4810. EBB to Arabella Moulton-Barrett
As published in The Brownings’ Correspondence, 28, 275–278.
126. Via Felice. Rome.
Tuesday [15 January 1861] [1]
Beloved Arabel, Robert has to write to George upon business, and we dont know where to find him– I too, wanted to write to him—and shall do so when I can get a little spirit into me– Meantime you will say, I take you as a proper subject for my dulness!!—— Darling, your letter crossed mine to my vexation. Had I waited one other day!—— But it was comfort to hear– The cold in England must of course & of duty keep you at home. How very cold it seems to be– Here the winter has been mild, although for a day we had snow .. which was doubly strange, for the temperature did not seem to justify it. Our house too is warm. In my bedroom I have constantly had to send away the brazier, because of being overwarm– It has no fire-place—only a brazier which one can have or not have– Then in the drawingroom we burn but little wood. Yet from Florence we receive accounts of bitter weather– There is certainly a great difference in the climates.
Dearest, what you write has been useful– Let me tell you in confidence, I have had a letter from Surtees, which Robert positively refuses to let me read– He says it is a sort of letter which must have done good to the writer, .. full of the deepest tenderness & grief,—but that it would simply “tear me to pieces” & that he cant consent to give it to me– I resisted & entreated for some time– It looked like a selfishness & want of love to be spared so– But Robert was positive– He said there was nothing new .. nothing which would avail anything for me to read .. & that therefore he must oppose himself to my being exposed to fruitless agitation. For me, I am sick of being “spared” & useless—but what you say does reconcile me a little–. I will write again to poor Surtees—& he will know that what he said has not reached me– One word of yours startled me, in fact, somewhat—startled & pierced! But I want you so much to have Mary– All I know & think, presses it more on me– When I write to Surtees I mean to urge it as from myself– For the child’s sake I feel the propriety of it strongly, and I cant help believing that he will yield soon– His own mother will press it on him—for women understand such things better than men. I cant write of those children—my heart & eyes fill– And yet they are probably ministered to faithfully, tenderly, continuously, though our eyes are not “opened” to see.
Beloved Arabel, what you say on this subject represents to me the weakness of the Christian churches at this day– If now, we have no better comfort & no clearer vision than David the Jew had, then Christianity must be admitted a failure– Why should we be constantly looking back & quoting the words of the forerunners?– If Christianity is a living principle, it grows, develops, progresses with man’s life—whereas all these churches are full of the dead branches of Judaism & the dead formalisms of the middle-ages– The end is disastrous– You do not know .. does Mr Stratten know .. how materialism & unbelief are triumphing everywhere? The English Universities are said to be “honeycombed with infidelity.” And the most devout believers keep repeating, “Since the fathers fell asleep all things are as they were”– [2] What the church wants, is, .. brave timbers, not afraid of being called heretics, who will examine the foundations, disclaim the traditions & carry on first principles according to new lights. Otherwise the prospect is very sad, be sure. And surely we might reach a brighter– It is not meant that after Christ we should feel only as David did in sight of death. Something here is wrong– And the Newman Street churches see rightly so far, I cannot doubt.
With regard to spiritualists & mediums in general, I am far from considering them as a new form of a church observe– On the contrary, the amount of disgusting absurdity to be found in that body of men, stands out clearly in my eyes– What they represent is rather the developped forces of humanity (.. of man as man in body & soul ..) than of man ecclesiastically speaking– Only, the churches are called on to understand these forces, & their bearing towards both worlds, and also to use them in the sphere of the churches.
But why should I write all this? The subject spreads widely in England, I hear, & among persons of education chiefly,—converting many from materialism & unbelief–
Darling, take care of yourself– I have seen several people– I am pretty well, & I eat & I drink .. dear, dear—! Do not think of me except when you think that I love you with a full heart. I feel beaten & sore .. “as one whom his Father scourgeth?” [3] but one lives on & tries to learn a little & be bettered a little if possible. I am little contented with myself indeed. It seems to me that I am not single enough .. not earnest enough to get the right good out of anything. I feel right for a moment & then let the feeling go– Pray for me to believe better & hold fast more. I, when I am most selfish, pray for all good & all joy to you, beloved, in the body & in the soul.
Peni is radiant. Did I tell you that he has a silver watch & a pair of spurs? I heard him saying to himself, “Really now I am quite like a man. Everybody will look at me on the Pincio.” Poor child. He has finished the epitome of both old & new testaments in Latin, & has begun a compendium of Roman history,—& I hope he is more attentive. In arithmetic he is in “Fractions” .. far before me, Arabel. Robert helps him to prepare his “problem” for the Abbé– Then he reads Racine to the said Abbé .. “Athalie” after “Esther”. [4]
You want to hear of Rome– In politics everything goes on well– I saw Mr Dicey, who had just come for a few days from Naples, that I might hear of the state of things there. There is some confusion & dissatisfaction—but the evil is exaggerated immensely by the newspaper writers. He says that if the French fleet had not interposed some delay to the flight of the Bourbon, north & south Italy would have probably broken in two through the influence of Mazzinianism. So you see, opinions differ even on that point of the fleet. He is intelligent & apparently impartial. Jessie White Mario persuaded Garibaldi to meet Mazzini at her house, doing great harm in various ways besides. Think of Garibaldi under Jessie White!– [5]
Take care of yourself I say again! You are my treasure remember, & to lock the door on you is necessary– Best love to Occy & Charlotte & the dear babe– I shall write to George– Robert must teaze him he says–
Your own tenderly loving Ba–
Publication: EBB-AB, II, 514–516.
Manuscript: Berg Collection.
1. Date provided by EBB’s reference to letter 4811, which was enclosed in this letter.
2. Cf. II Peter 3:4.
3. Cf. Hebrews 12:6.
4. Esther (1689) and Athalie (1691), religious plays by Jean Racine (1639–99), written at the request of Louis XIV’s second wife, the Marquise de Maintenon.
5. EBB echoes the exaggerated reports of Mazzini’s and Mme. Mario’s influence on Garibaldi during his rule of Naples. Mme. Mario’s concern had been with the hospitals and the wounded (see letter 4758, note 11), whereas, Mazzini, though he had met Garibaldi the day after arriving in Naples (see Denis Mack Smith, Mazzini, New Haven, Conn., 1994, pp. 140–141), kept far removed from Garibaldi’s government (see letter 4753, note 10).
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