4745. EBB to Eliza Anne Ogilvy
As published in The Brownings’ Correspondence, 28, 157–160.
Villa Alberti– Siena
Sept– 20 [–21]. [1860] [1]
My very dear friend, almost I am ashamed to write to you, and Wilson’s letter has been lying here, waiting for my envelope these two days– The Wilsons behaved shamefully .. odiously .. I will say. [2] Ferdinando went down to Leghorn (where he slept) under the full persuasion that he should find the child there with Gigia, .. & when he & she returned alone, his poor wife almost dropped to the ground with the shock & pain of it– Certainly I do blame her a little– She is very weak in character, & has not grown stronger under the responsibilities of her married life: and I feel inward convictions that her letters to her family must have been irresolute and yielding to the point of encouraging them to play the whole trick out– Well—it is over—and everybody must bear their own burden– Ferdinando swears (for which I commend him) that he will send no more money to England, so that all this clinging affection will have to be paid for– Only .. what amends can we offer you for the trouble you have taken? Most inadequate thanks indeed. Forgive me for being the innocent occasion of troubling you in vain. You have been very, very good, dearest Mrs Ogilvy, & I shall not forget it– The only good out of all has been, that poor Gigia had an escort from Leghorn– She came on to our colony here, but I could not persuade her to stay above the one day & night, as she was in haste to get on to Florence. Very well & bright she looked—only melting into tears when I spoke of the children crying as soon as she was out of sight—poor Gigia! I felt sorry at first to have told her—but such proofs of love, though movingly sad at the moment, are soothing to loving hearts—& I am sure that her’s is such to you all. When we return to Florence (on the 7th of October) we shall see her very often I think, and whenever I can be useful to her, you may count on me–
Your goodness will make you glad that I have been relieved in some measure from the hardest point of pressure under our anxiety– My precious sister suffers less keenly,—& the acute form of her disease seems falling into the chronic .. so the doctors say, & that it may last many years– Which sounds dreadful to you perhaps—but if you knew how it strikes me as reprieve, .. and time for the healthy habit of her constitution to assert itself .. you will guess what I have suffered lately .. waiting for the post as if for the signal to be shot through the heart. Then she has been carried round the garden, & taken tea out of doors .. which pleased me. Another famous medical man has seen her [3] —& he bids her go out, & even sit up in a chair at intervals. There has been another attack of the flooding but much less violent. Somehow I am beginning to feel hopeful. It may be illusion perhaps—but for every ray of light let us bless God’s sun– It is good as light, even if we dont see quite straight in it– I am a little easier.
Dear friend, there is enough here in Italy to devour our selfish griefs, & often I have felt ashamed of mine lately. We were none of us prepared for the intervention from the north– Great is our exultation– Try to understand what the situation is. Difficult, grave, complicated—& as hard for France as for us– The recall of the ambassador from Turin is a blind, [4] —articles in the Patrie & Constitutional in protestation & objection, the same. [5] Napoleon has to face something as like to a European coalition as possible against France, & he has to prevent as far as possible an intervention against Italy. He is suspected on all sides of wishing to intervene militarily himself in Italy—which he must actually do (and will) if Austria attacks again .. or the honor of France & the liberty of Italy would sink together. His object therefore is to get a settlement here as much by the Italians as he can, & as quietly, & with his authority as little apparent. At Turin “not the slightest effect” was produced by any of the diplomatical frowning– Nobody doubts that if Austria stirs, France is ready. In fact, here it is hard not to see how it is, & that the emperor himself said “Go” at Chambery– Observe Farini (whose relations with the Buonapartes is known) the most energetic of our leaders, came straight from his face to Turin .. & so to central Italy– The troops swept south at the moment– Pepoli, his own cousin & personal friend, [6] is sent into the Papal States. These men with Cipriani & Mamiani [7] (also accused of Bonaparte relations) have had to do with all our changes—& (except Cipriani) they are with us now. Also it is certain that Cavour never would have adopted, against the real will of the emperor, any such line of conduct at the present: .. not that Cavour is a courtier of France, but that he would not run an imprudent risk for his country.
Now the papal difficulty will be solved,—& with the least scandal, the least pretext offered for the interference of the Catholic powers, possible under the circumstances– If France had done it with her hand, or, even officially approved it, the offence would have been double in Europe. Her <invitation> [8] to England just now for an agreement on the Italian question (patent the English feeling on Popes) is a masterly stroke of fence. As to Rome, Italy would rather keep the pope in Rome than otherwise– Rome may float in a free nation, as a free municipality till Time makes “holy fathers” rococo like “holy places”. [9]
What we are rather uneasy about just now is Garibaldi– He is an arm (with the generous blood of the heart throbbing to the hilt of the sword)—he is not a brain: & Sicily is troubled by that Mazzinian element which has not been resisted enough by the Dictator .. Poor Naples .. I fear for Naples even. Then Garibaldi has, mad designs to which he may be encouraged, by bad men. He would get no Italian troops of the national party to attack the French at Rome, but he has Mazzinians or foreigners under him—& if such a thing were possible, the complication would be awful for Italy.
Do you know where Mr Stuart is? [10] Does he write still for the M. Post, do you suppose?
Our plans for the winter are rendered very uncertain of course by these movements. Rome would not be desireable just now—only, towards the middle of november, things may be settled more–
The photograph Gigia showed me, was lovely I thought .. only I wanted a sight of the dear elder children, who are nearer to me somehow. Still those seemed restored in these– Marcia for instance!—how like. [11] Darlings they all are–
You were very kind, too kind in your gift to Wilson– Her Pylades is a very fine child—does’nt (by the way) speak a word of English—a regular Italian—the male element prevailing.
Peni came rushing into the room yesterday .. “Dear mama, Ancona’s taken! Lamoricière’s a prisoner– All Italy’s ours—except Venice.” He was in an ecstasy—but it was false news. Still, Lamoricière is beaten, & shut up in Ancona [12] —& the rest will come presently, if it shall please God. Yes, even Venice.
Our love to Mrs Ogilvy—if she will accept it. True love to dear Mr Ogilvy & the children– Lovingly yours
Elizabeth Barrett Browning
Have I told you anywhere in this letter that we leave Siena for Florence on the 7th of October?——
Perhaps you may wonder at Wilson being at Siena with us, .. or in a villino near us .. if you have not heard from me that she is the padrona of Mr Landor (at 86 [13] our adopted son– Robert’s peculiar care!) who has passed the summer at Siena to be near us. They go back to Florence when we go– It has been a happy arrangement for Ferdinando (still our servant) and his wife to be together .. at least with a lane separating,—which is not perfectly conjugal, after all, I must allow.
I take Wilson’s letter from the envelope to enclose it.
Publication: EBB-EAHO, pp. 162–166.
Manuscript: Eton College Library.
1. Year provided by EBB’s reference to Ancona (see letter 4743, note 13), which also suggests the concluding day. In letter 4744, EBB indicates that she heard the news of Ancona’s capture on 20 September.
2. In their refusal to return Orestes to his mother (see the last paragraph in letter 4730).
3. Arthur Kempe (see letter 4714, note 3), who “came from Exeter and had a consultation with Mr. Alford” (Surtees, 6 September 1860).
5. La Patrie, with its Roman Catholic bias, continued its “protestation” of Napoleon III’s treatment of the Pope. Le Constitutionnel, which backed the government, continued to voice its “objection” to La Patrie’s point of view.
6. i.e., Napoleon III’s (see letter 4498, note 13).
7. Terenzio Mamiani della Rovere (1799–1885), Italian statesman and philosopher, served briefly as foreign minister in the Vatican (1848). He was appointed minister of education in Cavour’s cabinet (1860).
8. EBB has crossed through the word “suggestion” and written the text above it.
9. “By this term are meant not the scenes of sacred events, taken generally, but such special localities as the Greek or Latin Church, or both conjointly, have selected as objects of pilgrimage” (OED).
10. James Montgomery Stuart (1816–89).
11. Marcia Napier Ogilvy (1850–1940).
13. Landor turned 86 on 30 January 1861.
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