203. Edward Moulton-Barrett (brother) to EBB
As published in The Brownings’ Correspondence, 1, 207–208.
[London]
[Postmark: 30 October 1824]
My dearest Bazy
You were no doubt greatly enraged at not recieving a letter from me last week, but to tell you the truth I was not atall [sic] well on Sunday, from a bad cold, which gave me a slight touch of the rheumatism, particularly in the back of my head, however I am happy to say a black dose has set me up again, and I am now quite well, I should have written during the week but Sam told me [he] had written so I thought I might as well put it off till today; in his turn Sam has now got a stiff neck and a bad cold, in short colds and coughs are so prevalent that every body is now complaining of them. I hope next week to have a chance of getting made a præpositus, [1] as we are to write verses without dictionary or graders, besides which we are to be strictly examined by Russell when the best will be elected. We have been examined four or five times this last week by Russell, and have come off well each time, he examined us once or twice for the purpose of explaining the plans of the school to a man who is going to establish a school at Corfu, [2] and of whom Russell has the nomination. I am quite delighted to hear you are getting on so well with your poem [3] and if I were you I certainly should not relinquish certain little hopes and ideas which you will remember you expressed to me.
I have not heard from Hastings since I wrote last, I hope you have not forgotten to write to them if you have you may depend upon it you never hear the end of it, for they were by no means pleased at your silence when I mentioned it last. I hope Bazy you will excuse this very short letter as I have got no less than four and twenty verses which must be done before tommorrow morning but I cannot close my letter without thanking both you and Henrietta for your very kind letters, I assure you they were most acceptable. Good bye ever believe me my dearest Bazy
your ever affect
Brozy
Address, on integral page: S. M. Barrett. Esqr MP. / Hope End / Ledbury / Herefordshire.
Publication: None traced.
Manuscript: Eton College Library.
1. Præpositus: one set in command. In 1821, there were only five masters at Charterhouse for 431 boys. To help compensate for the lack of teaching staff, a “picked boy of each form” (præpositus) was set “to teach the rest of his form, and keep order as best he could” (Charterhouse in London, by Gerald S. Davies, 1921, p. 265).
2. Probably the Ionian Academy, founded by Lord Guilford (1766–1827), who was its first chancellor in 1824.
3. Probably a draft of An Essay on Mind.
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