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You may copy it, give it away or +re-use it under the terms of the Project Gutenberg License included +with this eBook or online at www.gutenberg.org + + +Title: Life and Letters of Robert Browning + +Author: Mrs. Sutherland Orr + +Release Date: January 21, 2006 [EBook #655] +Last Updated: February 4, 2013 + +Language: English + +Character set encoding: ASCII + +*** START OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK LIFE AND LETTERS OF ROBERT *** + + + + +Produced by Alan Light and David Widger + + + + + +</pre> + <p> + <br /> <br /> + </p> + <h1> + LIFE AND LETTERS OF ROBERT BROWNING + </h1> + <p> + <br /> + </p> + <h2> + by Mrs. Sutherland Orr + </h2> + <p> + <br /> <br /> + </p> + <h4> + Second Edition + </h4> + <p> + <a name="link2H_PREF" id="link2H_PREF"> + <!-- H2 anchor --> </a> <br /> <br /> + </p> + <hr /> + <p> + <br /> <br /> + </p> + <h2> + Preface + </h2> + <p> + Such letters of Mr. Browning's as appear, whole or in part, in the present + volume have been in most cases given to me by the persons to whom they + were addressed, or copied by Miss Browning from the originals under her + care; but I owe to the daughter of the Rev. W. J. Fox—Mrs. Bridell + Fox—those written to her father and to Miss Flower; the two + interesting extracts from her father's correspondence with herself and Mr. + Browning's note to Mr. Robertson. + </p> + <p> + For my general material I have been largely indebted to Miss Browning. Her + memory was the only existing record of her brother's boyhood and youth. It + has been to me an unfailing as well as always accessible authority for + that subsequent period of his life which I could only know in disconnected + facts or his own fragmentary reminiscences. It is less true, indeed, to + say that she has greatly helped me in writing this short biography than + that without her help it could never have been undertaken. + </p> + <p> + I thank my friends Mrs. R. Courtenay Bell and Miss Hickey for their + invaluable assistance in preparing the book for, and carrying it through + the press; and I acknowledge with real gratitude the advantages derived by + it from Mr. Dykes Campbell's large literary experience in his very careful + final revision of the proofs. + </p> + <p> + A. Orr. April 22, 1891. + </p> + <p> + <br /> <br /> + </p> + <hr /> + <p> + <br /> <br /> + </p> + <blockquote> + <p class="toc"> + <big><b>CONTENTS</b></big> + </p> + <p> + <br /> + </p> + <p class="toc"> + <a href="#link2H_4_0025"> LIFE AND LETTERS OF ROBERT BROWNING </a> + </p> + <p> + <br /> + </p> + <p class="toc"> + <a href="#link2HCH0022"> Chapter 1 </a> + </p> + <p class="toc"> + <a href="#link2HCH0023"> Chapter 2 </a> + </p> + <p class="toc"> + <a href="#link2HCH0024"> Chapter 3 </a> + </p> + <p class="toc"> + <a href="#link2HCH0025"> Chapter 4 </a> + </p> + <p class="toc"> + <a href="#link2HCH0026"> Chapter 5 </a> + </p> + <p class="toc"> + <a href="#link2HCH0027"> Chapter 6 </a> + </p> + <p class="toc"> + <a href="#link2HCH0028"> Chapter 7 </a> + </p> + <p class="toc"> + <a href="#link2HCH0029"> Chapter 8 </a> + </p> + <p class="toc"> + <a href="#link2HCH0030"> Chapter 9 </a> + </p> + <p class="toc"> + <a href="#link2HCH0031"> Chapter 10 </a> + </p> + <p class="toc"> + <a href="#link2HCH0032"> Chapter 11 </a> + </p> + <p class="toc"> + <a href="#link2HCH0033"> Chapter 12 </a> + </p> + <p class="toc"> + <a href="#link2HCH0034"> Chapter 13 </a> + </p> + <p class="toc"> + <a href="#link2HCH0035"> Chapter 14 </a> + </p> + <p class="toc"> + <a href="#link2HCH0036"> Chapter 15 </a> + </p> + <p class="toc"> + <a href="#link2HCH0037"> Chapter 16 </a> + </p> + <p class="toc"> + <a href="#link2HCH0038"> Chapter 17 </a> + </p> + <p class="toc"> + <a href="#link2HCH0039"> Chapter 18 </a> + </p> + <p class="toc"> + <a href="#link2HCH0040"> Chapter 19 </a> + </p> + <p class="toc"> + <a href="#link2HCH0041"> Chapter 20 </a> + </p> + <p class="toc"> + <a href="#link2HCH0042"> Chapter 21 </a> + </p> + <p class="toc"> + <a href="#link2HCH0043"> Chapter 22 </a> + </p> + <p class="toc"> + <a href="#link2H_CONC"> Conclusion </a> + </p> + <p class="toc"> + <a href="#link2H_4_0052"> Index </a> + </p> + </blockquote> + <p> + <br /> <br /> + </p> + <hr /> + <p> + <br /> <br /> <a name="link2H_4_0002" id="link2H_4_0002"> + <!-- H2 anchor --> </a> + </p> + <div style="height: 4em;"> + <br /><br /><br /><br /> + </div> + <h2> + Chapter 1 Origin of the Browning Family—Robert Browning's + </h2> + <p> + Grandfather—His position and Character—His first and second + Marriage—Unkindness towards his eldest Son, Robert Browning's Father—Alleged + Infusion of West Indian Blood through Robert Browning's Grandmother—Existing + Evidence against it—The Grandmother's Portrait. + </p> + <p> + <a name="link2HCH0001" id="link2HCH0001"> + <!-- H2 anchor --> </a> + </p> + <div style="height: 4em;"> + <br /><br /><br /><br /> + </div> + <h2> + Chapter 2 Robert Browning's Father—His Position in Life—Comparison + </h2> + <p> + between him and his Son—Tenderness towards his Son—Outline of + his Habits and Character—His Death—Significant Newspaper + Paragraph—Letter of Mr. Locker—Lampson—Robert Browning's + Mother—Her Character and Antecedents—Their Influence upon her + Son—Nervous Delicacy imparted to both her Children—Its special + Evidences in her Son. + </p> + <p> + <a name="link2HCH0002" id="link2HCH0002"> + <!-- H2 anchor --> </a> + </p> + <div style="height: 4em;"> + <br /><br /><br /><br /> + </div> + <h2> + Chapter 3 1812-1826 Birth of Robert Browning—His Childhood + </h2> + <p> + and Schooldays—Restless Temperament—Brilliant Mental + Endowments—Incidental Peculiarities—Strong Religious Feeling—Passionate + Attachment to his Mother; Grief at first Separation—Fondness for + Animals—Experiences of School Life—Extensive Reading—Early + Attempts in Verse—Letter from his Father concerning them—Spurious + Poems in Circulation—'Incondita'—Mr. Fox—Miss Flower. + </p> + <p> + <a name="link2HCH0003" id="link2HCH0003"> + <!-- H2 anchor --> </a> + </p> + <div style="height: 4em;"> + <br /><br /><br /><br /> + </div> + <h2> + Chapter 4 1826-1833 First Impressions of Keats and Shelley—Prolonged + </h2> + <p> + Influence of Shelley—Details of Home Education—Its Effects—Youthful + Restlessness—Counteracting Love of Home—Early Friendships: + Alfred Domett, Joseph Arnould, the Silverthornes—Choice of Poetry as + a Profession—Alternative Suggestions; mistaken Rumours concerning + them—Interest in Art—Love of good Theatrical Performances—Talent + for Acting—Final Preparation for Literary Life. + </p> + <p> + <a name="link2HCH0004" id="link2HCH0004"> + <!-- H2 anchor --> </a> + </p> + <div style="height: 4em;"> + <br /><br /><br /><br /> + </div> + <h2> + Chapter 5 1833-1835 'Pauline'—Letters to Mr. Fox—Publication + of the + </h2> + <p> + Poem; chief Biographical and Literary Characteristics—Mr. Fox's + Review in the 'Monthly Repository'; other Notices—Russian Journey—Desired + diplomatic Appointment—Minor Poems; first Sonnet; their Mode of + Appearance—'The Trifler'—M. de Ripert-Monclar—'Paracelsus'—Letters + to Mr. Fox concerning it; its Publication—Incidental Origin of + 'Paracelsus'; its inspiring Motive; its Relation to 'Pauline'—Mr. + Fox's Review of it in the 'Monthly Repository'—Article in the + 'Examiner' by John Forster. + </p> + <p> + <a name="link2HCH0005" id="link2HCH0005"> + <!-- H2 anchor --> </a> + </p> + <div style="height: 4em;"> + <br /><br /><br /><br /> + </div> + <h2> + Chapter 6 1835-1838 Removal to Hatcham; some Particulars—Renewed + </h2> + <p> + Intercourse with the second Family of Robert Browning's Grandfather—Reuben + Browning—William Shergold Browning—Visitors at Hatcham—Thomas + Carlyle—Social Life—New Friends and Acquaintance—Introduction + to Macready—New Year's Eve at Elm Place—Introduction to John + Forster—Miss Fanny Haworth—Miss Martineau—Serjeant + Talfourd—The 'Ion' Supper—'Strafford'—Relations with + Macready—Performance of 'Strafford'—Letters concerning it from + Mr. Browning and Miss Flower—Personal Glimpses of Robert Browning—Rival + Forms of Dramatic Inspiration—Relation of 'Strafford' to 'Sordello'—Mr. + Robertson and the 'Westminster Review'. + </p> + <p> + <a name="link2HCH0006" id="link2HCH0006"> + <!-- H2 anchor --> </a> + </p> + <div style="height: 4em;"> + <br /><br /><br /><br /> + </div> + <h2> + Chapter 7 1838-1841 First Italian Journey—Letters to Miss Haworth—Mr. + </h2> + <p> + John Kenyon—'Sordello'—Letter to Miss Flower—'Pippa + Passes'—'Bells and Pomegranates'. + </p> + <p> + <a name="link2HCH0007" id="link2HCH0007"> + <!-- H2 anchor --> </a> + </p> + <div style="height: 4em;"> + <br /><br /><br /><br /> + </div> + <h2> + Chapter 8 1841-1844 'A Blot in the 'Scutcheon'—Letters to Mr. + </h2> + <p> + Frank Hill; Lady Martin—Charles Dickens—Other Dramas and Minor + Poems—Letters to Miss Lee; Miss Haworth; Miss Flower—Second + Italian Journey; Naples—E. J. Trelawney—Stendhal. + </p> + <p> + <a name="link2HCH0008" id="link2HCH0008"> + <!-- H2 anchor --> </a> + </p> + <div style="height: 4em;"> + <br /><br /><br /><br /> + </div> + <h2> + Chapter 9 1844-1849 Introduction to Miss Barrett—Engagement—Motives + </h2> + <p> + for Secrecy—Marriage—Journey to Italy—Extract of Letter + from Mr. Fox—Mrs. Browning's Letters to Miss Mitford—Life at + Pisa—Vallombrosa—Florence; Mr. Powers; Miss Boyle—Proposed + British Mission to the Vatican—Father Prout—Palazzo Guidi—Fano; + Ancona—'A Blot in the 'Scutcheon' at Sadler's Wells. + </p> + <p> + <a name="link2HCH0009" id="link2HCH0009"> + <!-- H2 anchor --> </a> + </p> + <div style="height: 4em;"> + <br /><br /><br /><br /> + </div> + <h2> + Chapter 10 1849-1852 Death of Mr. Browning's Mother—Birth of his + </h2> + <p> + Son—Mrs. Browning's Letters continued—Baths of Lucca—Florence + again—Venice—Margaret Fuller Ossoli—Visit to England—Winter + in Paris—Carlyle—George Sand—Alfred de Musset. + </p> + <p> + <a name="link2HCH0010" id="link2HCH0010"> + <!-- H2 anchor --> </a> + </p> + <div style="height: 4em;"> + <br /><br /><br /><br /> + </div> + <h2> + Chapter 11 1852-1855 M. Joseph Milsand—His close Friendship with + </h2> + <p> + Mr. Browning; Mrs. Browning's Impression of him—New Edition of Mr. + Browning's Poems—'Christmas Eve and Easter Day'—'Essay' on + Shelley—Summer in London—Dante Gabriel Rossetti—Florence; + secluded Life—Letters from Mr. and Mrs. Browning—'Colombe's + Birthday'—Baths of Lucca—Mrs. Browning's Letters—Winter + in Rome—Mr. and Mrs. Story—Mrs. Sartoris—Mrs. Fanny + Kemble—Summer in London—Tennyson—Ruskin. + </p> + <p> + <a name="link2HCH0011" id="link2HCH0011"> + <!-- H2 anchor --> </a> + </p> + <div style="height: 4em;"> + <br /><br /><br /><br /> + </div> + <h2> + Chapter 12 1855-1858 'Men and Women'—'Karshook'—'Two in the + </h2> + <p> + Campagna'—Winter in Paris; Lady Elgin—'Aurora Leigh'—Death + of Mr. Kenyon and Mr. Barrett—Penini—Mrs. Browning's Letters + to Miss Browning—The Florentine Carnival—Baths of Lucca—Spiritualism—Mr. + Kirkup; Count Ginnasi—Letter from Mr. Browning to Mr. Fox—Havre. + </p> + <p> + <a name="link2HCH0012" id="link2HCH0012"> + <!-- H2 anchor --> </a> + </p> + <div style="height: 4em;"> + <br /><br /><br /><br /> + </div> + <h2> + Chapter 13 1858-1861 Mrs. Browning's Illness—Siena—Letter from + Mr. + </h2> + <p> + Browning to Mr. Leighton—Mrs. Browning's Letters continued—Walter + Savage Landor—Winter in Rome—Mr. Val Prinsep—Friends in + Rome: Mr. and Mrs. Cartwright—Multiplying Social Relations—Massimo + d'Azeglio—Siena again—Illness and Death of Mrs. Browning's + Sister—Mr. Browning's Occupations—Madame du Quaire—Mrs. + Browning's last Illness and Death. + </p> + <p> + <a name="link2HCH0013" id="link2HCH0013"> + <!-- H2 anchor --> </a> + </p> + <div style="height: 4em;"> + <br /><br /><br /><br /> + </div> + <h2> + Chapter 14 1861-1863 Miss Blagden—Letters from Mr. Browning to + </h2> + <p> + Miss Haworth and Mr. Leighton—His Feeling in regard to Funeral + Ceremonies—Establishment in London—Plan of Life—Letter + to Madame du Quaire—Miss Arabel Barrett—Biarritz—Letters + to Miss Blagden—Conception of 'The Ring and the Book'—Biographical + Indiscretion—New Edition of his Works—Mr. and Mrs. Procter. + </p> + <p> + <a name="link2HCH0014" id="link2HCH0014"> + <!-- H2 anchor --> </a> + </p> + <div style="height: 4em;"> + <br /><br /><br /><br /> + </div> + <h2> + Chapter 15 1863-1869 Pornic—'James Lee's Wife'—Meeting at Mr. + F. + </h2> + <p> + Palgrave's—Letters to Miss Blagden—His own Estimate of his + Work—His Father's Illness and Death; Miss Browning—Le Croisic—Academic + Honours; Letter to the Master of Balliol—Death of Miss Barrett—Audierne—Uniform + Edition of his Works—His rising Fame—'Dramatis Personae'—'The + Ring and the Book'; Character of Pompilia. + </p> + <p> + <a name="link2HCH0015" id="link2HCH0015"> + <!-- H2 anchor --> </a> + </p> + <div style="height: 4em;"> + <br /><br /><br /><br /> + </div> + <h2> + Chapter 16 1869-1873 Lord Dufferin; Helen's Tower—Scotland; Visit to + </h2> + <p> + Lady Ashburton—Letters to Miss Blagden—St.-Aubin; The + Franco-Prussian War—'Herve Riel'—Letter to Mr. G. M. Smith—'Balaustion's + Adventure'; 'Prince Hohenstiel—Schwangau'—'Fifine at the Fair'—Mistaken + Theories of Mr. Browning's Work—St.-Aubin; 'Red Cotton Nightcap + Country'. + </p> + <p> + <a name="link2HCH0016" id="link2HCH0016"> + <!-- H2 anchor --> </a> + </p> + <div style="height: 4em;"> + <br /><br /><br /><br /> + </div> + <h2> + Chapter 17 1873-1878 London Life—Love of Music—Miss + </h2> + <p> + Egerton-Smith—Periodical Nervous Exhaustion—Mers; + 'Aristophanes' Apology'—'Agamemnon'—'The Inn Album'—'Pacchiarotto + and other Poems'—Visits to Oxford and Cambridge—Letters to + Mrs. Fitz-Gerald—St. Andrews; Letter from Professor Knight—In + the Savoyard Mountains—Death of Miss Egerton-Smith—'La + Saisiaz'; 'The Two Poets of Croisic'—Selections from his Works. + </p> + <p> + <a name="link2HCH0017" id="link2HCH0017"> + <!-- H2 anchor --> </a> + </p> + <div style="height: 4em;"> + <br /><br /><br /><br /> + </div> + <h2> + Chapter 18 1878-1884 He revisits Italy; Asolo; Letters to Mrs. + </h2> + <p> + Fitz-Gerald—Venice—Favourite Alpine Retreats—Mrs. Arthur + Bronson—Life in Venice—A Tragedy at Saint-Pierre—Mr. + Cholmondeley—Mr. Browning's Patriotic Feeling; Extract from Letter + to Mrs. Charles Skirrow—'Dramatic Idyls'—'Jocoseria'—'Ferishtah's + Fancies'. + </p> + <p> + <a name="link2HCH0018" id="link2HCH0018"> + <!-- H2 anchor --> </a> + </p> + <div style="height: 4em;"> + <br /><br /><br /><br /> + </div> + <h2> + Chapter 19 1881-1887 The Browning Society; Mr. Furnivall; Miss E. + </h2> + <p> + H. Hickey—His Attitude towards the Society; Letter to Mrs. + Fitz-Gerald—Mr. Thaxter, Mrs. Celia Thaxter—Letter to Miss + Hickey; 'Strafford'—Shakspere and Wordsworth Societies—Letters + to Professor Knight—Appreciation in Italy; Professor Nencioni—The + Goldoni Sonnet—Mr. Barrett Browning; Palazzo Manzoni—Letters + to Mrs. Charles Skirrow—Mrs. Bloomfield Moore—Llangollen; Sir + Theodore and Lady Martin—Loss of old Friends—Foreign + Correspondent of the Royal Academy—'Parleyings with certain People + of Importance in their Day'. + </p> + <p> + <a name="link2HCH0019" id="link2HCH0019"> + <!-- H2 anchor --> </a> + </p> + <div style="height: 4em;"> + <br /><br /><br /><br /> + </div> + <h2> + Chapter 20 Constancy to Habit—Optimism—Belief in Providence—Political + </h2> + <p> + Opinions—His Friendships—Reverence for Genius—Attitude + towards his Public—Attitude towards his Work—Habits of Work—His + Reading—Conversational Powers—Impulsiveness and Reserve—Nervous + Peculiarities—His Benevolence—His Attitude towards Women. + </p> + <p> + <a name="link2HCH0020" id="link2HCH0020"> + <!-- H2 anchor --> </a> + </p> + <div style="height: 4em;"> + <br /><br /><br /><br /> + </div> + <h2> + Chapter 21 1887-1889 Marriage of Mr. Barrett Browning—Removal to De + </h2> + <p> + Vere Gardens—Symptoms of failing Strength—New Poems; New + Edition of his Works—Letters to Mr. George Bainton, Mr. Smith, and + Lady Martin—Primiero and Venice—Letters to Miss Keep—The + last Year in London—Asolo—Letters to Mrs. Fitz-Gerald, Mrs. + Skirrow, and Mr. G. M. Smith. + </p> + <p> + <a name="link2HCH0021" id="link2HCH0021"> + <!-- H2 anchor --> </a> + </p> + <div style="height: 4em;"> + <br /><br /><br /><br /> + </div> + <h2> + Chapter 22 1889 Proposed Purchase of Land at Asolo—Venice—Letter + </h2> + <p> + to Mr. G. Moulton-Barrett—Lines in the 'Athenaeum'—Letter to + Miss Keep—Illness—Death—Funeral Ceremonial at Venice—Publication + of 'Asolando'—Interment in Poets' Corner. + </p> + <hr /> + <p> + <br /> <br /> <a name="link2H_4_0025" id="link2H_4_0025"> + <!-- H2 anchor --> </a> + </p> + <div style="height: 4em;"> + <br /><br /><br /><br /> + </div> + <h2> + LIFE AND LETTERS OF ROBERT BROWNING + </h2> + <p> + <a name="link2HCH0022" id="link2HCH0022"> + <!-- H2 anchor --> </a> + </p> + <div style="height: 4em;"> + <br /><br /><br /><br /> + </div> + <h2> + Chapter 1 + </h2> + <p> + Origin of the Browning Family—Robert Browning's Grandfather—His + position and Character—His first and second Marriage—Unkindness + towards his eldest Son, Robert Browning's Father—Alleged Infusion of + West Indian Blood through Robert Browning's Grandmother—Existing + Evidence against it—The Grandmother's Portrait. + </p> + <p> + A belief was current in Mr. Browning's lifetime that he had Jewish blood + in his veins. It received outward support from certain accidents of his + life, from his known interest in the Hebrew language and literature, from + his friendship for various members of the Jewish community in London. It + might well have yielded to the fact of his never claiming the kinship, + which could not have existed without his knowledge, and which, if he had + known it, he would, by reason of these very sympathies, have been the last + person to disavow. The results of more recent and more systematic inquiry + have shown the belief to be unfounded. + </p> + <p> + Our poet sprang, on the father's side, from an obscure or, as family + tradition asserts, a decayed branch, of an Anglo-Saxon stock settled, at + an early period of our history, in the south, and probably also + south-west, of England. A line of Brownings owned the manors of + Melbury-Sampford and Melbury-Osmond, in north-west Dorsetshire; their last + representative disappeared—or was believed to do so—in the + time of Henry VII., their manors passing into the hands of the Earls of + Ilchester, who still hold them.* The name occurs after 1542 in different + parts of the country: in two cases with the affix of 'esquire', in two + also, though not in both coincidently, within twenty miles of Pentridge, + where the first distinct traces of the poet's family appear. Its cradle, + as he called it, was Woodyates, in the parish of Pentridge, on the + Wiltshire confines of Dorsetshire; and there his ancestors, of the third + and fourth generations, held, as we understand, a modest but independent + social position. + </p> +<pre xml:space="preserve"> + * I am indebted for these facts, as well as for some others + referring to, or supplied by, Mr. Browning's uncles, + to some notes made for the Browning Society by Dr. Furnivall. +</pre> + <p> + This fragment of history, if we may so call it, accords better with our + impression of Mr. Browning's genius than could any pedigree which more + palpably connected him with the 'knightly' and 'squirely' families whose + name he bore. It supplies the strong roots of English national life to + which we instinctively refer it. Both the vivid originality of that genius + and its healthy assimilative power stamp it as, in some sense, the product + of virgin soil; and although the varied elements which entered into its + growth were racial as well as cultural, and inherited as well as absorbed, + the evidence of its strong natural or physical basis remains undisturbed. + </p> + <p> + Mr. Browning, for his own part, maintained a neutral attitude in the + matter. He neither claimed nor disclaimed the more remote genealogical + past which had presented itself as a certainty to some older members of + his family. He preserved the old framed coat-of-arms handed down to him + from his grandfather; and used, without misgiving as to his right to do + so, a signet-ring engraved from it, the gift of a favourite uncle, in + years gone by. But, so long as he was young, he had no reason to think + about his ancestors; and, when he was old, he had no reason to care about + them; he knew himself to be, in every possible case, the most important + fact in his family history. + </p> +<pre xml:space="preserve"> + Roi ne suis, ni Prince aussi, + Suis le seigneur de Conti, +</pre> + <p> + he wrote, a few years back, to a friend who had incidentally questioned + him about it. + </p> + <p> + Our immediate knowledge of the family begins with Mr. Browning's + grandfather, also a Robert Browning, who obtained through Lord + Shaftesbury's influence a clerkship in the Bank of England, and entered on + it when barely twenty, in 1769. He served fifty years, and rose to the + position of Principal of the Bank Stock Office, then an important one, and + which brought him into contact with the leading financiers of the day. He + became also a lieutenant in the Honourable Artillery Company, and took + part in the defence of the Bank in the Gordon Riots of 1789. He was an + able, energetic, and worldly man: an Englishman, very much of the + provincial type; his literary tastes being limited to the Bible and 'Tom + Jones', both of which he is said to have read through once a year. He + possessed a handsome person and, probably, a vigorous constitution, since + he lived to the age of eighty-four, though frequently tormented by gout; a + circumstance which may help to account for his not having seen much of his + grandchildren, the poet and his sister; we are indeed told that he + particularly dreaded the lively boy's vicinity to his afflicted foot. He + married, in 1778, Margaret, daughter of a Mr. Tittle by his marriage with + Miss Seymour; and who was born in the West Indies and had inherited + property there. They had three children: Robert, the poet's father; a + daughter, who lived an uneventful life and plays no part in the family + history; and another son who died an infant. The Creole mother died also + when her eldest boy was only seven years old, and passed out of his memory + in all but an indistinct impression of having seen her lying in her + coffin. Five years later the widower married a Miss Smith, who gave him a + large family. + </p> + <p> + This second marriage of Mr. Browning's was a critical event in the life of + his eldest son; it gave him, to all appearance, two step-parents instead + of one. There could have been little sympathy between his father and + himself, for no two persons were ever more unlike, but there was yet + another cause for the systematic unkindness under which the lad grew up. + Mr. Browning fell, as a hard man easily does, greatly under the influence + of his second wife, and this influence was made by her to subserve the + interests of a more than natural jealousy of her predecessor. An early + instance of this was her banishing the dead lady's portrait to a garret, + on the plea that her husband did not need two wives. The son could be no + burden upon her because he had a little income, derived from his mother's + brother; but this, probably, only heightened her ill-will towards him. + When he was old enough to go to a University, and very desirous of going—when, + moreover, he offered to do so at his own cost—she induced his father + to forbid it, because, she urged, they could not afford to send their + other sons to college. An earlier ambition of his had been to become an + artist; but when he showed his first completed picture to his father, the + latter turned away and refused to look at it. He gave himself the + finishing stroke in the parental eyes, by throwing up a lucrative + employment which he had held for a short time on his mother's West Indian + property, in disgust at the system of slave labour which was still in + force there; and he paid for this unpractical conduct as soon as he was of + age, by the compulsory reimbursement of all the expenses which his father, + up to that date, had incurred for him; and by the loss of his mother's + fortune, which, at the time of her marriage, had not been settled upon + her. It was probably in despair of doing anything better, that, soon after + this, in his twenty-second year, he also became a clerk in the Bank of + England. He married and settled in Camberwell, in 1811; his son and + daughter were born, respectively, in 1812 and 1814. He became a widower in + 1849; and when, four years later, he had completed his term of service at + the Bank, he went with his daughter to Paris, where they resided until his + death in 1866. + </p> + <p> + Dr. Furnivall has originated a theory, and maintains it as a conviction, + that Mr. Browning's grandmother was more than a Creole in the strict sense + of the term, that of a person born of white parents in the West Indies, + and that an unmistakable dash of dark blood passed from her to her son and + grandson. Such an occurrence was, on the face of it, not impossible, and + would be absolutely unimportant to my mind, and, I think I may add, to + that of Mr. Browning's sister and son. The poet and his father were what + we know them, and if negro blood had any part in their composition, it was + no worse for them, and so much the better for the negro. But many persons + among us are very averse to the idea of such a cross; I believe its + assertion, in the present case, to be entirely mistaken; I prefer, + therefore, touching on the facts alleged in favour of it, to passing them + over in a silence which might be taken to mean indifference, but might + also be interpreted into assent. + </p> + <p> + We are told that Mr. Browning was so dark in early life, that a nephew who + saw him in Paris, in 1837, mistook him for an Italian. He neither had nor + could have had a nephew; and he was not out of England at the time + specified. It is said that when Mr. Browning senior was residing on his + mother's sugar plantation at St. Kitt's, his appearance was held to + justify his being placed in church among the coloured members of the + congregation. We are assured in the strongest terms that the story has no + foundation, and this by a gentleman whose authority in all matters + concerning the Browning family Dr. Furnivall has otherwise accepted as + conclusive. If the anecdote were true it would be a singular circumstance + that Mr. Browning senior was always fond of drawing negro heads, and thus + obviously disclaimed any unpleasant association with them. + </p> + <p> + I do not know the exact physical indications by which a dark strain is + perceived; but if they are to be sought in the colouring of eyes, hair, + and skin, they have been conspicuously absent in the two persons who in + the present case are supposed to have borne them. The poet's father had + light blue eyes and, I am assured by those who knew him best, a clear, + ruddy complexion. His appearance induced strangers passing him in the + Paris streets to remark, 'C'est un Anglais!' The absolute whiteness of + Miss Browning's skin was modified in her brother by a sallow tinge + sufficiently explained by frequent disturbance of the liver; but it never + affected the clearness of his large blue-grey eyes; and his hair, which + grew dark as he approached manhood, though it never became black, is + spoken of, by everyone who remembers him in childhood and youth, as + golden. It is no less worthy of note that the daughter of his early friend + Mr. Fox, who grew up in the little social circle to which he belonged, + never even heard of the dark cross now imputed to him; and a lady who made + his acquaintance during his twenty-fourth year, wrote a sonnet upon him, + beginning with these words: + </p> +<pre xml:space="preserve"> + Thy brow is calm, young Poet—pale and clear + As a moonlighted statue. +</pre> + <p> + The suggestion of Italian characteristics in the Poet's face may serve, + however, to introduce a curious fact, which can have no bearing on the + main lines of his descent, but holds collateral possibilities concerning + it. His mother's name Wiedemann or Wiedeman appears in a merely contracted + form as that of one of the oldest families naturalized in Venice. It + became united by marriage with the Rezzonico; and, by a strange + coincidence, the last of these who occupied the palace now owned by Mr. + Barrett Browning was a Widman-Rezzonico. The present Contessa Widman has + lately restored her own palace, which was falling into ruin. + </p> + <p> + That portrait of the first Mrs. Browning, which gave so much umbrage to + her husband's second wife, has hung for many years in her grandson's + dining-room, and is well known to all his friends. It represents a stately + woman with an unmistakably fair skin; and if the face or hair betrays any + indication of possible dark blood, it is imperceptible to the general + observer, and must be of too slight and fugitive a nature to enter into + the discussion. A long curl touches one shoulder. One hand rests upon a + copy of Thomson's 'Seasons', which was held to be the proper study and + recreation of cultivated women in those days. The picture was painted by + Wright of Derby. + </p> + <p> + A brother of this lady was an adventurous traveller, and was said to have + penetrated farther into the interior of Africa than any other European of + his time. His violent death will be found recorded in a singular + experience of the poet's middle life. + </p> + <p> + <a name="link2HCH0023" id="link2HCH0023"> + <!-- H2 anchor --> </a> + </p> + <div style="height: 4em;"> + <br /><br /><br /><br /> + </div> + <h2> + Chapter 2 + </h2> + <p> + Robert Browning's Father—His Position in Life—Comparison + between him and his Son—Tenderness towards his Son—Outline of + his Habits and Character—His Death—Significant Newspaper + Paragraph—Letter of Mr. Locker-Lampson—Robert Browning's + Mother—Her Character and Antecedents—Their Influence upon her + Son—Nervous Delicacy imparted to both her Children—Its special + Evidences in her Son. + </p> + <p> + It was almost a matter of course that Robert Browning's father should be + disinclined for bank work. We are told, and can easily imagine, that he + was not so good an official as the grandfather; we know that he did not + rise so high, nor draw so large a salary. But he made the best of his + position for his family's sake, and it was at that time both more + important and more lucrative than such appointments have since become. Its + emoluments could be increased by many honourable means not covered by the + regular salary. The working-day was short, and every additional hour's + service well paid. To be enrolled on the night-watch was also very + remunerative; there were enormous perquisites in pens, paper, and + sealing-wax.* Mr. Browning availed himself of these opportunities of + adding to his income, and was thus enabled, with the help of his private + means, to gratify his scholarly and artistic tastes, and give his children + the benefit of a very liberal education—the one distinct ideal of + success in life which such a nature as his could form. Constituted as he + was, he probably suffered very little through the paternal unkindness + which had forced him into an uncongenial career. Its only palpable result + was to make him a more anxiously indulgent parent when his own time came. + </p> +<pre xml:space="preserve"> + * I have been told that, far from becoming careless in the + use of these things from his practically unbounded command + of them, he developed for them an almost superstitious + reverence. He could never endure to see a scrap of writing- + paper wasted. +</pre> + <p> + Many circumstances conspired to secure to the coming poet a happier + childhood and youth than his father had had. His path was to be smoothed + not only by natural affection and conscientious care, but by literary and + artistic sympathy. The second Mr. Browning differed, in certain respects, + as much from the third as from the first. There were, nevertheless, strong + points in which, if he did not resemble, he at least distinctly + foreshadowed him; and the genius of the one would lack some possible + explanation if we did not recognize in great measure its organized + material in the other. Much, indeed, that was genius in the son existed as + talent in the father. The moral nature of the younger man diverged from + that of the older, though retaining strong points of similarity; but the + mental equipments of the two differed far less in themselves than in the + different uses to which temperament and circumstances trained them. + </p> + <p> + The most salient intellectual characteristic of Mr. Browning senior was + his passion for reading. In his daughter's words, 'he read in season, and + out of season;' and he not only read, but remembered. As a schoolboy, he + knew by heart the first book of the 'Iliad', and all the odes of Horace; + and it shows how deeply the classical part of his training must have + entered into him, that he was wont, in later life, to soothe his little + boy to sleep by humming to him an ode of Anacreon. It was one of his + amusements at school to organize Homeric combats among the boys, in which + the fighting was carried on in the manner of the Greeks and Trojans, and + he and his friend Kenyon would arm themselves with swords and shields, and + hack at each other lustily, exciting themselves to battle by insulting + speeches derived from the Homeric text.* + </p> +<pre xml:space="preserve"> + * This anecdote is partly quoted from Mrs. Andrew Crosse, + who has introduced it into her article 'John Kenyon and his + Friends', + 'Temple Bar', April 1890. She herself received it from Mr. + Dykes Campbell. +</pre> + <p> + Mr. Browning had also an extraordinary power of versifying, and taught his + son from babyhood the words he wished him to remember, by joining them to + a grotesque rhyme; the child learned all his Latin declensions in this + way. His love of art had been proved by his desire to adopt it as a + profession; his talent for it was evidenced by the life and power of the + sketches, often caricatures, which fell from his pen or pencil as easily + as written words. Mr. Barrett Browning remembers gaining a very early + elementary knowledge of anatomy from comic illustrated rhymes (now in the + possession of their old friend, Mrs. Fraser Corkran) through which his + grandfather impressed upon him the names and position of the principal + bones of the human body. + </p> + <p> + Even more remarkable than his delight in reading was the manner in which + Mr. Browning read. He carried into it all the preciseness of the scholar. + It was his habit when he bought a book—which was generally an old + one allowing of this addition—to have some pages of blank paper + bound into it. These he filled with notes, chronological tables, or such + other supplementary matter as would enhance the interest, or assist the + mastering, of its contents; all written in a clear and firm though by no + means formal handwriting. More than one book thus treated by him has + passed through my hands, leaving in me, it need hardly be said, a stronger + impression of the owner's intellectual quality than the acquisition by him + of the finest library could have conveyed. One of the experiences which + disgusted him with St. Kitt's was the frustration by its authorities of an + attempt he was making to teach a negro boy to read, and the understanding + that all such educative action was prohibited. + </p> + <p> + In his faculties and attainments, as in his pleasures and appreciations, + he showed the simplicity and genuineness of a child. He was not only ready + to amuse, he could always identify himself with children, his love for + whom never failed him in even his latest years. His more than childlike + indifference to pecuniary advantages had been shown in early life. He gave + another proof of it after his wife's death, when he declined a proposal, + made to him by the Bank of England, to assist in founding one of its + branch establishments in Liverpool. He never indeed, personally, cared for + money, except as a means of acquiring old, i.e. rare books, for which he + had, as an acquaintance declared, the scent of a hound and the snap of a + bulldog. His eagerness to possess such treasures was only matched by the + generosity with which he parted with them; and his daughter well remembers + the feeling of angry suspicion with which she and her brother noted the + periodical arrival of a certain visitor who would be closeted with their + father for hours, and steal away before the supper time, when the family + would meet, with some precious parcel of books or prints under his arm. + </p> + <p> + It is almost superfluous to say that he was indifferent to creature + comforts. Miss Browning was convinced that, if on any occasion she had + said to him, 'There will be no dinner to-day,' he would only have looked + up from his book to reply, 'All right, my dear, it is of no consequence.' + In his bank-clerk days, when he sometimes dined in Town, he left one + restaurant with which he was not otherwise dissatisfied, because the + waiter always gave him the trouble of specifying what he would have to + eat. A hundred times that trouble would not have deterred him from a + kindly act. Of his goodness of heart, indeed, many distinct instances + might be given; but even this scanty outline of his life has rendered them + superfluous. + </p> + <p> + Mr. Browning enjoyed splendid physical health. His early love of reading + had not precluded a wholesome enjoyment of athletic sports; and he was, as + a boy, the fastest runner and best base-ball player in his school. He + died, like his father, at eighty-four (or rather, within a few days of + eighty-five), but, unlike him, he had never been ill; a French friend + exclaimed when all was over, 'Il n'a jamais ete vieux.' His faculties were + so unclouded up to the last moment that he could watch himself dying, and + speculate on the nature of the change which was befalling him. 'What do + you think death is, Robert?' he said to his son; 'is it a fainting, or is + it a pang?' A notice of his decease appeared in an American newspaper. It + was written by an unknown hand, and bears a stamp of genuineness which + renders the greater part of it worth quoting. + </p> + <p> + 'He was not only a ruddy, active man, with fine hair, that retained its + strength and brownness to the last, but he had a courageous spirit and a + remarkably intelligent mind. He was a man of the finest culture, and was + often, and never vainly, consulted by his son Robert concerning the more + recondite facts relating to the old characters, whose bones that poet + liked so well to disturb. His knowledge of old French, Spanish, and + Italian literature was wonderful. The old man went smiling and peaceful to + his long rest, preserving his faculties to the last, insomuch that the + physician, astonished at his continued calmness and good humour, turned to + his daughter, and said in a low voice, "Does this gentleman know that he + is dying?" The daughter said in a voice which the father could hear, "He + knows it;" and the old man said with a quiet smile, "Death is no enemy in + my eyes." His last words were spoken to his son Robert, who was fanning + him, "I fear I am wearying you, dear."' + </p> + <p> + Four years later one of his English acquaintances in Paris, Mr. Frederick + Locker, now Mr. Locker-Lampson, wrote to Robert Browning as follows: + </p> + <p> + Dec. 26, 1870. + </p> + <p> + My dear Browning,—I have always thought that you or Miss Browning, + or some other capable person, should draw up a sketch of your excellent + father so that, hereafter, it might be known what an interesting man he + was. + </p> + <p> + I used often to meet you in Paris, at Lady Elgin's. She had a genuine + taste for poetry, and she liked being read to, and I remember you gave her + a copy of Keats' poems, and you used often to read his poetry to her. Lady + Elgin died in 1860, and I think it was in that year that Lady Charlotte + and I saw the most of Mr. Browning.* He was then quite an elderly man, if + years could make him so, but he had so much vivacity of manner, and such + simplicity and freshness of mind, that it was difficult to think him old. + </p> +<pre xml:space="preserve"> + * Mr. Locker was then married to Lady Charlotte Bruce, Lady + Elgin's daughter. +</pre> + <p> + I remember, he and your sister lived in an apartment in the Rue de + Grenelle, St. Germain, in quite a simple fashion, much in the way that + most people live in Paris, and in the way that all sensible people would + wish to live all over the world. + </p> + <p> + Your father and I had at least one taste and affection in common. He liked + hunting the old bookstalls on the 'quais', and he had a great love and + admiration for Hogarth; and he possessed several of Hogarth's engravings, + some in rare and early states of the plate; and he would relate with glee + the circumstances under which he had picked them up, and at so small a + price too! However, he had none of the 'petit-maitre' weakness of the + ordinary collector, which is so common, and which I own to!—such as + an infatuation for tall copies, and wide margins. + </p> + <p> + I remember your father was fond of drawing in a rough and ready fashion; + he had plenty of talent, I should think not very great cultivation; but + quite enough to serve his purpose, and to amuse his friends. He had a + thoroughly lively and <i>healthy</i> interest in your poetry, and he + showed me some of your boyish attempts at versification. + </p> + <p> + Taking your dear father altogether, I quite believe him to have been one + of those men—interesting men—whom the world never hears of. + Perhaps he was shy—at any rate he was much less known than he ought + to have been; and now, perhaps, he only remains in the recollection of his + family, and of one or two superior people (like myself!) who were capable + of appreciating him. My dear Browning, I really hope you will draw up a + slight sketch of your father before it is too late. Yours, Frederick + Locker. + </p> + <p> + The judgments thus expressed twenty years ago are cordially re-stated in + the letter in which Mr. Locker-Lampson authorizes me to publish them. The + desired memoir was never written; but the few details which I have given + of the older Mr. Browning's life and character may perhaps stand for it. + </p> + <p> + With regard to the 'strict dissent' with which her parents have been + taxed, Miss Browning writes to me: 'My father was born and educated in the + Church of England, and, for many years before his death, lived in her + communion. He became a Dissenter in middle life, and my mother, born and + brought up in the Kirk of Scotland, became one also; but they could not be + called bigoted, since we always in the evening attended the preaching of + the Rev. Henry Melvill* (afterwards Canon of St. Paul's), whose sermons + Robert much admired.'** + </p> +<pre xml:space="preserve"> + * At Camden Chapel, Camberwell. + + ** Mr. Browning was much interested, in later years, in + hearing Canon, perhaps then already Archdeacon, Farrar extol + his eloquence and ask whether he had known him. Mr. Ruskin + also spoke of him with admiration. +</pre> + <p> + Little need be said about the poet's mother. She was spoken of by Carlyle + as 'the true type of a Scottish gentlewoman.' Mr. Kenyon declared that + such as she had no need to go to heaven, because they made it wherever + they were. But her character was all resumed in her son's words, spoken + with the tremulous emotion which so often accompanied his allusion to + those he had loved and lost: 'She was a divine woman.' She was Scotch on + the maternal side, and her kindly, gentle, but distinctly evangelical + Christianity must have been derived from that source. Her father, William + Wiedemann, a ship-owner, was a Hamburg German settled in Dundee, and has + been described by Mr. Browning as an accomplished draughtsman and + musician. She herself had nothing of the artist about her, though we hear + of her sometimes playing the piano; in all her goodness and sweetness she + seems to have been somewhat matter-of-fact. But there is abundant indirect + evidence of Mr. Browning's love of music having come to him through her, + and we are certainly justified in holding the Scottish-German descent as + accountable, in great measure at least, for the metaphysical quality so + early apparent in the poet's mind, and of which we find no evidence in + that of his father. His strong religious instincts must have been derived + from both parents, though most anxiously fostered by his mother. + </p> + <p> + There is yet another point on which Mrs. Browning must have influenced the + life and destinies of her son, that of physical health, or, at least, + nervous constitution. She was a delicate woman, very anaemic during her + later years, and a martyr to neuralgia, which was perhaps a symptom of + this condition. The acute ailment reproduced itself in her daughter in + spite of an otherwise vigorous constitution. With the brother, the + inheritance of suffering was not less surely present, if more difficult to + trace. We have been accustomed to speaking of him as a brilliantly healthy + man; he was healthy, even strong, in many essential respects. Until past + the age of seventy he could take long walks without fatigue, and endure an + amount of social and general physical strain which would have tried many + younger men. He carried on until the last a large, if not always serious, + correspondence, and only within the latest months, perhaps weeks of his + life, did his letters even suggest that physical brain-power was failing + him. He had, within the limits which his death has assigned to it, a + considerable recuperative power. His consciousness of health was vivid, so + long as he was well; and it was only towards the end that the faith in his + probable length of days occasionally deserted him. But he died of no acute + disease, more than seven years younger than his father, having long + carried with him external marks of age from which his father remained + exempt. Till towards the age of forty he suffered from attacks of + sore-throat, not frequent, but of an angry kind. He was constantly + troubled by imperfect action of the liver, though no doctor pronounced the + evil serious. I have spoken of this in reference to his complexion. During + the last twenty years, if not for longer, he rarely spent a winter without + a suffocating cold and cough; within the last five, asthmatic symptoms + established themselves; and when he sank under what was perhaps his first + real attack of bronchitis it was not because the attack was very severe, + but because the heart was exhausted. The circumstances of his death + recalled that of his mother; and we might carry the sad analogy still + farther in his increasing pallor, and the slow and not strong pulse which + always characterized him. This would perhaps be a mistake. It is difficult + to reconcile any idea of bloodlessness with the bounding vitality of his + younger body and mind. Any symptom of organic disease could scarcely, in + his case, have been overlooked. But so much is certain: he was conscious + of what he called a nervousness of nature which neither father nor + grandfather could have bequeathed to him. He imputed to this, or, in other + words, to an undue physical sensitiveness to mental causes of irritation, + his proneness to deranged liver, and the asthmatic conditions which he + believed, rightly or wrongly, to be produced by it. He was perhaps + mistaken in some of his inferences, but he was not mistaken in the fact. + He had the pleasures as well as the pains of this nervous temperament; its + quick response to every congenial stimulus of physical atmosphere, and + human contact. It heightened the enjoyment, perhaps exaggerated the + consciousness of his physical powers. It also certainly in his later years + led him to overdraw them. Many persons have believed that he could not + live without society; a prolonged seclusion from it would, for obvious + reasons, have been unsuited to him. But the excited gaiety which to the + last he carried into every social gathering was often primarily the result + of a moral and physical effort which his temperament prompted, but his + strength could not always justify. Nature avenged herself in recurrent + periods of exhaustion, long before the closing stage had set in. + </p> + <p> + I shall subsequently have occasion to trace this nervous impressibility + through various aspects and relations of his life; all I now seek to show + is that this healthiest of poets and most real of men was not compounded + of elements of pure health, and perhaps never could have been so. It might + sound grotesque to say that only a delicate woman could have been the + mother of Robert Browning. The fact remains that of such a one, and no + other, he was born; and we may imagine, without being fanciful, that his + father's placid intellectual powers required for their transmutation into + poetic genius just this infusion of a vital element not only charged with + other racial and individual qualities, but physically and morally more + nearly allied to pain. Perhaps, even for his happiness as a man, we could + not have wished it otherwise. + </p> + <p> + <a name="link2HCH0024" id="link2HCH0024"> + <!-- H2 anchor --> </a> + </p> + <div style="height: 4em;"> + <br /><br /><br /><br /> + </div> + <h2> + Chapter 3 + </h2> + <h3> + 1812-1826 + </h3> + <p> + Birth of Robert Browning—His Childhood and Schooldays—Restless + Temperament—Brilliant Mental Endowments—Incidental + Peculiarities—Strong Religious Feeling—Passionate Attachment + to his Mother; Grief at first Separation—Fondness for Animals—Experiences + of School Life—Extensive Reading—Early Attempts in Verse—Letter + from his Father concerning them—Spurious Poems in Circulation—'Incondita'—Mr. + Fox—Miss Flower. + </p> + <p> + Robert Browning was born, as has been often repeated, at Camberwell, on + May 7, 1812, soon after a great comet had disappeared from the sky. He was + a handsome, vigorous, fearless child, and soon developed an unresting + activity and a fiery temper. He clamoured for occupation from the moment + he could speak. His mother could only keep him quiet when once he had + emerged from infancy by telling him stories—doubtless Bible stories—while + holding him on her knee. His energies were of course destructive till they + had found their proper outlet; but we do not hear of his ever having + destroyed anything for the mere sake of doing so. His first recorded piece + of mischief was putting a handsome Brussels lace veil of his mother's into + the fire; but the motive, which he was just old enough to lisp out, was + also his excuse: 'A pitty baze [pretty blaze], mamma.' Imagination soon + came to his rescue. It has often been told how he extemporized verse aloud + while walking round and round the dining-room table supporting himself by + his hands, when he was still so small that his head was scarcely above it. + He remembered having entertained his mother in the very first walk he was + considered old enough to take with her, by a fantastic account of his + possessions in houses, &c., of which the topographical details + elicited from her the remark, 'Why, sir, you are quite a geographer.' And + though this kind of romancing is common enough among intelligent children, + it distinguishes itself in this case by the strong impression which the + incident had left on his own mind. It seems to have been a first real + flight of dramatic fancy, confusing his identity for the time being. + </p> + <p> + The power of inventing did not, however, interfere with his readiness to + learn, and the facility with which he acquired whatever knowledge came in + his way had, on one occasion, inconvenient results. A lady of reduced + fortunes kept a small elementary school for boys, a stone's-throw from his + home; and he was sent to it as a day boarder at so tender an age that his + parents, it is supposed, had no object in view but to get rid of his + turbulent activity for an hour or two every morning and afternoon. + Nevertheless, his proficiency in reading and spelling was soon so much + ahead of that of the biggest boy, that complaints broke out among the + mammas, who were sure there was not fair play. Mrs.——was + neglecting her other pupils for the sake of 'bringing on Master Browning;' + and the poor lady found it necessary to discourage Master Browning's + attendance lest she should lose the remainder of her flock. This, at + least, was the story as he himself remembered it. According to Miss + Browning his instructress did not yield without a parting shot. She + retorted on the discontented parents that, if she could give their + children 'Master Browning's intellect', she would have no difficulty in + satisfying them. After this came the interlude of home-teaching, in which + all his elementary knowledge must have been gained. As an older child he + was placed with two Misses Ready, who prepared boys for entering their + brother's (the Rev. Thomas Ready's) school; and in due time he passed into + the latter, where he remained up to the age of fourteen. + </p> + <p> + He seems in those early days to have had few playmates beyond his sister, + two years younger than himself, and whom his irrepressible spirit must + sometimes have frightened or repelled. Nor do we hear anything of childish + loves; and though an entry appeared in his diary one Sunday in about the + seventh or eighth year of his age, 'married two wives this morning,' it + only referred to a vague imaginary appropriation of two girls whom he had + just seen in church, and whose charm probably lay in their being much + bigger than he. He was, however, capable of a self-conscious shyness in + the presence of even a little girl; and his sense of certain proprieties + was extraordinarily keen. He told a friend that on one occasion, when the + merest child, he had edged his way by the wall from one point of his + bedroom to another, because he was not fully clothed, and his reflection + in the glass could otherwise have been seen through the partly open door.* + </p> +<pre xml:space="preserve"> + * Another anecdote, of a very different kind, belongs to an + earlier period, and to that category of pure naughtiness + which could not fail to be sometimes represented in the + conduct of so gifted a child. An old lady who visited his + mother, and was characterized in the family as 'Aunt Betsy', + had irritated him by pronouncing the word 'lovers' with the + contemptuous jerk which the typical old maid is sometimes + apt to impart to it, when once the question had arisen why a + certain 'Lovers' Walk' was so called. He was too nearly a + baby to imagine what a 'lover' was; he supposed the name + denoted a trade or occupation. But his human sympathy + resented Aunt Betsy's manner as an affront; and he + determined, after probably repeated provocation, to show her + something worse than a 'lover', whatever this might be. So + one night he slipped out of bed, exchanged his nightgown for + what he considered the appropriate undress of a devil, + completed this by a paper tail, and the ugliest face he + could make, and rushed into the drawing-room, where the old + lady and his mother were drinking tea. He was snatched up + and carried away before he had had time to judge the effect + of his apparition; but he did not think, looking back upon + the circumstances in later life, that Aunt Betsy had + deserved quite so ill of her fellow-creatures as he then + believed. +</pre> + <p> + His imaginative emotions were largely absorbed by religion. The early + Biblical training had had its effect, and he was, to use his own words, + 'passionately religious' in those nursery years; but during them and many + succeeding ones, his mother filled his heart. He loved her so much, he has + been heard to say, that even as a grown man he could not sit by her + otherwise than with an arm round her waist. It is difficult to measure the + influence which this feeling may have exercised on his later life; it led, + even now, to a strange and touching little incident which had in it the + incipient poet no less than the loving child. His attendance at Miss + Ready's school only kept him from home from Monday till Saturday of every + week; but when called upon to confront his first five days of banishment + he felt sure that he would not survive them. A leaden cistern belonging to + the school had in, or outside it, the raised image of a face. He chose the + cistern for his place of burial, and converted the face into his epitaph + by passing his hand over and over it to a continuous chant of: 'In memory + of unhappy Browning'—the ceremony being renewed in his spare + moments, till the acute stage of the feeling had passed away. + </p> + <p> + The fondness for animals for which through life he was noted, was + conspicuous in his very earliest days. His urgent demand for 'something to + do' would constantly include 'something to be caught' for him: 'they were + to catch him an eft;' 'they were to catch him a frog.' He would refuse to + take his medicine unless bribed by the gift of a speckled frog from among + the strawberries; and the maternal parasol, hovering above the strawberry + bed during the search for this object of his desires, remained a standing + picture in his remembrance. But the love of the uncommon was already + asserting itself; and one of his very juvenile projects was a collection + of rare creatures, the first contribution to which was a couple of + lady-birds, picked up one winter's day on a wall and immediately consigned + to a box lined with cotton-wool, and labelled, 'Animals found surviving in + the depths of a severe winter.' Nor did curiosity in this case weaken the + power of sympathy. His passion for birds and beasts was the counterpart of + his father's love of children, only displaying itself before the age at + which child-love naturally appears. His mother used to read Croxall's + Fables to his little sister and him. The story contained in them of a lion + who was kicked to death by an ass affected him so painfully that he could + no longer endure the sight of the book; and as he dared not destroy it, he + buried it between the stuffing and the woodwork of an old dining-room + chair, where it stood for lost, at all events for the time being. When + first he heard the adventures of the parrot who insisted on leaving his + cage, and who enjoyed himself for a little while and then died of hunger + and cold, he—and his sister with him—cried so bitterly that it + was found necessary to invent a different ending, according to which the + parrot was rescued just in time and brought back to his cage to live + peacefully in it ever after. + </p> + <p> + As a boy, he kept owls and monkeys, magpies and hedgehogs, an eagle, and + even a couple of large snakes, constantly bringing home the more portable + creatures in his pockets, and transferring them to his mother for + immediate care. I have heard him speak admiringly of the skilful + tenderness with which she took into her lap a lacerated cat, washed and + sewed up its ghastly wound, and nursed it back to health. The great + intimacy with the life and habits of animals which reveals itself in his + works is readily explained by these facts. + </p> + <p> + Mr. Ready's establishment was chosen for him as the best in the + neighbourhood; and both there and under the preparatory training of that + gentleman's sisters, the young Robert was well and kindly cared for. The + Misses Ready especially concerned themselves with the spiritual welfare of + their pupils. The periodical hair-brushings were accompanied by the + singing, and fell naturally into the measure, of Watts's hymns; and Mr. + Browning has given his friends some very hearty laughs by illustrating + with voice and gesture the ferocious emphasis with which the brush would + swoop down in the accentuated syllables of the following lines: + </p> +<pre xml:space="preserve"> + Lord, 'tis a pleasant thing to stand + In gardens planted by Thy hand. + + . . . . . + + Fools never raise their thoughts so high, + Like 'brutes' they live, like <i>brutes</i> they die. +</pre> + <p> + He even compelled his mother to laugh at it, though it was sorely against + her nature to lend herself to any burlesquing of piously intended things.* + He had become a bigger boy since the episode of the cistern, and had + probably in some degree outgrown the intense piety of his earlier + childhood. This little incident seems to prove it. On the whole, however, + his religious instincts did not need strengthening, though his sense of + humour might get the better of them for a moment; and of secular + instruction he seems to have received as little from the one set of + teachers as from the other. I do not suppose that the mental training at + Mr. Ready's was more shallow or more mechanical than that of most other + schools of his own or, indeed, of a much later period; but the brilliant + abilities of Robert Browning inspired him with a certain contempt for it, + as also for the average schoolboy intelligence to which it was apparently + adapted. It must be for this reason that, as he himself declared, he never + gained a prize, although these rewards were showered in such profusion + that the only difficulty was to avoid them; and if he did not make friends + at school (for this also has been somewhere observed),** it can only be + explained in the same way. He was at an intolerant age, and if his + schoolfellows struck him as more backward or more stupid than they need + be, he is not likely to have taken pains to conceal the impression. It is + difficult, at all events, to think of him as unsociable, and his talents + certainly had their amusing side. Miss Browning tells me that he made his + schoolfellows act plays, some of which he had written for them; and he + delighted his friends, not long ago, by mimicking his own solemn + appearance on some breaking-up or commemorative day, when, according to + programme, 'Master Browning' ascended a platform in the presence of + assembled parents and friends, and, in best jacket, white gloves, and + carefully curled hair, with a circular bow to the company and the then + prescribed waving of alternate arms, delivered a high-flown rhymed address + of his own composition. + </p> +<pre xml:space="preserve"> + * In spite of this ludicrous association Mr. Browning always + recognized great merit in Watts's hymns, and still more in + Dr. Watts himself, who had devoted to this comparatively + humble work intellectual powers competent to far higher + things. + + ** It was in no case literally true. William, afterwards + Sir William, Channel was leaving Mr. Ready when Browning + went to him; but a friendly acquaintance began, and was + afterwards continued, between the two boys; and a closer + friendship, formed with a younger brother Frank, was only + interrupted by his death. Another school friend or + acquaintance recalled himself as such to the poet's memory + some ten or twelve years ago. A man who has reached the age + at which his boyhood becomes of interest to the world may + even have survived many such relations. +</pre> + <p> + And during the busy idleness of his schooldays, or, at all events, in the + holidays in which he rested from it, he was learning, as perhaps only + those do learn whose real education is derived from home. His father's + house was, Miss Browning tells me, literally crammed with books; and, she + adds, 'it was in this way that Robert became very early familiar with + subjects generally unknown to boys.' He read omnivorously, though + certainly not without guidance. One of the books he best and earliest + loved was 'Quarles' Emblemes', which his father possessed in a seventeenth + century edition, and which contains one or two very tentative specimens of + his early handwriting. Its quaint, powerful lines and still quainter + illustrations combined the marvellous with what he believed to be true; + and he seemed specially identified with its world of religious fancies by + the fact that the soul in it was always depicted as a child. On its more + general grounds his reading was at once largely literary and very + historical; and it was in this direction that the paternal influence was + most strongly revealed. 'Quarles' Emblemes' was only one of the large + collection of old books which Mr. Browning possessed; and the young Robert + learnt to know each favourite author in the dress as well as the language + which carried with it the life of his period. The first edition of + 'Robinson Crusoe'; the first edition of Milton's works, bought for him by + his father; a treatise on astrology published twenty years after the + introduction of printing; the original pamphlet 'Killing no Murder' + (1559), which Carlyle borrowed for his 'Life of Cromwell'; an equally + early copy of Bernard Mandeville's 'Bees'; very ancient Bibles—are + some of the instances which occur to me. Among more modern publications, + 'Walpole's Letters' were familiar to him in boyhood, as well as the + 'Letters of Junius' and all the works of Voltaire. + </p> + <p> + Ancient poets and poetry also played their necessary part in the mental + culture superintended by Robert Browning's father: we can indeed imagine + no case in which they would not have found their way into the boy's life. + Latin poets and Greek dramatists came to him in their due time, though his + special delight in the Greek language only developed itself later. But his + loving, lifelong familiarity with the Elizabethan school, and indeed with + the whole range of English poetry, seems to point to a more constant study + of our national literature. Byron was his chief master in those early + poetic days. He never ceased to honour him as the one poet who combined a + constructive imagination with the more technical qualities of his art; and + the result of this period of aesthetic training was a volume of short + poems produced, we are told, when he was only twelve, in which the Byronic + influence was predominant. + </p> + <p> + The young author gave his work the title of 'Incondita', which conveyed a + certain idea of deprecation. He was, nevertheless, very anxious to see it + in print; and his father and mother, poetry-lovers of the old school, also + found in it sufficient merit to justify its publication. No publisher, + however, could be found; and we can easily believe that he soon afterwards + destroyed the little manuscript, in some mingled reaction of + disappointment and disgust. But his mother, meanwhile, had shown it to an + acquaintance of hers, Miss Flower, who herself admired its contents so + much as to make a copy of them for the inspection of her friend, the + well-known Unitarian minister, Mr. W. J. Fox. The copy was transmitted to + Mr. Browning after Mr. Fox's death by his daughter, Mrs. Bridell-Fox; and + this, if no other, was in existence in 1871, when, at his urgent request, + that lady also returned to him a fragment of verse contained in a letter + from Miss Sarah Flower. Nor was it till much later that a friend, who had + earnestly begged for a sight of it, definitely heard of its destruction. + The fragment, which doubtless shared the same fate, was, I am told, a + direct imitation of Coleridge's 'Fire, Famine, and Slaughter'. + </p> + <p> + These poems were not Mr. Browning's first. It would be impossible to + believe them such when we remember that he composed verses long before he + could write; and a curious proof of the opposite fact has recently + appeared. Two letters of the elder Mr. Browning have found their way into + the market, and have been bought respectively by Mr. Dykes Campbell and + Sir F. Leighton. I give the more important of them. It was addressed to + Mr. Thomas Powell: + </p> + <p> + Dear Sir,—I hope the enclosed may be acceptable as curiosities. They + were written by Robert when quite a child. I once had nearly a hundred of + them. But he has destroyed all that ever came in his way, having a great + aversion to the practice of many biographers in recording every trifling + incident that falls in their way. He has not the slightest suspicion that + any of his very juvenile performances are in existence. I have several of + the originals by me. They are all extemporaneous productions, nor has any + one a single alteration. There was one amongst them 'On Bonaparte'—remarkably + beautiful—and had I not seen it in his own handwriting I never would + have believed it to have been the production of a child. It is destroyed. + Pardon my troubling you with these specimens, and requesting you never to + mention it, as Robert would be very much hurt. I remain, dear sir, Your + obedient servant, R. Browning. Bank: March 11, 1843. + </p> + <p> + The letter was accompanied by a sheet of verses which have been sold and + resold, doubtless in perfect good faith, as being those to which the + writer alludes. But Miss Browning has recognized them as her father's own + impromptu epigrams, well remembered in the family, together with the + occasion on which they were written. The substitution may, from the first, + have been accidental. + </p> + <p> + We cannot think of all these vanished first-fruits of Mr. Browning's + genius without a sense of loss, all the greater perhaps that there can + have been little in them to prefigure its later forms. Their faults seem + to have lain in the direction of too great splendour of language and too + little wealth of thought; and Mr. Fox, who had read 'Incondita' and been + struck by its promise, confessed afterwards to Mr. Browning that he had + feared these tendencies as his future snare. But the imitative first note + of a young poet's voice may hold a rapture of inspiration which his most + original later utterances will never convey. It is the child Sordello, + singing against the lark. + </p> + <p> + Not even the poet's sister ever saw 'Incondita'. It was the only one of + his finished productions which Miss Browning did not read, or even help + him to write out. She was then too young to be taken into his confidence. + Its writing, however, had one important result. It procured for the + boy-poet a preliminary introduction to the valuable literary patron and + friend Mr. Fox was subsequently to be. It also supplies the first + substantial record of an acquaintance which made a considerable impression + on his personal life. + </p> + <p> + The Miss Flower, of whom mention has been made, was one of two sisters, + both sufficiently noted for their artistic gifts to have found a place in + the new Dictionary of National Biography. The elder, Eliza or Lizzie, was + a musical composer; the younger, best known as Sarah Flower Adams, a + writer of sacred verse. Her songs and hymns, including the well-known + 'Nearer, my God, to Thee', were often set to music by her sister.* They + sang, I am told, delightfully together, and often without accompaniment, + their voices perfectly harmonizing with each other. Both were, in their + different ways, very attractive; both interesting, not only from their + talents, but from their attachment to each other, and the delicacy which + shortened their lives. They died of consumption, the elder in 1846, at the + age of forty-three; the younger a year later. They became acquainted with + Mrs. Browning through a common friend, Miss Sturtevant; and the young + Robert conceived a warm admiration for Miss Flower's talents, and a boyish + love for herself. She was nine years his senior; her own affections became + probably engaged, and, as time advanced, his feeling seems to have + subsided into one of warm and very loyal friendship. We hear, indeed, of + his falling in love, as he was emerging from his teens, with a handsome + girl who was on a visit at his father's house. But the fancy died out 'for + want of root.' The admiration, even tenderness, for Miss Flower had so + deep a 'root' that he never in latest life mentioned her name with + indifference. In a letter to Mr. Dykes Campbell, in 1881, he spoke of her + as 'a very remarkable person.' If, in spite of his denials, any woman + inspired 'Pauline', it can have been no other than she. He began writing + to her at twelve or thirteen, probably on the occasion of her expressed + sympathy with his first distinct effort at authorship; and what he + afterwards called 'the few utterly insignificant scraps of letters and + verse' which formed his part of the correspondence were preserved by her + as long as she lived. But he recovered and destroyed them after his return + to England, with all the other reminiscences of those early years. Some + notes, however, are extant, dated respectively, 1841, 1842, and 1845, and + will be given in their due place. + </p> +<pre xml:space="preserve"> + * She also wrote a dramatic poem in five acts, entitled + 'Vivia Perpetua', referred to by Mrs. Jameson in her 'Sacred + and Legendary Art', and by Leigh Hunt, when he spoke of her + in 'Blue-Stocking Revels', as 'Mrs. Adams, rare mistress of + thought and of tears.' +</pre> + <p> + Mr. Fox was a friend of Miss Flower's father (Benjamin Flower, known as + editor of the 'Cambridge Intelligencer'), and, at his death, in 1829, + became co-executor to his will, and a kind of guardian to his daughters, + then both unmarried, and motherless from their infancy. Eliza's principal + work was a collection of hymns and anthems, originally composed for Mr. + Fox's chapel, where she had assumed the entire management of the choral + part of the service. Her abilities were not confined to music; she + possessed, I am told, an instinctive taste and judgment in literary + matters which caused her opinion to be much valued by literary men. But + Mr. Browning's genuine appreciation of her musical genius was probably the + strongest permanent bond between them. We shall hear of this in his own + words. + </p> + <p> + <a name="link2HCH0025" id="link2HCH0025"> + <!-- H2 anchor --> </a> + </p> + <div style="height: 4em;"> + <br /><br /><br /><br /> + </div> + <h2> + Chapter 4 + </h2> + <h3> + 1826-1833 + </h3> + <p> + First Impressions of Keats and Shelley—Prolonged Influence of + Shelley—Details of Home Education—Its Effects—Youthful + Restlessness—Counteracting Love of Home—Early Friendships: + Alfred Domett, Joseph Arnould, the Silverthornes—Choice of Poetry as + a Profession—Alternative Suggestions; mistaken Rumours concerning + them—Interest in Art—Love of good Theatrical Performances—Talent + for Acting—Final Preparation for Literary Life. + </p> + <p> + At the period at which we have arrived, which is that of his leaving + school and completing his fourteenth year, another and a significant + influence was dawning on Robert Browning's life—the influence of the + poet Shelley. Mr. Sharp writes,* and I could only state the facts in + similar words, 'Passing a bookstall one day, he saw, in a box of + second-hand volumes, a little book advertised as "Mr. Shelley's + Atheistical Poem: very scarce."' . . . 'From vague remarks in reply to his + inquiries, and from one or two casual allusions, he learned that there + really was a poet called Shelley; that he had written several volumes; + that he was dead.' . . . 'He begged his mother to procure him Shelley's + works, a request not easily complied with, for the excellent reason that + not one of the local booksellers had even heard of the poet's name. + Ultimately, however, Mrs. Browning learned that what she sought was + procurable at the Olliers', in Vere Street, London.' + </p> +<pre xml:space="preserve"> + * 'Life of Browning', pp. 30, 31. +</pre> + <p> + Mrs. Browning went to Messrs. Ollier, and brought back 'most of Shelley's + writings, all in their first edition, with the exception of "The Cenci".' + She brought also three volumes of the still less known John Keats, on + being assured that one who liked Shelley's works would like these also. + </p> + <p> + Keats and Shelley must always remain connected in this epoch of Mr. + Browning's poetic growth. They indeed came to him as the two nightingales + which, he told some friends, sang together in the May-night which closed + this eventful day: one in the laburnum in his father's garden, the other + in a copper beech which stood on adjoining ground—with the + difference indeed, that he must often have listened to the feathered + singers before, while the two new human voices sounded from what were to + him, as to so many later hearers, unknown heights and depths of the + imaginative world. Their utterance was, to such a spirit as his, the last, + as in a certain sense the first, word of what poetry can say; and no one + who has ever heard him read the 'Ode to a Nightingale', and repeat in the + same subdued tones, as if continuing his own thoughts, some line from + 'Epipsychidion', can doubt that they retained a lasting and almost equal + place in his poet's heart. But the two cannot be regarded as equals in + their relation to his life, and it would be a great mistake to impute to + either any important influence upon his genius. We may catch some fleeting + echoes of Keats's melody in 'Pippa Passes'; it is almost a commonplace + that some measure of Shelleyan fancy is recognizable in 'Pauline'. But the + poetic individuality of Robert Browning was stronger than any circumstance + through which it could be fed. It would have found nourishment in desert + air. With his first accepted work he threw off what was foreign to his + poetic nature, to be thenceforward his own never-to-be-subdued and + never-to-be-mistaken self. If Shelley became, and long remained for him, + the greatest poet of his age—of almost any age—it was not + because he held him greatest in the poetic art, but because in his case, + beyond all others, he believed its exercise to have been prompted by the + truest spiritual inspiration. + </p> + <p> + It is difficult to trace the process by which this conviction formed + itself in the boy's mind; still more to account for the strong personal + tenderness which accompanied it. The facts can have been scarcely known + which were to present Shelley to his imagination as a maligned and + persecuted man. It is hard to judge how far such human qualities as we now + read into his work, could be apparent to one who only approached him + through it. But the extra-human note in Shelley's genius irresistibly + suggested to the Browning of fourteen, as it still did to the Browning of + forty, the presence of a lofty spirit, one dwelling in the communion of + higher things. There was often a deep sadness in his utterance; the + consecration of an early death was upon him. And so the worship rooted + itself and grew. It was to find its lyrical expression in 'Pauline'; its + rational and, from the writer's point of view, philosophic justification + in the prose essay on Shelley, published eighteen years afterwards. + </p> + <p> + It may appear inconsistent with the nature of this influence that it began + by appealing to him in a subversive form. The Shelley whom Browning first + loved was the Shelley of 'Queen Mab', the Shelley who would have + remodelled the whole system of religious belief, as of human duty and + rights; and the earliest result of the new development was that he became + a professing atheist, and, for two years, a practising vegetarian. He + returned to his natural diet when he found his eyesight becoming weak. The + atheism cured itself; we do not exactly know when or how. What we do know + is, that it was with him a passing state of moral or imaginative + rebellion, and not one of rational doubt. His mind was not so constituted + that such doubt could fasten itself upon it; nor did he ever in after-life + speak of this period of negation except as an access of boyish folly, with + which his maturer self could have no concern. The return to religious + belief did not shake his faith in his new prophet. It only made him + willing to admit that he had misread him. + </p> + <p> + This Shelley period of Robert Browning's life—that which intervened + between 'Incondita' and 'Pauline'—remained, nevertheless, one of + rebellion and unrest, to which many circumstances may have contributed + besides the influence of the one mind. It had been decided that he was to + complete, or at all events continue, his education at home; and, knowing + the elder Mr. Browning as we do, we cannot doubt that the best reasons, of + kindness or expediency, led to his so deciding. It was none the less, + probably, a mistake, for the time being. The conditions of home life were + the more favourable for the young poet's imaginative growth; but there can + rarely have been a boy whose moral and mental health had more to gain by + the combined discipline and freedom of a public school. His home training + was made to include everything which in those days went to the production + of an accomplished gentleman, and a great deal therefore that was + physically good. He learned music, singing, dancing, riding, boxing, and + fencing, and excelled in the more active of these pursuits. The study of + music was also serious, and carried on under two masters. Mr. John Relfe, + author of a valuable work on counterpoint, was his instructor in + thorough-bass; Mr. Abel, a pupil of Moscheles, in execution. He wrote + music for songs which he himself sang; among them Donne's 'Go and catch a + falling star'; Hood's 'I will not have the mad Clytie'; Peacock's 'The + mountain sheep are sweeter'; and his settings, all of which he + subsequently destroyed, were, I am told, very spirited. His education + seems otherwise to have been purely literary. For two years, from the age + of fourteen to that of sixteen, he studied with a French tutor, who, + whether this was intended or not, imparted to him very little but a good + knowledge of the French language and literature. In his eighteenth year he + attended, for a term or two, a Greek class at the London University. His + classical and other reading was probably continued. But we hear nothing in + the programme of mathematics, or logic—of any, in short, of those + subjects which train, even coerce, the thinking powers, and which were + doubly requisite for a nature in which the creative imagination was + predominant over all the other mental faculties, great as these other + faculties were. And, even as poet, he suffered from this omission: since + the involutions and overlappings of thought and phrase, which occur in his + earlier and again in his latest works, must have been partly due to his + never learning to follow the processes of more normally constituted minds. + It would be a great error to suppose that they ever arose from the absence + of a meaning clearly felt, if not always clearly thought out, by himself. + He was storing his memory and enriching his mind; but precisely in so + doing he was nourishing the consciousness of a very vivid and urgent + personality; and, under the restrictions inseparable from the life of a + home-bred youth, it was becoming a burden to him. What outlet he found in + verse we do not know, because nothing survives of what he may then have + written. It is possible that the fate of his early poems, and, still more, + the change of ideals, retarded the definite impulse towards poetic + production. It would be a relief to him to sketch out and elaborate the + plan of his future work—his great mental portrait gallery of typical + men and women; and he was doing so during at least the later years which + preceded the birth of 'Pauline'. But even this must have been the result + of some protracted travail with himself; because it was only the inward + sense of very varied possibilities of existence which could have impelled + him towards this kind of creation. No character he ever produced was + merely a figment of the brain. + </p> + <p> + It was natural, therefore, that during this time of growth he should have + been, not only more restless, but less amiable than at any other. The + always impatient temper assumed a quality of aggressiveness. He behaved as + a youth will who knows himself to be clever, and believes that he is not + appreciated, because the crude or paradoxical forms which his cleverness + assumes do not recommend it to his elders' minds. He set the judgments of + those about him at defiance, and gratuitously proclaimed himself + everything that he was, and some things that he was not. All this subdued + itself as time advanced, and the coming man in him could throw off the + wayward child. It was all so natural that it might well be forgotten. But + it distressed his mother, the one being in the world whom he entirely + loved; and deserves remembering in the tender sorrow with which he himself + remembered it. He was always ready to say that he had been worth little in + his young days; indeed, his self-depreciation covered the greater part of + his life. This was, perhaps, one reason of the difficulty of inducing him + to dwell upon his past. 'I am better now,' he has said more than once, + when its reminiscences have been invoked. + </p> + <p> + One tender little bond maintained itself between his mother and himself so + long as he lived under the paternal roof; it was his rule never to go to + bed without giving her a good-night kiss. If he was out so late that he + had to admit himself with a latch-key, he nevertheless went to her in her + room. Nor did he submit to this as a necessary restraint; for, except on + the occasions of his going abroad, it is scarcely on record that he ever + willingly spent a night away from home. It may not stand for much, or it + may stand to the credit of his restlessness, that, when he had been placed + with some gentleman in Gower Street, for the convenience of attending the + University lectures, or for the sake of preparing for them, he broke + through the arrangement at the end of a week; but even an agreeable visit + had no power to detain him beyond a few days. + </p> + <p> + This home-loving quality was in curious contrast to the natural + bohemianism of youthful genius, and the inclination to wildness which + asserted itself in his boyish days. It became the more striking as he + entered upon the age at which no reasonable amount of freedom can have + been denied to him. Something, perhaps, must be allowed for the pecuniary + dependence which forbade his forming any expensive habits of amusement; + but he also claims the credit of having been unable to accept any low-life + pleasures in place of them. I do not know how the idea can have arisen + that he willingly sought his experience in the society of 'gipsies and + tramps'. I remember nothing in his works which even suggests such + association; and it is certain that a few hours spent at a fair would at + all times have exhausted his capability of enduring it. In the most + audacious imaginings of his later life, in the most undisciplined acts of + his early youth, were always present curious delicacies and reserves. + There was always latent in him the real goodness of heart which would not + allow him to trifle consciously with other lives. Work must also have been + his safeguard when the habit of it had been acquired, and when + imagination, once his master, had learned to serve him. + </p> + <p> + One tangible cause of his youthful restlessness has been implied in the + foregoing remarks, but deserves stating in his sister's words: 'The fact + was, poor boy, he had outgrown his social surroundings. They were + absolutely good, but they were narrow; it could not be otherwise; he + chafed under them.' He was not, however, quite without congenial society + even before the turning-point in his outward existence which was reached + in the publication of 'Pauline'; and one long friendly acquaintance, + together with one lasting friendship, had their roots in these early + Camberwell days. The families of Joseph Arnould and Alfred Domett both + lived at Camberwell. These two young men were bred to the legal + profession, and the former, afterwards Sir Joseph Arnould, became a judge + in Bombay. But the father of Alfred Domett had been one of Nelson's + captains, and the roving sailor spirit was apparent in his son; for he had + scarcely been called to the Bar when he started for New Zealand on the + instance of a cousin who had preceded him, but who was drowned in the + course of a day's surveying before he could arrive. He became a member of + the New Zealand Parliament, and ultimately, for a short time, of its + Cabinet; only returning to England after an absence of thirty years. This + Mr. Domett seems to have been a very modest man, besides a devoted friend + of Robert Browning's, and on occasion a warm defender of his works. When + he read the apostrophe to 'Alfred, dear friend,' in the 'Guardian Angel', + he had reached the last line before it occurred to him that the person + invoked could be he. I do not think that this poem, and that directly + addressed to him under the pseudonym of 'Waring', were the only ones + inspired by the affectionate remembrance which he had left in their + author's mind. + </p> + <p> + Among his boy companions were also the three Silverthornes, his neighbours + at Camberwell, and cousins on the maternal side. They appear to have been + wild youths, and had certainly no part in his intellectual or literary + life; but the group is interesting to his biographer. The three brothers + were all gifted musicians; having also, probably, received this endowment + from their mother's father. Mr. Browning conceived a great affection for + the eldest, and on the whole most talented of the cousins; and when he had + died—young, as they all did—he wrote 'May and Death' in + remembrance of him. The name of 'Charles' stands there for the old, + familiar 'Jim', so often uttered by him in half-pitying, and + all-affectionate allusion, in his later years. Mrs. Silverthorne was the + aunt who paid for the printing of 'Pauline'. + </p> + <p> + It was at about the time of his short attendance at University College + that the choice of poetry as his future profession was formally made. It + was a foregone conclusion in the young Robert's mind; and little less in + that of his father, who took too sympathetic an interest in his son's life + not to have seen in what direction his desires were tending. He must, it + is true, at some time or other, have played with the thought of becoming + an artist; but the thought can never have represented a wish. If he had + entertained such a one, it would have met not only with no opposition on + his father's part, but with a very ready assent, nor does the question + ever seem to have been seriously mooted in the family councils. It would + be strange, perhaps, if it had. Mr. Browning became very early familiar + with the names of the great painters, and also learned something about + their work; for the Dulwich Gallery was within a pleasant walk of his + home, and his father constantly took him there. He retained through life a + deep interest in art and artists, and became a very familiar figure in one + or two London studios. Some drawings made by him from the nude, in Italy, + and for which he had prepared himself by assiduous copying of casts and + study of human anatomy, had, I believe, great merit. But painting was one + of the subjects in which he never received instruction, though he + modelled, under the direction of his friend Mr. Story; and a letter of his + own will presently show that, in his youth at least, he never credited + himself with exceptional artistic power. That he might have become an + artist, and perhaps a great one, is difficult to doubt, in the face of his + brilliant general ability and special gifts. The power to do a thing is, + however, distinct from the impulse to do it, and proved so in the present + case. + </p> + <p> + More importance may be given to an idea of his father's that he should + qualify himself for the Bar. It would naturally coincide with the widening + of the social horizon which his University College classes supplied; it + was possibly suggested by the fact that the closest friends he had already + made, and others whom he was perhaps now making, were barristers. But this + also remained an idea. He might have been placed in the Bank of England, + where the virtual offer of an appointment had been made to him through his + father; but the elder Browning spontaneously rejected this, as unworthy of + his son's powers. He had never, he said, liked bank work himself, and + could not, therefore, impose it on him. + </p> + <p> + We have still to notice another, and a more mistaken view of the + possibilities of Mr. Browning's life. It has been recently stated, + doubtless on the authority of some words of his own, that the Church was a + profession to which he once felt himself drawn. But an admission of this + kind could only refer to that period of his childhood when natural + impulse, combined with his mother's teaching and guidance, frequently + caused his fancy and his feelings to assume a religious form. From the + time when he was a free agent he ceased to be even a regular churchgoer, + though religion became more, rather than less, an integral part of his + inner life; and his alleged fondness for a variety of preachers meant + really that he only listened to those who, from personal association or + conspicuous merit, were interesting to him. I have mentioned Canon Melvill + as one of these; the Rev. Thomas Jones was, as will be seen, another. In + Venice he constantly, with his sister, joined the congregation of an + Italian minister of the little Vaudois church there.* + </p> +<pre xml:space="preserve"> + * Mr. Browning's memory recalled a first and last effort at + preaching, inspired by one of his very earliest visits to a + place of worship. He extemporized a surplice or gown, + climbed into an arm-chair by way of pulpit, and held forth + so vehemently that his scarcely more than baby sister was + frightened and began to cry; whereupon he turned to an + imaginary presence, and said, with all the sternness which + the occasion required, 'Pew-opener, remove that child.' +</pre> + <p> + It would be far less surprising if we were told, on sufficient authority, + that he had been disturbed by hankerings for the stage. He was a + passionate admirer of good acting, and would walk from London to Richmond + and back again to see Edmund Kean when he was performing there. We know + how Macready impressed him, though the finer genius of Kean became very + apparent to his retrospective judgment of the two; and it was impossible + to see or hear him, as even an old man, in some momentary personation of + one of Shakespeare's characters, above all of Richard III., and not feel + that a great actor had been lost in him. + </p> + <p> + So few professions were thought open to gentlemen in Robert Browning's + eighteenth year, that his father's acquiescence in that which he had + chosen might seem a matter scarcely less of necessity than of kindness. + But we must seek the kindness not only in this first, almost inevitable, + assent to his son's becoming a writer, but in the subsequent unfailing + readiness to support him in his literary career. 'Paracelsus', 'Sordello', + and the whole of 'Bells and Pomegranates' were published at his father's + expense, and, incredible as it appears, brought no return to him. This was + vividly present to Mr. Browning's mind in what Mrs. Kemble so justly + defines as those 'remembering days' which are the natural prelude to the + forgetting ones. He declared, in the course of these, to a friend, that + for it alone he owed more to his father than to anyone else in the world. + Words to this effect, spoken in conversation with his sister, have since, + as it was right they should, found their way into print. The more justly + will the world interpret any incidental admission he may ever have made, + of intellectual disagreement between that father and himself. + </p> + <p> + When the die was cast, and young Browning was definitely to adopt + literature as his profession, he qualified himself for it by reading and + digesting the whole of Johnson's Dictionary. We cannot be surprised to + hear this of one who displayed so great a mastery of words, and so deep a + knowledge of the capacities of the English language. + </p> + <p> + <a name="link2HCH0026" id="link2HCH0026"> + <!-- H2 anchor --> </a> + </p> + <div style="height: 4em;"> + <br /><br /><br /><br /> + </div> + <h2> + Chapter 5 + </h2> + <h3> + 1833-1835 + </h3> + <p> + 'Pauline'—Letters to Mr. Fox—Publication of the Poem; chief + Biographical and Literary Characteristics—Mr. Fox's Review in the + 'Monthly Repository'; other Notices—Russian Journey—Desired + diplomatic Appointment—Minor Poems; first Sonnet; their Mode of + Appearance—'The Trifler'—M. de Ripert-Monclar—'Paracelsus'—Letters + to Mr. Fox concerning it; its Publication—Incidental Origin of + 'Paracelsus'; its inspiring Motive; its Relation to 'Pauline'—Mr. + Fox's Review of it in the 'Monthly Repository'—Article in the + 'Examiner' by John Forster. + </p> + <p> + Before Mr. Browning had half completed his twenty-first year he had + written 'Pauline, a Fragment of a Confession'. His sister was in the + secret, but this time his parents were not. This is why his aunt, hearing + that 'Robert' had 'written a poem,' volunteered the sum requisite for its + publication. Even this first instalment of success did not inspire much + hope in the family mind, and Miss Browning made pencil copies of her + favourite passages for the event, which seemed only too possible, of her + never seeing the whole poem again. It was, however, accepted by Saunders + and Otley, and appeared anonymously in 1833. Meanwhile the young author + had bethought himself of his early sympathizer, Mr. Fox, and he wrote to + him as follows (the letter is undated): + </p> + <p> + Dear Sir,—Perhaps by the aid of the subjoined initials and a little + reflection, you may recollect an oddish sort of boy, who had the honour of + being introduced to you at Hackney some years back—at that time a + sayer of verse and a doer of it, and whose doings you had a little + previously commended after a fashion—(whether in earnest or not God + knows): that individual it is who takes the liberty of addressing one + whose slight commendation then, was more thought of than all the gun drum + and trumpet of praise would be now, and to submit to you a free and easy + sort of thing which he wrote some months ago 'on one leg' and which comes + out this week—having either heard or dreamed that you contribute to + the 'Westminster'. + </p> + <p> + Should it be found too insignificant for cutting up, I shall no less + remain, Dear sir, Your most obedient servant, R. B. + </p> + <p> + I have forgotten the main thing—which is to beg you not to spoil a + loophole I have kept for backing out of the thing if necessary, 'sympathy + of dear friends,' &c. &c., none of whom know anything about it. + </p> + <p> + Monday Morning; Rev.—Fox. + </p> + <p> + The answer was clearly encouraging, and Mr. Browning wrote again: + </p> + <p> + Dear Sir,—In consequence of your kind permission I send, or will + send, a dozen copies of 'Pauline' and (to mitigate the infliction) + Shelley's Poem—on account of what you mentioned this morning. It + will perhaps be as well that you let me know their safe arrival by a line + to R. B. junior, Hanover Cottage, Southampton Street, Camberwell. You must + not think me too encroaching, if I make the getting back 'Rosalind and + Helen' an excuse for calling on you some evening—the said 'R. and + H.' has, I observe, been well thumbed and sedulously marked by an + acquaintance of mine, but I have not time to rub out his labour of love. I + am, dear sir, Yours very really, R. Browning. Camberwell: 2 o'clock. + </p> + <p> + At the left-hand corner of the first page of this note is written: 'The + parcel—a "Pauline" parcel—is come. I send one as a witness.' + </p> + <p> + On the inner page is written: + </p> + <p> + 'Impromptu on hearing a sermon by the Rev. T. R.—pronounced "heavy"— + </p> + <p> + 'A <i>heavy</i> sermon!—sure the error's great, For not a word Tom + uttered <i>had its weight</i>.' + </p> + <p> + A third letter, also undated, but post-marked March 29, 1833, refers + probably to the promise or announcement of a favourable notice. A fourth + conveys Mr. Browning's thanks for the notice itself: + </p> + <p> + My dear Sir,—I have just received your letter, which I am desirous + of acknowledging before any further mark of your kindness reaches me;—I + can only offer you my simple thanks—but they are of the sort that + one can give only once or twice in a life: all things considered, I think + you are almost repaid, if you imagine what I must feel—and it will + have been worth while to have made a fool of myself, only to have obtained + a 'case' which leaves my fine fellow Mandeville at a dead lock. + </p> + <p> + As for the book—I hope ere long to better it, and to deserve your + goodness. + </p> + <p> + In the meantime I shall not forget the extent to which I am, dear sir, + Your most obliged and obedient servant R. B. S. & O.'s, Conduit St., + Thursday m-g. + </p> + <p> + I must intrude on your attention, my dear sir, once more than I had + intended—but a notice like the one I have read will have its effect + at all hazards. + </p> + <p> + I can only say that I am very proud to feel as grateful as I do, and not + altogether hopeless of justifying, by effort at least, your most generous + 'coming forward'. Hazlitt wrote his essays, as he somewhere tells us, + mainly to send them to some one in the country who had 'always prophesied + he would be something'!—I shall never write a line without thinking + of the source of my first praise, be assured. I am, dear sir, Yours most + truly and obliged, Robert Browning. March 31, 1833. + </p> + <p> + Mr. Fox was then editor of a periodical called the 'Monthly Repository', + which, as his daughter, Mrs. Bridell-Fox, writes in her graceful article + on Robert Browning, in the 'Argosy' for February 1890, he was endeavouring + to raise from its original denominational character into a first-class + literary and political journal. The articles comprised in the volume for + 1833 are certainly full of interest and variety, at once more popular and + more solid than those prescribed by the present fashion of monthly + magazines. He reviewed 'Pauline' favourably in its April number—that + is, as soon as it had appeared; and the young poet thus received from him + an introduction to what should have been, though it probably was not, a + large circle of intelligent readers. + </p> + <p> + The poem was characterized by its author, five years later, in a fantastic + note appended to a copy of it, as 'the only remaining crab of the shapely + Tree of Life in my Fool's Paradise.' This name is ill bestowed upon a work + which, however wild a fruit of Mr. Browning's genius, contains, in its + many lines of exquisite fancy and deep pathos, so much that is rich and + sweet. It had also, to discard metaphor, its faults of exaggeration and + confusion; and it is of these that Mr. Browning was probably thinking when + he wrote his more serious apologetic preface to its reprint in 1868. But + these faults were partly due to his conception of the character which he + had tried to depict; and partly to the inherent difficulty of depicting + one so complex, in a succession of mental and moral states, irrespectively + of the conditions of time, place, and circumstance which were involved in + them. Only a very powerful imagination could have inspired such an + attempt. A still more conspicuous effort of creative genius reveals itself + at its close. The moment chosen for the 'Confession' has been that of a + supreme moral or physical crisis. The exhaustion attendant on this is + directly expressed by the person who makes it, and may also be recognized + in the vivid, yet confusing, intensity of the reminiscences of which it + consists. But we are left in complete doubt as to whether the crisis is + that of approaching death or incipient convalescence, or which character + it bears in the sufferer's mind; and the language used in the closing + pages is such as to suggest, without the slightest break in poetic + continuity, alternately the one conclusion and the other. This was + intended by Browning to assist his anonymity; and when the writer in + 'Tait's Magazine' spoke of the poem as a piece of pure bewilderment, he + expressed the natural judgment of the Philistine, while proving himself + such. If the notice by J. S. Mill, which this criticism excluded, was + indeed—as Mr. Browning always believed—much more sympathetic, + I can only record my astonishment; for there never was a large and + cultivated intelligence one can imagine less in harmony than his with the + poetic excesses, or even the poetic qualities, of 'Pauline'. But this is a + digression. + </p> + <p> + Mr. Fox, though an accomplished critic, made very light of the artistic + blemishes of the work. His admiration for it was as generous as it was + genuine; and, having recognized in it the hand of a rising poet, it was + more congenial to him to hail that poet's advent than to register his + shortcomings. + </p> + <p> + 'The poem,' he says, 'though evidently a hasty and imperfect sketch, has + truth and life in it, which gave us the thrill, and laid hold of us with + the power, the sensation of which has never yet failed us as a test of + genius.' + </p> + <p> + But it had also, in his mind, a distinguishing characteristic, which + raised it above the sphere of merely artistic criticism. The article + continues: + </p> + <p> + 'We have never read anything more purely confessional. The whole + composition is of the spirit, spiritual. The scenery is in the chambers of + thought; the agencies are powers and passions; the events are transitions + from one state of spiritual existence to another.' + </p> + <p> + And we learn from the context that he accepted this confessional and + introspective quality as an expression of the highest emotional life—of + the essence, therefore, of religion. On this point the sincerest admirers + of the poem may find themselves at issue with Mr. Fox. Its sentiment is + warmly religious; it is always, in a certain sense, spiritual; but its + intellectual activities are exercised on entirely temporal ground, and + this fact would generally be admitted as the negation of spirituality in + the religious sense of the word. No difference, however, of opinion as to + his judgment of 'Pauline' can lessen our appreciation of Mr. Fox's + encouraging kindness to its author. No one who loved Mr. Browning in + himself, or in his work, can read the last lines of this review without a + throb of affectionate gratitude for the sympathy so ungrudgingly, and—as + he wrote during his latest years—so opportunely given: + </p> + <p> + 'In recognizing a poet we cannot stand upon trifles nor fret ourselves + about such matters [as a few blemishes]. Time enough for that afterwards, + when larger works come before us. Archimedes in the bath had many + particulars to settle about specific gravities and Hiero's crown, but he + first gave a glorious leap and shouted 'Eureka!'' + </p> + <p> + Many persons have discovered Mr. Browning since he has been known to fame. + One only discovered him in his obscurity. + </p> + <p> + Next to that of Mr. Fox stands the name of John Forster among the first + spontaneous appreciators of Mr. Browning's genius; and his admiration was, + in its own way, the more valuable for the circumstances which precluded in + it all possible, even unconscious, bias of personal interest or sympathy. + But this belongs to a somewhat later period of our history. + </p> + <p> + I am dwelling at some length on this first experience of Mr. Browning's + literary career, because the confidence which it gave him determined its + immediate future, if not its ultimate course—because, also, the poem + itself is more important to the understanding of his mind than perhaps any + other of his isolated works. It was the earliest of his dramatic + creations; it was therefore inevitably the most instinct with himself; and + we may regard the 'Confession' as to a great extent his own, without for + an instant ignoring the imaginative element which necessarily and + certainly entered into it. At one moment, indeed, his utterance is so + emphatic that we should feel it to be direct, even if we did not know it + to be true. The passage beginning, 'I am made up of an intensest life,' + conveys something more than the writer's actual psychological state. The + feverish desire of life became gradually modified into a more or less + active intellectual and imaginative curiosity; but the sense of an + individual, self-centred, and, as it presented itself to him, + unconditioned existence, survived all the teachings of experience, and + often indeed unconsciously imposed itself upon them. + </p> + <p> + I have already alluded to that other and more pathetic fragment of + distinct autobiography which is to be found in the invocation to the + 'Sun-treader'. Mr. Fox, who has quoted great part of it, justly declares + that 'the fervency, the remembrance, the half-regret mingling with its + exultation, are as true as its leading image is beautiful.' The + 'exultation' is in the triumph of Shelley's rising fame; the regret, for + the lost privilege of worshipping in solitary tenderness at an obscure + shrine. The double mood would have been characteristic of any period of + Mr. Browning's life. + </p> + <p> + The artistic influence of Shelley is also discernible in the natural + imagery of the poem, which reflects a fitful and emotional fancy instead + of the direct poetic vision of the author's later work. + </p> + <p> + 'Pauline' received another and graceful tribute two months later than the + review. In an article of the 'Monthly Repository', and in the course of a + description of some luxuriant wood-scenery, the following passage occurs: + </p> + <p> + 'Shelley and Tennyson are the best books for this place. . . . They are + natives of this soil; literally so; and if planted would grow as surely as + a crowbar in Kentucky sprouts tenpenny nails. 'Probatum est.' Last autumn + L——dropped a poem of Shelley's down there in the wood,* + amongst the thick, damp, rotting leaves, and this spring some one found a + delicate exotic-looking plant, growing wild on the very spot, with + 'Pauline' hanging from its slender stalk. Unripe fruit it may be, but of + pleasant flavour and promise, and a mellower produce, it may be hoped, + will follow.' + </p> +<pre xml:space="preserve"> + * Mr. Browning's copy of 'Rosalind and Helen', which he had lent + to Miss Flower, and which she lost in this wood on a picnic. + This and a bald though well-meant notice in the 'Athenaeum' + exhaust its literary history for this period.* + + * Not quite, it appears. Since I wrote the above words, + Mr. Dykes Campbell has kindly copied for me the following extract + from the 'Literary Gazette' of March 23, 1833: + + 'Pauline: a Fragment of a Confession', pp. 71. London, 1833. + Saunders and Otley. + + 'Somewhat mystical, somewhat poetical, somewhat sensual, + and not a little unintelligible,—this is a dreamy volume, + without an object, and unfit for publication.' +</pre> + <p> + The anonymity of the poem was not long preserved; there was no reason why + it should be. But 'Pauline' was, from the first, little known or discussed + beyond the immediate circle of the poet's friends; and when, twenty years + later, Dante Gabriel Rossetti unexpectedly came upon it in the library of + the British Museum, he could only surmise that it had been written by the + author of 'Paracelsus'. + </p> + <p> + The only recorded event of the next two years was Mr. Browning's visit to + Russia, which took place in the winter of 1833-4. The Russian + consul-general, Mr. Benckhausen, had taken a great liking to him, and + being sent to St. Petersburg on some special mission, proposed that he + should accompany him, nominally in the character of secretary. The letters + written to his sister during this, as during every other absence, were + full of graphic description, and would have been a mine of interest for + the student of his imaginative life. They are, unfortunately, all + destroyed, and we have only scattered reminiscences of what they had to + tell; but we know how strangely he was impressed by some of the + circumstances of the journey: above all, by the endless monotony of + snow-covered pine-forest, through which he and his companion rushed for + days and nights at the speed of six post-horses, without seeming to move + from one spot. He enjoyed the society of St. Petersburg, and was fortunate + enough, before his return, to witness the breaking-up of the ice on the + Neva, and see the Czar perform the yearly ceremony of drinking the first + glass of water from it. He was absent about three months. + </p> + <p> + The one active career which would have recommended itself to him in his + earlier youth was diplomacy; it was that which he subsequently desired for + his son. He would indeed not have been averse to any post of activity and + responsibility not unsuited to the training of a gentleman. Soon after his + return from Russia he applied for appointment on a mission which was to be + despatched to Persia; and the careless wording of the answer which his + application received made him think for a moment that it had been granted. + He was much disappointed when he learned, through an interview with the + 'chief', that the place was otherwise filled. + </p> + <p> + In 1834 he began a little series of contributions to the 'Monthly + Repository', extending into 1835-6, and consisting of five poems. The + earliest of these was a sonnet, not contained in any edition of Mr. + Browning's works, and which, I believe, first reappeared in Mr. Gosse's + article in the 'Century Magazine', December 1881; now part of his + 'Personalia'. The second, beginning 'A king lived long ago', was to be + published, with alterations and additions, as one of 'Pippa's' songs. + 'Porphyria's Lover' and 'Johannes Agricola in Meditation' were reprinted + together in 'Bells and Pomegranates' under the heading of 'Madhouse + Cells'. The fifth consisted of the Lines beginning 'Still ailing, Wind? + wilt be appeased or no?' afterwards introduced into the sixth section of + 'James Lee's Wife'. The sonnet is not very striking, though hints of the + poet's future psychological subtlety are not wanting in it; but his most + essential dramatic quality reveals itself in the last three poems. + </p> + <p> + This winter of 1834-5 witnessed the birth, perhaps also the extinction, of + an amateur periodical, established by some of Mr. Browning's friends; + foremost among these the young Dowsons, afterwards connected with Alfred + Domett. The magazine was called the 'Trifler', and published in monthly + numbers of about ten pages each. It collapsed from lack of pocket-money on + the part of the editors; but Mr. Browning had written for it one letter, + February 1833, signed with his usual initial Z, and entitled 'Some + strictures on a late article in the 'Trifler'.' This boyish production + sparkles with fun, while affecting the lengthy quaintnesses of some + obsolete modes of speech. The article which it attacks was 'A Dissertation + on Debt and Debtors', where the subject was, I imagine, treated in the + orthodox way: and he expends all his paradox in showing that indebtedness + is a necessary condition of human life, and all his sophistry in confusing + it with the abstract sense of obligation. It is, perhaps, scarcely fair to + call attention to such a mere argumentative and literary freak; but there + is something so comical in a defence of debt, however transparent, + proceeding from a man to whom never in his life a bill can have been sent + in twice, and who would always have preferred ready-money payment to + receiving a bill at all, that I may be forgiven for quoting some passages + from it. + </p> + <p> + For to be man is to be a debtor:—hinting but slightly at the grand + and primeval debt implied in the idea of a creation, as matter too hard + for ears like thine, (for saith not Luther, What hath a cow to do with + nutmegs?) I must, nevertheless, remind thee that all moralists have + concurred in considering this our mortal sojourn as indeed an + uninterrupted state of debt, and the world our dwelling-place as + represented by nothing so aptly as by an inn, wherein those who lodge most + commodiously have in perspective a proportionate score to reduce,* and + those who fare least delicately, but an insignificant shot to discharge—or, + as the tuneful Quarles well phraseth it— + </p> +<pre xml:space="preserve"> + He's most in <i>debt</i> who lingers out the day, + Who dies betimes has less and less to pay. +</pre> + <p> + So far, therefore, from these sagacious ethics holding that + </p> +<pre xml:space="preserve"> + Debt cramps the energies of the soul, &c. +</pre> + <p> + as thou pratest, 'tis plain that they have willed on the very outset to + inculcate this truth on the mind of every man,—no barren and + inconsequential dogma, but an effectual, ever influencing and productive + rule of life,—that he is born a debtor, lives a debtor—aye, + friend, and when thou diest, will not some judicious bystander,—no + recreant as thou to the bonds of nature, but a good borrower and true—remark, + as did his grandsire before him on like occasions, that thou hast 'paid + the <i>debt</i> of nature'? Ha! I have thee 'beyond the rules', as one (a + bailiff) may say! + </p> +<pre xml:space="preserve"> + * Miss Hickey, on reading this passage, has called my + attention to the fact that the sentiment which it parodies + is identical with that expressed in these words of + 'Prospice', + + . . . in a minute pay glad life's arrears + Of pain, darkness, and cold. +</pre> + <p> + Such performances supplied a distraction to the more serious work of + writing 'Paracelsus', which was to be concluded in March 1835, and which + occupied the foregoing winter months. We do not know to what extent Mr. + Browning had remained in communication with Mr. Fox; but the following + letters show that the friend of 'Pauline' gave ready and efficient help in + the strangely difficult task of securing a publisher for the new poem. + </p> + <p> + The first is dated April 2, 1835. + </p> + <p> + Dear Sir,—I beg to acknowledge the receipt of your letter:—Sardanapalus + 'could not go on multiplying kingdoms'—nor I protestations—but + I thank you very much. + </p> + <p> + You will oblige me indeed by forwarding the introduction to Moxon. I + merely suggested him in particular, on account of his good name and fame + among author-folk, besides he has himself written—as the Americans + say—'more poetry 'an you can shake a stick at.' So I hope we shall + come to terms. + </p> + <p> + I also hope my poem will turn out not utterly unworthy your kind interest, + and more deserving your favour than anything of mine you have as yet seen; + indeed I all along proposed to myself such an endeavour, for it will never + do for one so distinguished by past praise to prove nobody after all—'nous + verrons'. I am, dear sir, Yours most truly and obliged Robt. Browning. + </p> + <p> + On April 16 he wrote again as follows: + </p> + <p> + Dear Sir, + </p> + <p> + Your communication gladdened the cockles of my heart. I lost no time in + presenting myself to Moxon, but no sooner was Mr. Clarke's letter perused + than the Moxonian visage loured exceedingly thereat—the Moxonian + accent grew dolorous thereupon:—'Artevelde' has not paid expenses by + about thirty odd pounds. Tennyson's poetry is 'popular at Cambridge', and + yet of 800 copies which were printed of his last, some 300 only have gone + off: Mr. M. hardly knows whether he shall ever venture again, &c. + &c., and in short begs to decline even inspecting, &c. &c. + </p> + <p> + I called on Saunders and Otley at once, and, marvel of marvels, do really + think there is some chance of our coming to decent terms—I shall + know at the beginning of next week, but am not over-sanguine. + </p> + <p> + You will 'sarve me out'? two words to that; being the man you are, you + must need very little telling from me, of the real feeling I have of your + criticism's worth, and if I have had no more of it, surely I am hardly to + blame, who have in more than one instance bored you sufficiently: but not + a particle of your article has been rejected or neglected by your + observant humble servant, and very proud shall I be if my new work bear in + it the marks of the influence under which it was undertaken—and if I + prove not a fit compeer of the potter in Horace who anticipated an amphora + and produced a porridge-pot. I purposely keep back the subject until you + see my conception of its capabilities—otherwise you would be + planning a vase fit to give the go-by to Evander's best crockery, which my + cantharus would cut but a sorry figure beside—hardly up to the ansa. + </p> + <p> + But such as it is, it is very earnest and suggestive—and likely I + hope to do good; and though I am rather scared at the thought of a <i>fresh + eye</i> going over its 4,000 lines—discovering blemishes of all + sorts which my one wit cannot avail to detect, fools treated as sages, + obscure passages, slipshod verses, and much that worse is,—yet on + the whole I am not much afraid of the issue, and I would give something to + be allowed to read it some morning to you—for every rap o' the + knuckles I should get a clap o' the back, I know. + </p> + <p> + I have another affair on hand, rather of a more popular nature, I + conceive, but not so decisive and explicit on a point or two—so I + decide on trying the question with this:—I really shall <i>need</i> + your notice, on this account; I shall affix my name and stick my arms + akimbo; there are a few precious bold bits here and there, and the drift + and scope are awfully radical—I am 'off' for ever with the other + side, but must by all means be 'on' with yours—a position once + gained, worthier works shall follow—therefore a certain writer* who + meditated a notice (it matters not laudatory or otherwise) on 'Pauline' in + the 'Examiner', must be benignant or supercilious as he shall choose, but + in no case an idle spectator of my first appearance on any stage (having + previously only dabbled in private theatricals) and bawl 'Hats off!' 'Down + in front!' &c., as soon as I get to the proscenium; and he may depend + that tho' my 'Now is the winter of our discontent' be rather awkward, yet + there shall be occasional outbreaks of good stuff—that I shall warm + as I get on, and finally wish 'Richmond at the bottom of the seas,' &c. + in the best style imaginable. + </p> +<pre xml:space="preserve"> + * Mr. John Stuart Mill. +</pre> + <p> + Excuse all this swagger, I know you will, and + </p> + <p> + (The signature has been cut off; evidently for an autograph.) + </p> + <p> + Mr. Effingham Wilson was induced to publish the poem, but more, we + understand, on the ground of radical sympathies in Mr. Fox and the author + than on that of its intrinsic worth. + </p> + <p> + The title-page of 'Paracelsus' introduces us to one of the warmest + friendships of Mr. Browning's life. Count de Ripert-Monclar was a young + French Royalist, one of those who had accompanied the Duchesse de Berri on + her Chouan expedition, and was then, for a few years, spending his summers + in England; ostensibly for his pleasure, really—as he confessed to + the Browning family—in the character of private agent of + communication between the royal exiles and their friends in France. He was + four years older than the poet, and of intellectual tastes which created + an immediate bond of union between them. In the course of one of their + conversations, he suggested the life of Paracelsus as a possible subject + for a poem; but on second thoughts pronounced it unsuitable, because it + gave no room for the introduction of love: about which, he added, every + young man of their age thought he had something quite new to say. Mr. + Browning decided, after the necessary study, that he would write a poem on + Paracelsus, but treating him in his own way. It was dedicated, in + fulfilment of a promise, to the friend to whom its inspiration had been + due. + </p> + <p> + The Count's visits to England entirely ceased, and the two friends did not + meet for twenty years. Then, one day, in a street in Rome, Mr. Browning + heard a voice behind him crying, 'Robert!' He turned, and there was + 'Amedee'. Both were, by that time, married; the Count—then, I + believe, Marquis—to an English lady, Miss Jerningham. Mrs. Browning, + to whom of course he was introduced, liked him very much.* + </p> +<pre xml:space="preserve"> + * A minor result of the intimacy was that Mr. Browning + became member, in 1835, of the Institut Historique, and in + 1836 of the Societe Francaise de Statistique Universelle, to + both of which learned bodies his friend belonged. +</pre> + <p> + Mr. Browning did treat Paracelsus in his own way; and in so doing produced + a character—at all events a history—which, according to recent + judgments, approached far nearer to the reality than any conception which + had until then been formed of it. He had carefully collected all the known + facts of the great discoverer's life, and interpreted them with a sympathy + which was no less an intuition of their truth than a reflection of his own + genius upon them. We are enabled in some measure to judge of this by a + paper entitled 'Paracelsus, the Reformer of Medicine', written by Dr. + Edward Berdoe for the Browning Society, and read at its October meeting in + 1888; and in the difficulty which exists for most of us of verifying the + historical data of Mr. Browning's poem, it becomes a valuable guide to, as + well as an interesting comment upon it. + </p> + <p> + Dr. Berdoe reminds us that we cannot understand the real Paracelsus + without reference to the occult sciences so largely cultivated in his day, + as also to the mental atmosphere which produced them; and he quotes in + illustration a passage from the writings of that Bishop of Spanheim who + was the instructor of Paracelsus, and who appears as such in the poem. The + passage is a definition of divine magic, which is apparently another term + for alchemy; and lays down the great doctrine of all mediaeval occultism, + as of all modern theosophy—of a soul-power equally operative in the + material and the immaterial, in nature and in the consciousness of man. + </p> + <p> + The same clue will guide us, as no other can, through what is apparently + conflicting in the aims and methods, anomalous in the moral experience, of + the Paracelsus of the poem. His feverish pursuit, among the things of + Nature, of an ultimate of knowledge, not contained, even in fragments, in + her isolated truths; the sense of failure which haunts his most valuable + attainments; his tampering with the lower or diabolic magic, when the + divine has failed; the ascetic exaltation in which he begins his career; + the sudden awakening to the spiritual sterility which has been consequent + on it; all these find their place, if not always their counterpart, in the + real life. + </p> + <p> + The language of Mr. Browning's Paracelsus, his attitude towards himself + and the world, are not, however, quite consonant with the alleged facts. + They are more appropriate to an ardent explorer of the world of abstract + thought than to a mystical scientist pursuing the secret of existence. He + preserves, in all his mental vicissitudes, a loftiness of tone and a unity + of intention, difficult to connect, even in fancy, with the real man, in + whom the inherited superstitions and the prognostics of true science must + often have clashed with each other. Dr. Berdoe's picture of the 'Reformer' + drawn more directly from history, conveys this double impression. Mr. + Browning has rendered him more simple by, as it were, recasting him in the + atmosphere of a more modern time, and of his own intellectual life. This + poem still, therefore, belongs to the same group as 'Pauline', though, as + an effort of dramatic creation, superior to it. + </p> + <p> + We find the Poet with still less of dramatic disguise in the deathbed + revelation which forms so beautiful a close to the story. It supplies a + fitter comment to the errors of the dramatic Paracelsus, than to those of + the historical, whether or not its utterance was within the compass of + historical probability, as Dr. Berdoe believes. In any case it was the + direct product of Mr. Browning's mind, and expressed what was to be his + permanent conviction. It might then have been an echo of German + pantheistic philosophies. From the point of view of science—of + modern science at least—it was prophetic; although the prophecy of + one for whom evolution could never mean less or more than a divine + creation operating on this progressive plan. + </p> + <p> + The more striking, perhaps, for its personal quality are the evidences of + imaginative sympathy, even direct human insight, in which the poem + abounds. Festus is, indeed, an essentially human creature: the man—it + might have been the woman—of unambitious intellect and large + intelligence of the heart, in whom so many among us have found comfort and + help. We often feel, in reading 'Pauline', that the poet in it was older + than the man. The impression is more strongly and more definitely conveyed + by this second work, which has none of the intellectual crudeness of + 'Pauline', though it still belongs to an early phase of the author's + intellectual life. Not only its mental, but its moral maturity, seems so + much in advance of his uncompleted twenty-third year. + </p> + <p> + To the first edition of 'Paracelsus' was affixed a preface, now long + discarded, but which acquires fresh interest in a retrospect of the + author's completed work; for it lays down the constant principle of + dramatic creation by which that work was to be inspired. It also + anticipates probable criticism of the artistic form which on this, and so + many subsequent occasions, he selected for it. + </p> + <p> + 'I am anxious that the reader should not, at the very outset—mistaking + my performance for one of a class with which it has nothing in common—judge + it by principles on which it was never moulded, and subject it to a + standard to which it was never meant to conform. I therefore anticipate + his discovery, that it is an attempt, probably more novel than happy, to + reverse the method usually adopted by writers whose aim it is to set forth + any phenomenon of the mind or the passions, by the operation of persons + and events; and that, instead of having recourse to an external machinery + of incidents to create and evolve the crisis I desire to produce, I have + ventured to display somewhat minutely the mood itself in its rise and + progress, and have suffered the agency by which it is influenced and + determined, to be generally discernible in its effects alone, and + subordinate throughout, if not altogether excluded: and this for a reason. + I have endeavoured to write a poem, not a drama: the canons of the drama + are well known, and I cannot but think that, inasmuch as they have + immediate regard to stage representation, the peculiar advantages they + hold out are really such only so long as the purpose for which they were + at first instituted is kept in view. I do not very well understand what is + called a Dramatic Poem, wherein all those restrictions only submitted to + on account of compensating good in the original scheme are scrupulously + retained, as though for some special fitness in themselves—and all + new facilities placed at an author's disposal by the vehicle he selects, + as pertinaciously rejected. . . .' + </p> + <p> + Mr. Fox reviewed this also in the 'Monthly Repository'. The article might + be obtained through the kindness of Mrs. Bridell-Fox; but it will be + sufficient for my purpose to refer to its closing paragraph, as given by + her in the 'Argosy' of February 1890. It was a final expression of what + the writer regarded as the fitting intellectual attitude towards a rising + poet, whose aims and methods lay so far beyond the range of the + conventional rules of poetry. The great event in the history of + 'Paracelsus' was John Forster's article on it in the 'Examiner'. Mr. + Forster had recently come to town. He could barely have heard Mr. + Browning's name, and, as he afterwards told him, was perplexed in reading + the poem by the question of whether its author was an old or a young man; + but he knew that a writer in the 'Athenaeum' had called it rubbish, and he + had taken it up as a probable subject for a piece of slashing criticism. + What he did write can scarcely be defined as praise. It was the simple, + ungrudging admission of the unequivocal power, as well as brilliant + promise, which he recognized in the work. This mutual experience was the + introduction to a long and, certainly on Mr. Browning's part, a sincere + friendship. + </p> + <p> + <a name="link2HCH0027" id="link2HCH0027"> + <!-- H2 anchor --> </a> + </p> + <div style="height: 4em;"> + <br /><br /><br /><br /> + </div> + <h2> + Chapter 6 + </h2> + <h3> + 1835-1838 + </h3> + <p> + Removal to Hatcham; some Particulars—Renewed Intercourse with the + second Family of Robert Browning's Grandfather—Reuben Browning—William + Shergold Browning—Visitors at Hatcham—Thomas Carlyle—Social + Life—New Friends and Acquaintance—Introduction to Macready—New + Year's Eve at Elm Place—Introduction to John Forster—Miss + Fanny Haworth—Miss Martineau—Serjeant Talfourd—The 'Ion' + Supper—'Strafford'—Relations with Macready—Performance + of 'Strafford'—Letters concerning it from Mr. Browning and Miss + Flower—Personal Glimpses of Robert Browning—Rival Forms of + Dramatic Inspiration—Relation of 'Strafford' to 'Sordello'—Mr. + Robertson and the 'Westminster Review'. + </p> + <p> + It was soon after this time, though the exact date cannot be recalled, + that the Browning family moved from Camberwell to Hatcham. Some such + change had long been in contemplation, for their house was now too small; + and the finding one more suitable, in the latter place, had decided the + question. The new home possessed great attractions. The long, low rooms of + its upper storey supplied abundant accommodation for the elder Mr. + Browning's six thousand books. Mrs. Browning was suffering greatly from + her chronic ailment, neuralgia; and the large garden, opening on to the + Surrey hills, promised her all the benefits of country air. There were a + coach-house and stable, which, by a curious, probably old-fashioned, + arrangement, formed part of the house, and were accessible from it. Here + the 'good horse', York, was eventually put up; and near this, in the + garden, the poet soon had another though humbler friend in the person of a + toad, which became so much attached to him that it would follow him as he + walked. He visited it daily, where it burrowed under a white rose tree, + announcing himself by a pinch of gravel dropped into its hole; and the + creature would crawl forth, allow its head to be gently tickled, and + reward the act with that loving glance of the soft full eyes which Mr. + Browning has recalled in one of the poems of 'Asolando'. + </p> + <p> + This change of residence brought the grandfather's second family, for the + first time, into close as well as friendly contact with the first. Mr. + Browning had always remained on outwardly friendly terms with his + stepmother; and both he and his children were rewarded for this + forbearance by the cordial relations which grew up between themselves and + two of her sons. But in the earlier days they lived too far apart for + frequent meeting. The old Mrs. Browning was now a widow, and, in order to + be near her relations, she also came to Hatcham, and established herself + there in close neighbourhood to them. She had then with her only a son and + a daughter, those known to the poet's friends as Uncle Reuben and Aunt + Jemima; respectively nine years, and one year, older than he. 'Aunt + Jemima' married not long afterwards, and is chiefly remembered as having + been very amiable, and, in early youth, to use her nephew's words, 'as + beautiful as the day;' but kindly, merry 'Uncle Reuben', then clerk in the + Rothschilds' London bank,* became a conspicuous member of the family + circle. This does not mean that the poet was ever indebted to him for + pecuniary help; and it is desirable that this should be understood, since + it has been confidently asserted that he was so. So long as he was + dependent at all, he depended exclusively on his father. Even the use of + his uncle's horse, which might have been accepted as a friendly concession + on Mr. Reuben's part, did not really represent one. The animal stood, as I + have said, in Mr. Browning's stable, and it was groomed by his gardener. + The promise of these conveniences had induced Reuben Browning to buy a + horse instead of continuing to hire one. He could only ride it on a few + days of the week, and it was rather a gain than a loss to him that so good + a horseman as his nephew should exercise it during the interval. + </p> +<pre xml:space="preserve"> + * This uncle's name, and his business relations with the + great Jewish firm, have contributed to the mistaken theory + of the poet's descent. +</pre> + <p> + Uncle Reuben was not a great appreciator of poetry—at all events of + his nephew's; and an irreverent remark on 'Sordello', imputed to a more + eminent contemporary, proceeded, under cover of a friend's name, from him. + But he had his share of mental endowments. We are told that he was a good + linguist, and that he wrote on finance under an assumed name. He was also, + apparently, an accomplished classic. Lord Beaconsfield is said to have + declared that the inscription on a silver inkstand, presented to the + daughter of Lionel Rothschild on her marriage, by the clerks at New Court, + 'was the most appropriate thing he had ever come across;' and that whoever + had selected it must be one of the first Latin scholars of the day. It was + Mr. Reuben Browning. + </p> + <p> + Another favourite uncle was William Shergold Browning, though less + intimate with his nephew and niece than he would have become if he had not + married while they were still children, and settled in Paris, where his + father's interest had placed him in the Rothschild house. He is known by + his 'History of the Huguenots', a work, we are told, 'full of research, + with a reference to contemporary literature for almost every occurrence + mentioned or referred to.' He also wrote the 'Provost of Paris', and 'Hoel + Morven', historical novels, and 'Leisure Hours', a collection of + miscellanies; and was a contributor for some years to the 'Gentleman's + Magazine'. It was chiefly from this uncle that Miss Browning and her + brother heard the now often-repeated stories of their probable ancestors, + Micaiah Browning, who distinguished himself at the siege of Derry, and + that commander of the ship 'Holy Ghost' who conveyed Henry V. to France + before the battle of Agincourt, and received the coat-of-arms, with its + emblematic waves, in reward for his service. Robert Browning was also + indebted to him for the acquaintance of M. de Ripert-Monclar; for he was + on friendly terms with the uncle of the young count, the Marquis de + Fortia, a learned man and member of the Institut, and gave a letter of + introduction—actually, I believe, to his brother Reuben—at the + Marquis's request.* + </p> +<pre xml:space="preserve"> + * A grandson of William Shergold, Robert Jardine Browning, + graduated at Lincoln College, was called to the Bar, and is + now Crown Prosecutor in New South Wales; where his name + first gave rise to a report that he was Mr. Browning's son, + while the announcement of his marriage was, for a moment, + connected with Mr. Browning himself. He was also intimate + with the poet and his sister, who liked him very much. +</pre> + <p> + The friendly relations with Carlyle, which resulted in his high estimate + of the poet's mother, also began at Hatcham. On one occasion he took his + brother, the doctor, with him to dine there. An earlier and much attached + friend of the family was Captain Pritchard, cousin to the noted physician + Dr. Blundell. He enabled the young Robert, whom he knew from the age of + sixteen, to attend some of Dr. Blundell's lectures; and this aroused in + him a considerable interest in the sciences connected with medicine, + though, as I shall have occasion to show, no knowledge of either disease + or its treatment ever seems to have penetrated into his life. A Captain + Lloyd is indirectly associated with 'The Flight of the Duchess'. That poem + was not completed according to its original plan; and it was the always + welcome occurrence of a visit from this gentleman which arrested its + completion. Mr. Browning vividly remembered how the click of the garden + gate, and the sight of the familiar figure advancing towards the house, + had broken in upon his work and dispelled its first inspiration. + </p> + <p> + The appearance of 'Paracelsus' did not give the young poet his just place + in popular judgment and public esteem. A generation was to pass before + this was conceded to him. But it compelled his recognition by the leading + or rising literary men of the day; and a fuller and more varied social + life now opened before him. The names of Serjeant Talfourd, Horne, Leigh + Hunt, Barry Cornwall (Procter), Monckton Milnes (Lord Houghton), Eliot + Warburton, Dickens, Wordsworth, and Walter Savage Landor, represent, with + that of Forster, some of the acquaintances made, or the friendships begun, + at this period. Prominent among the friends that were to be, was also + Archer Gurney, well known in later life as the Rev. Archer Gurney, and + chaplain to the British embassy in Paris. His sympathies were at present + largely absorbed by politics. He was contesting the representation of some + county, on the Conservative side; but he took a very vivid interest in Mr. + Browning's poems; and this perhaps fixes the beginning of the intimacy at + a somewhat later date; since a pretty story by which it was illustrated + connects itself with the publication of 'Bells and Pomegranates'. He + himself wrote dramas and poems. Sir John, afterwards Lord, Hanmer was also + much attracted by the young poet, who spent a pleasant week with him at + Bettisfield Park. He was the author of a volume entitled 'Fra Cipollo and + other Poems', from which the motto of 'Colombe's Birthday' was + subsequently taken. + </p> + <p> + The friends, old and new, met in the informal manner of those days, at + afternoon dinners, or later suppers, at the houses of Mr. Fox, Serjeant + Talfourd, and, as we shall see, Mr. Macready; and Mr. Fox's daughter, then + only a little girl, but intelligent and observant for her years, well + remembers the pleasant gatherings at which she was allowed to assist, when + first performances of plays, or first readings of plays and poems, had + brought some of the younger and more ardent spirits together. Miss Flower, + also, takes her place in the literary group. Her sister had married in + 1834, and left her free to live for her own pursuits and her own friends; + and Mr. Browning must have seen more of her then than was possible in his + boyish days. + </p> + <p> + None, however, of these intimacies were, at the time, so important to him + as that formed with the great actor Macready. They were introduced to each + other by Mr. Fox early in the winter of 1835-6; the meeting is thus + chronicled in Macready's diary, November 27.* + </p> +<pre xml:space="preserve"> + * 'Macready's Reminiscences', edited by Sir Frederick Pollock; + 1875. +</pre> + <p> + 'Went from chambers to dine with Rev. William Fox, Bayswater. . . . Mr. + Robert Browning, the author of 'Paracelsus', came in after dinner; I was + very much pleased to meet him. His face is full of intelligence. . . . I + took Mr. Browning on, and requested to be allowed to improve my + acquaintance with him. He expressed himself warmly, as gratified by the + proposal, wished to send me his book; we exchanged cards and parted.' + </p> + <p> + On December 7 he writes: + </p> + <p> + 'Read 'Paracelsus', a work of great daring, starred with poetry of + thought, feeling, and diction, but occasionally obscure; the writer can + scarcely fail to be a leading spirit of his time. . . .' + </p> + <p> + He invited Mr. Browning to his country house, Elm Place, Elstree, for the + last evening of the year; and again refers to him under date of December + 31. + </p> + <p> + '. . . Our other guests were Miss Henney, Forster, Cattermole, Browning, + and Mr. Munro. Mr. Browning was very popular with the whole party; his + simple and enthusiastic manner engaged attention, and won opinions from + all present; he looks and speaks more like a youthful poet than any man I + ever saw.' + </p> + <p> + This New-Year's-Eve visit brought Browning and Forster together for the + first time. The journey to Elstree was then performed by coach, and the + two young men met at the 'Blue Posts', where, with one or more of Mr. + Macready's other guests, they waited for the coach to start. They eyed + each other with interest, both being striking in their way, and neither + knowing who the other was. When the introduction took place at Macready's + house, Mr. Forster supplemented it by saying: 'Did you see a little notice + of you I wrote in the 'Examiner'?' The two names will now be constantly + associated in Macready's diary, which, except for Mr. Browning's own + casual utterances, is almost our only record of his literary and social + life during the next two years. + </p> + <p> + It was at Elm Place that Mr. Browning first met Miss Euphrasia Fanny + Haworth, then a neighbour of Mr. Macready, residing with her mother at + Barham Lodge. Miss Haworth was still a young woman, but her love and + talent for art and literature made her a fitting member of the genial + circle to which Mr. Browning belonged; and she and the poet soon became + fast friends. Her first name appears as 'Eyebright' in 'Sordello'. His + letters to her, returned after her death by her brother, Mr. Frederick + Haworth, supply valuable records of his experiences and of his feelings at + one very interesting, and one deeply sorrowful, period of his history. She + was a thoroughly kindly, as well as gifted woman, and much appreciated by + those of the poet's friends who knew her as a resident in London during + her last years. A portrait which she took of him in 1874 is considered by + some persons very good. + </p> + <p> + At about this time also, and probably through Miss Haworth, he became + acquainted with Miss Martineau. + </p> + <p> + Soon after his introduction to Macready, if not before, Mr. Browning + became busy with the thought of writing for the stage. The diary has this + entry for February 16, 1836: + </p> + <p> + 'Forster and Browning called, and talked over the plot of a tragedy, which + Browning had begun to think of: the subject, Narses. He said that I had <i>bit</i> + him by my performance of Othello, and I told him I hoped I should make the + blood come. It would indeed be some recompense for the miseries, the + humiliations, the heart-sickening disgusts which I have endured in my + profession, if, by its exercise, I had awakened a spirit of poetry whose + influence would elevate, ennoble, and adorn our degraded drama. May it + be!' + </p> + <p> + But Narses was abandoned, and the more serious inspiration and more + definite motive were to come later. They connect themselves with one of + the pleasant social occurrences which must have lived in the young poet's + memory. On May 26 'Ion' had been performed for the first time and with + great success, Mr. Macready sustaining the principal part; and the great + actor and a number of their common friends had met at supper at Serjeant + Talfourd's house to celebrate the occasion. The party included Wordsworth + and Landor, both of whom Mr. Browning then met for the first time. Toasts + flew right and left. Mr. Browning's health was proposed by Serjeant + Talfourd as that of the youngest poet of England, and Wordsworth responded + to the appeal with very kindly courtesy. The conversation afterwards + turned upon plays, and Macready, who had ignored a half-joking question of + Miss Mitford, whether, if she wrote one, he would act in it, overtook + Browning as they were leaving the house, and said, 'Write a play, + Browning, and keep me from going to America.' The reply was, 'Shall it be + historical and English; what do you say to a drama on Strafford?' + </p> + <p> + This ready response on the poet's part showed that Strafford, as a + dramatic subject, had been occupying his thoughts. The subject was in the + air, because Forster was then bringing out a life of that statesman, with + others belonging to the same period. It was more than in the air, so far + as Browning was concerned, because his friend had been disabled, either + through sickness or sorrow, from finishing this volume by the appointed + time, and he, as well he might, had largely helped him in its completion. + It was, however, not till August 3 that Macready wrote in his diary: + </p> + <p> + 'Forster told me that Browning had fixed on Strafford for the subject of a + tragedy; he could not have hit upon one that I could have more readily + concurred in.' + </p> + <p> + A previous entry of May 30, the occasion of which is only implied, shows + with how high an estimate of Mr. Browning's intellectual importance + Macready's professional relations to him began. + </p> + <p> + 'Arriving at chambers, I found a note from Browning. What can I say upon + it? It was a tribute which remunerated me for the annoyances and cares of + years: it was one of the very highest, may I not say the highest, honour I + have through life received.' + </p> + <p> + The estimate maintained itself in reference to the value of Mr. Browning's + work, since he wrote on March 13, 1837: + </p> + <p> + 'Read before dinner a few pages of 'Paracelsus', which raises my wonder + the more I read it. . . . Looked over two plays, which it was not possible + to read, hardly as I tried. . . . Read some scenes in 'Strafford', which + restore one to the world of sense and feeling once again.' + </p> + <p> + But as the day of the performance drew near, he became at once more + anxious and more critical. An entry of April 28 comments somewhat sharply + on the dramatic faults of 'Strafford', besides declaring the writer's + belief that the only chance for it is in the acting, which, 'by + possibility, might carry it to the end without disapprobation,' though he + dares not hope without opposition. It is quite conceivable that his first + complete study of the play, and first rehearsal of it, brought to light + deficiencies which had previously escaped him; but so complete a change of + sentiment points also to private causes of uneasiness and irritation; and, + perhaps, to the knowledge that its being saved by collective good acting + was out of the question. + </p> + <p> + 'Strafford' was performed at Covent Garden Theatre on May 1. Mr. Browning + wrote to Mr. Fox after one of the last rehearsals: + </p> + <p> + May Day, Lincoln's Inn Fields. + </p> + <p> + Dear Sir,—All my endeavours to procure a copy before this morning + have been fruitless. I send the first book of the first bundle. <i>Pray</i> + look over it—the alterations to-night will be considerable. The + complexion of the piece is, I grieve to say, 'perfect gallows' just now—our + <i>King</i>, Mr. Dale, being . . . but you'll see him, and, I fear, not + much applaud. Your unworthy son, in things literary, Robert Browning. + </p> + <p> + P.S. (in pencil).—A most unnecessary desire, but urged on me by + Messrs. Longman: no notice on Str. in to-night's True Sun,* lest the other + papers be jealous!!! + </p> +<pre xml:space="preserve"> + * Mr. Fox reviewed 'Strafford' in the 'True Sun'. +</pre> + <p> + A second letter, undated, but evidently written a day or two later, refers + to the promised notice, which had then appeared. + </p> + <p> + Tuesday Night. + </p> + <p> + No words can express my feelings: I happen to be much annoyed and unwell—but + your most generous notice has almost made 'my soul well and happy now.' + </p> + <p> + I thank you, my most kind, most constant friend, from my heart for your + goodness—which is brave enough, just now. I am ever and increasingly + yours, Robert Browning. + </p> + <p> + You will be glad to see me on the earliest occasion, will you not? I shall + certainly come. + </p> + <p> + A letter from Miss Flower to Miss Sarah Fox (sister to the Rev. William + Fox), at Norwich, contains the following passage, which evidently + continues a chapter of London news: + </p> + <p> + 'Then 'Strafford'; were you not pleased to hear of the success of one you + must, I think, remember a very little boy, years ago. If not, you have + often heard us speak of Robert Browning: and it is a great deal to have + accomplished a successful tragedy, although he seems a good deal annoyed + at the go of things behind the scenes, and declares he will never write a + play again, as long as he lives. You have no idea of the ignorance and + obstinacy of the whole set, with here and there an exception; think of his + having to write out the meaning of the word 'impeachment', as some of them + thought it meant 'poaching'.' + </p> + <p> + On the first night, indeed, the fate of 'Strafford' hung in the balance; + it was saved by Macready and Miss Helen Faucit. After this they must have + been better supported, as it was received on the second night with + enthusiasm by a full house. The catastrophe came after the fifth + performance, with the desertion of the actor who had sustained the part of + Pym. We cannot now judge whether, even under favourable circumstances, the + play would have had as long a run as was intended; but the casting vote in + favour of this view is given by the conduct of Mr. Osbaldistone, the + manager, when it was submitted to him. The diary says, March 30, that he + caught at it with avidity, and agreed to produce it without delay. The + terms he offered to the author must also have been considered favourable + in those days. + </p> + <p> + The play was published in April by Longman, this time not at the author's + expense; but it brought no return either to him or to his publisher. It + was dedicated 'in all affectionate admiration' to William C. Macready. + </p> + <p> + We gain some personal glimpses of the Browning of 1835-6; one especially + through Mrs. Bridell-Fox, who thus describes her first meeting with him: + </p> + <p> + 'I remember . . . when Mr. Browning entered the drawing-room, with a quick + light step; and on hearing from me that my father was out, and in fact + that nobody was at home but myself, he said: "It's my birthday to-day; + I'll wait till they come in," and sitting down to the piano, he added: "If + it won't disturb you, I'll play till they do." And as he turned to the + instrument, the bells of some neighbouring church suddenly burst out with + a frantic merry peal. It seemed, to my childish fancy, as if in response + to the remark that it was his birthday. He was then slim and dark, and + very handsome; and—may I hint it—just a trifle of a dandy, + addicted to lemon-coloured kid-gloves and such things: quite "the glass of + fashion and the mould of form." But full of ambition, eager for success, + eager for fame, and, what's more, determined to conquer fame and to + achieve success.' + </p> + <p> + I do not think his memory ever taxed him with foppishness, though he may + have had the innocent personal vanity of an attractive young man at his + first period of much seeing and being seen; but all we know of him at that + time bears out the impression Mrs. Fox conveys, of a joyous, artless + confidence in himself and in life, easily depressed, but quickly + reasserting itself; and in which the eagerness for new experiences had + freed itself from the rebellious impatience of boyish days. The + self-confidence had its touches of flippancy and conceit; but on this side + it must have been constantly counteracted by his gratitude for kindness, + and by his enthusiastic appreciation of the merits of other men. His + powers of feeling, indeed, greatly expended themselves in this way. He was + very attractive to women and, as we have seen, warmly loved by very + various types of men; but, except in its poetic sense, his emotional + nature was by no means then in the ascendant: a fact difficult to realize + when we remember the passion of his childhood's love for mother and home, + and the new and deep capabilities of affection to be developed in future + days. The poet's soul in him was feeling its wings; the realities of life + had not yet begun to weight them. + </p> + <p> + We see him again at the 'Ion' supper, in the grace and modesty with which + he received the honours then adjudged to him. The testimony has been said + to come from Miss Mitford, but may easily have been supplied by Miss + Haworth, who was also present on this occasion. + </p> + <p> + Mr. Browning's impulse towards play-writing had not, as we have seen, + begun with 'Strafford'. It was still very far from being exhausted. And + though he had struck out for himself another line of dramatic activity, + his love for the higher theatrical life, and the legitimate inducements of + the more lucrative and not necessarily less noble form of composition, + might ultimately in some degree have prevailed with him if circumstances + had been such as to educate his theatrical capabilities, and to reward + them. His first acted drama was, however, an interlude to the production + of the important group of poems which was to be completed by 'Sordello'; + and he alludes to this later work in an also discarded preface to + 'Strafford', as one on which he had for some time been engaged. He even + characterizes the Tragedy as an attempt 'to freshen a jaded mind by + diverting it to the healthy natures of a grand epoch.' 'Sordello' again + occupied him during the remainder of 1837 and the beginning of 1838; and + by the spring of this year he must have been thankful to vary the scene + and mode of his labours by means of a first visit to Italy. He announces + his impending journey, with its immediate plan and purpose, in the + following note: + </p> + <p> + To John Robertson, Esq. + </p> + <p> + Good Friday, 1838. + </p> + <p> + Dear Sir,—I was not fortunate enough to find you the day before + yesterday—and must tell you very hurriedly that I sail this morning + for Venice—intending to finish my poem among the scenes it + describes. I shall have your good wishes I know. Believe me, in return, + Dear sir, Yours faithfully and obliged, Robert Browning. + </p> + <p> + Mr. John Robertson had influence with the 'Westminster Review', either as + editor, or member of its staff. He had been introduced to Mr. Browning by + Miss Martineau; and, being a great admirer of 'Paracelsus', had promised + careful attention for 'Sordello'; but, when the time approached, he made + conditions of early reading, &c., which Mr. Browning thought so unfair + towards other magazines that he refused to fulfil them. He lost his + review, and the goodwill of its intending writer; and even Miss Martineau + was ever afterwards cooler towards him, though his attitude in the matter + had been in some degree prompted by a chivalrous partisanship for her. + </p> + <p> + <a name="link2HCH0028" id="link2HCH0028"> + <!-- H2 anchor --> </a> + </p> + <div style="height: 4em;"> + <br /><br /><br /><br /> + </div> + <h2> + Chapter 7 + </h2> + <h3> + 1838-1841 + </h3> + <p> + First Italian Journey—Letters to Miss Haworth—Mr. John Kenyon—'Sordello'—Letter + to Miss Flower—'Pippa Passes'—'Bells and Pomegranates'. + </p> + <p> + Mr. Browning sailed from London with Captain Davidson of the 'Norham + Castle', a merchant vessel bound for Trieste, on which he found himself + the only passenger. A striking experience of the voyage, and some + characteristic personal details, are given in the following letter to Miss + Haworth. It is dated 1838, and was probably written before that year's + summer had closed. + </p> + <p> + Tuesday Evening. + </p> + <p> + Dear Miss Haworth,—Do look at a fuchsia in full bloom and notice the + clear little honey-drop depending from every flower. I have just found it + out to my no small satisfaction,—a bee's breakfast. I only answer + for the long-blossomed sort, though,—indeed, for this plant in my + room. Taste and be Titania; you can, that is. All this while I forget that + you will perhaps never guess the good of the discovery: I have, you are to + know, such a love for flowers and leaves—some leaves—that I + every now and then, in an impatience at being able to possess myself of + them thoroughly, to see them quite, satiate myself with their scent,—bite + them to bits—so there will be some sense in that. How I remember the + flowers—even grasses—of places I have seen! Some one flower or + weed, I should say, that gets some strangehow connected with them. + </p> + <p> + Snowdrops and Tilsit in Prussia go together; cowslips and Windsor Park, + for instance; flowering palm and some place or other in Holland. + </p> + <p> + Now to answer what can be answered in the letter I was happy to receive + last week. I am quite well. I did not expect you would write,—for + none of your written reasons, however. You will see 'Sordello' in a trice, + if the fagging fit holds. I did not write six lines while absent (except a + scene in a play, jotted down as we sailed thro' the Straits of Gibraltar)—but + I did hammer out some four, two of which are addressed to you, two to the + Queen*—the whole to go in Book III—perhaps. I called you + 'Eyebright'—meaning a simple and sad sort of translation of + "Euphrasia" into my own language: folks would know who Euphrasia, or + Fanny, was—and I should not know Ianthe or Clemanthe. Not that there + is anything in them to care for, good or bad. Shall I say 'Eyebright'? + </p> +<pre xml:space="preserve"> + * I know no lines directly addressed to the Queen. +</pre> + <p> + I was disappointed in one thing, Canova. + </p> + <p> + What companions should I have? + </p> + <p> + The story of the ship must have reached you 'with a difference' as Ophelia + says; my sister told it to a Mr. Dow, who delivered it to Forster, I + suppose, who furnished Macready with it, who made it over &c., &c., + &c.—As short as I can tell, this way it happened: the captain + woke me one bright Sunday morning to say there was a ship floating keel + uppermost half a mile off; they lowered a boat, made ropes fast to some + floating canvas, and towed her towards our vessel. Both met halfway, and + the little air that had risen an hour or two before, sank at once. Our men + made the wreck fast in high glee at having 'new trousers out of the + sails,' and quite sure she was a French boat, broken from her moorings at + Algiers, close by. Ropes were next hove (hang this sea-talk!) round her + stanchions, and after a quarter of an hour's pushing at the capstan, the + vessel righted suddenly, one dead body floating out; five more were in the + forecastle, and had probably been there a month under a blazing African + sun—don't imagine the wretched state of things. They were, these + six, the 'watch below'—(I give you the result of the day's + observation)—the rest, some eight or ten, had been washed overboard + at first. One or two were Algerines, the rest Spaniards. The vessel was a + smuggler bound for Gibraltar; there were two stupidly disproportionate + guns, taking up the whole deck, which was convex and—nay, look you! + (a rough pen-and-ink sketch of the different parts of the wreck is here + introduced) these are the gun-rings, and the black square the place where + the bodies lay. (All the 'bulwarks' or sides of the top, carried away by + the waves.) Well, the sailors covered up the hatchway, broke up the + aft-deck, hauled up tobacco and cigars, such heaps of them, and then bale + after bale of prints and chintz, don't you call it, till the captain was + half-frightened—he would get at the ship's papers, he said; so these + poor fellows were pulled up, piecemeal, and pitched into the sea, the very + sailors calling to each other to 'cover the faces',—no papers of + importance were found, however, but fifteen swords, powder and ball enough + for a dozen such boats, and bundles of cotton, &c., that would have + taken a day to get out, but the captain vowed that after five o'clock she + should be cut adrift: accordingly she was cast loose, not a third of her + cargo having been touched; and you hardly can conceive the strange sight + when the battered hulk turned round, actually, and looked at us, and then + reeled off, like a mutilated creature from some scoundrel French surgeon's + lecture-table, into the most gorgeous and lavish sunset in the world: + there; only thank me for not taking you at your word, and giving you the + whole 'story'.—'What I did?' I went to Trieste, then Venice—then + through Treviso and Bassano to the mountains, delicious Asolo, all my + places and castles, you will see. Then to Vicenza, Padua, and Venice + again. Then to Verona, Trent, Innspruck (the Tyrol), Munich, Salzburg in + Franconia, Frankfort and Mayence; down the Rhine to Cologne, then to + Aix-la-Chapelle, Liege and Antwerp—then home. Shall you come to + town, anywhere near town, soon? I shall be off again as soon as my book is + out, whenever that will be. + </p> + <p> + I never read that book of Miss Martineau's, so can't understand what you + mean. Macready is looking well; I just saw him the other day for a minute + after the play; his Kitely was Kitely—superb from his flat cap down + to his shining shoes. I saw very few Italians, 'to know', that is. Those I + did see I liked. Your friend Pepoli has been lecturing here, has he not? + </p> + <p> + I shall be vexed if you don't write soon, a long Elstree letter. What are + you doing, writing—drawing? Ever yours truly R. B. To Miss Haworth, + Barham Lodge, Elstree. + </p> + <p> + Miss Browning's account of this experience, supplied from memory of her + brother's letters and conversations, contains some vivid supplementary + details. The drifting away of the wreck put probably no effective distance + between it and the ship; hence the necessity of 'sailing away' from it. + </p> + <p> + 'Of the dead pirates, one had his hands clasped as if praying; another, a + severe gash in his head. The captain burnt disinfectants and blew + gunpowder, before venturing on board, but even then, he, a powerful man, + turned very sick with the smell and sight. They stayed one whole day by + the side, but the sailors, in spite of orders, began to plunder the + cigars, &c. The captain said privately to Robert, "I cannot restrain + my men, and they will bring the plague into our ship, so I mean quietly in + the night to sail away." Robert took two cutlasses and a dagger; they were + of the coarsest workmanship, intended for use. At the end of one of the + sheaths was a heavy bullet, so that it could be used as a sling. The day + after, to their great relief, a heavy rain fell and cleansed the ship. + Captain Davidson reported the sight of the wreck and its condition as soon + as he arrived at Trieste.' + </p> + <p> + Miss Browning also relates that the weather was stormy in the Bay of + Biscay, and for the first fortnight her brother suffered terribly. The + captain supported him on to the deck as they passed through the Straits of + Gibraltar, that he might not lose the sight. He recovered, as we know, + sufficiently to write 'How they brought the Good News from Ghent to Aix'; + but we can imagine in what revulsion of feeling towards firm land and + healthy motion this dream of a headlong gallop was born in him. The poem + was pencilled on the cover of Bartoli's "De' Simboli trasportati al + Morale", a favourite book and constant companion of his; and, in spite of + perfect effacement as far as the sense goes, the pencil dints are still + visible. The little poem 'Home Thoughts from the Sea' was written at the + same time, and in the same manner. + </p> + <p> + By the time they reached Trieste, the captain, a rough north-countryman, + had become so attached to Mr. Browning that he offered him a free passage + to Constantinople; and after they had parted, carefully preserved, by way + of remembrance, a pair of very old gloves worn by him on deck. Mr. + Browning might, on such an occasion, have dispensed with gloves + altogether; but it was one of his peculiarities that he could never endure + to be out of doors with uncovered hands. The captain also showed his + friendly feeling on his return to England by bringing to Miss Browning, + whom he had heard of through her brother, a present of six bottles of + attar of roses. + </p> + <p> + The inspirations of Asolo and Venice appear in 'Pippa Passes' and 'In a + Gondola'; but the latter poem showed, to Mr. Browning's subsequent + vexation, that Venice had been imperfectly seen; and the magnetism which + Asolo was to exercise upon him, only fully asserted itself at a much later + time. + </p> + <p> + A second letter to Miss Haworth is undated, but may have been written at + any period of this or the ensuing year. + </p> + <p> + I have received, a couple of weeks since, a present—an album large + and gaping, and as Cibber's Richard says of the 'fair Elizabeth': 'My + heart is empty—she shall fill it'—so say I (impudently?) of my + grand trouble-table, which holds a sketch or two by my fine fellow + Monclar, one lithograph—his own face of faces,—'all the rest + was amethyst.' F. H. everywhere! not a soul beside 'in the chrystal + silence there,' and it locks, this album; now, don't shower drawings on + M., who has so many advantages over me as it is: or at least don't bid <i>me</i> + of all others say what he is to have. + </p> + <p> + The 'Master' is somebody you don't know, W. J. Fox, a magnificent and + poetical nature, who used to write in reviews when I was a boy, and to + whom my verses, a bookful, written at the ripe age of twelve and thirteen, + were shown: which verses he praised not a little; which praise comforted + me not a little. Then I lost sight of him for years and years; then I + published <i>anonymously</i> a little poem—which he, to my + inexpressible delight, praised and expounded in a gallant article in a + magazine of which he was the editor; then I found him out again; he got a + publisher for 'Paracelsus' (I read it to him in manuscript) and is in + short 'my literary father'. Pretty nearly the same thing did he for Miss + Martineau, as she has said somewhere. God knows I forget what the 'talk', + table-talk was about—I think she must have told you the results of + the whole day we spent tete-a-tete at Ascot, and that day's, the + dinner-day's morning at Elstree and St. Albans. She is to give me advice + about my worldly concerns, and not before I need it! + </p> + <p> + I cannot say or sing the pleasure your way of writing gives me—do go + on, and tell me all sorts of things, 'the story' for a beginning; but your + moralisings on 'your age' and the rest, are—now what <i>are</i> + they? not to be reasoned on, disputed, laughed at, grieved about: they are + 'Fanny's crotchets'. I thank thee, Jew (lia), for teaching me that word. + </p> + <p> + I don't know that I shall leave town for a month: my friend Monclar looks + piteous when I talk of such an event. I can't bear to leave him; he is to + take my portrait to-day (a famous one he <i>has</i> taken!) and very like + he engages it shall be. I am going to town for the purpose. . . . + </p> + <p> + Now, then, do something for me, and see if I'll ask Miss M——to + help you! I am going to begin the finishing 'Sordello'—and to begin + thinking a Tragedy (an Historical one, so I shall want heaps of criticisms + on 'Strafford') and I want to have <i>another</i> tragedy in prospect, I + write best so provided: I had chosen a splendid subject for it, when I + learned that a magazine for next, this, month, will have a scene founded + on my story; vulgarizing or doing no good to it: and I accordingly throw + it up. I want a subject of the most wild and passionate love, to contrast + with the one I mean to have ready in a short time. I have many + half-conceptions, floating fancies: give me your notion of a thorough + self-devotement, self-forgetting; should it be a woman who loves thus, or + a man? What circumstances will best draw out, set forth this feeling? . . + . + </p> + <p> + The tragedies in question were to be 'King Victor and King Charles', and + 'The Return of the Druses'. + </p> + <p> + This letter affords a curious insight into Mr. Browning's mode of work; it + is also very significant of the small place which love had hitherto + occupied in his life. It was evident, from his appeal to Miss Haworth's + 'notion' on the subject, that he had as yet no experience, even imaginary, + of a genuine passion, whether in woman or man. The experience was still + distant from him in point of time. In circumstance he was nearer to it + than he knew; for it was in 1839 that he became acquainted with Mr. + Kenyon. + </p> + <p> + When dining one day at Serjeant Talfourd's, he was accosted by a pleasant + elderly man, who, having, we conclude, heard who he was, asked leave to + address to him a few questions: 'Was his father's name Robert? had he gone + to school at the Rev. Mr. Bell's at Cheshunt, and was he still alive?' On + receiving affirmative answers, he went on to say that Mr. Browning and he + had been great chums at school, and though they had lost sight of each + other in after-life, he had never forgotten his old playmate, but even + alluded to him in a little book which he had published a few years + before.* + </p> +<pre xml:space="preserve"> + * The volume is entitled 'Rhymed Plea for Tolerance' (1833), + and contains a reference to Mr. Kenyon's schooldays, + and to the classic fights which Mr. Browning had instituted. +</pre> + <p> + The next morning the poet asked his father if he remembered a schoolfellow + named John Kenyon. He replied, 'Certainly! This is his face,' and sketched + a boy's head, in which his son at once recognized that of the grown man. + The acquaintance was renewed, and Mr. Kenyon proved ever afterwards a warm + friend. Mr. Browning wrote of him, in a letter to Professor Knight of St. + Andrews, Jan. 10, 1884: 'He was one of the best of human beings, with a + general sympathy for excellence of every kind. He enjoyed the friendship + of Wordsworth, of Southey, of Landor, and, in later days, was intimate + with most of my contemporaries of eminence.' It was at Mr. Kenyon's house + that the poet saw most of Wordsworth, who always stayed there when he came + to town. + </p> + <p> + In 1840 'Sordello' appeared. It was, relatively to its length, by far the + slowest in preparation of Mr. Browning's poems. This seemed, indeed, a + condition of its peculiar character. It had lain much deeper in the + author's mind than the various slighter works which were thrown off in the + course of its inception. We know from the preface to 'Strafford' that it + must have been begun soon after 'Paracelsus'. Its plan may have belonged + to a still earlier date; for it connects itself with 'Pauline' as the + history of a poetic soul; with both the earlier poems, as the + manifestation of the self-conscious spiritual ambitions which were + involved in that history. This first imaginative mood was also outgrowing + itself in the very act of self-expression; for the tragedies written + before the conclusion of 'Sordello' impress us as the product of a + different mental state—as the work of a more balanced imagination + and a more mature mind. + </p> + <p> + It would be interesting to learn how Mr. Browning's typical poet became + embodied in this mediaeval form: whether the half-mythical character of + the real Sordello presented him as a fitting subject for imaginative + psychological treatment, or whether the circumstances among which he moved + seemed the best adapted to the development of the intended type. The + inspiration may have come through the study of Dante, and his testimony to + the creative influence of Sordello on their mother-tongue. That period of + Italian history must also have assumed, if it did not already possess, a + great charm for Mr. Browning's fancy, since he studied no less than thirty + works upon it, which were to contribute little more to his dramatic + picture than what he calls 'decoration', or 'background'. But the one + guide which he has given us to the reading of the poem is his assertion + that its historical circumstance is only to be regarded as background; and + the extent to which he identified himself with the figure of Sordello has + been proved by his continued belief that its prominence was throughout + maintained. He could still declare, so late as 1863, in his preface to the + reprint of the work, that his 'stress' in writing it had lain 'on the + incidents in the development of a soul, little else' being to his mind + 'worth study'. I cannot therefore help thinking that recent investigations + of the life and character of the actual poet, however in themselves + praiseworthy and interesting, have been often in some degree a mistake; + because, directly or indirectly, they referred Mr. Browning's Sordello to + an historical reality, which his author had grasped, as far as was then + possible, but to which he was never intended to conform. + </p> + <p> + Sordello's story does exhibit the development of a soul; or rather, the + sudden awakening of a self-regarding nature to the claims of other men—the + sudden, though slowly prepared, expansion of the narrower into the larger + self, the selfish into the sympathetic existence; and this takes place in + accordance with Mr. Browning's here expressed belief that poetry is the + appointed vehicle for all lasting truths; that the true poet must be their + exponent. The work is thus obviously, in point of moral utterance, an + advance on 'Pauline'. Its metaphysics are, also, more distinctly + formulated than those of either 'Pauline' or 'Paracelsus'; and the + frequent use of the term Will in its metaphysical sense so strongly points + to German associations that it is difficult to realize their absence, then + and always, from Mr. Browning's mind. But he was emphatic in his assurance + that he knew neither the German philosophers nor their reflection in + Coleridge, who would have seemed a likely medium between them and him. + Miss Martineau once said to him that he had no need to study German + thought, since his mind was German enough—by which she possibly + meant too German—already. + </p> + <p> + The poem also impresses us by a Gothic richness of detail,* the + picturesque counterpart of its intricacy of thought, and, perhaps for this + very reason, never so fully displayed in any subsequent work. Mr. + Browning's genuinely modest attitude towards it could not preclude the + consciousness of the many imaginative beauties which its unpopular + character had served to conceal; and he was glad to find, some years ago, + that 'Sordello' was represented in a collection of descriptive passages + which a friend of his was proposing to make. 'There is a great deal of + that in it,' he said, 'and it has always been overlooked.' + </p> +<pre xml:space="preserve"> + * The term Gothic has been applied to Mr. Browning's work, I + believe, by Mr. James Thomson, in writing of 'The Ring and + the Book', and I do not like to use it without saying so. + But it is one of those which must have spontaneously + suggested themselves to many other of Mr. Browning's + readers. +</pre> + <p> + It was unfortunate that new difficulties of style should have added + themselves on this occasion to those of subject and treatment; and the + reason of it is not generally known. Mr. John Sterling had made some + comments on the wording of 'Paracelsus'; and Miss Caroline Fox, then quite + a young woman, repeated them, with additions, to Miss Haworth, who, in her + turn, communicated them to Mr. Browning, but without making quite clear to + him the source from which they sprang. He took the criticism much more + seriously than it deserved, and condensed the language of this his next + important publication into what was nearly its present form. + </p> + <p> + In leaving 'Sordello' we emerge from the self-conscious stage of Mr. + Browning's imagination, and his work ceases to be autobiographic in the + sense in which, perhaps erroneously, we have hitherto felt it to be. + 'Festus' and 'Salinguerra' have already given promise of the world of 'Men + and Women' into which he will now conduct us. They will be inspired by + every variety of conscious motive, but never again by the old (real or + imagined) self-centred, self-directing Will. We have, indeed, already lost + the sense of disparity between the man and the poet; for the Browning of + 'Sordello' was growing older, while the defects of the poem were in many + respects those of youth. In 'Pippa Passes', published one year later, the + poet and the man show themselves full-grown. Each has entered on the + inheritance of the other. + </p> + <p> + Neither the imagination nor the passion of what Mr. Gosse so fitly calls + this 'lyrical masque'* gives much scope for tenderness; but the quality of + humour is displayed in it for the first time; as also a strongly marked + philosophy of life—or more properly, of association—from which + its idea and development are derived. In spite, however, of these + evidences of general maturity, Mr. Browning was still sometimes boyish in + personal intercourse, if we may judge from a letter to Miss Flower written + at about the same time. + </p> +<pre xml:space="preserve"> + * These words, and a subsequent paragraph, are quoted from + Mr. Gosse's 'Personalia'. +</pre> + <p> + Monday night, March 9 (? 1841). + </p> + <p> + My dear Miss Flower,—I have this moment received your very kind note—of + course, I understand your objections. How else? But they are somewhat + lightened already (confess—nay 'confess' is vile—you will be + rejoiced to holla from the house-top)—will go on, or rather go off, + lightening, and will be—oh, where <i>will</i> they be half a dozen + years hence? + </p> + <p> + Meantime praise what you can praise, do me all the good you can, you and + Mr. Fox (as if you will not!) for I have a head full of projects—mean + to song-write, play-write forthwith,—and, believe me, dear Miss + Flower, Yours ever faithfully, Robert Browning. + </p> + <p> + By the way, you speak of 'Pippa'—could we not make some arrangement + about it? The lyrics <i>want</i> your music—five or six in all—how + say you? When these three plays are out I hope to build a huge Ode—but + 'all goeth by God's Will.' + </p> + <p> + The loyal Alfred Domett now appears on the scene with a satirical poem, + inspired by an impertinent criticism on his friend. I give its first two + verses: + </p> + <p> + On a Certain Critique on 'Pippa Passes'. + </p> + <p> + (Query—Passes what?—the critic's comprehension.) + </p> +<pre xml:space="preserve"> + Ho! everyone that by the nose is led, + Automatons of which the world is full, + Ye myriad bodies, each without a head, + That dangle from a critic's brainless skull, + Come, hearken to a deep discovery made, + A mighty truth now wondrously displayed. + + A black squat beetle, vigorous for his size, + Pushing tail-first by every road that's wrong + The dung-ball of his dirty thoughts along + His tiny sphere of grovelling sympathies— + Has knocked himself full-butt, with blundering trouble, + Against a mountain he can neither double + Nor ever hope to scale. So like a free, + Pert, self-conceited scarabaeus, he + Takes it into his horny head to swear + There's no such thing as any mountain there. +</pre> + <p> + The writer lived to do better things from a literary point of view; but + these lines have a fine ring of youthful indignation which must have made + them a welcome tribute to friendship. + </p> + <p> + There seems to have been little respectful criticism of 'Pippa Passes'; it + is less surprising that there should have been very little of 'Sordello'. + Mr. Browning, it is true, retained a limited number of earnest + appreciators, foremost of whom was the writer of an admirable notice of + these two works, quoted from an 'Eclectic Review' of 1847, in Dr. + Furnivall's 'Bibliography'. I am also told that the series of poems which + was next to appear was enthusiastically greeted by some poets and painters + of the pre-Raphaelite school; but he was now entering on a period of + general neglect, which covered nearly twenty years of his life, and much + that has since become most deservedly popular in his work. + </p> + <p> + 'Pippa Passes' had appeared as the first instalment of 'Bells and + Pomegranates', the history of which I give in Mr. Gosse's words. This + poem, and the two tragedies, 'King Victor and King Charles' and 'The + Return of the Druses'—first christened 'Mansoor, the Hierophant'—were + lying idle in Mr. Browning's desk. He had not found, perhaps not very + vigorously sought, a publisher for them. + </p> + <p> + 'One day, as the poet was discussing the matter with Mr. Edward Moxon, the + publisher, the latter remarked that at that time he was bringing out some + editions of the old Elizabethan dramatists in a comparatively cheap form, + and that if Mr. Browning would consent to print his poems as pamphlets, + using this cheap type, the expense would be very inconsiderable. The poet + jumped at the idea, and it was agreed that each poem should form a + separate brochure of just one sheet—sixteen pages in double columns—the + entire cost of which should not exceed twelve or fifteen pounds. In this + fashion began the celebrated series of 'Bells and Pomegranates', eight + numbers of which, a perfect treasury of fine poetry, came out successively + between 1841 and 1846. 'Pippa Passes' led the way, and was priced first at + sixpence; then, the sale being inconsiderable, at a shilling, which + greatly encouraged the sale; and so, slowly, up to half-a-crown, at which + the price of each number finally rested.' + </p> + <p> + Mr. Browning's hopes and intentions with respect to this series are + announced in the following preface to 'Pippa Passes', of which, in later + editions, only the dedicatory words appear: + </p> + <p> + 'Two or three years ago I wrote a Play, about which the chief matter I + care to recollect at present is, that a Pit-full of good-natured people + applauded it:—ever since, I have been desirous of doing something in + the same way that should better reward their attention. What follows I + mean for the first of a series of Dramatical Pieces, to come out at + intervals, and I amuse myself by fancying that the cheap mode in which + they appear will for once help me to a sort of Pit-audience again. Of + course, such a work must go on no longer than it is liked; and to provide + against a certain and but too possible contingency, let me hasten to say + now—what, if I were sure of success, I would try to say + circumstantially enough at the close—that I dedicate my best + intentions most admiringly to the author of "Ion"—most + affectionately to Serjeant Talfourd.' + </p> + <p> + A necessary explanation of the general title was reserved for the last + number: and does something towards justifying the popular impression that + Mr. Browning exacted a large measure of literary insight from his readers. + </p> + <p> + 'Here ends my first series of "Bells and Pomegranates": and I take the + opportunity of explaining, in reply to inquiries, that I only meant by + that title to indicate an endeavour towards something like an alternation, + or mixture, of music with discoursing, sound with sense, poetry with + thought; which looks too ambitious, thus expressed, so the symbol was + preferred. It is little to the purpose, that such is actually one of the + most familiar of the many Rabbinical (and Patristic) acceptations of the + phrase; because I confess that, letting authority alone, I supposed the + bare words, in such juxtaposition, would sufficiently convey the desired + meaning. "Faith and good works" is another fancy, for instance, and + perhaps no easier to arrive at: yet Giotto placed a pomegranate fruit in + the hand of Dante, and Raffaelle crowned his Theology (in the 'Camera + della Segnatura') with blossoms of the same; as if the Bellari and Vasari + would be sure to come after, and explain that it was merely "simbolo delle + buone opere—il qual Pomogranato fu pero usato nelle vesti del + Pontefice appresso gli Ebrei."' + </p> + <p> + The Dramas and Poems contained in the eight numbers of 'Bells and + Pomegranates' were: + </p> +<pre xml:space="preserve"> + I. Pippa Passes. 1841. + II. King Victor and King Charles. 1842. + III. Dramatic Lyrics. 1842. + Cavalier Tunes; I. Marching Along; II. Give a Rouse; + III. My Wife Gertrude. ['Boot and Saddle'.] + Italy and France; I. Italy; II. France. + Camp and Cloister; I. Camp (French); II. Cloister (Spanish). + In a Gondola. + Artemis Prologuizes. + Waring; I.; II. + Queen Worship; I. Rudel and The Lady of Tripoli; II. Cristina. + Madhouse Cells; I. [Johannes Agricola.]; II. [Porphyria.] + Through the Metidja to Abd-el-Kadr. 1842. + The Pied Piper of Hamelin; a Child's Story. + IV. The Return of the Druses. A Tragedy, in Five Acts. 1843. + V. A Blot in the 'Scutcheon. A Tragedy, in Three Acts. 1843. + [Second Edition, same year.] + VI. Colombe's Birthday. A Play, in Five Acts. 1844. + VII. Dramatic Romances and Lyrics. 1845. + 'How they brought the Good News from Ghent to Aix. (16—.)' + Pictor Ignotus. (Florence, 15—.) + Italy in England. + England in Italy. (Piano di Sorrento.) + The Lost Leader. + The Lost Mistress. + Home Thoughts, from Abroad. + The Tomb at St. Praxed's: (Rome, 15—.) + Garden Fancies; I. The Flower's Name; + II. Sibrandus Schafnaburgensis. + France and Spain; I. The Laboratory (Ancien Regime); + II. Spain—The Confessional. + The Flight of the Duchess. + Earth's Immortalities. + Song. ('Nay but you, who do not love her.') + The Boy and the Angel. + Night and Morning; I. Night; II. Morning. + Claret and Tokay. + Saul. (Part I.) + Time's Revenges. + The Glove. (Peter Ronsard loquitur.) + VIII. and last. Luria; and A Soul's Tragedy. 1846. +</pre> + <p> + This publication has seemed entitled to a detailed notice, because it is + practically extinct, and because its nature and circumstance confer on it + a biographical interest not possessed by any subsequent issue of Mr. + Browning's works. The dramas and poems of which it is composed belong to + that more mature period of the author's life, in which the analysis of his + work ceases to form a necessary part of his history. Some few of them, + however, are significant to it; and this is notably the case with 'A Blot + in the 'Scutcheon'. + </p> + <p> + <a name="link2HCH0029" id="link2HCH0029"> + <!-- H2 anchor --> </a> + </p> + <div style="height: 4em;"> + <br /><br /><br /><br /> + </div> + <h2> + Chapter 8 + </h2> + <h3> + 1841-1844 + </h3> + <p> + 'A Blot in the 'Scutcheon'—Letters to Mr. Frank Hill; Lady Martin—Charles + Dickens—Other Dramas and Minor Poems—Letters to Miss Lee; Miss + Haworth; Miss Flower—Second Italian Journey; Naples—E. J. + Trelawney—Stendhal. + </p> + <p> + 'A Blot in the 'Scutcheon' was written for Macready, who meant to perform + the principal part; and we may conclude that the appeal for it was urgent, + since it was composed in the space of four or five days. Macready's + journals must have contained a fuller reference to both the play and its + performance (at Drury Lane, February 1843) than appears in published form; + but considerable irritation had arisen between him and Mr. Browning, and + he possibly wrote something which his editor, Sir Frederick Pollock, as + the friend of both, thought it best to omit. What occurred on this + occasion has been told in some detail by Mr. Gosse, and would not need + repeating if the question were only of re-telling it on the same + authority, in another person's words; but, through the kindness of Mr. and + Mrs. Frank Hill, I am able to give Mr. Browning's direct statement of the + case, as also his expressed judgment upon it. The statement was made more + than forty years later than the events to which it refers, but will, + nevertheless, be best given in its direct connection with them. + </p> + <p> + The merits, or demerits, of 'A Blot in the 'Scutcheon' had been freshly + brought under discussion by its performance in London through the action + of the Browning Society, and in Washington by Mr. Laurence Barrett; and it + became the subject of a paragraph in one of the theatrical articles + prepared for the 'Daily News'. Mr. Hill was then editor of the paper, and + when the article came to him for revision, he thought it right to submit + to Mr. Browning the passages devoted to his tragedy, which embodied some + then prevailing, but, he strongly suspected, erroneous impressions + concerning it. The results of this kind and courteous proceeding appear in + the following letter. + </p> + <p> + 19, Warwick Crescent: December 15, 1884. + </p> + <p> + My dear Mr. Hill,—It was kind and considerate of you to suppress the + paragraph which you send me,—and of which the publication would have + been unpleasant for reasons quite other than as regarding my own work,—which + exists to defend or accuse itself. You will judge of the true reasons when + I tell you the facts—so much of them as contradicts the statements + of your critic—who, I suppose, has received a stimulus from the + notice, in an American paper which arrived last week, of Mr. Laurence + Barrett's intention 'shortly to produce the play' in New York—and + subsequently in London: so that 'the failure' of forty-one years ago might + be duly influential at present—or two years hence perhaps. The 'mere + amateurs' are no high game. + </p> + <p> + Macready received and accepted the play, while he was engaged at the + Haymarket, and retained it for Drury Lane, of which I was ignorant that he + was about to become the manager: he accepted it 'at the instigation' of + nobody,—and Charles Dickens was not in England when he did so: it + was read to him after his return, by Forster—and the glowing letter + which contains his opinion of it, although directed by him to be shown to + myself, was never heard of nor seen by me till printed in Forster's book + some thirty years after. When the Drury Lane season began, Macready + informed me that he should act the play when he had brought out two others—'The + Patrician's Daughter', and 'Plighted Troth': having done so, he wrote to + me that the former had been unsuccessful in money-drawing, and the latter + had 'smashed his arrangements altogether': but he would still produce my + play. I had—in my ignorance of certain symptoms better understood by + Macready's professional acquaintances—I had no notion that it was a + proper thing, in such a case, to 'release him from his promise'; on the + contrary, I should have fancied that such a proposal was offensive. Soon + after, Macready begged that I would call on him: he said the play had been + read to the actors the day before, 'and laughed at from beginning to end': + on my speaking my mind about this, he explained that the reading had been + done by the Prompter, a grotesque person with a red nose and wooden leg, + ill at ease in the love scenes, and that he would himself make amends by + reading the play next morning—which he did, and very adequately—but + apprised me that, in consequence of the state of his mind, harassed by + business and various trouble, the principal character must be taken by Mr. + Phelps; and again I failed to understand,—what Forster subsequently + assured me was plain as the sun at noonday,—that to allow at + Macready's Theatre any other than Macready to play the principal part in a + new piece was suicidal,—and really believed I was meeting his + exigencies by accepting the substitution. At the rehearsal, Macready + announced that Mr. Phelps was ill, and that he himself would read the + part: on the third rehearsal, Mr. Phelps appeared for the first time, and + sat in a chair while Macready more than read, rehearsed the part. The next + morning Mr. Phelps waylaid me at the stage-door to say, with much emotion, + that it never was intended that <i>he</i> should be instrumental in the + success of a new tragedy, and that Macready would play Tresham on the + ground that himself, Phelps, was unable to do so. He added that he could + not expect me to waive such an advantage,—but that, if I were + prepared to waive it, 'he would take ether, sit up all night, and have the + words in his memory by next day.' I bade him follow me to the green-room, + and hear what I decided upon—which was that as Macready had given + him the part, he should keep it: this was on a Thursday; he rehearsed on + Friday and Saturday,—the play being acted the same evening,—<i>of + the fifth day after the 'reading' by MacReady</i>. Macready at once wished + to reduce the importance of the 'play',—as he styled it in the + bills,—tried to leave out so much of the text, that I baffled him by + getting it printed in four-and-twenty hours, by Moxon's assistance. He + wanted me to call it 'The Sister'!—and I have before me, while I + write, the stage-acting copy, with two lines of his own insertion to avoid + the tragical ending—Tresham was to announce his intention of going + into a monastery! all this, to keep up the belief that Macready, and + Macready alone, could produce a veritable 'tragedy', unproduced before. + Not a shilling was spent on scenery or dresses—and a striking scene + which had been used for the 'Patrician's Daughter', did duty a second + time. If your critic considers this treatment of the play an instance of + 'the failure of powerful and experienced actors' to ensure its success,—I + can only say that my own opinion was shown by at once breaking off a + friendship of many years—a friendship which had a right to be + plainly and simply told that the play I had contributed as a proof of it, + would through a change of circumstances, no longer be to my friend's + advantage,—all I could possibly care for. Only recently, when by the + publication of Macready's journals the extent of his pecuniary + embarrassments at that time was made known, could I in a measure + understand his motives for such conduct—and less than ever + understand why he so strangely disguised and disfigured them. If + 'applause' means success, the play thus maimed and maltreated was + successful enough: it 'made way' for Macready's own Benefit, and the + Theatre closed a fortnight after. + </p> + <p> + Having kept silence for all these years, in spite of repeated + explanations, in the style of your critic's, that the play 'failed in + spite of the best endeavours' &c. I hardly wish to revive a very + painful matter: on the other hand,—as I have said; my play subsists, + and is as open to praise or blame as it was forty-one years ago: is it + necessary to search out what somebody or other,—not improbably a + jealous adherent of Macready, 'the only organizer of theatrical + victories', chose to say on the subject? If the characters are 'abhorrent' + and 'inscrutable'—and the language conformable,—they were so + when Dickens pronounced upon them, and will be so whenever the critic + pleases to re-consider them—which, if he ever has an opportunity of + doing, apart from the printed copy, I can assure you is through no motion + of mine. This particular experience was sufficient: but the Play is out of + my power now; though amateurs and actors may do what they please. + </p> + <p> + Of course, this being the true story, I should desire that it were told <i>thus</i> + and no otherwise, if it must be told at all: but <i>not</i> as a statement + of mine,—the substance of it has been partly stated already by more + than one qualified person, and if I have been willing to let the poor + matter drop, surely there is no need that it should be gone into now when + Macready and his Athenaeum upholder are no longer able to speak for + themselves: this is just a word to you, dear Mr. Hill, and may be brought + under the notice of your critic if you think proper—but only for the + facts—not as a communication for the public. + </p> + <p> + Yes, thank you, I am in full health, as you wish—and I wish you and + Mrs. Hill, I assure you, all the good appropriate to the season. My sister + has completely recovered from her illness, and is grateful for your + enquiries. + </p> + <p> + With best regards to Mrs. Hill, and an apology for this long letter, which + however,—when once induced to write it,—I could not well + shorten,—believe me, Yours truly ever Robert Browning. + </p> + <p> + I well remember Mr. Browning's telling me how, when he returned to the + green-room, on that critical day, he drove his hat more firmly on to his + head, and said to Macready, 'I beg pardon, sir, but you have given the + part to Mr. Phelps, and I am satisfied that he should act it;' and how + Macready, on hearing this, crushed up the MS., and flung it on to the + ground. He also admitted that his own manner had been provocative; but he + was indignant at what he deemed the unjust treatment which Mr. Phelps had + received. The occasion of the next letter speaks for itself. + </p> + <p> + December 21, 1884. + </p> + <p> + My dear Mr. Hill,—Your goodness must extend to letting me have the + last word—one of sincere thanks. You cannot suppose I doubted for a + moment of a good-will which I have had abundant proof of. I only took the + occasion your considerate letter gave me, to tell the simple truth which + my forty years' silence is a sign I would only tell on compulsion. I never + thought your critic had any less generous motive for alluding to the + performance as he did than that which he professes: he doubtless heard the + account of the matter which Macready and his intimates gave currency to at + the time; and which, being confined for a while to their limited number, I + never chose to notice. But of late years I have got to <i>read</i>,—not + merely <i>hear</i>,—of the play's failure 'which all the efforts of + my friend the great actor could not avert;' and the nonsense of this + untruth gets hard to bear. I told you the principal facts in the letter I + very hastily wrote: I could, had it been worth while, corroborate them by + others in plenty, and refer to the living witnesses—Lady Martin, + Mrs. Stirling, and (I believe) Mr. Anderson: it was solely through the + admirable loyalty of the two former that . . . a play . . . deprived of + every advantage, in the way of scenery, dresses, and rehearsing—proved—what + Macready himself declared it to be—'a complete success'. <i>So</i> + he sent a servant to tell me, 'in case there was a call for the author at + the end of the act'—to which I replied that the author had been too + sick and sorry at the whole treatment of his play to do any such thing. + Such a call there truly <i>was</i>, and Mr. Anderson had to come forward + and 'beg the author to come forward if he were in the house—a + circumstance of which he was not aware:' whereat the author laughed at him + from a box just opposite. . . . I would submit to anybody drawing a + conclusion from one or two facts past contradiction, whether that play + could have thoroughly failed which was not only not withdrawn at once but + acted three nights in the same week, and years afterwards, reproduced at + his own theatre, during my absence in Italy, by Mr. Phelps—the + person most completely aware of the untoward circumstances which stood + originally in the way of success. Why not enquire how it happens that, + this second time, there was no doubt of the play's doing as well as plays + ordinarily do? for those were not the days of a 'run'. + </p> + <p> + . . . . . + </p> + <p> + . . . This 'last word' has indeed been an Aristophanic one of fifty + syllables: but I have spoken it, relieved myself, and commend all that + concerns me to the approved and valued friend of whom I am proud to + account myself in corresponding friendship, His truly ever Robert + Browning. + </p> + <p> + Mr. Browning also alludes to Mr. Phelps's acting as not only not having + been detrimental to the play, but having helped to save it, in the + conspiracy of circumstances which seemed to invoke its failure. This was a + mistake, since Macready had been anxious to resume the part, and would + have saved it, to say the least, more thoroughly. It must, however, be + remembered that the irritation which these letters express was due much + less to the nature of the facts recorded in them than to the manner in + which they had been brought before Mr. Browning's mind. Writing on the + subject to Lady Martin in February 1881, he had spoken very temperately of + Macready's treatment of his play, while deprecating the injustice towards + his own friendship which its want of frankness involved: and many years + before this, the touch of a common sorrow had caused the old feeling, at + least momentarily, to well up again. The two met for the first time after + these occurrences when Mr. Browning had returned, a widower, from Italy. + Mr. Macready, too, had recently lost his wife; and Mr. Browning could only + start forward, grasp the hand of his old friend, and in a voice choked + with emotion say, 'O Macready!' + </p> + <p> + Lady Martin has spoken to me of the poet's attitude on the occasion of + this performance as being full of generous sympathy for those who were + working with him, as well as of the natural anxiety of a young author for + his own success. She also remains convinced that this sympathy led him + rather to over-than to under-rate the support he received. She wrote + concerning it in 'Blackwood's Magazine', March 1881: + </p> + <p> + 'It seems but yesterday that I sat by his [Mr. Elton's] side in the + green-room at the reading of Robert Browning's beautiful drama, 'A Blot in + the 'Scutcheon'. As a rule Mr. Macready always read the new plays. But + owing, I suppose, to some press of business, the task was entrusted on + this occasion to the head prompter,—a clever man in his way, but + wholly unfitted to bring out, or even to understand, Mr. Browning's + meaning. Consequently, the delicate, subtle lines were twisted, perverted, + and sometimes even made ridiculous in his hands. My "cruel father" [Mr. + Elton] was a warm admirer of the poet. He sat writhing and indignant, and + tried by gentle asides to make me see the real meaning of the verse. But + somehow the mischief proved irreparable, for a few of the actors during + the rehearsals chose to continue to misunderstand the text, and never took + the interest in the play which they would have done had Mr. Macready read + it.' + </p> + <p> + Looking back on the first appearance of his tragedy through the widening + perspectives of nearly forty years, Mr. Browning might well declare as he + did in the letter to Lady Martin to which I have just referred, that her '<i>perfect</i> + behaviour as a woman' and her 'admirable playing as an actress' had been + (or at all events were) to him 'the one gratifying circumstance connected + with it.' + </p> + <p> + He also felt it a just cause of bitterness that the letter from Charles + Dickens,* which conveyed his almost passionate admiration of 'A Blot in + the 'Scutcheon', and was clearly written to Mr. Forster in order that it + might be seen, was withheld for thirty years from his knowledge, and that + of the public whose judgment it might so largely have influenced. Nor was + this the only time in the poet's life that fairly earned honours escaped + him. + </p> +<pre xml:space="preserve"> + * See Forster's 'Life of Dickens'. +</pre> + <p> + 'Colombe's Birthday' was produced in 1853 at the Haymarket;* and + afterwards in the provinces, under the direction of Miss Helen Faucit, who + created the principal part. It was again performed for the Browning + Society in 1885,** and although Miss Alma Murray, as Colombe, was almost + entirely supported by amateurs, the result fully justified Miss Mary + Robinson (now Madame James Darmesteter) in writing immediately afterwards + in the Boston 'Literary World':*** + </p> +<pre xml:space="preserve"> + * Also in 1853 or 1854 at Boston. + + ** It had been played by amateurs, members of the Browning + Society, and their friends, at the house of Mr. Joseph King, + in January 1882. + + *** December 12, 1885; quoted in Mr. Arthur Symons' + 'Introduction to the Study of Browning'. +</pre> + <p> + '"Colombe's Birthday" is charming on the boards, clearer, more direct in + action, more full of delicate surprises than one imagines it in print. + With a very little cutting it could be made an excellent acting play.' + </p> + <p> + Mr. Gosse has seen a first edition copy of it marked for acting, and + alludes in his 'Personalia' to the greatly increased knowledge of the + stage which its minute directions displayed. They told also of sad + experience in the sacrifice of the poet which the play-writer so often + exacts: since they included the proviso that unless a very good Valence + could be found, a certain speech of his should be left out. That speech is + very important to the poetic, and not less to the moral, purpose of the + play: the triumph of unworldly affections. It is that in which Valence + defies the platitudes so often launched against rank and power, and shows + that these may be very beautiful things—in which he pleads for his + rival, and against his own heart. He is the better man of the two, and + Colombe has fallen genuinely in love with him. But the instincts of + sovereignty are not outgrown in one day however eventful, and the young + duchess has shown herself amply endowed with them. The Prince's offer + promised much, and it held still more. The time may come when she will + need that crowning memory of her husband's unselfishness and truth, not to + regret what she has done. + </p> + <p> + 'King Victor and King Charles' and 'The Return of the Druses' are both + admitted by competent judges to have good qualifications for the stage; + and Mr. Browning would have preferred seeing one of these acted to + witnessing the revival of 'Strafford' or 'A Blot in the 'Scutcheon', from + neither of which the best amateur performance could remove the stigma of + past, real or reputed, failure; and when once a friend belonging to the + Browning Society told him she had been seriously occupied with the + possibility of producing the Eastern play, he assented to the idea with a + simplicity that was almost touching, 'It <i>was</i> written for the + stage,' he said, 'and has only one scene.' He knew, however, that the + single scene was far from obviating all the difficulties of the case, and + that the Society, with its limited means, did the best it could. + </p> + <p> + I seldom hear any allusion to a passage in 'King Victor and King Charles' + which I think more than rivals the famous utterance of Valence, revealing + as it does the same grasp of non-conventional truth, while its occasion + lends itself to a far deeper recognition of the mystery, the frequent + hopeless dilemma of our moral life. It is that in which Polixena, the wife + of Charles, entreats him for <i>duty's</i> sake to retain the crown, + though he will earn, by so doing, neither the credit of a virtuous deed + nor the sure, persistent consciousness of having performed one. + </p> + <p> + Four poems of the 'Dramatic Lyrics' had appeared, as I have said, in the + 'Monthly Repository'. Six of those included in the 'Dramatic Lyrics and + Romances' were first published in 'Hood's Magazine' from June 1844 to + April 1845, a month before Hood's death. These poems were, 'The + Laboratory', 'Claret and Tokay', 'Garden Fancies', 'The Boy and the + Angel', 'The Tomb at St. Praxed's', and 'The Flight of the Duchess'. Mr. + Hood's health had given way under stress of work, and Mr. Browning with + other friends thus came forward to help him. The fact deserves remembering + in connection with his subsequent unbroken rule never to write for + magazines. He might always have made exceptions for friendly or + philanthropic objects; the appearance of 'Herve Riel' in the 'Cornhill + Magazine', 1870, indeed proves that it was so. But the offer of a blank + cheque would not have tempted him, for his own sake, to this concession, + as he would have deemed it, of his integrity of literary purpose. + </p> + <p> + 'In a Gondola' grew out of a single verse extemporized for a picture by + Maclise, in what circumstances we shall hear in the poet's own words. + </p> + <p> + The first proof of 'Artemis Prologuizes' had the following note: + </p> + <p> + 'I had better say perhaps that the above is nearly all retained of a + tragedy I composed, much against my endeavour, while in bed with a fever + two years ago—it went farther into the story of Hippolytus and + Aricia; but when I got well, putting only thus much down at once, I soon + forgot the remainder.'* + </p> +<pre xml:space="preserve"> + * When Mr. Browning gave me these supplementary details for + the 'Handbook', he spoke as if his illness had interrupted + the work, not preceded its conception. The real fact is, I + think, the more striking. +</pre> + <p> + Mr. Browning would have been very angry with himself if he had known he + ever wrote 'I <i>had</i> better'; and the punctuation of this note, as + well as of every other unrevised specimen which we possess of his early + writing, helps to show by what careful study of the literary art he must + have acquired his subsequent mastery of it. + </p> + <p> + 'Cristina' was addressed in fancy to the Spanish queen. It is to be + regretted that the poem did not remain under its original heading of + 'Queen Worship': as this gave a practical clue to the nature of the love + described, and the special remoteness of its object. + </p> + <p> + 'The Pied Piper of Hamelin' and another poem were written in May 1842 for + Mr. Macready's little eldest son, Willy, who was confined to the house by + illness, and who was to amuse himself by illustrating the poems as well as + reading them;* and the first of these, though not intended for + publication, was added to the 'Dramatic Lyrics', because some columns of + that number of 'Bells and Pomegranates' still required filling. It is + perhaps not known that the second was 'Crescentius, the Pope's Legate': + now included in 'Asolando'. + </p> +<pre xml:space="preserve"> + * Miss Browning has lately found some of the illustrations, + and the touching childish letter together with which + her brother received them. +</pre> + <p> + Mr. Browning's father had himself begun a rhymed story on the subject of + 'The Pied Piper'; but left it unfinished when he discovered that his son + was writing one. The fragment survives as part of a letter addressed to + Mr. Thomas Powell, and which I have referred to as in the possession of + Mr. Dykes Campbell. + </p> + <p> + 'The Lost Leader' has given rise to periodical questionings continued + until the present day, as to the person indicated in its title. Mr. + Browning answered or anticipated them fifteen years ago in a letter to + Miss Lee, of West Peckham, Maidstone. It was his reply to an application + in verse made to him in their very young days by herself and two other + members of her family, the manner of which seems to have unusually pleased + him. + </p> + <p> + Villers-sur-mer, Calvados, France: September 7, '75. + </p> + <p> + Dear Friends,—Your letter has made a round to reach me—hence + the delay in replying to it—which you will therefore pardon. I have + been asked the question you put to me—tho' never asked so poetically + and so pleasantly—I suppose a score of times: and I can only answer, + with something of shame and contrition, that I undoubtedly had Wordsworth + in my mind—but simply as 'a model'; you know, an artist takes one or + two striking traits in the features of his 'model', and uses them to start + his fancy on a flight which may end far enough from the good man or woman + who happens to be 'sitting' for nose and eye. + </p> + <p> + I thought of the great Poet's abandonment of liberalism, at an unlucky + juncture, and no repaying consequence that I could ever see. But—once + call my fancy-portrait 'Wordsworth'—and how much more ought one to + say,—how much more would not I have attempted to say! + </p> + <p> + There is my apology, dear friends, and your acceptance of it will confirm + me Truly yours, Robert Browning. + </p> + <p> + Some fragments of correspondence, not all very interesting, and his own + allusion to an attack of illness, are our only record of the poet's + general life during the interval which separated the publication of 'Pippa + Passes' from his second Italian journey. + </p> + <p> + An undated letter to Miss Haworth probably refers to the close of 1841. + </p> + <p> + '. . . I am getting to love painting as I did once. Do you know I was a + young wonder (as are eleven out of the dozen of us) at drawing? My father + had faith in me, and over yonder in a drawer of mine lies, I well know, a + certain cottage and rocks in lead pencil and black currant jam-juice + (paint being rank poison, as they said when I sucked my brushes) with his + (my father's) note in one corner, "R. B., aetat. two years three months." + "How fast, alas, our days we spend—How vain they be, how soon they + end!" I am going to print "Victor", however, by February, and there is one + thing not so badly painted in there—oh, let me tell you. I chanced + to call on Forster the other day, and he pressed me into committing verse + on the instant, not the minute, in Maclise's behalf, who has wrought a + divine Venetian work, it seems, for the British Institution. Forster + described it well—but I could do nothing better, than this wooden + ware—(all the "properties", as we say, were given, and the problem + was how to catalogue them in rhyme and unreason). + </p> +<pre xml:space="preserve"> + I send my heart up to thee, all my heart + In this my singing! + For the stars help me, and the sea bears part; + The very night is clinging + Closer to Venice' streets to leave me space + Above me, whence thy face + May light my joyous heart to thee its dwelling-place. +</pre> + <p> + Singing and stars and night and Venice streets and joyous heart, are + properties, do you please to see. And now tell me, is this below the + average of catalogue original poetry? Tell me—for to that end of + being told, I write. . . . I dined with dear Carlyle and his wife (catch + me calling people "dear" in a hurry, except in letter-beginnings!) + yesterday. I don't know any people like them. There was a son of Burns + there, Major Burns whom Macready knows—he sung "Of all the airts", + "John Anderson", and another song of his father's. . . .' + </p> + <p> + In the course of 1842 he wrote the following note to Miss Flower, + evidently relating to the publication of her 'Hymns and Anthems'. + </p> + <p> + New Cross, Hatcham, Surrey: Tuesday morning. + </p> + <p> + Dear Miss Flower,—I am sorry for what must grieve Mr. Fox; for + myself, I beg him earnestly not to see me till his entire convenience, + however pleased I shall be to receive the letter you promise on his part. + </p> + <p> + And how can I thank you enough for this good news—all this music I + shall be so thoroughly gratified to hear? Ever yours faithfully, Robert + Browning. + </p> + <p> + His last letter to her was written in 1845; the subject being a concert of + her own sacred music which she was about to give; and again, although more + slightly, I anticipate the course of events, in order to give it in its + natural connection with the present one. Mr. Browning was now engaged to + be married, and the last ring of youthful levity had disappeared from his + tone; but neither the new happiness nor the new responsibility had + weakened his interest in his boyhood's friend. Miss Flower must then have + been slowly dying, and the closing words of the letter have the solemnity + of a last farewell. + </p> + <p> + Sunday. + </p> + <p> + Dear Miss Flower,—I was very foolishly surprized at the sorrowful + finical notice you mention: foolishly; for, God help us, how else is it + with all critics of everything—don't I hear them talk and see them + write? I dare-say he admires you as he said. + </p> + <p> + For me, I never had another feeling than entire admiration for your music—entire + admiration—I put it apart from all other English music I know, and + fully believe in it as <i>the</i> music we all waited for. + </p> + <p> + Of your health I shall not trust myself to speak: you must know what is + unspoken. I should have been most happy to see you if but for a minute—and + if next Wednesday, I might take your hand for a moment.— + </p> + <p> + But you would concede that, if it were right, remembering what is now very + old friendship. May God bless you for ever (The signature has been cut + off.) + </p> + <p> + In the autumn of 1844 Mr. Browning set forth for Italy, taking ship, it is + believed, direct to Naples. Here he made the acquaintance of a young + Neapolitan gentleman who had spent most of his life in Paris; and they + became such good friends that they proceeded to Rome together. Mr. Scotti + was an invaluable travelling companion, for he engaged their conveyance, + and did all such bargaining in their joint interest as the habits of his + country required. 'As I write,' Mr. Browning said in a letter to his + sister, 'I hear him disputing our bill in the next room. He does not see + why we should pay for six wax candles when we have used only two.' At Rome + they spent most of their evenings with an old acquaintance of Mr. + Browning's, then Countess Carducci, and she pronounced Mr. Scotti the + handsomest man she had ever seen. He certainly bore no appearance of being + the least prosperous. But he blew out his brains soon after he and his new + friend had parted; and I do not think the act was ever fully accounted + for. + </p> + <p> + It must have been on his return journey that Mr. Browning went to Leghorn + to see Edward John Trelawney, to whom he carried a letter of introduction. + He described the interview long afterwards to Mr. Val Prinsep, but chiefly + in his impressions of the cool courage which Mr. Trelawney had displayed + during its course. A surgeon was occupied all the time in probing his leg + for a bullet which had been lodged there some years before, and had lately + made itself felt; and he showed himself absolutely indifferent to the pain + of the operation. Mr. Browning's main object in paying the visit had been, + naturally, to speak with one who had known Byron and been the last to see + Shelley alive; but we only hear of the two poets that they formed in part + the subject of their conversation. He reached England, again, we suppose, + through Germany—since he avoided Paris as before. + </p> + <p> + It has been asserted by persons otherwise well informed, that on this, if + not on his previous Italian journey, Mr. Browning became acquainted with + Stendhal, then French Consul at Civita Vecchia, and that he imbibed from + the great novelist a taste for curiosities of Italian family history, + which ultimately led him in the direction of the Franceschini case. It is + certain that he profoundly admired this writer, and if he was not, at some + time or other, introduced to him it was because the opportunity did not + occur. But there is abundant evidence that no introduction took place, and + quite sufficient proof that none was possible. Stendhal died in Paris in + March 1842; and granting that he was at Civita Vecchia when the poet made + his earlier voyage—no certainty even while he held the appointment—the + ship cannot have touched there on its way to Trieste. It is also a mistake + to suppose that Mr. Browning was specially interested in ancient + chronicles, as such. This was one of the points on which he distinctly + differed from his father. He took his dramatic subjects wherever he found + them, and any historical research which they ultimately involved was + undertaken for purposes of verification. 'Sordello' alone may have been + conceived on a rather different plan, and I have no authority whatever for + admitting that it was so. The discovery of the record of the Franceschini + case was, as its author has everywhere declared, an accident. + </p> + <p> + A single relic exists for us of this visit to the South—a shell + picked up, according to its inscription, on one of the Syren Isles, + October 4, 1844; but many of its reminiscences are embodied in that vivid + and charming picture 'The Englishman in Italy', which appeared in the + 'Bells and Pomegranates' number for the following year. Naples always + remained a bright spot in the poet's memory; and if it had been, like + Asolo, his first experience of Italy, it must have drawn him in later + years the more powerfully of the two. At one period, indeed, he dreamed of + it as a home for his declining days. + </p> + <p> + <a name="link2HCH0030" id="link2HCH0030"> + <!-- H2 anchor --> </a> + </p> + <div style="height: 4em;"> + <br /><br /><br /><br /> + </div> + <h2> + Chapter 9 + </h2> + <h3> + 1844-1849 + </h3> + <p> + <br /> + </p> + <p> + Introduction to Miss Barrett—Engagement—Motives for Secrecy—Marriage—Journey + to Italy—Extract of Letter from Mr. Fox—Mrs. Browning's + Letters to Miss Mitford—Life at Pisa—Vallombrosa—Florence; + Mr. Powers; Miss Boyle—Proposed British Mission to the Vatican—Father + Prout—Palazzo Guidi—Fano; Ancona—'A Blot in the + 'Scutcheon' at Sadler's Wells. + </p> + <p> + During his recent intercourse with the Browning family Mr. Kenyon had + often spoken of his invalid cousin, Elizabeth Barrett,* and had given them + copies of her works; and when the poet returned to England, late in 1844, + he saw the volume containing 'Lady Geraldine's Courtship', which had + appeared during his absence. On hearing him express his admiration of it, + Mr. Kenyon begged him to write to Miss Barrett, and himself tell her how + the poems had impressed him; 'for,' he added, 'my cousin is a great + invalid, and sees no one, but great souls jump at sympathy.' Mr. Browning + did write, and, a few months, probably, after the correspondence had been + established, begged to be allowed to visit her. She at first refused this, + on the score of her delicate health and habitual seclusion, emphasizing + the refusal by words of such touching humility and resignation that I + cannot refrain from quoting them. 'There is nothing to see in me, nothing + to hear in me. I am a weed fit for the ground and darkness.' But her + objections were overcome, and their first interview sealed Mr. Browning's + fate. + </p> +<pre xml:space="preserve"> + * Properly E. Barrett Moulton-Barrett. The first of these + surnames was that originally borne by the family, but + dropped on the annexation of the second. It has now for + some years been resumed. +</pre> + <p> + There is no cause for surprize in the passionate admiration with which + Miss Barrett so instantly inspired him. To begin with, he was heart-whole. + It would be too much to affirm that, in the course of his thirty-two + years, he had never met with a woman whom he could entirely love; but if + he had, it was not under circumstances which favoured the growth of such a + feeling. She whom he now saw for the first time had long been to him one + of the greatest of living poets; she was learned as women seldom were in + those days. It must have been apparent, in the most fugitive contact, that + her moral nature was as exquisite as her mind was exceptional. She looked + much younger than her age, which he only recently knew to have been six + years beyond his own; and her face was filled with beauty by the large, + expressive eyes. The imprisoned love within her must unconsciously have + leapt to meet his own. It would have been only natural that he should grow + into the determination to devote his life to hers, or be swept into an + offer of marriage by a sudden impulse which his after-judgment would + condemn. Neither of these things occurred. The offer was indeed made under + a sudden and overmastering impulse. But it was persistently repeated, till + it had obtained a conditional assent. No sane man in Mr. Browning's + position could have been ignorant of the responsibilities he was + incurring. He had, it is true, no experience of illness. Of its nature, + its treatment, its symptoms direct and indirect, he remained pathetically + ignorant to his dying day. He did not know what disqualifications for + active existence might reside in the fragile, recumbent form, nor in the + long years lived without change of air or scene beyond the passage, not + always even allowed, from bed-room to sitting-room, from sofa to bed + again. But he did know that Miss Barrett received him lying down, and that + his very ignorance of her condition left him without security for her ever + being able to stand. A strong sense of sympathy and pity could alone + entirely justify or explain his act—a strong desire to bring + sunshine into that darkened life. We might be sure that these motives had + been present with him if we had no direct authority for believing it; and + we have this authority in his own comparatively recent words: 'She had so + much need of care and protection. There was so much pity in what I felt + for her!' The pity was, it need hardly be said, at no time a substitute + for love, though the love in its full force only developed itself later; + but it supplied an additional incentive. + </p> + <p> + Miss Barrett had made her acceptance of Mr. Browning's proposal contingent + on her improving in health. The outlook was therefore vague. But under the + influence of this great new happiness she did gain some degree of + strength. They saw each other three times a week; they exchanged letters + constantly, and a very deep and perfect understanding established itself + between them. Mr. Browning never mentioned his visits except to his own + family, because it was naturally feared that if Miss Barrett were known to + receive one person, other friends, or even acquaintances, would claim + admittance to her; and Mr. Kenyon, who was greatly pleased by the result + of his introduction, kept silence for the same reason. + </p> + <p> + In this way the months slipped by till the summer of 1846 was drawing to + its close, and Miss Barrett's doctor then announced that her only chance + of even comparative recovery lay in spending the coming winter in the + South. There was no rational obstacle to her acting on this advice, since + more than one of her brothers was willing to escort her; but Mr. Barrett, + while surrounding his daughter with every possible comfort, had resigned + himself to her invalid condition and expected her also to acquiesce in it. + He probably did not believe that she would benefit by the proposed change. + At any rate he refused his consent to it. There remained to her only one + alternative—to break with the old home and travel southwards as Mr. + Browning's wife. + </p> + <p> + When she had finally assented to this course, she took a preparatory step + which, in so far as it was known, must itself have been sufficiently + startling to those about her: she drove to Regent's Park, and when there, + stepped out of the carriage and on to the grass. I do not know how long + she stood—probably only for a moment; but I well remember hearing + that when, after so long an interval, she felt earth under her feet and + air about her, the sensation was almost bewilderingly strange. + </p> + <p> + They were married, with strict privacy, on September 12, 1846, at St. + Pancras Church. + </p> + <p> + The engaged pair had not only not obtained Mr. Barrett's sanction to their + marriage; they had not even invoked it; and the doubly clandestine + character thus forced upon the union could not be otherwise than repugnant + to Mr. Browning's pride; but it was dictated by the deepest filial + affection on the part of his intended wife. There could be no question in + so enlightened a mind of sacrificing her own happiness with that of the + man she loved; she was determined to give herself to him. But she knew + that her father would never consent to her doing so; and she preferred + marrying without his knowledge to acting in defiance of a prohibition + which, once issued, he would never have revoked, and which would have + weighed like a portent of evil upon her. She even kept the secret of her + engagement from her intimate friend Miss Mitford, and her second father, + Mr. Kenyon, that they might not be involved in its responsibility. And Mr. + Kenyon, who, probably of all her circle, best understood the case, was + grateful to her for this consideration. + </p> + <p> + Mr. Barrett was one of those men who will not part with their children; + who will do anything for them except allow them to leave the parental + home. We have all known fathers of this type. He had nothing to urge + against Robert Browning. When Mr. Kenyon, later, said to him that he could + not understand his hostility to the marriage, since there was no man in + the world to whom he would more gladly have given his daughter if he had + been so fortunate as to possess one,* he replied: 'I have no objection to + the young man, but my daughter should have been thinking of another + world;' and, given his conviction that Miss Barrett's state was hopeless, + some allowance must be made for the angered sense of fitness which her + elopement was calculated to arouse in him. But his attitude was the same, + under the varying circumstances, with all his daughters and sons alike. + There was no possible husband or wife whom he would cordially have + accepted for one of them. + </p> +<pre xml:space="preserve"> + * Mr. Kenyon had been twice married, but he had no children. +</pre> + <p> + Mr. Browning had been willing, even at that somewhat late age, to study + for the Bar, or accept, if he could obtain it, any other employment which + might render him less ineligible from a pecuniary point of view. But Miss + Barrett refused to hear of such a course; and the subsequent necessity for + her leaving England would have rendered it useless. + </p> + <p> + For some days after their marriage Mr. and Mrs. Browning returned to their + old life. He justly thought that the agitation of the ceremony had been, + for the moment, as much as she could endure, and had therefore fixed for + it a day prior by one week to that of their intended departure from + England. The only difference in their habits was that he did not see her; + he recoiled from the hypocrisy of asking for her under her maiden name; + and during this passive interval, fortunately short, he carried a weight + of anxiety and of depression which placed it among the most painful + periods of his existence. + </p> + <p> + In the late afternoon or evening of September 19, Mrs. Browning, attended + by her maid and her dog, stole away from her father's house. The family + were at dinner, at which meal she was not in the habit of joining them; + her sisters Henrietta and Arabel had been throughout in the secret of her + attachment and in full sympathy with it; in the case of the servants, she + was also sure of friendly connivance. There was no difficulty in her + escape, but that created by the dog, which might be expected to bark its + consciousness of the unusual situation. She took him into her confidence. + She said: 'O Flush, if you make a sound, I am lost.' And Flush understood, + as what good dog would not?—and crept after his mistress in silence. + I do not remember where her husband joined her; we may be sure it was as + near her home as possible. That night they took the boat to Havre, on + their way to Paris. + </p> + <p> + Only a short time elapsed before Mr. Barrett became aware of what had + happened. It is not necessary to dwell on his indignation, which at that + moment, I believe, was shared by all his sons. Nor were they the only + persons to be agitated by the occurrence. If there was wrath in the + Barrett family, there was consternation in that of Mr. Browning. He had + committed a crime in the eyes of his wife's father; but he had been + guilty, in the judgment of his own parents, of one of those errors which + are worse. A hundred times the possible advantages of marrying a Miss + Barrett could never have balanced for them the risks and dangers he had + incurred in wresting to himself the guardianship of that frail life which + might perish in his hands, leaving him to be accused of having destroyed + it; and they must have awaited the event with feelings never to be + forgotten. + </p> + <p> + It was soon to be apparent that in breaking the chains which bound her to + a sick room, Mr. Browning had not killed his wife, but was giving her a + new lease of existence. His parents and sister soon loved her dearly, for + her own sake as well as her husband's; and those who, if in a mistaken + manner, had hitherto cherished her, gradually learned, with one exception, + to value him for hers. It would, however, be useless to deny that the + marriage was a hazardous experiment, involving risks of suffering quite + other than those connected with Mrs. Browning's safety: the latent + practical disparities of an essentially vigorous and an essentially + fragile existence; and the time came when these were to make themselves + felt. Mrs. Browning had been a delicate infant. She had also outgrown this + delicacy and developed into a merry, and, in the harmless sense, + mischief-loving child. The accident which subsequently undermined her life + could only have befallen a very active and healthy girl.* Her condition + justified hope and, to a great extent, fulfilled it. She rallied + surprisingly and almost suddenly in the sunshine of her new life, and + remained for several years at the higher physical level: her natural and + now revived spirits sometimes, I imagine, lifting her beyond it. But her + ailments were too radical for permanent cure, as the weak voice and + shrunken form never ceased to attest. They renewed themselves, though in + slightly different conditions; and she gradually relapsed, during the + winters at least, into something like the home-bound condition of her + earlier days. It became impossible that she should share the more active + side of her husband's existence. It had to be alternately suppressed and + carried on without her. The deep heart-love, the many-sided intellectual + sympathy, preserved their union in rare beauty to the end. But to say that + it thus maintained itself as if by magic, without effort of self-sacrifice + on his part or of resignation on hers, would be as unjust to the noble + qualities of both, as it would be false to assert that its compensating + happiness had ever failed them. + </p> +<pre xml:space="preserve"> + * Her family at that time lived in the country. She was a + constant rider, and fond of saddling her pony; and one day, + when she was about fourteen, she overbalanced herself in + lifting the saddle, and fell backward, inflicting injuries + on her head, or rather spine, which caused her great + suffering, but of which the nature remained for some time + undiscovered. +</pre> + <p> + Mr. Browning's troubles did not, even for the present, exhaust themselves + in that week of apprehension. They assumed a deeper reality when his + delicate wife first gave herself into his keeping, and the long hours on + steamboat and in diligence were before them. What she suffered in body, + and he in mind, during the first days of that wedding-journey is better + imagined than told. In Paris they either met, or were joined by, a friend, + Mrs. Anna Jameson (then also en route for Italy), and Mrs. Browning was + doubly cared for till she and her husband could once more put themselves + on their way. At Genoa came the long-needed rest in southern land. From + thence, in a few days, they went on to Pisa, and settled there for the + winter. + </p> + <p> + Even so great a friend as John Forster was not in the secret of Mr. + Browning's marriage; we learn this through an amusing paragraph in a + letter from Mr. Fox, written soon after it had taken place: + </p> + <p> + 'Forster never heard of the Browning marriage till the proof of the + newspaper ('Examiner') notice was sent; when he went into one of his great + passions at the supposed hoax, ordered up the compositor to have a swear + at him, and demanded to see the MS. from which it was taken: so it was + brought, and he instantly recognised the hand of Browning's sister. Next + day came a letter from R. B., saying he had often meant to tell him or + write of it, but hesitated between the two, and neglected both. + </p> + <p> + 'She was better, and a winter in Italy had been recommended some months + ago. + </p> + <p> + 'It seems as if made up by their poetry rather than themselves.' + </p> + <p> + Many interesting external details of Mr. Browning's married life must have + been lost to us through the wholesale destruction of his letters to his + family, of which mention has been already made, and which he carried out + before leaving Warwick Crescent about four years ago; and Mrs. Browning's + part in the correspondence, though still preserved, cannot fill the gap, + since for a long time it chiefly consisted of little personal outpourings, + inclosed in her husband's letters and supplementary to them. But she also + wrote constantly to Miss Mitford; and, from the letters addressed to her, + now fortunately in Mr. Barrett Browning's hands, it has been possible to + extract many passages of a sufficiently great, and not too private, + interest for our purpose. These extracts—in some cases almost entire + letters—indeed constitute a fairly complete record of Mr. and Mrs. + Browning's joint life till the summer of 1854, when Miss Mitford's death + was drawing near, and the correspondence ceased. Their chronological order + is not always certain, because Mrs. Browning never gave the year in which + her letters were written, and in some cases the postmark is obliterated; + but the missing date can almost always be gathered from their contents. + The first letter is probably written from Paris. + </p> + <p> + Oct. 2 ('46). + </p> + <p> + '. . . and he, as you say, had done everything for me—he loved me + for reasons which had helped to weary me of myself—loved me heart to + heart persistently—in spite of my own will . . . drawn me back to + life and hope again when I had done with both. My life seemed to belong to + him and to none other, at last, and I had no power to speak a word. Have + faith in me, my dearest friend, till you know him. The intellect is so + little in comparison to all the rest—to the womanly tenderness, the + inexhaustible goodness, the high and noble aspiration of every hour. + Temper, spirits, manners—there is not a flaw anywhere. I shut my + eyes sometimes and fancy it all a dream of my guardian angel. Only, if it + had been a dream, the pain of some parts of it would have wakened me + before now—it is not a dream. . . .' + </p> + <p> + The three next speak for themselves. + </p> + <p> + Pisa: ('46). + </p> + <p> + '. . . For Pisa, we both like it extremely. The city is full of beauty and + repose,—and the purple mountains gloriously seem to beckon us on + deeper into the vine land. We have rooms close to the Duomo, and leaning + down on the great Collegio built by Facini. Three excellent bed-rooms and + a sitting-room matted and carpeted, looking comfortable even for England. + For the last fortnight, except the last few sunny days, we have had rain; + but the climate is as mild as possible, no cold with all the damp. + Delightful weather we had for the travelling. Mrs. Jameson says she won't + call me improved but transformed rather. . . . I mean to know something + about pictures some day. Robert does, and I shall get him to open my eyes + for me with a little instruction—in this place are to be seen the + first steps of Art. . . .' + </p> + <p> + Pisa: Dec. 19 ('46). + </p> + <p> + '. . . Within these three or four days we have had frost—yes, and a + little snow—for the first time, say the Pisans, within five years. + Robert says the mountains are powdered towards Lucca. . . .' + </p> + <p> + Feb. 3 ('47). + </p> + <p> + '. . . Robert is a warm admirer of Balzac and has read most of his books, + but certainly he does not in a general way appreciate our French people + quite with my warmth. He takes too high a standard, I tell him, and won't + listen to a story for a story's sake—I can bear, you know, to be + amused without a strong pull on my admiration. So we have great wars + sometimes—I put up Dumas' flag or Soulie's or Eugene Sue's (yet he + was properly impressed by the 'Mysteres de Paris'), and carry it till my + arms ache. The plays and vaudevilles he knows far more of than I do, and + always maintains they are the happiest growth of the French school. + Setting aside the 'masters', observe; for Balzac and George Sand hold all + their honours. Then we read together the other day 'Rouge et Noir', that + powerful work of Stendhal's, and he observed that it was exactly like + Balzac 'in the raw'—in the material and undeveloped conception . . . + We leave Pisa in April, and pass through Florence towards the north of + Italy . . .' + </p> + <p> + (She writes out a long list of the 'Comedie Humaine' for Miss Mitford.) + </p> + <p> + Mr. and Mrs. Browning must have remained in Florence, instead of merely + passing through it; this is proved by the contents of the two following + letters: + </p> + <p> + Aug. 20 ('47). + </p> + <p> + '. . . We have spent one of the most delightful of summers notwithstanding + the heat, and I begin to comprehend the possibility of St. Lawrence's + ecstasies on the gridiron. Very hot certainly it has been and is, yet + there have been cool intermissions, and as we have spacious and airy + rooms, as Robert lets me sit all day in my white dressing-gown without a + single masculine criticism, and as we can step out of the window on a sort + of balcony terrace which is quite private, and swims over with moonlight + in the evenings, and as we live upon water-melons and iced water and figs + and all manner of fruit, we bear the heat with an angelic patience. + </p> + <p> + We tried to make the monks of Vallombrosa let us stay with them for two + months, but the new abbot said or implied that Wilson and I stank in his + nostrils, being women. So we were sent away at the end of five days. So + provoking! Such scenery, such hills, such a sea of hills looking alive + among the clouds—which rolled, it was difficult to discern. Such + fine woods, supernaturally silent, with the ground black as ink. There + were eagles there too, and there was no road. Robert went on horseback, + and Wilson and I were drawn on a sledge—(i.e. an old hamper, a + basket wine-hamper—without a wheel) by two white bullocks, up the + precipitous mountains. Think of my travelling in those wild places at four + o'clock in the morning! a little frightened, dreadfully tired, but in an + ecstasy of admiration. It was a sight to see before one died and went away + into another world. But being expelled ignominiously at the end of five + days, we had to come back to Florence to find a new apartment cooler than + the old, and wait for dear Mr. Kenyon, and dear Mr. Kenyon does not come + after all. And on the 20th of September we take up our knapsacks and turn + our faces towards Rome, creeping slowly along, with a pause at Arezzo, and + a longer pause at Perugia, and another perhaps at Terni. Then we plan to + take an apartment we have heard of, over the Tarpeian rock, and enjoy Rome + as we have enjoyed Florence. More can scarcely be. This Florence is + unspeakably beautiful . . .' + </p> + <p> + Oct. ('47). + </p> + <p> + '. . . Very few acquaintances have we made in Florence, and very quietly + lived out our days. Mr. Powers, the sculptor, is our chief friend and + favourite. A most charming, simple, straightforward, genial American—as + simple as the man of genius he has proved himself to be. He sometimes + comes to talk and take coffee with us, and we like him much. The sculptor + has eyes like a wild Indian's, so black and full of light—you would + scarcely marvel if they clove the marble without the help of his hands. We + have seen, besides, the Hoppners, Lord Byron's friends at Venice; and Miss + Boyle, a niece of the Earl of Cork, an authoress and poetess on her own + account, having been introduced to Robert in London at Lady Morgan's, has + hunted us out, and paid us a visit. A very vivacious little person, with + sparkling talk enough . . .' + </p> + <p> + In this year, 1847, the question arose of a British mission to the + Vatican; and Mr. Browning wrote to Mr. Monckton Milnes begging him to + signify to the Foreign Office his more than willingness to take part in + it. He would be glad and proud, he said, to be secretary to such an + embassy, and to work like a horse in his vocation. The letter is given in + the lately published biography of Lord Houghton, and I am obliged to + confess that it has been my first intimation of the fact recorded there. + When once his 'Paracelsus' had appeared, and Mr. Browning had taken rank + as a poet, he renounced all idea of more active work; and the tone and + habits of his early married life would have seemed scarcely consistent + with a renewed impulse towards it. But the fact was in some sense due to + the very circumstances of that life: among them, his wife's probable + incitement to, and certain sympathy with, the proceeding. + </p> + <p> + The projected winter in Rome had been given up, I believe against the + doctor's advice, on the strength of the greater attractions of Florence. + Our next extract is dated from thence, Dec. 8, 1847. + </p> + <p> + '. . . Think what we have done since I last wrote to you. Taken two + houses, that is, two apartments, each for six months, presigning the + contract. You will set it down to excellent poet's work in the way of + domestic economy, but the fault was altogether mine, as usual. My husband, + to please me, took rooms which I could not be pleased with three days + through the absence of sunshine and warmth. The consequence was that we + had to pay heaps of guineas away, for leave to go away ourselves—any + alternative being preferable to a return of illness—and I am sure I + should have been ill if we had persisted in staying there. You can + scarcely fancy the wonderful difference which the sun makes in Italy. So + away we came into the blaze of him in the Piazza Pitti; precisely opposite + the Grand Duke's palace; I with my remorse, and poor Robert without a + single reproach. Any other man, a little lower than the angels, would have + stamped and sworn a little for the mere relief of the thing—but as + to <i>his</i> being angry with <i>me</i> for any cause except not eating + enough dinner, the said sun would turn the wrong way first. So here we are + in the Pitti till April, in small rooms yellow with sunshine from morning + till evening, and most days I am able to get out into the piazza and walk + up and down for twenty minutes without feeling a breath of the actual + winter . . . and Miss Boyle, ever and anon, comes at night, at nine + o'clock, to catch us at hot chestnuts and mulled wine, and warm her feet + at our fire—and a kinder, more cordial little creature, full of + talent and accomplishment never had the world's polish on it. Very amusing + she is too, and original; and a good deal of laughing she and Robert make + between them. And this is nearly all we see of the Face Divine—I + can't make Robert go out a single evening. . . .' + </p> + <p> + We have five extracts for 1848. One of these, not otherwise dated, + describes an attack of sore-throat which was fortunately Mr. Browning's + last; and the letter containing it must have been written in the course of + the summer. + </p> + <p> + '. . . My husband was laid up for nearly a month with fever and relaxed + sore-throat. Quite unhappy I have been over those burning hands and + languid eyes—the only unhappiness I ever had by him. And then he + wouldn't see a physician, and if it had not been that just at the right + moment Mr. Mahoney, the celebrated Jesuit, and "Father Prout" of Fraser, + knowing everything as those Jesuits are apt to do, came in to us on his + way to Rome, pointed out to us that the fever got ahead through weakness, + and mixed up with his own kind hand a potion of eggs and port wine; to the + horror of our Italian servant, who lifted up his eyes at such a + prescription for fever, crying, "O Inglesi! Inglesi!" the case would have + been far worse, I have no kind of doubt, for the eccentric prescription + gave the power of sleeping, and the pulse grew quieter directly. I shall + always be grateful to Father Prout—always.'* + </p> +<pre xml:space="preserve"> + * It had not been merely a case of relaxed sore-throat. + There was an abscess, which burst during this first night of + sleep. +</pre> + <p> + May 28. + </p> + <p> + '. . . And now I must tell you what we have done since I wrote last, + little thinking of doing so. You see our problem was, to get to England as + much in summer as possible, the expense of the intermediate journeys + making it difficult of solution. On examination of the whole case, it + appeared manifest that we were throwing money into the Arno, by our way of + taking furnished rooms, while to take an apartment and furnish it would + leave us a clear return of the furniture at the end of the first year in + exchange for our outlay, and all but a free residence afterwards, the + cheapness of furniture being quite fabulous at the present crisis. . . . + In fact we have really done it magnificently, and planted ourselves in the + Guidi Palace in the favourite suite of the last Count (his arms are in + scagliola on the floor of my bedroom). Though we have six beautiful rooms + and a kitchen, three of them quite palace rooms and opening on a terrace, + and though such furniture as comes by slow degrees into them is antique + and worthy of the place, we yet shall have saved money by the end of this + year. . . . Now I tell you all this lest you should hear dreadful rumours + of our having forsaken our native land, venerable institutions and all, + whereas we remember it so well (it's a dear land in many senses), that we + have done this thing chiefly in order to make sure of getting back + comfortably, . . . a stone's throw, too, it is from the Pitti, and really + in my present mind I would hardly exchange with the Grand Duke himself. By + the bye, as to street, we have no spectators in windows in just the grey + wall of a church called San Felice for good omen. + </p> + <p> + 'Now, have you heard enough of us? What I claimed first, in way of + privilege, was a spring-sofa to loll upon, and a supply of rain water to + wash in, and you shall see what a picturesque oil-jar they have given us + for the latter purpose; it would just hold the Captain of the Forty + Thieves. As for the chairs and tables, I yield the more especial interest + in them to Robert; only you would laugh to hear us correct one another + sometimes. "Dear, you get too many drawers, and not enough washing-stands. + Pray don't let us have any more drawers when we've nothing more to put in + them." There was no division on the necessity of having six spoons—some + questions passed themselves. . . .' + </p> + <p> + July. + </p> + <p> + '. . . I am quite well again and strong. Robert and I go out often after + tea in a wandering walk to sit in the Loggia and look at the Perseus, or, + better still, at the divine sunsets on the Arno, turning it to pure gold + under the bridges. After more than twenty months of marriage, we are + happier than ever. . . .' + </p> + <p> + Aug. + </p> + <p> + '. . . As for ourselves we have hardly done so well—yet well—having + enjoyed a great deal in spite of drawbacks. Murray, the traitor, sent us + to Fano as "a delightful summer residence for an English family," and we + found it uninhabitable from the heat, vegetation scorched into paleness, + the very air swooning in the sun, and the gloomy looks of the inhabitants + sufficiently corroborative of their words that no drop of rain or dew ever + falls there during the summer. A "circulating library" which "does not + give out books," and "a refined and intellectual Italian society" (I quote + Murray for that phrase) which "never reads a book through" (I quote Mrs. + Wiseman, Dr. Wiseman's mother, who has lived in Fano seven years) complete + the advantages of the place. Yet the churches are very beautiful, and a + divine picture of Guercino's is worth going all that way to see. . . . We + fled from Fano after three days, and finding ourselves cheated out of our + dream of summer coolness, resolved on substituting for it what the + Italians call "un bel giro". So we went to Ancona—a striking sea + city, holding up against the brown rocks, and elbowing out the purple + tides—beautiful to look upon. An exfoliation of the rock itself you + would call the houses that seem to grow there—so identical is the + colour and character. I should like to visit Ancona again when there is a + little air and shadow. We stayed a week, as it was, living upon fish and + cold water. . . .' + </p> + <p> + The one dated Florence, December 16, is interesting with reference to Mr. + Browning's attitude when he wrote the letters to Mr. Frank Hill which I + have recently quoted. + </p> + <p> + 'We have been, at least I have been, a little anxious lately about the + fate of the 'Blot in the 'Scutcheon' which Mr. Phelps applied for my + husband's permission to revive at Sadler's. Of course putting the request + was mere form, as he had every right to act the play—only it made ME + anxious till we heard the result—and we both of us are very grateful + to dear Mr. Chorley, who not only made it his business to be at the + theatre the first night, but, before he slept, sat down like a true friend + to give us the story of the result, and never, he says, was a more + legitimate success. The play went straight to the hearts of the audience, + it seems, and we hear of its continuance on the stage, from the papers. + You may remember, or may not have heard, how Macready brought it out and + put his foot on it, in the flush of a quarrel between manager and author; + and Phelps, knowing the whole secret and feeling the power of the play, + determined on making a revival of it in his own theatre. Mr. Chorley + called his acting "fine". . . .' + </p> + <p> + <a name="link2HCH0031" id="link2HCH0031"> + <!-- H2 anchor --> </a> + </p> + <div style="height: 4em;"> + <br /><br /><br /><br /> + </div> + <h2> + Chapter 10 + </h2> + <h3> + 1849-1852 + </h3> + <p> + Death of Mr. Browning's Mother—Birth of his Son—Mrs. + Browning's Letters continued—Baths of Lucca—Florence again—Venice—Margaret + Fuller Ossoli—Visit to England—Winter in Paris—Carlyle—George + Sand—Alfred de Musset. + </p> + <p> + On March 9, 1849, Mr. Browning's son was born. With the joy of his wife's + deliverance from the dangers of such an event came also his first great + sorrow. His mother did not live to receive the news of her grandchild's + birth. The letter which conveyed it found her still breathing, but in the + unconsciousness of approaching death. There had been no time for warning. + The sister could only break the suddenness of the shock. A letter of Mrs. + Browning's tells what was to be told. + </p> + <p> + Florence: April 30 ('49). + </p> + <p> + '. . . This is the first packet of letters, except one to Wimpole Street, + which I have written since my confinement. You will have heard how our joy + turned suddenly into deep sorrow by the death of my husband's mother. An + unsuspected disease (ossification of the heart) terminated in a fatal way—and + she lay in the insensibility precursive of the grave's when the letter + written with such gladness by my poor husband and announcing the birth of + his child, reached her address. "It would have made her heart bound," said + her daughter to us. Poor tender heart—the last throb was too near. + The medical men would not allow the news to be communicated. The next joy + she felt was to be in heaven itself. My husband has been in the deepest + anguish, and indeed, except for the courageous consideration of his sister + who wrote two letters of preparation, saying "She was not well" and she + "was very ill" when in fact all was over, I am frightened to think what + the result would have been to him. He has loved his mother as such + passionate natures only can love, and I never saw a man so bowed down in + an extremity of sorrow—never. Even now, the depression is great—and + sometimes when I leave him alone a little and return to the room, I find + him in tears. I do earnestly wish to change the scene and air—but + where to go? England looks terrible now. He says it would break his heart + to see his mother's roses over the wall and the place where she used to + lay her scissors and gloves—which I understand so thoroughly that I + can't say "Let us go to England." We must wait and see what his father and + sister will choose to do, or choose us to do—for of course a duty + plainly seen would draw us anywhere. My own dearest sisters will be + painfully disappointed by any change of plan—only they are too good + and kind not to understand the difficulty—not to see the motive. So + do you, I am certain. It has been very, very painful altogether, this + drawing together of life and death. Robert was too enraptured at my safety + and with his little son, and the sudden reaction was terrible. . . .' + </p> + <p> + Bagni di Lucca. + </p> + <p> + '. . . We have been wandering in search of cool air and a cool bough among + all the olive trees to build our summer nest on. My husband has been + suffering beyond what one could shut one's eyes to, in consequence of the + great mental shock of last March—loss of appetite, loss of sleep—looks + quite worn and altered. His spirits never rallied except with an effort, + and every letter from New Cross threw him back into deep depression. I was + very anxious, and feared much that the end of it all would be (the intense + heat of Florence assisting) nervous fever or something similar; and I had + the greatest difficulty in persuading him to leave Florence for a month or + two. He who generally delights in travelling, had no mind for change or + movement. I had to say and swear that Baby and I couldn't bear the heat, + and that we must and would go away. "Ce que femme veut, <i>homme</i> + veut," if the latter is at all amiable, or the former persevering. At last + I gained the victory. It was agreed that we two should go on an exploring + journey, to find out where we could have most shadow at least expense; and + we left our child with his nurse and Wilson, while we were absent. We went + along the coast to Spezzia, saw Carrara with the white marble mountains, + passed through the olive-forests and the vineyards, avenues of acacia + trees, chestnut woods, glorious surprises of the most exquisite scenery. I + say olive-forests advisedly—the olive grows like a forest-tree in + those regions, shading the ground with tints of silvery network. The olive + near Florence is but a shrub in comparison, and I have learnt to despise a + little too the Florentine vine, which does not swing such portcullises of + massive dewy green from one tree to another as along the whole road where + we travelled. Beautiful indeed it was. Spezzia wheels the blue sea into + the arms of the wooded mountains; and we had a glance at Shelley's house + at Lerici. It was melancholy to me, of course. I was not sorry that the + lodgings we inquired about were far above our means. We returned on our + steps (after two days in the dirtiest of possible inns), saw Seravezza, a + village in the mountains, where rock river and wood enticed us to stay, + and the inhabitants drove us off by their unreasonable prices. It is + curious—but just in proportion to the want of civilization the + prices rise in Italy. If you haven't cups and saucers, you are made to pay + for plate. Well—so finding no rest for the soles of our feet, I + persuaded Robert to go to the Baths of Lucca, only to see them. We were to + proceed afterwards to San Marcello, or some safer wilderness. We had both + of us, but he chiefly, the strongest prejudice against the Baths of Lucca; + taking them for a sort of wasp's nest of scandal and gaming, and expecting + to find everything trodden flat by the continental English—yet, I + wanted to see the place, because it is a place to see, after all. So we + came, and were so charmed by the exquisite beauty of the scenery, by the + coolness of the climate, and the absence of our countrymen—political + troubles serving admirably our private requirements, that we made an offer + for rooms on the spot, and returned to Florence for Baby and the rest of + our establishment without further delay. Here we are then. We have been + here more than a fortnight. We have taken an apartment for the season—four + months, paying twelve pounds for the whole term, and hoping to be able to + stay till the end of October. The living is cheaper than even in Florence, + so that there has been no extravagance in coming here. In fact Florence is + scarcely tenable during the summer from the excessive heat by day and + night, even if there were no particular motive for leaving it. We have + taken a sort of eagle's nest in this place—the highest house of the + highest of the three villages which are called the Bagni di Lucca, and + which lie at the heart of a hundred mountains sung to continually by a + rushing mountain stream. The sound of the river and of the cicale is all + the noise we hear. Austrian drums and carriage-wheels cannot vex us, God + be thanked for it! The silence is full of joy and consolation. I think my + husband's spirits are better already, and his appetite improved. Certainly + little Babe's great cheeks are growing rosier and rosier. He is out all + day when the sun is not too strong, and Wilson will have it that he is + prettier than the whole population of babies here. . . . Then my whole + strength has wonderfully improved—just as my medical friends + prophesied,—and it seems like a dream when I find myself able to + climb the hills with Robert, and help him to lose himself in the forests. + Ever since my confinement I have been growing stronger and stronger, and + where it is to stop I can't tell really. I can do as much or more than at + any point of my life since I arrived at woman's estate. The air of the + place seems to penetrate the heart, and not the lungs only: it draws you, + raises you, excites you. Mountain air without its keenness—sheathed + in Italian sunshine—think what that must be! And the beauty and the + solitude—for with a few paces we get free of the habitations of men—all + is delightful to me. What is peculiarly beautiful and wonderful, is the + variety of the shapes of the mountains. They are a multitude—and yet + there is no likeness. None, except where the golden mist comes and + transfigures them into one glory. For the rest, the mountain there wrapt + in the chestnut forest is not like that bare peak which tilts against the + sky—nor like the serpent-twine of another which seems to move and + coil in the moving coiling shadow. . . .' + </p> + <p> + She writes again: + </p> + <p> + Bagni di Lucca: Oct. 2 ('49). + </p> + <p> + '. . . I have performed a great exploit—ridden on a donkey five + miles deep into the mountain, to an almost inaccessible volcanic ground + not far from the stars. Robert on horseback, and Wilson and the nurse + (with Baby) on other donkies,—guides of course. We set off at eight + in the morning, and returned at six P.M. after dining on the mountain + pinnacle, I dreadfully tired, but the child laughing as usual, burnt brick + colour for all bad effect. No horse or ass untrained for the mountains + could have kept foot a moment where we penetrated, and even as it was, one + could not help the natural thrill. No road except the bed of exhausted + torrents—above and through the chestnut forests precipitous beyond + what you would think possible for ascent or descent. Ravines tearing the + ground to pieces under your feet. The scenery, sublime and wonderful, + satisfied us wholly, as we looked round on the world of innumerable + mountains, bound faintly with the grey sea—and not a human + habitation. . . .' + </p> + <p> + The following fragment, which I have received quite without date, might + refer to this or to a somewhat later period. + </p> + <p> + 'If he is vain about anything in the world it is about my improved health, + and I say to him, "But you needn't talk so much to people, of how your + wife walked here with you, and there with you, as if a wife with a pair of + feet was a miracle of nature."' + </p> + <p> + Florence: Feb. 18 ('50). + </p> + <p> + '. . . You can scarcely imagine to yourself the retired life we live, and + how we have retreated from the kind advances of the English society here. + Now people seem to understand that we are to be left alone. . . .' + </p> + <p> + Florence: April 1 ('50). + </p> + <p> + '. . . We drive day by day through the lovely Cascine, just sweeping + through the city. Just such a window where Bianca Capello looked out to + see the Duke go by—and just such a door where Tasso stood and where + Dante drew his chair out to sit. Strange to have all that old world life + about us, and the blue sky so bright. . . .' + </p> + <p> + Venice: June 4 (probably '50). + </p> + <p> + '. . . I have been between Heaven and Earth since our arrival at Venice. + The Heaven of it is ineffable—never had I touched the skirts of so + celestial a place. The beauty of the architecture, the silver trails of + water up between all that gorgeous colour and carving, the enchanting + silence, the music, the gondolas—I mix it all up together and + maintain that nothing is like it, nothing equal to it, not a second Venice + in the world. + </p> + <p> + 'Do you know when I came first I felt as if I never could go away. But now + comes the earth-side. + </p> + <p> + 'Robert, after sharing the ecstasy, grows uncomfortable and nervous, + unable to eat or sleep, and poor Wilson still worse, in a miserable + condition of sickness and headache. Alas for these mortal Venices, so + exquisite and so bilious. Therefore I am constrained away from my joys by + sympathy, and am forced to be glad that we are going away on Friday. For + myself, it did not affect me at all. Take the mild, soft, relaxing climate—even + the scirocco does not touch me. And the baby grows gloriously fatter in + spite of everything. . . . As for Venice, you can't get even a "Times", + much less an "Athenaeum". We comfort ourselves by taking a box at the + opera (a whole box on the grand tier, mind) for two shillings and + eightpence, English. Also, every evening at half-past eight, Robert and I + are sitting under the moon in the great piazza of St. Mark, taking + excellent coffee and reading the French papers.' + </p> + <p> + If it were possible to draw more largely on Mrs. Browning's correspondence + for this year, it would certainly supply the record of her intimacy, and + that of her husband, with Margaret Fuller Ossoli. A warm attachment sprang + up between them during that lady's residence in Florence. Its last + evenings were all spent at their house; and, soon after she had bidden + them farewell, she availed herself of a two days' delay in the departure + of the ship to return from Leghorn and be with them one evening more. She + had what seemed a prophetic dread of the voyage to America, though she + attached no superstitious importance to the prediction once made to her + husband that he would be drowned; and learned when it was too late to + change her plans that her presence there was, after all, unnecessary. Mr. + Browning was deeply affected by the news of her death by shipwreck, which + took place on July 16, 1850; and wrote an account of his acquaintance with + her, for publication by her friends. This also, unfortunately, was lost. + Her son was of the same age as his, little more than a year old; but she + left a token of the friendship which might some day have united them, in a + small Bible inscribed to the baby Robert, 'In memory of Angelo Ossoli.' + </p> + <p> + The intended journey to England was delayed for Mr. Browning by the + painful associations connected with his mother's death; but in the summer + of 1851 he found courage to go there: and then, as on each succeeding + visit paid to London with his wife, he commemorated his marriage in a + manner all his own. He went to the church in which it had been solemnized, + and kissed the paving-stones in front of the door. It needed all this love + to comfort Mrs. Browning in the estrangement from her father which was + henceforth to be accepted as final. He had held no communication with her + since her marriage, and she knew that it was not forgiven; but she had + cherished a hope that he would so far relent towards her as to kiss her + child, even if he would not see her. Her prayer to this effect remained, + however, unanswered. + </p> + <p> + In the autumn they proceeded to Paris; whence Mrs. Browning wrote, October + 22 and November 12. + </p> + <p> + 138, Avenue des Champs Elysees. + </p> + <p> + '. . . It was a long time before we could settle ourselves in a private + apartment. . . . At last we came off to these Champs Elysees, to a very + pleasant apartment, the window looking over a large terrace (almost large + enough to serve the purpose of a garden) to the great drive and promenade + of the Parisians when they come out of the streets to sun and shade and + show themselves off among the trees. A pretty little dining-room, a + writing and dressing-room for Robert beside it, a drawing-room beyond + that, with two excellent bedrooms, and third bedroom for a "femme de + menage", kitchen, &c. . . . So this answers all requirements, and the + sun suns us loyally as in duty bound considering the southern aspect, and + we are glad to find ourselves settled for six months. We have had lovely + weather, and have seen a fire only yesterday for the first time since we + left England. . . . We have seen nothing in Paris, except the shell of it. + Yet, two evenings ago we hazarded going to a reception at Lady Elgin's, in + the Faubourg St. Germain, and saw some French, but nobody of distinction. + </p> + <p> + 'It is a good house, I believe, and she has an earnest face which must + mean something. We were invited to go every Monday between eight and + twelve. We go on Friday to Madame Mohl's, where we are to have some of the + "celebrites". . . . Carlyle, for instance, I liked infinitely more in his + personality than I expected to like him, and I saw a great deal of him, + for he travelled with us to Paris, and spent several evenings with us, we + three together. He is one of the most interesting men I could imagine, + even deeply interesting to me; and you come to understand perfectly when + you know him, that his bitterness is only melancholy, and his scorn, + sensibility. Highly picturesque, too, he is in conversation; the talk of + writing men is very seldom so good. + </p> + <p> + 'And, do you know, I was much taken, in London, with a young authoress, + Geraldine Jewsbury. You have read her books. . . . She herself is quiet + and simple, and drew my heart out of me a good deal. I felt inclined to + love her in our half-hour's intercourse. . . .' + </p> + <p> + 138, Avenue des Champs Elysees: (Nov. 12). + </p> + <p> + '. . . Robert's father and sister have been paying us a visit during the + last three weeks. They are very affectionate to me, and I love them for + his sake and their own, and am very sorry at the thought of losing them, + as we are on the point of doing. We hope, however, to establish them in + Paris, if we can stay, and if no other obstacle should arise before the + spring, when they must leave Hatcham. Little Wiedemann 'draws', as you may + suppose . . . he is adored by his grandfather, and then, Robert! They are + an affectionate family, and not easy when removed one from another. . . .' + </p> + <p> + On their journey from London to Paris, Mr. and Mrs. Browning had been + joined by Carlyle; and it afterwards struck Mr. Browning as strange that, + in the 'Life' of Carlyle, their companionship on this occasion should be + spoken of as the result of a chance meeting. Carlyle not only went to + Paris with the Brownings, but had begged permission to do so; and Mrs. + Browning had hesitated to grant this because she was afraid her little boy + would be tiresome to him. Her fear, however, proved mistaken. The child's + prattle amused the philosopher, and led him on one occasion to say: 'Why, + sir, you have as many aspirations as Napoleon!' At Paris he would have + been miserable without Mr. Browning's help, in his ignorance of the + language, and impatience of the discomforts which this created for him. He + couldn't ask for anything, he complained, but they brought him the + opposite. + </p> + <p> + On one occasion Mr. Carlyle made a singular remark. He was walking with + Mr. Browning, either in Paris or the neighbouring country, when they + passed an image of the Crucifixion; and glancing towards the figure of + Christ, he said, with his deliberate Scotch utterance, 'Ah, poor fellow, + <i>your</i> part is played out!' + </p> + <p> + Two especially interesting letters are dated from the same address, + February 15 and April 7, 1852. + </p> + <p> + '. . . Beranger lives close to us, and Robert has seen him in his white + hat, wandering along the asphalte. I had a notion, somehow, that he was + very old, but he is only elderly—not much above sixty (which is the + prime of life, nowadays) and he lives quietly and keeps out of scrapes + poetical and political, and if Robert and I had a little less modesty we + are assured that we should find access to him easy. But we can't make up + our minds to go to his door and introduce ourselves as vagrant minstrels, + when he may probably not know our names. We could never follow the fashion + of certain authors, who send their books about with intimations of their + being likely to be acceptable or not—of which practice poor Tennyson + knows too much for his peace. If, indeed, a letter of introduction to + Beranger were vouchsafed to us from any benign quarter, we should both be + delighted, but we must wait patiently for the influence of the stars. + Meanwhile, we have at last sent our letter [Mazzini's] to George Sand, + accompanied with a little note signed by both of us, though written by me, + as seemed right, being the woman. We half-despaired in doing this—for + it is most difficult, it appears, to get at her, she having taken vows + against seeing strangers, in consequence of various annoyances and + persecutions, in and out of print, which it's the mere instinct of a woman + to avoid—I can understand it perfectly. Also, she is in Paris for + only a few days, and under a new name, to escape from the plague of her + notoriety. People said, "She will never see you—you have no chance, + I am afraid." But we determined to try. At least I pricked Robert up to + the leap—for he was really inclined to sit in his chair and be proud + a little. "No," said I, "you <i>sha'n't</i> be proud, and I <i>won't</i> + be proud, and we <i>will</i> see her—I won't die, if I can help it, + without seeing George Sand." So we gave our letter to a friend, who was to + give it to a friend who was to place it in her hands—her abode being + a mystery, and the name she used unknown. The next day came by the post + this answer: + </p> + <p> + '"Madame, j'aurai l'honneur de vous recevoir Dimanche prochain, rue + Racine, 3. C'est le seul jour que je puisse passer chez moi; et encore je + n'en suis pas absolument certaine—mais je ferai tellement mon + possible, que ma bonne etoile m'y aidera peut-etre un peu. Agreez mille + remerciments de coeur ainsi que Monsieur Browning, que j'espere voir avec + vous, pour la sympathie que vous m'accordez. George Sand. Paris: 12 + fevrier '52." + </p> + <p> + 'This is graceful and kind, is it not?—and we are going to-morrow—I, + rather at the risk of my life, but I shall roll myself up head and all in + a thick shawl, and we shall go in a close carriage, and I hope I shall be + able to tell you the result before shutting up this letter. + </p> + <p> + 'Monday.—I have seen G. S. She received us in a room with a bed in + it, the only room she has to occupy, I suppose, during her short stay in + Paris. She received us very cordially with her hand held out, which I, in + the emotion of the moment, stooped and kissed—upon which she + exclaimed, "Mais non! je ne veux pas," and kissed me. I don't think she is + a great deal taller than I am,—yes, taller, but not a great deal—and + a little over-stout for that height. The upper part of the face is fine, + the forehead, eyebrows and eyes—dark glowing eyes as they should be; + the lower part not so good. The beautiful teeth project a little, flashing + out the smile of the large characteristic mouth, and the chin recedes. It + never could have been a beautiful face Robert and I agree, but noble and + expressive it has been and is. The complexion is olive, quite without + colour; the hair, black and glossy, divided with evident care and twisted + back into a knot behind the head, and she wore no covering to it. Some of + the portraits represent her in ringlets, and ringlets would be much more + becoming to the style of face, I fancy, for the cheeks are rather + over-full. She was dressed in a sort of woollen grey gown, with a jacket + of the same material (according to the ruling fashion), the gown fastened + up to the throat, with a small linen collarette, and plain white muslin + sleeves buttoned round the wrists. The hands offered to me were small and + well-shaped. Her manners were quite as simple as her costume. I never saw + a simpler woman. Not a shade of affectation or consciousness, even—not + a suffusion of coquetry, not a cigarette to be seen! Two or three young + men were sitting with her, and I observed the profound respect with which + they listened to every word she said. She spoke rapidly, with a low, + unemphatic voice. Repose of manner is much more her characteristic than + animation is—only, under all the quietness, and perhaps by means of + it, you are aware of an intense burning soul. She kissed me again when we + went away. . . .' + </p> + <p> + 'April 7.—George Sand we came to know a great deal more of. I think + Robert saw her six times. Once he met her near the Tuileries, offered her + his arm and walked with her the whole length of the gardens. She was not + on that occasion looking as well as usual, being a little too much + "endimanchee" in terrestrial lavenders and super-celestial blues—not, + in fact, dressed with the remarkable taste which he has seen in her at + other times. Her usual costume is both pretty and quiet, and the + fashionable waistcoat and jacket (which are respectable in all the + "Ladies' Companions" of the day) make the only approach to masculine + wearings to be observed in her. + </p> + <p> + 'She has great nicety and refinement in her personal ways, I think—and + the cigarette is really a feminine weapon if properly understood. + </p> + <p> + 'Ah! but I didn't see her smoke. I was unfortunate. I could only go with + Robert three times to her house, and once she was out. He was really very + good and kind to let me go at all after he found the sort of society + rampant around her. He didn't like it extremely, but being the prince of + husbands, he was lenient to my desires, and yielded the point. She seems + to live in the abomination of desolation, as far as regards society—crowds + of ill-bred men who adore her, 'a genoux bas', betwixt a puff of smoke and + an ejection of saliva—society of the ragged red, diluted with the + low theatrical. She herself so different, so apart, so alone in her + melancholy disdain. I was deeply interested in that poor woman. I felt a + profound compassion for her. I did not mind much even the Greek, in Greek + costume, who 'tutoyed' her, and kissed her I believe, so Robert said—or + the other vulgar man of the theatre, who went down on his knees and called + her "sublime". "Caprice d'amitie," said she with her quiet, gentle scorn. + A noble woman under the mud, be certain. <i>I</i> would kneel down to her, + too, if she would leave it all, throw it off, and be herself as God made + her. But she would not care for my kneeling—she does not care for + me. Perhaps she doesn't care much for anybody by this time, who knows? She + wrote one or two or three kind notes to me, and promised to 'venir + m'embrasser' before she left Paris, but she did not come. We both tried + hard to please her, and she told a friend of ours that she "liked us". + Only we always felt that we couldn't penetrate—couldn't really <i>touch</i> + her—it was all vain. + </p> + <p> + 'Alfred de Musset was to have been at M. Buloz' where Robert was a week + ago, on purpose to meet him, but he was prevented in some way. His + brother, Paul de Musset, a very different person, was there instead, but + we hope to have Alfred on another occasion. Do you know his poems? He is + not capable of large grasps, but he has poet's life and blood in him, I + assure you. . . . We are expecting a visit from Lamartine, who does a + great deal of honour to both of us in the way of appreciation, and was + kind enough to propose to come. I will tell you all about it.' + </p> + <p> + Mr. Browning fully shared his wife's impression of a want of frank + cordiality on George Sand's part; and was especially struck by it in + reference to himself, with whom it seemed more natural that she should + feel at ease. He could only imagine that his studied courtesy towards her + was felt by her as a rebuke to the latitude which she granted to other + men. + </p> + <p> + Another eminent French writer whom he much wished to know was Victor Hugo, + and I am told that for years he carried about him a letter of introduction + from Lord Houghton, always hoping for an opportunity of presenting it. The + hope was not fulfilled, though, in 1866, Mr. Browning crossed to Saint + Malo by the Channel Islands and spent three days in Jersey. + </p> + <p> + <a name="link2HCH0032" id="link2HCH0032"> + <!-- H2 anchor --> </a> + </p> + <div style="height: 4em;"> + <br /><br /><br /><br /> + </div> + <h2> + Chapter 11 + </h2> + <h3> + 1852-1855 + </h3> + <p> + M. Joseph Milsand—His close Friendship with Mr. Browning; Mrs. + Browning's Impression of him—New Edition of Mr. Browning's Poems—'Christmas + Eve and Easter Day'—'Essay' on Shelley—Summer in London—Dante + Gabriel Rossetti—Florence; secluded Life—Letters from Mr. and + Mrs. Browning—'Colombe's Birthday'—Baths of Lucca—Mrs. + Browning's Letters—Winter in Rome—Mr. and Mrs. Story—Mrs. + Sartoris—Mrs. Fanny Kemble—Summer in London—Tennyson—Ruskin. + </p> + <p> + It was during this winter in Paris that Mr. Browning became acquainted + with M. Joseph Milsand, the second Frenchman with whom he was to be united + by ties of deep friendship and affection. M. Milsand was at that time, and + for long afterwards, a frequent contributor to the 'Revue des Deux + Mondes'; his range of subjects being enlarged by his, for a Frenchman, + exceptional knowledge of English life, language, and literature. He wrote + an article on Quakerism, which was much approved by Mr. William Forster, + and a little volume on Ruskin called 'L'Esthetique Anglaise', which was + published in the 'Bibliotheque de Philosophie Contemporaine'.* Shortly + before the arrival of Mr. and Mrs. Browning in Paris, he had accidentally + seen an extract from 'Paracelsus'. This struck him so much that he + procured the two volumes of the works and 'Christmas Eve', and discussed + the whole in the 'Revue' as the second part of an essay entitled 'La + Poesie Anglaise depuis Byron'. Mr. Browning saw the article, and was + naturally touched at finding his poems the object of serious study in a + foreign country, while still so little regarded in his own. It was no less + natural that this should lead to a friendship which, the opening once + given, would have grown up unassisted, at least on Mr. Browning's side; + for M. Milsand united the qualities of a critical intellect with a + tenderness, a loyalty, and a simplicity of nature seldom found in + combination with them. + </p> +<pre xml:space="preserve"> + * He published also an admirable little work on the + requirements of secondary education in France, equally + applicable in many respects to any country and to any time. +</pre> + <p> + The introduction was brought about by the daughter of William Browning, + Mrs. Jebb-Dyke, or more directly by Mr. and Mrs. Fraser Corkran, who were + among the earliest friends of the Browning family in Paris. M. Milsand was + soon an 'habitue' of Mr. Browning's house, as somewhat later of that of + his father and sister; and when, many years afterwards, Miss Browning had + taken up her abode in England, he spent some weeks of the early summer in + Warwick Crescent, whenever his home duties or personal occupations allowed + him to do so. Several times also the poet and his sister joined him at + Saint-Aubin, the seaside village in Normandy which was his special resort, + and where they enjoyed the good offices of Madame Milsand, a home-staying, + genuine French wife and mother, well acquainted with the resources of its + very primitive life. M. Milsand died, in 1886, of apoplexy, the + consequence, I believe, of heart-disease brought on by excessive + cold-bathing. The first reprint of 'Sordello', in 1863, had been, as is + well known, dedicated to him. The 'Parleyings', published within a year of + his death, were inscribed to his memory. Mr. Browning's affection for him + finds utterance in a few strong words which I shall have occasion to + quote. An undated fragment concerning him from Mrs. Browning to her + sister-in-law, points to a later date than the present, but may as well be + inserted here. + </p> + <p> + '. . . I quite love M. Milsand for being interested in Penini. What a + perfect creature he is, to be sure! He always stands in the top place + among our gods—Give him my cordial regards, always, mind. . . . He + wants, I think—the only want of that noble nature—the sense of + spiritual relation; and also he puts under his feet too much the worth of + impulse and passion, in considering the powers of human nature. For the + rest, I don't know such a man. He has intellectual conscience—or say—the + conscience of the intellect, in a higher degree than I ever saw in any man + of any country—and this is no less Robert's belief than mine. When + we hear the brilliant talkers and noisy thinkers here and there and + everywhere, we go back to Milsand with a real reverence. Also, I never + shall forget his delicacy to me personally, nor his tenderness of heart + about my child. . . .' + </p> + <p> + The criticism was inevitable from the point of view of Mrs. Browning's + nature and experience; but I think she would have revoked part of it if + she had known M. Milsand in later years. He would never have agreed with + her as to the authority of 'impulse and passion', but I am sure he did not + underrate their importance as factors in human life. + </p> + <p> + M. Milsand was one of the few readers of Browning with whom I have talked + about him, who had studied his work from the beginning, and had realized + the ambition of his first imaginative flights. He was more perplexed by + the poet's utterance in later years. 'Quel homme extraordinaire!' he once + said to me; 'son centre n'est pas au milieu.' The usual criticism would + have been that, while his own centre was in the middle, he did not seek it + in the middle for the things of which he wrote; but I remember that, at + the moment in which the words were spoken, they impressed me as full of + penetration. Mr. Browning had so much confidence in M. Milsand's + linguistic powers that he invariably sent him his proof-sheets for final + revision, and was exceedingly pleased with such few corrections as his + friend was able to suggest. + </p> + <p> + With the name of Milsand connects itself in the poet's life that of a + younger, but very genuine friend of both, M. Gustave Dourlans: a man of + fine critical and intellectual powers, unfortunately neutralized by bad + health. M. Dourlans also became a visitor at Warwick Crescent, and a + frequent correspondent of Mr. or rather of Miss Browning. He came from + Paris once more, to witness the last sad scene in Westminster Abbey. + </p> + <p> + The first three years of Mr. Browning's married life had been unproductive + from a literary point of view. The realization and enjoyment of the new + companionship, the duties as well as interests of the dual existence, and, + lastly, the shock and pain of his mother's death, had absorbed his mental + energies for the time being. But by the close of 1848 he had prepared for + publication in the following year a new edition of 'Paracelsus' and the + 'Bells and Pomegranates' poems. The reprint was in two volumes, and the + publishers were Messrs. Chapman and Hall; the system, maintained through + Mr. Moxon, of publication at the author's expense, being abandoned by Mr. + Browning when he left home. Mrs. Browning writes of him on this occasion + that he is paying 'peculiar attention to the objections made against + certain obscurities.' He himself prefaced the edition by these words: + 'Many of these pieces were out of print, the rest had been withdrawn from + circulation, when the corrected edition, now submitted to the reader, was + prepared. The various Poems and Dramas have received the author's most + careful revision. December 1848.' + </p> + <p> + In 1850, in Florence, he wrote 'Christmas Eve and Easter Day'; and in + December 1851, in Paris, the essay on Shelley, to be prefixed to + twenty-five supposed letters of that poet, published by Moxon in 1852.* + </p> +<pre xml:space="preserve"> + * They were discovered, not long afterwards, to be spurious, + and the book suppressed. +</pre> + <p> + The reading of this Essay might serve to correct the frequent + misapprehension of Mr. Browning's religious views which has been based on + the literal evidence of 'Christmas Eve', were it not that its companion + poem has failed to do so; though the tendency of 'Easter Day' is as + different from that of its precursor as their common Christianity admits. + The balance of argument in 'Christmas Eve' is in favour of direct + revelation of religious truth and prosaic certainty regarding it; while + the 'Easter Day' vision makes a tentative and unresting attitude the first + condition of the religious life; and if Mr. Browning has meant to say—as + he so often did say—that religious certainties are required for the + undeveloped mind, but that the growing religious intelligence walks best + by a receding light, he denies the positive basis of Christian belief, and + is no more orthodox in the one set of reflections than in the other. The + spirit, however, of both poems is ascetic: for the first divorces + religious worship from every appeal to the poetic sense; the second + refuses to recognize, in poetry or art, or the attainments of the + intellect, or even in the best human love, any practical correspondence + with religion. The dissertation on Shelley is, what 'Sordello' was, what + its author's treatment of poets and poetry always must be—an + indirect vindication of the conceptions of human life which 'Christmas Eve + and Easter Day' condemns. This double poem stands indeed so much alone in + Mr. Browning's work that we are tempted to ask ourselves to what + circumstance or impulse, external or internal, it has been due; and we can + only conjecture that the prolonged communion with a mind so spiritual as + that of his wife, the special sympathies and differences which were + elicited by it, may have quickened his religious imagination, while + directing it towards doctrinal or controversial issues which it had not + previously embraced. + </p> + <p> + The 'Essay' is a tribute to the genius of Shelley; it is also a + justification of his life and character, as the balance of evidence then + presented them to Mr. Browning's mind. It rests on a definition of the + respective qualities of the objective and the subjective poet. . . . While + both, he says, are gifted with the fuller perception of nature and man, + the one endeavours to + </p> + <p> + 'reproduce things external (whether the phenomena of the scenic universe, + or the manifested action of the human heart and brain) with an immediate + reference, in every case, to the common eye and apprehension of his + fellow-men, assumed capable of receiving and profiting by this + reproduction'—the other 'is impelled to embody the thing he + perceives, not so much with reference to the many below, as to the One + above him, the supreme Intelligence which apprehends all things in their + absolute truth,—an ultimate view ever aspired to, if but partially + attained, by the poet's own soul. Not what man sees, but what God sees—the + 'Ideas' of Plato, seeds of creation lying burningly on the Divine Hand—it + is toward these that he struggles. Not with the combination of humanity in + action, but with the primal elements of humanity he has to do; and he digs + where he stands,—preferring to seek them in his own soul as the + nearest reflex of that absolute Mind, according to the intuitions of which + he desires to perceive and speak.' + </p> + <p> + The objective poet is therefore a fashioner, the subjective is best + described as a seer. The distinction repeats itself in the interest with + which we study their respective lives. We are glad of the biography of the + objective poet because it reveals to us the power by which he works; we + desire still more that of the subjective poet, because it presents us with + another aspect of the work itself. The poetry of such a one is an + effluence much more than a production; it is + </p> + <p> + 'the very radiance and aroma of his personality, projected from it but not + separated. Therefore, in our approach to the poetry, we necessarily + approach the personality of the poet; in apprehending it we apprehend him, + and certainly we cannot love it without loving him.' + </p> + <p> + The reason of Mr. Browning's prolonged and instinctive reverence for + Shelley is thus set forth in the opening pages of the Essay: he recognized + in his writings the quality of a 'subjective' poet; hence, as he + understands the word, the evidence of a divinely inspired man. + </p> + <p> + Mr. Browning goes on to say that we need the recorded life in order quite + to determine to which class of inspiration a given work belongs; and + though he regards the work of Shelley as carrying its warrant within + itself, his position leaves ample room for a withdrawal of faith, a + reversal of judgment, if the ascertained facts of the poet's life should + at any future time bear decided witness against him. He is also careful to + avoid drawing too hard and fast a line between the two opposite kinds of + poet. He admits that a pure instance of either is seldom to be found; he + sees no reason why + </p> + <p> + 'these two modes of poetic faculty may not issue hereafter from the same + poet in successive perfect works. . . . A mere running-in of the one + faculty upon the other' being, meanwhile, 'the ordinary circumstance.' + </p> + <p> + I venture, however, to think, that in his various and necessary + concessions, he lets slip the main point; and for the simple reason that + it is untenable. The terms 'subjective' and 'objective' denote a real and + very important difference on the ground of judgment, but one which tends + more and more to efface itself in the sphere of the higher creative + imagination. Mr. Browning might as briefly, and I think more fully, have + expressed the salient quality of his poet, even while he could describe it + in these emphatic words: + </p> + <p> + 'I pass at once, therefore, from Shelley's minor excellencies to his + noblest and predominating characteristic. + </p> + <p> + 'This I call his simultaneous perception of Power and Love in the + absolute, and of Beauty and Good in the concrete, while he throws, from + his poet's station between both, swifter, subtler, and more numerous films + for the connexion of each with each, than have been thrown by any modern + artificer of whom I have knowledge . . . I would rather consider Shelley's + poetry as a sublime fragmentary essay towards a presentment of the + correspondency of the universe to Deity, of the natural to the spiritual, + and of the actual to the ideal than . . .' + </p> + <p> + This essay has, in common with the poems of the preceding years, the one + quality of a largely religious and, in a certain sense, Christian spirit, + and in this respect it falls naturally into the general series of its + author's works. The assertion of Platonic ideas suggests, however, a mood + of spiritual thought for which the reference in 'Pauline' has been our + only, and a scarcely sufficient preparation; nor could the most definite + theism to be extracted from Platonic beliefs ever satisfy the human + aspirations which, in a nature like that of Robert Browning, culminate in + the idea of God. The metaphysical aspect of the poet's genius here + distinctly reappears for the first time since 'Sordello', and also for the + last. It becomes merged in the simpler forms of the religious imagination. + </p> + <p> + The justification of the man Shelley, to which great part of the Essay is + devoted, contains little that would seem new to his more recent + apologists; little also which to the writer's later judgments continued to + recommend itself as true. It was as a great poetic artist, not as a great + poet, that the author of 'Prometheus' and 'The Cenci', of 'Julian and + Maddalo', and 'Epipsychidion' was finally to rank in Mr. Browning's mind. + The whole remains nevertheless a memorial of a very touching affection; + and whatever intrinsic value the Essay may possess, its main interest must + always be biographical. Its motive and inspiration are set forth in the + closing lines: + </p> + <p> + 'It is because I have long held these opinions in assurance and gratitude, + that I catch at the opportunity offered to me of expressing them here; + knowing that the alacrity to fulfil an humble office conveys more love + than the acceptance of the honour of a higher one, and that better, + therefore, than the signal service it was the dream of my boyhood to + render to his fame and memory, may be the saying of a few, inadequate + words upon these scarcely more important supplementary letters of <i>Shelley</i>.' + </p> + <p> + If Mr. Browning had seen reason to doubt the genuineness of the letters in + question, his Introduction could not have been written. That, while + receiving them as genuine, he thought them unimportant, gave it, as he + justly discerned, its full significance. + </p> + <p> + Mr. and Mrs. Browning returned to London for the summer of 1852, and we + have a glimpse of them there in a letter from Mr. Fox to his daughter. + </p> + <p> + July 16, '52. + </p> + <p> + '. . . I had a charming hour with the Brownings yesterday; more fascinated + with her than ever. She talked lots of George Sand, and so beautifully. + Moreover she silver-electroplated Louis Napoleon!! They are lodging at 58 + Welbeck Street; the house has a queer name on the door, and belongs to + some Belgian family. + </p> + <p> + 'They came in late one night, and R. B. says that in the morning twilight + he saw three portraits on the bedroom wall, and speculated who they might + be. Light gradually showed the first, Beatrice Cenci, "Good!" said he; "in + a poetic region." More light: the second, Lord Byron! Who can the third + be? And what think you it was, but your sketch (engraved chalk portrait) + of me? He made quite a poem and picture of the affair. + </p> + <p> + 'She seems much better; did not put her hand before her mouth, which I + took as a compliment: and the young Florentine was gracious . . .' + </p> + <p> + It need hardly be said that this valued friend was one of the first whom + Mr. Browning introduced to his wife, and that she responded with ready + warmth to his claims on her gratitude and regard. More than one joint + letter from herself and her husband commemorates this new phase of the + intimacy; one especially interesting was written from Florence in 1858, in + answer to the announcement by Mr. Fox of his election for Oldham; and Mr. + Browning's contribution, which is very characteristic, will appear in due + course. + </p> + <p> + Either this or the preceding summer brought Mr. Browning for the first + time into personal contact with an early lover of his works: Mr. D. G. + Rossetti. They had exchanged letters a year or two before, on the subject + of 'Pauline', which Rossetti (as I have already mentioned) had read in + ignorance of its origin, but with the conviction that only the author of + 'Paracelsus' could have produced it. He wrote to Mr. Browning to ascertain + the fact, and to tell him he had admired the poem so much as to transcribe + it whole from the British Museum copy. He now called on him with Mr. + William Allingham; and doubly recommended himself to the poet's interest + by telling him that he was a painter. When Mr. Browning was again in + London, in 1855, Rossetti began painting his portrait, which he finished + in Paris in the ensuing winter. + </p> + <p> + The winter of 1852-3 saw the family once more in Florence, and at Casa + Guidi, where the routine of quiet days was resumed. Mrs. Browning has + spoken in more than one of her letters of the comparative social seclusion + in which she and her husband had elected to live. This seclusion was much + modified in later years, and many well-known English and American names + become associated with their daily life. It referred indeed almost + entirely to their residence in Florence, where they found less inducement + to enter into society than in London, Paris, and Rome. But it is on record + that during the fifteen years of his married life, Mr. Browning never + dined away from home, except on one occasion—an exception proving + the rule; and we cannot therefore be surprised that he should subsequently + have carried into the experience of an unshackled and very interesting + social intercourse, a kind of freshness which a man of fifty has not + generally preserved. + </p> + <p> + The one excitement which presented itself in the early months of 1853 was + the production of 'Colombe's Birthday'. The first allusion to this comes + to us in a letter from the poet to Lady, then Mrs. Theodore, Martin, from + which I quote a few passages. + </p> + <p> + Florence: Jan. 31, '53. + </p> + <p> + 'My dear Mrs. Martin,—. . . be assured that I, for my part, have + been in no danger of forgetting my promises any more than your + performances—which were admirable of all kinds. I shall be delighted + if you can do anything for "Colombe"—do what you think best with it, + and for me—it will be pleasant to be in such hands—only, pray + follow the corrections in the last edition—(Chapman and Hall will + give you a copy)—as they are important to the sense. As for the + condensation into three acts—I shall leave that, and all cuttings + and the like, to your own judgment—and, come what will, I shall have + to be grateful to you, as before. For the rest, you will play the part to + heart's content, I <i>know</i>. . . . And how good it will be to see you + again, and make my wife see you too—she who "never saw a great + actress" she says—unless it was Dejazet! . . .' + </p> + <p> + Mrs. Browning writes about the performance, April 12: + </p> + <p> + '. . . I am beginning to be anxious about 'Colombe's Birthday'. I care + much more about it than Robert does. He says that no one will mistake it + for his speculation; it's Mr. Buckstone's affair altogether. True—but + I should like it to succeed, being Robert's play, notwithstanding. But the + play is subtle and refined for pits and galleries. I am nervous about it. + On the other hand, those theatrical people ought to know,—and what + in the world made them select it, if it is not likely to answer their + purpose? By the way, a dreadful rumour reaches us of its having been + "prepared for the stage by the author." Don't believe a word of it. Robert + just said "yes" when they wrote to ask him, and not a line of + communication has passed since. He has prepared nothing at all, suggested + nothing, modified nothing. He referred them to his new edition, and that + was the whole. . . .' + </p> + <p> + She communicates the result in May: + </p> + <p> + '. . . Yes, Robert's play succeeded, but there could be no "run" for a + play of that kind. It was a "succes d'estime" and something more, which is + surprising perhaps, considering the miserable acting of the men. Miss + Faucit was alone in doing us justice. . . .' + </p> + <p> + Mrs. Browning did see 'Miss Faucit' on her next visit to England. She + agreeably surprised that lady by presenting herself alone, one morning, at + her house, and remaining with her for an hour and a half. The only person + who had 'done justice' to 'Colombe' besides contributing to whatever + success her husband's earlier plays had obtained, was much more than 'a + great actress' to Mrs. Browning's mind; and we may imagine it would have + gone hard with her before she renounced the pleasure of making her + acquaintance. + </p> + <p> + Two letters, dated from the Baths of Lucca, July 15 and August 20, '53, + tell how and where the ensuing summer was passed, besides introducing us, + for the first time, to Mr. and Mrs. William Story, between whose family + and that of Mr. Browning so friendly an intimacy was ever afterwards to + subsist. + </p> + <p> + July 15. + </p> + <p> + '. . . We have taken a villa at the Baths of Lucca after a little holy + fear of the company there—but the scenery, and the coolness, and + convenience altogether prevail, and we have taken our villa for three + months or rather more, and go to it next week with a stiff resolve of not + calling nor being called upon. You remember perhaps that we were there + four years ago just after the birth of our child. The mountains are + wonderful in beauty, and we mean to buy our holiday by doing some work. + </p> + <p> + 'Oh yes! I confess to loving Florence, and to having associated with it + the idea of home. . . .' + </p> + <p> + Casa Tolomei, Alta Villa, Bagni di Lucca: Aug. 20. + </p> + <p> + '. . . We are enjoying the mountains here—riding the donkeys in the + footsteps of the sheep, and eating strawberries and milk by basinsful. The + strawberries succeed one another throughout the summer, through growing on + different aspects of the hills. If a tree is felled in the forests, + strawberries spring up, just as mushrooms might, and the peasants sell + them for just nothing. . . . Then our friends Mr. and Mrs. Story help the + mountains to please us a good deal. He is the son of Judge Story, the + biographer of his father, and for himself, sculptor and poet—and she + a sympathetic graceful woman, fresh and innocent in face and thought. We + go backwards and forwards to tea and talk at one another's houses. + </p> + <p> + '. . . Since I began this letter we have had a grand donkey excursion to a + village called Benabbia, and the cross above it on the mountain-peak. We + returned in the dark, and were in some danger of tumbling down various + precipices—but the scenery was exquisite—past speaking of for + beauty. Oh, those jagged mountains, rolled together like pre-Adamite + beasts and setting their teeth against the sky—it was wonderful. . . + .' + </p> + <p> + Mr. Browning's share of the work referred to was 'In a Balcony'; also, + probably, some of the 'Men and Women'; the scene of the declaration in 'By + the Fireside' was laid in a little adjacent mountain-gorge to which he + walked or rode. A fortnight's visit from Mr., now Lord, Lytton, was also + an incident of this summer. + </p> + <p> + The next three letters from which I am able to quote, describe the + impressions of Mrs. Browning's first winter in Rome. + </p> + <p> + Rome: 43 Via Bocca di Leone, 30 piano. Jan. 18, 54. + </p> + <p> + '. . . Well, we are all well to begin with—and have been well—our + troubles came to us through sympathy entirely. A most exquisite journey of + eight days we had from Florence to Rome, seeing the great monastery and + triple church of Assisi and the wonderful Terni by the way—that + passion of the waters which makes the human heart seem so still. In the + highest spirits we entered Rome, Robert and Penini singing actually—for + the child was radiant and flushed with the continual change of air and + scene. . . . You remember my telling you of our friends the Storys—how + they and their two children helped to make the summer go pleasantly at the + Baths of Lucca. They had taken an apartment for us in Rome, so that we + arrived in comfort to lighted fires and lamps as if coming home,—and + we had a glimpse of their smiling faces that evening. In the morning + before breakfast, little Edith was brought over to us by the manservant + with a message, "the boy was in convulsions—there was danger." We + hurried to the house, of course, leaving Edith with Wilson. Too true! All + that first day we spent beside a death-bed; for the child never rallied—never + opened his eyes in consciousness—and by eight in the evening he was + gone. In the meanwhile, Edith was taken ill at our house—could not + be moved, said the physicians . . . gastric fever, with a tendency to the + brain—and within two days her life was almost despaired of—exactly + the same malady as her brother's. . . . Also the English nurse was + apparently dying at the Story's house, and Emma Page, the artist's + youngest daughter, sickened with the same disease. + </p> + <p> + '. . . To pass over the dreary time, I will tell you at once that the + three patients recovered—only in poor little Edith's case Roman + fever followed the gastric, and has persisted ever since in periodical + recurrence. She is very pale and thin. Roman fever is not dangerous to + life, but it is exhausting. . . . Now you will understand what ghostly + flakes of death have changed the sense of Rome to me. The first day by a + death-bed, the first drive-out, to the cemetery, where poor little Joe is + laid close to Shelley's heart ("Cor cordium" says the epitaph) and where + the mother insisted on going when she and I went out in the carriage + together—I am horribly weak about such things—I can't look on + the earth-side of death—I flinch from corpses and graves, and never + meet a common funeral without a sort of horror. When I look deathwards I + look <i>over</i> death, and upwards, or I can't look that way at all. So + that it was a struggle with me to sit upright in that carriage in which + the poor stricken mother sat so calmly—not to drop from the seat. + Well—all this has blackened Rome to me. I can't think about the + Caesars in the old strain of thought—the antique words get muddled + and blurred with warm dashes of modern, everyday tears and fresh + grave-clay. Rome is spoilt to me—there's the truth. Still, one lives + through one's associations when not too strong, and I have arrived at + almost enjoying some things—the climate, for instance, which, though + pernicious to the general health, agrees particularly with me, and the + sight of the blue sky floating like a sea-tide through the great gaps and + rifts of ruins. . . . We are very comfortably settled in rooms turned to + the sun, and do work and play by turns, having almost too many visitors, + hear excellent music at Mrs. Sartoris's (A. K.) once or twice a week, and + have Fanny Kemble to come and talk to us with the doors shut, we three + together. This is pleasant. I like her decidedly. + </p> + <p> + 'If anybody wants small talk by handfuls, of glittering dust swept out of + salons, here's Mr. Thackeray besides! . . .' + </p> + <p> + Rome: March 29. + </p> + <p> + '. . . We see a good deal of the Kembles here, and like them both, + especially Fanny, who is looking magnificent still, with her black hair + and radiant smile. A very noble creature indeed. Somewhat unelastic, + unpliant to the age, attached to the old modes of thought and convention—but + noble in qualities and defects. I like her much. She thinks me credulous + and full of dreams—but does not despise me for that reason—which + is good and tolerant of her, and pleasant too, for I should not be quite + easy under her contempt. Mrs. Sartoris is genial and generous—her + milk has had time to stand to cream in her happy family relations, which + poor Fanny Kemble's has not had. Mrs. Sartoris' house has the best society + in Rome—and exquisite music of course. We met Lockhart there, and my + husband sees a good deal of him—more than I do—because of the + access of cold weather lately which has kept me at home chiefly. Robert + went down to the seaside, on a day's excursion with him and the Sartorises—and + I hear found favour in his sight. Said the critic, "I like Browning—he + isn't at all like a damned literary man." That's a compliment, I believe, + according to your dictionary. It made me laugh and think of you directly. + . . . Robert has been sitting for his picture to Mr. Fisher, the English + artist who painted Mr. Kenyon and Landor. You remember those pictures in + Mr. Kenyon's house in London. Well, he has painted Robert's, and it is an + admirable likeness. The expression is an exceptional expression, but + highly characteristic. . . .' + </p> + <p> + May 19. + </p> + <p> + '. . . To leave Rome will fill me with barbarian complacency. I don't + pretend to have a ray of sentiment about Rome. It's a palimpsest Rome, a + watering-place written over the antique, and I haven't taken to it as a + poet should I suppose. And let us speak the truth above all things. I am + strongly a creature of association, and the associations of the place have + not been personally favourable to me. Among the rest, my child, the light + of my eyes, has been more unwell than I ever saw him. . . . The + pleasantest days in Rome we have spent with the Kembles, the two sisters, + who are charming and excellent both of them, in different ways, and + certainly they have given us some excellent hours in the Campagna, upon + picnic excursions—they, and certain of their friends; for instance, + M. Ampere, the member of the French Institute, who is witty and agreeable, + M. Goltz, the Austrian minister, who is an agreeable man, and Mr. Lyons, + the son of Sir Edmund, &c. The talk was almost too brilliant for the + sentiment of the scenery, but it harmonized entirely with the mayonnaise + and champagne. . . .' + </p> + <p> + It must have been on one of the excursions here described that an incident + took place, which Mr. Browning relates with characteristic comments in a + letter to Mrs. Fitz-Gerald, of July 15, 1882. The picnic party had + strolled away to some distant spot. Mrs. Browning was not strong enough to + join them, and her husband, as a matter of course, stayed with her; which + act of consideration prompted Mrs. Kemble to exclaim that he was the only + man she had ever known who behaved like a Christian to his wife. She was, + when he wrote this letter, reading his works for the first time, and had + expressed admiration for them; but, he continued, none of the kind things + she said to him on that subject could move him as did those words in the + Campagna. Mrs. Kemble would have modified her statement in later years, + for the sake of one English and one American husband now closely related + to her. Even then, perhaps, she did not make it without inward reserve. + But she will forgive me, I am sure, for having repeated it. + </p> + <p> + Mr. Browning also refers to her Memoirs, which he had just read, and says: + 'I saw her in those [I conclude earlier] days much oftener than is set + down, but she scarcely noticed me; though I always liked her extremely.' + </p> + <p> + Another of Mrs. Browning's letters is written from Florence, June 6 ('54): + </p> + <p> + '. . . We mean to stay at Florence a week or two longer and then go + northward. I love Florence—the place looks exquisitely beautiful in + its garden ground of vineyards and olive trees, sung round by the + nightingales day and night. . . . If you take one thing with another, + there is no place in the world like Florence, I am persuaded, for a place + to live in—cheap, tranquil, cheerful, beautiful, within the limits + of civilization yet out of the crush of it. . . . We have spent two + delicious evenings at villas outside the gates, one with young Lytton, Sir + Edward's son, of whom I have told you, I think. I like him . . . we both + do . . . from the bottom of our hearts. Then, our friend, Frederick + Tennyson, the new poet, we are delighted to see again. + </p> + <p> + . . . . . + </p> + <p> + '. . . Mrs. Sartoris has been here on her way to Rome, spending most of + her time with us . . . singing passionately and talking eloquently. She is + really charming. . . .' + </p> + <p> + I have no record of that northward journey or of the experiences of the + winter of 1854-5. In all probability Mr. and Mrs. Browning remained in, or + as near as possible to, Florence, since their income was still too limited + for continuous travelling. They possibly talked of going to England, but + postponed it till the following year; we know that they went there in + 1855, taking his sister with them as they passed through Paris. They did + not this time take lodgings for the summer months, but hired a house at 13 + Dorset Street, Portman Square; and there, on September 27, Tennyson read + his new poem, 'Maud', to Mrs. Browning, while Rossetti, the only other + person present besides the family, privately drew his likeness in pen and + ink. The likeness has become well known; the unconscious sitter must also, + by this time, be acquainted with it; but Miss Browning thinks no one + except herself, who was near Rossetti at the table, was at the moment + aware of its being made. All eyes must have been turned towards Tennyson, + seated by his hostess on the sofa. Miss Arabel Barrett was also of the + party. + </p> + <p> + Some interesting words of Mrs. Browning's carry their date in the allusion + to Mr. Ruskin; but I cannot ascertain it more precisely: + </p> + <p> + 'We went to Denmark Hill yesterday to have luncheon with them, and see the + Turners, which, by the way, are divine. I like Mr. Ruskin much, and so + does Robert. Very gentle, yet earnest,—refined and truthful. I like + him very much. We count him one among the valuable acquaintances made this + year in England.' + </p> + <p> + <a name="link2HCH0033" id="link2HCH0033"> + <!-- H2 anchor --> </a> + </p> + <div style="height: 4em;"> + <br /><br /><br /><br /> + </div> + <h2> + Chapter 12 + </h2> + <h3> + 1855-1858 + </h3> + <p> + 'Men and Women'—'Karshook'—'Two in the Campagna'—Winter + in Paris; Lady Elgin—'Aurora Leigh'—Death of Mr. Kenyon and + Mr. Barrett—Penini—Mrs. Browning's Letters to Miss Browning—The + Florentine Carnival—Baths of Lucca—Spiritualism—Mr. + Kirkup; Count Ginnasi—Letter from Mr. Browning to Mr. Fox—Havre. + </p> + <p> + The beautiful 'One Word More' was dated from London in September; and the + fifty poems gathered together under the title of 'Men and Women' were + published before the close of the year, in two volumes, by Messrs. Chapman + and Hall.* They are all familiar friends to Mr. Browning's readers, in + their first arrangement and appearance, as in later redistributions and + reprints; but one curious little fact concerning them is perhaps not + generally known. In the eighth line of the fourteenth section of 'One Word + More' they were made to include 'Karshook (Ben Karshook's Wisdom)', which + never was placed amongst them. It was written in April 1854; and the + dedication of the volume must have been, as it so easily might be, in + existence, before the author decided to omit it. The wrong name, once + given, was retained, I have no doubt, from preference for its terminal + sound; and 'Karshook' only became 'Karshish' in the Tauchnitz copy of + 1872, and in the English edition of 1889. + </p> +<pre xml:space="preserve"> + * The date is given in the edition of 1868 as London 185-; + in the Tauchnitz selection of 1872, London and Florence 184- + and 185-; in the new English edition 184-and 185-. +</pre> + <p> + 'Karshook' appeared in 1856 in 'The Keepsake', edited by Miss Power; but, + as we are told on good authority, has been printed in no edition or + selection of the Poet's works. I am therefore justified in inserting it + here. + </p> +<pre xml:space="preserve"> + I + + 'Would a man 'scape the rod?' + Rabbi Ben Karshook saith, + 'See that he turn to God + The day before his death.' + + 'Ay, could a man inquire + When it shall come!' I say. + The Rabbi's eye shoots fire— + 'Then let him turn to-day!' +</pre> +<pre xml:space="preserve"> + II + + Quoth a young Sadducee: + 'Reader of many rolls, + Is it so certain we + Have, as they tell us, souls?' + + 'Son, there is no reply!' + The Rabbi bit his beard: + 'Certain, a soul have <i>I</i>— + <i>We</i> may have none,' he sneer'd. + + Thus Karshook, the Hiram's-Hammer, + The Right-hand Temple-column, + Taught babes in grace their grammar, + And struck the simple, solemn. +</pre> + <p> + Among this first collection of 'Men and Women' was the poem called 'Two in + the Campagna'. It is a vivid, yet enigmatical little study of a restless + spirit tantalized by glimpses of repose in love, saddened and perplexed by + the manner in which this eludes it. Nothing that should impress one as + more purely dramatic ever fell from Mr. Browning's pen. We are told, + nevertheless, in Mr. Sharp's 'Life', that a personal character no less + actual than that of the 'Guardian Angel' has been claimed for it. The + writer, with characteristic delicacy, evades all discussion of the + question; but he concedes a great deal in his manner of doing so. The + poem, he says, conveys a sense of that necessary isolation of the + individual soul which resists the fusing power of the deepest love; and + its meaning cannot be personally—because it is universally—true. + I do not think Mr. Browning meant to emphasize this aspect of the mystery + of individual life, though the poem, in a certain sense, expresses it. We + have no reason to believe that he ever accepted it as constant; and in no + case could he have intended to refer its conditions to himself. He was + often isolated by the processes of his mind; but there was in him no + barrier to that larger emotional sympathy which we think of as sympathy of + the soul. If this poem were true, 'One Word More' would be false, quite + otherwise than in that approach to exaggeration which is incidental to the + poetic form. The true keynote of 'Two in the Campagna' is the pain of + perpetual change, and of the conscious, though unexplained, predestination + to it. Mr. Browning could have still less in common with such a state, + since one of the qualities for which he was most conspicuous was the + enormous power of anchorage which his affections possessed. Only length of + time and variety of experience could fully test this power or fully + display it; but the signs of it had not been absent from even his earliest + life. He loved fewer people in youth than in advancing age: nature and + circumstance combined to widen the range, and vary the character of his + human interests; but where once love or friendship had struck a root, only + a moral convulsion could avail to dislodge it. I make no deduction from + this statement when I admit that the last and most emphatic words of the + poem in question, + </p> +<pre xml:space="preserve"> + Only I discern— + Infinite passion, and the pain + Of finite hearts that yearn, +</pre> + <p> + did probably come from the poet's heart, as they also found a deep echo in + that of his wife, who much loved them. + </p> + <p> + From London they returned to Paris for the winter of 1855-6. The younger + of the Kemble sisters, Mrs. Sartoris, was also there with her family; and + the pleasant meetings of the Campagna renewed themselves for Mr. Browning, + though in a different form. He was also, with his sister, a constant + visitor at Lady Elgin's. Both they and Mrs. Browning were greatly attached + to her, and she warmly reciprocated the feeling. As Mr. Locker's letter + has told us, Mr. Browning was in the habit of reading poetry to her, and + when his sister had to announce his arrival from Italy or England, she + would say: 'Robert is coming to nurse you, and read to you.' Lady Elgin + was by this time almost completely paralyzed. She had lost the power of + speech, and could only acknowledge the little attentions which were paid + to her by some graceful pathetic gesture of the left hand; but she + retained her sensibilities to the last; and Miss Browning received on one + occasion a serious lesson in the risk of ever assuming that the appearance + of unconsciousness guarantees its reality. Lady Augusta Bruce had asked + her, in her mother's presence, how Mrs. Browning was; and, imagining that + Lady Elgin was unable to hear or understand, she had answered with + incautious distinctness, 'I am afraid she is very ill,' when a little sob + from the invalid warned her of her mistake. Lady Augusta quickly repaired + it by rejoining, 'but she is better than she was, is she not?' Miss + Browning of course assented. + </p> + <p> + There were other friends, old and new, whom Mr. Browning occasionally saw, + including, I need hardly say, the celebrated Madame Mohl. In the main, + however, he led a quiet life, putting aside many inducements to leave his + home. + </p> + <p> + Mrs. Browning was then writing 'Aurora Leigh', and her husband must have + been more than ever impressed by her power of work, as displayed by her + manner of working. To him, as to most creative writers, perfect quiet was + indispensable to literary production. She wrote in pencil, on scraps of + paper, as she lay on the sofa in her sitting-room, open to interruption + from chance visitors, or from her little omnipresent son; simply hiding + the paper beside her if anyone came in, and taking it up again when she + was free. And if this process was conceivable in the large, comparatively + silent spaces of their Italian home, and amidst habits of life which + reserved social intercourse for the close of the working day, it baffles + belief when one thinks of it as carried on in the conditions of a Parisian + winter, and the little 'salon' of the apartment in the Rue du Colisee in + which those months were spent. The poem was completed in the ensuing + summer, in Mr. Kenyon's London house, and dedicated, October 17, in deeply + pathetic words to that faithful friend, whom the writer was never to see + again. + </p> + <p> + The news of his death, which took place in December 1856, reached Mr. and + Mrs. Browning in Florence, to be followed in the spring by that of Mrs. + Browning's father. Husband and wife had both determined to forego any + pecuniary benefit which might accrue to them from this event; but they + were not called upon to exercise their powers of renunciation. By Mr. + Kenyon's will they were the richer, as is now, I think, generally known, + the one by six thousand, the other by four thousand guineas.* Of that + cousin's long kindness Mrs. Browning could scarcely in after-days trust + herself to speak. It was difficult to her, she said, even to write his + name without tears. + </p> +<pre xml:space="preserve"> + * Mr. Kenyon had considerable wealth, derived, like Mr. + Barrett's, from West Indian estates. +</pre> + <p> + I have alluded, perhaps tardily, to Mr. Browning's son, a sociable little + being who must for some time have been playing a prominent part in his + parents' lives. I saw him for the first time in this winter of 1855-6, and + remember the grave expression of the little round face, the outline of + which was common, at all events in childhood, to all the members of his + mother's family, and was conspicuous in her, if we may trust an early + portrait which has recently come to light. He wore the curling hair to + which she refers in a later letter, and pretty frocks and frills, in which + she delighted to clothe him. It is on record that, on one of the journeys + of this year, a trunk was temporarily lost which contained Peni's + embroidered trousers, and the MS., whole or in part, of 'Aurora Leigh'; + and that Mrs. Browning had scarcely a thought to spare for her poem, in + face of the damage to her little boy's appearance which the accident + involved. + </p> + <p> + How he came by his familiar name of Penini—hence Peni, and Pen—neither + signifies in itself, nor has much bearing on his father's family history; + but I cannot refrain from a word of comment on Mr. Hawthorne's fantastic + conjecture, which has been asserted and reasserted in opposition to Mr. + Browning's own statement of the case. According to Mr. Hawthorne, the name + was derived from Apennino, and bestowed on the child in babyhood, because + Apennino was a colossal statue, and he was so very small. It would be + strange indeed that any joke connecting 'Baby' with a given colossal + statue should have found its way into the family without father, mother, + or nurse being aware of it; or that any joke should have been accepted + there which implied that the little boy was not of normal size. But the + fact is still more unanswerable that Apennino could by no process + congenial to the Italian language be converted into Penini. Its inevitable + abbreviation would be Pennino with a distinct separate sounding of the + central n's, or Nino. The accentuation of Penini is also distinctly + German. + </p> + <p> + During this winter in Paris, little Wiedemann, as his parents tried to + call him—his full name was Robert Wiedemann Barrett—had + developed a decided turn for blank verse. He would extemporize short + poems, singing them to his mother, who wrote them down as he sang. There + is no less proof of his having possessed a talent for music, though it + first naturally showed itself in the love of a cheerful noise. His father + had once sat down to the piano, for a serious study of some piece, when + the little boy appeared, with the evident intention of joining in the + performance. Mr. Browning rose precipitately, and was about to leave the + room. 'Oh!' exclaimed the hurt mother, 'you are going away, and he has + brought his three drums to accompany you upon.' She herself would + undoubtedly have endured the mixed melody for a little time, though her + husband did not think she seriously wished him to do so. But if he did not + play the piano to the accompaniment of Pen's drums, he played piano duets + with him as soon as the boy was old enough to take part in them; and + devoted himself to his instruction in this, as in other and more important + branches of knowledge. + </p> + <p> + Peni had also his dumb companions, as his father had had before him. + Tortoises lived at one end of the famous balcony at Casa Guidi; and when + the family were at the Baths of Lucca, Mr. Browning would stow away little + snakes in his bosom, and produce them for the child's amusement. As the + child grew into a man, the love of animals which he had inherited became + conspicuous in him; and it gave rise to many amusing and some pathetic + little episodes of his artist life. The creatures which he gathered about + him were generally, I think, more highly organized than those which + elicited his father's peculiar tenderness; it was natural that he should + exact more pictorial or more companionable qualities from them. But father + and son concurred in the fondness for snakes, and in a singular + predilection for owls; and they had not been long established in Warwick + Crescent, when a bird of that family was domesticated there. We shall hear + of it in a letter from Mr. Browning. + </p> + <p> + Of his son's moral quality as quite a little child his father has told me + pretty and very distinctive stories, but they would be out of place here.* + </p> +<pre xml:space="preserve"> + * I am induced, on second thoughts, to subjoin one of these, + for its testimony to the moral atmosphere into which the + child had been born. He was sometimes allowed to play with a + little boy not of his own class—perhaps the son of a + 'contadino'. The child was unobjectionable, or neither + Penini nor his parents would have endured the association; + but the servants once thought themselves justified in + treating him cavalierly, and Pen flew indignant to his + mother, to complain of their behaviour. Mrs. Browning at + once sought little Alessandro, with kind words and a large + piece of cake; but this, in Pen's eyes, only aggravated the + offence; it was a direct reflection on his visitor's + quality. 'He doesn't tome for take,' he burst forth; 'he + tomes because he is my friend.' How often, since I heard + this first, have we repeated the words, 'he doesn't tome for + take,' in half-serious definition of a disinterested person + or act! They became a standing joke. +</pre> + <p> + Mrs. Browning seems now to have adopted the plan of writing independent + letters to her sister-in-law; and those available for our purpose are + especially interesting. The buoyancy of tone which has habitually marked + her communications, but which failed during the winter in Rome, reasserts + itself in the following extract. Her maternal comments on Peni and his + perfections have hitherto been so carefully excluded, that a brief + allusion to him may be allowed on the present occasion. + </p> + <p> + 1857. + </p> + <p> + 'My dearest Sarianna, . . . Here is Penini's letter, which takes up so + much room that I must be sparing of mine—and, by the way, if you + consider him improved in his writing, give the praise to Robert, who has + been taking most patient pains with him indeed. You will see how the + little curly head is turned with carnival doings. So gay a carnival never + was in our experience, for until last year (when we were absent) all masks + had been prohibited, and now everybody has eaten of the tree of good and + evil till not an apple is left. Peni persecuted me to let him have a + domino—with tears and embraces—he "<i>almost never</i> in all + his life had had a domino," and he would like it so. Not a black domino! + no—he hated black—but a blue domino, trimmed with pink! that + was his taste. The pink trimming I coaxed him out of, but for the rest, I + let him have his way. . . . For my part, the universal madness reached me + sitting by the fire (whence I had not stirred for three months), and you + will open your eyes when I tell you that I went (in domino and masked) to + the great opera-ball. Yes! I did, really. Robert, who had been invited two + or three times to other people's boxes, had proposed to return their + kindness by taking a box himself at the opera this night, and entertaining + two or three friends with galantine and champagne. Just as he and I were + lamenting the impossibility of my going, on that very morning the wind + changed, the air grew soft and mild, and he maintained that I might and + should go. There was no time to get a domino of my own (Robert himself had + a beautiful one made, and I am having it metamorphosed into a black silk + gown for myself!) so I sent out and hired one, buying the mask. And very + much amused I was. I like to see these characteristic things. (I shall + never rest, Sarianna, till I risk my reputation at the 'bal de l'opera' at + Paris). Do you think I was satisfied with staying in the box? No, indeed. + Down I went, and Robert and I elbowed our way through the crowd to the + remotest corner of the ball below. Somebody smote me on the shoulder and + cried "Bella Mascherina!" and I answered as impudently as one feels under + a mask. At two o'clock in the morning, however, I had to give up and come + away (being overcome by the heavy air) and ingloriously left Robert and + our friends to follow at half-past four. Think of the refinement and + gentleness—yes, I must call it <i>superiority</i> of this people—when + no excess, no quarrelling, no rudeness nor coarseness can be observed in + the course of such wild masked liberty; not a touch of licence anywhere, + and perfect social equality! Our servant Ferdinando side by side in the + same ball-room with the Grand Duke, and no class's delicacy offended + against! For the Grand Duke went down into the ball-room for a short time. + . . .' + </p> + <p> + The summer of 1857 saw the family once more at the Baths of Lucca, and + again in company with Mr. Lytton. He had fallen ill at the house of their + common friend, Miss Blagden, also a visitor there; and Mr. Browning shared + in the nursing, of which she refused to entrust any part to less friendly + hands. He sat up with the invalid for four nights; and would doubtless + have done so for as many more as seemed necessary, but that Mrs. Browning + protested against this trifling with his own health. + </p> + <p> + The only serious difference which ever arose between Mr. Browning and his + wife referred to the subject of spiritualism. Mrs. Browning held doctrines + which prepared her to accept any real or imagined phenomena betokening + intercourse with the spirits of the dead; nor could she be repelled by + anything grotesque or trivial in the manner of this intercourse, because + it was no part of her belief that a spirit still inhabiting the atmosphere + of our earth, should exhibit any dignity or solemnity not belonging to him + while he lived upon it. The question must have been discussed by them on + its general grounds at a very early stage of their intimacy; but it only + assumed practical importance when Mr. Home came to Florence in 1857 or + 1858. Mr. Browning found himself compelled to witness some of the + 'manifestations'. He was keenly alive to their generally prosaic and + irreverent character, and to the appearance of jugglery which was then + involved in them. He absolutely denied the good faith of all the persons + concerned. Mrs. Browning as absolutely believed it; and no compromise + between them was attainable, because, strangely enough, neither of them + admitted as possible that mediums or witnesses should deceive themselves. + The personal aspect which the question thus received brought it into + closer and more painful contact with their daily life. They might agree to + differ as to the abstract merits of spiritualism; but Mr. Browning could + not resign himself to his wife's trustful attitude towards some of the + individuals who at that moment represented it. He may have had no + substantial fear of her doing anything that could place her in their + power, though a vague dread of this seems to have haunted him; but he + chafed against the public association of her name with theirs. Both his + love for and his pride in her resented it. + </p> + <p> + He had subsided into a more judicial frame of mind when he wrote 'Sludge + the Medium', in which he says everything which can excuse the liar and, + what is still more remarkable, modify the lie. So far back as the autumn + of 1860 I heard him discuss the trickery which he believed himself to have + witnessed, as dispassionately as any other non-credulous person might have + done so. The experience must even before that have passed out of the + foreground of his conjugal life. He remained, nevertheless, subject, for + many years, to gusts of uncontrollable emotion which would sweep over him + whenever the question of 'spirits' or 'spiritualism' was revived; and we + can only understand this in connection with the peculiar circumstances of + the case. With all his faith in the future, with all his constancy to the + past, the memory of pain was stronger in him than any other. A single + discordant note in the harmony of that married love, though merged in its + actual existence, would send intolerable vibrations through his + remembrance of it. And the pain had not been, in this instance, that of + simple disagreement. It was complicated by Mrs. Browning's refusal to + admit that disagreement was possible. She never believed in her husband's + disbelief; and he had been not unreasonably annoyed by her always assuming + it to be feigned. But his doubt of spiritualistic sincerity was not + feigned. She cannot have thought, and scarcely can have meant to say so. + She may have meant to say, 'You believe that these are tricks, but you + know that there is something real behind them;' and so far, if no farther, + she may have been in the right. Mr. Browning never denied the abstract + possibility of spiritual communication with either living or dead; he only + denied that such communication had ever been proved, or that any useful + end could be subserved by it. The tremendous potentialities of hypnotism + and thought-reading, now passing into the region of science, were not then + so remote but that an imagination like his must have foreshadowed them. + The natural basis of the seemingly supernatural had not yet entered into + discussion. He may, from the first, have suspected the existence of some + mysterious force, dangerous because not understood, and for this reason + doubly liable to fall into dangerous hands. And if this was so, he would + necessarily regard the whole system of manifestations with an apprehensive + hostility, which was not entire negation, but which rebelled against any + effort on the part of others, above all of those he loved, to interpret it + into assent. The pain and anger which could be aroused in him by an + indication on the part of a valued friend of even an impartial interest in + the subject points especially to the latter conclusion. + </p> + <p> + He often gave an instance of the tricks played in the name of spiritualism + on credulous persons, which may amuse those who have not yet heard it. I + give the story as it survives in the fresher memory of Mr. Val Prinsep, + who also received it from Mr. Browning. + </p> + <p> + 'At Florence lived a curious old savant who in his day was well known to + all who cared for art or history. I fear now few live who recollect + Kirkup. He was quite a mine of information on all kinds of forgotten lore. + It was he who discovered Giotto's portrait of Dante in the Bargello. + Speaking of some friend, he said, "He is a most ignorant fellow! Why, he + does not know how to cast a horoscope!" Of him Browning told me the + following story. Kirkup was much taken up with spiritualism, in which he + firmly believed. One day Browning called on him to borrow a book. He rang + loudly at the storey, for he knew Kirkup, like Landor, was quite deaf. To + his astonishment the door opened at once and Kirkup appeared. + </p> + <p> + '"Come in," he cried; "the spirits told me there was some one at the door. + Ah! I know you do not believe! Come and see. Mariana is in a trance!" + </p> + <p> + 'Browning entered. In the middle room, full of all kinds of curious + objects of "vertu", stood a handsome peasant girl, with her eyes fixed as + though she were in a trance. + </p> + <p> + '"You see, Browning," said Kirkup, "she is quite insensible, and has no + will of her own. Mariana, hold up your arm." + </p> + <p> + 'The woman slowly did as she was bid. + </p> + <p> + '"She cannot take it down till I tell her," cried Kirkup. + </p> + <p> + '"Very curious," observed Browning. "Meanwhile I have come to ask you to + lend me a book." + </p> + <p> + 'Kirkup, as soon as he was made to hear what book was wanted, said he + should be delighted. + </p> + <p> + '"Wait a bit. It is in the next room." + </p> + <p> + 'The old man shuffled out at the door. No sooner had he disappeared than + the woman turned to Browning, winked, and putting down her arm leaned it + on his shoulder. When Kirkup returned she resumed her position and rigid + look. + </p> + <p> + '"Here is the book," said Kirkup. "Isn't it wonderful?" he added, pointing + to the woman. + </p> + <p> + '"Wonderful," agreed Browning as he left the room. + </p> + <p> + 'The woman and her family made a good thing of poor Kirkup's + spiritualism.' + </p> + <p> + Something much more remarkable in reference to this subject happened to + the poet himself during his residence in Florence. It is related in a + letter to the 'Spectator', dated January 30, 1869, and signed J. S. K. + </p> + <p> + 'Mr. Robert Browning tells me that when he was in Florence some years + since, an Italian nobleman (a Count Ginnasi of Ravenna), visiting at + Florence, was brought to his house without previous introduction, by an + intimate friend. The Count professed to have great mesmeric and + clairvoyant faculties, and declared, in reply to Mr. Browning's avowed + scepticism, that he would undertake to convince him somehow or other of + his powers. He then asked Mr. Browning whether he had anything about him + then and there, which he could hand to him, and which was in any way a + relic or memento. This Mr. Browning thought was perhaps because he + habitually wore no sort of trinket or ornament, not even a watchguard, and + might therefore turn out to be a safe challenge. But it so happened that, + by a curious accident, he was then wearing under his coat-sleeves some + gold wrist-studs which he had quite recently taken into wear, in the + absence (by mistake of a sempstress) of his ordinary wrist-buttons. He had + never before worn them in Florence or elsewhere, and had found them in + some old drawer where they had lain forgotten for years. One of these + studs he took out and handed to the Count, who held it in his hand a + while, looking earnestly in Mr. Browning's face, and then he said, as if + much impressed, "C'equalche cosa che mi grida nell' orecchio 'Uccisione! + uccisione!'" ("There is something here which cries out in my ear, 'Murder! + murder!'") + </p> + <p> + '"And truly," says Mr. Browning, "those very studs were taken from the + dead body of a great uncle of mine who was violently killed on his estate + in St. Kitt's, nearly eighty years ago. . . . The occurrence of my great + uncle's murder was known only to myself of all men in Florence, as + certainly was also my possession of the studs."' + </p> + <p> + A letter from the poet, of July 21, 1883, affirms that the account is + correct in every particular, adding, 'My own explanation of the matter has + been that the shrewd Italian felt his way by the involuntary help of my + own eyes and face.' The story has been reprinted in the Reports of the + Psychical Society. + </p> + <p> + A pleasant piece of news came to brighten the January of 1858. Mr. Fox was + returned for Oldham, and at once wrote to announce the fact. He was + answered in a joint letter from Mr. and Mrs. Browning, interesting + throughout, but of which only the second part is quite suited for present + insertion. + </p> + <p> + Mrs. Browning, who writes first and at most length, ends by saying she + must leave a space for Robert, that Mr. Fox may be compensated for reading + all she has had to say. The husband continues as follows: + </p> + <p> + . . . 'A space for Robert' who has taken a breathing space—hardly + more than enough—to recover from his delight; he won't say surprise, + at your letter, dear Mr. Fox. But it is all right and, like you, I wish + from my heart we could get close together again, as in those old days, and + what times we would have here in Italy! The realization of the children's + prayer of angels at the corner of your bed (i.e. sofa), one to read and + one (my wife) to write,* and both to guard you through the night of + lodging-keeper's extortions, abominable charges for firing, and so on. + (Observe, to call oneself 'an angel' in this land is rather humble, where + they are apt to be painted as plumed cutthroats or celestial police—you + say of Gabriel at his best and blithesomest, 'Shouldn't admire meeting <i>him</i> + in a narrow lane!') + </p> +<pre xml:space="preserve"> + * Mr. Fox much liked to be read to, and was in the habit + of writing his articles by dictation. +</pre> + <p> + I say this foolishly just because I can't trust myself to be earnest about + it. I would, you know, I would, always would, choose you out of the whole + English world to judge and correct what I write myself; my wife shall read + this and let it stand if I have told her so these twelve years—and + certainly I have not grown intellectually an inch over the good and kind + hand you extended over my head how many years ago! Now it goes over my + wife's too. + </p> + <p> + How was it Tottie never came here as she promised? Is it to be some other + time? Do think of Florence, if ever you feel chilly, and hear quantities + about the Princess Royal's marriage, and want a change. I hate the thought + of leaving Italy for one day more than I can help—and satisfy my + English predilections by newspapers and a book or two. One gets nothing of + that kind here, but the stuff out of which books grow,—it lies about + one's feet indeed. Yet for me, there would be one book better than any now + to be got here or elsewhere, and all out of a great English head and + heart,—those 'Memoirs' you engaged to give us. Will you give us + them? + </p> + <p> + Goodbye now—if ever the whim strikes you to 'make beggars happy' + remember us. + </p> + <p> + Love to Tottie, and love and gratitude to you, dear Mr. Fox, From yours + ever affectionately, Robert Browning. + </p> + <p> + In the summer of this year, the poet with his wife and child joined his + father and sister at Havre. It was the last time they were all to be + together. + </p> + <p> + <a name="link2HCH0034" id="link2HCH0034"> + <!-- H2 anchor --> </a> + </p> + <div style="height: 4em;"> + <br /><br /><br /><br /> + </div> + <h2> + Chapter 13 + </h2> + <h3> + 1858-1861 + </h3> + <p> + Mrs. Browning's Illness—Siena—Letter from Mr. Browning to Mr. + Leighton —Mrs. Browning's Letters continued—Walter Savage + Landor—Winter in Rome—Mr. Val Prinsep—Friends in Rome: + Mr. and Mrs. Cartwright—Multiplying Social Relations—Massimo + d'Azeglio—Siena again—Illness and Death of Mrs. Browning's + Sister—Mr. Browning's Occupations—Madame du Quaire—Mrs. + Browning's last Illness and Death. + </p> + <p> + I cannot quite ascertain, though it might seem easy to do so, whether Mr. + and Mrs. Browning remained in Florence again till the summer of 1859, or + whether the intervening months were divided between Florence and Rome; but + some words in their letters favour the latter supposition. We hear of them + in September from Mr. Val Prinsep, in Siena or its neighbourhood; with Mr. + and Mrs. Story in an adjacent villa, and Walter Savage Landor in a + 'cottage' close by. How Mr. Landor found himself of the party belongs to a + little chapter in Mr. Browning's history for which I quote Mr. Colvin's + words.* He was then living at Fiesole with his family, very unhappily, as + we all know; and Mr. Colvin relates how he had thrice left his villa + there, determined to live in Florence alone; and each time been brought + back to the nominal home where so little kindness awaited him. + </p> +<pre xml:space="preserve"> + * 'Life of Landor', p. 209. +</pre> + <p> + '. . . The fourth time he presented himself in the house of Mr. Browning + with only a few pauls in his pocket, declaring that nothing should ever + induce him to return. + </p> + <p> + 'Mr. Browning, an interview with the family at the villa having satisfied + him that reconciliation or return was indeed past question, put himself at + once in communication with Mr. Forster and with Landor's brothers in + England. The latter instantly undertook to supply the needs of their + eldest brother during the remainder of his life. Thenceforth an income + sufficient for his frugal wants was forwarded regularly for his use + through the friend who had thus come forward at his need. To Mr. + Browning's respectful and judicious guidance Landor showed himself docile + from the first. Removed from the inflictions, real and imaginary, of his + life at Fiesole, he became another man, and at times still seemed to those + about him like the old Landor at his best. It was in July, 1859, that the + new arrangements for his life were made. The remainder of that summer he + spent at Siena, first as the guest of Mr. Story, the American sculptor and + poet, next in a cottage rented for him by Mr. Browning near his own. In + the autumn of the same year Landor removed to a set of apartments in the + Via Nunziatina in Florence, close to the Casa Guidi, in a house kept by a + former servant of Mrs. Browning's, an Englishwoman married to an Italian.* + Here he continued to live during the five years that yet remained to him.' + </p> +<pre xml:space="preserve"> + * Wilson, Mrs. Browning's devoted maid, and another most + faithful servant + of hers and her husband's, Ferdinando Romagnoli. +</pre> + <p> + Mr. Landor's presence is also referred to, with the more important + circumstance of a recent illness of Mrs. Browning's, in two characteristic + and interesting letters of this period, one written by Mr. Browning to + Frederic Leighton, the other by his wife to her sister-in-law. Mr.— + now Sir F.— Leighton had been studying art during the previous + winter in Italy. + </p> + <p> + Kingdom of Piedmont, Siena: Oct. 9, '59. + </p> + <p> + 'My dear Leighton—I hope—and think—you know what delight + it gave me to hear from you two months ago. I was in great trouble at the + time about my wife who was seriously ill. As soon as she could bear + removal we brought her to a villa here. She slowly recovered and is at + last <i>well</i> —I believe—but weak still and requiring more + attention than usual. We shall be obliged to return to Rome for the winter—not + choosing to risk losing what we have regained with some difficulty. Now + you know why I did not write at once—and may imagine why, having + waited so long, I put off telling you for a week or two till I could say + certainly what we do with ourselves. If any amount of endeavour could + induce you to join us there—Cartwright, Russell, the Vatican and all—and + if such a step were not inconsistent with your true interests—you + should have it: but I know very well that you love Italy too much not to + have had weighty reasons for renouncing her at present—and I want + your own good and not my own contentment in the matter. Wherever you are, + be sure I shall follow your proceedings with deep and true interest. I + heard of your successes—and am now anxious to know how you get on + with the great picture, the 'Ex voto'—if it does not prove full of + beauty and power, two of us will be shamed, that's all! But <i>I</i> don't + fear, mind! Do keep me informed of your progress, from time to time—a + few lines will serve—and then I shall slip some day into your + studio, and buffet the piano, without having grown a stranger. Another + thing—do take proper care of your health, and exercise yourself; + give those vile indigestions no chance against you; keep up your spirits, + and be as distinguished and happy as God meant you should. Can I do + anything for you at Rome—not to say, Florence? We go thither (i.e. + to Florence) to-morrow, stay there a month, probably, and then take the + Siena road again.' + </p> + <p> + The next paragraph refers to some orders for photographs, and is not + specially interesting. + </p> + <p> + Cartwright arrived here a fortnight ago—very pleasant it was to see + him: he left for Florence, stayed a day or two and returned to Mrs. + Cartwright (who remained at the Inn) and they all departed prosperously + yesterday for Rome. Odo Russell spent two days here on his way thither—we + liked him much. Prinsep and Jones—do you know them?—are in the + town. The Storys have passed the summer in the villa opposite,—and + no less a lion than dear old Landor is in a house a few steps off. I take + care of him—his amiable family having clawed him a little too + sharply: so strangely do things come about! I mean his Fiesole 'family'—a + trifle of wife, sons and daughter—not his English relatives, who are + generous and good in every way. + </p> + <p> + Take any opportunity of telling dear Mrs. Sartoris (however unnecessarily) + that I and my wife remember her with the old feeling—I trust she is + well and happy to heart's content. Pen is quite well and rejoicing just + now in a Sardinian pony on which he gallops like Puck on a dragon-fly's + back. My wife's kind regard and best wishes go with those of, Dear + Leighton, yours affectionately ever, R. Browning. + </p> + <p> + October 1859. + </p> + <p> + Mrs. to Miss Browning. + </p> + <p> + '. . . After all, it is not a cruel punishment to have to go to Rome again + this winter, though it will be an undesirable expense, and we did wish to + keep quiet this winter,—the taste for constant wanderings having + passed away as much for me as for Robert. We begin to see that by no + possible means can one spend as much money to so small an end—and + then we don't work so well, don't live to as much use either for ourselves + or others. Isa Blagden bids us observe that we pretend to live at + Florence, and are not there much above two months in the year, what with + going away for the summer and going away for the winter. It's too true. + It's the drawback of Italy. To live in one place there is impossible for + us, almost just as to live out of Italy at all, is impossible for us. It + isn't caprice on our part. Siena pleases us very much—the silence + and repose have been heavenly things to me, and the country is very pretty—though + no more than pretty—nothing marked or romantic—no mountains, + except so far off as to be like a cloud only on clear days—and no + water. Pretty dimpled ground, covered with low vineyards, purple hills, + not high, with the sunsets clothing them. . . . We shall not leave + Florence till November—Robert must see Mr. Landor (his adopted son, + Sarianna) settled in his new apartments with Wilson for a duenna. It's an + excellent plan for him and not a bad one for Wilson. . . . Forgive me if + Robert has told you this already. Dear darling Robert amuses me by talking + of his "gentleness and sweetness". A most courteous and refined gentleman + he is, of course, and very affectionate to Robert (as he ought to be), but + of self-restraint, he has not a grain, and of suspiciousness, many grains. + Wilson will run many risks, and I, for one, would rather not run them. + What do you say to dashing down a plate on the floor when you don't like + what's on it? And the contadini at whose house he is lodging now have been + already accused of opening desks. Still upon that occasion (though there + was talk of the probability of Mr. Landor's "throat being cut in his + sleep"—) as on other occasions, Robert succeeded in soothing him—and + the poor old lion is very quiet on the whole, roaring softly, to beguile + the time, in Latin alcaics against his wife and Louis Napoleon. He laughs + carnivorously when I tell him that one of these days he will have to write + an ode in honour of the Emperor, to please me.' + </p> + <p> + Mrs. Browning writes, somewhat later, from Rome: + </p> + <p> + '. . . We left Mr. Landor in great comfort. I went to see his apartment + before it was furnished. Rooms small, but with a look-out into a little + garden, quiet and cheerful, and he doesn't mind a situation rather out of + the way. He pays four pounds ten (English) the month. Wilson has thirty + pounds a year for taking care of him—which sounds a good deal, but + it is a difficult position. He has excellent, generous, affectionate + impulses—but the impulses of the tiger, every now and then. Nothing + coheres in him—either in his opinions, or, I fear, his affections. + It isn't age—he is precisely the man of his youth, I must believe. + Still, his genius gives him the right of gratitude on all artists at + least, and I must say that my Robert has generously paid the debt. Robert + always said that he owed more as a writer to Landor than to any + contemporary. At present Landor is very fond of him—but I am quite + prepared for his turning against us as he has turned against Forster, who + has been so devoted for years and years. Only one isn't kind for what one + gets by it, or there wouldn't be much kindness in this world. . . .' + </p> + <p> + Mr. Browning always declared that his wife could impute evil to no one, + that she was a living denial of that doctrine of original sin to which her + Christianity pledged her; and the great breadth and perfect charity of her + views habitually justified the assertion; but she evidently possessed a + keen insight into character, which made her complete suspension of + judgment on the subject of Spiritualism very difficult to understand. + </p> + <p> + The spiritualistic coterie had found a satisfactory way of explaining Mr. + Browning's antagonistic attitude towards it. He was jealous, it was said, + because the Spirits on one occasion had dropped a crown on to his wife's + head and none on to his own. The first instalment of his long answer to + this grotesque accusation appears in a letter of Mrs. Browning's, probably + written in the course of the winter of 1859-60. + </p> + <p> + '. . . My brother George sent me a number of the "National Magazine" with + my face in it, after Marshall Wood's medallion. My comfort is that my + greatest enemy will not take it to be like me, only that does not go far + with the indifferent public: the portrait I suppose will have its due + weight in arresting the sale of "Aurora Leigh" from henceforth. You never + saw a more determined visage of a strong-minded woman with the neck of a + vicious bull. . . . Still, I am surprised, I own, at the amount of + success, and that golden-hearted Robert is in ecstasies about it, far more + than if it all related to a book of his own. The form of the story, and + also, something in the philosophy, seem to have caught the crowd. As to + the poetry by itself, anything good in that repels rather. I am not so + blind as Romney, not to perceive this . . . Give Peni's and my love to the + dearest 'nonno' (grandfather) whose sublime unselfishness and want of + common egotism presents such a contrast to what is here. Tell him I often + think of him, and always with touched feeling. (When <i>he</i> is + eighty-six or ninety-six, nobody will be pained or humbled by the + spectacle of an insane self-love resulting from a long life's ungoverned + will.) May God bless him!—. . . Robert has made his third bust + copied from the antique. He breaks them all up as they are finished—it's + only matter of education. When the power of execution is achieved, he will + try at something original. Then reading hurts him; as long as I have known + him he has not been able to read long at a time—he can do it now + better than at the beginning. The consequence of which is that an active + occupation is salvation to him. . . . Nobody exactly understands him + except me, who am in the inside of him and hear him breathe. For the + peculiarity of our relation is, that he thinks aloud with me and can't + stop himself. . . . I wanted his poems done this winter very much, and + here was a bright room with three windows consecrated to his use. But he + had a room all last summer, and did nothing. Then, he worked himself out + by riding for three or four hours together—there has been little + poetry done since last winter, when he did much. He was not inclined to + write this winter. The modelling combines body-work and soul-work, and the + more tired he has been, and the more his back ached, poor fellow, the more + he has exulted and been happy. So I couldn't be much in opposition against + the sculpture—I couldn't in fact at all. He has material for a + volume, and will work at it this summer, he says. + </p> + <p> + 'His power is much in advance of "Strafford", which is his poorest work of + art. Ah, the brain stratifies and matures, even in the pauses of the pen. + </p> + <p> + 'At the same time, his treatment in England affects him, naturally, and + for my part I set it down as an infamy of that public—no other word. + He says he has told you some things you had not heard, and which I + acknowledge I always try to prevent him from repeating to anyone. I wonder + if he has told you besides (no, I fancy not) that an English lady of rank, + an acquaintance of ours, (observe that!) asked, the other day, the + American minister, whether "Robert was not an American." The minister + answered—"is it possible that <i>you</i> ask me this? Why, there is + not so poor a village in the United States, where they would not tell you + that Robert Browning was an Englishman, and that they were sorry he was + not an American." Very pretty of the American minister, was it not?—and + literally true, besides. . . . Ah, dear Sarianna—I don't complain + for myself of an unappreciating public. I <i>have no reason</i>. But, just + for <i>that</i> reason, I complain more about Robert—only he does + not hear me complain—to <i>you</i> I may say, that the blindness, + deafness and stupidity of the English public to Robert are amazing. Of + course Milsand had heard his name—well the contrary would have been + strange. Robert <i>is</i>. All England can't prevent his existence, I + suppose. But nobody there, except a small knot of pre-Raffaellite men, + pretend to do him justice. Mr. Forster has done the best,—in the + press. As a sort of lion, Robert has his range in society—and—for + the rest, you should see Chapman's returns!—While, in America he is + a power, a writer, a poet—he is read—he lives in the hearts of + the people. + </p> + <p> + '"Browning readings" here in Boston—"Browning evenings" there. For + the rest, the English hunt lions, too, Sarianna, but their lions are + chiefly chosen among lords and railway kings. . . .' + </p> + <p> + We cannot be surprised at Mrs. Browning's desire for a more sustained + literary activity on her husband's part. We learn from his own subsequent + correspondence that he too regarded the persevering exercise of his poetic + faculty as almost a religious obligation. But it becomes the more apparent + that the restlessness under which he was now labouring was its own excuse; + and that its causes can have been no mystery even to those 'outside' him. + The life and climate of Italy were beginning to undermine his strength. We + owe it perhaps to the great and sorrowful change, which was then drawing + near, that the full power of work returned to him. + </p> + <p> + During the winter of 1859-60, Mr. Val Prinsep was in Rome. He had gone to + Siena with Mr. Burne Jones, bearing an introduction from Rossetti to Mr. + Browning and his wife; and the acquaintance with them was renewed in the + ensuing months. Mr. Prinsep had acquired much knowledge of the popular, + hence picturesque aspects of Roman life, through a French artist long + resident in the city; and by the help of the two young men Mr. Browning + was also introduced to them. The assertion that during his married life he + never dined away from home must be so far modified, that he sometimes + joined Mr. Prinsep and his friend in a Bohemian meal, at an inn near the + Porta Pinciana which they much frequented; and he gained in this manner + some distinctive experiences which he liked long afterwards to recall. I + am again indebted to Mr. Prinsep for a description of some of these. + </p> + <p> + 'The first time he honoured us was on an evening when the poet of the + quarter of the "Monte" had announced his intention of coming to challenge + a rival poet to a poetical contest. Such contests are, or were, common in + Rome. In old times the Monte and the Trastevere, the two great quarters of + the eternal city, held their meetings on the Ponte Rotto. The contests + were not confined to the effusions of the poetical muse. Sometimes it was + a strife between two lute-players, sometimes guitarists would engage, and + sometimes mere wrestlers. The rivalry was so keen that the adverse parties + finished up with a general fight. So the Papal Government had forbidden + the meetings on the old bridge. But still each quarter had its pet + champions, who were wont to meet in private before an appreciative, but + less excitable audience, than in olden times. + </p> + <p> + 'Gigi (the host) had furnished a first-rate dinner, and his usual tap of + excellent wine. ('Vino del Popolo' he called it.) The 'Osteria' had + filled; the combatants were placed opposite each other on either side of a + small table on which stood two 'mezzi'—long glass bottles holding + about a quart apiece. For a moment the two poets eyed each other like two + cocks seeking an opportunity to engage. Then through the crowd a stalwart + carpenter, a constant attendant of Gigi's, elbowed his way. He leaned over + the table with a hand on each shoulder, and in a neatly turned couplet he + then addressed the rival bards. + </p> + <p> + '"You two," he said, "for the honour of Rome, must do your best, for there + is now listening to you a great Poet from England." + </p> + <p> + 'Having said this, he bowed to Browning, and swaggered back to his place + in the crowd, amid the applause of the on-lookers. + </p> + <p> + 'It is not necessary to recount how the two Improvisatori poetized, even + if I remembered, which I do not. + </p> + <p> + 'On another occasion, when Browning and Story were dining with us, we had + a little orchestra (mandolins, two guitars, and a lute,) to play to us. + The music consisted chiefly of well-known popular airs. While they were + playing with great fervour the Hymn to Garibaldi—an air strictly + forbidden by the Papal Government, three blows at the door resounded + through the 'Osteria'. The music stopped in a moment. I saw Gigi was very + pale as he walked down the room. There was a short parley at the door. It + opened, and a sergeant and two Papal gendarmes marched solemnly up to the + counter from which drink was supplied. There was a dead silence while Gigi + supplied them with large measures of wine, which the gendarmes leisurely + imbibed. Then as solemnly they marched out again, with their heads well in + the air, looking neither to the right nor the left. Most discreet if not + incorruptible guardians of the peace! When the door was shut the music + began again; but Gigi was so earnest in his protestations, that my friend + Browning suggested we should get into carriages and drive to see the + Coliseum by moonlight. And so we sallied forth, to the great relief of + poor Gigi, to whom it meant, if reported, several months of imprisonment, + and complete ruin. + </p> + <p> + 'In after-years Browning frequently recounted with delight this night + march. + </p> + <p> + '"We drove down the Corso in two carriages," he would say. "In one were + our musicians, in the other we sat. Yes! and the people all asked, 'who + are these who make all this parade?' At last some one said, 'Without doubt + these are the fellows who won the lottery,' and everybody cried, 'Of + course these are the lucky men who have won.'"' + </p> + <p> + The two persons whom Mr. Browning saw most, and most intimately, during + this and the ensuing winter, were probably Mr. and Mrs. Story. Allusion + has already been made to the opening of the acquaintance at the Baths of + Lucca in 1853, to its continuance in Rome in '53 and '54, and to the + artistic pursuits which then brought the two men into close and frequent + contact with each other. These friendly relations were cemented by their + children, who were of about the same age; and after Mrs. Browning's death, + Miss Browning took her place in the pleasant intercourse which renewed + itself whenever their respective visits to Italy and to England again + brought the two families together. A no less lasting and truly + affectionate intimacy was now also growing up with Mr. Cartwright and his + wife—the Cartwrights (of Aynhoe) of whom mention was made in the + Siena letter to F. Leighton; and this too was subsequently to include + their daughter, now Mrs. Guy Le Strange, and Mr. Browning's sister. I + cannot quite ascertain when the poet first knew Mr. Odo Russell, and his + mother, Lady William Russell, who was also during this, or at all events + the following winter, in Rome; and whom afterwards in London he regularly + visited until her death; but the acquaintance was already entering on the + stage in which it would spread as a matter of course through every branch + of the family. His first country visit, when he had returned to England, + was paid with his son to Woburn Abbey. + </p> + <p> + We are now indeed fully confronted with one of the great difficulties of + Mr. Browning's biography: that of giving a sufficient idea of the growing + extent and growing variety of his social relations. It is evident from the + fragments of his wife's correspondence that during, as well as after, his + married life, he always and everywhere knew everyone whom it could + interest him to know. These acquaintances constantly ripened into + friendliness, friendliness into friendship. They were necessarily often + marked by interesting circumstances or distinctive character. To follow + them one by one, would add not chapters, but volumes, to our history. The + time has not yet come at which this could even be undertaken; and any + attempt at systematic selection would create a false impression of the + whole. I must therefore be still content to touch upon such passages of + Mr. Browning's social experience as lie in the course of a comparatively + brief record; leaving all such as are not directly included in it to speak + indirectly for themselves. + </p> + <p> + Mrs. Browning writes again, in 1859: + </p> + <p> + 'Massimo d'Azeglio came to see us, and talked nobly, with that noble head + of his. I was far prouder of his coming than of another personal + distinction you will guess at,* though I don't pretend to have been + insensible to that.' + </p> +<pre xml:space="preserve"> + * An invitation to Mr. Browning to dine in company + with the young Prince of Wales. +</pre> + <p> + Dr.—afterwards Cardinal—Manning was also among the + distinguished or interesting persons whom they knew in Rome. + </p> + <p> + Another, undated extract might refer to the early summer of 1859 or 1860, + when a meeting with the father and sister must have been once more in + contemplation. + </p> + <p> + Casa Guidi. + </p> + <p> + 'My dearest Sarianna,—I am delighted to say that we have arrived, + and see our dear Florence—the Queen of Italy, after all . . . A + comfort is that Robert is considered here to be looking better than he + ever was known to look—and this, notwithstanding the greyness of his + beard . . . which indeed, is, in my own mind, very becoming to him, the + argentine touch giving a character of elevation and thought to the whole + physiognomy. This greyness was suddenly developed—let me tell you + how. He was in a state of bilious irritability on the morning of his + arrival in Rome, from exposure to the sun or some such cause, and in a fit + of suicidal impatience shaved away his whole beard . . . whiskers and + all!! I <i>cried</i> when I saw him, I was so horror-struck. I might have + gone into hysterics and still been reasonable—for no human being was + ever so disfigured by so simple an act. Of course I said when I recovered + heart and voice, that everything was at an end between him and me if he + didn't let it all grow again directly, and (upon the further advice of his + looking-glass) he yielded the point,—and the beard grew—but it + grew white—which was the just punishment of the gods—our sins + leave their traces. + </p> + <p> + 'Well, poor darling Robert won't shock you after all—you can't + choose but be satisfied with his looks. M. de Monclar swore to me that he + was not changed for the intermediate years. . . .' + </p> + <p> + The family returned, however, to Siena for the summer of 1860, and from + thence Mrs. Browning writes to her sister-in-law of her great anxiety + concerning her sister Henrietta, Mrs. Surtees Cook,* then attacked by a + fatal disease. + </p> +<pre xml:space="preserve"> + * The name was afterwards changed to Altham. +</pre> + <p> + '. . . There is nothing or little to add to my last account of my precious + Henrietta. But, dear, you think the evil less than it is—be sure + that the fear is too reasonable. I am of a very hopeful temperament, and I + never could go on systematically making the worst of any case. I bear up + here for a few days, and then comes the expectation of a letter, which is + hard. I fight with it for Robert's sake, but all the work I put myself to + do does not hinder a certain effect. She is confined to her bed almost + wholly and suffers acutely. . . . In fact, I am living from day to day, on + the merest crumbs of hope—on the daily bread which is very bitter. + Of course it has shaken me a good deal, and interfered with the advantages + of the summer, but that's the least. Poor Robert's scheme for me of + perfect repose has scarcely been carried out. . . .' + </p> + <p> + This anxiety was heightened during the ensuing winter in Rome, by just the + circumstance from which some comfort had been expected—the second + postal delivery which took place every day; for the hopes and fears which + might have found a moment's forgetfulness in the longer absence of news, + were, as it proved, kept at fever-heat. On one critical occasion the + suspense became unbearable, because Mr. Browning, by his wife's desire, + had telegraphed for news, begging for a telegraphic answer. No answer had + come, and she felt convinced that the worst had happened, and that the + brother to whom the message was addressed could not make up his mind to + convey the fact in so abrupt a form. The telegram had been stopped by the + authorities, because Mr. Odo Russell had undertaken to forward it, and his + position in Rome, besides the known Liberal sympathies of Mr. and Mrs. + Browning and himself, had laid it open to political suspicion. + </p> + <p> + Mrs. Surtees Cook died in the course of the winter. Mr. Browning always + believed that the shock and sorrow of this event had shortened his wife's + life, though it is also possible that her already lowered vitality + increased the dejection into which it plunged her. Her own casual + allusions to the state of her health had long marked arrested progress, if + not steady decline. We are told, though this may have been a mistake, that + active signs of consumption were apparent in her even before the illness + of 1859, which was in a certain sense the beginning of the end. She was + completely an invalid, as well as entirely a recluse, during the greater + part if not the whole of this last stay in Rome. + </p> + <p> + She rallied nevertheless sufficiently to write to Miss Browning in April, + in a tone fully suggestive of normal health and energy. + </p> + <p> + '. . . In my own opinion he is infinitely handsomer and more attractive + than when I saw him first, sixteen years ago. . . . I believe people in + general would think the same exactly. As to the modelling—well, I + told you that I grudged a little the time from his own particular art. But + it does not do to dishearten him about his modelling. He has given a great + deal of time to anatomy with reference to the expression of form, and the + clay is only the new medium which takes the place of drawing. Also, Robert + is peculiar in his ways of work as a poet. I have struggled a little with + him on this point, for I don't think him right; that is to say, it would + not be right for me . . . But Robert waits for an inclination, works by + fits and starts; he can't do otherwise he says, and his head is full of + ideas which are to come out in clay or marble. I yearn for the poems, but + he leaves that to me for the present. . . . You will think Robert looking + very well when you see him; indeed, you may judge by the photographs + meanwhile. You know, Sarianna, how I used to forbid the moustache. I + insisted as long as I could, but all artists were against me, and I + suppose that the bare upper lip does not harmonise with the beard. He + keeps the hair now closer, and the beard is pointed. . . . As to the moony + whiteness of the beard, it is beautiful, <i>I</i> think, but then I think + him all beautiful, and always. . . .' + </p> + <p> + Mr. Browning's old friend, Madame du Quaire,* came to Rome in December. + She had visited Florence three years before, and I am indebted to her for + some details of the spiritualist controversy by which its English colony + was at that time divided. She was now a widow, travelling with her + brother; and Mr. Browning came whenever he could, to comfort her in her + sorrow, and, as she says, discourse of nature, art, the beautiful, and all + that 'conquers death'. He little knew how soon he would need the same + comfort for himself. He would also declaim passages from his wife's poems; + and when, on one of these occasions, Madame du Quaire had said, as so many + persons now say, that she much preferred his poetry to hers, he made this + characteristic answer, to be repeated in substance some years afterwards + to another friend: 'You are wrong—quite wrong—she has genius; + I am only a painstaking fellow. Can't you imagine a clever sort of angel + who plots and plans, and tries to build up something—he wants to + make you see it as he sees it—shows you one point of view, carries + you off to another, hammering into your head the thing he wants you to + understand; and whilst this bother is going on God Almighty turns you off + a little star—that's the difference between us. The true creative + power is hers, not mine.' + </p> +<pre xml:space="preserve"> + * Formerly Miss Blackett, and sister of the member for New + Castle. +</pre> + <p> + Mrs. Browning died at Casa Guidi on June 29, 1861, soon after their return + to Florence. She had had a return of the bronchial affection to which she + was subject; and a new doctor who was called in discovered grave mischief + at the lungs, which she herself had long believed to be existent or + impending. But the attack was comparatively, indeed actually, slight; and + an extract from her last letter to Miss Browning, dated June 7, confirms + what her family and friends have since asserted, that it was the death of + Cavour which gave her the final blow. + </p> + <p> + '. . . We come home into a cloud here. I can scarcely command voice or + hand to name 'Cavour'. That great soul which meditated and made Italy has + gone to the diviner Country. If tears or blood could have saved him to us, + he should have had mine. I feel yet as if I could scarcely comprehend the + greatness of the vacancy. A hundred Garibaldis for such a man!' + </p> + <p> + Her death was signalized by the appearance—this time, I am told, + unexpected—of another brilliant comet, which passed so near the + earth as to come into contact with it. + </p> + <p> + <a name="link2HCH0035" id="link2HCH0035"> + <!-- H2 anchor --> </a> + </p> + <div style="height: 4em;"> + <br /><br /><br /><br /> + </div> + <h2> + Chapter 14 + </h2> + <h3> + 1861-1863 + </h3> + <p> + Miss Blagden—Letters from Mr. Browning to Miss Haworth and Mr. + Leighton—His Feeling in regard to Funeral Ceremonies—Establishment + in London—Plan of Life—Letter to Madame du Quaire—Miss + Arabel Barrett—Biarritz—Letters to Miss Blagden—Conception + of 'The Ring and the Book'—Biographical Indiscretion—New + Edition of his Works—Mr. and Mrs. Procter. + </p> + <p> + The friend who was nearest, at all events most helpful, to Mr. Browning in + this great and sudden sorrow was Miss Blagden—Isa Blagden, as she + was called by all her intimates. Only a passing allusion to her could + hitherto find place in this fragmentary record of the Poet's life; but the + friendship which had long subsisted between her and Mrs. Browning brings + her now into closer and more frequent relation to it. She was for many + years a centre of English society in Florence; for her genial, hospitable + nature, as well as literary tastes (she wrote one or two novels, I believe + not without merit), secured her the acquaintance of many interesting + persons, some of whom occasionally made her house their home; and the + evenings spent with her at her villa on Bellosguardo live pleasantly in + the remembrance of those of our older generation who were permitted to + share in them. + </p> + <p> + She carried the boy away from the house of mourning, and induced his + father to spend his nights under her roof, while the last painful duties + detained him in Florence. He at least gave her cause to deny, what has + been so often affirmed, that great griefs are necessarily silent. She + always spoke of this period as her 'apocalyptic month', so deeply poetic + were the ravings which alternated with the simple human cry of the + desolate heart: 'I want her, I want her!' But the ear which received these + utterances has long been closed in death. The only written outbursts of + Mr. Browning's frantic sorrow were addressed, I believe, to his sister, + and to the friend, Madame du Quaire, whose own recent loss most naturally + invoked them, and who has since thought best, so far as rested with her, + to destroy the letters in which they were contained. It is enough to know + by simple statement that he then suffered as he did. Life conquers Death + for most of us; whether or not 'nature, art, and beauty' assist in the + conquest. It was bound to conquer in Mr. Browning's case: first through + his many-sided vitality; and secondly, through the special motive for + living and striving which remained to him in his son. This note is struck + in two letters which are given me to publish, written about three weeks + after Mrs. Browning's death; and we see also that by this time his manhood + was reacting against the blow, and bracing itself with such consoling + remembrance as the peace and painlessness of his wife's last moments could + afford to him. + </p> + <p> + Florence: July 19, '61. + </p> + <p> + Dear Leighton,—It is like your old kindness to write to me and to + say what you do—I know you feel for me. I can't write about it—but + there were many alleviating circumstances that you shall know one day—there + seemed no pain, and (what she would have felt most) the knowledge of + separation from us was spared her. I find these things a comfort indeed. + </p> + <p> + I shall go away from Italy for many a year—to Paris, then London for + a day or two just to talk with her sister—but if I can see you it + will be a great satisfaction. Don't fancy I am 'prostrated', I have enough + to do for the boy and myself in carrying out her wishes. He is better than + one would have thought, and behaves dearly to me. Everybody has been very + kind. + </p> + <p> + Tell dear Mrs. Sartoris that I know her heart and thank her with all mine. + After my day or two at London I shall go to some quiet place in France to + get right again and then stay some time at Paris in order to find out + leisurely what it will be best to do for Peni—but eventually I shall + go to England, I suppose. I don't mean to live with anybody, even my own + family, but to occupy myself thoroughly, seeing dear friends, however, + like you. God bless you. Yours ever affectionately, Robert Browning. + </p> + <p> + The second is addressed to Miss Haworth. + </p> + <p> + Florence: July 20, 1861. + </p> + <p> + My dear Friend,—I well know you feel as you say, for her once and + for me now. Isa Blagden, perfect in all kindness to me, will have told you + something perhaps—and one day I shall see you and be able to tell + you myself as much as I can. The main comfort is that she suffered very + little pain, none beside that ordinarily attending the simple attacks of + cold and cough she was subject to—had no presentiment of the result + whatever, and was consequently spared the misery of knowing she was about + to leave us; she was smilingly assuring me she was 'better', 'quite + comfortable—if I would but come to bed,' to within a few minutes of + the last. I think I foreboded evil at Rome, certainly from the beginning + of the week's illness—but when I reasoned about it, there was no + justifying fear—she said on the last evening 'it is merely the old + attack, not so severe a one as that of two years ago—there is no + doubt I shall soon recover,' and we talked over plans for the summer, and + next year. I sent the servants away and her maid to bed—so little + reason for disquietude did there seem. Through the night she slept + heavily, and brokenly—that was the bad sign—but then she would + sit up, take her medicine, say unrepeatable things to me and sleep again. + At four o'clock there were symptoms that alarmed me, I called the maid and + sent for the doctor. She smiled as I proposed to bathe her feet, 'Well, + you <i>are</i> determined to make an exaggerated case of it!' Then came + what my heart will keep till I see her again and longer—the most + perfect expression of her love to me within my whole knowledge of her. + Always smilingly, happily, and with a face like a girl's—and in a + few minutes she died in my arms; her head on my cheek. These incidents so + sustain me that I tell them to her beloved ones as their right: there was + no lingering, nor acute pain, nor consciousness of separation, but God + took her to himself as you would lift a sleeping child from a dark, uneasy + bed into your arms and the light. Thank God. Annunziata thought by her + earnest ways with me, happy and smiling as they were, that she must have + been aware of our parting's approach—but she was quite conscious, + had words at command, and yet did not even speak of Peni, who was in the + next room. Her last word was when I asked 'How do you feel?' —'Beautiful.' + You know I have her dearest wishes and interests to attend to <i>at once</i>—her + child to care for, educate, establish properly; and my own life to fulfil + as properly,—all just as she would require were she here. I shall + leave Italy altogether for years—go to London for a few days' talk + with Arabel—then go to my father and begin to try leisurely what + will be the best for Peni—but no more 'housekeeping' for me, even + with my family. I shall grow, still, I hope—but my root is taken and + remains. + </p> + <p> + I know you always loved her, and me too in my degree. I shall always be + grateful to those who loved her, and that, I repeat, you did. + </p> + <p> + She was, and is, lamented with extraordinary demonstrations, if one + consider it. The Italians seem to have understood her by an instinct. I + have received strange kindness from everybody. Pen is very well—very + dear and good, anxious to comfort me as he calls it. He can't know his + loss yet. After years, his will be worse than mine—he will want what + he never had—that is, for the time when he could be helped by her + wisdom, and genius and piety—I <i>have</i> had everything and shall + not forget. + </p> + <p> + God bless you, dear friend. I believe I shall set out in a week. Isa goes + with me—dear, true heart. You, too, would do what you could for us + were you here and your assistance needful. A letter from you came a day or + two before the end—she made me enquire about the Frescobaldi Palace + for you,—Isa wrote to you in consequence. I shall be heard of at + 151, rue de Grenelle St. Germain. Faithfully and affectionately yours, + Robert Browning. + </p> + <p> + The first of these displays even more self-control, it might be thought + less feeling, than the second; but it illustrates the reserve which, I + believe, habitually characterized Mr. Browning's attitude towards men. His + natural, and certainly most complete, confidants were women. At about the + end of July he left Florence with his son; also accompanied by Miss + Blagden, who travelled with them as far as Paris. She herself must soon + have returned to Italy; since he wrote to her in September on the subject + of his wife's provisional disinterment,* in a manner which shows her to + have been on the spot. + </p> +<pre xml:space="preserve"> + * Required for the subsequent placing of the monument + designed by F. Leighton. +</pre> + <p> + Sept. '61. + </p> + <p> + '. . . Isa, may I ask you one favour? Will you, whenever these dreadful + preliminaries, the provisional removement &c. when they are proceeded + with,—will you do—all you can—suggest every regard to + decency and proper feeling to the persons concerned? I have a horror of + that man of the grave-yard, and needless publicity and exposure—I + rely on you, dearest friend of ours, to at least lend us your influence + when the time shall come—a word may be invaluable. If there is any + show made, or gratification of strangers' curiosity, far better that I had + left the turf untouched. These things occur through sheer thoughtlessness, + carelessness, not anything worse, but the effect is irreparable. I won't + think any more of it—now—at least. . . .' + </p> + <p> + The dread expressed in this letter of any offence to the delicacies of the + occasion was too natural to be remarked upon here; but it connects itself + with an habitual aversion for the paraphernalia of death, which was a + marked peculiarity of Mr. Browning's nature. He shrank, as his wife had + done, from the 'earth side' of the portentous change; but truth compels me + to own that her infinite pity had little or no part in his attitude + towards it. For him, a body from which the soul had passed, held nothing + of the person whose earthly vesture it had been. He had no sympathy for + the still human tenderness with which so many of us regard the mortal + remains of those they have loved, or with the solemn or friendly interest + in which that tenderness so often reflects itself in more neutral minds. + He would claim all respect for the corpse, but he would turn away from it. + Another aspect of this feeling shows itself in a letter to one of his + brothers-in-law, Mr. George Moulton-Barrett, in reference to his wife's + monument, with which Mr. Barrett had professed himself pleased. His tone + is characterized by an almost religious reverence for the memory which + that monument enshrines. He nevertheless writes: + </p> + <p> + 'I hope to see it one day—and, although I have no kind of concern as + to where the old clothes of myself shall be thrown, yet, if my fortune be + such, and my survivors be not unduly troubled, I should like them to lie + in the place I have retained there. It is no matter, however.' + </p> + <p> + The letter is dated October 19, 1866. He never saw Florence again. + </p> + <p> + Mr. Browning spent two months with his father and sister at St.-Enogat, + near Dinard, from which place the letter to Miss Blagden was written; and + then proceeded to London, where his wife's sister, Miss Arabel Barrett, + was living. He had declared in his first grief that he would never keep + house again, and he began his solitary life in lodgings which at his + request she had engaged for him; but the discomfort of this arrangement + soon wearied him of it; and before many months had passed, he had sent to + Florence for his furniture, and settled himself in the house in Warwick + Crescent, which possessed, besides other advantages, that of being close + to Delamere Terrace, where Miss Barrett had taken up her abode. + </p> + <p> + This first period of Mr. Browning's widowed life was one of unutterable + dreariness, in which the smallest and yet most unconquerable element was + the prosaic ugliness of everything which surrounded him. It was fifteen + years since he had spent a winter in England; he had never spent one in + London. There had been nothing to break for him the transition from the + stately beauty of Florence to the impressions and associations of the + Harrow and Edgware Roads, and of Paddington Green. He might have escaped + this neighbourhood by way of Westbourne Terrace; but his walks constantly + led him in an easterly direction; and whether in an unconscious hugging of + his chains, or, as was more probable, from the desire to save time, he + would drag his aching heart and reluctant body through the sordidness or + the squalor of this short cut, rather than seek the pleasanter + thoroughfares which were open to him. Even the prettiness of Warwick + Crescent was neutralized for him by the atmosphere of low or ugly life + which encompassed it on almost every side. His haunting dream was one day + to have done with it all; to have fulfilled his mission with his son, + educated him, launched him in a suitable career, and to go back to + sunshine and beauty again. He learned by degrees to regard London as a + home; as the only fitting centre for the varied energies which were + reviving in him; to feel pride and pleasure in its increasingly + picturesque character. He even learned to appreciate the outlook from his + house—that 'second from the bridge' of which so curious a + presentment had entered into one of the poems of the 'Men and Women'*—in + spite of the refuse of humanity which would sometimes yell at the street + corner, or fling stones at his plate-glass. But all this had to come; and + it is only fair to admit that twenty-nine years ago the beauties of which + I have spoken were in great measure to come also. He could not then in any + mood have exclaimed, as he did to a friend two or three years ago: 'Shall + we not have a pretty London if things go on in this way?' They were + driving on the Kensington side of Hyde Park. + </p> +<pre xml:space="preserve"> + * 'How it strikes a Contemporary'. +</pre> + <p> + The paternal duty, which, so much against his inclination, had established + Mr. Browning in England, would in every case have lain very near to his + conscience and to his heart; but it especially urged itself upon them + through the absence of any injunction concerning it on his wife's part. No + farewell words of hers had commended their child to his father's love and + care; and though he may, for the moment, have imputed this fact to + unconsciousness of her approaching death, his deeper insight soon + construed the silence into an expression of trust, more binding upon him + than the most earnest exacted promise could have been. The growing boy's + education occupied a considerable part of his time and thoughts, for he + had determined not to send him to school, but, as far as possible, himself + prepare him for the University. He must also, in some degree, have + supervised his recreations. He had therefore, for the present, little + leisure for social distractions, and probably at first very little + inclination for them. His plan of life and duty, and the sense of + responsibility attendant on it, had been communicated to Madame du Quaire + in a letter written also from St.-Enogat. + </p> + <p> + M. Chauvin, St.-Enogat pres Dinard, Ile et Vilaine: Aug. 17, '61. + </p> + <p> + Dear Madame du Quaire,—I got your note on Sunday afternoon, but + found myself unable to call on you as I had been intending to do. Next + morning I left for this place (near St.-Malo, but I give what they say is + the proper address). I want first to beg you to forgive my withholding so + long your little oval mirror—it is safe in Paris, and I am vexed at + having stupidly forgotten to bring it when I tried to see you. I shall + stay here till the autumn sets in, then return to Paris for a few days—the + first of which will be the best, if I can see you in the course of it—afterward, + I settle in London. + </p> + <p> + When I meant to pass the winter in Paris, I hoped, the first thing almost, + to be near you—it now seems to me, however, that the best course for + the Boy is to begin a good English education at once. I shall take quiet + lodgings (somewhere near Kensington Gardens, I rather think) and get a + Tutor. I want, if I can (according to my present very imperfect knowledge) + to get the poor little fellow fit for the University without passing thro' + a Public School. I, myself, could never have done much by either process, + but he is made differently—imitates and emulates and all that. How I + should be grateful if you would help me by any word that should occur to + you! I may easily do wrong, begin ill, thro' too much anxiety—perhaps, + however, all may be easier than seems to me just now. + </p> + <p> + I shall have a great comfort in talking to you—this writing is + stiff, ineffectual work. Pen is very well, cheerful now,—has his + little horse here. The place is singularly unspoiled, fresh and + picturesque, and lovely to heart's content. I wish you were here!—and + if you knew exactly what such a wish means, you would need no assuring in + addition that I am Yours affectionately and gratefully ever Robert + Browning. + </p> + <p> + The person of whom he saw most was his sister-in-law, whom he visited, I + believe, every evening. Miss Barrett had been a favourite sister of Mrs. + Browning's, and this constituted a sufficient title to her husband's + affection. But she was also a woman to be loved for her own sake. Deeply + religious and very charitable, she devoted herself to visiting the poor—a + form of philanthropy which was then neither so widespread nor so + fashionable as it has since become; and she founded, in 1850, the first + Training School or Refuge which had ever existed for destitute little + girls. It need hardly be added that Mr. and Miss Browning co-operated in + the work. The little poem, 'The Twins', republished in 1855 in 'Men and + Women', was first printed (with Mrs. Browning's 'Plea for the Ragged + Schools of London') for the benefit of this Refuge. It was in Miss + Barrett's company that Mr. Browning used to attend the church of Mr. + Thomas Jones, to a volume of whose 'Sermons and Addresses' he wrote a + short introduction in 1884. + </p> + <p> + On February 15, 1862, he writes again to Miss Blagden. + </p> + <p> + Feb. 15, '62. + </p> + <p> + '. . . While I write, my heart is sore for a great calamity just befallen + poor Rossetti, which I only heard of last night—his wife, who had + been, as an invalid, in the habit of taking laudanum, swallowed an + overdose—was found by the poor fellow on his return from the + working-men's class in the evening, under the effects of it—help was + called in, the stomach-pump used; but she died in the night, about a week + ago. There has hardly been a day when I have not thought, "if I can, + to-morrow, I will go and see him, and thank him for his book, and return + his sister's poems." Poor, dear fellow! . . . + </p> + <p> + '. . . Have I not written a long letter, for me who hate the sight of a + pen now, and see a pile of unanswered things on the table before me? + —on this very table. Do you tell me in turn all about yourself. I + shall be interested in the minutest thing you put down. What sort of + weather is it? You cannot but be better at your new villa than in the + large solitary one. There I am again, going up the winding way to it, and + seeing the herbs in red flower, and the butterflies on the top of the wall + under the olive-trees! Once more, good-bye. . . .' + </p> + <p> + The hatred of writing of which he here speaks refers probably to the class + of letters which he had lately been called upon to answer, and which must + have been painful in proportion to the kindness by which they were + inspired. But it returned to him many years later, in simple weariness of + the mental and mechanical act, and with such force that he would often + answer an unimportant note in person, rather than make the seemingly much + smaller exertion of doing so with his pen. It was the more remarkable + that, with the rarest exceptions, he replied to every letter which came to + him. + </p> + <p> + The late summer of the former year had been entirely unrefreshing, in + spite of his acknowledgment of the charms of St.-Enogat. There was more + distraction and more soothing in the stay at Cambo and Biarritz, which was + chosen for the holiday of 1862. Years afterwards, when the thought of + Italy carried with it less longing and even more pain, Mr. Browning would + speak of a visit to the Pyrenees, if not a residence among them, as one of + the restful possibilities of his later and freer life. He wrote to Miss + Blagden: + </p> + <p> + Biarritz, Maison Gastonbide: Sept. 19, '62. + </p> + <p> + '. . . I stayed a month at green pleasant little Cambo, and then came here + from pure inability to go elsewhere—St.-Jean de Luz, on which I had + reckoned, being still fuller of Spaniards who profit by the new railway. + This place is crammed with gay people of whom I see nothing but their + outsides. The sea, sands, and view of the Spanish coast and mountains, are + superb and this house is on the town's outskirts. I stay till the end of + the month, then go to Paris, and then get my neck back into the old collar + again. Pen has managed to get more enjoyment out of his holiday than + seemed at first likely—there was a nice French family at Cambo with + whom he fraternised, riding with the son and escorting the daughter in her + walks. His red cheeks look as they should. For me, I have got on by having + a great read at Euripides—the one book I brought with me, besides + attending to my own matters, my new poem that is about to be; and of which + the whole is pretty well in my head,—the Roman murder story you + know. + </p> + <p> + '. . . How I yearn, yearn for Italy at the close of my life! . . .' + </p> + <p> + The 'Roman murder story' was, I need hardly say, to become 'The Ring and + the Book'. + </p> + <p> + It has often been told, though with curious confusion as regards the date, + how Mr. Browning picked up the original parchment-bound record of the + Franceschini case, on a stall of the Piazza San Lorenzo. We read in the + first section of his own work that he plunged instantly into the study of + this record; that he had mastered it by the end of the day; and that he + then stepped out on to the terrace of his house amid the sultry blackness + and silent lightnings of the June night, as the adjacent church of San + Felice sent forth its chants, and voices buzzed in the street below,—and + saw the tragedy as a living picture unfold itself before him. These were + his last days at Casa Guidi. It was four years before he definitely began + the work. The idea of converting the story into a poem cannot even have + occurred to him for some little time, since he offered it for prose + treatment to Miss Ogle, the author of 'A Lost Love'; and for poetic use, I + am almost certain, to one of his leading contemporaries. It was this slow + process of incubation which gave so much force and distinctness to his + ultimate presentment of the characters; though it infused a large measure + of personal imagination, and, as we shall see, of personal reminiscence, + into their historical truth. + </p> + <p> + Before 'The Ring and the Book' was actually begun, 'Dramatis Personae' and + 'In a Balcony' were to be completed. Their production had been delayed + during Mrs. Browning's lifetime, and necessarily interrupted by her death; + but we hear of the work as progressing steadily during this summer of + 1862. + </p> + <p> + A painful subject of correspondence had been also for some time engaging + Mr. Browning's thoughts and pen. A letter to Miss Blagden written January + 19, '63, is so expressive of his continued attitude towards the questions + involved that, in spite of its strong language, his family advise its + publication. The name of the person referred to will alone be omitted. + </p> + <p> + '. . . Ever since I set foot in England I have been pestered with + applications for leave to write the Life of my wife—I have refused—and + there an end. I have last week received two communications from friends, + enclosing the letters of a certain . . . of . . ., asking them for details + of life and letters, for a biography he is engaged in—adding, that + he "has secured the correspondence with her old friend . . ." Think of + this beast working away at this, not deeming my feelings or those of her + family worthy of notice—and meaning to print letters written years + and years ago, on the most intimate and personal subjects to an "old + friend"—which, at the poor . . . [friend's] death fell into the + hands of a complete stranger, who, at once wanted to print them, but + desisted through Ba's earnest expostulation enforced by my own threat to + take law proceedings—as fortunately letters are copyright. I find + this woman died last year, and her son writes to me this morning that . . + . got them from him as autographs merely—he will try and get them + back. . . , evidently a blackguard, got my letter, which gave him his + deserts, on Saturday—no answer yet,—if none comes, I shall be + forced to advertise in the 'Times', and obtain an injunction. But what I + suffer in feeling the hands of these blackguards (for I forgot to say + another man has been making similar applications to friends) what I + undergo with their paws in my very bowels, you can guess, and God knows! + No friend, of course, would ever give up the letters—if anybody ever + is forced to do that which <i>she</i> would have writhed under—if it + ever <i>were</i> necessary, why, <i>I</i> should be forced to do it, and, + with any good to her memory and fame, my own pain in the attempt would be + turned into joy—I should <i>do</i> it at whatever cost: but it is + not only unnecessary but absurdly useless—and, indeed, it shall not + be done if I can stop the scamp's knavery along with his breath. + </p> + <p> + 'I am going to reprint the Greek Christian Poets and another essay—nothing + that ought to be published shall be kept back,—and this she + certainly intended to correct, augment, and re-produce—but <i>I</i> + open the doubled-up paper! Warn anyone you may think needs the warning of + the utter distress in which I should be placed were this scoundrel, or any + other of the sort, to baffle me and bring out the letters—I can't + prevent fools from uttering their folly upon her life, as they do on every + other subject, but the law protects property,—as these letters are. + Only last week, or so, the Bishop of Exeter stopped the publication of an + announced "Life"—containing extracts from his correspondence—and + so I shall do. . . .' + </p> + <p> + Mr. Browning only resented the exactions of modern biography in the same + degree as most other right-minded persons; but there was, to his thinking, + something specially ungenerous in dragging to light any immature or + unconsidered utterance which the writer's later judgment would have + disclaimed. Early work was always for him included in this category; and + here it was possible to disagree with him; since the promise of genius has + a legitimate interest from which no distance from its subsequent + fulfilment can detract. But there could be no disagreement as to the + rights and decencies involved in the present case; and, as we hear no more + of the letters to Mr. . . ., we may perhaps assume that their intending + publisher was acting in ignorance, but did not wish to act in defiance, of + Mr. Browning's feeling in the matter. + </p> + <p> + In the course of this year, 1863, Mr. Browning brought out, through + Chapman and Hall, the still well-known and well-loved three-volume edition + of his works, including 'Sordello', but again excluding 'Pauline'. A + selection of his poems which appeared somewhat earlier, if we may judge by + the preface, dated November 1862, deserves mention as a tribute to + friendship. The volume had been prepared by John Forster and Bryan Waller + Procter (Barry Cornwall), 'two friends,' as the preface states, 'who from + the first appearance of 'Paracelsus' have regarded its writer as among the + few great poets of the century.' Mr. Browning had long before signalized + his feeling for Barry Cornwall by the dedication of 'Colombe's Birthday'. + He discharged the present debt to Mr. Procter, if such there was, by the + attentions which he rendered to his infirm old age. For many years he + visited him every Sunday, in spite of a deafness ultimately so complete + that it was only possible to converse with him in writing. These visits + were afterwards, at her urgent request, continued to Mr. Procter's widow. + </p> + <p> + <a name="link2HCH0036" id="link2HCH0036"> + <!-- H2 anchor --> </a> + </p> + <div style="height: 4em;"> + <br /><br /><br /><br /> + </div> + <h2> + Chapter 15 + </h2> + <h3> + 1863-1869 + </h3> + <p> + Pornic—'James Lee's Wife'—Meeting at Mr. F. Palgrave's—Letters + to Miss Blagden—His own Estimate of his Work—His Father's + Illness and Death; Miss Browning—Le Croisic—Academic Honours; + Letter to the Master of Balliol—Death of Miss Barrett—Audierne—Uniform + Edition of his Works—His rising Fame—'Dramatis Personae'—'The + Ring and the Book'; Character of Pompilia. + </p> + <p> + The most constant contributions to Mr. Browning's history are supplied + during the next eight or nine years by extracts from his letters to Miss + Blagden. Our next will be dated from Ste.-Marie, near Pornic, where he and + his family again spent their holiday in 1864 and 1865. Some idea of the + life he led there is given at the close of a letter to Frederic Leighton, + August 17, 1863, in which he says: + </p> + <p> + 'I live upon milk and fruit, bathe daily, do a good morning's work, read a + little with Pen and somewhat more by myself, go to bed early, and get up + earlyish—rather liking it all.' + </p> + <p> + This mention of a diet of milk and fruit recalls a favourite habit of Mr. + Browning's: that of almost renouncing animal food whenever he went abroad. + It was partly promoted by the inferior quality of foreign meat, and showed + no sign of specially agreeing with him, at all events in his later years, + when he habitually returned to England looking thinner and more haggard + than before he left it. But the change was always congenial to his taste. + </p> + <p> + A fuller picture of these simple, peaceful, and poetic Pornic days comes + to us through Miss Blagden, August 18: + </p> + <p> + '. . . This is a wild little place in Brittany, something like that + village where we stayed last year. Close to the sea—a hamlet of a + dozen houses, perfectly lonely—one may walk on the edge of the low + rocks by the sea for miles. Our house is the Mayor's, large enough, clean + and bare. If I could, I would stay just as I am for many a day. I feel out + of the very earth sometimes as I sit here at the window; with the little + church, a field, a few houses, and the sea. On a weekday there is nobody + in the village, plenty of hay-stacks, cows and fowls; all our butter, + eggs, milk, are produced in the farm-house. Such a soft sea, and such a + mournful wind! + </p> + <p> + 'I wrote a poem yesterday of 120 lines, and mean to keep writing whether I + like it or not. . . .' + </p> + <p> + That 'window' was the 'Doorway' in 'James Lee's Wife'. The sea, the field, + and the fig-tree were visible from it. + </p> + <p> + A long interval in the correspondence, at all events so far as we are + concerned, carries us to the December of 1864, and then Mr. Browning + wrote: + </p> + <p> + '. . . on the other hand, I feel such comfort and delight in doing the + best I can with my own object of life, poetry—which, I think, I + never could have seen the good of before, that it shows me I have taken + the root I <i>did</i> take, <i>well</i>. I hope to do much more yet—and + that the flower of it will be put into Her hand somehow. I really have + great opportunities and advantages—on the whole, almost + unprecedented ones—I think, no other disturbances and cares than + those I am most grateful for being allowed to have. . . .' + </p> + <p> + One of our very few written reminiscences of Mr. Browning's social life + refers to this year, 1864, and to the evening, February 12, on which he + signed his will in the presence of Mr. Francis Palgrave and Alfred + Tennyson. It is inscribed in the diary of Mr. Thomas Richmond, then + chaplain to St. George's Hospital; and Mr. Reginald Palgrave has kindly + procured me a copy of it. A brilliant party had met at dinner at the house + of Mr. F. Palgrave, York Gate, Regent's Park; Mr. Richmond, having + fulfilled a prior engagement, had joined it later. 'There were, in order,' + he says, 'round the dinner-table (dinner being over), Gifford Palgrave, + Tennyson, Dr. John Ogle, Sir Francis H. Doyle, Frank Palgrave, W. E. + Gladstone, Browning, Sir John Simeon, Monsignor Patterson, Woolner, and + Reginald Palgrave.' + </p> + <p> + Mr. Richmond closes his entry by saying he will never forget that evening. + The names of those whom it had brought together, almost all to be sooner + or later numbered among the Poet's friends, were indeed enough to stamp it + as worthy of recollection. One or two characteristic utterances of Mr. + Browning are, however, the only ones which it seems advisable to repeat + here. The conversation having turned on the celebration of the Shakespeare + ter-centenary, he said: 'Here we are called upon to acknowledge + Shakespeare, we who have him in our very bones and blood, our very selves. + The very recognition of Shakespeare's merits by the Committee reminds me + of nothing so apt as an illustration, as the decree of the Directoire that + men might acknowledge God.' + </p> + <p> + Among the subjects discussed was the advisability of making schoolboys + write English verses as well as Latin and Greek. 'Woolner and Sir Francis + Doyle were for this; Gladstone and Browning against it.' + </p> + <p> + Work had now found its fitting place in the Poet's life. It was no longer + the overflow of an irresistible productive energy; it was the deliberate + direction of that energy towards an appointed end. We hear something of + his own feeling concerning this in a letter of August '65, again from + Ste.-Marie, and called forth by some gossip concerning him which Miss + Blagden had connected with his then growing fame. + </p> + <p> + '. . . I suppose that what you call "my fame within these four years" + comes from a little of this gossiping and going about, and showing myself + to be alive: and so indeed some folks say—but I hardly think it: for + remember I was uninterruptedly (almost) in London from the time I + published 'Paracelsus' till I ended that string of plays with 'Luria'—and + I used to go out then, and see far more of merely literary people, critics + &c. than I do now,—but what came of it? There were always a few + people who had a certain opinion of my poems, but nobody cared to speak + what he thought, or the things printed twenty-five years ago would not + have waited so long for a good word; but at last a new set of men arrive + who don't mind the conventionalities of ignoring one and seeing everything + in another—Chapman says, "the new orders come from Oxford and + Cambridge," and all my new cultivators are young men—more than that, + I observe that some of my old friends don't like at all the irruption of + outsiders who rescue me from their sober and private approval, and take + those words out of their mouths "which they always meant to say" and never + did. When there gets to be a general feeling of this kind, that there must + be something in the works of an author, the reviews are obliged to notice + him, such notice as it is—but what poor work, even when doing its + best! I mean poor in the failure to give a general notion of the whole + works; not a particular one of such and such points therein. As I begun, + so I shall end,—taking my own course, pleasing myself or aiming at + doing so, and thereby, I hope, pleasing God. + </p> + <p> + 'As I never did otherwise, I never had any fear as to what I did going + ultimately to the bad,—hence in collected editions I always + reprinted everything, smallest and greatest. Do you ever see, by the way, + the numbers of the selection which Moxons publish? They are exclusively + poems omitted in that other selection by Forster; it seems little use + sending them to you, but when they are completed, if they give me a few + copies, you shall have one if you like. Just before I left London, + Macmillan was anxious to print a third selection, for his Golden Treasury, + which should of course be different from either—but <i>three</i> + seem too absurd. There—enough of me— + </p> + <p> + 'I certainly will do my utmost to make the most of my poor self before I + die; for one reason, that I may help old Pen the better; I was much struck + by the kind ways, and interest shown in me by the Oxford undergraduates,—those + introduced to me by Jowett.—I am sure they would be the more helpful + to my son. So, good luck to my great venture, the murder-poem, which I do + hope will strike you and all good lovers of mine. . . .' + </p> + <p> + We cannot wonder at the touch of bitterness with which Mr. Browning dwells + on the long neglect which he had sustained; but it is at first sight + difficult to reconcile this high positive estimate of the value of his + poetry with the relative depreciation of his own poetic genius which + constantly marks his attitude towards that of his wife. The facts are, + however, quite compatible. He regarded Mrs. Browning's genius as greater, + because more spontaneous, than his own: owing less to life and its + opportunities; but he judged his own work as the more important, because + of the larger knowledge of life which had entered into its production. He + was wrong in the first terms of his comparison: for he underrated the + creative, hence spontaneous element in his own nature, while claiming + primarily the position of an observant thinker; and he overrated the + amount of creativeness implied by the poetry of his wife. He failed to see + that, given her intellectual endowments, and the lyric gift, the + characteristics of her genius were due to circumstances as much as those + of his own. Actual life is not the only source of poetic inspiration, + though it may perhaps be the best. Mrs. Browning as a poet became what she + was, not in spite of her long seclusion, but by help of it. A touching + paragraph, bearing upon this subject, is dated October '65. + </p> + <p> + '. . . Another thing. I have just been making a selection of Ba's poems + which is wanted—how I have done it, I can hardly say—it is one + dear delight to know that the work of her goes on more effectually than + ever—her books are more and more read—certainly, sold. A new + edition of Aurora Leigh is completely exhausted within this year. . . .' + </p> + <p> + Of the thing next dearest to his memory, his Florentine home, he had + written in the January of this year: + </p> + <p> + '. . . Yes, Florence will never be <i>my</i> Florence again. To build over + or beside Poggio seems barbarous and inexcusable. The Fiesole side don't + matter. Are they going to pull the old walls down, or any part of them, I + want to know? Why can't they keep the old city as a nucleus and build + round and round it, as many rings of houses as they please,—framing + the picture as deeply as they please? Is Casa Guidi to be turned into any + Public Office? I should think that its natural destination. If I am at + liberty to flee away one day, it will not be to Florence, I dare say. As + old Philipson said to me once of Jerusalem—"No, I don't want to go + there,—I can see it in my head." . . . Well, goodbye, dearest Isa. I + have been for a few minutes—nay, a good many,—so really with + you in Florence that it would be no wonder if you heard my steps up the + lane to your house. . . .' + </p> + <p> + Part of a letter written in the September of '65 from Ste.-Marie may be + interesting as referring to the legend of Pornic included in 'Dramatis + Personae'. + </p> + <p> + '. . . I suppose my "poem" which you say brings me and Pornic together in + your mind, is the one about the poor girl—if so, "fancy" (as I hear + you say) they have pulled down the church since I arrived last month—there + are only the shell-like, roofless walls left, for a few weeks more; it was + very old—built on a natural base of rock—small enough, to be + sure—so they build a smart new one behind it, and down goes this; + just as if they could not have pitched down their brick and stucco farther + away, and left the old place for the fishermen—so here—the + church is even more picturesque—and certain old Norman ornaments, + capitals of pillars and the like, which we left erect in the doorway, are + at this moment in a heap of rubbish by the road-side. The people here are + good, stupid and dirty, without a touch of the sense of picturesqueness in + their clodpolls. . . .' + </p> + <p> + The little record continues through 1866. + </p> + <p> + Feb. 19, '66. + </p> + <p> + '. . . I go out a great deal; but have enjoyed nothing so much as a dinner + last week with Tennyson, who, with his wife and one son, is staying in + town for a few weeks,—and she is just what she was and always will + be—very sweet and dear: he seems to me better than ever. I met him + at a large party on Saturday—also Carlyle, whom I never met at a + "drum" before. . . . Pen is drawing our owl—a bird that is the light + of our house, for his tameness and engaging ways. . . .' + </p> + <p> + May 19, '66. + </p> + <p> + '. . . My father has been unwell,—he is better and will go into the + country the moment the east winds allow,—for in Paris,—as + here,—there is a razor wrapped up in the flannel of sunshine. I hope + to hear presently from my sister, and will tell you if a letter comes: he + is eighty-five, almost,—you see! otherwise his wonderful + constitution would keep me from inordinate apprehension. His mind is + absolutely as I always remember it,—and the other day when I wanted + some information about a point of mediaeval history, he wrote a regular + bookful of notes and extracts thereabout. . . .' + </p> + <p> + June 20, '66. + </p> + <p> + 'My dearest Isa, I was telegraphed for to Paris last week, and arrived + time enough to pass twenty-four hours more with my father: he died on the + 14th—quite exhausted by internal haemorrhage, which would have + overcome a man of thirty. He retained all his faculties to the last—was + utterly indifferent to death,—asking with surprise what it was we + were affected about since he was perfectly happy?—and kept his own + strange sweetness of soul to the end—nearly his last words to me, as + I was fanning him, were "I am so afraid that I fatigue you, dear!" this, + while his sufferings were great; for the strength of his constitution + seemed impossible to be subdued. He wanted three weeks exactly to complete + his eighty-fifth year. So passed away this good, unworldly, kind-hearted, + religious man, whose powers natural and acquired would so easily have made + him a notable man, had he known what vanity or ambition or the love of + money or social influence meant. As it is, he was known by half-a-dozen + friends. He was worthy of being Ba's father—out of the whole world, + only he, so far as my experience goes. She loved him,—and <i>he</i> + said, very recently, while gazing at her portrait, that only that picture + had put into his head that there might be such a thing as the worship of + the images of saints. My sister will come and live with me henceforth. You + see what she loses. All her life has been spent in caring for my mother, + and seventeen years after that, my father. You may be sure she does not + rave and rend hair like people who have plenty to atone for in the past; + but she loses very much. I returned to London last night. . . .' + </p> + <p> + During his hurried journey to Paris, Mr. Browning was mentally blessing + the Emperor for having abolished the system of passports, and thus enabled + him to reach his father's bedside in time. His early Italian journeys had + brought him some vexatious experience of the old order of things. Once, at + Venice, he had been mistaken for a well-known Liberal, Dr. Bowring, and + found it almost impossible to get his passport 'vise'; and, on another + occasion, it aroused suspicion by being 'too good'; though in what sense I + do not quite remember. + </p> + <p> + Miss Browning did come to live with her brother, and was thenceforward his + inseparable companion. Her presence with him must therefore be understood + wherever I have had no special reason for mentioning it. + </p> + <p> + They tried Dinard for the remainder of the summer; but finding it + unsuitable, proceeded by St.-Malo to Le Croisic, the little sea-side town + of south-eastern Brittany which two of Mr. Browning's poems have since + rendered famous. + </p> + <p> + The following extract has no date. + </p> + <p> + Le Croisic, Loire Inferieure. + </p> + <p> + '. . . We all found Dinard unsuitable, and after staying a few days at St. + Malo resolved to try this place, and well for us, since it serves our + purpose capitally. . . . We are in the most delicious and peculiar old + house I ever occupied, the oldest in the town—plenty of great rooms—nearly + as much space as in Villa Alberti. The little town, and surrounding + country are wild and primitive, even a trifle beyond Pornic perhaps. Close + by is Batz, a village where the men dress in white from head to foot, with + baggy breeches, and great black flap hats;—opposite is Guerande, the + old capital of Bretagne: you have read about it in Balzac's 'Beatrix',—and + other interesting places are near. The sea is all round our peninsula, and + on the whole I expect we shall like it very much. . . .' + </p> + <p> + Later. + </p> + <p> + '. . . We enjoyed Croisic increasingly to the last—spite of three + weeks' vile weather, in striking contrast to the golden months at Pornic + last year. I often went to Guerande—once Sarianna and I walked from + it in two hours and something under,—nine miles:—though from + our house, straight over the sands and sea, it is not half the distance. . + . .' + </p> + <p> + In 1867 Mr. Browning received his first and greatest academic honours. The + M.A. degree by diploma, of the University of Oxford, was conferred on him + in June;* and in the month of October he was made honorary Fellow of + Balliol College. Dr. Jowett allows me to publish the, as he terms it, very + characteristic letter in which he acknowledged the distinction. Dr. Scott, + afterwards Dean of Rochester, was then Master of Balliol. + </p> +<pre xml:space="preserve"> + * 'Not a lower degree than that of D.C.L., but a much higher + honour, hardly given since Dr. Johnson's time except to + kings and royal personages. . . .' So the Keeper of the + Archives wrote to Mr. Browning at the time. +</pre> + <p> + 19, Warwick Crescent: Oct. 21, '67. + </p> + <p> + Dear Dr. Scott,—I am altogether unable to say how I feel as to the + fact you communicate to me. I must know more intimately than you can how + little worthy I am of such an honour,—you hardly can set the value + of that honour, you who give, as I who take it. + </p> + <p> + Indeed, there <i>are</i> both 'duties and emoluments' attached to this + position,—duties of deep and lasting gratitude, and emoluments + through which I shall be wealthy my life long. I have at least loved + learning and the learned, and there needed no recognition of my love on + their part to warrant my professing myself, as I do, dear Dr. Scott, yours + ever most faithfully, Robert Browning. + </p> + <p> + In the following year he received and declined the virtual offer of the + Lord Rectorship of the University of St. Andrews, rendered vacant by the + death of Mr. J. S. Mill. + </p> + <p> + He returned with his sister to Le Croisic for the summer of 1867. + </p> + <p> + In June 1868, Miss Arabel Barrett died, of a rheumatic affection of the + heart. As did her sister seven years before, she passed away in Mr. + Browning's arms. He wrote the event to Miss Blagden as soon as it + occurred, describing also a curious circumstance attendant on it. + </p> + <p> + 19th June, '68. + </p> + <p> + '. . . You know I am not superstitious—here is a note I made in a + book, Tuesday, July 21, 1863. "Arabel told me yesterday that she had been + much agitated by a dream which happened the night before, Sunday, July 19. + She saw Her and asked 'when shall I be with you?' the reply was, 'Dearest, + in five years,' whereupon Arabella woke. She knew in her dream that it was + not to the living she spoke."—In five years, within a month of their + completion—I had forgotten the date of the dream, and supposed it + was only three years ago, and that two had still to run. Only a + coincidence, but noticeable. . . .' + </p> + <p> + In August he writes again from Audierne, Finisterre (Brittany). + </p> + <p> + '. . . You never heard of this place, I daresay. After staying a few days + at Paris we started for Rennes,—reached Caen and halted a little—thence + made for Auray, where we made excursions to Carnac, Lokmariaker, and + Ste.-Anne d'Auray; all very interesting of their kind; then saw Brest, + Morlaix, St.-Pol de Leon, and the sea-port Roscoff,—our intended + bathing place—it was full of folk, however, and otherwise + impracticable, so we had nothing for it, but to "rebrousser chemin" and + get to the south-west again. At Quimper we heard (for a second time) that + Audierne would suit us exactly, and to it we came—happily, for + "suit" it certainly does. Look on the map for the most westerly point of + Bretagne—and of the mainland of Europe—there is niched + Audierne, a delightful quite unspoiled little fishing-town, with the open + ocean in front, and beautiful woods, hills and dales, meadows and lanes + behind and around,—sprinkled here and there with villages each with + its fine old Church. Sarianna and I have just returned from a four hours' + walk in the course of which we visited a town, Pont Croix, with a + beautiful cathedral-like building amid the cluster of clean bright Breton + houses,—and a little farther is another church, "Notre Dame de + Comfort", with only a hovel or two round it, worth the journey from + England to see; we are therefore very well off—at an inn, I should + say, with singularly good, kind, and liberal people, so have no cares for + the moment. May you be doing as well! The weather has been most + propitious, and to-day is perfect to a wish. We bathe, but somewhat + ingloriously, in a smooth creek of mill-pond quietude, (there being no + cabins on the bay itself,) unlike the great rushing waves of Croisic—the + water is much colder. . . .' + </p> + <p> + The tribute contained in this letter to the merits of le Pere Batifoulier + and his wife would not, I think, be endorsed by the few other English + travellers who have stayed at their inn. The writer's own genial and + kindly spirit no doubt partly elicited, and still more supplied, the + qualities he saw in them. + </p> + <p> + The six-volume, so long known as 'uniform' edition of Mr. Browning's + works, was brought out in the autumn of this year by Messrs. Smith, Elder + & Co.; practically Mr. George Murray Smith, who was to be + thenceforward his exclusive publisher and increasingly valued friend. In + the winter months appeared the first two volumes (to be followed in the + ensuing spring by the third and fourth) of 'The Ring and the Book'. + </p> + <p> + With 'The Ring and the Book' Mr. Browning attained the full recognition of + his genius. The 'Athenaeum' spoke of it as the 'opus magnum' of the + generation; not merely beyond all parallel the supremest poetic + achievement of the time, but the most precious and profound spiritual + treasure that England had produced since the days of Shakespeare. His + popularity was yet to come, so also the widespread reading of his hitherto + neglected poems; but henceforth whatever he published was sure of ready + acceptance, of just, if not always enthusiastic, appreciation. The ground + had not been gained at a single leap. A passage in another letter to Miss + Blagden shows that, when 'The Ring and the Book' appeared, a high place + was already awaiting it outside those higher academic circles in which its + author's position was secured. + </p> + <p> + '. . . I want to get done with my poem. Booksellers are making me pretty + offers for it. One sent to propose, last week, to publish it at his risk, + giving me <i>all</i> the profits, and pay me the whole in advance—"for + the incidental advantages of my name"—the R. B. who for six months + once did not sell one copy of the poems! I ask 200 Pounds for the sheets + to America, and shall get it. . . .' + </p> + <p> + His presence in England had doubtless stimulated the public interest in + his productions; and we may fairly credit 'Dramatis Personae' with having + finally awakened his countrymen of all classes to the fact that a great + creative power had arisen among them. 'The Ring and the Book' and + 'Dramatis Personae' cannot indeed be dissociated in what was the + culminating moment in the author's poetic life, even more than the zenith + of his literary career. In their expression of all that constituted the + wide range and the characteristic quality of his genius, they at once + support and supplement each other. But a fact of more distinctive + biographical interest connects itself exclusively with the later work. + </p> + <p> + We cannot read the emotional passages of 'The Ring and the Book' without + hearing in them a voice which is not Mr. Browning's own: an echo, not of + his past, but from it. The remembrance of that past must have accompanied + him through every stage of the great work. Its subject had come to him in + the last days of his greatest happiness. It had lived with him, though in + the background of consciousness, through those of his keenest sorrow. It + was his refuge in that aftertime, in which a subsiding grief often leaves + a deeper sense of isolation. He knew the joy with which his wife would + have witnessed the diligent performance of this his self-imposed task. The + beautiful dedication contained in the first and last books was only a + matter of course. But Mrs. Browning's spiritual presence on this occasion + was more than a presiding memory of the heart. I am convinced that it + entered largely into the conception of 'Pompilia', and, so far as this + depended on it, the character of the whole work. In the outward course of + her history, Mr. Browning proceeded strictly on the ground of fact. His + dramatic conscience would not have allowed it otherwise. He had read the + record of the case, as he has been heard to say, fully eight times over + before converting it into the substance of his poem; and the form in which + he finally cast it, was that which recommended itself to him as true—which, + within certain limits, <i>was</i> true. The testimony of those who watched + by Pompilia's death-bed is almost conclusive as to the absence of any + criminal motive to her flight, or criminal circumstance connected with it. + Its time proved itself to have been that of her impending, perhaps newly + expected motherhood, and may have had some reference to this fact. But the + real Pompilia was a simple child, who lived in bodily terror of her + husband, and had made repeated efforts to escape from him. Unless my + memory much deceives me, her physical condition plays no part in the + historical defence of her flight. If it appeared there at all, it was as a + merely practical incentive to her striving to place herself in safety. The + sudden rapturous sense of maternity which, in the poetic rendering of the + case, becomes her impulse to self-protection, was beyond her age and her + culture; it was not suggested by the facts; and, what is more striking, it + was not a natural development of Mr. Browning's imagination concerning + them. + </p> + <p> + The parental instinct was among the weakest in his nature—a fact + which renders the more conspicuous his devotion to his own son; it finds + little or no expression in his work. The apotheosis of motherhood which he + puts forth through the aged priest in 'Ivan Ivanovitch' was due to the + poetic necessity of lifting a ghastly human punishment into the sphere of + Divine retribution. Even in the advancing years which soften the father + into the grandfather, the essential quality of early childhood was not + that which appealed to him. He would admire its flower-like beauty, but + not linger over it. He had no special emotion for its helplessness. When + he was attracted by a child it was through the evidence of something not + only distinct from, but opposed to this. 'It is the soul' (I see) 'in that + speck of a body,' he said, not many years ago, of a tiny boy—now too + big for it to be desirable that I should mention his name, but whose + mother, if she reads this, will know to whom I allude—who had + delighted him by an act of intelligent grace which seemed beyond his + years. The ingenuously unbounded maternal pride, the almost luscious + maternal sentiment, of Pompilia's dying moments can only associate + themselves in our mind with Mrs. Browning's personal utterances, and some + notable passages in 'Casa Guidi Windows' and 'Aurora Leigh'. Even the + exalted fervour of the invocation to Caponsacchi, its blending of + spiritual ecstasy with half-realized earthly emotion, has, I think, no + parallel in her husband's work. + </p> + <p> + 'Pompilia' bears, still, unmistakably, the stamp of her author's genius. + Only he could have imagined her peculiar form of consciousness; her + childlike, wondering, yet subtle, perception of the anomalies of life. He + has raised the woman in her from the typical to the individual by this + distinguishing touch of his supreme originality; and thus infused into her + character a haunting pathos which renders it to many readers the most + exquisite in the whole range of his creations. For others at the same + time, it fails in the impressiveness because it lacks the reality which + habitually marks them. + </p> + <p> + So much, however, is certain: Mr. Browning would never have accepted this + 'murder story' as the subject of a poem, if he could not in some sense + have made it poetical. It was only in an idealized Pompilia that the + material for such a process could be found. We owe it, therefore, to the + one departure from his usual mode of dramatic conception, that the Poet's + masterpiece has been produced. I know no other instance of what can be + even mistaken for reflected inspiration in the whole range of his work, + the given passages in 'Pauline' excepted. + </p> + <p> + The postscript of a letter to Frederic Leighton written so far back as + October 17, 1864, is interesting in its connection with the preliminary + stages of this great undertaking. + </p> + <p> + 'A favour, if you have time for it. Go into the church St. Lorenzo in + Lucina in the Corso—and look attentively at it—so as to + describe it to me on your return. The general arrangement of the building, + if with a nave—pillars or not—the number of altars, and any + particularity there may be—over the High Altar is a famous + Crucifixion by Guido. It will be of great use to me. I don't care about + the <i>outsid</i>.' + </p> + <p> + <a name="link2HCH0037" id="link2HCH0037"> + <!-- H2 anchor --> </a> + </p> + <div style="height: 4em;"> + <br /><br /><br /><br /> + </div> + <h2> + Chapter 16 + </h2> + <h3> + 1869-1873 + </h3> + <p> + Lord Dufferin; Helen's Tower—Scotland; Visit to Lady Ashburton—Letters + to Miss Blagden—St.-Aubin; The Franco-Prussian War—'Herve + Riel'—Letter to Mr. G. M. Smith—'Balaustion's Adventure'; + 'Prince Hohenstiel-Schwangau'—'Fifine at the Fair'—Mistaken + Theories of Mr. Browning's Work—St.-Aubin; 'Red Cotton Nightcap + Country'. + </p> + <p> + From 1869 to 1871 Mr. Browning published nothing; but in April 1870 he + wrote the sonnet called 'Helen's Tower', a beautiful tribute to the memory + of Helen, mother of Lord Dufferin, suggested by the memorial tower which + her son was erecting to her on his estate at Clandeboye. The sonnet + appeared in 1883, in the 'Pall Mall Gazette', and was reprinted in 1886, + in 'Sonnets of the Century', edited by Mr. Sharp; and again in the fifth + part of the Browning Society's 'Papers'; but it is still I think + sufficiently little known to justify its reproduction. + </p> +<pre xml:space="preserve"> + Who hears of Helen's Tower may dream perchance + How the Greek Beauty from the Scaean Gate + Gazed on old friends unanimous in hate, + Death-doom'd because of her fair countenance. + + Hearts would leap otherwise at thy advance, + Lady, to whom this Tower is consecrate! + Like hers, thy face once made all eyes elate, + Yet, unlike hers, was bless'd by every glance. + + The Tower of Hate is outworn, far and strange; + A transitory shame of long ago; + It dies into the sand from which it sprang; + But thine, Love's rock-built Tower, shall fear no change. + God's self laid stable earth's foundations so, + When all the morning-stars together sang. +</pre> + <p> + April 26, 1870. + </p> + <p> + Lord Dufferin is a warm admirer of Mr. Browning's genius. He also held him + in strong personal regard. + </p> + <p> + In the summer of 1869 the poet, with his sister and son, changed the + manner of his holiday, by joining Mr. Story and his family in a tour in + Scotland, and a visit to Louisa, Lady Ashburton, at Loch Luichart Lodge; + but in the August of 1870 he was again in the primitive atmosphere of a + French fishing village, though one which had little to recommend it but + the society of a friend; it was M. Milsand's St.-Aubin. He had written, + February 24, to Miss Blagden, under the one inspiration which naturally + recurred in his correspondence with her. + </p> + <p> + '. . . So you, too, think of Naples for an eventual resting-place! Yes, + that is the proper basking-ground for "bright and aged snakes." Florence + would be irritating, and, on the whole, insufferable—Yet I never + hear of any one going thither but my heart is twitched. There is a good, + charming, little singing German lady, Miss Regan, who told me the other + day that she was just about revisiting her aunt, Madame Sabatier, whom you + may know, or know of—and I felt as if I should immensely like to + glide, for a long summer-day through the streets and between the old + stone-walls,—unseen come and unheard go—perhaps by some + miracle, I shall do so—and look up at Villa Brichieri as Arnold's + Gypsy-Scholar gave one wistful look at "the line of festal light in Christ + Church Hall," before he went to sleep in some forgotten grange. . . . I am + so glad I can be comfortable in your comfort. I fancy exactly how you feel + and see how you live: it <i>is</i> the Villa Geddes of old days, I find. I + well remember the fine view from the upper room—that looking down + the steep hill, by the side of which runs the road you describe—that + path was always my preferred walk, for its shortness (abruptness) and the + fine old wall to your left (from the Villa) which is overgrown with weeds + and wild flowers—violets and ground-ivy, I remember. Oh, me! to find + myself some late sunshiny Sunday afternoon, with my face turned to + Florence—"ten minutes to the gate, ten minutes <i>home</i>!" I think + I should fairly end it all on the spot. . . .' + </p> + <p> + He writes again from St.-Aubin, August 19, 1870: + </p> + <p> + 'Dearest Isa,—Your letter came prosperously to this little wild + place, where we have been, Sarianna and myself, just a week. Milsand lives + in a cottage with a nice bit of garden, two steps off, and we occupy + another of the most primitive kind on the sea-shore—which shore is a + good sandy stretch for miles and miles on either side. I don't think we + were ever quite so thoroughly washed by the sea-air from all quarters as + here—the weather is fine, and we do well enough. The sadness of the + war and its consequences go far to paralyse all our pleasure, however. . . + . + </p> + <p> + 'Well, you are at Siena—one of the places I love best to remember. + You are returned—or I would ask you to tell me how the Villa Alberti + wears, and if the fig-tree behind the house is green and strong yet. I + have a pen-and-ink drawing of it, dated and signed the last day Ba was + ever there—"my fig tree—" she used to sit under it, reading + and writing. Nine years, or ten rather, since then! Poor old Landor's oak, + too, and his cottage, ought not to be forgotten. Exactly opposite this + house,—just over the way of the water,—shines every night the + light-house of Havre—a place I know well, and love very moderately: + but it always gives me a thrill as I see afar, <i>exactly</i> a particular + spot which I was at along with her. At this moment, I see the white streak + of the phare in the sun, from the window where I write and I <i>think</i>. + . . . Milsand went to Paris last week, just before we arrived, to + transport his valuables to a safer place than his house, which is near the + fortifications. He is filled with as much despondency as can be—while + the old dear and perfect kindness remains. I never knew or shall know his + like among men. . . .' + </p> + <p> + The war did more than sadden Mr. and Miss Browning's visit to St.-Aubin; + it opposed unlooked-for difficulties to their return home. They had + remained, unconscious of the impending danger, till Sedan had been taken, + the Emperor's downfall proclaimed, and the country suddenly placed in a + state of siege. One morning M. Milsand came to them in anxious haste, and + insisted on their starting that very day. An order, he said, had been + issued that no native should leave the country, and it only needed some + unusually thick-headed Maire for Mr. Browning to be arrested as a runaway + Frenchman or a Prussian spy. The usual passenger boats from Calais and + Boulogne no longer ran; but there was, he believed, a chance of their + finding one at Havre. They acted on this warning, and discovered its + wisdom in the various hindrances which they found on their way. Everywhere + the horses had been requisitioned for the war. The boat on which they had + relied to take them down the river to Caen had been stopped that very + morning; and when they reached the railroad they were told that the + Prussians would be at the other end before night. At last they arrived at + Honfleur, where they found an English vessel which was about to convey + cattle to Southampton; and in this, setting out at midnight, they made + their passage to England. + </p> + <p> + Some words addressed to Miss Blagden, written I believe in 1871, once more + strike a touching familiar note. + </p> + <p> + '. . . But <i>no</i>, dearest Isa. The simple truth is that <i>she</i> was + the poet, and I the clever person by comparison—remember her limited + experience of all kinds, and what she made of it. Remember on the other + hand, how my uninterrupted health and strength and practice with the world + have helped me. . . .' + </p> + <p> + 'Balaustion's Adventure' and 'Prince Hohenstiel-Schwangau' were published, + respectively, in August and December 1871. They had been preceded in the + March of the same year by a ballad, 'Herve Riel', afterwards reprinted in + the 'Pacchiarotto' volume, and which Mr. Browning now sold to the + 'Cornhill Magazine' for the benefit of the French sufferers by the war. + </p> + <p> + The circumstances of this little transaction, unique in Mr. Browning's + experience, are set forth in the following letter: + </p> + <p> + Feb. 4, '71. + </p> + <p> + 'My dear Smith,—I want to give something to the people in Paris, and + can afford so very little just now, that I am forced upon an expedient. + Will you buy of me that poem which poor Simeon praised in a letter you + saw, and which I like better than most things I have done of late?—Buy,—I + mean,—the right of printing it in the Pall Mall and, if you please, + the Cornhill also,—the copyright remaining with me. You remember you + wanted to print it in the Cornhill, and I was obstinate: there is hardly + any occasion on which I should be otherwise, if the printing any poem of + mine in a magazine were purely for my own sake: so, any liberality you + exercise will not be drawn into a precedent against you. I fancy this is a + case in which one may handsomely puff one's own ware, and I venture to + call my verses good for once. I send them to you directly, because + expedition will render whatever I contribute more valuable: for when you + make up your mind as to how liberally I shall be enabled to give, you must + send me a cheque and I will send the same as the "Product of a Poem"—so + that your light will shine deservedly. Now, begin proceedings by reading + the poem to Mrs. Smith,—by whose judgment I will cheerfully be + bound; and, with her approval, second my endeavour as best you can. Would,—for + the love of France,—that this were a "Song of a Wren"—then + should the guineas equal the lines; as it is, do what you safely may for + the song of a Robin—Browning—who is yours very truly, into the + bargain. + </p> + <p> + 'P.S. The copy is so clear and careful that you might, with a good Reader, + print it on Monday, nor need my help for corrections: I shall however be + always at home, and ready at a moment's notice: return the copy, if you + please, as I promised it to my son long ago.' + </p> + <p> + Mr. Smith gave him 100 guineas as the price of the poem. + </p> + <p> + He wrote concerning the two longer poems, first probably at the close of + this year, and again in January 1872, to Miss Blagden. + </p> + <p> + '. . . By this time you have got my little book ('Hohenstiel') and seen + for yourself whether I make the best or worst of the case. I think, in the + main, he meant to do what I say, and, but for weakness,—grown more + apparent in his last years than formerly,—would have done what I say + he did not.* I thought badly of him at the beginning of his career, <i>et + pour cause</i>: better afterward, on the strength of the promises he made, + and gave indications of intending to redeem. I think him very weak in the + last miserable year. At his worst I prefer him to Thiers' best. I am told + my little thing is succeeding—sold 1,400 in the first five days, and + before any notice appeared. I remember that the year I made the little + rough sketch in Rome, '60, my account for the last six months with Chapman + was—<i>nil</i>, not one copy disposed of! . . . + </p> +<pre xml:space="preserve"> + * This phrase is a little misleading. +</pre> + <p> + '. . . I am glad you like what the editor of the Edinburgh calls my + eulogium on the second empire,—which it is not, any more than what + another wiseacre affirms it to be "a scandalous attack on the old constant + friend of England"—it is just what I imagine the man might, if he + pleased, say for himself.' + </p> + <p> + Mr. Browning continues: + </p> + <p> + 'Spite of my ailments and bewailments I have just all but finished another + poem of quite another kind, which shall amuse you in the spring, I hope! I + don't go sound asleep at all events. 'Balaustion'—the second edition + is in the press I think I told you. 2,500 in five months, is a good sale + for the likes of me. But I met Henry Taylor (of Artevelde) two days ago at + dinner, and he said he had never gained anything by his books, which + surely is a shame—I mean, if no buyers mean no readers. . . .' + </p> + <p> + 'Prince Hohenstiel-Schwangau' was written in Scotland, where Mr. Browning + was the guest of Mr. Ernest Benzon: having left his sister to the care of + M. and Madame Milsand at St.-Aubin. The ailment he speaks of consisted, I + believe, of a severe cold. Another of the occurrences of 1871 was Mr. + Browning's election as Life Governor of the London University. + </p> + <p> + A passage from a letter dated March 30, '72, bears striking testimony to + the constant warmth of his affections. + </p> + <p> + '. . . The misfortune, which I did not guess when I accepted the + invitation, is that I shall lose some of the last days of Milsand, who has + been here for the last month: no words can express the love I have for + him, you know. He is increasingly precious to me. . . . Waring came back + the other day, after thirty years' absence, the same as ever,—nearly. + He has been Prime Minister at New Zealand for a year and a half, but gets + tired, and returns home with a poem.'* + </p> +<pre xml:space="preserve"> + * 'Ranolf and Amohia'. +</pre> + <p> + This is my last extract from the correspondence with Miss Blagden. Her + death closed it altogether within the year. + </p> + <p> + It is difficult to infer from letters, however intimate, the dominant + state of the writer's mind: most of all to do so in Mr. Browning's case, + from such passages of his correspondence as circumstances allow me to + quote. Letters written in intimacy, and to the same friend, often express + a recurrent mood, a revived set of associations, which for the moment + destroys the habitual balance of feeling. The same effect is sometimes + produced in personal intercourse; and the more varied the life, the more + versatile the nature, the more readily in either case will a lately unused + spring of emotion well up at the passing touch. We may even fancy we read + into the letters of 1870 that eerie, haunting sadness of a cherished + memory from which, in spite of ourselves, life is bearing us away. We may + also err in so doing. But literary creation, patiently carried on through + a given period, is usually a fair reflection of the general moral and + mental conditions under which it has taken place; and it would be hard to + imagine from Mr. Browning's work during these last ten years that any but + gracious influences had been operating upon his genius, any more + disturbing element than the sense of privation and loss had entered into + his inner life. + </p> + <p> + Some leaven of bitterness must, nevertheless, have been working within + him, or he could never have produced that piece of perplexing cynicism, + 'Fifine at the Fair'—the poem referred to as in progress in a letter + to Miss Blagden, and which appeared in the spring of 1872. The disturbing + cause had been also of long standing; for the deeper reactive processes of + Mr. Browning's nature were as slow as its more superficial response was + swift; and while 'Dramatis Personae', 'The Ring and the Book', and even + 'Balaustion's Adventure', represented the gradually perfected substance of + his poetic imagination, 'Fifine at the Fair' was as the froth thrown up by + it during the prolonged simmering which was to leave it clear. The work + displays the iridescent brightness as well as the occasional impurity of + this froth-like character. Beauty and ugliness are, indeed, almost + inseparable in the moral impression which it leaves upon us. The author + has put forth a plea for self-indulgence with a much slighter attempt at + dramatic disguise than his special pleadings generally assume; and while + allowing circumstances to expose the sophistry of the position, and punish + its attendant act, he does not sufficiently condemn it. But, in + identifying himself for the moment with the conception of a Don Juan, he + has infused into it a tenderness and a poetry with which the true type had + very little in common, and which retard its dramatic development. Those + who knew Mr. Browning, or who thoroughly know his work, may censure, + regret, fail to understand 'Fifine at the Fair'; they will never in any + important sense misconstrue it. + </p> + <p> + But it has been so misconstrued by an intelligent and not unsympathetic + critic; and his construction may be endorsed by other persons in the + present, and still more in the future, in whom the elements of a truer + judgment are wanting. It seems, therefore, best to protest at once against + the misjudgment, though in so doing I am claiming for it an attention + which it may not seem to deserve. I allude to Mr. Mortimer's 'Note on + Browning' in the 'Scottish Art Review' for December 1889. This note + contains a summary of Mr. Browning's teaching, which it resolves into the + moral equivalent of the doctrine of the conservation of force. Mr. + Mortimer assumes for the purpose of his comparison that the exercise of + force means necessarily moving on; and according to him Mr. Browning + prescribes action at any price, even that of defying the restrictions of + moral law. He thus, we are told, blames the lovers in 'The Statue and the + Bust' for their failure to carry out what was an immoral intention; and, + in the person of his 'Don Juan', defends a husband's claim to relieve the + fixity of conjugal affection by varied adventure in the world of temporary + loves: the result being 'the negation of that convention under which we + habitually view life, but which for some reason or other breaks down when + we have to face the problems of a Goethe, a Shelley, a Byron, or a + Browning.' + </p> + <p> + Mr. Mortimer's generalization does not apply to 'The Statue and the Bust', + since Mr. Browning has made it perfectly clear that, in this case, the + intended act is postponed without reference to its morality, and simply in + consequence of a weakness of will, which would have been as paralyzing to + a good purpose as it was to the bad one; but it is not without superficial + sanction in 'Fifine at the Fair'; and the part which the author allowed + himself to play in it did him an injustice only to be measured by the + inference which it has been made to support. There could be no mistake + more ludicrous, were it less regrettable, than that of classing Mr. + Browning, on moral grounds, with Byron or Shelley; even in the case of + Goethe the analogy breaks down. The evidence of the foregoing pages has + rendered all protest superfluous. But the suggested moral resemblance to + the two English poets receives a striking comment in a fact of Mr. + Browning's life which falls practically into the present period of our + history: his withdrawal from Shelley of the devotion of more than forty + years on account of an act of heartlessness towards his first wife which + he held to have been proved against him. + </p> + <p> + The sweet and the bitter lay, indeed, very close to each other at the + sources of Mr. Browning's inspiration. Both proceeded, in great measure, + from his spiritual allegiance to the past—that past by which it was + impossible that he should linger, but which he could not yet leave behind. + The present came to him with friendly greeting. He was unconsciously, + perhaps inevitably, unjust to what it brought. The injustice reacted upon + himself, and developed by degrees into the cynical mood of fancy which + became manifest in 'Fifine at the Fair'. + </p> + <p> + It is true that, in the light of this explanation, we see an effect very + unlike its cause; but the chemistry of human emotion is like that of + natural life. It will often form a compound in which neither of its + constituents can be recognized. This perverse poem was the last as well as + the first manifestation of an ungenial mood of Mr. Browning's mind. A + slight exception may be made for some passages in 'Red Cotton Nightcap + Country', and for one of the poems of the 'Pacchiarotto' volume; but + otherwise no sign of moral or mental disturbance betrays itself in his + subsequent work. The past and the present gradually assumed for him a more + just relation to each other. He learned to meet life as it offered itself + to him with a more frank recognition of its good gifts, a more grateful + response to them. He grew happier, hence more genial, as the years + advanced. + </p> + <p> + It was not without misgiving that Mr. Browning published 'Fifine at the + Fair'; but many years were to pass before he realized the kind of + criticism to which it had exposed him. The belief conveyed in the letter + to Miss Blagden that what proceeds from a genuine inspiration is justified + by it, combined with the indifference to public opinion which had been + engendered in him by its long neglect, made him slow to anticipate the + results of external judgment, even where he was in some degree prepared to + endorse them. For his value as a poet, it was best so. + </p> + <p> + The August of 1872 and of 1873 again found him with his sister at + St.-Aubin, and the earlier visit was an important one: since it supplied + him with the materials of his next work, of which Miss Annie Thackeray, + there also for a few days, suggested the title. The tragic drama which + forms the subject of Mr. Browning's poem had been in great part enacted in + the vicinity of St.-Aubin; and the case of disputed inheritance to which + it had given rise was pending at that moment in the tribunals of Caen. The + prevailing impression left on Miss Thackeray's mind by this primitive + district was, she declared, that of white cotton nightcaps (the habitual + headgear of the Normandy peasants). She engaged to write a story called + 'White Cotton Nightcap Country'; and Mr. Browning's quick sense of both + contrast and analogy inspired the introduction of this emblem of repose + into his own picture of that peaceful, prosaic existence, and of the + ghastly spiritual conflict to which it had served as background. He + employed a good deal of perhaps strained ingenuity in the opening pages of + the work, in making the white cap foreshadow the red, itself the symbol of + liberty, and only indirectly connected with tragic events; and he would, I + think, have emphasized the irony of circumstance in a manner more + characteristic of himself, if he had laid his stress on the remoteness + from 'the madding crowd', and repeated Miss Thackeray's title. There can, + however, be no doubt that his poetic imagination, no less than his human + insight, was amply vindicated by his treatment of the story. + </p> + <p> + On leaving St.-Aubin he spent a month at Fontainebleau, in a house + situated on the outskirts of the forest; and here his principal indoor + occupation was reading the Greek dramatists, especially Aeschylus, to whom + he had returned with revived interest and curiosity. 'Red Cotton Nightcap + Country' was not begun till his return to London in the later autumn. It + was published in the early summer of 1873. + </p> + <p> + <a name="link2HCH0038" id="link2HCH0038"> + <!-- H2 anchor --> </a> + </p> + <div style="height: 4em;"> + <br /><br /><br /><br /> + </div> + <h2> + Chapter 17 + </h2> + <h3> + 1873-1878 + </h3> + <p> + London Life—Love of Music—Miss Egerton-Smith—Periodical + Nervous Exhaustion—Mers; 'Aristophanes' Apology'—'Agamemnon'—'The + Inn Album'—'Pacchiarotto and other Poems'—Visits to Oxford and + Cambridge—Letters to Mrs. Fitz-Gerald—St. Andrews; Letter from + Professor Knight—In the Savoyard Mountains—Death of Miss + Egerton-Smith—'La Saisiaz'; 'The Two Poets of Croisic'—Selections + from his Works. + </p> + <p> + The period on which we have now entered, covering roughly the ten or + twelve years which followed the publication of 'The Ring and the Book', + was the fullest in Mr. Browning's life; it was that in which the varied + claims made by it on his moral, and above all his physical energies, found + in him the fullest power of response. He could rise early and go to bed + late—this, however, never from choice; and occupy every hour of the + day with work or pleasure, in a manner which his friends recalled + regretfully in later years, when of two or three engagements which ought + to have divided his afternoon, a single one—perhaps only the most + formally pressing—could be fulfilled. Soon after his final return to + England, while he still lived in comparative seclusion, certain habits of + friendly intercourse, often superficial, but always binding, had rooted + themselves in his life. London society, as I have also implied, opened + itself to him in ever-widening circles, or, as it would be truer to say, + drew him more and more deeply into its whirl; and even before the + mellowing kindness of his nature had infused warmth into the least + substantial of his social relations, the imaginative curiosity of the poet—for + a while the natural ambition of the man—found satisfaction in it. + For a short time, indeed, he entered into the fashionable routine of + country-house visiting. Besides the instances I have already given, and + many others which I may have forgotten, he was heard of, during the + earlier part of this decade, as the guest of Lord Carnarvon at Highclere + Castle, of Lord Shrewsbury at Alton Towers, of Lord Brownlow and his + mother, Lady Marian Alford, at Belton and Ashridge. Somewhat later, he + stayed with Mr. and Lady Alice Gaisford at a house they temporarily + occupied on the Sussex downs; with Mr. Cholmondeley at Condover, and, much + more recently, at Aynhoe Park with Mr. and Mrs. Cartwright. Kind and + pressing, and in themselves very tempting invitations of this nature came + to him until the end of his life; but he very soon made a practice of + declining them, because their acceptance could only renew for him the + fatigues of the London season, while the tantalizing beauty and repose of + the country lay before his eyes; but such visits, while they continued, + were one of the necessary social experiences which brought their grist to + his mill. + </p> + <p> + And now, in addition to the large social tribute which he received, and + had to pay, he was drinking in all the enjoyment, and incurring all the + fatigue which the London musical world could create for him. In Italy he + had found the natural home of the other arts. The one poem, 'Old Pictures + in Florence', is sufficiently eloquent of long communion with the old + masters and their works; and if his history in Florence and Rome had been + written in his own letters instead of those of his wife, they must have + held many reminiscences of galleries and studios, and of the places in + which pictures are bought and sold. But his love for music was as + certainly starved as the delight in painting and sculpture was nourished; + and it had now grown into a passion, from the indulgence of which he + derived, as he always declared, some of the most beneficent influences of + his life. It would be scarcely an exaggeration to say that he attended + every important concert of the season, whether isolated or given in a + course. There was no engagement possible or actual, which did not yield to + the discovery of its clashing with the day and hour fixed for one of + these. His frequent companion on such occasions was Miss Egerton-Smith. + </p> + <p> + Miss Smith became only known to Mr. Browning's general acquaintance + through the dedicatory 'A. E. S.' of 'La Saisiaz'; but she was, at the + time of her death, one of his oldest women friends. He first met her as a + young woman in Florence when she was visiting there; and the love for and + proficiency in music soon asserted itself as a bond of sympathy between + them. They did not, however, see much of each other till he had finally + left Italy, and she also had made her home in London. She there led a + secluded life, although free from family ties, and enjoying a large income + derived from the ownership of an important provincial paper. Mr. Browning + was one of the very few persons whose society she cared to cultivate; and + for many years the common musical interest took the practical, and for + both of them convenient form, of their going to concerts together. After + her death, in the autumn of 1877, he almost mechanically renounced all the + musical entertainments to which she had so regularly accompanied him. The + special motive and special facility were gone—she had been wont to + call for him in her carriage; the habit was broken; there would have been + first pain, and afterwards an unwelcome exertion in renewing it. Time was + also beginning to sap his strength, while society, and perhaps friendship, + were making increasing claims upon it. It may have been for this same + reason that music after a time seemed to pass out of his life altogether. + Yet its almost sudden eclipse was striking in the case of one who not only + had been so deeply susceptible to its emotional influences, so conversant + with its scientific construction and its multitudinous forms, but who was + acknowledged as 'musical' by those who best knew the subtle and complex + meaning of that often misused term. + </p> + <p> + Mr. Browning could do all that I have said during the period through which + we are now following him; but he could not quite do it with impunity. Each + winter brought its searching attack of cold and cough; each summer reduced + him to the state of nervous prostration or physical apathy of which I have + already spoken, and which at once rendered change imperative, and the + exertion of seeking it almost intolerable. His health and spirits + rebounded at the first draught of foreign air; the first breath from an + English cliff or moor might have had the same result. But the remembrance + of this fact never nerved him to the preliminary effort. The conviction + renewed itself with the close of every season, that the best thing which + could happen to him would be to be left quiet at home; and his + disinclination to face even the idea of moving equally hampered his sister + in her endeavour to make timely arrangements for their change of abode. + </p> + <p> + This special craving for rest helped to limit the area from which their + summer resort could be chosen. It precluded all idea of 'pension'-life, + hence of any much-frequented spot in Switzerland or Germany. It was + tacitly understood that the shortening days were not to be passed in + England. Italy did not yet associate itself with the possibilities of a + moderately short absence; the resources of the northern French coast were + becoming exhausted; and as the August of 1874 approached, the question of + how and where this and the following months were to be spent was, perhaps, + more than ever a perplexing one. It was now Miss Smith who became the + means of its solution. She had more than once joined Mr. and Miss Browning + at the seaside. She was anxious this year to do so again, and she + suggested for their meeting a quiet spot called Mers, almost adjoining the + fashionable Treport, but distinct from it. It was agreed that they should + try it; and the experiment, which they had no reason to regret, opened + also in some degree a way out of future difficulties. Mers was young, and + had the defect of its quality. Only one desirable house was to be found + there; and the plan of joint residence became converted into one of joint + housekeeping, in which Mr. and Miss Browning at first refused to concur, + but which worked so well that it was renewed in the three ensuing summers: + Miss Smith retaining the initiative in the choice of place, her friends + the right of veto upon it. They stayed again together in 1875 at Villers, + on the coast of Normandy; in 1876 at the Isle of Arran; in 1877 at a house + called La Saisiaz—Savoyard for the sun—in the Saleve district + near Geneva. + </p> + <p> + The autumn months of 1874 were marked for Mr. Browning by an important + piece of work: the production of 'Aristophanes' Apology'. It was far + advanced when he returned to London in November, after a visit to Antwerp, + where his son was studying art under M. Heyermans; and its much later + appearance must have been intended to give breathing time to the readers + of 'Red Cotton Nightcap Country'. Mr. Browning subsequently admitted that + he sometimes, during these years, allowed active literary occupation to + interfere too much with the good which his holiday might have done him; + but the temptations to literary activity were this time too great to be + withstood. The house occupied by him at Mers (Maison Robert) was the last + of the straggling village, and stood on a rising cliff. In front was the + open sea; beyond it a long stretch of down; everywhere comparative + solitude. Here, in uninterrupted quiet, and in a room devoted to his use, + Mr. Browning would work till the afternoon was advanced, and then set + forth on a long walk over the cliffs, often in the face of a wind which, + as he wrote of it at the time, he could lean against as if it were a wall. + And during this time he was living, not only in his work, but with the man + who had inspired it. The image of Aristophanes, in the half-shamed + insolence, the disordered majesty, in which he is placed before the + reader's mind, was present to him from the first moment in which the + Defence was conceived. What was still more interesting, he could see him, + hear him, think with him, speak for him, and still inevitably condemn him. + No such instance of always ingenious, and sometimes earnest pleading + foredoomed to complete discomfiture, occurs in Mr. Browning's works. + </p> + <p> + To Aristophanes he gave the dramatic sympathy which one lover of life can + extend to another, though that other unduly extol its lower forms. To + Euripides he brought the palm of the higher truth, to his work the tribute + of the more pathetic human emotion. Even these for a moment ministered to + the greatness of Aristophanes, in the tear shed by him to the memory of + his rival, in the hour of his own triumph; and we may be quite sure that + when Mr. Browning depicted that scene, and again when he translated the + great tragedian's words, his own eyes were dimmed. Large tears fell from + them, and emotion choked his voice, when he first read aloud the + transcript of the 'Herakles' to a friend, who was often privileged to hear + him. + </p> + <p> + Mr. Browning's deep feeling for the humanities of Greek literature, and + his almost passionate love for the language, contrasted strongly with his + refusal to regard even the first of Greek writers as models of literary + style. The pretensions raised for them on this ground were inconceivable + to him; and his translation of the 'Agamemnon', published 1877, was partly + made, I am convinced, for the pleasure of exposing these claims, and of + rebuking them. His preface to the transcript gives evidence of this. The + glee with which he pointed to it when it first appeared was no less + significant. + </p> + <p> + At Villers, in 1875, he only corrected the proofs of 'The Inn Album' for + publication in November. When the party started for the Isle of Arran, in + the autumn of 1876, the 'Pacchiarotto' volume had already appeared. + </p> + <p> + When Mr. Browning discontinued his short-lived habit of visiting away from + home, he made an exception in favour of the Universities. His occasional + visits to Oxford and Cambridge were maintained till the very end of his + life, with increasing frequency in the former case; and the days spent at + Balliol and Trinity afforded him as unmixed a pleasure as was compatible + with the interruption of his daily habits, and with a system of + hospitality which would detain him for many hours at table. A vivid + picture of them is given in two letters, dated January 20 and March 10, + 1877, and addressed to one of his constant correspondents, Mrs. + Fitz-Gerald, of Shalstone Manor, Buckingham. + </p> + <p> + Dear Friend, I have your letter of yesterday, and thank you all I can for + its goodness and graciousness to me unworthy . . . I returned on Thursday—the + hospitality of our Master being not easy to set aside. But to begin with + the beginning: the passage from London to Oxford was exceptionally + prosperous—the train was full of men my friends. I was welcomed on + arriving by a Fellow who installed me in my rooms,—then came the + pleasant meeting with Jowett who at once took me to tea with his other + guests, the Archbishop of Canterbury, Bishop of London, Dean of + Westminster, the Airlies, Cardwells, male and female. Then came the + banquet—(I enclose you the plan having no doubt that you will + recognise the name of many an acquaintance: please return it)—and, + the dinner done, speechifying set in vigorously. The Archbishop proposed + the standing 'Floreat domus de Balliolo'—to which the Master made + due and amusing answer, himself giving the health of the Primate. Lord + Coleridge, in a silvery speech, drank to the University, responded to by + the Vice-Chancellor. I forget who proposed the visitors—the Bishop + of London, perhaps Lord Cardwell. Professor Smith gave the two Houses of + Parliament,—Jowett, the Clergy, coupling with it the name of your + friend Mr. Rogers—on whom he showered every kind of praise, and Mr. + Rogers returned thanks very characteristically and pleasantly. Lord + Lansdowne drank to the Bar (Mr. Bowen), Lord Camperdown to—I really + forget what: Mr. Green to Literature and Science delivering a most + undeserved eulogium on myself, with a more rightly directed one on Arnold, + Swinburne, and the old pride of Balliol, Clough: this was cleverly and + almost touchingly answered by dear Mat Arnold. Then the Dean of + Westminster gave the Fellows and Scholars—and then—twelve + o'clock struck. We were, counting from the time of preliminary assemblage, + six hours and a half engaged: <i>fully</i> five and a half nailed to our + chairs at the table: but the whole thing was brilliant, genial, and + suggestive of many and various thoughts to me—and there was a + warmth, earnestness, and yet refinement about it which I never experienced + in any previous public dinner. Next morning I breakfasted with Jowett and + his guests, found that return would be difficult: while as the young men + were to return on Friday there would be no opposition to my departure on + Thursday. The morning was dismal with rain, but after luncheon there was a + chance of getting a little air, and I walked for more than two hours, then + heard service in New Coll.—then dinner again: my room had been + prepared in the Master's house. So, on Thursday, after yet another + breakfast, I left by the noon-day train, after all sorts of kindly offices + from the Master. . . . No reporters were suffered to be present—the + account in yesterday's Times was furnished by one or more of the guests; + it is quite correct as far as it goes. There were, I find, certain little + paragraphs which must have been furnished by 'guessers': Swinburne, set + down as present—was absent through his Father's illness: the + Cardinal also excused himself as did the Bishop of Salisbury and others. . + . . Ever yours R. Browning. + </p> + <p> + The second letter, from Cambridge, was short and written in haste, at the + moment of Mr. Browning's departure; but it tells the same tale of general + kindness and attention. Engagements for no less than six meals had + absorbed the first day of the visit. The occasion was that of Professor + Joachim's investiture with his Doctor's degree; and Mr. Browning declares + that this ceremony, the concert given by the great violinist, and his + society, were 'each and all' worth the trouble of the journey. He himself + was to receive the Cambridge degree of LL.D. in 1879, the Oxford D.C.L. in + 1882. A passage in another letter addressed to the same friend, refers + probably to a practical reminiscence of 'Red Cotton Nightcap Country', + which enlivened the latter experience, and which Mrs. Fitz-Gerald had + witnessed with disapprobation.* + </p> +<pre xml:space="preserve"> + * An actual red cotton nightcap had been made to flutter + down on to the Poet's head. +</pre> + <p> + . . . You are far too hard on the very harmless drolleries of the young + men, licensed as they are moreover by immemorial usage. Indeed there used + to be a regularly appointed jester, 'Filius Terrae' he was called, whose + business it was to jibe and jeer at the honoured ones, by way of reminder + that all human glories are merely gilded bubbles and must not be fancied + metal. You saw that the Reverend Dons escaped no more than the poor Poet—or + rather I should say than myself the poor Poet—for I was pleased to + observe with what attention they listened to the Newdigate. . . . Ever + affectionately yours, R. Browning. + </p> + <p> + In 1875 he was unanimously nominated by its Independent Club, to the + office of Lord Rector of the University of Glasgow; and in 1877 he again + received the offer of the Rectorship of St. Andrews, couched in very + urgent and flattering terms. A letter addressed to him from this + University by Dr. William Knight, Professor of Moral Philosophy there, + which I have his permission to publish, bears witness to what had long + been and was always to remain a prominent fact of Mr. Browning's literary + career: his great influence on the minds of the rising generation of his + countrymen. + </p> + <p> + The University, St. Andrews N.B.: Nov. 17, 1877. + </p> + <p> + My dear Sir,—. . . The students of this University, in which I have + the honour to hold office, have nominated you as their Lord Rector; and + intend unanimously, I am told, to elect you to that office on Thursday. + </p> + <p> + I believe that hitherto no Rector has been chosen by the undivided + suffrage of any Scottish University. They have heard however that you are + unable to accept the office: and your committee, who were deeply + disappointed to learn this afternoon of the way in which you have been + informed of their intentions, are, I believe, writing to you on the + subject. So keen is their regret that they intend respectfully to wait + upon you on Tuesday morning by deputation, and ask if you cannot waive + your difficulties in deference to their enthusiasm, and allow them to + proceed with your election. + </p> + <p> + Their suffrage may, I think, be regarded as one sign of how the thoughtful + youth of Scotland estimate the work you have done in the world of letters. + </p> + <p> + And permit me to say that while these Rectorial elections in the other + Universities have frequently turned on local questions, or been inspired + by political partisanship, St. Andrews has honourably sought to choose men + distinguished for literary eminence, and to make the Rectorship a tribute + at once of intellectual and moral esteem. + </p> + <p> + May I add that when the 'perfervidum ingenium' of our northern race takes + the form not of youthful hero-worship, but of loyal admiration and + respectful homage, it is a very genuine affair. In the present instance I + may say it is no mere outburst of young undisciplined enthusiasm, but an + honest expression of intellectual and moral indebtedness, the genuine and + distinct tribute of many minds that have been touched to some higher + issues by what you have taught them. They do not presume to speak of your + place in English literature. They merely tell you by this proffered honour + (the highest in their power to bestow), how they have felt your influence + over them. + </p> + <p> + My own obligations to you, and to the author of Aurora Leigh, are such, + that of them 'silence is golden'. Yours ever gratefully. William Knight. + </p> + <p> + Mr. Browning was deeply touched and gratified by these professions of + esteem. He persisted nevertheless in his refusal. The Glasgow nomination + had also been declined by him. + </p> + <p> + On August 17, 1877, he wrote to Mrs. Fitz-Gerald from La Saisiaz: + </p> + <p> + 'How lovely is this place in its solitude and seclusion, with its trees + and shrubs and flowers, and above all its live mountain stream which + supplies three fountains, and two delightful baths, a marvel of delicate + delight framed in with trees—I bathe there twice a day—and + then what wonderful views from the chalet on every side! Geneva lying + under us, with the lake and the whole plain bounded by the Jura and our + own Saleve, which latter seems rather close behind our house, and yet + takes a hard hour and a half to ascend—all this you can imagine + since you know the environs of the town; the peace and quiet move me the + most—And I fancy I shall drowse out the two months or more, doing no + more of serious work than reading—and that is virtuous renunciation + of the glorious view to my right here—as I sit aerially like + Euripides, and see the clouds come and go and the view change in + correspondence with them. It will help me to get rid of the pain which + attaches itself to the recollections of Lucerne and Berne "in the old days + when the Greeks suffered so much," as Homer says. But a very real and + sharp pain touched me here when I heard of the death of poor Virginia + March whom I knew particularly, and parted with hardly a fortnight ago, + leaving her affectionate and happy as ever. The tones of her voice as on + one memorable occasion she ejaculated repeatedly 'Good friend!' are fresh + still. Poor Virginia! . . .' + </p> + <p> + Mr. Browning was more than quiescent during this stay in the Savoyard + mountains. He was unusually depressed, and unusually disposed to regard + the absence from home as a banishment; and he tried subsequently to + account for this condition by the shadow which coming trouble sometimes + casts before it. It was more probably due to the want of the sea air which + he had enjoyed for so many years, and to that special oppressive heat of + the Swiss valleys which ascends with them to almost their highest level. + When he said that the Saleve seemed close behind the house, he was saying + in other words that the sun beat back from, and the air was intercepted by + it. We see, nevertheless, in his description of the surrounding scenery, a + promise of the contemplative delight in natural beauty to be henceforth so + conspicuous in his experience, and which seemed a new feature in it. He + had hitherto approached every living thing with curious and sympathetic + observation—this hardly requires saying of one who had animals for + his first and always familiar friends. Flowers also attracted him by their + perfume. But what he loved in nature was essentially its prefiguring of + human existence, or its echo of it; and it never appeared, in either his + works or his conversation, that he was much impressed by its inanimate + forms—by even those larger phenomena of mountain and cloud-land on + which the latter dwells. Such beauty as most appealed to him he had left + behind with the joys and sorrows of his Italian life, and it had almost + inevitably passed out of his consideration. During years of his residence + in London he never thought of the country as a source of pleasurable + emotions, other than those contingent on renewed health; and the places to + which he resorted had often not much beyond their health-giving qualities + to recommend them; his appetite for the beautiful had probably dwindled + for lack of food. But when a friend once said to him: 'You have not a + great love for nature, have you?' he had replied: 'Yes, I have, but I love + men and women better;' and the admission, which conveyed more than it + literally expressed, would have been true I believe at any, up to the + present, period of his history. Even now he did not cease to love men and + women best; but he found increasing enjoyment in the beauties of nature, + above all as they opened upon him on the southern slopes of the Alps; and + the delight of the aesthetic sense merged gradually in the satisfied + craving for pure air and brilliant sunshine which marked his final + struggle for physical life. A ring of enthusiasm comes into his letters + from the mountains, and deepens as the years advance; doubtless enhanced + by the great—perhaps too great—exhilaration which the Alpine + atmosphere produced, but also in large measure independent of it. Each new + place into which the summer carries him he declares more beautiful than + the last. It possibly was so. + </p> + <p> + A touch of autumnal freshness had barely crept into the atmosphere of the + Saleve, when a moral thunderbolt fell on the little group of persons + domiciled at its base: Miss Egerton-Smith died, in what had seemed for her + unusually good health, in the act of preparing for a mountain excursion + with her friends—the words still almost on her lips in which she had + given some directions for their comfort. Mr. Browning's impressionable + nervous system was for a moment paralyzed by the shock. It revived in all + the emotional and intellectual impulses which gave birth to 'La Saisiaz'. + </p> + <p> + This poem contains, besides its personal reference and association, + elements of distinctive biographical interest. It is the author's first—as + also last—attempt to reconstruct his hope of immortality by a + rational process based entirely on the fundamental facts of his own + knowledge and consciousness—God and the human soul; and while the + very assumption of these facts, as basis for reasoning, places him at + issue with scientific thought, there is in his way of handling them a + tribute to the scientific spirit, perhaps foreshadowed in the beautiful + epilogue to 'Dramatis Personae', but of which there is no trace in his + earlier religious works. It is conclusive both in form and matter as to + his heterodox attitude towards Christianity. He was no less, in his way, a + Christian when he wrote 'La Saisiaz' than when he published 'A Death in + the Desert' and 'Christmas Eve and Easter Day'; or at any period + subsequent to that in which he accepted without questioning what he had + learned at his mother's knee. He has repeatedly written or declared in the + words of Charles Lamb:* 'If Christ entered the room I should fall on my + knees;' and again, in those of Napoleon: 'I am an understander of men, and + <i>he</i> was no man.' He has even added: 'If he had been, he would have + been an impostor.' But the arguments, in great part negative, set forth in + 'La Saisiaz' for the immortality of the soul, leave no place for the idea, + however indefinite, of a Christian revelation on the subject. Christ + remained for Mr. Browning a mystery and a message of Divine Love, but no + messenger of Divine intention towards mankind. + </p> +<pre xml:space="preserve"> + * These words have more significance when taken with their + context. 'If Shakespeare was to come into the room, we + should all rise up to meet him; but if that Person [meaning + Christ] was to come into the room, we should all fall down + and try to kiss the hem of his garment.' +</pre> + <p> + The dialogue between Fancy and Reason is not only an admission of + uncertainty as to the future of the Soul: it is a plea for it; and as such + it gathers up into its few words of direct statement, threads of reasoning + which have been traceable throughout Mr. Browning's work. In this plea for + uncertainty lies also a full and frank acknowledgment of the value of the + earthly life; and as interpreted by his general views, that value asserts + itself, not only in the means of probation which life affords, but in its + existing conditions of happiness. No one, he declares, possessing the + certainty of a future state would patiently and fully live out the + present; and since the future can be only the ripened fruit of the + present, its promise would be neutralized, as well as actual experience + dwarfed, by a definite revelation. Nor, conversely, need the want of a + certified future depress the present spiritual and moral life. It is in + the nature of the Soul that it would suffer from the promise. The + existence of God is a justification for hope. And since the certainty + would be injurious to the Soul, hence destructive to itself, the doubt—in + other words, the hope—becomes a sufficient approach to, a working + substitute for it. It is pathetic to see how in spite of the convictions + thus rooted in Mr. Browning's mind, the expressed craving for more + knowledge, for more light, will now and then escape him. + </p> + <p> + Even orthodox Christianity gives no assurance of reunion to those whom + death has separated. It is obvious that Mr. Browning's poetic creed could + hold no conviction regarding it. He hoped for such reunion in proportion + as he wished. There must have been moments in his life when the wish in + its passion overleapt the bounds of hope. 'Prospice' appears to prove + this. But the wide range of imagination, no less than the lack of + knowledge, forbade in him any forecast of the possibilities of the life to + come. He believed that if granted, it would be an advance on the present—an + accession of knowledge if not an increase of happiness. He was satisfied + that whatever it gave, and whatever it withheld, it would be good. In his + normal condition this sufficed to him. + </p> + <p> + 'La Saisiaz' appeared in the early summer of 1878, and with it 'The Two + Poets of Croisic', which had been written immediately after it. The + various incidents of this poem are strictly historical; they lead the way + to a characteristic utterance of Mr. Browning's philosophy of life to + which I shall recur later. + </p> + <p> + In 1872 Mr. Browning had published a first series of selections from his + works; it was to be followed by a second in 1880. In a preface to the + earlier volume, he indicates the plan which he has followed in the choice + and arrangement of poems; and some such intention runs also through the + second; since he declined a suggestion made to him for the introduction or + placing of a special poem, on the ground of its not conforming to the end + he had in view. It is difficult, in the one case as in the other, to + reconstruct the imagined personality to which his preface refers; and his + words on the later occasion pointed rather to that idea of a chord of + feeling which is raised by the correspondence of the first and last poems + of the respective groups. But either clue may be followed with interest. + </p> + <p> + <a name="link2HCH0039" id="link2HCH0039"> + <!-- H2 anchor --> </a> + </p> + <div style="height: 4em;"> + <br /><br /><br /><br /> + </div> + <h2> + Chapter 18 + </h2> + <h3> + 1878-1884 + </h3> + <p> + He revisits Italy; Asolo; Letters to Mrs. Fitz-Gerald—Venice—Favourite + Alpine Retreats—Mrs. Arthur Bronson—Life in Venice—A + Tragedy at Saint-Pierre—Mr. Cholmondeley—Mr. Browning's + Patriotic Feeling; Extract from Letter to Mrs. Charles Skirrow—'Dramatic + Idyls'—'Jocoseria'—'Ferishtah's Fancies'. + </p> + <p> + The catastrophe of La Saisiaz closed a comprehensive chapter in Mr. + Browning's habits and experience. It impelled him finally to break with + the associations of the last seventeen autumns, which he remembered more + in their tedious or painful circumstances than in the unexciting pleasure + and renewed physical health which he had derived from them. He was weary + of the ever-recurring effort to uproot himself from his home life, only to + become stationary in some more or less uninteresting northern spot. The + always latent desire for Italy sprang up in him, and with it the often + present thought and wish to give his sister the opportunity of seeing it. + </p> + <p> + Florence and Rome were not included in his scheme; he knew them both too + well; but he hankered for Asolo and Venice. He determined, though as usual + reluctantly, and not till the last moment, that they should move + southwards in the August of 1878. Their route lay over the Spluegen; and + having heard of a comfortable hotel near the summit of the Pass, they + agreed to remain there till the heat had sufficiently abated to allow of + the descent into Lombardy. The advantages of this first arrangement + exceeded their expectations. It gave them solitude without the sense of + loneliness. A little stream of travellers passed constantly over the + mountain, and they could shake hands with acquaintances at night, and know + them gone in the morning. They dined at the table d'hote, but took all + other meals alone, and slept in a detached wing or 'dependance' of the + hotel. Their daily walks sometimes carried them down to the Via Mala; + often to the top of the ascent, where they could rest, looking down into + Italy; and would even be prolonged over a period of five hours and an + extent of seventeen miles. Now, as always, the mountain air stimulated Mr. + Browning's physical energy; and on this occasion it also especially + quickened his imaginative powers. He was preparing the first series of + 'Dramatic Idylls'; and several of these, including 'Ivan Ivanovitch', were + produced with such rapidity that Miss Browning refused to countenance a + prolonged stay on the mountain, unless he worked at a more reasonable + rate. + </p> + <p> + They did not linger on their way to Asolo and Venice, except for a night's + rest on the Lake of Como and two days at Verona. In their successive + journeys through Northern Italy they visited by degrees all its notable + cities, and it would be easy to recall, in order and detail, most of these + yearly expeditions. But the account of them would chiefly resolve itself + into a list of names and dates; for Mr. Browning had seldom a new + impression to receive, even from localities which he had not seen before. + I know that he and his sister were deeply struck by the deserted grandeurs + of Ravenna; and that it stirred in both of them a memorable sensation to + wander as they did for a whole day through the pinewoods consecrated by + Dante. I am nevertheless not sure that when they performed the repeated + round of picture-galleries and palaces, they were not sometimes simply + paying their debt to opportunity, and as much for each other's sake as for + their own. Where all was Italy, there was little to gain or lose in one + memorial of greatness, one object of beauty, visited or left unseen. But + in Asolo, even in Venice, Mr. Browning was seeking something more: the + remembrance of his own actual and poetic youth. How far he found it in the + former place we may infer from a letter to Mrs. Fitz-Gerald. + </p> + <p> + Sept. 28, 1878. + </p> + <p> + And from 'Asolo', at last, dear friend! So can dreams come <i>false</i>.—S., + who has been writing at the opposite side of the table, has told you about + our journey and adventures, such as they were: but she cannot tell you the + feelings with which I revisit this—to me—memorable place after + above forty years' absence,—such things have begun and ended with me + in the interval! It was <i>too</i> strange when we reached the ruined + tower on the hill-top yesterday, and I said 'Let me try if the echo still + exists which I discovered here,' (you can produce it from only <i>one</i> + particular spot on a remainder of brickwork—) and thereupon it + answered me plainly as ever, after all the silence: for some children from + the adjoining 'podere', happening to be outside, heard my voice and its + result—and began trying to perform the feat—calling 'Yes, yes'—all + in vain: so, perhaps, the mighty secret will die with me! We shall + probably stay here a day or two longer,—the air is so pure, the + country so attractive: but we must go soon to Venice, stay our allotted + time there, and then go homeward: you will of course address letters to + Venice, not this place: it is a pleasure I promise myself that, on + arriving I shall certainly hear you speak in a letter which I count upon + finding. + </p> + <p> + The old inn here, to which I would fain have betaken myself, is gone—levelled + to the ground: I remember it was much damaged by a recent earthquake, and + the cracks and chasms may have threatened a downfall. This Stella d'Oro + is, however, much such an unperverted 'locanda' as its predecessor—primitive + indeed are the arrangements and unsophisticate the ways: but there is + cleanliness, abundance of goodwill, and the sweet Italian smile at every + mistake: we get on excellently. To be sure never was such a perfect + fellow-traveller, for my purposes, as S., so that I have no subject of + concern—if things suit me they suit her—and vice-versa. I + daresay she will have told you how we trudged together, this morning to + Possagno—through a lovely country: how we saw all the wonders—and + a wonder of detestability is the paint-performance of the great man!—and + how, on our return, we found the little town enjoying high market day, and + its privilege of roaring and screaming over a bargain. It confuses me + altogether,—but at Venice I may write more comfortably. You will + till then, Dear Friend, remember me ever as yours affectionately, Robert + Browning. + </p> + <p> + If the tone of this does not express disappointment, it has none of the + rapture which his last visit was to inspire. The charm which forty years + of remembrance had cast around the little city on the hill was dispelled + for, at all events, the time being. The hot weather and dust-covered + landscape, with the more than primitive accommodation of which he spoke in + a letter to another friend, may have contributed something to this result. + </p> + <p> + At Venice the travellers fared better in some essential respects. A London + acquaintance, who passed them on their way to Italy, had recommended a + cool and quiet hotel there, the Albergo dell' Universo. The house, Palazzo + Brandolin-Rota, was situated on the shady side of the Grand Canal, just + below the Accademia and the Suspension Bridge. The open stretches of the + Giudecca lay not far behind; and a scrap of garden and a clean and open + little street made pleasant the approach from back and side. It + accommodated few persons in proportion to its size, and fewer still took + up their abode there; for it was managed by a lady of good birth and + fallen fortunes whose home and patrimony it had been; and her husband, a + retired Austrian officer, and two grown-up daughters did not lighten her + task. Every year the fortunes sank lower; the upper storey of the house + was already falling into decay, and the fine old furniture passing into + the brokers' or private buyers' hands. It still, however, afforded + sufficiently comfortable, and, by reason of its very drawbacks, desirable + quarters to Mr. Browning. It perhaps turned the scale in favour of his + return to Venice; for the lady whose hospitality he was to enjoy there was + as yet unknown to him; and nothing would have induced him to enter, with + his eyes open, one of the English-haunted hotels, in which acquaintance, + old and new, would daily greet him in the public rooms or jostle him in + the corridors. + </p> + <p> + He and his sister remained at the Universo for a fortnight; their + programme did not this year include a longer stay; but it gave them time + to decide that no place could better suit them for an autumn holiday than + Venice, or better lend itself to a preparatory sojourn among the Alps; and + the plan of their next, and, though they did not know it, many a following + summer, was thus sketched out before the homeward journey had begun. + </p> + <p> + Mr. Browning did not forget his work, even while resting from it; if + indeed he did rest entirely on this occasion. He consulted a Russian lady + whom he met at the hotel, on the names he was introducing in 'Ivan + Ivanovitch'. It would be interesting to know what suggestions or + corrections she made, and how far they adapted themselves to the rhythm + already established, or compelled changes in it; but the one alternative + would as little have troubled him as the other. Mrs. Browning told Mr. + Prinsep that her husband could never alter the wording of a poem without + rewriting it, indeed, practically converting it into another; though he + more than once tried to do so at her instigation. But to the end of his + life he could at any moment recast a line or passage for the sake of + greater correctness, and leave all that was essential in it untouched. + </p> + <p> + Seven times more in the eleven years which remained to him, Mr. Browning + spent the autumn in Venice. Once also, in 1882, he had proceeded towards + it as far as Verona, when the floods which marked the autumn of that year + arrested his farther course. Each time he had halted first in some more or + less elevated spot, generally suggested by his French friend, Monsieur + Dourlans, himself an inveterate wanderer, whose inclinations also tempted + him off the beaten track. The places he most enjoyed were Saint-Pierre la + Chartreuse, and Gressoney Saint-Jean, where he stayed respectively in 1881 + and 1882, 1883 and 1885. Both of these had the drawbacks, and what might + easily have been the dangers, of remoteness from the civilized world. But + this weighed with him so little, that he remained there in each case till + the weather had broken, though there was no sheltered conveyance in which + he and his sister could travel down; and on the later occasions at least, + circumstances might easily have combined to prevent their departure for an + indefinite time. He became, indeed, so attached to Gressoney, with its + beautiful outlook upon Monte Rosa, that nothing I believe would have + hindered his returning, or at least contemplating a return to it, but the + great fatigue to his sister of the mule ride up the mountain, by a path + which made walking, wherever possible, the easier course. They did walk <i>down</i> + it in the early October of 1885, and completed the hard seven hours' + trudge to San Martino d'Aosta, without an atom of refreshment or a + minute's rest. + </p> + <p> + One of the great attractions of Saint-Pierre was the vicinity of the + Grande Chartreuse, to which Mr. Browning made frequent expeditions, + staying there through the night in order to hear the midnight mass. Miss + Browning also once attempted the visit, but was not allowed to enter the + monastery. She slept in the adjoining convent. + </p> + <p> + The brother and sister were again at the Universo in 1879, 1880, and 1881; + but the crash was rapidly approaching, and soon afterwards it came. The + old Palazzo passed into other hands, and after a short period of private + ownership was consigned to the purposes of an Art Gallery. + </p> + <p> + In 1880, however, they had been introduced by Mrs. Story to an American + resident, Mrs. Arthur Bronson, and entered into most friendly relations + with her; and when, after a year's interval, they were again contemplating + an autumn in Venice, she placed at their disposal a suite of rooms in the + Palazzo Giustiniani Recanati, which formed a supplement to her own house—making + the offer with a kindly urgency which forbade all thought of declining it. + They inhabited these for a second time in 1885, keeping house for + themselves in the simple but comfortable foreign manner they both so well + enjoyed, only dining and spending the evening with their friend. But when, + in 1888, they were going, as they thought, to repeat the arrangement, they + found, to their surprise, a little apartment prepared for them under Mrs. + Bronson's own roof. This act of hospitality involved a special kindness on + her part, of which Mr. Browning only became aware at the close of a + prolonged stay; and a sense of increased gratitude added itself to the + affectionate regard with which his hostess had already inspired both his + sister and him. So far as he is concerned, the fact need only be + indicated. It is fully expressed in the preface to 'Asolando'. + </p> + <p> + During the first and fresher period of Mr. Browning's visits to Venice, he + found a passing attraction in its society. It held an historical element + which harmonized well with the decayed magnificence of the city, its + old-world repose, and the comparatively simple modes of intercourse still + prevailing there. Mrs. Bronson's 'salon' was hospitably open whenever her + health allowed; but her natural refinement, and the conservatism which so + strongly marks the higher class of Americans, preserved it from the + heterogeneous character which Anglo-foreign sociability so often assumes. + Very interesting, even important names lent their prestige to her circle; + and those of Don Carlos and his family, of Prince and Princess Iturbide, + of Prince and Princess Metternich, and of Princess Montenegro, were on the + list of her 'habitues', and, in the case of the royal Spaniards, of her + friends. It need hardly be said that the great English poet, with his fast + spreading reputation and his infinite social charm, was kindly welcomed + and warmly appreciated amongst them. + </p> + <p> + English and American acquaintances also congregated in Venice, or passed + through it from London, Florence, and Rome. Those resident in Italy could + make their visits coincide with those of Mr. Browning and his sister, or + undertake the journey for the sake of seeing them; while the outward + conditions of life were such as to render friendly intercourse more + satisfactory, and common social civilities less irksome than they could be + at home. Mr. Browning was, however, already too advanced in years, too + familiar with everything which the world can give, to be long affected by + the novelty of these experiences. It was inevitable that the need of rest, + though often for the moment forgotten, should assert itself more and more. + He gradually declined on the society of a small number of resident or + semi-resident friends; and, due exception being made for the hospitalities + of his temporary home, became indebted to the kindness of Sir Henry and + Lady Layard, of Mr. and Mrs. Curtis of Palazzo Barbaro, and of Mr. and + Mrs. Frederic Eden, for most of the social pleasure and comfort of his + later residences in Venice. + </p> + <p> + Part of a letter to Mrs. Fitz-Gerald gives an insight into the character + of his life there: all the stronger that it was written under a temporary + depression which it partly serves to explain. + </p> + <p> + Albergo dell' Universo, Venezia, Italia: Sept. 24, '81. + </p> + <p> + 'Dear Friend,—On arriving here I found your letter to my great + satisfaction—and yesterday brought the 'Saturday Review'—for + which, many thanks. + </p> + <p> + 'We left our strange but lovely place on the 18th, reaching Chambery at + evening,—stayed the next day there,—walking, among other + diversions to "Les Charmettes", the famous abode of Rousseau—kept + much as when he left it: I visited it with my wife perhaps twenty-five + years ago, and played so much of "Rousseau's Dream" as could be effected + on his antique harpsichord: this time I attempted the same feat, but only + two notes or thereabouts out of the octave would answer the touch. Next + morning we proceeded to Turin, and on Wednesday got here, in the middle of + the last night of the Congress Carnival—rowing up the Canal to our + Albergo through a dazzling blaze of lights and throng of boats,—there + being, if we are told truly, 50,000 strangers in the city. Rooms had been + secured for us, however: and the festivities are at an end, to my great + joy,—for Venice is resuming its old quiet aspect—the only one + I value at all. Our American friends wanted to take us in their gondola to + see the principal illuminations <i>after</i> the "Serenade", which was not + over before midnight—but I was contented with <i>that</i>—being + tired and indisposed for talking, and, having seen and heard quite enough + from our own balcony, went to bed: S. having betaken her to her own room + long before. + </p> + <p> + 'Next day we took stock of our acquaintances,—found that the Storys, + on whom we had counted for company, were at Vallombrosa, though the two + sons have a studio here—other friends are in sufficient number + however—and last evening we began our visits by a very classical one—to + the Countess Mocenigo, in her palace which Byron occupied: she is a + charming widow since two years,—young, pretty and of the prettiest + manners: she showed us all the rooms Byron had lived in,—and I wrote + my name in her album <i>on</i> the desk himself wrote the last canto of + 'Ch. Harold' and 'Beppo' upon. There was a small party: we were taken and + introduced by the Layards who are kind as ever, and I met old friends—Lord + Aberdare, Charles Bowen, and others. While I write comes a deliciously + fresh 'bouquet' from Mrs. Bronson, an American lady,—in short we + shall find a week or two amusing enough; though—where are the + pinewoods, mountains and torrents, and wonderful air? Venice is under a + cloud,—dull and threatening,—though we were apprehensive of + heat, arriving, as we did, ten days earlier than last year. . . .' + </p> + <p> + The evening's programme was occasionally varied by a visit to one of the + theatres. The plays given were chiefly in the Venetian dialect, and needed + previous study for their enjoyment; but Mr. Browning assisted at one + musical performance which strongly appealed to his historical and artistic + sensibilities: that of the 'Barbiere' of Paisiello in the Rossini theatre + and in the presence of Wagner, which took place in the autumn of 1880. + </p> + <p> + Although the manner of his sojourn in the Italian city placed all the + resources of resident life at his command, Mr. Browning never abjured the + active habits of the English traveller. He daily walked with his sister, + as he did in the mountains, for walking's sake, as well as for the delight + of what his expeditions showed him; and the facilities which they supplied + for this healthful pleasurable exercise were to his mind one of the great + merits of his autumn residences in Italy. He explored Venice in all + directions, and learned to know its many points of beauty and interest, as + those cannot who believe it is only to be seen from a gondola; and when he + had visited its every corner, he fell back on a favourite stroll along the + Riva to the public garden and back again; never failing to leave the house + at about the same hour of the day. Later still, when a friend's gondola + was always at hand, and air and sunshine were the one thing needful, he + would be carried to the Lido, and take a long stretch on its farther + shore. + </p> + <p> + The letter to Mrs. Fitz-Gerald, from which I have already quoted, + concludes with the account of a tragic occurrence which took place at + Saint-Pierre just before his departure, and in which Mr. Browning's + intuitions had played a striking part. + </p> + <p> + 'And what do you think befell us in this abode of peace and innocence? Our + journey was delayed for three hours in consequence of the one mule of the + village being requisitioned by the 'Juge d'Instruction' from Grenoble, + come to enquire into a murder committed two days before. My sister and I + used once a day to walk for a couple of hours up a mountain-road of the + most lovely description, and stop at the summit whence we looked down upon + the minute hamlet of St.-Pierre d'Entremont,—even more secluded than + our own: then we got back to our own aforesaid. And in this Paradisial + place, they found, yesterday week, a murdered man—frightfully + mutilated—who had been caught apparently in the act of stealing + potatoes in a field: such a crime had never occurred in the memory of the + oldest of our folk. Who was the murderer is the mystery—whether the + field's owner—in his irritation at discovering the robber,—or + one of a band of similar 'charbonniers' (for they suppose the man to be a + Piedmontese of that occupation) remains to be proved: they began by + imprisoning the owner, who denies his guilt energetically. Now the odd + thing is, that, either the day of, or after the murder,—as I and S. + were looking at the utter solitude, I had the fancy "What should I do if I + suddenly came upon a dead body in this field? Go and proclaim it—and + subject myself to all the vexations inflicted by the French way of + procedure (which begins by assuming that you may be the criminal)—or + neglect an obvious duty, and return silently." I, of course, saw that the + former was the only proper course, whatever the annoyance involved. And, + all the while, there was just about to be the very same incident for the + trouble of somebody.' + </p> + <p> + Here the account breaks off; but writing again from the same place, August + 16, 1882, he takes up the suspended narrative with this question: + </p> + <p> + 'Did I tell you of what happened to me on the last day of my stay here + last year?' And after repeating the main facts continues as follows: + </p> + <p> + 'This morning, in the course of my walk, I entered into conversation with + two persons of whom I made enquiry myself. They said the accused man, a + simple person, had been locked up in a high chamber,—protesting his + innocence strongly,—and troubled in his mind by the affair + altogether and the turn it was taking, had profited by the gendarme's + negligence, and thrown himself out of the window—and so died, + continuing to the last to protest as before. My presentiment of what such + a person might have to undergo was justified you see—though I should + not in any case have taken <i>that</i> way of getting out of the + difficulty. The man added, "it was not he who committed the murder, but + the companions of the man, an Italian charcoal-burner, who owed him a + grudge, killed him, and dragged him to the field—filling his sack + with potatoes as if stolen, to give a likelihood that the field's owner + had caught him stealing and killed him,—so M. Perrier the greffier + told me." Enough of this grim story. + </p> + <p> + . . . . . + </p> + <p> + 'My sister was anxious to know exactly where the body was found: "Vouz + savez la croix au sommet de la colline? A cette distance de cela!" That is + precisely where I was standing when the thought came over me.' + </p> + <p> + A passage in a subsequent letter of September 3 clearly refers to some + comment of Mrs. Fitz-Gerald's on the peculiar nature of this presentiment: + </p> + <p> + 'No—I attribute no sort of supernaturalism to my fancy about the + thing that was really about to take place. By a law of the association of + ideas—<i>contraries</i> come into the mind as often as <i>similarities</i>—and + the peace and solitude readily called up the notion of what would most jar + with them. I have often thought of the trouble that might have befallen me + if poor Miss Smith's death had happened the night before, when we were on + the mountain alone together—or next morning when we were on the + proposed excursion—only <i>then</i> we should have had companions.' + </p> + <p> + The letter then passes to other subjects. + </p> + <p> + 'This is the fifth magnificent day—like magnificence, unfit for + turning to much account—for we cannot walk till sunset. I had two + hours' walk, or nearly, before breakfast, however: It is the loveliest + country I ever had experience of, and we shall prolong our stay perhaps—apart + from the concern for poor Cholmondeley and his friends, I should be glad + to apprehend no long journey—besides the annoyance of having to pass + Florence and Rome unvisited, for S.'s sake, I mean: even Naples would have + been with its wonderful environs a tantalizing impracticability. + </p> + <p> + 'Your "Academy" came and was welcomed. The newspaper is like an electric + eel, as one touches it and expects a shock. I am very anxious about the + Archbishop who has always been strangely kind to me.' + </p> + <p> + He and his sister had accepted an invitation to spend the month of October + with Mr. Cholmondeley at his villa in Ischia; but the party assembled + there was broken up by the death of one of Mr. Cholmondeley's guests, a + young lady who had imprudently attempted the ascent of a dangerous + mountain without a guide, and who lost her life in the experiment. + </p> + <p> + A short extract from a letter to Mrs. Charles Skirrow will show that even + in this complete seclusion Mr. Browning's patriotism did not go to sleep. + There had been already sufficient evidence that his friendship did not; + but it was not in the nature of his mental activities that they should be + largely absorbed by politics, though he followed the course of his + country's history as a necessary part of his own life. It needed a crisis + like that of our Egyptian campaign, or the subsequent Irish struggle, to + arouse him to a full emotional participation in current events. How deeply + he could be thus aroused remained yet to be seen. + </p> + <p> + 'If the George Smiths are still with you, give them my love, and tell them + we shall expect to see them at Venice,—which was not so likely to be + the case when we were bound for Ischia. As for Lady Wolseley—one + dares not pretend to vie with her in anxiety just now; but my own pulses + beat pretty strongly when I open the day's newspaper—which, by some + new arrangement, reaches us, oftener than not, on the day after + publication. Where is your Bertie? I had an impassioned letter, a + fortnight ago, from a nephew of mine, who is in the second division + [battalion?] of the Black Watch; he was ordered to Edinburgh, and the + regiment not dispatched, after all,—it having just returned from + India; the poor fellow wrote in his despair "to know if I could do + anything!" He may be wanted yet: though nothing seems wanted in Egypt, so + capital appears to be the management.' + </p> + <p> + In 1879 Mr. Browning published the first series of his 'Dramatic Idyls'; + and their appearance sent a thrill of surprised admiration through the + public mind. In 'La Saisiaz' and the accompanying poems he had + accomplished what was virtually a life's work. For he was approaching the + appointed limit of man's existence; and the poetic, which had been + nourished in him by the natural life—which had once outstripped its + developments, but on the whole remained subject to them—had + therefore, also, passed through the successive phases of individual + growth. He had been inspired as dramatic poet by the one avowed conviction + that little else is worth study but the history of a soul; and outward act + or circumstance had only entered into his creations as condition or + incident of the given psychological state. His dramatic imagination had + first, however unconsciously, sought its materials in himself; then + gradually been projected into the world of men and women, which his + widening knowledge laid open to him; it is scarcely necessary to say that + its power was only fully revealed when it left the remote regions of + poetical and metaphysical self-consciousness, to invoke the not less + mysterious and far more searching utterance of the general human heart. It + was a matter of course that in this expression of his dramatic genius, the + intellectual and emotional should exhibit the varying relations which are + developed by the natural life: that feeling should begin by doing the work + of thought, as in 'Saul', and thought end by doing the work of feeling, as + in 'Fifine at the Fair'; and that the two should alternate or combine in + proportioned intensity in such works of an intermediate period as 'Cleon', + 'A Death in the Desert', the 'Epistle of Karshish', and 'James Lee's + Wife'; the sophistical ingenuities of 'Bishop Blougram', and 'Sludge'; and + the sad, appealing tenderness of 'Andrea del Sarto' and 'The Worst of It'. + </p> + <p> + It was also almost inevitable that so vigorous a genius should sometimes + falsify calculations based on the normal life. The long-continued force + and freshness of Mr. Browning's general faculties was in itself a protest + against them. We saw without surprise that during the decade which + produced 'Prince Hohenstiel-Schwangau', 'Fifine at the Fair', and 'Red + Cotton Nightcap Country', he could give us 'The Inn Album', with its + expression of the higher sexual love unsurpassed, rarely equalled, in the + whole range of his work: or those two unique creations of airy fancy and + passionate symbolic romance, 'Saint Martin's Summer', and 'Numpholeptos'. + It was no ground for astonishment that the creative power in him should + even ignore the usual period of decline, and defy, so far as is humanly + possible, its natural laws of modification. But in the 'Dramatic Idyls' he + did more than proceed with unflagging powers on a long-trodden, + distinctive course; he took a new departure. + </p> + <p> + Mr. Browning did not forsake the drama of motive when he imagined and + worked out his new group of poems; he presented it in a no less subtle and + complex form. But he gave it the added force of picturesque realization; + and this by means of incidents both powerful in themselves, and especially + suited for its development. It was only in proportion to this higher + suggestiveness that a startling situation ever seemed to him fit subject + for poetry. Where its interest and excitement exhausted themselves in the + external facts, it became, he thought, the property of the chronicler, but + supplied no material for the poet; and he often declined matter which had + been offered him for dramatic treatment because it belonged to the more + sensational category. + </p> + <p> + It is part of the vital quality of the 'Dramatic Idyls' that, in them, the + act and the motive are not yet finally identified with each other. We see + the act still palpitating with the motive; the motive dimly striving to + recognize or disclaim itself in the act. It is in this that the + psychological poet stands more than ever strongly revealed. Such at least + is the case in 'Martin Relph', and the idealized Russian legend, 'Ivan + Ivanovitch'. The grotesque tragedy of 'Ned Bratts' has also its marked + psychological aspects, but they are of a simpler and broader kind. + </p> + <p> + The new inspiration slowly subsided through the second series of 'Idyls', + 1880, and 'Jocoseria', 1883. In 'Ferishtah's Fancies', 1884, Mr. Browning + returned to his original manner, though carrying into it something of the + renewed vigour which had marked the intervening change. The lyrics which + alternate with its parables include some of the most tender, most + impassioned, and most musical of his love-poems. + </p> + <p> + The moral and religious opinions conveyed in this later volume may be + accepted without reserve as Mr. Browning's own, if we subtract from them + the exaggerations of the figurative and dramatic form. It is indeed easy + to recognize in them the under currents of his whole real and imaginative + life. They have also on one or two points an intrinsic value which will + justify a later allusion. + </p> + <p> + <a name="link2HCH0040" id="link2HCH0040"> + <!-- H2 anchor --> </a> + </p> + <div style="height: 4em;"> + <br /><br /><br /><br /> + </div> + <h2> + Chapter 19 + </h2> + <h3> + 1881-1887 + </h3> + <p> + The Browning Society; Mr. Furnivall; Miss E. H. Hickey—His Attitude + towards the Society; Letter to Mrs. Fitz-Gerald—Mr. Thaxter, Mrs. + Celia Thaxter—Letter to Miss Hickey; 'Strafford'—Shakspere and + Wordsworth Societies—Letters to Professor Knight—Appreciation + in Italy; Professor Nencioni—The Goldoni Sonnet—Mr. Barrett + Browning; Palazzo Manzoni—Letters to Mrs. Charles Skirrow—Mrs. + Bloomfield Moore—Llangollen; Sir Theodore and Lady Martin—Loss + of old Friends—Foreign Correspondent of the Royal Academy—'Parleyings + with certain People of Importance in their Day'. + </p> + <p> + This Indian summer of Mr. Browning's genius coincided with the highest + manifestation of public interest, which he, or with one exception, any + living writer, had probably yet received: the establishment of a Society + bearing his name, and devoted to the study of his poetry. The idea arose + almost simultaneously in the mind of Dr., then Mr. Furnivall, and of Miss + E. H. Hickey. One day, in the July of 1881, as they were on their way to + Warwick Crescent to pay an appointed visit there, Miss Hickey strongly + expressed her opinion of the power and breadth of Mr. Browning's work; and + concluded by saying that much as she loved Shakespeare, she found in + certain aspects of Browning what even Shakespeare could not give her. Mr. + Furnivall replied to this by asking what she would say to helping him to + found a Browning Society; and it then appeared that Miss Hickey had + recently written to him a letter, suggesting that he should found one; but + that it had miscarried, or, as she was disposed to think, not been posted. + Being thus, at all events, agreed as to the fitness of the undertaking, + they immediately spoke of it to Mr. Browning, who at first treated the + project as a joke; but did not oppose it when once he understood it to be + serious. His only proviso was that he should remain neutral in respect to + its fulfilment. He refused even to give Mr. Furnivall the name or address + of any friends, whose interest in himself or his work might render their + co-operation probable. + </p> + <p> + This passive assent sufficed. A printed prospectus was now issued. About + two hundred members were soon secured. A committee was elected, of which + Mr. J. T. Nettleship, already well known as a Browning student, was one of + the most conspicuous members; and by the end of October a small Society + had come into existence, which held its inaugural meeting in the Botanic + Theatre of University College. Mr. Furnivall, its principal founder, and + responsible organizer, was Chairman of the Committee, and Miss E. H. + Hickey, the co-founder, was Honorary Secretary. When, two or three years + afterwards, illness compelled her to resign this position, it was assumed + by Mr. J. Dykes Campbell. + </p> + <p> + Although nothing could be more unpretending than the action of this + Browning Society, or in the main more genuine than its motive, it did not + begin life without encountering ridicule and mistrust. The formation of a + Ruskin Society in the previous year had already established a precedent + for allowing a still living worker to enjoy the fruits of his work, or, as + some one termed it, for making a man a classic during his lifetime. But + this fact was not yet generally known; and meanwhile a curious + contradiction developed itself in the public mind. The outer world of Mr. + Browning's acquaintance continued to condemn the too great honour which + was being done to him; from those of the inner circle he constantly + received condolences on being made the subject of proceedings which, + according to them, he must somehow regard as an offence. + </p> + <p> + This was the last view of the case which he was prepared to take. At the + beginning, as at the end, he felt honoured by the intentions of the + Society. He probably, it is true, had occasional misgivings as to its + future. He could not be sure that its action would always be judicious, + still less that it would be always successful. He was prepared for its + being laughed at, and for himself being included in the laughter. He + consented to its establishment for what seemed to him the one unanswerable + reason, that he had, even on the ground of taste, no just cause for + forbidding it. No line, he considered, could be drawn between the kind of + publicity which every writer seeks, which, for good or evil, he had + already obtained, and that which the Browning Society was conferring on + him. His works would still, as before, be read, analyzed, and discussed + 'viva voce' and in print. That these proceedings would now take place in + other localities than drawing-rooms or clubs, through other organs than + newspapers or magazines, by other and larger groups of persons than those + usually gathered round a dinner-or a tea-table, involved no real change in + the situation. In any case, he had made himself public property; and those + who thus organized their study of him were exercising an individual right. + If his own rights had been assailed he would have guarded them also; but + the circumstances of the case precluded such a contingency. And he had his + reward. How he felt towards the Society at the close of its first session + is better indicated in the following letter to Mrs. Fitz-Gerald than in + the note to Mr. Yates which Mr. Sharp has published, and which was written + with more reserve and, I believe, at a rather earlier date. Even the shade + of condescension which lingers about his words will have been effaced by + subsequent experience; and many letters written to Dr. Furnivall must, + since then, have attested his grateful and affectionate appreciation of + kindness intended and service done to him. + </p> + <p> + . . . They always treat me gently in 'Punch'—why don't you do the + same by the Browning Society? I see you emphasize Miss Hickey's + acknowledgement of defects in time and want of rehearsal: but I look for + no great perfection in a number of kindly disposed strangers to me + personally, who try to interest people in my poems by singing and reading + them. They give their time for nothing, offer their little entertainment + for nothing, and certainly get next to nothing in the way of thanks—unless + from myself who feel grateful to the faces I shall never see, the voices I + shall never hear. The kindest notices I have had, or at all events those + that have given me most pleasure, have been educed by this Society—A. + Sidgwick's paper, that of Professor Corson, Miss Lewis' article in this + month's 'Macmillan'—and I feel grateful for it all, for my part,—and + none the less for a little amusement at the wonder of some of my friends + that I do not jump up and denounce the practices which must annoy me so + much. Oh! my 'gentle Shakespeare', how well you felt and said—'never + anything can be amiss when simpleness and duty tender it.' So, dear Lady, + here is my duty and simplicity tendering itself to you, with all affection + besides, and I being ever yours, R. Browning. + </p> + <p> + That general disposition of the London world which left the ranks of the + little Society to be three-fourths recruited among persons, many living at + a distance, whom the poet did not know, became also in its way a + satisfaction. It was with him a matter of course, though never of + indifference, that his closer friends of both sexes were among its + members; it was one of real gratification that they included from the + beginning such men as Dean Boyle of Salisbury, the Rev. Llewellyn Davies, + George Meredith, and James Cotter Morison—that they enjoyed the + sympathy and co-operation of such a one as Archdeacon Farrar. But he had + an ingenuous pride in reading the large remainder of the Society's lists + of names, and pointing out the fact that there was not one among them + which he had ever heard. It was equivalent to saying, 'All these people + care for me as a poet. No social interest, no personal prepossession, has + attracted them to my work.' And when the unknown name was not only + appended to a list; when it formed the signature of a paper—excellent + or indifferent as might be—but in either case bearing witness to a + careful and unobtrusive study of his poems, by so much was the + gratification increased. He seldom weighed the intrinsic merit of such + productions; he did not read them critically. No man was ever more adverse + to the seeming ungraciousness of analyzing the quality of a gift. In real + life indeed this power of gratitude sometimes defeated its own end, by + neutralizing his insight into the motive or effort involved in different + acts of kindness, and placing them all successively on the same plane. + </p> + <p> + In the present case, however, an ungraduated acceptance of the labour + bestowed on him was part of the neutral attitude which it was his constant + endeavour to maintain. He always refrained from noticing any erroneous + statement concerning himself or his works which might appear in the Papers + of the Society: since, as he alleged, if he once began to correct, he + would appear to endorse whatever he left uncorrected, and thus make + himself responsible, not only for any interpretation that might be placed + on his poems, but, what was far more serious, for every eulogium that was + bestowed upon them. He could not stand aloof as entirely as he or even his + friends desired, since it was usual with some members of the Society to + seek from him elucidations of obscure passages which, without these, it + was declared, would be a stumbling-block to future readers. But he + disliked being even to this extent drawn into its operation; and his help + was, I believe, less and less frequently invoked. Nothing could be more + false than the rumour which once arose that he superintended those + performances of his plays which took place under the direction of the + Society. Once only, and by the urgent desire of some of the actors, did he + witness a last rehearsal of one of them. + </p> + <p> + It was also a matter of course that men and women brought together by a + pre-existing interest in Mr. Browning's work should often ignore its + authorized explanations, and should read and discuss it in the light of + personal impressions more congenial to their own mind; and the various and + circumstantial views sometimes elicited by a given poem did not serve to + render it more intelligible. But the merit of true poetry lies so largely + in its suggestiveness, that even mistaken impressions of it have their + positive value and also their relative truth; and the intellectual + friction which was thus created, not only in the parent society, but in + its offshoots in England and America, was not their least important + result. + </p> + <p> + These Societies conferred, it need hardly be said, no less real benefits + on the public at large. They extended the sale of Mr. Browning's works, + and with it their distinct influence for intellectual and moral good. They + not only created in many minds an interest in these works, but aroused the + interest where it was latent, and gave it expression where it had hitherto + found no voice. One fault, alone, could be charged against them; and this + lay partly in the nature of all friendly concerted action: they stirred a + spirit of enthusiasm in which it was not easy, under conditions equally + genuine, to distinguish the individual element from that which was due to + contagion; while the presence among us of the still living poet often + infused into that enthusiasm a vaguely emotional element, which otherwise + detracted from its intellectual worth. But in so far as this was a + drawback to the intended action of the Societies, it was one only in the + most negative sense; nor can we doubt, that, to a certain extent, Mr. + Browning's best influence was promoted by it. The hysterical sensibilities + which, for some years past, he had unconsciously but not unfrequently + aroused in the minds of women, and even of men, were a morbid development + of that influence, which its open and systematic extension tended rather + to diminish than to increase. + </p> + <p> + It is also a matter of history that Robert Browning had many deep and + constant admirers in England, and still more in America,* long before this + organized interest had developed itself. Letters received from often + remote parts of the United States had been for many years a detail of his + daily experience; and even when they consisted of the request for an + autograph, an application to print selections from his works, or a mere + expression of schoolboy pertness or schoolgirl sentimentality, they bore + witness to his wide reputation in that country, and the high esteem in + which he was held there.** The names of Levi and Celia Thaxter of Boston + had long, I believe, been conspicuous in the higher ranks of his + disciples, though they first occur in his correspondence at about this + date. I trust I may take for granted Mrs. Thaxter's permission to publish + a letter from her. + </p> +<pre xml:space="preserve"> + * The cheapening of his works in America, induced by the + absence of international copyright, accounts of course in + some degree for their wider diffusion, and hence earlier + appreciation there. + + ** One of the most curious proofs of this was the + Californian Railway time-table edition of his poems. +</pre> + <p> + Newtonville, Massachusetts: March 14, 1880. + </p> + <p> + My dear Mr. Browning: + </p> + <p> + Your note reached me this morning, but it belonged to my husband, for it + was he who wrote to you; so I gave it to him, glad to put into his hands + so precious a piece of manuscript, for he has for you and all your work an + enthusiastic appreciation such as is seldom found on this planet: it is + not possible that the admiration of one mortal for another can exceed his + feeling for you. You might have written for him, + </p> +<pre xml:space="preserve"> + I've a friend over the sea, + . . . . + + It all grew out of the books I write, &c. +</pre> + <p> + You should see his fine wrath and scorn for the idiocy that doesn't at + once comprehend you! + </p> + <p> + He knows every word you have ever written; long ago 'Sordello' was an open + book to him from title-page to closing line, and <i>all</i> you have + printed since has been as eagerly and studiously devoured. He reads you + aloud (and his reading is a fine art) to crowds of astonished people, he + swears by you, he thinks no one save Shakspere has a right to be mentioned + in the same century with you. You are the great enthusiasm of his life. + </p> + <p> + Pardon me, you are smiling, I dare say. You hear any amount of such + things, doubtless. But a genuine living appreciation is always worth + having in this old world, it is like a strong fresh breeze from off the + brine, that puts a sense of life and power into a man. You cannot be the + worse for it. Yours very sincerely, Celia Thaxter. + </p> + <p> + When Mr. Thaxter died, in February 1885, his son wrote to Mr. Browning to + beg of him a few lines to be inscribed on his father's tombstone. The + little poem by which the request was answered has not yet, I believe, been + published. + </p> + <p> + 'Written to be inscribed on the gravestone of Levi Thaxter.' + </p> + <p> + Thou, whom these eyes saw never,—say friends true Who say my soul, + helped onward by my song, Though all unwittingly, has helped thee too? I + gave but of the little that I knew: How were the gift requited, while + along Life's path I pace, could'st thou make weakness strong, Help me with + knowledge—for Life's old, Death's new! R. B. April 19, '85. + </p> + <p> + A publication which connected itself with the labours of the Society, + without being directly inspired by it, was the annotated 'Strafford' + prepared by Miss Hickey for the use of students. It may be agreeable to + those who use the little work to know the estimate in which Mr. Browning + held it. He wrote as follows: + </p> + <p> + 19, Warwick Crescent, W.: February 15, 1884. + </p> + <p> + Dear Miss Hickey,—I have returned the Proofs by post,—nothing + can be better than your notes—and with a real wish to be of use, I + read them carefully that I might detect never so tiny a fault,—but I + found none—unless (to show you how minutely I searched,) it should + be one that by 'thriving in your contempt,' I meant simply 'while you + despise them, and for all that, they thrive and are powerful to do you + harm.' The idiom you prefer—quite an authorized one—comes to + much the same thing after all. + </p> + <p> + You must know how much I grieve at your illness—temporary as I will + trust it to be—I feel all your goodness to me—or whatever in + my books may be taken for me—well, I wish you knew how thoroughly I + feel it—and how truly I am and shall ever be Yours affectionately, + Robert Browning. + </p> + <p> + From the time of the foundation of the New Shakspere Society, Mr. Browning + was its president. In 1880 he became a member of the Wordsworth Society. + Two interesting letters to Professor Knight, dated respectively 1880 and + 1887, connect themselves with the working of the latter; and, in spite of + their distance in time, may therefore be given together. The poem which + formed the subject of the first was 'The Daisy';* the selection referred + to in the second was that made in 1888 by Professor Knight for the + Wordsworth Society, with the co-operation of Mr. Browning and other + eminent literary men. + </p> +<pre xml:space="preserve"> + * That beginning 'In youth from rock to rock, I went.' +</pre> + <p> + 19, Warwick Crescent, W.: July 9, '80. + </p> + <p> + My dear Sir,—You pay me a compliment in caring for my opinion—but, + such as it is, a very decided one it must be. On every account, your + method of giving the original text, and subjoining in a note the + variations, each with its proper date, is incontestably preferable to any + other. It would be so, if the variations were even improvements—there + would be pleasure as well as profit in seeing what was good grow visibly + better. But—to confine ourselves to the single 'proof' you have sent + me—in every case the change is sadly for the worse: I am quite + troubled by such spoilings of passage after passage as I should have + chuckled at had I chanced upon them in some copy pencil-marked with + corrections by Jeffrey or Gifford: indeed, they are nearly as wretched as + the touchings-up of the 'Siege of Corinth' by the latter. If ever diabolic + agency was caught at tricks with 'apostolic' achievement (see page 9)—and + 'apostolic', with no 'profanity' at all, I esteem these poems to be—surely + you may bid it 'aroint' 'about and all about' these desecrated stanzas—each + of which, however, thanks to your piety, we may hail, I trust, with a + hearty + </p> +<pre xml:space="preserve"> + Thy long-lost praise thou shalt regain + Nor be less dear to future men + Than in old time! +</pre> + <p> + Believe me, my dear Sir, Yours very sincerely, Robert Browning. + </p> + <p> + 19, Warwick Crescent, W.: March 23, '87. + </p> + <p> + Dear Professor Knight,—I have seemed to neglect your commission + shamefully enough: but I confess to a sort of repugnance to classifying + the poems as even good and less good: because in my heart I fear I should + do it almost chronologically—so immeasureably superior seem to me + the 'first sprightly runnings'. Your selection would appear to be + excellent; and the partial admittance of the later work prevents one from + observing the too definitely distinguishing black line between supremely + good and—well, what is fairly tolerable—from Wordsworth, + always understand! I have marked a few of the early poems, not included in + your list—I could do no other when my conscience tells me that I + never can be tired of loving them: while, with the best will in the world, + I could never do more than try hard to like them.* + </p> +<pre xml:space="preserve"> + * By 'them' Mr. Browning clearly means the later poems, and + probably has omitted a few words which would have shown + this. +</pre> + <p> + You see, I go wholly upon my individual likings and distastes: that other + considerations should have their weight with other people is natural and + inevitable. Ever truly yours, Robert Browning. + </p> + <p> + Many thanks for the volume just received—that with the + correspondence. I hope that you restore the swan simile so ruthlessly cut + away from 'Dion'. + </p> + <p> + In 1884 he was again invited, and again declined, to stand for the Lord + Rectorship of the University of St. Andrews. In the same year he received + the LL.D. degree of the University of Edinburgh; and in the following was + made Honorary President of the Associated Societies of that city.* During + the few days spent there on the occasion of his investiture, he was the + guest of Professor Masson, whose solicitous kindness to him is still + warmly remembered in the family. + </p> +<pre xml:space="preserve"> + * This Association was instituted in 1833, and is a union of + literary and debating societies. It is at present composed + of five: the Dialectic, Scots Law, Diagnostic, + Philosophical, and Philomathic. +</pre> + <p> + The interest in Mr. Browning as a poet is beginning to spread in Germany. + There is room for wonder that it should not have done so before, though + the affinities of his genius are rather with the older than with the more + modern German mind. It is much more remarkable that, many years ago, his + work had already a sympathetic exponent in Italy. Signor Nencioni, + Professor of Literature in Florence, had made his acquaintance at Siena, + and was possibly first attracted to him through his wife, although I never + heard that it was so. He was soon, however, fascinated by Mr. Browning's + poetry, and made it an object of serious study; he largely quoted from, + and wrote on it, in the Roman paper 'Fanfulla della Domenica', in 1881 and + 1882; and published last winter what is, I am told, an excellent article + on the same subject, in the 'Nuova Antologia'. Two years ago he travelled + from Rome to Venice (accompanied by Signor Placci), for the purpose of + seeing him. He is fond of reciting passages from the works, and has even + made attempts at translation: though he understands them too well not to + pronounce them, what they are for every Latin language, untranslatable. + </p> + <p> + In 1883 Mr. Browning added another link to the 'golden' chain of verse + which united England and Italy. A statue of Goldoni was about to be + erected in Venice. The ceremonies of the occasion were to include the + appearance of a volume—or album—of appropriate poems; and + Cavaliere Molmenti, its intending editor, a leading member of the + 'Erection Committee', begged Mr. Browning to contribute to it. It was also + desired that he should be present at the unveiling.* He was unable to + grant this request, but consented to write a poem. This sonnet to Goldoni + also deserves to be more widely known, both for itself and for the manner + of its production. Mr. Browning had forgotten, or not understood, how soon + the promise concerning it must be fulfilled, and it was actually scribbled + off while a messenger, sent by Signor Molmenti, waited for it. + </p> +<pre xml:space="preserve"> + * It was, I think, during this visit to Venice that he + assisted at a no less interesting ceremony: the unveiling + of a commemorative tablet to Baldassaro Galuppi, in his + native island of Burano. +</pre> + <p> + Goldoni,—good, gay, sunniest of souls,—Glassing half Venice in + that verse of thine,—What though it just reflect the shade and shine + Of common life, nor render, as it rolls Grandeur and gloom? Sufficient for + thy shoals Was Carnival: Parini's depths enshrine Secrets unsuited to that + opaline Surface of things which laughs along thy scrolls. There throng the + people: how they come and go Lisp the soft language, flaunt the bright + garb,—see,—On Piazza, Calle, under Portico And over Bridge! + Dear king of Comedy, Be honoured! Thou that didst love Venice so, Venice, + and we who love her, all love thee! + </p> + <p> + Venice, Nov. 27, 1883. + </p> + <p> + A complete bibliography would take account of three other sonnets, 'The + Founder of the Feast', 1884, 'The Names', 1884, and 'Why I am a Liberal', + 1886, to which I shall have occasion to refer; but we decline insensibly + from these on to the less important or more fugitive productions which + such lists also include, and on which it is unnecessary or undesirable + that any stress should be laid. + </p> + <p> + In 1885 he was joined in Venice by his son. It was 'Penini's' first return + to the country of his birth, his first experience of the city which he had + only visited in his nurse's arms; and his delight in it was so great that + the plan shaped itself in his father's mind of buying a house there, which + should serve as 'pied-a-terre' for the family, but more especially as a + home for him. Neither the health nor the energies of the younger Mr. + Browning had ever withstood the influence of the London climate; a foreign + element was undoubtedly present in his otherwise thoroughly English + constitution. Everything now pointed to his settling in Italy, and + pursuing his artist life there, only interrupting it by occasional visits + to London and Paris. His father entered into negotiations for the Palazzo + Manzoni, next door to the former Hotel de l'Univers; and the purchase was + completed, so far as he was concerned, before he returned to England. The + fact is related, and his own position towards it described in a letter to + Mrs. Charles Skirrow, written from Venice. + </p> + <p> + Palazzo Giustiniani Recanati, S. Moise: Nov. 15, '85. + </p> + <p> + My two dear friends will have supposed, with plenty of reason, that I + never got the kind letter some weeks ago. When it came, I was in the + middle of an affair, conducted by letters of quite another kind, with + people abroad: and as I fancied that every next day might bring me news + very interesting to me and likely to be worth telling to the dear friends, + I waited and waited—and only two days since did the matter come to a + satisfactory conclusion—so, as the Irish song has it, 'Open your + eyes and die with surprise' when I inform you that I have purchased the + Manzoni Palace here, on the Canal Grande, of its owner, Marchese + Montecucculi, an Austrian and an absentee—hence the delay of + communication. I did this purely for Pen—who became at once simply + infatuated with the city which won my whole heart long before he was born + or thought of. I secure him a perfect domicile, every facility for his + painting and sculpture, and a property fairly worth, even here and now, + double what I gave for it—such is the virtue in these parts of ready + money! I myself shall stick to London—which has been so eminently + good and gracious to me—so long as God permits; only, when the + inevitable outrage of Time gets the better of my body—(I shall not + believe in his reaching my soul and proper self)—there will be a + capital retreat provided: and meantime I shall be able to 'take mine ease + in mine own inn' whenever so minded. There, my dear friends! I trust now + to be able to leave very shortly; the main business cannot be formally + concluded before two months at least—through the absence of the + Marchese,—who left at once to return to his duties as commander of + an Austrian ship; but the necessary engagement to sell and buy at a + specified price is made in due legal form, and the papers will be sent to + me in London for signature. I hope to get away the week after next at + latest,—spite of the weather in England which to-day's letters + report as 'atrocious',—and ours, though variable, is in the main + very tolerable and sometimes perfect; for all that, I yearn to be at home + in poor Warwick Crescent, which must do its best to make me forget my new + abode. I forget you don't know Venice. Well then, the Palazzo Manzoni is + situate on the Grand Canal, and is described by Ruskin,—to give no + other authority,—as 'a perfect and very rich example of Byzantine + Renaissance: its warm yellow marbles are magnificent.' And again—'an + exquisite example (of Byzantine Renaissance) as applied to domestic + architecture.' So testify the 'Stones of Venice'. But we will talk about + the place, over a photograph, when I am happy enough to be with you again. + </p> + <p> + Of Venetian gossip there is next to none. We had an admirable Venetian + Company,—using the dialect,—at the Goldoni Theatre. The acting + of Zago, in his various parts, and Zenon-Palladini, in her especial + character of a Venetian piece of volubility and impulsiveness in the shape + of a servant, were admirable indeed. The manager, Gallina, is a playwright + of much reputation, and gave us some dozen of his own pieces, mostly good + and clever. S. is very well,—much improved in health: we walk + sufficiently in this city where walking is accounted impossible by those + who never attempt it. Have I tired your good temper? No! you ever wished + me well, and I love you both with my whole heart. S.'s love goes with mine—who + am ever yours Robert Browning. + </p> + <p> + He never, however, owned the Manzoni Palace. The Austrian gentlemen* whose + property it was, put forward, at the last moment, unexpected and to his + mind unreasonable claims; and he was preparing to contest the position, + when a timely warning induced him to withdraw from it altogether. The + warning proceeded from his son, who had remained on the spot, and was now + informed on competent authority that the foundations of the house were + insecure. + </p> +<pre xml:space="preserve"> + * Two or three brothers. +</pre> + <p> + In the early summer of 1884, and again in 1886, Miss Browning had a + serious illness; and though she recovered, in each case completely, and in + the first rapidly, it was considered desirable that she should not travel + so far as usual from home. She and her brother therefore accepted for the + August and September of 1884 the urgent invitation of an American friend, + Mrs. Bloomfield Moore, to stay with her at a villa which she rented for + some seasons at St. Moritz. Mr. Browning was delighted with the Engadine, + where the circumstances of his abode, and the thoughtful kindness of his + hostess, allowed him to enjoy the benefits of comparative civilization + together with almost perfect repose. The weather that year was brilliant + until the end of September, if not beyond it; and his letters tell the old + pleasant story of long daily walks and a general sense of invigoration. + One of these, written to Mr. and Mrs. Skirrow, also contains some pungent + remarks on contemporary events, with an affectionate allusion to one of + the chief actors in them. + </p> + <p> + 'Anyhow, I have the sincerest hope that Wolseley may get done as soon, and + kill as few people, as possible,—keeping himself safe and sound—brave + dear fellow—for the benefit of us all.' + </p> + <p> + He also speaks with great sympathy of the death of Mr. Charles Sartoris, + which had just taken place at St.-Moritz. + </p> + <p> + In 1886, Miss Browning was not allowed to leave England; and she and Mr. + Browning established themselves for the autumn at the Hand Hotel at + Llangollen, where their old friends, Sir Theodore and Lady Martin, would + be within easy reach. Mr. Browning missed the exhilarating effects of the + Alpine air; but he enjoyed the peaceful beauty of the Welsh valley, and + the quiet and comfort of the old-fashioned English inn. A new source of + interest also presented itself to him in some aspects of the life of the + English country gentleman. He was struck by the improvements effected by + its actual owner* on a neighbouring estate, and by the provisions + contained in them for the comfort of both the men and the animals under + his care; and he afterwards made, in reference to them, what was for a + professing Liberal, a very striking remark: 'Talk of abolishing that class + of men! They are the salt of the earth!' Every Sunday afternoon he and his + sister drank tea—weather permitting—on the lawn with their + friends at Brintysilio; and he alludes gracefully to these meetings in a + letter written in the early summer of 1888, when Lady Martin had urged him + to return to Wales. + </p> +<pre xml:space="preserve"> + * I believe a Captain Best. +</pre> + <p> + The poet left another and more pathetic remembrance of himself in the + neighbourhood of Llangollen: his weekly presence at the afternoon Sunday + service in the parish church of Llantysilio. Churchgoing was, as I have + said, no part of his regular life. It was no part of his life in London. + But I do not think he ever failed in it at the Universities or in the + country. The assembling for prayer meant for him something deeper in both + the religious and the human sense, where ancient learning and piety + breathed through the consecrated edifice, or where only the figurative + 'two or three' were 'gathered together' within it. A memorial tablet now + marks the spot at which on this occasion the sweet grave face and the + venerable head were so often seen. It has been placed by the direction of + Lady Martin on the adjoining wall. + </p> + <p> + It was in the September of this year that Mr. Browning heard of the death + of M. Joseph Milsand. This name represented for him one of the few close + friendships which were to remain until the end, unclouded in fact and in + remembrance; and although some weight may be given to those circumstances + of their lives which precluded all possibility of friction and risk of + disenchantment, I believe their rooted sympathy, and Mr. Browning's + unfailing powers of appreciation would, in all possible cases, have + maintained the bond intact. The event was at the last sudden, but happily + not quite unexpected. + </p> + <p> + Many other friends had passed by this time out of the poet's life—those + of a younger, as well as his own and an older generation. Miss Haworth + died in 1883. Charles Dickens, with whom he had remained on the most + cordial terms, had walked between him and his son at Thackeray's funeral, + to receive from him, only seven years later, the same pious office. Lady + Augusta Stanley, the daughter of his old friend, Lady Elgin, was dead, and + her husband, the Dean of Westminster. So also were 'Barry Cornwall' and + John Forster, Alfred Domett, and Thomas Carlyle, Mr. Cholmondeley and Lord + Houghton; others still, both men and women, whose love for him might + entitle them to a place in his Biography, but whom I could at most only + mention by name. + </p> + <p> + For none of these can his feeling have been more constant or more + disinterested than that which bound him to Carlyle. He visited him at + Chelsea in the last weary days of his long life, as often as their + distance from each other and his own engagements allowed. Even the man's + posthumous self-disclosures scarcely availed to destroy the affectionate + reverence which he had always felt for him. He never ceased to defend him + against the charge of unkindness to his wife, or to believe that in the + matter of their domestic unhappiness she was the more responsible of the + two.* Yet Carlyle had never rendered him that service, easy as it appears, + which one man of letters most justly values from another: that of + proclaiming the admiration which he privately expresses for his works. The + fact was incomprehensible to Mr. Browning—it was so foreign to his + own nature; and he commented on it with a touch, though merely a touch, of + bitterness, when repeating to a friend some almost extravagant eulogium + which in earlier days he had received from him tete-a-tete. 'If only,' he + said, 'those words had been ever repeated in public, what good they might + have done me!' + </p> +<pre xml:space="preserve"> + * He always thought her a hard and unlovable woman, and I + believe little liking was lost between them. He told a + comical story of how he had once, unintentionally but rather + stupidly, annoyed her. She had asked him, as he was standing + by her tea-table, to put the kettle back on the fire. He + took it out of her hands, but, preoccupied by the + conversation he was carrying on, deposited it on the + hearthrug. It was some time before he could be made to see + that this was wrong; and he believed Mrs. Carlyle never + ceased to think that he had a mischievous motive for doing + it. +</pre> + <p> + In the spring of 1886, he accepted the post of Foreign Correspondent to + the Royal Academy, rendered vacant by the death of Lord Houghton. He had + long been on very friendly terms with the leading Academicians, and a + constant guest at the Banquet; and his fitness for the office admitted of + no doubt. But his nomination by the President, and the manner in which it + was ratified by the Council and general body, gave him sincere pleasure. + </p> + <p> + Early in 1887, the 'Parleyings' appeared. Their author is still the same + Robert Browning, though here and there visibly touched by the hand of + time. Passages of sweet or majestic music, or of exquisite fancy, + alternate with its long stretches of argumentative thought; and the light + of imagination still plays, however fitfully, over statements of opinion + to which constant repetition has given a suggestion of commonplace. But + the revision of the work caused him unusual trouble. The subjects he had + chosen strained his powers of exposition; and I think he often tried to + remedy by mere verbal correction, what was a defect in the logical + arrangement of his ideas. They would slide into each other where a visible + dividing line was required. The last stage of his life was now at hand; + and the vivid return of fancy to his boyhood's literary loves was in + pathetic, perhaps not quite accidental, coincidence with the fact. It will + be well to pause at this beginning of his decline, and recall so far as + possible the image of the man who lived, and worked, and loved, and was + loved among us, during that brief old age, and the lengthened period of + level strength which had preceded it. The record already given of his life + and work supplies the outline of the picture; but a few more personal + details are required for its completion. + </p> + <p> + <a name="link2HCH0041" id="link2HCH0041"> + <!-- H2 anchor --> </a> + </p> + <div style="height: 4em;"> + <br /><br /><br /><br /> + </div> + <h2> + Chapter 20 + </h2> + <p> + Constancy to Habit—Optimism—Belief in Providence—Political + Opinions—His Friendships—Reverence for Genius—Attitude + towards his Public—Attitude towards his Work—Habits of Work—His + Reading—Conversational Powers—Impulsiveness and Reserve—Nervous + Peculiarities—His Benevolence—His Attitude towards Women. + </p> + <p> + When Mr. Browning wrote to Miss Haworth, in the July of 1861, he had said: + 'I shall still grow, I hope; but my root is taken, and remains.' He was + then alluding to a special offshoot of feeling and association, on the + permanence of which it is not now necessary to dwell; but it is certain + that he continued growing up to a late age, and that the development was + only limited by those general roots, those fixed conditions of his being, + which had predetermined its form. This progressive intellectual vitality + is amply represented in his works; it also reveals itself in his letters + in so far as I have been allowed to publish them. I only refer to it to + give emphasis to a contrasted or corresponding characteristic: his + aversion to every thought of change. I have spoken of his constancy to all + degrees of friendship and love. What he loved once he loved always, from + the dearest man or woman to whom his allegiance had been given, to the + humblest piece of furniture which had served him. It was equally true that + what he had done once he was wont, for that very reason, to continue + doing. The devotion to habits of feeling extended to habits of life; and + although the lower constancy generally served the purposes of the higher, + it also sometimes clashed with them. It conspired with his ready kindness + of heart to make him subject to circumstances which at first appealed to + him through that kindness, but lay really beyond its scope. This + statement, it is true, can only fully apply to the latter part of his + life. His powers of reaction must originally have been stronger, as well + as freer from the paralysis of conflicting motive and interest. The marked + shrinking from effort in any untried direction, which was often another + name for his stability, could scarcely have coexisted with the fresher and + more curious interest in men and things; we know indeed from recorded + facts that it was a feeling of later growth; and it visibly increased with + the periodical nervous exhaustion of his advancing years. I am convinced, + nevertheless, that, when the restiveness of boyhood had passed away, Mr. + Browning's strength was always more passive than active; that he + habitually made the best of external conditions rather than tried to + change them. He was a 'fighter' only by the brain. And on this point, + though on this only, his work is misleading. + </p> + <p> + The acquiescent tendency arose in some degree from two equally prominent + characteristics of Mr. Browning's nature: his optimism, and his belief in + direct Providence; and these again represented a condition of mind which + was in certain respects a quality, but must in others be recognized as a + defect. It disposed him too much to make a virtue of happiness. It tended + also to the ignoring or denying of many incidental possibilities, and many + standing problems of human suffering. The first part of this assertion is + illustrated by 'The Two Poets of Croisic', in which Mr. Browning declares + that, other conditions being equal, the greater poet will have been he who + led the happier life, who most completely—and we must take this in + the human as well as religious sense—triumphed over suffering. The + second has its proof in the contempt for poetic melancholy which flashes + from the supposed utterance of Shakespeare in 'At the Mermaid'; its + negative justification in the whole range of his work. + </p> + <p> + Such facts may be hard to reconcile with others already known of Mr. + Browning's nature, or already stated concerning it; but it is in the + depths of that nature that the solution of this, as of more than one other + anomaly, must be sought. It is true that remembered pain dwelt longer with + him than remembered pleasure. It is true that the last great sorrow of his + life was long felt and cherished by him as a religion, and that it entered + as such into the courage with which he first confronted it. It is no less + true that he directly and increasingly cultivated happiness; and that + because of certain sufferings which had been connected with them, he would + often have refused to live his happiest days again. + </p> + <p> + It seems still harder to associate defective human sympathy with his kind + heart and large dramatic imagination, though that very imagination was an + important factor in the case. It forbade the collective and mathematical + estimate of human suffering, which is so much in favour with modern + philanthropy, and so untrue a measure for the individual life; and he + indirectly condemns it in 'Ferishtah's Fancies' in the parable of 'Bean + Stripes'. But his dominant individuality also barred the recognition of + any judgment or impression, any thought or feeling, which did not justify + itself from his own point of view. The barrier would melt under the + influence of a sympathetic mood, as it would stiffen in the atmosphere of + disagreement. It would yield, as did in his case so many other things, to + continued indirect pressure, whether from his love of justice, the + strength of his attachments, or his power of imaginative absorption. But + he was bound by the conditions of an essentially creative nature. The + subjectiveness, if I may for once use that hackneyed word, had passed out + of his work only to root itself more strongly in his life. He was + self-centred, as the creative nature must inevitably be. He appeared, for + this reason, more widely sympathetic in his works than in his life, though + even in the former certain grounds of vicarious feeling remained + untouched. The sympathy there displayed was creative and obeyed its own + law. That which was demanded from him by reality was responsive, and + implied submission to the law of other minds. + </p> + <p> + Such intellectual egotism is unconnected with moral selfishness, though it + often unconsciously does its work. Were it otherwise, I should have passed + over in silence this aspect, comprehensive though it is, of Mr. Browning's + character. He was capable of the largest self-sacrifice and of the + smallest self-denial; and would exercise either whenever love or duty + clearly pointed the way. He would, he believed, cheerfully have done so at + the command, however arbitrary, of a Higher Power; he often spoke of the + absence of such injunction, whether to endurance or action, as the great + theoretical difficulty of life for those who, like himself, rejected or + questioned the dogmatic teachings of Christianity. This does not mean that + he ignored the traditional moralities which have so largely taken their + place. They coincided in great measure with his own instincts; and few + occasions could have arisen in which they would not be to him a sufficient + guide. I may add, though this is a digression, that he never admitted the + right of genius to defy them; when such a right had once been claimed for + it in his presence, he rejoined quickly, 'That is an error! <i>noblesse + oblige</i>.' But he had difficulty in acknowledging any abstract law which + did not derive from a Higher Power; and this fact may have been at once + cause and consequence of the special conditions of his own mind. All human + or conventional obligation appeals finally to the individual judgment; and + in his case this could easily be obscured by the always militant + imagination, in regard to any subject in which his feelings were even + indirectly concerned. No one saw more justly than he, when the object of + vision was general or remote. Whatever entered his personal atmosphere + encountered a refracting medium in which objects were decomposed, and a + succession of details, each held as it were close to the eye, blocked out + the larger view. + </p> + <p> + We have seen, on the other hand, that he accepted imperfect knowledge as + part of the discipline of experience. It detracted in no sense from his + conviction of direct relations with the Creator. This was indeed the + central fact of his theology, as the absolute individual existence had + been the central fact of his metaphysics; and when he described the fatal + leap in 'Red Cotton Nightcap Country' as a frantic appeal to the Higher + Powers for the 'sign' which the man's religion did not afford, and his + nature could not supply, a special dramatic sympathy was at work within + him. The third part of the epilogue to 'Dramatis Personae' represented his + own creed; though this was often accentuated in the sense of a more + personal privilege, and a perhaps less poetic mystery, than the poem + conveys. The Evangelical Christian and the subjective idealist philosopher + were curiously blended in his composition. + </p> + <p> + The transition seems violent from this old-world religion to any system of + politics applicable to the present day. They were, nevertheless, closely + allied in Mr. Browning's mind. His politics were, so far as they went, the + practical aspect of his religion. Their cardinal doctrine was the liberty + of individual growth; removal of every barrier of prejudice or convention + by which it might still be checked. He had been a Radical in youth, and + probably in early manhood; he remained, in the truest sense of the word, a + Liberal; and his position as such was defined in the sonnet prefixed in + 1886 to Mr. Andrew Reid's essay, 'Why I am a Liberal', and bearing the + same name. Its profession of faith did not, however, necessarily bind him + to any political party. It separated him from all the newest developments + of so-called Liberalism. He respected the rights of property. He was a + true patriot, hating to see his country plunged into aggressive wars, but + tenacious of her position among the empires of the world. He was also a + passionate Unionist; although the question of our political relations with + Ireland weighed less with him, as it has done with so many others, than + those considerations of law and order, of honesty and humanity, which have + been trampled under foot in the name of Home Rule. It grieved and + surprised him to find himself on this subject at issue with so many valued + friends; and no pain of Lost Leadership was ever more angry or more + intense, than that which came to him through the defection of a great + statesman whom he had honoured and loved, from what he believed to be the + right cause. + </p> + <p> + The character of Mr. Browning's friendships reveals itself in great + measure in even a simple outline of his life. His first friends of his own + sex were almost exclusively men of letters, by taste if not by profession; + the circumstances of his entrance into society made this a matter of + course. In later years he associated on cordial terms with men of very + various interests and professions; and only writers of conspicuous merit, + whether in prose or poetry, attracted him as such. No intercourse was more + congenial to him than that of the higher class of English clergymen. He + sympathized in their beliefs even when he did not share them. Above all he + loved their culture; and the love of culture in general, of its old + classic forms in particular, was as strong in him as if it had been formed + by all the natural and conventional associations of a university career. + He had hearty friends and appreciators among the dignitaries of the Church—successive + Archbishops and Bishops, Deans of Westminster and St. Paul's. They all + knew the value of the great freelance who fought like the gods of old with + the regular army. No name, however, has been mentioned in the poet's + family more frequently or with more affection than that of the Rev. J. D. + W. Williams, Vicar of Bottisham in Cambridgeshire. The mutual + acquaintance, which was made through Mr. Browning's brother-in-law, Mr. + George Moulton-Barrett, was prepared by Mr. Williams' great love for his + poems, of which he translated many into Latin and Greek; but I am + convinced that Mr. Browning's delight in his friend's classical + attainments was quite as great as his gratification in the tribute he + himself derived from them. + </p> + <p> + His love of genius was a worship: and in this we must include his whole + life. Nor was it, as this feeling so often is, exclusively exercised upon + the past. I do not suppose his more eminent contemporaries ever quite knew + how generous his enthusiasm for them had been, how free from any + under-current of envy, or impulse to avoidable criticism. He could not + endure even just censure of one whom he believed, or had believed to be + great. I have seen him wince under it, though no third person was present, + and heard him answer, 'Don't! don't!' as if physical pain were being + inflicted on him. In the early days he would make his friend, M. de + Monclar, draw for him from memory the likenesses of famous writers whom he + had known in Paris; the sketches thus made of George Sand and Victor Hugo + are still in the poet's family. A still more striking and very touching + incident refers to one of the winters, probably the second, which he spent + in Paris. He was one day walking with little Pen, when Beranger came in + sight, and he bade the child 'run up to' or 'run past that gentleman, and + put his hand for a moment upon him.' This was a great man, he afterwards + explained, and he wished his son to be able by-and-by to say that if he + had not known, he had at all events touched him. Scientific genius ranked + with him only second to the poetical. + </p> + <p> + Mr. Browning's delicate professional sympathies justified some + sensitiveness on his own account; but he was, I am convinced, as free from + this quality as a man with a poet-nature could possibly be. It may seem + hazardous to conjecture how serious criticism would have affected him. Few + men so much 'reviewed' have experienced so little. He was by turns derided + or ignored, enthusiastically praised, zealously analyzed and interpreted: + but the independent judgment which could embrace at once the quality of + his mind and its defects, is almost absent—has been so at all events + during later years—from the volumes which have been written about + him. I am convinced, nevertheless, that he would have accepted serious, + even adverse criticism, if it had borne the impress of unbiassed thought + and genuine sincerity. It could not be otherwise with one in whom the + power of reverence was so strongly marked. + </p> + <p> + He asked but one thing of his reviewers, as he asked but one thing of his + larger public. The first demand is indicated in a letter to Mrs. Frank + Hill, of January 31, 1884. + </p> + <p> + Dear Mrs. Hill,—Could you befriend me? The 'Century' prints a little + insignificance of mine—an impromptu sonnet—but prints it <i>correctly</i>. + The 'Pall Mall' pleases to extract it—and produces what I enclose: + one line left out, and a note of admiration (!) turned into an I, and a + superfluous 'the' stuck in—all these blunders with the correctly + printed text before it! So does the charge of unintelligibility attach + itself to your poor friend—who can kick nobody. Robert Browning. + </p> + <p> + The carelessness often shown in the most friendly quotation could hardly + be absent from that which was intended to support a hostile view; and the + only injustice of which he ever complained, was what he spoke of as + falsely condemning him out of his own mouth. He used to say: 'If a critic + declares that any poem of mine is unintelligible, the reader may go to it + and judge for himself; but, if it is made to appear unintelligible by a + passage extracted from it and distorted by misprints, I have no redress.' + He also failed to realize those conditions of thought, and still more of + expression, which made him often on first reading difficult to understand; + and as the younger generation of his admirers often deny those + difficulties where they exist, as emphatically as their grandfathers + proclaimed them where they did not, public opinion gave him little help in + the matter. + </p> + <p> + The second (unspoken) request was in some sense an antithesis to the + first. Mr. Browning desired to be read accurately but not literally. He + deprecated the constant habit of reading him into his work; whether in + search of the personal meaning of a given passage or poem, or in the light + of a foregone conclusion as to what that meaning must be. The latter + process was that generally preferred, because the individual mind + naturally seeks its own reflection in the poet's work, as it does in the + facts of nature. It was stimulated by the investigations of the Browning + Societies, and by the partial familiarity with his actual life which + constantly supplied tempting, if untrustworthy clues. It grew out of the + strong personal as well as literary interest which he inspired. But the + tendency to listen in his work for a single recurrent note always struck + him as analogous to the inspection of a picture gallery with eyes blind to + every colour but one; and the act of sympathy often involved in this mode + of judgment was neutralized for him by the limitation of his genius which + it presupposed. His general objection to being identified with his works + is set forth in 'At the Mermaid', and other poems of the same volume, in + which it takes the form of a rather captious protest against inferring + from the poet any habit or quality of the man; and where also, under the + impulse of the dramatic mood, he enforces the lesson by saying more than + he can possibly mean. His readers might object that his human personality + was so often plainly revealed in his poetic utterance (whether or not that + of Shakespeare was), and so often also avowed by it, that the line which + divided them became impossible to draw. But he again would have rejoined + that the Poet could never express himself with any large freedom, unless a + fiction of impersonality were granted to him. He might also have alleged, + he often did allege, that in his case the fiction would hold a great deal + of truth; since, except in the rarest cases, the very fact of poetic, + above all of dramatic reproduction, detracts from the reality of the + thought or feeling reproduced. It introduces the alloy of fancy without + which the fixed outlines of even living experience cannot be welded into + poetic form. He claimed, in short, that in judging of his work, one should + allow for the action in it of the constructive imagination, in the + exercise of which all deeper poetry consists. The form of literalism, + which showed itself in seeking historical authority for every character or + incident which he employed by way of illustration, was especially + irritating to him. + </p> + <p> + I may (as indeed I must) concede this much, without impugning either the + pleasure or the gratitude with which he recognized the increasing interest + in his poems, and, if sometimes exhibited in a mistaken form, the growing + appreciation of them. + </p> + <p> + There was another and more striking peculiarity in Mr. Browning's attitude + towards his works: his constant conviction that the latest must be the + best, because the outcome of the fullest mental experience, and of the + longest practice in his art. He was keenly alive to the necessary failings + of youthful literary production; he also practically denied to it that + quality which so often places it at an advantage over that, not indeed of + more mature manhood, but at all events of advancing age. There was much in + his own experience to blind him to the natural effects of time; it had + been a prolonged triumph over them. But the delusion, in so far as it was + one, lay deeper than the testimony of such experience, and would I think + have survived it. It was the essence of his belief that the mind is + superior to physical change; that it may be helped or hindered by its + temporary alliance with the body, but will none the less outstrip it in + their joint course; and as intellect was for him the life of poetry, so + was the power of poetry independent of bodily progress and bodily decline. + This conviction pervaded his life. He learned, though happily very late, + to feel age an impediment; he never accepted it as a disqualification. + </p> + <p> + He finished his work very carefully. He had the better right to resent any + garbling of it, that this habitually took place through his punctuation, + which was always made with the fullest sense of its significance to any + but the baldest style, and of its special importance to his own. I have + heard him say: 'People accuse me of not taking pains! I take nothing <i>but</i> + pains!' And there was indeed a curious contrast between the irresponsible, + often strangely unquestioned, impulse to which the substance of each poem + was due, and the conscientious labour which he always devoted to its form. + The laborious habit must have grown upon him; it was natural that it + should do so as thought gained the ascendency over emotion in what he had + to say. Mrs. Browning told Mr. Val Prinsep that her husband 'worked at a + great rate;' and this fact probably connected itself with the difficulty + he then found in altering the form or wording of any particular phrase; he + wrote most frequently under that lyrical inspiration in which the idea and + the form are least separable from each other. We know, however, that in + the later editions of his old work he always corrected where he could; and + if we notice the changed lines in 'Paracelsus' or 'Sordello', as they + appear in the edition of 1863, or the slighter alterations indicated for + the last reprint of his works, we are struck by the care evinced in them + for greater smoothness of expression, as well as for greater accuracy and + force. + </p> + <p> + He produced less rapidly in later life, though he could throw off + impromptu verses, whether serious or comical, with the utmost ease. His + work was then of a kind which required more deliberation; and other claims + had multiplied upon his time and thoughts. He was glad to have + accomplished twenty or thirty lines in a morning. After lunch-time, for + many years, he avoided, when possible, even answering a note. But he + always counted a day lost on which he had not written something; and in + those last years on which we have yet to enter, he complained bitterly of + the quantity of ephemeral correspondence which kept him back from his + proper work. He once wrote, on the occasion of a short illness which + confined him to the house, 'All my power of imagination seems gone. I + might as well be in bed!' He repeatedly determined to write a poem every + day, and once succeeded for a fortnight in doing so. He was then in Paris, + preparing 'Men and Women'. 'Childe Roland' and 'Women and Roses' were + among those produced on this plan; the latter having been suggested by + some flowers sent to his wife. The lyrics in 'Ferishtah's Fancies' were + written, I believe, on consecutive days; and the intention renewed itself + with his last work, though it cannot have been maintained. + </p> + <p> + He was not as great a reader in later as in earlier years; he had neither + time nor available strength to be so if he had wished; and he absorbed + almost unconsciously every item which added itself to the sum of general + knowledge. Books had indeed served for him their most important purpose + when they had satisfied the first curiosities of his genius, and enabled + it to establish its independence. His mind was made up on the chief + subjects of contemporary thought, and what was novel or controversial in + its proceeding had no attraction for him. He would read anything, short of + an English novel, to a friend whose eyes required this assistance; but + such pleasure as he derived from the act was more often sympathetic than + spontaneous, even when he had not, as he often had, selected for it a book + which he already knew. In the course of his last decade he devoted himself + for a short time to the study of Spanish and Hebrew. The Spanish + dramatists yielded him a fund of new enjoyment; and he delighted in his + power of reading Hebrew in its most difficult printed forms. He also + tried, but with less result, to improve his knowledge of German. His + eyesight defied all obstacles of bad paper and ancient type, and there was + anxiety as well as pleasure to those about him in his unfailing confidence + in its powers. He never wore spectacles, nor had the least consciousness + of requiring them. He would read an old closely printed volume by the + waning light of a winter afternoon, positively refusing to use a lamp. + Indeed his preference of the faintest natural light to the best that could + be artificially produced was perhaps the one suggestion of coming change. + He used for all purposes a single eye; for the two did not combine in + their action, the right serving exclusively for near, the left for distant + objects. This was why in walking he often closed the right eye; while it + was indispensable to his comfort in reading, not only that the light + should come from the right side, but that the left should be shielded from + any luminous object, like the fire, which even at the distance of half the + length of a room would strike on his field of vision and confuse the near + sight. + </p> + <p> + His literary interest became increasingly centred on records of the lives + of men and women; especially of such men and women as he had known; he was + generally curious to see the newly published biographies, though often + disappointed by them. He would also read, even for his amusement, good + works of French or Italian fiction. His allegiance to Balzac remained + unshaken, though he was conscious of lengthiness when he read him aloud. + This author's deep and hence often poetic realism was, I believe, bound up + with his own earliest aspirations towards dramatic art. His manner of + reading aloud a story which he already knew was the counterpart of his own + method of construction. He would claim his listener's attention for any + apparently unimportant fact which had a part to play in it: he would say: + 'Listen to this description: it will be important. Observe this character: + you will see a great deal more of him or her.' We know that in his own + work nothing was thrown away; no note was struck which did not add its + vibration to the general utterance of the poem; and his habitual + generosity towards a fellow-worker prompted him to seek and recognize the + same quality, even in productions where it was less conspicuous than in + his own. The patient reading which he required for himself was justified + by that which he always demanded for others; and he claimed it less in his + own case for his possible intricacies of thought or style, than for that + compactness of living structure in which every detail or group of details + was essential to the whole, and in a certain sense contained it. He read + few things with so much pleasure as an occasional chapter in the Old + Testament. + </p> + <p> + Mr. Browning was a brilliant talker; he was admittedly more a talker than + a conversationalist. But this quality had nothing in common with + self-assertion or love of display. He had too much respect for the + acquirements of other men to wish to impose silence on those who were + competent to speak; and he had great pleasure in listening to a discussion + on any subject in which he was interested, and on which he was not + specially informed. He never willingly monopolized the conversation; but + when called upon to take a prominent part in it, either with one person or + with several, the flow of remembered knowledge and revived mental + experience, combined with the ingenuous eagerness to vindicate some point + in dispute would often carry him away; while his hearers, nearly as often, + allowed him to proceed from absence of any desire to interrupt him. This + great mental fertility had been prepared by the wide reading and thorough + assimilation of his early days; and it was only at a later, and in certain + respects less vigorous period, that its full bearing could be seen. His + memory for passing occurrences, even such as had impressed him, became + very weak; it was so before he had grown really old; and he would urge + this fact in deprecation of any want of kindness or sympathy, which a + given act of forgetfulness might seem to involve. He had probably always, + in matters touching his own life, the memory of feelings more than that of + facts. I think this has been described as a peculiarity of the + poet-nature; and though this memory is probably the more tenacious of the + two, it is no safe guide to the recovery of facts, still less to that of + their order and significance. Yet up to the last weeks, even the last + conscious days of his life, his remembrance of historical incident, his + aptness of literary illustration, never failed him. His dinner-table + anecdotes supplied, of course, no measure for this spontaneous + reproductive power; yet some weight must be given to the number of years + during which he could abound in such stories, and attest their constant + appropriateness by not repeating them. + </p> + <p> + This brilliant mental quality had its drawback, on which I have already + touched in a rather different connection: the obstacle which it created to + even serious and private conversation on any subject on which he was not + neutral. Feeling, imagination, and the vividness of personal points of + view, constantly thwarted the attempt at a dispassionate exchange of + ideas. But the balance often righted itself when the excitement of the + discussion was at an end; and it would even become apparent that + expressions or arguments which he had passed over unheeded, or as it + seemed unheard, had stored themselves in his mind and borne fruit there. + </p> + <p> + I think it is Mr. Sharp who has remarked that Mr. Browning combined + impulsiveness of manner with much real reserve. He was habitually reticent + where his deeper feelings were concerned; and the impulsiveness and the + reticence were both equally rooted in his poetic and human temperament. + The one meant the vital force of his emotions, the other their + sensibility. In a smaller or more prosaic nature they must have modified + each other. But the partial secretiveness had also occasionally its + conscious motives, some unselfish, and some self-regarding; and from this + point of view it stood in marked apparent antagonism to the more expansive + quality. He never, however, intentionally withheld from others such things + as it concerned them to know. His intellectual and religious convictions + were open to all who seriously sought them; and if, even on such points, + he did not appear communicative, it was because he took more interest in + any subject of conversation which did not directly centre in himself. + </p> + <p> + Setting aside the delicacies which tend to self-concealment, and for which + he had been always more or less conspicuous; excepting also the pride + which would co-operate with them, all his inclinations were in the + direction of truth; there was no quality which he so much loved and + admired. He thought aloud wherever he could trust himself to do so. + Impulse predominated in all the active manifestations of his nature. The + fiery child and the impatient boy had left their traces in the man; and + with them the peculiar childlike quality which the man of genius never + outgrows, and which, in its mingled waywardness and sweetness, was present + in Robert Browning till almost his dying day. There was also a recurrent + touch of hardness, distinct from the comparatively ungenial mood of his + earlier years of widowhood; and this, like his reserve, seemed to conflict + with his general character, but in reality harmonized with it. It meant, + not that feeling was suspended in him, but that it was compressed. It was + his natural response to any opposition which his reasonings could not + shake nor his will overcome, and which, rightly or not, conveyed to him + the sense of being misunderstood. It reacted in pain for others, but it + lay with an aching weight on his own heart, and was thrown off in an + upheaval of the pent-up kindliness and affection, the moment their true + springs were touched. The hardening power in his composition, though + fugitive and comparatively seldom displayed, was in fact proportioned to + his tenderness; and no one who had not seen him in the revulsion from a + hard mood, or the regret for it, knew what that tenderness could be. + </p> + <p> + Underlying all the peculiarities of his nature, its strength and its + weakness, its exuberance and its reserves, was the nervous excitability of + which I have spoken in an earlier chapter. I have heard him say: 'I am + nervous to such a degree that I might fancy I could not enter a + drawing-room, if I did not know from long experience that I can do it.' He + did not desire to conceal this fact, nor need others conceal it for him; + since it was only calculated to disarm criticism and to strengthen + sympathy. The special vital power which he derived from this organization + need not be reaffirmed. It carried also its inevitable disablements. Its + resources were not always under his own control; and he frequently + complained of the lack of presence of mind which would seize him on any + conventional emergency not included in the daily social routine. In a real + one he was never at fault. He never failed in a sympathetic response or a + playful retort; he was always provided with the exact counter requisite in + a game of words. In this respect indeed he had all the powers of the + conversationalist; and the perfect ease and grace and geniality of his + manner on such occasions, arose probably far more from his innate human + and social qualities than from even his familiar intercourse with the + world. But he could not extemporize a speech. He could not on the spur of + the moment string together the more or less set phrases which an + after-dinner oration demands. All his friends knew this, and spared him + the necessity of refusing. He had once a headache all day, because at a + dinner, the night before, a false report had reached him that he was going + to be asked to speak. This alone would have sufficed to prevent him from + accepting any public post. He confesses the disability in a pretty note to + Professor Knight, written in reference to a recent meeting of the + Wordsworth Society. + </p> + <p> + 19, Warwick Crescent, W.: May 9, '84. + </p> + <p> + My dear Professor Knight,—I seem ungracious and ungrateful, but am + neither; though, now that your festival is over, I wish I could have + overcome my scruples and apprehensions. It is hard to say—when kind + people press one to 'just speak for a minute'—that the business, so + easy to almost anybody, is too bewildering for oneself. Ever truly yours, + Robert Browning. + </p> + <p> + A Rectorial Address need probably not have been extemporized, but it would + also have been irksome to him to prepare. He was not accustomed to + uttering himself in prose except within the limits, and under the + incitements, of private correspondence. The ceremonial publicity attaching + to all official proceedings would also have inevitably been a trial to + him. He did at one of the Wordsworth Society meetings speak a sentence + from the chair, in the absence of the appointed chairman, who had not yet + arrived; and when he had received his degree from the University of + Edinburgh he was persuaded to say a few words to the assembled students, + in which I believe he thanked them for their warm welcome; but such + exceptions only proved the rule. + </p> + <p> + We cannot doubt that the excited stream of talk which sometimes flowed + from him was, in the given conditions of mind and imagination, due to a + nervous impulse which he could not always restrain; and that the + effusiveness of manner with which he greeted alike old friends and new, + arose also from a momentary want of self-possession. We may admit this the + more readily that in both cases it was allied to real kindness of + intention, above all in the latter, where the fear of seeming cold towards + even a friend's friend, strove increasingly with the defective memory for + names and faces which were not quite familiar to him. He was also + profoundly averse to the idea of posing as a man of superior gifts; having + indeed, in regard to social intercourse, as little of the fastidiousness + of genius as of its bohemianism. He, therefore, made it a rule, from the + moment he took his place as a celebrity in the London world, to exert + himself for the amusement of his fellow-guests at a dinner-table, whether + their own mental resources were great or small; and this gave rise to a + frequent effort at conversation, which converted itself into a habit, and + ended by carrying him away. This at least was his own conviction in the + matter. The loud voice, which so many persons must have learned to think + habitual with him, bore also traces of this half-unconscious nervous + stimulation.* It was natural to him in anger or excitement, but did not + express his gentler or more equable states of feeling; and when he read to + others on a subject which moved him, his utterance often subsided into a + tremulous softness which left it scarcely audible. + </p> +<pre xml:space="preserve"> + * Miss Browning reminds me that loud speaking had become + natural to him through the deafness of several of his + intimate friends: Landor, Kirkup, Barry Cornwall, and + previously his uncle Reuben, whose hearing had been impaired + in early life by a blow from a cricket ball. This fact + necessarily modifies my impression of the case, but does not + quite destroy it. +</pre> + <p> + The mental conditions under which his powers of sympathy were exercised + imposed no limits on his spontaneous human kindness. This characteristic + benevolence, or power of love, is not fully represented in Mr. Browning's + works; it is certainly not prominent in those of the later period, during + which it found the widest scope in his life; but he has in some sense + given its measure in what was intended as an illustration of the opposite + quality. He tells us, in 'Fifine at the Fair', that while the best + strength of women is to be found in their love, the best product of a man + is only yielded to hate. It is the 'indignant wine' which has been wrung + from the grape plant by its external mutilation. He could depict it + dramatically in more malignant forms of emotion; but he could only think + of it personally as the reaction of a nobler feeling which has been + gratuitously outraged or repressed. + </p> + <p> + He more directly, and still more truly, described himself when he said at + about the same time, 'I have never at any period of my life been deaf to + an appeal made to me in the name of love.' He was referring to an + experience of many years before, in which he had even yielded his better + judgment to such an appeal; and it was love in the larger sense for which + the concession had been claimed. + </p> + <p> + It was impossible that so genuine a poet, and so real a man, should be + otherwise than sensitive to the varied forms of feminine attraction. He + avowedly preferred the society of women to that of men; they were, as I + have already said, his habitual confidants, and, evidently, his most + frequent correspondents; and though he could have dispensed with woman + friends as he dispensed with many other things—though he most often + won them without knowing it—his frank interest in their sex, and the + often caressing kindness of manner in which it was revealed, might justly + be interpreted by individual women into a conscious appeal to their + sympathy. It was therefore doubly remarkable that on the ground of + benevolence, he scarcely discriminated between the claim on him of a + woman, and that of a man; and his attitude towards women was in this + respect so distinctive as to merit some words of notice. It was large, + generous, and unconventional; but, for that very reason, it was not, in + the received sense of the word, chivalrous. Chivalry proceeds on the + assumption that women not only cannot, but should not, take care of + themselves in any active struggle with life; Mr. Browning had no + theoretical objection to a woman's taking care of herself. He saw no + reason why, if she was hit, she should not hit back again, or even why, if + she hit, she should not receive an answering blow. He responded swiftly to + every feminine appeal to his kindness or his protection, whether arising + from physical weakness or any other obvious cause of helplessness or + suffering; but the appeal in such cases lay first to his humanity, and + only in second order to his consideration of sex. He would have had a man + flogged who beat his wife; he would have had one flogged who ill-used a + child—or an animal: he was notedly opposed to any sweeping principle + or practice of vivisection. But he never quite understood that the + strongest women are weak, or at all events vulnerable, in the very fact of + their sex, through the minor traditions and conventions with which society + justly, indeed necessarily, surrounds them. Still less did he understand + those real, if impalpable, differences between men and women which + correspond to the difference of position. He admitted the broad + distinctions which have become proverbial, and are therefore only a rough + measure of the truth. He could say on occasion: 'You ought to <i>be</i> + better; you are a woman; I ought to <i>know</i> better; I am a man.' But + he had had too large an experience of human nature to attach permanent + weight to such generalizations; and they found certainly no expression in + his works. Scarcely an instance of a conventional, or so-called man's + woman, occurs in their whole range. Excepting perhaps the speaker in 'A + Woman's Last Word', 'Pompilia' and 'Mildred' are the nearest approach to + it; and in both of these we find qualities of imagination or thought which + place them outside the conventional type. He instinctively judged women, + both morally and intellectually, by the same standards as men; and when + confronted by some divergence of thought or feeling, which meant, in the + woman's case, neither quality nor defect in any strict sense of the word, + but simply a nature trained to different points of view, an element of + perplexity entered into his probable opposition. When the difference + presented itself in a neutral aspect, it affected him like the casual + peculiarities of a family or a group, or a casual disagreement between + things of the same kind. He would say to a woman friend: 'You women are so + different from men!' in the tone in which he might have said, 'You Irish, + or you Scotch, are so different from Englishmen;' or again, 'It is + impossible for a man to judge how a woman would act in such or such a + case; you are so different;' the case being sometimes one in which it + would be inconceivable to a normal woman, and therefore to the generality + of men, that she should act in any but one way. + </p> + <p> + The vague sense of mystery with which the poet's mind usually invests a + being of the opposite sex, had thus often in him its counterpart in a + puzzled dramatic curiosity which constituted an equal ground of interest. + </p> + <p> + This virtual admission of equality between the sexes, combined with his + Liberal principles to dispose him favourably towards the movement for + Female Emancipation. He approved of everything that had been done for the + higher instruction of women, and would, not very long ago, have supported + their admission to the Franchise. But he was so much displeased by the + more recent action of some of the lady advocates of Women's Rights, that, + during the last year of his life, after various modifications of opinion, + he frankly pledged himself to the opposite view. He had even visions of + writing a tragedy or drama in support of it. The plot was roughly + sketched, and some dialogue composed, though I believe no trace of this + remains. + </p> + <p> + It is almost implied by all I have said, that he possessed in every mood + the charm of perfect simplicity of manner. On this point he resembled his + father. His tastes lay also in the direction of great simplicity of life, + though circumstances did not allow of his indulging them to the same + extent. It may interest those who never saw him to know that he always + dressed as well as the occasion required, and always with great + indifference to the subject. In Florence he wore loose clothes which were + adapted to the climate; in London his coats were cut by a good tailor in + whatever was the prevailing fashion; the change was simply with him an + incident of the situation. He had also a look of dainty cleanliness which + was heightened by the smooth healthy texture of the skin, and in later + life by the silvery whiteness of his hair. + </p> + <p> + His best photographic likenesses were those taken by Mr. Fradelle in 1881, + Mr. Cameron and Mr. William Grove in 1888 and 1889. + </p> + <p> + <a name="link2HCH0042" id="link2HCH0042"> + <!-- H2 anchor --> </a> + </p> + <div style="height: 4em;"> + <br /><br /><br /><br /> + </div> + <h2> + Chapter 21 + </h2> + <h3> + 1887-1889 + </h3> + <p> + Marriage of Mr. Barrett Browning—Removal to De Vere Gardens—Symptoms + of failing Strength—New Poems; New Edition of his Works—Letters + to Mr. George Bainton, Mr. Smith, and Lady Martin—Primiero and + Venice—Letters to Miss Keep—The last Year in London—Asolo—Letters + to Mrs. Fitz-Gerald, Mrs. Skirrow, and Mr. G. M. Smith. + </p> + <p> + The last years of Mr. Browning's life were introduced by two auspicious + events, in themselves of very unequal importance, but each in its own way + significant for his happiness and his health. One was his son's marriage + on October 4, 1887, to Miss Fannie Coddington, of New York, a lady towards + whom Mr. Barrett Browning had been strongly attracted when he was a very + young man and she little more than a child; the other, his own removal + from Warwick Crescent to De Vere Gardens, which took place in the previous + June. The change of residence had long been with him only a question of + opportunity. He was once even in treaty for a piece of ground at + Kensington, and intended building a house. That in which he had lived for + so many years had faults of construction and situation which the lapse of + time rendered only more conspicuous; the Regent's Canal Bill had also + doomed it to demolition; and when an opening presented itself for securing + one in all essentials more suitable, he was glad to seize it, though at + the eleventh hour. He had mentally fixed on the new locality in those + earlier days in which he still thought his son might eventually settle in + London; and it possessed at the same time many advantages for himself. It + was warmer and more sheltered than any which he could have found on the + north side of the Park; and, in that close vicinity to Kensington Gardens, + walking might be contemplated as a pleasure, instead of mere compulsory + motion from place to place. It was only too soon apparent that the time + had passed when he could reap much benefit from the event; but he became + aware from the first moment of his installation in the new home that the + conditions of physical life had become more favourable for him. He found + an almost pathetic pleasure in completing the internal arrangements of the + well-built, commodious house. It seems, on looking back, as if the veil + had dropped before his eyes which sometimes shrouds the keenest vision in + face of an impending change; and he had imagined, in spite of casual + utterances which disclaimed the hope, that a new lease of life was being + given to him. He had for several years been preparing for the more roomy + dwelling which he would probably some day inhabit; and handsome pieces of + old furniture had been stowed away in the house in Warwick Crescent, + pending the occasion for their use. He loved antiquities of this kind, in + a manner which sometimes recalled his father's affection for old books; + and most of these had been bought in Venice, where frequent visits to the + noted curiosity-shops had been his one bond of habit with his tourist + countrymen in that city. They matched the carved oak and massive gildings + and valuable tapestries which had carried something of Casa Guidi into his + first London home. Brass lamps that had once hung inside chapels in some + Catholic church, had long occupied the place of the habitual gaselier; and + to these was added in the following year one of silver, also brought from + Venice—the Jewish 'Sabbath lamp'. Another acquisition, made only a + few months, if indeed so long, before he left London for the last time, + was that of a set of casts representing the Seasons, which were to stand + at intervals on brackets in a certain unsightly space on his drawing-room + wall; and he had said of these, which I think his son was procuring for + him: 'Only my four little heads, and then I shall not buy another thing + for the house'—in a tone of childlike satisfaction at his completed + work. + </p> + <p> + This summer he merely went to St. Moritz, where he and his sister were, + for the greater part of their stay, again guests of Mrs. Bloomfield Moore. + He was determined to give the London winter a fuller trial in the more + promising circumstances of his new life, and there was much to be done in + De Vere Gardens after his return. His father's six thousand books, + together with those he had himself accumulated, were for the first time to + be spread out in their proper array, instead of crowding together in rows, + behind and behind each other. The new bookcases, which could stand in the + large new study, were waiting to receive them. He did not know until he + tried to fulfil it how greatly the task would tax his strength. The + library was, I believe, never completely arranged. + </p> + <p> + During this winter of 1887-8 his friends first perceived that a change had + come over him. They did not realize that his life was drawing to a close; + it was difficult to do so when so much of the former elasticity remained; + when he still proclaimed himself 'quite well' so long as he was not + definitely suffering. But he was often suffering; one terrible cold + followed another. There was general evidence that he had at last grown + old. He, however, made no distinct change in his mode of life. Old habits, + suspended by his longer imprisonments to the house, were resumed as soon + as he was set free. He still dined out; still attended the private view of + every, or almost every art exhibition. He kept up his unceasing + correspondence—in one or two cases voluntarily added to it; though + he would complain day after day that his fingers ached from the number of + hours through which he had held his pen. One of the interesting letters of + this period was written to Mr. George Bainton, of Coventry, to be used, as + that gentleman tells me, in the preparation of a lecture on the 'Art of + Effective Written Composition'. It confirms the statement I have had + occasion to make, that no extraneous influence ever permanently impressed + itself on Mr. Browning's style. + </p> + <p> + 29, De Vere Gardens: Oct. 6, '87. + </p> + <p> + Dear Sir,—I was absent from London when your kind letter reached + this house, to which I removed some time ago—hence the delay in + acknowledging your kindness and replying, in some degree, to your request. + All I can say, however, is this much—and very little—that, by + the indulgence of my father and mother, I was allowed to live my own life + and choose my own course in it; which, having been the same from the + beginning to the end, necessitated a permission to read nearly all sorts + of books, in a well-stocked and very miscellaneous library. I had no other + direction than my parents' taste for whatever was highest and best in + literature; but I found out for myself many forgotten fields which proved + the richest of pastures: and, so far as a preference of a particular + 'style' is concerned, I believe mine was just the same at first as at + last. I cannot name any one author who exclusively influenced me in that + respect,—as to the fittest expression of thought—but thought + itself had many impulsions from very various sources, a matter not to your + present purpose. I repeat, this is very little to say, but all in my power—and + it is heartily at your service—if not as of any value, at least as a + proof that I gratefully feel your kindness, and am, dear Sir Yours very + truly, Robert Browning. + </p> + <p> + In December 1887 he wrote 'Rosny', the first poem in 'Asolando', and that + which perhaps most displays his old subtle dramatic power; it was followed + by 'Beatrice Signorini' and 'Flute-Music'. Of the 'Bad Dreams' two or + three were also written in London, I think, during that winter. The 'Ponte + dell' Angelo' was imagined during the next autumn in Venice. 'White + Witchcraft' had been suggested in the same summer by a letter from a + friend in the Channel Islands which spoke of the number of toads to be + seen there. In the spring of 1888 he began revising his works for the + last, and now entirely uniform edition, which was issued in monthly + volumes, and completed by the July of 1889. Important verbal corrections + were made in 'The Inn Album', though not, I think, in many of the later + poems; but that in which he found most room for improvement was, very + naturally, 'Pauline'; and he wrote concerning it to Mr. Smith the + following interesting letter. + </p> + <p> + 29, De Vere Gardens, W.: Feb. 27, '88. + </p> + <p> + My dear Smith,—When I received the Proofs of the 1st. vol. on Friday + evening, I made sure of returning them next day—so accurately are + they printed. But on looking at that unlucky 'Pauline', which I have not + touched for half a century, a sudden impulse came over me to take the + opportunity of just correcting the most obvious faults of expression, + versification and construction,—letting the <i>thoughts</i>—such + as they are—remain exactly as at first: I have only treated the + imperfect expression of these just as I have now and then done for an + amateur friend, if he asked me and I liked him enough to do so. Not a line + is displaced, none added, none taken away. I have just sent it to the + printer's with an explanatory word: and told him that he will have less + trouble with all the rest of the volumes put together than with this + little portion. I expect to return all the rest to-morrow or next day. + </p> + <p> + As for the sketch—the portrait—it admits of no very superior + treatment: but, as it is the only one which makes me out youngish,—I + should like to know if an artist could not strengthen the thing by a + pencil touch or two in a few minutes—improve the eyes, eyebrows, and + mouth somewhat. The head too wants improvement: were Pen here he could + manage it all in a moment. Ever truly yours, Robert Browning. + </p> + <p> + Any attempt at modifying the expressed thoughts of his twenty-first year + would have been, as he probably felt, a futile tampering with the work of + another man; his literary conscience would have forbidden this, if it had + been otherwise possible. But he here proves by his own words what I have + already asserted, that the power of detail correction either was, or had + become by experience, very strong in him. + </p> + <p> + The history of this summer of 1888 is partly given in a letter to Lady + Martin. + </p> + <p> + 29, De Vere Gardens, W.: Aug. 12, '88. + </p> + <p> + Dear Lady Martin,—The date of your kind letter,—June 18,—would + affect me indeed, but for the good conscience I retain despite of + appearances. So uncertain have I been as to the course we should take,—my + sister and myself—when the time came for leaving town, that it + seemed as if 'next week' might be the eventful week when all doubts would + disappear—perhaps the strange cold weather and interminable rain + made it hard to venture from under one's roof even in fancy of being + better lodged elsewhere. This very day week it was the old story—cold—then + followed the suffocating eight or nine tropical days which forbade any + more delay, and we leave to-morrow for a place called Primiero, near + Feltre—where my son and his wife assure us we may be comfortably—and + coolly—housed, until we can accompany them to Venice, which we may + stay at for a short time. You remember our troubles at Llangollen about + the purchase of a Venetian house . . . ? My son, however, nothing daunted, + and acting under abler counsels than I was fortunate enough to obtain,* + has obtained a still more desirable acquisition, in the shape of the + well-known Rezzonico Palace (that of Pope Clement 13th)—and, I + believe, is to be congratulated on his bargain. I cannot profess the same + interest in this as in the earlier object of his ambition, but am quite + satisfied by the evident satisfaction of the 'young people'. So,—by + the old law of compensation,—while we may expect pleasant days + abroad—our chance is gone of once again enjoying your company in + your own lovely Vale of Llangollen;—had we not been pulled otherwise + by the inducements we could not resist,—another term of delightful + weeks—each tipped with a sweet starry Sunday at the little church + leading to the House Beautiful where we took our rest of an evening spent + always memorably—this might have been our fortunate lot once again! + As it is, perhaps we need more energetic treatment than we should get with + you —for both of us are more oppressed than ever by the exigencies + of the lengthy season, and require still more bracing air than the gently + lulling temperature of Wales. May it be doing you, and dear Sir Theodore, + all the good you deserve—throwing in the share due to us, who must + forego it! With all love from us both, ever affectionately yours Robert + Browning. + </p> +<pre xml:space="preserve"> + * Those of Mr. Alexander Malcolm. +</pre> + <p> + He did start for Italy on the following day, but had become so ill, that + he was on the point of postponing his departure. He suffered throughout + the journey as he had never suffered on any journey before; and during his + first few days at Primiero, could only lead the life of an invalid. He + rallied, however, as usual, under the potent effects of quiet, fresh air, + and sunshine; and fully recovered his normal state before proceeding to + Venice, where the continued sense of physical health combined with many + extraneous circumstances to convert his proposed short stay into a long + one. A letter from the mountains, addressed to a lady who had never been + abroad, and to whom he sometimes wrote with more descriptive detail than + to other friends, gives a touching glimpse of his fresh delight in the + beauties of nature, and his tender constant sympathy with the animal + creation. + </p> + <p> + Primiero: Sept. 7, '88. + </p> + <p> + . . . . . + </p> + <p> + 'The weather continues exquisitely temperate, yet sunny, ever since the + clearing thunderstorm of which I must have told you in my last. It is, I + am more and more confirmed in believing, the most beautiful place I was + ever resident in: far more so than Gressoney or even St.-Pierre de + Chartreuse. You would indeed delight in seeing the magnificence of the + mountains,—the range on either side, which morning and evening, in + turn, transmute literally to gold,—I mean what I say. Their utterly + bare ridges of peaks and crags of all shape, quite naked of verdure, glow + like yellow ore; and, at times, there is a silver change, as the sun + prevails or not. + </p> + <p> + 'The valley is one green luxuriance on all sides; Indian corn, with beans, + gourds, and even cabbages, filling up the interstices; and the flowers, + though not presenting any novelty to my uninstructed eyes, yet surely more + large and purely developed than I remember to have seen elsewhere. For + instance, the tiger-lilies in the garden here must be above ten feet high, + every bloom faultless, and, what strikes me as peculiar, every leaf on the + stalk from bottom to top as perfect as if no insect existed to spoil them + by a notch or speck. . . . + </p> + <p> + '. . . Did I tell you we had a little captive fox,—the most engaging + of little vixens? To my great joy she has broken her chain and escaped, + never to be recaptured, I trust. The original wild and untameable nature + was to be plainly discerned even in this early stage of the whelp's life: + she dug herself, with such baby feet, a huge hole, the use of which was + evident, when, one day, she pounced thence on a stray turkey—allured + within reach by the fragments of fox's breakfast,—the intruder + escaping with the loss of his tail. The creature came back one night to + explore the old place of captivity,—ate some food and retired. For + myself,—I continue absolutely well: I do not walk much, but for more + than amends, am in the open air all day long.' + </p> + <p> + No less striking is a short extract from a letter written in Venice to the + same friend, Miss Keep. + </p> + <p> + Ca' Alvise: Oct. 16, '88. + </p> + <p> + 'Every morning at six, I see the sun rise; far more wonderfully, to my + mind, than his famous setting, which everybody glorifies. My bedroom + window commands a perfect view: the still, grey lagune, the few seagulls + flying, the islet of S. Giorgio in deep shadow, and the clouds in a long + purple rack, behind which a sort of spirit of rose burns up till presently + all the rims are on fire with gold, and last of all the orb sends before + it a long column of its own essence apparently: so my day begins.' + </p> + <p> + We feel, as we read these late, and even later words, that the lyric + imagination was renewing itself in the incipient dissolution of other + powers. It is the Browning of 'Pippa Passes' who speaks in them. + </p> + <p> + He suffered less on the whole during the winter of 1888-9. It was already + advanced when he returned to England; and the attacks of cold and asthma + were either shorter or less frequent. He still maintained throughout the + season his old social routine, not omitting his yearly visit, on the + anniversary of Waterloo, to Lord Albemarle, its last surviving veteran. He + went for some days to Oxford during the commemoration week, and had for + the first, as also last time, the pleasure of Dr. Jowett's almost + exclusive society at his beloved Balliol College. He proceeded with his + new volume of poems. A short letter written to Professor Knight, June 16, + and of which the occasion speaks for itself, fitly closes the labours of + his life; for it states his view of the position and function of poetry, + in one brief phrase, which might form the text to an exhaustive treatise + upon them. + </p> + <p> + 29, De Vere Gardens, W.: June 16, 1889. + </p> + <p> + My dear Professor Knight,—I am delighted to hear that there is a + likelihood of your establishing yourself in Glasgow, and illustrating + Literature as happily as you have expounded Philosophy at St. Andrews. It + is certainly the right order of things: Philosophy first, and Poetry, + which is its highest outcome, afterward—and much harm has been done + by reversing the natural process. How capable you are of doing justice to + the highest philosophy embodied in poetry, your various studies of + Wordsworth prove abundantly; and for the sake of both Literature and + Philosophy I wish you success with all my heart. + </p> + <p> + Believe me, dear Professor Knight, yours very truly, Robert Browning. + </p> + <p> + But he experienced, when the time came, more than his habitual + disinclination for leaving home. A distinct shrinking from the fatigue of + going to Italy now added itself to it; for he had suffered when travelling + back in the previous winter, almost as much as on the outward journey, + though he attributed the distress to a different cause: his nerves were, + he thought, shaken by the wearing discomforts incidental on a broken + tooth. He was for the first time painfully sensitive to the vibration of + the train. He had told his friends, both in Venice and London, that so far + as he was able to determine, he would never return to Italy. But it was + necessary he should go somewhere, and he had no alternative plan. For a + short time in this last summer he entertained the idea of a visit to + Scotland; it had indeed definitely shaped itself in his mind; but an + incident, trivial in itself, though he did not think it so, destroyed the + first scheme, and it was then practically too late to form another. During + the second week in August the weather broke. There could no longer be any + question of the northward journey without even a fixed end in view. His + son and daughter had taken possession of their new home, the Palazzo + Rezzonico, and were anxious to see him and Miss Browning there; their + wishes naturally had weight. The casting vote in favour of Venice was + given by a letter from Mrs. Bronson, proposing Asolo as the intermediate + stage. She had fitted up for herself a little summer retreat there, and + promised that her friends should, if they joined her, be also comfortably + installed. The journey was this time propitious. It was performed without + imprudent haste, and Mr. Browning reached Asolo unfatigued and to all + appearance well. + </p> + <p> + He saw this, his first love among Italian cities, at a season of the year + more favourable to its beauty than even that of his first visit; yet he + must himself have been surprised by the new rapture of admiration which it + created in him, and which seemed to grow with his lengthened stay. This + state of mind was the more striking, that new symptoms of his physical + decline were now becoming apparent, and were in themselves of a depressing + kind. He wrote to a friend in England, that the atmosphere of Asolo, far + from being oppressive, produced in him all the effects of mountain air, + and he was conscious of difficulty of breathing whenever he walked up + hill. He also suffered, as the season advanced, great inconvenience from + cold. The rooms occupied by himself and his sister were both unprovided + with fireplaces; and though the daily dinner with Mrs. Bronson obviated + the discomfort of the evenings, there remained still too many hours of the + autumnal day in which the impossibility of heating their own little + apartment must have made itself unpleasantly felt. The latter drawback + would have been averted by the fulfilment of Mr. Browning's first plan, to + be in Venice by the beginning of October, and return to the comforts of + his own home before the winter had quite set in; but one slight motive for + delay succeeded another, till at last a more serious project introduced + sufficient ground of detention. He seemed possessed by a strange buoyancy—an + almost feverish joy in life, which blunted all sensations of physical + distress, or helped him to misinterpret them. When warned against the + imprudence of remaining where he knew he suffered from cold, and believed, + rightly or wrongly, that his asthmatic tendencies were increased, he would + reply that he was growing acclimatized—that he was quite well. And, + in a fitful or superficial sense, he must have been so. + </p> + <p> + His letters of that period are one continuous picture, glowing with his + impressions of the things which they describe. The same words will repeat + themselves as the same subject presents itself to his pen; but the impulse + to iteration scarcely ever affects us as mechanical. It seems always a + fresh response to some new stimulus to thought or feeling, which he has + received. These reach him from every side. It is not only the Asolo of + this peaceful later time which has opened before him, but the Asolo of + 'Pippa Passes' and 'Sordello'; that which first stamped itself on his + imagination in the echoes of the Court life of Queen Catharine,* and of + the barbaric wars of the Eccelini. Some of his letters dwell especially on + these early historical associations: on the strange sense of reopening the + ancient chronicle which he had so deeply studied fifty years before. The + very phraseology of the old Italian text, which I am certain he had never + glanced at from that distant time, is audible in an account of the + massacre of San Zenone, the scene of which he has been visiting. To the + same correspondent he says that his two hours' drive to Asolo 'seemed to + be a dream;' and again, after describing, or, as he thinks, only trying to + describe some beautiful feature of the place, 'but it is indescribable!' + </p> +<pre xml:space="preserve"> + * Catharine Cornaro, the dethroned queen of Cyprus. +</pre> + <p> + A letter addressed to Mrs. FitzGerald, October 8, 1889, is in part a + fitting sequel to that which he had written to her from the same spot, + eleven years before. + </p> + <p> + '. . . Fortunately there is little changed here: my old Albergo,—ruinous + with earthquake—is down and done with—but few novelties are + observable—except the regrettable one that the silk industry has + been transported elsewhere—to Cornuda and other places nearer the + main railway. No more Pippas—at least of the silk-winding sort! + </p> + <p> + 'But the pretty type is far from extinct. + </p> + <p> + 'Autumn is beginning to paint the foliage, but thin it as well; and the + sea of fertility all round our height, which a month ago showed + pomegranates and figs and chestnuts,—walnuts and apples all rioting + together in full glory,—all this is daily disappearing. I say + nothing of the olive and the vine. I find the Turret rather the worse for + careful weeding—the hawks which used to build there have been "shot + for food"—and the echo is sadly curtailed of its replies; still, + things are the same in the main. Shall I ever see them again, when—as + I suppose—we leave for Venice in a fortnight? . . .' + </p> + <p> + In the midst of this imaginative delight he carried into his walks the old + keen habits of observation. He would peer into the hedges for what living + things were to be found there. He would whistle softly to the lizards + basking on the low walls which border the roads, to try his old power of + attracting them. + </p> + <p> + On the 15th of October he wrote to Mrs. Skirrow, after some preliminary + description: + </p> + <p> + Then—such a view over the whole Lombard plain; not a site in view, + or <i>approximate</i> view at least, without its story. Autumn is now + painting all the abundance of verdure,—figs, pomegranates, + chestnuts, and vines, and I don't know what else,—all in a wonderful + confusion,—and now glowing with all the colours of the rainbow. Some + weeks back, the little town was glorified by the visit of a decent + theatrical troop who played in a theatre <i>in</i>side the old palace of + Queen Catharine Cornaro—utilized also as a prison in which I am + informed are at present full five if not six malefactors guilty of + stealing grapes, and the like enormities. Well, the troop played for a + fortnight together exceedingly well—high tragedy and low comedy—and + the stage-box which I occupied cost 16 francs. The theatre had been out of + use for six years, for we are out of the way and only a baiting-place for + a company pushing on to Venice. In fine, we shall stay here probably for a + week or more,—and then proceed to Pen, at the Rezzonico; a month + there, and then homewards! . . . + </p> + <p> + I delight in finding that the beloved Husband and precious friend manages + to do without the old yoke about his neck, and enjoys himself as never + anybody had a better right to do. I continue to congratulate him on his + emancipation and ourselves on a more frequent enjoyment of his company in + consequence.* Give him my true love; take mine, dearest friend,—and + my sister's love to you both goes with it. Ever affectionately yours + Robert Browning. + </p> +<pre xml:space="preserve"> + * Mr. Skirrow had just resigned his post of Master in + Chancery. +</pre> + <p> + The cry of 'homewards!' now frequently recurs in his letters. We find it + in one written a week later to Mr. G. M. Smith, otherwise very expressive + of his latest condition of mind and feeling. + </p> + <p> + Asolo, Veneto, Italia: Oct. 22, '89. + </p> + <p> + My dear Smith,—I was indeed delighted to get your letter two days + ago— for there <i>are</i> such accidents as the loss of a parcel, + even when it has been despatched from so important a place as this city—for + a regular city it is, you must know, with all the rights of one,—older + far than Rome, being founded by the Euganeans who gave their name to the + adjoining hills. 'Fortified' is was once, assuredly, and the walls still + surround it most picturesquely though mainly in utter ruin, and you even + overrate the population, which does not now much exceed 900 souls—in + the city Proper, that is—for the territory below and around contains + some 10,000. But we are at the very top of things, garlanded about, as it + were, with a narrow line of houses,—some palatial, such as you would + be glad to see in London,—and above all towers the old dwelling of + Queen Cornaro, who was forced to exchange her Kingdom of Cyprus for this + pretty but petty dominion where she kept state in a mimic Court, with + Bembo, afterwards Cardinal, for her secretary—who has commemorated + the fact in his 'Asolani' or dialogues inspired by the place: and I do + assure you that, after some experience of beautiful sights in Italy and + elsewhere I know nothing comparable to the view from the Queen's tower and + palace, still perfect in every respect. Whenever you pay Pen and his wife + the visit you are pledged to, * it will go hard but you spend five hours + in a journey to Asolo. The one thing I am disappointed in is to find that + the silk-cultivation with all the pretty girls who were engaged in it are + transported to Cornuda and other places,—nearer the railway, I + suppose: and to this may be attributed the decrease in the number of + inhabitants. The weather when I wrote last <i>was</i> 'blue and blazing—(at + noon-day)—' but we share in the general plague of rain,—had a + famous storm yesterday: while to-day is blue and sunny as ever. Lastly, + for your admonition: we <i>have</i> a perfect telegraphic communication; + and at the passage above, where I put a * I was interrupted by the arrival + of a telegram: thank you all the same for your desire to relieve my + anxiety. And now, to our immediate business— which is only to keep + thanking you for your constant goodness, present and future: do with the + book just as you will. I fancy it is bigger in bulk than usual. As for the + 'proofs'—I go at the end of the month to Venice, whither you will + please to send whatever is necessary. . . . I shall do well to say as + little as possible of my good wishes for you and your family, for it comes + to much the same thing as wishing myself prosperity: no matter, my + sister's kindest regards shall excuse mine, and I will only add that I am, + as ever, Affectionately yours Robert Browning. + </p> + <p> + A general quickening of affectionate impulse seemed part of this last leap + in the socket of the dying flame. + </p> + <p> + <a name="link2HCH0043" id="link2HCH0043"> + <!-- H2 anchor --> </a> + </p> + <div style="height: 4em;"> + <br /><br /><br /><br /> + </div> + <h2> + Chapter 22 + </h2> + <h3> + 1889 + </h3> + <p> + Proposed Purchase of Land at Asolo—Venice—Letter to Mr. G. + Moulton-Barrett—Lines in the 'Athenaeum'—Letter to Miss Keep—Illness—Death— + Funeral Ceremonial at Venice—Publication of 'Asolando'—Interment + in Poets' Corner. + </p> + <p> + He had said in writing to Mrs. FitzGerald, 'Shall I ever see them' (the + things he is describing) 'again?' If not then, soon afterwards, he + conceived a plan which was to insure his doing so. On a piece of ground + belonging to the old castle, stood the shell of a house. The two + constituted one property which the Municipality of Asolo had hitherto + refused to sell. It had been a dream of Mr. Browning's life to possess a + dwelling, however small, in some beautiful spot, which should place him + beyond the necessity of constantly seeking a new summer resort, and above + the alternative of living at an inn, or accepting—as he sometimes + feared, abusing—the hospitality of his friends. He was suddenly + fascinated by the idea of buying this piece of ground; and, with the + efficient help which his son could render during his absence, completing + the house, which should be christened 'Pippa's Tower'. It was evident, he + said in one of his letters, that for his few remaining years his summer + wanderings must always end in Venice. What could he do better than secure + for himself this resting-place by the way? + </p> + <p> + His offer of purchase was made through Mrs. Bronson, to Count Loredano and + other important members of the municipality, and their personal assent to + it secured. But the town council was on the eve of re-election; no + important business could be transacted by it till after this event; and + Mr. Browning awaited its decision till the end of October at Asolo, and + again throughout November in Venice, without fully understanding the + delay. The vote proved favourable; but the night on which it was taken was + that of his death. + </p> + <p> + The consent thus given would have been only a first step towards the + accomplishment of his wish. It was necessary that it should be ratified by + the Prefecture of Treviso, in the district of which Asolo lies; and Mr. + Barrett Browning, who had determined to carry on the negotiations, met + with subsequent opposition in the higher council. This has now, however, + been happily overcome. + </p> + <p> + A comprehensive interest attaches to one more letter of the Asolo time. It + was addressed to Mr. Browning's brother-in-law, Mr. George + Moulton-Barrett. + </p> + <p> + Asolo, Veneto: Oct. 22, '89. + </p> + <p> + My dear George,—It was a great pleasure to get your kind letter; + though after some delay. We were not in the Tyrol this year, but have been + for six weeks or more in this little place which strikes me,—as it + did fifty years ago, which is something to say, considering that, properly + speaking, it was the first spot of Italian soil I ever set foot upon— + having proceeded to Venice by sea—and thence here. It is an ancient + city, older than Rome, and the scene of Queen Catharine Cornaro's exile, + where she held a mock court, with all its attendants, on a miniature + scale; Bembo, afterwards Cardinal, being her secretary. Her palace is + still above us all, the old fortifications surround the hill-top, and + certain of the houses are stately—though the population is not above + 1,000 souls: the province contains many more of course. But the immense + charm of the surrounding country is indescribable—I have never seen + its like—the Alps on one side, the Asolan mountains all round,—and + opposite, the vast Lombard plain,—with indications of Venice, Padua, + and the other cities, visible to a good eye on a clear day; while + everywhere are sites of battles and sieges of bygone days, described in + full by the historians of the Middle Ages. + </p> + <p> + We have a valued friend here, Mrs. Bronson, who for years has been our + hostess at Venice, and now is in possession of a house here (built into + the old city wall)—she was induced to choose it through what I have + said about the beauties of the place: and through her care and kindness we + are comfortably lodged close by. We think of leaving in a week or so for + Venice—guests of Pen and his wife; and after a short stay with them + we shall return to London. Pen came to see us for a couple of days: I was + hardly prepared for his surprise and admiration which quite equalled my + own and that of my sister. All is happily well with them—their + palazzo excites the wonder of everybody, so great is Pen's cleverness, and + extemporised architectural knowledge, as apparent in all he has done + there; why, <i>why</i> will you not go and see him there? He and his wife + are very hospitable and receive many visitors. Have I told you that there + was a desecrated chapel which he has restored in honour of his mother— + putting up there the inscription by Tommaseo now above Casa Guidi? + </p> + <p> + Fannie is all you say,—and most dear and precious to us all. . . . + Pen's medal to which you refer, is awarded to him in spite of his written + renunciation of any sort of wish to contend for a prize. He will now + resume painting and sculpture—having been necessarily occupied with + the superintendence of his workmen—a matter capitally managed, I am + told. For the rest, both Sarianna and myself are very well; I have just + sent off my new volume of verses for publication. The complete edition of + the works of E. B. B. begins in a few days. + </p> + <p> + The second part of this letter is very forcibly written, and, in a certain + sense, more important than the first; but I suppress it by the desire of + Mr. Browning's sister and son, and in complete concurrence with their + judgment in the matter. It was a systematic defence of the anger aroused + in him by a lately published reference to his wife's death; and though its + reasonings were unanswerable as applied to the causes of his emotion, they + did not touch the manner in which it had been displayed. The incident was + one which deserved only to be forgotten; and if an injudicious act had not + preserved its memory, no word of mine should recall it. Since, however, it + has been thought fit to include the 'Lines to Edward Fitzgerald' in a + widely circulated Bibliography of Mr. Browning's Works,* I owe it to him + to say—what I believe is only known to his sister and myself—that + there was a moment in which he regretted those lines, and would willingly + have withdrawn them. This was the period, unfortunately short, which + intervened between his sending them to the 'Athenaeum', and their + appearance there. When once public opinion had expressed itself upon them + in its too extreme forms of sympathy and condemnation, the pugnacity of + his mind found support in both, and regret was silenced if not destroyed. + In so far as his published words remained open to censure, I may also, + without indelicacy, urge one more plea in his behalf. That which to the + merely sympathetic observer appeared a subject for disapprobation, perhaps + disgust, had affected him with the directness of a sharp physical blow. He + spoke of it, and for hours, even days, was known to feel it, as such. The + events of that distant past, which he had lived down, though never + forgotten, had flashed upon him from the words which so unexpectedly met + his eye, in a vividness of remembrance which was reality. 'I felt as if + she had died yesterday,' he said some days later to a friend, in half + deprecation, half denial, of the too great fierceness of his reaction. He + only recovered his balance in striking the counter-blow. That he could be + thus affected at an age usually destructive of the more violent emotions, + is part of the mystery of those closing days which had already overtaken + him. + </p> +<pre xml:space="preserve"> + * That contained in Mr. Sharp's 'Life'. A still more recent + publication + gives the lines in full. +</pre> + <p> + By the first of November he was in Venice with his son and daughter; and + during the three following weeks was apparently well, though a physician + whom he met at a dinner party, and to whom he had half jokingly given his + pulse to feel, had learned from it that his days were numbered. He wrote + to Miss Keep on the 9th of the month: + </p> + <p> + '. . . Mrs. Bronson has bought a house at Asolo, and beautified it indeed,—niched + as it is in an old tower of the fortifications still partly surrounding + the city (for a city it is), and eighteen towers, more or less ruinous, + are still discoverable there: it is indeed a delightful place. Meantime, + to go on,—we came here, and had a pleasant welcome from our hosts—who + are truly magnificently lodged in this vast palazzo which my son has + really shown himself fit to possess, so surprising are his restorations + and improvements: the whole is all but complete, decorated,—that is, + renewed admirably in all respects. + </p> + <p> + 'What strikes me as most noteworthy is the cheerfulness and comfort of the + huge rooms. + </p> + <p> + 'The building is warmed throughout by a furnace and pipes. + </p> + <p> + 'Yesterday, on the Lido, the heat was hardly endurable: bright sunshine, + blue sky,—snow-tipped Alps in the distance. No place, I think, ever + suited my needs, bodily and intellectual, so well. + </p> + <p> + 'The first are satisfied—I am <i>quite</i> well, every breathing + inconvenience gone: and as for the latter, I got through whatever had + given me trouble in London. . . .' + </p> + <p> + But it was winter, even in Venice, and one day began with an actual fog. + He insisted, notwithstanding, on taking his usual walk on the Lido. He + caught a bronchial cold of which the symptoms were aggravated not only by + the asthmatic tendency, but by what proved to be exhaustion of the heart; + and believing as usual that his liver alone was at fault, he took little + food, and refused wine altogether.* + </p> +<pre xml:space="preserve"> + * He always declined food when he was unwell; and maintained + that in this respect the instinct of animals was far more + just than the idea often prevailing among human beings that + a failing appetite should be assisted or coerced. +</pre> + <p> + He did not yield to the sense of illness; he did not keep his bed. Some + feverish energy must have supported him through this avoidance of every + measure which might have afforded even temporary strength or relief. On + Friday, the 29th, he wrote to a friend in London that he had waited thus + long for the final answer from Asolo, but would wait no longer. He would + start for England, if possible, on the Wednesday or Thursday of the + following week. It was true 'he had caught a cold; he felt sadly + asthmatic, scarcely fit to travel; but he hoped for the best, and would + write again soon.' He wrote again the following day, declaring himself + better. He had been punished, he said, for long-standing neglect of his + 'provoking liver'; but a simple medicine, which he had often taken before, + had this time also relieved the oppression of his chest; his friend was + not to be uneasy about him; 'it was in his nature to get into scrapes of + this kind, but he always managed, somehow or other, to extricate himself + from them.' He concluded with fresh details of his hopes and plans. + </p> + <p> + In the ensuing night the bronchial distress increased; and in the morning + he consented to see his son's physician, Dr. Cini, whose investigation of + the case at once revealed to him its seriousness. The patient had been + removed two days before, from the second storey of the house, which the + family then inhabited, to an entresol apartment just above the + ground-floor, from which he could pass into the dining-room without + fatigue. Its lower ceilings gave him (erroneously) an impression of + greater warmth, and he had imagined himself benefited by the change. A + freer circulation of air was now considered imperative, and he was carried + to Mrs. Browning's spacious bedroom, where an open fireplace supplied both + warmth and ventilation, and large windows admitted all the sunshine of the + Grand Canal. Everything was done for him which professional skill and + loving care could do. Mrs. Browning, assisted by her husband, and by a + young lady who was then her guest,* filled the place of the trained nurses + until these could arrive; for a few days the impending calamity seemed + even to have been averted. The bronchial attack was overcome. Mr. Browning + had once walked from the bed to the sofa; his sister, whose anxiety had + perhaps been spared the full knowledge of his state, could send comforting + reports to his friends at home. But the enfeebled heart had made its last + effort. Attacks of faintness set in. Special signs of physical strength + maintained themselves until within a few hours of the end. On Wednesday, + December 11, a consultation took place between Dr. Cini, Dr. da Vigna, and + Dr. Minich; and the opinion was then expressed for the first time that + recovery, though still possible, was not within the bounds of probability. + Weakness, however, rapidly gained upon him towards the close of the + following day. Two hours before midnight of this Thursday, December 12, he + breathed his last. + </p> +<pre xml:space="preserve"> + * Miss Evelyn Barclay, now Mrs. Douglas Giles. +</pre> + <p> + He had been a good patient. He took food and medicine whenever they were + offered to him. Doctors and nurses became alike warmly interested in him. + His favourite among the latter was, I think, the Venetian, a widow, + Margherita Fiori, a simple kindly creature who had known much sorrow. To + her he said, about five hours before the end, 'I feel much worse. I know + now that I must die.' He had shown at intervals a perception, even + conviction, of his danger; but the excitement of the brain, caused by + exhaustion on the one hand and the necessary stimulants on the other, must + have precluded all systematic consciousness of approaching death. He + repeatedly assured his family that he was not suffering. + </p> + <p> + A painful and urgent question now presented itself for solution: Where + should his body find its last rest? He had said to his sister in the + foregoing summer, that he wished to be buried wherever he might die: if in + England, with his mother; if in France, with his father; if in Italy, with + his wife. Circumstances all pointed to his removal to Florence; but a + recent decree had prohibited further interment in the English Cemetery + there, and the town had no power to rescind it. When this was known in + Venice, that city begged for itself the privilege of retaining the + illustrious guest, and rendering him the last honours. For the moment the + idea even recommended itself to Mr. Browning's son. But he felt bound to + make a last effort in the direction of the burial at Florence; and was + about to despatch a telegram, in which he invoked the mediation of Lord + Dufferin, when all difficulties were laid at rest by a message from the + Dean of Westminster, conveying his assent to an interment in the Abbey.* + He had already telegraphed for information concerning the date of the + funeral, with a view to the memorial service, which he intended to hold on + the same day. Nor would the further honour have remained for even + twenty-four hours ungranted, because unasked, but for the belief + prevailing among Mr. Browning's friends that there was no room for its + acceptance. + </p> +<pre xml:space="preserve"> + * The assent thus conveyed had assumed the form of an offer, + and was characterized as such by the Dean himself. +</pre> + <p> + It was still necessary to provide for the more immediate removal of the + body. Local custom forbade its retention after the lapse of two days and + nights; and only in view of the special circumstances of the case could a + short respite be granted to the family. Arrangements were therefore at + once made for a private service, to be conducted by the British Chaplain + in one of the great halls of the Rezzonico Palace; and by two o'clock of + the following day, Sunday, a large number of visitors and residents had + assembled there. The subsequent passage to the mortuary island of San + Michele had been organized by the city, and was to display so much of the + character of a public pageant as the hurried preparation allowed. The + chief municipal officers attended the service. When this had been + performed, the coffin was carried by eight firemen (pompieri), arrayed in + their distinctive uniform, to the massive, highly decorated municipal + barge (Barca delle Pompe funebri) which waited to receive it. It was + guarded during the transit by four 'uscieri' in 'gala' dress, two + sergeants of the Municipal Guard, and two of the firemen bearing torches: + the remainder of these following in a smaller boat. The barge was towed by + a steam launch of the Royal Italian Marine. The chief officers of the + city, the family and friends in their separate gondolas, completed the + procession. On arriving at San Michele, the firemen again received their + burden, and bore it to the chapel in which its place had been reserved. + </p> + <p> + When 'Pauline' first appeared, the Author had received, he never learned + from whom, a sprig of laurel enclosed with this quotation from the poem, + </p> +<pre xml:space="preserve"> + Trust in signs and omens. +</pre> + <p> + Very beautiful garlands were now piled about his bier, offerings of + friendship and affection. Conspicuous among these was the ceremonial + structure of metallic foliage and porcelain flowers, inscribed 'Venezia a + Roberto Browning', which represented the Municipality of Venice. On the + coffin lay one comprehensive symbol of the fulfilled prophecy: a wreath of + laurel-leaves which his son had placed there. + </p> + <p> + A final honour was decreed to the great English Poet by the city in which + he had died; the affixing of a memorial tablet to the outer wall of the + Rezzonico Palace. Since these pages were first written, the tablet has + been placed. It bears the following inscription: + </p> +<pre xml:space="preserve"> + A + ROBERTO BROWNING + + MORTO IN QUESTO PALAZZO + IL 12 DICEMBRE 1889 + VENEZIA + POSE +</pre> + <p> + Below this, in the right-hand corner appear two lines selected from his + works: + </p> +<pre xml:space="preserve"> + Open my heart and you will see + Graved inside of it, 'Italy'. +</pre> + <p> + Nor were these the only expressions of Italian respect and sympathy. The + municipality of Florence sent its message of condolence. Asolo, poor in + all but memories, itself bore the expenses of a mural tablet for the house + which Mr. Browning had occupied. It is now known that Signor Crispi would + have appealed to Parliament to rescind the exclusion from the Florentine + cemetery, if the motive for doing so had been less promptly removed. + </p> + <p> + Mr. Browning's own country had indeed opened a way for the reunion of the + husband and wife. The idea had rapidly shaped itself in the public mind + that, since they might not rest side by side in Italy, they should be + placed together among the great of their own land; and it was understood + that the Dean would sanction Mrs. Browning's interment in the Abbey, if a + formal application to this end were made to him. But Mr. Barrett Browning + could not reconcile himself to the thought of disturbing his mother's + grave, so long consecrated to Florence by her warm love and by its + grateful remembrance; and at the desire of both surviving members of the + family the suggestion was set aside. + </p> + <p> + Two days after his temporary funeral, privately and at night, all that + remained of Robert Browning was conveyed to the railway station; and + thence, by a trusted servant, to England. The family followed within + twenty-four hours, having made the necessary preparations for a long + absence from Venice; and, travelling with the utmost speed, arrived in + London on the same day. The house in De Vere Gardens received its master + once more. + </p> + <p> + 'Asolando' was published on the day of Mr. Browning's death. The report of + his illness had quickened public interest in the forthcoming work, and his + son had the satisfaction of telling him of its already realized success, + while he could still receive a warm, if momentary, pleasure from the + intelligence. The circumstances of its appearance place it beyond ordinary + criticism; they place it beyond even an impartial analysis of its + contents. It includes one or two poems to which we would gladly assign a + much earlier date; I have been told on good authority that we may do this + in regard to one of them. It is difficult to refer the 'Epilogue' to a + coherent mood of any period of its author's life. It is certain, however, + that by far the greater part of the little volume was written in 1888-89, + and I believe all that is most serious in it was the product of the later + year. It possesses for many readers the inspiration of farewell words; for + all of us it has their pathos. + </p> + <p> + He was buried in Westminster Abbey, in Poets' Corner, on the 31st of + December, 1889. In this tardy act of national recognition England claimed + her own. A densely packed, reverent and sympathetic crowd of his + countrymen and countrywomen assisted at the consignment of the dead poet + to his historic resting place. Three verses of Mrs. Browning's poem, 'The + Sleep', set to music by Dr. Bridge, were sung for the first time on this + occasion. + </p> + <p> + <a name="link2H_CONC" id="link2H_CONC"> + <!-- H2 anchor --> </a> + </p> + <div style="height: 4em;"> + <br /><br /><br /><br /> + </div> + <h2> + Conclusion + </h2> + <p> + A few words must still be said upon that purport and tendency of Robert + Browning's work, which has been defined by a few persons, and felt by very + many as his 'message'. + </p> + <p> + The definition has been disputed on the ground of Art. We are told by Mr. + Sharp, though in somewhat different words, that the poet, qua poet, cannot + deliver a 'message' such as directly addresses itself to the intellectual + or moral sense; since his special appeal to us lies not through the + substance, but through the form, or presentment, of what he has had to + say; since, therefore (by implication), in claiming for it an intellectual—as + distinct from an aesthetic—character, we ignore its function as + poetry. + </p> + <p> + It is difficult to argue justly, where the question at issue turns + practically on the meaning of a word. Mr. Sharp would, I think, be the + first to admit this; and it appears to me that, in the present case, he so + formulates his theory as to satisfy his artistic conscience, and yet leave + room for the recognition of that intellectual quality so peculiar to Mr. + Browning's verse. But what one member of the aesthetic school may express + with a certain reserve is proclaimed unreservedly by many more; and Mr. + Sharp must forgive me, if for the moment I regard him as one of these; and + if I oppose his arguments in the words of another poet and critic of + poetry, whose claim to the double title is I believe undisputed—Mr. + Roden Noel. I quote from an unpublished fragment of a published article on + Mr. Sharp's 'Life of Browning'. + </p> + <p> + 'Browning's message is an integral part of himself as writer; (whether as + poet, since we agree that he is a poet, were surely a too curious and vain + discussion;) but some of his finest things assuredly are the outcome of + certain very definite personal convictions. "The question," Mr. Sharp + says, "is not one of weighty message, but of artistic presentation." There + seems to be no true contrast here. "The primary concern of the artist must + be with his vehicle of expression"—no—not the primary concern. + Since the critic adds—(for a poet) "this vehicle is language + emotioned to the white heat of rhythmic music by impassioned thought or + sensation." Exactly—"thought" it may be. Now part of this same + "thought" in Browning is the message. And therefore it is part of his + "primary concern". "It is with presentment," says Mr. Sharp, "that the + artist has fundamentally to concern himself." Granted: but it must surely + be presentment of <i>something</i>. . . . I do not understand how to + separate the substance from the form in true poetry. . . . If the message + be not well delivered, it does not constitute literature. But if it be + well delivered, the primary concern of the poet lay with the message after + all!' + </p> + <p> + More cogent objection has been taken to the character of the 'message' as + judged from a philosophic point of view. It is the expression or + exposition of a vivid a priori religious faith confirmed by positive + experience; and it reflects as such a double order of thought, in which + totally opposite mental activities are often forced into co-operation with + each other. Mr. Sharp says, this time quoting from Mr. Mortimer ('Scottish + Art Review', December 1889): + </p> + <p> + 'His position in regard to the thought of the age is paradoxical, if not + inconsistent. He is in advance of it in every respect but one, the most + important of all, the matter of fundamental principles; in these he is + behind it. His processes of thought are often scientific in their + precision of analysis; the sudden conclusion which he imposes upon them is + transcendental and inept.' + </p> + <p> + This statement is relatively true. Mr. Browning's positive reasonings + often do end with transcendental conclusions. They also start from + transcendental premises. However closely his mind might follow the visible + order of experience, he never lost what was for him the consciousness of a + Supreme Eternal Will as having existed before it; he never lost the vision + of an intelligent First Cause, as underlying all minor systems of + causation. But such weaknesses as were involved in his logical position + are inherent to all the higher forms of natural theology when once it has + been erected into a dogma. As maintained by Mr. Browning, this belief held + a saving clause, which removed it from all dogmatic, hence all admissible + grounds of controversy: the more definite or concrete conceptions of which + it consists possessed no finality for even his own mind; they represented + for him an absolute truth in contingent relations to it. No one felt more + strongly than he the contradictions involved in any conceivable system of + Divine creation and government. No one knew better that every act and + motive which we attribute to a Supreme Being is a virtual negation of His + existence. He believed nevertheless that such a Being exists; and he + accepted His reflection in the mirror of the human consciousness, as a + necessarily false image, but one which bears witness to the truth. + </p> + <p> + His works rarely indicate this condition of feeling; it was not often + apparent in his conversation. The faith which he had contingently accepted + became absolute for him from all practical points of view; it became + subject to all the conditions of his humanity. On the ground of abstract + logic he was always ready to disavow it; the transcendental imagination + and the acknowledged limits of human reason claimed the last word in its + behalf. This philosophy of religion is distinctly suggested in the fifth + parable of 'Ferishtah's Fancies'. + </p> + <p> + But even in defending what remains, from the most widely accepted point of + view, the validity of Mr. Browning's 'message', we concede the fact that + it is most powerful when conveyed in its least explicit form; for then + alone does it bear, with the full weight of his poetic utterance, on the + minds to which it is addressed. His challenge to Faith and Hope imposes + itself far less through any intellectual plea which he can advance in its + support, than through the unconscious testimony of all creative genius to + the marvel of conscious life; through the passionate affirmation of his + poetic and human nature, not only of the goodness and the beauty of that + life, but of its reality and its persistence. + </p> + <p> + We are told by Mr. Sharp that a new star appeared in Orion on the night on + which Robert Browning died. The alleged fact is disproved by the statement + of the Astronomer Royal, to whom it has been submitted; but it would have + been a beautiful symbol of translation, such as affectionate fancy might + gladly cherish if it were true. It is indeed true that on that twelfth of + December, a vivid centre of light and warmth was extinguished upon our + earth. The clouded brightness of many lives bears witness to the poet + spirit which has departed, the glowing human presence which has passed + away. We mourn the poet whom we have lost far less than we regret the man: + for he had done his appointed work; and that work remains to us. But the + two beings were in truth inseparable. The man is always present in the + poet; the poet was dominant in the man. This fact can never be absent from + our loving remembrance of him. No just estimate of his life and character + will fail to give it weight. + </p> + <p> + <a name="link2H_4_0052" id="link2H_4_0052"> + <!-- H2 anchor --> </a> + </p> + <div style="height: 4em;"> + <br /><br /><br /><br /> + </div> + <h2> + Index + </h2> + <p> + [The Index is included only as a rough guide to what is in this book. The + numbers in brackets indicate the number of index entries: as each + reference, short or long, is counted as one, the numbers may be misleading + if observed too closely.] + </p> +<pre xml:space="preserve"> + +Abel, Mr. (musician) [1] +Adams, Mrs. Sarah Flower [2] +Albemarle, Lord [1] +Alford, Lady Marian [1] +Allingham, Mr. William [1] +American appreciation of Browning [1] +Ampere, M. [1] +Ancona [1] +Anderson, Mr. (actor) [1] +Arnold, Matthew [1] +Arnould, Mr. (afterwards Sir Joseph) [1] +Ashburton, Lady [1] +Asolo [4] +Associated Societies of Edinburgh, the [1] +Athenaeum, the (review of 'Pauline') [2] +Audierne (Finisterre, Brittany) [1] +Azeglio, Massimo d' [1] + +Balzac's works, the Brownings' admiration of [2] +Barrett, Miss Arabel [4] +Barrett, Miss Henrietta (afterwards Mrs. Surtees Cook [Altham]) [2] +Barrett, Mr. (the poet's father-in-law) [3] +Barrett, Mr. Laurence (actor) [1] +Bartoli's 'De' Simboli trasportati al Morale' [1] +Benckhausen, Mr. (Russian consul-general) [1] +Benzon, Mr. Ernest [1] +Beranger, M. [2] +Berdoe, Dr. Edward: his paper on 'Paracelsus, the Reformer of Medicine' [1] +Biarritz [1] +Blackwood's Magazine (on 'A Blot in the 'Scutcheon') [1] +Blagden, Miss Isa [5] +Blundell, Dr. (physician) [1] +Boyle, Dean (Salisbury) [1] +Boyle, Miss (niece of the Earl of Cork) [2] +Bridell-Fox, Mrs. [3] +Bronson, Mrs. Arthur [5] +Browning, Robert (grandfather of the poet): account of his life, + two marriages, and two families [1] +Browning, Mrs. (step-grandmother of the poet) [2] +Browning, Robert (father of the poet): marriage; + clerk in the Bank of England; comparison between him and his son; + scholarly and artistic tastes; simplicity and genuineness of his character; + his strong health; Mr. Locker-Lampson's account of him; + his religious opinions; renewed relations with his father's widow + and second family; death [10] +Browning, Mrs. (the poet's mother): her family; her nervous temperament + transmitted to her son; her death [3] +Browning, Mr. Reuben (the poet's uncle), + (incl. Lord Beaconsfield's appreciation of his Latinity) [2] +Browning, Mr. William Shergold (the poet's uncle), + (incl. his literary work) [2] +Browning, Miss Jemima (the poet's aunt) [1] +Browning, Miss (the poet's sister), + (incl. comes to live with her brother) [16] +Browning, Robert: 1812-33--the notion of his Jewish extraction disproved; + his family anciently established in Dorsetshire; his carelessness + as to genealogical record; account of his grandfather's life + and second marriage; his father's unhappy youth; his paternal grandmother; + his father's position; comparison of father and son; + the father's use of grotesque rhymes in teaching him; + qualities he inherited from his mother; weak points in regard to health + throughout his life; characteristics in early childhood; + great quickness in learning; an amusing prank; passion for his mother; + fondness for animals; his collections; experiences of school life; + extensive reading in his father's library; early acquaintance + with old books; his early attempts in verse; spurious poems in circulation; + 'Incondita', the production of the twelve-year-old poet; + introduction to Mr. Fox; his boyish love and lasting affection + for Miss Flower; first acquaintance with Shelley's and Keats' works; + his admiration for Shelley; home education under masters, + his manly accomplishments; his studies chiefly literary; love of home; + associates of his youth: Arnould and Domett; the Silverthornes; + his choice of poetry as a profession; other possible professions considered; + admiration for good acting; his father's support in his literary career; + reads and digests Johnson's Dictionary by way of preparation [37] +Browning, Robert: 1833-35--publication of 'Pauline'; + correspondence with Mr. Fox; the poet's later opinion of it; + characteristics of the poem; Mr. Fox's review of it; other notices; + Browning's visit to Russia; contributions to the 'Monthly Repository': + his first sonnet; the 'Trifler' (amateur periodical); + a comic defence of debt; preparing to publish 'Paracelsus'; friendship with + Count de Ripert-Monclar; Browning's treatment of 'Paracelsus'; + the original Preface; John Forster's article on it in the 'Examiner' [16] +Browning, Robert: 1835-38--removal of the family to Hatcham; + renewed intimacy with his grandfather's second family; + friendly relations with Carlyle; recognition by men of the day; + introduction to Macready; first meeting with Forster; + Miss Euphrasia Fanny Haworth; at the 'Ion' supper; prospects of 'Strafford'; + its production and reception; a personal description of him at this period; + Mr. John Robertson and the 'Westminster Review' [11] +Browning, Robert: 1838-44--first Italian journey; a striking experience + of the voyage; preparations for writing other tragedies; + meeting with Mr. John Kenyon; appearance of 'Sordello'; + mental developments; 'Pippa Passes'; Alfred Domett on the critics; + 'Bells and Pomegranates'; explanation of its title. + List of the poems; 'A Blot in the 'Scutcheon', written for Macready; + Browning's later account and discussion of the breach between him + and Macready; 'Colombe's Birthday'; other dramas; The 'Dramatic Lyrics'; + 'The Lost Leader'; Browning's life before his second Italian journey; + in Naples; visit to Mr. Trelawney at Leghorn [19] +Browning, Robert: 1844-55--introduction to Miss Barrett; + his admiration for her poetry; his proposal to her; + reasons for concealing the engagement; their marriage; journey to Italy; + life at Pisa; Florence; Browning's request for appointment + on a British mission to the Vatican; settling in Casa Guidi; + Fano and Ancona; 'A Blot in the 'Scutcheon' at Sadler's Wells; + birth of Browning's son, and death of his mother; wanderings in Italy: + the Baths of Lucca; Venice; friendship with Margaret Fuller Ossoli; + winter in Paris; Carlyle; George Sand. Close friendship + with M. Joseph Milsand; Milsand's appreciation of Browning; + new edition of Browning's poems; 'Christmas Eve and Easter Day'; + the Essay on Shelley; summer in London; introduction to Dante G. Rossetti; + again in Florence; production of 'Colombe's Birthday' (1853); + again at Lucca, Mr. and Mrs. W. Story; first winter in Rome; the Kembles; + again in London (1855): Tennyson, Ruskin [32] +Browning, Robert: 1855-61--publication of 'Men and Women'; + 'Karshook'; 'Two in the Campagna'; another winter in Paris: Lady Elgin; + legacies to the Brownings from Mr. Kenyon; Mr. Browning's little son; + a carnival masquerade; Spiritualism; 'Sludge the Medium'; + Count Ginnasi's clairvoyance; at Siena; Walter Savage Landor; + illness of Mrs. Browning; American appreciation of Browning's works; + his social life in Rome; last winter in Rome; Madame du Quaire; + Mrs. Browning's illness and death; the comet of 1861 [18] +Browning, Robert: 1861-69--Miss Blagden's helpful sympathy; + journey to England; feeling in regard to funeral ceremonies; + established in London with his son; Miss Arabel Barrett; + visit to Biarritz; origin of 'The Ring and the Book'; + his views as to the publication of letters; new edition of his works, + selection of poems. Residence at Pornic; a meeting at Mr. F. Palgrave's; + his literary position in 1865; his own estimate of it; + death of his father; with his sister at Le Croisic; + Academic honours: letter to the Master of Balliol (Dr. Scott); + curious circumstance connected with the death of Miss A. Barrett; + at Audierne; the uniform edition of his works; publication of + 'The Ring and the Book'; inspiration of Pompilia [21] +Browning, Robert: 1869-73--'Helen's Tower'; at St.-Aubin; + escape from France during the war (1870); publication of + 'Balaustion's Adventure' and 'Prince Hohenstiel-Schwangau'; + 'Herve Riel' sold for the benefit of French sufferers by the war; + 'Fifine at the Fair'; mistaken theories of that work; + 'Red Cotton Nightcap Country' [8] +Browning, Robert: 1873-78--his manner of life in London; + his love of music; friendship with Miss Egerton-Smith; + summers spent at Mers, Villers, Isle of Arran, and La Saisiaz; + 'Aristophanes' Apology'; 'Pacchiarotto', 'The Inn Album', + the translation of the 'Agamemnon'; description of a visit to Oxford; + visit to Cambridge; offered the Rectorships of the Universities + of Glasgow and St. Andrews; description of La Saisiaz; + sudden death of Miss Egerton-Smith; the poem 'La Saisiaz': + Browning's position towards Christianity; 'The Two Poets of Croisic', + and Selections from his Works [13] +Browning, Robert: 1878-81--he revisits Italy; Spluegen; + Asolo; Venice; favourite Alpine retreats; friendly relations + with Mrs. Arthur Bronson; life in Venice; a tragedy at Saint-Pierre; + the first series of 'Dramatic Idyls'; the second series, + 'Jocoseria', and 'Ferishtah's Fancies' [10] +Browning, Robert: 1881-87--the Browning Society; Browning's attitude + in regard to it; similar societies in England and America; + wide diffusion of Browning's works in America; lines for the gravestone + of Mr. Levi Thaxter; President of the New Shakspere Society, + and member of the Wordsworth Society; Honorary President of + the Associated Societies of Edinburgh; appreciation of his works in Italy; + sonnet to Goldoni; attempt to purchase the Palazzo Manzoni, Venice; + Saint-Moritz; Mrs. Bloomfield Moore; at Llangollen; loss of old friends; + Foreign Correspondent to the Royal Academy; publication of 'Parleyings' [15] +Browning, Robert: his character--constancy in friendship; + optimism and belief in a direct Providence; political principles; + character of his friendships; attitude towards his reviewers + and his readers; attitude towards his works; his method of work; + study of Spanish, Hebrew, and German; conversational powers + and the stores of his memory; nervous peculiarities; his innate kindliness; + attitude towards women; final views on the Women's Suffrage question [13] +Browning, Robert: his last years--marriage of his son; + his change of abode; symptoms of declining strength; + new poems, and revision of the old; journey to Italy: Primiero and Venice; + last winter in England: visit to Balliol College; + last visit to Italy: Asolo once more; proposed purchase of land there; + the 'Lines to Edward Fitzgerald'; with his son at Palazzo Rezzonico; + last illness; death; funeral honours in Italy; 'Asolando' published + on the day of his death; his burial in Westminster Abbey; + the purport and tendency of his work [16] +Browning, Robert: letters to-- Bainton, Mr. George (Coventry) [1] + Blagden, Miss Isa [12] + Fitz-Gerald, Mrs. [8] + Flower, Miss [2] + Fox, Mr. [4] + Haworth, Miss E. F. [3] + Hickey, Miss E. H. [1] + Hill, Mr. Frank (editor of the 'Daily News') [2] + Hill, Mrs. Frank [1] + Keep, Miss [3] + Knight, Professor (St. Andrews) [5] + Lee, Miss (Maidstone) [1] + Leighton, Mr. (afterwards Sir Frederic) [4] + Martin, Mrs. Theodore (afterwards Lady) [2] + Moulton-Barrett, Mr. G. [2] + Quaire, Madame du [1] + Robertson, Mr. John (editor of 'Westminster Review', 1838) [1] + Scott, Rev. Dr. [1] + Skirrow, Mrs. Charles [4] + Smith, Mr. G. M. [3] +Browning, Robert: Works of-- 'A Blot in the 'Scutcheon' [2] + 'A Death in the Desert' [2] + 'Agamemnon' [1] + 'Andrea del Sarto' [1] + 'Aristophanes' Apology' [1] + 'Artemis Prologuizes' [1] + 'Asolando' [5] + 'At the Mermaid' [2] + 'A Woman's Last Word' [1] + 'Bad Dreams' [1] + 'Balaustion's Adventure' [3] + 'Bean Stripes' [1] + 'Beatrice Signorini' [1] + 'Bells and Pomegranates' (incl. meaning of the title, + and list of the dramas and poems) [7] + 'Ben Karshook's Wisdom' [1] + 'Bishop Blougram' [1] + 'By the Fireside' [1] + 'Childe Roland' [1] + 'Christmas Eve and Easter Day' [2] + 'Cleon' [1] + 'Colombe's Birthday' [4] + 'Crescentius, the Pope's Legate' [1] + 'Cristina' [1] + 'Dramatic Idyls' [4] + 'Dramatic Lyrics' [1] + 'Dramatis Personae' [5] + 'Essay on Shelley' [1] + 'Ferishtah's Fancies' [2] + 'Fifine at the Fair' [2] + 'Flute-Music' [1] + 'Goldoni', sonnet to [1] + 'Helen's Tower' (sonnet) [1] + 'Herve Riel' (ballad) [2] + 'Home Thoughts from the Sea' [1] + 'How they brought the Good News from Ghent to Aix' [1] + 'In a Balcony' [2] + 'In a Gondola' [2] + 'Ivan Ivanovitch' [3] + 'James Lee's Wife' [3] + 'Jocoseria' [1] + 'Johannes Agricola in Meditation' [1] + 'King Victor and King Charles' [3] + 'La Saisiaz' [4] + 'Luria' [1] + 'Madhouse Cells' [1] + 'Martin Relph' [1] + 'May and Death' [1] + 'Men and Women' [3] + 'Ned Bratts' [1] + 'Numpholeptos' [1] + 'One Word More' [2] + 'Pacchiarotto' [3] + 'Paracelsus' [8] + 'Parleyings' [2] + 'Pauline' [10] + 'Pippa Passes' (incl. the Preface to) [5] + 'Ponte dell' Angelo' [1] + 'Porphyria's Lover' [1] + 'Prince Hohenstiel-Schwangau' [3] + 'Red Cotton Nightcap Country' [3] + 'Rosny' [1] + 'Saint Martin's Summer' [1] + 'Saul' [1] + 'Sludge the Medium' [2] + 'Sordello' [7] + 'Strafford' [3] + 'The Epistle of Karshish' [1] + 'The Flight of the Duchess' [1] + 'The Inn Album' [3] + 'The Lost Leader' [1] + 'The Pied Piper of Hamelin' [1] + 'The Return of the Druses' [3] + 'The Ring and the Book' [3] + 'The Two Poets of Croisic' [2] + 'The Worst of It' [1] + 'Two in the Campagna' [1] + 'White Witchcraft' [1] + 'Why I am a Liberal' (sonnet) [2] + 'Women and Roses' [1] +Browning, Mrs. (the poet's wife: Elizabeth Barrett Moulton-Barrett): + Browning's introduction to her; her ill health; + the reasons for their secret marriage; causes of her ill health; + happiness of her married life; estrangement from her father; + her visit to Mrs. Theodore Martin; 'Aurora Leigh': her methods of work; + a legacy from Mr. Kenyon; her feeling about Spiritualism; + success of 'Aurora Leigh'; her sister's illness and death; + her own death; proposed reinterment in Westminster Abbey [14] +Browning, Mrs.: extracts from her letters--on her husband's devotion; + life in Pisa, and on French literature; Vallombrosa; their acquaintances + in Florence; their dwelling in Piazza Pitti; 'Father Prout's' cure + for a sore throat; apartments in the Casa Guidi; visits to Fano and Ancona; + Phelps's production of 'A Blot in the 'Scutcheon'; + birth of her son; the effect of his mother's death on her husband; + wanderings in northern Italy; the neighbourhood of Lucca; + Venice; life in Paris (1851); esteem for her husband's family; + description of George Sand; the personal appearance of that lady; + her impression of M. Joseph Milsand; the first performance + of 'Colombe's Birthday' (1853); Rome: death in the Story family; + Mrs. Sartoris and the Kembles; society in Rome; a visit to Mr. Ruskin; + about 'Penini'; description of a carnival masquerade (Florence, 1857); + impressions of Landor; tribute to the unselfish character + of her father-in-law; on her husband's work; on the contrast + of his (then) appreciation in England and America; + Massimo d' Azeglio; on her sister Henrietta (Mrs. Surtees Cook); + on the death of Count Cavour [34] +Browning, Mr. Robert Wiedemann Barrett (the poet's son): his birth; + incidents of his childhood; his pet-name--Penini, Peni, Pen; + in charge of Miss Isa Blagden on his mother's death; + taken to England by his father; manner of his education; + studying art in Antwerp; with his father in Venice (1885); his marriage; + purchase of the Rezzonico Palace (Venice); death of his father there [14] +Browning, Mrs. R. Barrett [2] +Browning, Mr. Robert Jardine (Crown Prosecutor in New South Wales) [1] +Browning Society, the: its establishment [1] +Brownlow, Lord [1] +Bruce, Lady Augusta [1] +Bruce, Lady Charlotte (wife of Mr. F. Locker) [1] +Buckstone, Mr. (actor) [1] +Buloz, M. [1] +Burne Jones, Mr. [2] +Burns, Major (son of the poet) [1] + +Californian Railway time-table edition of Browning's poems [1] +Cambo [1] +Cambridge, Browning's visit to [1] +Campbell Dykes, Mr. J. [6] +Carducci, Countess (Rome) [1] +Carlyle, Mr. Thomas [6] +Carlyle, Mrs. Thomas (incl. anecdote) [2] +Carnarvon, Lord [1] +Carnival masquerade, a [1] +Cartwright, Mr. and Mrs. (of Aynhoe) [3] +Casa Guidi (Browning's residence at Florence) [2] +Cattermole, Mr. [1] +Cavour, Count, death of [1] +Channel, Mr. (afterwards Sir William), and Frank [1] +Chapman & Hall, Messrs. (publishers) [2] +Cholmondeley, Mr. (Condover) [3] +Chorley, Mr. [1] +Cini, Dr. (Venice) [1] +Clairvoyance, an instance of [1] +Coddington, Miss Fannie (afterwards Mrs. R. Barrett Browning) [1] +Colvin, Mr. Sidney [1] +Corkran, Mrs. Fraser [2] +Cornaro, Catharine [3] +Cornhill Magazine: why 'Herve Riel' appeared in it [2] +Corson, Professor [1] +Crosse, Mrs. Andrew [1] +'Croxall's Fables', Browning's early fondness for [1] +Curtis, Mr. [1] + +Dale, Mr. (actor) [1] +Davidson, Captain (of the 'Norham Castle', 1838) [2] +Davies, Rev. Llewellyn [1] +Debt, Browning's mock defence of (in the 'Trifler') [1] +Dickens, Charles [5] +Domett, Alfred (incl. 'On a certain Critique of Pippa Passes') [3] +Dourlans, M. Gustave [1] +Doyle, Sir Francis H. [1] +Dufferin, Lord [1] +Dulwich Gallery [1] + +Eclectic Review, the (review of Browning's works) [1] +Eden, Mr. Frederic [1] +Egerton-Smith, Miss [2] +Elgin, Lady [3] +Elstree (Macready's residence) [2] +Elton, Mr. (actor) [1] +Engadine, the [2] +Examiner (review of 'Paracelsus') [1] + +Fano [1] +'Father Prout' (Mr. Mahoney) [1] +Faucit, Miss Helen--as Lady Carlisle in 'Strafford'; as Mildred + in 'A Blot in the 'Scutcheon'; as Colombe in 'Colombe's Birthday' [3] +Fiori, Margherita (Browning's nurse) [1] +Fisher, Mr. (artist) [1] +Fitzgerald, Mr. Edward [1] +Fitz-Gerald, Mrs. [1] +Florence [6] +Flower, Miss [5] +Flower, Mr. Benjamin (editor of the 'Cambridge Intelligencer') [1] +Fontainebleau [1] +Forster, Mr. John [11] +Fortia, Marquis de [1] +Fox, Miss Caroline [1] +Fox, Miss Sarah [1] +Fox, Mr. W. J. (incl. election for Oldham) [10] +Furnivall, Dr. [5] + +Gaisford, Mr., and Lady Alice [1] +Galuppi, Baldassaro [1] +Gibraltar [1] +Ginnasi, Count (Ravenna) [1] +Giustiniani-Recanati, Palazzo (Venice) [1] +Gladstone, Mr. [1] +Glasgow, University of [1] +Goldoni, Browning's sonnet to [1] +Goltz, M. (Austrian Minister at Rome) [1] +Gosse's 'Personalia' [4] +Green, Mr. [1] +Gressoney Saint-Jean [1] +Guerande (Brittany) [1] +Guidi Palace (Casa Guidi) [1] +Gurney, Rev. Archer [1] + +Hanmer, Sir John (afterwards Lord Hanmer) [1] +Haworth, Miss Euphrasia Fanny [2] +Haworth, Mr. Frederick [1] +Hawthorne, Nathaniel [1] +Hazlitt, Mr. [1] +Heyermans, M. (artist; Antwerp) [1] +Hickey, Miss E. H. [2] +Hill, Mr. Frank (editor of the 'Daily News', 1884) [1] +Hood, Mr. Thomas [1] +Horne, Mr. [1] +Hugo, Victor [1] + +Ion, the Ion supper [1] + +Jameson, Mrs. Anna [1] +Jebb-Dyke, Mrs. [1] +Jerningham, Miss [1] +Jersey [1] +Jewsbury, Miss Geraldine [1] +Joachim, Professor [1] +Jones, Mr. Edward Burne [1] +Jones, Rev. Thomas [1] +Jowett, Dr. [3] + +Kean, Mr. Edmund [1] +Keats [1] +Keepsake, The [1] +Kemble, Mrs. Fanny [1] +Kenyon, Mr. John [5] +King, Mr. Joseph [1] +Kirkup, Mr. [2] +Knight, Professor (St. Andrews) [2] + +Lamartine, M. de [1] +Lamb, Charles [1] +Landor, Walter Savage [5] +La Saisiaz [2] +Layard, Sir Henry and Lady [2] +Le Croisic (Brittany) [1] +Leigh Hunt [1] +Leighton, Mr. (afterwards Sir Frederic) [2] +'Les Charmettes' (Chambery: Rousseau's residence) [1] +Le Strange, Mrs. Guy [1] +Lewis, Miss (Harpton) [1] +Literary Gazette (review of 'Pauline') [1] +Literary World, the Boston, U.S. (on 'Colombe's Birthday') [1] +Llangollen [2] +Llantysilio Church [1] +Lloyd, Captain [1] +Locker, Mr. F. (now Mr. Locker-Lampson) [2] +Lockhart [1] +Lucca [4] +Lyons, Mr. (son of Sir Edmund) [1] +Lytton, Mr. (now Lord) [3] + +Maclise, Mr. (artist) [2] +Macready, Mr. [5] +Macready, Willy (eldest son of the actor): his illustrations + to the 'Pied Piper' [1] +Mahoney, Rev. Francis ('Father Prout') [1] +Manning, Rev. Dr. (afterwards Cardinal) [1] +Manzoni Palace (Venice) [1] +Martin, Lady [3] +Martin, Sir Theodore [1] +Martineau, Miss [4] +Mazzini, Signor [1] +Melvill, Rev. H. (afterwards Canon) [2] +Meredith, Mr. George [1] +Mill, Mr. J. S. [3] +Milnes, Mr. Monckton (afterwards Lord Houghton) [4] +Milsand, M. Joseph [4] +Minich, Dr. (Venice) [1] +Mitford, Miss [3] +Mocenigo, Countess (Venice) [1] +Mohl, Madame [2] +Monthly Repository (incl. Browning's contributions to) [4] +Moore, Mrs. Bloomfield [2] +Morgan, Lady [1] +Morison, Mr. James Cotter [1] +Mortimer, Mr. [2] +Moulton-Barrett, Mr. George [3] +Moxon, Mr. (publisher) [4] +Murray, Miss Alma (actress) [1] +Musset, Alfred and Paul de [1] + +Naples [1] +National Magazine, the: Mrs. Browning's portrait in (1859) [1] +Nencioni, Professor (Florence) [1] +Nettleship, Mr. J. T. [1] +New Shakspere Society [1] +Noel, Mr. Roden [1] + +Ogle, Dr. John [1] +Ogle, Miss (author of 'A Lost Love') [1] +Osbaldistone, Mr. (manager of Covent Garden Theatre, 1836) [1] +Ossoli, Countess Margaret Fuller [1] +Oxford (incl. Browning's visit to, 1877) [2] + +Palgrave, Mr. Francis [1] +Palgrave, Mr. Reginald [1] +Paris [2] +Patterson, Monsignor [1] +Phelps, Mr. (actor) [3] +Pirate-ship, wreck of [1] +Pisa [1] +Poetical contest, a Roman [1] +Pollock, Sir Frederick (1843) [1] +Pornic [2] +Powell, Mr. Thomas [2] +Power, Miss (editor of 'The Keepsake') [1] +Powers, Mr. (American sculptor) [1] +Primiero [1] +Prinsep, Mr. Val [6] +Pritchard, Captain [1] +Procter, Mr. Bryan Waller (Barry Cornwall) [4] + +Quaire, Madame du [2] +Quarles' Emblemes [1] + +Ravenna [1] +Ready, the two Misses, preparatory school [3] +Ready, Rev. Thomas (Browning's first schoolmaster) [2] +Regan, Miss [1] +Reid, Mr. Andrew [1] +Relfe, Mr. John (musician) [1] +Rezzonico Palace (Venice), the [2] +Richmond, Rev. Thomas [1] +Ripert-Monclar, Count de [4] +Robertson, Mr. John (editor of 'Westminster Review', 1838) [1] +Robinson, Miss Mary (now Mrs. James Darmesteter) [1] +Rome [2] +Rossetti, Mr. Dante Gabriel (incl. death of his wife) [4] +Ruskin, Mr. [1] +Russell, Lady William [1] +Russell, Mr. Odo (afterwards Lord Ampthill) [2] + +Sabatier, Madame [1] +Saleve, the [2] +Sand, George [2] +Sartoris, Mrs. [4] +Saunders & Otley, Messrs. [2] +Scott, Rev. Dr. (Master of Balliol, 1867) [1] +Scotti, Mr. [1] +Scottish Art Review, the, Mr. Mortimer's 'Note on Browning' in [1] +Seraverra [1] +Sharp, Mr. [4] +Shelley (incl. Browning's Essay on; his grave) [4] +Shrewsbury, Lord [1] +Sidgwick, Mr. A. [1] +Siena [2] +Silverthorne, Mrs. [2] +Simeon, Sir John [1] +Smith, Miss (second wife of the poet's grandfather) [1] +Smith, Mr. George Murray [1] +Southey [1] +Spezzia [1] +Spiritualism (incl. a pretending medium) [2] +Spluegen [1] +St. Andrews University [1] +St.-Aubin (M. Milsand's residence) [2] +St.-Enogat (near Dinard) [1] +St.-Pierre la Chartreuse (incl. a tragic occurrence there) [2] +Stanley, Dean [1] +Stanley, Lady Augusta [1] +Stendhal, Henri [2] +Sterling, Mr. John [1] +Stirling, Mrs. (actress) [1] +Story, Mr. and Mrs. William [7] +Sturtevant, Miss [1] +Sue, Eugene [1] + +Tablets, Memorial [3] +Tait's Magazine [1] +Talfourd, Serjeant [3] +Taylor, Sir Henry [1] +Tennyson, Mr. Alfred (afterwards Lord Tennyson) [2] +Tennyson, Mr. Frederick [1] +Thackeray, Miss Annie [1] +Thackeray, Mr. W. M. [2] +Thaxter, Mrs. (Celia) (Boston, U.S.) [1] +Thaxter, Mr. Levi (Boston, U.S.) [1] +Thomson, Mr. James: his application of the term 'Gothic' + to Browning's work [1] +Tittle, Miss Margaret [1] +Trelawney, Mr. E. J. (1844) [1] +Trifler, The (amateur magazine) [1] +True Sun, the (review of 'Strafford') [1] + +Universo, Hotel dell' (Venice) [1] + +Vallombrosa [1] +Venice [6] +Vigna, Dr. da (Venice) [1] + +Wagner [1] +Warburton, Mr. Eliot [1] +Watts, Dr. [1] +Westminster, Dean of [2] +Widman, Counts [1] +Wiedemann, Mr. William [1] +Williams, Rev. J. D. W. (vicar of Bottisham, Cambs.) [1] +Wilson (Mrs. Browning's maid) [6] +Wilson, Mr. Effingham (publisher) [1] +Wiseman, Mrs. (mother of Cardinal Wiseman) [1] +Wolseley, Lady [1] +Wolseley, Lord [1] +Woolner, Mr. [1] +Wordsworth [3] +Wordsworth Society, the [2] + +</pre> + <p> + <br /> <br /> + </p> +<pre xml:space="preserve"> + + + + + +End of the Project Gutenberg EBook of Life and Letters of Robert Browning, by +Mrs. Sutherland Orr + +*** END OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK LIFE AND LETTERS OF ROBERT *** + +***** This file should be named 655-h.htm or 655-h.zip ***** +This and all associated files of various formats will be found in: + http://www.gutenberg.org/6/5/655/ + +Produced by Alan Light and David Widger + +Updated editions will replace the previous one--the old editions +will be renamed. + +Creating the works from public domain print editions means that no +one owns a United States copyright in these works, so the Foundation +(and you!) can copy and distribute it in the United States without +permission and without paying copyright royalties. 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