306. EBB to Hugh Stuart Boyd
As published in The Brownings’ Correspondence, 2, 146–148.
Hope End.
June 6th [–7] 1828.
My dear Sir,
I ought to have thanked you before now for the note & letter & the edition of Gregory, [1] which I received last week. At the beginning of the present week I had an opportunity of sending a letter,—but to say the truth, was too much out of humour to write. The fact is this. In consequence of a communication from London, we had actually taken Bradley Cottage, when another subsequent communication, speaking of the continued uncertainty & tediousness of my Father’s business, directed us to dispose of the house if we could,—as another week or fortnight might pass, before a removal to Malvern became practicable. You may imagine how provoked I was! I have been besides continually disappointed about receiving a book which I mean to send you,—but, having just read your last letter I cannot wait for anything before I reply to it. I cannot wait for anything before I thank you,—and warmly thank you,—for the great & gratifying kindness you shew me with regard to my staying in your house. It would delight me to do so,—& that, I believe, I once told you—unnecessarily told you, for you must have known, long ago, the only feeling I could entertain on the subject. I told you at the time,—& not unnecessarily,—the reason which prevents my doing so at present. When I [2] was ill, my Father & Mother, during two years, scarcely ever left me to go anywhere, not even to dine in the neighbourhood,—tho’ I was in immediate danger for only a few months. Ought I to do less for them? My Mother’s case is not likely to be so tedious as mine was,—and when she is once in a satisfactorily progressive state, I shall not mind leaving home—even if she should not be quite well. In the meantime “the most useless person in the house” as I am generally & too justly called, must stay where she is, & only dream of her visit to you. Of course when Grandmama is at Malvern, I shall be able to stay with her for a few days at a time—but then that is a different thing. That will be paying a necessary attention: it will not be for the mere sake of amusing myself,—& no one can say to me, “You go there,—why should you not come here”? If on the contrary, I were to stay with you, this would naturally be said. I could not avoid giving offence to several persons who have been kind enough to invite me to their houses during the last six months,—or else I should be obliged to leave my Mother in her reduced state, for the purpose of mixing in society. Certainly I could not go to you without going to Foxley, considering my long engagement, & the kindness with which its fulfilment has been urged upon me. Energy of mind may give the elasticity of youth to the frame of age,—but it will not give immortality. What will not bend to Time, will break before Time. I may not long be urged to go there!
When I pay you my visit I need not take either of my sisters with me,—tho’ I cannot be otherwise than extremely obliged to Mrs Boyd & yourself for your most kind consideration. Perhaps it would be more difficult for two than for one, to get leave of absence,—and I may assure you that “leaving home” will not appear to me in the least tremendous, when I am going to see you. I hope you will shew me, before then, some of the secrets of your penetralia [3] which undoubtedly relate to the “four arts”. You have made me very curious, & have induced me to think of many things in Heaven & Earth never dream’t of in any philosophy, [4] since Cornelius Agrippa’s! [5] Do you believe in ghost-raising, & animal magnetism,—in a discovery of the character, from the handwriting,—& of the destiny, from the stars? There are four arts for you, “each of them more wonderful than craniology”! but, as Cornelius says, “non committuntur hoec literis, nec scribuntur calamo!” [6]
I should like to see thro’ your reason for not being “desirous of hearing” the book read, which I offered to send, but I cannot “bore” you even for such a purpose. I am sorry, for your sake as well as mine, that you are so very “penetrable”—that you can be bored so very easily! You certainly deprive yourself of a pleasure. Some time ago I reflected & observed that under your circumstances I should suffer more deprivations than you could suffer, in consequence of my dislike of being read to. I never could bear it—but I am concerned on every account, that you should feel as I do in this particular. The eyes of your memory however are both microscopic & telescopic—& will see further than any eyes physical or intellectual, that I know anything about. If I do not bring this letter to an end, I shall lose the opportunity of sending it. Therefore I must be brief in my expressions to you with regard to your kind note & letter which came in company with Gregory. You cannot think how much pleasure it gives me to see your handwriting. I have inveighed, to you, against ipse dixits, [7] —but all my independent philosophy can find nothing to say against the authority & influence of such an ipse scripsit. [8]
Believe me ever
Your sincere friend
E B Barrett.
I hope Mrs Boyd is quite well again; Give my kind remembrances to her. Mama is rather better—but Mrs Boyd must not think of coming, till the weather is better also. I have been often on the point of making another request, respecting the number of our visitors. I have heard however that you do not like leaving home—& I am afraid of your penetrability.
You have frequently desired me to be candid with you. Therefore I will not scruple to observe that your mistaking page 37 for page 38,—when you saw the book only seventeen years ago,—is “very extraordinary”, & requires the apology you make. Some persons might consider the apology more extraordinary than the transgression! I hope I shall be able to go & see you soon!
Saturday Morning.
Address, on integral page: Hugh Stuart Boyd Esqr / Woodland Lodge / Malvern.
Publication: EBB-HSB, pp. 45–48.
Manuscript: Wellesley College.
1. The 1690 folio edition of Jacques de Billy (1535–81), signed by Boyd in 1804 and given to EBB in 1829, now at Wellesley (Reconstruction, A1093).
2. Underscored twice.
3. “Inner shrine.”
4. Hamlet, I, 5, 166–167.
5. Heinrich Cornelius Agrippa von Nettesheim (1486–1535) was the author of De Occulta Philosophia, a work on magic and necromancy.
6. “These things are not put into letters, nor are they written with a pen!” This comment occurs in a postscript after the conclusion of the last book of De Occulta Philosophia (p. 347 of the 1533 edition).
7. “He himself said it.”
8. “He himself wrote it.” (Owing to his blindness, most of Boyd’s letters were written for him; EBB regarded it as a special mark of favour whenever Boyd wrote to her himself.)
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