2997. EBB to Julia Martin
As published in The Brownings’ Correspondence, 17, 240–242.
138 Avenue des Ch. Ely–
Jany. 17. [1852] [1]
My dearest Mrs Martin, if you think I have not written to you, you must be (as you are) the most lenient of friends, not to give me up for ever. I answered your first letter by return of post and at great length. About a fortnight ago, Robert heard from Madame Mohl who heard from somebody at Pau, that you were “waiting anxiously to hear from me”:—upon which I wrote a second letter. And that, too, did not reach you? Is it possible? But I am innocent, innocent, innocent. See how innocent. Now, if M. le President has stopped my letters, or if he ponders in his imperial mind how to send me out of Paris, he is as ungrateful as a king, .. because I have been taking his part all this time at a great cost of domestic émeutes. So you would have known, if you had received my letters. The coup d’etat was a grand thing, dramatically & poetically speaking,—and the appeal to the people justified it in my eyes, considering the immense difficulty of the circumstances, the impossibility of the old consti[tu]tion & the impracticability of the house of assembly. Now that’s all over. For the rest, .. the new constitution, .. I cant say as much for it—it disappoints me immensely. Absolute government, no—while the taxes & acceptance of laws lies, as he leaves it, with the people .. but there are stupidities undeniable I am afraid—& how such a constitution is to work, & how marshals & cardinals are to help to work it, remains to be seen. [2] I fear we have not made a good change even from the “constitution Marrast” [3] after all. The English newspapers have made me so angry that I scarcely know whether I am as much ashamed .. yet the shame is very great. As if the people of France had not a right to vote as they pleased! We understand nothing in England. As Cousin said long ago, we are “insular” of understanding. [4] France may be mistaken in her speculations, as she often is, and if any mistake has been lately committed, it will be corrected by herself in a short time. Ignoble in her speculations she never is.
We have had some severe cold—and twice, at three days at a time, a clinging sort of fog which quite upset me, brought back my cough at the fiercest, & took away my voice perfectly. Yet the weather was mild enough on the eighth [5] & tenth of December to admit of my going out—& Robert & I went to the boulevards & examined the field of battle for ourselves. Also for the last week, the heat has been so extraordinary for the time of year, that we scarcely have borne a fire at all—we throw open the doors for air!– Therefore it has been brief cold, though severe. Notwithstanding which, I have not recovered my voice—cant speak above my breath– There must be time & patience. The cough, meanwhile, is a great deal better, and I am beginning to feel a little less weak & miserable. What you say of your June days is too attractive. I hope your little invalid is the better for the sunshine of them, if I am not– People swear to us here that the weather has been quite exceptional this winter, & that for seven years the Parisians have not experienced as much cold. Unfortunate we are, in that case.
I must tell you, my dearest friend, that for some days past I have been very much upset, & am scarcely now fairly on my feet again, in consequence of becoming suddenly aware of a painful indiscretion committed by an affectionate & generous woman .. I refer to Miss Mitford’s account of me in her new book. We heard of it in a strange way .. through M. Philaret Chasles of the Collége de France beginning a course of lectures on English literature, & announcing an intended notice of EBB .. “the veil from whose private life had lately been raised by Miss Mitford.” Somebody who happened to be present told us of it—& while we were wondering & uncomfortable, up came a writer in the Revue des deux Mondes to consult Robert upon a difficulty he was in. He was engaged he said upon an article relating to me, & the proprietors of the review had sent him a number of the Athenæum which contained an extract from Miss M’s book, desiring him to make use of the biographical details. Now it struck him immediately, he said, on reading the passage, that it was likely to give me great pain,—& he was so unwilling to be the means of giving me more pain, that he came to Robert to ask him how he should act. Do observe the delicacy & sensibility of this man .. a man, a foreigner[,] a frenchman! I shall be grateful to him as long as I live.
Robert has seen the extract in the Athenæum—it refers to the great affliction of my life .. with the most affectionate intentions & the obtusest understanding. I know I am morbid .. but this thing should not have been done indeed. Now, I shall be liable to see recollections dreadful to me, thrust into every vulgar notice of my books– I shall be afraid to see my books reviewed anywhere. Oh– I have been so deeply shaken by all this. You will understand, I am certain—and I could not help speaking of it to you, because I was certain.
I am answering your note, observe, by return of post– Do let me know, if you receive what I write this time. Robert will direct for me, having faith in his superior legibleness, and I accept the insult implied in the opinion.
God bless you. Do write. And never doubt my grateful affection for you, whether posts go ill or well.
Robert is going out to enquire about “My novel”. [6] His warm regards with mine to dear Mr Martin & yourself– This is a scratch rather than a letter, but I would rather send it to you in haste, than wait for another post.
Your ever affectionate Ba–
Publication: LEBB, II, 41–44 (in part).
Manuscript: Wellesley College.
1. Year provided by reference to the return address; the only January in which the Brownings resided at 138 Avenue des Champs Élysées occurred in 1852.
2. Decreed by Louis Napoleon on 14 January, the new constitution established a legislature consisting of three chambers: the Council of State, the Legislative Body, and the Senate. Appointed by the president, the Senate consisted of cardinals, marshalls, admirals, and other illustrious men. The Legislative Body, elected by universal suffrage, had no real power and could not introduce legislation. The term of the chief executive was set at ten years.
3. Armand Marrast (1801–52), former editor of Le National, was one of the principal framers of and the spokesman for the constitution of 1848. He served as president of the Constituent Assembly from July 1848 to May 1849.
4. In Cours d’histoire de la philosophie moderne (Paris, 1841–46), Victor Cousin wrote: “In England, every thing is insular; every thing stops within certain limits. England, assuredly, is not destitute of invention; but history declares that there is wanting in it that power of generalization which alone draws from a principle all that it contains” (Course of the History of Modern Philosophy, trans. O.W. Wight, New York, 1852, I, 327).
5. Sic, for 6 December. See letter 2990, note 23.
6. EBB refers to the book by Edward Bulwer-Lytton, My Novel; or, Varieties in English Life, which was issued at Leipzic by B. Tauchnitz (4 vols., 1851–52). It ran as a serial in Blackwood’s Edinburgh Magazine from September 1850 to January 1853, at which time it was published by Blackwood in Edinburgh and London. As indicated by EBB in her next letter to Mrs. Martin, RB went “to enquire” for volume two of the “Leipzic edition” at Galignani’s Reading Room (27 February [1852], ms at Wellesley).
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