4120. EBB to Arabella Moulton-Barrett
As published in The Brownings’ Correspondence, 25, 15–19.
Casa Guidi–
Jany 25– [1858] [1]
My ever dearest Arabel, you reproach me with not writing. But, dear, I surely did not keep silent as long as you do. And I wrote to Henrietta, [2] —& to Henry later [3] I hope, by the way, he got my letter which I sent to Bath .. perhaps imprudently. Oh, so glad I was, so glad I was, to hear of his intended marriage .. It broke on me in a sudden shower of joy,—I, not looking up even, when that window of Heaven was opened. I do wish everybody was married: it is my wish. Henry’s letter rushed like an epic into the subject-matter, .. speaking of his divine Amelia, whom I had never heard of in my life, .. & really I scarcely knew whether to laugh or cry. You know the very names of Miss Holland & Mrs Morris were unknown to me,—& it happens that I have’nt (or had’nt a fortnight ago) a single friend or acquaintance called ‘Amelia’ .. out of Tom Jones. [4] Then I liked so much that letter of hers which Henrietta sent to me. Such a pretty, natural, feeling, touching letter! a lady’s letter too! it pleased me very much. Henry said nothing of money, & I did’nt think of it in being glad. You know I dont agree with the majority in giving a great weight to money; & you may suppose that I go along with the new “imprudent-marriage movement,” .. (shall I call it?) & think it one of the wisest movements of the time. In spite of which I am glad to find from you that there is money & to spare, for dear Henry, & that he will be quite luxuriously off– [5] It runs in my head that he may take a place in the Taunton direction,—(which will be delightful for Henrietta,—) & lead the country life he has always so hankered after. Penini, sitting in his little chair, with grave blue eyes fixed on the fire, exclaimed after a long silence the other day,—“I do hope Harry may have lots of children.”– Peni’s favorite wish, poor child, for everybody. When he read in German Grimm’s story of the “Twelve brothers,” [6] he said with a sigh– “Ah,—twelve brothers! If I had twelve brothers, I should’nt want Alexandro.” [7] Think of Peni with twelve brothers! “Un po’ troppo,” [8] as the Italians say– Yes, I long to show him to my dearest Storm– Storm would like Peni– Indeed he grows not less a darling but more, for he has recovered the spoiling of “my uncles” in England, & is particularly good & gentle just now, without losing any of his vivacity & high spirits. He is prettier too, I think,—his face rounder & rosier– Mrs Jameson says that when she kisses it, it is as the face of an angel [9] to her. No, Arabel,—he is’nt going to be “converted,” .. poor darling,—not he!—but you know, I care so little for names, less than ever,—& Surtees would have still more reason (according to his view) to tell me as he once did, that I “ought to make up my mind what church to belong to, & belong to it:—it was time.” I could pray perfectly with the Catholics here, (though I dont believe some of their dogmas) just as I can pray in a Calvinistic church,—not believing in certain of their dogmas– I wish my child to do the same– Be sure the churches are all in ruins—church of Rome, church of England, church of Scotland, .. churches of the Independents– You are all shut up in cupboards, it seems to me—each of you having certain bricks of the truth, & not one knowing how to put them together– Will He not “set our feet in a large room” [10] at last? Well—we must wait– And you meanwhile must try to forgive me. I am heartily glad that the cathedrals are about to be utilized [11] —it seems to me a movement in the right direction– But more is wanted than that—a more vital hold of more scriptural dogmas, it seems to me– So it strikes me– Spurgeons wont do for the wants of this age. And I desire much a new translation of the Scriptures– [12] More light, light, light, everywhere.
Ferdinando who has just had his own child baptized as a protestant, is not likely to try to make a catholic of Peni– Indeed, Peni dislikes “the priests” too much, instead of too little,—only purely for political reasons; and it does not hinder his liking to go to the churches sometimes to pray to the beautiful music, .. which is a “nice delight,” he says. Poor Mr Hanna’s sermons were on the contrary a heavy trial to Peni,—& I used to doubt much whether it was good for him in a religious point of view to insist on his attending them. By the way, Dr Stewart of Leghorn, (presbyterian minister there) [13] who had the arrangement of all Mr Hanna’s affairs, has sent us a most magnificent illustrated edition of Bunyan as a memorial, [14] from the books, .. with a note, to the effect, that if dear Mr Hanna had been conscious of his state, he would probably have desired to leave us such a token of regard. This has much touched us– Paragraphs have gone the round of the papers, to the effect that Robert was chief-mourner at the funeral– [15] The loss to the Italian protestants in Tuscany, is immense– Certainly the young man sent out [16] (whether he will stay or not being uncertain) is quite incompetent to fill the gap. He came to see us– I cant judge of preachers now, you know: its my prison-time– And the cold intense! I have lost my soul as usual, & have some cough—not very much—no more than is necessary in a hard frost, .. the thermometer nine degrees lower than it has been at Florence for years … since 1847. I dont stir out of these two rooms, & Robert dines here that we may dine together. Also I have begun my old diet of cod liver oil that I might not turn to a skeleton as is my way in cold weather. Dear, I should put off writing till I felt more lively (remember I am not ill a bit) if it were not for your professing yourself uneasy about silences—so you shall have a dull letter rather than none– Robert has had a dreadful cold, & I wouldnt let him go out for three days .. a real act of authority .. he moaning & groaning all the time, (so weakminded, men are!):—but the result is, he has not had ulcerated sore throat, as happens when his colds are neglected– Peni has had a cold too––but not much, & no cough—& now he is quite well–
He has just read & translated more than a page of Grimm, really so well! quite currently– Certainly it happened to be easier than usual,—but I told him very few words. He is so clever that he is punishable when he does’nt do well– I have been working at German, myself, all this summer & winter, partly to do myself good in various ways, & partly to be in a condition to teach Peni– I have read some twenty volumes of German novels .. all Mdme Hahn Hahn’s [17] —& have gotten at last to read without that dreadful dictionary whose back I have worked off fairly– Then Robert too has taken to German– He had less to do than I, but has done it–— One of Peni’s difficulties with the piano is, his surprising musical memory– He learns everything off by heart & wont “look at the notes,” as I hear Robert thundering at him that he “must & shall [18] do.” Last week when he & I were sitting in the dark here, he proposed to play me anything I liked from memory. I named a long piece of four or five pages—& he went through it to my astonishment perfectly– The disadvantages of this faculty are combatted by giving him a quantity of new music– He plays much better than ever I did at my best .. which is’nt praise. Poor Peni– Last night he came in to us in very low spirits, “quite unhappy” said he—he sate down on my knee, threw his arms round my neck, & told me that he thought he should “never marry himself” .. “I think I shall never marry myself, dear mama”– And when I kissed & coaxed him & asked what had changed all his views … “No! I think I shant– If I do, I shall take an Italian:—perhaps an Italian princess .. but still I dont think I shall.” “And why? and what’s the matter?” And then it came out that the world was dark– Annunciata would’nt wear a domino– Annunciata would hold him by the hand in the street, and then, if she did’nt wear a domino, everybody would know him! He concluded this lamentable recital by exclaiming—“And now, dear mama, think of my position!” Poor Pen– I promised to take his case into consideration, & he was a little consoled. The carnival has begun, but the masking is not so soon. Meanwhile he has a rose-coloured domino prepared, with a quilling of black satin ribbon all round, & a rose-satin mask trimmed the same as the domino. But who can realize dominos & Italy in this dreadful weather?
I do wish that dearest Storm was not going to Jamaica– Give him my best, best tenderest love, & say that vain thing to him.
As for you, my darling Arabel, I have said not a word of you through these sheets, but I am thinking anxiously of that ear of yours & of the remedy still more– Do you mean to say that you are more deaf in that ear than when I was in England? Let me get you to answer my questions– I cleave to you with my anxious thoughts, dear dearest. Yes, I do hope nothing can prevent our meeting this year–
Why, take Occy to Jamaica, when there’s no end? It seems to me horrible, this going to Jamaica, & I protest against it, you dearest Storm– As if you had’nt had enough of Jamaica—why not come out here instead? <…> [19] in prison <…> people punished.” <…>ed all of you. <…> have gone <…> I hope <…> when this letter reaches you? Love & best love from Robert & Peni– Ever your fondly attached Ba.
Address: Angleterre viâ Franc<e> / Miss Barrett / Bryngwyn / Oswestery / Salop.
Publication: EBB-AB, II, 330–334.
Manuscript: Berg Collection and Gordon E. Moulton-Barrett.
1. Year provided by postmark.
4. Novels by Henry Fielding (1707–54). In The History of Tom Jones (1749), the heroine, named Sophia, marries Tom at the end. The title character of Amelia (1751) is married to Captain Booth as the story begins. Henry’s fiancée is Sophia Amelia Morris (see letter 4115, note 1).
5. As indicated in letter 4121, Mrs. Morris brought “a thousand a year” to the marriage, and Henry’s inheritance from his father was nearly £11,000.
6. “Die zwölf Brüder,” first published in Kinder- und Haus-Märchen (Berlin, 1812–15).
7. Sic, for Alessandro; see letter 4108, note 4.
8. “A bit too much.”
9. Cf. Acts 6:15.
10. Cf. Psalm 31:8.
11. It was about this time that “the example of Spurgeon at last compelled the two great cathedrals [i.e., St. Paul’s and Westminster Abbey] to attempt a feat of evangelism for which they were ill suited. … But the needs of the working men, and the example of Spurgeon, persuaded the evangelical leaders of the Church of England to imitate his methods. … Under the pressure of mounting demand the chapter of Westminster resolved to begin evening services in January 1858. … Encouraged by the abbey, St. Paul’s opened its services in December 1858” (Owen Chadwick, The Victorian Church, 1966, I, 524–526). The first Sunday evening service at the Abbey took place on 3 January 1858 at 7 p.m. and was attended by “some 3,000 persons” (The Times, 5 January 1858, p. 6).
12. During the 1850’s, efforts towards revision of the Authorized Version of the Bible (1611) began to gather momentum, but it was another thirty years before a new version appeared. Known as the Revised Version, the New Testament was published in 1881, and the Old Testament in 1885. When the former appeared, Spurgeon said that it was “strong in Greek, weak in English” (The New Oxford Annotated Bible, New Revised Standard Version, New York, 1991, p. 403).
16. The Rev. John Richardson McDougall (1831–1900), who served as the minister in the Free Church of Scotland at Florence from 1857 until his death.
17. Ida Marie Louise, Gräfin von Hahn-Hahn (1805–80); see letter 4098, note 8.
18. “Shall” and “must” are each underlined three times.
19. This part of the letter is written on the inside flap and the throat of the envelope, a large piece of which is missing.
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