4410. EBB to Henrietta Cook
As published in The Brownings’ Correspondence, 26, 156–160.
43 Bocca di Leone.
Monday [23 May 1859] [1]
My ever dearest Henrietta, We are on the point, that is within three days, of leaving Rome—this is monday & we go on thursday—but I cant go without telling you, dear, how I sympathized with you in your anxiety about dear Surtees, [2] & your deep joy afterwards & as I trust it will continue. Now I am anxious for two things .. to hear a better account of Arabel who seems to suffer too long from her face, & certainly wants change of air, & sea air probably—and then to hear of Storm’s arrival. I pray God I may have happy letters soon .. for even the glorious work going on in Italy does not distract me from some anxious moods– If Arabel loves me ever so little she is by this time at the sea, which may do her much good–– Then I want to hear of you, dearest Henrietta, & that Surtees has become as strong as usual,—& that you have made your removal, & are satisfied with the new house– [3] The carrying out of military movements in England (where the object seems to be that sort of playing with guns which suits children not yet grown up to the needs of duty or the sense of honor) may serve the good use of giving Surtees more employment & pay—& I hope & trust this may be, though I confess to you nothing of the kind, in spite of all my love for you, can make me the smallest amends for the disgrace with which the English name has covered itself lately among thinkers of all nations. I will try not to talk of it– I know I shall only put myself wrong with Surtees & you– Also Italy is comforting me for England– Robert & I are of one mind on the subject, which is a comfort. Louis Napoleon has acted .. I was going to say .. sublimely .. & why should I not?– The feeling towards him here is profound– Italy stretches her arms to him as to the very angel of the resurrection– Emancipation was utterly impossible without foreign help, & he brings it, at all risks to himself & to France,—while France (& this generosity touches me to the heart) France responds & justifies him for counting on her, with a burst of enthusiasm from the centre to the shore. The people in Paris attempted to take the horses from his carriage & draw him to the station .. a thing scarcely ever heard of in France .. & were only prevented by his standing up and entreating them not to delay his journey– [4] Now we shall have a free Italy– And the Italians will fight nobly, since they have leaders & faith, & a unity of conviction from the north to the south– Things have refined since 48 & 49. Tuscany, for instance, has conducted itself with a “superhuman virtue” say certain of our friends who witnessed the late movements there, & I am going back in joy to the ‘tricolor,’ & a “government united to Piedmont”– Oh, it seems to me like a beautiful dream,––too beautiful to be other than a dream!– But if it were a dream, the cannons would wake me–
Meanwhile there is nothing you need fear for us– You know we are apt to flourish rather in revolutionary atmospheres. We travel by Siena to Florence,—the rapid way, in which there are four hours of railway—& as we take a ‘vettura’ with four horses, & six up the hills, we shall do it in four days. The Eckleys travel in their own carriage with us. We refused their close carriage because we wanted to take our own luggage, which required another sort of vehicle– Last time we sent it by sea—which is too uncertain now– The steamers are so crowded with fugitives from Italy, that we hear of sitting room being the only thing possible between this & Marseilles, unless a berth or mattress on deck be engaged two or three weeks beforehand– So we could’nt conveniently send Ferdinando & our luggage that way as we did in coming here– Then the country as far as Florence seems tranquil enough on this side of the peninsula—& I dare say we shall not be confiscated by brigands, particularly as we travel in a large party, making up five men among us– [5]
To go to England this year, my dearest Henrietta, is out of the question—we could’nt be away just now for several reasons,—& if we could, there might be a difficulty in returning–. Meanwhile we are not over anxious, or anxious at all (to speak for myself) about our funded supplies– Of course the Tuscan funds are down to the floor, but as we shant offer to disturb our deposits, we are not likely to suffer when the crisis is over– It would have been more serious if the Grand Ducal party had indeed bombarded Florence & Casa Guidi (as it was gracious enough to intend) [6] for in that case coupons might have perished out of the world perhaps, & we should have had to begin it again, with a very small scrip. We shall stay in Florence as long as the sun lets us, & then go into the nearest shade—not to the Bagni di Lucca, this time. The only danger of course is from the possibility of an Austrian attack .. which would take place if that bad enemy were allowed breathing-time– But I trust in God & the cause—and in Louis Napoleon– If, as we hear, a French batallion [sic] under Prince Napoleon is to occupy Florence & assist the few Tuscan regiments spared from the frontier, we shall do excellently. Peni goes back with the intention of hanging an Italian tricolor flag on one end of our terrace, and a French tricolor on the other. He is very zealous, & hungers for the earliest news from Piedmont– Most gravely he said to Annunciata & me, as he was covering himself up in bed the other night, “If I were a great boy & had’nt a wife, certainly I would go and fight for dear Italy.”
The idea of the wife, I think, came from Ferdinando who has been regretting lately that the consideration for his family should keep him back from the volunteer-service in which he fought during forty-eight! Miss Heaton goes to England on tuesday & takes with her certain photographs of my picture, of which one will be sent to you– [7] The picture itself was not received at the Academy, because of Mr Talfourd’s having sent too many, unfortunately. Since sitting to him, I have sate to Mr Leighton (quite a failure) and to Mr Lehmann a German artist, who has succeeded well, we think, both with Robert & me, & whose works are likely to be photographed from, too—only these photographs wont be in time for Miss Heaton. I hope a photograph from Leighton’s portrait of Robert may—because that is really good, though it does not give Robert’s strongest expression. I shall in any case try to send you a little photograph of Peni .. if it turns out at all good– Dont let Altham despise the deficiencies in manliness, whether in curls or trowsers– I dont agree with you as to matters of costume, not I. As to “nailed shoes” as my husband never wears such a thing I dared not think of it for my son. We dont live in England, in the country & the classy districts, especially in the winter, you know—& if I did, … no, I never could consent to nailed shoes & leather gaiters for my Peni– I made him put on his velvet trowsers for the photograph, because black answers better in the photographical effects,—but now he always wears white trowsers, .. now in the warm weather—white trowsers without embroidery; made full. Pray recognize in the photograph, the Honiton collar you gave him– It is kept for great occasions– All the artists applaud me for Peni’s costume, even if you people in England dont–
Your account of Altham’s progress in education seems to me most highly satisfactory. I wish I could say that Pen was as forward in spelling & arithmetic—certainly he is not.– I make him write from dictation in English & Italian regularly yet it cant be asserted that he spells English well– In spite of his music, he has much more time to himself than your children have—perhaps too much time .. I sometimes am inclined to think so.
Here I get Arabel’s letter– Ah, that darling will be vexed about our not going to England, and yet surely she must have been prepared for it– We could’nt be out of Italy during this crisis for more reasons than one. I will write to her from Florence—only she must leave me a little time to recover from the stress of the journey– I will write to her, dear darling. I wish she were with us with all my heart– We had two fires in March .. or else our fireplace has been cold since February– Yet there can be very cold weather in Italy & even in Rome, .. & she would have exposed herself here perhaps .. as I never do– I am much stronger than I am used to be so early in the year. Arabel ought to take more animal food, which is a necessity of life for her, while she simply obeys a fantasy & refuses to take it as if it were an indifferent matter. She takes no medecine now– Why not try the homœopathy remedies, which are potent in such cases if persevered in? Dearest George’s headaches, which grieve me to hear of, are unremoved .. but, if I were he, I would try another homœopathic physician! The application of the remedies may be at fault–
My poor headstrong friend Madame Mario is not to be quoted on any subject—not even against me to whom she has behaved ill– She wrote me quite an insulting letter, [8] intimating that Robert’s & my printed statement (which she gave the whole credit of to me) was written in a care of our personal safety at Rome. So like me, that was!– And so likely too, to effect such an object!!!—— She is about as right in her estimate of Louis Napoleon—being governed absolutely in her soul by that man of a narrow head & unscrupulous conscience Mazzini– The whole party has perished out of Italy– We have been forced to make a final statement in print, which you will all see in the Athenæum. [9]
Tuesday–
The day after tomorrow we go—& here is the last fragment of paper left to me–
Peni’s photograph has come out detestably—the consequence, in part, of his shutting his eyes against the glare. [10] I wont send one to Arabel because she has a better representation of him, [11] & I dont like sending it to you– It gives a wrong impression, & most strangely wrong– He looks too tall in proportion to his breadth,—& even the dress appears unlike itself—black hair instead of golden. So vexed I am that I want to tear it up– Now it is too late to have another,—because Miss Heaton was waiting for it when it arrived–
Also, the photographs from Robert’s two portraits [12] are not ready– May God bless you– Keep well & happy & write to me– Dearest dear Henrietta I am ever your loving Ba–
Address: Angleterre– / Mrs Surtees Cook / Wilton / Taunton / Somersetshire.
Publication: Huxley, pp. 313–316 (in part, as 27 May 1859).
Manuscript: Armstrong Browning Library, Altham Archive; and British Library.
1. This letter bears a Paris postmark of 28 May 1859, a Saturday.
2. Surtees recorded in his journal on 7 April: “Came to London to Arabel, 7. Delamere Terrace … to have an operation performed, & remove an infirmity which has been bothering me for some time.” The operation took place two days later. Surtees spent the rest of the month recuperating at Arabella’s house and returned to Taunton on 30 April (see Surtees, 7, 9, and 30 April 1859).
3. Stoke Court (see letter 4366, note 2). Surtees described it on the day he and his family moved in: “Prettily situated it is, on the side of a hill, with paddock in front, a pigeon house, and pond, woods around us far and near—and the nightingales sing all night long” (see SD2265).
4. Napoleon III left Paris on the evening of 10 May 1859 and two days later arrived in Genoa, where he joined his French troops. The Times of 11 May carried a report of his departure: “He arrived at the station of the Lyons Railway escorted by the Cent Gardes. The crowd was immense, and the cheering very lively. The whole of the Faubourg St. Antoine was on foot, and the Emperor was cheered along the whole route” (p. 10).
5. RB, David Eckley, Ferdinando, and the two coachmen.
7. See letter 4366, note 23. EBB also sent copies to brothers Charles John (now at Eton) and Henry (now in a private collection). Presumably, she sent copies to all her brothers and sisters, but only these three have survived.
8. This letter has not surfaced.
10. This photograph by Lorenzo Suscipi (b. 1802) is inscribed by EBB: “With Ba’s love to Henrietta—Penini with his eyes squeezed up against the Roman sun—not good! May 24th. Rome. 1859.” The photograph is now at ABL. It is reproduced facing p. 208.
12. Those by Leighton and Talfourd.
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