Correspondence

404.  EBB to Hugh Stuart Boyd

As published in The Brownings’ Correspondence, 2, 288–289.

Hope End

Monday Morng. [?28 March 1831] [1]

My dearest friend,

Tho’ your two epigrams are certainly very good, yet they are too bad: and if you will reconcile this contradiction, I will––not transcribe them into your book or any book. And if, from the reason you unreasonably give, you wont allow what was intended to be written in the aforesaid book, to be written in it, the insult will not be to your own compositions, but to me. So take care, what you do; or rather, what you don’t do.There is a weakness in the second line of the first epigram: and do you not place the accent on an unusual syllable in “almóst.” I álmost think this a fault. But the point of the epigram is excellent,—and not poisoned like the still sharper point of the second. How could you write anything so untrue as that second epigram? Acknowledge it to be untrue, & I will acknowledge, as I do at this moment, all its cleverness. I think it is very clever. With regard to the supposed incorrectness of the word “beside”, I have looked in Johnson & found that Addison justifies your manner of using it for “besides”. Besides, since “thou wearest thy wit at thy side” (as Pedro says to Benedick) [2] it would be a shame to put “beside your wit” by carping at an incorrectness,—supposing it could be proved to be an incorrectness!

<…> [3]

When we were at chapel yesterday, Mr Curzon said to me, “I suppose it is not necessary to send a herald to Malvern, to announce my next visit to Mr Boyd”. He is thinking of going to see you next Wednesday. Papa was regretting the other day that he did not question him last Thursday, & find out exactly what he thinks of you!——

If it should be fine on Thursday, & no obstacle occurs, Arabel & I will be at Malvern.

Ever believe me

Yours affectionately

E B Barrett.

Papa thinks that Ministers will try the fate of the new bill, thro’ another division, & be satisfied with the smallest majority. If they fail, he does not doubt their intention of immediately disolving parliament. [4] He says, “all London is quite mad about it”–

Address, on integral page: H. S. Boyd Esqr

Publication: EBB-HSB, pp. 120–121 (in part).

Manuscript: Wellesley College.

1. Dated by the reference to Parliament.

2. Cf. Much Ado About Nothing, V, 1, 126.

3. One line obliterated with loops, apparently by EBB.

4. On 22 March the second reading of a bill for reform of Parliament was defeated (302 to 301), and a revised measure was pending. This was also defeated on 19 April (299–291), and on 23 April Parliament was dissolved by the Crown, causing a general election.

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