will be all spoilt
 by being edited by young men4 ,first1  
they are totally ignorant of the        
politics of my grandfather's age2       
secondly1 of the style of the language  
used at that period2 and absolutely     
ignorant of his secret reasons and      
intentions1 and the real or apparent    
footing he was upon with many people1   
friends or foes4 ,i know all that from  
my grandmother1 who was his secretary1  

and1 ,coutts used to say1 the cleverest 
man of her time in politics and         
business4'  ,this was the last letter   
that ,dr4 ,meryon received from his old 
friend and patroness4 ,she slowly wasted
 away1 and died in ,june #ahci1 no one  
being aware of her approaching end      
except the servants about her4 ,the news
 of her death reached ,beyrout in a few 
hours1 and the ,english consul1 ,mr4    
,moore1 and an ,american missionary     
7,mr4 ,thomson1 author of ,the ,land and
 the ,book7 rode over to ,jon to bury   
her4 ,by her own desire she was interred
 in a grave in her garden1 where a son  
of the ,prophet ,loustaunau had been    
buried some years before4 ,mr4 ,thomson 
has described how he performed the last 
rites at midnight by the light of       
lanterns and torches1 and notes the     
curious resemblance between ,lady       
,hester's funeral service and that of   
the man she loved1 ,sir ,john ,moore4   
,together with the consul1 he examined  
the contents of thirty-five rooms1 but  

found nothing but old saddles1 pipes1   
and empty oil-jars1 everything of value 
having been long since plundered by the 
servants4 ,the sacred mares1 now grown  
old and almost useless1 were sold for a 
small sum by public auction1 and only   
survived for a short time their return  
to an active life4  ,in #ahde ,dr4      
,meryon published his so-called ,memoirs
 of ,lady ,hester ,stanhope1 which are  
merely an account of her later years1   
and a report of her table-talk at ,dar  
,jon4 ,in #ahdf he brought out her      
,travels1 which were advertised as the  
supplement and completion of the        
,memoirs4 ,from these works1 and from   
passing notices of our heroine1 we gain 
a general impression of wasted talents  
and a disappointed life4 ,that she was  
more unhappy in her solitude than1 in   
her unbending nature1 she would avow1   
observes her faithful friend and        
chronicler1 the record of the last years
 of her existence too plainly           
demonstrates4 ,although she derived     

consolation in retirement from the      
retrospect of the part she had played in
 her prosperity1 still there were       
moments of poignant grief when her very 
soul groaned within her4 ,she was       
ambitious1 and her ambition had been    
foiled2 she loved irresponsible command1
 but the time had come when those over  
whom she ruled defied her2 she was      
dictatorial and exacting1 but she had   
lost the influence which alone makes    
people tolerate control4 ,she incurred  
debts1 and was doomed to feel the       
degradation consequent upon them4 ,she  
thought to defy her own nation1 and they
 hurled the defiance back upon her4 ,she
 entertained visionary projects of      
aggrandisement1 and was met by the      
derision of the world4 ,in a word1 ,lady
 ,hester died as she had lived1 alone   
and miserable in a strange land1        
bankrupt in affection and credit1       
because1 in spite of her great gifts and
 innate benevolence1 her overbearing    
temper had alienated friends and        

kinsfolk alike1 and her pride could     
endure neither the society of equals1   
nor the restraints and conventions of   
civilised life4     ,,prince            
,p,,ckler-,,muskau ,,in ,,england       
,,part ,i   ,illustration3 ,,prince     
,p,,ckler-,,muskau  ,during the early   
and middle decades of the nineteenth    
century there was no more original and  
picturesque figure among the minor      
celebrities of ,germany--one might      
almost say of ,europe--than that of his 
,highness1 ,hermann ,ludwig ,heinrich1  
,prince ,pckler-,muskau4 ,throughout his
 long career we find this princeling    
playing many parts--at once an imitation
 ,werter1 a sentimental ,don ,juan1 a   
dandy who out-dressed ,d',orsay1 a      
sportsman and traveller of ,mnchhausen  
type1 a fashionable author who wrote    
,german with a ,french accent and a     
warrior who seems to have wandered out  
of the pages of medival romance4 ,yet   
with all his mock-heroic notoriety1 the 
toller ,pckler was by no means destitute

 of those practical qualities which     
tempered the ,teutonic ,romanticism1    
even in its earliest and most           
extravagant developments4 ,he was       
skilled in all manly exercises1 a brave 
soldier1 an intelligent observer1       
and--his most substantial claim to      
remembrance--the father of              
landscape-gardening in ,germany1 a      
veritable magician who transformed level
 wastes into wooded landscapes and made 
the sandy wildernesses blossom like the 
rose4  ,to ,english readers the prince's
 name was once familiar as the author of
 ,briefe eines ,verstorbenen 7,letters  
of a ,dead ,man71 which contain a lively
 account of his ,highness' sojourn in   
,england and ,ireland between the years 
#ahbf and #ahbh4 ,these letters1 which  
were translated into ,english under the 
title of ,the ,tour of a ,german        
,prince1 made a sensation1 favourable   
and otherwise1 in the early 'thirties1' 
owing to the candid fashion in which    
they dealt with our customs and our     

countrymen4 ,the book received the high 
honour of a complimentary review from   
the pen of the aged ,goethe4 ',the      
writer appears to be a perfect and      
experienced man of the world1' observes 
this distinguished critic2 'endowed with
 talents and a quick apprehension2      
formed by a varied social existence1 by 
travel and extensive connections4 ,his  
journey was undertaken very recently1   
and brings us the latest intelligence   
from the countries which he has viewed  
with an acute1 clear1 and comprehensive 
eye4 ,we see before us a                
finely-constituted being1 born to great 
external advantages and felicities1 but 
in whom a lively spirit of enterprise is
 not united to constancy and            
perseverance2 whence he experiences     
frequent failure and disappointment4444 
,the peculiarities of ,english manners  
and habits are drawn vividly and        
distinctly1 and without exaggeration4   
,we acquire a lively idea of that       
wonderful combination1 that luxuriant   

growth--of that insular life which is   
based in boundless wealth and civil     
freedom1 in universal monotony and      
manifold diversity2 formal and          
capricious1 active and torpid1 energetic
 and dull1 comfortable and tedious1 the 
envy and derision of the world4 ,like   
other unprejudiced travellers of modern 
times1 our author is not very much      
enchanted with the ,english form of     
existence3 his cordial and sincere      
admiration is often accompanied by      
unsparing censure4 ,he is by no means   
inclined to favour the faults and       
weaknesses of the ,english2 and in this 
he has the greatest and best among      
themselves upon his side4'  ,as these   
,letters were not written until the     
prince had passed his fortieth year1 it 
will be necessary1 before considering   
them in detail1 to give a brief sketch  
of his previous career4 ,hermann ,ludwig
 was the only son of ,graf von ,pckler  
of ,schloss ,branitz1 and of his wife1  
,clementine1 born a ,grfin von          

,gallenberg1 and heiress to the vast    
estate of ,muskau in ,silesia4 ,both    
families were of immense antiquity1 the 
,pcklers claiming to trace their descent
 from ,rdiger von ,bechlarn1 who figures
 in the ,nibelungenlied4 ,our hero was  
born at ,muskau in ,october #aghe1 and  
spent1 according to his own account1 a  
wretched and neglected childhood4 ,his  
father was harsh1 miserly1 and          
suspicious2 his mother1 who was only    
fifteen when her son was born1 is       
described as a frivolous little flirt4  
,the couple1 after perpetually          
quarrelling for ten or twelve years1    
were divorced1 by mutual consent1 in    
#agig1 and the ,grfin shortly afterwards
 married one of her numerous admirers1  
,graf von ,seydewitz1 with whom she     
lived as unhappily as with her first    
husband4 ,her little son was educated at
 a ,moravian school1 and in the holidays
 was left entirely to the care of the   
servants4 ,after a couple of years at   
the university of ,leipzig1 he entered  

the ,saxon army1 and soon became        
notorious for his good looks1 his fine  
horsemanship1 his extravagance1 and his 
mischievous pranks4 ,military discipline
 in time of peace proved too burdensome 
for the young lieutenant1 who1 after    
quarrelling with his father1 getting    
deeply into debt1 and embroiling himself
 with the authorities1 threw up his     
commission in #ahjd4 ,muskau having     
become much too hot to hold him1 he     
spent the next years in travelling about
 the ,continent1 always in pecuniary    
difficulties1 and seldom free from some 
sentimental entanglement4  ,in #ahaj    
,graf ,pckler died1 and his son stepped 
into a splendid inheritance4 ,like      
,prince ,hal1 the young ,graf seems to  
have taken his new responsibilities     
seriously1 and to have devoted himself1 
with only too much enthusiasm1 to the   
development and improvement of his      
estates4 ,in the intervals of business  
he amused himself with an endless series
 of love-affairs1 his achievements in   

this respect1 if his biographer may be  
believed1 more than equalling those of  
,jupiter and ,don ,giovanni put         
together4 ,old and young1 pretty and    
plain1 noble and humble1 native and     
foreign1 all were fish that came to the 
net of this lady-killer1 who not only   
vowed allegiance to nearly every        
petticoat that crossed his path1 but--a 
much more remarkable feat--kept up an   
impassioned correspondence with a large 
selection of his charmers4 ,after his   
death1 a whole library of love-letters  
was discovered among his papers1 all    
breathing forth adoration1 ecstasy or   
despair1 and addressed to the ,julies1  
,jeannettes1 or ,amalies who succeeded  
one another so rapidly in his facile    
affections4 ,these documents1 for the   
most part carefully-corrected drafts of 
the originals1 were indorsed1 ',old     
love-letters1 to be used again if       
required6'  ,in #ahac the trumpet of war
 sounded the call to arms1 and the young
 ,graf entered the military service of  

,prussia1 and was appointed aide-de-camp
 to the ,duke of ,saxe-,weimar4 ,he     
distinguished himself in the            
,netherlands1 was present at the taking 
of ,cassel1 and in the course of the    
campaign played a part in a new species 
of duel4 ,a ,french colonel of ,hussars1
 so the story goes1 rode out of the     
enemy's lines1 and challenged any       
officer in the opposing army to single  
combat4 ,pckler accepted the challenge1 
and the duel was fought on              
horseback--presumably with              
sabres--between the ranks of the two    
armies1 the soldiers on either side     
applauding their chosen champion4 ,at   
length1 after a fierce struggle1        
,germany triumphed1 and the brave       
,frenchman bit the dust4 ,whether the   
tale be true or apocryphal1 it is       
certain that numerous decorations were  
conferred upon the young officer for his
 brilliant services1 that he was        
promoted to the rank of colonel1 and    
appointed civil and military governor of

 ,brges4 ,pckler took part in the       
triumphal entry of the ,allies into     
,paris1 and afterwards accompanied the  
,duke of ,saxe-,weimar to ,london1 where
 he shared in all the festivities of the
 wonderful season of #ahae1 studied the 
,english methods of landscape-gardening1
 and made an unsuccessful attempt to    
marry a lady of rank and fortune4       
,after his return to ,muskau the ,graf  
continued his work on his estate1 which1
 in spite of a sandy soil and other     
disadvantages1 soon became one of the   
show-places of ,germany4 ,having        
discovered a spring of mineral water1 he
 built a pump-room1 a theatre1 and a    
gaming-saloon1 and named the            
establishment ,hermannsbad4 ,the        
invalids who frequented the ,baths must 
have enjoyed a lively 'cure1' for       
besides theatrical performances1        
illuminations1 fireworks and            
steeplechases1 the ,graf was always     
ready to oblige with some sensational   
achievement4 ,on one occasion he leapt  

his horse over the parapet of a bridge  
into the river1 and swam triumphantly   
ashore2 while on another he galloped up 
the steps of the ,casino1 played and won
 a coup at the tables without           
dismounting1 and then galloped down     
again1 arriving at the bottom with a    
whole neck1 but considerable damage to  
his horse's legs4  ,in #ahaf ,pckler    
became acquainted with ,lucie1 ,grfin   
von ,pappenheim1 a daughter of ,prince  
,hardenberg1 ,chancellor of ,prussia4   
,the ,grfin1 a well-preserved woman of  
forty1 having parted from her husband1  
was living at ,berlin with her daughter1
 ,adelheid1 afterwards ,princess        
,carolath1 and her adopted daughter1    
,herminie ,lanzendorf4 ,the ,graf       
divided his attentions equally between  
the three ladies for some time1 but on  
inquiring of a friend which would make  
the greatest sensation in ,berlin1 his  
marriage to the mother or to one of the 
daughters1 and being told his marriage  
to the mother1 at once proposed to the  

middle-aged ,grfin1 and was joyfully    
accepted4 ,the reason for this          
inappropriate match probably lay deeper 
than the desire to astonish the people  
of ,berlin1 for ,pckler1 with all his   
surface romanticism1 had a keen eye to  
the main chance4 ,his ,lucie had only a 
moderate dower1 but the advantage of    
being son-in-law to the ,chancellor of  
,prussia could hardly be overestimated4 
,again1 the ,graf seems to have imagined
 that in a marriage of convenience with 
a woman nine years older than himself1  
he would be able to preserve the liberty
 of his bachelor days1 while presenting 
the appearance of domestic              
respectability4  ,as soon as the        
trifling formality of a divorce from    
,count ,pappenheim had been gone        
through1 the marriage took place at     
,muskau1 to the accompaniment of the    
most splendid festivities4 ,as may be   
supposed1 the early married life of the 
ill-assorted couple was a period of     
anything but unbroken calm4 ,scarcely   

had the ,graf surrendered his liberty   
than he fell passionately in love with  
his wife's adopted daughter1 ,helmine1 a
 beautiful girl of eighteen1 the child1 
it was believed1 of humble parents4     
,frederick ,william ,,iii4 of ,prussia  
was one of her admirers1 and had offered
 to marry her morganatically1 and create
 her ,herzogin von ,breslau4 ,but       
,helmine gave her royal suitor no       
encouragement1 and he soon consoled     
himself with the ,princess ,liegnitz4   
,lucie spared no pains to marry off the 
inconvenient beauty1 but ,pckler        
frustrated all her efforts1 implored her
 not to separate him from ,helmine1 and 
suggested an arrangement based upon the 
domestic policy of ,goethe's            
,wahlverwandschaften4 ,but ,lucie was   
unreasonable enough to object to a mnage
  trois1 and at length succeeded in     
marrying ,helmine to a ,lieutenant von  
,blucher4  ,in #ahbb the ,graf          
accompanied his father-in-law to the    
,congress of ,aix-la-,chapelle1 and     

shortly afterwards was raised to        
princely rank1 in compensation for the  
losses he had sustained through the     
annexation of ,silesia by ,prussia4 ,by 
this time the prince's financial affairs
 were in so desperate a condition1      
thanks to the follies of his youth and  
the building mania of his manhood1 that 
a desperate remedy was required to put  
them straight again4 ,only one expedient
 presented itself1 and this ,lucie1 with
 a woman's self-sacrifice1 was the first
 to propose4 ,during a short absence    
from ,muskau she wrote to her husband to
 offer him his freedom1 in order that he
 might be enabled to marry a rich       
heiress1 whose fortune could be used to 
clear off the liabilities that pressed  
so heavily on the estate4 ,the prince at
 first refused to take advantage of this
 generous offer4 ,he had become         
accustomed to his elderly wife1 who     
acted as his colleague and helper in all
 that concerned his idolised ,muskau1   
and upon whose sympathy and advice he   

had learned to depend4 ,but as time went
 on he grew accustomed to the idea of an
 amicable divorce1 and at length        
persuaded himself that such a proceeding
 need make no real difference to        
,lucie's position2 in fact1 that it     
would be an advantage to her as well as 
to himself4 ,for years past he had      
regarded her rather in the light of a   
maternal friend than of a wife1 and the 
close camaraderie that existed between  
them would remain unbroken by the advent
 of a young bride whom ,lucie would love
 as her own child4 ,a divorce1 it must  
be remembered1 was a common incident of 
everyday life in the ,germany of that   
epoch4 ,as we have seen1 ,pckler's      
father and mother had dissolved their   
marriage1 and ,lucie had been divorced  
from her first husband1 while her father
 had been married three times1 and had  
separated from each of his wives4  ,the 
matter remained in abeyance for a year  
or two1 and it was not until #ahbf1 when
 the prince probably felt that he had no

 time to lose1 that the long-talked-of  
divorce actually took place4 ,this      
curious couple1 who appeared to be more 
tenderly attached to each other now than
 they had ever been before1 took a      
touching farewell in ,berlin4 ,the      
princess then returned to ,muskau1 where
 she remained during her ex-husband's   
absence as his agent and representative1
 while the prince set out for ,england1 
which country was supposed to offer the 
best hunting-ground for heiresses4 ,week
 by week during his tour1 ,pckler       
addressed to his faithful ,lucie long1  
confidential letters1 filled with       
observations of the manners and customs 
of the ,british barbarians1 together    
with minute descriptions of his         
adventures in love and                  
landscape-gardening4  ,the prince1      
though at this time in his forty-first  
year1 was still1 to all appearance1 in  
the prime of life1 still an adept in    
feats of skill and strength1 and not    
less romantic and susceptible than in   

the days of his youth4 ,with his high   
rank1 his vast though encumbered        
estates1 his picturesque appearance1 and
 his wide experience in affairs of the  
heart1 he anticipated little difficulty 
in carrying off one of the most eligible
 of ,british heiresses2 but he quite    
forgot to include the hard-hearted1     
level-headed ,british parent in his     
reckoning4 ,the prince's first letter to
 ,lucie1 who figures in the published   
version as ,julie1 is dated ,dresden1   
,september #g1 #ahbf1 and begins in     
right ,werterian strain3--  ',my dear   
friend--,the love you showed me at our  
parting made me so happy and so         
miserable that ,i cannot yet recover    
from it4 ,your sad image is ever before 
me2 ,i still read deep sorrow in your   
looks and in your tears1 and my own     
heart tells me too well what yours      
suffered4 ,may ,god grant us a meeting  
as joyful as our parting was sorrowful6 
,i can only repeat what ,i have so often
 told you1 that if ,i felt myself       

without you1 my dearest friend1 in the  
world1 ,i could enjoy none of its       
pleasures without an alloy of sadness2  
that if you love me1 you will above all 
things watch over your health1 and amuse
 yourself as much as you can by varied  
occupation4' ,there are protestations of
 this kind in nearly every letter1 for  
the prince's pen was always tipped with 
fine sentiment and vows of eternal      
devotion came more easily to him than   
the ordinary civilities of everyday life
 to the average man4  ,a visit to       
,goethe at ,weimar1 on the traveller's  
leisurely journey towards ,england1     
furnished his notebook with some        
interesting specimens of the old poet's 
conversation4 ',he received me1' writes 
the prince1 'in a dimly-lighted room1   
whose clair obscure was arranged with   
some coquetterie2 and truly the aspect  
of the beautiful old man1 with his      
,jovelike countenance1 was most         
stately4444 ,in the course of           
conversation we came to ,walter ,scott4 

,goethe was not very enthusiastic about 
the ,great ,unknown4 ,he said he doubted
 not that he wrote his novels in the    
same sort of partnership as existed     
between the old painters and their      
pupils2 that he furnished the plot1 the 
leading thoughts1 the skeleton of the   
scenes1 that he then let his pupils fill
 them up1 and retouched them at the     
last4 ,it seemed almost to be his       
opinion that it was not worth the while 
of a man of ,scott's eminence to give   
himself up to such a number of minute   
and tedious details4 ,had ,i1 he said1  
been able to lend myself to the idea of 
mere gain1 ,i could formerly have sent  
such things anonymously into the world1 
with the aid of ,lenz and others--nay1  
,i could still1 as would astonish people
 not a little1 and make them puzzle     
their brains to find out the author2 but
 after all1 they would be but           
manufactured wares4444  ',he afterwards 
spoke of ,lord ,byron with great        
affection1 almost as a father would of a

 son1 which was extremely grateful to my
 enthusiastic feelings for this great   
poet4 ,he contradicted the silly        
assertion that ,manfred was only an echo
 of his ,faust4 ,he extremely regretted 
that he had never become personally     
acquainted with ,lord ,byron1 and       
severely and justly reproached the      
,english nation for having judged their 
illustrious countryman so pettily1 and  
understood him so ill4' ,the            
conversation next turned on politics1   
and ,goethe reverted to his favourite   
theory that if every man laboured       
faithfully1 honestly1 and lovingly in   
this sphere1 were it great or small1    
universal well-being and happiness would
 not long be wanting1 whatever the form 
of government4 ,the prince urged in     
reply that a constitutional government  
was first necessary to call such a      
principle into life1 and adduced the    
example of ,england in support of his   
argument4 ',goethe immediately replied  
that the choice of the example was not  

happy1 for that in no country was       
selfishness more omnipotent2 that no    
people were perhaps essentially less    
humane in their political or their      
private relations2 that salvation came1 
not from without1 by means of forms of  
government1 but from within1 by the wise
 moderation and humble activity of each 
man in his own circle2 and that this    
must ever be the chief source of human  
felicity1 while it was the easiest and  
the simplest to attain4'  ,the prince   
seems always to have played the part of 
,jonah on board ship1 and on the        
occasion of his journey to ,england1 he 
had a terrible passage of forty hours1  
from ,rotterdam to the ,london ,docks4  
,as soon as he could get his carriage1  
horses1 and luggage clear of the        
customs1 he hastened to the ,clarendon  
,hotel1 where he had stayed during his  
first visit to ,london4 ,unlike the     
,american1 ,n4 ,p4 ,willis1 he had come 
armed with many prejudices against      
,england and the ,english1 few of which 

he succeeded in losing during the two   
years of his sojourn among us4 ,in his  
first letter from ,london1 dated        
,october #e1 #ahbf1 he writes3 ',london 
is now so utterly dead to elegance and  
fashion that one hardly meets a single  
equipage1 and nothing remains of the    
beau monde but a few ambassadors4 ,the  
huge city is at the same time full of   
fog and dirt1 and the macadamised       
streets are like well-worn roads4 ,the  
old pavement has been torn up1 and      
replaced by small pieces of granite1 the
 interstices between which are filled up
 with gravel2 this renders the riding   
more easy1 and diminishes the noise1 but
 on the other hand changes the town into
 a sort of quagmire4' ,the prince       
comments favourably on the improvements 
that had recently been carried out by   
,nash the architect1 more especially as 
regards ,regent ,street and ,portland   
,place1 and declares that the laying out
 of the ,regent's ,park is 'faultless1' 
particularly in the disposition of the  

water4  ,the comfort and luxury of      
,english hotels1 as well as of private  
houses1 is a subject on which the       
traveller frequently enlarges1 and in   
this first letter he assures his ,lucie 
that she would be delighted with the    
extreme cleanliness of the interiors1   
the great convenience of the furniture1 
and the good manners of the             
serving-people1 though he admits that1  
for all that pertains to luxury1 the    
tourist pays about six times as much as 
in ,germany4 ',the comfort of the inns1'
 he continues1 'is unknown on the       
,continent2 on your washing-table you   
find1 not one miserable water-bottle    
with a single earthenware jug and basin1
 and a long strip of towel1 but positive
 tubs of porcelain in which you may     
plunge half your body2 taps which       
instantly supply you with streams of    
water at pleasure2 half-a-dozen wide    
towels1 a large standing mirror1        
foot-baths and other conveniences of the
 toilet1 all of equal elegance4'  ,the  

prince took advantage of the dead season
 to explore the city and other          
unfashionable quarters of the town4 ,he 
was delighted with the excellent        
side-pavements1 the splendid shops1 the 
brilliant gas-lamps1 and above all 7like
 ,miss ,edgeworth's ,rosamund7 with 'the
 great glass globes in the chemists'    
windows1 filled with liquid of a deep   
red1 blue or green1 the light of which  
is visible for miles767' ,visits to the 
,exchange1 the ,bank1 and the ,guildhall
 were followed by a call on ,rothschild1
 'the ,grand ,ally of the ,grand        
,alliance1' at his house of business4   
',on my presenting my card1' says our   
hero1 'he remarked ironically that we   
were lucky people who could afford to   
travel about1 and take our pleasure1    
while he1 poor man1 had such a heavy    
burden to bear4 ,he then broke out into 
bitter complaints that every poor devil 
who came to ,england had something to   
ask of him4444 ,after this the          
conversation took a political turn1 and 

we of course agreed that ,europe could  
not subsist without him2 he modestly    
declined our compliments1 and said1     
smiling1 ',oh no1 you are only jesting2 
,i am but a servant1 with whom people   
are pleased because he manages their    
affairs well1 and to whom they allow    
some crumbs to fall as an               
acknowledgment4'  ,on ,october #ai the  
prince went to ,newmarket for the races4
 ,during his stay he was introduced to a
 rich merchant of the neighbourhood1 who
 invited him to spend a couple of days  
at his country-house4 ,he gives ,lucie a
 minute account of the manners and      
customs of an ,english mnage1 but these 
are only interesting to the modern      
reader in so far as they have become    
obsolete4 ,for example3 ',when you enter
 the dining-room1 you find the whole of 
the first course on the table1 as in    
,france4 ,after the soup is removed1 and
 the covers are taken off1 every man    
helps the dish before him1 and offers   
some to his neighbour2 if he wishes for 

anything else1 he must ask across the   
table1 or send a servant for it1 a very 
troublesome custom4444 ,it is not usual 
to take wine without drinking to another
 person4 ,if the company is small1 and a
 man has drunk with everybody1 but      
happens to wish for more wine1 he must  
wait for the dessert1 if he does not    
find in himself courage to brave        
custom4'  ,on his return to town the    
prince1 who had been elected a member of
 the ,travellers' ,club1 gives a long   
dissertation on ,english club life1 not 
forgetting to dwell on the luxury of all
 the arrangements1 the excellent        
service1 and the methodical fashion in  
which the gaming-tables were conducted4 
',in no other country1' he declares1    
'are what are here emphatically called  
business habits carried so extensively  
into social and domestic life2 the value
 of time1 of order1 of despatch1 of     
routine1 are nowhere so well understood4
 ,this is the great key to the most     
striking1 national characteristics4 ,the

 quantity of material objects produced  
and accomplished--the work done--in     
,england exceeds all that man ever      
effected4 ,the causes that have produced
 these results have as certainly given  
birth to the dulness1 the contracted    
views1 the inveterate prejudices1 the   
unbounded desire for1 and deference to  
wealth which characterise the great mass
 of ,englishmen4'  ,during this first   
winter in ,london the prince was a      
regular attendant at the theatres1 and  
many were the dramatic criticisms that  
he sent to his 'friend' at ,muskau4 ,he 
saw ,liston in the hundred and second   
representation of ,paul ,pry1 and at    
,drury ,lane found1 to his amazement    
that ,braham1 whom he remembered as an  
elderly man in #ahad1 was still first   
favourite4 ',he is the genuine          
representative of the ,english style of 
singing1' writes our critic1 'and in    
popular songs is the adored idol of the 
public4 ,one cannot deny him great power
 of voice and rapidity of execution1 but

 a more abominable style it is difficult
 to conceive4444 ,the most striking     
feature to a foreigner in ,english      
theatres is the natural coarseness and  
brutality of the audiences4 ,the        
consequence is that the higher and more 
civilised classes go only to the        
,italian ,opera1 and very rarely visit  
their national theatre4 ,english freedom
 has degenerated into the rudest        
licence1 and it is not uncommon in the  
midst of the most affecting part of a   
tragedy1 or the most charming cadenza of
 a singer1 to hear some coarse          
expression shouted from the gallery in a
 stentor voice4 ,this is followed1      
either by loud laughter and applause1 or
 by the castigation and expulsion of the
 offender4'  ,the poor prince saw       
,mozart's ,figaro announced for         
performance at ,drury ,lane1 and looked 
forward to hearing once more the sweet  
harmonies of his ,vaterland4 ',what1    
then1 was my astonishment1' he exclaims1
 in justifiable indignation1 'at the    

unheard-of treatment which the          
masterpiece of the immortal composer has
 received at ,english hands6 ,you will  
hardly believe me when ,i tell you that 
neither the count1 the countess1 nor    
,figaro sang2 these parts were given to 
mere actors1 and their principal airs   
were sung by other singers4 ,to add to  
this the gardener roared out some       
interpolated ,english popular songs1    
which suited ,mozart's music just as a  
pitch-plaster would suit the face of the
 ,venus de' ,medici4 ,the whole opera   
was1 moreover1 arranged by a certain    
,mr4 ,bishop2 that is1 adapted to       
,english ears by means of the most      
tasteless and shocking alterations4 ,the
 ,english national music1 the coarse1   
heavy melodies of which can never be    
mistaken for an instant1 has to me1 at  
least1 something singularly offensive1  
an expression of brutal feeling both in 
pain and pleasure that smacks of        
roast-beef1 plum-pudding1 and porter4'  
,another entertainment attended by our  

hero about this time was the opening of 
,parliament by ,george ,,iv41 who had   
not performed this ceremony for several 
years4 ',the king1' we are told1 'looked
 pale and bloated1 and was obliged to   
sit on the throne for a considerable    
time before he could get breath enough  
to read his speech4 ,during this time he
 turned friendly glances and            
condescending bows towards some favoured
 ladies4 ,on his right stood ,lord      
,liverpool1 with the sword of state and 
the speech in his hand1 and the ,duke of
 ,wellington on his left4 ,all three    
looked so miserable1 so ashy-grey and   
worn out1 that never did human greatness
 appear to me so little worth4444 ,in   
spite of his feebleness1 ,george ,,iv4  
read his banale speech with great       
dignity and a fine voice1 but with that 
royal nonchalance which does not concern
 itself with what his ,majesty promises1
 or whether he is sometimes unable to   
decipher a word4 ,it was very evident   
that the monarch was heartily glad when 

the corve was over4'  ,in one of his    
early letters the traveller gives his   
friend the following account of the     
manner in which he passes his day3 ',i  
rise late1 read three or four newspapers
 at breakfast1 look in my visiting-book 
to see what visits ,i have to pay1 and  
either drive to pay them in my          
cabriolet1 or ride4 ,in the course of   
these excursions1 ,i sometimes catch the
 enjoyment of the picturesque2 the      
struggle of the blood-red sun with the  
winter fogs often produces wild and     
singular effects of light4 ,after my    
visits ,i ride for several hours about  
the beautiful environs of ,london1      
return when it grows dark1 dress for    
dinner1 which is at seven or eight1 and 
spend the evening either at the theatre 
or some small party4 ,the ludicrous     
routs--at which one hardly finds        
standing-room on the staircase--have not
 yet commenced4 ,in ,england1 however1  
except in a few diplomatic houses1 you  
can go nowhere in the evening without a 

special invitation4'  ,the prince seems 
to have been bored at most of the       
parties he attended2 partly1 perhaps1   
out of pique at finding himself1 so long
 accustomed to be the principal         
personage in his little kingdom of      
,muskau1 eclipsed in influence and      
wealth by many a ,british commoner4 ,few
 persons that he met in the ,london of  
that day amused him more than the great 
,rothschild1 with whom he dined more    
than once at the banker's suburban      
villa4 ,of one of these entertainments  
he writes3 ',mr4 ,rothschild was in high
 good-humour1 amusing and talkative4 ,it
 was diverting to hear him explain to us
 the pictures round his room 7all       
portraits of the sovereigns of ,europe1 
presented through their ambassadors71   
and talk of the originals as his very   
good friends1 and in a certain sense his
 equals4 ,yes1 said he1 the ,prince of  
----- once pressed me for a loan1 and in
 the same week on which ,i received his 
autograph letter1 his father wrote to me

 also from ,rome1 to beg me1 for        
,heaven's sake1 not to have any concern 
in it1 for that ,i could not have to do 
with a more dishonest man than his      
son4444 ,he concluded by modestly       
calling himself the dutiful and         
generously paid agent and servant of    
these high potentates1 all of whom he   
honoured equally1 let the state of      
politics be what it might2 for1 said he1
 laughing1 ,i never like to quarrel with
 my bread and butter4 ,it shows great   
prudence in ,mr4 ,rothschild to have    
accepted neither title nor order1 and   
thus to have preserved a far more       
respectable independence4 ,he doubtless 
owes much to the good advice of his     
extremely amiable and judicious wife1   
who excels him in tact and knowledge of 
the world1 though not1 perhaps1 in      
acuteness and talents for business4'    
,although the prince had not as yet     
entered the ranks of authors1 he was    
always interested in meeting literary   
people1 such as ,mr4 ,hope1 author of   

,anastasius1 ,mr4 ,morier of ,hadji     
,baba fame1 and ,lady ,charlotte ,bury1 
who had exchanged the celebrity of a    
beauty for that of a fashionable        
novelist4 ',i called on ,lady           
,charlotte1' he says1 'the morning after
 meeting her1 and found everything in   
her house brown1 in every possible      
shade2 furniture1 curtains1 carpets1 her
 own and her children's dresses1        
presented no other colour4 ,the room was
 without looking-glasses or pictures1   
and its only ornaments were casts from  
the antique4444 ,after ,i had been there
 some time1 the celebrated publisher1   
,constable1 entered4 ,this man has made 
a fortune by ,walter ,scott's novels1   
though1 as ,i was told1 he refused his  
first and best1 ,waverley1 and at last  
gave but a small sum for it4 ,i hope the
 charming ,lady ,charlotte had better   
cause to be satisfied with him4'        
,towards the end of ,december1 his      
,highness's head-gardener1 ,rehde1 a    
very important functionary at ,muskau1  

arrived in ,london to be initiated into 
the mysteries of ,english               
landscape-gardening4 ,together the two  
enthusiasts1 master and man1 made a tour
 of some of the principal show-places of
 ,england1 including ,stanmore ,priory1 
,woburn ,abbey1 ,cashiobury1 ,blenheim1 
,stowe1 ,eaton1 ,warwick1 and           
,kenilworth1 besides many of lesser     
note4 ,at the end of the excursion1     
which lasted three weeks1 the prince    
declared that even he was beginning to  
feel satiated with the charms of        
,english parks4 ,on his return to       
,london he was invited to spend a few   
days with ,lord ,darnley at ,cobham1 and
 writes thence some further impressions 
of ,english country-house life4 ,he was 
a little perturbed at being publicly    
reminded by his elderly host that they  
had made each other's acquaintance      
thirty years before4  ',now1 as ,i was  
in frocks at the time he spoke of1'     
observes the prince1 ',i was obliged to 
beg for a further explanation1 though ,i

 cannot say ,i was much delighted at    
having my age so fully discussed before 
all the company1 for you know ,i claim  
to look not more than thirty4 ,however1 
,i could not but admire ,lord ,darnley's
 memory4 ,he recollected every          
circumstance of his visit to my parents 
with the ,duke of ,portland1 and        
recalled to me many a little forgotten  
incident4'  ,the vie de chteau the      
traveller considered the most agreeable 
side of ,english life1 by reason of its 
freedom1 and the absence of those       
wearisome ceremonies which in ,germany  
oppressed both host and guests4 ,the    
,english custom of being always en      
vidence1 however1 occasioned him        
considerable surprise4 ',strangers1' he 
observes1 'have generally only one room 
allotted to them1 and ,englishmen seldom
 go into this room except to sleep1 and 
to dress twice a day1 which1 even       
without company1 is always de rigueur2  
for all meals are usually taken in      
public1 and any one who wants to write  

does it in the library4 ,there1 also1   
those who wish to converse1 give each   
other rendezvous1 to avoid the rest of  
the society4 ,here you have an          
opportunity of gossiping for hours with 
the young ladies1 who are always very   
literarily inclined4 ,many a marriage is
 thus concocted or destroyed between the
 corpus juris on the one side1 and      
,bouffler's works on the other1 while   
fashionable novels1 as a sort of        
intermediate link1 lie on the tables in 
the middle4  ,early in ,february the    
prince paid a visit to ,brighton1 where 
he made the acquaintance of ,count      
,d',orsay1 and was entertained by ,mrs4 
,fitzherbert4 ,he gives a jaundiced     
account of two entertainments1 a public 
ball and a musical soire1 which he      
attended while at ,brighton1            
declaring--probably with some           
truth--that the latter is one of the    
greatest trials to which a foreigner can
 be exposed in ,england4 ',every        
mother1' he explains1 'who has grown-up 

daughters1 for whom she has had to pay  
large sums to the music-master1 chooses 
to enjoy the satisfaction of having the 
youthful talent admired4 ,there is      
nothing1 therefore1 but quavering and   
strumming right and left1 so that one is
 really overpowered and unhappy2 and    
even if an ,englishwoman has a natural  
capacity for singing1 she seldom        
acquires either style or science4 ,the  
men are much more agreeable dilettanti1 
for they at least give one the diversion
 of a comical farce4 ,that a man should 
advance to the piano with far greater   
confidence than a ,david1 strike with   
his forefinger the note which he thinks 
his song should begin with1 and then    
entonner like a thunder-clap 7generally 
a tone or two lower than the pitch71 and
 sing through a long aria without an    
accompaniment of any kind1 except the   
most wonderful distortions of face1 is a
 thing one must have seen to believe it 
possible1 especially in the presence of 
at least fifty people4'  ,by the middle 

of ,april the season had begun in town1 
and the prince soon found himself up to 
the eyes in invitations for balls1      
dinners1 breakfasts1 and soires4 ,we    
hear of him dining with the ,duke of    
,clarence1 to meet the ,duchess of ,kent
 and her daughter2 assisting at the     
,lord ,mayor's banquet1 which lasted six
 hours1 and at which the chief          
magistrate made six-and-twenty speeches1
 long and short2 breakfasting with the  
,duke of ,devonshire at ,chiswick1 being
 nearly suffocated at the routs of ,lady
 ,cowper and ,lady ,jersey1 and         
attending his first ball at ,almack's1  
in which famous assemblage his          
expectations were woefully disappointed4
 ',a large1 bare room1' so runs his     
description1 'with a bad floor1 and     
ropes round it1 like the space in an    
,arab camp parted off for horses2 two or
 three badly-furnished rooms at the     
side1 in which the most wretched        
refreshments are served1 and a company  
into which1 in spite of all the immense 

difficulty of getting tickets1 a great  
many nobodies had wriggled2 in which the
 dress was as tasteless as the tournure 
was bad--this was all4 ,in a word1 a    
sort of inn-entertainment--the music and
 lighting the only good things4 ,and yet
 ,almack's is the culminating point of  
the ,english world of fashion4'         
,unfortunately for his readers1 the     
prince was rather an observer than an   
auditor2 for he describes what he sees  
vividly enough1 but seldom takes the    
trouble to set down the conversation    
that he hears4 ,perhaps he thought it   
hardly worth recording1 for he complains
 that in ,england politics had become   
the main ingredient in social           
intercourse1 that the lighter and more  
frivolous pleasures suffered by the     
change1 and that the art of conversation
 would soon be entirely lost4 ',in this 
country1' he unkindly adds1 ',i should  
think it the art of conversation never  
existed1 unless1 perhaps1 in ,charles   
,,ii4's time4 ,and1 indeed1 people here 

are too slavishly subject to established
 usages1 too systematic in all their    
enjoyments1 too incredibly kneaded up   
with prejudices2 in a word1 too little  
vivacious to attain to that unfettered  
spring and freedom of spirit1 which must
 ever be the sole basis of agreeable    
society4 ,i must confess that ,i know   
none more monotonous1 nor more persuaded
 of its own pre-eminence than the       
highest society of this country4 ,a     
stony1 marble-cold spirit of caste and  
fashion rules all classes1 and makes the
 highest tedious1 the lowest            
ridiculous4'  ,in spite of his dislike  
to politics as a subject of             
conversation1 his ,highness attended    
debates at the ,house of ,lords and the 
,house of ,commons1 and was so keenly   
interested in what he heard that he     
declared the hours passed like minutes4 
,canning had just been intrusted by     
,george ,,iv4 with the task of forming a
 government1 but had promptly been      
deserted by six members of the former   

,ministry1 including ,wellington1 ,lord 
,eldon1 and ,peel1 who were now accused 
of having resigned in consequence of a  
cabal or conspiracy against the         
constitutional prerogative of the king  
to change his ministers at his own      
pleasure4 ,in the ,house of ,commons the
 prince heard ,peel's attack on ,canning
 and the new government1 which was      
parried by ,brougham4 ',in a magnificent
 speech1 which flowed on like a clear   
stream1 ,brougham1' we are told1 'tried 
to disarm his opponent2 now tortured him
 with sarcasms2 now wrought upon the    
sensibility1 or convinced the reason1 of
 his hearers4 ,the orator closed with   
the solemn declaration that he was      
perfectly impartial2 that he could be   
impartial1 because it was his fixed     
determination never1 and on no terms1 to
 accept a place in the administration of
 the kingdom4444 ,footnote3 ,in #ahca   
,brougham accepted office as ,lord      
,chancellor4 ,canning1 the hero of the  
day1 now rose4 ,if his predecessor might

 be compared to a dexterous and elegant 
boxer1 ,canning presented the image of a
 finished antique gladiator4 ,all was   
noble1 simple1 refined2 then suddenly   
his eloquence burst forth like          
lightning-grand and all-subduing4 ,his  
speech was1 from every point of view1   
the most complete1 as well as the most  
irresistibly persuasive--the crown and  
glory of the debate4'  ,on the following
 day the prince heard some of the late  
ministers on their defence in the ,house
 of ,lords4 ',here1' he observes1 ',i   
saw the great ,wellington in terrible   
straits4 ,he is no orator1 and was      
obliged to enter upon his defence like  
an accused person4 ,he was considerably 
agitated2 and this senate of his        
country1 though composed of men whom    
individually1 perhaps1 he did not care  
for1 appeared more imposing to him en   
masse than ,napoleon and his hundred    
thousands4 ,he stammered much1          
interrupted and involved himself1 but at
 length he brought the matter tolerably 

to this conclusion1 that there was no   
conspiracy4 ,he occasionally said strong
 things--probably stronger than he      
meant1 for he was evidently not master  
of his material4 ,among other things1   
the following words pleased me          
extremely3 ,i am a soldier and no       
orator4 ,i am utterly deficient in the  
talents requisite to play a part in this
 great assembly4 ,i must be more than   
insane if ,i ever entertained the       
thought1 of which ,i am accused1 of     
becoming ,prime ,minister4444 ,footnote3
 ,in ,january #ahbh the duke became     
,prime ,minister4 ,when ,i question     
myself as to the total impression of    
this day1 ,i must confess that it was at
 once elevating and melancholy--the     
former when ,i fancied myself an        
,englishman1 the latter when ,i felt    
myself a ,german4 ,this twofold senate  
of the people of ,england1 in spite of  
all the defects and blemishes common to 
human institutions1 is yet grand in the 
highest degree2 and in contemplating its

 power and operation thus near at hand1 
one begins to understand why it is that 
the ,english nation is1 as yet1 the     
first on the face of the earth4'  ,the  
traveller was by no means exclusively   
occupied in hearing and seeing new      
things4 ,with that strain of            
practicality which contrasted so oddly  
with his sentimental and romantic       
temperament1 he kept firmly before his  
eyes the main object of his visit to    
,england4 ,he had determined at the     
outset not to sell himself and his title
 for less than #ej1jjj1 but he confesses
 that1 as time passed on1 his demands   
became much more modest4 ,his           
matrimonial ventures were all faithfully
 detailed to the presumably sympathising
 ,lucie1 for whose sake1 the prince     
persuaded himself1 he was far more      
anxious for success than for his own4   
,but he had not counted on the many     
obstacles with which he found himself   
confronted1 chief among them being his  
relations with his former wife4 ,it was 

known that the ex-princess was still    
living at ,muskau with all the rights   
and privileges of a chtelaine1 while the
 prince never disguised his attachment  
to her1 and openly kept her portrait on 
his table4 ,english mothers who would   
have welcomed him as a son-in-law were  
led to believe that the divorce was only
 a blind1 and that the prince's marriage
 would be actually1 if not legally1 a   
bigamous union4 ,the satirical papers   
represented him as a fortune-hunter1 a  
,bluebeard who had ill-treated his first
 wife1 and declared that he had proposed
 for the hand of the dusky ,empress of  
,hayti1 then on a visit to ,europe4     
,still our hero obstinately pursued his 
quest1 laying siege to the heart of     
every presentable-looking heiress to    
whom he was introduced1 and if attention
 to the art of the toilet could have    
gained him a rich bride1 he would not   
long have been unsuccessful4 ,in dress  
he took the genuine interest and delight
 of the dandy of the period1 and        

marvellous are the descriptions of his  
costume that he sends to ,lucie4 ,for   
morning visits1 of which he sometimes   
paid fifty in one day1 he wore his hair 
dyed a beautiful black1 a new hat1 a    
green neckerchief with gaily coloured   
stripes1 a yellow cashmere waistcoat    
with metal buttons1 an olive-green      
frock-coat and iron-grey pantaloons4 ,on
 other occasions he is attired in a     
dark-brown coat1 with a velvet collar1 a
 white neckerchief1 in which a thin gold
 watch-chain is entwined1 a waistcoat   
with a collar of cramoisie and gold     
stars1 an under-waistcoat of white      
satin1 embroidered with gold flowers1   
full black pantaloons1 spun silk        
stockings1 and short square shoes4      
,style such as this could only be       
maintained at a vast outlay1 from the   
,german point of view1 the week's       
washing-bill alone amounting to an      
important sum4 ,according to the        
prince's calculation1 a ,london         
exquisite1 during the season of #ahbg1  

required every week twenty shirts1      
twenty-four pocket-handkerchiefs1 nine  
or ten pairs of summer trousers1 thirty 
neckerchiefs1 a dozen waistcoats and    
stockings  discrtion4 ',i see your      
housewifely ears aghast1 my good        
,lucie1' he writes1 'but as a dandy     
cannot get on without dressing three or 
four times a day1 the affair is quite   
simple4'  ,however much the prince may  
have enjoyed the ceremony of the toilet1
 he strongly objected to the process of 
hair-dyeing1 and his letters are full of
 complaints of his sufferings and       
humiliation while undergoing the        
operation1 which1 he declares1 is a form
 of slow poison1 and also an unpleasant 
reminder that he is really old1 but     
obliged to play the part of youth in    
order to attain an object that may bring
 him more misery than happiness4 ,as    
soon as he is safely married to his     
heiress1 he expresses his determination 
of looking his full age1 so that people 
might say ',what a well-preserved old   

man6' instead of ',voil1 le ci-devant   
jeune homme6' ,still1 with all this care
 and thought1 heiresses remained coy1 or
 more probably their parents were       
'difficult4' ,the prince's              
highly-developed personal vanity was    
wounded by many a refusal1 and so weary 
did he become of this woman-hunt1 that  
in one letter to ,lucie1 dated ,march   
#e1 #ahbg1 he exclaims1 ',ah1 my        
dearest1 if you only had #aej1jjj       
thalers1 ,i would marry you again       
to-morrow6'     ,,part ,,ii   ,the      
summer months were spent in visits to   
,windsor and other parks near ,london1  
and in a tour through ,yorkshire4 ,in   
,october his ,highness was back in town1
 and engaged in a new matrimonial       
venture4 ,he writes to ,lucie that 'the 
fortune in question is immense1 and if  
,i obtain it1 ,i shall end gloriously4' 
,in the correspondence published after  
the prince's death is the draft of a    
letter to ,mr4 ,bonham of ,titness      
,park1 containing a formal proposal for 

the hand of his daughter1 ',miss        
,harriet1' and detailing 7with          
considerable reservations7 the position 
of his financial affairs4 ,muskau1 he   
explains1 is worth #d1jjj a year1 an    
income which in ,germany is equivalent  
to three times as much in ,england4     
',everything belonging to me1' he       
continues1 'is in the best possible     
order2 a noble residence at ,muskau1 and
 two smaller chateaux1 surrounded with  
large parks and gardens1 in fact1 all   
that make enjoy life 7sic7 in the       
country is amply provided for1 and a    
numerous train of officious 7sic7 of my 
household are always ready to receive   
their young princess at her own seat1 or
 if she should prefer town1 the court of
 ,prussia will offer her every          
satisfaction4' ,owing to the fact that  
,muskau was mortgaged for #ej1jjj1 he   
was forced1 he confesses1 to expect an  
adequate fortune with his wife1 a       
circumstance to which1 if he had been   
otherwise situated1 he should have paid 

little attention4  ,this missive was    
accompanied by a long letter1 dated     
,nov4 #a1 #ahbg1 to ',miss ,harriet1' in
 which the suitor explains the          
circumstances of his former marriage1   
and of his divorce1 the knowledge of    
which has rendered her uneasy4 ',it is  
rather singular1' he proceeds1 'that in 
the very first days after my arrival1   
you1 ,miss ,harriet1 were named to me1  
together with some other young ladies1  
as heiresses4 ,now ,i must confess1 at  
the risk of the fact being doubted in   
our industrious times1 that ,i myself   
had a prejudice against1 and even some  
dread of heiresses4 ,i may say that ,i  
proved in some way these feelings to    
exist by marrying a lady with a very    
small fortune1 and afterwards in        
,england by never courting any heiresses
 further as common civility required4   
,my reasons for so doing are not without
 foundation4 ,in the first instance1 ,i 
am a little proud2 in the second1 ,i    
don't want any more than ,i possess1    

though ,i should not reject it1 finding 
it in my way1 and besides all this1 rich
 young maidens are not always very      
amiable4' ,the prince continues that he 
had gone1 out of principle1 into all    
kinds of society1 and seen many charming
 and handsome girls1 but had not been   
able to discover his affinity4 ,at last1
 after renouncing the idea of marriage1 
he heard again of ,miss ,harriet        
,bonham1 not of her fortune this time1  
but of her many excellent qualities1 and
 the fact that she had refused several  
splendid offers4 ,his curiosity was now 
at last aroused2 he sought an           
opportunity of being introduced to her1 
and--',dearest ,miss ,harriet1 you know 
the rest4 ,i thought--and ,i protest it 
by all that is sacred--,i thought when  
,i left you again1 that here at last ,i 
had found united all and everything ,i  
could wish in a future companion through
 life4 ,an exterior the most pleasing1 a
 mind and person equally fit for the    
representation of a court and the       

delight of a cottage1 and above all1    
that sensibility1 that goodness of      
heart1 and that perfect absence of      
conceitedness which ,i value more than  
every other accomplishment4444 ,i beheld
 you1 besides all your more essential   
qualities1 so quick as lively1 so       
playful as whitty 7sic71 and nothing    
really seemed more bewitching to me as  
when a hearty1 joyful laugh changed your
 thoughtful1 noble features to the      
cheerful appearance of a happy child6   
,and still through every change your and
 your friends' conversation and         
behaviour always remained distinguished 
by that perfect breeding and fine tact  
which1 indeed1 is to private life what a
 clear sky is to a landscape4444'       
,there is a great deal mere to the same 
effect1 and it is sad to think that all 
this trouble1 all this expenditure of   
ink and ,english grammar1 was thrown    
away4 ,papa ,bonham could not pay down  
the fortune demanded by the prince      
without injuring the other members of   

his family2 ,footnote3 ,mr4 ,bonham's   
eldest daughter was the second wife of  
the first ,lord ,garvagh4 and although  
,miss ,harriet deplores 'the cruel end  
of all our hopes1' the negotiations fell
 through4  ,the prince consoled himself 
for his disappointment with a fresh     
round of sight-seeing4 ,he became deeply
 enamoured of a steam-engine1 of which  
newly-invented animal he sends the      
following picturesque description to    
,lucie3 ',we must now be living in the  
days of the ,arabian ,nights1 for ,i    
have seen a creature to-day far         
surpassing all the fantastic beings of  
that time4 ,listen to the monster's     
characteristics4 ,in the first place1   
its food is the cheapest possible1 for  
it eats nothing but wood or coals1 and  
when not actually at work1 it requires  
none4 ,it never sleeps1 nor is weary2 it
 is subject to no diseases1 if well     
organised at first2 and never refuses   
its work till worn out by great length  
of service4 ,it is equally active in all

 climates1 and undertakes all kinds of  
labour without a murmur4 ,here it is a  
miner1 there a sailor1 a cotton-spinner1
 a weaver1 or a miller2 and though a    
small creature1 it draws ninety tons of 
goods1 or a whole regiment of soldiers1 
with a swiftness exceeding that of the  
fleetest mail-coaches4 ,at the same     
time1 it marks its own measured steps on
 a tablet fixed in front of it4 ,it     
regulates1 too1 the degree of warmth    
necessary to its well-being2 it has a   
strange power of oiling its inmost      
joints when they are stiff1 and of      
removing at pleasure all injurious air  
that might find the way into its system2
 but should anything become deranged in 
it1 it warns its master by the loud     
ringing of a bell4 ,lastly1 it is so    
docile1 in spite of its enormous        
strength 7nearly equal to that of six   
hundred horses71 that a child of four   
years old is able in a moment to arrest 
its mighty labours by the pressure of   
his little finger4 ,did ever a witch    

burnt for sorcery produce its equal8'   
,a few weeks later we hear of one       
manifestation of the new power1 which   
did not quite come up to the            
expectations of its admirers4 ,on       
,january #af1 #ahbh1 the prince writes3 
',the new steam-carriage is completed1  
and goes five miles in half an hour on  
trial in the ,regent's ,park4 ,but there
 was something to repair every moment4  
,i was one of the first of the curious  
who tried it2 but found the smell of    
oiled iron1 which makes steamboats so   
unpleasant1 far more insufferable here4 
,stranger still is another vehicle to   
which ,i yesterday intrusted my person4 
,it is nothing less than a carriage     
drawn by a paper kite1 very like those  
the children fly4 ,this is the invention
 of a schoolmaster1 who is so skilful in
 the guidance of his vehicle1 that he   
can get on very fairly with half a wind1
 but with a completely fair one1 and    
good roads1 he goes a mile in           
three-quarters of a minute4 ,the        

inventor proposes to traverse the       
,african deserts in this manner1 and has
 contrived a place behind1 in which a   
pony stands like a footman1 and in case 
of a calm1 can he harnessed to the      
carriage4'  ,in the early part of #ahbh 
,henriette ,sontag arrived in ,london1  
and the prince at once fell a victim to 
her charms4 ,the fascinating singer1    
then barely three-and-twenty1 was       
already the idol of the public1 at the  
very summit of her renown4 ,amazing     
prices were paid for seats when she was 
announced to appear4 ,among his         
,highness's papers was found a ticket   
for a box at the opera on ',madame      
,sontag's night1' on which he notes that
 he had sold a diamond clasp to pay the 
eighty guineas demanded for the bit of  
cardboard4 ,he was in love once again   
with all the ardour of youth1 and for   
the moment all thoughts of a marriage of
 convenience were dismissed from his    
mind4 ,he was now eager for a love-match
 with the fair ,henriette1 whose        

attractions had rendered him temporarily
 forgetful of those of ,muskau4 ,but    
,mademoiselle ,sontag1 though carried   
away by the passionate wooing of the    
prince1 actually remembered that she had
 other ties1 probably her engagement to 
,rossi1 to which it was her duty to     
remain true4 ,she told her lover that he
 must learn to forget her1 and that when
 they parted at the conclusion of the   
,london season1 they must never meet    
again4 ,the prince was heart-broken at  
the necessity for separation1 and we are
 assured that he never forgot ,henriette
 ,sontag 7though she had many successors
 in his affections71 and that after his 
return to ,germany he placed a gilded   
bust of the singer in his park1 in order
 that he might have her image ever      
before his eyes4  ,in the hope of       
distracting his thoughts from his       
disappointment1 ,prince ,pckler decided 
to make a lengthened tour through ,wales
 and ,ireland1 and with this object in  
view he set out in ,july #ahbh4 ,before 

his departure1 however1 he had an       
interesting rencontre at a dinner-party 
given by the ,duchess of ,st4           
,albans-the ci-devant ,harriet ,melton4 
',i arrived late1' says the prince1 in  
his account of the incident1 'and was   
placed between my hostess and a tall1   
very simple1 but benevolent-looking man 
of middle age1 who spoke broad          
,scotch--a dialect anything but         
agreeable2 and would probably have      
struck me by nothing else1 if ,i had not
 discovered that ,i was sitting next to 
----1 the ,great ,unknown6 ,it was not  
long ere many a sally of dry1 poignant  
wit fell from his lips1 and many an     
anecdote told in the most unpretending  
manner4 ,his eye1 too1 glanced whenever 
he was animated1 with such a clear1     
good-natured lustre1 and such an        
expression of true-hearted kindness1    
that it was impossible not to conceive a
 sort of affection for him4 ,towards the
 end of the dinner he and ,sir ,francis 
,burdett told ghost-stories1 half       

terrible1 half humorous1 one against the
 other4444 ,a little concert concluded  
the evening1 in which the very pretty   
daughter of the great bard--a           
healthy-looking ,highland beauty--took  
part1 and ,miss ,stephens sang nothing  
but ,scottish ballads4'  ,before        
entering upon a new field of            
observation1 the prince summed up his   
general impressions of ,london society  
with a candour that cannot have been    
very agreeable to his ,english readers4 
,the goddess of ,fashion1 he observes1  
reigns in ,england alone with a despotic
 and inexorable sway2 while the spirit  
of caste here receives a power1         
consistency1 and completeness of        
development unexampled in any other     
country4 ',every class of society in    
,england1 as well as every field1 is    
separated from every other by a hedge of
 thorns4 ,each has its own manners and  
turns of expression1 and1 above all1 a  
supreme and absolute contempt for all   
below it4444 ,now although the          

aristocracy does not stand as such upon 
the pinnacle of this strange social     
edifice1 it yet exercises great         
influence over it4 ,it is1 indeed1      
difficult to become fashionable without 
being of good descent2 but it by no     
means follows that a man is so in virtue
 of being well-born--still less of being
 rich4 ,ludicrous as it may sound1 it is
 a fact that while the present king is a
 very fashionable man1 his father was   
not so in the smallest degree1 and that 
none of his brothers have any           
pretensions to fashion2 which           
unquestionably is highly to their       
honour4' ,the truth of this observation 
is borne out by the story of ,beau      
,brummell1 who1 when offended by some   
action of the ,regent's1 exclaimed1 ',if
 this sort of thing goes on1 ,i shall   
cut ,wales1 and bring old ,george into  
fashion6'  ',a ,london exclusive of the 
present day1' continues our censor1 'is 
nothing more than a bad1 flat1 dull     
imitation of a ,french rou of the       

,regency1 ,both have in common          
selfishness1 levity1 boundless vanity1  
and an utter want of heart4 ,but what a 
contrast if we look further6 ,in ,france
 the absence of all morality and honesty
 was in some degree atoned for by the   
most refined courtesy1 the poverty of   
soul by agreeableness and wit4 ,what of 
all this has the ,english dandy to      
offer8 ,his highest triumph is to appear
 with the most wooden manners1 as little
 polished as will suffice to avoid      
castigation2 nay1 to contrive even his  
civilities so that they are as near as  
may be to affronts--this is the style of
 deportment that confers on him the     
greatest celebrity4 ,instead of a noble1
 high-bred ease1 to have the courage to 
offend against every restraint of       
decorum2 to invert the relation in which
 his sex stands to women1 so that they  
appear the attacking1 and he the passive
 or defensive party2 to cut his best    
friends if they cease to have the       
strength and authority of fashion2 to   

delight in the ineffably fade jargon and
 affectations of his set1 and always to 
know what is the thing--these are the   
accomplishments that distinguish a young
 lion of fashion4 ,whoever reads the    
best of the recent ,english             
novels--those by the author of          
,pelham--may be able to abstract from   
them a tolerably just idea of ,english  
fashionable society1 provided he does   
not forget to deduct qualities which the
 national self-love has erroneously     
claimed --namely1 grace for its rous1   
seductive manners and witty conversation
 for its dandies4'  ,the foregoing is a 
summary of the prince's lengthy         
indictment against ,london society4 ',i 
saw in the fashionable world1' he       
observes in conclusion1 'only too       
frequently1 and with few exceptions1 a  
profound vulgarity of thought2 an       
immorality little veiled or adorned2 the
 most undisguised arrogance2 and the    
coarsest neglect of all kindly feelings 
and attentions haughtily assumed for the

 sake of shining in a false and         
despicable refinement2 even more inane  
and intolerable to a healthy mind than  
the awkward stiffness of the declared   
,nobodies4 ,it has been said that vice  
and poverty form the most revolting     
combination2 since ,i have been in      
,england1 vice and boorish rudeness seem
 to me to form a still more disgusting  
union4'  ,the prince's adventures in    
,wales and ,ireland1 with the recital of
 which he has filled up the best part of
 two volumes1 must here be dismissed in 
as many paragraphs4 ,on his tour through
 ,wales1 he left his card on the ,ladies
 of ,llangollen1 who promptly invited   
him to lunch4 ,fortunately1 he had      
previously been warned of his hostesses'
 peculiarities of dress and appearance4 
',imagine1' he writes1 'two ladies1 the 
elder of whom1 ,lady ,eleanor ,butler1 a
 short1 robust woman1 begins to feel her
 years a little1 being nearly           
eighty-three2 the other1 a tall and     
imposing person1 esteems herself still  

youthful1 being only seventy-four4 ,both
 wore their still abundant hair combed  
straight back and powdered1 a round     
man's hat1 a man's cravat and waistcoat1
 but in the place of inexpressibles1 a  
short petticoat and boots3 the whole    
covered by a coat of blue cloth1 of     
quite a peculiar cut4 ,over this ,lady  
,eleanor wore1 first the grand cordon of
 the order of ,st4 ,louis across her    
shoulders2 secondly1 the same order     
round her neck2 thirdly1 the small cross
 of the same in her buttonhole2 and1    
pour comble de gloire1 a golden lily of 
nearly the natural size as a star4 ,so  
far the effect was somewhat ludicrous4  
,but now you must imagine both ladies   
with that agreeable aisance1 that air of
 the world of the ancien rgime1         
courteous1 entertaining1 without the    
slightest affectation1 speaking ,french 
as well as any ,englishwoman of my      
acquaintance2 and1 above all1 with that 
essentially polite1 unconstrained1      
simply cheerful manner of the good      

society of that day1 which in our       
hard-working1 business age appears to be
 going to utter decay4'  ,thanks to his 
letters of introduction and the         
friendships that he struck up on the    
road1 the prince was able occasionally  
to step out of the beaten tourist       
tracks1 and to see something of the more
 intimate side of ,irish social life4   
,he has given a lively and picturesque  
account of his experiences1 which       
included an introduction to ,lady       
,morgan1 ,footnote3 ,see page #adb4 and 
to her charming nieces1 the ,miss       
,clarkes 7who made a profound impression
 on his susceptible heart71 a           
sentimental journey through ,wicklow1 a 
glance at the humours of ,donnybrook    
,fair1 a visit to ,o',connell at        
,derrinane ,abbey1 a peep into the wilds
 of ,connaught1 an ,emancipation dinner 
at ,cashel1 where he made his dbut as an
 ,english orator1 and an expedition to  
the lakes of ,killarney4 ,all this1     
which was probably novel and interesting

 to the ,german public1 contains little 
that is not familiar to the modern      
,english reader4 ,the sketch of         
,o',connell is sufficiently vivid to    
bear quotation4  ',daniel ,o',connell1' 
observes the prince1 after his visit to 
,derrinane1 'is no common man--though   
the man of the commonalty4 ,his power is
 so great that at this moment it only   
depends on him to raise the standard of 
rebellion from one end of the island to 
the other4 ,he is1 however1 too         
sharp-sighted1 and much too sure of     
attaining his ends by safer means1 to   
wish to bring on any such violent       
crisis4 ,he has certainly shown great   
dexterity in availing himself of the    
temper of the country at this moment1   
legally1 openly1 and in the face of     
,government1 to acquire a power scarcely
 inferior to that of the sovereign2     
indeed1 though without arms or armies1  
in some instances far surpassing it4    
,for how would it have been possible for
 his ,majesty ,george ,,iv4 to withhold 

#dj1jjj of his faithful ,irishmen for   
three days from whisky drinking8 which  
,o',connell actually accomplished in the
 memorable ,clare election4 ,the        
enthusiasm of the people rose to such a 
height that they themselves decreed and 
inflicted a punishment for drunkenness4 
,the delinquent was thrown into the     
river1 and held there for two hours1    
during which time he was made to undergo
 frequent submersions4444 ,on the whole1
 ,o',connell exceeded my expectations4  
,his exterior is attractive1 and the    
expression of intelligent good-humour1  
united with determination and prudence1 
which marks his countenance1 is         
extremely winning4 ,he has perhaps more 
of persuasiveness than of large and     
lofty eloquence2 and one frequently     
perceives too much design and manner in 
his words4 ,nevertheless1 it is         
impossible not to follow his powerful   
arguments with interest1 to view the    
martial dignity of his carriage without 
pleasure1 or to refrain from laughing at

 his wit4444 ,he has received from      
,nature an invaluable gift for a        
party-leader1 a magnificent voice1      
united to good lungs and a strong       
constitution4 ,his understanding is     
sharp and quick1 and his acquirements   
out of his profession not               
inconsiderable4 ,with all this his      
manners are1 as ,i have said1 winning   
and popular1 though somewhat of the     
actor is noticeable in them2 they do not
 conceal his very high opinion of       
himself1 and are occasionally tinged by 
what an ,englishman would call          
vulgarity4 ,but where is there a picture
 without shade8'  ,the prince's         
matrimonial projects had been pursued   
only in half-hearted fashion during this
 year1 and on his return to ,england in 
,december1 he seems to have thrown up   
the game in despair4 ,on ,january #b1   
#ahbi1 he turned his back on our        
perfidious shores1 and made a short tour
 in ,france before proceeding to        
,muskau4 ,in one of his letters to      

,lucie he admits that on his return     
journey he had plenty of material for   
reflection4 ,two precious years had been
 wasted1 absence from his dearest friend
 had been endured1 a large sum of money 
had been spent in keeping up a dashing  
appearance--and all in vain4 ,he        
consoles himself with the amazing       
reflection that ,parry had failed in    
three attempts to reach the ,north      
,pole1 and ,bonaparte1 after heaping    
victory on victory for twenty years1 had
 perished miserably in ,st4 ,helena6    
,but if the prince had not accomplished 
his design of carrying off a ,british   
heiress1 his sojourn in ,england brought
 him a prize of a different             
kind--namely1 the laurel crown of fame4 
,his ,briefe eines ,verstorbenen1 the   
first volumes of which were published   
anonymously in #ahcj1 was greeted with  
an almost unanimous outburst of         
admiration and applause4 ,the critics   
vied with each other in praising a work 
in which1 according to their verdict1   

the grace and piquancy of ,france were  
combined with the analytical methods and
 the profound philosophy of ,germany4   
,in ,england1 as was only to be         
expected1 the chorus of applause was not
 unmixed with hisses and catcalls4 ,the 
author had1 however1 been exceptionally 
fortunate in his translator1 ,sarah     
,austin1 whose version of the ,letters1 
entitled ,the ,tour of a ,german        
,prince1 was described by the           
,westminster ,review as 'the best modern
 translation of a prose work that has   
ever appeared1 and perhaps our only     
translation from the ,german4 ,as an    
original work1 the ease and facility of 
the style would be admired2 as a        
translation1 it is unrivalled4' ,croker 
reviewed the book in the ,quarterly in  
his accustomed strain of playful        
brutality1 rejoiced savagely over the   
numerous blunders1 ,footnote3 ,the most 
amusing of these is the derivation of   
the ,prince of ,wales' motto ',ich dien'
 from two ,welsh words1 ',eich deyn1'   

said to signify ',this is your man6' and
 credited the author with almost as many
 blasphemies as ,lady ,morgan herself4  
,the ,edinburgh1 in a more impartial    
notice1 observed that a great part of   
the work had no other merit than that of
 being an act of individual treachery   
against the hospitalities of private    
life1 and commented on the fact that    
while the masterpieces of ,goethe and   
,schiller were still untranslated1 the  
,tour of ,prince ,pckler-,muskau had    
been bought up in a month4  ,the prince 
was far too vain of his unexpected      
literary success to preserve his        
anonymity1 and the ink-craving having   
laid hold upon him1 he lost no time in  
setting to work upon another book4 ,the 
semblance of a separation between       
himself and ,lucie had now been thrown  
aside4 ,during the summer months they   
lived at ,muskau1 where they laboured   
together over plans for the             
embellishment of the gardens1 while in  
the winter they kept up a splendid      

establishment in ,berlin4 ,the sight of 
a divorced couple living together seems 
to have shocked the ,berliners far more 
than that of a married couple living    
apart1 but to ,pckler1 as a chartered   
'original1' much was forgiven4 ,at this 
time he went a good deal into literary  
society1 and became intimate with       
several women-writers1 among them the   
,grfin ,hahn-,hahn1 ,rahel1 and that    
amazing lady1 ,bettine von ,arnim4 ,with
 the last-named he struck up an         
intellectual friendship which roused the
 jealousy of ,lucie1 and was finally    
wrecked by ,bettine's attempts to obtain
 a spiritual empire over the lord of    
,muskau4  ,in #ahcb the prince's debts  
amounted to #ejj1jjj thalers1 and he was
 obliged once again to face the fact    
that he could only save himself from    
ruin by a wealthy marriage1 or by the   
sale of his estate4 ,in a long letter he
 laid the state of the case before his  
faithful companion1 pointing out that   
even at forty-seven1 he1 with his title 

and his youthful appearance1 might hope 
to secure a bride worth #cjj1jjj        
thalers1 but that as long as his ex-wife
 remained at ,muskau he was hardly      
likely to be successful in his          
matrimonial speculations4 ,lucie again  
consented to sacrifice herself in the   
good cause2 but the prince1 a man of    
innumerable bonnes fortunes according to
 his own account1 was curiously         
unfortunate as a would-be ,benedick4    
,the ,german heiresses were no more     
propitious to his suit than the ,english
 ones had been2 and though1 as he       
plaintively observes1 he would have     
liked nothing better than to be a       
,turkish pasha with a hundred and fifty 
sultanas1 he was unable to obtain a     
single ,christian wife4  ,in #ahcd the  
prince published two books1 ,tutti      
,frutti1 a collection of stories and    
sketches1 and ,observations on          
,landscape-,gardening4 ,tutti ,frutti   
was by no means so popular as the       
,briefe eines ,verstorbenen1 but the    

,observations took rank as a standard   
work4 ,the project of a journey to      
,america having been abandoned1 the     
prince now determined to spend the      
winter in ,algiers1 leaving ,lucie in   
charge at ,muskau4 ,this modest         
programme enlarged itself into a tour in
 the ,east1 which lasted for more than  
five years4 ,the travellers adventures  
during this period have been described  
in his ,semilasso in ,africa1 ,aus      
,mehemet's ,reich1 ,die ,rckkehr1 and   
other works1 which added to their       
author's fame1 and nearly sufficed to   
pay his expenses4 ,we hear of him       
breaking hearts at ,tunis and ,athens1  
shooting big game in the ,soudan1       
astonishing the ,arabs by his           
horsemanship1 and meddling in ,egyptian 
politics4 ,it was not until #ahch that1 
moved by ,lucie's complaints of her     
loneliness1 he reluctantly abandoned his
 plan of settling in the ,east1 and     
turned his face towards ,europe4 ,on the
 homeward journey he made a pilgrimage  

to ,jerusalem1 and turned out of his    
course for the visit to ,lady ,hester   
,stanhope that has already been         
described4  ,his ,highness arrived at   
,vienna in the autumn of #ahci1 bringing
 in his suite an ,abyssinian slave-girl1
 ,machbuba1 whom he had bought a couple 
of years before1 and who had developed  
such wonderful qualities of head and    
heart1 that he could not bring himself  
to part from her4 ,but ,lucie           
obstinately refused to receive ,machbuba
 at ,muskau1 and declared that the      
prince's reputation would be destroyed  
for ever1 if he brought a favourite     
slave under the same roof as his 'wife1'
 and thus sinned against the laws of    
outward seemliness4 ,so ,machbuba and   
the master who1 like another ,pygmalion1
 seems to have endowed this dusky       
,galatea with a mind and soul1 remained 
at ,vienna1 where the ,abyssinian1 clad 
in a picturesque ,mameluke's costume1   
accompanied the prince to all the public
 spectacles1 and became a nine days'    

wonder to the novelty-loving ,viennese4 
,but the severity of a ,european winter 
proved fatal to poor ,machbuba1         
consumption laid its grip upon her1 and 
it was as a dying girl that at last she 
was taken to the ,baths of ,muskau4     
,lucie received this once-dreaded rival 
kindly1 but at once carried off the     
prince for a visit to ,berlin1 and in   
the absence of the master whom she      
worshipped with a spaniel-like devotion1
 ,machbuba breathed her last4 ,the      
slave-girl was laid to rest amid all the
 pomp and ceremony of a state funeral1  
the principal inhabitants of ,muskau and
 the neighbourhood followed her to her  
grave1 and on the ,sunday following her 
death the chaplain delivered a eulogy on
 ,machbuba's virtues1 and the fatherly  
benevolence of her master4  ,the prince 
was temporarily broken-hearted at the   
death of his favourite1 but his         
mercurial spirits soon reasserted       
themselves1 and a round of visits to the
 various ,german courts restored him to 

his accustomed self-complacency4 ,the   
idea of selling ,muskau1 and thus       
ridding himself of the burden of his    
debts1 once more occupied his mind4 ,a  
handsome offer for the estate had been  
refused a few years before1 in          
compliance with the wishes of ,lucie1   
who loved ,muskau even better than its  
master1 and had appealed to the king to 
prevent the sale4 ,but in #ahde came    
another offer from ,count ,hatzfeld of  
#a1gjj1jjj thalers1 which1 in spite of  
,lucie's tears and entreaties1 the      
prince decided to accept4 ,although it  
cost him a sharp pang to give up to     
another the spot of earth on which he   
had lavished so much time1 so much      
labour1 and so much money1 he fully     
appreciated the advantage of an         
unembarrassed income and complete       
freedom of movement4  ,for a year or two
 after the sale1 he led a wandering     
life1 with ,berlin or ,weimar for his   
headquarters4 ,in #ahdf1 shortly before 
his sixtieth birthday1 he met1 so he    

confided to the long-suffering ,lucie1  
the only woman he had ever loved1 or at 
least the only woman he had ever desired
 to marry4 ,unfortunately1 the lady1 who
 was young1 beautiful1 clever1 of high  
rank1 large fortune1 and angelic        
disposition1 had been married for some  
years to a husband who is described as  
ugly1 ill-tempered1 jealous1 and        
incredibly selfish4 ,the prince's       
letters at this period are filled with  
raptures over the virtues of his new    
inamorata1 and lamentations that he had 
met her too late4 ,for though his       
passion was returned the lady was a     
strict ,catholic1 for whom a divorce was
 out of the question1 and for once this 
hardened ,lothario shrank from an       
elopement1 with the resultant stain upon
 the reputation of the woman he loved4  
,in #ahdf he parted from his affinity1  
who survived the separation little more 
than a year1 and retired with a heavy   
heart to his paternal castle of         
,branitz1 near ,kottbus1 where he       

occupied himself in planting a park and 
laying out gardens4 ,branitz was only   
about a tenth part the size of ,muskau1 
and stood in the midst of a sandy waste1
 but at more than sixty years of age the
 prince set himself1 with all the ardour
 of youth1 to conjure a paradise out of 
the wilderness4 ,forest trees were      
transplanted1 lakes and canals dug1     
hills appeared out of the level fields1 
and1 in short1 this 'earth-tamer1' as   
,rahel called him1 created not only a   
park1 but a complete landscape4  ,the   
remainder of our hero's eventful career 
must be briefly summarised4 ,in #ahea he
 made a flight to ,england to see the   
,great ,exhibition4 ,here he renewed his
 acquaintance with many old friends1    
among them the ,duchess of ,somerset1   
who told him that she had known his     
father well twenty-five years before4   
,the prince1 who has been described as a
 male ,ninon de ,l',enclos1 was         
naturally delighted at being mistaken   
for his own son4 ,in #aheb the work at  

,branitz was so far advanced that its   
lord invited ,lucie to come and take up 
her abode at the ,schloss4 ,but the poor
 lady's troubled life was nearing its   
close4 ,she had a paralytic stroke in   
the autumn of this year1 and remained an
 invalid until her death1 which took    
place at ,branitz in ,may1 #ahed4  ,in  
the loneliness that followed1 the prince
 amused himself by keeping up a lively  
correspondence with his feminine        
acquaintance1 for whom1 even at seventy1
 he had not lost his fascinations4 ,his 
celebrity as an author and a traveller  
brought him many anonymous              
correspondents1 and he never wearied of 
reading and answering the sentimental   
effusions of his unknown admirers4 ,in  
#ahfc he paid a visit incognito to      
,muskau1 the first since he had left it 
eighteen years before1 though ,branitz  
was but a few leagues away4 ,he was     
recognised at once1 and great was the   
joy in the little town over the return  
of its old ruler1 who was honoured with 

illuminations1 the discharge of cannon1 
and torchlight processions4 ,the estate 
had passed into the hands of ,prince    
,frederick of the ,netherlands1 who had 
carried out all its former master's     
plans1 and added many improvements of   
his own4 ,pckler generously admired the 
splendour that he had had so large a    
share in creating1 and then went        
contentedly back to his kleine ,branitz1
 his only regret being that he could not
 live to see it1 like ,muskau1 in the   
fulness of its matured beauty4 ,in      
#ahff1 when war broke out between       
,prussia and ,austria1 this grand old   
man of eighty-one volunteered for active
 service1 and begged to be attached to  
the headquarters' staff4 ,his request   
was granted1 and he went gallantly      
through the brief campaign1 but was     
bitterly disappointed because he was not
 able to be present at the battle of    
,koniggrtz1 owing to the indisposition  
of the king1 upon whom he was in        
attendance4  ,in #ahgj1 when ,france    

declared war against ,prussia1 he again 
volunteered1 and was deeply mortified   
when the king declined his services on  
account of his advanced age4 ,for the   
first time he seems to have realised    
that he was old1 and it is probable that
 the disappointment preyed upon his     
spirits1 for his strength rapidly       
declined1 his memory failed1 and on     
,february #d1ahga1 after a brief        
illness1 he sank peacefully to rest4 ,he
 was buried in a tomb that he had built 
for himself many years before1 a pyramid
 sixty feet high1 which stood upon an   
acre of ground in the centre of an      
artificial lake4 ,the two inscriptions  
that the prince chose for his sepulchre 
illustrate1 appropriately enough1 the   
sharply contrasting qualities of his    
strange individuality--his romantic     
sentimentality1 and his callous         
cynicism4 ,the first inscription was a  
line from the ,koran3     ',graves are  
the mountain summits of a far-off1      
fairer world4'  ,the second1 chosen     

presumably for the sake of the paradox1 
was the ,french apothegm3               
',allons        ,chez    ,pluto plutt   
plus tard4'     ,,william ,,and ,,mary  
,,howitt   ,,part ,i   ,illustration3   
,mary ,howitt ,from a portrait by       
,margaret ,gillies  ,the names of       
,william and ,mary ,howitt are          
inextricably associated with the        
,england of the early nineteenth        
century1 with the re-discovery of the   
beauty and interest of their native     
land1 with the renaissance of the       
national passion for country pleasures  
and country pursuits1 and with the slow1
 painful struggle for a wider freedom1 a
 truer humanity1 a fuller1 more gracious
 life4 ,the ,howitts had no genius1 nor 
were they pioneers1 but1 where the      
unfamiliar was concerned1 they were     
open-minded and receptive to a degree   
that is unfortunately rare in persons of
 their perfect uprightness and strong   
natural piety4 ,if they flashed no new  
radiance upon the world1 they were      

always among the first to kindle their  
little torches at the new lamps2 and    
they did good service in handing back   
the light to those who1 but for them1   
would have had sat in the shadow1 and   
flung stones at the incomprehensible    
illuminations4  ,of the two minds1      
,mary's was the finer and the more      
original4 ,it was one of those everyday 
miracles--the miracles that do          
happen--that in spite of the severity1  
the narrowness1 the repression of her   
early training1 she should have forced  
her way through the shell of rigid      
sectarianism1 repudiated her heritage of
 drab denials1 and opened both heart and
 mind to the new poetry1 the new art1   
and the new knowledge4 ,in her husband  
she found a kindred spirit1 and during  
the more than fifty years of their      
pilgrimage together their eyes were ever
 turned towards the same goal4 ,though  
not equally gifted1 they were equally   
disinterested1 equally enlightened1 and 
equally anxious for the advancement of  

humanity4 ,they took themselves and     
their vocation seriously1 and produced  
an immense quantity of careful1         
conscientious work1 the work of honest  
craftsmen rather than artists1 with the 
quality of a finished piece of          
cabinet-making1 or a strip of fine      
embroidery4  ,mary ,howitt was the      
daughter of ,samuel ,botham1 a          
land-surveyor at ,uttoxeter4 ,his       
father1 the descendant of a long line of
 ,staffordshire yeomen1 ,quakers by     
persuasion1 loved a roaming life1 and   
having married a maltster's widow with a
 talent for business management1 was    
left free to indulge his own            
propensities4 ,he seems to have had a   
talent for medical science of an        
empirical kind1 for he dabbled in       
magnetism and electricity1 and wandered 
about the country collecting herbs for  
headache--snuffs1 and healing ointments4
 ,samuel1 as soon as he had served his  
apprenticeship1 found plenty of         
employment in the neighbourhood1 the    

country gentlemen1 who had taken alarm  
at the revolutionary ideas newly        
introduced from ,france1 being anxious  
to have their acres measured1 and their 
boundaries accurately defined4 ,while at
 work upon ,lord ,talbot's ,welsh       
estates in #agie1 he became attracted by
 a 'convinced' ,friend1 named ,ann      
,wood4 ,the interesting discovery that  
both had a passion for nuts1 together   
with the gentle match-making of a       
,quaker patriarch1 led to an engagement1
 and the couple were married in         
,december1 #agif4  ,ann ,wood was the   
granddaughter of ,william ,wood1 whose  
contract for supplying ,ireland with    
copper coin 7obtained by bribing the    
,duchess of ,kendal7 was turned into a  
national grievance by ,swift1 and led to
 the publication of the ,drapier        
,letters4 ,although ,wood's half-pence  
were admitted to be excellent coin1 and 
,ireland was short of copper1 the       
feeling against their circulation was so
 intense1 that ,ministers were obliged  

to withdraw the patent1 ,wood being     
compensated for his losses with a grant 
of #cjjj a year for a term of years1 and
 'places' for some of his fifteen       
children4 ,ann's father1 ,charles1 when 
very young1 was appointed assay-master  
to ,jamaica4 ,after his return to       
,england in middle life he married a    
lively widow1 went into business as an  
iron-master near ,merthyr ,tydvil1 and  
distinguished himself by introducing    
platinum into ,europe1 having first met 
with the semi-metal in ,jamaica1 whither
 it had been brought from ,carthagena in
 ,new ,spain4 ,after his death1 ,ann1   
the only serious member of a 'worldly'  
family1 found it impossible to remain in
 the frivolous atmosphere of her home1  
and determined1 in modern fashion1 to   
'live her own life4' ,after spending    
some years as governess or companion in 
various families1 she became converted  
to ,quaker doctrines1 and was received  
into the ,society of ,friends4  ,samuel 
,botham took his bride to live in the   

paternal home at ,uttoxeter1 where the  
preparation of the old quack doctor's   
herbal medicines caused her a great deal
 of discomfort4 ,in the course of the   
next three years two daughters were born
 to the couple2 ,anna in #agig1 and     
,mary on ,march #ab1 #agii4 ,at the time
 of ,mary's birth her parents were      
passing through a period of pecuniary   
distress1 owing to a disastrous         
speculation2 but with the opening of the
 new century a piece of great good      
fortune befell ,samuel ,botham4 ,he was 
one of the two surveyors chosen to      
enclose and divide the ,chase of        
,needwood in the county of ,stafford4   
,in the early years of the nineteenth   
century there was1 unfortunately for    
,england1 a mania for enclosing commons1
 and felling ancient forests4 ,needwood1
 which extended for many miles1         
contained great numbers of magnificent  
old oaks1 limes1 and hollies1 and no    
less than twenty thousand head of deer4 
,in after years1 ,mary ,howitt often    

regretted that her family should have   
had a hand in the destruction of so vast
 an extent of solitude and beauty1 in a 
country that was already thickly        
populated and trimly cultivated4 ,still1
 for the nine years that the work of    
'disafforesting' lasted1 the two little 
girls got a great deal of enjoyment out 
of the ruined ,chase1 spending long     
summer days in its grassy glades1 while 
their father parcelled out the land and 
marked trees for the axe4  ,in her      
,autobiography ,footnote3 ,edited by her
 daughter ,margaret1 and published by   
,messrs4 ,isbister in #ahhi4 ,mary      
declares that it is impossible for her  
to give an adequate idea of the         
stillness and isolation of her childish 
life4 ,so intense was the silence of the
 ,quaker household1 that1 at four years 
old1 ,anna had to be sent to a dame's   
school in order that she might learn to 
talk2 while even after both children had
 attained the use of speech1 their      
ignorance of the right names for the    

most ordinary feelings and actions      
obliged them to coin words of their own4
 ',my childhood was happy in many       
respects1' she writes4 ',it was so1 as  
far as physical health1 the enjoyment of
 a beautiful country1 and the           
companionship of a dearly loved sister  
could make it--but oh1 there was such a 
cloud over all from the extreme severity
 of a so-called religious education1 it 
almost made cowards and hypocrites of   
us1 and made us feel that1 if this were 
religion1 it was a thing to be feared   
and hated4' ,the family reading         
consisted chiefly of the writings of    
,madame ,guyon1 ,thomas  ,kempis1 and   
,st4 ,francis de ,sales1 while for light
 literature there were ,telemachus1     
,fox's ,book of ,martyrs1 and a work on 
the ,persecution of the ,friends4 ,but  
it is impossible for even the most pious
 of ,quakers to guard against all the   
stratagems by which the spirit of       
evil--or human nature--contrives to gain
 an entrance into a godly household4 ,in

 the case of the ,botham children an    
early knowledge of good and evil was    
learnt from an apparently respectable   
nurse1 who made her little charges      
acquainted with most of the scandals of 
the neighbourhood1 accustomed their     
infant ears to oaths1 and--most terrible
 of all--taught them to play whist1 she 
herself taking dummy1 and transforming  
the nursery tea-tray into a card-table4 
,in that silent household it was easy to
 keep a secret1 and though the little   
girls often trembled at their nurse's   
language1 they never betrayed her       
confidence4  ,in #ahjf another daughter1
 ,emma1 was born to the ,bothams1 and in
 #ahjh a son1 ,charles4 ,in the midst of
 their joy and amazement at the news    
that they had a brother1 the little     
girls asked each other anxiously3 ',will
 our parents like it8' ,only a short    
time before a stranger had inquired if  
they had any brothers1 and they had     
replied in all seriousness3 ',oh no1 our
 parents do not approve of boys4' ,now1 

much to their relief1 they found that   
their father and mother highly approved 
of their own boy1 who became the spoilt 
darling of the austere household4 ,a new
 nurse was engaged for the son and heir1
 a lady of many love-affairs1 who made  
,mary her confidante1 and induced the   
child1 then nine years old1 to write an 
imaginary love-letter4 ,the unlucky     
letter was laid between the pages of the
 worthy ,madame ,guyon1 and there       
discovered by ,mr4 ,botham4 ,not much   
was said on the subject of the document1
 which seems to have been considered too
 awful to bear discussion2 but the      
children were removed from the influence
 of the nurse1 and allowed to attend a  
day-school in the neighbourhood1 though 
only on condition that they sat apart   
from the other children in order to     
avoid contamination with possible       
worldlings4  ,in #ahji the two elder    
sisters were sent to a ,quaker school at
 ,croydon1 where they found themselves  
the youngest1 the most provincial1 and  

the worst dressed of the little         
community4 ,even in advanced old age1   
,mary had a keen memory for the costumes
 of her childhood1 and the mortification
 that these had caused her4 ,on their   
arrival at school the little girls were 
attired in brown pelisses1 cut plain and
 straight1 without plait or fold1 and   
hooked down the front to obviate the    
necessity for buttons1 which1 being in  
the nature of trimmings1 were regarded  
as an indulgence of the lust of the eye4
 ,on their heads they wore little drab  
beaver bonnets1 also destitute of       
trimmings1 and so plain in shape that   
even the ,quaker hatter had to order    
special blocks for their manufacture4   
,the other girls were busy over various 
kinds of fashionable fancy-work1 but the
 little ,bothams were expected1 in their
 leisure moments1 to make half-a-dozen  
linen shirts for their father1          
button-holes and all4 ,they had never   
learnt to net1 to weave coloured paper  
into baskets1 to plait split straw into 

patterns1 nor any of the other amateur  
handicrafts of the day4 ,but they were  
clever with their fingers1 and could    
copy almost anything that they had seen 
done4 ',we could buckle flax or spin a  
rope1' writes ,mary4 ',we could drive a 
nail1 put in a screw or draw it out4 ,we
 knew the use of a glue-pot1 and how to 
paper a room4 ,we soon furnished        
ourselves with coloured paper for       
plaiting1 and straw to split and weave  
into net2 and ,i shall never forget my  
admiration of a pattern of diamonds     
woven with strips of gold paper on a    
black ground4 ,it was my first attempt  
at artistic handiwork4'  ,after a few   
months at ,croydon the girls were       
recalled to ,uttoxeter on account of    
their mother's illness2 and as soon as  
she recovered they were despatched to   
another ,friends' school at ,sheffield4 
,in #ahab1 when ,mary was only thirteen 
and ,anna fifteen1 their education was  
supposed to be completed1 and they      
returned home for good4 ,but ,mr4       

,botham was dissatisfied with his       
daughters' attainments1 and engaged the 
master of the boys' school to teach them
 ,latin1 mathematics1 and the use of the
 globes4 ,the death of this instructor  
obliged them thenceforward to rely on a 
system of self-education4 ',we retained 
and perfected our rudimentary           
knowledge1' ,mary writes1 'by           
instructing others4 ,our father fitted  
up a school-room for us in the          
stable-loft1 where1 twice a week1 we    
were allowed to teach poor children4 ,in
 this room1 also1 we instructed our dear
 little brother and sister4 ,our father1
 in his beautiful handwriting1 used to  
set them copies1 texts of ,scripture1   
such as he no doubt had found of a      
consolatory nature4 ,on one occasion1   
however1 ,i set the copies1 and well    
remember the tribulation ,i experienced 
in consequence4 ,i always warred in my  
mind against the enforced gloom of our  
home1 and having for my private reading 
at that time ,young's ,night ,thoughts1 

came upon what seemed to me the very    
spirit of true religion1 a cheerful     
heart gathering up the joyfulness of    
surrounding nature2 on which the poet   
says3 ',tis impious in a good man to be 
sad4 ,how ,i rejoiced in this6--and     
thinking it a great fact which ought to 
be noised abroad1 wrote it down in my   
best hand as a copy4 ,it fell under our 
father's eye1 and sorely grieved he was 
at such a sentiment1 and extremely angry
 with me as its promulgator4'  ,the     
sisters can never have found the time   
hang heavy on their hands1 for in       
addition to their educational duties1   
their mother required them to be expert 
in all household matters2 while1 in     
their scanty hours of leisure1 they     
attempted1 in the face of every kind of 
discouragement1 to satisfy their strong 
natural craving for beauty and          
knowledge4 ',we studied poetry1 botany1 
and flower-painting1' ,mary writes4     
',these pursuits were almost out of the 
pale of permitted ,quaker pleasures1 but

 we pursued them with a perfect passion1
 doing in secret that which we dared not
 do openly1 such as reading             
,shakespeare1 the elder novelists1 and  
translations of the classics4 ,we       
studied ,french and chemistry1 and      
enabled ourselves to read ,latin1       
storing our minds with a whole mass of  
heterogeneous knowledge4 ,this was good 
as far as it went1 but ,i now deplore   
the secrecy1 the subterfuge1 and the    
fear under which this ill-digested1     
ill-arranged knowledge was obtained4'   
,the young ,quakeresses picked up ideas 
and models for their artistic handicraft
 from the most unlikely sources4 ,a     
shop-window1 full of dusty plaster      
medallions for mantelpiece decorations1 
gave them their first notions of classic
 design4 ,the black ,wedgwood ware was  
to be seen in nearly every house in     
,uttoxeter1 while a few of the more     
prosperous inhabitants possessed vases  
and jugs in the pale blue ware1         
ornamented with graceful figures4 ,these

 precious specimens the ,botham sisters 
used to borrow1 and contrived to        
reproduce the figures by means of moulds
 made of paper pulp4 ,they also etched  
flowers and landscapes on panes of      
glass1 and manufactured 'transparencies'
 out of different thicknesses of        
cap-paper4 ',i feel a sort of tender    
pity for ,anna and myself1' wrote ,mary 
long afterwards1 'when ,i remember how  
we were always seeking and struggling   
after the beautiful1 and after artistic 
production1 though we knew nothing of   
art4 ,i am thankful that we made no     
alms-baskets1 or hideous abortions of   
that kind4 ,what we did was from the    
innate yearnings of our souls for       
perfection in form and colour2 and our  
accomplished work1 though crude and     
poor1 was the genuine outcome of our own
 individuality4'  ,it was one of the    
heaviest crosses of ,mary's girlish days
 that she and ,anna were not permitted  
to exercise their clever fingers1 and   
indulge their taste for the beautiful1  

in their own dress4 ,but they found a   
faint vicarious pleasure in making      
pretty summer gowns1 and embroidering   
elaborate muslin collars for a          
girl-friend who was allowed to wear     
fashionable clothes1 and even to go to  
balls4 ,even their ultra-plain costumes1
 however1 could not disguise the fact   
that ,anna and ,mary ,botham were comely
 damsels1 and they had several suitors  
among the young men-,friends of         
,uttoxeter4 ,but the sisters held a low 
opinion of the mental endowments of the 
average ,quaker1 an opinion that was    
only shaken by a report of the          
marvellous attainments of young ,william
 ,howitt of ,heanor1 who was said to be 
not only a scholar1 but a born genius4  
,william's mother1 ,phoebe1 herself a   
noted amateur healer1 was an old friend 
of ,mary's grandfather1 the herbal      
doctor1 but the young people had never  
met4 ,however1 in the autumn of #ahah1  
,william paid a visit to some relations 
at ,uttoxeter1 and there made the       

acquaintance of the ,botham girls1 who  
discovered that this young man-,friend  
shared nearly all their interests1 and  
was full of sympathy with their studies 
and pursuits4  ,before the end of the   
year ,mary ,botham was engaged to       
,william ,howitt1 he being then         
six-and-twenty and she nineteen4 ',the  
tastes of my future husband and my own  
were strongly similar1' she observes1   
'so also was our mental culture2 but he 
was in every direction so far in advance
 of me as to become my teacher and      
guide4 ,knowledge in the broadest sense 
was the aim of our intellectual efforts2
 poetry and nature were the paths that  
led to it4 ,of ballad poetry ,i was     
already enamoured1 ,william made me     
acquainted with the realistic           
life-pictures of ,crabbe2 the bits of   
nature and poetry in the vignettes of   
,bewick2 with the earliest works of     
,wordsworth1 ,coleridge1 and ,shelley1  
and the first marvellous prose          
productions of the author of ,waverley4'

  ,after an engagement lasting a little 
more than two years1 ,william and ,mary 
were married on ,april #af1 #ahba1 the  
bride wearing her first silk gown--a    
pretty dove-colour--and a white silk    
shawl1 finery which filled her soul with
 rapture4 ,the couple spent the         
honeymoon in the bridegroom's native    
,derbyshire1 visiting every spot of     
beauty or haunt of old tradition in that
 country of the romantic and the        
picturesque4 ,incorporated in his wife's
 ,autobiography is ,william ,howitt's   
narrative of his parentage and youthful 
days1 which is supplemented by his      
,boys' ,country ,book1 the true story of
 his early adventures and experiences4  
,the ,howitts1 he tells us1 were        
descended from a family named ,hewitt1  
the younger branch of which obtained    
,wansley ,hall1 near ,nottingham1       
through marriage with an heiress1 and   
changed the spelling of their name4 ,his
 ancestors had been1 for generations1 a 
rollicking set1 all wofully lacking in  

prudence and sobriety4 ,about the end of
 the seventeenth century1 one ,thomas   
,howitt1 great-great-grandfather of     
,william1 married ,catherine1 heiress of
 the ,charltons of ,chilwell4 ,but      
,thomas so disgusted his father-in-law  
by his drunken habits that ,mr4         
,charlton disinherited his daughter1 who
 loyally refused to leave her husband1  
and left his property to a stranger who 
chanced to bear his name4 ,after this   
misfortune the ,howitts descended       
somewhat in the social scale1 and1      
having no more substance to waste1      
reformed their ways and forsook all     
riotous living4 ,william's father1 who  
held a post as manager of a ,derbyshire 
colliery1 married a ,quaker lady1       
,phoebe ,tantum of the ,fall1 ,heanor1  
and was himself received into the       
,society of ,friends in #aghc4  ,william
 received a good plain education at a   
,quaker school at ,ackworth1 and grew up
 a genuine country lad1 scouring the    
lanes on his famous grey pony1 ,peter   

,scroggins1 the acknowledged leader of  
the village lads in bird-nesting and    
rat-hunting expeditions1 and taking his 
full share of the work on his father's  
little farm4 ,long afterwards he used to
 say that every scene in and about      
,heanor was photographed with absolute  
distinctness on his brain1 and he loved 
to recall the long days that he had     
spent in following the plough1 chopping 
turnips for the cattle1 tramping over   
the snow-covered fields after red-wing  
and fieldfare1 collecting acorns for the
 swine1 or hunting through the barns for
 eggs4 ,the ,howitt family was much less
 strict than that of the ,bothams1 for  
in the winter evenings the boys were    
allowed to play draughts and dominoes1  
while at ,christmas there were games of 
forfeits1 blind-man's buff1 and fishing 
for the ring in the great posset-pot4   
,on leaving school at fifteen1 ,william 
amused himself for a couple of years on 
the farm1 though1 curiously enough1 he  
never thought of becoming a farmer in   

good earnest2 indeed1 at this time he   
seems to have had no distinct bias      
towards any profession4 ,mr4 ,howitt had
 somehow become imbued with ,rousseau's 
doctrine that every boy1 whatever his   
position in life1 should learn a        
mechanical handicraft1 in order that1 if
 all else failed1 he might be able to   
earn his own living by the labour of his
 hands4 ,having decided that ,william   
should learn carpentering1 the boy was  
apprenticed for four years to a         
carpenter and builder at ,mansfield1 on 
the outskirts of ,sherwood ,forest4 ,the
 four precious years were practically   
thrown away1 except for the enjoyment   
obtained from long solitary rambles amid
 the picturesque associations of the    
,forest1 and the knowledge of natural   
history gained from close observation of
 the wild life of that romantic         
district4  ,it was not until his        
twenty-first birthday that ,william's   
indentures were out1 and as he was still
 unable to make up his mind about a     

profession--it must be remembered that  
the law1 the church1 the army and navy  
were all closed to a ,quaker--he spent  
the next seven years at home1 angling in
 the streams like his favourite hero1   
,isaac ,walton1 and striving1 by dint of
 hard study1 to make up the many        
deficiencies in his education4 ,he      
taught himself ,latin1 ,french1 and     
,italian1 besides working at botany1    
chemistry1 and the dispensing of        
medicines4 ,it was during these seven   
years of uncertainty and experiment that
 ,william read ,washington ,irving's    
,sketches of ,geoffrey ,crayon1 which   
produced a strong impression on his     
mind4 ,with the inspiration of this book
 hot upon him1 he made a tour on foot   
through the ,peak country1 and          
afterwards wrote an account of his      
adventures in what he fondly believed to
 be the style of ,geoffrey ,crayon4 ,the
 paper was printed in a local journal   
under the title of ,a ,pedestrian       
,pilgrimage through the ,peak1 by       

,wilfrid ,wendle4 ,this was not ,william
 ,howitt's first literary essay1 some   
stanzas of his on ,spring1 written when 
he was only thirteen1 having been       
printed in the ,monthly ,magazine1 with 
his name and age attached4  ,with the   
prospect of marriage it was thought     
desirable that ,william should have some
 regular calling4 ,without1 so far as   
appears1 passing any examinations or    
obtaining any certificates1 he bought   
the business of a chemist and druggist  
in ,hanley1 and thither1 though with no 
intention of settling permanently in the
 ,potteries1 he took his bride as soon  
as the honeymoon was over4 ,only seven  
months were spent at ,hanley1 and in    
,december1 #ahba1 the couple were       
preparing to move to ,nottingham1 where 
,william had bought the good-will of    
another chemist's business4 ,but before 
settling down in their new home1 the    
,howitts undertook a long pedestrian    
tour through ,scotland and the north of 
,england1 in the course of which they   

explored the ,rob ,roy country1 rambled 
through ,fife1 made acquaintance with   
the beauties of ,edinburgh1 looked in   
upon ,robert ,owen's model factories at 
,new ,lanark1 got a glimpse of ,walter  
,scott at ,melrose1 were mistaken for a 
runaway couple at ,gretna ,green1 gazed 
reverently on ,rydal ,mount1 and tramped
 in all no less than five hundred miles4
 ,an account of the tour was contributed
 to a ,staffordshire paper under the    
title of ,a ,scottish ,ramble in the    
,spring of #ahbb1 by ,wilfrid and       
,wilfreda ,wendle4  ,it was not until   
,august1 #ahbb1 that the pair           
established themselves in a little house
 at ,nottingham4 ,of the chemist's      
business we hear practically nothing in 
,mary's narrative1 but a great deal     
about the literary enterprises in which 
husband and wife collaborated4 ,they    
began by collecting the poems1 of which 
each had a large number ready written1  
and1 in fear and trembling1 prepared to 
submit them to the verdict of critics   

and public4 ',it seems strange to me1'  
wrote ,mary1 when she informed her      
sister of this modest venture1 'and ,i  
cannot reconcile myself to the thought  
of seeing my own name staring me in the 
face in every bookseller's window1 or   
being pointed at and peeped after as a  
writer of verses4' ,in ,april1 #ahbc1   
,the ,forest ,minstrel and other ,poems1
 by ,william and ,mary ,howitt1 made its
 appearance in a not particularly       
appreciative world4 ,the verses were    
chiefly descriptive of country sights   
and sounds1 and had been produced1 as   
stated in the ,preface1 'not for the    
sake of writing1 but for the indulgence 
of our own overflowing feelings4' ,the  
little book created no sensation1 but it
 was kindly noticed1 and seems to have  
attracted a few quiet readers who1 like 
the writers1 were lovers of nature and  
simplicity4  ,during these early years  
at ,nottingham the ,howitts kept up1 as 
far as their opportunities allowed1 with
 the thought and literature of their    

day1 and never relaxed their anxious    
efforts after 'mental improvement4'     
,william's brother1 ,richard1 himself a 
budding poet1 was at this time an inmate
 of the little household1 which was     
increased in #ahbd by the birth of a    
daughter1 ,anna ,mary4 ,although the    
couple still remained in the ,quaker    
fold1 they were gradually discarding the
 peculiar dress and speech of the       
'plain' ,friends4 ,they were evidently  
regarded as terribly 'advanced' young   
people in their own circle1 and shocked 
many of their old acquaintances by the  
catholicity of their views1 by their    
admiration of ,byron and ,shelley1 and  
by the liberal tone of their own        
productions4 ,like most of the lesser   
writers of that day1 they found their   
way into the popular ,keepsakes and     
,annuals1 which ,mary accurately        
describes as 'a chaffy1 frivolous1 and  
unsatisfactory style of publication1    
that only serves to keep a young author 
in the mind of the public1 and to bring 

in a little cash4' ,in #ahbf ,mrs4      
,howitt was preparing for the press a   
new volume of poems by herself and her  
husband1 ,the ,desolation of ,eyam1 and 
in a letter to her sister1 now          
transformed into ,mrs4 ,daniel ,wilson1 
she describes her sensations while      
awaiting the ordeal of critical         
judgment1 and expresses her not very    
flattering opinion of the contemporary  
reviewer4  ',nobody that has not        
published1' she observes1 'can tell the 
almost painful excitement which the     
first opinions occasion4 ,really1 for   
some days ,i was quite nervous4 ,william
 boasted of possessing his mind in wise 
passivity1 and truly his imperturbable  
patience was quite an annoyance2 ,i     
therefore got ,rogers's beautiful poem  
on ,italy to read1 and so diverted my   
thoughts4 ,everything in the literary   
world is done by favour and connections4
 ,it is a miracle to me how our former  
volume1 when we were quite unknown1 got 
favourably noticed4 ,in many cases a    

book is reviewed which has never been   
read1 or even seen externally4'  ,by    
this time the young authors who1 to use 
,mary's own phrase1 hungered and        
thirsted after acquaintances who were   
highly gifted in mind or profound in    
knowledge1 had acquired one or two      
literary friends and correspondents1    
among them ,mrs4 ,hemans1 ,bernard      
,barton1 the ,quaker poet1 and the      
,alaric ,watts's of ,keepsake fame4 ,an 
occasional notice of the ,howitts and   
their little household may be found in  
contemporary works by forgotten writers4
 ,for example1 ,sir ,richard ,phillips1 
in the section devoted to ,nottingham of
 his quaintly-worded ,personal ,tour    
through the ,united ,kingdom 7#ahbh71   
observes3 ',of ,messrs4 ,howitt1 husband
 and wife1 conjugal in love and poetry1 
it would be vain for me to speak4 ,their
 tasteful productions belong to the     
nation as well as to ,nottingham4 ,as a 
man of taste ,mr4 ,howitt married a lady
 of taste2 and with rare amiability they

 have jointly cultivated the ,muses1 and
 produced some volumes of poetry1       
consisting of pieces under their        
separate names4 ,the circumstance       
afforded a topic for ridicule to some of
 those anonymous critics who abuse the  
press and disgrace literature2 but no   
one ventured to assail their            
productions4' ,spencer ,hall1 a         
fellow-townsman1 became acquainted with 
the ,howitts in #ahbi1 and in his       
,reminiscences describes ,william as a  
bright1 neat1 quick1 dapper man of      
medium height1 with a light complexion1 
blue eyes1 and brisk1 cheery speech4    
,mary1 he tells us2 was always neatly   
dressed1 but with nothing prim or       
sectarian in her style4 ',her expression
 was frank and free1 yet very modest1   
and she was blessed with an             
affectionate1 sociable spirit4'  ,a     
presentation copy of ,the ,desolation of
 ,eyam was sent to the ,howitts'        
favourite poet1 ,wordsworth1 who1 in    
acknowledging their 'elegant volume1'   

declared that1 though he had only had   
time to turn over the leaves1 he had    
found several poems which had already   
afforded him no small gratification4    
,the harmless little book was denounced 
by the ,eclectic ,review as             
'anti-,quakerish1 atheistical1 and      
licentious in style and sentiment1 'but 
the authors were consoled by a charming 
little notice of their contributions to 
the ,annuals in the ,noctes ,ambrosianae
 for ,november1 #ahbh4 ',who are these  
three brothers and sisters1 the         
,howitts1 sir8' asks the ,shepherd of   
,christopher ,north1 in the course of a 
discussion of the ,christmas gift-books1
 'whose names ,i see in the             
adverteesements8'  ,north4 ,i don't     
know1 ,james4 ,it runs in my head that  
they are ,quakers4 ,richard and ,william
 seem amiable and ingenious men1 and    
,sister ,mary writes beautifully4       
,shepherd4 ,what do you mean by         
beautifully8 ,that's vague4  ,north4    
,her language is chaste and simple1 her 

feelings tender and pure1 and her       
observation of nature accurate and      
intense4 ,her ',sketches from ,natural  
,history' in the ,christmas ,box have   
much of the moral--nay1 rather the      
religious spirit--that permeates all    
,wordsworth's smaller poems1 however    
light and slight the subject1 and show  
that ,mary ,howitt is not only well-read
 in the book of ,bewick1 but also in the
 book from which ,bewick has borrowed   
all--glorious plagiarist--and every     
other inspired zoologist--  ,shepherd4  
,the ,book o' ,natur'4'  ,the great     
event of #ahbi for the ,howitts was a   
visit to ,london1 where they were the   
guests of ,alaric and ,zillah ,watts1   
with whom they had long maintained a    
paper friendship4 ',what wilt thou say1 
dear ,anna1' writes ,mary in ,december1 
'when ,i tell thee that ,william and ,i 
set out for ,london the day after       
to-morrow4 ,i half dread it4 ,i shall   
wish twenty times for our quiet         
fireside1 where day by day we read and  

talk by ourselves1 and nobody looks in  
upon us4 ,i keep reasoning with myself  
that the people we shall see in ,london 
are but men and women1 and perhaps1     
after all1 no better than ourselves4 ,if
 we could but divest our minds of self1 
as our dear father used to say we should
 do1 it would be better and more        
comfortable for us4 ,yet it is one of   
the faults peculiar to us ,bothams that1
 with all the desire there was to make  
us regardless of self1 we never had     
confidence and proper self-respect      
instilled into us1 and the want of this 
gives us a depressing feeling1 though ,i
 hope it is less seen by others than by 
ourselves4444 ,we do not intend to stay 
more than a week1 and thou may believe  
we shall have enough to do4 ,we have to 
make special calls on the ,carter       
,halls1 ,dr4 ,bowring1 and the          
,pringles1 and are to be introduced to  
their ramifications of acquaintance4    
,allan ,cunningham1 ,l4 ,e4 ,l41 and    
,thomas ,roscoe we are sure to see4'    

,in ,miss ,landon's now forgotten novel1
 ,romance and ,reality1 there is a      
little sketch of ,mary ,howitt as she   
appeared at a literary soire1 during her
 brief visit to ,london4 ,the heroine1  
,miss ,arundel1 is being initiated into 
the mysteries of the writing world by   
her friend1 ,mrs4 ,sullivan1 when her   
attention is arrested by the sight of 'a
 female in a ,quaker's dress--the quiet1
 dark silk dress--the hair simply parted
 on the forehead--the small1 close      
cap--the placid1 subdued expression of  
the face1 were all in strong contrast to
 the crimsons1 yellows1 and blues       
around4 ,the general character of the   
large1 soft eyes seemed sweetness2 but  
they were now lighted up with an        
expression of intelligent               
observation--that clear1 animated1 and  
comprehensive glance which shows it     
analyses what it observes4 ,you looked  
at her with something of the sensation  
with which1 while travelling along a    
dusty road1 the eye fixes on some green 

field1 where the hour flings its        
sunshine and the tree its shadow1 as if 
its pure fresh beauty was a thing apart 
from the soil and tumult of the highway4
 ,you see1 said ,mrs4 ,sullivan1 one    
who1 in a brief interview1 gave me more 
the idea of a poet than most of our     
modern votaries of the lute4444 ,she is 
as creative in her imaginary poems as   
she is touching and true in her simpler 
ones4'  ,though there were still giants 
upon the earth in those far-off days1   
the general standard of literary taste  
was by no means exalted1 a fact which   
,mary ,howitt could hardly be expected  
to realise4 ,she seems to have taken the
 praises lavished on her simple verses  
over-seriously1 and to have imagined    
herself in very truth a poet4 ,she was  
more clear-sighted where the work of her
 fellow-scribes was concerned1 and in a 
letter written about this time1 she     
descants upon the dearth of good        
literature in a somewhat disillusioned  
vein4 ,after expressing her desire that 

some mighty spirit would rise up and    
give an impulse to poetry1 she          
continues3 ',i am tired of ,sir ,walter 
,scott and his imitators1 and ,i am     
sickened of ,mrs4 ,hemans's luscious    
poetry1 and all her tribe of copyists4  
,the libraries set in array one school  
against another1 and hurry out the      
trashy volumes before the ink of the    
manuscript is fairly dry4 ,dost thou    
remember the days when ,byron's poems   
first came out1 now one and then        
another1 at sufficient intervals to     
allow of digesting them8 ,and dost thou 
remember our first reading of ,lalla    
,rookh8 ,it was on a washing-day4 ,we   
read and clapped our clear-starching1   
read and clapped1 and read again1 and   
all the time our souls were not on this 
earth4'  ,there was one book then in    
course of preparation which ,mary       
thought worthy to have been read1 even  
in those literary clear-starching days4 
',thou hast no idea1' she assures her   
sister1 'how very interesting ,william's

 work1 now called ,a ,book of the       
,seasons1 has become4 ,it contains      
original sketches on every month1 with  
every characteristic of the season1 and 
a garden department which will fill thy 
heart brimful of all garden delights1   
greenness1 and boweriness4 ,mountain    
scenery and lake scenery1 meadows and   
woods1 hamlets1 farms1 halls1 storm and 
sunshine--all are in this most delicious
 book1 grouped into a most harmonious   
whole4' ,unfortunately1 publishers were 
hard to convince of the merits of the   
new work1 the first of ,william         
,howitt's rural series1 and it was      
declined by four houses in turn4 ,the   
author at last suggested that a stone   
should be tied to the unlucky           
manuscript1 and that it should be flung 
over ,london ,bridge2 but his wife was  
not so easily disheartened4 ,she was    
certain that the book was a worthy book1
 and only needed to be made a little    
more 'personable' to find favour in the 
eyes of a publisher4 ,accordingly1      

blotted sheets were hastily re-copied1  
new articles introduced1 and passages of
 dubious interest omitted1 husband and  
wife working together at this           
remodelling until their fingers ached   
and their eyes were as dim as an owl's  
in sunshine4 ,their labours were        
rewarded by the acceptance of the work  
by ,bentley and ,colburn1 and its       
triumphant success with both critics and
 public1 seven editions being called for
 in the first few months of its career4 
',prig it and pocket it1' says          
,christopher ,north1 alluding to the    
,book of the ,seasons in the ,noctes for
 ,april1 #ahca4 '',tis a jewel4'  ',is  
,nottingham far intil ,england1 sir8'   
asks the simple ,shepherd1 to whom the  
above advice is given4 ',for ,i would   
really like to pay the ,hooits a visit  
this simmer4 ,thae ,quakers are what we 
micht scarcely opine frae first         
principles1 a maist poetical ,christian 
seck4444 ,the twa married ,hooits ,i    
love just excessively1 sir4 ,what they  

write canna fail o' being poetry1 even  
the most middlin' o't1 for it's aye wi' 
them the ebullition o' their ain feeling
 and their ain fancy1 and whenever      
that's the case1 a bonny word or twa    
will drap itself intil ilka stanzy1 and 
a sweet stanzy or twa intil ilka pome1  
and sae they touch1 and sae they win a  
body's heart4'  ,the year #ahca was     
rendered memorable to the ,howitts1 not 
only by their first literary success1   
but also by an unexpected visit from    
their poetical idol1 ,mr4 ,wordsworth4  
,the poet1 his wife and daughter1 were  
on their way home from ,london when     
,mrs4 ,wordsworth was suddenly taken    
ill1 and was unable to proceed farther  
than ,nottingham4 ,her husband1 in great
 perplexity1 came to ask advice of the  
,howitts1 who insisted that the invalid 
should be removed to their house1 where 
she remained for ten days before she was
 able to continue her journey4          
,wordsworth himself was only able to    
stay one night1 but in that short time  

he made a very favourable impression    
upon his host and hostess4 ',he is      
worthy of being the author of ,the      
,excursion1 ,ruth1 and those sweet poems
 so full of human sympathy1' writes     
,mary4 ',he is a kind man1 full of      
strong feeling and sound judgment4 ,my  
greatest delight was that he seemed so  
pleased with ,william's conversation4   
,they seemed quite in their element1    
pouring out their eloquent sentiments on
 the future prospects of society1 and on
 all subjects connected with poetry and 
the interests of man4 ,nor are we less  
pleased with ,mrs4 ,wordsworth and her  
lovely daughter1 ,dora4 ,they are the   
most grateful people2 everything that we
 do for them is right1 and the very best
 it can be4'  ,during the next two or   
three years ,mary produced a volume of  
dramatic sketches1 called ,the ,seven   
,temptations1 which she always regarded 
as her best and most original work1 but 
which was damned by the critics and     
neglected by the public2 a little book  

of natural history for children2 and a  
novel in three volumes1 called ,wood    
,leighton1 which seems to have had some 
success4 ,the ,seven ,temptations1 it   
must be owned1 is a rather lugubrious   
production1 probably inspired by ,joanna
 ,baillie's ,plays on the ,passions4    
,the scene of ,wood ,leighton is laid at
 ,uttoxeter1 and the book is not so much
 a connected tale as a series of        
sketches descriptive of scenes and      
characters in and about the author's    
early home4 ,it is evident that ,mrs4   
,botham and ,sister ,anna looked        
somewhat disapprovingly upon so much    
literary work for the mistress of a     
household1 since we find ,mary writing  
in eager defence of her chosen calling4 
',i want to make thee1 and more         
particularly dear mother1 see1' she     
explains1 'that ,i am not out of my line
 of duty in devoting myself so much to  
literary occupation4 ,just lately things
 were sadly against us4 ,dear ,william  
could not sleep at night1 and the days  

were dark and gloomy4 ,altogether1 ,i   
was at my wits' end4 ,i turned over in  
my mind what ,i could do next1 for till 
,william's ,rural ,life was finished we 
had nothing available4 ,then ,i         
bethought myself of all those little    
verses and prose tales that for years ,i
 had written for the juvenile ,annuals4 
,it seemed probable ,i might turn them  
to some account4 ,in about a week ,i had
 nearly all the poetry copied2 and then 
who should come to ,nottingham but ,john
 ,darton a ,quaker publisher4 ,he fell  
into the idea immediately1 took what ,i 
had copied up to ,london with him1 and  
,i am to have a hundred and fifty       
guineas for them4 ,have ,i not reason to
 feel that in thus writing ,i was       
fulfilling a duty8'  ,in #ahcc ,william 
,hewitt's ,history of ,priestcraft      
appeared1 a work which was publicly     
denounced at the ,friends' yearly       
meeting1 all good ,quakers being        
cautioned not to read it4 ,william      
hitherto had lived in great retirement  

at ,nottingham1 but he was now claimed  
by the ,radical and ,nonconformist      
members of the community as their       
spokesman and champion4 ,in ,january1   
#ahcd1 he and ,joseph ,gilbert 7husband 
of ,ann ,gilbert of ,original ,poems    
fame7 were deputed to present to the    
,prime ,minister1 ,lord ,grey1 a        
petition from ,nottingham for the       
disestablishment of the ,church of      
,england4 ,the ,premier regretted that  
he could not give his support to such a 
sweeping measure1 which would embarrass 
the ,ministry1 alarm both ,houses of    
,parliament1 and startle the nation4 ,he
 declared his intention of standing by  
the ,church to the best of his ability1 
believing it to be the sacred duty of   
,government to maintain an establishment
 of religion4 ,to which sturdy ,william 
,howitt replied that to establish one   
sect in preference to another was to    
establish a party and not a religion4   
,civic duties1 together with the        
excitements of local politics1 proved a 

sad hindrance to literary work1 and in  
#ahcf the ,howitts1 who had long been   
yearning for a wider intellectual       
sphere1 decided to give up the chemist's
 business1 and settle in the            
neighbourhood of ,london4 ,their        
friends1 the ,alaric ,watts's1 who were 
living at ,thames ,ditton1 found them a 
pretty little house at ,esher1 where    
they would be able to enjoy the woods   
and heaths of rural ,surrey1 and yet be 
within easy reach of publishers and     
editors in town4 ,before settling down  
in their new home1 the ,howitts made a  
three months' tour in the north1 with a 
view to gathering materials for         
,william's book on ,rural ,england4     
,they explored the ,yorkshire dales1    
stayed with the ,wordsworths at ,rydal1 
and made a pilgrimage to the haunts of  
their favourite1 ,thomas ,bewick1 in    
,northumberland4 ,crossing the ,border  
they paid a delightful visit to         
,edinburgh1 where they were made much of
 by the three literary cliques of the   

city1 the ,blackwood and ,wilson set1   
the ,tait set1 and the ,chambers set4   
',immediately after our arrival1'       
relates ,mary1 'a public dinner was     
given to ,campbell the poet1 at which   
the committee requested my husband's    
attendance1 and that he would take a    
share in the proceedings of the evening 
by proposing as a toast1 ,wordsworth1   
,southey1 and ,moore4 ,this was our     
first introduction to ,professor ,wilson
 7,christopher ,north7 and his family4  
,i sat in the gallery with ,mrs4 ,wilson
 and her daughters1 one of whom was     
engaged to ,professor ,ferrier4 ,we     
could not but remark the wonderful      
difference1 not only in the outer man1  
but in the whole character of mind and  
manner1 between ,professor ,wilson and  
,campbell--the one so hearty1 outspoken1
 and joyous1 the other so petty and     
trivial4'  ,robert ,chambers constituted
 himself the ,hewitts' cicerone in      
,edinburgh1 showing them every place of 
interest1 and presenting them to every  

person of note1 including ,mrs4         
,maclehose 7the ,clarinda of ,burns71   
and ,william ,miller1 the ,quaker artist
 and engraver1 as intense a             
nature-worshipper as themselves4 ,from  
,edinburgh they went to ,glasgow1 where 
they took ship for the ,western ,isles4 
,their adventures at ,staffa and ,iona1 
their voyage up the ,caledonian ,canal1 
and the remainder of their experiences  
on this tour1 were afterwards described 
by ,william ,howitt in his ,visits to   
,remarkable ,places4     ,,part ,,ii    
,in ,september1 #ahcf1 the ,howitts took
 possession of their ,surrey home1 ,west
 ,end ,cottage1 an old-fashioned        
dwelling1 with a large garden1 an       
orchard1 a meadow by the river ,mole1   
and the right of boating and fishing to 
the extent of seven miles4 ,the new life
 opened with good prospects of literary 
and journalistic employment1 ,william   
,howitt's political writings having     
already attracted attention from several
 persons of power and influence in the  

newspaper world4 ,on ,december #c of    
this year1 ,mary wrote to inform her    
sister that1 ',in consequence of an     
article that ,william wrote on ,dymond's
 ,christian ,morality1 ,joseph ,hume1   
the member for ,middlesex1 wrote to him1
 and has opened a most promising        
connection for him with a new ,radical  
newspaper1 ,the ,constitutional4        
,o',connell seems determined to make him
 the editor of the ,dublin ,review1 and 
wrote him a most kind letter1 which has 
naturally promoted his interest with the
 party4 ,i cannot but see the hand of   
,providence in our leaving ,nottingham4 
,all has turned out admirably4'         
,unfortunately for these sanguine       
anticipations1 the newspaper connections
 on which the ,howitts depended for a   
livelihood1 now that the despised       
chemist's business had been given up1   
proved but hollow supports4 ,o',connell 
had overlooked the trifling fact that a 
,quaker editor was hardly fitted to     
conduct a journal that was emphatically 

and polemically ,catholic2 and though he
 considered that ,william ,howitt was   
admirably adapted to deal with literary 
and political topics1 he was obliged to 
withdraw his offer of the editorship4 ,a
 more crushing disappointment arose out 
of the engagement on ,the               
,constitutional4 ,mr4 ,howitt1 according
 to his wife1 did more for the paper    
than any other member of the staff4 ',he
 worked and wrote like any slave1' she  
tells her sister4 ',in the end1 after a 
series of the most harassing and        
vexatious conduct on the part of the    
newspaper company1 he was swindled out  
of every farthing4 ,oh1 it was a most   
mortifying and humiliating thing to see 
men professing liberal and honest       
principles act so badly4 ,a month ago1  
when in the very depths of              
discouragement and low spirits1 ,i set  
about a little volume for ,darton1 to be
 called ,birds and ,flowers1 and have   
pretty nearly finished it4 ,william1 in 
the mean time1 has finished his ,rural  

,life1 and sold the first edition to    
,longman's4'  ,the manager of the       
unlucky paper was ,major ,carmichael    
,smith1 who1 when matters grew          
desperate1 sent for his step-son1       
,thackeray1 then acting as ,paris       
correspondent for a ,london daily4      
',just as ,i was going out of the office
 one day1' writes ,william1 ',i met on  
the stairs a tall1 thin young man1 in a 
dark blue coat1 and with a nose that    
seemed to have had a blow that had      
flattened the bridge4 ,i turned back1   
and had some conversation with him1     
being anxious to know how he proposed to
 carry on a paper which was without any 
funds1 and already deeply in debt4 ,he  
did not seem to know any more than ,i   
did4 ,i thought to myself that his      
step-father had not done him much       
service in taking him from a profitable 
post for the vain business of           
endeavouring to buoy up a desperate     
speculation4 ,how much longer ,the      
,constitutional struggled on1 ,i know   

not4 ,that was the first time ,i ever   
saw or heard of ,william ,makepeace     
,thackeray4'  ,the ,howitts were        
somewhat consoled for their journalistic
 losses by the triumphant success of    
,rural ,life in ,england4 ,the reading  
public which1 during the previous       
century1 had swallowed mock pastorals1  
made in ,fleet ,street1 with perfect    
serenity1 was now1 thanks to the        
slowly-working influence of ,wordsworth 
and the other ,lake poets1 prepared for 
a renaissance of nature and simplicity  
in prose4 ,miss ,mitford's exquisite    
work had given them a distaste for the  
'jewelled turf1' the 'silver streams1'  
and 'smiling valleys' which constituted 
the rustic stock-in-trade of the average
 novelist2 and they eagerly welcomed a  
book that treated with accuracy and     
observation of the real country4        
,william ,howitt's straightforward1     
undistinguished style was acceptable    
enough in an age when even men of genius
 seem to have written fine prose without

 knowing it1 and tripped up not         
infrequently over the subtleties of     
,english grammar4 ,his lack of          
imagination and humour was more than    
atoned for1 in the uncritical eyes of   
the 'thirties1' by the easy loquacity of
 his rural gossip1 and the varied       
information with which he crammed his   
pages4 ,the ,nature of those days was a 
simple1 transparent creature1 with but  
small resemblance to the lady of moods1 
mystery1 and passion who is so          
overworked in our modern literature4 ,no
 one dreamt of going into hysterics over
 the veining of a leaf1 or penning a    
rhapsody on the outline of a rain-cloud2
 nor could it yet be said that1 'if     
everybody must needs blab of the favours
 that have been done him by roadside1   
and river-brink1 and woodland walk1 as  
if to kiss and tell were no longer      
treachery1 it will soon be a positive   
refreshment to meet a man who is as     
superbly indifferent to ,nature as she  
is to him4' ,footnote3 ,lowell  ,the    

,howitts took great delight in the      
pleasant ,surrey country1 so different  
from the dreary scenery around          
,nottingham1 and ,mary's letters contain
 many descriptions of the woods and     
commons and shady lanes through which   
the family made long expeditions in a   
little carriage drawn by ,peg1 their    
venerable pony4 ,driving one day to     
,hook1 they met ,charles ,dickens1 then 
best known as ',boz1' in one of his long
 tramps1 with ,harrison ,ainsworth as   
his companion4 ,when ,dickens's next    
work1 ,master ,humphrey's ,clock1       
appeared1 the ,howitts were amused to   
see that their stout and wilful ,peg had
 not escaped the novelist's keen eye1   
but had been pressed into service for   
,mr4 ,garland's chaise4  ,on another    
occasion1 in ,july #ahda1 ,william1     
while driving with a friend1 was        
attacked by two handsome1 dark-eyed     
girls1 dressed in gipsy costume1 who ran
 one on each side of the carriage1      
begging that the kind gentleman would   

give them sixpence1 as they were poor   
strangers who had taken nothing all day4
 ,mr4 ,howitt1 who had made a special   
study of the gipsy tribe1 perceived in  
an instant that these were only sham    
,romanys4 ,he paid no attention to their
 pleading1 but observed that he hoped   
they would enjoy their frolic1 and only 
wished that he were as rich as they4    
,subsequently1 he discovered that the   
mock-gipsies1 who had been unable to    
coax a sixpence out of him1 were none   
other than the beautiful ,sheridan      
sisters1 the ,duchess of ,somerset1 and 
,mrs4 ,blackwood 7afterwards ,lady      
,dufferin71 whose husband had lately    
taken ,bookham ,lodge4  ,during the four
 years spent at ,esher1 ,mary seems to  
have been too much occupied with the    
cares of a young family to use her pen  
to much purpose4 ,she produced little1  
except a volume of ,hymns and ,fireside 
,verses1 but she frequently assisted her
 husband in his work4 ,william1         
industrious as ever1 published1 besides 

a large number of newspaper articles1   
his ,boys' ,country ,book1 the best work
 of the kind ever written1 according to 
the ,quarterly ,review2 and his ,history
 of ,colonisation and ,christianity1 in 
which he took a rapid survey of the     
behaviour of the ,christian nations of  
,europe to the inhabitants of the       
countries they conquered in all parts of
 the world4 ,it was the reading of this 
book that led ,mr4 ,joseph ,pease to    
establish the ,british ,india ,society1 
which issued1 in a separate form1 the   
portion of the work that related to     
,india4 ,mr4 ,howitt next set to work   
upon another topographical volume1 his  
,visits to ,remarkable ,places1 in which
 he turned to good account the materials
 collected in his pedestrian rambles    
about the country4  ,in #ahdj the       
question of education for the elder     
children became urgent1 and the         
,howitts1 who had heard much of the     
advantages of a residence in ,germany   
from their friends1 ,mrs4 ,hemans1 ,mrs4

 ,jameson1 and ,henry ,chorley1 decided 
to give up their cottage at ,esher1 and 
spend two or three years at ,heidelberg4
 ,letters of introduction from ,mrs4    
,jameson gave them the entre into       
,german society1 which they found more  
to their taste than that of their native
 land4 ',for the sake of our children1' 
writes ,mary1 'we sought ,german        
acquaintances1 we read ,german1 we      
followed ,german customs4 ,the life     
seemed to me easier1 the customs simpler
 and less expensive than in ,england4   
,there was not the same feverish thirst 
after wealth as with us2 there was more 
calm appreciation of nature1 of music1  
of social enjoyment4' ,in their home on 
the ,neckar1 the ,howitts1 most         
adaptable of couples1 found new         
pleasures and new amusements with each  
season of the year4 ,in the spring and  
summer they explored the surrounding    
country1 wandered through the deep      
valleys and woods1 where the grass was  
purple with bilberries1 visited quaint1 

half-timbered homesteads1 standing in   
the midst of ancient orchards1 or       
followed the swift-flowing streams1 on  
whose banks the peasant girls in their  
picturesque costumes were washing and   
drying linen4 ,in the autumn the whole  
family turned out on the first day of   
the vintage1 and worked like their      
neighbours4 ',it was like something     
,arcadian1' wrote ,mary when recalling  
the scene4 ',the tubs and baskets piled 
up with enormous clusters1 the men and  
women carrying them away on their heads 
to the place where they were being      
crushed2 the laughter1 the merriment1   
the feasting1 the firing--for they make 
as much noise as they can--all was      
delightful1 to say nothing of the       
masquerading and dancing in the evening1
 which we saw1 though we did not take   
part in it4' ,in the winter the         
strangers were introduced to the        
,christmas ,tree1 which had not yet     
become a ,british institution3 while    
with the first snow came the joys of    

sleighing1 when wheel-barrows1 tubs1    
baskets1 everything that could be put on
 runners1 were turned into sledges1 and 
the boys were in their glory4  ,during  
the three years that were spent at      
,heidelberg1 ,william ,howitt wrote his 
,student ,life in ,germany1 ,german     
,experiences1 and ,rural and ,domestic  
,life in ,germany1 works which contain a
 great deal of more or less valuable    
information about the country and the   
people1 presented in a homely1          
unpretentious style4 ,mary was no less  
industrious1 having struck a new        
literary vein1 the success of which was 
far to surpass her modest anticipations4
 ',i have been very busy1' she writes in
 #ahdb1 'translating the first volume of
 a charming work by ,frederica ,bremer1 
a ,swedish writer2 and if any publisher 
will give me encouragement to go on with
 it1 ,i will soon complete the work4 ,it
 is one of a series of stories of       
everyday life in ,sweden--a beautiful   
book1 full of the noblest moral lessons 

for every man and woman4' ,in the summer
 of #ahda the ,howitts1 accompanied by  
their elder daughter1 ,anna1 made a long
 tour through ,germany and ,austria1 in 
the course of which they collected      
materials for fresh works1 and visited  
the celebrities1 literary and artistic1 
of the various cities that lay in their 
route4 ,at ,stuttgart they called on    
,gustav ,schwab1 the poet1 and visited  
,dannecker's studio2 at ,tbingen they   
made the acquaintance of ,uhland1 and at
 ,munich that of ,kaulbach1 then at the 
height of his fame4 ,by way of ,vienna  
and ,prague they travelled to ,dresden1 
where1 through the good offices of ,mrs4
 ,jameson1 they were received by ,moritz
 ,retzsch1 whose ,outlines they had long
 admired4 ,at ,berlin they made friends 
with ,tieck1 on whom the king had       
bestowed a pension and a house at       
,potsdam2 while at ,weimar they were    
entertained by ,frau von ,goethe1 whose 
son1 ,wolfgang1 had been one of their   
earliest acquaintances at ,heidelberg4  

,this interesting tour is described at  
length in the ,rural and ,domestic ,life
 of ,germany4  ,another year was spent  
at ,heidelberg1 but the difficulties of 
arranging the business details of their 
work at such a distance from publishers 
and editors1 brought the industrious    
couple back to ,london in the spring of 
#ahdc4 ',on our return to ,england1'    
writes ,mary1 ',i was full of energy and
 hope4 ,glowing with aspiration1 and in 
enjoyment of great domestic happiness1  
,i was anticipating a busy1 perhaps     
overburdened1 but1 nevertheless1        
congenial life4 ,it was to be one of    
darkness1 perplexity1 discouragement4'  
,the ,howitts had scarcely entered into 
possession of a new house that they had 
taken at ,clapton1 when news came from  
,heidelberg1 where the elder children   
had been left at school1 that their     
second son1 ,claude1 had developed      
alarming symptoms of disease in the     
knee-joint4 ,it was known that he had   
been slightly injured in play a few     

weeks before1 but no danger had been    
anticipated4 ,mr4 ,howitt at once set   
out for ,heidelberg1 and returned with  
the invalid1 on whose case ,liston was  
consulted4 ,the great surgeon counselled
 amputation1 but to this the parents    
refused their consent1 except as a last 
resource4 ,various less heroic modes of 
treatment were tried1 but poor ,claude  
faded away1 and died in ,march1 #ahdd1  
aged only ten years and a half4 ,this   
was the heaviest trial that the husband 
and wife had yet experienced1 for       
,claude had been a boy of brilliant     
promise1 whom they regarded as the      
flower of their flock4 ,only a few      
months before his accident his mother   
had written in the pride of her heart3  
',claude is the naughtiest of all the   
children1 and yet the most gifted4 ,he  
learns anything at a glance4 ,claude is 
born to be fortunate2 he is one that    
will make the family distinguished in   
the next generation4 ,he has an         
extraordinary faculty for telling       

stories1 either of his own invention or 
of what he reads4'  ,a lesser cause of  
trouble and anxiety arose out of the    
translation of ,miss ,bremer's novels4  
',when we first translated ,the         
,neighbours1' writes ,mary1 'there was  
not a house in ,london that would       
undertake its publication4 ,we published
 it and the other ,bremer novels at our 
own risk1 but such became the rage for  
them that our translations were seized  
by a publisher1 altered1 and reissued as
 new ones4' ,the success of these books 
was said to be greater than that of any 
series since the first appearance of the
 ,waverley novels4 ,cheap editions were 
multiplied in the ,united ,states1 and  
even the boys who hawked the books about
 the streets were to be seen deep in    
,the ,home or ,the ,h4 ,family4 ,in a   
letter to her sister written about this 
time1 ,mary expatiates on the annoyance 
and loss caused by these piracies4 ',it 
is very mortifying1' she observes1      
'because no one knew of these ,swedish  

novels till we introduced them4 ,it     
obliges us to hurry in all we do1 and we
 must work almost day and night to get  
ours out in order that we may have some 
little chance4444 ,we have embarked a   
great deal of money in the publication1 
and the interference of the upstart     
,london publisher is most annoying4     
,mlle4 ,bremer1 however1 has written a  
new novel1 and sends it to us before    
publication4 ,we began its translation  
this week1 and hope to be able to       
publish it about the time it will appear
 in ,sweden and ,germany4'  ,in addition
 to her translating work1 ,mrs4 ,howitt 
was engaged at this time upon a series  
of little books1 called ,tales for the  
,people and their ,children1 which had  
been commissioned by a cheap publisher4 
,these stories1 each of which           
illustrated a domestic virtue1 were     
punctually paid for3 and though they    
were never advertised1 they passed      
swiftly through innumerable editions1   
and have been popular with a certain    

public down to quite recent times4      
,perhaps the most attractive is the     
,autobiography of a ,child1 in which    
,mary told the story of her own early   
days in her pretty1 simple style1 with  
the many little quaint touches that gave
 all her juvenile stories an atmosphere 
of truth and reality4 ,her quick        
sympathy with young people1 and her     
knowledge of what most appealed to the  
childish mind1 was probably due to her  
vivid remembrance of her own youthful   
days1 and to her affectionate study of  
the 'little ways' of her own children4  
,many are the original traits and       
sayings that she reports to her sister1 
more especially those of her youngest   
boy1 ,charlton1 who had inherited his   
parents' naturalistic tastes in a       
pronounced form1 and preferred the      
,quakers' meeting-house to any other    
church or chapel1 because there was a   
dog-kennel on the premises6  ,about a   
year after her return to ,england1 ,mrs4
 ,howitt turned her attention to ,danish

 literature1 finding that1 with her     
knowledge of ,swedish and ,german1 the  
language presented few difficulties4 ,in
 #ahde she translated ,hans ,andersen's 
,impromsatore1 greatly to the           
satisfaction of the author1 who begged  
that she would continue to translate his
 works1 till he was as well known and   
loved in ,england as he was on the      
,continent4 ,appreciation1 fame1 and    
joy1 declared the complacent poet1      
followed his footsteps wherever he went1
 and his whole life was full of         
sunshine1 like a beautiful fairy-tale4  
,mary translated his ,only a ,fiddler2  
,o4 ,t41 or ,life in ,denmark2 ,the     
,true ,story of ,my ,life2 and several  
of the ,wonderful ,stories for          
,children4 ,the ,improvisatore was the  
only one that went into a second        
edition1 the other works scarcely paying
 the cost of publication4 ,hans         
,andersen1 however1 being assured that  
,mrs4 ,howitt was making a fortune of   
the translations1 came to ,england in   

#ahdg to arrange for a share of the     
profits4 ,though disappointed in his    
hope of gain1 he begged ,mrs4 ,howitt to
 translate the whole of his fairy-tales1
 which had just been brought out in a   
beautifully-illustrated ,german edition4
 ,much to her after regret1 she was then
 too much engrossed by other work to be 
able to accede to his proposal4 ,the    
relations between ,hans ,andersen and   
his translator were marred1 we are told1
 by the extreme sensitiveness and egoism
 of the ,dane4 ,mrs4 ,howitt narrates1  
as an example of his childish vanity1   
the following little incident which     
occurred during his visit to ,england in
 the summer of #ahdg3--  ',we had taken 
him1 as a pleasant rural experience1 to 
the annual hay-making at ,hillside1     
,highgate1 thus introducing him to an   
,english home1 full of poetry and art1  
sincerity1 and affection4 ,the ladies of
 ,hillside--,miss ,mary and ,margaret   
,gillies1 the one an embodiment of peace
 and an admirable writer1 whose talent1 

like the violet1 kept in the shade2 the 
other1 the warm-hearted painter--made   
him welcome4444 ,immediately after our  
arrival1 the assembled children1 loving 
his delightful fairy-tales1 clustered   
round him in the hay-field1 and watched 
him make them a pretty device of        
flowers2 then1 feeling somehow that the 
stiff1 silent foreigner was not kindred 
to themselves1 stole off to an          
,american1 ,henry ,clarke ,wright1 whose
 admirable little book1 ,a ,kiss for a  
,blow1 some of them knew4 ,he1 without  
any suggestion of condescension or      
difference of age1 entered heart and    
soul into their glee1 laughed1 shouted1 
and played with them1 thus unconsciously
 evincing the gift which had made him   
earlier the exclusive pastor of six     
hundred children in ,boston4 ,soon poor 
,andersen1 perceiving himself neglected1
 complained of headache1 and insisted on
 going indoors1 whither ,mary ,gillies  
and ,i1 both anxious to efface any      
disagreeable impression1 accompanied    

him2 but he remained irritable and out  
of sorts4'  ,it was in #ahde or #ahdf   
that the ,howitts made the acquaintance 
of ,tennyson1 whose poetry they had long
 admired4 ',the retiring and meditative 
young poet1 ,alfred ,tennyson1 visited  
us1' relates ,mary1 'and cheered our    
seclusion by the recitation of his      
exquisite poetry4 ,he spent a ,sunday   
night at our house1 when we sat talking 
together till three in the morning4 ,all
 the next day he remained with us in    
constant converse4 ,we seemed to have   
known him for years4 ,so in fact we had1
 for his poetry was himself4 ,he hailed 
all attempts at heralding a grander1    
more liberal state of public opinion1   
and consequently sweeter1 nobler modes  
of living4 ,he wished that we           
,englanders could dress up our          
affections in more poetical costume2    
real warmth of heart would gain rather  
than lose by it4 ,as it was1 our manners
 were as cold as the walls of our       
churches4' ,another new friend was      

gained through ,william ,howitt's book1 
,visits to ,remarkable ,places4 ,when   
the work was announced as 'in           
preparation1' the author received a     
letter1 signed ,e4 ,c4 ,gaskell1 drawing
 his attention to a beautiful old house1
 ,clopton ,hall1 near                   
,stratford-on-,avon4 ,the letter        
described in such admirable style the   
writer's visit to the house as a        
schoolgirl1 that ,william wrote to      
suggest that she ought to use her pen   
for the public benefit4 ,this timely    
encouragement led to the production of  
,mary ,barton1 the first volume of which
 was sent in manuscript for ,mr4        
,howitt's verdict4 ,a few months later  
,mrs4 ,gaskell came as a guest to the   
little house at ,clopton1 bringing with 
her the completed work4  ,in #ahdf      
,william ,howitt took part in a new     
journalistic venture1 his wife1 as      
usual1 sharing his labours and          
anxieties4 ,he became first contributor1
 and afterwards editor and              

part-proprietor of the ,people's        
,journal1 a cheap weekly1 through the   
medium of which he hoped to improve the 
moral and intellectual condition of the 
working classes4 ',the bearing of its   
contents1' wrote ,mary1 in answer to    
some adverse criticism of the new paper1
 'is love to ,god and man4 ,there is no 
attempt to set the poor against the     
rich1 but1 on the contrary1 to induce   
them to be careful1 prudent1 sober and  
independent2 above all1 to be satisfied 
to be workers1 and to regard labour as a
 privilege rather than as a penalty1    
which is quite our view of the matter4' 
,the combination of business and        
philanthropy seldom answers1 and the    
,howitts1 despite the excellence of     
their intentions1 were unlucky in their 
newspaper speculations4 ,at the end of a
 few months it was discovered that the  
manager of the ,people's ,journal kept  
no books1 and that the affairs of the   
paper were in hopeless confusion4       
,william ,howitt1 finding himself       

responsible for the losses on the       
venture1 tried to cure the evil by a    
hair of the dog that had bitten him4 ,he
 withdrew from the ,people's ,journal1  
and1 with ,samuel ,smiles as his        
assistant1 started a rival paper on the 
same lines1 called ,howitts ,journal4   
,but1 as ,ebenezer ,elliott1 the shrewd 
old ,quaker1 remarked1 apropos of the   
apathy of the working-class public3     
',men engaged in a death struggle for   
bread will pay for amusement when they  
will not for instruction4 ,they woo     
laughter to unscare them1 that they may 
forget their perils1 their wrongs1 and  
their oppressors4 ,if you were able and 
willing to fill the journal with fun1 it
 would pay4' ,the failure of his paper  
spelt ruin to its promoter2 his         
copyrights1 as well as those of his     
wife1 were sacrificed1 and he was       
obliged to begin the world anew4  ,the  
,howitts seem to have kept up their     
spirits bravely under this reverse1 and 
never for a moment relaxed in their     

untiring industry4 ,they moved into a   
small house in ,avenue ,road1 ,st4      
,john's ,wood1 and looked around them   
for new subjects upon which to exercise 
their well-worn pens4 ,mary hoped to get
 employment from the ,religious ,tract  
,society1 which had invited her to send 
in a specimen story1 but she feared that
 her work would hardly be considered    
sufficiently orthodox1 though she had   
introduced one of the 'death-bed        
scenes1' which were then in so much     
request4 ,as she anticipated1 the story 
was returned as quite unsuitable1 and   
thereupon she writes to her sister in   
some depression3 ',times are so bad that
 publishers will not speculate in books2
 and when ,i have finished the work ,i  
am now engaged on1 ,i have nothing else 
certain to go on with4' ,however1       
writers so popular with the public as   
the ,howitts were not likely to be left 
long without employment4 ,mary seems to 
have been the greater favourite of the  
two1 and the vogue of her volume of     

collected ,poems and ,ballads1 which    
appeared in #ahdg1 strikes the modern   
reader with amazement4 ,some idea of the
 estimation in which she was then held  
is proved by ,allan ,cunningham's dictum
 that ',mary ,howitt has shown herself  
mistress of every string of the         
minstrel's lyre1 save that which sounds 
of broil and bloodshed4 ,there is more  
of the old ballad simplicity in her     
composition than can be found in the    
strains of any living poet besides4'    
,another critic compared ,mrs4 ,hewitt's
 ballads to those of ,lord ,macaulay1   
while ,mrs4 ,alaric ,watts1 in her      
capacity of ,annual editor1 wrote to    
assure her old friend and contributor   
that1 ',in thy simplest poetry there are
 sometimes turns so exquisite as to     
bring the tears to my eyes4 ,thou hast  
as much poetry in thee as would set up  
half-a-dozen writers4' ,the one         
dissentient voice among admiring        
contemporaries is that of ,miss         
,mitford1 who writes in #aheb3 ',i am   

for my sins so fidgety respecting style 
that ,i have the bad habit of expecting 
a book that pretends to be written in   
our language to be ,english2 therefore  
,i cannot read ,miss ,strickland1 or the
 ,howitts1 or ,carlyle1 or ,emerson1 or 
the serious parts of ,dickens4' ,it must
 be owned that the ,howitts are         
condemned in fairly good company4  ,the 
work of both husband and wife suffered  
from the inevitable defects of          
self-education1 and also from the       
narrowness and seclusion of their early 
lives4 ,mary possessed more imagination 
and a lighter touch than her husband1   
but her attempts at adult fiction were  
hampered by her ignorance of the world1 
while her technique1 both in prose and  
verse1 left something to be desired4 ,it
 is evident that the publishers and     
editors of the period were less critical
 than ,miss ,mitford1 for1 in #ahdh1 we 
find that ,mrs4 ,howitt was invited to  
write the opening volume of ,bradshaw's 
series of ,railway novels1 while in     

,february #ahej1 came a request from    
,charles ,dickens for contributions to  
,household ,words4 ',you may have seen1'
 he writes1 'the first dim announcements
 of the new1 cheap literary journal ,i  
am about to start4 ,frankly1 ,i want to 
say to you that if you would write for  
it1 you would delight me1 and ,i should 
consider myself very fortunate indeed in
 enlisting your services4444 ,i hope any
 connection with the enterprise would be
 satisfactory and agreeable to you in   
all respects1 as ,i should most         
earnestly endeavour to make it4 ,if ,i  
wrote a book ,i could say no more than  
,i mean to suggest to you in these few  
lines4 ,all that ,i leave unsaid1 ,i    
leave to your generous understanding4'  
,the ,howitts were keenly interested in 
the gradual awakening of the            
long-dormant1 artistic instincts of the 
nation1 the first signs of which became 
faintly visible about the end of the    
forties4 ',down to that time1' observes 
,mary1 'the taste of the ,english people

 had been for what appealed to the mind 
rather than to the eye1 and the general 
public were almost wholly uneducated in 
art4 ,by #ahdi the improvement due to   
the exertions of the ,prince ,consort1  
the ,society of ,arts1 and other powers 
began to be felt2 while a wonderful     
impulse to human taste and ingenuity was
 being given in the preparation of      
exhibits for the ,world's ,fair4' ,the  
gentle ,quakeress who1 in her youth1 had
 modelled ,wedgwood figures in paper    
pulp1 and clapped her clear-starching to
 the rhythm of ,lalla ,rookh1 was1 in   
middle life1 one of the staunchest      
supporters of the ,pre-,raphaelite      
,brethren1 and that at a time when the  
,president of the ,royal ,academy had   
announced his intention of hanging no   
more of their 'outrageous productions4' 
,through their friend1 ,edward ,la      
,trobe ,bateman1 the ,howitts had been  
introduced into the ,pre-,raphaelite    
circle1 and familiarised with the then  
new and startling idea that artistic    

principles might be carried out in      
furniture and house-decoration4 ,less   
than three-quarters of a century before1
 ,mary's father had been sternly rebuked
 by her grandfather for painting a      
series of lines in black and grey above 
the parlour fireplace to represent a    
cornice4 ,this primitive attempt at     
decoration was regarded as a sinful     
indulgence of the lust of the eye6 ,with
 the simple charity that was            
characteristic of them1 ,william and    
,mary saw only the best side of their   
new friends1 the shadows of ,bohemian   
life being entirely hidden from them4   
',earnest and severe in their principles
 of art1' observes ,mrs4 ,howitt        
naively1 'the young reformers indulged  
in much jocundity when the day's work   
was done4 ,they were wont to meet at    
ten1 cut jokes1 talk slang1 smoke1 read 
poetry1 and discuss art till three      
,a4,m4'  ,the couple had by this time   
renounced their membership of the       
,society of ,friends1 but they had not  

joined any other religious sect1 though 
they seem to have been attracted by     
,unitarian doctrines4 ',mere creeds1'   
wrote ,mary to her sister1 'matter      
nothing to me4 ,i could go one ,sunday  
to the ,church of ,england1 another to a
 ,catholic chapel1 a third to the       
,unitarian1 and so on2 and in each of   
them find my heart warmed with          
,christian love to my fellow-creatures1 
and lifted up with gratitude and praise 
to ,god4' ,for many years the house in  
,avenue ,road was1 we are told1 a       
meeting-place for all that was best and 
brightest in the world of modern thought
 and art4 ,william ,howitt was always   
ready to lend an attentive and unbiassed
 ear to the newest theory1 or even the  
newest fad1 while ,mary possessed in the
 fullest degree the gift of             
companionableness1 and her inexhaustible
 sympathy drew from others an instant   
confidence4 ,her arduous literary       
labours never impaired her vigorous     
powers of mind or body1 and she often   

wrote till late into the night without  
appearing to suffer in either health or 
spirits4 ,she is described as a careful 
and energetic housewife2 indeed1 her    
husband was accustomed to say that he   
would challenge any woman who never     
wrote a line1 to match his own good     
woman in the management of a large      
household4  ,in #ahea came the first    
tidings of the discovery of gold in     
,australia1 and nothing was talked of   
but this new ,eldorado and the wonderful
 inducements held out to emigrants4     
,william ,howitt1 who felt that he      
needed a change from brain-work1        
suddenly resolved on a trip with his two
 sons to this new world1 where he would 
see his youngest brother1 ,dr4 ,godfrey 
,howitt1 who had settled at ,melbourne4 
,he was also anxious to ascertain what  
openings in the country there might be  
for his boys1 both of whom had active1  
outdoor tastes1 which there seemed      
little chance of their being able to    
gratify in ,england4 ,in ,june1 #aheb1  

the three male members of the family1   
accompanied by ,la ,trobe ,bateman1     
sailed for ,australia1 while ,mary and  
her two daughters1 the elder of whom had
 just returned from a year in           
,kaulbach's studio at ,munich1 moved    
into a cottage called the ,hermitage1 at
 ,highgate1 which belonged to ,mr4      
,bateman1 and had formerly been occupied
 by ,rossetti4 ,here they lived quietly 
for upwards of two years1 working at    
their literary or artistic occupations1 
and seeing a few intimate friends4 ,mary
 kept her husband posted up in the      
events that were taking place in        
,england1 and we learn from her letters 
what were the chief topics of town talk 
in the early fifties4  ',now1 ,i must   
think over what news there is1' she     
writes in ,april1 #ahec4 ',in the       
political world1 the proposed new scheme
 of ,property and ,income ,tax1 which   
would make everybody pay something2 and 
the proposal for paying off a portion of
 the ,national ,debt with ,australian   

gold4 ,in the literary world1 the       
,international ,copyright1 which some   
expect will be in force in three months4
 ,in society in general1 the strange    
circumstantial rumour of the ,queen's   
death1 which1 being set afloat on       
,easter ,monday1 when no business was   
doing1 was not the offspring of the     
money market4 ,mr4 and ,mrs4 ,charles   
,kean1 who were here the other day1     
spoke of it1 saying truly that for the  
moment it seemed to paralyse the very   
heart of ,england4444 ,may #dth4 ,the   
great talk now is ,mrs4 ,beecher ,stowe 
and spirit-rapping1 both of which have  
arrived in ,england4 ,the universality  
of the latter phenomena renders it a    
curious study4 ,a feeling seems         
pervading all classes and all sects that
 the world stands on the brink of some  
great spiritual revelation4 ,it meets   
one in books1 in newspapers1 on the lips
 of members of the ,church of ,england1 
,unitarians1 and even ,freethinkers4    
,poor old ,robert ,owen1 the            

philanthropist1 has been converted1 and 
made a confession of faith in public4   
,one cannot but respect a man who1 in   
his old age1 has the boldness to declare
 himself as having been blinded and     
mistaken through life4'  ,in ,december1 
#ahed1 ,william ,howitt returned from   
his travels without any gold in his     
pockets1 but with the materials for his 
,history of ,discovery in ,australia and
 ,new ,zealand4 ,thanks to what he used 
to call his four great doctors1         
,temperance1 ,exercise1 ,good ,air1 and 
,good ,hours1 he had displayed wonderful
 powers of activity and endurance during
 his exploration of some almost         
untracked regions of the new world4 ,at 
sixty years of age he had marched twenty
 miles a day under a blazing sun for    
weeks at a time1 worked at digging gold 
for twelve hours a day1 waded through   
rivers1 slept under trees1 baked his own
 bread1 washed his own clothes1 and now 
returned in the pink of condition1 with 
his passion for wandering only          

intensified by his three years of an    
adventurous life4 ,the family           
experiences were diversified            
thenceforward by frequent change of     
scene1 for ,william was always ready and
 willing to start off at a moment's     
notice to the mountains1 the seaside1 or
 the ,continent4 ,but whether the       
,howitts were at home or abroad1 they   
continued their making of many books1 so
 that it becomes difficult for the      
biographer to keep pace with their      
literary output4 ,together or separately
 they produced a ,history of            
,scandinavian ,literature1 ,the ,homes  
and ,haunts of the ,poets1 a ,popular   
,history of ,england1 which was         
published in weekly parts1 a ,year-,book
 of the ,country1 a ,popular ,history of
 the ,united ,states1 a ,history of the 
,supernatural1 the ,northern ,heights of
 ,london1 and an abridged edition of    
,sir ,charles ,grandison1 besides       
several tales for young people1 and     
contributions to magazines and          

newspapers4  ,even increasing age had no
 power to narrow their point of view1 or
 to blunt their sympathy with every     
movement that seemed to make for the    
relief of the oppressed1 the welfare of 
the nation1 or the advancement of the   
human race4 ,just as in youth they had  
championed the cause of ,catholic       
,emancipation and of political ,reform1 
so in later years we find them          
advocating the ,repeal of the ,corn     
,laws1 taking part in the ,anti-,slavery
 agitation1 working for improvement in  
the laws that affected women and        
children1 and supporting the ,bill for  
the ,prevention of ,cruelty to ,animals4
 ,a more debatable subject--that of     
spiritualism--was investigated by them  
in a friendly but impartial spirit4 ',in
 the spring of #ahef1 'writes ,mrs4     
,howitt1 'we had become acquainted with 
several most ardent and honest spirit   
mediums4 ,it seemed right to my husband 
and myself to try and understand the    
nature of these phenomena in which our  

new acquaintance so firmly believed4 ,in
 the month of ,april ,i was invited to  
attend a sance at ,professor de         
,morgan's1 and was much astonished and  
affected by communications purporting to
 come to me from my dear son ,claude4   
,with constant prayer for enlightenment 
and guidance1 we experimented at home4  
,the teachings that seemed given us from
 the spirit-world were often akin to    
those of the gospel2 at other times they
 were more obviously emanations of evil4
 ,i felt thankful for the assurance thus
 gained of an invisible world1 but      
resolved to neglect none of my common   
duties for spiritualism4' ,among the    
,hewitts' fellow-converts were ,robert  
,chambers1 ,robert ,owen1 the ,carter   
,halls and the ,alaric ,watts's2 while  
,sir ,david ,brewster and ,lord         
,brougham were earnest inquirers into   
these forms of psychical phenomena4  ,in
 #ahfe ,william ,howitt was granted a   
pension by ,government1 and a year later
 the couple moved from ,highgate to a   

cottage called the ,orchard1 near their 
former residence at ,esher4 ,of their   
four surviving children1 only ,margaret1
 the youngest1 was left at home4 ,anna1 
already the author of a very interesting
 book1 ,an ,art ,student at ,munich1    
had1 as her mother observes1 taken her  
place among the successful artists and  
writers of her day1 'when1 in the spring
 of #ahef1 a severe private censure of  
one of her oil-paintings by a king among
 critics so crushed her sensitive       
nature1 as to make her yield to her bias
 for the supernatural1 and withdraw from
 the arena of the fine arts4' ,in #aheg 
,anna became the wife of ,alfred ,watts1
 the son of her parents' old friends1   
,alaric and ,zillah ,watts4 ,the two    
boys1 ,alfred and ,charlton1 born       
explorers and naturalists1 both settled 
in ,australia4 ,alfred1 early in the    
sixties1 had explored the district of   
,lake ,torrens1 a land of parched       
deserts1 dry-water-courses1 and         
soda-springs1 whose waters effervesced  

tartaric acid2 and had opened up for the
 ,victorian ,government the mountainous 
district of ,gippsland1 with the famous 
gold-field of the ,crooked ,river4 ,in  
#ahfa he had been employed to head the  
relief-party that went in search of the 
discoverer1 ,robert ,o',hara ,burke1 and
 his companions1 and a year later he    
brought back the remains of the         
ill-fated explorers to ,melbourne for   
public burial4 ,later in life he was    
successfully employed in various        
,government enterprises1 and published1 
in collaboration with a friend1 a       
learned work on the aborigines of       
,australia4  ,charlton ,howitt1 the     
younger son1 after five years'          
uncongenial work in a ,london office1   
emigrated to ,australia in #ahfj4 ,his  
quality was quickly recognised by the   
,provincial ,government1 which1 in      
#ahfb1 appointed him to command an      
expedition to examine the rivers in the 
province of ,canterbury1 with a view to 
ascertaining whether they contained     

gold4 ,so admirably was the work        
accomplished that1 on his return to     
,christchurch1 he was intrusted with the
 task of opening up communications      
between the ,canterbury plains and the  
newly-discovered gold and coal district 
on the west coast4 ',this duty was      
faithfully performed1 under constant    
hardships and discouragement1' relates  
his mother4 ',but a few miles of road   
remained to be cut1 when1 at the end of 
,june1 #ahfc1 after personally rescuing 
other pioneers and wanderers from       
drowning and starvation in that watery1 
inhospitable forest region1 ,charlton1  
with two of his men1 went down in the   
deep waters of ,lake ,brunner2 a fatal  
accident which deprived the ,government 
of a valued servant1 and saddened the   
hearts of all who knew him4'  ,after    
four peaceful years at ,esher1 the      
,wanderlust1 that gipsy spirit1 which   
not even the burden of years could tame1
 took possession of ,william and ,mary  
once more1 and they suddenly decided    

that they must see ,italy before they   
died4 ,in ,may1 #ahgj1 they let the     
,orchard1 and1 aged seventy-seven and   
seventy-one respectively1 set out on    
their last long flight into the world4  
,the summer was spent on the ,lake of   
,lucerne1 where the old-world couple    
came across that modern of the moderns1 
,richard ,wagner1 and his family4 ,by   
way of the ,italian ,lakes and ,venice  
they travelled1 in leisurely fashion1 to
 ,rome1 where they celebrated their     
golden wedding in ,april1 #ahga4 ,the   
,eternal ,city threw its glamour around 
these ancient pilgrims1 who found both  
life and climate exactly suited to the  
needs of old age4 ',i prized in ,rome1' 
writes ,mrs4 ,howitt1 'the many kind and
 sympathetic friends that were given to 
us1 the ease of social existence1 the   
poetry1 the classic grace1 the peculiar 
and deep pathos diffused around2 above  
all1 the stirring and affecting historic
 memories4444 ,from the period of       
arrival in ,rome1 ,i may truly say that 

the promise in ,scripture1 ,at evening  
time there shall be light1 was1 in our  
case1 fulfilled4'  ,the simple1 homely  
life of the aged couple continued       
unbroken amid their new surroundings4   
,william interested himself in the      
planting of ,eucalyptus in the          
,campagna1 as a preventive against      
malaria1 and had seeds of different     
varieties sent over from ,australia1    
which he presented to the ,trappist     
monks of the ,tre ,fontani4 ,he helped  
to establish a society for the          
prevention of cruelty to animals1 and   
struck up a friendship with the         
gardeners and custodians of the ,pincio1
 to whom he gave expert advice on the   
subject of the creatures under their    
charge4 ,the summer months were always  
spent in the ,tyrol1 where the ,howitts 
had permanent quarters in an old mansion
 near ,bruneck1 called ,mayr-am-,hof4   
,here ,william was able to indulge in   
his favourite occupation of gardening4  
,he dug indefatigably in a field        

allotment with his ,english spade1 a    
unique instrument in that land of clumsy
 husbandry1 and was amazed at the growth
 of the ,new ,zealand spinach1 the      
widespread rhubarb1 the exuberant       
tomatoes1 and towering spikes of ,indian
 corn4 ,thanks to the four great doctors
 before mentioned1 he remained hale and 
hearty up to ,december1 #ahgh1 in which 
month he celebrated his eighty-seventh  
birthday4 ,a few weeks later he was     
attacked by bronchitis1 which1 owing to 
an unsuspected weakness of the heart1 he
 was unable to throw off4 ,he died in   
his house on the ,via ,sistina1 close to
 his favourite ,pincio1 on ,march #c1   
#ahgi4  ,mrs4 ,howitt now finally gave  
up the idea of returning to end her days
 in ,england4 ,her husband and companion
 of more than fifty years was buried in 
the ,protestant ,cemetery at ,home1 and 
when her time came1 she desired to be   
laid by his side4 ,the grant of a small 
pension added to the comfort of her last
 years1 and was a source of much        

innocent pride and gratification1 for1  
as she tells her daughter ,anna1 ',it   
was so readily given1 so kindly1 so     
graciously1 for my literary merits1 by  
,lord ,beaconsfield1 without the        
solicitation or interference of any     
friend or well-wisher4' ,in ,may1 #ahhj1
 she writes to a friend from ,meran     
about 'a project1 which seems to have   
grown up in a wonderful way by itself1  
or as if invisible hands had been       
arranging it2 that we should have a     
little home of our own im heiligen ,land
 ,tirol4 ,this really is a very great   
mercy1 seeing that the ,tyrol is so     
beautiful1 the climate so beneficial to 
health1 and the people1 taken as a      
whole1 so very honest and devout4 ,our  
little nest of love1 which we shall call
 ,marienruhe1 will be perched on a hill 
with beautiful views1 surrounded by a   
small garden4' ,on ,september #bi1      
#ahha1 ,mrs4 ,howitt and her daughter1  
,margaret1 slept1 for the first time1 in
 their romantically-situated new home   

near ,meran4  ,at ,marienruhe1 the      
greater portion of the last seven years 
of ,mary ,howitt's life was spent in    
peace and contentment4 ,here she amused 
herself with writing her                
',reminiscences' for ,good ,words1 which
 were afterwards incorporated in her    
,autobiography4 ,age had no power to    
blunt her interest in the events of the 
day1 political or literary1 and at      
eighty-seven we find her reading with   
keen enjoyment ,froude's ,oceana and    
,besant's ,all ,sorts and ,conditions of
 ,men1 books that dealt with questions  
which she and her husband had had at    
heart for the best part of a lifetime1  
and for which they had worked with      
untiring zeal4 ,of the first she writes 
to a friend3 ',we much approve of his   
7,froude's7 very strong desire that our 
colonies should1 like good1 faithful1   
well-trained children1 be staunch in    
love and service to old ,mother         
,england4 ,how deeply we feel on this   
subject ,i cannot tell you2 and ,i hope 

and trust that you join strongly in this
 truly ,english sentiment4' ,of the     
second she writes to ,mrs4 ,leigh       
,smith3 ',i am more interested than ,i  
can tell you in ,all ,sorts and         
,conditions of ,men4 ,it affects me like
 the perfected fruit of some glorious   
tree which my dear husband and ,i had a 
dim dream of planting more than thirty  
years ago1 and which we did1 in our     
ignorance and incapacity1 attempt to    
plant in soil not properly prepared1 and
 far too early in the season4 ,i cannot 
tell you how it has recalled the hopes  
and dreams of a time which1 by the      
overruling ,providence of ,god1 was so  
disastrous to us4 ,it is a beautiful    
essay on the dignity of labour4'  ,the  
last few years of ,mary ,howitt's life  
were saddened by the deaths of her      
beloved sister1 ,anna1 and her elder    
daughter1 ,mrs4 ,watts1 but such blows  
are softened for aged persons by the    
consciousness that their own race is    
nearly run4 ,mary had1 moreover1 one    

great spiritual consolation in her      
conversion1 at the age of eighty-three1 
to the doctrines of ,roman ,catholicism 
,in spite of her oft-repeated           
protestations against the likelihood of 
her 'going over1' in spite of her       
declaration1 openly expressed as late as
 #ahga1 that she firmly believed in the 
anti-,christianity of the ,papacy1 and  
that she and her husband were watching  
with interest the progress of events    
which1 they trusted1 would bring about  
its downfall1 ,mrs4 ,howitt was baptized
 into the ,roman ,church in ,may1 #ahhb4
 ,her new faith was a source of intense 
happiness to the naturally religious    
woman1 who had found no refuge in any   
sectarian fold since her renunciation of
 her childish creed4 ,in #ahhh1 the year
 of the ,papal ,jubilee1 though her     
strength was already failing1 she was   
well enough to join the deputation of   
,english pilgrims1 who1 on ,january #aj1
 were presented to the ,pope by the     
,duke of ,norfolk4 ,in describing the   

scene1 the last public ceremony in which
 she took part1 she writes3 ',a serene  
happiness1 almost joy1 filled my whole  
being as ,i found myself on my knees    
before the ,vicar of ,christ4 ,my wish  
was to kiss his foot1 but it was        
withdrawn1 and his hand given to me4    
,you may think with what fervour ,i     
kissed the ring4 ,in the meantime he had
 been told my age and my late           
conversion4 ,his hands were laid on my  
shoulders1 and1 again and again1 his    
right hand in blessing on my head1      
whilst he spoke to me of ,paradise4'    
,having thus achieved her heart's       
desire1 it seemed as if the last tie    
which bound the aged convert to earth   
was broken4 ,a few days later she was   
attacked by bronchitis1 and1 after a    
short illness1 passed away in her sleep 
on ,january #cj1 #ahhh1 having nearly   
completed her eighty-ninth year4 ,to the
 last1 we are told1 ,mary ,howitt's     
sympathy was as warm1 her intelligence  
as keen as in the full vigour of life1  

while her rare physical strength and    
pliant temper preserved her in unabated 
enjoyment of existence to the verge of  
ninety4 ,although many of her books were
 out of print at the time of her death1 
it was said that if every copy had been 
destroyed1 most of her ballads and minor
 poems could have been collected from   
the memories of her admirers1 who had   
them--very literally--by heart4         
,william and ,mary ,howitt1 it may be   
observed in conclusion1 though not      
leaders1 were brave soldiers in the army
 of workers for humanity1 and if now    
they seem likely to share the common lot
 of the rank and file--oblivion--it must
 be remembered that they were among     
those favoured of the gods who are      
crowned with gratitude1 love1 and       
admiration by their contemporaries4 ,to 
them1 asleep in their ,roman grave1 the 
neglect of posterity brings no more pain
 than the homage of modern critics      
brings triumph to the slighted poet who 
shares their last resting-place4