1617.5. RB to Richard Hengist Horne

Addendum to The Brownings’ Correspondence, vol. 8.

[London]

Thursday. [?June 1844] [1]

Dear Horne,

Only one produced: “Ms” in 1821, says the French Edition—and one other alteration of the “White Devil,” that got at last to be an original play, by the letting drop off the old material, like Sir John Cutler’s silk stockings, darned into new: this, however, was only ordered, begged for, &c. by the jobberknowled actors—and then returned on his hands (with a smirking thank’ee, I dare say.) I have been re-reading the old “Dramatic Scenes,” published in 1815, with delighted wonder—all the “new effects”—happy idealized colloquialisms, earnest and truth-warranting interjectional phrases—are anticipated– I come upon Tennyson every moment–

—what a canopy is

This scented lime– Kings have not such above them!

(like—“Kings have no such couch as thine”)

I slew him, Harlot, stabbed him thro’ and thro’!

(like “Three times I stabbed him thro’ & thro’–”)

—but there is no end to the parallelisms.

Do justice to all of this .. or, rather, don’t be so certain in your own doing justice as to suppose everybody must be as intimately sure of it. There is a great locked-up garden full of beauty & blossoms ..

Break a lemon-branch

And give’t me, Lopez: there is a freshness in it,

And very grateful perfume. So—how sweet!

I’ll bind it round my brows.

So says he, so says

Yours ever,

RB.

Publication: None traced.

Manuscript: Armstrong Browning Library.

1. Conjectural dating suggested by RB’s references to the works of Bryan Waller Procter. Horne was preparing a second edition of A New Spirit of the Age at this time, and was considering the addition of an article on Procter (see letter 1625).

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