154. Henrietta Moulton-Barrett to EBB
As published in The Brownings’ Correspondence, 1, 151–152.
[Hope End]
Wednesday [6 March 1822] [1]
My ever dearest Ba
Well I must say I am rather pleased that you are of my opinion and I am more pleased that two people and more than two should agree that Bro’s to my opinion exquisite and sublime birthday ode is so much superior to any of his other works it shews that he has attained the God of learning and what is more facinating and more godly he has by his warm heart his forgiving temper and his cultivated and polished manners if it is not too conceated a word for me to use perfectly won the hear[t] to my view of the heavenly muse of vertue some faults must sometimes always intrude in our path to heaven and certainly few he has[.] People who do not study his character cannot know him he is not fond of shewing off that you know he is not vain——
All your children were here yesterday but their cake was not made I am sorry to say but for all that they had a capital feast with mince pies and bread and Jam and when they were going away and we were at dinner we gave the children a glass of ale and a tumbler to Mrs Harford the little children namely Elen and Annette were rather terrified at the appearance of the glasses but they soon got over that so upon the whole they fared very well——
We had famous toasts after dinner in three times three the first that you might this time next year may be here enjoying both health and happiness the second for your nurses third for the hospital inhabitants of this mansion and fourth for Sir Frances Berdebt [2] all these were succeeded with great raps on the table so upon the whole you may think it made a little uproar[.] The dinner bell my dearest Ba I must withdraw to serve my stomach
Your afft
Addles
Address, on integral page: dearest Ba.
Publication: None traced.
Manuscript: Eton College Library.
1. Apparently written on EBB’s birthday while she was ill and away from home. 6 March fell on a Wednesday in 1822.
2. Sir Francis Burdett (1770–1844), politician, was a very vocal critic of the abuse of power by government, an advocate of parliamentary reform, and a champion of the rights of the commonalty.
___________________
