1495. EBB to Richard Hengist Horne
As published in The Brownings’ Correspondence, 8, 145–147.
[London]
Jany. 8 1844–
My dear Mr Horne I begin to believe in the force of my own incantations, which is certainly half way to witchhood. Yes—the writer’s analysis is warm with feeling & sympathy—& I am very glad of it. Is it not true that such romances as Bulwer’s are of a far higher class than the historical novel? I think so– I am sure of it.
When I took breath after my long letter the other day, I began to remember (too late) that not a word had been said, on either side, of Dickens. [1] Only your remembering & esteeming Dickens was sure,—and I had it in my head by some occult means, that you were inclined to forget Bulwer on purpose. I have known depreciators of Bulwer,—a friend of ours being one. He is called “false” & “unhealthy”, by a certain school of critics & readers, .. in whose eyes, all intensity wears the aspect of extravagance–
And now, without being extravagant, I am about to be intensely angry with you—& to illustrate my own critical views. This morning I received a letter from Mr Merry of Shinefield [sic], with whom I do not regularly correspond, but who insisted against my will on my writing about his book on “predestination,” [2] & when I did so, branched off himself into a collateral commentary on the English liturgy, in relation to certain supposed views of mine. I send you a leaf of his letter, [3] the body of which refers to theological matters,—& you may thus judge, by your own eyes & judgement, how surprised I was to read what he says of Mr Reade—you may judge yourself what the evidence is of Mr Horne’s high treason. You are the only person to whom I ever spoke or hinted one word in reference to the supposed opinion of me. Certainly another person did cause me to infer, or more than infer, Mr Reade’s repudiation of particular poetesses, of whom I was understood to be,—‘quorum magna pars fui’: [4] but not even to that person, did I answer by a longer commentary than a smile, the idea suggested to me. If I wrote as I did to you [5] … it was wrong of me perhaps, .. but it was ‘written’ in absolute confidence,—& with the faith that you wdnt expose all my nonsense to the third person immediately concerned. Perhaps after all, this was expecting more of you than I had had sense enough to do for myself,—but you will be just enough to testify that I never complained (as I had no reason) of any opinion attributed by conjecture or otherwise, to Mr Reade or others, on the subject of my writings. There is plenty of fault in them, as nobody knows better than myself,—and even if there were no fault,—I shd be the last in the world to complain of a free opinion in its full expression, because I was the object of its condemnation. If I mentioned it at all to you, it was incidentally .. & I never have mentioned it to another——never—not even to Miss Mitford. And as to Mr Merry, Mr Reade’s name never before has occurred between us two.
Et tu Brute!– [6] Oh—to go & betray me before the ides of March.!
It was written, you see, that we shd quarrel a little about Mr Reade—who certainly “knows more than he should do” by questionable means––albeit not a witch.
Perhaps you made a portable packet of my letters, & sent them to amuse his leisure withal—or “read them into the air”, [7] ‘with intention.’ .. Which wd account for the “caustic touches” by return of post. Oh Mr Horne—Mr Horne.
I shall write to Mr Merry—and beg him to assure Mr Reade that I never considered myself in the slightest degree aggrieved by any opinion of his, of whatever nature I might have supposed that opinion to be. I shall treat the subject in a general way & without mentioning you. That Mr Reade is worthy of every respect, & too amiable a man to give pain, or think or speak harshness of any individual, I have always believed & continue to believe of him,—and shall add the expression of that belief to the rest.
‘Something too much of this.’ [8] I hope I may have appeared in a sufficient passion in the course of my letter.
Truly yours
EBB–
Mr Merry is not in Berkshire at present but at Cheltenham. Say nothing of this at Three Mile Cross– The less talking of it the better–
Publication: EBB-RHH, I, 220–225 (in part).
Manuscript: Pierpont Morgan Library.
1. In the published text, Dickens occupied the first chapter of the first volume (I, 3–76).
4. “Whereof I was no small part” (Æneid, II, 6, trans. H. Rushton Fairclough).
6. Julius Cæsar, III, 1, 77.
7. EBB is echoing the phrase used by Horne in the first paragraph of the preceding letter.
8. Hamlet, III, 2, 74.
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