1326. Benjamin Robert Haydon to EBB
As published in The Brownings’ Correspondence, 7, 245–246.
London
July 18. 1843
My dear Friend /
I think as highly as any body can do of Cope’s Jury, but I heartily despise the landing of Cæsar [1] —it has nothing but impudent execution without knowledge, or real skill & will end in smoke–
I see clearly enough, you do not believe in the grounds of my belief, that my enemies have taken advantage to lower my hold of the public heart (if they can), By their iniquitous decision;—Faults I have in abundance of course, & one great one is, my love of the Truth, which I have stuck to, and will ever, to the end of my Life: they dont like my public assumption of the right to dictate from long experience, & intense study from having educated the most eminent men of the day– I can prove that Edward & John, [2] are entitled to the highest honor for Character & expression, the one for sorrow, & submissive “abandon” the other for mastering his glorying, in the hour of Triumph with the delicacy & breeding of a Prince, reigning in, an ambling poney, with the grace & Skill of a Horseman!—& a Hero–
Now you have my opinion of my own work, and who does not feel & see these things, is wilfully blind, or callously obtuse, & is to be pitied–
I’ll bide my time, but if God spare my intellect & Eyes, I’ll carry desolation & dissection into the hearts of those who have wantonly dishonored me; after such a battle as I have fought, & such tortures as I have endured, for the Truth: We’ll see if I cant move the public, again as I have done before—so look ahead as the Americans say for as sure as you are a sweet & delicate adviser I’ll do it–
Ever Thine truly
B. R. Haydon
Private
Mary Mitford’s note is sufficiently cold, as I fear mine was about her affairs–
P.S.
I relinquish all hope of the Houses or having any thing to do with them [3] —so you see I know my path–
Address: Miss B. Barrett / 50 Wimpole St.
Publication: EBB-BRH, pp. 126–127.
Manuscript: University of Vermont.
1. Both The Athenæum and The Examiner had praised Cope’s entry, one of the £300 prize-winners. Armitage’s work headed the list of prize-winners. (See letters 1311, note 2, and 1317, note 9.)
2. In his cartoon of “The Black Prince Entering London in Triumph.”
3. i.e., for the decoration of the new Houses of Parliament.
___________________
