Correspondence

484.  EBB to Hugh Stuart Boyd

As published in The Brownings’ Correspondence, 3, 91–93.

[Sidmouth]

Friday morning. [Postmark: 30 May 1834]

My dear Mr Boyd,

As I am going to write a very impertinent letter, I will in the first place supplicate your forbearance and forgiveness for whatever I may say. The day before yesterday I was in Mr Harvey’s shop, and he—(you must not be angry with him, for you know he considered me a corrector of the press & a priveleged person) showed me your preface. [1] The impertinent thing which I am going to say, is, that I do not like it—(that you did not expect me to do, did you?—) and I wish you, very very much to show the ms. to Mr Spowers or to some friend in whose intelligence & freedom from prejudice, you can place full reliance, before you actually publish it. I do wish this—and I not only wish it, but beseech you to do it. There is plenty of time for it to be done, before the poetical portion of the work is out of the press: and I am very sure that your own reputation & the reputation of your book will stand, in a safer place, should you be induced to adopt certain corrections in this preface. The mere composition appears to me rather loose and crude: but it is to the matter that the more important objections attach themselves. Whatever opinion you entertain of the Church of England, you are not wrong in expressing: but then you might have expressed it less figuratively and oratorically, & so, with more effect. It appears to me that the tears of Apollo & the Muses may be considered inappropriate to the downfall of a church, by others than dissenters. I see an objection besides, to the introduction of your prophecy on the subject of the Roman Catholics—to the detailed account of the visit & observation of the Bishop of London—(unless you consulted him in the first place, he might not be pleased at those details) and to your mention of Porson among the sons of the Church of England. [2] There are some other expressions which I should like to see expunged—but I read the preface thr’o very hurriedly, & they do not occur to me now. Let me entreat you, dear Mr Boyd, do [3] allow some person whom you esteem, to read it with attention. A preface is an important part of a book; and if any of your readers should be inclined to ridicule yours, I [4] should be sorry, even if you did not care. Now you will forgive me my impertinence—will you not? Were I not interested in the success & character of your work, I should not have courage to write to you so freely.

You will be surprised to hear that Mr Joseph Biscoe [5] arrived here three weeks ago with his bride, and has taken Myrtle Hall for a year. He met Arabel & me in the lane opposite to our house, & introduced to us Mrs Joseph Biscoe!– She is not at all pretty: and as I did not hear her speak, I had no opportunity of judging of her other attractions. I believe they were married—Mr Biscoe & Miss Brandling—in Germany, two or three months ago. He does not look well. He told us that he liked very much what he saw of Sidmouth, but that he was afraid of its being too gay!! for him,—as it was his intention, in coming here, to live in as secluded a manner as possible. A splendid Mount St Bernard dog follows them about, & makes them celebrated people at Sidmouth.

What do you think we did last Saturday? Arabel & I and the boys, escorted by Mr Hunter & Mary, went from hence at ten oclock in the morning, by the steam packet to Torquay. The packet returned us to Exmouth at about six in the evening,—and there we had tea, & came home upon wheels at nine. It would have been very pleasant indeed, had it not been for a most devastating sea sickness which in consequence of a rough rolling sea, laid prostrate seventy out of ninety passengers. Mr Hunter & I had to nurse all our party—and, sad to relate, just within a mile of landing I lost my oceanic reputation too—“and universal ruin swallowed all” [6] —except Mr Hunter. The entrance of Tor bay is very very fine,—and we had a band, to throw the right shade of dramatic effect over the scenery. We saw Torquay, Teignmouth, Dawlish, Exmouth: but after all, we saw nothing (at least so some of us agreed) so green & lovely as this valley of Sidmouth.

I suppose you will write to me, some time or other. Yet, I do not mean to be troublesome, in saying so. We are going to remain here—at Belle Vue.

Give my love to Mrs Boyd & Annie,

& believe me

Affectionately, tho’ so impertinently yours

E B Barrett.

Say how you like Bath.

Harvey would not allow even Papa to see your Preface—only me; so you really must not be angry with him.

Address, on integral page: H S Boyd Esqr / 27. Brock Street / Bath.

Publication: EBB-HSB, pp. 202–205.

Manuscript: Wellesley College.

1. John Harvey, of Fore Street, Sidmouth, was the printer entrusted with The Fathers not Papists: or, Six Discourses by the most Eloquent Fathers of the Church; with numerous extracts from their writings. Translated from the Greek, by Hugh Stuart Boyd, Esq. A new edition. London and Sidmouth, 1834. The preface is dated 22 May 1834.

2. Boyd heeded EBB’s criticisms to the extent of deleting reference to the Bishop of London’s observations and the mention of Porson as a son of the Church of England. His “prophecy on the subject of the Roman Catholics” related to the possibility of Catholicism again becoming the established religion in England, saying that, if the Church of England “be doomed to fall, she will descend in a blaze of glory; and the tears of Apollo and the Muses, will be mingled with the more hallowed sorrows of her afflicted offspring!” (p. xxvi).

3. Underscored three times.

4. Underscored twice.

5. In 1831, Annie Boyd had been courted by a Mr. Biscoe. It is not known whether this was Joseph Biscoe, mentioned here, or William Biscoe, Rector of Donnington.

6. Cf. Pope, Dunciad, IV, 656.

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