2861. EBB to Arabella Moulton-Barrett
As published in The Brownings’ Correspondence, 16, 140–147.
Florence
June 14 [–15] & 16. [1850] [1]
My beloved Arabel, you have been anxiously waiting to hear our plans spoken of, I know—& I have been as anxious as you can have been—anxious & vexed—for day after day passes, & there are no news of the ship-money, on the amount of which everything depended. [2] Here is the fourteenth of June! What are we to say? It is the more piteous, that such a delay never took place before, & that last year, we had the full means & knowledge in April. I fear the meaning may be, that repairs have been wanting to the ship, & the accounts could’nt be made up—in which case the supplies will be diminished of course. Well—if we cant get to England this year (not that I give it up yet) but if we cant, .. we shall have another plan for next, & try Paris where we shall be within nine hours of you & no summer pass without our meeting. I am sick of this long distance & absence. Bearable, it is not. Paris, we hear, is to be lived in as cheaply as Florence is, by those who understand,—& the winter is short—and one can but try it– You see we are unfortunate this year every way. Books are in the incipient state of selling—the publishers pay themselves first, & till after Christmas, nothing will come in to either of us from them. The transference from Moxon was attended with a suspence of receipts. Do you understand? Then although we can live perfectly here on some hundred & sixty or seventy a year (the whole of our settled income) we cant think of travelling to England on it. The going & coming & staying wd cost quite as much as that, of themselves. Oh, of course, we shall have the ship-money in time—but when & how much? there are questions! & this, the fourteenth of June!——
Tell dearest Trippy that I am far too proud to take her advice about writing verses to the queen in hope of the Laureateship. If they give it to me I shall condescend to accept it, tell her—& that’s all, .. it’s curious to myself that I should seem to have a chance—a faint one though, because the gallantry of Englishmen always takes care, carefully taking off its hat, to push a woman against the wall, upon principle. Besides, even among the candidates named, both Leigh Hunt & Tennyson are worthier than I .. & except as a proof that women have made some way against prejudice, I should shrink from the very thought of appearing in the competition. To say nothing of my own husband’s rights! At the same time it is just possible, that the choosers may escape from the difficulty of choice by choosing a woman, & in that case, may choose me. (They wont though.) Somebody of the name of Langley suggested it first, in the Daily News– The Globe took it up—& Robert saw it in two or three other English papers, besides Galignani. [3] The article in the Athenæum, which I do hope you read, was very kind & flattering. We must be indebted for that, to Mr Chorley. As to the office being abolished, there is no chance of it, Arabel, and a disgrace to the country it wd be if there were. England is already behind other nations in her recognition of literary men, & cannot afford to cancel the only public testimony of poetical distinction which she has been used to give. But the office will cease to be associated with the courtiership of poetry—& so best. The proposition to connect it with the wardenship of Shakespeare’s house, would be a poor œconomy, I fancy– For my part, I wd not be tied to live at Stratford on Avon & to keep a show house, not even for Shakespeare—much less for the queen’s Laureateship & three hundred a year. [4] The Wardenship shd be another office. Dont repeat to anyone that I have said a word of this subject, for Robert & I have been very careful to abstain from all allusion to it in our letters to England. He wd like me to have it of course—but neither he nor I wd like to say a word or take a step which wd seem to involve a wish of the sort. In my own mind, Leigh Hunt ought to be chosen. Younger poets may afford to wait, you know.
I have had a most satisfactory letter from Henrietta—& such news in it! [5] Oh, so glad I am. Certainly she has lost no time. Mind you tell her from me to be careful, & not to take too much cider & fruit & such things.
My child was said to be “bene nutrito” [6] & to have a beautiful complexion just because I gave way to no fancies & took plain food, with great regularity. If she were to take food every three or four hours regularly, <the sickness might be less, dear thing–> [7] Oh, if I were she, I would’nt on any account pay those visits just now. How much better to put them off for a month or two! And as to the Malvern cottage-plan, it strikes me as dangerous. Would it be worth while to let Reynolds furnish his cottage for a few months only, & to have all the fuss, themselves, of housekeeping & housepacking?—for how they could pack a servant in those four rooms, gives me a crick in the neck to think of. Also, Malvern is very expensive. Henrietta has “come to the conclusion,” she says, “that no one need live out of England for œconomy’s sake.” Entreat her from me not to come to conclusions, until she has examined both sides of the question for herself. She manages excellently in England—but, after all, she should remember that she is living on a different scale there, in a different way altogether, from what she might live on in France or here at the same expence. Of course, I know that we might live in England for even less than we have. How many dissenting ministers keep their families for less, Arabel, we both know. But we should not have rooms like these in England, nor could we live in anything like the same way. Henrietta gave a guinea a week for a sitting room, bedroom & dressing room, in Taunton, over a pastry-cooks,—and we give twelve shillings & three pence a week for our apartment in one of the finest palaces of Florence, in one of the best situations, (& a first floor) consisting of eight rooms, besides pantry &c, four of these rooms from twenty five to thirty feet long, with beautiful ceilings, & en suite, .. & two excellent rooms towards the courtyard, inhabited by Wilson & Baby, with terrace behind & before. We could not expect such a residence in England, if we had three thousand a year—& something of the kind a friend of ours was observing yesterday. The French ambassador [8] was in treaty for this very apartment, & only broke off because he could get no ‘offices’ on the ground floor. I mention this to prove to you that I am not romancing in any way. If Surtees took a cottage he wd have to pay taxes besides rent. Remember that– We pay no taxes. Then, for the housekeeping, I have told you, I think, that two guineas a week cover all expenses (kitchen fuel & all) for five grown up persons & a child (hot meat suppers always, & ham or tongue for breakfast)—including candles, oil, & wine. I write this over again to you rather than wait to write it to Henrietta .. because I am afraid that in the triumph of œconomy, they may plunge into some Somersetshire cottage, she & Surtees, & repent when they cant get out. Why not wait & consider? They are comfortable at Taunton, & can afford to wait & consider. An appointment wd bring obligations with it—but, if they have no appointment, they wd do wisely in my mind, to try the north of France—particularly with their present prospects. Henrietta told me of her attempt with Papa—— Oh Arabel!– I almost laughed & almost cried to read it– Yes, it was ill judged—I cant imagine how she could take such a fancy into her head, tell her:—yet it is still harder to imagine how there should have been heart for such a reply. Dearest Henrietta! [9]
Surely I have told you of Madme Ossoli. She is an American authoress, who was staying at Rome at republic-time, & came from the siege to the astonishment of everybody, with a live husband and child—having married the Marquis Ossoli, a Roman. I disagree with her perhaps on every serious point—and have avoided two or three different subjects, in talking to her, because I felt there was a gulf betwixt us, even while our hands leant over to clasp. Yet there is a curious sympathy between us—she drew me, I felt, by her truthfulness & generosity, yes, & tenderness of character– I loved her, & could not bear to measure the depth of this gulf– Robert felt precisely so– She is a socialist by profession, & I had hints & glimpses of desecrating opinions connected with that doctrine, from which I shrank away in conversation– She said she “had thought much & made up her mind” .. & discussion, where persuasion is out of the question on either side, is a cruel thing. Also, you know my favorite belief, that the heart is often wiser than the head—& her heart at least is wise. I like her atmosphere .. if you know what I mean by that. I was much surprised & touched by her giving to my child, as a gift from her child, a bible, before she went to America. She said to Robert “there must be good in it” .. & she wrote in the fly leaf, “May God keep them both pure.” [10] She did not mean what you would mean in giving a bible—but still she thought “there must be good in it”. One of the very plainest yet most interesting women I ever saw!– She has chiefly written for newspapers—& her writings are very inferior to her conversation which is of a high order.
I am anxious to have a letter from you, to hear about dearest Trippy– If nothing has been done, surely something ought to be done .. has anyone written to Mrs Gordon to protest? What if Trippy were to write herself, with dignity & calmness, to state the facts? Something must certainly be done. In the meanwhile, it is melancholy to count the strokes of affliction which have fallen & are falling on that family. The night before last, poor Sophia’s baby died! It was small & delicate from the first, & there must have been some defect, I conclude from what I have heard, in the pulmonic system– At least, whether from organic causes or cold, the lungs refused to act, and to the great grief & consternation of everybody, the three weeks of life terminated abruptly. Robert, who was sent for yesterday to manage the funeral, .. to help to put another poor little coffin into the grave of five months ago .. little Lily’s grave .. was quite saddened by it. He saw Madme Biondi in tears—it was the first child she had lost in her long experience. Poor Sophia—after the comfort she had looked for in this baby, & after the brief happiness of its birth! At first they thought all was going on well, .. & the duke of Lucca was to be godfather, & the child to be baptised Carlo Ludovico—then, the evil became apparent, and Count Cottrell carried away his wife to another room that she might’nt, as she lay in bed, cry all day & night to hear the difficult & gasping breathing. Is’nt it all very sad? How Robert & I ought to thank God for unspeakable goodness to us! If a baby were to die at three weeks, of obstructions in the lungs, who wd not have thought that it wd have been my baby rather than Sophia Cottrell’s? Some are of opinion that the journey to England was too fatiguing under the circumstances, for she is not strong. When they saw the child was dying, Count Cottrell baptised it “in the name of the Father, the Son & Holy Ghost”– [11] Also (which really I could’nt help smiling at) Madme Biondi baptised it again .. thinking perhaps that the ceremony, as performed by her predecessor, was not as sanctifying as it might have been. Well—the first question, asked of Robert, when he applied to the church of England to come & bury the little creature, was, “Has he been baptised.” “By the father,” said Robert .. repeating under what circumstances of sudden alarm. He was a young clergyman, fresh from Oxford, [12] —he “would go & take advice .. he dared say there wd be no difficulty.” After a consultation of heads of the church, back he came to Robert, .. “was very sorry indeed, .. but he could’nt perform the whole service—the child had not been baptised at all, as it had not been baptised by a regular minister, & it was impossible to consider it a Christian child”. Robert spoke indignantly in remonstrance, representing how the elder child had been publicly baptised & registered in his church, & how the intentions of the parents in this case had been prevented by the act of God’s providence in rapid death. Nothing wd do– “May I ask, sir, who you are?–” “My name, Sir, is Browning. I am a friend of the family. For myself, I am happy to say I am a dissenter, & do not pretend to limit the operations of God’s spirit, & the efficacy of Christ’s sacrifice.”—— “My dear sir, I am sure we should be very sorry to limit .... I am sure, sir, we are ready to hope for everybody .. I am ready to say, sir, that I commit the body to the ground in hope .....” “Oh no”, said Robert, “we wont trouble you!– There is a friend of mine who is a minister of the Free church of Scotland, [13] &, I will go to him directly– Good morning, sir.” But this prospect of a minister of the Free Church of Scotland produced a revolution– No argument had produced any equal effect– Robert was entreated to accept the terms that were offered—the revd gentleman really could not conscientiously read the whole service .. he could not go to the church, or read the chapter from Romans, .. but he wd meet the funeral at the grave & read the latter part, .. which, as he observed profoundly, was all that was of importan<ce.> Robert’s blood boiled within him, & he told me that he had to struggl<e> with himself not to break off at once & insist on going to Mr Hanna (an excellent young scotch minister whom we know, & who is here for his health,—) but, upon consideration, & really the whole thing being unimportant, he concluded that it wd be better taste to get it over as quietly as possible. So, after protesting, he allowed it to be so .. & told Count Cottrell how it was arranged. Count Cottrell was furious & vowed that “if he had twenty children, not one of them should be baptised into the Church of England again—he wd rather go to San Giovanni .. the Catholic Baptistery—anywhere than to the church of England.” For my part, although I agree that it was better to make as little fuss as might be, I could not have borne, if it had related to a child of my own, to accept the services of a man who kept repeating “but it is no Christian”, affronting one of Christ’s glorified “little ones.” I would rather have buried my child without service or minister– Cruel, narrow hearts, sectarian souls these men have. It is true that the Church of Rome, on this, as on some other points, is less narrow than the church of England as lately constituted. The Church of Rome always admits the efficacy of lay-baptism whether performed by man or woman, in circumstances of extremity. I had had the impression that the Ch. of England did so too. The combination of the doctrines,—no safety … except by baptism .. & no baptism except by our priestly hands, .. is cruel beyond expression. Those who hold such a creed, shd know what it is to have the blessed spirit of an infant snatched from them, insulted upon their own principles, in spite of their lacerated hearts.–
The Lyndsays have gone to a villa near Florence, & I just have a note from Clara to say that they will come to us at eight oclock tomorrow evening (sunday) after church. The heat begins but is as yet tolerable. Wiedeman adds to his accomplishments day by day. We tell him to imitate Napoleon, (“far Napoleone”) & then he draws himself up, folding his arms. Also, he is always ready to “far il soldato,” [14] marching with a stick over his shoulder. And he tells long stories in long whispers with his finger up, which is generally a sign that he has privately performed a piece of satisfactory mischief, such as putting the comb into the water-jug or throwing the soap into the court. Quite a passion he has for the churches—and twice last week they had scenes with him out of doors, because he wd go first into the cathedral (the Duomo) & then into the Santissima Anunciata [15] .. he kicked & screamed & insisted on it. In the churches he runs about & admires the altars & monuments, & shouts & sings sometimes rather inconveniently, as Margery Daw is scarcely ecclesiastical music. Arlette’s child must be a dear little thing. Perhaps you wd not think Baby so pretty– I dont know. He has a round infantine face & small delicate features, & looks far more like a girl than a boy, having the fairest of complexions. Dearest darling Arabel, comfort me by writing to me, & write of your dearest self whom I love more than ever, & tell me exactly how you are. Dont over walk & work yourself for my sake if for no better reason. You will see us if we can. Mr Browning talks of coming here for a week to look at Baby, if we dont go,—and Robert wd be sorry to cause such an effort & expense on his part– Rely on our good will then. Tell me of dearest Trippy whom you must kiss ten times for me. God bless my own, darling sister–
Her Ba
Mention Papa always.
Surely Alfred is long in getting strength. [16] Speak of him particularly. We had the honour of a visit a few days ago from the American Ambassador at the court of Vienna, Gen. Watson Webbe, as he passed through Florence.
Love to dear Minny. How is she? Love to Lizzie always. How little Mr Justice Talfourd knows of Robert. He is better than I, in everything.
I hope Henrietta has my letter, directed to Taunton. I shall henceforth write rather the oftener to you, Arabel, because she has more to amuse her now. Will you give my best love to Nelly Jago, & say that I never forget & am going to write to her. Perhaps her darling will overtake mine in cutting her teeth, & then, will be a triumph for glass bottles, tell her! [17] Wiedeman has only eight still—eight more on the way. Let me hear about her baby. Wiedeman has maccaroni three times a day,—twice in soup & once in pap. It is said to be very good for infants.
Mind you speak particularly of Trippy’s business, for I am anxious. We pass close to Mrs Gordon’s house & never enter it, nor shall, under present circumstances.
Address, on integral page: Care of Miss Tripsack / (Miss Barrett) / 12. Beaumont Street / Devonshire Place / New Road / London.
Publication: EBB-AB, I, 319–327.
Manuscript: Gordon E. Moulton-Barrett.
1. Year provided by postmark. The middle day is based on EBB’s reference to “tomorrow evening (sunday)”; the 16th fell on a Sunday in June 1850.
2. EBB refers to the annual return on her shares in the David Lyon, a West Indies packet. She had received the shares from her uncle, Samuel Moulton-Barrett (1787–1837). See SD832 and SD835 in volume 3; see also SD865 in volume 4.
3. Extracted in Galignani’s Messenger of 17 May 1850, The Daily News for 15 May 1850 printed a letter to the editor from Samuel Langley, who wrote: “More than one distinguished man has been indicated as worthy to succeed the venerated William Wordsworth in the laureateship; but no person seems to have recollected that England possesses an Elizabeth Barrett Browning, a Mary Howitt, a Caroline Southey, and a Caroline Norton, women, who in the true poetic genius, are at least equal to the poets whose respective claims have been brought forward in various journals.” We have been unable to trace a reference to the laureateship in The Globe. The Times carried articles about the laureateship in both the 14 and 25 May 1850 issues.
4. In the Athenæum of 1 June 1850, Hervey called the laureateship “an unmeaning piece of buffoonery” and offered an alternative to it in the form of a proposal made by Douglas W. Jerrold: “In the event of the determination of the place of the laureate, the salary that would cease with it should endow the post of keepership of the house at Stratford-upon-Avon. If the court bays … with the court cap-and-bells—are to be cast aside, at least let the salary that recommended the laurel reward a worthier office—that of custos of the hearth of the world’s teacher” (no. 1179, p. 585). The Shakespeare Birthplace Trust was founded in 1847 when the property was purchased with funds raised by public subscription.
5. Of her pregnancy.
6. “Well fed.”
7. Bracketed passage is reconstructed, having been obliterated after receipt, probably by Arabella.
8. Alexandre Florian Joseph Colonna, Comte Walewski (1810–68), natural son of Napoleon I and Marie, Countess Walewska, had been the French envoy extraordinary in Florence since January 1849.
9. Evidently, Henrietta had written to her father, possibly to announce her pregnancy, but certainly as a gesture toward reconciliation. We have been unable, however, to further clarify EBB’s remarks.
10. The inscription reads in full: “Robert Wiedeman Barrett Browning / in memory of / Angelo Eugene Philip Ossoli / Florence, 1850 / second year of their lives / God keep them pure both: / and lead them to fulness of love and wisdom!” On the frontispiece, RB inscribed: “Sunday, May 5, 1850”; see illustration facing p. 176; see also Reconstruction, A225. The presentation of the bible apparently took place at the Ossolis’ third-story apartment in Casa Libri (Piazza S. Maria Novella) on what was expected to be their last night in Florence (see letter 2874, note 1). Also in attendance was Horatio Greenough, who later reported that RB had carried EBB up “six flights of stairs” (Letters of Horatio Greenough to His Brother, Henry Greenhough, ed. Frances Boott Greenough, Boston, 1887, p. 217).
11. According to the “Trinitarian Formula,” based upon Matthew 28:19.
12. Charles W. Molony (B.A., Lincoln College, Oxford, 1848), who was officiating on behalf of the chaplain, George Robbins.
13. In September 1849 a Scotch Church was established in Florence with Robert Maxwell Hanna (1821–57), of Co. Down, Ireland, as its minister.
14. “Imitate the soldier.”
15. Santissima Annunziata, a renaissance church in the piazza of the same name, lies just to the northeast of the Duomo.
16. Alfred had suffered a relapse of jaundice; see letter 2832.
17. Nelly Jago was bottle-feeding rather than breast-feeding her baby.
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