4556. EBB to Sarianna Browning
As published in The Brownings’ Correspondence, 27, 102–104.
[Rome]
[Postmark: 29 December 1859]
My dearest Sarianna I wish to you & the dearest nonno, whatever you can wish for yourselves, and every other secret of happiness which God keeps in His hands. We are very contented to have our Christmas here, for though there has been a certain cold & snow, yet there has been nothing to suffer from, & yesterday & to-day I am able to be out in the carriage—& when we read the awful accounts from London & Paris even, .. yes, & get such letters from Florence as have reached us today, I feel as if my life had escaped the axe of the frost. Then Robert & Peni both look extremely well, & with care & teazing will not suffer I hope– Our friend Mr Cartwright was marking us out the other day as the sole exceptions in his large experience of northern people not withering away in body & soul under prolonged exposure to these southern skies– “But,” said I, “we are acclimated–” And what, pray, does “acclimated” mean, but being absolutely withered: changed, so that you cant change more.?– He admitted however that he marked nothing but prosperity in Robert. Certainly Robert has never been as bilious as he was at Havre since—but he is very constant to the “globules” in spite of reason, and whenever there’s a symptom of discomfort, whether it comes by night or day, he rushes to ‘nux’ and is relieved always– Therefore it’s reasonable to be unreasonable, we hold. For above two years he has touched no other medecine, observe.
Its reasonable to be unreasonable– So I say on a subject more particularly mine. But I thank you very much for your account of the Guldenstubbe [1] —it was very kind to remember me. Certain things strike me less absurdly than they do you, & it is a great point that, after all, the man should seem to you “honest.” As to madness—it is a word that covers much. But the involuntary writing has grown to be so common, & is so unsatisfactory on several accounts, that I would not walk across the street to see it. Certainly there is such a thing,—but that does not commend it. What I would excavate [sic] the Guldenstubbe & any of their kind for, is to stand by and witness the writing produced without intervention of a living hand. Point me out a medium, in any sort of relation to ‘Comte un tel’, [2] Sarianna, capable or supposed to be capable of this and I am ready with my card. Alas, I have often to do with ‘fair shes’ who are not mediums, [3] & have the like disadvantage– My tolerance is made in the image of my faith, you see, and moves mountains [4] .. and swallows continents .. or rather uncontinents. Let me say too, in behalf of poor Fanny, that she never does “dress up[”] artistically any spiritual story– She always gives me every drawback– She is perfectly conscientious– Which only makes her seem the more unreliable, poor thing, when she doubts today of what she believed yesterday. I think she is entirely truthful. She was all alone with the Geneva manifestations, [5] & remained sceptical to the end & beyond it. But she has seen enough of these things to know that there is truth in the phenomena,—whatever the amount of imposture here & there, (as there is also in professions of Christianity) may be and therefore she cant very well talk or feel as if she had seen nothing.
Little Pen would write to you & nonno & will & shall, but he is very much absorbed just now in lessons of Latin, & lessons of arithmetic, under an Italian priest, about whom I think we wrote to you. This abbé is very gentle & amiable & brings him on beautifully– To keep up with Edith in Latin, who is more than fifteen & has had lessons before, is a satisfactory effort—and Edith is intelligent, too. Poor little Pen does his best, & it is the more creditable than [sic, for that] he has not been used to doing this sort of best. From our Abbe’s representation of the child’s force in music, general de Nouë (the second French general in command here) begged that he might be presented to him, & the general & his wife the Comtesse de Nouë left cards on us. Peni’s music is really most remarkable.
But he has twice been thrown from his poney, which has made me rather nervous, though everybody declares that the poney is simply playful & not vicious. He was’nt in the least hurt either time– Still, still, it makes me nervous– Robert says that Pen had grown to ride on the poney as if it were a sheep, in too much faith– Dangerous, in the world, even towards ponies–
My cordial love & thankfulness to dear M. Milsand for the honor he did my Villafranca poney in translating it. [6] I have a long one on Napoleon the third .. which waits in my desk. [7] The position has been spiked with difficulties, but that great Head & heart is sufficient for them all. Our English diplomats here, those who at Siena were so sure of the Emperor’s disloyalty & personal ambition, are converted by the facts. Mr Russell said to me the other day, unasked—“He is & has been a true Italian—has thought solely of the interest of Italy. Whatever has seemed otherwise, has been caused by the necessity of keeping terms with his colleagues, kings & queens of the earth. Everything as it comes out proves this more & more.” France & England (I thank God for it) will act together in the Congress … in spite of the Suez question, [8] .. which is one of these unworthy pieces of selfishness for which we are apt to be distinguished– (Forgive me, Sarianna.) But, through a certain suspiciousness of the emperor Napoleon, we have actually wriggled ourselves on his side, as far as Italy is concerned—&, if the present ministry will but keep in long enough, the good work will be done for the populations here. The pope is in despair. We know a great deal which we dare not write– I am so vexed that Milsand’s newspapers never reached me–
Also I have not read the article in the “Revue”– [9] One is hungry in vain for books here. It is one of the many drawbacks.
I am very well. Pen looks radiant. His dear love to you both– Robert says he never liked a house so much in his life as he likes this—but to avenge Casa Guidi & the past every now & then comes a puff of smoke from the drawingroom chimney.! And he hates smoke so—poor Robert.
I have had a rather sad letter from Arabel—one of my uncles is dead. [10] She is in London. May God bless you.
Your own affecte
sister Ba.
Address, in RB’s hand: France. / Mademoiselle Browning / 151. Rue de Grenelle, / Faubg St Germaine, / Paris.
Publication: None traced.
Manuscript: Lilly Library.
2. “Count so and so.”
3. A reference to Sophia Eckley.
4. Cf. I Corinthians 13:2.
6. Joseph Milsand translated “A Tale of Villafranca” (1859) into French prose. A leaflet containing the poem, “Un récit de Villafranca,” reprinted from the Union Bourguignonne [1860], sold as part of lot 255 in Browning Collections (see Reconstruction, A386). A copy of Milsand’s translation (ms at ABL) is reproduced facing p. 112.
9. Probably Milsand’s “Le protestantisme moderne et la philosophie de l’histoire” in the Revue des Deux Mondes of 15 October 1859 (pp. 845–882). This article reviewed two works: Christianity and Mankind (7 vols., 1854) by Christian Charles Josias Bunsen and Histoire des trois premiers siécles de l’Église chretienne, Vols. 1 and 2 (1858) by Edmond de Pressensé. A shorter article by Milsand, “Un historien religieux à Cambridge,” a review of Christ and other Masters (4 parts, 1855–59) by Charles Hardwick, appeared in the Revue des Deux Mondes for 1 November 1859 (pp. 252–256).
10. James Graham-Clarke; see letter 4535, note 7.
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