4366. EBB to Henrietta Cook
As published in The Brownings’ Correspondence, 26, 92–98.
43. Bocca di Leone–
[21] March– [1859] [1]
My beloved Henrietta .. ever beloved—for indeed, indeed, (at least with me) there is no diminution of love– Yet you seem to think so, you!– If I dont write often to you, dear, you must understand that I know it to be just as you say—you are a good deal absorbed in your children, .. have not time for writing: also, Arabel wants letters (having no children, poor darling) and what I write to her you have the echo of, as I am well aware. Otherwise I should not be content with this slack correspondence with Wilton– Dearest Henrietta, I dearly love you, pray for you, think of you– None of the old days go past without a throb of pain in love– There are things too dear to talk of sometimes,—I remember always. May God bless you—& keep you, & yours. Such words, I can say without writing them–
But I want (this is my dissatisfaction) more news in detail of you. Your last letter was scantier of detail than mine ever are—although you told me in it some interesting things. First about the house– [2] I am glad you have taken it– The price is very low—although, I suppose, there are taxes out of proportion. It must be an excellent house—plenty of rooms—& the nearness to the woods sounds charming– My sole objection is to the drawingroom being up stairs—because in the country this should not be– Arrange at once to have a wooden bridge thrown from a window down to the garden– I have seen such things done with picturesque effect. I am glad you are going, for it has struck me that your present residence is somewhat damp & too confined for the children– The distance from Taunton will be rather an inconvenience I should fear—but there are advantages in it in some respects– Now, do write & tell me the name of the new house, & if there is a pretty view from the windows. Could’nt you get a drawingroom down stairs after all—using the one up stairs for a schoolroom–? Your account of the children is too general; but I make out from it that Altham gets on nicely with his music, as he can play duets with you!! which must be a pleasure to all of you– Tell me what music you give him– The purchase of new music for Pen, is an item in our expenses– Altham knows much of which Penini is ignorant: arithmetic for instance—& I dare say he spells English better—& he can dance too, which my Pen has not learnt yet, notwithstanding my determinations for this winter. But I must arrange it in combination with some other family– There is no such thing as a dancing school to be heard of hereabouts. With regard to music, certainly his progress cannot be a standard for pupils in general,—for the faculty is decided: and then he has had great advantages in the best & the most regular instruction. I made Robert laugh lately by exclaiming that “after all he would be made a saint of some day”: and really his persistent attention to Pen for two hours & a half every day, in spite of all his engagements & temptations here in Rome, deserves to be counted for a virtue– Not many fathers would act so– In fact, he is proud of his pupil, & not without reason—for his execution is extraordinary for his age & the time he has learnt—not two years yet. He plays very difficult music, with the modern effects of fingering—and those little hands which cant reach the clear octave yet, play pieces consisting of octaves rapidly played, through their extreme activity .. leaping at the notes—octaves, yes, and decades– He is very impatient to play a sonata of Beethoven—(but Robert does’nt like to buy one over again here when we have all the works of the master at Florence—) and really much in Beethoven is a good deal easier music than what Peni is in the habit of playing at present– Rackermann, [3] the German, who is of the exclusive German school, & who is famous for setting all his advanced pupils back to the alphabet; came to hear Pen play the other morning & complimented him & Robert, to our universal surprise—said he had been perfectly well taught,—& asked leave to come in occasionally to take note of him. Nevertheless Rackermann could’nt help being a little pedante & after hearing some of the Rosellen brilliant studies, [4] which are exclusively for the execution .. he said .. “Ah—that is very well– But still dont give him any more of that—it is beyond the competency of a child,—&, in the classical music, except in some of the very most difficult parts of Beethoven, he would not make use of all this mechanical power–” Which was listened to respectfully by Robert, but wont be acted on, .. because he considers that Peni’s age is the time for acquiring mechanical power—if he does’nt acquire it now, he never will—also Master Pen, instead of being “over-fatigued” by it, as Ra[c]kermann thought, is very ambitious about overcoming difficulties of the kind– “Get me something very hard, papa,” he says, when Robert goes to buy music for him. His little hands fly over the keys like birds– Then the modern German school is stupendously difficult, & calculates on a supernatural power of hand. Liszt has the hand of a giant—to set out with.
So you are thinking of Latin already—is’nt it early? I must think of it before long—but I may wait a year, perhaps– I am teaching the general principles of grammar out of an excellent little book, called “Little Mary’s Grammar,’[’] [5] which I recommend to you for your children, meantime. What French book does Altham read? Pen is finishing ‘Le Magasin des enfans’ [6] with me– He does not translate to me now, as he understands the French as he reads it– I think I shall get ‘Les Veillées du château” [7] next for him. He reads French perfectly to amuse himself, much as he would English or Italian– The German only requires to be steadily translated, but he does it very fluently when he is good! Oh Henrietta—he would look up to your Altham with deep feelings of admiration & respect, equipped for “riding twenty miles”!—can it be possible? Still, forgive me, I do not see the necessity, moral or physical, of corduroys & leather gaiters–— My dearest Henrietta—quantities of men I know in the habit of riding out everyday, both here & in Tuscany—yes, real Englishmen, too .. but neither cord[u]roy nor leather gaiter ever meets my eyes or my knowledge. [8] Why should you disguise & distort a young child’s natural grace by such things? No—it is quite contrary to my doxy, I avow to you– I even think that dressing a child in coarse heavy clothing is likely to act injuriously on his manners & gestures in after-life. Pen tugs at me in vain for very thick shoes .. which he thinks manly .. because he has seen great boys wear them– I wont let him wear a shoe except of the soft, polished leather– The other extreme, people may say! But the consequence is, that Peni’s feet have never had either chilblain or corn, & that he walks & runs like Camilla [9] (under whom the wheat did’nt bend) for quickness & lightness– For the rest, if he lived in the country, there would be the less need for “velvet,” you know. Here he always is in sight of the world! and (let me confess myself—) I have added to my extravagance of buying him a new black velvet blouse, by buying him besides a green velvet blouse in which he looks perfectly lovely .. the burnished curls hanging over it! I assure you, Pen is admired considerably on all sides. “Not a child like him in Rome,” people say, and are not wrong. His “graceful manners” are particularly appreciated. Robert lets him go to day-concerts,—& he was at two last week– It is an advantage to him at this stage, to hear good players– You ought to hear Pen talking of musical composers—it’s too funny sometimes, when he comes home & gives an account of what he has heard—“Stephen Heller [10] .. the greatest man after Chopin! a ‘morceau characteristique’ [11] .. quite exquisite, dear Mama.” Not that he is swallowed up of music by any manner of means– He is as much a mere child as ever, enchanted with the carnival bonbons .. or with many more trifling things .. kissing dolls, for instance .. in unquenchable spirits from morning till night—and “so witty”, as Mr Hawthorne’s little girls say, “that he makes one die of laughing.”
Now I am going to tell you some more of our news– You say you prefer your quiet evenings to ours; that is, to Robert’s—for I sit at home or go to bed rather. Ah you wicked Henrietta, who used to be the dissipated person of the family, is it you who “reason high” [12] upon domestic quiet & felicity?-- Certainly Robert has not practised much quiet since we came to Rome—but as Annunziata is called on to “let out” the band of nether vestment, I dont complain—not I–
Well—did you hear from my letter to Arabel [13] that Colonel Bruce had called on us, & said to me that “it was desired for the Prince of Wales, not to enter into mixed society at Rome, but, to know the most eminent men here,[”]—& that he Col Bruce “knew it would be gratifying to the Queen that the prince should make Mr Browning’s acquaintance”– He added that “it was necessary to proceed with delicacy & deliberation”– Therefore when Robert had returned Col. Bruce’s visit, .. by leaving a card, .. he took no other step of course: and as five or six weeks passed, one did not know what farther would be done– We never mentioned the circumstance to anyone in Rome in the meanwhile– At last, arrived a royal invitation, or “command” to dine with the Prince last friday [14] —which was rather unlucky,—for Robert was engaged to dinner that very day at Mr Cartwright’s to meet Lord Stratford de Redcliffe, [15] the Neapolitan ambassador, [16] & the Piedmontese ambassador the Marquis d’Azeglio .. (quite a congress!) and I did’nt at all like his giving up Azeglio, who is worth a hundred royalties .. (always excepting the Emperor Napoleon’s)– Robert went however where British loyalty called—& got away early enough to get over to Mr Cartwright’s later in the evening, & make Azeglio’s acquaintance (& he, by the way, is coming to see me!)
Well—we had a little laughing before Robert went to the royal dinner– I advised him against certain casualties .. such as saying .. “Though I dont go as far in politics as my wife, yet I call myself a republican”—and I desired him to instruct the budding royalty in Italian politics of the best kind & so forth– I did not envy him his honour—not in the least, Henrietta, observe!! After all, however, the affair went off excellently– The prince is a fair, gentle youth, with a frank open countenance– Col. Bruce presented Robert, & they went out to dinner immediately. The prince did not talk much, but listened intelligently & asked several questions on Italian politics .. to Robert’s own great surprise & mine .. (for he & I had only jested in supposing the subject possible) and he found himself talking quite naturally of the wrongs of Italy to an evidently sympathetic audience– Not that the prince committed his royal youthfulness in the least degree, but that he listened intently, & his suite did more than listen. England has been acting vilely in this matter & lost their last prestige in Italy accordingly—but I have the satisfaction to believe that the influential English here are swerving slowly towards a more noble attitude .. which they can well afford– Lady William Russell quite agreed with me the other morning, that a few battles would clear the air wonderfully—and she is a very clever woman who knows the mind of her House & party– Not that I put my trust in Russells any more than in princes [17] --except, let me say, the Emperor Napoleon, among the latter. My interest in Italian politics has set me eating my heart [18] lately,—and verily the diet has been bitter– The anxiety which has tormented me sometimes has made me wish that I could shut my eyes from the newspapers & my ears from the news, till all was over–
“The spirits” are a more calming & elevating subject,—and very interesting things are passing here. Dr Channing’s spirit [19] (or one giving himself for such) has come to me, and answered questions in a most startling way– I asked him if he thought differently or the same of the Lord Jesus Christ. The answer was—‘God was manifest in the Flesh.’ I asked him if, on first entering the spiritual world, he was chiefly struck by the beauty? Answer—‘No’– By what then? [“]By the thinness of the Veil.” “What Veil?” “Between that life & this life”!! “Is no Beauty there, then?”– Answer– “Transcendent beauty.” “Why did it not strike you?” Answer– “It was not the Beauty which first overwhelmed me .. it was the sense of immortality”– “Did you see the face of God?”—“No, no, no, child.” When this spirit first announced himself, I should have told you, that I said .. “If you are Channing, say something to give us pleasure”– The reply was—“Be of good cheer—your sins are forgiven you.” [20]
I hear from England, the subject is advancing with a large section of the public– Milner Gibson’s dinner table is, in the middle of dinner, lifted up to an angle of forty five, .. he praying (or rather swearing) for leave to get his ‘dinner in peace’– And Mr Grattan (quite a man of the world) in his late book on America, [21] urges that the subject deserves investigation by the learned, on substantial grounds– —There are absurdities on the part of its friends, I must say, which as much militate against this, as do the obstinacies of its enemies– For instance, think of Mrs Milner Gibson sending out ‘cards’ for “spiritual seânces,” just as she would for matineés dansantes”–! [22]
I have just finished correcting ‘Aurora’ for the fourth edition .. to which an engraving from the photograph is to be attached. A photograph from Mr Talfourd’s portrait of me, (which has been greatly admired & considered very like by the Roman world) will be sent to you by an early opportunity. [23] It is too flattering—much idealized, in fact—but there must be a good deal of likeness, or it would not strike so universally– As a work of art it is certainly most beautiful– Dont let me forget to say, that the Prince of Wales told Robert very graciously that he had gone to see it– [24] Which he did, really—& I was glad, for the artist’s sake. He heard of it from admiral Erskine, who had seen me once & admired the portrait. Miss Heaton had prayed Gibson in vain to suggest to the Prince that the portrait was there: Gibson had not the affrontery for this—very properly!
Now write to me dearest dear Henrietta– Arabel is devoured of the Bazaar, [25] & I shall be a little uneasy till I hear that she is well over it without being ill. May God bless you dear Surtees & all– Love from Robert & Pen. Is the house near Sidbrook? [26] & how is it called?
Your ever attached, unchanging Ba.
Address: Angleterre. / Mrs Surtees Cook / Wilton / Taunton / Somersetshire.
Publication: Huxley, pp. 308–313 (in part, as 4 March 1859).
Manuscript: Armstrong Browning Library, Altham Archive (envelope); and British Library.
1. Day and year provided by postmark.
2. William Surtees Cook recorded in his journal: “We took from Lady day next [25 March], as yearly tenants, a house of Captain Patton’s at Stoke St. Mary’s three miles from Taunton, which he calls Stoke Court, with five and a half acres of land” (Surtees, 24 February [1859]). The Cooks did not relocate to Stoke Court until 5 May 1859. Their landlord was Capt. Thomas Patton, R.N. (1792–1876).
3. Presumably, either Ludwig Rackemann, or his younger brother, Frederic William Rackemann (1821–84), German pianists and violinists, though we have been unable to place either in Rome at this time.
6. Le Magasin des enfants by Jeanne-Marie Leprince de Beaumont (1711–80) was first published in 1757.
7. Les veillées du château; ou Cours de morale à l’usage des enfants (1784) by Stéphanie Félicitié, Comtesse de Genlis (1746–1830).
8. Surtees Cook made the following annotation on his transcript of this letter: “The hunting field in Somerset required a somewhat different costume, even for a child, than the Bocca di Leone at Rome” (EBB's Letters to Her Sister Henrietta, ms at ABL/Altham).
9. In the Aeneid, the warrior maid and cavalry leader from the Volscian tribe. Said to run like the wind, “she might have flown over the topmost blades of unmown corn, and not bruised the tender ears in her course” (Aeneid, VII, 807–809, trans. H. Rushton Fairclough). In this and subsequent quotations from, or references to, Greek and Latin classical authors, citations are from the Loeb Classical Library unless otherwise noted.
10. Stephen Heller (1813–88), Hungarian pianist and composer. He lived in Paris from 1838.
11. “Characteristic piece.”
12. Cf. Paradise Lost, II, 558.
14. The Prince of Wales recorded the occasion in his diary for 18 March 1859: “In the evening Col. Caldwell, Mr. Crofton, Mr. Browning & Mr. Williams dined with us” (ms at The Royal Library and Royal Archives, Windsor Castle). Presumably, Hugh Caldwell (1785–1882), colonel in the Bengal Army, who retired to Rome in 1839, and Penry Williams (1802–85), Welsh painter, who lived in Rome from 1827. We have been unable to identify “Mr. Crofton.”
15. Stratford Canning, 1st Viscount Stratford de Redcliffe (1786–1880), diplomat and sometime Member of Parliament, had served as ambassador to the United States (1820–24) and, most recently, the Ottoman Empire (1842–58), which position he held during the Crimean War. He had been Odo Russell’s chief in Constantinople.
16. Giacomo de Martino (1811–79), Neapolitan foreign minister.
17. Cf. Psalm 146:3.
18. Bellerophon, the handsome warrior who slew the Chimæra, offended the gods and became an outcast, “eating his heart out, and shunning the paths of men” (The Iliad, VI, 200–201 trans, A.T. Murray). In letter 4367, EBB indicates that Homer is her source.
19. William Ellery Channing (1780–1842); see letter 881, note 2.
20. Cf. Matthew 9:2.
21. Civilized America (2 vols., 1859) by Irish author Thomas Colley Grattan (1792–1864), was published on 18 January.
22. “Tea dances.”
23. This photograph of Field Talfourd’s portrait of EBB, produced by James Anderson (see letter 4346, note 12), is now at ABL/Altham. It is inscribed by EBB: “With Ba’s love to dearest Henrietta, Rome 1859.”
25. The event was advertised in The Morning Post of 6 April 1859 as “A Fancy Sale” to be held 7–8 April “in the Hanover-square Rooms, in aid of the Lisson Street Training Refuge for Destitute Girls” (p. 1).
26. Sidbrook House, the Hedleys’ residence in Somerset, 2½ miles N.E. of Taunton, near West Monkton. The Brownings called there during their stay with Henrietta in September 1856.
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