1468. EBB to Richard Hengist Horne
As published in The Brownings’ Correspondence, 8, 103–105.
[London]
Dec. 23. 1843.
I forgot after all .. Agnes Strictland is the author of the Memoirs of the queens of England by which she is principally known. She did however write before—tales I think—perhaps a novel: [1] but, although one of the very best read persons of your acquaintance, in all manner of romances & novels, good bad & indifferent, I do feel rather in a mist about her doings in these respects,—only having a faint idea that I have looked through a volume or two of hers & that I found them of the high moral didactic & useful knowledge society description. But do not trust me an inch—for I feel myself in a mist,—& in a sort of fear of confounding the maiden didacticism of Mrs Ellis when she was Sarah Stickney, [2] & this Miss Strictland’s,—having been given to confound Stickneys & Strictlands from the very beginning. One or two volumes of the Memoirs of the queens of England, I have read—& they seemed to me to show industry & good taste in the selection & compilation of material. But I did not read any more, just because I like the old chronicles & dislike the compiling spirit. Miss Lawrence, you are aware, has published memoirs of the queens, also [3] —and moreover the two ladies have stood at cock-pistol in relation to one another, because of this coincidence of subject. I have not seen Miss Lawrence’s work; but, from indications of extracts, I do more than suspect that she is the deeper-minded woman of the two, & qualified to take, in literature, the higher place.
By the way, either a Stickney or a Strictland wrote the ‘Poetry of Life’, prose (very) essays, which I couldn’t get to the end of—full of words & signifying nothing. [4]
I confess that I wondered a good deal at Mr Buckingham’s or the Literary Institute’s selection of Miss Strictland as the second female honorary member–—<in order that Miss Mitford should not find herself in an unpleasant pre-eminence of unity.> [5] Nobody to be found fit for the honor, .. <even upon that equivocal ground of necessity ..> [5] except Miss Strictland!. And Miss Martineau, Mrs Jameson, Maria Edgeworth, Mary Howitt & Lady Morgan all alive!—with long established European reputations!– France & Germany will be a little astonished I think: and, for my own part, although it gave me cordial pleasure to hear of the honor justly won & honorably paid to dear Miss Mitford, I should have been more pleased even for her sake, & appreciated the appreciation more fully, if it had united her name to the name of these distinguished contemporaries, rather than severed it from them. <The Institute however has determined it otherwise, it seems—crowning her alone—& fixing on Miss Strictland for a lady of the Bedchamber or train-bearer.
Do not mention, if you please, that I have made any remarks: I write to you in all confidence. And then, half of the doing is admirably well done.> [5]
Truly yours
EBB–
Talking of poets .. no, not talking of poets, .. but thinking of poets,—are you aware, O Orion, that the most popular poet alive is the Reverend Robert Montgomery, who walks into his twenty & something-th edition “like nothing”? I mean the author of “Satan”—“Woman”—“Omnipresence of the Deity”—“The Messiah”:—the least of these being in its teens of editions, & the greatest, not worth a bark of my Flushie’s, [6] —oh, Flushie is more a poet, by the shining of his eyes! But is it not wonderful that this man who waves his white pocket handkerchief from the pulpit till the tears run in rivulets all round, [7] should have another trick of oratory (as good) where he cant show the ring on his little finger.? I really do believe that the Omnipresence of Deity is in the twenty fourth edition or beyond it—a fact that cannot be stated in respect to Wordsworth after all these years.
Publication: EBB-RHH, I, 208–212 and 91–92 (in part).
Manuscript: Pierpont Morgan Library.
2. Sarah Ellis (née Stickney) was the author of The Poetry of Life (1835), Home, or the Iron Rule (1836), Family Secrets (1841), The Mothers of England (1843) and other works.
3. Hannah Lawrance (1795–1875) wrote Historical Memoirs of the Queens of England from the Commencement of the Twelfth Century (two vols., 1838–40).
4. Cf. Macbeth, V, 5, 27–28. See note 2 above for the authorship of The Poetry of Life.
5. The three passages enclosed in angle brackets were omitted from the text printed in EBB-RHH.
6. The Omnipresence of the Deity (1828), in its 13th edition at this time, reached a 28th edition in 1855. Satan, or Intellect Without God (1830) reached an 8th edition in 1841. A 5th edition of The Messiah (1832) was printed in 1836. Woman, the Angel of Life, and Other Poems was first published in 1833. For EBB’s earlier comments about Montgomery, see letter 1058. He was also held in low esteem by RB (see letter 952).
7. In October 1843, Montgomery was appointed minister of the Percy Chapel, St. Pancras, a post he held until his death in 1855.
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