Correspondence

170.  Edward Moulton-Barrett (brother) & Edward Moulton-Barrett (father) to EBB

As published in The Brownings’ Correspondence, 1, 168–169.

[ca. November 1822] [1]

My ever dearest Ba

I sit down without a word to tell you out of the comon order of things but I know, (though by the bye my friend you played me rather a shabby trick this week) if I did not send you something in the shape of a letter you would swear at me, shake your raven locks, (I beg your pardon I forgot you had none) [2] kick about your well leg, in short I should never hear the last of it[.] I have I think as good an excuse as possible for not letting you have a line today but I disdain to make use of such mean artifice and write to you today for the sole purpose of giving you a bit of a remembrance and to teach you how to treat with such slite [sic] a person of my distinguished character it is now some time since I have mentioned your unparalleled impudence and I have forborne from so doing in hopes that a little salutary advice and a few occasional bang ups had had the desired effect and that you were rather less insolent, and as your toes began to approach the ground you were beggining to approach to something having the semblance of humility, but alas! how vain were all my hopes! all my expectations! how ungrounded are all hopes of humiliation in a young lady raised four feet from the ground on a spine crib! for instead as I fondly hoped that you were improving I find you are not only as bad as ever, but that you are breaking out in fresh places, and becoming more incorrigible than ever, that instead of your impudence falling with your toes, I begin to fear it will raise with your head. As I have nothing more to bring against you I shall wait for a fairer opportunity of giving you your full measure and dare say by next Saturday if you are not greatly improved I shall feel myself justified in giving you a second edition. For the present I shall wish you good bye.

Ever believe me

your affectionately attached.

Bro——

Love to Bumy and the rest your dear party. —

[Continued in the hand of Edward Moulton-Barrett (father) at top of page 1] Sam is coming to Town for Mail Summond by Boddington [3] on particular Business–

Address, in hand of Bro, on integral page: Miss Barrett / Hope End / Ledbury / Herefordshire.

Publication: None traced.

Manuscript: Eton College Library.

1. Conjectural dating based on references to EBB’s illness and to her “well leg,” which was mentioned in the previous letter.

2. At this time, EBB’s hair had been shorn—a contemporary sketch by her mother shows her wearing a skull-cap. (See Reconstruction, F7.)

3. Of Boddington Philips Sharpe & Co., London merchants. Edward Moulton-Barrett wrote to his father, Charles Moulton, on 13 February 1807 (SD70), “I am compelled to apply to some Merchant to assist me in my difficulties, I therefore entered into an agreement with the house of Boddington and Sharpe to allow me a specific sum for my own private expences and other sums that they name to advance for the payment of these debts I have contracted.” The Moulton-Barrett family used the firm as a clearing house for their Jamaican interests well into the latter part of the nineteenth century.

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