1834. Thomas Carlyle to RB

As published in The Brownings’ Correspondence, 10, 63.

Chelsea,

8 feby, 1845–

Dear Browning,

What is become of you? We have not heard the sound of your voice for months or years! Thou must shew face again. We are at home every night and day.

Long ago there was a project of snatching from some ungainly mortal, who now holds a letter of Oliver Cromwell’s, a copy of the same. This is now about to be actually wanted. I have just settled, after infinite confused tumbling about in the business, that the Letters and Speeches of Oliver are straightway to come out as a separate Book,—to go to press at least, and come out so soon as may be. The Letters &c, all that I know of except that one and another, are now here with materials for the due annotation:—you see the inference! However, there is no deadly haste, after all; a month hence will do: nay if the man prove unmanageable, we will fling up his head, and say “keep your letter then, there are enough otherwise!” [1]

This is fine frosty weather for travelling. Come and tell me your news at any rate! That you have “no news”, that you have been silent all this while, is perhaps no bad news to me. You cannot be idle, you, even if you would; the more inaudible you are, it is only that you are busy the deeper down. I do think so,—and with some pleasure, in this world mostly made up of Hawkers.

Yours always

T. Carlyle

What are you doing tomorrow night, for instance? We are always at home and idle too on Sunday Evgs

Publication: BC, 10, 63 (in part).

Source: Transcript in editors’ file.

1. In May of the previous year, Carlyle had written to RB (no. 1612) requesting his help in obtaining a letter for his edition of Cromwell’s letters. RB wrote to Field on Carlyle’s behalf on 14 June 1844 (no. 1628). The letter in question was to Richard Cromwell, dated 29 May 1656; it was printed as no. 212 in Carlyle’s Oliver Cromwell’s Letters and Speeches (1845). The letter dealt with the possible sale of Newhall, an estate once belonging to the Duke of Buckingham.

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