Saturday. Nov. 19.
Getting on with Iphigenia .. I am very much interested in it—particularly in the scene between Iphigenia & her father.[1] How much simple affectionate nature there is in her character! The opposition between her’s, & Clytemnestra’s stately dignity, is skilfully conceived.
Miss Glasco & Miss Peyton called—& Miss G talked to me about Moore. His friend Mr. Corry could not find out what article in the Edinburgh was his;[2] & Moore figures himself in consequence, on being masqueraded. I wonder if I shall pull off the mask, or leave it on.
Bummy & Henrietta are not come & not coming home today. Henrietta called for a few minutes to say so. She must be quite happy between the Miss Biddulphs & Mrs. Martin— How unhappy could I be with either? not that I mean to under-estimate Mrs. Martin, who deserves better of me & everybody. A letter from Mrs. Boyd. She reports that Mr. Boyd has a “pretty message” to send to me, but that she cant tell him of her being in the act of writing. Therefore he had no means of sending it. I certainly think that he MIGHT have written himself. But never mind!—
Bro “cut Miss Wall dead” at Worcester today. Sorry for it!—
1. LCL-E, I, 58–65, lines 631–685.
2. James Corry (1772–1848), at this time living in Cheltenham, had been a close friend of Thomas Moore (1779–1852) since childhood, and they had both belonged to the Kilkenny amateur theatrical company. In his diary for 13 September 1831, Moore recorded the despatch to The Edinburgh Review of an article that he had been writing in collaboration with his neighbour, Dr. Brabant. He described the subject as “German Rationalism in consequence of Dr. Brabant having pointed out to me some errors in a late work on that topic” (Memoirs, Journal, and Correspondence of Thomas Moore, ed. Lord John Russell, 8 vols., London, 1853–56, VI, 219). The article appeared in the issue of September 1831, pp. 238–255, but without any indication of authorship.