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 A3C>
 
 GEOEGE ELIOT'S LIFE 
 
 Vol. i.-UNKNOWN
 
 "OUR FINEST HOPE IS FINEST MEMORY"
 
 GEORGE ELIOT - 1864, 
 
 Dr^wn by M-^ Frederic B'urton 
 
 Etched by M^Paui Bajon.
 
 GEORGE ELIOT'S LIFE 
 
 AS 
 
 EELATED IN HER LETTERS 
 AND JOURNALS 
 
 ^l;ot^ GeoR^&, pseud., ie ^^.a#!>a^ £"y«*««% 
 a5ttRMJoAci& Cross. 
 
 ARRANGED AND EDITED BY HER HUSBAND 
 
 J. W. CEOSS 
 
 IN THREE VOLUMES 
 VOL. I. 
 
 WILLIAM BLACKWOOD AND SONS 
 
 EDINBURGH AND LONDON 
 
 MDCCCLXXXV

 
 P E E F A C E. 
 
 With the materials in my hands I have endeav- 
 oured to form an cndoMogrcqjhy (if the term may 
 be permitted) of George Eliot. The life has been 
 allowed to write itself in extracts from her letters 
 and journals. Free from the obtrusion of any mind 
 but her own, this method serves, I tliink, better 
 than any other open to me, to show the develop- 
 ment of her intellect and character. 
 
 In dealing with the correspondence, I have been 
 influenced by the desire to make known the 
 woman, as well as the author, through the pre- 
 sentation of her daily life. 
 
 On the intellectual side there remains little to 
 be learnt by those who already know George Eliot's 
 books. In the twenty volumes which she wrote 
 and published in her lifetime, will be found her
 
 vi Preface. 
 
 best and ripest thoughts. The letters now pub- 
 lished throw light on another side of her nature — 
 not less important, but hitherto unknown to the 
 public — the side of the affections. 
 
 The intimate life was the core of the root from 
 which sprung the fairest flowers of her inspiration. 
 Fame came to her late in life, and, when it pre- 
 sented itself, was so weighted with the sense of re- 
 sponsibility, that it was in truth a rose with many 
 thorns, for George Eliot had the temperament that 
 shrinks from the position of a public character. 
 The belief in the wide, and I may add in the be- 
 neficent, effect of her writing, was no doubt the 
 highest happiness, the reward of the artist which 
 she greatly cherished : but the joys of the hearth- 
 side, the delight in the love of her friends, were 
 the supreme pleasures in her life. 
 
 By arranging all the letters and journals so as to 
 form one connected whole, keeping the order of their 
 dates, and with the least possible interruption of 
 comment, I have endeavoured to combine a narrative 
 of day-to-day life with the play of light and shade, 
 which only letters, written in various moods, can 
 give, and without which no portrait can be a good
 
 Preface. vii 
 
 likeness. I do not know that the particular method 
 in which I have treated the letters has ever been 
 adopted before. Each letter has been pruned of 
 everything that seemed to me irrelevant to my 
 purpose — of everything that I thought my wife 
 would have wished to be omitted. Every sentence 
 that remains, adds, in my judgment, something 
 (however small it may be) to the means of forming 
 a conclusion about her character. I ought perhaps 
 to say a word of apology for what may appear to 
 be undue detail of travelling experiences; but I 
 hope that to many readers these will be interest- 
 ing, as reflected through George Eliot's mind. The 
 remarks on works of art are only meant to be 
 records of impressions. She would have depre- 
 cated for herself the attitude of an art critic. 
 
 Excepting a slight introductory sketch of the 
 girlhood, up to the time when letters became avail- 
 able, and a few words here and there to elucidate 
 the correspondence, I have confined myself to the 
 work of selection and arrangement. 
 
 I have refrained almost entirely from quoting 
 remembered sayings by George Eliot, because it 
 is difficult to be certain of complete accuracy,
 
 viii Preface. 
 
 and everything depends upon accuracy. EecoUec- 
 tions of conversation are seldom to be implicitly 
 trusted in the absence of notes made at the time. 
 The value of spoken words depends, too, so much 
 upon the tone, and on the circu.mstances which gave 
 rise to their utterance, that they often mislead as 
 much as they enlighten, when, in the process of 
 repetition, they have taken colour from another 
 mind. " All interpretations depend upon the 
 interpreter," and I have judged it best to let 
 George Eliot be her own interpreter, as far as 
 possible. 
 
 I owe thanks to Mr Isaac Evans, the brother of 
 my wife, for much of the information in regard 
 to her child-life ; and the whole book is a long 
 record of debts due to other friends for letters. 
 It is not therefore necessary for me to recapitulate 
 the list of names in this place. My thanks to all 
 are heartfelt. But there is a very special acknow- 
 ledgment due to Miss Sara Hennell, to Mrs Bray, 
 and to the late Mr Charles Bray of Coventry, not 
 only for the letters which they placed at my 
 disposal, but also for much information given 
 to me in the most friendly spirit. The very im-
 
 Preface. ix 
 
 portant part of the life from 1842 to 1854 could 
 not possibly have been written without their con- 
 tribution. 
 
 To Mr Charles Lewes, also, I am indebted for 
 permission to make use of some valuable letters 
 written by his father, besides the letters addressed 
 to himself. He also obtained for me an important 
 letter written by George Eliot to Mr E. H. Hutton ; 
 and throughout the preparation of the book I 
 have had the advantage of his sympathetic in- 
 terest, and his concurrence in the publication of 
 all the materials. 
 
 Special thanks are likewise due to Messrs Wm. 
 Blackwood & Sons for having placed at my dis- 
 posal George Eliot's long correspondence with the 
 firm. The letters (especially those addressed to 
 her friend the late Mr John Blackwood) throw a 
 light, that could not otherwise have been obtained, 
 on the most interesting part of her literary career. 
 
 To the legal representatives of the late Charles 
 Dickens, of the late Lord Lytton, and of Mrs 
 Carlyle; to Mr J. A. Froude, and to the Rev. 
 Archer Gurney, — I owe thanks for leave to print 
 letters written by them.
 
 X Preface. 
 
 For all the defects that there may be in the 
 plan of these volumes, I alone am responsible. 
 The lines were determined, and the work was 
 substantially put into shape, before I submitted 
 the manuscript to any one. Wliilst passing the 
 winter in the south of France, I had the good 
 fortune at Cannes to find in Lord Acton not only 
 an enthusiastic admirer of George Eliot, but also 
 a friend always most kindly ready to assist me 
 with valuable counsel and with cordial generous 
 sympathy. He was the first reader of the manu- 
 script, and whatever accuracy may have been 
 arrived at, particularly in the names of foreign 
 books, foreign persons, and foreign places, is in 
 great part due to his friendly, careful help. But 
 of course he has no responsibility whatever for 
 any of my sins of omission or commission. 
 
 As regards the illustrations, I owe thanks to 
 Sir Frederic Burton for permitting me to repro- 
 duce as a frontispiece M. Eajon's etching of the 
 beautiful drawing, executed in 1864, now in the 
 National Portrait Gallery, South Kensington. 
 
 The Geneva portrait was taken in the early part 
 of 1850, by George Eliot's old friend M. d'Albert
 
 Preface xi 
 
 Durade. He was good enough to allow me to 
 become the j)ossessor of it m 1881. 
 
 The view of the old house at Eosehill is from a 
 drawing by Mrs Bray. It is connected with some 
 of George Eliot's happiest experiences, and with the 
 period of her most rapid intellectual development. 
 
 For permission to use the sketch of the draw- 
 ing-room at The Priory, I am indebted to Messrs 
 Harpers of New York. 
 
 The size of the volumes has been determined by 
 the desire to make this book uniform in appearance 
 with the original editions of George Eliot's "Works. 
 
 In conclusion, it is in no conventional spirit, but 
 from my heart, that I bespeak the indulgence of 
 readers for my share of this work. Of its short- 
 comings no one can be so convinced as I am myself. 
 
 J. W. C. 
 
 Campden Hill, December 1884.
 
 CONTENTS OF THE FIRST YOLUME. 
 
 PAGE 
 
 Introductory Sketch of Childhood, 1819 to 1838, . I 
 
 CHAPTER I. 
 
 AUGUST 1838 TO MARCH 1841. 
 
 Life at Griff, ...... 38 
 
 CHAPTER II. 
 
 MARCH 1841 TO APRIL 1846. 
 
 Coventry — Translation of Strauss, . . .84 
 
 CHAPTER III. 
 
 MAY 1846 TO MAY 1849. 
 
 Life in Coventry till Mr Evans's death, . . 146 
 
 CHAPTER IV. 
 
 JUNK 1849 TO MARCH 1850. 
 
 Geneva, ...... 207
 
 xiv Contents. 
 
 CHAPTER V. 
 
 MARCH 1850 TO JULY 1854. 
 
 Work in London — Union with Mr Lewes, . . 250 
 
 CHAPTER VL 
 
 JULY 1854 TO MARCH 1855. 
 
 Weimar and Berlin, ..... 332 
 CHAPTER VIL 
 
 MARCH 1855 TO DECEMBER 1857. 
 
 Richmond — ' Scenes of Clerical Life,' . . . 379
 
 ILLUSTRATIONS TO THE FIRST YOLUME. 
 
 Portrait of George Eliot. Etched by M. 
 
 Rajon, .... 
 Griff — Front View, 
 Griff — The Farm Offices, 
 House in Foleshill Road, Coventry, 
 Portrait of Mr Robert Evans, 
 rosehill, .... 
 
 Frontispiece. 
 
 To face 2}. 8 
 
 16 
 
 84 
 
 „ 204 
 
 250
 
 GEOKGE ELIOT^S LIFE. 
 
 INTRODUCTOEY SKETCH OF CHILDHOOD. 
 
 "Nov. 22, 1819. — Mary Ann Evans was born at 
 Arbury Farm/ at five o'clock this morning." 
 
 This is an entry in ]\Ir Eobert Evans's hand- 
 writmg on the page of an old diary that now lies 
 before me, and records, with characteristic pre- 
 cision, the birth of his youngest child, afterwards 
 known to the world as George Eliot, Let us 
 pause for a moment to pay its due homage to the 
 precision, because it was in all probability to this 
 most noteworthy quality of her father's nature 
 that the future author was indebted for one of the 
 principal elements of her own after success — the 
 enormous faculty for taking pains. The baby was 
 born on St Cecilia's day, and Mr Evans, being a 
 
 1 The farm is also known as the South Farm, Arbury. 
 VOL. I. A
 
 2 Fathers Career. [griff, 
 
 good Churchman, takes her, on the 29th November, 
 to be baptised in the church at Chilvers Coton — 
 the parish in which Arbury Farm lies — a church 
 destined to impress itself strongly on the child's 
 imagination, and to be known by many people 
 in many lands afterwards as Shepperton Church. 
 The father was a remarkable man, and many of 
 the leading traits in his character are to be 
 found in Adam Bede and in Caleb Garth — al- 
 though, of course, neither of these is a portrait. 
 He was born in 1773, at Ellaston, in Stafford- 
 shire, son of a George Evans, who carried on the 
 business of builder and carpenter there : the Evans 
 family having come originally from Northop, in 
 Flintshire. Eobert was brought up to the business ; 
 but about 1799, or a little before, he held a farm of 
 Mr Francis Newdigate at Kirk Hallam, in Derby- 
 shire, and became his agent. On Sir Koger 
 Newdigate's death, the Arbury estate came to Mr 
 Francis Newdigate for his life, and Mr Evans 
 accompanied him into Warwickshire in 1806 in 
 the capacity of agent. In 1801 he had married 
 Harriott Poynton, by whom he had two children 
 — Eobert, born 1802, at Ellaston, and Frances 
 Lucy, born 1805, at Kirk Hallam. His first wife 
 died in 1809; and on 8 th February 1813 he mar-
 
 1819.] Removal to Grif. 3 
 
 ried Christiana Pearson, by whom he had three 
 chikben — Christiana, born 1814; Isaac, born 1816 ; 
 and Mary Ann, born 1819. Shortly after the last 
 child's birth, Eobert, the son, became the agent, 
 under his father, for the Kirk Hallam property, 
 and Kved there with his sister Frances, who after- 
 wards married a Mr Houghton. In March 1820, 
 when the baby girl was only four months old, the 
 Evans family removed to Griff', a charming red- 
 brick, i\y- covered house on the Arbury estate — 
 "the warm little nest wdiere her affections were 
 fledged" — and there George Eliot spent the first 
 twenty-one years of her life. 
 
 Let us remember what the England was upon 
 which this observant child opened her eyes. 
 
 The date of her birth was removed from the 
 beguming of the French Eevolution by just the 
 same period of time as separates a child born this 
 year, 1884, from the beginning of the Crimean War. 
 To a man of forty-six to-day, the latter event seems 
 but of yesterday. It took place at a very impres- 
 sionable period of his life, and the remembrance of 
 every detail is perfectly vivid. Mr Evans was 
 forty-six when his youngest child was born. He 
 was a youth of sixteen when the Eevolution began, 
 and that mighty event, with all its consequences, had
 
 4 Recollections of Fatlicr. [griff, 
 
 left an indelible impression on him, and the con- 
 victions and conclusions it had fostered in his 
 mind permeated through to his children, and en- 
 tered as an indestructible element into the sus- 
 ceptible soul of his youngest daughter. There are 
 bits in the paper " Looking Backward," in ' Theo- 
 phrastus Such,' which are true autobiography. 
 
 " In my earliest remembrance of my father his hair 
 was already grey, for I was his youngest child ; and 
 it seemed to me that advanced age was appropriate 
 to a father, as indeed in all respects I considered 
 him a parent so much to my honour, that the men- 
 tion of my relationship to him was likely to secure 
 me regard among those to whom I was otherwise a 
 stranger — his stories from his life including so 
 many names of distant persons, that my imagination 
 placed no limit to his acquaintanceship. . . . Nor 
 can I be sorry, though myself given to meditative 
 if not active innovation, that my father was a Tory 
 who had not exactly a dislike to innovators and 
 dissenters, but a slight opinion of them as persons 
 of ill-founded self-confidence. . . . And I often 
 smile at my consciousness that certain conservative 
 prepossessions have mingled themselves for me with 
 the influences of our midland scenery, from the tops 
 of the elms down to the buttercups and the little
 
 1819.] Influence of Fathers Ideas. 5 
 
 wayside vetches. Naturally enough. That part of 
 my father's prime to which he oftenest referred had 
 fallen on the days when the great wave of political 
 enthusiasm and belief in a speedy regeneration of 
 all things had ebbed, and the supposed millennial 
 initiative of France was turning into a Napoleonic 
 empire. ... To my father's mind the noisy 
 teachers of revolutionary doctrine were, to speak 
 mildly, a variable mixture of the fool and the 
 scoundrel ; the welfare of the nation lay in a strong 
 Government which could maintam order ; and I was 
 accustomed to hear him utter the word ' Govern- 
 ment' in a tone that charged it with awe, and 
 made it part of my effective religion, in contrast 
 with the word ' rebel,' which seemed to carry the 
 stamp of evil in its syllables, and, lit Ijy the fact 
 that Satan was the first rebel, made an argument 
 dispensing with more detailed inquiry." 
 
 This early association of ideas must always be [ 
 borne in mind, as it is the key to a great deal in 
 the mental attitude of the future thinker and writer. 
 It is the foundation of the latent Conservative bias. 
 
 The year 1819 is memorable as a culminating 
 period of bad times and political discontent in 
 England. The nation was suffering acutely from 
 the reaction after the excitement of the last Na-
 
 6 Retrospect of Tear 1819. [griff, 
 
 poleonic war, George IV. did not come to the 
 throne till January 1820, so that George Eliot 
 was born in the reign of George III, The trial 
 of Queen Caroline was the topic of absorbing 
 public interest, Waterloo was not yet an affair 
 of five years old. Byron had four years, and 
 Goethe had thirteen years, still to live. The 
 last of Miss Austen's novels had been pub- 
 lished only eighteen months, and the first of the 
 Waverley series only six years before. Thackeray 
 and Dickens were boys at school, and George 
 Sand, as a girl of fifteen, was leaving her loved 
 freedom on the banks of the Indre for the Con- 
 vent des Anglaises at Paris. That " Greater Bri- 
 tain " (Canada and Australia), which to-day forms 
 so large a reading public, was then scarcely more 
 than a geographical expression, with less than half 
 a million of inhabitants, all told, where at present 
 there are eight millions ; and in the United States, 
 where more copies of George Eliot's books are now 
 sold than in any other quarter of the world, the 
 population then numbered less than ten million 
 where to-day it is fifty - five million. Including 
 Great Britain, these English-speaking races have 
 increased from thirty million in 1820 to one hun- 
 dred million in 1884; and with the corresponding
 
 1820.] Remoteness of Country Districts. 7 
 
 increase in education we can form some conception 
 how a popular English writer's fame has widened 
 its circle. 
 
 There was a remoteness about a detached country 
 house, in the England of those days, difficult for 
 us to conceive now with our railways, penny post, 
 and telegraphs ; nor is the Warwickshire country 
 about Grift' an exhilaratmg surrounding. There 
 are neither hills nor vales — no rivers, lakes, or sea 
 — nothing but a monotonous succession of green 
 fields and hedgerows, with some fine trees. The 
 only water to be seen is the " brown canal." The 
 effect of such a landscape on an ordinary oljserver 
 is not inspiring, but "effective magic is transcen- 
 dent nature ; " and with her transcendent nature 
 George Eliot has transfigured these scenes, dear 
 to midland souls, into many an idyllic picture, 
 known to those who know her books. In her 
 childhood the great event of the day was the 
 passing of the coach before the gate of Griff house, 
 which lies at a bend of the highroad between 
 Coventry and Nuneaton, and within a couple of 
 miles of the mining village of Bedworth, where 
 the land began " to be blackened with coal-pits, 
 the rattle of handlooms to be heard in hamlets and 
 villages. Here were powerful men walking queerly
 
 8 Country about Bcdworth. [griff, 
 
 witli knees bent outward from squatting in the 
 mine, going home to throw themselves down in 
 their blackened flannel and sleep through the 
 daylight, then rise and spend much of their high 
 wages at the ale-house with their fellows of the 
 Benefit Club ; here the pale eager faces of hand- 
 loom - weavers, men and women, haggard from 
 sitting up late at night to finish the week's work, 
 hardly begun till the Wednesday. Everywhere 
 the cottages and the small children were dirty, 
 for the languid mothers gave their strength to 
 the loom; pious Dissenting women, perhaps, who 
 took life patiently, and thought that salvation 
 depended chiefly on predestination, and not at all 
 on cleanliness. The gables of Dissenting chapels 
 now made a visible sign of religion, and of a 
 meeting-place to counterbalance the ale-house, even 
 in the hamlets. . . . Here was a population not 
 convinced that old England was as good as pos- 
 sible ; here were multitudinous men and women 
 aware that their religion was not exactly the 
 religion of their rulers, who might therefore be 
 better than they were, and who, if better, might 
 alter many things which now made the world 
 perhaps more painful than it need be, and cer- 
 tainly more sinful. Yet there were the grey
 
 O
 
 1823.] Mamifacturing Region. 9 
 
 steeples too, and the churchyards, with their grassy 
 mounds and venerable headstones, sleeping in the 
 sunlight; there were broad fields and homesteads, 
 and fine old woods covering a rising ground, or 
 stretching far by the roadside, allowing only peeps 
 at the park and mansion which they shut in from 
 the working-day world. In these midland districts 
 the traveller passed rapidly from one phase of Eng- 
 lish life to another : after looking down on a village 
 dingy with coal - dust, noisy with the shaking of 
 looms, he might skirt a parish all of fields, high 
 hedges, and deep - rutted lanes ; after the coach 
 had rattled over the pavement of a manufacturing 
 town, the scene of riots and trades-union meet- 
 ino-s, it would take him in another ten minutes 
 into a rural region, where the neighbourhood of 
 the town was only felt in the advantages of a 
 near market for corn, cheese, and hay, and where 
 men with a considerable banking account were 
 accustomed to say that 'they never meddled with 
 politics themselves.' " ^ 
 
 We can imagine the excitement of a little four- 
 year -old girl and her seven -year -old brother 
 waiting on bright frosty mornings to hear the 
 far-off ringing beat of the horses' feet upon the 
 
 1 'Felix Holt' — Intro(Uictiou.
 
 1 Coaching Days. [griff, 
 
 hard ground, and then to see the gallant appear- 
 ance of the four greys, with coachman and guard 
 in scarlet, outside passengers muffled up in furs, 
 and baskets of game and other packages hanging 
 behind the boot, as his IMajesty's mail swung 
 cheerily round on its way from Birmingham to 
 Stamford. Two coaches passed the door daily — 
 one from Birmingham at 10 o'clock in the morn- 
 ing, the other from Stamford at 3 o'clock in the 
 afternoon. These were the chief connecting links 
 between the hoiisehold at Griff and the outside 
 world. Otherwise life went on with that mono- 
 tonous regularity which distinguishes the country 
 from the town. And it is to these circumstances 
 of her early life that a great part of the quality 
 of George Eliot's writing is due, and that she 
 holds the place she has attained in English lit- 
 erature. Her roots were down in the pre-railroad, 
 pre-telegraphic period — the days of fine old leisure ' 
 — but the fruit was formed during an era of ex- 
 traordinary activity in scientific and mechanical 
 discovery. Her genius was the outcome of these 
 conditions. It could not have existed in the same 
 form deprived of either influence. Her father was 
 busy Ijoth with his own farm work and increasing 
 agency business. He was already remarked in
 
 1823.] Father's Position. 11 
 
 Warwickshire for his knowledge and judgment 
 in all matters relating to land, and for his general 
 trustworthiness and high character, so that he was 
 constantly selected as arbitrator and valuer. He 
 had a w^onderful eye, especially for valuing woods, 
 and could calculate with almost absolute precision 
 the quantity of available timber in a standing 
 tree. In addition to his merits as a man of busi- 
 ness, he had the good fortune to possess the warm 
 friendship and consistent support of Colonel ISTew- 
 digate of xlstley Castle, son of Mr Francis ISTewdi- 
 gate of Arbury, and it was mainly through the 
 Colonel's introduction and influence that Mr Evans 
 became agent also to Lord Aylesford, Lord Lifford, 
 Mr Bromley Davenport, and several others. 
 
 His position cannot be better summed up than 
 in the words of his daughter, writing to ]Mr Bray on 
 30th September 1859, in regard to some one who 
 had written of her, after the appearance of ' Adam 
 Bede,' as a " self-educated farmer's daughter." 
 
 " My father did not raise hunself from being an 
 artisan to be a farmer : he raised himself from 
 being an artisan to be a man whose extensive know- 
 ledge in very varied practical departments made his 
 services valued through several counties. He had 
 large knowledge of building, of mines, of plantations,
 
 1 2 Father's Position. [geiff, 
 
 of various branches of valuation and measurement — 
 of all that is essential to the management of large 
 estates. He was held by those competent to judge 
 as unique amongst land agents for his manifold 
 knowledge and experience, which enabled him to 
 save the special fees usually paid by landowners 
 for special opinions on the different questions inci- 
 dent to the proprietorship of land. So far as I am 
 personally concerned, I should not write a stroke to 
 prevent any one, in the zeal of antithetic eloquence, 
 from calling me a tinker's daughter: but if my 
 father is to be mentioned at all — if he is to be 
 identified with an imaginary character, — my piety 
 towards his memory calls on me to point out to 
 those who are supposed to speak with information 
 what he really achieved in life." 
 
 Mr Evans was also — like Adam Bede — note- 
 worthy for his extraordinary physical strength and 
 determination of character. There is a story told 
 of him, that one day when he was travelling on 
 the top of a coach, down in Kent, a decent woman 
 sitting next him complained that a great hulking 
 sailor on her other side was making himself offen- 
 sive. Mr Evans changed places with the woman, 
 and taking the sailor by the collar, forced him 
 down under the seat, and held him there with an
 
 1823.] Mother's Family. 13 
 
 iron hand for the remainder of the stage : and at 
 Griff it is still remembered that the master hap- 
 pening to pass one day whilst a conple of labourers 
 were waiting for a third to help to move the high 
 heavy ladder used for thatching ricks, braced him- 
 self up to a great effort, and carried the ladder 
 alone and unaided from one rick to the other, to 
 the wide-eyed wonder and admiration of his men. 
 With all this strength, however, both of iDody and 
 of character, he seems to have combined a certain 
 self-distrust, owing perhaps to his early imperfect 
 education, which resulted in a general submissive- 
 ness in his domestic relations, more or less por- 
 trayed in the character of Mr Garth, 
 
 His second wife was a woman with an unusual 
 amount of natural force — a shrewd practical per- 
 son, with a considerable dash of the Mrs Poyser 
 vein in her. Hers was an affectionate, warm- 
 hearted nature, and her children, on whom she cast 
 "the benediction of her gaze," were thoroughly 
 attached to her. She came of a race of yeomen, 
 and her social position was therefore rather better 
 than her husband's at the time of their marriage. 
 Her family are, no doubt, prototypes of the Dod- 
 sons in the ' Mill on the Floss.' There were three 
 other sisters married and all living in the neigh-
 
 1 4 Dames School. [gkiff, 
 
 bourhood of Griff ^ — -Mrs Everard, Mrs Johnson, 
 and Mrs Garner, — and proljably Mr Evans heard 
 a good deal about " the traditions in tlie Pearson 
 family." Mrs Evans was a very active hard-work- 
 ing woman, but shortly after her last child's birth 
 she became ailing in health, and consequently her 
 eldest girl, Christiana, was sent to school at a 
 very early age, to Miss Lathom's at Attleboro — a 
 village a mile or two from Griff, — whilst the two 
 younger children spent some part of their time 
 every day at the cottage of a Mrs Moore, who kept 
 a Dame's school close to Griff gates. The little 
 girl very early became possessed with the idea 
 that she was going to be a personage in the 
 world ; and Mr Charles Lewes has told me an 
 anecdote which George Eliot related of herself 
 as characteristic of this period of her child- 
 hood. Wlien she was only four years old she 
 recollected playing on the piano, of which she 
 did not know one note, in order to impress the 
 servant with a proper notion of her acquirements 
 and generally distinguished position. This was 
 the time when the love for her brother grew in to 
 the child's affections. She used always to be at 
 his heels, insisting on doing everything he did. 
 She was not in these baby-days in the least pre-
 
 1824.] Exclusive Disposition. 15 
 
 cocious in learning. In fact, her half-sister, Mrs 
 Houghton — who was some fourteen years her 
 senior — told me that the child learned to read 
 with some difficulty ; but Mr Isaac Evans says that 
 this was not from any slowness in apprehension, 
 hut because she liked playing so much better. 
 Mere sharpness, however, was not a characteristic 
 of her mind. Hers was a large, slow - growing 
 nature ; and I thmk it is at any rate certain that 
 there was nothing of the infant phenomenon about 
 her. In her moral development she showed, from 
 the earliest years, the trait that was most marked 
 in her all through life — namely, the absolute need 
 of some one person who should be all in all to her, 
 and to whom she should be all in all. Very 
 jealous in her affections, and easily moved to smiles 
 or tears, she was of a nature capable of the keen- 
 est enjoyment and the keenest suffering, knowing 
 " all the wealth and all the woe " of a pre-eminently 
 exclusive disposition. She was affectionate, proud, 
 and sensitive in the highest degree. 
 
 The sort of happiness that belongs to this bud- 
 ding time of life — from the age of three to five — 
 is apt to impress itself very strongly on the memory ; 
 and it is this period which is referred to in the 
 Brother and Sister Sonnet, " But were another child-
 
 16 Miss Lathom's School at Attlcboro. [GRIFF, 
 
 hood's world my share, I would be born a little sister 
 there," When her brother was eight years old, he 
 was sent to school at Coventry, and, her mother 
 continuing in very delicate health, the little Mary 
 Ann, now five years of age, went to join her sister 
 at Miss Lathom's school at Attleboro, where they 
 continued as boarders for three or four years, 
 coming occasionally home to Griff on Saturdays. 
 During one of our walks at Witley, in 1880, 
 my wife mentioned to me that what chiefly re- 
 mained in her recollection about this very early 
 school-life was the difficulty of getting near enough 
 the fire in winter, to become thoroughly warmed, 
 owing to the circle of girls forming round too nar- 
 row a fireplace. This suffering from cold was the 
 beginning of a low general state of health : also 
 at this time she began to be subject to fears at 
 night — "the susceptibility to terror" — which she 
 has described as haunting Gwendolen Harleth in 
 her childhood. The other girls in the school, who 
 w^ere all naturally very much older, made a great 
 pet of the child, and used to call her "little 
 mamma," and she was not unhappy except at 
 nights ; but she told me that this liability to 
 have "all her soul become a quivering fear," 
 which remained with her afterwards, had been one
 
 
 < 
 
 X 
 r-' 
 
 X 
 H 
 
 o
 
 1824.] Hafpy Childhood. 17 
 
 of the supremely important influences dominating 
 at times Lier future life. Mr Isaac Evans's chief re- 
 collection of this period is the delight of the little 
 sister at his home-coming for holidays, and her 
 anxiety to know all that he had been doing and 
 learnmg. The eldest child, who went by the name 
 of Chrissey, was the chief favourite of the aunts, as 
 she was always neat and tidy, and used to spend a 
 great deal of her time with them, whilst the other 
 two were inseparable playfellows at home. The 
 boy was his mother's pet and the girl her father's. 
 They had everything to make children happy at 
 Griff, — a delightful old-fashioned garden— a pond, 
 and the canal to fish in — and the farm offices, close 
 to the house — "the long cow-shed where gener- 
 ations of the milky mothers have stood patiently 
 — the broad - shouldered barns where the old- 
 fashioned flail once made resonant music," and 
 where butter - niakino; and cheese - makini^ were 
 carried on with great vigour by Mrs Evans. 
 
 Any one, about this time, who happened to look 
 through the window on the left-hand side of the 
 door of Griff house, would have seen a pretty 
 picture in the dining-room on Saturday evenings 
 after tea. The powerful middle-aged man with the 
 strongly-marked features sits in his deep leather- 
 VOL. I. B
 
 1 8 Home Life. [griff, 
 
 covered arm-chair, at tlie right-hand corner of the 
 ruddy fireplace, witli the head of " the little wench" 
 between his knees. The child turns over the book 
 with pictures that she wishes her father to explain 
 to her — or that perhaps she prefers explaining to 
 him. Her rebellious hair is all over her eyes, much 
 vexing the pale, energetic mother who sits on the 
 opposite side of the fire, cumbered with much 
 service, letting no instant of time escape the in- 
 evitable click of the knitting-needles — accompanied 
 by epigrammatic speech. The elder girl, prmi and 
 tidy, with her work before her, is hj her mother's 
 side ; and the brother, between the two groups, 
 keeps assuring himself by perpetual search that 
 none of his favourite means of amusement are 
 escaping from his pockets. The father is already 
 very proud of the astonishing and growing intelli- 
 gence of his little girl. From a very early age he 
 has been in the habit of taking her with him in 
 his drives about the neighbourhood, " standing be- 
 tween her father's knees as he drove leisurely," 
 so that she has drunk in knowledge of the country 
 and of country folk at all her pores. An old- 
 fashioned child, already living in a world of her 
 own imagination, impressible to her finger-tips, and 
 willing to give her views on any subject.
 
 1824.] iJarliest Reading. 19 
 
 The first book that George Eliot read, so far as I 
 have been able to ascertain, was a little volume 
 published in 1822, entitled ' The Linnet's Life,' 
 which she gave to me in the last year of her life, 
 at Witley. It bears the following inscription, 
 written some time before she gave it to me : — 
 
 " This little book is the first present I ever re- 
 member having received from my father. Let any 
 one who thinks of me with some tenderness after I 
 am dead, take care of this book for my sake. It made 
 me very happy when I held it in my little hands, 
 and read it over and over again ; and thought the 
 pictures beautiful, especially the one where the 
 linnet is feeding her young." 
 
 It must, I think, have been very shortly after 
 she received this present, that an old friend of the 
 family, who was in the habit of coming as a visitor 
 to Griff from time to time, used occasionally to 
 bring a book in his hand for the little girl. I very 
 well remember her expressing to me deep gratitude 
 for this early ministration to her childish delights ; 
 and Mr Burne Jones has been kind enough to tell 
 me of a conversation with George Eliot about 
 children's books, when she also referred to this old 
 gentleman's kindness. They were agreeing in dis- 
 paragement of some of the books that the rising
 
 20 First Journey to Stafioixlshire. [geiff, 
 
 generation take their pleasure in, and she recalled 
 the dearth of child - literature in her own home, 
 and her passionate delight and total absorption in 
 ^sop's Fables (given to her by the aforesaid old 
 gentleman), the possession of which liad opened 
 new worlds to her imagination. Mr Burne Jones 
 particularly remembers how she laughed till the 
 tears ran down her face in recalling her infantine 
 enjoyment of the humour in the fable of Mercury 
 and the Statue -seller. Having so few books at 
 this time, she read them again and again, until she 
 knew them l)y heart. One of them was a Joe 
 Miller jest-book, witli the stories from which she 
 used greatly to astonish the family cu'cle. But 
 the beginning of her serious reading-days did not 
 come till later. Meantime her talent for observa- 
 tion gained a glorious new field for employment in 
 her first journey from home, which took place m 
 1826. Her father and mother took her with them 
 on a little trip into Derbyshire and Staffordshire, 
 where she saw Mr Evans's relations, and they came 
 back through Lichfield, sleeping at the " Swan." ^ 
 They were away only a week, from the 18th to 
 the 24th of May ; but " wliat time is little " to an 
 imaginative, observant child of seven on her first 
 
 1 See post, Journal, Aug. 25, 1859— vol. ii. p. 132.
 
 1826.] Miss Wallingtons Scliool at Nuneaton. 21 
 
 journey ? About this time a deeply felt crisis 
 occurred in her life, as lier brother had a pony 
 given to him, to which he became passionately at- 
 tached. He developed an absorbing interest in 
 ridmg, and cared less and less to play with his 
 sister. The next important event happened in her 
 eighth or ninth year, when she was sent to Miss 
 Wallington's school at Nuneaton, with her sister. 
 This was a much larger school than Miss Lathom's 
 — there bemg some thirty girls, boarders. The 
 principal governess was Miss Lewis, who became 
 then, and remained for many years after, Mary Ann 
 Evans's most intimate friend and principal corre- 
 spondent, and I am indebted to the letters addressed 
 to her from 1836 to 1842 for most of the informa- 
 tion concerning that period. Books now became a 
 passion with the child : she read everything she 
 could lay hands on, greatly troubling the soul of 
 her mother by the consumption of candles as well 
 as of eyesight in her bedroom. From a subsequent 
 letter, it will be seen that she was " early supplied 
 with works of fiction by those who kindly sought 
 to gratify her appetite for reading." 
 
 It must have been about this time that the 
 episode occurred in relation to 'Waverley' wliich 
 is mentioned by Miss Simcox in her article in the
 
 22 Writes out ' Waverley' [griff, 
 
 June 1881 number of the ' Nineteenth Century 
 Eeview.' It was quite new to me, and as it is very- 
 interesting, I give it in Miss Simcox's own words : 
 " Somewhere about 1827 a friendly neighbour lent 
 'Waverley' to an elder sister of little Mary Ann 
 Evans. It was returned before the child had read 
 to the end, and in her distress at the loss of the 
 fascinating volume, she began to write out the 
 story as far as she had read it for herself, begin- 
 ning naturally where the story begins with Waver- 
 ley 's adventures at Tully Veolan, and continuing 
 until the surprised elders were moved to get her 
 the book again." Miss Simcox has pointed out 
 the reference to this in the motto of the 57th 
 chapter of ' Middlemarch ' : — 
 
 " They numbered scarce eight summers when a name 
 Rose on their souls and stirred such motions there 
 As thrill the buds and shape their hidden frame 
 At penetration of the quickening air : 
 His name who told of loyal Evan Dhu, 
 
 Of quaint Bradwardine, and Vich Ian Vor, 
 Making the little world their childhood knew 
 
 Large with a land of mountain, lake, and scaur, 
 And larger yet with wonder, love, belief 
 
 Toward Walter Scott, who living far away 
 Sent them this wealth of joy and noble grief. 
 The book and they must part, but day by day, 
 In lines that thwart like portly spiders ran, 
 They wrote the tale, from Tully Veolan."
 
 1827.] Favourite Boohs. 23 
 
 Miss Simcox also mentions that " Elia divided 
 her childish allegiance with Scott, and she remem- 
 bered feasting with singular pleasure upon an ex- 
 tract in some stray almanac from the essay in com- 
 memoration of ' Captain Jackson and his slender 
 ration of Sinoie Gloucester.' This is an extreme 
 
 O 
 
 example of the general rule that a wise child's taste 
 in literature is sounder than adults generally ven- 
 ture to believe." 
 
 We know too from the ' Mill on the Floss ' that 
 the ' History of the Devil,' by Daniel Defoe, was a 
 favourite. The book is still religiously preserved 
 at Grift', with its pictures just as Maggie looked at 
 them, ' The Pilgrim's Progress ' also and ' Easselas ' 
 had a large share of her aft'ections. 
 
 At Miss Wallington's the growing girl soon 
 distinguished herself by an easy mastery of the 
 usual school learning of her years, and there, too, 
 the religious side of her nature was developed to 
 a remarkable degree. ]\Iiss Lewis was an ardent 
 evangelical Churchwoman, and exerted a strong in- 
 fluence on her young pupil, whom she found very 
 sympathetically inclined. But Mary Ann Evans 
 did not associate freely with her schoolfellows, and 
 her friendship with Miss Lewis was the only inti- 
 macy she indulged in.
 
 24 Miss Franklins School at Coventry, [griff. 
 
 On coming home for their holidays the sister 
 and brother began, about this time, the habft of 
 actine; charades together before the Griff household 
 and the aunts, who were greatly impressed with 
 the cleverness of the performance ; and the girl was 
 now recognised in the family circle as no ordinary 
 child. 
 
 Another epoch presently succeeded on her re- 
 moval to Miss Franklin's school at Coventry, in 
 her thirteenth year. She was probably then very 
 much what she has described her own Maggie at 
 the age of thirteen : — 
 
 " A creature full of eager, passionate longings for 
 all that was beautiful and glad ; thirsty for all 
 knowledge; with an ear straining after dreamy 
 music that died away and would not come near to 
 her ; with a lilind unconscious yearning for some- 
 thing that would link together the wonderful im- 
 pressions of this mysterious life, and give her soul 
 a sense of home in it. No wonder, when there is 
 this contrast between the outward and the inward, 
 that painful collisions come of it." 
 
 In ' Our Times ' of June 1881, there is a paper 
 by a lady whose mother was at school with Mary 
 Ann Evans, which gives some interesting particu- 
 lars of the Miss Franklins,
 
 1832,] Excels her Sclioolfellows. 25 
 
 " They were daughters of a Baptist minister, who 
 had preached for many years in Coventry, and who 
 inhabited during his pastorate a house n the Chapel- 
 yard almost exactly resembling that of Eufus Lyon 
 in ' Felix Holt,' For this venerable gentleman Miss 
 Evans as a school girl had a great admiration, and 
 I, who can remember him well, can trace in Eufus 
 Lyon himself many slight resemblances, such as the 
 ' little legs,' and the habit of w^alking up and down 
 when composing. Miss Eebecca Franklin was a 
 lady of considerable intellectual power, and remark- 
 able for her elegance in writing and conversation, 
 as well as for her beautiful caligraphy. In her 
 classes for English Composition Mary Ann Evans 
 was, from her first entering the school, far in ad- 
 vance of the rest ; and while the themes of the other 
 children were read, criticised, and corrected in class, 
 hers were reserved for the private perusal and en- 
 joyment of tlie teacher, who rarely found anything 
 to correct. Her enthusiasm for music was already 
 very strongly marked, and her music master, a 
 much -tried man, suffering from the irritability in- 
 cident to his profession, reckoned on his hour with 
 her as a refreshment to his wearied nerves, and soon 
 had to confess that he had no more to teach her. 
 In connection with this proficiency in music, my
 
 26 Extreme Sensibility. [griff, 
 
 mother recalls her sensitiveness at that time as 
 being painfully extreme. When there were visitors, 
 Miss Evans, as the best performer in the school, 
 was sometimes summoned to the parlour to play 
 for their amusement, and though suft'erino; ao'onies 
 from shyness and reluctance, she obeyed with all 
 readiness, but on being released, my mother has 
 often known her to rush to her room and throw 
 herself on the floor in an agony of tears. Her 
 schoolfellows loved her as much as they could ven- 
 ture to love one whom they felt to be so immeasur- 
 ably superior to themselves, and she had playful 
 nicknames for most of them. My mother, wlio was 
 delicate, and to whom she was very kind, was 
 dubbed by her ' Miss Equanimity.' A source of 
 great interest to the girls, and of envy to those 
 who lived further from home, was the weekly cart 
 which brought Miss Evans new-laid eggs and other 
 delightful produce of her father's farm." 
 
 In talking about these early days, my wife im- 
 pressed on my mind the debt she felt that she 
 owed to the Miss Franklins for their excellent 
 instruction, and she had also the very highest 
 respect for their moral qualities. With her chame- 
 leon-like nature, she soon adopted their religious 
 views with intense eagerness and conviction, al-
 
 1832.] Regard for Miss Franklins. 27 
 
 though she never formally jomed the Baptists or 
 any other communion than the Church of England. 
 She at once, however, took a foremost place in 
 the school, and became a leader of prayer-meetings 
 amonList the f>irls. In addition to a sound English 
 education, the Miss Franklins managed to procure 
 for their pupils excellent masters for French, Ger- 
 man, and nmsic ; so that, looking to the lights 
 of those times, the means of obtaining knowledge 
 were very much above the average for girls. Her 
 teachers, on their side, were very proud of their 
 exceptionally -gifted scholar ; and years afterwards, 
 when j\Iiss Evans came with her father to live 
 in Coventry, they introduced her to one of their 
 friends not only as a marvel of mental power, but 
 also as a j)erson " sure to get something up very 
 soon in the way of clothing club or other charitable 
 undertaking." 
 
 This year, 1832, was not only memorable for the 
 change to a new and superior school, but it was 
 also much more memorable to George Eliot for the 
 riot which she saw at Nuneaton, on the occasion of 
 the election for ISTorth Warwickshire, after the 
 passmg of the great Eeform Bill, and which sub- 
 sequently furnished her with the incidents for the 
 riot in ' Felix Holt.' Tt was an event to lay hold
 
 28 Fdot at Nuneaton. [griff, 
 
 on the imagination of an impressionable girl of 
 thirteen, and it is thus described in the local news- 
 paper of 29th December 1832 : — 
 
 " On Friday the 21st December, at Nuneaton, 
 from the commencement of the poll till nearly half- 
 past two, the Hemingites^ occupied the poll; the 
 numerous plumpers for Sir Eardley Wilmot and the 
 adherents of Mr Dugdale being constantly inter- 
 rupted in their endeavours to go to the hustings 
 to give an honest and conscientious vote. The 
 magistrates were consequently applied to, and from 
 the representations they received from all parties, 
 they were at length induced to call in aid a mili- 
 tary force. A detachment of the Scots Greys ac- 
 cordingly arrived ; but it appearing that that gallant 
 body was not sufficiently strong to put down the 
 turbulent spirit of the mob, a reinforcement was 
 considered by the constituted authorities as absol- 
 utely necessary. The tumult increasing, as the 
 detachment of the Scots Greys were called in, 
 the Eiot Act was read from the windows of the 
 Newdigate Arms ; and we regret to add that both 
 W. P. Inge, Esq., and Colonel Newdigate, in the 
 discharge of their magisterial duties, received per- 
 sonal injuries. 
 
 1 A Mr Heming was the Radical eaiulid.ite.
 
 1836.] George Eliofs First Letter. 29 
 
 " On Saturday the mob presented an appalling- 
 appearance, and but for tlie forbearance of the sol- 
 diery, numerous lives would have fallen a sacrifice. 
 Several of the officers of the Scots Greys were 
 materially hurt in their attempt to quell the riotous 
 proceedings of the mob. During the day the sub- 
 sheriffs at the different booths received several let- 
 ters from the friends of Mr Dugdale, stating that 
 they were outside of the town, and anxious to vote 
 for that gentleman, but were deterred from enter- 
 ing it from fear of personal violence. Two or three 
 unlucky individuals, drawn from the files of the 
 military on their approach to the poll, were cruelly 
 beaten and stripped literally naked. We regret to 
 add that one life has been sacrificed during the con- 
 test, and that several misguided individuals have 
 been seriously injured." 
 
 The term ending Christmas 1835 was the last 
 spent at Miss Franklin's. In the first letter of 
 George Eliot's that I have been able to discover, 
 dated 6th January 1836, and addressed to Miss 
 Lewis, who was at that time governess in the 
 family of the Eev. L. Harper, Burton Latimer, 
 Northamptonshire, she speaks of her mother hav- 
 ing suffered a great increase of pain, and adds — 
 
 " We dare not hope that there will be a perma-
 
 30 Mothers Death. [geiff, 
 
 nent improvement. Our anxieties on my mother's 
 account, tliougli so great, have been since Thursday 
 almost lost sight of in tlie more sudden, and con- 
 sequently more severe trial which we have been 
 called on to endure in the alarming illness of my 
 dear father. For four days we had no cessation of 
 our anxiety ; but I am thankful to say that he is 
 now considered out of danger, though very much 
 reduced by frequent bleeding and very powerful 
 medicines." 
 
 In the summer of this year — 1836 — the mother 
 died, after a long painful illness, in which she was 
 nursed with great devotion by her daughters. It 
 was their first acquaintance with death; and to 
 a highly wrought, sensitive girl of sixteen, such a 
 loss seems an unendurable calamity. " To the 
 old, sorrow is sorrow ; to the young it is despair." 
 Many references will be found in tlie subsequent 
 correspondence to what she suffered at this time, 
 all summed iip in the old popular phrase, " We can 
 have but one mother." In the following spring 
 Christiana was married to Mr Edward Clarke, a 
 surgeon practising at Meriden in Warwickshire. 
 One of Mr Isaac Evans's most vivid recollec- 
 tions is that on the day of the marriage, after 
 the bride's departure, he and his younger sister
 
 1836.] Sisters Marridgc. 31 
 
 had " a good cry " together over the break up of 
 the old home-life, which of course could never 
 be the same with the mother and the elder sister 
 wanting. 
 
 Twenty-three years later we shall find George Eliot 
 writing, on the death of this sister, that she " had 
 a very special feeling for her — stronger than any 
 third person would think likely." The relation be- 
 tween the sisters was somewhat like that described 
 as existing between Dorothea and Celia in ' Mid- 
 dlemarch ' — no intellectual affinity, but a strong 
 family affection. In fact, my wife told me, that 
 although Celia was not in any sense a portrait of 
 her sister, she " had Chrissey continually in 
 mind" in delineating Celia's character. But we 
 must be careful not to found too much on such 
 suggestions of character in George Eliot's books ; 
 and this must particularly be borne in mind in 
 the ' Mill on the Eloss.' No doubt the early part 
 of Maggie's portraiture is the best autobiographi- 
 cal representation we can have of George Eliot's 
 own feelings in her childhood, and many of the 
 incidents in the book are based on real experi- 
 ences of family life, but so mixed with fictitious 
 elements and situations that it would be abso- 
 lutely misleading to trust to it as a true history
 
 32 Bclations loith Brother. [GKIFF, 
 
 For instance, all that happened in real life be- 
 tween the brother and sister was, I believe, that 
 as they grew up their characters, pursuits, and 
 tastes diverged more and more widely. He took 
 to his father's business, at which he worked stead- 
 ily, and which absorbed most of his time and 
 attention. He was also devoted to hunting, liked 
 the ordinary pleasures of a young man in his 
 circumstances, and was quite satisfied with the 
 circle of acquaintance in which he moved. After 
 leaving school at Coventry he went to a private 
 tutor's at Birmingham, where he imbibed strong 
 High Church views. His sister had come back 
 from the ]\Iiss Franklins' with ultra-evangelical 
 tendencies, and their differences of opinion used to 
 lead to a good deal of animated argument. Miss 
 Evans, as . she now was, could not rest satisfied 
 with a mere profession of faith without trying to 
 sha]De her own life — and it may be added, the lives 
 around her — in accordance with her convictions. 
 The pursuit of pleasure was a snare ; dress was 
 vanity ; society was a danger. 
 
 " From what you know of her, you will not be 
 surprised that she threw some exaggeration and 
 wilfulness, some pride and impetuosity, even into 
 her self-renunciation : her own life was still a drama
 
 1837.] Head of House at Griff. 33 
 
 for her, in wliicli she demanded of herself that her 
 part should be played with intensity. And so it came 
 to pass that she often lost the spirit of humility by 
 being excessive in the outward act ; she often strove 
 after too high a flight, and came down with her 
 poor little half-fledged wings dabbled in the mud. 
 . . . That is the path we all like when we set out 
 on our abandonment of egoism — the path of mar- 
 tyrdom and endurance, where the palm branches 
 grow, rather than the steep highway of tolerance, 
 just allowance, and self -blame, where there are no 
 leafy honours to be gathered and worn."^ 
 
 After Christiana's marriage the entire charge of 
 the Griff establishment devolved on Mary Ann, 
 who became a most exemplary housewife, learned 
 thoroughly everything that had to be done, and, 
 with her innate desire for perfection, was never 
 satisfied unless her department was administered 
 in the very best manner that circumstances per- 
 mitted. She spent a great deal of time in visiting 
 the poor, organising clothmg clubs, and other works 
 of active charity. But over and above this, as will 
 be seen from the following letters, she was always 
 prosecuting an active intellectual life of her own. 
 Mr Brezzi, a well-known master of modern lan- 
 
 1 ' Mill ou tlie Floss,' chap. iii. book iv, 
 VOL. I. C
 
 34 Monotony of Country Life. [gkiff, 
 
 guages at Coventry, used to come over to Griff 
 regularly to give her lessons in Italian and Ger- 
 man. Mr M'Ewen, also from Coventry, continued 
 her lessons in music, and she got through a large 
 amount of miscellaneous reading by herself. In 
 the evenmgs she was always in the habit of play- 
 ing to her father, who was very fond of music. 
 But it requires no great effort of imagination to 
 conceive that this life, though full of interests of 
 its own, and the source from whence the future 
 novelist drew the most powerful and the most 
 touching of her creations, was, as a matter of fact, 
 very monotonous, very difficult, very discouraging. 
 It could scarcely be otherwise to a young girl, with 
 a full passionate nature and hungry intellect, shut 
 up in a farmhouse in the remote country. For 
 there was no sympathetic human soul near with 
 whom to exchange ideas on the intellectual and 
 spiritual problems that were beginning to agitate 
 her mind. " You may try, but you can never 
 imagine what it is to have a man's force of genius 
 in you, and yet to suffer the slavery of being a 
 girl." ^ This is a point of view that must be 
 distinctly recognised by any one attempting to 
 follow the development of George Eliot's char- 
 
 1 ■' Daniel Derouda. '
 
 1837.] ^ff^'ci 071 Character. 35 
 
 acter, and it will always be corrected by the 
 other point of view which she has made so prom- 
 inent in all her own writing — the soothing, 
 strengthening, sacred influences of the home life, 
 the home loves, the home duties. Circumstances 
 in later life separated her from her kindred, but 
 amono' her last letters it will be seen that she wrote 
 to her brother in May 1880, that " our long silence 
 has never broken the affection for you which began 
 when we were little ones," ^ — and she expresses her 
 satisfaction in the growing prosperity of himself 
 and all his family. It was a real gratification to 
 her to hear from some Coventry friends that her 
 nephew, the Eev. Frederic Evans, the present Eector 
 of Bedworth, was well spoken of as a preacher in 
 the old familiar places, and in our last summer at 
 Witley we often spoke of a visit to Warwickshire, 
 that she might renew the sweet memories of her 
 child-days. No doubt, the very monotony of her 
 life at Griff, and the narrow field it presented for 
 observation of society, added immeasurably to 
 the intensity of a naturally keen mental vision, 
 concentrating into a focus what might perhaps 
 have become dissipated in more liberal surround- 
 ings. And thougli the field of observation was 
 
 1 See vol. iii. p. 398.
 
 36 Social Influences. [griff, 
 
 narrow in one sense, it included very various grades 
 of society. Sucli fine places as Arbury, and Pack- 
 ington, the seat of Lord Aylesford, where she was 
 being constantly driven by her father, affected the 
 imagination and accentuated the social differences 
 — differences which had a profound significance 
 for such a sensitive and such an intellectually 
 commanding character, and which left their mark 
 on it. 
 
 " No one who has not a strong natural prompting 
 and susceptibility towards such things [the signs 
 and luxuries of ladyhood], and has, at the same 
 time, suffered from the presence of opposite condi- 
 tions, can understand how powerfully those minor 
 accidents of rank which please the fastidious sense 
 can preoccupy the imagination." ^ 
 
 The tone of her mind will be seen from the 
 letters written during the following years ; and 
 1 remember once, after we were married, when I 
 was urging her to write her autobiography, she 
 said, half sighing, half smiling, " The only thing I 
 should care much to dwell on would be the abso- 
 lute despair I suffered from of ever being able to 
 achieve anything. N"o one could ever have felt 
 greater despair, and a knowledge of this might be 
 
 1 ' Felix Holt,' chai^. xxxviii.
 
 1837.] Despair of Achievement. 37 
 
 a help to some other struggier" — addiug with a 
 smile, " but, on the other hand, it might only lead 
 to an increase of bad writing." 
 
 SUMMARY. 
 
 NOVEMBER 22, 1819, TO END OF 1837. 
 
 Birth at Arbury Farm — Baptism — Character of father — 
 His first marriage and children — Second marriage and chil- 
 dren — Removal to Griff — Events at time of birth — Charac- 
 ter of country about Griff — Coach communication — Father's 
 position — Anecdotes of father — Character of mother — 
 Mother's family and delicacy — Dame's school — Companion- 
 ship with brother — Miss Lathom's school at Attleboro — 
 Suffers from fear — Father's pet — Drives with him — First 
 books read — First journey to Staffordshire — Miss Walling- 
 ton's school at Nuneaton — Miss Lewis, governess — Books 
 read — Religious impressions — Charade acting — Miss Frank- 
 lin's school at Coventry — Riot at Nuneaton — First letter to 
 Miss Lewis — Mother's illness — Mother's death — Sister 
 Christiana married to Mr Clarke — Relations with brother — 
 Housekeeper at Griff — Life and studies there.
 
 38 
 
 CHAPTER I. 
 
 In the foregoing introductory sketch, I have en- 
 deavoured to present the influences to which 
 George Eliot was subjected in her youth, and the 
 environment in which she grew up ; I am now 
 able to begin the fulfilment of the promise on the 
 title-page, that the life will l^e related in her own 
 letters — or rather in extracts from her own letters, 
 for no single letter is printed entire from the be- 
 ginning to the end. I have not succeeded in ob- 
 taining any between 6th January 1836 and 18th 
 August 1838 ; but from the latter date the corre- 
 spondence becomes regular, and I have arranged it 
 as a continuous narrative, with the names of the 
 persons to whom the letters are addressed in the 
 margin. The slight thread of narrative or explana- 
 tion which I have written to elucidate the letters, 
 where necessary, will hereafter occupy an inside 
 margin, so that the reader will see at a glance what
 
 1838.] First Visit to London. 39 
 
 is narrative and what is correspondence, and will 
 be troubled as little as possible with marks of 
 quotation or changes of type. 
 
 The following opening letter of the series to 
 Miss Lewis describes a first visit to London 
 with her brother : — 
 Let me tell you, though, that I was not at all Letter to 
 
 IVIiss Lpwi.s 
 
 delighted with the stir of the great Babel, and the isth Aug. 
 
 ,,,.,. 1838. 
 
 less so probably owmg to the cn'cumstances attend- 
 ing my visit thither. Isaac and I went alone (that 
 seems rather Irish), and staid only a week, every 
 day of which we worked hard at seeing sights. 
 I think Greenwich Hospital interested me more 
 than anything else. 
 
 Mr Isaac Evans himself tells me that what 
 he remembers chiefly impressed her was the 
 first hearing the great bell of St Paul's. It 
 affected her deeply. At that time she was so 
 much under the influence of religious and 
 ascetic ideas, that she would nut go to any of 
 the theatres with her brother, but spent all 
 her evenings alone reading. A characteristic 
 reminiscence is that the chief thing she wanted 
 to buy was Josephus's ' History of the Jews ' ; 
 and at the same bookshop where her brother got
 
 40 Desirability of Renunciation. [griff, 
 
 her this, he bought for hmiself a pair of hunt- 
 ing sketches. In the same letter, alhiding to 
 the marriage of one of her friends, she' 
 says : — 
 Letter to For my part, when I hear of the marrying and 
 
 Miss Lewis, 
 
 18th Aug. giving in marriage that is constantly being trans- 
 
 1838. 
 
 acted, I can only sigh for those who are mul- 
 tiplying earthly ties which, though powerful 
 enough to detach their hearts and thoughts from 
 heaven, are so brittle as to be liable to be snapped 
 asunder at every breeze. You will think thaj I 
 need nothing but a tub for my habitation to 
 make me a perfect female Diogenes ; and I plead 
 guilty to occasional misanthropical thoughts, but 
 not to the indulgence of them. Still I must be- 
 lieve that those are happiest who are not ferment- 
 mg themselves by engaging m projects for earthly 
 bliss, who are considering this life merely a pil- 
 grimage, a scene calluig for diligence and watch- 
 fulness, not for repose and amusement. I do not 
 deny that there may be many who can partake 
 with a high degree of zest of all the lawful enjoy- 
 ments the world can offer, and yet live in near 
 communion with their God — who can warmly love 
 the creature, and yet be careful that the Creator 
 maintains His supremacy in their hearts; but I
 
 1838. 
 
 1838.] On " Living for Eternity." 41 
 
 confess that in my short experience and narrow Letter to 
 sphere of action I have never been able to attain isthAug. ' 
 to this. I find, as Dr Johnson said respecting his 
 wine, total abstinence much easier than modera- 
 tion. I do not wonder you are pleased with 
 Pascal ; ^ his thoughts may be returned to the 
 palate again and again with increasing rather than 
 diminished relish. I have highly enjoyed Hannah 
 More's letters : the contemplation of so blessed a 
 character as hers is very salutary. " That ye be 
 not slothful, but followers of them who, through 
 faith and patience, inherit the promises," is a valu- 
 able admonition. I was once told that there w^as 
 nothing out of myself to prevent my becoming as 
 eminently holy as St Paul ; and though I think 
 that is too sweeping an assertion, yet it is very 
 certain we are generally too low in our aims, more 
 anxious for safety than sanctity, for place than 
 purity, forgetting that each involves the other, and 
 that, as Doddridge tells us, to rest satisfied with 
 any attainments in religion is a fearful proof that 
 we are ignorant of the very first principles of it. 
 Oh that we could live only for eternity ! that we 
 could realise its nearness ! I know you do not 
 
 1 Given to her as a school prize when she was fourteen : see vol. iii. 
 p. 326.
 
 42 
 
 MicJiaelmas Giccsts. 
 
 [geiff, 
 
 Letter to 
 Miss Lewis, 
 18th Aug. 
 1S38. 
 
 Letter to 
 Miss Lewis, 
 6th Nov. 
 1S38. 
 
 love quotations, so I will not give you one ; but 
 if you do not distinctly remember it, do turn to 
 the passage in Young's ' Infidel Eeclaimed,' begin- 
 ning, " vain, vain, vain all else eternity," and do 
 love tlie lines for my sake. 
 
 I really feel for you sacrificing, as you are, your 
 own tastes and comforts for the pleasure of others, 
 and that in a manner the most trying to rebel- 
 lious flesh and blood ; for I verily believe that in 
 most cases it requires more of a martyr's spirit to 
 endure, with patience and cheerfulness, daily cross- 
 ings and interruptions of our petty desires and 
 pursuits, and to rejoice in them if they can be 
 made to conduce to God's glory and our own 
 sanctification, than even to lay down our lives for 
 the truth. 
 
 I can hardly repress a sort of indignation towards 
 second causes. That your time and energies should 
 be expended in ministering to the petty interests 
 of those far beneath you in all that is really 
 elevating, is about as hicns6ant as that I should set 
 Are to a goodly volume to light a match by ! I 
 have had a very unsettled life lately — Michaelmas 
 with its onerous duties and anxieties, much com- 
 pany (for us) and little reading, so that I am ill 
 prepared for corresponding with profit or pleasure.
 
 1838.] Emulation of Wilhcrforcc. 43 
 
 I am genemlly in the same predicament with books Letter to 
 
 Miss Lewis, 
 
 as a qlutton with his feast, hurrying through one tjtii no\ . 
 
 183S. 
 
 course that I may be in time for the next, and so 
 not relishing or digesting either ; not a very elegant 
 illustration, but the best my organs of ideality and 
 comparison will furnish just now. 
 
 I have just begun the life of Wilberforce, and I 
 am expecting a rich treat from it. There is a 
 similarity, if I may compare myself with such a 
 man, between his temptations, or rather hesetonerits, 
 and my own, that makes his experience very inter- 
 esting to me. Oh that I might be made as useful 
 in my lowly and obscure station as he was in the 
 exalted one assigned to him ! I feel myself to be 
 a mere cumberer of the ground. May the Lord 
 give me such an insight into what is truly good, 
 that I may not rest contented with making Chris- 
 tianity a mere addendum to my pursuits, or with 
 tacking it as a fringe to my garments ! May I 
 seek to be sanctified wholly ! Mj nineteenth birth- 
 day will soon l^e here (the 22d) — an awakening- 
 signal. My mind has been much clogged lately 
 by languor of body, to which I am prone to give 
 way, and for the removal of which I shall feel 
 thankful. 
 
 We have had an oratorio at Coventry lately,
 
 44 Condemns Oratorios. [griff, 
 
 Letter to Brahaiii, Phillips, Mrs Knyvett, and Mrs Shaw — 
 
 Miss Lewis, 
 
 6th Nov. the last, I think, I shall attend. I am not fitted 
 
 1838 ' 
 
 to decide on the question of the propriety or law- 
 fulness of such exhibitions of talent and so forth, 
 because I have no soul for music. " Happy is he 
 that condemneth not himself in that thing which 
 he alloweth." I am a tasteless person, but it 
 would not cost me any regrets if the only music 
 heard in our land were that of strict worship, nor 
 can I think a pleasure that involves the devotion 
 of all the time and powers of an immortal being 
 to the acquirement of an expertness in so useless 
 (at least in ninety-nine cases out of a hundred) an 
 accomplishment, can be quite pure or elevating in 
 its tendency. 
 
 The above remarks on oratorio are the more 
 surprising, because two years later, when Miss 
 Evans went to the Birmingham festival in Sep- 
 tember 1840, previous to her brother's marriage, 
 she was affected to an extraordinary degree, so 
 much so that Mrs Isaac Evans — then Miss 
 Eawlins — told me that the attention of people 
 sitting near was attracted by her hysterical 
 sobbing. And in all her later life music was 
 one of the chiefest delights to her, and especi- 
 ally oratorio.
 
 1839.] Wirksioorth Aunt. 45 
 
 " Not that her enjoyment of music was of the 
 kind that indicates a great specific talent; it was 
 rather that her sensibihty to the supreme excite- 
 ment of music was only one form of that passion- 
 ate sensibility which belonged to her whole nature, 
 and made her faults and virtues all merge in each 
 other — made her affections sometimes an impatient 
 demand, but also prevented her vanity from taking 
 the form of mere feminine coquetry and device, 
 and gave it the poetry of ambition." ^ 
 
 The next two letters, dated from Griff — 
 February 6th and ]\Iarch 5th, 1839 — are 
 addressed to Mrs Samuel Evans, a Methodist 
 preacher, the wife of a younger brother of Mr 
 Eobert Evans. They are the more interest- 
 ing from the fact, which will appear later, 
 that an anecdote related by this aunt during 
 her visit to Griff in 18.39 was the germ of 
 'Adam Bede.' To what extent this Elizabeth 
 Evans resembled the ideal character of Dinah 
 Morris will also be seen in its place in the 
 history of ' Adam Bede.' 
 I am so unwilling to believe that you can forget Letter to 
 
 Mrs Samuel 
 
 a promise, or to entertain fears respectmg your Evans, oth 
 
 Feb. 1S39. 
 
 health, that I persuade myself I must have mis- 
 
 1 ' Mill on the Floss,' chap. v. book vi.
 
 46 Religious Experiences. [griff, 
 
 Letter to taken the terms of the agreeiiient between us, and 
 Evans, 6th that I ought to havG sent you a letter before I 
 considered myself entitled to one from Wirksworth. 
 However this may be, I feel so anxious to hear of 
 your wellbeing in every way, that I can no longer 
 rest satisfied without using my only means of ob- 
 taining tidings of you. My dear father is not at 
 home to-night, or I should probably have a message 
 of remembrance to give you from him in addition 
 to the good news that he is as well as he has been 
 for the last two years, and even, I think, better, ex- 
 cept that he feels more fatigue after exertion of 
 mind or body than formerly. If you are able to 
 fill a sheet, I am sure both uncle and you would in 
 doing so be complying with tlie precept, " Lift up 
 the hands that hang down, and strengthen the 
 feeble knees." I need not tell you that this is a 
 dry and thirsty land, and I shall be as grateful to 
 you for a draught from your fresh spring as the 
 traveller in the Eastern desert is to the unknown 
 hand that digs a well for him. " Unstable as water, 
 thou shalt not excel," seems to be my character, 
 instead of that regular progress from strength to 
 strength that marks, even in this world of mistakes, 
 the people that shall in the heavenly Zion stand 
 before God. I shall not only su.ffer, but be delighted
 
 1839.] Wirkswortli Aunt. 47 
 
 to receive, the word of exhortation, and I heg you Letter to 
 not to withliold it. If I did not know how little Evans', oth 
 you need human help, I should regret that my 
 ignorance and want of deep feeling in spiritual 
 things prevent me from suggesting profitable or 
 refreshing thoughts ; but I daresay I took care to 
 tell you that my desire for correspondence with 
 you was quite one of self-interest. 
 
 I am thankful to tell you that my dear friends 
 here are all well. I have a faint hope that the 
 pleasure and profit I have felt in your society 
 may be repeated in tlie summer : there is no place 
 I would rather visit than Wirkswortli, or tlie 
 inhabitants of which have a stronger hold on my 
 affections. 
 
 In the next letter the touch about ]\Irs Flet- 
 cher's life is characteristic. 
 My dear father is just now so plunged in business. Letter to 
 and that of a fatiguing kind, that I should put your Evans, 5th 
 confidence in my love and gratitude to an unreason- 1339. 
 ably severe trial if I waited until he had leisure to 
 unite with me in filling a sheet. You were very 
 kind to remember my wish to see Mrs Fletcher's 
 life : I only desire such a spiritual digestion as has 
 enabled yoii to derive so much benefit from its 
 perusal. I am truly glad to hear that you are less
 
 48 Beligious Experiences. [griff, 
 
 Letter to embaiTassed with respect to your congregation, &c., 
 
 Mrs Samuel - 
 
 Evans, 5th than joii wcrc when we saw you. I must protest 
 
 March 1839. . , . . i • n ^ • £ 
 
 against your making apologies tor speaking oi your- 
 self, for nothing that relates to you can be uninter- 
 esting to me. 
 
 The unprofitableness you lament in yourself, dur- 
 ing your visit to us, had its true cause, not in your 
 lukewarmness, but in the little improvement I 
 sought to derive from your society, and in my lack 
 of humility and Christian simplicity, that makes me 
 willing to obtain credit for greater knowledge and 
 deeper feeling than I really possess. Instead of 
 putting my light under a bushel, I am in danger of 
 ostentatiously displaying a false one. You have 
 much too high an opinion, my dear aunt, of my 
 spiritual condition, and of my personal and circum- 
 stantial advantages. My soul seems for weeks to- 
 gether completely benumbed, and when I am aroused 
 from this torpid state, the intervals of activity are 
 comparatively short. I am ever finding excuses for 
 this in the deprivation of outward excitement and 
 the small scope I have for the application of my 
 principles, instead of feeling self-abasement under 
 the consciousness that I abuse precious hours of 
 retirement which would be eagerly employed in 
 spiritual exercises by many a devoted servant of
 
 1839.] Condemns Fiction- Heading. 49 
 
 God who is struggling with worldly cares and occu- Letter to 
 
 . ... Mrs Samuel 
 
 pations. I leel that my besetting sm is the one Evans, stu 
 
 p „ 1 -, . ..,„.„, March 1839. 
 
 01 all others most destroying, as it is the truittul 
 parent of them all, — ambition, a desire insatiable 
 for the esteem of my fellow-creatures. This seems 
 the centre whence all my actions proceed. But you 
 will perhaps remember, my dear aunt, that I do not 
 attach much value to a disclosure of religious feel- 
 ings, owing probably to the dominant corruption I 
 have just been speaking of, which " turns the milk 
 of my good purpose all to curd." 
 
 On 16th March 1839, in a letter to Miss 
 Lewis, there is a reference to good spirits, 
 which is of the rarest occurrence all through 
 the correspondence : — 
 I am this morning hardly myself, owing to the Letter to 
 
 Miss Lewis, 
 
 insuppressible rising of my animal spirits on a lotii March 
 
 1S39. 
 
 deliverance from sick headache ; — 
 
 and then the letter continues as to the expe- 
 diency of reading works of fiction, in answer 
 to a question ]\Iiss Lewis had asked: — 
 I put out of the question all persons of perceptions 
 so quick, memories so eclectic and retentive, and 
 minds so comprehensive, that nothing less than 
 omnivorous reading, as Southey calls it, can satisfy 
 their intellectual man ; for (if I may parody the 
 
 VOL. I. D
 
 1839. 
 
 50 Exceptional Fictions. [griff, 
 
 Letter to worcls of Scripture without profaneness) tliey will 
 
 Miss Lewis, 
 
 16th March gather to themselves all facts, and heap unto 
 themselves all ideas. For such persons we can- 
 not legislate. Again, I would put out of the 
 question standard works, whose contents are mat- 
 ter of constant reference, and the names of whose 
 heroes and heroines briefly, and therefore con- 
 veniently, describe characters and ideas : such are 
 ' Don Quixote,' Butler's ' Hudibras,' ' Eobinson 
 Crusoe,' ' Gil Bias,' Byron's Poetical Eomances, 
 Southey's ditto, &c. Such, too, are Walter Scott's 
 novels and poems. Such allusions as " He is a 
 perfect Dominie Sampson," " He is as industrious 
 in finding out antiquities, and about as successful, 
 as Jonathan Oldbuck," are likely to become so 
 common in books and conversation, that, alioays 
 providing our leisure is not circumscribed by duty 
 within narrow bounds, we should, I think, qualify 
 ourselves to understand. Shakspeare has a higher 
 claim than this on our attention ; but we have need 
 of as nice a power of distillation as the bee, to suck 
 nothing but honey from his pages. However, as in 
 life we must be exposed to malign influences from 
 intercourse with others if we would reap the ad- 
 vantages designed for us by making us social beings, 
 so in books. Having cleared our way of what
 
 1839.] Bad Effect of Novels. 51 
 
 would otherwise have encumbered us, I would ask Letter to 
 
 , . - . , . • n ^ yiliiii Lewis, 
 
 why IS one engaged in tJie instruction or youth to loth March 
 
 1839 
 
 read, as a purely conscientious and self-denying 
 performance of duty, works whose value to others 
 is allowed to be doubtful ? I can only imagine two 
 shadows of reasons. Either that she may be able 
 experimentally to decide on their desirableness for 
 her pupils, or else that there is a certain power 
 exerted by them on the mind that would render 
 her a more efficient " tutress " by their perusal. 
 I would not depreciate the disinterestedness of 
 those who will make trial of the effect on them- 
 selves of a cup suspected poisonous, that they 
 may deter another from risking life ; but it ap- 
 pears to me a work of supererogation, since there 
 are enough witnesses to its baneful effect on them- 
 selves already to put an end to all strife in the 
 matter. The Scriptural declaration, " As face an- 
 swereth to face in a glass, so the heart of man to 
 man," will exonerate me from the charge of un- 
 charitableness, or too high an estimation of myself, 
 if I venture to believe that the same causes which 
 exist in my own breast to render novels and ro- 
 mances pernicious, have their counterpart in that 
 of every fellow-creature. I am, I confess, not an 
 impartial member of a jury in this case ; for I owe
 
 1S39. 
 
 52 Why not Bead Truth ?' [geiff, 
 
 Letter to the culprits a grudge for injuries inflicted on my- 
 
 Miss Lewis, , 
 
 16th March Self. Wlieu I was quite a little child, I could not 
 be satisfied with the things around me : I was con- 
 stantly living in a world of my own creation, and 
 was quite contented to have no companions, that I 
 might be left to my own musings, and imagine 
 scenes in which I was chief actress. Conceive 
 what a character novels would give to these 
 Utopias. I was early supplied with them by those 
 who kindly sought to gratify my appetite for read- 
 ing, and of course I made use of the materials they 
 supplied for building my castles in the air. But it 
 may be said — " No one ever dreamed of recommend- 
 ing children to read them : all this does not apply 
 to persons come to years of discretion, whose judg- 
 ments are in some degree matured." I answer that 
 men and women are but children of a larger growth: 
 they are still imitative beings. We cannot (at least 
 those who ever read to any purpose at all) — we 
 cannot, I say, help being modified by the ideas that 
 pass through our minds. We hardly wish to lay 
 claim to such elasticity as retains no impress. 
 We are active beings too. We are each one of the 
 dramatis pcrsonm in some play on the stage of Life ; 
 hence our actions have their share in the effects of 
 our reading. As to the discipline our minds receive
 
 1839.] Kurtfid Novels. 53 
 
 from tlie perusal of fictions, I can conceive none Letter to 
 
 . Miss Lewis, 
 
 that is beneficial but may be attanied by that of letii March 
 
 „ . . , . 1839. 
 
 history. It is the merit of fictions to come withm 
 the orbit of probability : if unnatural they would 
 no longer please. If it be said the mind must 
 have relaxation, " Truth is strange — stranger than 
 fiction." When a person has exhausted the wonders 
 of truth, there is no other resort than fiction : till 
 then, I cannot imagine how the adventures of some 
 phantom, conjured up by fancy, can be more enter- 
 taining than the transactions of real specimens of 
 human nature from which we may safely draw in- 
 ferences. I daresay Mr James's ' Huguenot ' would 
 be recommended as giving an idea of the times of 
 which he writes ; but as well may one be recom- 
 mended to look at landscapes for an idea of English 
 scenery. The real secret of the relaxation talked of 
 is one that would not generally be avowed ; but an 
 appetite that wants seasoning of a certain kind 
 cannot be indicative of health. Eeligious novels 
 are more hateful to me than merely worldly ones : 
 they are a sort of centaur or mermaid, and, like 
 other monsters that we do not know how to class, 
 should be destroyed for the public good as soon as 
 born. The weapons of the Christian warfare were 
 never sharpened at the forge of romance. Domes-
 
 54 
 
 Rcligio7is Controversies. 
 
 [geiff, 
 
 Letter to 
 Miss Lewis, 
 20tli May 
 1839. 
 
 Letter to tic fictioiis, as tliey come more within the range 
 
 Miss Lewis, 
 
 16th March of imitation, seem more dangerous. For my part, 
 
 1830. 
 
 I am ready to sit down and weep at the impossi- 
 bility of my understanding or barely knowing a 
 fraction of the sum of objects that present them- 
 selves for our contemplation in books and in life. 
 Have I, then, any time to spend on things that 
 never existed ? 
 
 You allude to the religious, or rather irreligious, 
 contentions that form so prominent a feature in the 
 aspect of public affairs, — a subject, you will perhaps 
 be surprised to hear me say, full of interest to me, 
 and on which I am unable to shape an opinion for 
 the satisfaction of my mind. I think no one feels 
 more difficulty in coming to a decision on contro- 
 verted matters than myself. I do not mean that 
 I have not preferences ; but, however congruous a 
 theory may be with my notions, I cannot find that 
 comfortable repose that others appear to possess 
 after liaving made their election of a class of senti- 
 ments. The other day Montaigne's motto came to 
 my mind (it is mentioned by Pascal) as an appro- 
 priate one for me — " Que sais-je ? " — beneath a pair 
 of balances, though, by the by, it is an ambiguous 
 one, and may be taken in a sense that I desire to 
 reprobate, as well as in a Scriptural one to which I
 
 1839.] Religious Controversies. 55 
 
 do not refer. I use it in a limited sense as a repre- Letter to 
 
 Miss Lewis, 
 
 sentation of my oscillating judgment. On no sub- 2otii May 
 
 issy. 
 ject do I veer to all points of the compass more 
 
 frequently than on the nature of the visible Church. 
 I am powerfully attracted in a certain direction, 
 but when I am about to settle there, counter-asser- 
 tions shake me from my position. T cannot enter 
 into details, but when we are together I will tell 
 you all my difficulties — that is, if you will be kind 
 enough to listen. I have been reading the new 
 prize essay on ' Schism ' by Professor Hoppus and 
 Milner's ' Church History ' since I last wrote to 
 you : the former ably expresses the tenets of those 
 who deny that any form of Church government is 
 so clearly dictated in Scripture as to possess a 
 divine right, and, conserpiently, to be 1)inding on 
 Christians ; the latter, you know, exhibits the views 
 of a moderate Evangelical Episcopalian on the in- 
 ferences to be drawn from ecclesiastical remains. 
 He equally repudiates the loud assertion of a jus 
 divinum, to the exclusion of all separatists from the 
 visible Church, though he calmly maintains the 
 superiority of the evidence in favour of Episcopacy, 
 of a moderate kind both in power and extent of 
 diocese, as well as the benefit of a national estab- 
 lishment. I have been skimming the ' Portrait of
 
 1839. 
 
 56 Ileligiotis Controversies. [gkiff, 
 
 Letter to an Eiiglisli Cliurclimaii ' by the Eev. W. Gresley : 
 20th May ' tliis contaiiis ail outline of the system of those who 
 exclaim of the Anglican Church as the Jews did of 
 their sacred building (that they do it in as reprehen- 
 sible a spirit T will not be the judge), " the temple of 
 the Lord, the temple of the Lord, the temple of the 
 Lord " is exclusively theirs ; while the authors of the 
 Oxford Tracts go a step farther, and evince by their 
 compliments to Rome, as a dear though erring 
 sister, and their attempts to give a Eomish colour 
 to our ordinance, with a very confused and un- 
 scriptural statement of the great doctrine of justifi- 
 cation, a disposition rather to fraternise with the 
 members of a Church carrying on her brow the 
 prophetical epithets applied by St John to the 
 Scarlet beast, the mystery of Iniquity, than with 
 pious Nonconformists. It is true they disclaim all 
 this, and that their opinions are seconded by the 
 extensive learning, the laborious zeal, and the deep 
 devotion of those who propagate them ; but a 
 reference to facts will convince us that such has 
 generally been the character of heretical teachers. 
 Satan is too crafty to commit his cause into the 
 hands of those who have nothing to recommend 
 them to approbation. According to their dogmas, 
 the Scotch Church and the foreign Protestant
 
 1839.] First Anthorshij). 57 
 
 Churches, as well as the non-Episcopalians of our 
 own land, are wanting in the essentials of existence 
 as part of the Church. 
 
 In the next letter there is the first allusion to 
 authorship, but, from the wording of the sen- 
 tence, the poem referred to has evidently not 
 been a first attempt. 
 I send you some doggerel lines, the crude fruit of Letter to 
 a lonely walk last evennig, when the words ot one nt^ juiy 
 of our martyrs occurred to me. You must be ac- 
 quainted with the idiosyncrasy of my authorship, 
 which is, that my effusions, once committed to 
 paper, are like the laws of the Medes and Persians, 
 that alter not. 
 
 '"Knoiving that shortly Imustpid off this my tabernacle.' 
 — 2 Peter i. 14. 
 
 " As o'er the fields by evening's light I stray, 
 I hear a still small whisper — Come away ; 
 Thou mtist to this bright, lovely world soon say 
 
 Farewell ! 
 
 " The mandate I'd obey, my lamp prepare, 
 Gird lip my garments, give my soul to pray'r, 
 And say to earth, and all that breathe earth's air, 
 
 Farewell ! 
 
 " Thou sun, to whose parental beam I owe 
 All that has gladden'd me while here below, 
 Moon, stars, and covenant-confirming bow, 
 
 Farewell !
 
 58 Poem Printed. [griff, 
 
 Ye verdant meads, fair blossoms, stately trees, 
 Sweet song of birds and soothing hum of bees, 
 Eefreshing odours wafted on the breeze, 
 
 Farewell ! 
 
 " Ye patient servants of creation's Lord, 
 AVliose mighty strength is govern'd by His word. 
 Who raiment, food, and help in toil afford, 
 
 Farewell ! 
 
 " Books that have been to me as chests of gold, 
 Which, miserlike, I secretly have told, 
 And for them love, health, fi-iendship, peace have sold. 
 
 Farewell ! 
 
 " Blest volume ! whose clear truth-writ page once known, 
 Fades not l^efore heaven's sunshine or hell's moan, 
 To thee I say not, of earth's gifts alone, 
 
 Farewell ! 
 
 " There shall my new-born senses find new joy, 
 New sounds, new sights my eyes and ears employ, 
 Nor fear that word that here brings sad alloy, 
 
 Farewell ! " 
 
 I had a dim recollection that my wife had 
 told me that this poem had been printed some- 
 where. After a long search, I found it in the 
 ' Christian Observer ' for January 1840. The 
 version there published has the two following 
 additional verses, and is signed " M. A. E."
 
 1839.] Poem in ' Cliristiaii Observer .' 59 
 
 " Ye feebler, freer tribes tliat people air, 
 Ye gaudy insects, making buds your lair, 
 Ye that in water shine and frolic there. 
 
 Farewell ! 
 
 " Dear kindred whom the Lord to me has given. 
 Must the strong tie that binds us now be riven ? 
 No ! say I — only till we meet in heaven. 
 
 Farewell ! " 
 
 The editor of the ' Christian Observer ' has 
 added this note : " We do not often add a note 
 to a poem : but if St John found no temple in 
 the New Jerusalem, neither will there be any 
 need of a Bible ; for we shall not then see 
 through a glass darkly — through the veil of 
 Sacraments or the w^ritten Word — but face to 
 face. The Bible is God's gift, but not for 
 heaven's use. Still on the very verge of heaven 
 we may cling to it, after we have bid farewell 
 to everything earthly ; and this perhaps is what 
 M. A. E. means." 
 
 In the following letter we already see the 
 tendency to draw illustrations from science : — 
 I have lately led so unsettled a life, and have Letter to 
 been so desultory in my employments, that my 4tiisept. ' 
 mind, never of the most highly organised genus, 
 is more than usually chaotic ; or rather it is like a 
 stratum of conglomerated fragments, that shows
 
 1839. 
 
 60 Various Beading. [gpjff, 
 
 Letter to lieiG R jaw aiicl rib of some ponderous quadruped, 
 
 Miss Lewis, 
 
 4tii Sept. there a delicate alto-relievo of some fern-like plant, 
 tiny shells, and mysterious nondescripts encrusted 
 and united with some unvaried and uninteresting 
 but useful stone. My mind presents just such 
 an assemblage of disjointed specimens of history, 
 ancient and modern ; scraps of poetry picked up 
 from Shakspeare, Cowper, Wordsworth, and Mil- 
 ton ; newspaper topics ; morsels of Addison and 
 Bacon, Latin verbs, geometry, entomology, and 
 chemistry ; Eeviews and metaphysics, — all arrested 
 and petrified and smothered by the fast-thicken- 
 ing everyday accession of actual events, relative 
 anxieties, and household cares and vexations. How 
 deplorably and unaccountably evanescent are our 
 frames of mind, as various as the forms and hues 
 of the summer clouds ! A single word is sometimes 
 enough to give an entirely new mould to our 
 thoughts — at least I find myself so constituted ; and 
 therefore to me it is pre-eminently important to be 
 anchored within the veil, so that outward things 
 may be unable to send me adrift. Write to me as 
 soon as you can. Eemember Michaelmas is com- 
 ing, and I shall be engaged in matters so nauseat- 
 ing to me that it will be a charity to console me ; 
 to reprove and advise me no less.
 
 1839.] Buys WordswortJis Poeyns. 61 
 
 I have emerged from the slough of domestic Letter to 
 
 .,, ^, , , '.ii 1 Miss Lewis, 
 
 troubles, or rather, to speak quite clearly, "mal- 22dNov. 
 
 1839 
 
 heurs de cuisine," and am beginning to take a deep 
 breath in my own element, though with a mortify- 
 ing consciousness that my faculties have become 
 superlatively obtuse during my banishment from it. 
 I have been so self-indulgent as to possess myself 
 of Wordsworth at full length, and I thoroughly 
 like much of the contents of the first three vols., 
 which I fancy are only the low vestibule of the 
 three remaining ones. I never before met with 
 so many of my own feelings expressed just as 
 I could like them. The distress of the lower 
 classes in our neighbourhood is daily increasing 
 from the scarcity of employment for weavers, 
 and I seem sadly to have handcuffed myself by 
 unnecessary expenditure. To - day is my 20th 
 birthday. 
 
 This allusion to Wordsworth is interesting, 
 as it entirely expresses the feeling she had 
 to him up to the day of her death. One of 
 the very last books we read together at Cheyne 
 Walk was Mr Frederick ]\Iyers's ' Wordsworth ' 
 in the " English Men of Letters," which she 
 
 "^ Letter to 
 
 heartily enjoyed. Miss Lewis, 
 
 "^ "^ -^ 23d March. 
 
 I have just received my second lesson in German. is4o.
 
 62 Plan of Chart. [geiff, 
 
 Letter to I kiiow you Will \)Q glad to tliiiik of me as 
 
 Miss Lewis, , , , , , . _ - 
 
 •jd May 1S40, thoroughly employed, as indeed 1 am to an extent 
 i„g.' that makes me fear I shall not be able to accom- 
 
 plish everything well. I have engaged, if possible, to 
 complete the Chart,^ the plan of which I sketched 
 out last year, by November next, and I am encour- 
 aged to believe that it will answer my purpose to 
 print it. The profits arising from its sale, if any, 
 will go partly to Attleboro Church, and partly to 
 a favourite object of my own. Mrs Newdigate is 
 very anxious that I should do this, and she permits 
 me to visit her library when I please, in search 
 of any books that may assist me. Will you ask 
 Mr Craig what he considers the best authority for 
 the date of the apostolical writings ? I should like 
 to carry the Chart down to the Eeformation, if my 
 tune and resources will enable me to do so. 
 We are going to have a clothing clulj, the ar- 
 rangement and starting of which are left to me. 
 I am ashamed to run the risk of troubling you, 
 but I should be very grateful if you could send 
 me an abstract of the rules by which yours is 
 regulated. 
 
 Letter to 
 
 Miss Lewis, Our liousc is uow, aiid will be for the next two 
 
 iJlst May 
 
 is-io. months, miserably noisy and disorderly with the 
 
 J Of ecclesiastical history.
 
 1S40. 
 
 1840.] Alterations in House. 63 
 
 musical operations of masons, carpenters, and Letter to 
 
 ,, , . . Miss Lewis, 
 
 pamters. Yon know now abhorrent all this is to 21st May 
 my tastes and feelings, taking all the spice out 
 of my favourite little epithet, " this working -day 
 world " : I can no longer use it figuratively. How 
 impressive must the gradual rise of Solomon's 
 Temple have been ! each prepared mass of virgin 
 marble laid in reverential silence. I fancy Heber 
 has compared it to the growth of a palm. Your 
 nice miniature chart, which I shall carefully treas- 
 ure up, has quite satisfied me that Dr Pearson at 
 least has not realised my conceptions, though it has 
 left me still dubious as to my own power of doing 
 so. I will just (if you can bear to hear more of the 
 matter) give you an idea of the plan, which may 
 have partly faded from your memory. The series 
 of perpendicular columns will successively contain 
 the Eomaii emperors with their dates, the political 
 and religious state of the Jews, the Bishops, re- 
 markable men and events in the several Churches, 
 a column being devoted to each of the chief ones, 
 the aspect of heathenism and Judaism towards 
 Christianity, the chronology of the Apostolical and 
 Patristical writings, scliisms and heresies. General 
 Councils, eras of corruption (under which head the 
 remarks would be general), and I thought possibly
 
 64 Chart of Ecclesiastical History. [gkiff, 
 
 Letter to ail application of the apocalyptic prophecies, which 
 21st May ' would merely require a few figures and not take 
 
 1840. 1 T • 1 
 
 up room, i thmk there must be a break in the 
 Chart, after the establishment of Christianity as the 
 religion of the empire, and 1 ha^'e come to a de- 
 termination not to carry it beyond the first acknow- 
 ledgment of the supremacy of the Pope by Phocas 
 in 606, when ]\Iahoiiimedaiiisni became a besom 
 of destruction in the hand of the Lord, and com- 
 pletely altered the aspect of ecclesiastical history. 
 So much for this at present airy project, about 
 which I hope never to tease you more. Mr 
 Harper ^ lent me a little time ago a work by the 
 Eev. W. Gresley, begging me to read it, as he 
 thought it was calculated to make me a proselyte 
 to the opinions it advocates. I had skimmed the 
 book before (' Portrait of an English Churchman '), 
 but I read it attentively a second time, and was 
 pleased with the spirit of piety that breathes 
 throughout. His last work is one in a similar 
 style ('The English Citizen'), which I have cur- 
 sorily read ; and as they are both likely to be seen 
 liy you, I want to know your opinion of them. 
 Mine is this : that they are sure to have a powerful 
 influence on the minds of small readers and shal- 
 
 1 The Squire of Cotou.
 
 1840.] Religious Controversies. 6.5 
 
 low thinkers, as from the simplicity and clearness Letter to 
 
 11-7 Miss Lewis, 
 
 With which the author, by his oeau idial characters, 21st Jiay 
 enunciates his sentiments, they furnish a magazine 
 of easily wielded weapons for morning -mlling and 
 evening-party controversialists, as well as that really 
 honest minds will be inclined to think they have 
 found a resting-place amid the footballing of reli- 
 gious parties. But it appears to me that there is 
 unfairness in arbitrarily selecting a train of cir- 
 cumstances and a set of cliaracters as a develop- 
 ment of a class of opinions. In this way we might 
 make atheism appear wonderfully calculated to 
 promote social happiness. I remember, as I dare- 
 say you do, a very amiable atheist depicted by 
 Bulwer in ' Devereux ' ; and for some time after the 
 perusal of that book, which I read seven or eight 
 years ago/ I was considerably shaken by the im- 
 pression that religion was not a requisite to moral 
 excellence. 
 
 Have you not alternating seasons of mental stag- 
 nation and activity? — just such as the political 
 economists say there must be in a nation's pecu- 
 niary condition — all one's precious specie, time, 
 going out to procure a stock of commodities, while 
 one's own manufactures are too paltry to be worth 
 
 ' When she wonhl be thirteen years old. 
 VOL. I. E
 
 66 
 
 Oxford Tracts — ' Christicm Year.' [griff, 
 
 Letter to 
 Miss Lewis, 
 21st May 
 1840. 
 
 Letter to 
 Miss Lewis, 
 2Cth May 
 1840. 
 
 vending. I am just in that condition- — partly, I 
 think, owing to my not having met with any steel 
 to sharpen my edge against for the last three weeks. 
 I am going to read a volume of the Oxford Tracts 
 and the ' Lyra Apostolica ' : the former I almost 
 shrink from the labour of conning, but the other 
 I confess I am attracted towards by some highly 
 poetical extracts that I have picked uj) in various 
 quarters. I have just bought Mr Keble's ' Christian 
 Year,' a volume of sweet poetry that perhaps you 
 know. The fields of poesy look more lovely than 
 ever, now I have hedged myself in the geometrical 
 regions of fact, where I can do nothing but draw 
 parallels and measure differences in a double 
 sense. 
 
 ^ I will only hint that there seems a probability 
 of my being an unoccupied damsel, of my being 
 severed from all the ties that have hitherto given 
 my existence the semblance of a usefulness beyond 
 that of making up the requisite quantum of animal 
 matter in the universe. A second important inti- 
 mation respecting my worthy self is one that, I 
 confess, I impart without one sigh, though per- 
 haps you will think my callousness discreditable. 
 It is that Seeley & Burnside have just published 
 
 1 Written probably in view of lier brother's marriage.
 
 1840.] Italian Studies. 67 
 
 a Chart of Ecclesiastical History, doubtless giving Letter to 
 
 Miss Lewis, 
 
 to my airy vision a local habitation and a name. 26th May 
 
 •^ -^ 1840. 
 
 I console all my little regrets by thinking that 
 what is thus evidenced to be a desideratum has 
 been executed much better than if left to my 
 slow fingers and slower head. I fear I am labori- 
 ously doing nothing, for I am beguiled by the 
 fascination that the study of languages has for 
 my capricious mind. I could e'en give myself 
 up to making discoveries in the world of words. 
 
 May I trouble you to procure for me an Italian Letter to 
 
 Miss Lewis 
 
 book recommended by Mr Brezzi, Silvio Pellico's in London, 
 
 Whit-Wed- 
 
 ' Le mie Prigioni ' — if not, ' Storia d'ltalia '' ? If nesday, 
 
 June 1840. 
 
 they are cheap I should like both. 
 
 I shall have, I hope, a little trip with iny father 
 next week into Derbyshire, and this "lark" will 
 probably be beneficial to me ; so that do not imagine 
 I am inviting you to come and hear moaning, when 
 you need all attainable relaxation. 
 
 Your letter greeted me last night on my arri- Letter to 
 
 Miss Lewis, 
 
 val from Staffordshire. The prospectus of Mr 2:^1 .June 
 
 1840. 
 
 Henslow's work is as marvellous to my ignorant 
 conceptions as the prophecies of the wonders 
 of the steam engine would have been to some 
 British worthy in the days of Caractacus. I can 
 only gape as he would probably have done.
 
 68 Trip to Staffordshire. [griff, 
 
 Letter to I liope Ml' H. lias iiot imitated certain sliow- 
 
 Miss Lewis, , i . 
 
 23d June keepers, who give so exaggerated a representa- 
 
 1840. 
 
 tioii of their giantess, on the outside, that the 
 spectators have disappointment for their casli 
 within. 
 
 If I do not see you, how shall I send your ' Don 
 Quixote,' which 1 hope soon to finish ? I have been 
 sadly interrupted by other books that have taken 
 its scanty allowance of time, or I should have made 
 better haste with it. Will you try to get me Spen- 
 ser's ' Faery Queen ' ? the cheapest edition, with 
 a glossary, which is quite indispensable, together 
 with a clear and correct type. I have had some 
 treats on my little excursion, not the least of which 
 was the gazing on some — albeit the smallest — of 
 the " everlasting hills," and on those noblest chil- 
 dren of the earth — fine healthy trees — as indepen- 
 dent in their beauty as virtue ; set them where you 
 will, they adorn and need not adornment. Father 
 indulged me with a sight of Ashborne Church, the 
 finest mere parish church in the kingdom — in the in- 
 terior ; of Alton Gardens, where I saw actually what 
 I have often seen mentally — the bread-fruit tree, 
 ' the fan-palm, and the papyrus ; and last, of Lich- 
 
 field Cathedral, where, besides the exquisite archi- 
 tectural beauties both external and internal, I saw
 
 1840.] Beads Mrs Somerville. 69 
 
 Chantrey's faiiions monument of the Sleeping Chil- Letter u. 
 
 Miss Lewis, 
 
 dren. There is a tasteless monument to the learned 23d June 
 and brilliant female pedant of Lichfield, Miss 
 Seward, with a poor epitaph by Sir Walter Scott. 
 In the town we saw a large monument erected to 
 Johnson's memory, showing his Titanic body, in a 
 sitting posture, on the summit of a pedestal which 
 is ornamented with bas-reliefs of three passages 
 in his life: his penance in Uttoxeter Market, his 
 chairing on the shoulders of his schoolmates, and 
 his listening to the preaching of Sacheverel. The 
 statue is opposite to the house in which Johnson 
 was born — altogether inferior to that in St Paul's, 
 which shook me almost as much as a real glance 
 from the literary monarch. I am ashamed to send 
 you so many ill-clothed nothings. My excuse shall 
 be a state of head that calls for four leeches before 
 I can attack Mrs Somerville's ' Connection of the 
 Physical Sciences.' 
 
 I write with a very tremulous hand, as you will Letter to 
 
 Miss Lewis, 
 
 perceive : both this, and many other defects in my juiy, Mon- 
 day morn- 
 letter, are attributable to a very mighty cause — no iug, i84o. 
 
 other than the boiling of currant jelly ! I have had 
 
 much of this kind of occupation lately, and I grieve 
 
 to say I have not gone through it so cheerfully as 
 
 the character of a Christian who professes to do
 
 70 
 
 Faery Queen ' and 'Don Quixote' [geiff, 
 
 Letter to 
 Miss Lewis, 
 July, Mon- 
 day morn- 
 ing, 1S40. 
 
 Letter to 
 Miss Lewis, 
 Stli July 
 1840. 
 
 Letter to 
 Miss Lewis, 
 12th Aug. 
 1840. 
 
 all, even the most trifling, duty as the Lord de- 
 mands. My mind is consequently run all wild, 
 and bears nothing but dog-roses. I am truly ob- 
 liged to you for getting me Spenser. How shall 
 I send to you ' Don Quixote/ which I have quite 
 finished ? 
 
 I belie"S'e it is decided that father and I should 
 leave Griff and take up our residence somewhere in 
 the neighbourhood of Coventry, if we can obtain a 
 suitable house, and this is at present a matter of 
 anxiety. So you see I am likely still to have a 
 home where I can independently welcome you. 
 I am really so plunged in an abyss of books, pre- 
 serves, and sundry importa7it trivialities, that I 
 must send you this bare proof that I have not cast 
 the remembrance of you to a dusty corner of my 
 heart. Ever believe that " my heart is as thy 
 heart," that you may rely on me as a second self, 
 and that I shall, with my usual selfishness, lose 
 no opportunity of gratifying my duplicate. 
 
 The Epistle to the Colossians is pre-eminently rich 
 in the colouring with which it portrays the divine 
 fulness contained in the Saviour, contrasted with 
 the beggarly elements that a spirit of self -righteous- 
 ness would, in some way, mingle with the light of 
 life, the filthy rags it would tack round the " fine
 
 1840.] Beads Isaac Taylor. 71 
 
 raiment " of His righteousness. I have been read- Letter to 
 
 IVTiss Lewis 
 
 ing it in connection with a train of thought suggested 12th Aug. ' 
 by the reading of ' Ancient Christianity and the 
 Oxford Tracts/ by Isaac Taylor, one of the most 
 eloquent, acute, and pious of writers. Five num- 
 bers only have yet appeared. Have you seen 
 them ? If not, I should like to send you an abstract 
 of his argument, I have gulped it (pardon my 
 coarseness) in a most reptile-like fashion. I must 
 chew it thoroughly to facilitate its assimilation with 
 my mental frame. When your pupils can relish 
 Church history, I venture to recommend the Chart 
 lately published by Seeley & Burnside — far superior 
 in conception to mine, as being more compendious, 
 yet answering the purpose of presenting epochs as 
 nuclei round which less important events instinc- 
 tively cluster. 
 
 Mrs John Cash of Coventry, who was then 
 Miss Mary Sibree, daughter of a Nonconfor- 
 mist minister there, and whose acquaintance 
 Miss Evans made a year or two later in Cov- 
 entry, writes in regard to this book of Isaac 
 Taylor's : " In her lirst conversations with my 
 father and mother, they were much interested 
 in learning in what high estimation she held 
 the writings of Isaac Taylor. My father
 
 72 Infi'UG7ice of Isaac Taylor. [griff, 
 
 thought stie was a little disappointed on hear- 
 ing that he was a Dissenter. She particularly 
 enjoyed his ' Saturday Evening,' and spoke in 
 years after to me of his ' Physical Theory of 
 Another Life,' as exciting thought and lead- 
 ing speculation further than he would have 
 desired. When his 'Ancient Christianity ' 
 was published in numbers, Miss Evans took it 
 in, and kindly forwarded the numbers to us. 
 From the impression made on my own mind 
 by unfavourable facts about ' The Fathers,' 
 and from her own subsequent references to 
 this work, I am inclined to think it had 
 its influence in unsettling her views of Chris- 
 tianity." 
 Letter to I have tliouglit of you as the one who has ever 
 17th Sept. ' shown herself so capable of consideration for my 
 weakness and sympathy in iny warm and easily 
 fastened affections. My imagination is an enemy 
 that must be cast down ere I can enjoy peace or 
 exhibit uniformity of character. I know not which 
 of its caprices I have most to dread — that which 
 incites it to spread sackclotli " above, below, around," 
 or that which makes it " cheat my eye with blear 
 illusion, and beget strange dreams " of excellence 
 and beauty in beings and things of only working- 
 
 1S40.
 
 1840.] Shelley's ' Cloud.' 73 
 
 day price. The beautiful heavens that we have Letter to 
 lately enjoyed awaken in me an indescribalile sen- irtii Sept. ' 
 
 „ , . . . , . . 1840. 
 
 sation of exultation m existence, and aspiration 
 after all that is suited to enoaae an immaterial 
 nature. I have not read very many of Mr B.'s 
 poems, nor any with much attention, I simply 
 declare my determination not to feed on the broth 
 of literature when I can get strong soup — such, 
 for instance, as Shelley's " Cloud," the five or six 
 stanzas of which contain more poetic metal than 
 is beat out in all Mr B.'s pages. You must know 
 I have had bestowed on me the very pretty cogno- 
 men of Clematis, which, in the floral language, 
 means mental beauty. I cannot find in my heart 
 to refuse it, though, like many other appella- 
 tions, it has rather the appearance of a satire 
 than a compliment. Addio ! I will send your 
 floral name in my next, when I have received 
 my dictionary. My hand and mind are wearied 
 with writing four pages of German and a letter 
 of business. 
 
 My dear Veronica, — which, being interpreted, is Letter to 
 
 Miss Lewis, 
 
 fidelity in friendship, — Last week I was absent istoct.i84o. 
 from home from Wednesday to Saturday, in quest 
 of the " coy maiden " Pleasure — at least nominally 
 so, the real motive being rather to gratify another's
 
 74 Oratorios at Bii'minghain. [geiff, 
 
 Letter to feeliiig.^ I heard the "Messiah" on Thursday morn- 
 Miss Lewii^, ... 
 
 istOL't.i84o. mg at Birmingham, and some beautiful selections 
 from other oratorios of Handel and Haydn on 
 Friday. With a stupid, drowsy sensation, produced 
 by standing sentinel over damson cheese and a 
 warm stove, I cannot do better than ask you to 
 read, if accessible, Wordsworth's short poem on the 
 " Power of Sound," with which I have just been 
 delighted. I have made an alteration in my plans 
 with Mr Brezzi, and shall henceforward take Italian 
 and German alternately, so that I shall not be 
 liable to the consciousness of having imperative em- 
 ployment for every interstice of time. There seems 
 a greater affinity between German and iny mind 
 than Italian, though less new to me, possesses. 
 
 I am reading Schiller's ' Maria Stuart,' and 
 Tasso. 
 
 I was pleased with a little poem I learnt a 
 week or two ago in German ; and, as I want you 
 to like it, I have just put the idea it contains 
 into English doggerel, which quite fails to repre- 
 sent the beautiful simplicity and nature of the 
 original, but yet, I hope, will give you sufficiently 
 its sense to screen the odiousness of the transla- 
 tion. Eccola : — 
 
 1 Visit to Miss Rawlius, lier hroih^v a fiancie.
 
 1840.] German Translation. 75 
 
 QUESTION AND ANSWER. M^Iewis, 
 
 " ' Where blooms, my father, a thornless rose ? ' 
 ' That can I not tell thee, my child ; 
 Not one on the bosom of earth e'er grows 
 But wounds whom its charms have beguiled.' 
 
 ' AVould I'd a rose on my bosom to lie, 
 
 But I shrink from the piercing thorn : 
 I long, but I dare not its point defy; 
 
 I long, and I gaze forlorn.' 
 
 ' Not so, my child — round the stem again 
 
 Thy resolute fingers entwine ; 
 Forego not the joy for its sister, pain — 
 
 Let the rose, the sweet rose, be thine.' " 
 
 Would not a parcel reach you by railway ? 
 
 This is the first allusion to the new means of 
 locomotion, which would, no doubt, be attract- 
 ing much interest in the Griff household, as 
 valuation was a large part of Mr Evans's busi- 
 ness. Long years after, George Eliot wrote : — 
 " Our midland plains have never lost their familiar 
 expression and conservative spirit for me ; yet at 
 every other mile, since I first looked on them, some 
 sign of world-wide change, some new direction of 
 human labour, has wrought itself into what one 
 may call the speech of the landscape. . . . There 
 comes a crowd of burly navvies with pickaxes and 
 barrows, and while hardly a wrinkle is made in the 
 fading mother's face or a new curve of health in
 
 1S40. 
 
 76 First Bailway. [geiff, 
 
 the blooming girl's, the hills are cut through, or 
 the breaches between them spanned, we choose our 
 level, and the white steam-pennon flies along it." 
 Letter t<> My Only reason for writing is to obtain a timely 
 
 Miss Lewis, 
 
 27th Oct. promise that you will spend your holidays chiefly 
 with me, that we may once more meet among 
 scenes which, now I am called on to leave them, I 
 find to have ffroivn in to my affections. Carlyle says 
 that to the artisans of Glasgow the w^orld is not one 
 of blue skies and a green carpet, but a world of 
 copperas-fumes, low cellars, hard wages, "striking," 
 and whisky ; and if the recollection of this pic- 
 ture did not remind me that gratitude should be 
 my reservoir of feeling, that into which all that 
 comes from above or around should be received as 
 a source of fertilisation for my soul, I should give a 
 lachrymose parody of the said description, and tell 
 you ail-seriously what I now tell you playfully, that 
 mine is too often a world such as Wilkie can so well 
 paint — a walled-in world furnished with all the 
 details which he remembers so accurately, and the 
 least interesting part thereof is often what I suppose 
 must be designated the intelligent ; but I deny tliat 
 it has even a comparative claim to the appellation, 
 for give me a three-legged stool, and it will call up 
 associations — moral, poetical, mathematical — if I do
 
 1840.] Wallcd-in World. 77 
 
 but ask it, while some hiiinan beings have the Letter to 
 
 . . . Miss Lewis 
 
 odious power or contaminating the very images that 2vth oct. 
 are enshrined as our soul's arcana. Their baleful 
 touch has the same effect as would a uniformity in 
 the rays of light — it turns all objects to pale-lead 
 colour. how luxuriously joyous to have the 
 wind of heaven blow on one after being stivcd, in 
 a human atmosphere — to feel one's lieart leap up 
 after the pressure that Shakspeare so admirably 
 describes : " When a man's wit is not seconded by 
 the forward chick understanding, it strikes a man 
 as dead as a large reckoning in a small room." But 
 it is time I check this Byronic invective, and, in 
 doing so, 1 am reminded of Corinne's, or rather 
 Oswald's, reproof — " La vie est un combat, pas un 
 liymnc" We should aim to be like a plant in the 
 chamber of sickness — dispensing purifying air even 
 in a region that turns all pale its verdure, and 
 cramps its instinctive propensity to expand. Soci- 
 ety is a wide nursery of plants, where the hundreds 
 decompose to nourish the future ten, after giving 
 collateral benefits to their contemporaries destined 
 for a fairer garden. An awful thought ! one so 
 heavy that if our souls could once sustain its whole 
 weight, or rather if its wdiole weight were once to 
 drop on them, they would break and burst their
 
 1840. 
 
 78 Social Dangers. [griff, 
 
 Letter to tenements. How long will this continue ? The 
 
 Miss Lewis, n ^ i iioixion 
 
 27tii0et. cry or the martyrs heard by St John nnds an 
 echo in every heart that, like Solomon's, groans 
 under " the outrage and oppression with which 
 earth is filled." Events are now so momentous, 
 and the elements of society in so chemically criti- 
 cal a state, that a drop seems enough to change 
 its whole form. 
 
 I am reading Harris's ' Great Teacher,' and 
 am innig hevjegt, as a German would say, by its 
 stirring eloquence, which leaves you no time or 
 strength for a cold estimate of the writer's strict 
 merits. I wish I could read some extracts to 
 you. Isaac Taylor's work is not yet complete. 
 Wlien it is so, I hope to reperuse it. Since I 
 wrote to you I have had Aime Martin's work, 
 ' L'Education des Meres,' lent to me, and I have 
 found it to be the real Greece whence " AVoman's 
 Mission " has only imported to us a few marbles — 
 but ! Martin is a soi-disant rational Christian, if 
 I mistake him not. I send you an epitaph which 
 he mentions on a tomb in Paris — that of a mother : 
 " Dors en paix, (J ma mere ; ton fils t'obeira tou- 
 jours." I am reading eclectically Mrs Hemans's 
 poems, and venture to recommend to your perusal, 
 if unknown to you, one of the longest ones —
 
 1840.] Sensitiveness. 79 
 
 " The Forest Saiictuaiy." I can give it my pet ad- Letter to 
 
 Miss Lewis, 
 
 jective — Exquisite. 2rth oct. 
 
 ,, 1S40. 
 
 I have adopted as iny motto/' Certum pete Jimm 
 — Seek a sure end.^ 
 
 Come when you would best like to do so : if Letter to 
 
 Miss Lewis, 
 
 my heart beat at all at the time, it will be with stiiDec 
 
 1840. 
 
 a more rapid motion than the general, from the joy 
 of seeing you. I cannot promise you more than 
 calmness when that flush is past, for I am aweary, 
 aweary — longing for rest, which seems to fly from 
 my very anticipations. But this wrought-up sensi- 
 tiveness which makes me shrink from all contact 
 is, I know, not for communication or sympathy, 
 and is, from that very character, a kind of trial 
 best suited for me. Whatever tends to render us 
 ill - contented with ourselves, and more earnest 
 aspirants after perfect truth anil goodness, is gold, 
 though it come to us all molten and burning, and 
 we know not our treasure until we have had 
 long smarting. 
 
 It is impossible, to me at least, to be poetical in Letter to 
 
 Miss Lewis, 
 
 cold weather. I understand the Icelanders have 21st Dec. 
 
 1840. 
 
 much national poetry, but I guess it was written 
 in the neighbourhood of the boiling springs. I 
 
 1 By n, curious coincidence, when she became Mrs Cross, this 
 actually was her motto.
 
 80 
 
 Furnisliing JVew House. 
 
 [griff, 
 
 Letter to 
 Miss Lewis, 
 21st Dec. 
 1840. 
 
 Letter to 
 
 Miss Lewis, 
 2Ttli .Jan. 
 1841. 
 
 Letter to 
 Miss Lewis, 
 nth Feb. 
 1841. 
 
 will promise to be as cheerful and as Christmas- 
 like as my rickety body and chameleon-like spirits 
 will allow. I am about to commence the making 
 of mince-pies, with all the interesting sensations 
 characterising young enterprise or effort. 
 
 Happily, the moody, melancholy temperament 
 has some counterbalancing advantages to those of 
 tlie sanguine : it does sometimes meet with results 
 more favourable than it expected, and by its knack 
 of imagining the pessimus, cheats the world of its 
 power to disappoint. The very worm-like origin- 
 ator of this coil of sentiment is the fact that 
 you write more cheerfully of yourself than I 
 had been thinking of you, and that ergo I am 
 pleased. 
 
 On Monday and Tuesday my father and I were 
 occupied with the sale of furniture at our new 
 house : it is probable that we shall migrate thither 
 in a month. I shall be incessantly hurried until 
 after our departure, but at present I have to be 
 grateful for a smooth passage through contemplated 
 difficulties. Sewing is my staple article of com- 
 merce with the hard trader Time. Now the wind 
 has veered to the south I hope to do much more, 
 and that with greater zest than I have done for 
 many months — I mean of all kinds.
 
 1841.] Wm^'s Purgations. 81 
 
 I have been reading the three vokinies of the Letter to 
 
 Miss Lewis, 
 
 ' Life and Times of Lonis the Fourteenth, and am nth Feb. 
 as eagerly waiting for the fourth and last as any 
 voracious novel-reader for Bulwer's last. I am 
 afraid I am getting quite martial in my spirit, and, 
 in the warmth of my sympathy for Turenne and 
 Cond^, losmg my hatred of war. Such a conflict 
 between individual and moral influence is no 
 novelty. But certainly war, though the heaviest 
 scourge with which the divine wrath against sin 
 is manifested in Time, has been a necessary vent 
 for impurities and a channel for tempestuous pas- 
 sions that must have otherwise made the whole 
 earth, like the land of the devoted Canaanites, to 
 vomit forth the inhabitants thereof. Awful as such 
 a sentiment appears, it seems to me that in the 
 present condition of man (and I do not mean this 
 in the sense that Cowper does), such a purgation 
 of the body politic is probably essential to its 
 health. A foreign war would soon put an end to 
 our national humours, that are growing to so 
 alarming a head. 
 
 What do you tliink of the Progress of Archi- Letter to 
 
 Miss Lews, 
 
 tecture as a subject for Poetry ? . sth March 
 
 I am just about to set out on a purchasing 
 expedition to Coventry : you may therefore con- 
 
 YOL. I. F 
 
 1841.
 
 82 Removal to Folesliill. [gkiff, 
 
 Letter to ceivG that I am full of little plans and anxieties, 
 
 Miss Lewis, i-n i iixiitii-ct 
 
 sth March and Will Understand why I should be brief. I 
 hope by the close of next week that we and our 
 effects shall be deposited at Toleshill, and until 
 then and afterwards I shall be fully occupied, so 
 that I am sure you will not expect to hear from 
 me for the next six weeks. One little bit of un- 
 reasonableness you must grant me — the request 
 for a letter from yourself within that time. 
 
 SUMMARY. 
 
 AUGUST 18, 1838, TO MAKCH 8, 1841. 
 
 Letters to Miss Lewis — First visit to London — Eeligious 
 asceticism — Pascal — Hannali IMore's letters — Young's ' Infi- 
 del Reclaimed ' — Micliaelmas visitors — Life of Wilberforce — 
 Nineteenth birthday — Oratorio at Coventry — Religious ob- 
 jections to music — Letters to Mrs Samuel Evans — Religious 
 reflections — Besetting sin, ambition — Letters to Miss Lewis 
 — Objections to fiction reading — Religious contentions on 
 the nature of the visible Church— First poem — Account of 
 books read and studies pursued — Wordsworth — Twentieth 
 birthday— German begun — Plan of Chart of Ecclesiastical 
 History — Religious controversies — Oxford Tracts — 'Lyra 
 Apostolica ' — ' Christian Year ' — Chart of Ecclesiastical His- 
 tory forestalled — Italian begun— Trip to Derbyshire and Staf- 
 fordshire — 'Don Quixote' — Spenser's 'Faery Queen' — Mrs
 
 1841.] Summary of Chapter I. 83 
 
 Somerville's ' Connection of the Physical Sciences ' — Dislike 
 of housekeeping work — Removal to Coventry decided — ' An- 
 cient Christianity and the Oxford Tracts,' by Isaac Taylor, 
 and Mrs John Cash's impression of its effect — Determination 
 not to feed on the broth of literature — Visit to Birmingham 
 to hear " Messiah "—Reading Schiller's ' Maria Stuart ' and 
 Tasso — Translation of German poem — Depression of sur- 
 roundings at Griff— Reading Harris's ' Great Teacher, ' Aime 
 Martin's ' L'Education des Meres,' and Mrs Hemans's Poems 
 — Buying furniture at new house — Sewing — Reading Life 
 and Times of Louis XIV.'— Removal to Foleshill Road, 
 Coventry.
 
 84 
 
 CHAPTER II. 
 
 New circumstances now created a change almost 
 amounting to a revolution in Miss Evans's life. 
 Mr Isaac Evans, who had been associated for 
 some time with his father in the land agency 
 business, married, and it was arranged that he 
 should take over the establishment at Grifif. 
 This led to the removal in March 1841 of Mr 
 Eobert Evans and his daughter to a house on 
 the Foleshill Eoad, in the immediate neighbour- 
 hood of Coventry. The house is still standing, 
 although considerably altered — a semi-detached 
 house with a good bit of garden round it, and 
 from its upper windows a wide view over the 
 surrounding country, the immediate foreground 
 being unfortunately, however, disfigured by the 
 presence of mills and chimneys. It is town life 
 now instead of country life, and we feel the 
 effects at once in the tone of the subsequent
 
 ■A 
 > 
 O 
 'J 
 
 D 
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 _) 
 -I 
 
 -J 
 
 o 
 
 U4 
 
 O
 
 1841.] Coventry Clicmge. 85 
 
 letters. The friendsliip.s now formed with Mr 
 and Mrs Bray and Miss Sara Hennell particu- 
 larly, and the being brought within reach of 
 a small circle of cultivated people generally, 
 render this change of residence an exceedingly 
 important factor in George Eliot's development. 
 It chanced that the new house was next door 
 to Mrs Pears, a sister of Mr Bray, and as there 
 had been some acquaintance in days gone by 
 between him and the family at Griff, this close 
 neighbourhood led to an exchange of visits. 
 The following extracts from letters to Miss 
 Lewis show how the acquaintance ripened, and 
 will give some indications of the first impres- 
 sions of Coventry life:— 
 Last evening I mentioned you to my neighbour Letter to 
 
 Miss Lewis, 
 
 (Mrs Pears), who is growing into the more precious satm-day 
 
 evening, 
 
 character of a friend, I have seriously to be thank- April is4i. 
 ful for far better health than I have possessed, I 
 think, for years, and I am imperatively called on to 
 trade diligently with this same talent. I am likely 
 to be more and more busy, if I succeed in a project 
 that is just now occupying my thoughts and feel- 
 ings. I seem to be tried in a contrary mode to 
 that in which most of my dearest friends are being 
 tutored — tried in the most dangerous way — by
 
 86 
 
 Satisfaction vnth Neio Life, [foleshill, 
 
 Letter to 
 Miss Lewis, 
 Satmxlay 
 evening, 
 April 1S41. 
 
 Letter to 
 Miss Lewis, 
 April 1841. 
 
 prosperity. Solomon says, " In tlie day of pros- 
 perity be joyfnl, bnt in the day of adversity con- 
 sider." It seems to me that a transposition, 
 vice versd, of the admonitions wonld be equally salu- 
 tary and just. Truly, as the prophet of Selwyn 
 has told us, " Heaven is formidable in its favours," 
 Not that a wise and grateful reception of blessings 
 obliges us to stretch our faces to the length of one 
 of Cromwell's Barebones ; nor to shun that joyous 
 bird-like enjoyment of things (which, though perish- 
 able as to their actual existence, will be embalmed 
 to eternity in the precious spices of gratitude) that 
 is distinct from levity and ^'oluptuousness. I am 
 really crowded with engagements just now, and I have 
 added one to the number of my correspondents. 
 
 The whole of last week was devoted to a brides- 
 maid's ^ duties, and each day of this has been parti- 
 ally occupied in paying or recei\dng visits. I have 
 a calm in sea and sky that I doubt not will ere 
 long be interrupted. This is not our rest, if we are 
 among those for whom there remaineth one, and to 
 pass through life without tribulation (or, as Jeremy 
 Taylor beautifully says, with only such a measure 
 of it as may be compared to an artificial discord in 
 music, which nurses the ear for the returning har- 
 
 1 Brother's marriage.
 
 1841.] Religious Aspirations. 87 
 
 mony) would leave us destitute of one of the marks Letter to 
 
 . Miss Lewis, 
 
 that invariably accompany salvation, and of that April i84i. 
 fellowship in the sufferings of the Eedeemer which 
 can alone work in us a resemblance to one of the 
 most prominent parts of His divinely perfect char- 
 acter, and enable us to obey the injunction, "In 
 patience possess your souls." I have often observed 
 how, in secular things, active occupation in procur- 
 ing the necessaries of life renders the character 
 indifferent to trials not affectmg that one object. 
 There is an analogous influence produced in the 
 Christian by a vigorous pursuit of duty, a deter- 
 mmation to work while it is day. 
 
 One of the penalties women must pay for modern Letter to 
 
 n „ , . . . Miss Lewis, 
 
 deference to their intellect is, i suppose, that they 2stii April 
 
 1841. 
 
 must give reasons for tlieir conduct after the 
 fashion of men. The days are past for pleading a 
 woman's reason. The truth is, that the hindrances 
 to my writing have been like the little waves of 
 the brooks that look so lovely just now — they have 
 arisen one after another close to my side, but when 
 I have looked back I have found the ripples too 
 insignificant to be marked in the distance. My 
 father's longer sejours at home than formerly, 
 and multiplied acquaintances and engagements, are 
 really valid excuses for me hitherto, but I do not
 
 88 
 
 Depression. 
 
 [foleshill, 
 
 Letter to 
 Miss Lewis, 
 28th April 
 1841. 
 
 Letter to 
 Miss Lewis, 
 Thiu-sday 
 niomiiig, 
 June 1841. 
 
 intend to need them in future ; I hope to be a 
 " snapper up of unconsidered " moments, I have 
 just been interrupted by a visit from a lass of 
 fourteen who has despoiled me of half an hour, and 
 I am going out to dinner, so that T cannot follow 
 the famous advice, " Hasten slowly." I suppose 
 that you framed your note on the principle that a 
 sharp and sudden sound is the most rousing, but 
 there are addenda about yourself that I want to 
 know, though I dare not ask for them. I do not 
 feel settled enough to write more at present. How 
 is it that Erasmus could write volumes on volumes 
 and multifarious letters besides, while I, whose lab- 
 ours hold about the same relation to his as an ant- 
 hill to a pyramid or a drop of dew to the ocean, seem 
 too busy to write a few ? A most posing query ! 
 
 I have of late felt a depression that has disordered 
 the vision of my mind's eye and made me alite to 
 what is certainly a fact (though my imagination 
 when I am in health is an adept at concealing it), 
 that I am alone in the world. I do not mean to 
 be so sinful as to say that I have not friends most 
 undeservedly kind and tender, and disposed to form 
 a far too favourable estimate of me, but I mean 
 that I have no one who enters into my pleasures 
 or my griefs, no one with whom I can pour out
 
 1841.] NichoVs 'Architecture of tlic Heavens' 89 
 
 my soul, no one with the same yearnings, the same Letter to 
 
 Miss Lews, 
 
 temptations, the same delights as myself. I merely Thursday 
 
 morning, 
 
 mention this as the impression that obtrudes itself june i84i. 
 when my body tramples on its keeper — (a metaphor 
 borrowed from a menagerie of wild beasts if it 
 should happen to puzzle you !)— mysterious " con- 
 nection exquisite of distant worlds" that we pre- 
 sent ! A few drops of steel will perhaps make me 
 laugh at the simple objects that, in gloom and mist, 
 I conjure mto stalking apparitions. 
 
 I am begmning to be interlaced with multiplying Letter to 
 
 '^ Miss Lews 
 
 ties of duty and afiection that, while they render at Margate, 
 
 31st July 
 
 my new home happier, forbid me to leave it on a is4i. 
 pleasure-seeking expedition. I think, indeed, that 
 both my heart and limbs would leap to behold the 
 o-reat and wide sea — that old ocean on which man 
 can leave no trace. 
 
 I have been revelling in Nichol's 'Architecture Letter to 
 
 Miss Le'"'''^ 
 
 of the Heavens and Phenomena of the Solar Sys- 3d sept 
 tem,' and have been in imagination winging my 
 flight from system to system, from universe to 
 universe, trymg to conceive myself in such a 
 position and with such a visual faculty as would 
 enable me to enjoy what Young enumerates among 
 the novelties of the " Stranger " man when he bursts 
 the shell to 
 
 1841.
 
 90 Mind requires Best. [foleshill, 
 
 Letter to " Behold an infinite of floating worlds 
 
 Miss Lewis, Divide the crystal waves of ether pure 
 
 3d Sept. •' ^ 
 
 1S41. In endless voyage without port." 
 
 " Hospitable infinity ! " Nichol beautifully says. How 
 should I love to have a thoroughgoing student with 
 me, that we might read together ! We might each 
 alternately employ the voice and the fingers, and 
 thus achieve just twice as much as a poor solitary. 
 I am more impressed than ever with a truth beauti- 
 fully expressed in ' Woman's Mission ' — " Learning 
 is only so far valuable as it serves to enlarge and 
 enliohten the bounds of conscience." This I believe 
 it eminently does when pursued humbly and piously, 
 and from a belief that it is a solemn duty to culti- 
 vate every faculty of our nature so far as primary 
 obligations allow. There is an exhortation of St 
 Paul's that I should love to take as my motto : 
 "Fmally, my brethren, whatsoever things are hon- 
 est" (you know the continuation) — "if there be any 
 virtue, and if there be any praise, think on these 
 things." I have had to lament lately that mine is 
 not a hard-woo'Jdng mind — it recpiires frequent rest. 
 I am violently in love with the Italian fashion of 
 j repeating an adjective or adverb, and even noun, 
 
 to give force to expression : there is so nnich more 
 fire in it than in our circumlocutory phrases, our
 
 1841.] Desire for Brai7i Waves. 91 
 
 dull " verys " and " exceedinglys " and " extremelys." Letter to 
 
 Miss Lewis, 
 
 I strongly recommend Hallani to you. I shall read sd sept. 
 
 1841. 
 
 it again if I live. When a sort of haziness conies 
 over the mind, making one feel weary of articulated 
 or written signs of ideas, does not the notion of a 
 less laborious mode of communication, of a per- 
 ception approaching more nearly to intuition, seem 
 attractive ? Nathless, I love words : they are the 
 quoits, the bows, the staves that furnish the gym- 
 nasium of the mind. Without them, in our present 
 condition, our intellectual strength would have no im- 
 plements. I have been rather humbled in thinking 
 that if I were thrown on an uncivilised island, and 
 had to form a literature for its inhabitants from my 
 own mental stock, how very fragmentary would be 
 the information with which I could furnish them ! 
 It would be a good mode of testing one's knowledge 
 to set one's self the task of writing sketches of 
 all subjects that have entered into one's studies 
 entirely from the chronicles of memory. The prev- 
 alence of misery and want in this boasted nation 
 of prosperity and glory is appalling, and really 
 seems to call us away from mental luxury. Oh to 
 be doing some little toward the regeneration of 
 this groaning, travailing creation ! I am supine , 
 and stupid — overfed with favours, wlide the hag- |
 
 Letter to 
 Miss Lewis, 
 Ist Oct. 
 1841. 
 
 Letter to 
 Miss Lewis, 
 2d Nov. 
 1841. 
 
 92 Love of Autumn. [foleshill, 
 
 I gard looks and piercing glance of want and con- 
 j scions hopelessness are to be seen in the streets. 
 Is not this a trne autnmn day ? Just the still 
 melancholy that I love — that makes life and natnre 
 harmonise. The birds are consulting about their 
 migrations, the trees are putting on the hectic or 
 the pallid hues of decay, and begin to strew the 
 ground, that one's very footsteps may not disturb 
 the repose of earth and air, while they give us a 
 scent that is a perfect anodyne to the restless 
 spirit. Delicious autumn ! My very soul is wedded 
 to it, and if I were a liird I would fly about the 
 earth seekino- the successive autumns. 
 
 I am going, I hope, to-day to effect a l)reach in 
 the thick wall of indifference behind which the 
 denizens of Coventry seem inclined to intrench 
 themselves ; but I fear I shall fail. 
 
 This probably refers to the first visit paid by 
 Miss Evans to Mr and Mrs Bray at their house. 
 They had met in the previous May at Mrs 
 Pears's; but although they were at once mutu- 
 ally attracted, the acquaintance does not seem 
 to have been immediately prosecuted further. 
 Now, however, any time lost in the begin- 
 ning was quickly made up, and it is astonish- 
 ing how rapidly the most intimate relations
 
 1841.] Friendship with the Brays. 93 
 
 were formed. Mr Bray was a ribbon-manu- 
 facturer, well-to-do at that time, and had a 
 charming house, Eosehill, with a beautiful lawn 
 and garden, in the outskirts of Coventry. Only 
 a part of his time was occupied with his busi- 
 ness, and he had nmch leisure and opportunity, 
 of which he availed himself, for liberal self- 
 education and culture. His was a robust self- 
 reliant mind. Already, in 1839, he had pub- 
 lished a work on the ' Education of the Feel- 
 ings,' viewed from the phrenological standpoint ; 
 and in this year, 1841, appeared his most im- 
 portant book, ' The Philosophy of Necessity.' 
 He always remained a sincere and complete 
 believer in the science of phrenology. He had 
 married Miss Caroline Hennell, sister of the 
 Mr Charles Hennell who published in 1838 
 'An Inquiry Concerning the Origin of Chris- 
 tianity ' — a remarkable book, whicli was trans- 
 lated into German, Strauss contributing a pre- 
 face to the translation. It will be seen from 
 subsequent letters how greatly Miss Evans was 
 interested in this book — how much she admired 
 it; and the reading of it, combined with the 
 association with her new friends — with the 
 philosophical speculations of Mr Bray, and with
 
 94 Brays' Influence on Opinions, [foleshill, 
 
 Mrs Bray's sympathy in her brother's critical 
 and sceptical standpoint — no donbt hastened 
 the change in her attitude towards the dogmas 
 of the old religion. In the Analytical Cata- 
 logue of Mr Chapman's publications, issued in 
 1852, there is an analysis of Hennell's ' In- 
 quiry ' done by Miss Evans, which may be in- 
 serted here, as giving her idea of the book 
 eleven years later: — 
 " The first edition of this worlc appeared in 1838, 
 when the present strong current of public opinion 
 in favour of free religious discussion had not yet 
 set in ; and it probably helped to generate the tone 
 of thought exhibited in more recent works of the 
 same class, to which circumstances have given a 
 wider fame — works which, like the above, in con- 
 sidering questions of Biblical criticism and the phil- 
 osophy of Christianity, combine Iiigh refinement, 
 purity of aim, and candour, with the utmost free- 
 dom of investigation, and with a popularity of 
 style which wins them the attention not only of 
 the learned but of the practical. 
 
 " The author opens his inquiry with a Historical 
 Sketch, extending from the Babylonish Captivity 
 to the end of the first century, the design of which 
 is to show how, abstracting the idea of the mir-
 
 1841.] Charles HennelVs 'Inquiry.' 95 
 
 aculous, or any speciality of divine influence, the 
 gradual development of certain elements in Jewish 
 character, and the train of events in Jewish his- 
 tory, contributed to form a suitable nidus for the 
 production of a character and career like that of 
 Jesus, and how the devoted enthusiasm generated 
 by such a career in his immediate disciples render- 
 ing it easier for them to modify their ideas of the 
 Messiah than to renounce their belief in their 
 Master's Messiahship, — the accession of Gentile 
 converts and the destruction of the last remnant of 
 theocracy necessitating a wider interpretation of 
 Messianic hopes, — the junction of Christian ideas 
 with Alexandrian Platonism, and the decrepitude 
 of Polytheism, combined to associate the name of 
 Jesus, his Messiahship, his death and his resur- 
 rection, with a great moral and religious revolution. 
 This historical sketch, which is under the disadvan- 
 tage of presenting, synthetically, ideas based on a 
 subsequent analysis, is intended to meet the diffi- 
 culty so often urged, and which might be held to nul- 
 lify the value of a critical investigation, that Chris- 
 tianity is a fact, for which, if the supposition of a 
 miraculous origin be rejected, no adequate and pro- 
 bable causes can be assigned, and that thus, how- 
 ever defective may be the evidence of the New
 
 96 Charles HennelVs 'Inquiry.' [foleshill, 
 
 Testament history, its acceptance is the least diffi- 
 cult alternative. 
 
 " In the writer's view, the characteristics of the 
 Essene sect, as traced by Josephus and Philo, 
 justify the supposition that Jesus was educated 
 in their school of philosophy ; but with the elevated 
 belief and jDurity of life which belonged to this 
 sect, he united the ardent patriotic ideas which 
 had previously animated Judas of Galilee, who re- 
 sisted the Eoman authority on the ground that God 
 was the only ruler and lord of the Jews. The pro- 
 found consciousness of genius, a religious fervour 
 which made the idea of the divine ever present 
 to him, patriotic zeal, and a spirit of moral reform, 
 together with a participation in the enthusiastic 
 belief of his countrymen that the long-predicted 
 exaltation of Israel was at hand, combined to pro- 
 duce in the mind of Jesus the gradual conviction 
 that he was himself the Messiah, with whose reign 
 that exaltation would commence. He began, as 
 John the Baptist had already done, to announce 
 ' the kingdom of heaven,' — a phrase which, to the 
 Jewish mind, represented the national glorification 
 of Israel ; and by his preaching, and the influence 
 of his powerful personality, he won multitudes in 
 Galilee to a participation in his belief that he was
 
 1841.] Charles HenneWs 'Inquiry.' 97 
 
 the expected Son of David, His public entrance 
 into Jerusalem in ^tlie guise which tradition associ- 
 ated with tlie Messiah, when he sanctioned the 
 homage of the multitude, was probably the climax 
 of his confidence that a great demonstration of 
 divine power, in concurrence with popular enthu- 
 siasm, would seat him triumphantly on the throne 
 of David. No such result appearing, his views of 
 the divine dispensation with respect to himself 
 began to change, and he felt the presentiment that 
 he must enter on his ]\Iessianic reign throu<di the 
 gates of suffering and death. Viewing Jesus as a 
 pretender not only to spiritual but to political 
 power, as one who really expected the subversion 
 of the existing government to make way for his 
 own kingship (though he probably relied on divine 
 rather than on human means), he must necessarily 
 have appeared in a dangerous light to those of his 
 countrymen who were in authority, and who were 
 anxious at any price to preserve public tranquillity 
 in the presence of the Eonian power, ready to visit 
 with heavy vengeance any breach of order, and to 
 deprive them of the last remnants of their inde- 
 pendence ; and hence the motives for his arrest 
 and execution. To account for the belief of the 
 disciples in the resurrection of their Master — a 
 VOL. I. G
 
 98 Chafles HcnnelVs 'Inquiry.' [foleshill, 
 
 belief which appears to have been sincere — the 
 author thinks it necessary to suppose a certain 
 nucleus of fact, and this he finds in the disappear- 
 ance of the body of Jesus, a point attested by all 
 the four Evangelists. The secret of this disappear- 
 ance probably lay with Joseph of Arimathea and 
 Nicodemus, who were anxious to avoid implicating 
 themselves with that fermentation of regretful 
 enthusiasm to which a resort of the disciples to 
 the grave might give rise. Aniinated by a belief 
 in the resurrection — which, being more harmless in 
 the eyes of the authorities than that in a living 
 Messiah, they were permitted to preach with little 
 molestation — the zeal of the disciples won many 
 converts ; a new impulse was given to their cause 
 by the accession of Paul, who became the chief 
 missionary of the new faith, as construed by him- 
 self, to the Gentiles ; and the concurrence of the 
 causes indicated above, modifying the early creed 
 of the apostles, and blending it with trains of 
 thought already prevalent, bore along Christianity 
 in its conquest over the minds of men until it 
 became the dominant religion of the Eoman world. 
 " Having sought to show, in this preliminary 
 sketch, that a belief in miracles is not entailed on 
 us by the fact of the early growth of Christianity,
 
 1841.] Charles Renneirs 'Inquiry.' 99 
 
 the author enters on the inqniiy whether the claims 
 of the Evangelical writers on our credence are such 
 as to sustain the miraculous part of their narratives. 
 The answer is in the negative. He discusses, first, 
 the date and credibility of each Gospel, and con- 
 cludes that while Matthew has many marvellous 
 stories, incongruous in themselves, and not only 
 unsupported hut contradicted by the other Evan- 
 gelists, he nevertheless presents the most compre- 
 hensible account of the career of Jesus ; that in 
 Mark, evidently more remote in time and circum- 
 stances, both from his events and from Jewish 
 modes of thought, the idea conveyed of Jesus is 
 much vaguer and less explicable ; that in Luke 
 there is a still further modification of his character, 
 which has acquired a tinge of asceticism ; while in 
 John the style of his teaching is wholly changed, 
 and instead of the graphic parable and the pithy 
 apothegm, he utters long mystical discourses in the 
 style of the first epistle bearing the name of the 
 same Evangelist. Mr Hennell, however, adheres 
 to the conclusion that the substance of this Grospel 
 came from the apostle John at an advanced age, 
 when both the events of his early manhood and 
 the scenes of his native land lay in the far distance. 
 The writer then enters on a special examination of
 
 100 Charles HenneWs' Inquiry! [foleshill, 
 
 tlie Eesurrection and Ascension, and the other 
 miracles in the Gospels and the Acts, and inquires 
 how far they are sustamed by the Apostolic 
 Epistles. He examines the prophecies of the Old 
 Testament supposed to have been fulfilled in Jesus, 
 and also the predictions of Jesus himself concern- 
 ing his death and resurrection ; and finally, he con- 
 siders the character, views, and doctrine of Christ. 
 According to him, an impartial study of the con- 
 duct and sayings of Jesus, as exhibited in the 
 Gospels, produces the conviction that he was an 
 enthusiast and a revolutionist, no less than a re- 
 former and a moral and religious teacher. Passages 
 are adduced from the Old Testament, and from 
 the Apocryphal and Eabbinical writings, to show 
 that there is scarcely anything absolutely original 
 in the teaching of Jesus ; but, in the opinion of 
 the author, he manifests a freedom and individ- 
 uality in the use of his materials, and a general 
 superiority of tone and selection, which, united 
 with the devotion of his life to what he held the 
 highest purpose, mark him to be of an order of 
 minds occurring but at rare intervals in the history 
 of our race. 
 
 " Shortly after the appearance of this work, it 
 was translated into German through the instru-
 
 1841.] Charles HcnnclVs '■Inqidry' 101 
 
 mentality of Dr Strauss, who, in the Preface he 
 prefixed to it, says : ' Xot sufficiently acquainted 
 with German to read continuously a learned work 
 in that language, the labours of our theologians 
 were only accessible to him' (the author of the 
 ' Inquiry ') ' so far as they were written in Latin, 
 or translated into English, or treated of in English 
 writings or periodicals : especially he is unac- 
 quainted with what the Germans have effected in 
 the criticism of the Gospels since Schleiermacher's ■ 
 work on Luke, and even the earlier commentators 
 he knows but imperfectly. Only so much the 
 more remarkable is it, however, that both in the 
 principles and in the main results of his investi- 
 gation, he is on the very track which has been 
 entered on amongst us in recent years. . . . That 
 at certain periods, certain modes of thought lie as 
 it were in the atmosphere, . . . and come to light 
 in the most remote places without perceptible 
 media of communication, is shown, not only by 
 the contents, but by the spirit, of Mr Hennell's 
 work. No further traces of the ridicule and scorn 
 which characterise his countrymen of the Deistical 
 school ; the subject is treated in the earnest and 
 dignified tone of the truth - seeker, not with the 
 rancour of a passionate polemic ; we nowhere find 
 
 LIBRARY 
 
 UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA 
 
 RIVERSIDE
 
 > \ 
 
 102 Charles HennelVs 'Inqidry! [foleshill, 
 
 him deriving religion from priestcraft, but from 
 the tendencies and wants of human nature. . . . 
 These elevated views, which the learned German 
 of our day appropriates as the fruit of the religious 
 and scientific advancement of his nation, this Eng- 
 lishman, to whom most of the means at our com- 
 mand were wanting, has been able to educe entirely 
 from himself. . . . An Englishman, a merchant, a 
 man of the world, he possesses, both by nature and 
 by training, the practical insight, the sure tact, 
 which lays hold on realities. The solution of prob- 
 lems over which the German flutters with many 
 circuits of learned formulae, our English author 
 often succeeds in seizmg at one spring. ... To 
 the learned he often presents things under a sur- 
 prisingly new aspect ; to the unlearned, invariably 
 under that which is the most comprehensible and 
 attractive.' " 
 
 Tlie reading of Mr Hennell's book no doubt 
 marks an epoch in George Eliot's development ; 
 but probably there had been a good deal of 
 half - unconscious preparation beforehand (as 
 indicated by Mrs Cash's remarks on Isaac 
 ,.',;,. Taylor's work in the last chapter), which was 
 greatly stimulated now by the contact with new 
 minds. The following extract from a letter to
 
 1841.] Religious Doubts and Dijjiadties. 103 
 
 Miss Lewis, dated 13th November 1841, accu- 
 rately fixes the date of the first acknowledgment 
 by herself that her opinions were undergoing 
 so momentous a change. 
 My whole soul has been engrossed in the most Letter to 
 
 Mi.ss Lewis, 
 
 iuterestmg of all inquiries for the last few days, istiiNov. 
 
 1S41. 
 
 and to what result my thoughts may lead, I know 
 not — possibly to one that will startle you ; but my 
 only desire is to know the truth, my only fear to 
 cling to error. I venture to say our love will not 
 decompose under the influence of separation, unless 
 you excommunicate me for differing from you in 
 opinion. Think — is there any coriceivaUe alteration 
 in me that would prevent your coming to me at 
 Christmas ? I long to have a friend such as you 
 are, I think I may say, alone to me, to unburthen 
 every thought and difficulty — for I am still a soli- 
 tary, though near a city. But we have the uni- 
 verse to talk with, infinity in which to stretch the 
 gaze of hope, and an all-bountiful, all-wise Creator 
 in whom to confide, — He who has given us the 
 untold delights of which our reason, our emotion, 
 our sensations are the ever-springing sources. 
 
 What a pity that while mathematics are indub- Letter to 
 
 Miss Lewis, 
 
 itable, mimutable, and no one doubts the properties sthcec. 
 of a triangle or a circle, doctrines infinitely impor-
 
 104 Father's Disapjjroval. [foleshill, 
 
 Letter to taiit to man are buried in a charnel-heap of bones 
 
 Miss Lewis, 
 
 8tii Dec. over which nothing is heard but the barks and 
 
 1841. 
 
 growls of contention ! " Unto their assembly, mine 
 
 honour, be not thou united." 
 
 It was impossible for such a nature as Miss 
 Evans's, in the enthusiasm of this first great 
 change, to rest satisfied in compliance with the 
 old forms, and she was so uneasy in an equivo- 
 cal position that she determined to give up 
 going to church. This was an unforgivable 
 offence in the eyes of her father, who was a 
 churchman of the old school, and nearly led 
 to a family rupture. He went so far as to 
 put into an agent's hands the lease of the 
 house in the Foleshill Eoad, with the intention 
 of going to live with his married daughter. 
 Upon this. Miss Evans made u]j her mind to 
 go into lodgings at Leamington, and to try to 
 support herself by teaching. The first letter 
 to Mrs Bray refers to this incident: — 
 Letter to My guardiaii angel Mrs Pears has just sent for 
 
 Mrs Bray, 
 
 Jan. 1842. me to hear your kind note, which has done my 
 aching limbs a little good. I shall be most thank- 
 ful for the opportunity of going to Leamington, 
 and Mrs Pears is willing to go too. There is but 
 one woe, that of leaving my dear father — all else,
 
 1842.] Heligious Difficulties. 105 
 
 doleful lodgings, scanty meals, and gazing-stoddsm, Letter to 
 
 Mrs Bray, 
 
 are quite indifferent to me. Therefore do not fear Jan. is42. 
 for me when I am once settled in my home — 
 wherever it may be — and freed from wretched 
 suspense. 
 
 Ear from being weary of your dear little Henry, Letter to 
 
 ... . Mrs Pears, 
 
 his matin visits are as cheering to me as those of Friday even 
 any little bird 1842. 
 
 " That comes in spite of sorrow, 
 And at my window bids good-morrow." 
 
 We have not, perhaps, been so systematic as a 
 regular tutor and pupil would have been, but we 
 crave indulgence for some laxity. I was really 
 touched that you should think of mc while among 
 friends more closely linked with you in every way. 
 I was beginning to get used to the conviction that, 
 ivy - like as I am by nature, I must (as we see 
 ivy do sometimes) shoot out into an isolated tree. 
 Never again imagine that you need ask forgive- 
 ness for speaking or writing to me on subjects to 
 me more interesting than aught else ; on the con- 
 trary, believe that I really enjoy conversation of 
 this nature : blank silence and cold reserve are the 
 only bitters I care for in my intercourse with you. 
 I can rejoice in all the joys of humanity, — in all 
 that serves to elevate and purify feeling and action ;
 
 106 Desire for Truth. [foleshill, 
 
 Letter to iior will I quairel with the million who, I am per- 
 
 Mrs Pears, 
 
 Friday even- suadecl, are with me in intention, though our dia- 
 
 ing, Feb. 
 
 1842. lects differ. Of course I must desire the ultimate 
 
 downfall of error, for no error is innocuous ; but 
 this assuredly will occur without my proselytising 
 aid, and the best proof of a real love of the truth 
 — that freshest stamp of divinity — is a calm con- 
 fidence in its intrinsic power to secure its own 
 high destiny, — that of universal empire. Do not 
 fear that I will become a stagnant pool by a self- 
 sufficient determination only to listen to my own 
 echo ; to read the yea, yea on my own side, and 
 be most comfortably deaf to the nay, nay. Would 
 that all rejected 'practically this maxim ! To fear 
 the examination of any proposition appears to me 
 an intellectual and a moral palsy that will ever 
 hinder the firm grasping of any substance what- 
 ever. For my part, I wish to be among the 
 ranks of that glorious crusade that is seeking to 
 set Truth's Holy Sepulchre free from a usurped 
 domination. We shall then see her resurrection ! 
 Meanwhile, although I cannot rank among my 
 principles of action a fear of vengeance eternal, 
 gratitude for predestined salvation, or a revelation 
 of future glories as a reward, I fully participate 
 in the belief that the only heaven here, or hereafter.
 
 1842.] Gratitude to Mrs Bray. 107 
 
 is to be found in conformity with the will of the Letter to 
 
 ... . :\Ir.s Pears, 
 
 Supreme ; a continual aiming at the attainment Friday even- 
 ing, Feb. 
 of the perfect ideal, the true logos that dwells in 1342. 
 
 the bosom of the one Father. I hardly know 
 whether I am ranting after the fashion of one of 
 the Primitive Methodist prophetesses, with a cart 
 for her rostrum, I am writing so fast. Good- 
 bye, and blessings on you, as they will infallibly 
 be on the children of peace and virtue. 
 
 Again about the same date in 1842 she writes 
 to Mrs Bray — 
 A heart full of love and gratitude to you for all Letter to 
 
 Mrs Bray, 
 
 your kindness in thought and act to me undeserv- Feb. is42. 
 ing. I daresay my manner belies my feelings : but 
 friendship must live by faith and not by sight, and 
 I shall be a great gainer by leaving you to interpret 
 my mystic character without any other key than 
 your own goodness. 
 
 The last letter of the series to Miss Lewis 
 also refers to the difficulties of the situation. 
 I daresay you have added, subtracted, and divided Letter to 
 
 Miss Lewis, 
 
 suppositions until you think you have a sure pro- lotii Feb. 
 duct — VIZ., a good quantum, or rather, a bad one, 01 
 indifference and forgetfulness as the representation 
 of my conduct towards you. If so, revise your 
 arithmetic, for be it known to you that, having had
 
 1842. 
 
 108 Phrenological Indications, [foleshill, 
 
 Letter to my propensities, sentiments, and intellect gauged a 
 
 Miss Lewis, 
 
 19th Feb. secoiid time, I am pronounced to possess a large 
 organ of " adhesiveness," a still larger one of " firm- 
 ness," and as large of " conscientiousness " — hence 
 if I should turn out a very weather-cock and a 
 most pitiful truckler, you will have data for the 
 exercise of faith maugre common - sense, common 
 justice, and the testimony of your eyes and ears. 
 
 How do you go on for society, for communion of 
 spirit, the drop of nectar in the cup of mortals ? 
 But why do I say the drop ? The mind that feels 
 its value will get large draughts from some source, 
 if denied it in the most commonly chosen way. 
 
 'Mid the rich store of nature's gifts to man 
 Each has his loves, close wedded to his soul 
 By fine association's golden links. 
 As the Great Spirit bids creation teem 
 With conscious being and intelligence, 
 So man, His miniature, resemblance gives 
 To matter's every form a speaking soul, 
 An emanation from his spirit's fount, 
 The impress true of its peculiar seal. 
 Here finds he thj^ best image, sympathy. 
 
 Beautiful ego-ism, to quote one's own. But where is 
 not this same ego ? The martyr at the stake seeks 
 its gratification as much as the court sycophant, 
 the difference lying in the comparative dignity and
 
 1842.] Effects of Non-conformity. 109 
 
 beauty of tlie two egos. People absurdly talk of Letter to 
 
 IP 1 • 1 ^TT^ ^ • • -vt- • Jliss Lewis, 
 
 selr-clenial. Why, there is none m Virtue to a Ijeiiig lotu Feb. 
 of moral excellence : the greatest torture to such a 
 soul would be to run counter to the dictates of 
 conscience ; to wallow in the slough of meanness, 
 deception, revenge, or sensuality. This was Paul's 
 idea in the 1st chap, of 2d Epistle to Timothy (I 
 think that is the passage). 
 
 I have had a weary week. At the beginning 
 more than the usual amount of cooled glances, and 
 exhortations to the suppression of self-conceit. The 
 former are so many hailstones that make me wrap 
 more closely around me the mantle of determinate 
 purpose : the latter are needful, and have a tendency 
 to exercise forbearance, that well repays the tempo- 
 rary smart. The heart knoweth its own, whether 
 bitterness or joy : let us, dearest, beware how we, 
 even with good intentions, press a finger's weight on 
 the already bruised. 
 
 And about the same date slie writes to Mrs 
 Bray— 
 I must relieve my conscience before I go to bed by Letter to 
 
 Mrs Bray, 
 
 entering a protest against every word or accent of end of Feb. 
 
 1S42 
 
 discontent that 1 uttered this morning. If I have 
 ever complained of any person or circumstance, I 
 do penance by eating my own words. When my
 
 110 
 
 Visit to Brother at Griff. 
 
 [gkiff, 
 
 Letter to real self has regained its place, I can shake off my 
 
 Mrs Bray, 
 
 end of Feb. troubles " like clewdrops from the lion's mane," and 
 
 1S42. 
 
 then I feel the baseness of imputing my sorrows to 
 others rather than to my own pitiful weakness. 
 But I do not write for your forgiveness ; that I 
 know I have. I only want to satisfy my indigna- 
 tion against myself. 
 
 The conclusion of the matter was, that Mr 
 Evans withdrew his house from the agent's 
 hands, and his daughter went to stay at Griff, 
 with Mr and Mrs Isaac Evans, whence she 
 writes the following letter to Mrs Pears : — 
 I have just been climbing up some favourite old 
 hills, or rather hillocks, and if I could see you I 
 should find myself in high preparation for one of 
 my thorough chats. Oh if I could transport my- 
 self to your dining-room, where I guess you and 
 Mr Pears are sitting in anticipation of tea, carrying 
 on no " holy war," but at peace with the world and 
 its opinions, or, if ever you do battle, in the happy 
 ranks of the majority, I could kiss you into sublime 
 liberality ! How are you and your dear husband 
 and children ? It seems a week of years instead of 
 days since you said to me your kind good-bye, and 
 as I have tried your magnanimity quite long enough 
 to be assured that you will not let me hear of you 
 
 Letter to 
 Mrs Pears, 
 Thursday, 
 March 1S42.
 
 1842.] Independence of External Good. Ill 
 
 without a beseeching letter from me, I snatch half an Letter to 
 
 Mrs Pears, 
 
 hour from a too short day for the generous purpose Tiiursday, 
 
 March 1842. 
 
 of doubly qualifying myself, first by pouring out 
 the contents of my gossip-wallet, and then quietly 
 awaiting the news I want to hear of you. I have 
 here in every way abundant and unlocked - for 
 blessings — delicacy and consideration from all whom 
 I have seen ; and I really begin to recant my old 
 belief about the indifference of all the world towards 
 me, for my acquaintances of this neighbourhood 
 seem to seek an opportunity of smiling on me in 
 spite of my heresy. All these things, however, are 
 but the fringe and ribbons of happiness. They are 
 offlierent not wiherent, and without any affectation 
 I feel myself to be acquiring what I must hold to 
 be a precious possession, an independence of what 
 is baptised by the world external good. There 
 are externals (at least, they are such in common 
 thought) that I could HI part with — the deep, blue, 
 glorious heavens, bending as they do over all, 
 presenting the same arch, emblem of a truer omni- 
 presence, wherever we may be chased, and all the 
 sweet peace-breathmg sights and sounds of this love- 
 ly earth. These, and the thoughts of the good and 
 great, are an inexhaustible world of delight ; and the 
 felt desire to be one in will and design with the
 
 112 Regrets her Impetuosity. [griff, 
 
 Letter to great mind that has laid open to us these treasures 
 
 Mrs Pears, 
 
 Timrsday, is the suu that warins and fructifies it. I am more 
 
 March 1S42. . i • i , i c ^ t ^ 
 
 and more impressed with the duty of finding hap- 
 piness. On a retrospection of the past month, I re- 
 gret nothing so much as my own impetuosity both of 
 feeling and judging. I am not inclined to he sangu- 
 ine as to my dear father's future determination, and 
 I sometimes have an intensely vivid consciousness, 
 which I only allow to be a fleeting one, of all that 
 is painful and that has been so. I can only learn 
 that my father has commenced his alterations at 
 Packington, but he only appears to be temporarily 
 acquiescing in my brother's advice " not to be in a 
 hurry." I do not intend to remain here longer than 
 three weeks, or, at the very farthest, a month ; and 
 if I am not then recalled, I shall write for definite 
 directions. I must have a liome, not a visiting 
 place. I wish you would learn something from my 
 father, and send me word how he seems disposed. 
 I hope you get long walks on these beautiful days. 
 You would love to hear the choristers we have here ; 
 they are hymning away incessantly. Can you not 
 drive over and see me ? Do come by hook or by 
 crook. Why, Mr Pears could ahnost walk hither. 
 I am becoming very hurried, for most welcome tea 
 is in the vicinity, and I must be busy after I have
 
 1842.] Return to Folesliill. 113 
 
 imbibed its inspiration. You will write to nie to- Letter to 
 
 Mrs Pears, 
 
 morrow, will you not ? and pray insist on ]\Ir Pears Thursday, 
 
 March 1842. 
 
 writing an appendix. I had a note from Mrs Bray 
 tins morning, and I liked it better than my break- 
 fast. So do give me a little treat on Saturday. 
 Blessings on you and yours, as all forlorn beggars 
 have said from time immemorial to their benefac- 
 tors ; but real feeling, you know, will sometimes 
 slip into a hackneyed guise. 
 
 Miss Evans remained for about three weeks at 
 G-riff, at the end of which time, through the 
 intervention of her brother, the Brays, and Miss 
 Eebecca Franklin, the father was very glad to 
 receive her again, and she resumed going to 
 church as before. 
 
 It will be seen from a subsequent noteworthy 
 letter to Miss Sara Hennell, dated 19th October 
 1843, that Miss Evans's views of the best 
 course to be pursued under similar circum- 
 stances had already undergone considerable 
 modifications, and in the last year of her life 
 she told me that, although she did not think she 
 had been to blame, few things had occasioned 
 her more regret than this temporary collision 
 with her father, which might, she thought, have 
 been avoided by a little management. 
 
 VOL. I. H
 
 114 Meets Miss Sara Hcnndl. [foleshill, 
 
 In July of this year (1842) Miss Sara Hennell 
 —the gifted sister of Mrs Bray — came to Eose- 
 liill, and completed the trio destined to exert 
 the most important influence over the life of 
 George Eliot. Tlie individual characters of 
 these three friends, and the relations each bore 
 to their correspondent, will unfold themselves 
 in the letters. It is only necessary here to 
 say that the two ladies — Cara and Sara, as 
 they are always addressed — now became like 
 sisters to Miss Evans, and Mr Bray her most 
 intimate male friend, and the letters to them 
 form an almost unbroken chain durin" all the 
 remainder of George Eliot's life. 
 
 To us Miss Sara Hennell is the most import- 
 ant correspondent, for it is to her that Miss 
 Evans mainly turns now for intellectual sym- 
 pathy; to Mrs Bray when she is in pain or 
 trouble, and wants affectionate companionship : 
 with ]\Ir Bray she quarrels, and the humorous 
 side of her nature is brought out. Every good 
 story goes to him, with a certainty that it will 
 be appreciated. With all three it is a beautiful 
 and consistent friendship, running like a thread 
 through the woof of the coming thirty-eight 
 years. For the next twelve years, as will be
 
 1842.] Intwiacy laith Miss Henndl and the Brays. 115 
 
 seen, it is quite the most important thread; 
 and although later it naturally became very 
 much less important, it was never dropped 
 except for a moment in 1854, owing to a brief 
 misunderstanding of letters, which will appear 
 in its due place. 
 
 The following letters to Miss Sara Hennell 
 show what was passing from 30th August 1842 
 to April 1843 :— 
 How I have delighted in the thought that there are Letter to 
 
 Miss Sara 
 
 beings who are better than their promises beyond Hemieii, 
 
 30th Aug. 
 
 the regions of waking and sleeping dreams. i842. 
 
 I have not yet accounted for my tardiness in Letter to 
 
 Jliss Sara 
 
 writing, which, I assure you, is no representation Henneii, 
 
 Friday, 
 
 of my usual habit, and has been occasioned only Sept. is42. 
 by a week's indisposition, the foster-parent to the 
 ill-favoured offspring of my character and circum- 
 stances, gloom and stolidity, and I could not WTite 
 to you with such companions to my thought. I 
 am anxious that you should not imagine me un- ■ 
 happy even in my most melancholy moods, for I 
 hold all indulgence of sadness that has the slightest 
 tincture of discontent to be a grave delinquency. 
 I think there can be few who more truly feel than 
 I that this is a world of bliss and beauty — that 
 is, that bliss and beauty are the end, the tendency
 
 116 Earth not the Home of the Spirit, [foleshill, 
 Letter to of creatioii ; and evils are the shadows that are 
 
 Miss Sara . 
 
 Henueii, the oiily coiiditions of light in the picture, and I 
 
 Sept. 1842. hve in much, much enjoyment, 
 
 I am beginning to enjoy the ' Eneid,' though, 
 I suppose, much in the same way as the un- 
 initiated enjoy wine compared with the connois- 
 seurs. 
 
 Letter to I havc been in high displeasure with myself, 
 
 Miss Sara 
 
 Henneii, 3d liavo tliouglit my soul Only fit for limbo to keep 
 
 Nov. 1S42. 
 
 company with other abortions, and my life the 
 shallowest, muddiest, most unblessing stream. 
 Having got my head above this slough of despond, 
 I feel quite inclined to tell you how much pleasure 
 your letter gave me. You observe in your note 
 that some persons say the unsatisfied longing we 
 feel in ourselves for something better than the 
 greatest perfection to be found on earth is a proof 
 that the true object of our desires lies beyond it. 
 Assuredly this earth is not the home of the spirit — 
 it will rest only in the bosom of the Infinite, But 
 the non-satisfaction of the affections and intellect 
 being inseparable from the unspeakable advantage 
 of such a mind as that of man in connection with 
 his corporal condition and terrene destiny, forms not 
 at present an argument with me for the realisation 
 of particular desires.
 
 1843.] Miss Mary HennelVs Death. 117 
 
 The next letter refers to Miss Mary Hennell's^ 
 last illness. 
 I cannot help wishing to tell yon, now that yon Letter to 
 
 Miss Sara 
 
 are in trouble and anxiety, how dear yon are to me, Henneii, 7tii 
 
 Jan. 1843. 
 
 and how the recollection of you is ever freshening 
 ill my mind. You have need of all your cheeriness 
 and energy; and if they do not fail, I think it 
 almost enviable, as far as one's self is concerned 
 (not, of course, when the sufferer is remembered), to 
 have the care of a sick-room, with its twilight and 
 tiptoe stillness and helpful activity. I have always 
 had a peculiarly peaceful feeling in such a scene. 
 
 Again, after the death of Miss Mary Hennell, 
 there is a letter to her sister Sara. 
 We always find that our stock of appreciated good Letter to 
 
 Miss Sara 
 
 can never be really diminished. When the chief iienneii, 
 
 . /-.. T AiirillS43. 
 
 desire of the eyes is taken, we can afford a gaze to 
 hitherto unnoticed possessions ; and even when the 
 topmost boughs are lopped, a thousand shoots spring 
 from below with the energy of new life. So it will 
 be with you ; but you cannot yet look beyond the 
 present, nor is it desiral')le that you should. It 
 would not be well for us to overleap one grade of 
 
 1 Miss Mary Hennell was the autlior of ' An Ontline of the Varions 
 Social Systems founded on the Principle of Co-operation,' published 
 in 1841.
 
 118 Excursions with Brays. [foleshill, 
 
 joy or suffering : our life would lose its complete- 
 ness and beauty. 
 
 Eoseliill not only afforded a pleasant variety 
 in the Coventry life, as most visitors to the town 
 of any note found their way there, but the 
 Brays were also frequently in the habit of 
 making little holiday excursions, in many of 
 which Miss Evans now joined. Thus we find 
 them in May 1843 all going to Stratford and 
 Malvern, together with Mr Charles Hennell and 
 Miss Sara Hennell, for a week ; and again in 
 July of that year the same party, accompanied 
 by Miss Brabant, daughter of Dr Brabant of 
 Devizes, went on a fortnight's tour, visiting 
 Tenby amongst other places. This trip is chiefly 
 menioral:)le from the fact that it was indirectly 
 responsible for Miss Evans undertaking the 
 translation of Strauss's ' Leben Jesu.' For Miss 
 Brabant (to whom the translation had been 
 confided by Mr Joseph Parkes of Birmingham 
 and a group of friends) became engaged to be 
 married to Mr Charles Hennell ; and shortly 
 after her marriage she handed the work over to 
 ]\Iiss Evans. 
 
 In the next two letters to Miss Sara Hennell 
 there are allusions to the approaching marriage,
 
 1843.] Charles HenneWs Marriage. 119 
 
 which took place in London on 1st November 
 1843 — the Brays and Miss Evans being present. 
 Many thanks for procuring me the hymns and Letter to 
 
 Miss Sara 
 
 anthems. I was right glad to play " Ancient of Heuneii, 
 
 Ititli Sept. 
 
 Ages " again, and I shall like still better to sing isis. 
 it with you when we meet. That that is to be so 
 soon, and under circumstances so joyful, are among 
 the viirahilia of this changing world. To see and 
 re-see such a cluster of not indifferent persons as 
 the programme for the wedding gives, will be almost 
 too large a ho'mic bouchc. 
 
 I saw Eobert Owen yesterday, Mr and Mrs Bray 
 having kindly asked me to dine with him, and I 
 think if his system prosper it will be in spite of its 
 founder, and not because of his advocacy. 
 
 The next letter to Mrs Bray gives a pleasant 
 glimpse of their studies together, and of the 
 little musical society that was in the habit of 
 meeting at Eosehill to play concerted pieces. 
 I only wish you would change houses with the lietterto 
 
 Mrs Bi'ay, 
 
 mayor, that I might get to you when I would. I no date, 
 
 1S43. 
 
 send you the first part of ' Wallenstein,' with the 
 proposition that we should study that in conjunction 
 with the ' Thirty Years' War,' as I happen to have a 
 loose copy. We had better omit the " Lager," and 
 begin " Die Piccolomini." You shall have ' Joan of
 
 1843. 
 
 120 Beading vjith Mrs Bray, [foleshill, 
 
 Letter to Aic/ 111}' graiid favourite, as a honne bouchc when 
 no date, ' yoii liave got through ' Walleiisteiii,' which will 
 amply repay you for any trouble in translating it, 
 and is not more difficult than your reading ought 
 to be now. I have skimmed Manzoni, who has 
 suffered sadly in being poured out of silver into 
 pewter. The chapter on Philosophy and Theology 
 is worth reading. ]\Iiss Brabant sent me my 
 Hyperion with a note the other day. She had put 
 no direction besides Coventry, and the parcel had 
 consequently been sent to some other Miss Evans, 
 and my choice little sentimental treasures, alas ! 
 exposed to vulgar gaze. Thank you for the manual, 
 which I have had so long. I trust I did not bestow 
 those scratches on the cover. I have been trying 
 to find a French book that you were not likely to 
 have read, but I do not think I have one, unless it 
 be ' Gil Bias,' which you are perhaps too virtuous 
 to have read, though how any one can opine it to 
 have a vicious tendency I am at a loss to conjecture. 
 They might as well say that to condemn a person 
 to eat a whole plum-pudding would deprive him of 
 all future relish for plain food. I have had a visitor 
 ever since Saturday, and she will stay till Saturday 
 again. I cannot desire that you should unnBk 
 Violin and Mute, unless a postponement would be
 
 1843.] Music vnth Mrs Bray. 121 
 
 in every way as agreeable to you and them. If yon Letter to 
 
 Mrs Bray, 
 
 have them, yon will give them mncli more pleasnre no date, 
 as Piano than I, so do not think or me m the 
 matter for a moment. Good-bye ; and remember 
 to treat yonr cold as if it were an orphan's cold, or 
 a widow's cold, or any one's cold but your own. 
 
 The following is the letter before referred to 
 as containing an important and noteworthy 
 declaration of opinion on the very interesting 
 question of conformity : — 
 The first thing I have to say to yon is to entreat Letter to 
 
 Miss Sai'a 
 
 that yon and Mrs Hennell will not perplex your- Henneii, 
 
 19th Oct. 
 
 selves for a moment about my accommodation dur- is43. 
 in" the night. I am so well now that a hearthrucr 
 would be as luxurious a couch as I should need, 
 and I defy anything short of a kettledrum or my 
 conscience to keep me awake after a long day. 
 
 The subject of your conversation with Miss 
 D. is a very important one, and worth an essay. 
 I will not now inflict one of mine on you, but I will 
 tell you, as brietiy as possible, my present opinion, 
 which you know is contrary to the one I held in 
 the first instance. I am inclined to think that such 
 a change of sentiment is likely to happen to most 
 persons whose views on religious matters undergo 
 a change early in life. The first impulse of a young
 
 122 Truth of Feeling. [foleshill, 
 
 Letter to and ino'eiiuous mind is to withhold the sliQ;htest 
 
 Miss Sara • n n i 
 
 Henueii, sanction from all that contains even a mixture of 
 
 19th Oct. ^ • ■ 
 
 1843, supposed error. When the soul is just liberated 
 
 from the wretched giant's bed of dogmas on which 
 it has been racked and stretched ever since it began 
 to think, there is a feeling of exultation and strong 
 hope. We think we shall run well when we have 
 tlie full use of our limbs and the bracing air of 
 independence, and we believe that we shall soon 
 obtain something positive which will not only more 
 than compensate us for what we have renounced, but 
 will be so w^ell worth offering to others, that we may 
 venture to proselytise as fast as our zeal for truth 
 may prompt us. But a year or two of reflection, 
 and the experience of our own miserable weakness, 
 which will ill afford to part even with the crutch of 
 superstition, must, I think, effect a change. Specu- 
 lative truth begins to appear but a shadow of indi- 
 vidual minds. Agreement between intellects seems 
 unattainable, and we turn to the truth of feeling as 
 the only universal bond of union. We find that 
 the intellectual errors which we once fancied were 
 a mere incrustation have grown into the living body, 
 and that we cannot in the majority of cases wrench 
 them away without destroying vitality. We begin 
 to find that with individuals, as with nations, the
 
 1843.] Quackery of Infidelity. 123 
 
 only safe revolution is one arising out of the wants Letter to 
 
 Miss Sara 
 
 which their own progress has generated. It is the nenneii, 
 
 19th Oct. 
 
 quackery of infidelity to suppose that it has a nos- 1343. 
 trum for all mankind, and to say to all and singular, 
 " Swallow my opinions and you .shall be whole." If, 
 then, we are debarred by such considerations from 
 trying to reorganise opinions, are we to remain aloof 
 from our fellow-creatures on occasions when we 
 may fully sympathise with the feelings exercised, 
 althouoh our own have been melted into another 
 mould ? Ought we not on every opportunity to 
 seek to have our feelings in harmony, though not in 
 union, with those who are often richer in the fruits 
 of faith, though not in reason, than ourselves ? 
 The results of nonconformity in a family are just 
 an epitome of what happens on a larger scale in the 
 world. An influential member chooses to omit an 
 observance which, in the minds of all the rest, is 
 associated with what is highest and most venerable. 
 He cannot make his reasons intelligible, and so his 
 conduct is regarded as a relaxation of the hold that 
 moral ties had on him previously. The rest are 
 infected with the disease they imagine in him. All 
 the screws by which order was maintained are 
 loosened, and in more than one case a person's 
 happiness may be ruined by the confusion of ideas
 
 124 Dangers of Non-covformity. [foleshill, 
 
 Letter to wliicli toolv tlie fomi of principles. But, it may be 
 
 Miss Sara • i i 
 
 Henneii, saicl, liow then are we to do anything towards the 
 
 lOth Oct. f. 1 • T 
 
 1843. advancement or mankmd ? Are we to go on cher- 
 
 ishing superstitions out of a fear that seems incon- 
 sistent with any faith in a Supreme Being ? I think 
 the best and tlie only way of fulfilling our mission 
 is to sow good seed in good {i.e., prepared) ground, 
 and not to root up tares where we must inevitably 
 gather all the wheat with them. We cannot fight 
 and struggle enough for freedom of inquiry, and we 
 need not be idle in imparting all that is pure and 
 lovely to children whose minds are unbespoken. 
 Those who can write, let them do it as boldly as 
 they like — and let no one hesitate at proper seasons 
 to make a full coTif ession (far better than ^9?'of ession). 
 St Paul's reasoning about the conduct of the strong 
 towards the weak, in the 14th and 15th chapters of 
 Eomans, is just in point. But I liave not said half 
 what I meant to say. Tliere are so many aspects in 
 which the subject might be presented, that it is use- 
 less to attempt to exhaust it. I fear I have written 
 very unintelligibly, for it is rather late, and I am so 
 cold that my thoughts are almost frozen. 
 : After Miss Brabant's marriage to Mr Charles 
 
 Hennell, Miss Evans went to stay for a week or 
 two with Dr Brabant at Devizes, and some time
 
 1844.] • Strauss Translation, 125 
 
 about the beginning of January 1844 tlie propo- 
 sition was made for the transfer of the translation 
 of Strauss from Mrs Charles Hennell. At the 
 end of April 1844, Mrs Bray writes to Miss Sara 
 Hennell that Miss Evans is " working away at 
 Strauss six pages a-day," and the next letter 
 from Miss Evans refers to the beginning of the 
 undertaking. 
 To begin with business, I send you on the other Letter to 
 side the translations you wished (Strauss), but they Heuneu, 
 
 Sunday, 
 
 are perhaps no improvements on what you had iMayis44 
 done. I sliall be very glad to learn from you the 
 particulars as to tlie mode of publication — who are 
 the parties that will find the funds, and whether the 
 manuscripts are to be put into the hands of any one 
 when complete, or whether they are to go directly 
 from me to the publishers ? I was very foolish not to 
 imagine about these things in the first instance, but 
 ways and means are always afterthoughts with me. 
 You will soon be settled and enjoying the blessed 
 spring and summer time. I hope you are looking 
 forward to it with as much delight as I. One has 
 to spend so many years in learning how to be happy. 
 I am just beginning to make some progress in the 
 science, and I hope to disprove Young's theory that 
 " as soon as we have found the key of life, it opes
 
 126 
 
 Child's Real Feelings. [foleshill, 
 
 Letter to 
 Miss Sara 
 Heniiell, 
 Sunday, 
 May 1844. 
 
 the gates of death." Every year strips us of at least 
 one vain expectation, and teaches us to reckon some 
 solid good in its stead. I never will believe that 
 our youngest days are our happiest. "What a miser- 
 able augury for the progress of the race and the 
 destination of the individual, if the more matured 
 and enlightened state is the less happy one ! Child- 
 hood is only the beautiful and happy time in con- 
 templation and retrospect : to the child it is full of 
 deep sorrows, the meaning of which is unknown. 
 Witness colic and whooping-cough and dread of 
 ghosts, to say nothing of hell and Satan, and an 
 offended Deity in the sky, who was angry when 
 I wanted too much plum-cake. Then the sorrows 
 of older persons, which children see but cannot 
 understand, are worse than all. All this to prove 
 that we are happier than when we were seven 
 years old, and that we shall be happier when we 
 are forty than we are now, which I call a comfort- 
 able doctrine, and one worth trying to believe ! I 
 am sitting with father, who every now and then 
 jerks off my attention to the history of Queen 
 Elizabeth, which he is reading. 
 
 On the 1st July 1844 there was another little 
 trip with the Brays to the Cumberland Lakes, 
 this time returning by Manchester and Liver-
 
 1844.] Strauss Translation. 127 
 
 pool, and on reaching lionie about the beginmng 
 
 of August there is the following letter : — 
 Can I have the remaining volumes of Strauss, Letter to 
 excepting any part that you may choose to keep Heiineii, 
 for your own use ? If you could also send me such Aug. 1844. 
 parts of the introduction and first section as you 
 wish me to look over, I should like to despatch 
 that business at intervals, when I am not inspired 
 for more thorough labour. Thank you for the en- 
 couragement you sent me. I only need it when 
 my head is weak and I am unable to do much. 
 Then I sicken at the idea of having Strauss in my 
 head and on my hands for a lustrum, instead of 
 saying good-bye to him in a year. When I can 
 work fast I am never weary, nor do I regret either 
 that the work has been begun or that I have under- 
 taken it. I am only inclined to vow that I will 
 never translate again, if I live to correct the sheets 
 for Strauss. My first page is 257. 
 
 I'ray tell Mrs C. Hennell that no apology was Letter to 
 
 Miss Sfti'ti 
 
 needed for the very good translation she has sent nenneii, 
 me. I shall be glad to avail myself of it to the 1344. 
 last word, for I am thoroughly tired of my own 
 garb for Strauss's thoughts. I hope the introduc- 
 tion, &c., will be ready by the end of November, 
 when I hope to have put the last words to the first
 
 128 
 
 Poetry of Christianity. [foleshill, 
 
 Letter to 
 Miss Sara 
 Hennell, 
 31st Oct. 
 1844. 
 
 Letter to 
 Mrs Bray, 
 end of 1844. 
 
 volume. I am awfully afraid of my own transla- 
 tion, and I want you to come and comfort me. I 
 am relapsing into heathen darkness about every- 
 thing but Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John. " Heaven 
 has sent leanness into my soul " — for reviling them, 
 I suppose. This lovely autumn ! Have you enjoyed 
 its long shadows and fresh breezes ? 
 
 I do not think it was kind to Strauss (I knew he 
 was handsome) to tell him that a young lady was 
 translating his book. I am sure he must have some 
 twinges of alarm to think he was dependent on that 
 most contemptible specimen of the human being for 
 his English reputation. By the way, I never said 
 that the Canons of the Council of Nice, or the 
 Confession of Augsburg, or even the Thirty-nine 
 Articles, are suggestive of poetry. I imagine no 
 dogmas can be. But surely Christianity, with its 
 Hebrew retrospect and millennial hopes, the heroism 
 and divine sorrow of its founder, and all its glorious 
 army of martyrs, might supply and has supplied a 
 strong impulse not only to poetry but to all the 
 Fine Arts. Mr Pears is coming home from Malvern 
 to-night, and the children are coming to tea with 
 me, so that I have to make haste with my afternoon 
 matters. Beautiful little Susan has been blowing 
 bubbles, and looking like an angel at sport. I am
 
 1845.] Harriet Martineau. 129 
 
 quite liappy, only sometimes feeling " the weight of 
 all this unintelligible world." 
 
 Your books are come for the school, and I have Letter to 
 
 Mrs Bray, 
 
 covered them — at least those that I think you will suu.iay, 
 
 beginning 
 
 like for the children; two or three are quite for of 1345. 
 grown-up people. What an exquisite little thing 
 that is of Harriet Martineau's— ' The Crofton Boys ' ! 
 I have had some delightful crying over it. There 
 are two or three lines in it that would feed one's 
 soul for a month. Hugh's mother says to him, 
 speaking of people who have permanent sorrow, 
 "They soon had a new and delicious pleasure, 
 which none but the bitterly disappointed can feel — 
 the pleasure of rousing their souls to bear pain, and 
 of agreeing with God silently, when nobody knows 
 what is in their hearts." I received 'Sybil' yester- 
 day quite safely. I am not utterly disgusted with 
 D'Israeli. The man hath good veins, as Bacon 
 would say, but there is not enough blood in them. 
 The 1 7th April this year was an interesting 
 day, as Miss Evans went with the Brays to 
 Atherstone Hall and met Harriet Martineau for 
 the first time. It will be seen that in later years 
 there was considerable intimacy between them. Letter to 
 
 Miss Sara 
 
 If you think any of my future manuscript too iienneii, 
 
 •^ J J ^ 20th April 
 
 untidy for the printer, only mark it to that effect, 1545. 
 
 VOL. I. I
 
 130 
 
 Strauss Translation. [foleshill, 
 
 Letter to 
 Miss Sara 
 Hennell, 
 29tli April 
 1845. 
 
 Letter tn 
 Miss Sara 
 Hennell, 
 end of June 
 (?) 1S45. 
 
 and I will rewrite it, for I do not mind that 
 mechanical work ; and my conscience is rather 
 uneasy lest the illegibility of my hand should in- 
 crease materially the expense of the publication. 
 Do not be alarmed because I am not well just now : 
 I shall be better very soon, and I am not really 
 disgusted with Strauss. I only fancy so sometimes, 
 as I do with all earthly things. 
 
 In June Mrs Bray writes to Miss Hennell 
 
 that Miss Evans "looks all the better of her 
 
 London trip. I never saw her so blooming and 
 
 buoyant:" but the two next letters show a 
 
 relapse. 
 
 Glad am I that some one can enjoy Strauss ! The 
 
 million certainly will not, and I have ceased to sit 
 
 down to him with any relish. I should work much 
 
 better if I had some proof-sheets coming in to 
 
 assure me that my soul-stupefying labour is not in 
 
 vain. I am more grateful to you than I can tell 
 
 you for taking the trouble you do. If it had not 
 
 been for your interest and encouragement, I should 
 
 have been almost in despair by this time. 
 
 And again a little later — 
 I begin utterly to despair that Strauss will ever be 
 published, unless I can imitate the Eev. Mr Davis, 
 and print it myself. At the very best, if we go on
 
 1845.] Delay in PuUication of Strauss. 131 
 
 according to the rate of procedure hitherto, the Letter to 
 book will not be published within the next two Henn'eii,' 
 
 ^f^^ • i i i , , end of June 
 
 years, ihis seems dolorous enough to me, whose 1345. 
 only real satisfaction just now is some hope that I 
 am not sowing the wind. It is very laughable that 
 I should be irritated about a thing in itself so 
 trifling as a translation, but it is the very trivial- 
 ity of the thing that makes delays provoking. The 
 difficulties that attend a really grand undertaking 
 are to be borne, but things should run smoothly 
 and fast when they are not important enough to 
 demand the sacrifice of one's whole soul. The 
 second volume is quite ready. The last few sec- 
 tions were written under anything but favourable 
 circumstances. They are not Strauss's best thoughts, 
 nor are they put into his translator's best language, 
 but I have not courage to imitate Gibbon — put my 
 work in the fire and benin asiain. 
 
 In July 1845, there seems to have arisen 
 some difficulty in getting in the cash subscrip- 
 tions for the publication. Mr Charles Hennell 
 and Mr Joseph Parkes, however, exerted them- 
 selves in the matter, and £300 was collected, 
 and the following letter shows the relief it was 
 to Miss Evans. 
 Thank you for sending me the good news so
 
 132 Strauss Translation Printing, [foleshill, 
 
 Letter to 
 Charles 
 Hennell, 
 Fi-iclay even- 
 ing, July 
 1845. 
 
 Letter to 
 Miss Sara 
 Hennell 
 Auk. ls-15. 
 
 soon, and for sympathising in my need of encour- 
 agement, I have all I want now, and shall go 
 forward on buoyant wing. I am glad for the 
 work's sake, glad for your sake, and glad for " the 
 honourable gentleman's " sake, that matters have 
 turned out so well. Pray think no more of my 
 pens, ink, and paper. I would gladly give much 
 more towards the work than these and my Eng- 
 lish, if I could do so consistently with duty. 
 
 The book now got into the hands of the 
 printers, as will be seen from the next letter : — 
 I have just been looking over some of the revise, 
 and reading again your sweet letter to me from 
 Hastings, and an impulse of gratitude and love 
 will not let me rest without writing you a little 
 note, though my hand has almost done its possible 
 for the day under this intense heat. You do not 
 guess how much pleasure it gives me to look over 
 your pencillings — they prove so clearly that you 
 have really entered into the meaning of every 
 sentence, and it always gives one satisfaction to 
 see the evidence of brain-work. I am quite in- 
 debted to you for your care, and I feel greatly the 
 advantage of having a friend to undertake the office 
 of critic. There is one word I must mention, — 
 Azazel is the word put in the original of the Old
 
 1845.] Strauss Difficulties-. 1 3 
 
 Q 
 
 Testament for the scape-goat : now I imagine there Letter to 
 
 Miss Sara 
 
 is some dubiousness about the meaning, and that Heimeii, 
 
 Aug. 1845. 
 
 Strauss would not think it right to translate scape- 
 goat, because, from the tenor of his sentence, he 
 appears to include Azazel with the evil demons. 
 I wonder if it be supposed by any one that Azazel 
 is in any way a distinct being from the goat. I 
 know no Hebrew scholar, and have access to no 
 Hebrew lexicon. Have you asked Mr Hennell 
 about it 1 
 
 Your letter describes what I hare felt rather than 
 what I feel. It seems as if my affections were 
 quietly sinking down to temperate, and I every 
 day seem more and more to value thought rather 
 than feelinsjf. I do not think this is man's best 
 estate, but it is better than what I have sometimes 
 known. 
 
 I am not ashamed to confess that I should like Letter to 
 
 -, . T, . 1 T 1 ^ •^ 1 Miss Sara 
 
 to be idle with you tor a little while, more than Henneii, 
 
 ,. ,-r ,.,„. -nil Friday even- 
 
 any thing else 1 can think or just now. But alas ' i,ig, autumn 
 leathery brain must work at leathery Strauss for a 
 short time before my butterfly days come. Oh how 
 I shall spread my wings then. Anent the Greek, it 
 would produce very dreadful cold perspirations in- 
 deed in me, if there were anything amounting to a 
 serious error; l)ut this, I trust, there will not be.
 
 134 
 
 Strauss "Proofs!" 
 
 [foleshill, 
 
 Letter to 
 Miss Sara 
 Heiiiiell, 
 Friday even- 
 ing, autumn 
 of 1S45. 
 
 Letter to 
 Miss Sara 
 Heunell, no 
 date, 1845. 
 
 Letter to 
 Miss Sara 
 Henncll, 
 25tli Sept. 
 
 1845. 
 
 You must really expect me, if not to sleep and 
 snore aliqucmdo, at least to nod in the course of 
 some thousand pages. I should like you to be 
 deliberate over the Schluss Abhandlung. It is the 
 only part on which I have bestowed much pains, 
 for the difficulty was piquing, not piquant. 
 
 I am never pained when I think Strauss right — 
 but in many cases I think him wrong, as every 
 man must be in working out into detail an idea 
 which has general truth, but is only one element 
 in a perfect theory — not a perfect theory in itself. 
 
 I am delighted with the proof. The type and 
 everything else are just what I wished. To see 
 the first sheet is the next best thing to seein" the 
 last, which I hope we shall all have done this time 
 next year. There is a very misty vision of a trip 
 to the Highlands haunting us in this quarter. The 
 vision would be much pleasanter if Sara were one 
 of the images in it. You would surely go if we 
 went, and then the thing would be perfect. I long 
 to see you, for you are becoming a sort of trans- 
 figured existence, a mere ideal to me, and I have 
 nothing to tell me of your real flesh-and-blood self 
 but sundry very useful little pencil marks, and a 
 scrap of Mrs Bray's notes now and then. So if 
 you would have me bear in my memory your own
 
 1845.] Tri}') to l^cotland. 135 
 
 self, and not some aerial creation that I call by 
 your name, yon mnst make yonr appearance. 
 
 In October " the misty vision " took palpable 
 shape, and the Brays, Miss Hennell, and Miss 
 Evans had a delightful fortnight in Scotland — 
 visitins Loch Lomond and Loch Katrine, the 
 Trossachs, Stirling, Edinburgh, Melrose, and 
 Abbotsford. They were away from the 14th to 
 the 28th, and on returning to Coventry, Strauss 
 was taken up again. Miss Hennell was reading 
 the translation, and aiding with suggestions and 
 corrections. The next letter to her seems to be 
 dated in November. 
 Please to tell Mr Hennell that "habits of thought" Letter to 
 
 Miss Sura 
 
 is not a translation of the word particularismiis. nenneii, 
 
 Nov. 1S45. 
 
 This does not mean national idiosyncrasy, but is 
 a word which characterises that idiosyncrasy. If 
 he decidedly ojijects to particularism, ask him to be 
 so good as substitute exdusiveness, though there 
 is a shade of meaning in jMrticularismus which 
 even that does not express. It was because the 
 word could only be translated by a circumlocution 
 that I ventured to anglicise it. 
 
 Letter to 
 
 I have been idle, and have not done a stroke to Miss sara 
 
 Hennell, 
 
 the prefaces, but they shall be sent as soon as Tuesday 
 
 morning, 
 
 possible. Thanks for the copy of the Latin pre- Dec.(?)is45.
 
 136 Title of Translation. [foleshill, 
 
 Letter to face aiicl letter. They are in preconceived harmony 
 
 Henneii,' with my icleas of the appropriate. 
 
 moTOiny-, I will leave the title-page to you and Mr 
 
 Hennell. Thanks for the news in your last extra 
 Blatt. I am glad to find that the theological organs 
 are beginning to deal with philosophy, but I can 
 hardly imagine your writer to be a friend with a 
 false cognizance on his shield. These dear orthodox 
 people talk so simply sometimes, that one cannot 
 help fancying them satirists of their own doctrines 
 and fears, though they mean manfully to fight 
 against the enemy. I should like if possible to 
 throw the emphasis on critically in the title-page. 
 Strauss means it to be so : and yet I do not know 
 how we can put anything better than what you 
 say. 
 
 Letter to I scud you to-day the conclusion of the chapter 
 
 Miss Sara _, 
 
 Hennell, you are reading, and, unless you find anything of 
 
 Dec. 1845. . 1 . n 1 1 1 • 
 
 importance to be rectified, you need not return this 
 to me, but may forward the whole to the printer 
 as soon as you have read it. I am not altogether 
 satisfied with the use of the word " sacrament " as 
 applied specifically to the Abendmahl. It seems 
 like a vulgarism to say the sacrament for one thing, 
 and for another it does not seem a&original enough 
 in the life of Jesus ; but I know of no other word
 
 1846.] Translators Difficulties. 137 
 
 that can be substituted. I have altered passover to Letter to 
 
 . Miss Sara 
 
 paschal meal, but to Trdaxa. is used m the New Henneii, 
 
 Dee. 1845. 
 
 Testament of the eating of the lamb jj«?' excellence. 
 You remember in the title of the first section in the 
 Schluss — which I had been so careless as to omit 
 — the expression is " Nothwendiger Uebergang der 
 Kritik in das Dogma." Now Dogmatism will not 
 do, as that would represent Dogmatismus. " Dog- 
 matik" is the idea, I believe — i.e., positive theology. 
 Is it allowable to say dogmatics, think you ? I do 
 not understand how the want of ]\IS. can be so 
 pressing, as I have only had one proof for the last 
 fortnight. It seems quite dispiriting to me now 
 not to see the proofs regularly. I have had a 
 miserable week of headache, but am better now, 
 and ready for work, to which I must go. 
 
 I do pity you with the drunken Christmas work- Letter to 
 
 . . , . s^ ^ ^ • yVissi Sara 
 
 men keeping you in this uncomfortable interreg- Henneii, ist 
 num. But do not go distraught; the spring will 
 really come and the birds — many having had to 
 fly across the Atlantic, which is farther than you 
 have to go to establish yourself. I could easily 
 give the meaning of the Hebrew word in question, 
 as I know where to borrow a lexicon. But observe, 
 there are two Hebrew words untranslated in this 
 proof. I do not think it will do to give the English
 
 138 Father's Illness. [foleshill, 
 
 Letter to ill oiiG placG aiid iiot ill aiiotlier where there is no 
 Henneii, 1st leasoii for such a distinction, — and there is not 
 
 Jan. 1S46. ^ p ^ • ^ ■ p 1 • 
 
 here, tor the note m tins proor sounds just as fee- 
 fo-fum-ish as the other without any translation. I 
 could not alter the " troublesome," beca^^se it is the 
 nearest usable adjective for schtvierig, which stands 
 in the German. I ain tired of inevitable importants, 
 and cannot bear to put tliein when they do not 
 represent the German. 
 Letter to I liavc becu sadly occupied for the last ten days. 
 
 Miss Sara 
 
 Henueii, My father has been ill, and has required much 
 
 20tli Jan. 
 
 1S46. attention, and my own head was very middling for 
 
 some days, so that I send you but a poor cargo of 
 new ]\IS. Indeed on looking through the last 
 quire of paper this morning for the purpose of put- 
 ting ill the Greek, it seemed all very poor to me ; 
 Ijut the subject is by no means inspiring, and no 
 muse would condescend to visit such an uncertain 
 votary as I have been for the last week or so. 
 How is it that I have only had one proof this 
 week ? You know we are five hundred pages in 
 advance of the printer, so you need not be dread- 
 fully alarmed. I have been so pleased to hear 
 some of your letters read to me, but alas ! I can 
 reflect no pleasure at this moment, for I have a 
 w^oful pain and am in a desperate hurry.
 
 184G.] Strauss-sick 139 
 
 On 14th February 1846, Mrs Bray writes to 
 Miss Sara Hennell that ]\Iiss Evans " says she 
 is Strauss -sick — it makes her ill dissecting 
 the beautiful story of the crucifixion, and only 
 the sight of the Christ image ^ and picture 
 make her endure it. Moreover, as her work ad- 
 vances nearer its public appearance, she grows 
 dreadfully nervous. Poor thing, I do pity her 
 sometmies, with her pale sickly face and dread- 
 ful headaches, and anxiety too about her father. 
 This illness of his has tried her so much, for 
 all the time she had for rest and fresh air she 
 had to read to him. Nevertheless she looks 
 very happy and satisfied sometimes in her 
 work." 
 
 And about the end of February there is the 
 following letter from Miss Evans : — 
 Health and greeting, my Achates, in this veritable Letter to 
 
 ., - , Miss Sara 
 
 sprmg month. I shall send you a parcel on Mon- Henneii, 
 day with 64 new pages of German for your intel- is4g. 
 lectual man. The next parcel, which will be the 
 LAST, I shall send on the Monday following, 
 and when you have read to the end, you may, if 
 
 1 This was an ivory image she had of the crucified Christ over the 
 desk in her study at Foleshill, where she did all her work at that 
 time — a little room on the first floor, with a charming view over the 
 country.
 
 140 Finishing Translation. [foleshill, 
 
 Letter to you tliiiilv it desirable, send the whole to me. Your 
 Henneii, dull ass does iiot lueud his pace for beating ; but 
 
 end of Feb. . i • ^ i n i i i • 
 
 1S4G. he does mend it when he hnds out tliat he is near 
 
 his journey's end, and makes you wonder how he 
 could pretend to find all the previous drawing so 
 hard for him. I plead guilty to having set off in 
 a regular scamper : but be lenient and do not scold 
 me if you find all sorts of carelessnesses in these 
 last 100 pages. 
 
 I have been guilty of the most unpardonable 
 piece of carelessness, for which I am stretched on 
 a rack of anxiety and mortification. In the proof 
 that came on Thursday, I unwittingly drew out a 
 quarter sheet with the blotting-paper, and did not 
 discover the mistake until Saturday morning, when 
 about to correct the last proof. Surely the printer 
 would discover the absence of the four pages and 
 wait for them — otherwise I would rather have lost 
 one of my fingers or all the hair from my head 
 than have committed such a faiix pas. For there 
 were three very awkward blunders to be corrected. 
 All this vexation makes a cold and headache 
 doubly intolerable, and I am in a most purgatorial 
 
 \ state on this "good Sunday." I shall send the 
 
 proofs with the unfortunate quarter sheet and an 
 explanation to-night to Mr Chapman, and prithee
 
 1846.] Longing for Idleness. 141 
 
 do thou enquire and see that the right thing is 
 done. The tears are streaming from my smarting 
 eyes — so farewell. 
 
 I wish we could get the liook out in IVIay — why Letter to 
 
 Miss Sara 
 
 not ? I suppose the binding could not be all got Henneu, 
 
 Jlarch 1846. 
 
 through — the printing and writing I should think 
 might be managed in time. Shouldn't I like to 
 fleet the time away with thee as they did in the 
 Golden Aufi — after all our toils to lie reclined on 
 the hills (spiritually), like gods together, careless of 
 mankind. Sooth to speak idleness, and idleness 
 with thee, is just the most tempting mirage you 
 could raise before my mind's eye — I say mirage, 
 because I am determined from henceforth to be- 
 lieve in no substantiality for future time, but to 
 live in and love the present — of which I have done 
 too little. Still the thought of being with you in 
 your own home will attract me to that future ; 
 for without all controversy I love thee and miss 
 thee. 
 
 My soul kisses thee, dear Sara, in gratitude for Letter to 
 
 Miss Sara 
 
 those dewy thoughts of tliine in this morning's Henneii, 
 
 March 1846. 
 
 note. My poor adust soul wants such refreshment. 
 Continue to do me good — hoping for nothing again. 
 I have had my sister with me all day — an interrup- 
 tion, alas ! I cannot write more, but I should not
 
 142 Miss HenneWs Help in Translation, [foleshill, 
 
 be happy to let the day pass without saying one 
 word to thee. 
 Letter to The last 100 pages have certainly been totally 
 
 Heiiiieii,' uninteresting to me, considered as matter for trans- 
 lation. Strauss has inevitably anticipated in the 
 earlier part of his work all the principles and 
 many of the details of his criticism, and he seems 
 fagged himself. Mais courage ! the neck of the 
 difficulty is broken, and there is really very little 
 to be done now. If one's head would but keep in 
 anything like thinking and writing order ! Mine 
 has robbed me of half the last fortnight ; but I am a 
 little better now, and am saying to myself Frisch 
 zu ! The Crucifixion and the Eesurrection are at all 
 events better than the bursting asunder of Judas. I 
 am afraid I have not made this dull part of Strauss 
 even as tolerable as it might be, for both body and 
 mind have recoiled from it. Thank you, dearest, 
 for all your love and patience for me and with me. 
 I have nothing on earth to complain of but sub- 
 jective maladies. Father is pretty well, and I 
 have not a single excuse for discontent through 
 the livelong day. 
 
 Letter to As I believe that even your kindness cannot over- 
 
 Miss Sara 
 Henneii.end couic your sincerity, I Will cast aside my fear that 
 
 of Marcli . i • i 
 
 184(5. your Wish to see me in your own home is rather a
 
 1846.] J/is.s HcnncWs Help in Translation. 143 
 
 plan for my enjoyment than for yours. I believe Letter to 
 
 Miss Sara 
 
 it would be an unmixed pleasure to me to be your Henneii, end 
 
 (if March 
 
 visitor, and one that 1 would choose among a whole is4g. 
 bouquet of agreeable possibilities ; so 1 will indulge 
 myself, and accept the good that the heavens and 
 you offer me. I am miserably in want of you to 
 stir up my soul and make it shake its wings, 
 and begin some kind of flight after something 
 good and noble, for I am in a grovelling, slothful 
 condition, and you are the only friend I possess 
 who has an animating influence over me. I have 
 written to Mr Hennell anent the title-page, and 
 have voted for critically examined, from an entire 
 conviction of its preferableness. 
 
 See whal: it is to have a person en rapport with Letter to 
 
 Miss Sara 
 you, that knows all your thoughts without the Hennell, be- 
 ginning of 
 
 trouble of communication ! I am especially grate- April is46. 
 ful to you for restoring the "therefore" to its 
 right i)lace. I was about to wTite to you to get 
 you to remonstrate about this and the " dispassion- 
 ate calmness," which I did not at all like; but I 
 thought you had corrected the prefaces, as the 
 marks against the Latin looked like yours, so I 
 determined to indulge my laissez-faire inclinations, 
 for I hate stickling and debating unless it be for 
 something really important. I do really like read-
 
 144 Strauss Finished. [foleshill, 
 
 Letter to ing oiir Straiiss — he is so Idar und idccnvoll ; but 
 
 Miss Sara 
 
 Henneii, be- I cIo iiot kiiow ouc persoii WHO is likely to read the 
 
 ginning oi 
 
 April 1S46. book through — do you ? Next week we will be 
 merry and sad, wise and nonsensical, devout and 
 wicked together. 
 
 On 19th April 1846 Mrs Bray writes to Miss 
 Hennell that Miss Evans is " as happy as you 
 may imagine at her work being done. She 
 means to come and read Shakspeare through 
 to us as her first enjoyment." And again, on 
 27th April, that she "is delighted beyond 
 measure with Strauss's elegant Preface. It is 
 just what she likes. And what a nice letter 
 too ! The Latin is quite beyond me, but the 
 letter shows how neatly he can express him- 
 self." 
 
 SUMMAR Y. 
 MARCH 1841 TO APRIL 1846. 
 
 Foleshill — New friends— Mrs Pears — Coventry life and 
 engagements^Letters to Miss Lewis — Brother's marriage — 
 Mental depression — Reading Nichol's ' Architecture of the 
 Heavens and Phenomena of the Solar System ' — Makes ac- 
 quaintance with Mr and ]\Irs Bray — Reads Charles Hennell's 
 Book, 'An Inquiry concerning the Origin of Christianity'
 
 1846.] Summarij of Chapter II. lib 
 
 — Effect of this book — Gives up going to cliiircli — Family 
 difficulties — Letters to Mrs Pears — Visit to Griff — Returns 
 to Folesliill and resumes going to cliurch. — Acquaintance 
 with ]\Iiss Sara Hennell, and development of friendship with 
 her and Mr and ]\Irs Bray — Letters to Miss Sara Hennell 
 describing mental characteristics — Attitude towards immor- 
 tality — Death of Miss Mary Hennell — Excursion with the 
 Brays, Mr Charles Hennell, and Miss Hennell to Stratford 
 and Malvern, and to Tenby with same party and Miss 
 Brabant — Meets Robert Owen — Studies German and music 
 ^\'ith Mrs Bray — Letter to Miss Sara Hennell with important 
 declaration of opinion in regard to conformity — Mr Charles 
 Hennell's marriage — Stay with Dr Brabant at Devizes — Ar- 
 rangement for translation of Strauss's ' Leben Jesu ' — Excur- 
 sion with Brays to the Cumberland lakes, returning by Man- 
 chester and Liverpool — Weary of Strauss — Letter to Mrs 
 Bray — Poetry of Christianity — Admiration of Harriet Mar- 
 tineau's 'The Crofton Boys' — Trip to London — Despair 
 about publication of Strauss — Sx;bscription of £300 for the 
 work — In better heart — Minutiae of Strauss translation — 
 Pains taken with the Schluss Abhandlung — Opinion of 
 Strauss's work — The book in print — Trip to the Highlands 
 — Strauss difficulties — Miss Hennell reads the translation 
 and makes suggestions — Suffering from headaches and 
 " Strauss-sick " — The last MS. of the translation sent to 
 Miss Hennell — Joy at finishing — Delighted with Strauss's 
 Preface. 
 
 VOL. I. K
 
 146 
 
 CHAPTEE 111. 
 
 The completion of the translation of Strauss 
 is another milestone passed in the life journey 
 of George Eliot, and the comparatively buoyant 
 tone of the letters immediately following makes 
 us feel that the galled neck is out of the yoke for 
 a time. In May, Mrs Bray had left home on a 
 visit, and the next letter is addressed to her. 
 Letter to Do uot Stay longer than is necessary to do you 
 
 Mrs Bray, 
 
 Sunday (pro- good, Icst I sliould losc the plcasurc of loving you, 
 
 balaly about r -. • 
 
 6tii May), lor my anections are always the warmest when my 
 
 1846. 
 
 friends are within an attainable distance. I think 
 I can manage to keep respectably warm towards 
 you for three weeks without seeing you, but I can- 
 not promise more. Tell Mr Bray I am getting too 
 amiable for this world, and Mr Donovan's wizard 
 ! hand would detect a slight corrugation of the skin 
 
 on my organs 5 and 6 ^ : they are so totally without 
 
 ^ Ora-ans of Cloinbativeuess.
 
 [1846.] Visit to Hennells at Hackney. 147 
 
 exercise. I had a lecture from Mr Pears on Friday, Letter to 
 as well as a sermon this mornnig, so you need be sumiay(jiro- 
 in no alarm for my moral health. Do you never otuMay), 
 think of those Caribs who, by dint of flattening 
 their foreheads, can manage to see perpendicularly 
 above them without so much as lifting their heads ? 
 There are some good people who remind me of them. 
 They see everything so clearly and with so little 
 trouble, but at the price of sad self-mutilation. 
 
 On the 26th May, Miss Evans went to pay 
 a visit to Mrs and Miss Hennell at Hackney, 
 and she writes from there to Mrs Bray, who was 
 expected to join them in London. 
 I cannot deny that I am very happy without you. Letter to 
 
 Mrs Bray, 
 
 but perhaps I shall be happier with you, so do not end of May 
 
 p ., . 18-1(5. 
 
 tail to try the experiment. "We have been to town 
 only once, and are saving all our strength to " rake " 
 with you ; l3ut we are as ignorant as Primitive 
 IMethodists about any of the amusements that are 
 going. Please to come in a very mischievous, un- 
 conscientious, theatre-loving humour. Everybody I 
 see is very kind to me, and therefore I think them 
 all very charming ; and having everything I want, I 
 feel very humble and self-denying. It is only rather 
 too great a bore to have to write to my friends when 
 I am half asleep, and I have not yet reached that
 
 148 Visit to Dover tvitJi Father, [foleshill, 
 
 pitch of amiability that makes sucli magnanimity 
 easy. Don't bring ns any bad news or any pains, 
 but only nods and becks and wreathed smiles. 
 
 They staid in London till the 5 th June, and 
 on the 15th of that month the translation of 
 Strauss was published. On the 2d July Mrs 
 Bray writes to Miss Hennell that Miss Evans 
 " is going to Dover with her father for a fort- 
 night." In passing through Dover on our way 
 to the Continent in 1880 after our marriage, we 
 visited the house they staid at in 1846, and my 
 wife then told me that she had suffered a great 
 deal there, as her father's health began to show 
 signs of breaking up. On returning to Coven- 
 try there is the following letter referring to 
 Wicksteed's review of the translation of Strauss, 
 which was advertised for the forthcoming num- 
 ber of the ' Prospective Eeview.' 
 
 Letter to Do you think it worth my while to buy the ' Pros- 
 Miss Sara 
 Hennell, pcctivc ' for the Sake of Wicksteed's review — is there 
 
 Thursday, 
 
 Aug. (?) 1S46. anything new in it ? Do you know if Mr Chap- 
 man has any unusual facilities for obtaining cheap 
 classics ? Such things are to be got handsome and 
 
 ' second-hand in London — if one knew but the way. 
 
 I want to complete Xenophon's works. I have the 
 ' Anabasis,' and I might perhaps get a nice edition of
 
 1846.] Belief from Worh. 149 
 
 the ' MemoralDilia ' and ' Cyropgedia' in a cheaper way Letter to 
 
 Miss Sai'ii 
 
 than by orderinQ- them directly from our own book- nenneii, 
 
 ■^ Thursday, 
 
 seller. I have been reading the ' Fawn of Sertorius.' ^ Aug. (?) isie. 
 I think you would like it, though the many would not. 
 It is pure, chaste, and classic, beyond any attempt 
 at fiction I ever read. If it be Bulwer's, he has been 
 undergoing a gradual transfiguration, and is now 
 ready to be exalted into the assembly of the saints. 
 The Professor's (Strauss's) letter, transmitted through 
 you, gave me infinite consolation, more especially 
 the apt and pregnant quotation from Berosus. 
 Precious those little hidden lakelets of knowledge 
 in the high mountains, far removed from the vulgar 
 eye, only \dsited by the soaring birds of love. 
 
 On 25th September 1846, Mrs Bray writes 
 to Miss Hennell that Miss Evans " looks very 
 brilliant just now. We fancy she must be 
 writing her novel ; " and then come the follow- 
 ing letters, written in October and November : — 
 All the world is bathed m glory and beauty to Letter to 
 
 m n Miss Sara 
 
 me now, and thou sharest in the radiance. Tell Henneii, 
 me whether I live for you as you do for me, and 
 tell me how gods and men are treating you. You 
 must send me a scrap every month— only a scrap 
 
 1 Afterwards acknowledged by the author, Robert Lander (brother of 
 Walter Savage Lander), who also wi-ote the ' Fountain ef Arethusa,' &c. 
 
 Oct. 1846.
 
 150 
 
 TVicksteed's Bevieiv [folesiiill, 
 
 Letter to 
 Miss Sara 
 Heimell, 
 Oct. 184(5. 
 
 Letter to 
 
 Miss Sara 
 Ilennell, 
 29tli Oct. 
 1840. 
 
 Letter to 
 Jliss Sara 
 Hennell, 1st 
 Nov. 1846. 
 
 with a dozen words in it, just to prevent me from 
 starving on faith alone — of which you know I have 
 the minimum of endowment. I am sinning against 
 my Daddy by yielding to the strong impulse I felt 
 to write to you, for he looks at me as if he wanted 
 me to read to him. 
 
 I do not know whether I can get up any steam 
 again on the subject of Quinet, but I will try — 
 when Cara comes back, however, for she has run 
 away with " Christianity " into Devonshire, and I 
 must have the book as a springing-board. Wlien 
 does the ' Prospective ' come out ? 
 
 The review of Strauss contains some very just 
 remarks — though, on the whole, I think it shallow, 
 and in many cases unfair. The praise it gives to 
 the translation is just what I should have wished — 
 indeed I cannot imagine anything more gratifying 
 in the way of laudation. Is it not droll that 
 Wicksteed should have chosen one of my inter- 
 polations, or rather paraphrases, to dilate on. The 
 expression "granite," applied to the sayings of 
 Jesus, is nowhere used by Strauss, but is an im- 
 pudent addition of mine to eke out his metaphor. 
 Did you notice the review of Foster's Life ? ^ I am 
 reading the life, and thinking all the time how you 
 
 1 John Foster, Baptist minister, born 1770, died 1843.
 
 1846.] of Strauss Translation in ' Prospective' 151 
 would like it. It is deeply interesting to study the Letter to 
 
 .Miss Sara 
 
 life of a oeuius under circumstances amid which iienneii, ist 
 genius is so seldom to be found. Some ot the 
 thoughts in his journal are perfect gems. 
 
 The words of the Eeviewer of the Strauss 
 translation in the ' Prospective ' are worth pre- 
 serving: "A faithful, elegant, and scholarlike 
 translation. Wlioever reads these volumes 
 without any reference to the German must 
 he pleased with the easy, perspicuous, idiom- 
 atic, and harmonious force of the English style. 
 But he will be still more satisfied when, on 
 turning to the origmal, lie finds that the ren- 
 dering is word for word, thought for thought, 
 and sentence for sentence. In preparing so 
 beautiful a rendering as the present, the diffi- 
 culties can have been neither few nor small 
 in the way of preserving, in various parts of 
 the work, the exactness of the translation, com- 
 bined with that uniform harmony and clear- 
 ness of style which imparts to the volumes 
 before us the air and spirit of an origmal. 
 Thoudi the translator never obtrudes himself 
 upon the reader with any notes or comments 
 of his own, yet he is e\ddently a man who has 
 a familiar knowledge of the whole suliject ; and
 
 152 TlioughU on Jesus [foleshill, 
 
 if the work he tlie joint production of several 
 hands, moving in concert, the passages of a 
 specially scholastic character, at least, have 
 received their version from a discerning and 
 well-informed theologian. Indeed Strauss may 
 well say, as he does in the notice wliich he 
 writes for the English edition, that, as far as 
 he has examined it, the translation is ' et ac- 
 curata et perspicua.' " 
 Letter to Many things, both outward and inward, have con- 
 Henneii.end currcd to make this November far happier than 
 
 or Nov. 1846. 
 
 the last. One's thoughts 
 
 o 
 
 " Are widened with the process of the snns ; " 
 
 and if one is rather doubtful whether one is really 
 wiser or better, it is some comfort to know that 
 the desire to be so is more pure and dominant. I 
 have been thinking of that most beautiful passage 
 in Luke's Gospel — the appearance of Jesus to the 
 disciples at Emmaus. How universal in its signi- 
 ficance ! The soul that has hopelessly followed 
 its Jesus — its impersonation of the highest and 
 best — all in despondency ; its thoughts all refuted, 
 its dreams all dissipated ! Then comes another 
 Jesus — another, but the same — the same highest 
 and best, only chastened — crucified instead of
 
 1846.] at Emmaus — ' Heliados! 15.") 
 
 triumphant— and the soul learns that this is the Leturto 
 
 Miss Sava 
 
 true way to conquest and dory. And then there Henneii.end 
 
 ■^ of Nov. 1846. 
 
 is the burning of the heart, which assures that 
 " this was the Lord ! "—that this is the inspiration 
 from above— the true comforter that leads unto 
 truth. But I am not become a Methodist, dear 
 Sara ; on the contrary, if I am pious one day, you 
 may be sure I was very wicked the day before, 
 and shall be so again the next. 
 
 I have been at Griff for the last week, or I Letter to 
 
 Miss Sara 
 
 should have written before. I thank you most nenneii, 
 
 20tli Deo. 
 
 heartily for sending me ' Heliados ' — first, because I is46. 
 admire it greatly in itself, and secondly, because 
 it is a pretty proof that I am not dissociated from 
 your most hallowed thoughts. As yet I have read 
 it only once, but I promise myself to read it again 
 and again. I shall not show it to any one, for I 
 hate "friendly criticism," as much for you as for 
 myself ; but you have a better spirit than I, and 
 when you come I will render ' Heliados ' up to you, 
 tliat others may have the pleasure of reading it. 
 
 Lying in bed this morning grievously tormented. Letter to 
 
 Miss Sara 
 
 your ' Heliados ' visited me and revealed itself to Henneii, 
 
 18th Fel). 
 
 me more completely than it had ever done before. i847. 
 How true that " it is only when all portions of an 
 individual nature, or all members of society, move
 
 154 Child's Idea of God. [foleshill, 
 
 Letter to forwaid liariiioniously together, that religious pro- 
 Miss Sara 
 Henneii, gress is cahii and beneficial ! " I imagine the 
 
 18th Feb. 
 
 1847. sorrowful amaze of a child who had been dwellino' 
 
 with delight on the idea that the stars were the 
 pavement of heaven's court, and that there above 
 them sat the kind but holy Clod, looking like a 
 venerable Father who would smile on his good 
 little ones — when it was cruelly told, before its 
 mind had substance enough to bear such tension, 
 that the sky was not real, that the stars were 
 worlds, and that even the sun could not be God's 
 dwelling, because there were many, many suns. 
 These ideas would introduce atheism into the 
 child's mind, instead of assisting it to form a nobler 
 conception of God (of course I am supposing the 
 bare information given, and left to the child to 
 work upon) ; whereas the idea it previously had 
 of God was perfectly adapted to its intellectual 
 condition, and formed to the child as perfect an 
 embodiment of the all - good, all - wise, and all- 
 powerful as the most enlightened philosopher 
 ever formed to himself. 
 
 On 21st April Miss Evans went to London 
 with the Brays, and, among other things, heard 
 " Elijah " at Exeter Hall. On returning to Cov- 
 entry she writes —
 
 1847.] The Sibrce Family. 155 
 
 I did so long to see you after hearing "Elijah," just Letter to 
 
 Miss Sara 
 
 to exchange an exclamation of delight. Last night Henneii, 
 
 . , 30th April 
 
 I had a perfect treat, too, in "I Puntani. Cas- 1347. 
 
 tellar was admirable as Elvira, and Gardoni as a 
 
 seraph. N.B. — I liked the Babel less — another 
 
 sign of age. 
 
 ]\Ieution has already been made of Miss Mary 
 Sibree (now Mrs John Cash of Coventry) ; and 
 as the following genial letter is addressed to her, 
 it gives an opportunity for mentioning here that 
 Miss Evans had a high regard for all the members 
 of the Sibree family. At the end of this year 
 (1847) and the beginning of 1848, there will be 
 found an interesting correspondence with Miss 
 Sibree's brother, Mr John Sibree, who, in 1849, 
 published a translation of Hegel's Lectures on 
 the Philosophy of History, and in 1880, a 
 volume of poems entitled Taney and other 
 Ehymes.' The subjoined extract from a com- 
 munication from Mrs Cash will show upon what 
 terms Miss Evans was with the family : — 
 
 " It was in the early part of the year 1841 
 that Miss Franklin came to see my mother at 
 our house on the Foleshill Eoad — about a mile 
 and a half from Coventry — to tell her, as a piece 
 of most interesting news, that an old pupil, of
 
 15G 3Irs John Caslis Recollections [foleshill, 
 
 whom she herself and lier sister Eebecca had 
 always been very proud, was coming at the 
 Lady-Day quarter to live at a house on the 
 same road — within five minutes' walk of ours. 
 This was Miss Evans, then 21 years of age. 
 Miss Franklin dwelt with much pride on Miss 
 Evans's mental power, on her skill in music, &c. ; 
 but the great recommendation to my mother's 
 interest was the zeal for others which had 
 marked her earnest piety at school, where she 
 had induced the girls to come together for 
 prayer, and which had led her to visit the poor 
 most diligently in the cottages round her own 
 home. Many years after, an old nurse of mine 
 told me that these poor people had said after 
 her removal, ' We shall never have another 
 Mary Ann Evans.' 
 
 " My mother was asked to second and help 
 her in work of this kind. ' She will be sure to 
 get something up very soon,' was the last remark 
 I can recall ; and on her first ^dsit to us I well 
 remember she told us of a clulj for clothing, set 
 going by herself and her neighbour Mrs Pears, 
 in a district to which she said ' the euphonious 
 name of the Pudding-Pits had been given.' It 
 was not until the winter of 1841, or early in
 
 1847.] of Miss Evans at Coventry. 157 
 
 1842, that my mother first received (not from 
 Miss Evans's own lips, but through a mutual 
 friend) the information that a total change had 
 taken place in this gifted woman's mind with 
 respect to the evangelical religion, which she 
 had evidently believed in up to the time of her 
 coming to Coventry, and for which, she once told 
 me, she had at one time sacrificed the cultivation 
 of her intellect, and a proper regard to personal 
 appearance. ' I used,' she said, ' to go about like 
 an owl, to the great disgust of my brother ; and I 
 would have denied him what I now see to have 
 been quite lawful amusements.' IMy mother's grief 
 on hearing of this change in one whom she had 
 begun to love, was very great ; but she thought 
 argument and expostulation might do much, 
 and I well remember a long evening devoted to 
 it, but no more of the subject-matter than her 
 indignant refusal to blame the Jews for not see- 
 ing in a merely spiritual Deliverer a fulfilment 
 of promises of a temporal one ; and a still more 
 emphatic protest against my father's assertion 
 that we had no claim on God. To Miss Evans's 
 affectionate and i^athetic speech to my mother, 
 ' Now, Mrs Sibree, you won't care to have any- 
 thing more to do with me,' my mother rejoined.
 
 158 Mrs John Cash's Becollcctions [foleshill, 
 
 ' On the contrary, I shall feel more interested in 
 you than ever.' But it was very evident at this 
 time that she stood in no 7iccd of sympathising 
 friends : that the desire for congenial society, as 
 well as for books and larger opportunities for 
 culture, which had led her most eagerly to seek 
 a removal from Griff to a home near Coventry, 
 had been met beyond her highest expectations. 
 In Mr and Mrs Bray, and in the Hennell family, 
 she had found friends who called forth her in- 
 terest and stimulated her powers in no common 
 degree. This was traceable even in externals, — 
 in the changed tone of voice and manner — from 
 formality to a geniality which opened my heart to 
 her, and made the next five years the most impor- 
 tant epoch in my life. She gave me (as yet in my 
 teens) weekly lessons in German, speaking freely 
 on all subjects, but with no attempt to directly 
 unsettle my evangelical beliefs, confining herself 
 in these matters to a steady protest against the 
 claim of the Evangelicals to an exclusive pos- 
 session of higher motives to morality — or even 
 to religion. Speaking to my mother of her 
 dearest friend, Mrs Bray, she said, ' She is the 
 most religious person I know.' Of Mr Charles 
 Hennell, in whose writings she liad great inter-
 
 1847.] of Miss Evans at Coventry. 159 
 
 est, she said, ' He is a perfect model of manly 
 excellence.' 
 
 " On one occasion at Mr Bray's house at Eose- 
 hill, roused by a remark of his on the beneficial 
 influence exercised by evangelical behefs on the 
 moral feelings, she said energetically, ' I say it 
 now, and I say it once for all, that I am influ- 
 enced in my own conduct at the present time by 
 far higher considerations, and by a nobler idea 
 of duty, than I ever was while I held the evan- 
 gelical beliefs.' When at length, after my 
 brother's year's residence at the Halle University 
 (in 1842-43), my own mind having been much 
 exercised in the matter of religion, I felt the 
 moral difficulties press heavily on my conscience, 
 and my whole heart was necessarily poured out 
 to my ' Guide, Philosopher, and Friend,' the 
 steady turning of my attention from theoretical 
 questions to a confession of my own want of 
 thoroughness in arithmetic, which I jpretended 
 to teach ; and the request that I would specially 
 give attention to this study and get my con- 
 science clear about it, and that I would not come 
 to her again until my views of religion were 
 also clear, is too characteristic of Miss Evans, as 
 I knew licr during those years, and too much in
 
 160 Mrs John Gash's llccollcctions. [foleshill, 
 
 harmony with the moral teaching of George 
 Eliot, to be omitted in reminiscences by one to 
 whom that wholesome advice proved a turning- 
 point in life. Two things more I cannot omit 
 to mention : one, the heightened sense given to 
 me by her of the duty of making conversation 
 profitable, and in general of using time for 
 serious purposes — of the positive immorality of 
 frittering it away in ill-natured or in poor, profit- 
 less talk ; another, the debt (so frequently ac- 
 knowledged by Miss Evans to me) which she 
 owed, during the years of her life with her 
 father, to the intercourse she enjoyed with her 
 friends at Rosehill. Mr and Mrs Bray and 
 Miss Hennell, with their friends, were her world, 
 — and on my saying to her once, as we closed 
 the garden door together, that we seemed to be 
 entering a Paradise, she said, ' I do indeed feel 
 that I shut the world out when I shut that door.' 
 It is consoling to me now to feel that in her 
 terrible suffering through her father's illness and 
 death, which were most trying to witness, she 
 had such alleviations." 
 Letter to It is wortli whilc to forget a friend for a week or 
 
 Miss Mary 
 
 sibree, loth tcu days, just for the sake of the agreeable kind 
 
 May 1847. 
 
 of startle it tjives one to be reminded that one has
 
 1847.] Prcficnt of Purse from Miss Mary Sibree. 161 
 
 such a treasure in reserve — the same sort of plea- Letter to 
 
 Miss Mary 
 
 sure, I suppose, that a poor body feels who happens sibree, loth 
 
 May 1847. 
 
 to lay his hand on an undreamt of sixpence which 
 had sunk to a corner of his pocket. When Mr 
 Sibree brought me your parcel, I had been to 
 London for a week ; and having been full of Men- 
 delssohn oratorios and Italian operas, I had just 
 this kind of delightful surprise when I saw your 
 note and the beautiful purse. Not that I mean to 
 compare you to a sixpence — you are a bright golden 
 sovereign to me, with edges all unrubbed, fit to 
 remind a poor, tarnished, bruised piece like me, 
 that there are ever fresh and more perfect coin- 
 ages of human nature forthcoming. I am very 
 proud of my purse — first, because I have long had 
 to be ashamed of drawing my old one out of my 
 pocket ; and secondly, because it is a sort of symbol 
 of your love for me— and who is not proud to be 
 loved ? For there is a beautiful kind of pride at 
 which no one need frown — I may call it a sort of 
 impersonal pride — a thrill of exultation at all that 
 is good and lovely and joyous as a possession of our 
 human nature. 
 
 I am glad to think of all your pleasure among 
 friends new and old. Mrs D.'s mother is, I dare- 
 say, a valuable person ; but do not, I beseech thee, 
 
 VOL. I. L
 
 162 Old Peoples Judgments. [foleshill, 
 
 Letter to go to olcl people as oracles on matters which date 
 
 Miss Mary 
 
 sibree, loth aiij later than their thirty-fifth year. Only trust 
 
 May 1S47. 
 
 them, if they are good, in those practical rules 
 which are the common property of long experience. 
 If they are governed by one special idea which 
 circumstances or their own mental bias have caused 
 them to grasp with peculiar firmness, and to work 
 up into original forms, make yourself master of 
 their thoughts and convictions, the residuum of 
 all that long travail which poor mortals have to 
 encounter in their threescore years and ten, but 
 do not trust their application of their gathered 
 wisdom ; for however just old people may be in 
 their j5?'mcip/cs of judgment, they are often wrong 
 in their application of them from an imperfect or 
 unjust conception of the matter to be judged. Love 
 and cherish and venerate the old ; but never imag- 
 ine that a worn-out, dried-up organisation can be 
 so rich in inspiration as one which is full fraught 
 with life and energy, I am not talking like one 
 who is superlatively jealous for the rights of the 
 old ; yet such I am, I assure thee, I heard Men- 
 delssohn's new oratorio " Elijah " when I was in 
 t London, It has been performed four times in 
 
 Exeter Hall to as large an audience as the build- 
 ing would hold — ]\Iendelssohn himself the con-
 
 1847.] " Elijah " at Exeter Hall. 1 6 3 
 
 ductor. It is a glorious production, and altogether Letter to 
 
 . ^ . Jliss Mary 
 
 I look upon it as a kmd of sacramental purification snu-ee, lotu 
 
 r.-1-i -TTii 1 ^ • p-ii May 1S47. 
 
 of Exeter Hall, and a proclamation or indulgence 
 for all that is to be perpetrated there during this 
 month of May. This is a piece of impiety which 
 you may expect from a lady who has been guanoing 
 lier mind with French novels. This is the imper- 
 tinent expression of DTsraeli, who, writing himself 
 much more detestable stuff than ever came from 
 a French pen, can do nothing better to bamboozle 
 the unfortunates who are seduced into reading his 
 ' Tancred ' than speak superciliously of all other 
 men and things — an expedient much more success- 
 ful ill some quarters than one would expect. But 
 au fond, dear Mary, I have no impiety in my mind 
 at this moment, and my soul heartily responds to 
 your rejoicing that society is attaining a more per- 
 fect idea and exhibition of Paul's exhortation — 
 " Let the same mind be in you which was also in 
 Christ Jesus." I believe the Amen to this will be 
 uttered more and more fervently, " Among all pos- 
 terities for ever more." 
 
 Ask me not why I have never written all this Letter to 
 
 Miss Sara 
 
 weary time. I can only answer, " All things are Henneii, 
 
 15th Jiuie 
 
 full of labour — man cannot utter it" — ct seq. See 1847. 
 the 1st chapter of Ecclesiastes for my experience.
 
 164 Rc-rcading of HcnndVs' Inquiry.' [foleshill, 
 
 Letter to I liavG read the ' Inqiiiiy ' again with more than 
 
 Henn'eii, interest — with delight and high admiration. My 
 1847. present impression from it far surpasses the one I 
 
 had retained from my two readings about live years 
 ago. With the exception of a few expressions which 
 seem too httle discriminating in the Introductory 
 sketch, there is notliing in its whole tone from 
 beginning to end that jars on my moral sense ; and 
 apart from any opinion of the book as an explana- 
 tion of the existence of Christianity and the Chris- 
 tian documents, I am sure that no one, fit to read it 
 at all, could read it without being intellectually and 
 morally stronger — the reasoning is so close, the 
 induction so clever, the style so clear, vigorous, 
 and pointed, and the animus so candid and even 
 generous. ]\Ir Hennell ought to be one of the 
 happiest of men that he has done such a life's 
 work. I am sure if I had written such a book, 
 I should be invulnerable to all the arrows of all 
 spiteful gods and goddesses. I should say, " None 
 of these things move me, neither count I my life 
 dear unto myself," seeing that I have delivered such 
 a message of God to men. The book is full of %vit 
 to me. It gives me that exquisite kind of laughter 
 which comes from the OTatification of the reason- 
 
 t3" 
 
 ing faculties. For instance : " If some of those who
 
 1847.] HenncWs 'Inquiry! 165 
 
 were actually at tlie mountain doubted whether Letter to 
 
 IVT 1 Q^ Sji I'T 
 
 they saw Jesus or not, we may reasonably doubt nenneii, 
 whether he was to be seen at all there : especially is47. 
 as the words attributed to him do not seem at all 
 likely to have been said, from the disciples paying 
 no attention to them," " The disciples considered 
 her [Mary Magdalene's] words idle tales, and be- 
 lieved them not." We have thus their example 
 for considering her testimony alone as insufficient, 
 and for seeking further evidence. To say " Jewish 
 philosopher" seems almost like saying a round 
 square: yet those two words appear to me the 
 truest description of Jesus. I think the ' Inquiry ' 
 furnishes the utmost that can be done towards 
 obtaining a real view of the life and character of 
 Jesus, by rejecting as little as possible from the 
 Gospels. I confess that I should call many things 
 "shining ether," to which Mr Hennell allows the 
 solid angularity of facts ; but I think he has 
 thoroughly worked out the problem — subtract from 
 the New Testament the miraculous and highly 
 improbable, and what will be the remainder ? 
 
 At the end of September Miss Evans and 
 her father went for a little trip to the Isle of 
 Wight, and on their return there is the follow- 
 ing letter : —
 
 1 6 G Trip to Isle of Wir/Jit. [foleshill, 
 
 Letter to I heartily wish yon had been with* me to see all 
 
 Miss Sara 
 
 Henneii, the beauties which have gladdened my soul, and 
 
 13th Oct. . 
 
 1847. made me reel that this earth is as good a heaven 
 
 as I ought to dream of. I liave a much greater 
 respect for the Isle of Wight, now I have seen it, 
 than when I knew it only by report — a compliment 
 which one can seldom very sincerely pay to things 
 and people that one has heard puffed and bepraised. 
 I do long for you to see Alum Bay. Fancy a very 
 high precipice, the strata upheaved perpendicularly 
 in rainbow-like streaks of the brightest maize, violet, 
 pink, blue, red, brown, and brilliant white, worn by 
 the weather into fantastic fretwork, the deep blue 
 sky above, and the glorious sea below. It seems 
 an enchanted land, where the earth is of more 
 delicate, refined materials than this dingy planet 
 of ours is wrought out of. You might fancy the 
 strata formed of the compressed pollen of flowers, 
 or powder from bright insects. You can think of 
 nothing but Calypsos, or Prosperos and Ariels, and 
 suchlike beings. 
 
 I find one very great spiritual good attendant on 
 
 a quiet meditative journey among fresh scenes. 
 
 ' I seem to have removed to a distance from myself 
 
 when I am away from the petty circumstances that 
 
 make up my ordinary environment. I can take
 
 1847.] Sir Charles Ghrindison. 1G7 
 
 myself up by the ears and inspect myself like any Letter to 
 
 Miss Sara 
 
 other queer monster on a small scale. I have had Henneii, 
 
 13th Oct. 
 
 many thoughts, especially on a subject that I should 1347. 
 like to work out — " The superiority of the consola- 
 tions of philosophy to those of (so-called) religion." 
 Do you stare ? 
 
 Thank you for putting me on reading Sir Charles 
 Grandison. I have read five volumes, and am only 
 vexed that I have not the two last on my table at 
 this moment, that I might have them for my convives. 
 I had no idea that Eichardson was worth so much. 
 I have had more pleasure from him than from all 
 the Swedish novels together. The morality is per- 
 fect — there is nothing for the new lights to correct. 
 
 How do you like ' Leila,' of which you have never Letter to 
 
 Miss Sara 
 
 spoken one word ? I am provoked with you for Henneii, 
 
 27tliNov. 
 
 being in the least pleased with ' Tancred ' ; but if 1347. 
 you have found out any lofty meaning in it, or any 
 true picturing of life, tell it me, and I will recant. 
 I have found two new readers of Strauss. One a 
 lady at Leamington, who is also reading the ' Inquiry,' 
 but likes Strauss better ! The other is a gentleman 
 here in Coventry ; he says " it is most clever and 
 ingenious, and that no one whose faith rests only 
 on the common foundation can withstand it." I 
 think he may safely say that his faith rests on an
 
 168 Live and Teach. [foleshill, 
 
 Letter to ^mcommou foundation. The book will certainly 
 Henneii, give liiiu a lift in the right direction from its 
 
 2TthNov. ..,,.,, . , . „ - . 
 
 1847. critical, logical character — ^just the opposite of his 
 
 own. I was interested the other day in talking 
 to a young lady who lives in a nest of clergymen, 
 her brothers, but not of the evangelical school. 
 She had been reading Blanco White's life, and 
 seems to have had her spirit stirred within her, as 
 every one's must be who reads the book with any 
 power of appreciation. She is unable to account 
 to herself for the results at which Blanco Wliite 
 arrived with his earnestness and love of truth ; and 
 she asked me if I had come to the same conclusions. 
 I think " Live and teach " should be a proverb 
 as well as " Live and learn." We must teach either 
 for good or evil ; and if we use our inward light as 
 the Quaker tells us, always taking care to feed and 
 trim it well, our teaching must in the end be for 
 good. We are growing old together — are we not ? 
 I am growing happier too. I am amusing myself 
 with thinking of the prophecy of Daniel as a sort 
 of allegory. All those monstrous, " rombustical " 
 beasts with their horns — the horn with eyes and a 
 mouth speaking proud things, and the little horn 
 that waxed rebellious and stamped on the stars, 
 seem like my passions and vain fancies, which are
 
 1848.] ' Lctircs cVan Voyagcur.' 169 
 
 to be knocked down one after the other — until all Letter to 
 
 Miss Sara 
 
 is subdued into a universal kingdom over which the nenneii, 
 
 •J~tlr Nov. 
 
 Ancient of Days presides — the spirit of love — the 3847. 
 Catholicism of the Universe — if you can attach any 
 meaning to such a phrase. It has a meaning for 
 my sage noddle. 
 
 I am reading George Sand's ' Lettres d'un Voya- Letter to 
 
 ° ° _ Miss Sara 
 
 ceur ' with oreat delight, and hoping that they will Henneii, 
 
 *=> '^ ^ Jan. 1848. 
 
 some time do you as much good as they do me. In 
 the meantime, I think the short letter about ' Leila' 
 will interest you. It has a very deep meaning to my 
 apprehension. You can send back the pages when 
 you have duly digested them. I once said of you 
 that yours was a sort of alkali nature, which would 
 detect the slightest acid of falsehood. You began 
 to phiz-zz directly it approached you. I want you 
 as a test. I now begin to see the necessity of the 
 arrangement (a bad word) that love should deter- 
 mine people's fate while they are young. It is so 
 impossible to admire — " sentJwtisiasmer" of — an 
 individual as one gets older. 
 
 Here follows the interesting correspondence, 
 referred to before, with Mr John Sibree. 
 Begin your letter by abusing me according to Letter to 
 
 J. Sibree, 
 
 mv example. There is nothing like a little gun- beginning 
 
 J ^ ° _ of 1848. 
 
 powder for a damp chimney ; and an explosion of
 
 170 
 
 Tancrcd! 
 
 [foleshill, 
 
 Letter to 
 J. Siliree, 
 lii'ginniiig 
 oflS4S. 
 
 that sort will set the fire of your ideas burning 
 to aclmhation. I hate bashfulness and modesties, 
 as Sir Hugh Evans would say ; and I warn you 
 that I shall make no apologies, though from my 
 habit of writing only to people who, rather than 
 have nothing from me, will tolerate nothings, I 
 shall be very apt to forget that you are not one 
 of those amiably silly individuals. I must write 
 to you iinorG meo, without taking pains or labouring 
 to be sinritudle when heaven never meant me to 
 be so; and it is your own fault if you bear with 
 my letters a moment after they become an inflic- 
 tion. I am glad you detest Mrs Hannah More's 
 letters. I like neither her letters, nor her books, 
 nor her character. She was that most disagree- 
 able of all monsters, a blue stocking — a monster 
 that can only exist in a miserably false state of 
 society, in which a woman with but a smattering 
 of learning or philosophy is classed along with 
 singing mice and card-playing pigs. It is some 
 time since I read ' Tancred,' so that I have no 
 very vivid recollection of its details ; but I thought 
 it very " thin," and inferior in the working up to 
 ' Coningsby ' and ' Sybil.' Young Englandism is al- 
 most as remote from my sjTnpathies as Jacobitism, 
 as far as its force is concerned, though I love and
 
 of 1848. 
 
 1848.] U Israeli on the Jeios. 171 
 
 respect it as an effort on behalf of the people. Letter to 
 
 J. Sibree, 
 
 D'Israeli is iinquestionably an able man, and 1 beginning 
 always enjoy his tirades against liberal principles 
 as opposed to popular principles — the name by 
 which he distinguishes his own. As to his theory 
 of races, it has not a leg to stand on, and can only 
 be buoyed up by such windy eloquence as — You 
 chubby-faced, squabby-nosed Europeans owe your 
 commerce, your arts, your religion, to the Hebrews, 
 — nay, the Hebrews lead your armies : in proof of 
 which he can tell us that Massena, a second-rate 
 general of Napoleon's, was a Jew, whose real name 
 was Manasseh, Extermination up to a certain 
 point seems to be the law for the inferior races 
 — for the rest fusion both for physical and moral 
 ends. It appears to me that the law by which 
 privileged classes degenerate from continual inter- 
 marriage, must act on a larger scale in deteriorating 
 whole races. The nations have been always kept 
 apart until they have sufficiently developed their 
 idiosyncrasies, and then some great revolutionary 
 force has been called into action, by which the 
 genius of a particular nation l>ecomes a portion 
 of the common mind of humanity. Looking at tlie 
 matter sesthetically, our idea of beauty is never 
 formed on the characteristics of a single race.
 
 of 1S48. 
 
 172 Race Characteristics. [foleshill, 
 
 Letter to I coiifess the types of the pure races, however 
 beginning haiiclsome, always mipress me disagreeably ; there 
 is an undefined feeling that I am looking not 
 at man, but at a specimen of an order under 
 Cuvier's class Bimana. The negroes certainly 
 puzzle me. All the other races seem plainly 
 destined to extermination, not excepting even the 
 Hebrew Caucasian. But the neuroes are too im- 
 portant, physiologically and geographically, for one 
 to think of their extermination ; while the repulsion 
 between them and the other races seems too strong 
 for fusion to take place to any great extent. On 
 one point I heartily agree with D'Israeli as to the 
 superiority of the oriental races — their clothes are 
 beautiful and their manners are agreeable. Did you 
 not think the picture of the Barroni family interest- 
 ing ? I should like to know who are the originals. 
 The fellowship of race, to which D'Israeli so exult- 
 ingly refers the munificence of Sidonia, is so evi- 
 dently an inferior impulse, which must ultimately 
 be superseded, that I wonder even he, Jew as he is, 
 dares to boast of it. My Gentile nature kicks most 
 resolutely against any assumption of superiority in 
 the Jews, and is almost ready to echo Voltaire's 
 vituperation. I bow to the supremacy of Hebrew 
 poetry, but much of their early mythology, and
 
 1848.] Dislike of Jeios. 173 
 
 almost all their history, is utterly revolting. Their Letter to 
 
 J. Siliree, 
 
 stock has produced a IMoses and a Jesus ; but IMoses beginning 
 
 of 1S4S. 
 
 was impregnated with Egyptian philosophy, and 
 Jesus is venerated and adored by us only for that 
 wherein He transcended or resisted Judaism. The 
 very exaltation of their idea of a national deity 
 into a spiritual monotheism seems to have been 
 borrowed from the other oriental tribes. Every- 
 thing specifically Jewish is of a low grade. 
 
 And do you really think tliat sculpture and 
 paintmg are to die out of the world ? If that be 
 so, let another deluge come as quickly as possible, 
 that a new race of Glums and dowries may take 
 possession of this melancholy earth. I agree with 
 you as to the inherent superiority of music — 
 as that questionable woman, the Countess Hahn- 
 Hahn, says painting and sculpture are but an ideal- 
 ising of our actual existence. Music arches over 
 this existence with another and a diviner. Amen, 
 too, to that idecnvoll observation of Hegel's — " We 
 hardly know what it is to feel for human misery 
 until we have heard a shriek : and a more perfect 
 hell might be made out of sound than out of any 
 preparation of fire and brimstone." When the 
 tones of our voice have betrayed peevishness or 
 harshness, we seem to be doubly haunted by the
 
 174 Religion and Art. [foleshill, 
 
 Letter to gliost of our siii : we are doubly conscious that 
 
 J. Sibree, 
 
 beginning wc liave 06611 uiitiue to oui' part in the great 
 
 oflS48. Till 1^ T 1 • 
 
 Handel chorus. But i cannot assent to the notion 
 that music is to supersede the other arts, or that 
 the highest minds must necessarily aspire to a 
 sort of Milton blindness, in which the ticfstc der 
 Sinne is to be a substitute for all the rest. I can- 
 not recognise the truth of all that is said about 
 the necessity of religious fervour to high art. I 
 am sceptical as to the real existence of such fervour 
 in any of the greatest artists. Artistic power seems 
 to me to resemble dramatic power — to be an inti- 
 mate perception of the varied states of which the 
 human mind is susceptible, with ability to give 
 them out anew in intensified expression. It is 
 true that the older the world gets, originality 
 becomes less possible. Great subjects are used 
 up, and civilisation tends evermore to repress 
 individual predominance, highly - wrought agony, 
 or ecstatic joy. But all the gentler emotions 
 will be ever new, ever wrought up into more 
 and more lovely combinations, and genius will 
 probably take their direction. 
 
 Have you ever seen a head of Christ taken from 
 a statue by Thorwaldsen of Christ scourged ? If 
 not, I think it would almost satisfy you. There is
 
 1848.] Sculpture and Paintiwj. 175 
 
 another work of his, said to be very sublime, of the Letter to 
 
 J. Sibiee, 
 
 Archangel waiting for the command to sound the beginning 
 last trumpet. Yet Thorwaldsen came at the fag 
 end of time. 
 
 I am afraid you despise landscape painting ; 
 but to me even the works of our own Stanfield 
 and Eoberts and Creswick bring a whole world 
 of thought and bhss — "a sense of something far 
 more deeply interfused." The ocean and the sky 
 and the everlasting hills are spirit to me, and 
 they will never be robbed of their sublimity. 
 
 I have tired myself with trying to write cleverly. Letter to 
 
 J. Sibree, 
 
 invitd Minervd, and having in vain endeavoured to re- be; 
 fresh myself by turning over Lavater's queer sketches 
 of physiognomies, and still queerer judgments on 
 them, it is a happy thought of mine that I have a 
 virtuous reason for spending my ennui on you. 
 
 I send you a stanza I picked up the other day in 
 George Sand's ' Lettres d'un Voyageur,' which is 
 almost the ultimatum of human wisdom on the 
 question of human sorrow : — 
 
 " Le bonheur et le mallieur, 
 Nous vieniient du iiieme auteiir, 
 Voila la ressemblance. 
 Le bonlieur nous rend lieureux, 
 Et le malheur malheureux, 
 Voila la difference." 
 
 inning 
 of 1848.
 
 176 
 
 Cure for Egotism. 
 
 [rOLESHILL, 
 
 Letter to 
 J. Sibree, 
 beginning 
 of 1S4S. 
 
 Ah, here comes a cup of coffee to console me ! 
 Wlien I have taken it I will tell you what George 
 Sand says : " Sais tu bien que tout est dit devant 
 Dieu et devant les hommes quand I'homme infor- 
 tune demande comj)te de ses maux et qu'il ohtient 
 cette reponse ? Qu'y a-t-il de plus ? Eien." But 
 I am not a mocking pen, and if I were talking to 
 you instead of writing, you would detect some fal- 
 sity in the ring of my voice. Alas ! the atrabiliar 
 patient you describe is first cousin to me in my very 
 worst moods, but I have a profound faith that the 
 serpent's head will be bruised. This conscious kind 
 of false life that is ever and anon endeavouring to 
 form itself within us and eat away our true life, 
 will be overcome by continued accession of vitality, 
 by our perpetual increase in "quantity of existence," 
 as Foster calls it. Creation is the superadded life 
 of the intellect : sympathy, all-embracing love, the 
 superadded moral life. These given more and 
 more abundantly, I feel that all the demons, which 
 are but my own egotism mopping and mowing and 
 gibbering, would vanish away, and there would be 
 no place for them, — 
 
 " For every gift of noble origin 
 Is breathed tipon by hope's perpetiial breath." 
 
 Evils, even sorrows, are they not all negations ?
 
 of 184S. 
 
 1848.] Desire for Confidences. 177 
 
 Thus matter is in a perpetual state of decomposi- Letter to 
 tion, — superadd the principle of life, and the tend- beginning 
 ency to decomposition is overcome. Add to this 
 consciousness, and there is a power of self-ameliora- 
 tion. The passions and senses decompose, so to 
 speak. The intellect by its analytic power restrains 
 the fury with which they rush to their own destruc- 
 tion ; the moral nature purifies, beautifies, and at 
 length transmutes them. But to whom am I talk- 
 ing ? You know far more siir ce chapitre than I. 
 
 Every one talks of himself or herself to me, and 
 I beg you will follow every one's example in this 
 one thing only. Individuals are precious to me 
 in proportion as they unfold to me their intimate 
 selves. I have just had lent me the journal of a 
 person who died some years ago. When I was less 
 venerable I should have felt the reading of such a 
 thing insupportable; now it interests me, though 
 it is the simplest record of events and feelings. 
 
 Mary says she has told you about Mr Dawson 
 and his lecture — miserably crude and mystifying in 
 some parts, but with a few fine passages. He is a 
 very delightful man, but not (at least so say my 
 impressions) a great man. How difficult it is to be 
 great in this world where there is a tariff for spirit- 
 ualities as well as for beeves and cheese and tallow 
 
 VOL. I. M
 
 178 
 
 FreTicli Revolution. 
 
 [foleshill, 
 
 Letter to 
 J. Sibreo, 
 beginning 
 of 184S. 
 
 Letter to 
 J. Sibree, 
 Feb. 1S4S. 
 
 It is scarcely possible for a man simply to give out 
 his true inspiration — the real profound conviction 
 which he has won by hard wrestling, or the few 
 and far-between pearls of imagination : he must go 
 on talking or writing by rote, or he must starve. 
 Would it not be better to take to tent-making with 
 Paul, or to spectacle-making with Spinoza ? 
 
 Write and tell you that I join you in your hap- 
 piness about the French Eevolution ? Very fine, 
 my good friend. If I made you wait for a letter as 
 long as you do me, our little ichantillon of a mil- 
 lennium would be over : Satan would be let loose 
 again : and I should have to share 3'our humilia- 
 tion instead of your triumph. 
 
 Nevertheless I absolve you, for the sole merit of 
 thinking rightly (that is, of course, just as I do) 
 about la grandc nation and its doings. You and 
 Carlyle (have you seen his article in last week's 
 ' Examiner ' ?) are the only two people who feel just 
 as I would have them — who can glory in what is 
 actually great and beautiful without putting forth 
 any cold reservations and incredulities to save their 
 credit for wisdom. I am all the more delighted 
 with your enthusiasm because I didn't expect it. 
 I feared that you lacked revolutionary ardour. But 
 no — you are just as sans-cidottish and rash as I
 
 1848.] Sympathy ivith Ecvolution, 179 
 
 would have you. You are not one of those sages Letter to 
 
 J. Sibree, 
 
 whose reason keeps so tight a rein on their emotions Feb. is4s. 
 that they are too constantly occupied in calculating 
 consequences to rejoice in any great manifestation 
 of the forces that underlie our everyday existence. 
 I should have written a soprano to your Jubilate 
 the very next day, but that, lest I should be exalted 
 above measure, a messenger of Satan was sent in 
 the form of a headache, and directly on the back of 
 that a face-ache, so that I have been a mere victim 
 of sensations, memories, and visions for the last 
 week, I am even now, as you may imagine, in a 
 very shattered, limbo-like mental condition. 
 
 I thought we had fallen on such evil days that 
 we were to see no really great movement — that ours 
 was what St Simon calls a purely critical epoch, 
 not at all an organic one ; but I beQ'in to be olad of 
 my date. I would consent, however, to have a year 
 dipt off' my life for the sake of witnessing such a 
 scene as that of the men of the barricades bowing 
 to the image of Christ, " who first taught fraternity 
 to men." One trembles to look into every fresh 
 newspaper lest there should be something to mar 
 the picture; but hitherto even the scoffing news- 
 paper critics have been compelled into a tone of 
 genuine respect for the French people and the Pro-
 
 180 Louis Pldlippe and his Sons, [foleshill, 
 
 Letter to visioiial Government. Lamartine can act a poem 
 
 J. Sibree, 
 
 Feb. 1848. if lie cannot write one of the very first order. I 
 hope that beautiful face given to him in the pic- 
 torial newspaper is really his : it is worthy of an 
 aureole. I am chiefly anxious about Albert, the 
 operative, but his picture is not to be seen. I have 
 little patience with people who can find time to 
 pity Louis Philippe and liis moustachioed sons. 
 Certainly our decayed monarchs should be pen- 
 sioned off": we should have a hospital for them, or 
 a sort of zoological garden, where these worn-out 
 humbugs may be preserved. It is but justice that 
 we should keep them, since we have spoiled them 
 for any honest trade. Let them sit on soft cushions, 
 and have their dinner regularly, but, for heaven's 
 sake, preserve me from sentimentalising over a 
 pampered old man when the earth has its millions 
 of unfed souls and bodies. Surely he is not so 
 Ahab-like as to wish that the revolution had 
 been deferred till his son's days : and I think the 
 shades of the Stuarts would have some reason 
 to complain if the Bourbons, who are so little 
 better than they, had been allowed to reign much 
 longer. 
 
 I should have no hope of good from any imita- 
 tive movement at home. Our working classes are
 
 1848.] Contrast hetiocen France and England. 181 
 eminently inferior to the nia.ss of the French people. Letter to 
 
 J. Sibree, 
 
 In France the mind of the people is highly electri- Feb. is4s. 
 fied ; they are full of ideas on social subjects ; they 
 really desire social reform — not merely an acting 
 out of Sancho Panza's favourite proverb, " Yester- 
 day for you, to-day for me." The revolutionary 
 animus extended over the whole nation, and em- 
 braced the rural population — not merely, as with 
 us, the artisans of the towns. Here there is so 
 much larger a proportion of selfish radicalism and 
 unsatisfied brute sensuality (in the agricultural and 
 mining districts especially) than of perception or 
 desire of justice, that a revolutionary movement 
 would be simply destructive, not constructive. Be- 
 sides, it would be put down. Our military have no 
 notion of " fraternising." They have the same sort 
 of inveteracy as dogs have for the ill-drest canaille. 
 They are as mere a brute force as a battering-ram ; 
 and the aristocracy have got firm hold of them. 
 And there is nothing in our Constitution to obstruct 
 the slow progress of j^olitical reform. This is all 
 we are fit for at present. The social reform which 
 may prepare us for great changes is more and more 
 the object of effort both in Parliament and out of 
 it. But we English are slow crawders. The sym- 
 pathy in Ireland seems at present only of the
 
 182 Necessity of Uttc7'ance. [foleshill, 
 
 Letter to watei'-toRst kind. The Glasgow riots are more 
 
 J. Sibree, . , , . . 
 
 Feb. 184S. senous ; but one cannot believe m a Scotcli Eeign 
 of Terror in these days. I should not be sorry to 
 hear that the Italians had risen en masse, and chased 
 the odious Austrians out of beautiful Lombardy. 
 But this they could hardly do without help, and 
 that involves another European war. 
 
 Concerning the "tent-making," there is much 
 more to be said, but am I to adopt your rule and 
 never speak of what I suppose we agree about ? 
 It is necessary to me, not smiply to he. but to utter, 
 and I require utterance of my friends, Wliat is it 
 to me that I think the same thoughts ? I tliink 
 them in a somewhat different fashion. No mind 
 that has any real life is a mere echo of another. 
 If the perfect unison comes occasionally, as in 
 music, it enhances the harmonies. It is like a 
 diffusion or expansion of one's own life, to be 
 assured that its vibrations are repeated in another, 
 and words are the media of those vibrations. 
 Is not the universe itself a perpetual utterance of 
 the one Being ? So I say again, utter, utter, utter, 
 and it will be a deed of mercy twice blest, for I 
 shall be a safety-valve for your communicativeness, 
 and prevent it from splitting honest peoples' 
 brains who don't understand you ; and, more-
 
 1848.] Symixtthy vnth Non-co7iformity. 183 
 
 over, it will be fraught with ghostly comfort 
 to me. 
 
 I might make a very plausible excuse for not Letter to j. 
 
 Sibree, Suu- 
 
 acknowledging your kind note earlier, by telling day evening, 
 
 Inter in 1848. 
 
 you that I have been both a nurse and invalid ; 
 but to be thoroughly ingenuous, I must confess that 
 all this would not have been enough to prevent 
 my writing but for my chronic disease of utter idle- 
 ness, I have heard and thought of you with great 
 interest, however. You have my hearty and not in- 
 experienced sympathy ; for, to speak in the style 
 of Jonathan Oldbuck, I am liciud ignara mali. I 
 have gone through a trial of the same genus as 
 yours, though rather differing in species. I sin- 
 cerely rejoice in the step you have taken ; it is an 
 absolutely necessary condition for any true de- 
 velopment of your nature. It was impossible to 
 think of your career with hope, while you tacitly 
 subscribed to the miserable etiquette (it deserves 
 no better or more spiritual name) of sectarianism. 
 Only persevere — be true, firm, and loving — not too 
 anxious about immediate usefulness to others — that 
 can only be a result of justice to yourself. Study 
 mental hygiene. Take long doses of dolce far 
 niente, and be in no great hurry about anything in 
 this 'varsal world ! Do we not commit ourselves
 
 184 Desire for an Attic in Geneva, [foleshill, 
 
 Letter to J. to sleep, aiicl so resign all care for ourselves every 
 
 Sibree, S«n- • -, -, t i ii s i. 
 
 day evening, Higlit, lay ourselves gently on the bosom oi nature 
 or God ? A beautiful reproach to the spirit of 
 some religionists and ultra good people. 
 
 I like the notion of your going to Germany as 
 good in every way, for yourself, body and mind, 
 and for all others. Oh the bliss of having a very 
 high attic in a romantic Continental town, such as 
 Geneva — far away from morning -callers, dinners, 
 and decencies, and then to pause for a year and 
 think cU omnibus rebus et quibusdam aliis, and 
 then to return to life, and work for poor stricken 
 humanity, and never think of self again ! ^ 
 
 I am writing nearly in the dark, with the post- 
 boy waiting. I fear I shall not be at home when 
 you come home, but surely I shall see you before 
 you leave England. However that may be, I shall 
 utter a genuine Lebeioohl. 
 Letter to lu my vicw there are but two kinds of regular 
 
 Henneii, i.st correspoudeuce possible — one of simple affection, 
 which gives a picture of all the details, painful and 
 pleasurable, that a loving heart pines after, and this 
 we carry on through the medium of Cara ; or one 
 purely moral and intellectual, carried on for the 
 sake of ghostly edification, in which each party has 
 
 1 An Ahmmg—a presentiment — of her owu future.
 
 1848.] Concerning Correspondence. 185 
 
 to put salt on the tails of all sorts of ideas on all Letter to 
 
 Miss Sara 
 
 sorts of subjects, in order to send a weekly or fort- Hemieii, ist 
 
 Feb. 1848. 
 
 nightly packet, as so much duty and self-castiga- 
 tion. I have always been given to understand that 
 such Lady-Jane-G-rey-like works were your abhor- 
 rence. However, let me know what you would like 
 — what would make you continue to hold me in 
 loving remembrance or convince you that you are 
 a bright evergreen in my garden of pleasant plants. 
 Behold me ready to tear off my right hand or pluck 
 out my right eye (metaphorically, of course, — I speak 
 to an experienced exegetist, comme dirait notre 
 Strauss), or write reams of letters full of interesting 
 falsehoods or very dull truths. We have always 
 concluded that our correspondence should be of the 
 third possible kind — one of impulse, which is neces- 
 sarily irregular as the Northern lights. 
 
 I am a miserable wretch, with aching limbs and Letter to 
 
 Miss Sara 
 
 sinking spirits, but still alive enough to feel the nenneii, 
 
 ^ 14th April 
 
 kindness of your last note. I thoroughly enjoyed i848. 
 your delight in Emerson. I should have liked to 
 see you sitting by him " with awful eye," for once 
 in your life feeling all the bliss of veneration. I 
 am quite uncertain about our movements. Dear 
 father gets on very slowly, if at all. You will 
 understand the impossibility of my forming any
 
 186 
 
 Father III. 
 
 [ST LEONARDS, 
 
 Letter to 
 Miss Sara 
 Hennell, 
 20th April 
 184S. 
 
 Letter to 
 Chas. Bray, 
 May 1848. 
 
 plans for my own pleasure. Eest is the only thing 
 I can think of with pleasure now. 
 
 Dear father is so decicledly progressing towards 
 recovery that I am full of quiet joy — a gentle dawn- 
 ing light after the moonlight of sorrow. I have 
 found already some of the " sweet uses " that belong 
 only to what is called trouble, which is, after all, 
 only a deepened gaze into life, like the sight of 
 the darker blue and the thickening host of stars 
 when the hazy effect of twilight is gone — as our 
 dear Blanco Wliite said of death. I shall have less 
 time than I have had at my own disposal probably ; 
 but I feel prepared to accept life, nay, lovingly to 
 embrace it in any form in which it shall present 
 itself. 
 
 Sometime in May, Mr Evans and his daughter 
 
 went to St Leonards, and remained there till 
 
 near the end of June. His mortal illness had 
 
 now taken hold of him, and tliis was a deiiressing 
 
 time botli for him and for her, as will be seen 
 
 from the foUowino; letters : — 
 
 Your words of affection seem to make this earthly 
 
 atmosphere sit less heavily on my shoulders, and in 
 
 gratitude I must send you my thanks before I begin 
 
 to read of Henry Gow and Fair Catharine for father's 
 
 delectation. In truth, I have found it somewhat
 
 1848.] Depression. 187 
 
 difficult to live for the last week — conscious all the Letter to ' 
 
 . Chas. Bray, 
 
 time that the only additions to my lot worth havmg May is48. 
 must be more strength to love in my own nature ; 
 but perhaps this very consciousness has an irritating 
 rather than a soothing effect, I have a fit of sensi- 
 tiveness upon me, which after all is but egotism and 
 mental idleness. The enthusiasm without which 
 one cannot even pour out breakfast well (at least 
 / cannot), has forsaken me. You may laugh and 
 wonder when my enthusiasm has displayed itself, 
 but that will only prove that you are no seer. I 
 can never live long without it in some form or 
 other. I possess my soul in patience for a time, 
 believing that this dark, damp vault in which I am 
 groping will soon come to an end, and the fresh 
 green earth and the bright sky be all the more 
 precious to me. But for the present my address 
 is Grief Castle, on the Eiver of Gloom, in the Valley 
 of Dolour. I was amused to find that Castle Camp- 
 bell in Scotland was called so. Truly for many 
 seasons in my life I should have been an appro- 
 priate denizen of such a place ; but I have faith 
 that unless I am destined to insanity, I shall never 
 again abide long in that same castle. I heartily 
 say Amen to your dictum about the cheerfulness 
 of " large moral regions." Wliere tJwugJit and love
 
 188 
 
 Depression. 
 
 [ST LEONARDS, 
 
 Letter to 
 Chas. Bray, 
 May 1848. 
 
 Letter to 
 Chas. Bray, 
 31st May 
 1848. 
 
 Letter to 
 Miss Sara 
 Henucll, 
 4th June 
 1848. 
 
 are active — thought the formative power, love the 
 vitalising — there can be no sadness. They are in 
 themselves a more intense and extended partici- 
 pation of a divine existence. As they grow, the 
 highest species of faith grows too, and all things 
 are possible. I don't know why I should prose in 
 this way to you. But I wanted to thank you for 
 your note, and all this selfish grumbling was at my 
 pen's end. And now I have no time to redeem 
 myself. We shall not stay long away from home, 
 I feel sure. 
 
 Father has done wonders in the way of walking 
 and eating — for him — but he makes not tlie slight- 
 est attempt to amuse himself, so that I scarcely feel 
 easy in following my own bent even for an hour. 
 I have told you everything now, except that I look 
 amiable in spite of a strong tendency to look black, 
 and speak gently, though with a strong propensity 
 to be snappish. Pity me, ye happier spirits that 
 look amiable, and speak gently because ye are 
 amiable and gentle. 
 
 Alas for the fate of poor mortals which condemns 
 
 " them to wake up some fine morning and find all the 
 
 poetry in which their world was bathed, only the 
 
 evening before, utterly gone ! — the hard, angular 
 
 world of chairs and tables and looking-glasses
 
 1848.] Zouis Blanc. 189 
 
 staring at them in all its naked prose ! It is so Letter to 
 
 Jliss Sara 
 
 in all the stages of life: the poetry of girlhood nenneu, 
 
 4th June 
 
 goes — the poetry of love and marriage — the poetry is4s. 
 of maternity— and at last the very poetry of duty 
 forsakes us for a season, and we see ourselves, and 
 all ahout us, as nothing more than miserable ag- 
 glomerations of atoms — poor tentative efforts of 
 the Natur Prindp to mould a personality. This 
 is the state of prostration — the self-abnegation 
 through which the soul must go, and to which 
 perhaps it must again and agam return, that its 
 poetry or religion, which is the same thing, may 
 be a real ever flowing river, fresh from the windows 
 of heaven and the fountains of the great deep — not 
 an artificial basin, with grotto-work and gold-fish. 
 I feel a sort of madness growing upon me — ^just 
 the opposite of the delirium which makes people 
 fancy that their bodies are filling the room. It 
 seems to me as if I were shrinking into that mathe- 
 matical abstraction, a pomt. But I am wasting 
 this "good Sunday morning" in grumblings. 
 
 Poor Louis Blanc! The newspapers make me Letter to 
 
 „ Chas. Bray, 
 
 melancholy ; but shame upon me that I say " poor, stii June 
 
 184S 
 
 The day will come when there will be a temple of 
 white marble, where sweet incense and anthems 
 shall rise to the memory of every man and woman
 
 190 
 
 Revolutionary Sijirit. [sT Leonards, 
 
 Letter to wlio lias had a deep Ahmmg, a presentiment, a 
 8th June ' yearning, or a clear vision of the time when this 
 miserable reign of Mammon shall end — when men 
 shall be no longer " like the fishes of the sea " — 
 society no more like a face one half of which — the 
 side of profession, of lip-faith — is fair and God-like, 
 the other half — the side of deeds and institutions — 
 with a hard old wrinkled skin puckered into the 
 sneer of a Mephistopheles. I worship the man who 
 has written as the climax of his appeal against 
 society, " L'inegalit^ des talents doit ahoutir non a 
 I'inegalite des retributions mais a I'inegalite des 
 devoirs." You will wonder what has wrought me 
 up into this fury. It is the loathsome fawning, the 
 transparent hypocrisy, the systematic giving as little 
 as possible for as much as possible, that one meets 
 with here at every turn. I feel that society is 
 training men and women for hell. 
 Letter to AH creaturcs about to moult, or to cast off an 
 
 Miss Sara 
 
 Henneii, 23d old skiu, Or cutcr ou auy new metamorphosis, have 
 
 June 1S4S. 
 
 sickly feelings. It was so with me. But now I 
 am set free from the irritating worn-out integument. 
 I am entering on a new period of my life, which 
 makes me look back on the past as something 
 incredibly poor and contemptible. I am enjoying 
 repose, strength, and ardour in a greater degree
 
 1848.] Jane Eyre. 191 
 
 than I have ever known, and yet I never felt my Letter to 
 
 p • Miss Sara 
 
 own msignificance and imperfection so completely. Henneii, 
 
 PI) • • • -3d June 
 
 My heart bleeds for dear father s pams, but it is is48. 
 blessed to be at hand to give the soothmg word and 
 act needed. I should not have written this descrip- 
 tion of myself but that I felt your afiectionate letter 
 demanded some I-ism, which, after all, is often 
 humility rather than pride. Paris, poor Paris — 
 alas ! alas ! 
 
 I have read ' Jane Eyre,' and shall be glad to Letter to 
 
 Chas. Bray, 
 
 know what you admire in it. All self-sacrifice is Jmiei848. 
 good, but one would like it to be in a somewhat 
 nobler cause than that of a diabolical law which 
 chains a man soul and body to a putrefying carcase. 
 However, the book is interesting ; only I wish the 
 characters would talk a little less like the heroes 
 and heroines of police reports. 
 
 About the beginning of July Miss Evans and 
 her father returned to Coventry ; and the 13th 
 July was a memorable day, as Emerson came to 
 \dsit the Brays, and she went with them to Strat- 
 ford. All she says herself about it is in this note. 
 I have seen Emerson — the first mem I have ever Letter to 
 
 PI- Miss Sara 
 
 seen. But you have seen still more of him, so Henneii, 
 I need not tell you what he is. I shall leave juiyis4s. 
 Cara to tell how the day — the Emerson day — was
 
 192 The " Bomantidst." [foleshill, 
 
 Letter to speiit, for I have a swimmmg head from hang- 
 Miss Sara . i i t • i • i 
 
 Heniieii, iiig ovei' the clesK to write business letters for 
 July 1848. father. Have you seen the review of Strauss's 
 pamphlet in the ' Edinburgh ' ? The title is ' Der 
 Eomantiker auf deiii Throne der Casaren, oder 
 Julian der Abtrllnnige' — a sort of erudite satire 
 on the King of Prussia; but the reviewer pro- 
 nounces it to have a permanent value quite apart 
 from this fugitive mterest. The " Eomantiker," or 
 Eomanticist, is one who, in literature, in the arts, in 
 religion or politics, endeavours to revive the dead 
 past. Julian was a romanticist in wishing to restore 
 the Greek religion and its spirit, when mankind 
 had entered on the new development. But you 
 have very likely seen the review. I must copy one 
 passage, translated from the conclusion of Strauss's 
 pamphlet, lest you should not have met with it. 
 "Christian writers have disfigured the death-scene 
 of Julian. They have represented him as furious, 
 blaspheming, despairing, and in his despair ex- 
 claiming, Thou hast conquered, Galilean, ' vevLKr]Ka<; 
 TaXtXau ' ! This phrase, though false as history, has 
 a truth in it. It contains a prophecy — to us a 
 consoling prophecy — and it is this : Every Julian 
 — i.e., every great and powerful man — who would 
 attempt to resuscitate a state of society which has
 
 1848.] Carhjlc on Emerson. 193 
 
 died, will infallibly be vanquished by the Galilean 
 — for the Galilean is nothing less than the genius 
 of the future ! " 
 
 Father's tongue has just given utterance to a Letter to 
 
 Miss Sara 
 
 thought which has been very visibly radiating from Heuueii, 
 
 Dec. 1S48. 
 
 his eager eyes for some minutes — " I thought you 
 were going on with the book." I can only bless 
 you for those two notes, which have emanated 
 from you like so much ambrosial scent from roses 
 and lavender. Not less am I grateful for the 
 Carlyle eulogium.^ I have shed some quite delicious 
 tears over it. This is a world worth abiding in 
 while one man can thus venerate and love another. 
 More anon — this from my doleful x3rison of stupid- 
 ity and barrenness, with a yawning trap-door ready 
 to let me down into utter fatuity. But I can even 
 yet feel the omnipotence of a glorious chord. Poor 
 pebble as I am, left entangled among slimy weeds, 
 I can yet hear from afar the rushing of the blessed 
 torrent, and rejoice that it is there to bathe and 
 brighten other pebbles less unworthy of the 
 polishing. 
 
 Thank you for a sight of our blessed St Francis's ^ Letter to 
 letter. There is no imagmable moment m whicli iienneu, 
 
 the thought of such a being could be an intrusion. 
 
 1 On Emerson. - Francis Newman. 
 
 VOL. I. N 
 
 eud of 1848.
 
 194 
 
 Francis Nevjman. 
 
 [foleshill, 
 
 Letter to 
 Miss Sara 
 Hennell, 
 end of lS-18. 
 
 Letter to 
 Miss Sara 
 Hennell, 
 Jan. 1849. 
 
 His soul is a blessed yea. There is a sort of blas- 
 phemy in that proverbial phrase, " Too good to be 
 true." The highest inspiration of the purest, noblest 
 human soul, is the nearest expression of the truth. 
 Those extinct volcanoes of one's spiritual life — those 
 eruptions of the intellect and the passions which 
 have scattered the lava of doubt and negation over 
 our early faith — are only a glorious Himalayan 
 chain, beneath which new valleys of undreamed 
 richness and beauty will spread themselves. Shall 
 we poor earthworms have sublimer thoughts than 
 the universe, of which we are poor chips — mere 
 effluvia of mind — shall we have sublimer thoughts 
 than that universe can furnish out into reality ? 
 I am living unspeakable moments, and can write 
 no more. 
 
 I think of you perpetually, but my thoughts are 
 all aqueous ; they will not crystallise — they are as 
 fleeting as ripples on the sea. I am suffermg per- 
 haps as acutely as ever I did in my life. Breathe 
 a wish that I may gather strength — the fragrance 
 of your wish will reach me somehow. 
 
 The next letter is to Mrs Houghton, who, it 
 will be remembered, was the only daughter by 
 Mr Evans's first marriage. Miss Evans had 
 more intellectual sympathy with tliis half-sister
 
 1849.] Contrition for Evil l^j)caMng. 195 
 
 Fanny than with any of the other members of 
 her family, and it is a pity that more of the 
 letters to her have not been preserved. 
 I have been holding a conrt of conscience, and I Letter to 
 
 . . . i^fi's Hciugli- 
 
 cannot enjoy my Sunday's music without restoring ton, sunrtHy 
 
 ^ evening, 
 
 harmony, without entering a protest against that is4o. 
 superficial soul of mine which is perpetually con- 
 tradicting and belying the true inner soul. I am 
 in that mood which, in another age of the world, 
 would have led me to put on sackcloth and pour 
 ashes on my head, when I call to mind the sins of 
 my tongue — my animadversions on the faults of 
 others, as if I thought myself to be something when 
 I am nothincr. When shall I attain to the true 
 spirit of love which Paul has taught for all the 
 ages ? I want no one to excuse me, dear Fanny, — 
 I only want to remove the shadow of my miserable 
 words and deeds from before the divine image of 
 truth and goodness, which I would have all beings 
 worship. I need the Jesuits' discipline of silence, 
 and though my " evil speaking " issues from the 
 intellectual point of view rather than the moral, — 
 though there may be gall in the thougiit while 
 there is honey in the feeling, yet the evil speaking 
 is wrong. We may satirise character and qualities 
 in the abstract without injury to our moral nature,
 
 196 
 
 Reading Macaulay. [foleshill, 
 
 Letter to 
 Mrs Hough- 
 toil, Siiiulay 
 evening, 
 1S41I. 
 
 Letter to 
 
 Miss Sara 
 
 Hennell, 
 
 Huiulny 
 
 morning, 
 
 4th Feb. 
 
 1849. 
 
 but persons hardly ever. Poor hints and sketches 
 of souls as we are — with some slight transient vision 
 of the perfect and the true — we had need help each 
 other to gaze at the blessed heavens instead of 
 peering into each others' eyes to find out the motes 
 there. 
 
 I have not touched the piano for nearly two 
 months until this morning, when father being better, 
 I was determined to play a mass before the piano is 
 utterly out of tune again. Write, asldng for noth- 
 ing again, like a true disciple of Jesus. T am still 
 feeling rather shattered in brain and limbs, but do 
 not suj)pose that I lack inward peace and strength. 
 ]\Iy body is the defaulter — consciously so. I triumph 
 over all things in the spirit, but the flesh is weak, 
 and disgraces itself by headaches and backaches. I 
 am delighted to find that you mention Macaulay, 
 because that is an indication that Mr Hennell has 
 been reading hiuL I thought of Mr H. all through 
 the book, as the only person I could be quite sure 
 would enjoy it as much as I did myself. I did not 
 know if it would interest you : tell me more ex- 
 plicitly that it does. Think of Babylon being un- 
 earthed in spite of the prophecies ? Truly we are 
 looking before and after, "au jour d'aujourd'hui," 
 as Monsieur Bricolin says. Send me the criticism
 
 1849.] Bodily Suffering. 197 
 
 of Jacques tlie morn's morning, — only beware there Letter to 
 
 . . Miss Sara 
 
 are not too many blasphemies against my divinity. Hemieii, 
 
 Sunday 
 
 Paint soap-bubbles — and never fear but I will morning, 
 
 4tli Feb. 
 
 find a meaning, though very likely not your mean- is40. 
 ing. Paint the crucifixion in a bubble — after 
 Turner, — and then the resurrection : I see them 
 now. 
 
 There has been a vulgar man sitting by while I 
 have been writing, and I have been saying paren- 
 thetical bits of civility to him to help out poor 
 father in his conversation, so I have not been quite 
 sure what I have been saying to you. I have wo- 
 ful aches which take up half my nervous strength. 
 
 My life is a perpetual nightmare, and always Letter to 
 haunted by something to be done, which I have never iienneii.'otu 
 the time, or rather the energy, to do. Opportunity 
 is kind, but only to the industrious, and I, alas ! am 
 not one of them. I have sat down in desperation 
 this evening, though dear father is very uneasy, and 
 his moans distract me, just to tell you that you have 
 full absolution for your criticism, which I do not 
 reckon of the impertinent order. I wish you thor- 
 oughly to understand that the writers who have 
 most profoundly influenced me — who have rolled 
 away the waters from their bed, raised new moun- 
 tains and spread delicious valleys for me — are not
 
 198 Rousseau and George Sand, [foleshill, 
 
 Letter to ill the least oracles to me. It is just possible that 
 
 Miss Sara p , i • • • j.i j. t 
 
 Heniieu, stii I iiiay not embrace one ot their opinions, — that i 
 may wish my life to be shaped quite differently 
 from theirs. For instance, it would signify nothing 
 to me if a very wise person were to stun me with 
 proofs that Rousseau's views of life, religion, and 
 government are miserably erroneous, — that he was 
 guilty of some of the worst hassesses that have 
 degraded civilised man. I might admit all this : 
 and it would be not the less true that Eousseau's 
 genius has sent that electric thrill through my in- 
 tellectual and moral frame which has awakened 
 me to new perceptions, — which has made man and 
 nature a fresh world of thought and feeling to me ; 
 and this not by teaching me any new belief. It is 
 simply that the rushing mighty wind of his inspira- 
 tion has so quickened my faculties that I have been 
 able to shape more definitely for myself ideas 
 which had previously dwelt as dim Ahnungen in 
 my soul ; the fire of his genius has so fused together 
 old thoughts and prejudices, that I have been ready 
 to make new combinations. 
 
 It is thus with George Sand. I should never 
 
 "»■■ 
 
 dream of going to her writings as a moral code or 
 text-book. I don't care whether I agree with her 
 about marriage or not — whether I think the design
 
 1849.] Tnfiuence of George Sand. 199 
 
 of her plot correct, or tliat she had no precise design Letter to 
 
 Miss Sara 
 
 at all, but began to write as the spirit moved her, Heimeu, otii 
 
 Feb. 1S49. 
 
 and trusted to Providence for the catastrophe, 
 which I think the more probable case. It is suffi- 
 cient for me, as a reason for bowing before her 
 in eternal gratitude to that " great power of God 
 manifested in her," that I cannot read six pages 
 of hers without feeling that it is given to her to 
 delineate human passion and its results and (I 
 must say, in spite of your judgment) some of the 
 moral instincts and their tendencies, with such 
 truthfulness, such nicety of discrimination, such 
 tragic power, and withal, such loving, gentle 
 humour, that one might live a century with 
 nothing but one's own dull faculties, and not 
 know so much as those six pages will suggest. 
 The psychological anatomy of Jacques and Fer- 
 nando in the early days of their marriage seems 
 quite preternaturally true — I mean that her power 
 of describing it is preternatural. Fernande and 
 .Jacques are merely the feminine and the masculine 
 nature, and their early married life an everyday 
 tragedy ; but I will not dilate on the book or on 
 your criticism, for I am so sleepy that I should 
 write nothing but hetises. I have at last the most 
 delightful 'De Imitatione Christi,' with quaint
 
 200 Hevicws the' Mmesis of Faith.' [foleshill, 
 
 Letter to 
 Miss Sara 
 Hennell, 
 Wednesday, 
 April 1849. 
 
 woodcuts. One breathes a cool air as of cloisters 
 in the book, — it makes one long to be a saint for 
 a few months. Verily its piety has its foundations 
 in the depth of the divine-human soul. 
 
 In March Miss Evans wrote a short notice of 
 the 'Nemesis of Faith' for the 'Coventry 
 Herald,' in which she says: — 
 " We are sure that its author is a bright particu- 
 lar star, though he sometimes leaves us in doubt 
 whether he be not a fallen ' son of the morning.' " 
 The paper was sent to Mr Froude, and on 
 23d March Mrs Bray writes to Miss Hennell : 
 "Last night at dusk M. A. came running in 
 in high glee with a most charming note from 
 Froude, naively and prettily requesting her to 
 reveal herself. He says he recognised her hand 
 in the review in the ' Coventry Herald,' and if 
 she thinks him a fallen star she might help 
 him to rise, but he ' believes he has only been 
 dipped in the Styx, and is not much the worse 
 for the bath.' Poor girl, I am so pleased she 
 should have this little episode in her dull life." 
 The next letter again refers to Mr Fronde's 
 books. 
 Tell me not that I am a mere prater — that 
 feeling never talks. I will talk, and caress, and
 
 1849.] Need of Utterance. 201 
 
 look lovingly, until death makes me as stony as Letter to 
 
 Miss Sara 
 
 the Gorgon-like heads of all the judicious people Henneii, 
 
 . . Wednesday, 
 
 I know. "What is anything worth until it is Apriusio. 
 uttered ? Is not the universe one great utter- 
 ance ? Utterance there must be in word or deed 
 to make life of any worth. Every true pentecost 
 is a gift of utterance. Life is too short and oppor- 
 tunities too meagre for many deeds ; besides, the 
 best friendships are precisely those where there is 
 no possibility of material helpfulness — and I would 
 take no deeds as an adequate compensation for the 
 frigid glassy eye and hard indifferent tones of one's 
 very solid and sensible and conscientious friend. 
 You will wonder of what this is aprojDOS — only of 
 a little bitterness in my own soul just at this 
 moment, and not of anything between you and me. 
 I have nothing to tell you, for all the " haps " of 
 my life are so indifferent. I spin my existence 
 so entirely out of myself that there is a sad want 
 of proper names in my conversation, and I am 
 becoming a o-reater bore than ever. It is a con- 
 sciousness of this that has kept me from writing 
 to you. My letters would be a sort of hermit's 
 diary. I have so liked the thought of your enjoy- 
 ing the ' Nemesis of Faith.' I quote Keats's sonnet , 
 apropos of that book. It has made me feel —
 
 202 Froude' s ' Shadmos of the Clouds.' [foleshill, 
 
 Letter to " Like Some watclier of the skies 
 
 Miss Sara When a new planet swims into his ken ; 
 
 Heiinell, _ '^ ' 
 
 Wednesday, Or like stout Cortez — when with eagle eyes 
 
 April 184ft. jjg g^^^g^ ^^ ^j^g Pacific, and all his men 
 
 Look'd at each other with a wild snrraise — 
 Silent, upon a peak in Darien." 
 
 You must read ' The Shadows of the Clouds.' It 
 produces a sort of palpitation that one hardly 
 knows whether to call wretched or delightful. I 
 cannot take up the book again, though wanting 
 very much to read it more closely. Poor and 
 shallow as one's own soul is, it is blessed to think 
 that a sort of transubstantiation is possible by which 
 the greater ones can live in us. Egotism apart, 
 another's greatness, beauty, or bliss is one's own. 
 And let us sing a Magnificat when we are conscious 
 that this power of expansion and sympathy is grow- 
 ing, just in proportion as the individual satisfactions 
 are lessening. IMiserable dust of the earth we are, 
 but it is worth while to be so, for the sake of the 
 living soul — the breath of God within us. You 
 see I can do nothing but scribble my own prosy 
 stuffs — such chopped straw as my soul is foddered 
 on. I am translating the ' Tractatus Theologico- 
 Politicus ' of Spinoza, and seem to want the only 
 friend that knows how to praise or blame. How 
 exquisite is the satisfaction of feeling that another
 
 1849.] ' Tractatus Thcologico-Politicus' 203 
 
 mind than your own sees precisely where and what Letter to 
 
 Miss Sara 
 
 is the difficnlty — and can exactly appreciate the Henneii, 
 
 Wednesday, 
 
 success with which it is overcome. One know^s — April is+o. 
 scd longo intervcdlo — the full meaning of the "fit 
 audience though few." How an artist must hate 
 the noodles that stare at his picture, with a vague 
 notion that it is a clever thing to be able to 
 
 paint. 
 
 I know it will gladden your heart to hear that Letter to 
 
 Mrs Pears, 
 
 father spoke of you the other day with affection lotiiMay 
 
 1840. 
 
 and gratitude. He remembers you as one wdio 
 helped to strengthen that beautiful spirit of resig- 
 nation which has never left him through his long 
 trial. His mind is as clear and rational as ever, 
 notwithstanding his feebleness, and he gives me 
 a thousand little proofs that he understands my 
 affection and responds to it. These are very prec- 
 ious moments to me ; my chair by father's bedside is 
 a very blessed seat to me. My delight in the idea 
 that you are being benefited after all, prevents me 
 from regretting you, though you are just the friend 
 that would complete my comfort. Every addition 
 to your power of enjoying life is an expansion of 
 mine. I partake of your ebb and flow. I am 
 going to my post now. I have just snatched an 
 interval to let you know, that though you have taken
 
 204 End of Father's Illness. [foleshill, 
 
 away a part of yourself from me, neither you nor 
 
 any one else can take the whole. 
 
 It will have been seen from these late letters, 
 that the last few months of her father's illness 
 had been a terrible strain on his daughter's 
 health and spirits. She did all the nursing her- 
 self, and Mrs Congreve (who was then Miss 
 Bury, daughter of the doctor who was attend- 
 ing Mr Evans — and who, it will be seen, subse- 
 quently became perhaps the most intimate and 
 the closest of George Eliot's friends) tells me 
 that her father told her at the time, that he 
 never saw a patient more admirably and thor- 
 oughly cared for. The translating was a great 
 relief when she could get to it. Under date 
 of 19th April 1849, Mrs Bray writes to Miss 
 Hennell, " M. A. is happy now with this Spin- 
 oza to do : she says it is such a rest for her 
 mind." 
 
 The next letter to Eosehill pathetically de- 
 scribes how the end came at last to Mr Evans's 
 sufferings : — 
 
 Letter to i • i i i 
 
 the nrays, Dear friends, Mr Bury told us last night that he 
 
 half-past . 
 
 nine, Wed- tliouglit father would not last till morning. I sat 
 iiioniins, by him with my hand in his till four o'clock, and he 
 
 31st May 
 
 1S4H. then became quieter and has had some comfortable
 
 ^^.U-O'U/U^. G^toAji''^' 
 
 ¥^ ROBERT I 
 
 c^^'U^z^iy.'Ci^ cl:i€'(^t^i.e/ (£l^'C<^^. 
 
 z-^un^ny^ay c^y^Zi^ni^z^UAe^ ^u>!}a-eyh>iyy>'iy. 
 
 ^Aypoa .
 
 1849.] Fathers Death. 205 
 
 sleep. He is obviously weaker this morning, and Letter to 
 
 the Brays, 
 
 has been for the last two or three days so painfully iiaif-past 
 
 nine, Wed- 
 
 reduced, that I dread to think what his dear frame nesday 
 
 inorning, 
 
 may become before life gives way. My brother sistMay 
 
 1S40. 
 
 slept here last night, and will be here again to- 
 night. What shall I be without my father ? It 
 will seem as if a part of my moral nature were 
 gone. I write when I can, but I do not know 
 whether my letter will do to send this evening. 
 P.S. — Father is very, very much weaker this 
 
 evenmg. 
 
 Mr Evans died during that night, 31st May 
 
 1849. 
 
 SUM MAR Y. 
 
 MAY 1846 TO MAY 1849. 
 
 Visit to Mrs Hennell at Hackney — Letters to Mrs Bray — 
 Strauss Translation published — Visit to Dover -witli father — 
 Classical books wanted — Pleasure in Strauss's letter — Brays 
 suspect novel-writing — Letters to Miss Sara Hennell — Good 
 spirits — Wicksteed's review of the Strauss Translation — 
 Reading Foster's life — Visit to Griff — Child's view of God 
 {aprojws of Miss Hennell's 'Heliados') — Visit to London 
 — " Elijah " — Likes London less — The Sibree family and Mrs 
 John Cash's reminiscences — Letter to Miss Mary Sibree —
 
 206 Suynmary of Chapter III. [1849.] 
 
 Letters to Miss Sara Hennell — Mental depression — Opinion 
 of Charles Hennell's ' Intpirj' ' — Visit to the Isle of Wight 
 with father — Admiration of Richardson — Blanco White — 
 Delight in George Sand's 'Lettres d'un Voyageur' — Letters 
 to Mr John Sibree — Opinion of Mrs Hannah More's letters — 
 ' Tancred,' ' Coningsby,' and ' Sybil ' — D'Israeli's theory of 
 races — Gentile nature kicks against superiority of Jews — 
 Bows only to the supremacy of Hebrew poetry — Superiority 
 of music among the arts — Relation of religion to art — 
 Thorwaldsen's Christ — Admiration of Roberts and Creswick 
 — The intellect and moral nature restrain the passions and 
 senses — Mr Dawson the lecturer — Satisfaction in French 
 Revolution of '48 — The men of the barricade bowing to the 
 image of Christ — Difference between French and English 
 working classes — The need of utterance — Sympathy with 
 Mr Sibi"ee in religious difficulties — Longing for a high attic 
 in Geneva — Letters to Miss Sara Hennell — Views on cor- 
 respondence — Mental depression — Father's illness — Father 
 better — Goes Avith him to St Leonards — Letter to Charles 
 Bray — Depression to be overcome by thought and love — 
 Admiration of Louis Blanc — Recovery from depression — 
 ' Jane Eyre ' — Return to Coventry — Meets Emerson — 
 Strauss's pamphlet on Julian the Apostate — Carlyle's eulo- 
 gium on Emerson — Francis Newman — Suffering from de- 
 pression — Letter to Mrs Houghton — Self-condemnation for 
 evil speaking — Letters to Miss Hennell — ]\Iacaulay's History 
 — On the influence of George Sand's and Rousseau's writing 
 — Writes review of the ' Nemesis of Faith ' for the ' Coventry 
 Herald' — Opinion of the 'Nemesis' and the 'Shadows of 
 the Clouds ' — Translating Spinoza's ' Tractatus Theologico- 
 Politicus ' — Letter to Mrs Pears — The consolations of nurs- 
 ing — Strain of father's illness — Father's death.
 
 207 
 
 CHAPTER IV. 
 
 It fortunately happened that the Brays had 
 planned a trip to the Continent for this month 
 of June 1849, and Miss Evans, being left deso- 
 late by the death of her father, accepted their 
 invitation to join them. On the 11th June 
 they started,' going by way of Paris, Lyons, 
 Avignon, Marseilles, Nice, Genoa, Milan, Como, 
 Lago Maggiore, Martigny, and Chamounix, ar- 
 riving at Geneva in the third week of July. 
 Here Miss Evans determmed to remain for 
 some months, the Brays returning home. Be- 
 fore they went, however, they helped her to 
 settle herself comfortably en pension, and, as 
 will be seen from the following letters, the 
 next eight months were quietly and peacefully 
 happy. The 2^c7ision selected in the first in- 
 stance was the Campagne Plongeon, which 
 stands on a slight eminence a few hundred
 
 208 Continental Trip vnth Brays, [geneva, 
 
 yards back from the road on the route d'Her- 
 mance, some ten minutes' walk from the Hotel 
 Metropole. From the Hotel National on the 
 Quai de Mont Blanc one catches a pleasant 
 glimpse of it nestling among its trees. A good- 
 sized gleaming white house, with a centre and 
 gables at each side — a flight of steps leading 
 from the middle window to the ground. A 
 meadow in front, nicely planted, slopes charm- 
 ingly down to the blue lake ; and behind the 
 house, on the left-hand side, there is an 
 avenue of remarkably fine chestnut - trees, 
 whence there is a magnificent view of the 
 Jura mountains on the opposite side of the lake. 
 The road to Geneva is very beautiful by the 
 lake-side, bordered with plane-trees. It was 
 a delightful, soothing change after the long 
 illness and the painful death of her father — 
 after the monotonous dulness, too, of an Eng- 
 lish provincial town like Coventry, where there 
 is little beauty of any sort to gladden the soul. 
 In the first months following a great loss it is 
 good to be alone for a time — alone especially 
 amidst beautiful scenes — and alone in the sense 
 of being removed from habitual associations, 
 but yet constantly in the society of new ac-
 
 1849.] Life at Gampagnc Plongeon. 209 
 
 quaintances, who are sufficiently interesting, but 
 not too intimate. The Swiss correspondence 
 which follows is chiefly addressed to the Brays 
 collectively, and describes the life minutely. 
 About my comfort here, I find no disagreeables. Letter to the 
 and have every physical comfort that I care about, juiy 1849. 
 The family seems well-ordered and happy. I have 
 made another friend too — an elderly English lady, 
 a j\Irs Locke, who used to live at Eyde — a pretty 
 old lady, with plenty of shrewdness and knowledge 
 of the world. She began to say very kind things 
 to me in rather a waspish tone yesterday morning 
 at breakfast, I liked her better at dinner and tea, 
 and to-day we are quite confidential. I only hope 
 she will stay — she is just the sort of person I shall 
 like to have to speak to — not at all " congenial," 
 but with a character of her own. The going down 
 to tea bores me, and I shall get out of it as soon 
 as I can, unless I can manage to have the news- 
 papers to read. The American lady embroiders - 
 slippers, — the mamma looks on and does nothing. 
 The Marquis and his friends play at whist ; the 
 old ladies sew ; and Madame says things so true 
 that they are insufi'erable. She is obliged to talk 
 to all, and cap their niaiseries with some suitable 
 observation. She has been very kind and motherly 
 VOL. I.
 
 210 Acquaintances at Cariipagne Plongeon. [geneva, 
 Letter to the to iiiG. I like lier better every time I see lier. I 
 
 Brays, 27tli 
 
 July 1849. nave quiet and comfort — what more can I want 
 to make me a healthy reasonable being once more ? 
 I will never go near a friend again until I can 
 bring joy and peace in my heart and in my face 
 — but remember that friendship will be easy then. 
 
 Letter to tiic I liope my imagination paints truly when it 
 
 Brays, 5tli 
 
 Aug. 1S49. shows me all of you seated with beaming faces 
 round the tea-tal)le at Eosehill. I shall be yearn- 
 ing to know that things as well as people are 
 smiling on you ; but I am sure you will not let 
 me wait for news of you longer than is necessary. 
 My life here would be delightful if we could always 
 keep the same set of people ; but alas ! I fear one 
 generation will go and another come so fast that I 
 shall not care to become acquainted with any of 
 them. My good Mrs Locke is not going, that is 
 one comfort. She is quite a mother to me — helps 
 me to buy my candles and do all my shopping, — 
 . takes care of me at dinner, and quite rejoices when 
 she sees me enjoy conversation or anything else. 
 The St Germains are delightful people — the Mar- 
 quise really seems to me the most charming person 
 I ever saw, with kindness enough to make the ultra- 
 politeness of her manners quite genuine. She is 
 very good to me, and says of me, " Je m'interesse
 
 1849.] Acquaintances at Campagne Plongeon. 211 
 vivement a Mademoiselle." The Marquis is the Letter to the 
 
 Brays, 5th 
 
 most well-bred, harmless of men. He talks very Aug. is49. 
 little — every sentence seems a terrible gestation, 
 and comes forth fortissimo; but he generally be- 
 stows one on me, and seems especially to enjoy my 
 poor tunes (mind you, all these trivialities are to 
 satisfy your vanity, not mine — because you are 
 beginning to be ashamed of having loved me). 
 The grey - headed gentleman got quite fond of 
 talking philosophy with me before he went ; but 
 alas ! he and a very agreeable young man who was 
 with him are gone to Aix les Bains. The young 
 German is the Baron de H. I should tliink he 
 is not more than two or three and twenty, very 
 good-natured, but a most determined enemy to all 
 gallantr}'. I fancy he is a Communist ; but he 
 seems to have been joked about his opinions by 
 Madame and the rest, until he has determined to 
 keep a proud silence on such matters. He has 
 begun to talk to me, and I think we should become 
 good friends ; but he, too, is gone on an expedi- 
 tion to Monte Eosa. He is expecting his brother 
 to join him here on his return, but I fear they will 
 not stay long. The gouvernantc is a German, with 
 a moral region tliat would rejoice Mr Bray's eyes. 
 Poor soul, she is in a land of strangers, and often
 
 212 Genevese Preachers. [geneva, 
 
 Letter to the seeiiis to feel her loneliness. Her situation is a 
 
 I3ray8, 5tli i7-y))i 
 
 Aug. i84!i. very difficult one ; and " die Angst, she says, often 
 brings on a pain at her heart. Madame is a 
 woman of some reading and considerable talent — 
 very fond of politics, a devourer of the journals, 
 with an opinion ready for you on any subject what- 
 ever. It will be a serious loss to her to part with the 
 St Germain family. I fear that they will not stay 
 longer than this month. I should be quite indif- 
 ferent to the world that comes or goes if once I had 
 my boxes with all my books. Last Sunday I went 
 with Lladame to a small church near Plongeon, and 
 I could easily have fancied myself in an Indepen- 
 dent chapel at home. The spirit of the sermon was 
 not a whit more elevated than that of our friend Dr 
 Harris — the text, " What shall I do to be saved ? " 
 — the answer of Jesus being blinked as usual. 
 
 To-day I have been to hear one of the most 
 celebrated preachers, ]\I. Meunier. His sermon 
 was really eloquent — all written down, but de- 
 livered with so much energy and feeling that you 
 never thought of the book. It is curious to notice 
 how patriotism — cUvouement a la 'patric — is put in 
 the sermons as the first of virtues, even before 
 devotion to the Church. We never hear of it in 
 England after we leave school. The good Marquis
 
 1849.] Life at Cam]jagne Plongcon. 213 
 
 o-oes with his family and servants, all nicely clrest, Letter to the 
 
 ^ Brays, 5th 
 
 to the Catholic Church. They are a most orderly Aug. 1549. 
 set of people : there is nothing but their language 
 and their geniality and politeness to distinguish 
 them from one of the best of our English aristo- 
 cratic families. I am perfectly comfortable : every 
 one is kind to me and seems to like me. Your kind 
 hearts will rejoice at this, I know. Only remember 
 that I am just as much interested in all that hap- 
 pens to you at Kosehill as you are in what happens 
 to me at Plongeon. Pray that the motto of Geneva 
 may become mine — " Post tenchras lux." 
 
 I have no head for writing to-day, for I have Letter to tiie 
 
 Brays, 20tli 
 
 been keeping my bed for the last three days ; but Aug. as49. 
 I must remember that writing to you is like ring- 
 ing a bell hung in the planet Jupiter — it is so 
 weary a while before one's letters reach. I have 
 been positively sickening for want of my boxes, 
 and anxiety to hear of my relations. Your kind 
 letter of this morning has quieted the latter a 
 little ; but my boxes, alas ! have not appeared. 
 Do not be alarmed about my health. I have 
 only had a terrible headache — prolonged, in fact, 
 by the assiduities of the good people here; for 
 the first day I lay in bed I had the whole female 
 world of Plongeon in my bedroom, and talked so
 
 214 Life at Ca7iiparjne Plongcon. [geneva, 
 
 Letter to the iiicessaiitly that I was unable to sleep after it : 
 
 Bravs, 20tli , . . , ^ 
 
 Aug. 1S4D. the consequence, as you may imagine, was that 
 the next day I was very much worse ; but I am 
 oettiiiCT better, and indeed it was worth while to 
 be ill to have so many kind attentions. There is 
 a fresh German family from Frankfurt here just 
 now — Madame Cornelius and lier children. She 
 is the daughter of the richest banker in Frank- 
 furt, and, what is better, full of heart and mind, 
 with a face that tells you so before she opens 
 her lips. She has more reading than the Marquise, 
 being German and Protestant; and it is a real 
 refreshment to talk with her for half an hour. 
 The dear Marquise is a truly devout Catholic. It 
 is beautiful to hear her speak of the comfort she 
 has in the confessional — for our tetcs-a-tete have 
 lately turned on religious matters. She says I 
 am in a " mauvaise voie sous le rapport de la 
 religion. Pent - etre vous vous inarierez, et le 
 mariage, chere amie, sans la foi religieuse ! . . . " 
 She says I have isolated myself by my studies — 
 that I am too cold and have too little confidence 
 in the feehngs of others towards me — that I do not 
 believe how deep an interest she has conceived 
 in my lot. She says Signer Goldrini (tlie young 
 Italian who was here for a week) told lier, when he
 
 1849.] Life at Campagnc Plongeon. 215 
 
 had been talking to me one evening, " Vous aimerez Letter to the 
 cette demoiselle, j 'en suis sur" — and she has found Aug^^i849/ 
 his prediction true. They are leaving for their own 
 country on Wednesday. She hopes I shall go to 
 Italy and see her ; and when I tell her that I have 
 no faith that she will rememljer me lono' enouoh for 
 me to venture on paying her a visit if ever 1 should 
 go to Italy again, she shakes her head at my incred- 
 ulity. She was born at Genoa. Her father was 
 three years Sardinian Minister at Constantinople 
 before she was married, and she speaks with enthu- 
 siasm of her life there — " C'est la le pays de la \Taie 
 poesie ou Ton sent ce que c'est que de vivre par le 
 coeur." M. de H. is returned from Monte Eosa. 
 He would be a nice person if he had another 
 soul added to the one he has by nature — the 
 soul that comes by sorrow and love. I stole his 
 book while he was gone — the first volume of Louis 
 Blanc's ' History of Ten Years.' It contains a very 
 interesting account of the three days of July 1830. 
 His brother is coming to join him, so I hope he 
 will not go at present. Tell Miss Sibree my ad- 
 dress, and beg her to write to me all about herself, 
 and to write on thin paper. I hardly know yet 
 whether I shall like this place well enough to stay 
 here through the winter. I have been under the
 
 216 Life at Campagne Plongcon. [GENEVA, 
 
 Letter to the disadvantage of wanting all on which I chiefly 
 
 Brays, 20th 
 
 Alls. 1840. depend — my books, &c. When I have been here 
 another month I shall be better able to judge. 
 I hope you managed to get in the black velvet 
 dress. The people dress, and think about dressing, 
 here more even than in England. You would 
 not know me if you saw me. The Marquise took 
 on her the office of fcimne dc chambre and drest 
 my hair one day. She has abolished all my curls, 
 and made two things stick out on each side of my 
 head like those on the head of the Sphinx. All 
 the world says I look infinitely better ; so I comply, 
 though to myself I seem uglier than ever — if pos- 
 sible. I am fidgeted to death about my boxes, and 
 that tiresome man not to acknowledge the receipt 
 of them. I make no apology for writing all my 
 peevishness and follies, because I want you to do 
 the same— to let me know everything about you, 
 to the aching of your fingers — and you tell me very 
 little. My boxes, my boxes ! I dream of them 
 night and day. De&x Mr Hennell ! Give him 
 my heartiest affectionate remembrances. Tell him 
 I find no one here so spirited as he: there are 
 no better jokes going than I can make myself. Mrs 
 Hennell and Mrs C. Hennell too, all are remem- 
 bered — if even I have only seen them in England,
 
 1849.] Fete of Navigation. 217 
 
 Mme.de Liidwigsdorff, the wife of an Austrian Letter to tue 
 baron, has been here for two days, and is coming Aug. 1849. 
 again. She is handsome, spirited, and clever, — pure 
 English by birth, but quite foreign in manners and 
 appearance. She, and all the world besides, are 
 going to winter in Italy. Nothing annoys me now, 
 — I feel perfectly at home, and shall really be com- 
 fortable when I have all my little matters about 
 me. This place looks more lovely to me every day, 
 — the lake, the town, the eamimgncs with their 
 stately trees and pretty houses, the glorious moun- 
 tains in the distance ; one can hardly believe one's 
 self on earth : one might live here and forget that 
 there is such a thing as want or labour or sorrow. 
 The perpetual presence of all this beauty has some- 
 what the effect of mesmerism or chloroform. I feel 
 sometimes as if I were sinking into an agreeable 
 state of numbness on the verge of unconsciousness, 
 and seem to want well pinching to rouse me. The 
 other day (Sunday) there was a fete held on the 
 lake — the fete of Navigation. I went out with 
 some other ladies in M. de H.'s boat at sunset, and 
 had the richest draught of beauty. All the boats 
 of Geneva turned out in their best attire. When 
 the moon and stars came out, there were beautiful 
 fireworks sent up from the boats. The mingling of
 
 218 Chameleon-like Nature. [GENEVA, 
 
 Letter to the tJie silvci' aiitl the golden rays on the rippled lake, 
 Aug. 1849. the bright colonrs of the boats, the music, the 
 splendid fireworks, and the pale moon looking at it 
 all with a sort of grave surprise, made up a scene 
 of perfect enchantment, — and our dear old Mont 
 Blanc was there in his white ermine robe. I rowed 
 all the time, and hence comes my palsy. I can 
 perfectly fancy dear Mrs Pears in her Leamington 
 house. How beautiful all that Foleshill life looks 
 now, like the distant Jura in the morning ! She 
 was such a sweet, dear, good friend to me. My 
 walks with her, my little visits to them in the 
 evening — all is remembered. I am glad you have 
 seen Fanny again ; any attention you show her is a 
 real kindness to me, and I assure you she is worth 
 it. You know, or you do not know, that my nature 
 is so chameleon-like, I shall lose all my identity 
 unless you keep nourishing the old self with letters, 
 — so, pray, write as much and as often as you can. 
 It jumps admirably with my humour to live in two 
 worlds at once in this way. I possess my dearest 
 friends and my old environment in my thoughts — 
 and another world of novelty and beauty in which 
 I am actually moving, — and my contrariety of dis- 
 position always makes the world that lives in my 
 thoughts the dearer of the two — the one in which
 
 1849.] Anxiety ahout Friends at Home. 219 
 
 I more truly dwell. So, after all, I enjoy my Letter to the 
 
 Brays, 28th 
 
 friends most when I am away from them. I shall Aug. is49. 
 not say so, though, if I should live to rejoin you six 
 or seven months hence. Keep me for seven ^ years 
 longer and you will find out the use of me, like all 
 other pieces of trumpery. 
 
 Have I confided too much in your generosity in Letter to 
 
 Mrs Hough- 
 supposing that you would write to me first ? or is ton, eth 
 
 there some other reason for your silence ? I sufter 
 greatly from it — not entirely from selfish reasons, 
 but in great part because I am really anxious to 
 know all about you, your state of health and spirits 
 — the aspect of things within and without you. Did 
 ]\Ir Bray convey to you my earnest request that 
 you would write to me ? You know of my where- 
 abouts and circumstances from my good friends at 
 Eosehill, so that I have little to tell you, — at least 
 I have not spirit to write of myself until I have 
 heard from you, and have an assurance from your- 
 self that you yet care about me. Sara (Mrs Isaac 
 Evans) has sent me word of the sad, sad loss that 
 has befallen poor Chrissey and Edward, — a loss in 
 which 1 feel that I have a share ; for that angelic 
 little being had great interest for me — she promised 
 
 1 It may be noted as a curious verification of this presentiment 
 tliat 'Scenes of Clerical Life' were pulilislied in 1856 — ^jnst seven 
 years later.
 
 220 Effect of Change of Life. [GENEVA, 
 
 Letter to to pay SO woll for any care spent on her. I can 
 
 Mrs Hougli- . . 
 
 ton, 6th imagine poor Edward's almost irantic grief, and 1 
 dread the effect on Chrissey's weak frame of her 
 more silent suffering. Anything you can tell me 
 about them will be read very eagerly. I begin 
 to feel the full value of a letter, — so much so, 
 that if ever I am convinced that any one has the 
 least anxiety to hear from me, I shall always reckon 
 it amongst the first duties to sit down without delay, 
 giving no ear to the suggestions of my idleness and 
 aversion to letter-writing. Indeed I am beginning 
 to find it really pleasant to write to my friends, now 
 that I am so far away from them ; and I could soon 
 fill a sheet to you if your silence did not weigh too 
 heavily on my heart. My health is by no means 
 good yet — seldom good enough not to be a sort of 
 drag on my mind ; so you must make full allow- 
 ance for too much egotism and susceptibility in me. 
 It seems to be three years instead of three months 
 since I was in England and amongst you, and I 
 imagine that all sorts of revolutions must have taken 
 place in the interim ; whereas to you, I daresay, re- 
 maining in your old home and among your every- 
 day duties, the time has slipped away so rapidly that 
 you are unable to understand my anxiety to hear 
 from you. I think the climate here is not particu-
 
 1849.] Plans for Lessons. 221 
 
 larlv healthy, — I suppose from the ^•icinity of the Letter to 
 
 J - ' ^^ '' Mrs Hough- 
 
 lake, which, however, becomes so dear to me that ton, eth 
 
 «ept. a84;». 
 
 one cannot bear to hear it accused. Good-bye, dear 
 Fanny ; a thousand blessings to you whether you 
 write to me or not, and much gratitude if you do. 
 
 ]My boxes arriyed last Friday. The expense was Letter to the 
 fr. 150 — perfectly horrible! Clearly I must give sept. ]S49. 
 myself for food to the fowls of the air or the fishes 
 of the lake. It is a consolation to a mind imbued 
 with a lofty philosophy, that when one can get 
 nothing to eat, one can still be eaten — the evil is 
 only apparent. It is quite settled that I cannot 
 stay at Plongeon ; I must move into town. But, 
 alas ■ I must pay fr. 200 per month. If I were 
 there I should see more conversible people than 
 here. Do you think any one would buy my 
 'Encyclopaedia Britannica' at half-price, and my 
 globes ? If so, I should not be afraid of exceeding 
 my means, and I should have a little money to pay 
 for my piano, and for some lessons of different 
 kinds that I want to take. .The Encyclopedia is 
 the last edition, and cost £42, and the globes 
 £8, 10s. I shall never have anywhere to put 
 them, so it is folly to keep them if any one will 
 buy them. No one else has written to me, though 
 I have written to almost all. I would rather have
 
 9 9 O 
 
 Letters from Brother and Sisters, [geneva, 
 
 Letter to tiie it SO tliaii feel that the debt was on my side. Wlien 
 
 Brays, 13 th . 
 
 Sept. 1849. will you coiiie to me for help, that I may be able 
 to hate you a little less ? I shall leave here as soon 
 as I am able to come to a decision, as I am anxious 
 to feel settled, and the weather is becoming cold. 
 This house is like a bird-cage set down in a garden. 
 Do not count this among my letters. I am good 
 for nothing to-day, and can write nothing well but 
 bitterness, so that I will not trust myself to say 
 another word. The Baronne de Ludwigsdorff seems 
 to have begun to like me very much, and is really 
 kind ; so you see heaven sends kind souls, though 
 they are by no means kindred ones. Poor Mrs 
 Locke is to write to me — has o-iven me a little ring 
 — says " take care of yourself, my child — have some 
 tea of your own — you'll be quite another person if 
 you get some introductions to clever people — you'll 
 get on well among a certain set, — that's true ; " it is 
 her way to say " that's true " after all her affirma- 
 tions. Slie says, " You won't find any kindred 
 spirits at Plongeon, my dear." 
 
 Letter to the I aiii feeliiig particularly happy because I have 
 
 Brays, 20tb 
 
 Sept. 1849. had very kind letters from my brother and sisters. 
 I am ashamed to fill sheets about myself, liut I 
 imagined that this was precisely what you wished. 
 I'ray correct my mistake, if it Ije one, and then I
 
 1849.] Madame Ludwigsdorff. 223 
 
 will look over the Calvin MSS., and give you some Letter to the 
 
 Brays, 20tli 
 
 information of really general interest, suited to our Sept. 1849. 
 mutual capacities. Mme. Ludwigsdorff is so good 
 to me — a charming creature — so anxious to see me 
 comfortably settled — petting me in all sorts of ways. 
 She sends me tea when I wake in the morning — 
 orange-flower water when I go to bed — grapes — 
 and her maid to w\ait on me. She says if I like 
 she will spend the winter after this at Paris with 
 me, and introduce me to her friends there ; but she 
 does not mean to attach herself to me, because I 
 shall never like her long. I shall be tired of her 
 when I have sifted her, &c. She says I have more 
 intellect than morale, and other things more true 
 than agreeable ; however, she is " greatly interested " 
 in me — has told me her troubles and her feelings, 
 she says, in spite of herself ; for she has never been 
 able before in her life to say so much even to her 
 old friends. It is a mystery she cannot unravel. 
 She is a person of high culture, according to the 
 ordinary notions of what feminine culture should 
 be. She speaks French and German perfectly, 
 plays well, and has the most perfect polish of 
 manner — the most thorough refinement both so- 
 cially and morally. She is tall and handsome — 
 a striking-looking person, but with a sweet femi-
 
 224 Orthodox Friends. [geneva, 
 
 Letter to the iiiiie expressioii when she is with those she likes — 
 
 Brays, 20th 
 
 sei-t. 1849. dresses exquisitely — in fine, is all that I am not. 
 I shall tire you with all this, but I want you to 
 know what good creatures there are here as else- 
 where. Miss F. tells me that the first day she sat 
 by my side at dinner, she looked at me, and thought 
 to herself, " That is a grave lady ; I do not think I 
 shall like her much;" but as soon as I spoke to 
 her, and she looked into my eyes, she felt she could 
 love me. Then she lent me a book written by her 
 cousin — a religious novel — in which there is a fear- 
 ful infidel who will not believe, and hates all who 
 do, &c., &c. Then she invited me to walk with her, 
 and came to talk in my room ; then invited me to 
 go to the Oratoire with them, till I began to be 
 uncomfortable under the idea that they fancied I 
 was evangelical, and that I was gaining their affec- 
 tion under false pretences ; so I told ]\Iiss F. that 
 I was going to sacrifice her good opinion, and 
 confess my heresies. I quite expected from their 
 manner and character that they would forsake me 
 in horror — but they are as kind as ever. They 
 never go into the scdo7i in the evening, and I have 
 almost forsaken it, spending the evening frequently 
 in Mme. de Ludwigsdorff' s room, where we have 
 some delightful tea. The tea of the house here is
 
 1849.] Old Friends. 225 
 
 execrable ; or rather, as Mrs A. says, " How glad Letter to the 
 
 Brays, 20th 
 
 we ought to 136 that it has no taste at all — it might Sept. is49. 
 have a very bad one ! " I like the A's. ; they are 
 very good-natured. Mrs A., a very ugly but lady-like 
 little woman, who is under an infatuation " as it re- 
 gards" her caps — always wearing the brightest rose- 
 colour or intensest blue — with a complexion not un- 
 like a dirty primrose glove. The rest of the people 
 are nothing to me, except, indeed, dear old Mile, de 
 Phaisan, who comes into my room when I am ill with 
 " Qu'est ce que vous avez, ma bonne ? " in the tone of 
 the kindest old aunt, and thinks that I am the most 
 amiable douce creature, which will give you a bet- 
 ter opinion of her charity than her penetration. 
 
 Dear creatures ! no one is so good as you yet, I 
 have not yet found any one who can bear com- 
 parison with you ; not in kindness to me — get va sans 
 dire — but in solidity of mind and in expansion of 
 feeling. This is a very coarse thing to say, but it 
 came to the end of my pen, and litera seripta manet 
 — at least when it comes at the end of the second 
 page. I shall certainly stay at Geneva this winter, 
 and shall return to England as early as the spring 
 weather will permit, always supposing that nothing 
 occurs to alter my plans. I am still thin ; so how 
 much will be left of me next April T am afraid to 
 
 VOL. I. • P
 
 226 Anxiety f 07' Letters. [geneva, 
 
 Letter to the imagine. I shall be length without breadth. Cara's 
 
 Brays, 20tli 
 
 Sept. 1849. assurance that you are well and comfortable is worth 
 a luncheon to me, which is just the thing I am 
 generally most in want of, for we dine at six now. 
 I love to imagine you in your home ; and every- 
 thing seems easy to me when I am not disturbed 
 about the health or wellbeing of my loved ones. 
 It is really so ; I do not say it out of any sort of 
 affectation, benevolent or otherwise. I am without 
 carefulness, alas ! in more senses than one. Thank 
 Sara very heartily for her letter. I do not write a 
 special sheet for her to-day, because I have to write 
 to two or three other people, but she must not the 
 less believe how I valued a little private morsel 
 from her ; and also that I would always rather she 
 wrote "from herself" than "to me" — that is my 
 theory of letter-writing. Your letters are as wel- 
 come as Elijah's ravens— I thought of saying the 
 dinner-bell, only that would be too gross ! I get 
 impatient at the end of the ten days which it takes 
 for our letters to go to and fro ; and I have not the 
 least faith in the necessity for keeping the sheet 
 three or four days before Mr Bray can find time to 
 write his meagre bit. If you see the Miss Frank- 
 lins, give my love to them ; my remembrances to 
 Mr and Mrs Whittem ; love to Miss Sibree always.
 
 1849.] TuJccs mi '' a'p'partemcnt" in Geneva. 22 
 
 
 Hearty love to Clapton ^ and Woodford ; - and a Letter to tiie 
 
 Brays 20t]i 
 
 very diffusive benevolence to the world in general, sept. is49 
 without any particular attachment to A. or B. I 
 am trying to please Mr Bray. Good-bye, dear 
 souls. Bominus vobiseum. 
 
 I am anxious for you to know my new address. Letter to 
 as I shall leave here on Tuesday. I think I have Thursday,' 
 
 4th Oct 
 
 at last found the very thing. I shall be the only is49. 
 lodger. The ajJjJarteme?^ is assez joli, with an 
 alcove, so tliat it looks like a sitting-room in the 
 day-time — the people, an artist of great respecta- 
 bility, and his wife, a most kind-looking ladylike 
 person, with two boys, w^ho have the air of being 
 well educated. They seem very anxious to have 
 me, and are ready to do anything to accommodate 
 me. I shall live with them — that is, dine with 
 them ; breakfast in my own room. The terms are 
 fr. 150 per month, light included. M. and Mme. 
 d'Albert are middle aged — musical, and, I am told, 
 have heauconp eVesprit. I hope this will not ex- 
 ceed my means for four or five months. There is 
 a nice large srdon and a good salle a manger. 1 
 am told that their society is very good. Mme. de 
 Ludwigsdorff was about going there a year ago, and 
 it was she who recommended it to me. 
 
 1 Mrs Hennell. 2 Mr and Mrs Charles Heiinell.
 
 228 
 
 Need of Encouragement. [geneva, 
 
 Letter to the 
 Brays, 
 Thursday, 
 4th Oct. 
 
 1849. 
 
 Letter to 
 Mrs Hough- 
 ton, 4th 
 Oct. 1840. 
 
 I hope Sara's fears are supererogatory— a proof 
 of a too nervous solicitude about me, for which I 
 am grateful, though it does me no good to hear of 
 it. I want encouraging rather than warning and 
 checkmg. I believe I am so constituted that I 
 shall never be cured of my faults except by God's 
 discipline. If human beings would but believe 
 it, they do me most good l;)y saying to me the 
 kindest things truth will permit ; and really I can- 
 not hope those will be superlatively kind. The 
 reason I wished to raise a little extra money is that 
 I wanted to have some lessons and other means of 
 culture — not for my daily bread, for which I hope I 
 shall have enough ; but since you think my scheme 
 impracticable, we will dismiss it. Au rede, be in 
 no anxiety about me. Nothing is going wrong that 
 I know of. I am not an absolute fool and weak- 
 ling. When I am fairly settled in my new home, I 
 will write again. My address will be— M. d'Albert 
 Durade, Paie des Chanoines, No. 107. 
 
 The blessed compensation there is in all things 
 made your letter doubly precious for having been 
 waited for, and it would have inspired me to write 
 to you again much sooner, but that I have been in 
 uncertainty about settling myself for the winter, 
 and I wished to send you my future address. I am
 
 1849.] '' Tangible Sufferings:' 229 
 
 to move to my new home on Tuesday the 9th. I Letter to 
 
 jMrs Hough- 
 shall not at all regret leaving here ; the season is ton, 4tii 
 
 . Oct. 1S49. 
 
 beginning to be rather sombre, though the glorious 
 
 chestnuts here are still worth looking at half the 
 
 day. You have heard of some of the people 
 
 whom I have described in my letters to Eose- 
 
 hill. The dear little old maid, Mile, de I'haisan, 
 
 is quite a good friend to me — extremely prosy, 
 
 and full of tiny details ; but really people of that 
 
 calibre are a comfort to one occasionally, when 
 
 one has not strength enough for more stimulating 
 
 things. She is a sample of those happy souls who 
 
 ask for nothing but the work of the hour, however 
 
 trivial — who are contented to live without knowing 
 
 whether they effect anything, 1>ut who do really 
 
 effect much good, simply by their calm and even 
 
 maintien. I laugh to hear her say in a tone of 
 
 remonstrance — "Mme. de Ludwigsdorff dit qu'elle 
 
 s'ennuie quand les soirees sont longues : nioi, je ne 
 
 consols pas comment on pent s'ennuyer quand on 
 
 a de I'ouvrage ou des jeux on de la conversation." 
 
 When people who are dressing elegantly and 
 
 driving about to make calls every day of their 
 
 life have been telling me of their troubles — their 
 
 utter hopelessness of ever finding a vein worth 
 
 working in their future life — my thoughts have
 
 230 The D' Alberts Household. [GENEVA, 
 
 Letter to tumed towarcls many whose sufferings are of a 
 
 Mrs Hougli- 
 
 ton, 4th more tangible character, and I have really felt all 
 
 Oct. 1S49. 
 
 the old commonplaces about the equality of human 
 destinies, always excepting those spiritual differ- 
 ences which are apart not only from poverty and 
 riches but from individual affections. Dear Chrissey 
 has found time and strength to write to me, and 
 very precious her letter was, though I wept over it. 
 " Deep abiding grief must be mine," she says, and I 
 know well it must be. The mystery of trial ! It 
 falls with such avalanche weight on the head of the 
 meek and patient. I wish I could do something 
 of more avail for my friends than love them and 
 long for their happiness. 
 Letter to the M. and Mme. d' Albert are really clever people — 
 
 Brays, 11th ... 
 
 Oct. 1S49. people worth sitting up an hour longer to talk to. 
 This does not hinder Madame from being an excel- 
 lent manager — dressing scrupulously, and keeping 
 her servants in order. She has hung my room with 
 pictures, one of which is the most beautiful group 
 of flowers conceivable thrown on an open Bible — 
 painted by herself. I have a piano which I hire. 
 There is also one in the salon. M. d' Albert plays 
 and sings, and in the winter he tells me they have 
 parties to sing masses and do other delightful things. 
 In fact, I think I am just in the right place. I
 
 1849.] M. cV Albert Durade. 231 
 
 breakfast in my own room at half -past eight, hmch Letter to the 
 
 Brays, 11th 
 
 at half-past twelve, and dine at four or a little after, oct. 1849. 
 and take tea at eight. From the tea-table I have 
 gone into the salon and chatted until bed - time. 
 It would really have been a pity to have stayed at 
 Plongeon, out of reach of everythmg, and with people 
 so little worth talking to. I have not found out 
 the desagrdmens here yet. It is raining horribly, but 
 this just saves me from the regret I should have 
 felt at having quitted the chestnuts of Plongeon. 
 That campagne looked splendid in its autumn dress. 
 George Eliot retained so warm an admiration 
 and love for M. d' Albert Durade to the end of her 
 life, that it seems fitting here to mention that 
 he still lives, carrying well the weight of eighty 
 winters. He is conservateur of the Athenee 
 — a permanent exhibition of works of art in 
 Geneva; and he published only last year (1883) 
 a French translation of the ' Scenes of Cleri- 
 cal Life,' having already previously published 
 translations of ' Adam Bede,' ' Felix Holt,' ' Silas 
 Marner,' and ' Eomola.' The description of his 
 personal appearance, in the following letter, still 
 holds good, save that the gTey hair has become 
 quite white. He lost his wife in 1873 ; and it 
 will be seen from subsequent letters that George
 
 232 iVb. 107 Rue des Chanoines. [geneva, 
 
 Eliot kept up a faithful attachment to her to 
 the end. They were both friends after her own 
 heart. The old apartment is now No. 18 instead 
 of No. 107 Eue des Chanoines, and is occupied 
 as the printing-office of the ' Journal de Geneve.' 
 But half of the rooms remain just as they were 
 five-and-thirty years ago : the salon, wainscoted 
 in imitation light - oak panels, with a white 
 China stove, and her bed-room opening off it — as 
 she had often described it to me ; and M. d'Albert 
 has still in his possession the painting of the 
 bunch of beautiful flowers thrown on an open 
 Bible mentioned in the last letter. He told me 
 that when Miss Evans first came to look at the 
 house, she was so horrified with the forbidding 
 aspect of the stairs, that she declared she would 
 not go up above the first floor ; but when she got 
 inside the door she was reconciled to her new 
 quarters. Calvin's house is close to the Eue des 
 Chanoines, and she was nnich interested in it. 
 It will be seen that she did some work in 
 physics under Professor de la Eive ; but she 
 principally rested and enjoyed herself during 
 the stay at Geneva. It was exactly the kind of 
 life she was in need of at the time, and the 
 letters show how much she appreciated it.
 
 1849.] 3f. and Mme. d' Albert 233 
 
 I languished for your letter before it came, and Letter to the 
 
 Brays, 26th 
 
 read it three times running — ^judge whether I care oct. isio. 
 less for you than of old. It is the best of blessings 
 to know that you are well and cheerful ; and when 
 I think of all that might happen in a fortnight to 
 make you otherwise, especially in these days of 
 cholera and crises, I cannot help being anxious until 
 I get a fresh assurance that at least five days ago 
 all was well. Before I say anything about myself, 
 I must contradict your suspicion that I paint things 
 too agreeably for the sake of giving you pleasure. 
 I assure you my letters are subjectively true — the 
 falsehood, if there be any, is in my manner of see- 
 ing things. But I will give you some v6riUs posi- 
 tives, in which, alas ! poor imagination has hitherto 
 been able to do little for the world. Mme. d'x^lbert 
 anticipates all my wants, and makes a spoiled child 
 of me. I like these dear people better and better 
 — everything is so in harmony with one's moral 
 feeling, that I really can almost say I never enjoyed 
 a more complete hien etre in my life than during 
 the last fortnight. For M. d' Albert, I love him 
 already as if he were father and brother both. His 
 face is rather haggard-looking, but all the lines and 
 the wavy grey hair indicate the temperament of the 
 artist. I have not heard a word or seen a gesture
 
 234 Life m Geneva. [geneva, 
 
 Letter to the of his yet that was not perfectly in harmony with 
 Oct 1849. an exquisite moral refinement — indeed one feels a 
 better person always when he is present. He sings 
 well, and plays on the piano a little. It is delight- 
 ful to hear him talk of his friends — he admires 
 them so genuinely — one sees so clearly that there 
 is no reflex egotism. His conversation is charming. 
 I learn something every dinner-time. Mme. d'Al- 
 hert has less of genius and more of cleverness — a 
 really lady-like person, who says everything well. 
 She brings up her children admirably — two nice 
 intelligent boys ^ — the youngest particularly has a 
 sort of Lamartine expression, with a fine head. It 
 is so delightful to get among people who exhibit no 
 meannesses, no worldlinesses, that one may well be 
 enthusiastic. To me it is so blessed to find any 
 departure from the rule of giving as little as possi- 
 ble for as much as possible. Their whole behaviour 
 to me is as if I were a guest whom they delighted 
 to honour. Last nidit we had a little knot of their 
 most intimate musical friends, and M. and Mme. 
 d' Albert introduced me to them as if they wished 
 me to know them — as if they wished me to like their 
 
 1 Mr Charles Lewes tells me that when he went to stay with the 
 D' Alberts at Geneva, many years afterwards, they mentioned how 
 much they had been struck by her extraordinary discernment of the 
 character of these two boys.
 
 1849.] Home Rememhrances. 235 
 
 friends and their friends to like me. The people Letter to the 
 and the evening would have been just after your oct. is49. 
 own hearts. In fact, I have not the slightest pretext 
 for beincf discontented — not the shadow of a discom- 
 fort. Even the little housemaid Jeanne is charming 
 — says to me every morning, in the prettiest voice : 
 " Madame a-t-elle bien dormi cette nuit ? " — puts 
 fire in my chauffe-incd without being told — cleans 
 my rooms most conscientiously. There — I promise 
 to weary you less for the future with my descrip- 
 tions. I could not resist the temptation to speak 
 gratefully of M. and Mme. d'Albert. 
 
 Give my love to Mrs Pears — my constant ever 
 fresh remembrance. My love to Miss Rebecca 
 Franklin — tell her I have only spun my web to 
 Geneva — it will infallibly carry me back again 
 across the gulf, were it twice as great. If Mr 
 Froude preach tlie new word at Manchester, I hope 
 he will preach it so as to do without an after ex- 
 planation, and not bewilder his hearers in the man- 
 ner of Mephistopheles when he dons the doctor's 
 gown of Faust. I congratulate you on the new 
 edition,^ and promise to read it with a disposition 
 to admire when I am at Eosehill once more. I am 
 beginning to lose respect for the petty acumen that 
 
 ' Philosopliy of Necessity,' by Charles Bray.
 
 236 BemUies of Scenery. [geneva, 
 
 Letter to the sees difficulties. I love the souls that rush along 
 
 Brays, 20tli , . , . 
 
 Oct. 1840. to their goal with a full stream of sentiment — that 
 have too much of the positive to be harassed by the 
 perpetual negatives — which, after all, are but the 
 disease of the soul, to be expelled by fortifying 
 the principle of vitality. 
 
 Good-bye, dear loves : shan't I kiss you when I 
 am in England again — in England ! I already begin 
 to think of the journey as an impossibility. Geneva 
 is so beautiful now, the trees have their richest 
 colouring. Coventry is a fool to it — but then you 
 are at Coventry, and you are better than lake, trees, 
 and mountains. 
 
 Letter to the Wc liavc had some delicious autumn days here. 
 
 Oct. 1849. If the fine weather last, I am going up the Saleve 
 on Sunday with M. d'Albert. On one side I shall 
 have a magnificent view of the lake, the town, and 
 the Jura ; on the other, the range of Mont Blanc. 
 The walks about Geneva are perfectly enchanting. 
 ' " Ah ! " says poor Mile, de Phaisan ; " nous avons 
 un beau pays si nous n'avions pas ces Kadicaux ! " 
 The election of the Conseil d'Etat is to take place 
 in November, and an dmeute is expected. The 
 actual Government is Eadical, and thoroughly 
 detested by all the "respectable" classes. The 
 Vice-President of the Conseil, and the virtual head
 
 1849.] Delight in Town life. 237 
 
 of the C4overnment, is an unprincipled clever fellow, 
 horribly in debt himself, and on the way to reduce 
 the Government to the same position, 
 
 I like my town life vastly. I shall like it still Letter to 
 
 Miss Sara 
 
 better in the winter. There is an mdescribable Henneii, 
 charm to me m this form of human nest-makmg. is49. 
 You enter a by no means attractive-looking house, 
 you climb up two or three flights of cold, dark- 
 looking stone steps, you ring at a very modest door, 
 and you enter a set of rooms snug, or comfortable, 
 or elegant. One is so out of reacli of intruders, so 
 undiverted from one's occupations by externals, so 
 free from cold rushing winds through hall doors — 
 one feels in a downy nest high up in a good old 
 tree. I have always had a hankering after this sort 
 of life, and I find it was a true instinct of what 
 would suit me. Just opposite my windows is the 
 street in which the Sisters of Charity live, and if I 
 look out, I generally see either one of them or a 
 sober-looking ecclesiastic. Then a walk of five 
 minutes takes me out of all streets, within sight of 
 beauties that I am sure you too would love, if you 
 did not share my enthusiasm for the town. I have 
 not another minute, having promised to go out 
 before dinner — so, dearest, take my letter as 
 a hasty kiss, just to let you know how con-
 
 Dec. 1849. 
 
 238 Spinoza Trmislations. [geneva, 
 
 stantly I love you — how, the longer I live and 
 the more I have felt, the better I know how to 
 value you. 
 Letter to I wrlte at once to answer your questions about 
 
 Charles 
 
 Bray, 4ti. busiuess. Spiiioza and I have been divorced for 
 several months. ]\Iy want of healtli has obliged 
 me to renounce all application. I take walks, play 
 on the piano, read Voltaire, talk to my friends, 
 and just take a dose of mathematics every day 
 to prevent my brain from becoming quite soft. 
 If you are anxious to publish the translation in 
 question, I could, after a few months, finish the 
 ' Tractatus Theologico - Politicus ' to keep it com- 
 pany ; but I confess to you that I think you 
 would do better to abstain from printing a transla- 
 tion. What is wanted in English is not a trans- 
 lation of Spinoza's works, but a true estimate of 
 his life and system. After one has rendered his 
 Latin faithfully into English, one feels that there is 
 another yet more difhcult process of translation for 
 the reader to effect, and that the only mode of 
 making Spinoza accessible to a larger number is to 
 study his books, then shut them, and give an an- 
 alysis. For those who read the very words Spinoza 
 wrote, there is the same sort of interest in his style 
 as in the conversation of a person of great capacity
 
 1849.] Affection to the D' Alberts. 239 
 
 who has led a solitary life, and who says from his 
 own soul what all the world is saying by rote ; but 
 this interest hardly belongs to a translation. 
 
 Your letter is very sweet to me, giving me a Letter to 
 
 Mrs Bray, 
 
 picture of your quiet life. How shall I enable you 4th Dec 
 
 1S49. 
 
 to imagine mine, since you know nothing of the 
 localities ? My good friends here only change for 
 the better. ]\Ime. d' Albert is all affection ; M. d'Al- 
 bert all delicacy and intelligence ; the friends to 
 whom they have introduced me very kind in their 
 attentions. In fact, I want nothing but a little 
 more money to feel more at ease about my fires, &c. 
 I am in an atmosphere of love and refinement ; even 
 the little servant Jeanne seems to love me, and does 
 me good every time she comes into the room. I can 
 say anything to M. and Mme. d'Albert. M. d'A. 
 understands everything, and if jMadame does not 
 understand, she believes — that is, she seems always 
 sure that I mean something edifying. She kisses 
 me like a mother, and I am baby enough to find 
 that a great addition to my happiness. Au reste, 
 I am careful for nothing ; 1 am a sort of supernum- 
 erary spoon, and there will be no damage to the set 
 if I am lost. My heart ties are not loosened by 
 distance — it is not in the nature of ties to be so ; 
 and when I think of my loved ones as those to
 
 240 Yearning for a Woman's Duty, [geneva, 
 
 Letter to wlioiii I cau be a comforter, a lielj), I long to be 
 
 Mrs Bray, • i i 
 
 4th Dec. With them again. Otherwise, I can only think with 
 
 1S49. 
 
 a shudder of returning to England. It looks to me 
 like a land of gloom, of ennui, of platitude ; but in 
 the midst of all this it is the land of duty and 
 affection, and the only ardent hope I have for my 
 future life is to have given to me some woman's 
 duty — some possibility of devoting myself where I 
 may see a daily result of pure calm blessedness in 
 the life of another. 
 Letter to How do you look ? I liopc that handcau of sil- 
 
 Miss Sara ii- •!• c iiit 
 
 Henneii, 4th vcry locKS IS iiot Widening too fast on the head i 
 love so well — that the eyes are as bright as ever. 
 Your letter tells me they will beam as kindly as 
 ever when I see them once more. Never make 
 apologies about your letters, or your words, or any- 
 thing else. It is your soul to which I am wedded ; 
 and do I not know too well how the soul is doubly 
 belied — first by the impossibility of being in word 
 and act as great, as loving, as good as it wills to be, 
 and again by the miserable weaknesses of the friends 
 who see the words and acts through all sorts of 
 mists raised by their own passions and preoccupa- 
 tions ? In all these matters I am the chief of sin- 
 ners, and I am tempted to rejoice in the offences of 
 my friends, because they make me feel less humilia-
 
 1849.] Christmas Wishes. 241 
 
 tion, I am quite satisfied to be at Geneva instead Letter to 
 
 . . , Miss Sara 
 
 of Paris ; m fact, I am becomnig passionately at- Henneii, 4th 
 tacned to the mountains, the lake, the streets, my 
 own room, and, above all, the dear people with 
 whom I live. 
 
 A thousand Christmas pleasures and blessings to Letter to the 
 you — good resolutions and bright hopes for the dp<\ is49. 
 New Year ! Amen. People who can't be witty 
 exert themselves to be pious or affectionate. 
 Henceforth I tell you nothing whatever about 
 myself ; for if I speak of agreeables, and say I am 
 contented, Mr Bray writes me word that you are 
 all trying to forget me. If I were to tell you 
 of disagreeables, and privations, and sadness, Sara 
 would write : " If you are unhappy now, you will 
 be so CL fortiori ten years hence." Now, since I 
 have a decided objection to doses sent by post 
 which upset one's digestion for a fortnight, I am 
 determined to give you no pretext for sending 
 them. You shall not know whether I am well 
 or ill, contented or discontented, warm or cold, fat 
 or thin. But remember that I am so far from 
 being of the same mind as Mr Bray, that good 
 news of you is necessary to my comfort. I walk 
 more briskly, and jump out of bed more promptly, 
 after a letter that tells me you are well and com- 
 
 VOL. I. Q
 
 242 Profcsscur de la Rive^ Lectures. [GENEVA, 
 
 Letter to the f oitable, that busiiiess is promising, that men begin 
 Dec. 1S49. to speak well of yon, &c. " I am comforted in 
 your comfort," as saith St Panl to the tronblesome 
 Corinthians. When one is cabined, cribbed, con- 
 fined in one's self, it is good to be enlarged in one's 
 friends. Good Mr Marshall ! We wish to keep 
 even unamiable people when death calls for them, 
 much more good soiils like him. I am glad he had 
 had one more pleasant visit to Cara for her to think 
 of. Dear Sara's letter is very charming — not at all 
 physicky — rather an agreeable draught of vin sucrd. 
 Dear Mr Hennell, we shall never look upon his like. 
 I am attending a course of lectures on Experi- 
 mental Physics by M. le Professeur de la Eive, the 
 inventor, amongst other things, of the electroplating. 
 The lectures occur every Wednesday and Saturday. 
 It is time for me to go. I am distressed to send 
 you this shabby last fragment of paper, and to write 
 in such a hurry, but the days are really only two 
 hours long, and I liave so many things to do that I 
 go to bed every niglit miserable because I have left 
 out something I meant to do. Good-bye, dear souls. 
 Forget me if you like, you cannot oblige me to forget 
 you ; and the active is worth twice of the passive all 
 the world over ! The earth is covered with snow, 
 and the Government is levelling the fortifications.
 
 1850.] Severe Winter — Alboni. 243 
 
 You leave me a long time without news of you, Letter to the 
 
 Brays, 28th 
 
 though I told you they were necessary as a coun- jan. isso. 
 teractive to the horrors of this terrible winter. 
 Are you really so occupied as to have absolutely 
 no time to think of me ? I console myself, at least 
 to-day, now we have a ■ blue slcy once more after 
 two months of mist, with thinking that I am 
 excluded by pleasanter ideas — that at least you are 
 well and comfortable, and I ought to content my- 
 self with that. The fact is, I am much of Touch- 
 stone's mind — in respect my life is at Geneva, I 
 like it very well, but in respect it is not with you, 
 it is a very vile life. I have no yearnmgs to ex- 
 change lake and mountains for Bishop Street and 
 the Eadford Fields, l)ut I have a great yearning to 
 kiss you all and talk to you for three days running. 
 I do not think it will be possible for me to under- 
 take the journey before the end of March. 1 look 
 forward to it with great dread. I see myself look- 
 ing utterly miserable, ready to leave all my luggage 
 behind me at Paris for the sake of escaping the 
 trouble of it. We have had Alboni here — a very 
 fat syren. There has been some capital acting of 
 comedies by friends of M. dAlbert^one of them 
 is superior to any professional actor of comedy I 
 have ever seen. He reads vaudevilles so marvel-
 
 Feb. 1850. 
 
 244 Yearning for Old Friends. [geneva, 
 
 loiisly, that one seems to have a whole troupe of 
 actors before one in his single person. He is a 
 handsome man of fifty, full of wit and talent, and 
 he married about a year ago. 
 Letter to It is oue of the provoking contrarieties of des- 
 
 ton, 9th ° " tiny that I should have written my croaking letter 
 when your own kind consolatory one was on its 
 way to me. I have been happier ever since it 
 came. After mourning two or three months over 
 Chrissey's account of your troubles, I can only 
 dwell on that part of your letter which tells that 
 there is a little more blue in your sky — that you 
 have faith in the coming Spring. Shall you be as 
 glad to see me as to hear the cuckoo ? I mean to 
 return to England as soon as the Jura is passable 
 without sledges — probably the end of March or 
 beginning of April. I have a little Hcim/weli "as 
 it regards " my friends. I yearn to see those I have 
 loved the longest, but I shall feel real grief at 
 parting from the excellent people with whom I 
 am living. I feel they are my friends — without 
 entering into or even knowing the greater part of 
 my view^s, they understand my character, and have 
 a real interest in me. I have infinite tenderness 
 from Mme. d' Albert. I call her always " manian " ; 
 and she is just the creature one loves to lean on
 
 1850.] Bondage of Luxuries. 245 
 
 and be petted by. In fact, I am too much in- Letter to 
 
 Mrs Hough- 
 
 dubed, and shall go back to England as undiscip- ton, sth 
 
 ° Feb. 1850. 
 
 lined as ever. This terribly severe winter has been 
 a drawback on my recovering my strength. I 
 have lost whole weeks from headache, &c., but I 
 am certainly better now than when I came to 
 Mme. d'Albert. You tell me to give you these 
 details, so I obey. Decidedly England is the most 
 comfortable country to be in in winter — at least 
 for all except those who are rich enough to buy 
 English comforts everywhere. I hate myself for 
 caring about carpets, easy-chairs, and coal fires — 
 one's soul is under a curse, and can preach no truth 
 while one is in bondage to the flesh in this way ; 
 but alas ! habit is the purgatory in which we suffer 
 for our past sins. I hear much music. We have 
 a reunion of musical friends every Monday. For 
 the rest I have refused soirees, which are as stupid 
 and unprofitable at Geneva as in England. I save 
 all more interestmg details, that I may have them 
 to tell you when I am with you. I am going now to 
 a s4ance on Experimental Physics by the celebrated 
 Professor de la Ptive. This letter will at least 
 convince you that I am not eaten up by wolves, 
 as they have been fearing at Ptosehill. The Eng- 
 lish papers tell of wolves descending from the
 
 246 Snoio on the Jura. [geneva, 
 
 Jura and devourino' the inhabitants of the vil- 
 lages, but we have been in happy ignorance of 
 these editors' horrors. 
 Letter to the If jou saw the Jura to-day ! The snow reveals 
 
 Bi-ays, 15th . . . . 
 
 Feb. isoo. its forests, ravines, and precipices, and it stands m 
 relief against a pure blue sky. The snow is on the 
 mountains only now, and one is tempted to walk all 
 day, particularly wlien one lies in bed till ten, 
 as your exemplary friend sometimes does. I have 
 had no discipline, and shall return to you more of 
 a spoiled child than ever. Indeed I think I am 
 destined to be so to the end — one of the odious 
 swarm of voracious caterpillars, soon to be swept 
 away from the earth by a tempest. I am getting 
 better bodily. I have much less headache, Init the 
 least excitement fatigues me. Certainly if one 
 cannot have a malady to carry one off' rapidly, the 
 only sensible thing is to get well and fat ; and I 
 believe I shall be driven to that alternative. You 
 know that George Sand writes for the theatre ? 
 Her " FrauQois le Chanipi — une Comedie," is sim- 
 plicity and purity itself. The seven devils are cast 
 out. We are going to have more acting here on 
 Wednesday. M. Chamel's talent makes Maman's 
 soirees quite brilliant. You will be amused to hear 
 that I am sitting for my portrait — at M. d' Albert's
 
 1850.] Portmit hy M. cV Albert. 247 
 
 request, not mine. If it turns out well, I shall Letter to the 
 
 Brays, 15tli 
 
 long to steal it to give to you ; Ijut M. d' Albert Feb. isso. 
 talks of painting a second, and in that case I 
 shall certainly beg one. The idea of making a 
 study of my visage is droll enough. I have the 
 kindest possible letters from my brother and sisters, 
 promising me the warmest welcome. This helps to 
 give me courage for the journey ; but the strongest 
 magnet of all is a certain little group of three 
 persons whom I hope to find together at Eosehill. 
 Something has been said of M. d'Albert accom- 
 panying me to Paris. I am saddened when I think 
 of all the horrible anxieties of trade. If I had 
 children, I would make them carpenters and shoe- 
 makers ; that is the way to make them Messiahs 
 and Jacob Boehms. As forvus who are dependent 
 on carpets and easy-chairs, we are reprobates, and 
 shall never enter into the kingdom of heaven. I 
 go to the Genevese churches every Sunday, and 
 nourish my heterodoxy w^ith orthodox sermons. 
 However, there are some clever men here in tlie 
 Church, and I am fortunate in being here at a tune 
 when the very cleverest is giving a series of con- 
 ferences. I think I have never told you that we 
 have a long German lad of seventeen in the house 
 — the most taciturn and awkward of lads. He said
 
 248 Last Days at Geneva. [geneva, 
 
 Letter to the veiy iiaively, when I reproached him for not talking- 
 Brays, 15th 11, • / 1 1 
 
 Feb. 1850. to a German young lady at a soiree, when he was 
 seated next her at table — " Je ne savais que faire 
 de mes jambes." They had placed the poor gargon 
 against one of those card-tables — all legs, like 
 himself. 
 
 Letter to the The wcather is so glorious that I think I may set 
 
 Brays, 1st , ^ -. , ~f 
 
 March 1850. out Oil my joumcy soon after the loth, i am not 
 quite certain yet that M. d' Albert will not be able 
 to accompany me to Paris ; in any case, a package 
 of so little value will get along safely enough. I 
 am so excited at the idea of the time being so near 
 when I am to leave Geneva — a real grief — and see 
 my friends in England — a perfectly overwhelming 
 joy — that I can do nothing. I am frightened to 
 think what an idle wretch I am become. And you 
 all do not write me one word to tell me you long 
 for me. I have a great mind to elope to Constan- 
 tinople, and never see any one any more ! 
 
 It is with a feeling of regret that we take 
 leave of the pleasant town of Geneva, its lake 
 and mountains, and its agreeable little circle of 
 acquaintance. It was a peacefully happy epi- 
 sode in George Eliot's life, and one she was 
 always fond of recurring to, in our talk, up to 
 the end of her life.
 
 1850.] Summary of Chapter IV. 249 
 
 SUMMARY. 
 
 JUNE 1849 TO MAECH 1850. 
 
 Goes abroad witli jMi- and Mrs Bray — Geneva — Life at 
 Campagne Plongeon — Letters to Brays describing surround- 
 ings — Mrs Locke — The St Germain family — Anxiety about 
 her boxes with books, &c. — Hears M. Meunier preach — 
 Patriotism the first of virtues — Mme. Cornelius — Mme. de 
 Ludwigsdorflf — "i^eie of Navigation" on the lake — Demand 
 for letters — Prophetic anticipation of position seven years 
 later — Wishes to sell some of her books and globes to get 
 music lessons — Letter to Mrs Houghton — Loss of Mrs Clarke's 
 child — Love of Lake of Geneva — Letters to Brays — Mme. 
 Ludwigsdoi'ff wishes her to spend winter in Paris — Mile, de 
 Phaisan — Finds apartment in Geneva, No. 107 Kue des 
 Chanoines, with M. and Mme. d' Albert — Enjoyment of their 
 society — Remarks on translations of Spinoza — Hope of a 
 woman's duty — Attachment to Geneva — Yearning for friends 
 at home — Alboni — Private theatricals — Portrait by M. 
 d' Albert — Remarks on education of children — Leaving 
 Geneva.
 
 250 
 
 CHAPTEE V. 
 
 M. d'Albert and his charge left Geneva towards 
 the end of March, and as tlie railway was not 
 yet opened all the way to France, they had 
 to cross the Jura in sledges, and suffered ter- 
 ribly from the cold. They joined the. railway 
 at Tonnerre, and came through Paris, arriving 
 in England on the 23d of March. After a day 
 in London, Miss Evans went straight to her 
 friends at Eosehill, where she stayed for a few 
 days before going on to Griff. It will have l^een 
 seen that she had set her hopes high on the 
 delights of home-coming, and with her too sen- 
 sitive, impressionable nature, it is not difficult 
 to understand, without attributing blame to any 
 one, that she was pretty sure to be laying up 
 disappointment for herself. All who have had 
 the experience of returning from a bright sunny 
 climate to England in March will recognise in
 
 
 ' fmrnm 
 '■'Mm
 
 1850.] Return to England. 251 
 
 the next letters the actual presence of the 
 east wind, the leaden sky, the gritty dust, and 
 le spleen. 
 No ; I am not in England — I am only nearer the Letter to 
 
 Jlis.s Sara 
 
 beings I love best. I try to forget all geography, Heimeii.end 
 
 of March 
 
 and that I have placed myself irretrievably out of isso, from 
 
 Rosehill. 
 
 reach of nature's brightest glories and beauties to 
 shiver in a wintry flat. I am unspeakably grateful 
 to find these dear creatures looking well and happy; 
 in spite of worldly cares, but your dear face and 
 voice are wantmg to me. But I must wait with 
 patience, and perhaps by the time I have finished 
 my \Tisits to my relations, you will be ready to 
 come to Kosehill again. I want you to scold me, 
 and make me good. I am idle and naughty — on nc 
 jKut plus — sinking into heathenish ignorance and 
 woman's frivolity. Eemember, you are one of my 
 guardian angels. 
 
 Will you send the enclosed note to ]\Irs C. Hen- Letter to 
 
 Miss Sara 
 
 nell ? I am not rpiite sure about her direction, but Henneu, 
 
 beginning of 
 
 I am anxious to thank her for her kindness in Apriiisso, 
 inviting me. Will you also send me an account of 
 Mr Chapman's prices for lodgers, and if you know 
 anything of other boarding-houses, &c., in London ? 
 Will you tell me what you can ? I am not asking 
 you merely for the sake of giving you trouble. I 
 
 from Grift'.
 
 252 Hnffcring from Climate. [rosehill, 
 
 Letter to am really anxious to know. Oh the dismal weather, 
 
 Miss Sara 
 
 Henneii, and the dismal country, and the dismal people. It 
 April 1850, was some envious demon that drove me across the 
 
 from Grifl'. . 
 
 Jura. However, i am determined to sell every- 
 thing I possess, except a portmanteau and carpet- 
 bag and the necessary contents, and be a stranger 
 and a foreigner on the earth for evermore. But I 
 must see you first ; that is a yearning I still have 
 in spite of disappointments. 
 
 From Griff' she went to stay with her sister, 
 Mrs Clarke, at Meriden, whence she writes : — 
 Letter to Havc you any engagement for the week after next ? 
 
 Mrs Bray, 
 
 24th April If not, may I join you on Saturday the 4th, and 
 invite M. d'Albert to come down on the following 
 Monday ? It appears he cannot stay in England 
 longer than until about the second week in May. 
 I am uncomfortable at the idea of burthening even 
 your friendship with the entertainment of a person 
 purely for my sake. It is indeed the greatest of all 
 the great kindnesses you have shown me. Write 
 me two or three kind words, dear Cara. I have 
 been so ill at ease ever since I have been in Eng- 
 land that I am quite discouraged. Dear Chrissey is 
 J generous and sympathising, and really cares for my 
 
 happiness. 
 
 On the 4tli of Ma}^ Miss Evans went to Eose-
 
 1851.] Mackay's' Progress of the Intellect! 253 
 
 hill, and on the 7th M. d'Albert joined the party 
 for a three days' \dsit. The strong affection 
 existing between Mr and Mrs Bray and their 
 guest, and the more congenial intellectual atmo- 
 sphere surrounding them, led Miss Evans to 
 make her home practically at Eosehill for the 
 next sixteen months. She stayed there con- 
 tinuously till the 18th November, and, among 
 other things, wrote a review of Mackay's ' Pro- 
 gress of the Intellect.' In October Mr Mackay 
 and Mr Chapman, the editor of the 'West- 
 minster Eeview,' came to stay at Eosehill, and 
 there was probably some talk then about her 
 assistina; in the editorial work of the ' Eeview,' 
 but it was not until the following spring that 
 any definite understanding on this subject was 
 arrived at. Meantime the article on Mackay's 
 ' Progress of the Intellect ' came out in the 
 January 1851 number of the 'Westminster.' It 
 contains the following remarkable passages : — 
 " Our civilisation, and yet more, our religion, are 
 an anomalous blending of lifeless barbarisms, 
 which have descended to us like so many petri- 
 factions from distant ages, with living ideas, the 
 offspring of a true process of development. We 
 are in bondage to terms and conceptions, which,
 
 254 EevieiDs Mackay's 'Progress of the [roseiiill, 
 
 having had their roots in conditions of thought 
 no longer existing, have ceased to possess any 
 vitahty, and are for us as spells which have 
 lost their virtue. The endeavour to spread en- 
 lightened ideas is perpetually counteracted by 
 these idola thcatri, which have allied themselves 
 on the one hand with men's better sentiments, 
 and on the other with institutions in whose 
 defence are arrayed the passions and the interests 
 of dominant classes. Now, although the teach- 
 ing of positive truth is the grand means of ex- 
 pelling error, the process will be very much 
 quickened if the negative argument serve as its 
 pioneer; if, by a survey of the past, it can be 
 shown how eacli age and each race has had a 
 faith and a symbolism suited to its need and 
 its stage of development, and that for succeeding 
 ages to dream of retaining the spirit along with 
 the forms of the past, is as futile as the embalm- 
 ing of the dead body in the hope that it may 
 one day be resumed by the living soul. 
 It is Mr Mackay's faith that divine revelation 
 is not contained exclusively or pre-eminently in 
 the facts and inspirations of any one age or 
 nation, but is co-extensive with the history of 
 human development, and is perpetually unfolding
 
 1851.] Intellect' in the 'Westminster.' 255 
 
 itself to our widened experience and investigation, 
 as firmament upon firmament becomes visible to 
 us in proportion to the power and range of our 
 exploring instruments. The master-key to this 
 revelation is the recognition of the presence of 
 undeviating law in the material and moral world — 
 of that invariability of sequence which is acknow- 
 ledged to be the basis of physical science, but 
 which is still perversely ignored in our social 
 organisation, our ethics, and our religion. It is 
 this invariability of sequence which can alone 
 give value to experience, and render education, 
 in the true sense, possible. The divine yea and 
 nay, the seal of prohibition and of sanction, are 
 effectually unpressed on human deeds and aspira- 
 tions, not by means of Greek and Hebrew, but 
 by that inexorable law of consequences, whose 
 evidence is confirmed instead of weakened as the 
 ages advance ; and human duty is comprised in the 
 earnest study of this law and patient obedience 
 to its teaching. While this belief sheds a bright 
 beam of promise on the future career of our race, 
 it lights up what once seemed the dreariest region 
 of history with new interest; every past phase of 
 human development is part of that education of 
 the race in wliich we are sharing; every mistake.
 
 256 Machay's 'Progress of the Intellect! [rosehill, 
 
 every absurdity into which poor human nature 
 has fallen, may be looked on as an experiment 
 of which we may reap the benefit. A correct 
 generalisation gives significance to the smallest 
 detail, just as the great inductions of geology 
 demonstrate in every pebble the working of laws 
 by which the earth has become adapted for the 
 habitation of man. In this view, religion and 
 philosophy are not merely conciliated, they are 
 identical ; or rather, religion is the crown and 
 consummation of philosophy — the delicate corolla 
 which can only spread out its petals in all their 
 symmetry and brilliance to the sun, when root 
 and branch exhibit the conditions of a healthy 
 and vigorous life." 
 
 Miss Evans seems to have been in London 
 from the beginning of January till the end 
 of March 1851 ; and Mr Chapman made 
 another fortnight's visit to Eosehill at the 
 end of May and beginning of June. It was 
 during this period that, with Miss Evans's 
 assistance, the prospectus of the new series 
 of the 'Westminster Eeview' was determined 
 on and put in shape. At the end of July 
 she went with Mrs Bray to visit Mr and Mrs 
 Robert Noel, at Bishop Steignton, in Devon-
 
 1851.] Visit to BisJiop Sfcignton and London. 257 
 
 shire. Mrs Bray had some slight illness there, 
 and Miss Evans writes : — 
 I am grieved indeed if anything might have been Letter to 
 
 Miss Sara 
 
 written, which has not been written, to allay your Henneu, 
 
 5th Aug. 
 
 anxiety about Cara. Her letter yesterday ex- i85i. 
 plained what has been the matter. I knew her 
 own handwriting would be pleasanter to you than 
 any other, I have been talking to her this morn- 
 ing about the going to London or to Eosehill. She 
 seems to prefer London. A glance or two at the 
 Exposition, she thinks, would do her no harm. 
 To-day we are all going to Teignmouth. She 
 seems to like the idea of sitting by the waves. 
 The sun is shining gloriously, and all things are 
 tolerably promising. I am going to walk on be- 
 fore the rest and have a bath. 
 
 They went to London on the 13th of August, 
 saw the Crystal Palace, and returned to Eose- 
 hill on the 16th. At the end of that month, Mr 
 George Combe (the distinguished phrenologist) 
 arrived on a visit, and he and Mrs Combe be- 
 came good friends to Miss Evans, as will be 
 seen from the subsequent correspondence. They 
 came on a second visit to Eosehill the follow- 
 ing month — Mr Chapman being also m the 
 house at the same time, — and at the end of 
 
 VOL. I. R
 
 258 Assistant Editor of ' Westminster ' [i42 strand, 
 
 September Miss Evans went to stay with the 
 Chapmans at No. 142 Strand, as a boarder, and 
 as assistant editor of the ' Westminster Eeview.' 
 A new period now opens in George Eliot's life, 
 and emphatically the most important period, 
 for now she is to be thrown in contact with 
 Mr Lewes, who is to exercise so paramount 
 an influence on all her future, with Mr Her- 
 bert Spencer, and with a number of writers then 
 representing the most fearless and advanced 
 thought of the day. Miss Erederica Bremer, 
 the authoress, was also boarding with the 
 Chapmans at this time, as will be seen from 
 the following letters : — 
 Letter to the Mr Mackay has been very kind in coming and 
 sept!"i85i ° walking out with me, and that is the only variety 
 I have had. Last night, however, we had an agree- 
 able enough gathering. Foxton^ came, who, you 
 know, is trying, with Carlyle and others, to get a 
 chapel for Wilson at the West End — in which he 
 is to figure as a seceding clergyman. I enclose 
 you two notes from Empson (he is the editor of 
 the 'Edinburgh Eeview') as a guarantee that I 
 ; have been trying to work. Again, I proposed to 
 
 1 Frederick Foxton, author of ' Popular Christianity : its Transi- 
 tion State and Probable Development.'
 
 1851.] Meets Herbert Spencer. 259 
 
 write a re"vdew of Greg for the ' Westminster,' not Letter to the 
 
 Brays, end of 
 
 for money, but for love of the subject as connected septissi. 
 
 with the ' Inquiry.' Mr Hickson referred the matter 
 
 to Slack again, and he writes that he shall not have 
 
 room for it, and that the subject will not suit on this 
 
 occasion, so you see I am oliliged to be idle, and I 
 
 like it best. I hope Mr Bray is coming soon to 
 
 tell me everything about you. I think I shall cry 
 
 for joy to see him. But do send me a little note 
 
 on Monday morning. Mrs Follen called the other 
 
 day in extreme horror at Miss Martineau's book. 
 
 Dr Brabant returned to Bath yesterday. He very Letter to Mr 
 politely took me to the Crystal Palace, the theatre, sept.'i85i. 
 and the Overland Eoute. On Friday we had Fox- 
 ton, Wilson, and some other nice people, among 
 others a Mr Herbert Spencer, who has just brought 
 out a large work on ' Social Statics,' which Lewes 
 pronounces the best book he has seen on the sub- 
 ject. You must see the book if possible. Mr 
 Chapman is going to send you INIiss Martineau's 
 work, or rather Mr Atkinson's,^ which you must 
 review in the 'Herald.' Wliatever else one may 
 think of the book, it is certainly the boldest I 
 have seen in the English language. I get nothing 
 done here, there are so many distractions — more- 
 
 1 ' Man's Nature and Develojiment,' by Martiueau ami Atkinson.
 
 260 George Henry Lewes. [142 stkand, 
 
 Letter to Mr over I have hardly been well a day since I came. 
 
 Bray, end of 
 
 Sept. 1851. I Wish I were rich enough to go to the coast, and 
 have some plunges in the sea to brace me. Never- 
 theless do not suppose that I don't enjoy being 
 here. I like seeing the new people, &c., and I am 
 afraid I shall think the country rather dull after 
 it. I am in a hurry to-day. I must have two 
 hours' work before dinner, so imagine everything 
 I have not said, or rather reflect that this scrap is 
 quite as much as you deserve after being so slow 
 to write to me. 
 
 The reference, in the above letter, to Mr 
 Lewes must not be taken as indicating per- 
 sonal acquaintance yet. It is only a quotation 
 of some opinion heard or read. Mr Lewes had 
 already secured for himself a wide reputation 
 in the literary world by his ' Biographical His- 
 tory of Philosophy,' his two novels, ' Eanthorpe,' 
 and ' Eose, Blanche, and Violet ' — all of which 
 had been published five or six years before — 
 and his voluminous contributions to the period- 
 ical literature of the day. He was also at this 
 time the literary editor of the ' Leader ' news- 
 '• paper, so that any criticism of his would carry 
 
 weight, and be talked about. Much has al- 
 ready been written about his extraordinary
 
 1851.] Article Writers. 261 
 
 versatility, the variety of his literary produc- 
 tions, his social charms, Ms talent as a raconteur, 
 and his dramatic faculty ; and it will now be 
 interesting, for those who did not know him 
 personally, to learn the deeper side of his char- 
 acter, which will be seen, in its development, 
 in the followmg pages. 
 I don't know how long Miss Bremer will stay, but Letter to Mr 
 
 Bray, end of 
 
 you need not wish to see her. She is to me equally sept. isoi. 
 unprepossessing to eye and ear. I never saw a 
 person of her years who appealed less to my purely 
 instinctive veneration. I have to reflect every time 
 I look at her that she is really Frederica Bremer. 
 
 Fox is to write the article on the Suffrage, and 
 we are going to try Carlyle for the Peerage, Ward 
 refusing on the ground that he thinks the improve- 
 ment of the physical condition of the people so all- 
 important, that he must give all his energies to that. 
 He says, " Life is a bad business, but we must make 
 the best of it ;" to which philosophy I say Amen. 
 Dr Hodgson is gone, and all the fun with him. 
 
 I was introduced to Lewes the other day in Jeffs 
 shop — a sort of miniature Mirabeau in appearance.^ 
 
 ^ This was a merely formal aud casual introduction. That George 
 Eliot was ever brought into close relations with Mr Lewes, was due 
 to Mr Herbert Spencer having taken him to call on her in the Strand 
 later in this year.
 
 262 Carlyles' Life of Sterling.' [l42 steand, 
 
 Letter to tiie Professoi Forbes is to write us a capital scientific 
 Oct. (?) 1851. article, whereat I rejoice greatly. Tlie Peerage 
 apparently will not "get itself done," as Carlyle 
 says. It is not an urgent question, nor does one 
 see that, if the undue influence of the Peers on 
 the elections for the Commons were done away 
 with, there would be much mischief from the House 
 of Lords remaining for some time longer in statu 
 quo. I have been reading Carlyle's 'Life of Ster- 
 ling ' with great pleasure — not for its presentation 
 of Sterling, but of Carlyle. There are racy bits 
 of description in his best manner, and exquisite 
 touches of feeling. Little rapid characterisations of 
 living men too — of Francis Newman for example 
 — "a man of fine university and other attain- 
 ments, of the sharpest cutting, and most restlessly 
 advancing intellect, and of the mildest pious 
 enthusiasm." There is an inimitable description 
 of Coleridge and his eternal monologue — " To sit 
 as a passive bucket and be pumped into, whether 
 one like it or not, can in the end be exhilarating 
 to no creature." 
 Letter to All the world is doing its devoir to the great 
 
 Miss Sara 
 
 Henneii, little autliorcss (Miss Bremer). I went to the Ex- 
 
 15th Oct. 
 
 1851. hibition on Saturday to hear the final " God save 
 
 the Queen" and the three tunes three — "C'etait
 
 1851.] Tlie Chapmand Soirdes. 263 
 
 im beau moment." j\Ir Greg tliouglit the review Letter to 
 
 111 !• I'll ••))! 1 1 Miss Sara 
 
 " well done, and in a kmdly spirit, but tliougnt Heimeu, 
 there was not much in it — dreadfully true, since issi. 
 there was only all his book. I think he did not 
 like the apology for his want of theological learn- 
 ing, which, however, was just the thing most 
 needed, for the ' Eclectic ' trips him up on that 
 score. Caiiyle was very amusing the other morn- 
 ing to Mr Chapman about the Exhibition. He 
 has no patience with the Prince and " that Cole " 
 assembling Sawneys from all parts of the land, till 
 you can't get along Piccadilly. He has been worn 
 to death with bores all summer, who present them- 
 selves by twos and threes in his study, saying, 
 "Here we are," &c., &c. 
 
 I wish you could see Miss Bremer's albums, Letter to 
 
 • 1 111 n 1 Miss Sara 
 
 full of portraits, flowers, and landscapes, all done Heimeu, 
 by herself. A portrait of Emerson, marvellously isoi. 
 like ; one of Jenny Lind, &c. Last night we had 
 quite a charming soirie — Sir David Brewster and 
 his daughter ; Mackay, author of a work on popular 
 education, you may remember to have seen re- 
 viewed in the ' Leader ; ' the EUises, the Hodgsons, 
 and half-a-dozen other nice people. Miss Bremer 
 was more genial than I have seen her — played on 
 the piano, and smiled benevolently. Altogether, I
 
 264 
 
 Mr Mackay — Carlyle. [142 STEAND, 
 
 Letter to 
 Miss Sara 
 Hennell, 
 10th Oct. 
 1851. 
 
 Letter to 
 Miss Sara 
 Hennell, 3d 
 Nov. 1851. 
 
 am beginning to repent of my repugnance. Mackay 
 approves our prospectus in toto. He is a handsome, 
 fine headed man, and a "good opinion." We are 
 getting out a circular to accompany the prospectus. 
 I have been kept down-stairs by Mr Mackay for 
 the last two hours, and am hurried, but it was 
 a necessity to write ein 'paar Worte, to you. Mr 
 Mackay has written an account of his book for 
 the catalogue. I have been using my powers of 
 eloquence and flattery this morning to make him 
 begin an article on the " Development of Protest- 
 antism." Mr Ellis was agreeable — really witty. He 
 and Mrs Ellis particularly cordial to me, inviting 
 me to visit them without ceremony. I love you 
 all better every day, and better the more I see of 
 other people. I am going to one of the Birkbeck 
 schools. 
 
 I must tell you a story Miss Bremer got from 
 Emerson. Carlyle was very angry with him for 
 not believing in a devil, and to convert him took 
 him amongst all the horrors of London — the gin 
 shops, &c., — and finally to the House of Commons, 
 plying him at every turn with the question, "Do 
 you believe in a devil noo ? " There is a severe 
 attack on Carlyle's ' Life of Sterling ' in yesterday's 
 ' Times ' — unfair as an account of the book, but
 
 1851.] Martineau and Newman. 265 
 
 with some truth in its general remarks about Letter to 
 
 Miss Sara 
 
 Carlyle. There is an article, e\ddently by James Henneu, 3d 
 
 Nov. 1851. 
 
 Martineau, in the ' Prospective, which you must 
 read, " On the Unity of the Logical and Intuitive 
 in the ultimate grounds of Eeligious Belief." I am 
 reading with great amusement (!) J. H. Newman's 
 ' Lectures on the Position of Catholics.' They are 
 full of clever satire and description. JMy table is 
 groaning with books, and I have done very little 
 with them yet, but I trust in my star, which has 
 liitherto helped me, to do all I lla^'e engaged to 
 do. Pray, remember to send the MS. translation 
 of Schleiermacher's little book, and also the book 
 itself. 
 
 When Mr Noel had finished his farewell visit Letter to the 
 
 Brays, 15th 
 
 to-day, Mr Flower was announced, so my morning Nov. issi. 
 has run away in chat. Time wears, and I don't get 
 on so fast as I ought, but I must scribble a word or 
 two, else you will make my silence an excuse for 
 writing me no word of yourselves. I am afraid Mr 
 Noel and Mr Bray have given you a poor report of 
 me. The last two days I have been a little better, 
 but I hardly think existing arrangements can last be- 
 yond this quarter. Mr Noel says Miss L. is to visit 
 you at Christmas. I hope that is a mistake, as it 
 would deprive me of my hoped-for rest amongst you.
 
 266 
 
 Mecis Lcwcs at the Theatre. [142 strand, 
 
 Letter to 
 Miss Sara 
 Hennell, 
 Monday, 
 23cl Nov. 
 1851. 
 
 Letter to 
 C'lias. Bray, 
 27th Nov. 
 1851. 
 
 On Saturday afternoon came Mr Spencer to ask 
 Mr Chapman and me to go to the theatre ; so I 
 ended the day in a godless manner, seeing the 
 " Merry Wives of Windsor." You must read Car- 
 lyle's denunciation of the opera, published in the 
 ' Keepsake ' ! The ' Examiner ' quotes it at length. 
 I send you the enclosed from Harriet Martineau. 
 Please to return it. The one from Carlyle you may 
 keep till I come. He is a naughty fellow to write 
 in the 'Keepsake,' and not for us, after I wrote 
 him the most insinuating letter, offering him three 
 glorious subjects. Yesterday we went to Mr Mac- 
 kay's, Dr Brabant being there. 
 
 Carlyle called the other day, strongly recom- 
 mending Browning, the poet, as a writer for the 
 'Eeview,' and saying, "We shall see," about him- 
 self. In other respects we have been stagnating 
 since Monday, and now I must work, work, work, 
 which I have scarcely done two days consecutively 
 since I have been here. Lewes says his article on 
 "Julia von Krlidener"^ will be glorious. He sat in 
 the same box with us at the " ]\Ierry Wives of 
 Windsor," and helped to carry off' the dolorousness 
 of the play. 
 
 1 Ajipeared in January 1852 No. of the 'Westminster Review,' 
 No. 1 of the New Series.
 
 1852.] Visit to Rosehill. 267 
 
 Alas! the work is so heavy just for the next Letter to the 
 
 Brays, Tues- 
 
 three days, all the re\ases being yet to come in, and day, 22d 
 the proof of my own article ;^ and ]\Ir Chapman is 
 so overwhelmed with matters of detail, that he has 
 earnestly requested me to stay till Saturday, and I 
 cannot refuse, but it is a deep disappointment to 
 me. My heart will yearn after you all. It is the 
 first Christmas Day I sliall have passed without 
 any Christmas feeling. On Saturday, if you will 
 have me, nothing shall keep me here any longer. 
 I am writing at a high table, on a low seat, in 
 a great hurry. Don't you think my style is 
 editorial ? 
 
 Accordingly, on Saturday the 29th December 
 1851 she did go down to Eosehill, and stayed 
 there till 12th January, when she returned 
 to London, and writes : — 
 I had a comfortable journey all alone, except from Letter to 
 
 Mrs Bray, 
 
 "Weedon to Blisworth. "When I saw a coated ani- 12th Jan. 
 mal getting into my carriage, I thought of all 
 horrible stories of madmen in railways ; but his 
 white neckcloth and thin mincinQ- voice soon con- 
 vinced me that he was one of those exceedingly 
 tame animals, the clergy, 
 
 A kmd welcome and a good dinner — that is the 
 
 1 Review of Carlyle'.^ ' Life of Sterling' iu ' Westminster,' Jau. 1852. 
 
 1S52.
 
 268 Harriet Martineau— Pierre Leroux. [l42 STRAND, 
 
 Letter to 
 Mrs Bray, 
 12th Jan. 
 1852. 
 
 Letter to 
 Miss Sara 
 Hennell, 
 21st Jan. 
 1852. 
 
 whole of my history at present. I am m any- 
 thing but company trim, or spirits. I can do 
 nothing in retnrn for all yonr kindness, dear 
 Cara, bnt love you, as I do most heartily. You 
 and all yours, for their own sake first, but if 
 it were not so, for yours. 
 
 Harriet Martineau called on Monday morning 
 with Mr Atkinson. Very kind and cordial. I 
 honour her for her powers and industry, and 
 should be glad to think highly of her. I have 
 no doubt that she is fascinating when there is 
 time for talk. We have had two agreeable 
 soir4es. Last Monday I was talking and listen- 
 ing for two hours to Pierre Leroux — a dreamy 
 genius. He was expounding to me his ideas. 
 He belongs neither to the school of Proudhon, 
 which represents Liberty only — nor to that of 
 Louis Blanc, which represents Equality only — nor to 
 that of Cabet, which represents Fraternity. Pierre 
 Leroux's system is the syntMse which combines 
 all three. He has found the true 2^ont which is 
 to unite the love of self with the love of one's 
 neighbour. He is, you know, a very voluminous 
 writer. George Sand has dedicated some of her 
 books to him. He dilated on his views of the 
 ' Origin of Christianity.' Strauss deficient, because
 
 1852.] Pierre Leroux's Theoi^ies. 269 
 
 he has not shown the identity of the teaching of Letter to 
 
 77 f 1 -n rrn-'T TAiss Sara 
 
 Jesus with that of the Essenes. This is Lerouxs Henneii, 
 
 21.st J "111 
 
 favourite idea. I told him of your brother. He, 1852. 
 moreover, traces Essenism back to Egypt, and 
 thence to India — the cradle of all religions, &c. &c., 
 with much more, which he uttered with an unction 
 rather amusing in a soir6e tete-a-tete. " Est ce que 
 nous sommes faits pour chercher le bonheur ? Est 
 ce la votre idee — dites moi." " Mais non — nous 
 sommes faits, je pense, pour nous developper 
 le plus possible." " Ah ! c'est ga." He is in 
 utter poverty, going to lecture — atitrement il 
 faut movrir. Has a wife and children with him. 
 He came to London in his early days, when he 
 was twenty- five — to find work as a printer. All 
 the world was in mourning for the Princess Char- 
 lotte. " Et moi, je me trouvais avoir un habit 
 vert-pomme." So he got no work ; went back to 
 Paris ; by hook or by crook founded the ' Globe ' 
 journal ; knew St Simon ; disagrees with him 
 entirely, as with all other theorists except Pierre 
 Leroux. 
 
 We are trying Mazzini to write on "Freedom 
 V. Despotism," and have received an admirable 
 article on " The New Puritanism," ^ i.e., " Physical 
 
 1 Published in the April 1852 number of the ' Westminster.'
 
 270 Acqtiainfance with Miss Parlxcs. [l42 strand, 
 Letter to Puritanism," from Dr Browne, the chemist of 
 
 Miss Sara 
 
 Henneii, Edinburgh, which, I think, will go in the next 
 
 21st Jan. 
 
 1S52. number. 
 
 I am in a miserable state of languor and low 
 spirits, in which everything is a trouble to me. 
 I must tell you a bit of Louis Blanc's English, 
 which Mr Spencer was reciting the other night. 
 The iKtit Jiomme called on some one, and said, " I 
 come to tell you how you are. I was at you 
 the other day, but you were not." 
 
 Letter to the We wcut to (piitc a gay party at Mrs Mackay's 
 
 JBi'tivs 2tl 
 
 Feb. 1852. on Saturday. Good Mr Mackay has been taking 
 trouble to get me to Hastings for my health — 
 calling on Miss Eellowes, daughter of the ' Eeligion 
 of the Universe,' and inducing her to write me a 
 note of invitation. Sara will be heartily welcome. 
 Unfortunately I had an invitation to the Parkes', 
 to meet Cobden on Saturday evening. I was sorry 
 to miss that. Miss Parkes^ is a dear, ardent, 
 honest creature ; and I hope we shall be good 
 friends. I have nothing else to tell you. I am 
 steeped in dulness within and without. Heaven 
 send some lions to-night to meet Fox, who is 
 coming. An advertisement we found in the 
 
 1 Now Madame Belloc, who remained to the end one of George 
 Eliot's closest friends.
 
 1852.] Acquaintance ivith Mrs Fetcr Ta^ylor. 271 
 
 ' Times ' to - day — " To gentlemen. A converted i^etter to the 
 
 Brays, 2cl 
 
 medical man, of gentlemanly habits and fond of Feb. 1552. 
 Scriptural conversation, wishes to meet with a 
 gentleman of Calvinistic views, thirsty after truth, 
 in want of a daily companion. A little tem- 
 poral aid will be expected in return. Address, 
 Verax"! 
 
 We are going to Mr Ellis's, at Champion Hill, Letter to 
 
 JIrs Bray, 
 
 to-morrow evening. I am better now. Have rid stiiFeb. 
 
 1852 
 
 myself of all distasteful work, and am trying to 
 love the glorious destination of humanity, look- 
 ing 1 
 Sara. 
 
 ing before and after. We shall be glad to have 
 
 Miss Sara Hennell arrived on a visit to the 
 Strand next day — the 9th February — and stayed 
 till the 17th. 
 I have not merely had a headache, — I have been Letter to Mr 
 
 Bray, 16tb 
 
 really ill, and feel very much shattered. We (Miss Feb. 1852. 
 Evans and Miss Sara Hennell) dined yesterday at 
 Mrs Peter Taylor's,^ at Sydenham. I was not fit to 
 go, especially to make my dihut at a strange place ; 
 
 1 Mrs Peter Taylor remained a lifelong and a valued friend of 
 George Eliot's, and many interesting letters in this volume are 
 addressed to lier. I am glad also to take this opportunity of ex- 
 pressing my thanks to her for procuring for me two other sets of 
 correspondence —the letters addressed to Mrs Beecher Stowe and to 
 Mrs William Smith.
 
 272 
 
 Buffering from Languor. [142 strand, 
 
 Iietter to 
 Mrs Bray, 
 20tli Feb. 
 1852. 
 
 Letter to Mr but the countiy air was a temptation. The thick 
 
 Feb. 1852. of the woik is just beginning, and I am bound in 
 
 honour not to run away from it, as I have shirked 
 
 all labour but what is strictly editorial this 
 
 quarter. 
 
 We went to the meeting of the Association for 
 the Abolition of the Taxes on Knowledge on Wed- 
 nesday, that I might hear Cobden, in whom I was 
 wofully disappointed. George Dawson's speech was 
 admirable. I think it undesirable to fix on a 
 London residence at present, as I want to go to 
 Brighton for a month or two next quarter. I am 
 seriously concerned at my languid body, and feel 
 the necessity of taking some measures to get vigour. 
 Lewes inquired for Sara last Monday in a tone of 
 interest. He was charmed with her, as who would 
 not be that has any taste ? Do write to me, dear 
 Cara ; I want comforting : this world looks ugly 
 just now ; all people rather worse than I have been 
 used to think them. Put me in love with my kind 
 again, by giving me a 'glimpse of your own inward 
 self, since I cannot see the outer one. 
 Letter to I caii Sympathise with you in your troubles, 
 
 Mrs Peter ^ • t 
 
 Taylor, 6th haviug bceii a housekeeper myself, and known 
 
 March 1852. , . . 
 
 disappointment m trusted servants. Ah, well ! we 
 have a good share of the benefits of our civilisa-
 
 1852.] " William Tell " and tJie " Creation." 273 
 
 tion; it is but fair that we should feel some of the Letter to 
 
 Mrs Peter 
 
 burthen of its unperfections. Taylor, eth 
 
 . . March 1852. 
 
 Thank you a thousand times tor wishing to see 
 me again. I should really like to see you in your 
 own nice, fresh, healthy -looking home again ; but 
 until the end of March I fear I shall be a prisoner 
 from the necessity for constant work. Still it is 
 possible that I may have a day, though I am quite 
 unable to say when. 
 
 You will be still more surprised at the notice 
 of the ' Westminster ' in ' The People,' when you 
 know that MaccoU himself wrote it. I have not 
 seen it, but had been told of its ill-nature. How- 
 ever, he is too good a man to write otherwise than 
 sincerely ; and our opinion of a book often depends 
 on the state of the liver ! 
 
 I had two offers last night — not of marriage, but Letter to 
 
 Mrs Bray, 
 
 of music — which I find it hnpossible to resist. Mr 25tii Marcii 
 
 1S52. 
 
 Herbert Spencer proposed to take me on Thursday 
 to hear " AVilliam Tell," and Miss Parkes asked me 
 to go with her to hear the " Creation " on Friday. 
 I have had so little music this quarter, and these 
 two things are so exactly what I should like, that I 
 have determined to put off, for the sake of them, 
 my other pleasure of seeing you. So, pray, keep 
 your precious welcome w^arni for me until Saturday, 
 VOL. I. s
 
 March 1852. 
 
 274 Help in Despondency. [i42 strand, 
 
 when I shall positively set off by the two o'clock 
 train. Harriet Martineau has written me a most 
 cordial invitation to go to see her before July, but 
 that is impossible. 
 Letter to I am gricvecl to find that you have to pay for 
 
 lVTi*s Pptpi' 
 
 Taylor, 27th that fiiic temperament of yours in attacks of neural- 
 gia. Your silence did not surprise me, after the 
 account you had given me of your domestic circum- 
 stances, but I have wished for you on Monday 
 evenings. Your cordial assurance that you shall be 
 glad to see me sometimes is one of those pleasant 
 things — those life-preservers — which relenting des- 
 tiny sends me now and then to buoy me up. For 
 you must know that I am not a little desponding 
 now and then, and think that old friends will die 
 off, while I shall be left without the power to make 
 new ones. You know how sad one feels when a 
 great procession has swept by one, and the last 
 notes of its music have died away, leaving one 
 alone with the fields and sky. I feel so about life 
 sometimes. It is a help to read such a life as 
 Margaret Fuller's. How inexpressibly touching 
 that passage from her journal — " I shall always 
 reign through the intellect, but the life ! the life ! 
 my God ! shall that never be sweet ? " I am 
 thankful, as if for myself, that it was sweet at last.
 
 1852.] Mazzinis Speaking. 275 
 
 But I am running on about feelings when I ought Letter to 
 
 Mrs Peter 
 
 to tell you facts. I am going on Wednesday to my Taylor, 27tii 
 
 March 1S52. 
 
 friends in Warwickshire for about ten days or a 
 fortnight. Wlieii I come back I hope you will be 
 quite strong and able to receive visitors without 
 effort — Mr Taylor too. 
 
 I did go to the conversazione ; but you have less 
 to regret than you think. Mazzini's speeches are 
 better read than heard. Proofs are come demand- 
 ing my immediate attention, so I must end this 
 hasty scribble. 
 
 On the 3d April Miss Evans went to Kose- 
 
 hill, and stayed till the 14th. On her return 
 
 she writes : — 
 There was an article on the bookselling affair in Letter to Mr 
 
 Bray, 17th 
 
 the ' Times ' of yesterday, which must be the knell April is52, 
 of the Association. Dickens is to preside at a meet- 
 ing ill this house on the subject some day next 
 week. The opinions on the various articles in the 
 ' Eeview ' are, as before, ridiculously various. The 
 ' Economist ' calls the article on Quakerism " admir- 
 ably written." Greg says the article on India is 
 " very masterly ; " while he calls Mazzini's " sad 
 stuff — mere verbiage." Letter to 
 
 Miss Sara 
 
 If there is any change in my affection for you, Henneu, 
 
 21st April 
 
 it is that I love you more than ever, not less. I 1802.
 
 276 Friendsliip for Miss Sara Hcnndl. [l42 strand, 
 Letter to liave as perfect a friendship for you as my im- 
 
 Miss Sara 
 
 Henneii, perfect iiaturc can feel — a friendship in which deep 
 
 21st April 
 
 1852. respect and admiration are sweetened by a sort of 
 
 flesh-and-blood sisterly feeling and the happy con- 
 sciousness that I have your affection, however un- 
 deservedly, in return. I have confidence that this 
 friendship can never be shaken; that it must last 
 while I last, and that the supposition of its ever 
 being weakened by a momentary irritation is too 
 contemptibly absurd for me to take the trouble to 
 deny it. As to your whole conduct to me, from the 
 first day I knew you, it has been so generous and 
 sympathetic, that if I did not heartily love you, I 
 should feel deep gratitude — but love excludes grati- 
 tude. It is impossible that I should ever love two 
 women better than I love you and Cara. Indeed 
 it seems to me that I can never love any so well ; 
 and it is certain that I can never have any friend 
 — not even a husband — who would supply the loss 
 of those associations with the past which belong to 
 you. Do believe in my love for you, and that it 
 will remain as long as I have my senses, because it 
 is interwoven with my best nature, and is depend- 
 ent not on any accidents of manner but on long 
 experience, which has confirmed the instinctive 
 attraction of earlier days.
 
 1852.] W. R. Greg and Forstcr. 277 
 
 Our fortunes here are as usual cliequerecl — Letter to the 
 
 Brays, 22(1 
 
 " Twist ye, twine ye, even so April 1852. 
 
 Mingle human weal and woe." 
 
 Grote is very friendly, and has propitiated J. S. 
 Mni, who will write for us when we want him. 
 We had quite a brilliant soirie yesterday even- 
 ing. W. E. Greg, Forster (of Eawdon), Francis 
 Newman, the Ellises, and Louis Blanc, were the 
 stars of greatest magnitude. I had a pleasant 
 talk with Greg and Forster. Greg was " much 
 pleased to have made my acquaintance." For- 
 ster, on the whole, appeared to think that people 
 should be glad to make his acquaintance. Greg 
 is a short man, but his brain is large, the anterior 
 lobe very fine, and a moral region to correspond. 
 Black, wiry, curly hair, and every indication of a 
 first-rate temperament. We have some very 
 nice Americans here — the Pughs, friends of the 
 Parkes', really refined, intellectual people. Miss 
 Pugh, an elderly lady, is a great abolitionist, and 
 was one of the Women's Convention that came 
 to England in 1840, and was not allowed to 
 join the Men's Convention. But I suppose we 
 shall soon be able to say, nous avons chan(j6 
 tout ccla. 
 
 I went to the opera on Saturday — "I Martiri,"
 
 278 Intimacy with Hcrhert Spc7iccr. [142 stPiAND, 
 Letter to tiie at Coveiit Garden — with my "excellent friend, 
 
 Brays, 22d 
 
 April 1852. Herbert Spencer," as Lewes calls him. We have 
 
 agreed that there is no reason why we should not 
 
 have as much of each other's society as we like. 
 
 He is a good, delightful creature, and I always 
 
 feel better for being with him. 
 
 Letter to the I like to remind you of me on Sunday morn- 
 Brays, 2d 
 jiayi852. iug, wliBu you look at the flowers and listen 
 
 to music ; so I send a few lines, though I have 
 not much time to spare to-day. After Tuesday 
 I will write you a longer letter, and tell you all 
 about everything. I am going to the opera to- 
 night to hear the "Huguenots." See what a fine 
 thing it is to pick up people who are short-sighted 
 enough to like one. 
 
 On the 4th of May a meeting, consisting 
 chiefly of authors, was held at the house in 
 the Strand, for the purpose of hastening the 
 removal of the trade restrictions on the Com- 
 merce of Literature, and it is thus described 
 in the following letter : — 
 Letter to the -pi^g meeting last night went off' triumphantly. 
 
 Brays, 5th ^ *" 
 
 May 1852. and I salutcd Mr Chapman with " See the Con- 
 quering Hero comes" on the piano at 12 o'clock; 
 for not until then was the last magnate, except 
 Herbert Spencer, out of the house. I sat at the
 
 1852.] Cliarles Dickens as Chairman. 279 
 
 door for a short time, but soon got a chair Letter to the 
 
 Brays, 5th 
 
 within it, and heard and saw everytliing. Mayi852. 
 
 Dickens in the chair — a position he fills re- 
 markably well, preserving a courteous neutrality 
 of eyebrows, and speaking with clearness and 
 decision. His appearance is certainly disappoint- 
 ing — no benevolence in the face, and, I think, 
 little in the head, — the anterior lobe not by any 
 means remarkable. In fact, he is not distinguished 
 looking in any way — neither handsome nor ugly, 
 neither fat nor thin, neither tall nor short. Bab- 
 bage moved the first resolution — a bad speaker, but 
 a great authority. Charles Knight is a beautiful, 
 elderly man, with a modest but firm enunciation ; 
 and he made a wise and telling speech which si- 
 lenced one or two vulgar, ignorant Ijooksellers who 
 had got into the meeting by mistake. One of 
 these began by complimenting Dickens — " views 
 held by such worthy and important gentlemen, 
 ivhich is your worthy person in the chair." Dickens 
 looked respectfully neutral. The most telling 
 speech of the evening was Prof. Tom Taylor's — 
 as witty and brilliant as one of George Dawson's. 
 Professor Owen's, too, was remarkably good. He 
 had a resolution to move as to the bad effect of 
 the trade restrictions on scientific works, and gave
 
 280 Meeting in the Strand. [142 strand, 
 
 Letter to the liis owii experience in illustration. Speaking of 
 May 1852. tlie slow ancl small sale of scientific books of a 
 high class, he said, in his silvery bland way, al- 
 luding to the boast that the retail booksellers 
 recommended the works of less known authors — 
 " for which limited sale we are doubtless indebted 
 to the kind recommendation of our friends, the 
 retail booksellers " — whereupon these worthies, tak- 
 ing it for a hond fide compliment, cheered enthusi- 
 astically. Dr Lankester, Prof. Newman, Eobert 
 Bell, and others, spoke well. Owen has a tre- 
 mendous head, and looked, as he was, the greatest 
 celebrity of the meeting. George Cruikshank, too, 
 made a capital speech in an admirable moral 
 spirit. He is the most homely, genuine-looking 
 man, not unlike the pictures of Captain Cuttle. 
 
 I went to hear the " Huguenots " on Saturday 
 evening. It was a rich treat. Mario, and Grisi, 
 and Formes, and that finest of orchestras under 
 Costa. I am going to a concert to-night. This 
 is all very fine, but in the meantime, I am get- 
 ting as haggard as an old witch under London 
 atmosphere and influences. I shall be glad to 
 have sent me my Shakspeare, Goethe, Byron, and 
 Wordsworth, if you will be so good as to take the 
 trouble of packing them.
 
 1852.] Admiration of Prince Albert . 281 
 
 My days have slipt away in a most mysterious Letter to the 
 
 Brays, Mon- 
 
 fashion lately — chiefly, I suppose, in long walks day, 12th (?) 
 
 May 1852. 
 
 and long talks. Our Monday evenings are dymg 
 off^not universally regretted — but we are expect- 
 ing one or two people to-night. I have nothing 
 to tell except that I went to the opera on Thurs- 
 day, and heard " La Juive," and, moreover, fell in 
 love with Prince Albert, who was unusually ani- 
 mated and prominent. He has a noble, genial, 
 intelligent expression, and is altogether a man to 
 be proud of. I am going next Thursday to see 
 Grisi in " Norma," She is quite beautiful this 
 season, thinner than she was, and really younger 
 looking. 
 
 My brightest spot, next to my love of old friends, Letter to 
 
 Miss Sara 
 
 is the deliciously calm new friendship that Herbert Henneii, 
 
 27th May 
 
 Spencer gives me. We see each other every day, 1852. 
 and have a delightful camerctderie in everything. 
 But for him my life would be desolate enoiiglL 
 What a wretched lot of old shrivelled creatures 
 we shall be by-and-by. Never mind — the uglier 
 we get in the eyes of others, the lovelier we shall 
 be to each other; that has always been my firm 
 faith about friendship, and now it is in a slight 
 degree my experience. Mme. d'Albert has sent 
 me the sweetest letter, just like herself; and I
 
 282 
 
 Dislike of Scrcq^^corl. [i42 strand, 
 
 Letter to 
 Miss Sara 
 Heuiiell, 
 Wednesday, 
 2d June 
 1852. 
 
 feel ffratefnl to have sucli a heart rememberinsj 
 and lovinu' me on the other side of the Jura. 
 They are very well and flourishing. 
 
 I am bothered to death with article-reading and 
 scrap-work of all sorts : it is clear my poor head 
 will never produce anything under these circum- 
 stances ; hut I am patient. I am ashamed to tease 
 you so, but I must beg of you to send me George 
 Sand's works ; and also I shall be grateful if you 
 will lend me, what I think you have — an English 
 edition of ' Corinne,' and Miss Austen's ' Sense 
 and Sensibility.' Harriet Martineau's article on 
 "Niebuhr" will not go in the July number. I 
 am sorry for it — it is admirable. After all, she 
 is a trumiJ — the only Englishwoman that possesses 
 thoroughly the art of writing. 
 
 On Thursday morning I went to St Paul's to 
 see the Charity children assembled, and hear their 
 singing. Berlioz says it is the finest thing he has 
 heard in England ; and this opinion of his induced 
 me to go, I was not disappointed — it is worth 
 doing once, especially as we got out before the 
 sermon. I had a long call from George Combe 
 yesterday. He says he thinks the 'Westminster,' 
 under my management, the most important means 
 of enlightenment of a literary nature in existence
 
 1852.] George Comhe on the ' Westminster' 283 
 
 — the 'Edinburgh,' under Jeffrey, nothing to it, 
 &c. ! ! ! I wish / thought so too. 
 
 Your joint assurance of welcome strengthens the Letter to the 
 
 Brays, 21st 
 
 centripetal force that would carry me to you ; but, June is52. 
 on the other hand, sundry considerations are in 
 favour of the centrifugal force, which, I suppose, 
 will carry me to Broadstairs or Eamsgate. On the 
 whole, 1 prefer to keep my visit to you as a honne 
 houclie, when I am just in the best physical and 
 mental state for enjoying it. I hope to get away 
 on Saturday, or on Wednesday at tlie latest. I 
 think the third number of the ' Eeview ' will be 
 capital — thoroughly readable, and yet not frothy. 
 
 I have assured Herbert Spencer that you will Letter to 
 think it a sufficiently formal answer to the invita- 23d juue 
 
 1852. 
 
 tion you sent him through Mr Lewes, if I tell you 
 that he will j^refer waiting for the pleasure of a 
 visit to you until I am with you — if you will have 
 him then. I spent the evening at Mr Parkes's on 
 Monday. Yesterday Herbert Spencer brought his 
 father to see me — a large-brained, liighly-informed 
 man, with a certain quaintness and simplicity, alto- 
 gether very pleasing. 
 
 After all, I begin to hope that our next number Letter to 
 
 Miss Sara 
 
 will be the best yet. Forbes is good. Froude Henneii, 
 
 25tli June 
 
 ditto; and James Martineau, if I may judge from (?)is52.
 
 284 Acquaintance with Miss B. Smith. [142 strand, 
 Letter to a glance at a few of his pages, admirable. Lewes 
 
 Miss Sara . i i • i t i -^-r i 
 
 Henneii, lias writteii US ail agreeable article on Lady Novel- 
 
 25th June . _-, . . •^ • 
 
 (?) 1852. ists. There is a mysterious contribution to the 
 Independent section. We are hoping that an 
 article on Edinburgh Literary Men, yet to come 
 will be very good. If not, we shall put in Niebuhr: 
 it is capital. 
 
 Letter to the The opcra, Chiswick Flower Show, the French 
 
 Bniys, eiid of 
 
 Juneis52. play, and the Lyceum, all in one week, brought 
 their natural consequences of headache and hys- 
 terics — all yesterday. At five o'clock I felt quite 
 sure that life was unendurable. This morning, 
 however, the weather and I are both better, having 
 cried ourselves out and used up all our clouds ; and 
 I can even contemplate living six months longer. 
 Was there ever anything more dreary than this 
 June ? 
 
 Letter to I aiii busy packing to-day, and am going to Mr 
 
 Miss Sara ti ir- -r^ ^ 
 
 Heuueii, ParlvCS s to dinner. Miss Parkes has introduced 
 
 Fridtiy 
 
 morning, 2ii iiic to Barbara Smith, ^ whose expression I like 
 
 - ' exceedingly, and hope to know more of her. I go 
 
 to Broadstairs on Saturday. I am sadly in want of 
 
 tlie change, and would much rather present myself to 
 
 you all when I can do you more credit as a friend. 
 
 1 Afterwards Madame Bodichon — one of the three or four most inti- 
 mate friends of George Eliot, whose name will very often appear in 
 subsetpient pages.
 
 1852.] Ddiijht with change to Broadstairs. 285 
 
 I warn you against Eamsgate, wliich is a strip Letter to 
 
 Mrs Bniy, 
 
 of London come out for an airing. Broadstairs is 4thjuiy 
 
 1852. 
 
 perfect ; and I have the snuggest little lodging con- 
 ceivable, with a motherly good woman and a nice 
 little damsel of fourteen to wait on me. There are 
 only my two rooms in this cottage, Init lodgings are 
 plentiful in the place. I have a sitting-room about 
 8 feet by 9, and a bed-room a little larger ; yet 
 in that small space there is almost every comfort. 
 I pay a guinea a-week for my rooms, so I shall 
 not ruin myself by staying a month, unless I com- 
 mit excesses in coffee and sugar. I am thinking 
 whether it w^ould not be wise to retire from the 
 world and live here for the rest of my days. With 
 some fresh paper on the walls and an easy-chair, 
 I think I could resign myself. Come and tell me 
 your opinion. 
 
 I thought of you last night, when I was in a Letter tu 
 
 Miss Sara 
 
 state of mingled rapture and torture — rapture at Henneii, 
 
 loth July 
 
 the sight of a glorious evening sky, torture at the is52. 
 sight and hearing of the belabouring given to the 
 poor donkey which was drawing me from Eamsgate 
 home. 
 
 I had a note from Miss Florence Nightingale 
 yesterday. I was much pleased with her. There 
 is a loftiness of mind about her which is well
 
 286 Delight ivith change of Life, [broadstairs, 
 
 Letter to 
 Miss Sara 
 Hennell, 
 lOtli Jiily 
 1852. 
 
 Letter to 
 Clias. Bray, 
 21st July 
 1852. 
 
 expressed by her form and manner. Glad yon are 
 pleased with the 'Westminster.' I do think it a 
 rich number — matter for a fortnight's reading and 
 thought. Lewes has not half done it justice in the 
 'Leader.' To my mind the Niebuhr article is as good 
 as any of them. If you could see me in my quiet 
 nook ! I am half ashamed of being in such clover, 
 both spiritually and materially, while some of my 
 friends are on the dusty highways, without a tuft of 
 grass or a flower to cheer them. A letter from you 
 will be delightful. We seem to have said very 
 little to each other lately. But I always know — 
 rejoice to know — that there is the same Sara for 
 me as there is the same green earth and arched 
 sky, when I am good and wise enough to like the 
 best thing. 
 
 Do not be anxious about me — there is no cause. 
 I am profiting, body and mind, from quiet walks 
 and talks with nature, gathering " Lady's Bedstraw " 
 and " Eest-harrow," and other pretty things ; pick- 
 ing up shells (not in the Newtonian sense, but 
 literally) ; reading Aristotle, to find out what is the 
 chief good ; and eating mutton-chops, that I may 
 have strength to pursue it. If you insist on my 
 writing about "Emotions," why, I must get some 
 up expressly for the purpose. But I must own I
 
 1852.] Visit from Mrs Bray. 287 
 
 would rather not, for it is the grand wish and Letter to 
 
 Chas. Bray, 
 
 object of my hfe to get rid of them as far as sistJiiiy 
 
 1S52. 
 
 possible, seemg they have already had more than 
 theii' share of my nervous energy. I shall not be 
 in town on the 2d of August — at least I pray 
 heaven to forbid it. 
 
 Mrs Bray paid a visit to Broadstairs from the 
 
 3d to the 12th August, and the next letter is 
 
 addressed to her. 
 Are you really the better for having been here ? Letter to 
 
 Mrs Bray, 
 
 Since you left, I have been contmually regretting Thm-sday, 
 
 -^ ' . . 14th (?) Aug. 
 
 that I could not make your visit pleasanter. I is52. 
 was irritable and out of sorts ; but you have an 
 apparatus for secreting happiness — that's it. Pro- 
 vidence, seeing that I wanted weaning from this 
 place, has sent a swarm of harvest-bugs and lady- 
 birds. These, with the half-blank, half-dissipated 
 feeling which comes on after having companions 
 and losing them, make me think of returning to 
 London on Saturday week with more resignation 
 than I have felt before. I am very w^ell and 
 "plucky" — a word which I propose to substitute 
 for happy, as more truthful. 
 
 For the last two months I have been at this Letter to 
 
 Mrs Peter 
 
 pretty, quiet place, which ' Da^dd Copperfield ' has Taylor, lotu 
 
 Aug. 1852. 
 
 made classic — far awayfrom London noise and smoke.
 
 288 Admiration of Haiothornc. [beoadstairs, 
 
 Letter to I aiii soiiy HOW that I brought with me Fox's 
 
 Taylor, lotii Lectuies, which I had not managed to read before 
 
 °' '' ' I left town. But I shall return thither at the end 
 
 of next week, and I will at once forward the 
 
 volume to Gary Lane. 
 
 One sees no novels less than a year old at the 
 sea-side, so I am unacquainted with the ' Blithe- 
 dale Eomance,' except through the reviews, which 
 have whetted my curiosity more than usual. Haw- 
 thorne is a grand favourite of mine, and I shall be 
 sorry if he do not go on surpassing himself. It is 
 sad to hear of your only going out to consult a 
 physician. Illness seems to me the one woe for 
 which there is no comfort — no compensation. But 
 perhaps you find it otherwise, for you have a less 
 rebellious spirit than I, and suffering seems to make 
 you look all the more gentle. 
 Letter to Thinking of you this morning — as I often do, 
 
 Mrs Hough- 
 ton, 22d though you may not suppose so — it was "borne 
 
 in on my mind" that I must write to you, and 
 I obey the inspiration without waiting to con- 
 sider whether there may be a corresponding 
 desire on your part to hear from me. I live in 
 a world of cares and joys, so remote from the 
 one in which we used to sympathise with each 
 other, that I find positive communication with 
 
 Aus. 1852.
 
 1852.] Return to London. 289 
 
 you difficult. But I am not unfaithful to old Letter to 
 
 Mrs Hough- 
 loves — they were sincere, and they are lasting, ton, 22d 
 
 Aug. 1852. 
 
 I hope you will not think it too much trouble 
 to write me a little news of yourself. I want 
 very much to know if your health continues 
 good, and if there has been any change in your 
 circumstances, that I may have something like a 
 true conception of you. All is well with me so 
 far as my individuality is concerned — but I have 
 plenty of friends' troubles to sorrow over. I hope 
 you have none to add to the number. 
 
 I celebrated my return to London by the usual Letter to 
 
 , , . • 1 1 T 1 ^iT-^^ Sara 
 
 observance — that is to say, a violent headache, nenneii, . 
 
 1 . 1 . , p T • 29th Aug. 
 
 which IS not yet gone, and or course i am m i,s52. 
 the worst spirits, and my opinion of things 
 is not worth a straw. I tell you this that you 
 may know why I only send you this scrap 
 instead of the long letter which I have in petto 
 for you, and which would otherwise have been 
 written yesterday. 
 
 Somehow my letters — except those which come Letter to 
 
 Miss Sara 
 
 under the inexorable imperative must (the " ought Henneii, 2a 
 
 Sept. 1S52. 
 
 I manage well enough to shirk) — will not get writ- 
 ten. The fact is, I am in a croaking mood, and 
 I am waiting and waiting for it to pass by, so 
 if my pen croaks in spite of my resolutions 
 VOL. I. T
 
 290 
 
 Lewes on Comte. 
 
 [142 STRAND, 
 
 Letter to 
 Miss Sara 
 Hennell, 2d 
 Sept. 1852. 
 
 Letter to 
 Mrs Bray, 
 11th Sept. 
 1852. 
 
 to the contrary, please to take no notice of it. 
 Ever since I came back, I have felt something like 
 the madness which imagines that the four walls 
 are contracting and going to crush one. Harriet 
 Martineau (in a private letter shown to me), with 
 incomprehensible ignorance, jeers at Lewes for 
 introducing 'psycliology as a science in his Comte 
 papers. Why, Comte himself holds psychology to 
 be a necessary link in the chain of science. Lewes 
 only suggests a change in its relations. There is a 
 great dreary article on the Colonies by my side 
 asking for reading and abridgment, so I cannot 
 go on scribbling — indeed my hands are so hot and 
 tremulous this morning, that it will be better for 
 you if I leave off. Your little loving notes are 
 very precious to me; but I say nothing about 
 matters of feeling till my good genius has returned 
 from his excursions : the evil one has possession 
 just now. 
 
 The week has really yielded nothing worth telling 
 you. I am a few degrees more wizened and mud- 
 dle-headed ; and the articles for the ' Eeview ' are 
 on the whole unsatisfactory, I fear a discerning 
 public will think this number a sad falling off. 
 This is the greater pity, that said public is patron- 
 ising us well at present. Scarcely a day passes
 
 1852.] Fimction of the Cerebellum. 291 
 
 that some one does not write to order the ' Eeview ' Letter to 
 
 Mrs Bray, 
 
 as a permanent subscriber. You may as well ex- iitu Sept. 
 
 1852. 
 
 pect news from an old spider or bat as from me. 
 I can only tell you what I think of the ' Blithedale 
 Eomance,' of 'Uncle Tom's Cabin,' and the American 
 Fishery Dispute — all which, I am very sure, you 
 don't want to know. Do have pity on me, and 
 make a little variety in my life, by all sending 
 me a scrap — never mind if it be only six lines 
 apiece. Perhaps something will befall me one day 
 or other. As it is, nothing happens to me but the 
 ringing of the dinner - bell and the arrival of a 
 proof. I have no courage to walk out. 
 
 Lewes called on me the other day, and told me of Letter to 
 
 Chas. Bray, 
 
 a conversation with Professor Owen, in which the isthsept." 
 
 1852. 
 
 latter declared his conviction that the cerebrum 
 was not the organ of the mind, but the cerebellum 
 rather. He founds on the enormous comparative 
 size of brain in the grampus ! The professor has 
 a huge anterior lobe of his own. What would 
 George Combe say if I were to tell him ? But 
 every great man has his paradox, and that of the 
 first anatomist in Europe ought to be a startling one. 
 
 We shall make a respectable figure after all — Letter to 
 
 Miss Sara 
 
 nine articles, and two or three of them good, the Henneii, 
 
 Saturday, 
 
 rest not bad. The ' Review ' has been selling well Sept. i852.
 
 292 Visit to Edinburgh. [EDINBURGH, 
 
 Letter to lately, in spite of its being the end of the quarter. 
 
 Miss Sara i t i • • 
 
 Henneii, We liave made splendid provision for January — 
 Sept. 1852. Fronde, Harriet Martineau, Theodore Parker, 
 Samuel Brown, &c., &c. The autumnal freshness 
 of the morninos makes me dream of mellowino- 
 woods and gossamer threads. I am really longing 
 for my journey. Bessie Parkes spent last evening 
 with me chatting of experience. 
 Letter to tiie Pity iiie — I liavc had the headache for four days 
 
 Brays, 2d 
 
 Oct. 1852. incessantly. But now I am well, and even the 
 Strand seems an elysium by contrast. I set off on 
 Tuesday for Edinburgh by express. This is awfully 
 expensive, but it seems the only way of reaching 
 there alive with my frail body. I have had the 
 kindest notes from the Combes and from Harriet 
 ]\Iartiiieau. 
 
 Letter to the Hcrc I am ill tliis beautiful Auld Reekie once 
 
 Brays, 7th 
 
 Oct. 1852, more — hardly recognising myself for the same 
 person as the damozel who left it b}' the coach 
 with a heavy heart some six years ago. The 
 Combes are all kindness, and I am in clover — 
 an elegant house, glorious fires, and a comfortable 
 carriage — in short, just in the circumstances to 
 i nourish sleek optimism, convince one that this is 
 
 le meilleur dcs mondcs 2Jossihlcs, and make one shud- 
 der at the impiety of all who doubt it. Last even-
 
 1852.] Enjoyment of Edinhurgh. 293 
 
 ing Mr Eobert Cox came to tea to be introduced Letter to the 
 
 Brays, 7th 
 
 to me as my cicerone through tlie lions of Edin- oct. is52. 
 burgh. The talk last night was pleasant enough, 
 though of course all the interlocutors Ijesides Mr 
 Combe have little to do Ijut shape elegant modes 
 of negation and affirmation, like the people who 
 are talked to by Socrates in Plato's dialogues — 
 " Certainly," " that I firmlv believe," &c. I have 
 a beautiful ^dew from my room window — masses 
 of wood, distant hills, the Firth, and four splendid 
 buildings, dotted far apart — not an ugly object to 
 be seen. "V\lien I look out in the morning, it is 
 as if I had waked up in Utopia or Icaria, or one 
 of Owen's parallelograms. The weather is perfect 
 — all the more delightful to me for its northern 
 sharpness, which is just what I wanted to brace 
 me. I have been out walking and driving all day, 
 and have only time before dinner to send this jpaar 
 Wortc, but I may have still less time to-morrow. 
 Between the beautv of the weather and the seen- Letter to the 
 
 Brays, 12th 
 
 ery, and the kindness of good people, I am tipsy with oct. is52. 
 pleasure. But I shall tell you nothing of what I 
 see and do, because that would be taking off some 
 of the edge from your pleasure in seeing me. One's 
 dear friend who has nothing at all to tell one is a 
 bore. Is it not so, honour bright ? I enjoy talking
 
 294 
 
 Tlic Conibcs. 
 
 [edinbuegh, 
 
 Letter to the to Mr Combe — he can tell me many things, espe- 
 
 Brays, 12tli 
 
 Oct. 1852. cially about men in America and elsewhere, which 
 are valuable ; and besides, I sometimes manage to 
 get in more than a negative or affirmative. He 
 and Mrs Combe are really affectionate to me, and 
 the mild warmth of their regard, w^ith the perfect 
 order and elegance of everything about me, are just 
 the soothing influence to do me good. They urge 
 me to stay longer, but I shall adhere to my original 
 determination of going to Miss Martineau's on the 
 20th, and I do not mean to stay with her longer 
 than the 25tli. We are going to-day to Craigcrook 
 (Jeffrey's place), a beautiful spot, which old October 
 has mellowed into his richest tints. Such a view of 
 Edinburgh from it ! 
 
 Those who know the article on Wliewell to be 
 Mill's, generally think it good, but I confess to me 
 it is unsatisfactory. The sun docs shine here, albeit 
 this is the 12th October. I wish you could see the 
 view from Salisbury Crag. 
 
 Yes, he is an apostle. An apostle, it is true, with 
 a back and front drawing-room, but still earnest, 
 convinced, consistent, having fought a good fight, 
 and now peacefully enjoying the retrospect of it. 
 I shall leave these good friends with regret, almost 
 with repentings, that 1 did not determine to pay 
 
 Letter to 
 Miss Sara 
 Heniiell, 
 12tli Oct. 
 
 1852. 
 
 Letter to 
 Miss Sara 
 Henuell, 
 19th Oct. 
 1852.
 
 1852.] Visit to Miss Martineau. 295 
 
 them a longer visit. I have had a pleasant note 
 from Miss Martineau this morning, with a vignette 
 of her house, — I suppose to make me like all the 
 better the idea of going there. 
 
 The coach brought me to Miss Martineau's gate Letter to 
 at half-past six yesterday evening, and she was there Thur/dTy' 
 with a beaming face, to welcome me. Mr Atkin- oct. 1852. 
 son joined us this morning, and is a very agreeable 
 addition. There has been an intelligent gentleman 
 visitor to-day, who is interested in Miss Martineau's 
 building society ; and we have been trudging about 
 looking at cottages and enjoying the sight of the 
 mountains, spite of the rain and mist. The weather 
 is not promising, that is the worst of it. Miss M. 
 is charming in her own home — quite handsome 
 from her animation and intelligence. She came 
 behind me, put her hands round me, and kissed 
 me in the prettiest way this evening, telling me 
 she was so glad she had got me here. I send you 
 her note that you may have an idea of " The Knoll." 
 
 We had a fine day yesterday, and went to Letter to the 
 
 . Brays, 24th 
 
 Borrowdale. I have not been well smce I have oct. i852. 
 been here. Still I manage to enjoy, certainly not 
 myself, but my companions and the scenery. I shall 
 set off from here on Tuesday morning, and shall be 
 due at the Coventry station, I believe, at 5.50.
 
 296 
 
 Return to London. [i42 strand, 
 
 Letter to tlie 'Po 
 Brays, 6th 
 Nov. 1852. 
 
 Letter to 
 the Brays, 
 iSaturday, 
 Nov. (?) 1852. 
 
 After a pleasant ten days' visit to Eoseliill, 
 Miss Evans returned to London on the 3d 
 November. 
 
 get into a first-class carriage, fall asleep, 
 and awake to find oneself where one would be, is 
 almost as good as having Prince Hussein's carpet. 
 This was my easy way of getting to London on 
 Thursday. By 5 o'clock I had unpacked my 
 boxes and made my room tidy, and then I began 
 to feel some satisfaction in being settled down 
 where I am of most use just now. After dinner 
 came Herbert Spencer, and spent the evening. 
 Yesterday morning Mr Greg called on his way to 
 Paris, to express his regret that he did not see me 
 at Ambleside. He is very pleasing, but somehow 
 or other he frightens me dreadfully. I am going 
 to plunge into Thackeray's novel now (' Esmond '). 
 Oh this liideous fog ! Let me grumble, for I 
 have had headache the last three days, and there 
 seems little prospect of anything else in such an 
 atmosphere. I am ready to vow that I will not 
 live in the Strand again after Christmas. If I 
 were not choked by the fog, the time would trot 
 pleasantly withal; l)ut of what use are brains 
 and friends when one lives in a light such as 
 might be got in the chimney ? ' Esmond ' is the
 
 1852.] 'EsmoiuV — Lord BroHghatii. 297 
 
 most uncomfortable book you can imagine. You Letter to 
 
 . , the Brays, 
 
 remember how you disliked ' rran(}ois le Cliampi. Saturday, 
 
 Nov. (?) 1852. 
 
 Well, the story of 'Esmond is just the same. 
 The hero is in love with the daughter all through 
 the book, and marries the mother at the end. 
 You should read the debates on the opening of 
 Parliament in the ' Times.' Lord Brougham, the 
 greatest of English orators, perpetrates the most 
 delicious non sequitur I have seen for a long time. 
 " ]\Iy Lords, I believe that any disturbance of the 
 repose of the world is very remote, hecansc it is 
 our undcniahlc right and an unqucstionahlc duty 
 to be prepared witli the means of defence, should 
 such an event occur." These be thy gods, Israel ! 
 
 I perceive your reading of the golden rule is Letter to the 
 
 Brays, Mon- 
 
 " Do as you are done bv ; " and I shall be wiser iiay, 20th 
 
 Nov. 1852. 
 
 than to expect a letter from you another Monday 
 morning, when I have not earned it b}' my Satur- 
 day's billet. The fact is, both callers and work 
 thicken — the former sadly interfering with the 
 latter. I will just tell y(.)u how it was last Satur- 
 day, and that will give you an idea of my days. 
 My task was to read an article of Greg's in the 
 ' North British ' on Taxation, a lieap of newspaper 
 articles, and all that J. S. Mill says on the same 
 subject. Wlien T liad got some way into this
 
 298 Editors Life. [l42 stkand, 
 
 Letter to the mcignum mavc, in comes Mr Chapman, with a 
 
 Brays, Mon- -itt-h i i 
 
 day, 20th thick German volume. " Will you read enough 
 
 Nov. 1852. „ , . . . . f -^ o>y n^^ 
 
 of this to give me your opinion oi it f ineii 
 of course I must have a walk after lunch, and 
 when I had sat down again, thinking that I had 
 two clear hours before dinner, rap at the door — 
 Mr Lewes, who, of course, sits talking till the 
 second bell rings. After dinner another visitor, 
 and so behold me, at 11 p.m., still very far at sea on 
 the subject of Taxation, but too tired to keep my 
 eyes open. We had Bryant the poet last evening 
 — a pleasant, quiet, elderly man. Do you know 
 of this second sample of plagiarism by Disraeli, 
 detected by the ' Morning Chronicle ' ? ^ It is worth 
 sending for its cool impudence. Write me some 
 news about trade, at all events. I could toler- 
 ate even Louis Napoleon, if somehow or other he 
 could have a favourable influence on the Coventry 
 trade ! 
 Letter to the Another week almost "with the years beyond 
 
 Brays, -Ith a m 
 
 Dec. 1852. tlic flood " ! What has it brought you? lo me 
 it has brought articles to read — for the most part 
 satisfactory, — new callers, and letters to nibble at 
 my time, and a meeting of the Association for 
 the Abolition of Taxes on Knowledge. I am 
 
 1 Funeral oration on the Duke of Wellington.
 
 1852.] Women to Pay Incomc-Tax. 299 
 
 invited to go to the Leigh Smiths on Monday Letter to the 
 
 Brays, 4th 
 
 evening to meet Mr Eobert Noel. Herbert Spencer Dec. 1352. 
 is invited too, because Mr Noel wants especially to 
 see him. Barbara Smith speaks of Mr E. Noel as 
 their " dear German friend." So the Budget is 
 come out, and I am to pay income - tax. All 
 very right, of course. An enlightened personage 
 like me has no " ignorant impatience of taxation." 
 I am glad to hear of the Lectures to Young Men 
 and the banquet of the Labourers' Friend Society. 
 " Be not weary in well-doing." Thanks to Sara 
 for her letter. She must not mind paying the 
 income-tax: it is a right principle that Dizzy is 
 going upon ; and with her great conscientiousness 
 she ought to enjoy being flayed on a right prin- 
 ciple. 
 
 I am not well — all out of sorts, — and what do Letter to the 
 
 Brays, 10th 
 
 you think I am minded to do ? Take a return Dec. i852. 
 ticket, and set off by the train to-morrow 12 o'clock, 
 have a tallv with you and a blow over the hill, 
 and come back relieved on Monday. I the rather 
 indulge myself in this, because I think I shall 
 not be able to be with you until some time after 
 Christmas. Pray forgive me for not sending you 
 word before. I have only just made up my 
 mind.
 
 300 
 
 Mr Edward Clarkcs Death. [l42 STRAND, 
 
 Letter to 
 Chas. Br;iy, 
 Iflth (?) 
 Dec. 1S52. 
 
 Letter to 
 Clias. Bray, 
 21st Dec. 
 1852. 
 
 Letter to 
 the Brayti, 
 ChristiiKis 
 Day, '25t]i 
 Dee. 185'2, 
 from 
 Jlerideii. 
 
 This visit to Eosehill lasted only from the 
 11th to 13th December, and the following 
 sliort note is the next communication : — 
 I am very wretched to-day on many accounts, and 
 am only able to write you two or three lines. I 
 have heard this morning tliat Mr Clarke is dan- 
 gerously ill. Poor Chrissey and her children. 
 Thank you for your kind letter. 
 
 I daresay you will have heard, before you re- 
 ceive this, that Edward Clarke is dead. I am 
 to go to the funeral, wliich will take place on 
 Friday. I am debating with myself as to what 
 I ought to do now for poor Chrissey, but I must 
 wait until I have been on the spot and seen my 
 brother. If you hear no more from me, I shall 
 trust to your goodness to give me a bed on 
 Thursday night. 
 
 Your love and goodness are a comforting pres- 
 ence to me everywhere, whether I am ninety or 
 only nine miles away from you. Chrissey bears 
 her trouble much lietter than T expected. We 
 ho23e that an advantageous arrangement may be 
 made about the practice ; and there is a consider- 
 able sum in debts to be collected. I shall return 
 to town on Wednesday. It would have been a 
 comfort to see you again before going back, but
 
 1853 ] Anxiety for Mrs Clarke. 301 
 
 tlTere are many reasons for not doing so. I am 
 satisfied now that my duties do not lie here, 
 though the dear creatures here will he a constant 
 motive for work and economy. 
 
 I arrived here only yesterday. I had agreed Letter to the 
 
 Brays, 31st 
 
 with Chrissey that, all things considered, it was Dec is52. 
 wiser for me to return to town — that I could do 
 her no substantial good by staying another week, 
 while I should be losing time as to other matters. 
 
 I am out of spirits about the ' Eeview.' I should Letter to the 
 
 Brays, Ttli 
 
 be glad to run away from it altogether. But one Jau. is53. 
 thing is clear, that it would be a great deal worse 
 if I were not here. This is the only thought that 
 consoles me. We are thinking of sending Chris- 
 sey 's eldest boy to Australia. A patient of his 
 father's has offered to place him under suitable 
 protection at Adelaide, and I strongly recommend 
 Chrissey to accept her offer — that is, if she will let 
 it be available a year hence ; so I have bought 
 Sidney's book on Australia, and am going to send 
 it to Chrissey to enlighten her about matters 
 there, and accustom her mind to the subject. 
 You are "jolly," I daresay, as good people have 
 a right to be. Tell me as much of your happi- 
 ness as you can, that I may rejoice in your joy, 
 having none of my own.
 
 302 /// vnth Rheumatism. [l42 strand, 
 
 Letter to tiie I begin to feel for other people's wants and 
 1853. ' ' sorrows a little more than I used to do. Heaven 
 help lis ! said the old religion ; the new one, from 
 its very lack of that faith, will teach us all the 
 more to help one another. Tell Sara she is as good 
 as a group of spice islands to me ; she wafts the 
 pleasantest influences, even from a distance. 
 Letter to Praj do uot lay the sins of the article on the 
 
 Miss Sara . t > i tx 
 
 Henneii, Atomic theory to poor Lewes s cliarge. How you 
 1853. ' could take it for his I cannot conceive. It is as 
 
 remote from his style, both of thmking and writing, 
 
 as anything can be. 
 Letter to the This wcck lias yielded nothing to me but a crop 
 
 Brays, IStli . 
 
 Jan. 1853. of vcry large headaches. The pam has gone from 
 my head at last; but I am feeling very much 
 shattered, and find it easier to cry than to do any- 
 thing else. 
 Letter to My compkiiit, of which I am now happily rid, 
 
 Taylor, 1st was rlieumatism in the right arm — a sufficient rea- 
 son, you will see, for my employing a scribe to 
 write that promise which I now fulfil. I am going 
 into the country, perhaps for a fortnight, so that if 
 you are kind enough to come here on Wednesday 
 evening, I shall not have the pleasure of seeing you. 
 All the more reason for writing to you, in spite of 
 cold feet and the vilest pens in the world. 
 
 Feb. 1853.
 
 1853.] TV. E. Forstcr on Slavery. 303 
 
 Francis Newman is likely to come once or twice Letter to 
 in the season — not more. He has, of course, a Tayioi^ilt 
 multitude of engagements, and many more attrac- 
 tive ones than a soirdc in the Strand. 
 
 Never mention me to him in the character of 
 Editress. I think — at least I am told — that he has 
 no high estimate of woman's powers and functions. 
 But let that pass. He is a very pure, noble being, 
 and it is good only to look at such. 
 
 The article on Slavery, in the last number of the 
 ' Westminster ' — which I think the best article of 
 them all — is by W. E. Forster, a Yorkshire manu- 
 facturer, who married Dr Arnold's daughter. He 
 is a very earnest, independent thinker, and worth 
 a gross of literary hacks who have the " trick " of 
 writing. 
 
 I hope you are interested in the Slavery ques- 
 tion, and in America generally — that cradle of the 
 future. I used resolutely to turn away from Ameri- 
 can politics, and declare that the United States was 
 the last region of the world I should care to visit. 
 Even now I almost loathe the co77imon American 
 type of character. But I am converted to a pro- 
 found interest in the history, the laws, the social 
 and religious phases of North America, and long 
 for some knowledge of them.
 
 304 Interest in America. [142 strand, 
 
 Letter to Is it iiot clieeiing' to think of the youthfuhiess of 
 
 Taylor, 1st this little planet, and the immensely greater youth- 
 fulness of our race upon it ? — to think that the 
 higher moral tendencies of human nature are yet 
 only in their germ ? I feel this more thoroughly 
 when I think of tlvat great Western Continent, 
 with its infant cities, its huge uncleared forests, and 
 its unamalgamated races. 
 
 I daresay you have guessed that the article on 
 Ireland is Harriet Martineau's. Herbert Spencer 
 did 7iot contribute to the last number. 
 
 Apropos of articles, do you see the ' Prospective 
 Eeview ' ? There is an admirable critique of 
 Kingsley's ' Phaethon ' in it, by James Martineau. 
 But perhaps you may not be as much in love 
 with Kingsley's genius, and as much "riled" by 
 his faults, as I am. 
 
 Of course you have read 'Paitli' by this time. 
 Its style was a great refreshment to me, from its 
 finish and fulness. How women have the courage 
 to write and publishers the spirit to buy at a high 
 price the false and feeble representations of life 
 and character that most feminine novels give, is a 
 constant marvel to me. ' Euth,' with all its merits, 
 will not be an enduring or classical fiction — will it ? 
 Mrs Gaskell seems to me to be constantly misled
 
 Feb. 1S53. 
 
 1853.] Mrs GasheWs ' Ruth! 305 
 
 by a love of sharp contrasts — of " dramatic " effects. Letter to 
 
 Mrs Peter 
 
 She is not contented with the subdued colouring — Taylor, ist 
 the half tints of real life. Hence she agitates one 
 for the moment, but she does not secure one's 
 lasting sympathy ; her scenes and characters do not 
 become typical. But how pretty and graphic are 
 the touches of description ! That little attic in the 
 minister's house, for example, which, with its pure 
 white dimity bed-curtains, its bright-green walls, 
 and the rich brown of its stained floor, remind one 
 of a snowdrop springing out of the soil. Then 
 the rich humour of Sally, and the sly satire in 
 the description of Mr Bradshaw. Mrs Gaskell has 
 certainly a charming mind, and one cannot help 
 loving her as one reads her books. 
 
 A notable book just come out is Wharton's 
 ' Summary of the Laws relating to Women.' " En- 
 franchisement of women" only makes creepnig 
 progress; and that is best, for woman does not 
 yet deserve a much better lot than man gives 
 her. 
 
 I am writing to you the last thing, and am so 
 tired that I am not quite sure whether I finish my 
 sentences. But your divining power will supply 
 their deficiencies. 
 
 The first half of February was spent in visits 
 VOL. I. u
 
 306 ' Villettc ' — Mr Huxley. [142 STRAND, 
 
 to the Brays and to Mrs Clarke at Attleboro, 
 
 and on returning to London Miss Evans 
 
 writes : — 
 
 Letter to I am Only just returned to a sense of the real 
 
 15th Feb.' world about me, for I have been reading ' Villette,' 
 
 1S53. 
 
 a still more wonderful book than 'Jane- Eyre.' 
 There is something almost preternatural in its 
 power. 
 Letter to the Mrs Folleu sliowed me a delightful letter which 
 Feb. 1S53. she has had from Mrs Stowe, telling all about her- 
 self. She begins by saying : " I am a little bit of 
 a woman, rather more than forty, as withered and 
 dry as a pinch of snuff; never very well worth 
 looking at in my best days, and now a decidedly 
 used-up article." The whole letter is most fasci- 
 nating, and makes one love her. 
 
 ' Villette,' ' Villette '—have you read it ? 
 Letter to the Wc had an agreeable evening on Wednesday — 
 
 Brays, 25th 
 
 Feb. 1S53. a Mr Huxley being the centre of interest. Since 
 then I have been headachy and in a perpetual rage 
 over an article that gives me no end of trouble, and 
 will not be satisfactory after all. I should like to 
 stick red-hot skewers through the writer, whose 
 style is as sprawling as his handwriting ! For 
 the rest, I am in excellent spirits, though not in 
 the best health or temper. I am in for loads of
 
 2StIi Marcli 
 1S53. 
 
 1853.] Growing intimacy with Mr Lewes. 307 
 
 work next quarter, l)ut I shall nut tell you wliat 
 I am going to do. 
 
 I have been ready to tear my hair with dis- Letter to tiie 
 
 11 1 c j_i -n Brays, lOtli 
 
 appointment about the next number or the He- March isss. 
 view.' In short, I am a miserable editor. I think 
 I shall never have the energy to move— it seems 
 to be of so little consequence where I am or what 
 I do. 
 
 On Saturday I was correcting proofs literally Letter to 
 from morning till nigiit ; yesterday ditto. The Henneii,' 
 'Eeview' will be better than I once feared, but 
 not so good as I once hoped. I suppose the weather 
 has chilled your charity as well as nunc. I am 
 very hard and Mephistophelian just now, but I 
 lay it all to this second winter. "We had a pleasant 
 evening last Wednesday. Lewes, as always, genial 
 and amusing. He has quite won my liking, in 
 spite of myself. Of course Mr Bray highly ap- 
 proves the recommendation of the Commissioners 
 on Divorce. I have been to Blandford Square 
 (Leigh Smith's) to an evening party this week. 
 Dined at Mr Parkes's on Sunday, and am invited 
 to QO there aoain to-night to meet the Smiths. 
 Lewes was describing Currer Bell to me yesterday 
 as a little, plain, provincial, sickly - looking ohl 
 maid. Yet what passion, what fire in her ! Quite
 
 308 Admiration of Helen Faucit. [142 strand, 
 
 Letter to 
 Miss Sara 
 Hennell, 
 11th April 
 1853. 
 
 Letter to 
 Mrs Bray, 
 16th April 
 1853. 
 
 as much as in George Sand, only tlie clothing is 
 less voluptuous. 
 
 Wliat do you think of my going to Australia 
 with Chrissey and all her family ? — to settle them, 
 and then come back. I am just going to write 
 to her and suggest the idea. One wants something 
 to keep up one's faith in happiness — a ray or two 
 for one's friends, if not for one's self. 
 
 We had an agreeable soir6e last Wednesday. I 
 fell in love with Helen Faucit. She is the most 
 poetic woman I have seen for a long time, — there 
 is the ineffable charm of a fine character which 
 makes itself felt in her face, voice, and manner. 
 I am taking doses of agreeable follies, as you 
 recommend. Last night I went to the French 
 theatre, and to-night I am going to the opera to 
 hear " William Tell." People are very good to me. 
 Mr Lewes especially is kind and attentive, and has 
 quite won my regard, after having had a good deal 
 of my vituperation. Like a few other people in the 
 world, he is much better than he seems. A man of 
 heart and conscience wearing a mask of flippancy. 
 Wlien the warm days come, and the bearskin is 
 under the acacia, you must have me again. 
 
 6tli May. — Went to Eosehill and returned 
 on 23d to Strand.
 
 1853.] Sir James Clarh—Rachd. 309 
 
 On Wednesday I dined at Sir James Clark's, Letter to 
 where the Combes are staying, and had a very nth June 
 
 1853 
 
 pleasant evening. The Combes have taken lodg- 
 ings in Oxford Terrace, where I mean to go. It 
 is better than the Strand — trees waving before 
 the windows, and no noise of omnibuses. Last 
 Saturday evening I had quite a new pleasure. "We 
 went to see Eachel again, and sat on the stage 
 between the scenes. When the curtain fell we 
 walked about and saw the green-room, and all the 
 dingy, dusty paraphernalia that make up theat- 
 rical splendour. I have not yet seen the "Vashti" 
 of Currer Bell in Eachel, though there was some 
 approach to it in Adrienne Lecouvreur. 
 
 On Saturday we will go to Ockley, near Dorking, Letter to 
 where are staying Miss Julia Smith, Barbara Smith, Henneu,' 
 and Bessie Parkes. I shall write to the Ockley 1353. 
 party to-day and tell them of the probability that 
 they will see you. 
 
 I never felt the delight of the thorough change Letter to 
 
 Mrs Bray, 
 
 that the coast gives one so much as now, and I 3d Aug. 
 
 T ,, , . r • 1 • 1853, from 
 
 shall be longing to be off with you again in st Leonards. 
 October. I am on a delightful hill looking over 
 the heads of the houses, and having a vast ex- 
 panse of sea and sky for my only view. The 
 bright weather and genial air — so different from
 
 310 Visit to Si Leonards. [st Leonards, 
 
 what I have had for a year before — make me 
 feel as happy and stupid as a well - conditioned 
 cow. I sit looking at the sea and the sleepy 
 ships with a purely animal hicn etre. 
 Letter to It would liavc becu a satisfaction to your ben- 
 
 Aug.'is53. ' evolence to see me sitting on the beach laughing 
 at the 'Herald's' many jokes, and sympathising 
 with your indignation against Judge Maule. It 
 always lielps me to be happy when I know that 
 you are so ; but 1 do not choose to vindicate myself 
 against doubts of that, liecause it is unworthy of 
 you to entertain them. I am going on as well as 
 possible physically — really getting stout. I should 
 like to have a good laugh with you immensely. 
 How nice it would be to meet you and Cara on 
 the beach this evening, and instead of sending 
 you such a miserable interpreter of one's feel- 
 ings as a letter, give you the look and the hand 
 of warm affection ! This British Channel really 
 looks as blue as the Mediterranean to-day. What 
 weather ! 
 Letter to For the first time in my experience, I am posi- 
 
 Miss Sara . 
 
 Heniieii, tivcly revellmg m the ' Prospective. James Mar- 
 
 ISthAug. . ^ 1 1 • in • 1 
 
 1853. tmeau transcends himself m beauty of imagery in 
 
 the article on Sir William Hamilton, but I have 
 not finished him yet. Yesterday it rained sans
 
 1853.] ' ProsjHxtive Review' on Goethe. 311 
 
 intermission, and of course I said cui bono ? and Letter to' 
 
 Miss Sara 
 
 found my troubles almost more than I could bear ; Henneii, 
 but to-day the sun shines, and there is blue above isss. 
 and blue below, consequently I find life very glori- 
 ous, and myself a particularly fortunate cliavolessa. 
 The landlord of my lodgings is a German, — comes 
 from Saxe- Weimar, knows well the Duchess of 
 Orleans, and talked to me this morning of 3fr 
 Schiller and 3fr Goethe. Ajjrojws of Goethe, there 
 is a most true, discrimmating passage about him in 
 the article on Shakspeare in the ' Prospective.' 3fr 
 Goethe is one of my companions here, and I had 
 felt some days before reading the passage the truth 
 which it expresses. 
 
 Subjoined is the passage from the ' Prospec- 
 tive Eeview ' of August 1853 : — 
 
 " Goethe's works are too much in the nature 
 of literary studies ; the mind is often deeply im- 
 pressed by them, but one doubts if the author 
 was. He saw them as he saw the houses of 
 Weimar and the plants in the act of meta- 
 morphosis. He had a clear perception of their 
 fixed condition and their successive transitions, 
 but he did not really (at least so it seems to 
 us) comprehend their motive power. In a word, 
 he appreciated their life but not their liveli-
 
 312 ' Prospective Review' on Goethe. [l42 strand, 
 
 ness. . . . Aiid we trace this not to a defect 
 in imaginative power — a defect which it would 
 be a simple absurdity to impute to Goethe — but 
 to the tone of his character and the habits of 
 his mind. He moved hither and thither through 
 life, but he was always a man apart. He mixed 
 with unnumbered kinds of men, with courts 
 and academies, students and women, camps 
 and artists — but everywhere he was with them, 
 yet not of them. In every scene he was there, 
 and he made it clear that he was there with a 
 reserve and as a stranger. He went there to 
 experience. As a man of universal culture, and 
 well skilled in the order and classification of 
 human life, the fact of any one class or order 
 being beyond his reach or comprehension seemed 
 an absurdity ; and it was an absurdity. He 
 thought that he was equal to moving in any 
 description of society, and he was equal to it ; 
 but then, on that account, he was absorbed in 
 
 none." 
 
 Letter to As for me, I am in the best health and spirits. I 
 
 Miss Sara 
 
 Henneu, havB had a letter from Mr Combe to-day urging 
 
 19th Sept. 
 
 1853. me to go to Edinburgh, but I have made an en- 
 
 gagement with Mr Chapman to do work, which 
 will oblige me to remain in London. Mrs P. is
 
 1853.] Change of Lodgings. 313 
 
 a very bonny, pleasant looking -woman, with a Letter to 
 
 Miss Sara 
 
 smart drawing-room and liberal opinions — in short, Henneii, 
 
 lOth Sept. 
 
 such a friend as self-interest, well understood, would is53. 
 induce one to cultivate, I find it difficult to meet 
 with any lodgings at once tolerable and cheap. My 
 theory is to live entirely — that is, pay rent and find 
 food — out of my positive income, and then work for 
 as large a surplus as I can get. The next number 
 of the ' Eeview ' will be better than usual. Froude 
 writes on the Book of Job ! He at first talked of 
 an article on the three great subjective poems — Job, 
 Faust, and Hamlet — an admirable subject — but it 
 has shrunk to the Book of Job alone. 
 
 I have been busied about my lodgings all after- Letter to 
 
 Miss Sara 
 
 noon. I am not going to Albion Street, but to 21 Henneu, ist 
 
 Oct. 1S53. 
 
 Cambridge Street, Hyde Park Square. I hope you 
 will be pleased with our present number. If you 
 don't think the " Universal Postulate " first-rate, I 
 shall renounce you as a critic. Why don't you 
 write grumbling letters to me when you are out of 
 humour with life, instead of making me ashamed 
 of myself for ever having grumbled to you ? I 
 have been a more good-for-nothing correspondent 
 than usual lately — this affair of getting lodgings, 
 added to my other matters, has taken up my time 
 and thoughts. I have promised to do some work
 
 Oct. 1S53. 
 
 314 '■Pidigion of the Heart.' [21 cambeidge ST., 
 
 to-night and to-morrow for a person ^ who is rather 
 more idle than mvself, so I have not a moment to 
 spare. 
 Letter to I am reading 'The Eehgion of the Heart' (Leigh 
 
 Miss Sara 
 
 Heuneii, 22d Hunt s), and am far more pleased with it than I 
 expected to he. I have just fallen on two passages 
 with which you will agree. " Parker ... is full of 
 the poetry of religion ; JMartineau equally so, wdth a 
 closer style and incessant eloquence of expression, 
 perhaps a perilous superabundance of it as regards 
 the claims of matter over manner ; and his assump- 
 tions of perfection in the character of Jesus are so 
 reiterated and peremptory, that in a man of less 
 evident heart and goodness they might almost look 
 like a very unction of insincerity or of policy, — of 
 doubt forcing itself to seem undoubting. Hennell's 
 ' Christian Theism ' is one long beautiful discourse 
 proclaiming the great Bible of Creation, and recon- 
 ciling Pagan and Christian Philosophy." 
 
 Good Sir James Clark stopped me in the Park 
 yesterday, as I was sauntering along with eyes on 
 the clouds, and made very fatherly inquiries about 
 me, urging me to spend a quiet evening with him 
 and Lady Clark next week — which I will certainly 
 do; for they are two capital people, without any 
 
 1 Correcting ' Leader ' proofs for Mr Lewes.
 
 1853.] HcrJjcrt Spencer's " Universal Postidate." 315 
 
 snobbery. I like my lodgings — the housekeeper 
 cooks charming little dinners for me, and I have 
 not one disagreeable to complain of at present, save 
 such as are inseparable from a ground floor. 
 
 Last night I saw the first fine specimen of a man Letter to Mr 
 
 Bray, 29th 
 
 in the shape of a clergyman that I ever met with — oct. isss. 
 Dawes, the Dean of Hereford. He is the man who 
 has been making the experiment of mingling the 
 middle and lower classes in schools. He has a 
 face so intelligent and benignant that children 
 might grow good by looking at it. Harriet Mar- 
 tineau called yesterday. She is. going to her 
 brother's at Birmingham soon. 
 
 Mr Lewes was at Cambridge about a fortnidit Letter to 
 
 Miss Sara 
 
 ago, and found that Herbert Spencer was a great Heimeii, 3d 
 
 Nov. 1S53. 
 
 deal talked of there for the article on the Univer- 
 sal Postulate, as well as other things. Mr Lewes 
 himself has a knot of devotees there who make 
 his ' History of Philosophy ' a private text-book. 
 Miss Martineau's ' Comte ' is out now. Do you 
 mean to do it ? or Mr Lewes's ? We can get no one 
 to write an article on Comte for the next number 
 of the ' Westminster ' — Bain, our last hope, refusing. 
 
 I think you would find some capital extracts for Letter to 
 
 Mr Bray, &tli 
 
 the ' Herald ' (Coventry), in the article on Church Nov. isss. 
 Parties in the 'Edinburgh.' The 'Pecord' is at-
 
 316 Benefit from Change. [21 Cambridge ST., 
 
 Letter to tempting a reply to it, in which it talks of the 
 
 Mr Bray, 5th . . , 
 
 Nov. 1853. truculent infidelity of Voltmre and Eobespierre ! 
 Has A. sent you his book on the Sabbath ? If 
 ever I write a book, I will make a present of it 
 to nobody — it is the surest way of taking off the 
 edge of appetite for it, if no more. I am as well 
 as possible — and certainly when I put my head 
 into the house in the Strand, I feel that I have 
 gained, or rather escaped, a great deal physically by 
 my change. Have you known the misery of writing 
 with a tired steel pen, which is reluctant to make a 
 mark ? If so, you will know why I leave off. 
 
 Letter to Chrisscy has just sent me a letter, which tells 
 
 Mrs Hougli- 
 
 ton, 7th that you have been suffering severely, and that you 
 are yet very ill. I must satisfy my own feelings, 
 by telling you that I grieve at this, though it will 
 do you little good to know it. Still, when I am 
 suffering, I do care for sympathy, and perhaps 
 you are of the same mind. If so, think of me 
 as your loving sister, who remembers all your 
 kindness to her, all the pleasant hours she has 
 had with you, and every little particular of her 
 intercourse with you, however long and far she 
 may have been removed from you. Dear Fanny, 
 I can never be indifferent to your happiness or sor- 
 row, and in this present sad affliction my thoughts 
 
 Nov. 1853.
 
 1853.] Harriet Martineau — Comic. 317 
 
 and love are with you. I shall teaze you with no 
 words about myself now — perhaps hy-and-Ly it 
 will amuse you to have a longer letter. 
 
 Hitherto I have been spending £9 per month — at Letter to Mr 
 
 I5rav, 8th 
 
 least after that rate — but I have had frequent guests. Nov. issa. 
 I am exceedingly comfortable, and feel quite at home 
 now. Harriet Martineau has been very kind — called 
 again on Tuesday, and yesterday sent to invite me 
 to go to Lady Compton's, where she is staying, on 
 Saturday evening. This, too, in spite of my having 
 vexed her by introducing Mr Lewes to her, which 
 I did as d desirable bit of peacemaking. 
 
 I begin this year more happily than I have done Letter to 
 
 „ , . „ -KT 1 • 1 • / J) ^^is^ Sara 
 
 most years or my nre. JN otre vi'aie destmee, Henneii, 22d 
 says Comte, " se compose de resignation et cVacti- (tiurty- 
 vitd" — and I seem more disposed to both than I day). 
 have ever been before. Let us hope that we 
 shall both get stronger by the year's activity — 
 calmer by its resignation. I know it may be 
 just the contrary — don't suspect me of being a 
 canting optimist. We may both find ourselves at 
 the end of the year going faster to the liell of 
 conscious moral and intellectual weakness. Still 
 there is a possibility — even a probability — tlie 
 other way. I have not seen Harriet Martineau's 
 ' Comte ' yet, — she is going to give me a copy, —
 
 q 
 
 18 'Idea of a Future Life.' [21 Cambridge st., 
 
 Letter to but Mr LewGS tells me it seems to him admirably 
 
 Miss Sara ni TiiT«r/-(i 
 
 Henneii, 22d Well cloiie. I told Mr Chapman yesterday that 
 (tiih'ty- I wished to give up any connection with the 
 
 fourth birth- . n i -ttt . • ; > tt • i 
 
 day). editorship oi the ' Westminster. He wishes me 
 
 to continue the present state of things until April. 
 I shall be much more satisfied on many accounts 
 to have done with that affair; but I shall find 
 the question of supplies rather a difficult one this 
 year, as I am not likely to get any money either 
 for ' Feuerbach ' or for ' The Idea of a Future Life,' ^ 
 for which I am to have " half profits " =%\ 
 
 I hope you will appreciate this hon mot as I do 
 — " C'est iin honime admirable — il se tait en sept 
 langues ! " "^ 
 Letter to I am goiug to detail all my troubles to you. In 
 
 2<iDec.'is'5:3. tlic first placc, the door of my sitting-room doesn't 
 quite fit, and a draught is the consequence. Sec- 
 ondly, there is a piano in the house which has 
 decidedly entered on its second childhood, and this 
 piano is occasionally played on by Miss P. with 
 a really enviable ctplomh. Thirdly, the knocks at 
 the door startle me — an annoyance inseparable 
 from a ground-floor room. Fourthly, Mrs P. scolds 
 
 1 Advertised in 1853-54 as to appear by "Marian Evans" in 
 rihapnian's Quarterly Series, but never published. 
 
 2 Lord Acton tells me lie first heard this hon mot, in \9,iift, related 
 of Tmmanuel Bekker, the philologist.
 
 1853,] Meets Arthur Helps at Sir James Clark's. 319 
 
 the servants stringenelo e fortissimo while I am Letter to 
 
 Mrs Brav, 
 
 dressing in the morning. Fifthly, — there is no idDec.issa 
 
 fifthly. I really have not another discomfort when 
 
 I am well, which, alas ! I have not been for the 
 
 last ten days ; so, while I have been np to the chin 
 
 in possibilities of enjoyment, I have been too sick 
 
 and headachy to use them. One thing is needful 
 
 — a good digestion. 
 
 Spent Christmas Day alone at Cambridge Street. Letter to 
 
 Mrs Bray, 
 
 How shall I thank you enough for sending me 28th Dec. 
 
 1853. 
 
 that splendid barrel of beet-root, so nicely packed ? 
 I shall certainly eat it and enjoy it, wliich, I fancy, 
 is the end you sought, and not thanks. Don't sup- 
 pose that I am looking miserable — em contraire. 
 My only complaints just now are idleness and 
 disli ke - to - getting - up - in-the-morningness, whereby 
 the day is made too short for what I want to do. 
 I resolve every day to conquer the flesh the next, 
 and, of course, am a little later in consequence. 
 I dined with Arthur Helps yesterday at Sir James 
 Clark's — very snug — only he and myself. He is a 
 sleek man, with close -snipped hair; has a quiet, 
 humorous way of talking, like his books. 
 
 At the beginning of January 1854 there was 
 
 another visit to Mrs Clarke at Attleboro for 
 
 ten days.
 
 320 Morality loith the " Bible Shut!' [21 Cambridge st., 
 
 Letter to 
 Chas. Bray, 
 6th Feb. 
 1S54. 
 
 Letter to 
 Mrs Hongli- 
 toii, Gth 
 April 1854. 
 
 In the last uuniLer of the ' Scotsman ' which I 
 sent you, there was a report of a speech by Dr 
 Guthrie at the Education meeting, containing a 
 passage which I meant to have copied. He is 
 speaking of the impossibility of teaching morality 
 with the " Bible shut," and says that in that case 
 the teacher would be obliged to resort to " congruity 
 and the fitness of things," about which the boy 
 knows nothing more than that the apple is fit for 
 his mouth. What is wanted to convince the boy 
 of his sin is, " Thou God seest me," and " Thou 
 bleeding Lamb, the best morality is love of Thee " ! ! 
 Mr Lewes came a few minutes after you left, and 
 desired me to tell you that he was sorry to miss 
 you. 
 
 Thank you for your very kind letter, which I 
 received this morning. It is pleasant to think 
 of you as quite well, and enjoying your sea 
 breezes. 
 
 But do you imagine me sitting with my hands 
 crossed, ready to start for any quarter of the world 
 at the shortest notice ? It is not on those terms 
 that people, not rich, live in London. I shall be 
 deep in proof-sheets till the end of May, and shall 
 only dismiss them to make material for new ones. 
 I daresay you will pity me. But as one of Balzac's
 
 1854] Mr Lewes HI. 321 
 
 characters says, after maturity, " La vie n'est que Letter to 
 
 ,.. , Mrs Hough- 
 
 I'exercice d'une habitude dans uii mineu preiere ; " ton, oth 
 
 April 1854. 
 
 and I could no more nve out of my miheu, than 
 the haddocks I daresay you are often having for 
 dinner. 
 
 ]\iy health is better. I had got into a labyrinth 
 of headaches and palpitations, but I think I am out 
 of it now, and I hope to keep well. I am not the 
 less obliged to you, dear Fanny, for wishing to have 
 me with you. But to leave London now would 
 not be agreeable to me, even if it were morally 
 possible. To see you again would certainly be a 
 pleasure, but I hope that will come to pass without 
 my crossing the Irish Channel. 
 
 I am rather overdone with the week's work, and Letter to 
 
 Mrs Bray, 
 
 the prospect of what is to come next. Poor Lewes Saturday, 
 
 IStli April 
 
 is ill, and is ordered not to put pen to paper for i854. 
 a month; so I have something to do for him in 
 addition to my own work, which is rather pressing. 
 He is gone to Arthur Helps, in Hampshire, for ten 
 days, and I really hope this total cessation from 
 work, in obedience to a peremptory order, will end 
 in making him better than he has been for the last 
 year. No opera and no fun for me for the next 
 month ! Happily I shall have no time to regret 
 it. Plenty of bright sun on your anemone bed. 
 VOL. I. X
 
 322 
 
 Fsycliical Troubles. [21 CAMBRIDGE ST., 
 
 Letter to 
 Chas. Bi-ay, 
 23d May 
 1854. 
 
 Letter to 
 Mrs Bray, 
 Friday, no 
 date, 1854. 
 
 How lovely your place must look with its fresli 
 leaves ! 
 
 It is quite possible that I may wish to go to the 
 Continent, or twenty other things. Mr Lewes is 
 going on a walking excursion to Windsor to-day 
 with his doctor, who pronounces him better, but 
 not yet fit for work. However, he is obliged to do 
 a little, and must content himself with an approxi- 
 mation to his doctor's directions. In this world all 
 thmgs are approximations, and in the system of 
 the Dog Star too, in spite of Dr Whewell. 
 
 My troubles are purely psychical — self-dissatis- 
 faction, and despair of achieving anything worth 
 the doing. I can truly say they vanish into noth- 
 ing before any fear for the happiness of those I 
 love. Thank you for letting me know how things 
 are, for indeed I could not bear to be shut out 
 from your anxieties. When I spoke of myself as 
 an island, I did not mean that I was so exception- 
 ally. We are all islands — 
 
 '' Each, in his hidden sphere of joy or woe, 
 
 Our hermit spmts dwell and roam apart " — 
 
 and this seclusion is sometimes the most intensely 
 felt at the very moment your friend is caressing 
 you or consoling you. But this gradually becomes 
 a source of satisfaction instead of repining. When
 
 1854.] Mr Lewes returns to London. 323 
 
 we are young we think our troubles a mighty Letter to 
 
 Mrs Bray, 
 
 business — that the world is spread out expressly as Friday, no 
 
 date, 1854. 
 
 a stage for the particular drama of our lives, and 
 that we have a right to rant and foam at the mouth 
 if we are crossed. I have done enough of that in 
 my time. But we begin at last to understand that 
 these things are important only to our own con- 
 sciousness, which is but as a globule of dew on a 
 rose-leaf, that at mid-day there will be no trace of. 
 This is no high-flown sentmientality, but a sunple 
 reflection, which I find useful to me every day. I ex- 
 pect to see Mr Lewes back again to-day. His poor 
 head — his only fortune — is not well yet ; and he has 
 had the misery of being ennuyd with idleness, with- 
 out perceiving the compensating physical improve- 
 ment. Still, I hope the good he has been getting 
 has been greater than he has been conscious of. 
 I expect ' Feuerbach ' will be all in print by the 
 end of next week, and there are no shippings, except 
 such as have been made on very urgent grounds. 
 
 Thanks for your assurance of welcome. I will Letter to 
 
 Mrs Bray, 
 
 trust to it when the gods send favourable circum- Tuesday, nth 
 stances. But I see no probability of my being 
 able to be with you before your other midsummer 
 visitors arrive. I delight to think that you are all 
 a little more cheery. 
 
 June 1S5-4.
 
 324 ''Sunshine through the Clouds^ [21 Cambridge st., 
 Letter to I reachecl the Euston Station as dusty as an old 
 
 Mrs Bray, 
 
 Wednesday, ledger, but with no other " incommodity." I went 
 
 28th June 
 
 1854. to the Lyceum last night to see " Sunshine through 
 
 the Clouds," ^ a wonderfully original and beautiful 
 piece by Mnie. de Girardin, which makes one cry 
 rather too much for pleasure. Vestris acts finely 
 the bereaved mother, passing through all the gra- 
 dations of doubt and hope to the actual recovery of 
 her lost son. My idea of you is rather bright just 
 now, and really helps to make me enjoy all that 
 is enjoyable. That is part of the benefit I have 
 had from my pleasant visit, which was made up 
 of sunshine, green fields, pleasant looks, and good 
 eatables — an excellent compound. Will you be 
 so kind as to send my books by railway, without 
 the Shelley? 
 Letter to Pray consider the Strauss MSS. waste paper. 7 
 
 Monday, 4tii sliall ucvcr waut them again. I dined with your 
 old acquaintance, Dr Conolly, at Sir James Clark's, 
 the other day. He took me down to dinner, and 
 we talked of you. 
 
 The translation of Ludwig Feuerbach's ' Wesen 
 des Christenthums ' was published in July in 
 Chapman's Quarterly Series, with Miss Evans's 
 
 1 Translated and adapted from the French, "La joie fait peur," 
 by Mr Lewes, under the name of Sliugsby Lawrence. 
 
 July 1854.
 
 1854.] Translation of FeMcrhacIi. -325 
 
 name on the title-page as the translator, — the 
 first and only time her real name appeared in 
 print. 
 I am going to pack up the Hebrew Grammar, the Letter to 
 
 ° ° Miss Sara 
 
 Apocryphal Gospels, and your pretty Titian, to be nenneii, 
 
 ^ ■' -^ lOth July 
 
 sent to you. Shall I despatch them by rail or Lsr,4. 
 deposit them with Mr Chapman, to be asked for by 
 Mr Bray when he comes to town? I shall soon 
 send you a good-bye, for I am preparing to go 
 abroad (?). Herbert Spencer's article on the Gen- 
 esis of Science is a good one. He will stand in 
 the Biographical Dictionaries of 1954 as " Spencer, 
 Herbert, an original and profound philosophical 
 writer, especially known by his great work, . . . 
 which gave a new impulse to psychology, and has 
 mainly contributed to the present advanced position 
 of that science, compared with that which it had 
 attained in the middle of the last century. The 
 life of this philosopher, like that of the great Kant, 
 offers little material for the narrator. Born in the 
 year 1820," &c. 
 
 Dear Friends, — all three — I have only time to Letter to the 
 
 Brays, :20tli 
 
 say good-bye, and God bless you. Postc Ecstantc, juiy isf,4. 
 Weimar, for the next six weeks, and afterwards 
 Berlin. Ever your loving and grateful Marian. 
 
 We have now been led up to the most im-
 
 326 Union with Mr Lewes. [21 cambkidge ST., 
 
 portant event in George Eliot's life — her union 
 with Mr George Henry Lewes. Here, as else- 
 where, it seems to me to be of the first import- 
 ance that she should speak for herself; and 
 there is, fortunately, a letter to ]\Irs Bray, dated 
 in September 1855 — fourteen months after the 
 event — which puts on record the point of view 
 from which she regarded her own action. I 
 give this letter here (out of its place as to date); 
 and I may add, what, I think, has not been 
 mentioned before, that not only was Mr Lewes's 
 previous family life irretrievably spoiled, but 
 his home had been wholly broken up for nearly 
 two years. In forming a judgment on so mo- 
 mentous a question, it is above all things 
 necessary to understand what was actually 
 undertaken — what was actually achieved — and, 
 in my opinion, this can best be arrived at, not 
 from any outside statement or arguments, but 
 by consideration of the whole tenor of the life 
 which follows, in the development of which 
 Mr Lewes's true character, as well as George 
 Eliot's will unfold itself. No words that any 
 one else can write, no arguments any one else 
 can use, will, I think, be so impressive as the 
 life itself.
 
 1854.] Union with Mr Lewes. 327 
 
 If there is any one action or relation of my life Letter to 
 
 Mrs Bray, 
 
 whicli is and always has been profoundly serious, it 4th sept, 
 
 1855. 
 
 is my relation to Mr Lewes. It is, however, na- 
 tural enough that you should mistake me in many 
 ways, for not only are you unacquainted with Mr 
 Lewes's real character and the course of his actions, 
 but also it is several years now since you and I 
 were much together, and it is possible that the 
 modifications my mind has undergone may be quite 
 in the opposite direction of what you imagine. No 
 one can be better aware than yourself that it is 
 possible for two people to hold different opinions 
 on momentous subjects with equal sincerity, and 
 an equally earnest conviction that their respective 
 opinions are alone the truly moral ones. If we 
 differ on the subject of the marriage laws, I at 
 least can believe of you that you cleave to what 
 you believe to be good ; and I don't know of any- 
 thing in the nature of your views that should 
 prevent you from believing the same of me. Hovj 
 far we differ, I think we neither of us know, for I 
 am ignorant of your precise views ; and apparently 
 you attribute to me both feelings and opinions 
 which are not mine. "We cannot set each other 
 quite right in this matter in letters, but one thing 
 I can teU you in few words. Light and easily
 
 1855. 
 
 328 George Eliot's View [LONDON, 
 
 Letter to biokeii ties are what I neither desire theoretically 
 4th Sept' nor could live for practically. Women who are 
 satisfied with such ties do not act as I have done. 
 That any unworldly, unsuperstitious person who is 
 sufficiently acquainted with the realities of life can 
 pronounce ihy relation to Mr Lewes immoral, I 
 can only understand by remembering how subtle 
 and complex are the influences that mould opinion. 
 But I do remember this : and I indulge in no 
 arrogant or uncharitable thoughts about those who 
 condemn us, even though we might have expected 
 a somewhat different verdict. From the majority 
 of persons, of course, we never looked for anything 
 but condemnation. We are leading no life of self- 
 indulgence, except indeed that, being happy in each 
 other, we find everything easy. We are working 
 hard to provide for others better than we provide 
 for ourselves, and to fulfil every responsibility that 
 lies upon us. Levity and pride would not be a 
 sufficient basis for that. Pardon me if, in vindicat- 
 ing myself from some unjust conclusions, I seem 
 too cold and self-asserting. I should not care to 
 vindicate myself if I did not love you and desire to 
 relieve you of the pain which you say these con- 
 clusions have given you. Whatever I may have 
 misinterpreted before, I do not misinterpret your
 
 1855.] of Union ivith Mr Lewes. 329 
 
 letter this morning, but read in it nothing else than Letter to 
 
 Mrs Bray, 
 
 love and kindness towards me, to which my heart 4thsept. 
 
 1S55. 
 
 fully answers yes. I should like never to write 
 about myself again ; it is not healthy to dwell on 
 one's own feehngs and conduct, but only to try and 
 live more faithfully and lovingly every fresh day. I 
 think not one of the endless words and deeds of kind- 
 ness and forbearance you have ever shown me has 
 vanished from my memory. I recall them often, and 
 feel, as about everything else in the past, how defi- 
 cient I have been in almost every relation of my life. 
 But that deficiency is irrevocable, and I can find 
 no strength or comfort except in " pressing forward 
 towards the thmgs that are before," and trying to 
 make the present better than the past. But if we 
 should never be very near each other again, dear 
 Cara, do bear this faith in your mind, that I was not 
 insensible or ungrateful to all your goodness, and 
 that I am one amongst the many for whom you 
 have not lived in vaui. I am very busy just now, 
 and have been obliged to write hastily. Bear this 
 in mmd, and believe that no meaning is mine 
 which contradicts my assurance that I am your 
 afiectionate and earnest friend.
 
 330 Summary of Cliaptcr V. [1850- 
 
 SUMMARY. 
 
 MAECH 1850 TO JULY 1854. 
 
 Return to England witli M. d' Albert — Depressing effect of 
 change — Visit to Roseliill — Visit to brother and sister at Griff 
 and Meriden — Deeper depression— To Rosehill again with 
 M. d' Albert — Makes her home there for sixteen months — Re- 
 views Mackay's ' Progress of the Intellect' in ' Westminster ' 
 — Meets Mr Chapman, the editor of the 'Westminster' — 
 Helps to settle Prospectus of new series of the ' Review '— 
 Visits Robert Noel at Bishop Steignton with Mrs Bray — 
 Visit to London — Crystal Palace — Returns to Rosehill, and 
 meets Mr and Mrs George Combe — Goes to London as assist- 
 ant editor of the ' Westminster Review' — Letters to Brays — 
 Review writing : Dr Brabant, Foxton, Wilson — Meets Mr 
 Herbert Spencer— Miss Martineau — Distractions of London 
 —Low health — Miss Bremer — Introduction to Mr Lewes — 
 Opinion of House of Lords — Carlyle's ' Life of Sterling ' — 
 Carlyle anecdotes — Mackay— James Martineau — J. H. New- 
 man's Lectures — Translation of Schleiermacher — Letter from 
 Carlyle — Intimacy begins with Mr Lewes — Reviews Carlyle's 
 'Sterling' in ' Westminster '—Visit to Rosehill— Returns to 
 Strand— Harriet Martineau — Pierre Leroux— Louis Blanc 
 —Miss Bessie Parkes— Mrs Peter Taylor-' Margaret Fuller's 
 Life '—Description of 'Westminster' reviewers— Growing 
 intimacy with Mr Herbert Spencer— Meeting of authors and 
 booksellers at Mr Chapman's— Admiration of Prince Albert 
 — Grisi — Hack work of 'Review' — Appreciation of Miss 
 Martineau's writings — Singing of Charity children at St 
 Paul's— George Combe's opinion of 'Westminster' editing—
 
 1854.] Summary of Cliaptcr V. 331 
 
 Barbara Leigli Smith — Visit to Broadstairs — Florence Night- 
 ingale — Return to Strand — Depression — Professor Owen on 
 the Cerebellum — Visit to Combes at Edinburgh, and to 
 Harriet Martineau at Ambleside — Return to London — 
 Reading 'Esmond' — Lord Brougham's speech — Work in 
 Strand — Bryant — Visit to Rosehill — Death of Edward 
 Clarke — Visit to widowed sister at Meriden — Return to 
 Strand — Letter to Mrs Peter Taylor — Views on America 
 —' Ruth '—Visit to Rosehill and to Mrs Clarke at Attle- 
 boro — Return to Strand — Reading ' Villette ' — Letter from 
 Mrs Stowe to ]\Irs Follen — Meets Huxley — Thinks of going 
 to Aiistralia to settle Mrs Clarke — Admiration of Helen 
 Faucit — Growing regard for Mr Lewes — Kindness of Sir 
 James Clark — Visit to Ockley — Change to St Leonards — 
 Improvement in health— Return to Strand — Spencer's ' Uni- 
 versal Postulate ' — Removal to 21 Cambridge Street — Leigli 
 Hunt's ' Religion of the Heart ' — Dawes, Dean of Hereford — 
 Harriet Martineau — Comte — Contemplates publishing ' The 
 Idea of a Future Life ' — Meets Arthur Helps — Intimate re- 
 lations ■with Mr Lewes — Translation of Feuerbach — Visit to 
 Rosehill — Return to London — Feuerbach completed— Esti- 
 mate of Herbert Spencer — Good-bye to Brays — Union with 
 Mr Lewes — Letter to Mrs Bray thereon.
 
 332 
 
 CHAPTER VI. 
 
 journaj, I SAID a last faiewell to Cambridge Street on 20th 
 
 20th July 1 1 -r. 
 
 1854. July 1854, and found myself on board the itavens- 
 
 bourne, bound for Antwerp. The day was glorious, 
 and our jmssage perfect. The sunset was lovely, 
 but still lovelier the dawn as we were passing up 
 the Scheldt between two and three in the morning. 
 The crescent moon, the stars, the first faint blush 
 of the dawn reflected in the glassy river, the dark 
 mass of clouds on the horizon, which sent forth 
 flashes of lightning, and the graceful forms of the 
 boats and sailing vessels, painted in jet-black on 
 the reddish gold of the sky and water, made up an 
 unforgettable picture. Then the sun rose and 
 lighted up the sleepy shores of Belgium, with their 
 fringe of long grass, their rows of poplars, their 
 church spires and farm buildings. 
 
 2ist July. The great treat at Antwerp was the sight of the 
 
 Descent from the Cross, which, with its pendant,
 
 [1854.] Pictures at Antuierp. 333 
 
 the Elevation of the Cross, has been undergoing jomnai, 
 
 21st July 
 
 restoration. In the latter, the face of Jesus is is54. 
 sublime in its expression of agony and trust in the 
 Divine. It is certainly the finest conception of the 
 suffering Christ I have ever seen. The rest of the 
 picture gave me no pleasure. But in the Descent 
 from the Cross, colour, form, and expression alike 
 impressed me with the sense of grandeur and 
 beauty. A little miserable copy of the picture 
 placed near it served as an admirable foil. 
 
 We went to the museum and saw Eubens's Cruci- 22d Juiy. 
 fixion, even more beautiful to me than the Descent 
 from the Cross. These two pictures profoundly 
 impressed me with the miserable lack of breadth 
 and grandeur in the conceptions of our living artists. 
 The reverence for the old masters is not all hum- 
 bug and superstition. 
 
 We breakfasted in the public room at the hotel sotii juiy. 
 at Cologne, and were joined there by Dr Brabant 
 and Strauss. After a short interview with them, 
 we went on board the steamboat which was to take 
 us to Coblentz. 
 
 It was very pretty to look out of the window, weimar, 
 
 Description, 
 
 when dressing, on a garden that reminded one of an Aug.-oct. 
 English village : the town is more like a huge vil- 
 lage, or market-town, than the precincts of a court.
 
 334 The Dichtcr Zimmer. [weimar, 
 
 Weimar, G. Called Oil Sclioll, aiicl ill the afternoon he 
 
 Description, 
 
 Aug. -Oct. (Scholl) came and took us to the Schloss, where we 
 
 1854. 
 
 saw the Dichter Zhnmer — a suite of rooms dedi- 
 cated to Goethe, Schiller, and Wieland. In each 
 room there is the bust of the poet who is its pre- 
 siding genius ; and the walls of the Goethe and 
 Schiller rooms are decorated with frescoes repre- 
 senting scenes from their works. The Wieland 
 room is decorated with arabesques only. The 
 idea of these rooms is a very pretty one, but the 
 frescoes are badly executed. I am delighted with 
 Scholl. He is a bright-looking, well-made man, 
 with his head finely set on his shoulders, very little 
 like a German. We discovered, after we had 
 known liiin some time, that he is an Austrian, and 
 so has more southern blood in his veins than the 
 heavy Thuringians. His manners are hearty and 
 cordial, and his conversation really instructive : his 
 ideas are so thoroughly shaped and so admirably 
 expressed. Sauppe is also a Gclchrtcr, Director 
 of the Gymnasium, and editor of a series of Classics 
 which are being brought out ; and he is evidently 
 thought a great deal of in Weimar. We went 
 with the Scholls and Sauppes to Tiefurt, and saw 
 the queer little Schloss which used to be Amalia's 
 residence. Tiefurt was a favourite resort of ours,
 
 1854.] Excursion to Ettcrsburg. 335 
 
 for tlie walk to it is a very pleasant one, and the weimar, 
 
 Description, 
 
 Tiefurt park is a little paradise. The Ilm is seen Aug.-oct. 
 
 1S54. 
 
 here to the best advantage : it is clearer than at 
 Weimar, and winds about gracefully among fine 
 trees. One of the banks is a high steep declivity, 
 which shows the trees in all their perfection. In 
 autumn, when the yellow and scarlet were at their 
 brightest, these banks were fairy-like in their beauty. 
 It was here that Goethe and his Court friends got up 
 the performance of " Die Fischerin " by torchlight. 
 
 About ten days after our arrival at Weimar, we 
 made an excursion to Ettersburg, one of the Duke's 
 summer residences, interesting to us beforehand as 
 the scene of private theatricals and sprees in the 
 Goethe days. We carried provisions with us and 
 Keats's poems. The morning was one of the bright- 
 est and hottest that August ever bestowed, and it 
 required some resolution to trudge along the shade- 
 less chaussdc, which formed the first two or three 
 miles of our way. One compensating pleasure was 
 the sight of the beautiful mountain ashes in full 
 berry which, alternately with cherry trees, border the 
 road for a considerable distance. I felt a child's 
 love for the bunches of coral standing out against 
 the blue sky. The ScJdoss is a house of very moder- 
 ,ate size, and no pretension of any kind. Two flights
 
 1854. 
 
 336 Arthur Helps. [WEIMAK, 
 
 Weimar, of steps lead up to the door, and the bahistrades are 
 
 Description, • n i 
 
 Aug. -Oct. ornamented with beautiful creepers, A tiny sort of 
 piazza under the steps is ornamented with creepers 
 too, and has pretty earthernware vases filled with 
 plants hanging from the ceiling. We felt how much 
 beauty might be procured at small expense in look- 
 ing at these things. A beautiful walk through a 
 beechwood took us to the Moosliiltte, before which 
 stands the beech whereon Goethe and his friends 
 cut their names, and from which Goethe denounced 
 Waldemar. We could recognise some of the 
 initials. With Ettersburg I shall always associate 
 Arthur Helps, for he was with us on the second 
 and last time we saw it. He came to Weimar 
 quite unexpectedly on the 29tli August, and the 
 next evening we all three drove to Ettersburg. He 
 said the country just round Weimar reminded him 
 of Spain. This led him to talk of his Spanish 
 travels, and he told us some delightful stories in a 
 delightful way. At one inn he was considerably 
 embarrassed in eating his dinner by the presence 
 of a handsome woman, who sat directly opposite to 
 him, resting on her elbows, and fixing her dark eyes 
 on him with a fearful intensity of interest. This 
 woman was the cook, anxious to know that her 
 dishes were acceptable to the stranger. Under
 
 1854. 
 
 1854.] Expedition to Ilmenau. 337 
 
 this terrible surveillance, he did not dare to omit a weimar, 
 
 Description, 
 
 single dish, though sorely longing to do so, Aug.-oct. 
 
 Our greatest expedition from Weimar was to 
 Ilmenau. We set out with a determination to 
 find the Gabel-Bach and Kickel-hahn (Goethe's 
 residence) without the incumbrance of a guide. 
 We found the man who inhabits the simple wooden 
 house, which used to be Carl August's hunting- 
 box. He sent a man on with us to show us the 
 way to the Kickel-hahn, which we at last reached 
 — I with weary legs. There is a magnificent view 
 of hills from this spot ; but Goethe's tiny wooden 
 house is now closely shut in by fir-trees, and noth- 
 ing can be seen from the windows. His room, 
 which forms the upper floor of the house, is about 
 ten or twelve feet square. It is now quite empty, 
 but there is an interesting memorial of his presence 
 in these wonderful lines, written by his own hand, 
 near the window-frame — 
 
 " Ueber alien Gipfelu 
 1st Euh, 
 
 In alien Wipfeln 
 Spiirest du 
 Kaum einen Hancli ; 
 Die Vogelein schweii^en im Walde. 
 Warte nur, balde 
 Ruhest du auch." 
 
 We wrote our names near one of the windows. 
 
 VOL, I, Y
 
 338 Wagners Operas. [weimae, 
 
 Weimar, About the middle of September the theatre 
 
 Descriptioi], • >> t • t n i 
 
 Aug. -Oct. opened, and we went to near " iLrnani, Liszt looked 
 splendid as he conducted the opera. The grand 
 outline of his face and floating hair were seen to 
 advantage as they were thrown into dark relief by 
 the stage lamps. We were so fortunate as to have 
 all three of Wagner's most celebrated operas while 
 we were at Weimar. G., however, had not patience 
 to sit out more than two acts of "Lohengrin"; and, 
 indeed, I too was weary. The declamation ap- 
 peared to me monotonous, and situations, in them- 
 selves trivial or disagreeable, were dwelt on fatigu- 
 ingiy. Without feeling competent to pass a judg- 
 ment on this opera as music, one may venture to say 
 that it fails in one grand requisite of art, based on an 
 unchancjeable element in human nature — the need 
 for contrast. With the "Fliegender Hollander" 
 I was delighted ; the poem and the music were 
 alike charming. The " Tannhauser," too, created in 
 me a great desire to hear it again. Many of the 
 situations, and much of the music, struck me as 
 remarkably fine. And I appreciated these operas 
 all the better retrospectively when we saw " Der 
 
 j Freischiitz," which I had never before heard and 
 
 seen on the stage. The effect of the delicious 
 music, with which one is so familiar, was com- -
 
 1854.] Scliillers House. 339 
 
 pletely spoiled by the absence of recitative, and weimar, 
 
 Uescrijitioii, 
 
 the terrible lapsus from melody to ordinary speech. Aug.-oct. 
 
 1S04. 
 
 The bacchanalian song seemed simply ridiculous, 
 sung at a little pot-house table at a party of hvo, one 
 of whom was sunk in melancholy ; and the absurdity 
 reached a ne x>lus ultra, when Caspar climbed the 
 tree, apparently with the sole purpose of being shot. 
 Api'opos of the theatre, we were immensely amused 
 to learn that a fair, small-featured man, who some- 
 how always looked to me as if he had just come 
 out of the shell, had come to Weimar to fit himself 
 for a dramatic writer by going behind the scenes ! 
 He had as yet written nothing, but was going to 
 work in what he considered a grilndlich way. 
 
 When we passed along the Schiller Strasse, I 
 used to be very much thrilled by the inscription, 
 " Hier wohnte Schiller," over the door of his small 
 house. Very interesting it is to see his study, 
 which is happily left in its original state. In his 
 bedroom we saw his skull for the first time, and 
 were amazed at the smallness of the intellectual 
 region. There is an intensely interesting sketch 
 of Schiller lying dead, which I saw for the first 
 time in the study ; but all pleasure in thinking of 
 Scliiller's portraits and bust is now destroyed to 
 me by the conviction of their untruthfulness.
 
 340 Goethe's House. [aveimar, 
 
 AVeimar, Eaucli told US tliat liG had a miscraUc Stirne} 
 
 Description, 
 
 Aug.-oct. Waagen says that Tieck the sculptor told Imn 
 
 1854. 
 
 there was something in Schiller's whole person 
 which reminded him of a camel. 
 
 Goethe's house is much more important-looking, 
 l)ut, to English eyes, far from being the palatial 
 residence which some German writers think it. 
 The entrance-hall is certainly rather imposing, with 
 its statues in niches and broad staircase. The 
 latter was made after his own design, and was 
 an " after-shine " of Italian tastes. The pictures are 
 wretched, the casts not much better — indeed, I 
 remember nothing which seemed intrinsically worth 
 looking at. The MS. of his 'Eomische Elegien/ 
 written by himself in the Italian character, is to 
 be seen here ; and one likes to look at it better 
 than at most of the other things. G. had obtained 
 permission from Frau v. Goethe to see the studio 
 and Schlafzunmer, which are not open to the 
 public, and here our feelings were deeply moved. 
 We entered first a small room containing drawers 
 and shelves devoted to his mineralogical collections. 
 From these we passed into the study. It is rather 
 I a dark room, for there are only two small windows 
 
 — German windows. A plain deal table stands in 
 
 1 A ^vretclied forehead.
 
 1854.] Goethe s Shidy. ' 341 
 
 the middle, and near the chair, against this table, is weimar, 
 
 DGscriiiljioii 
 
 a high basket, where, I was afterwards told, Goethe Aug.-oct. 
 
 lS'i4 
 
 used to put his pocket-handkerchief. A long sort 
 of writino'-table and bookcase united stands against 
 one wall. Here hangs the pin-cushion, just as he 
 left it, with visiting-cards suspended on threads, 
 and other trifles which greatness and death have 
 made sacred. Against the opposite wall, where 
 you enter the bedroom, there is a high writing- 
 desk, on which stands a little statue of Napoleon 
 in creamy glass. The bedroom is very small. By 
 the side of the bed stands a stuffed arm-chair, 
 where he used to sit and read while he drank his 
 coffee in the morning. It was not until very late 
 in his life that he adopted the luxury of an arm- 
 chair. From the other side of the study one enters 
 the library, which is fitted up in a very makeshift 
 fashion, with rough deal shelves, and bits of paper, 
 with Philosophy, History, &c., written on them to 
 mark the classification of the books. Among such 
 memorials one breathes deeply, and the tears rush 
 to one's eyes. There is one likeness of Goethe that 
 is really startling and thrilling from the idea it 
 gives one of perfect resemblance. It is painted on 
 a cup, and is a tiny miniature, but the execution is 
 so perfect that, on applying a magnifying glass,
 
 1854. 
 
 342 Tlie Gartenhaus. [WEIMAR, 
 
 Weimar, evGij miiiute stioke has as natural an appearance 
 Aug!-ocr"' as the texture of a flower or the parts of an insect 
 under the microscope. 
 
 Equally interesting is the Gartcnlmus, which we 
 used to see almost every day in our walks. Within, 
 it is a not uncomfortable homely sort of cottage ; 
 no furniture is left in it, and the family want to 
 sell it. It stands on a i^leasant slope fronting the 
 west, and there is a charming bit of garden and 
 orchard attached to it. Close to the garden hedge 
 runs the road which leads to Ober Weimar, and on 
 the other side of this road a meadow stretches to 
 the trees which border the Ilm. A bridge nearly 
 opposite the Gartenhaus takes one to the Borken- 
 haus, Carl August's little retreat, from which he 
 used to telegraph to Goethe. The road to Ober 
 Weimar was one of our favourite walks, especially 
 towards the end of our stay at Weimar, when we 
 were glad of all the sunshine we could get. Some- 
 tunes we used to turn out of it, up a grove of 
 weeping birches, into the ploughed fields at the 
 top of the slope on which the Gartenhaus and 
 other little villas stand. Here we enjoyed many 
 a lovely sunset : one in particular was marvellously 
 splendid. The whole hemisphere was golden, 
 towards the east tinted with rose colour. From
 
 1854.] Walks at Weimar. 343 
 
 this little height we looked on the plantations of weimar, 
 
 Description, 
 
 the park in tlieir antumnal colouring, the town, Aug.-oct. 
 
 1S54. 
 
 with its steep-roofed church and its castle tower, 
 coloured a gay green, the line of chestnuts along 
 the Belvedere Chaussee, and Belvedere itself peep- 
 ing from its nest of trees. 
 
 Another very favourite walk of mine was the 
 Wehicht, a beautiful wood through which ran ex- 
 cellent carriage-roads and grassy footpaths. How 
 richly have I enjoyed skirting this wood and seeing, 
 on the other side, the sky arching grandly down 
 over the open fields, the evening red flushing the 
 west over the town, and the bright stars come out 
 as if to relieve the sun in his watch over mortals. 
 And then the winding road through the Webicht 
 on the side toward Tiefurt, with its tall overarching 
 trees now bending their mossy trunks forward, now 
 standing with stately erectness like lofty pillars ; 
 and the charming grassy paths through the heart of 
 the wood among its silvery barked birches ! The 
 Webicht lies towards Tiefurt, and one side of it is 
 bordered by the road thither. I remember, as we 
 were returning from Tiefurt one evening, a beautiful 
 effect of the setting sunlight pouring itself under the 
 trees and making the road before us almost crimson. 
 
 One of our pleasantest acquaintances at Wei-
 
 1804. 
 
 344 Weimar Acquaintances. [weimar, 
 
 Weimar, mar was the Frencli Ambassador, the Marquis de 
 
 Description, t, . , . , , . r -r- i 
 
 Aug. -Oct. -rerriere, a very lavourable specimen ot a Jbrench- 
 man, but intensely French. His genial soul and 
 perfect good - humour gave one the same sort of 
 Hen itre as a well-stuffed arm-chair and a warm 
 hearthrug. In the course of conversation, speaking 
 of Yvan's accounts of his travels (the Marquis was 
 first Secretary to the Chinese Embassy which Yvan 
 accompanied), he said, " C'etait faux d'un bout a 
 I'autre ; mais c'etait spirituel, paradoxal, amusant 
 — enfin tout cc quHl fallait pour un journal." An- 
 other day he observed that the famous words of 
 Napoleon to his Egyptian army, "Forty centuries 
 look down on you from the summits of these pyra- 
 mids," were characteristic of the French national 
 feeling, as those of Nelson, "England expects the 
 man to make his duty " were of the English. This 
 is a fair specimen of the correctness with which 
 one generally hears English quoted ; and we often 
 reminded ourselves that it was a mirror in which 
 we might see our own German. 
 
 Liszt's conversation is charming. I never met 
 with a person whose manner of telling a story was 
 so piquant. The last evening but one that he called 
 on us, wishing to express his pleasure in G.'s article 
 about him, he very ingeniously conveyed that ex-
 
 1854.] lAszt on Spontini. 345 
 
 pressioii in a story about Spoiitini and Berlioz, weimar, 
 
 Description, 
 
 Spontini visited Paris while Liszt was living there, Aug.-oct. 
 
 1854. 
 
 and haunted the opera — a stiff, self-important j^er- 
 sonage, with high shirt collars, the least attractive 
 individual imaginable : Liszt turned up his own 
 collars, and swelled out his person, so as to give us 
 a vivid idea of the man. Every one would have 
 been glad to get out of Spontini's way — indeed 
 elsewhere " on feignait de le croire mort," but at 
 Paris, as he was a member of the Institute, it was 
 necessary to recognise his existence. Liszt met him 
 at Erard's more than once. On one of these occa- 
 sions Liszt observed to him that Berlioz was a 
 great admirer of his (Spontini's), whereupon Spon- 
 tini burst into a terrible invective against Berlioz 
 as a man who, with the like of him, was ruining 
 art, &c. Shortly after the " Vestale " was per- 
 formed, and forthwith appeared an enthusiastic 
 article by Berlioz on Spontini's music. The next 
 time Liszt met him of the high collars, he said, 
 " You see I was not wrong in what I said about 
 Berlioz's admiration of you." Spontini swelled in 
 his collars, and replied, "Monsieur, Berlioz a du 
 talent comme critique ! " 
 
 Liszt's replies were always felicitous and char- 
 acteristic. Talking of Mme. D'Agoult, he told us
 
 1854. 
 
 346 Breakfast at -Liszt's. [weimae, 
 
 Weimar, that wlieii lier novel, ' Nelida,' appeared, in which 
 
 Description, . 
 
 Aug. -Oct. Liszt himself is pilloried as a delinquent, he asked 
 her, " Mais pourquoi avez-vous tellement maltrait^ 
 ce pauvre Lehinann ? " The first time we were 
 asked to breakfast at his house, the Altenburg, 
 we were shown into the garden, where, in a saloon 
 formed by overarching trees, the cUjeuner was set 
 out. We found Hoffmann von Fallersleben, the 
 lyric poet, I)r Schade — a Gdehrter, and Cornelius. 
 Presently came a Herr — or Doctor — Eaff, a musician, 
 who has recently published a volume called ' Wag- 
 nerfrage.' Soon after we were joined by Liszt and 
 the Princess Marie, an elegant, gentle-looking girl 
 of seventeen, and last by the Princess "Wittgenstein, 
 with her nephew. Prince Eugene, and a young 
 French artist, a pupil of Scheffer. The Princess 
 was tastefully dressed in a morning robe of some 
 semi-transparent wdiite material, lined with orange 
 colour, which formed the bordering and ornamented 
 the sleeves, a black lace jacket, and a piquant cap 
 set on the summit of her comb, and trimmed with 
 violet colour. When the cigars came, Hoffmann 
 was requested to read some of his poetry, and he 
 gave us a bacchanalian poem with great spirit. I 
 sat next to Liszt, and my great delight was to 
 watch him and observe the sweetness of his ex-
 
 1854.] Liszt's Playing. 347 
 
 pressioii. Genius, benevolence, and tenderness weimar, 
 
 Description 
 
 beam from his whole countenance, and his manners Aug.-oct. 
 
 1S54. 
 
 are in perfect harmony with it. Then came the 
 thing I had longed for— his playing. 1 sat near 
 him, so that I could see both his hands and face. 
 For the first time in my life I beheld real inspira- 
 tion — for the first time I heard the true tones of 
 the piano. He played one of liis ow^n compositions 
 — one of a series of religious fantasies. There was 
 nothing strange or excessive about his manner. 
 His manipulation of the instrument was quiet and 
 easy, and his face was simply grand — the lips 
 compressed and the head thrown a little back- 
 ward. When the music expressed quiet rapture 
 or devotion, a sweet smile flitted over his features : 
 when it was triumphant, the nostrils dilated. There 
 was nothing petty or egoistic to mar the picture. 
 Wliy did not Scheffer paint him thus, instead of 
 representing him as one of the three Magi ? But 
 it just occurs to me that Scheffer 's idea was a 
 sublime one. There are the two aged men who 
 have spent their lives in trying to unravel the 
 destinies of the world, and who are looking for 
 the Deliverer — for the light from on high. Their 
 young fellow-seeker, having the fresh inspiration 
 of early life, is the first to discern the herald star,
 
 1S54, 
 
 348 Liszt's TropMcs. [WEIMAE, 
 
 Weimar, aiicl liis Gcstasy reveals it to his companions. In 
 
 Description, 
 
 Aug. -Oct,. this young Magus, Scheffer has given a portrait 
 of Liszt ; but even here, where he might be expect- 
 ed to idealise unrestrainedly, he falls short of the 
 original. It is curious that Liszt's face is the 
 type that one sees in all Scheffer's pictures — at 
 least, in all I have seen. 
 
 In a little room which terminates the suite at 
 the Altenburg, there is a portrait of Liszt also 
 by Scheffer — the same of which the engraving 
 is familiar to every one. This little room is filled 
 with memorials of Liszt's triumphs and the wor- 
 ship his divine talent has won. It was arranged 
 for him by the Princess, in conjunction with the 
 Arnims, in honour of his birthday. There is a 
 medallion of him by Schwanthaler, a bust by an 
 Italian artist, also a medallion by Rietschl — very 
 fine, — and cabinets full of jewels and precious 
 things — the gifts of the great. In the music 
 salon stand Beethoven's and Mozart's pianos. Beet- 
 hoven's was a present from Broadwood, and has 
 a Latin inscription intimating that it was presented 
 as a tribute to his illustrious genius. One evening 
 Liszt came to dine with us at the Erb Prinz, and in- 
 troduced M. Eubinstein, a young Russian, who is 
 about to have an opera of his performed in
 
 1854.] Leave JFcimar. 349 
 
 Weimar. Our expenses at Weimar, including weimar, 
 wine and washing, were £2, 6s. per week. Dear Aug.-oct. 
 Weimar ! We were sorry to say good-bye to it, 
 with its pleasant group of friends. On the 4tli 
 of November, after a stay of just three months, 
 we turned our backs on it "to seek fresh streets 
 and faces new " at Berlin. 
 
 There are certain persons without any physiog- Berlin, Re- 
 
 collectiuiis, 
 
 nomy, the catalogue of whose features, as item a Nov. is5-i to 
 
 11 -^ -fill p • ^^^''"^^ ^^''''''■ 
 
 Koman nose, item a pan- oi black eyes, &c., gives 
 
 you the entire contents of their faces. There is 
 no difference of opinion about the looks of such 
 peo]ple. All the world is agreed either that they 
 are pretty or ugly. So it is with Berlin. Every 
 one tells you it is an uninteresting modern city, 
 with broad, monotonous streets ; and when you 
 see it, you cannot for the life of you get up an 
 emotion of surprise, or make a remark about the 
 place which you have not heard before. 
 
 The day after our arrival was Sunday, 6th Nov- 
 ember : the sun shone brightly, and we went to 
 walk in the Linden, elbowing our way among the 
 promcneurs endiviancMs, who looked remarkably 
 smart and handsome after the Thuringians. We 
 had not gone far when we met a nice-looking- 
 old gentleman, with an order round liis neck, and
 
 350 Impressions of Berlin. [beklin. 
 
 Berlin, Re- a golcl-lieacled cane in his hand, who exclaimed, 
 
 collections, 
 
 Nov. 1S54 to on seeing G., " Ist's mogiich ? " and then bade him 
 
 March 1S5&. 
 
 heartily welcome. I saw at once it was the Varn- 
 hagen of whom I had heard so often. His niece, 
 arrayed in smiles and a pink bonnet, was with him. 
 For the first six weeks, when the weather per- 
 mitted, we took long walks in the Thiergarten, 
 where the straight and uniform avenues of in- 
 significant trees contrasted very disadvantageously 
 with the charming variety of our beloved park 
 at Weimar. Still we now and then noticed a 
 beautiful wintry effect, especially in the part most 
 remote from the town, where the trees are finer 
 and the arrangements more varied. One walk, 
 which skirted the Thiergarten on the right-hand side 
 coming from the town, we were particularly fond 
 of, because it gave us on one side an open view, 
 with water and a boat or two, which, touched by 
 the magic of sunshine, was pleasant to see. At 
 Berlin it was " a day of small things " with regard 
 to the beautiful, and we made much of little. 
 
 Our little circle of acquaintances was very agree- 
 able and varied. Varnhagen was a real treasure to 
 I O., for his library supplied all the deficiencies of the 
 
 public one, where to ask for books was generally 
 like "sinking buckets into empty wells." He is
 
 1854.] Vamhagen, 351 
 
 a man of real culture, kindliness, and polish (Ger- Berlin, Re- 
 collections, 
 manly speaking) ; and he has besides that thorough xov. 1854 to 
 
 .Alarch 1S55. 
 
 liberalism, social, religious, and political, which sets 
 the mind at ease in conversation, and delivers it 
 from the fear of running against some prejudice, 
 or coming suddenly on the sunk fence of some 
 miserable limitation. The first morning he called 
 on us he talked of his terrible disappointment in 
 Carlyle, a subject to which he often returned. He 
 evidently felt an antipathy to the " Teufelsdrockh," 
 which indeed it was not difficult to understand 
 from the mere manure d'etre of the two men. 
 They had corresponded for years before they saw 
 each other; and Varnhagen was, and is, a great 
 admirer of Carlyle's best w^ork, but he was thor- 
 oughly repelled by his rough paradoxical talk, and 
 more justifiably, by the despotic doctrines which 
 it has been his humour to teach of late. We 
 were amused to hear that Carlyle said he should 
 think no one could die at Berlin, " for in beds 
 iviihout curtains what Christian could give up the 
 ghost ? " 
 
 At Varnhagen's we met for the first time Profes- 
 sor Stahr, who was there with Fanny Lewald, Frau- 
 lein Solmar, Frau Muisch, Dr Eing, Dr Yehse, 
 Grafin von Kalkreuth, and Director Wilhelm Scha-
 
 352 Neio Acquaintances. [berlin, 
 
 Berlin, Re- cIow, autlior uf ' Der Moderne Vasari.' We talked 
 
 collections, 
 
 Nov. 1854 tu of Goethe. Varnhagen brought out autographs 
 
 March 1855. 
 
 and portraits, and read us an epigram of his own 
 on the want of liberality which Goethe's family- 
 show about opening his house to the public. He 
 showed us a portrait of Kleist, who shot himself, in 
 company with Frau Vogel, near an inn on the way 
 to Potsdam. There was no love affair between 
 them : they were both thoroughly unhappy — he 
 poor and hopeless for the future ; and she suffering 
 from an incurable disease. In the evening they 
 both wrote, on a single sheet of paper, letters to 
 their friends, communicating their intention (this 
 sheet Varnhagen possesses). Early in the morning 
 they rose, took a cup of coffee, went to the brink of 
 a piece of water in the neighbourhood of the inn, 
 and there shot themselves. 
 
 Du Bois Eeymond spoke very decidedly of the 
 German civilisation as inferior to the English. 
 
 Varnhagen, when well, is a regular visitor at 
 Eraulein Solmar's, who for many years has kept an 
 open salon for her friends every evening but one in 
 the week. Here the three-cornered chair next the 
 I sofa was reserved for him, except when General 
 
 Pfuhl was there. This General Pfuhl is a fine spe- 
 cimen of an old soldier, who is at the same time a
 
 1854.] Frciulcin Solmars Salon. 353 
 
 man of instruction and of strong social sympathies. Berlin, rc- 
 
 TT 1 1 • 1 • n -I • collections, 
 
 He has been m the service ot Prussia, lias been Nov. i854to 
 
 • , 1 • 1 • ) 1 1 1 P 1 ■ K March 1855. 
 
 witliin a hair s-breacltJi oi being irozen to death, 
 " and so following." He spoke French admirably, 
 and always had something interesting and charac- 
 teristic to tell or say. His appreciatory groans 
 always in the right place when G. was reading 
 " Shylock," did us both good under the chills of a 
 German audience. Frauleiu Solmar is a remark- 
 ably accomplished woman — probably between fifty 
 and sixty, but of that agreeable JFcscji which is so 
 free from anything startling in person or manner, 
 and so at home in everything one can talk of, that 
 you think of her simply as a delightful presence, 
 and not as a woman of any particular age. She 
 converses perfectly in French, well in English, and 
 well also, as we were told, in Italian. There is not 
 the slightest warmth of manner or expression in 
 her, but always the same even cheerfulness and in- 
 telligence — in fact, she is the true type of the mis- 
 tress of the salon. During the first half of our stay 
 in Berlin, we went about once a-week to her house ; 
 but bad health and Ijad weather kept us away dur- 
 ing the last six weeks, except for one or two even- 
 ings. Baron Sternberg, the novelist, used frequently 
 to glide in when we were there, and cast strange 
 VOL. I. z
 
 March 1S55. 
 
 354 "lAsez les Chroniques." [beklin, 
 
 Berlin, Re- colcl gknces arouiid, talking quietly to Friiulein 
 
 collections, , -, - . , . 
 
 Nov. 1854 to Assing or some other lady who sat m a distant par- 
 allel of latitude. 
 
 One evening a Frenchman there amused us by 
 saying that he found in Meyerbeer's " Huguenots " 
 the whole spirit of the epoch of Charles IX. " Lisez 
 les Chroniques," — " de Froissart ? " suggested Mile. 
 Solmar. " Oui, quelque chose comme 9a ; ou bien 
 les Chroniques de Brantome ou de Mirimee ; et 
 vous trouverez que Meyerbeer a parfaitement ex- 
 prime tout cela ; du moins c'est ce que je trouve, 
 inoi." 1 said, " Mais peut-etre. Monsieur, c'est votre 
 genie a vous qui a fait entrer les idees dans la 
 musique." He answered with complacent depre- 
 cation. G. looked immovably serious, but was in- 
 wardly tickled by the audacity of my compliment, 
 and the evident acceptance of it. 
 
 A still more interesting acquaintance was I'ro- 
 fessor Gruppe, who has written great books on the 
 Greek drama and on Philosophy ; has been a poli- 
 tical writer ; is a lyric and ej)ic poet ; has invented 
 a beautiful kind of marbled paper for binding 
 books ; is an enthusiastic huntsman, and withal, 
 the most simple kind - hearted creature in the 
 world. His little wife, who is about thirty years 
 younger than himself, seems to adore him, and it
 
 1854.] Professor Gruppc. 355 
 
 is charming to see the group they and their two Berlin, ue- 
 
 collections, 
 
 little children make in their dwellmg up endless N"v. is54 to 
 
 March 1855 
 
 tlights of stairs in the Leipziger Platz. Very plea- 
 sant evenings we had there, chatting or playing 
 whist, or listening to readings of (Jruppe's poems. 
 We used to find him in a grey cloth Schlafrock, 
 which I fancy was once a great-coat, and a brown 
 velvet cap surmounting his thin grey hairs. I 
 never saw a combination at all like that which 
 makes up Gruppe's character. Talent, fertility, 
 and versatility, that seem to indicate a fervid 
 temperament, and yet no scintillation of all this 
 in his talk and manner ; on the contrary, he seems 
 slow at apprehending other people's ideas, and is 
 of an almost childish naiveU in the value he 
 attaches to poor jokes and other trivialities. 
 Apropos of jokes, we noticed that during the 
 whole seven months of our stay in Germany, we 
 never heard one witticism, or even one felicitous 
 idea or expression, from a German ! 
 
 Gruppe has a delightful library, with rare books, 
 and books too good to be rare ; and we often applied 
 to him for some of them. He lent me ' Lessing,' 
 and that is an additional circumstance to remem- 
 ber with pleasure in connection with the Laocoon. 
 He one evening gave us an interesting account of
 
 356 Profcssffr Griupin. [berlin, 
 
 Beiiin, Re- his work Oil tliG cosiiiic systeiii of the Greeks, and 
 
 collections, 
 
 Nov. 1854 to read us a translation by himself of one of the 
 
 Murcli 1855. 
 
 Homeric hymns — Aphrodite — which is very beau- 
 tiful, a sort of Gcgenstilck to " Der Gott und die 
 Bajadere:" and generally we were glad when he 
 took up the book. He read us a specimen of his 
 epic poem, " Firdusi," which pleased us. The fable 
 on which this poem is founded is fine. The sultan 
 had engaged Firdusi to write a great poem on his 
 exploits, and had promised to pay for this 100,000 
 pieces (gold being understood). Firdusi had de- 
 lighted in the thought of this sum, which he 
 intended to devote to the benefit of his native 
 city. When the poem was delivered, and the 
 sack of money given to Firdusi, he found that 
 the pieces were silver ! He burst into a song of 
 scorn against the sultan, and paid the miserable 
 sum to his bath man. Gruppe thinks Shakspeare 
 more extensively sold in Germany than any other 
 book, except the Bible and Schiller ! One night 
 we attempted " Brag " or " Pocher," but Gruppe 
 presently became alarmed at G.'s play, and said 
 " Das wlirde an zwolf Groschen reichen." He 
 drew some Jews' faces with a pen admirably. 
 
 We were invited to meet Waagen, whom we 
 found a very intelligent and amusing man. He
 
 1854.] Waagen on Goethe. 357 
 
 told us a story aljOUt Goethe, who said of some Berlin, Re- 
 collections, 
 
 one, " I thank thee, Ahnighty God, that Thou hast Nov. 1854 to 
 
 March 1855. 
 
 produced no second edition or this man ! " and an 
 amusing judgment passed on Goethe himself, that 
 he was " Kein dummer Mann ! " Also a story of 
 a lady who went to see him as an intellectual 
 adorer, and began to s})Out to him as his master- 
 piece, " Test gemauert in der Erden," ^ &c. 
 
 Another pleasant friend was Edward Magnus, 
 the portrait painter, an acute, intelligent, kind- 
 hearted man, with real talent in his art. He was 
 the only German we met with who seemed con- 
 scious of his countrymen's deficiencies. He showed 
 in every possible way a hearty desire to do us 
 service — sent us books, came to chat with us, 
 showed us his portraits, and when we were going 
 away, brought us lithographs of some paintings of 
 his, that we might carry away a remembrance of 
 liim. He has travelled very extensively, and had 
 much intercourse with distinguished people, and 
 these means of culture have had some of their best 
 effects on liis fine temperament and direct truthful 
 mind. He told us a rich story about Caiiyle. At 
 a dinner-party, given by Magnus in his honour, 
 Wiese and Cornelius were deploring Goethe's want 
 
 1 First line of Schiller's " Sons of the Bell."
 
 358 Edward Magnus oil Carlylc. [beelin, 
 
 Berlin, Ue- of evaiigelical sentiment. Carlyle was visibly iin- 
 
 oollections, at i 
 
 Nov. 1854 to easy, fumbling witli his canner-napkm. At last he 
 
 March 1855. • t 
 
 broke out thus: "Meme Herren, kennen sie die 
 Anekdote von dem Manne der die Sonne lasterte 
 well sie ihm sein Cigarre nicht ansteeken liess ? " ^ 
 ^ In the little room where we used to be ushered 
 to wait for him, there was a portrait of Thorwald- 
 sen and one of Mendelssohn, both of whom he 
 knew well. I was surprised to find in his atelier 
 the original of the portrait of Jenny Lind, with 
 which I was so familiar. He was going to send 
 it, together with Sontag's portrait, to the exhibi- 
 tion at Paris. His brother, the chemist, was also a 
 brio-ht good-natured-looking man. We were invited 
 to a large evening party at his house, and found 
 very elegant rooms, with a remarkable assemblage 
 of celebrated men — Johannes Miiller, Du Bois 
 Eeymond, Eose, Ehrenberg, &c., &c. Some of the 
 women were very pretty and well drest. The 
 supper, brought round on trays, was well appointed ; 
 and altogether the party was well managed. 
 
 We spent one evening with Professor Stahr and 
 his wife — Fanny Lewald — after their marriage. 
 Stahr has a copy of the charming miniature of 
 
 1 "Gentlemen, do yoix know the story of the man who railed at 
 the siui becanse it Avould not light his cigar ? "
 
 1854.] Schiller's Portrait. 359 
 
 Schiller, taken when he was about thirty — a Berlin, Ke- 
 
 • •, • ,^ • c .•-»«-i collections, 
 
 miniature m the possession ot a certain Madame xov. ]Sa4 to 
 
 Alarch 1S55 
 
 von Kalb. There are the long Gdnschals} the 
 aquiline nose, the blue eyes and auburn hair. It 
 is a most real and striking portrait. I saw also 
 a portrait and bust of Madame d'Agoult here, both 
 rather handsome. The first evening Stahr told us 
 some of the grievances which the Prussians have 
 to bear from their Government, and amongst the 
 rest the vexatious necessity for a " concession " or 
 licence, before any, the simplest vocation, can be 
 entered on. He observed, with justice, that the 
 English are apt to suppose the German Eevolution 
 of '48 w^as mere restlessness and aping of other 
 nations, when in fact there were real oppressions 
 which the Germans had to bear, and which they 
 had borne with a patience that the English would 
 not imitate for a month. By far the most dis- 
 tinguished looking man we saw at Berlin, and 
 indeed next to Liszt in Germany, was Eauch the 
 sculptor. SchoU had given G. a letter for him, 
 and soon after it had been left at his house he 
 called on us in the evening, and at once won our 
 hearts by his beautiful person and the benignant 
 and intelligent charm of liis conversation. He is 
 
 1 Goose-neck.
 
 360 Ficmch the Sculptor. [berlin, 
 
 Berlin, Re- indeed the finest old man I ever saw — more than- 
 Nov!\854 to seventy-six, I believe, Ijut perfectly upright, even 
 
 March 1855. , . , . . -ft- p j ^ 
 
 stately m his carriage. His teatures are har- 
 monious, his complexion has a delicate freshness, 
 his silky white hair waves gracefully round his 
 high forehead, and his brown eyes beam with 
 benevolence and intelligence. He is above the 
 common lieight, and his stature and beauty together 
 ennoble the grey working surtout and cap which he 
 wears in his atelier into a picturesque and distin- 
 guished costume. The evening he was with us 
 he talked delightfully of Goethe, dwelling especi- 
 ally on his loveable nature. He described very 
 graphically Goethe's way of introducing subjects, 
 showing plates, &c., bringing in the cast of Schiller's 
 skull, and talking of it and other little particulars 
 of interest. We went one morning to his cUelier, 
 and found him superintending his pupil's work at 
 a large group representing Moses with his hands 
 held up by Aaron and Hur. It was extremely 
 interesting to me to see Eauch's original little clay 
 model of this group, for I had never seen statuary 
 in that first stage before. The intense expression 
 of entreaty in the face of the ]\ioses was remark- 
 able. But the spirit of this group is so alien to 
 my sympathies, that I could feel little pleasure in
 
 1854.] EaucJi's Atelier. 361 
 
 the idea of its production. On the other hand, BeiUu, Re- 
 collections, 
 my heart leaped at the sight of old Kant's quaint Nov. 1354 to 
 
 March 1855. 
 
 figure, of which Eauch is commissioned to produce 
 a colossal statue for Konigsberg. In another atelier, 
 where the work is in a different stage, we saw a 
 splendid marljle monument, nearly completed, of 
 the late King of Hanover. I'itiable that genius 
 and spotless white marble should be thrown away 
 on such human trash ! Our second visit to Rauch's 
 atelier was paid shortly before we left Berlin. The 
 group of Moses, Aaron, and Hur was clothed up, 
 and the dark -eyed olive -complexioned pupil was 
 at work on a pretty little figure of Hope — a child 
 stepping forward with upturned face, a bunch of 
 flowers in her hand. In the other atelier we saw 
 a bust of Schleiermacher which, with the eques- 
 trian statue of Fritz and its pedestal, Eauch was 
 going to send to the Paris Exhibition. Schleier- 
 macher's face is very delicately cut, and indicates 
 a highly susceptible temperament. The colossal 
 head of Fritz, seen on a level with one's eye, was 
 perfectly startling from its living expression. One 
 can't hel^D fancying that the head is thinking and 
 that the eyes are seeing. 
 
 Dessoir the actor was another pleasant variety 
 in our circle of acquaintance. He created in us
 
 3G2 Dcssoir the Actor. [BERLIN, 
 
 Berlin, Re- a real respect and regard for liiiii, not only by liis 
 
 collections, . . . 
 
 Nov. 1854 to sincere devotion to his art, but by the superiority 
 
 Mtirch 1 855. 
 
 of feeling which shone through all the little details 
 of his conduct and conversation. Of lowly birth 
 and entirely self-taught, he is by nature a gentle- 
 man. Without a single physical gift as an actor, 
 he succeeds, by force of enthusiasm and conscien- 
 tious study, in arriving at a representation which 
 commands one's attention and feelings. I was very 
 much pleased by the simplicity with which he one 
 day said, " Shakspeare ist mein Gott ; ich habe 
 keinen anderen Gott : " and indeed one saw that 
 his art was a religion to him. He said he found 
 himself inevitably led into sing-song declamation 
 by Schiller, but with Shakspeare it was impossible 
 to be declamatory. It was very agreeable to have 
 him as a companion now and then in our walks, 
 and to have him read or discuss Shakspeare for 
 an liour or two in the evening. He told us an 
 amusing story about his early days. When he 
 was a youth of sixteen or seventeen, acting at 
 Spandau, he walked to Berlin (about nine miles) 
 and back in the evening, accompanied by a watch- 
 ! maker named Naundortf, an enthusiast for the 
 
 theatre. On their way Dessoir declaimed at the 
 top of liis voice, and was encouraged liy the
 
 1854.] '' Nathan Der Wciser 363 
 
 applause of his companion to more and more neriin, Re- 
 
 collei'tions, 
 
 exertion of Inngs and limbs, so that people stared xov. 1354 to 
 
 JIarch 1S55. 
 
 at them, and followed them as if tliey thought 
 them two madmen. This watchmaker was Louis 
 XVII. ! Dessoir also imitated admirably Aldridge's 
 mode of advancing to kill Duncan — like a wild 
 Indian lurkino- for a not much wilder beast. He 
 paid us the very pretty attention of getting up 
 a dinner for us at Dietz's, and inviting Eotscher 
 and Forster to meet us ; and he supplied us with 
 tickets for the theatre, which, however, was a 
 pleasure we used sparingly. The first time we 
 went was to see " Xatlian der Weise " — a real 
 enjoyment, for the elegant theatre w^as new to 
 us, and the scenery was excellent— better than I 
 saw there on any subsequent occasion. Doring per- 
 formed Nathan, and we thus saw him for the first 
 time to great advantage — for though he drags down 
 this part, as he does all others, the character of 
 Nathan sets limits which he cannot overstep ; and 
 though we lose most of its elevation in Doring's act- 
 ing, we get, en revanche, an admirable ease and natu- 
 ralness. His fine clear voice and perfect enunciation 
 told excellently in the famous monologue, and in 
 the whole scene with Saladiu. Our hearts swelled 
 and the tears came into our eyes as we listened to
 
 364 Johanna Wagner. [beelin, 
 
 Berlin, Re- tliG iioble words of dear Lessiiig, whose great spirit 
 Nov-ISto lives immortally in this crowning work of his. 
 March 1855. ^^^ ^^^^^ anxietj was to see and hear Johanna 
 
 Wagner, so we took tickets for the "Orpheus," 
 which Mile. Solmar told us she thought her best 
 part. We were thoroughly delighted both with 
 her and her music. The caricatures of the Furies, 
 the ballet-girls, and the butcher-like Greek shades 
 in Elysium, the ugly screaming Eurydice, and the 
 droll appearance of Timzek as Amor, in which she 
 looked like a shop-girl who has donned a masquer- 
 ade dress impromptu, without changing her head- 
 dress — all these absurdities were rather an amuse- 
 ment than a drawback to our pleasure; for the 
 Orpheus was perfect in himself, and looked like 
 a noble horse among mules and donkeys. 
 Letter to Our days are so accurately parcelled out that 
 
 Miss Sara . . . ■ • . i i 
 
 Henneii, fith my time for letter- writnig is rather restricted, and 
 
 Jan. 1855. ^ . t -> , i 
 
 for every letter I write I have to leave out some- 
 thing which we have learned to think necessary. 
 We have been to hear " Fidelio " this evening— not 
 well executed, except so far as the orchestra was 
 concerned ; but the divine music positively triumphs 
 over the defects of execution. One is entirely 
 wrapt in the idea of the composer. Last week 
 we had " Orpheus and Eurydice," and I heard, for
 
 1855.] • Gluck's " Orpheus." 365 
 
 the first time, at once an opera of Gluck's and Letter to 
 
 Miss Sara 
 
 Johanna Wagner. It is one of the glories of Ber- Henneii, otu 
 
 Jan. 1855. 
 
 lin to give Gluck's operas, and it is also something 
 of a glory to have " die Wagner." Slie is really 
 a fine actress and a fine singer: her voice is not 
 ravishing, but she is mistress of it. I thought of 
 you that evening, and wished you could hear and 
 see what I know would interest you greatly — I 
 refer rather to Gluck's opera than to Johanna 
 Wagner, The scene in which Orpheus (Johanna 
 Wagner) enters Tartarus, is met by the awful 
 Shades, and charms them into ecstatic admiration 
 till they make way for him to pass on, is very 
 fine. The voices — except in the choruses — are all 
 women's voices ; and there are only three charac- 
 ters — Orpheus, Amor, and Eurydice. One wonders 
 that Pluto does not come as a basso ; and one 
 would prefer Mercury as a tenor to Amor in the 
 shape of an ugly German soprano ; but Gluck 
 wished it otherwise, and the music is delightful, 
 I am reading a charming book by Professor Stahr 
 — who is one of our acquaintances here — ' Torso : 
 Kunst, Klinstler, und Kunst Werke der Alten.' It 
 feeds the fresh interest I am now feeling in art. 
 Professor Stahr is a very erudite man, and, what is 
 very much rarer amongst Germans, a good writer,
 
 366 Professor Stahr. [beelin, 
 
 Letter to wlio kiiows liow to sclect liis materials, and has, 
 
 Miss Sara pi • • 
 
 Henneii, 9tii above all, a charming talent for description. We 
 
 Jan. 1855. 
 
 saw at his house the other night the first portrait 
 of Schiller, which convinces me of a likeness to him. 
 It is the copy of a miniature which has never 
 been eno-raved. The face is less beautiful than 
 that of the ordinary busts and portraits, but is 
 very remarkable — the eyes blue, the complexion 
 very fair (the picture was taken in his youth), and 
 the hair sunny. He has the long " goose-neck " 
 which he describes as belonging to Carl Moor in 
 the " Eobbers," and the forehead is fuyant in corre- 
 spondence with the skull. The piteous contrast 
 there is between the anxiety poor Schiller is con- 
 stantly expressing about a livelihood — about the 
 thalers he has to pay for this and the thalers he 
 has to receive for that — and Goethe's perfect ease 
 in that respect ! For the ' History of the Nether- 
 lands ' he got little more than fifteen shillings per 
 sheet. I am very much interested in Professor 
 Gruppe as a type of the German Gelehrter. He 
 has written books on everything — on the Greek 
 drama, a great book on the cosmic system of 
 ; the Greeks, an Epic, numberless lyric poems, &c. ; 
 
 he has a philosophical work and a history of 
 literature in tlie press ; is professor of philosophy
 
 1855.] Roger and Arabella Goddard. 367 
 
 at the University ; is enthusiastic about boar-hunt- Letter to 
 
 Miss Sara 
 
 ing, and has written a volume of hunting poems — Henneii, oth 
 
 Jan. 1855. 
 
 and icli wciss niclit was. Withal he is as simple as 
 a child. "When we go to see them in the evening, 
 we find him wrapt in a moth-eaten grey coat and 
 a cap on his head. Then he reads us a translation 
 of one of the Homeric hymns, and goes into the 
 most naive impersonal ecstasy at the beauty of his 
 own poetry (which is really good). The other 
 night he read us part of an epic which is still in 
 MS., and is to be read before the king — such is 
 the fashion here. And his little wife, wdio is 
 about twenty years younger than himself, listens 
 with loving admiration. Altogether, they and their 
 two little' children are a charming picture. 
 
 We went to only one concert, for which Vivier Berlin, Re- 
 
 . , collections, 
 
 was kmd enough to send us tickets. It was given xov. 1354 to 
 by him and Eoger, assisted by Arabella Goddard 
 and Johanna Waoner. Eoo-er's siuoino; of the 
 " Eli King " was a treat not to be forgotten. He 
 gave the full effect to Schubert's beautiful and 
 dramatic music ; and his way of falling from melody 
 into awe-struck speech in the final words "War 
 todt " abides with one, I never felt so thoroughly 
 the beauty of that divine ballad before. The king- 
 was present in all his toothlessness and blinking- 
 
 Marcli 1855.
 
 368 Vivier Anecdotes. [berlin, 
 
 Berlin, Re- ness ; aiicl the new princess from Anhalt Dessau, 
 
 collections, 
 
 Nov. 1854 tn young and aelicate-looking, was there too. Ara- 
 
 jMarcli 1855 
 
 bella Goddard played the " Harmonious Blacksmith " 
 charmingly, and then Wagner sang badly two in- 
 effective German songs, and Halevy's duet from 
 the " Heine de Cliypre " with Eoger. 
 
 Vivier is amusing. He says Germans take off' 
 their hats on all possible pretexts — not for the 
 sake of politeness, but j;o2M' Stor cmharrassants. They 
 have wide streets, simply to embarrass you, by 
 making it impossible to descry a shop or a friend. 
 A German always has three gloves — " On ne salt pas 
 pourquoi." There is a dog-tax in order to maintain 
 a narrow trottoir in Berlin, and every one who 
 keeps a dog feels authorised to keep the trottoir 
 and move aside for no one. If he has two dogs, 
 he drives out of the trottoir the man who has only 
 one : the very dogs begin to be aware of it. If 
 you kick one when he is off' the trottoir he will 
 bear it patiently, but on the trottoir he resents it 
 vehemently. He gave us quite a bit of Moliere in 
 a description of a mystification at a restaurant. 
 He says to the waiter — " Vous voyez ce monsieur 
 la. C'est le pauvre ]\I. Colignon." (II faut qu'il 
 soit quelq'un qui prend tres pen — une tasse de cafe 
 ou comme c^a, et qui ne depense pas trop.) " Je
 
 1855.] Works of Art at Berlin. 369 
 
 SUis son ami. II est foU. Je le garde. Combien Berlin, Re- 
 collections, 
 
 doit - il payer I "' " Un franc." " Voila." Then Nov. 1854 to 
 
 March 1S55. 
 
 yi\der goes out. Presently the so-called M. Colig- 
 non asks how much he has to pay, and is driven 
 to exasperation by the reiterated assurance of the 
 waiter — " C'est paye, M. Colignon." 
 
 The first work of art really worth looking at 
 that one sees at Berlin are the " Eosse-bandiger " 
 in front of the palace. They are by a sculptor 
 named Clodt, who made horses his especial study ; 
 and certainly, to us, they eclipsed the famous Colossi 
 at ]\Ionte Cavallo, casts of which are in the new 
 museum. 
 
 The collection of pictures at the old museum 
 has three gems, which remain in the imagination — 
 Titian's Daughter, Correggio's Jupiter and lo, and 
 his Head of Christ on the Handkerchief. I was 
 pleased also to recognise among the pictures the 
 one Ijy -Tan Steen, which Goetlie describes in the 
 ' Wahlverwandschaften ' as the model of a tableau 
 vivant, presented by Luciane and her friends. It 
 is the daughter being reproved by her father, 
 while the mother is emptying her wine-glass. It 
 is interesting to see the statue of Napoleon, the 
 worker of so much humiliation to Prussia, placed 
 opposite that of Julius Cassar. 
 
 VOL. I. 2 a
 
 370 Evenings in Berlin. [berlin, 
 
 Berlin, Re- The}' Were very happy months we spent at Ber- 
 Nov i854to Hn, in spite of the bitter cold which came on in 
 January and lasted almost till we left. How we 
 used to rejoice in the idea of our warm room and 
 cofiee as we battled our way from dinner against 
 the wind and snow ! Then came the delightful 
 long evening, in which we read Shakspeare, Goethe, 
 Heine, and Macaulay, with German Ffcfferkuclun 
 and Scmmcls at the end to complete the 'nodes 
 cenocqiie deum. 
 
 We used often to turn out for a little wallc in the 
 evening, when it was not too cold, to refresh our- 
 selves by a little pure air as a change from the stove- 
 heated room. Our favourite walk was along the 
 Linden, in the broad road between the trees. We 
 used to pace to old Fritz's monument, which loomed 
 up dark and mj'sterious against the sky. Once or 
 twice we went along the gas-lighted w^alk towards 
 Kroll's. One evening in our last week, we went 
 on to the bridge leading to the Friedrichstadt, and 
 there by moon- and gas-light saw the only bit of 
 picturesqueness Berlin afforded us. The outline of 
 the Schloss towards the water is very varied, and a 
 light in one of the windows near the top of a tower 
 was a happy accident. The row of houses on the 
 other side of the water was shrouded in indis-
 
 1855.] Leave Berlin. 371 
 
 tinctncss, and no ngly ol)ject marred the scene. Berlin, iie- 
 
 (■ollectious, 
 
 The next day, nnder the light of the suii, it was Nov. i854to 
 
 March 1855. 
 
 perfectly prosaic. 
 
 Our table clliote at the Hotel do I'Europe was so 
 slow in its progress from one course to another, and 
 there was so little encouragement to talk to our 
 neighbours, that we used to take our books by way 
 of beguiling the time. Lessing's ' Hambnrgische 
 Briefe,' which I am not likely to take up again, 
 will thus remain associated in my memory with my 
 place at the table cVhote. The company here, as 
 almost everywhere else in Berlin, was sprinkled 
 with officers. Indeed the swords of officers threaten 
 one's legs at every turn in the streets, and one sighs 
 to think how these unproductive consumers of 
 Wiirst, with all their blue and scarlet broadcloth, 
 are maintained out of the pockets of the com- 
 munity. Many of the officers and privates are 
 startlingly tall ; indeed some of them would match, 
 I should think, with the longest of Friedrich Wil- 
 helm's lange Kerle. 
 
 It was a bitterly cold sleety morning — the 11th 
 of March — when we set out from Berlin, leaving 
 behind us, alas ! G.'s rug, which should have kept 
 his feet warm on the journey. Our travelling com- 
 panions to Cologne were fat Madame. Eoger, her
 
 372 Journey to Cologne. [Berlin, 
 
 Berlin, Re- little daughter, and her dog, and a Queen's messen- 
 
 collections, 
 
 Nov. 1854 to ger — a very agreeable man, who afterwards per- 
 
 Jlarch 1855. 
 
 suaded another of the same vocation to join us for 
 the sake of warmth. This poor man's teeth were 
 chattering with cold, though he was wrapped in 
 fur ; and we, all fur-less as we were, pitied him, and 
 were thankful that at least we were not feverish 
 and ill, as he evidently was. We saw the immortal 
 old town of Wolfenbiittel at a distance, as we rolled 
 along : beyond this there was nothing of interest in 
 our first day's journey, and the only incident was 
 the condemnation of poor Madame Eoger's dog to 
 the dog-box, apart from its mistress with her warm 
 cloaks. She remonstrated in vain with a brutal 
 German official, and it was amusing to hear him 
 say to her in German, " Wenn sie Deutsch nicht 
 verstehen konnen." " Eh bien — prenez la." " Ah ! 
 quel satan de pays ! " was her final word, as she 
 held out the shivering little beast. 
 
 We stayed at Cologne, and next morning walked 
 out to look at the cathedral again. Melancholy as 
 ever in its impression upon me ! From Cologne to 
 Brussels we had some rather interesting companions, 
 in two French artists who were on their way from 
 Eussia. Strange lieings they looked to us at first 
 ill their dirty linen, Eussiaii caps, and other queer
 
 March 1855. 
 
 1855.]- Worl' nf Weimar and Berlin. 373 
 
 equipments ; but in tliis, as in many other cases, I Berlin, Re- 
 
 (■ollections, 
 
 found that a first impression was an extremely mis- Nov. 1854 tf) 
 taken one, — for instead of being, as I imagined, com- 
 mon uncultivated men, they were highly intelligent. 
 At Brussels, as we took our supper, we had the 
 pleasure of looking at Berlioz's fine head and face, 
 he being employed in the same way on the other 
 side of the table. The next morning to Calais. 
 
 They were pleasant days these at Weimar 
 and Berlin, and they were working days. Mr 
 Lewes was engaged in completing his life of 
 Goethe, which had been begun some time 
 before, but which was now for the most part 
 rewritten. At Weimar George Eliot wrote the 
 article on Victor Cousin's ' Madame de Sable ' 
 for the 'Westminster Eeview.' It was begun 
 on 5th August and sent off on 8th September. 
 At Berlm she nearly finished the translation of 
 Spinoza's ' Ethics ' — begun on 5tli November, — 
 and wrote an article on Vehse's ' Court of 
 Austria,' which was begun on 23d January and 
 finished 4th March 1855. Besides this writing, 
 I find the following among the books that were 
 engaging their attention ; and in collecting the 
 names from George Eliot's Journal, I have tran- 
 scribed any remarks she makes on them : —
 
 374 Books read. [beklin, 
 
 Sainte-Beuve, Goethe's 'Wahlverwandscliaften,' 'Ea- 
 meau's Neffe/ ' Egmont/ ' The Hoggarty Diamond,' 
 Moore's 'Life of Sheridan' — a first-rate spechnen 
 of bad biograpliical writing ; ' Gotz ' and the ' Biir- 
 ger General,' Uhland's poems, 'Wilhehn Meister,' 
 Eosenkranz on tlie Faust Sage, Heine's poems, 
 Shakspeare's plays ("]\Ierchant of Venice," "Eomeo 
 and Juliet," "Julius Ctesar" — very much struck 
 with the masculine style of this play, and its vig- 
 orous moderation, compared with " Eomeo and 
 Juliet "—" Antony and Cleopatra," "Henry IV.," 
 "Othello," "As You Like It," " Lear,"— sublimely 
 powerful, — " Taming of the Shrew," " Coriolanus," 
 ''Twelfth Night," "Measure for Measure," "Mid- 
 summer Night's Dream," " Winter's Tale," " Eichard 
 III.," " Hamlet ") ; Lessing's ' Laocoon '—the most 
 un-German of all the German books that I have 
 ever read. The style is strong, clear, and lively ; 
 the thoughts acute and pregnant. It is well adapt- 
 ed to rouse an interest both in the classics and in 
 the study of art ; ' Emilia Galotti ' seems to me a 
 wretched mistake of Lessing's. The Eoman myth of 
 Virginius is grand, but the situation transported to 
 modern times and divested of its political bearing is 
 simply shocking. Eead ' Brief e liber Spinoza ' ( Jaco- 
 bi's), " Nathan der Weise," Fanny Lewald's ' Wand-
 
 1855.] RetnarJcs on Books read. 375 
 
 luiigen,' ' Minna von Barnlielm,' ' Italianische lieise,' 
 the ' liesidence in Eome ' : a beautiful description 
 of Rome and the Coliseum Ijy moonlight — a tire 
 made in the Coliseum sending its smoke, silvered 
 by the moonlight, through the arches of the mighty 
 walls. Amusing story of Goethe's landlady's cat 
 worshipping Jupiter by licking his beard — a miracle 
 in her esteem, explained by Goethe as a discovery 
 the cat had made of the oil lodging in the undula- 
 tions of the beard. ' Residence in Naples ' — pretty 
 passage about a star seen through a chink in the 
 ceiling as he lay in bed. It is remarkable that when 
 Goethe gets to Sicily, he is for the first time in 
 Italy enthusiastic in his descriptions of natural 
 beauty. Read Scherr's ' Geschichte Deutscher Cul- 
 tur und Sitte' — much mterested in his sketch of 
 German poetry in the middle ages : ' Iphigenia.' 
 Looked into the 'Xenien,' and amused ourselves 
 with their pointlessness. ' Hermann and Dorothea.' 
 'Tasso,' ' Wander] ahre,' — a mourir d' ennui, — Heine's 
 ' Gestandnisse ' — immensely amused with the wit 
 of it in the first fifty pages, but afterwards it burns 
 low, and the want of principle and purpose make 
 it wearisome. Lessing's ' Hamburgische Briefe.' 
 Read Goethe's wonderful observations on Spinoza. 
 Particularly struck with the beautiful modesty of
 
 376 Memarlcs on Boohs read. [berlin, 
 
 the passage iu wliich he says he cannot presume 
 to say that he thoroughly understands Spmoza. 
 Kead ' Uichtung und Wahrheit/ Knight's ' Studies of 
 Shakspeare.' Talked of the 'Wahlverwandschaften' 
 with Stahr — he finding fault with the cUnoitement, 
 which I defended. Eead Stahr's ' Torso ' — too 
 long-winded a style for reading aloud. Knight's 
 ' History of Painting.' Compared several scenes 
 of "Hamlet" in Schlegel's translation with the 
 original. It is generally very close, and often ad- 
 mirably well done : but Shakspeare's strong concrete 
 language is almost always weakened. For example, 
 " Though this hand were thicker than itself in 
 brother's blood," is rendered, " Audi um und um 
 in Bruder's Blut getauchet." The prose speeches 
 of Hamlet lose all their felicity in the translation. 
 Read Stahr on the Eginetan Sculptures, ' Die 
 Neue Melusine,' ' West-Ostliche Divan/ Gervinus 
 on Shakspeare — found it unsatisfactory, — Stahr's 
 ' Ein Jahr in Italien," — the description of Florence 
 excellent. Piead the wondrously beautiful '• Piomis- 
 che Elegien ' again, and some of the Venetian 
 Epigrams, Vehse's ' Court of Austria ' — called on 
 Miss Assing to try and borrow the book from 
 Varnhagen. He does not possess it, so G. called 
 on Vehse, and asked him to lend it to me. He
 
 1855.] Return to England. 377 
 
 was very iiiiich pleased to do so. Eead the 
 " Zueignung," the " Gedichte," and several of the 
 ballads. Looked through Wraxall's ' MeInoh^s.' 
 Eead Macaulay's 'History of England.' Wrote 
 article on Stahr. 
 
 This writing and reading, combined with 
 visiting, theatre-going, and opera-going, make 
 a pretty full life for these eight months — a 
 striking contrast to the coming months of com- 
 plete social quietness in England. Both lives 
 had their attractions, the superficial aspects of 
 which may be summed up in a passage from 
 the Journal, dated 13th March 1855, on arrival 
 at the Lord Warden Hotel at Dover : — 
 English mutton and an English fire were likely to be 
 appreciated by creatures who had had eight months 
 of Germany, with its questionable meat and its 
 stove-heated rooms. The taste and quietude of a 
 first-rate English hotel were also in striking contrast 
 with the heavy finery, the noise, and the indiscrim- 
 inate smoking of German inns. But after all, 
 Germany is no bad place to live in ; and the Ger- 
 mans, to counterbalance their want of taste and 
 politeness, are at least free from the bigotry of 
 exclusiveness of their more refined cousins. I 
 even long to be amongst them again — to see Dres-
 
 378 Lildnfj for OcTmany. [DOVER.] 
 
 den, and INInnich, and Niirnberg, and tlie Rhine 
 country. jM^iy the day soon come ! 
 
 S UMMA 11 Y. 
 
 JULY 1854 TO MAltCII 1«.'35. 
 
 Leaves London witli Mr Lewes for Antwerp — Rubens's 
 pictures — Cologne — Dr Brabant and Strauss — Weimar — 
 SchoU — The Dichter Ziuimer — Sauppe — Tiefurt — Etters- 
 burg — Artliur Helps — Gabel - Bacli and Kickel-hahn — 
 Liszt — Wagner's operas — " Der Freiscliiitz " — Schiller's house 
 — Goethe's house — Garten Haus — Ober Weimar — The 
 Webicht — Marquis de Ferriere^Liszt anecdotes — Cornelius 
 — Raft' — Princess AVittgenstein — Liszt's playing — Schefter's 
 picture — Expenses at Weimar — Leave for Berlin — Meet 
 Varnhagen — Thiergarten — Acquaintances in Berlin — Friiu- 
 lein Solmar — Professor Gruppe — Epic of Firdusi — Waagen 
 —Edward Magnus — Professor Stahr and Fanny Lewald — 
 Ranch the sculptor — Kant's statue — Dessoir the actor — 
 " Nathan der Weise " — Doring's acting — Johanna Wagner 
 — Letter to Miss Hennell — " Fidelio " — Reading Stahr's 
 ' Torso' — Likeness of Schiller — Vivier — Roger and Arabella 
 Goddard — The Rosse-bandiger — Pictures — Cold in Berlin — 
 View of Schloss from bridge — Leave Berlin for England 
 — Books read — Article written on Madame de Sable — Trans- 
 lation of Spinoza's ' Ethics ' — Article on Vehse's * Court 
 of Austria' — Article on Stahr.
 
 379 
 
 CHAPTER VIL 
 
 March 14. — Took lodgings at 1 Sydney Place, Dover, journal, 
 
 March IS') 
 
 March 15. — A lovely day. As I walked np the 
 Castle liill this afternoon, the town, with its back- 
 ground of softly rounded hills shrouded in sleepy 
 haze, its little lines of water looking golden in the 
 sun, made a charming picture. I have written the 
 preface to the ' Third Book of Ethics,' read Scherr, 
 and Shakspeare's " Venus and Adonis." 
 
 March 16. — I read Shakspeare's " Passionate Pil- 
 OTirn" at breakfast, and found a sonnet in which he 
 expresses admiration of Spenser (Sonnet viii.) : — 
 
 G. writes \ 
 that this I " Dowland to thee is dear, whose heavenly touch 
 sonnet is I Upon the kite doth ravish human sense ; 
 Barnwell s. | Spenser to me, whose deep conceit is such 
 [Note wTitteii I ^^) passing all conceit, needs no defence." 
 later.] j 
 
 I must send word of this to U., who has written 
 in his 'Goethe' that Shakspeare has left no line in
 
 380 
 
 Ha^ypier for Experience Abroad, [dovee, 
 
 Journal, 
 Jlarch 1855. 
 
 Letter to 
 Miss Sara 
 Hemiell, 
 16th Mai'cli 
 1855. 
 
 praise of a contemporary. I could not resist the 
 temptation of walking out Ijefore J sat down to 
 work. Came in at half-past ten, and translated 
 Spinoza till nearly one. Walked out again till two. 
 After dinner read " Two Gentlemen of Verona," 
 and some of the Sonnets. That play disgusted me 
 more than ever in the final scene, where Valentine, 
 on Proteus's mere begging pardon, when he has no 
 longer any hope of gaining his ends, says : " All 
 that was mine in Silvia, I give thee ! " Silvia stand- 
 ing by. Walked up the Castle hill again, and 
 came in at six. Eead Scherr, and found an im- 
 portant hint that I have made a mistake in a 
 sentence of my article on Austria about the death 
 of Franz von Sickingen. 
 
 I daresay you will be surprised to see that I 
 write from Dover. We left Berlin on the 11th. 
 I have taken lodgings here for a little while, until 
 Mr Lewes has concluded some arrangements in 
 London ; and with tlie aid of lovely weather, am 
 even enjoying my solitude, though I don't mind 
 how soon it ends. News of you all at Eosehill — 
 how health, and business, and all other things are 
 faring — would be very welcome to me, if you can 
 find time for a little iKJte of homely details. I am 
 well and calmly happy— feeling much stronger and
 
 1855.] Return to London. 381 
 
 clearer in mind for the last eight months of new Letter to 
 
 Miss Sara 
 
 experience. We were sorry to leave our quiet Heimeii, 
 
 Hitli :\[arch 
 
 rooms and agreeable friends in Berlin, though the is5.5. 
 place itself is certainly ugly, and am Ende must 
 become terribly wearisome for those who have 
 not a vocation there. AYe went again and again to 
 the new museum to look at the casts of the Par- 
 thenon Sculptures, and registered a vow that we 
 would w to feast on the sic;ht of the originals 
 the first day we could spare in London. I had 
 never cast more than a fieeting look on them 
 before, but now T can in some degree understand 
 the effect they produced on their first discovery. 
 
 March 25. — A note from Mr Chapman, in which Jcmnai, 
 
 18J0. 
 
 lie asks me to undertake part of the Contemporary 
 Literature for the ' Westminster Eeview.' 
 
 April 18. — Came to town, to lodgings in Bays- 
 water. 
 
 Ajwil 23. — Fixed on lodgings at East Sheen. 
 Ajn'il 25. — Went to the British Museum. 
 April 28. — Finished article on Weimar, for 
 'Fraser.' 
 
 During this month George Eliot was finish- 
 ing the translating and revising of Spinoza's 
 Ethics, and was still reading Scherr's book, 
 Schrader's 'German Mythology' — "a poor
 
 382 Beading and Writing, [east SHEEN, 
 
 jounwi, book"— "The Tempest," " ^Macbeth," ' Niebel- 
 
 ungenlied,' " Eoineo and Juliet," article on 
 Diyden in the ' Westminster,' ' Eeineke Fuchs,' 
 'Genesis of Science,' Gibbon, "Henry V.," "Henry 
 VTIL," first, second, and third parts of " Henry 
 VI.," " Eichard II." 
 May 2. — Came to East Sheen, and settled in our 
 lodgings. 
 
 May 28. — Sent Belles Lettres section to ' West- 
 minster Eeview.' During May several articles were 
 written for the ' Leader.' 
 
 June 13. — Began Part IV. of Spinoza's Ethics. 
 Began also to read Gumming, for article in the 
 ' Westminster.' We are reading in the evenings 
 now Sydney Smith's letters, Boswell, Whewell's 
 ' History of Inductive Sciences,' " The Odyssey," and 
 occasionally Heine's ' Eeisebilder.' I began the 
 second book of the " Iliad," in Greek, this morning. 
 June 21. — Finished article on Brougham's ' Lives 
 of Men of Letters.' 
 
 June 23.— Eead ' Lucrezia Floriani.' We are 
 reading Wliite's ' History of Selborne ' in the even- 
 ing, with Boswell and the " Odyssey." 
 Letter to I havc good liopc that you will be deeply inter- 
 
 Henneii, 23.1 sstcd in the 'Life of CToethe.' It is a book full of 
 feeling, as well as of thought and information, and 
 
 June 1855.
 
 1855.] The 'Life of Goethe! 383 
 
 I even think it will make you love Goethe as well Letter to 
 
 Miss Sara 
 
 as admire him. Eckermann's is a wonderful book, Heiineii,23d 
 
 June 1855. 
 
 but only represents Goethe at eighty. AVe were for- 
 tunate enough to be in time to see poor Eckermann 
 before his total death. His mind was alreadv half 
 gone, but the fine brow and eyes harmonised entirely 
 with the interest we had previously felt in liim. 
 We saw him in a small lodging, surrounded by 
 singing birds, and tended by his son— an intelligent 
 vouth of sixteen, who showed some talent in draw- 
 ing. I have written a castigation of Brougham for 
 the 'Leader,' and shall be glad if your sympathy 
 goes along witli it. Yarnhanen has written ' Denk- 
 wlirdigkeiten,' and all sorts of literature, and is, or 
 rather was, the husband of Rahel, the greatest of 
 German women. 
 
 It was surely you who wrote the notice of the Letter to 
 ' Westmmster ' in the ' Herald ' (Coventry), which nenne'ii,' 
 
 , , . . -r 111 21st July 
 
 we received this mornmg. i am very much pleased 1855. 
 with your appreciation of Mr Lewes's article. You 
 hardly do justice to Fronde's article on Spinoza. I 
 don't at all agree w^tli Fronde's own views, but I 
 think his account of Spinoza's doctrines admirable. 
 Mr Lewes is still sadly ailing — tormented with 
 tooth- and face-ache. This is a terrible trial to us 
 poor scribblers, to whom health is money, as w^ell as
 
 384 Article on Cumming. [east SHEEN, 
 
 Letter to all otliei' tliiiigs woi'tli liaviiig. I have just been 
 
 Miss Sara 
 
 Heiineii, reading that Milton suhered from indigestion — 
 
 :ilstJuly 
 
 1855. quite an affecting fact to me. I send }'ou a letter 
 
 which I have had from Barbara Smith. I think 
 you will like to see such a manifestation of her 
 strong noble nature. 
 
 On 1st August 1855 Mr Lewes went down 
 to Eamsgate for change, taking his three boys 
 with him for a week's Iioliday. IMeantime 
 George Eliot was continuing her article-writing, 
 and in this week wrote an article for the 
 ' Leader,' having written one for the same jour- 
 nal three weeks before. On 22d August she 
 wrote another article for the ' Leader,' and on 
 the 24th she finished the one on Cumming for 
 the ' Westminster.' Mr C. Lewes tells me that 
 he remembers it was after reading this article 
 that Ids father was prompted to say to George 
 Eliot, whilst walking one day with lier in Eich- 
 mond Park, that it convinced hmi of the true 
 genius in her writing. Mr Lewes was not 
 only an accomplished and practised literary 
 critic, but he was also gifted with the inborn 
 insight accompanying a fine artistic tempera- 
 ment, which gave unusual weight to his judg- 
 ment. Up to this time he had not been quite
 
 1855.] Bemmal to Bichniond. 385 
 
 sure of anything beyond great talent in her 
 productions. 
 
 The first three weeks in September were again 
 busily occupied in article-writing. She contrib- 
 uted three papers to the ' Leader,' as well as the 
 Belles Lettres section for the October number 
 of the ' AVestminster/ On the 19th September 
 they left East Sheen, and after spending a 
 couple of weeks at AVorthing for a sea change, 
 they took rooms at 8 Park Shot, Eichmond, 
 which remained their home for more than 
 three years. Here some of George Eliot's most 
 memorable literary work was accomplished. 
 Both she and ]\Ir Lewes were now working 
 very hard for what would bring immediate profit, 
 as they had to support not only themselves but 
 his children and their mother. They had only 
 one sitting-room between them ; and I remem- 
 ber, in a walk on St George's Hill, near Wey- 
 bridge, in 1871, she told me that the scratching 
 of another pen used to affect her nerves to such 
 an extent that it nearly drove her wild. On the 
 9th October she finished an article on Margaret 
 EuUer and Mary WoUstonecraft, and on the 
 12th October one on Carlyle for the 'Leader,' 
 and began an article on Heine for the January 
 
 VOL. I. 2 b
 
 386 A7iicle on Camnihuj. [RICHMOND, 
 
 number of the ' Westminster.' In October there 
 are the following letters to the Brays : — 
 Letter to Since you have found out the " Gumming," I write 
 
 f'has. Bray, 
 
 Monday, by to-clay's post just to say that it is mine, Ijut 
 
 Oct. (?) 1855. 
 
 also to beg that you will not mention it as such 
 to any one likely to transmit the information to 
 London, as we are keeping the authorship a secret. 
 The article appears to have produced a strong im- 
 pression, and that impression would be a little coun- 
 teracted if the author were known to be a woman. 
 I have had a letter addressed " to the author of 
 Article No. 4," l)egging me to print it separately 
 " for the o'ood of mankind in L-eneral " ! It is so 
 kind of you to rejoice in anything I do at all well. 
 I am dreadfully Ijusy again, for I am going to write 
 an article for the ' Westnunster Eeview ' again, 
 besides my other work. We enjoy our new lodg- 
 ings very much — everything is the pink of order 
 and cleanliness. 
 Letter to Wliy you sliould olijcct to Herbert Spencer speak- 
 
 Miss Sara 
 
 Henneii, iug of Sir William Hamilton's contributions to a 
 
 16th Oct. 
 
 1855. theory of perception as "valuable," I am unable 
 
 to conceive. Sir William Hamilton has been of 
 service to him as well as to others ; and instead 
 of repressing acknowledgments of merit in others, 
 I should like them to be more freely given. I
 
 1855.] Physiological Reading. 387 
 
 see no dignity or anything else that is good in Letter to 
 
 Miss Siini 
 
 ignoring one's fellow-bemgs. Herbert Spencer's Heimeii, 
 
 16th Oct. 
 
 views, like every other man's views, could not is55. 
 have existed without the substratum laid by his 
 predecessors. But j)erhaps you mean somethmg 
 that I fail to perceive. Your bit of theology 
 is very fine. Here is a delicious Hibernicism in 
 return. In a treatise on consumption, sent yes- 
 terday, the writer says : " There is now hardly 
 any difference on this subject — at least / feel none." 
 Our life has no incidents except such as take place 
 in our own brains, and the occasional arrival of a 
 longer letter than usual. Yours are always read 
 aloud and enjoyed. Nevertheless our life is intensely 
 occupied, and the days are far too short. We are 
 reading Gall's 'Anatomic et Physiologic du Cer- 
 veau,' and Carpenter's 'Comparative Physiology,' 
 aloud in the evenings ; and I am trying to fix some 
 knowledge about plexuses and ganglia in my soft 
 brain, which generally only serves me to remember 
 that there is something I ought to remember, and 
 to regret tliat I did not put the something down 
 in my note-book. For " Live and learn," we should 
 sometimes read " Live and grow stupid." 
 
 Letter to 
 
 You will receive by rail to-morrow a copy of cuas. Bmy, 
 
 21st Nov. 
 
 the ' Life and Works of Goethe ' (puljlished on 1st isss.
 
 388 
 
 Article on Heine. 
 
 [RICHMOND, 
 
 Letter to 
 Clias. Bray, 
 21st Nov. 
 1S55. 
 
 Letter to 
 Miss Sara 
 Ileniiell, 
 29tli Nov. 
 1S55. 
 
 Journal, 
 1S55. 
 
 November), which I hope you will accept as a 
 keepsake from me. I should have been glad to 
 send it you earlier, but as Mr Lewes has sold 
 the copyright of the first edition, lie has only a 
 small number of copies at his disposal, and so I 
 doubted whether I ought to ask for one. I think 
 you will find much to interest you in the book. I 
 can't tell you how I value it, as the best product 
 of a mind which I have every day more reason to 
 admire and love. We have had much gratification 
 in the expression of individual opinion. The press 
 is very favourable, l3ut the notices are for the most 
 part too idiotic to give us much pleasure, except in 
 a pecuniary point of view. 1 am going out to-day, 
 for the first time for nearly a fortnight. 
 
 I have just finished a long article on Heine 
 for the ' Westminster Eeview,' which none of you 
 will like. En revanche, Mr Lewes has written one 
 on Lions and Lion Hunters, which you will find 
 
 amusmg. 
 
 On the 12th December the Belles Lettres 
 section for the January number of the ' West- 
 minster Eeview ' was finished and sent off, and 
 the next entry in the Journal is dated — 
 Dec. 24, 1855, — For the last ten days I have done 
 little, owing to headache and other ailments. Began
 
 1856.] Miscellaneous Writing. 389 
 
 the 'Antigone,' read Von Bohlen on Genesis, and journal, 
 
 1S55. 
 
 Swedenborg. Mr Chapman wants me to write an 
 article on Missions and Missionaries, for the April 
 number of the 'Westminster,' but I think I shall 
 not have it ready till the July number. In the 
 afternoon I set out on my journey to see my sister, 
 and arrived at her house about eight o'clock, find- 
 ing her and her children well. 
 
 Dec. 29, 1855. — Returned to Richmond. G. 
 away at Vernon Hill (Arthur Helps's), having gone 
 thither on Wednesday. 
 
 Dec. 30, 1855.— Read the 'Shaving of Shagpat' 
 (George Meredith's). 
 
 Dee. 31, 1855. — Wrote a review of ' Shagpat.' 
 
 Jan. 1, 1856. — Read Kingsley's ' Greek Heroes,' JiMimai, 
 
 1850. 
 
 and began a review of Von Bohlen. 
 
 Jan. 5, 1856. — G. came home. 
 
 Ja7i. 6, 1856. — Began to revise Book IV. of Spin- 
 oza's 'Ethics,' and continued this work tlirough 
 the week, being able to work but slowly. Finished 
 Kahnis' ' History of German Protestantism.' 
 
 Jan. 16, 1856. — Received a charming letter from 
 Barbara Smith, with a petition to Parliament that 
 women may have a right to their earnings. Letter to 
 
 Miss Sara 
 
 I believe there have been at least a thousand Heimeii, 
 
 IStli Jan. 
 
 copies of the ' Goethe ' sold, which is a wonderfully issg.
 
 390 
 
 Life of Goethe. 
 
 [RICHMOND, 
 
 Letter to 
 Miss Sara 
 llennell, 
 ISth Jan. 
 1850. 
 
 .lournal, 
 
 1S5G. 
 
 Letter to 
 Miss Sara 
 Hennell, 
 19th Fell. 
 185G. 
 
 o-ood sale in less than three mouths for a oOs. book. 
 We have a charming collection of letters, both from 
 remarkable acquaintances and remarkable non- 
 acquaintances, expressing enthusiastic delight in the 
 l)ook — letters all the more delightful because they 
 are quite spontaneous, and spring from a generous 
 wish to let the author know how highly the writers 
 value his work. If you want some idle reading, 
 get the ' Shaving of Shagpat,' which I think you 
 will say deserves all the praise I gave it. 
 
 Fcl). 19, 1856. — Since the 6th January I have 
 been occupied with Spinoza ; and, except a review 
 of Griswold's ' American Poets,' have done nothing 
 else but translate the Fifth Book of the 'Ethics,' 
 and revise the whole of my translation from the be- 
 ginning. This evening I have finished my revision. 
 
 I was so glad to have a little news of you. I 
 should like to hear much oftener, but our days are 
 so accurately parcelled out among regular occupa- 
 tions, that I rarely manage to do anything not 
 included in the programme ; and without reading 
 ]Mrs Barbauld on the ' Inconsistency of Human 
 Expectations,' I know that receiving letters is 
 inconsistent with not writing any. Have you seen 
 any numliers of the ' Saturday Review,' a new 
 journal, on which "all the talents" are engaged?
 
 1856.] The' SatuTclay Ilevieiv.' 391 
 
 It is not properly a newspaper, but — what its title Letter to 
 expresses — a political and literary Review. We are Heiineii, 
 delighting ourselves with Ruskin's third volume, isso. 
 which contains some of the finest writing I have 
 read for a long time (among recent hooks), I read 
 it aloud for an hour or so after dinner ; then we 
 jump to the old dramatists, when Mr Lewes reads 
 to me as long as his voice will hold out, and after 
 this we wind up the evenmg with Rymer Jones's 
 ' Annual Kingdom,' by which I get a confused know- 
 ledge of branchiae, and such things — perhaps, on tlie 
 whole, a little preferable to total ignorance. These 
 are our nodes — without ccnoi for tlie present — 
 occasionally diversified by very dramatic singing 
 of Figaro, &c., which, T think, must alarm "that 
 good man, the clergyman," who sits below us. 
 We have been half-laughing, half-indignant over 
 Alison's new volume of his ' History of Europe,' in 
 which he undertakes to give an account of German 
 literature. 
 
 Wliat you tell me of Harriet Martineau inter- Letter to 
 
 Miss Sara 
 
 ests me very much. I feel for her terrible bodily nenneii, 
 
 L'jtli Feb. 
 
 suffering, and think of her with deep respect and isoo. 
 admiration. Whatever may have been her mistakes 
 and weaknesses, the great and good things she has 
 done far outweigh them ; and I should Ije grieved
 
 392 
 
 Women's JiJarninrjs. [itlCiiMOND, 
 
 Lett-er to 
 Miss Sara 
 Hennell, 
 25th Feb. 
 1S56. 
 
 Letter to 
 Miss 8:ira 
 Heiiiitill, 
 end of Feb. 
 185C. 
 
 if anything in her memoir should cast a momentary 
 shadow over the agreeable image of her that the 
 world will ultimately keep in its memory. I 
 wish less of our piety were spent on imaginary 
 perfect goodness, and more given to real 'i7«|3erfect 
 goodness, 
 
 I am very happy for you to keep the sheets, and 
 to get signatures (for the Women's Petition that 
 they should have legal right to their own earnings). 
 Miss Barbara Smith writes that she must have 
 them returned to her before the 1st of March. I 
 am glad you have taken up the cause, for I do 
 think that, with proper provisos and safeguards, 
 the proposed law would help to raise the position 
 and character of women. It is one round of a long 
 ladder stretching far beyond our lives. 
 
 During March George Eliot wrote only the 
 Belles Lettres section for the April number of 
 the ' Westminster,' having resigned the subject 
 of " Missions " to Harriet Martineau. She also 
 wrote two articles for the ' Saturday Eeview,' 
 and two for the 'Leader.' And there are the 
 following letters in March to the Brays, in 
 which allusion is made to their leaving the old 
 home at Eosehill, owing to the unsatisfactory 
 state of the Coventry business.
 
 1S56. 
 
 1856.] Spinoza s Uthics. 393 
 
 We are flourishing in every way except in health. Letter to 
 
 -. r ~r IT 1 • j-n-r- 1 1 Clias. Bray, 
 
 Mr Lewes s head is still mnnn, but he manages, 26th March 
 nevertheless, to do twice as much work as other 
 people. I am always a croaker, you know, but my 
 ailments are of a small kind, their chief symptoms 
 being a muddled brain ; and as my pen is not of 
 the true literary order which will run along without 
 the help of brains, I don't get through so much work 
 as I should like. By the way, when the Spinoza 
 comes out, be so good as not to mention my name 
 in connection with it. I particularly wish not to be 
 known as the translator of the ' Ethics,' for reasons 
 which it would be "too tedious to mention." You 
 don't know what a severely practical person I am 
 become, and what a sharp eye I have to the main 
 chance. I keep the purse, and dole out sovereigns 
 with all the pangs of a miser. In fact, if you were 
 to feel my bump of acquisitiveness, I daresay you 
 would find it in a state of inflammation, like the 
 "veneration" of that clergyman to whom Mr Dono- 
 van said, " Sir, you have recently been engaged in 
 prayer." I hope you recognised your own wit 
 about the one-eyed dissenters, which was quoted 
 in the 'Leader' some time ago. You always said 
 no one did so much justice to your jokes as 
 1 did.
 
 394 Brays Leavmg Bosehill. [uichmond, 
 
 Letter to My mind is more rebellions than yonrs, and I 
 
 3ist March' Can't help being saddened by the idea of yon and 
 Cara being in any other home than the dear old one. 
 Bnt I know that yonr cheerfnl conrage is yet 
 stronger in deed than in word. Will not business 
 or pleasure bring you to London soon, and will you 
 not come to see us ? We can give you a l)ed — not 
 a sumptuous one, but one which you will perhaps 
 not find intolerable for a night. I know tlie trip 
 up the Thames is charming, and we should like to 
 do it with you, but I don't think we can manage it 
 this summer. We are going to send or take the 
 boys (My Lewes's sons) to school in Germany at 
 midsummer, and are at present uncertain about our 
 arrangements. If we can send them, we shall go to 
 the coast as soon as the warm weather comes, and 
 remain there for three months, liut our plans are 
 not yet crystallised. 
 Letter to After I wrotc you yesterday morning we had a 
 
 Olias. Bray, 
 
 istAi^rii' letter from Germany which has made Mr Lewes 
 
 185t'i. 
 
 incline to defer sending the boys thither till next 
 year. But he is anxious to remove them from their 
 present school ; and in the course of our consult- 
 ations on tlie subject, we thought of Mr John Sibree 
 as a person in whom we should feel confidence as 
 to the moral infiuence he woidd exercise as a tutor.
 
 1856.] Plan Sendinf) Boyfi to Hofwyl. 395 
 
 The risk of placing children with entire strangers Letter to 
 
 Clias. Bray, 
 
 is terrible. So I tease yon with another letter to ist April ' 
 
 1856. 
 
 ask yon if INIr J. Sibree continues in the same 
 position as formerly, and if he is still anxious to 
 obtain pupils. AVhat a delicious day ! We are going 
 to have a holiday at the Zoological Gardens. 
 
 Tliank you for taking the trouble to write me a Letter to 
 
 Miss Sara 
 
 full account of matters so interesting to me. I iienneii, rth 
 
 April ISoO. 
 
 hope you will l)e able thoroughly to enjoy this last 
 precious summer on the pretty lawn, where it is one 
 of my pleasures on sunshiny days to think of you 
 all strolling about or seated on the Bearskin. We 
 are very thankful for the Hofwyl circular, and have 
 almost decided to send the two eldest boys there. 
 Ikit it is necessary to weigh all things carefully 
 before coming to a determination ; as not being 
 either swindlers or philanthropists, we don't like to 
 incur obligations which there is not a reasonable 
 certainty of our being able to meet. I am much 
 obliged to Mr Bray, too, for sending Mr John 
 Sibree's letter. ]\Ir Lewes had already received an 
 answer from him declining his proposition, but we 
 were interested to read his very characteristic letter 
 to his sister, which proved to Mr Lewes that I had 
 given him a correct description of the man. 
 
 The next few weeks are, perhaps, the most
 
 396 Journey to Ilfracomhc. [Richmond, 
 
 signally important and interesting of all in 
 George Eliot's development. There are nn- 
 mistakable signs of the rising of the sap of 
 creative production. 
 
 In the middle of April Mr Herbert Spencer, 
 who had been abroad for some time, returned 
 to England, and dined with them at Park Shot 
 on the lotli, and on the 18th they went with 
 him to Sydenham. On the 22d April George 
 Eliot began her article on Young; and on the 
 29th she began to read Eiehl's book,^ on which 
 she was to write another article for the ' West- 
 minster.' On the 8th of May they set off for 
 Ilfracombe, and we have the following " recol- 
 lections" of that place: — 
 Ilfracombe, It was a cold Unfriendly day — the 8th of May 
 
 Recollec- 
 tions, May — on which we set out for Ilfracombe with our 
 
 1856. 
 
 hamper of glass jars, which we meant for our sea- 
 side vivarium. We had to get down at Windsor, 
 and were not sorry that the interval was long 
 enough to let us walk round the Castle, which I 
 had never seen before except from a distance. The 
 famous "slopes," the avenues in the Park, and 
 the distant landscape, looked very lovely in the 
 fresh and delicate greens of spring ; and the Castle 
 
 1 'Landund Volk.'
 
 1856.] Ilfraconibe. 397 
 
 is surely the most delightful royal residence in the luvacoinbc, 
 
 Recollec- 
 
 world. We took our places from Windsor all the tions, May 
 
 185(3. 
 
 way to Exeter ; and at Bristol, where we had to 
 wait three hours, the misery of my terrible head- 
 ache was mitigated by the interest we felt in see- 
 ing the grand old Church of St Mary Eedcliffe, 
 for ever associated with the memory of Chatterton. 
 
 " It stands, the maestrie of a liuman hand, 
 The pride of Bristowe and the western hmd." 
 
 It was cheering the next morning after our arrival 
 at Ilfracombe to get up with a head rather less ach- 
 ing, and to walk up and down the little garden of 
 Eunnymede Villa in the bright sunshine. I had 
 a great deal of work before me — the writim? of 
 an article on Kiehl's books, which I had not half 
 read, as well as the article on Belles Lettres ; 
 but my head was still dizzy, and it seemed im- 
 possible to sit down to writing at once in these 
 new scenes, so we determined to spend the day 
 in explorations. 
 
 From our windows we had a view of the higher 
 part of the town, and generally it looked uninter- 
 esting enough ; but what is it that light cannot 
 transfigure into beauty ? One evening after a 
 shower, as the sun was setting over the sea 
 behind us, some peculiar arrangement of clouds
 
 1S56. 
 
 398 jDescriptio7i of fSce7ier}/. [ilfkacombe, 
 
 iiinicomije, threw a delicious evening light on the irregular 
 tions, May clustei of liouses, and merged the ugliness of 
 their forms in an exquisite flood of colour — as a 
 stupid person is made glorious by a noble deed. 
 A perfect rainbow arched over the picture. From 
 one end of the Capstone we have an admirable 
 l)it for a picture. In the background rises old 
 Helesborough, jutting out far into the sea — rugged 
 and rocky as it fronts the waves, green and acces- 
 sible landward : in front of this stands Lantern 
 Hill, a picturesque mass of green and grey, sur- 
 mounted by an old bit of building that looks as 
 if it were the habitation of some mollusc that 
 had secreted its shell from the material of the 
 rock ; and quite in the foreground, contrasting 
 finely in colour with the rest, are some lower 
 perpendicular rocks of dark-brown tints, patched 
 here and there with vivid green. In hilly dis- 
 tricts, where houses and clusters of houses look 
 so tiny against the huge limbs of mother earth, 
 one cannot help thinking of man as a parasitic 
 animal — an epizoon making his abode in the skin 
 of the planetary organism. In a flat country, a 
 house or a town looks imposing : there is nothing 
 to rival it in height, and we may imagine the 
 earth a mere pedestal for us. But when one
 
 1856.] Zoophyte Hunting. 399 
 
 sees a house stuck ou the side of a great hill, luvacdiuijo, 
 
 HuCdllec- 
 
 and still more, a luunlier of houses looking like iious, May, 
 
 •'line, 185(5. 
 
 a few harnacles clustered on the side of a great 
 rock, we begin to think of the strong family like- 
 ness between ourselves and all other building, 
 burrowing, house - appropriating, and shell-secret- 
 in<i' animals. The difference between a man with 
 his house and a mollusc with its shell lies in the 
 number of steps or phenomena interposed between 
 the fact of individual existence and the completion 
 of the building. Whatever other advantages we 
 may have over molluscs and insects in our habita- 
 tions, it is clear that their architecture has the 
 advantage of ours in beauty — at least, considered 
 as the architecture of the species. Look at man 
 in the light of a shell-fish, and it must be admitted 
 that his shell is generally ugly ; and it is only after 
 a great many more " steps or phenomena " that he 
 secretes here and there a wonderful shell in the 
 shape of a temple or a palace. 
 
 On our first zoophyte hunt it was characteristic 
 of the wide difference there is between having 
 eyes and seeing, that in this region of sea-anemones, 
 where the Mesembryanthemum especially is as 
 plenty as blackberries, we climbed about for two 
 hours without seeing one anemone, and went in
 
 400 Naturalistic Experiences, [ilfracombe, 
 
 iiiracoiiibe, again with scarcely anything but a few stones 
 tions, May, and weeds to put into our jars. On our next 
 une, Ob. 1^^^^^^^ however, after we had been out some time, 
 G. exclaimed, " I see an anemone ! " And we 
 were immensely excited by the discovery of this 
 little red Mesembryanthemum, which we after- 
 wards disdained to gather, as much as if it 
 had been a nettle. It was a crescendo of delight 
 when we found a " strawberry," and a fortissimo 
 when I, for the first time, saw the pale fawn- 
 coloured tentacles of an Anthca ccrcus viciously 
 waving like little serpents in a low-tide pool. 
 But not a polype for a long, long while could 
 even G. detect, after all his reading — so necessary 
 is it for the eye to he educated by objects as 
 well as ideas. Every day I gleaned some little 
 bit of naturalistic experience, either through G.'s 
 calling on me to look through the microscope, or 
 from hunting on the rocks: and this in spite of 
 my preoccupation with my article, which I worked 
 at considerably a contrc-cccur, despairing of it ever 
 being worth anything. When at last, by the 17th 
 of June, both my articles were despatched, I felt 
 delightfully at liberty, and determined to pay some 
 attention to seaweeds, which I had never seen in 
 such beauty as at Ilfracombe. For hitherto I had
 
 1856.] Zoological Eoypcditions. 401 
 
 been chiefly on chalky and sandy shores, where ufracombe, 
 there were no rock-pools to show off the lovely tions, May, 
 colours and forms of the algag. There are tide- 
 pools to be seen almost at every other step on 
 the shore at Ufracombe ; and I shall never forget 
 their appearance when we first arrived there. The 
 Corallina officinalis was then in its greatest perfec- 
 tion, and with its purple-pink fronds threw into 
 relief the dark olive fronds of the Laminarite on 
 one side, and the vivid green of the Ulva and 
 Enteromorpha on the other. After w^e had been 
 there a few weeks the Corallina was faded ; and 
 I noticed the Ifesogloia vermicularis and the 3f. 
 virescens, which look very lovely in the water 
 from the white cilia, wdiich make tlie most deli- 
 cate fringe to their yellow-brown, wdiip-like fronds, 
 and some of the common Polysiphonite. These 
 tide-pools made me quite m love with seaweeds, 
 so I took up Landsborough's book and tried to get 
 a little more light on their structure and history. 
 
 Our zoological expeditions alternated with deli- 
 cious inland walks. I think the country looked its 
 best when we arrived. It was just that moment m 
 spring when the leaves are in full leaf, Ijut still 
 keep their delicate varieties of colouring, and that 
 transparency which belongs only to this season. 
 
 VOL. I. 2 c
 
 402 
 
 Devonshire Lanes. [ilfracombe, 
 
 luiacombc, Aiicl tlic furze was in all its golden glory ! It was 
 
 KecoUec- t-t t o t pi 
 
 tions, May, almost liKC the ladnig away or the evenmg red, 
 when the furze blossoms died off from the hills, and 
 the only contrast left was that of the marly soil 
 with the green crops and woods. The primroses 
 were the contemporaries of the furze, and sprinkled 
 the sides of the hills with their pale stars almost as 
 plentifully as daisies or buttercups elsewhere. But 
 the great charm of all Devonshire lanes is the 
 springs that you detect gurgling in shady recesses, 
 covered with liverwort, with here and there waving 
 tufts of fern and other Ijroad-leaved plants that 
 love obscurity and moisture. 
 
 We seemed to make less of our evenings at 
 Ilfracombe than we have ever done elsewhere. We 
 used often to be tired with our hunting or walking ; 
 and we were reading books which did not make us 
 take them up very eagerly — ' Gosse's Eambles on 
 the Devonshire Coast,' for example ; Trench's ' Cal- 
 deron,' and other volumes, taken up in a desultory 
 way. One bit of reading we had there, however, 
 which interested me deeply. It was Masson's ' Life 
 of Chatterton,' which happily linked itself with the 
 impressions I had received from the sight of the 
 old church at Bristol. 
 
 Mr Tugwell's (the curate) acquaintance was a
 
 1856.] Rev. Mr Tugvxll — Walks. 403 
 
 real acquisition to us, not only because he was a iifiacombe, 
 
 . T . . Recollec- 
 
 companion and lieiper m zoological pursuits, but tions, May, 
 because to know him was to know of another sweet 
 nature in tlie world. It is always good to know, 
 if only in passing, a charming human being; it 
 refreshes one like flowers, and woods, and clear 
 brooks. One Sunday evening we walked up to his 
 pretty house to carry back some proofs of his, and 
 he induced us to go in and have coffee with hmi. 
 He played on his harmonium, and we chatted 
 pleasantly. The last evening of our stay at Ilfra- 
 combe he came to see us in Mrs Webster's drawing- 
 room, and we had music till nearly eleven o'clock — 
 a pleasant recollection ! 
 
 We only twice took the walk beyond Watermouth 
 towards Berrynarbor. The road lies through what 
 are called the " Meadows," which look like a magni- 
 ficent park. A stream, fringed with wild flowers and 
 willows, runs along the valley, two or three yards 
 from the side of the road. This stream is clear 
 as crystal, and about every twenty yards it falls 
 over a little artificial precipice of stones. The long 
 grass was waving in all the glory of June, before 
 the mower has come to make it suffer a "love 
 change " from beauties into sweet odours ; and the 
 slopes on each side of us were crowned or clothed
 
 404 "Braided Streamlets" [ilfiiacOxMBE, 
 
 iifracombe, witli fine ti'ees. The last time we went through 
 
 Recollec- 
 tions, June these meadows was on our hist day at Iifracombe. 
 
 1856. 
 
 Such sunlight and such deep peace on the hills and 
 by the stream ! Coming back, we rested on a gate 
 under the trees, and a blind man came up to rest 
 also. He told us, in his slow way, what a fine 
 " healthy spot " this was — yes, a very healthy spot 
 — a healthy spot. And then we went on our way, 
 and saw his face no more. 
 
 I have talked of the Iifracombe lanes without 
 describing them, for to describe them one ought to 
 know the names of all the lovely wild flowers that 
 cluster on their banks. Almost every yard of these 
 banks is a " Hunt " picture — a delicious crowding 
 of mosses, and delicate trefoil, and wild strawber- 
 ries, and ferns great and smaU. But the crowning- 
 beauty of the lanes is the springs that gush out in 
 little recesses hy the side of the road — recesses 
 glossy with liverwort and feathery with fern. 
 Sometimes you have the spring when it has grown 
 into a brook, either rushing down a miniature 
 cataract by the lane-side, or flowing gently as a 
 " braided streamlet " across your path. I never 
 before longed so much to know the names of things 
 as during this visit to Iifracombe. The desire is 
 part of the tendency that is now constantly growing
 
 185(3. 
 
 1856.] The Scientific S'pirit. 405 
 
 in me to escape from all vagueness and inaccuracy iifracombe, 
 
 . . Recollec- 
 
 into the daylight of distinct vivid ideas. The mere tious, June 
 fact of naming an object tends to give definiteness 
 to our conception of it. We have then a sign 
 which at once calls up in our minds the distinctive 
 qualities which mark out for us that particular 
 object from all others. 
 
 We ascended the Tors only twice ; for a tax of 
 3d. per head was demanded on this luxury, and we 
 could not afford a sixpenny walk very frequently : 
 yet the view is perhaps the very finest to be had 
 at Iifracombe. Bay ])ehind bay, fringed with foam, 
 and promontory behind promontory, each with its 
 peculiar shades of purple light — the sweep of the 
 Welsh coast faintly visible in the distance, and the 
 endless expanse of sea flecked with ships stretching 
 on our left. 
 
 One evening we went down to the sliore through 
 the " Tunnels " to see the sunset. Standing in 
 the "Ladies' Cove," we had before us the sliarp 
 fragments of rock jutting out of tlie waves and 
 standing black against the orange and crimson 
 sky. How lovely to look into that brilliant dis- 
 tance and see the ship on the horizon seeming to 
 sail away from the cold and dim world behind it 
 right into the golden glory ! I have always that
 
 406 Leave for Tenhj. [ilfracombe, 
 
 iifracombe, soit of feeliiig wlicii I look at suiisct : it always 
 
 R-GCollsc- 
 
 tious, Juno seems to me that there in the West lies a land of 
 light and warmth and love. 
 
 On the 26tli of June we said good-bye to Ilfra- 
 combe. The sight of the cockle-women at Swansea, 
 where we had to wait, would make a fine subject 
 for a painter. One of them was the grandest woman 
 I ever saw — six feet high, carrying herself like a 
 Greek warrior, and treading the earth with uncon- 
 scious majesty. Her face was weather-beaten and 
 wizened, but her eyes were bright and piercing, and 
 the lines of her face, with its high cheek-bones, 
 strong and characteristic. The guard at the railway 
 station told us that one of the porters had been 
 insolent the other day to a cockle- woman, and that 
 she immediately pitched him off the platform into 
 the road below ! 
 
 Letter to the Wlicu wc arrived here I had not even read a 
 
 june^isso.' great book on which I had engaged to write a long 
 article by the beginning of this month ; so that be- 
 tween work and zoology and bodily ailflients my 
 time has been full to overflowing. We are en- 
 chanted with Ilfracombe. I really think it is the 
 
 ; loveliest sea place I ever saw, from the combina- 
 
 tion of fine rocky coast with exquisite inland 
 scenery. But it would not do for any one who
 
 isnc] Zoological Delights. 407 
 
 can't climb rocks and mount perpetual hills; for Letter to the 
 
 Brays, 0th 
 
 the peculiarity of this country is, that it is all hill June isse. 
 and no valley. You have no sooner got to the foot 
 of one hill than you begin to mount another. You . 
 would laugh to see our room decked with yellow 
 pie-dishes, a foot pan, glass jars and phials, all full 
 of zoophytes, or molluscs, or annelids, — and still 
 more, to see the eager interest with which we rush 
 to our " preserves " in the morning to see if there 
 has been any mortality among them in the night. 
 We have made the acquaintance of a charming 
 little zoological curate here, who is a delightful 
 companion on expeditions, and is most good-natured 
 in lending and giving apparatus and " critturs " of 
 all sorts. Mr Pigott ^ is coming here with his yacht 
 at the end of June, and we hope then to go to 
 Clovelly — Kingsley's Clovelly — and perhaps other 
 places on the coast that we can't reach on foot. 
 After this we mean to migrate to Tenby, for the 
 sake of making acquaintance with its molluscs and 
 medusae. 
 
 I received your kind letter only yesterday, Init Letter to 
 
 "^ _ Mrs Peter 
 
 I write a few words in answer at once, lest, as it so Taylor, sth 
 
 June 185(). 
 
 often happens, delay should beget delay. 
 
 1 Mr Edward Smyth Pigott, who remained to the end of their lives 
 a very close and much valued friend of Mr Lewes and George Eliot,
 
 408 Generous Letter from Mrs P. Taylor, [tenby, 
 
 Letter to 
 Mrs Peter 
 Taylor, Stli 
 June 185(3. 
 
 Letter to 
 Miss Sara 
 Hennell, 
 29th June 
 1856. 
 
 It is never too late to write generous words, and 
 although circumstances are not likely to allow of 
 our acquiring a more intimate knowledge of each 
 other from personal intercourse, it will always be 
 a pleasant thought to me that you have remem- 
 bered me kindly, and interpreted me nobly. You 
 are one of the minority who know how to "use 
 their imagination in the service of charity." 
 
 I have suffered so mucli from misunderstanding 
 created by letters, even to old friends, that I never 
 write on private personal matters, unless it be a 
 rigorous duty or necessity to do so. Some little 
 phrase or allusion is misinterpreted, and on this 
 false basis a great fabric of misconception is reared, 
 which even explanatory conversations will not re- 
 move. Life is too precious to be spent in this 
 weaving and unweaving of false impressions, and 
 it is better to live quietly on under some degree 
 of misrepresentation than to attempt to remove it 
 by the uncertain process of letter- writing. 
 
 Yes, indeed, I do remember old Tenby days, and 
 had set my heart on being in the very same house 
 again ; but alas ! it had just been let. It is im- 
 mensely smartened up, like the place generally, 
 since those old times, and is proportionately less 
 desirable for quiet people who have no flounces
 
 1856.] Life at Tenhy. 409 
 
 and do not subscribe to new churches. Tenby Letter to 
 
 Miss Sara 
 
 looks insignificant in picturesqueness after Ilfra- Heimeii, 
 
 '29th June 
 
 combe ; but the two objects that drew us liither, isso. 
 zoology and health, will flourish none the worse 
 for the absence of tall precipices and many-tinted 
 rocks. The air is delicious — soft but not sultry— 
 and the sands and bathing such as are to be found 
 nowhere else. St Catherine's Eock with its caverns 
 is our paradise. We go there with baskets, ham- 
 mers and chisels, and jars and phials, and come 
 home laden with spoils. Altogether we are con- 
 tented to have been driven away from Ilfracombe 
 by the cold wind, since a new place is new ex- 
 perience, and Mr Lewes has never been here be- 
 fore. To me there is the additional pleasure — half 
 melancholy — of recalling all the old impressions 
 and comparing them with the new. I understand 
 your wish to have as much of Eosehill as possible 
 this year, and I am so glad that you will associate 
 a visit from Herbert Spencer with this last sum- 
 mer. I suppose he is with you now. If so, give 
 him my very evil regards, and tell him that be- 
 cause he has not written to us we will diligently 
 not tell him a great many things he would have 
 liked to know. We have a project of going into 
 St Catherine's caverns with lanterns, some night
 
 410 
 
 3fiss Barbara Smith's Visit. [tenby, 
 
 Letter to 
 Miss Sara 
 Huiinell, 
 29th June 
 1850. 
 
 when the tide is low, about eleven, for the sake of 
 seeing the zoophytes preparing for their midnight 
 revels. The Actiniae, like other belles, put on their 
 best faces on such occasions. Two things we have 
 lost by leaving Ilfracombe, for which we have no 
 compensation, — the little zoological curate, Mr Tug- 
 well, who is really one of the best specimens of the 
 clergyman species I have seen ; and the pleasure 
 of having Miss Barbara Smith there for a week 
 sketching the rocks and putting our love of them 
 into the tangible form of a picture. We are look- 
 ing out now for Mr Pigott in his yacht ; and his ami- 
 able face will make an agreeable variety on the sands. 
 I thought 'Walden ' ^ (you mean 'Life in the Woods,' 
 don't you ?) a charming book, from its freshness and 
 sincerity as well as for its bits of description. It is 
 pleasant to think that Harriet Martineau can make 
 so much of her last days. Her energy and her 
 habit of useful work are admirable. 
 
 During the stay at Ilfracombe and Tenby 
 not much literary work was done, except the 
 articles on Young and on Riehl's book. There 
 was a notice of Masson's Essays and the Belles 
 Lettres section for the July number of the ' West- 
 minster,' and a review for the ' Leader.' There 
 
 1 By Thoreau.
 
 1856.] First Mention of Fiction Wnting. 411 
 
 is mention, too, of the reading of Beaumarehais' 
 ' Memoirs,' ]\Iilne Edwards's ' Zoology,' Harvey's 
 sea-side book, and " Coriolanus," and then comes 
 this significant sentence in her Journal : — 
 July 20, 1856. — The fortnight has slipped away Journal, 
 without my being able to show much result for 
 it. I have written a review of the ' Lover's Seat,' 
 and jotted down some recollections of Ilfracombe : 
 besides these trifles, and the introduction to an 
 article already written, I have done no visible 
 work. But I have absorbed many ideas and much 
 bodily strength ; indeed I do not remember ever 
 feeling so strong in mind and body as I feel at 
 this moment. On Saturday the 12th Barbara Smith 
 arrived, and stayed here till Wednesday morn- 
 ing. We enjoyed her society very much, but were 
 deeply touched to see that three years had made 
 her so much older and sadder. Her activity for 
 great objects is admirable ; and contact with her is 
 a fresh inspiration to work while it is day. We 
 have now taken up Quatrefages again. The 
 ' Memoirs ' of Beaumarehais yielded me little fruit. 
 Mr Chapman invites me to contribute to the 
 ' Westminster ' for this quarter. I am anxious to 
 begin my fiction writing, and so am not inclined 
 to undertake an article that will give me much
 
 412 
 
 Mr Pigotfs Visit. 
 
 [TENBY, 
 
 Journal, 
 1856. 
 
 Letter to 
 Miss Sara 
 Heiinell, 
 20th July 
 1850. 
 
 Letter to 
 Chas. Bray, 
 Oth Aug. 
 1856. 
 
 trouLle, but at all events, I will finish my article 
 on Youno'. 
 
 July 21. — We had a delightful walk on the 
 north sands, and hunted with success. A sunny, 
 happy day. 
 
 Glad to hear at last some news of your Essay — 
 hoping to hear more and better by -and -by. I 
 didn't like to think that your labour would be 
 thrown away, except so far as it must do good to 
 yourself by clearing up your ideas. Not that your 
 ideas were muddy, but the last degree of clearness 
 can only come by writing. Mr Pigott is with us 
 just now, and we are meditating a nocturnal visit to 
 St Catherine's caves with him. Our visit to Tenby 
 has been very useful zoologically, but we are not 
 otherwise greatly in love with the place. It seems 
 tame and vulgar after Ilfracombe. 
 
 Thank you for your kind note,^ so like yourself. 
 Such things encourage me, and help me to do 
 better. I never think what I write is good for 
 anything till other people tell me so, and even then 
 it always seems to me as if I should never write 
 anything else worth reading. Ah, how much good we 
 may do each other by a few friendly words, and the 
 
 1 Aliout the article on Rielil's liook, 'The Natural History of 
 German Life.'
 
 1856.] Return to Richmond. 413 
 
 opportunities for them are so niiicli more frequent Letter to 
 
 Chas. Bray, 
 
 than for friendly deeds ! We want people to feel ctii Aug. 
 
 1S51). 
 
 with us more than to act for us. ]\Ir Lewes sends 
 his kind regards to you. He, too, was very pleased 
 with your letter, for he cares more about getting 
 approbation for me than for himself. He can do 
 very well without it. 
 
 On the 8th August they left Tenby, and on 9th 
 arrived at Richmond " with terrible headache, 
 but enjoyed the sense of being ' at home ' again." 
 On the 18th, "walked in Kew Park, and talked 
 with G. of my novel. Finished ' C^sar Birotteau ' 
 aloud." On the 25tli August Mr Lewes set off 
 for Hofwyl, near Berne, taking his two eldest 
 boys, Charles and Thornton, to place them at 
 school there. He returned on 4th September, 
 and in his absence George Eliot liad been 
 busy with her article on " Silly Novels by Lady 
 Novelists." This was finished on the 12th Sep- 
 tember, and on the 19th she sent off the Belles 
 Lettres section for the October number of the 
 ' Westmmster.' 
 
 "We have now arrived at the period of the 
 new birth, and fortunately, in the following 
 memorandum, we have George Eliot's own words 
 as to how it came about : —
 
 414 First Novel. [RICHMOND, 
 
 How I came September 1856 made a new era in my life, for it 
 
 to write 
 
 fiction. was then I began to write fiction. It had always 
 
 been a vague dream of mine that some time or 
 other I might write a novel ; and my shadowy 
 conception of what the novel was to be, varied, of 
 course, from one epoch of my life to another. But 
 I never went further towards the actual writing of 
 the novel than an introductory chapter describing 
 a Staffordshire village and the life of the neigh- 
 bouring farm-houses ; and as the years passed on I 
 lost any hope that I should ever be able to write a 
 novel, just as I desponded about everything else 
 in my future life. I always thouglit I was deficient 
 in dramatic power, both of construction and dia- 
 logue, but I felt I should Ijc at my ease in the 
 descriptive parts of a novel. My " introductory 
 chapter" was pure description, thougli there were 
 good materials in it for dramatic presentation. It 
 happened to be among the papers I had with me 
 in Germany, and one evening at Berlin something- 
 led me to read it to George. He was struck with 
 it as a bit of concrete description, and it suggested 
 to him the possibility of my being able to write a 
 novel, though he distrusted — indeed disbelieved in 
 — my possession of any dramatic power. Still, he 
 began to think that I might as well try some time
 
 1856.] Title of First Story. 415 
 
 what I could do in fiction; and by-and-by, when nowicnme 
 we came back to England, and I had greater nction.*' 
 success than he ever expected in other kinds of 
 writing, his impression that it was worth while to 
 see how far my mental power would go, towards the 
 production of a novel, was strengthened. He be- 
 gan to say very positively, "You must try and 
 write a story," and when we were at Tenby he 
 urged me to begin at once. I deferred it, however, 
 after my usual fashion, with work that does not 
 present itself as an absolute duty. But one morn- 
 ing as I was thinking what should be the subject 
 of my first story, my thoughts merged themselves 
 into a dreamy doze, and I imagined myself writing 
 a story, of which the title was ' The Sad Fortunes 
 of the Eeverend Amos Barton.' I was soon wide 
 awake again and told Gr. He said, "Oh, what a 
 capital title!" and from that time I had settled 
 in my mind that this should be my first story. 
 George used to say, " It may be a failure — it may 
 be that you are unable to write fiction. Or perhaps 
 it may be just good enough to warrant your trying 
 again." Again, " You may write a clicf-cCceuvre at 
 once — there's no telling." But his prevalent im- 
 pression was, that though I could hardly write a 
 poor novel, my effort would want the highest qual-
 
 416 Mr Lcwc^s Encouragement. [RICHMOND, 
 
 How I came ity of fictioii — dramatic presentation. He used to 
 
 to write 
 
 fiction. say, " You have wit, description, and philosophy — 
 
 those go a good way towards the production of 
 a novel. It is worth while for you to try the 
 experiment." 
 
 We determined that if my story turned out 
 good enough, we would send it to Blackwood ; hut 
 G. thought the more probable result was that I 
 should have to lay it aside and try again. 
 
 But when we returned to Pdchmond, I had to 
 write my article on " Silly Novels," and my review 
 of Contemporary Literature for the ' Westminister,' 
 so that I did not begin my story till September 22. 
 After I had begun it, as we were walking in the 
 park, I mentioned to G. that I had thought of the 
 plan of writing a series of stories, containing 
 sketches drawn from my own observation of the 
 clergy, and calling them ' Scenes from Clerical 
 Life,' opening with "Amos Barton." He at once 
 accepted the notion as a good one — fresh and 
 striking ; and about a week afterwards, when I 
 read him the first part of "Amos," he had no longer 
 any doubt about my ability to carry out the plan. 
 The scene at Cross Farm, he said, satisfied him 
 that I had the very element he had been doubtful 
 about — it was clear I could write good dialogue.
 
 1856.] Correspondence with Blackwood. 417 
 
 There still remained tlie question whether I could How i canu- 
 
 to write 
 
 command any pathos ; and that was to be decided liction. 
 by the mode in which I treated ]\Iilly's death. 
 One night G. went to town on purpose to leave me 
 a quiet evening for writing it. I wrote the chapter 
 from the news brought by the shepherd to Mrs 
 Hackit, to the moment when Amos is dragged 
 from the bedside, and I read it to G. when he 
 came home. We both cried over it, and then he 
 came up to me and kissed me, saying, " I think 
 your pathos is better than your fun." 
 
 The story of the " Sad fortunes of Amos 
 Barton " was begun on 22d September and 
 finished on the 5th November, and I subjoin 
 the opening correspondence between Mr Lewes 
 and Mr John Blackwood, to exhibit the first 
 effect it produced: — 
 
 " I trouble you with a MS. of ' Sketches of i^etter from 
 
 G. H. Lewes 
 
 Clerical Life,' which was submitted to me by a to John 
 
 Blackwooil, 
 
 friend who desired my good offices with you. i3tii Nov. 
 
 1850. 
 
 It goes by this post. I confess that before 
 reading the MS. I had considerable doubts of 
 my friend's powers as a writer of fiction ; Ijut 
 after reading it, these doubts were changed into 
 very high admiration. I don't know what you 
 VOL. I. 2d
 
 418 
 
 Mr Leiues's and BlachivoocVs [RICHMOND, 
 
 Letter from 
 G. H. Luwus 
 to Joliii 
 Blackwood, 
 
 6th Nov. 
 lS5t3. 
 
 will think of the story, but according to my 
 judgment, such humour, pathos, vivid presen- 
 tation, and nice observation, have not been 
 exhibited (in this style) since the 'Vicar of 
 Wakefield ' ; and in consequence of that opinion, 
 I feel quite pleased in negotiating the matter 
 with you. 
 
 " This is what I am commissioned to say to 
 you abovit the proposed series. It will consist of 
 tales and sketches illustrative of the actual life 
 of our country clergy about a quarter of a cen- 
 tury ago — but solely in its human, and not at 
 all in its theological aspects ; the object being to 
 do what has never yet been done in our litera- 
 ture, for we have had abundant religious stories, 
 polemical and doctrinal, but since the ' Vicar ' 
 and Miss Austen, no stories representing the 
 clergy like every other class, with the humours, 
 sorrows, and troubles of other men. He begged 
 me particularly to add, that — as the specimen 
 sent will sutticiently prove — the tone throughout 
 will be sympathetic, and not at all antagonistic. 
 " Some of these, if not all, you may think suit- 
 able for ' Maga.' If any are sent of which you 
 do not approve, or which you do not think suffi- 
 ciently interesting, these he will reserve for the
 
 1856.] Opioiion of "Amos Barton." 419 
 
 separate republication, and for this purpose he Letter from 
 
 G. H. Lewes 
 
 wishes to retain the copyright, blioulcl you to John 
 
 . Blackwood, 
 
 only print one or two, he will be well satistied ; etn Nov. 
 and still better, if you should think well enough 
 of the series to undertake the separate repub- 
 lication." 
 
 " I am happy to say that I think your friend's Letter from 
 
 .John BLiek- 
 
 reminiscences of Clerical Life will do. If there woo.i to 
 
 G. H. Lewes, 
 
 is any more of the series written I should like i-'th xov. 
 to see it, as, until I saw more, I could not make 
 any decided proposition for the publication of 
 the Tales, in wdiole or in part, in the ']\Iagazine.' 
 This first specimen, ' Amos Barton,' is unques- 
 tionably ^'ery pleasant reading. Perhaps the 
 author falls into the error of trying too much to 
 explain the characters of his actors by descrip- 
 tion instead of allowing them to evolve in the ac- 
 tion of the story ; but the descriptions are very 
 humorous and good. The death of Milly is 
 powerfully done, and affected me much. I am 
 not sure whether he does not spoil it a little 
 by specifying so minutely the different children 
 and their names. The wind-up is perhaps the 
 lamest part of the story ; and there, too, I think 
 the defect is caused by the specifications as 
 to the fortunes of parties of whom the reader
 
 ISoO. 
 
 420 Mr Blackivood's and Lewes's [Richmond, 
 
 Letter from has 110 previous knowledge, and cannot, conse- 
 
 Jolm Black- 
 wood to quently, feel much interest. At first, I was 
 
 G. H. Lewes, 
 
 12th Nov. afraid that in the amusing reminiscences of 
 
 childhood in church there was a want of some 
 softening touch, such as the remembrance of a 
 father or mother lends, in after years, to what 
 was at the time considerable penance. 
 
 " I hate anything of a sneer at real religious 
 feeling as cordially as I despise anything like 
 cant, and I should think this author is of the 
 same way of thinking, although his clergymen, 
 with one exception, are not very attractive 
 specimens of the body. The revulsion of feel- 
 ing towards poor Amos is capitally drawn, 
 although the asinine stupidity of his conduct 
 about the Countess had disposed one to kick 
 him. 
 
 '• I daresay I shall have a more decided opinion 
 as to the merits of the story when I have looked 
 at it again and thought over it; but in the 
 meantime I am sure that there is a happy turn 
 of expression throughout, also much humour 
 and pathos. If the author is a new writer, I 
 beg to congratulate him on being worthy of the 
 honours of print and pay. I shall be very glad 
 to hear from you or him soon."
 
 1856.] Opinion of "Amos Barton." 421 
 
 "I have communicated your letter to mv Letter from 
 
 ...... G. H. Lewes 
 
 clerical inend, who, though somewhat discour- tojoim 
 
 -, . . - . Blackwood, 
 
 aged by it, has taken my advice, and will satm-aay, 
 submit the second story to you when it is ' 
 wi-itten. At present he has only written what 
 he sent you. His avocations, he informs me, 
 will prevent his setting to work for the next 
 three weeks or so, but as soon as he is at liberty 
 he will begin. 
 
 " I rate the story much higher than you ap- 
 pear to do, from certain expressions in your 
 note, though you too appreciate the humour and 
 pathos and the happy turn of expression. It 
 struck me as being fresher than any story I 
 have read for a long while, and as exhibiting, in 
 a high degree, that faculty which I find to be the 
 rarest of all — viz., the dramatic ventriloquism. 
 
 " At the same time I told him that I thorough- 
 ly understood your editorial caution in not ac- 
 cepting from an unknown hand a series on the 
 strength of one specimen." 
 
 " I was very far from intending that my letter Letter from 
 
 ■t -, -I ,-, . Til. . .Tolin Blafk- 
 
 should convey anything like disappointment to woo.i to 
 your friend. On the contrary, I thought the istiiNov!^^' 
 tale very good, and intended to convey as much. 
 But I daresay I expressed myself coolly enough.
 
 422 "Amos barton" Accepted for ' Maf/a! [eichmond, 
 Letter from- Criticisiii woulcl assuiiie a much soberer tone 
 
 Jolin Black- 
 wood to were critics compelled seriously to act whenever 
 
 G.n. Lewes, 
 
 isth Nov. they expressed an opinion. Although not much 
 
 given to hesitate about anything, I always think 
 twice before I put the decisive mark ' In type 
 for the ]\Iagazine ' on any MS. from a stranger. 
 Fancy the intense annoyance (to say nothing 
 of more serious considerations) of publishing, 
 month after month, a series about which the 
 conviction gradually forces itself on you that 
 you have made a total blunder. 
 
 " I am sorry that the author has no more 
 written, but if he cares much about a speedy 
 appearance, I have so high an opinion of this 
 first tale, that I will waive my objections, and 
 publish it without seeing more — not, of course, 
 committing myself to go on with the other 
 tales of the series unless I approved of them, 
 I am very sanguine that I will approve, as in 
 addition to the other merits of 'Amos,' I agree 
 with you that there is great freshness of style. 
 If you think also that it would stimulate the 
 author to go on with the other tales with more 
 spirit, I will publish 'Amos ' at once. He could 
 divide into two parts. I am blocked up for 
 December, but I could start him in January.
 
 185G.] Sensitiveness of the Author. 423 ' 
 
 " I am glad to hear that your friend is, as I Letter from 
 
 11 n ^ 1 . . , John Black- 
 
 siipposed, a clergyman, buch a subject is best wood to 
 in clerical hands, and some of the pleasantest isthVov."''' 
 and least prejudiced correspondents T have ever 
 had are English clergymen. 
 
 "I have not read 'Amos Barton' a second 
 time, but the impression on my mind of the 
 whole character, incidents, and feelin<>' of the 
 story is very distinct, which is an excellent 
 sign." 
 
 " Your letter has greatly restored the shaken Letter from 
 confidence of my friend, who is unusually sen- to'joim 
 
 . . 1 Ti • • • Blackwoiiil, 
 
 sitive, and, unlike most writers, is more anxious Katurday, 
 
 about excellence than about appearing in print — 
 as his waiting so long before taking the venture 
 proves. He is consequently afraid of failure, 
 though not afraid of obscurity ; and by failure 
 he would understand that which I suspect most 
 writers would be apt to consider as success — so 
 high is his ambition. 
 
 " I tell you this that you may understand the 
 sort of shy, shrinking, ambitious nature you have 
 to deal with. I tried to persuade him that you 
 really did appreciate his story, but were only 
 hesitating about committing yourself to a series ; 
 and your last letter has proved me to have been 
 
 \(iv. l.soO.
 
 424 
 
 Scenes of Clerical Life.' [RICHMOND, 
 
 Letter from 
 G. H. Lewes 
 to John 
 Blackwood, 
 Saturday, 
 Nov. 1S56. 
 
 right— although, as he never contemplated bind- 
 ing you to the publication of any portion of the 
 series to which you might object, he could not 
 at first see your position in its true light. 
 
 " All is, however, clear now. He will be gra- 
 tified if you publish 'Amos Barton' in January, 
 as it will give him ample time to get the second 
 story ready, so as. to appear when 'Barton' is 
 finished, should you wish it. He is anxious, 
 however, that you shuuld publish the general 
 title of •' Scenes of Clerical Life ' ; and I think 
 you may do this with perfect safety, since it is 
 quite clear that the writer of 'Amos Barton ' is 
 capable of writing at least one more story suit- 
 able to ' Maga,' and two would suffice to justify 
 the general title. 
 
 " Let me not forget to add that when I referred 
 to ' my clerical friend,' I meant to designate 
 the writer of the clerical stories — not that he 
 was a clericus. I am not at liberty to remove 
 the veil of anonymity, even as regards social 
 position. Be pleased, therefore, to keep the 
 whole secret, and not even mention 'iny negotia- 
 tion, or in any way lead guessers (should any 
 one trouble himself with such a guess — 7iot very 
 likely) to jump from me to my friend."
 
 1856.] "Amos Barton " PuUislml. 425 
 
 On Christmas Day 1856, "MrGilfil's Love- 
 
 Stoiy" was begun, and during December and 
 
 January tlie following are mentioned among 
 
 the books read : ' The Ajax of Sophocles,' Miss 
 
 Martin eau's ' History of the Peace,' Macaulay's 
 
 'History' finished, Carlyle's ' Prench Eevolution,' 
 
 Burke's ' Eeflections on the French Revolution,' 
 
 and ' Mansfield Park.' 
 
 " Along with this I send a copy of the January Letter from 
 
 John Black- 
 number of the Magazine, m which you will wood to the 
 
 ,.-,,,. PI -r. ) X • author of 
 
 find the first part oi 'Amos Barton, it gives "AmosBur- 
 nie very great pleasure to begin the number Dec. isrx;. 
 with 'Amos,' and I put him in that position 
 because his merits well entitle him to it, and 
 also because it is a vital point to attract public 
 attention to the first part of a series, to which 
 end being the first article of the first number of 
 the year may contribute. 
 
 " I have already expressed to our friend Mr 
 Lewes the very high opinion I entertain of 
 'Amos/ and the expectations I have formed of 
 the series, should his successors prove equal to 
 him, which I fully anticipate. 
 
 " It is a long time smce I have read anything 
 so fresh, so humorous, and so touching. The style 
 is capita], conveying so much in so few words.
 
 426 Major Blachvood' s Judgment. [RICHMOND, 
 
 Letter from 
 John Black- 
 wood to the 
 author of 
 " Amos Bar- 
 ton," •29th 
 Dec. 1850. 
 
 " Those who have seen the tale here are chiefly 
 members of my own family, and they are all 
 enthusiastic in praise. 
 
 " You may recollect that I expressed a fear 
 that in the affecting and highly-wrought scene 
 of poor Milly's death, the attempt to individual- 
 ise the children by reiterating their names 
 weakened the effect, as the reader had not been 
 prepared to care for them indi\'idually, but 
 simply as a group — the children of Milly and the 
 sorrow-stricken curate. My brother says, ' No. 
 Do not advise the author to touch anything so 
 exquisite.' Of course you are the best judge. 
 
 " I now send proof of the conclusion of 'Amos,' 
 in acknowledgment of which, and of the first 
 part, I have the pleasure of enclosing a cheque 
 for £52, 10s. — fifty guineas. 
 
 "If the series goes on as I anticipate, there is 
 every prospect that a republication as a sepa- 
 rate book, at some time or other, will be advis- 
 able. "We would look upon such republication 
 as a joint property, and would either give you 
 a sum for your interest in it, or publish on the 
 terms of one half of the clear profits, to be 
 divided between author and publisher, as might 
 be most agreeable to you.
 
 1857.] The Author of "Amos Barton." 427 
 
 " I shall be very glad to hear from you, either Letter from 
 
 John Black- 
 direct or through Mr Lewes ; and any intelli- wood to tiie 
 
 - author of 
 
 gence that the successors or 'Amos are taking "Amos Bar- 
 form and substance, will be very acceptable. Dec. i's56. 
 
 " I shall let you know what the other contrib- 
 utors and the public think of 'Amos ' as far as 
 I can gather a verdict, but in tlie meantime I 
 may congratulate you on having achieved a 
 preliminary success at all events." 
 Your letter has proved to me that the generous Letter from 
 
 IT 1 the author of 
 
 Editor and publisher — generous both in word and "Amos Bar- 
 ton "to John 
 in deed — who makes the author's path smooth and Blackwood, 
 
 Jan. ISJ". 
 
 easy, is somethmg more than a pleasant tradition, 
 I am very sensitive to the merits of cheques for 
 fifty guineas, but I am still more sensitive to that 
 cordial appreciation which is a guarantee to me that 
 my work was worth doing for its own sake. 
 
 If the ' Scenes of Clerical Life ' should be re- 
 published, I have no doubt we shall find it easy to 
 arrange the terms. In the meantime, the most 
 pressing business is to make them worth re- 
 publishing. 
 
 I think the particularisation of the children in 
 the deathbed scene has an important effect on the 
 imagination. But I have removed all names from 
 the " conclusion " except those of Patty and Dickey,
 
 428 "Mr GilfiVs Love Story." [Richmond, 
 
 Letter from ill wlioiii, I liope, the reader has a personal in- 
 
 the author of 
 
 "Amos Bar- tei'est. 
 
 ton"toJolin 
 
 Blackwood, I hope to SBiid you the second story by the 
 beginning of February. It will lie, for the most 
 part, among quite different scenes and persons 
 from the last — opening in Shepperton once more, 
 but presently moving away to a distant spot and 
 new people, whom, I hope, you will not like less 
 than " Amos " and his friends. But if any one of 
 the succeeding stories should seem to you unsuit- 
 able to the pages of ' Maga,' it can be reserved for 
 publication in the future volume, without creating 
 any difficulty. 
 
 Thank you very warmly for the hearty accept- 
 ance you have given to my first story. 
 
 Journal, Tlic first part of " Amos Barton " appeared in 
 
 the January number of ' Blackwood.' Before the 
 appearance of the ' Magazine,' on sending me the 
 proof, ]\Ir John Blackwood already expressed him- 
 self with much greater warmth of admiration ; and 
 when the first part had appeared, he sent me a 
 charming letter with a cheque for fifty guineas, and 
 a proposal about republication of the series. When 
 the story was concluded, he wrote me word how 
 Albert Smith had sent him a letter saying he had 
 never read anything that affected him more than 
 
 IS.'^
 
 1857.] Author 6 Desire for Opinions. 429 
 
 Milly's death, and, added Blackwood, " The men at Jomnai, 
 
 '' 1857. 
 
 the ckib seem to have mingled their tears and their 
 tumblers tooether. It will be curious if you should 
 be a member and be hearing your own praises." 
 There was clearly no suspicion that I was a woman. 
 It is interesting as an indication of the value there 
 is in such conjectural criticism generally, to re- 
 member that when G, read the first part of 
 "Amos " to a party at Helps's, they were all sure 
 I was a clergyman — a Cambridge man. Black- 
 wood seemed curious about the author, and when 
 I signed my letter " George Eliot," hunted up some 
 old letters from Eliot Warburton's brother to com- 
 pare the handwritings, though, he said, '"Amos' 
 seems to me not in the least like what that good 
 artilleryman would write." 
 
 Thank you for fulfilling your promise to let me Letter to 
 
 ... Jnlili Bliick- 
 
 know something of the criticisms passed on my w„o(i, 4th 
 story. I have a very moderate respect for " opinions 
 of the press," but the private opinions of intelligent 
 people may be valualjle to me. 
 
 In reference to artistic presentation, much ad- 
 verse opinion will, of course, arise from a dislike 
 to the order of art rather than from a critical 
 estimate of the execution. Any one who detests 
 the Dutch school in general will hardly appreciate 
 
 Feb. ISOT.
 
 430 Pseudonym Assumed of [RICHMOND, 
 
 Letter to fairly the merits of a particular Dutch painting. 
 
 Jolni Black- 
 wood, 4th And against this sort of condemnation one must 
 
 Feb. 1857. 
 
 steel one's self as one best can. But objections 
 which point out to me any vice of manner, or any 
 failure in producing an intended effect, will be 
 really profitable. For example, I suppose my 
 scientific illustrations must be a fault, since they 
 seem to have obtruded themselves disagreeably on 
 one of my readers. But if it be a sin to be at 
 once a man of science and a writer of fiction, I 
 can declare my perfect innocence on that head, my 
 scientific knowledge being as superficial as that of 
 the most " practised writers." I hope to send you 
 a second story in a few days, but I am rather 
 behindhand this time, having been prevented from 
 setting to work for some weeks by other business. 
 
 Wliatever may be the success of my stories, 
 I shall be resolute in preserving my incogjiito, — 
 having observed that a nom de 2)lu'me secures all 
 the advantages without the disagreeables of repu- 
 tation. Perhaps, therefore, it will be well to give 
 you my prosj)ective name, as a tub to throw to the 
 whale in case of curious inquiries ; and accordingly 
 I subscribe myself, best and most sympathising 
 of Editors, yours very truly, George Eliot. 
 I may mention here that my wife told me
 
 Feb. 1S5V. 
 
 1857.] George Eliot. 431 
 
 the reason she lixecl on this name was that 
 George was Mr Lewes's Christian name, and 
 Eliot was a good mouth-filling, easily-pronounced 
 word. 
 First let me thank you very heartily for your Letter to 
 letter of the 10th. Except your own very cordial wood, isth' 
 appreciation, which is so much beyond a mere 
 official acceptance, that little fact about Albert 
 Smith has gratified me more than anything else 
 in connection with the effect of "Amos." If you 
 should happen to hear an opinion from Thackeray, 
 good or bad, I should like to know it. 
 
 You will see that I have availed myself of your 
 suggestions on points of language. I quite re- 
 cognise the justice of your criticisms on the Erench 
 phrases. They are not in keeping with my story. 
 
 But I am unable to alter anything in relation to 
 tlie delineation or development of character, as my 
 stories always grow out of my psychological con- 
 ception of the cbroiuUis perso7ia\ Eor example, 
 the behaviour of Caterina in the gallery is essential 
 to my conception of her nature, and to tlie develop- 
 ment of that nature in the plot. My artistic bent 
 is directed not at all to the presentation of emi- 
 nently irreproachable characters, but to the pre- 
 sentation of mixed human beings in such a way as
 
 Psychological Instinct. [eichmond, 
 
 Letter to 
 Jolui Black- 
 wood, ISth 
 Feb. 1857. 
 
 Letter to 
 Miss Sara 
 Heimell, 
 24th Feb. 
 
 1857. 
 
 Letter to 
 John Black- 
 wood, 1st 
 March 1857. 
 
 to call forth tolerant jiidginent, pity, and sympathy. 
 And I cannot stir a step aside from what I feci to 
 be true in character. Tf anything strikes you as 
 untrue to human nature in my delineations, I shall 
 be very glad if you will point it out to me, that I 
 may reconsider the matter. But, alas ! inconsist- 
 encies and weaknesses are not untrue. I hope that 
 your doubts about the plot Avill be removed liy the 
 further development of the story. Meanwhile, 
 warmest thanks for your encouraging letters. 
 
 I am the more inclined to think that I shall 
 admire your book, because you are suspected of 
 having given undue preponderance to the Christian 
 argument : for I have a growing conviction that we 
 may measure true moral and intellectual culture 
 by the comprehension and veneration given to all 
 forms of thought and feeling which have inlluenced 
 large masses of mankind — and of all intolerance the 
 intolerance calling itself philosophical is the most 
 odious to me.* 
 
 Thank you for the copy of ' Maga ' and for the 
 accompanying cheque. One has not many cor- 
 respondents whose handwriting has such agreeable 
 associations as yours. 
 
 I was particularly pleased with that extract you 
 were so good as to send me from ]\Ir »Swayne's
 
 1857.] Adi)iiration of Goldsmith. 433 
 
 letter. Dear old " Goldic " is one of my earlie.st and Letter to 
 
 John Black- 
 warmest admirations, and I don't desire a Ijetter wood, ist 
 
 March 1857. 
 
 fate than to lie side by side with him in people's 
 
 memories. 
 
 The Eev. Mr Swayne had written to Black- 
 wood saying that "Amos," in its charming tender- 
 ness, reminded him of the ' A^icar of Wakefield.' 
 Blackwood had written much delighted with the 
 two first parts of " Mr Gilfil's Love-Story," which 
 were sent to him together. 
 
 I began, oddly enough you will perhaps think, by Letter to 
 
 Miss Sara 
 
 readmg through the ' Answers of Infidelity,' ^ those nemieii, 2d 
 
 , . , . . n 1 , n March 1857. 
 
 being the most interesting parts oi the book to me. 
 Some of your own passages I think very admirable, 
 — some of them made me cry, wliich is always a 
 sign of the highest pleasure writing can give me. 
 But in many of the extracts, I think. Infidelity cuts 
 a very poor figure. Some are feeble, some had, and 
 terribly discrepant in the tone of their thought and 
 feeling from the passages which come fresh from 
 your own mind. The disadvantage arising from 
 the perpetual shifting of the point of view is a 
 disadvantage, I suppose, inseparable from the plan, 
 wliich I cannot admire or feel to he effective, 
 
 1 Baillie Prize Essay on Christianity and Intidelity : an Exposition 
 of the Arguments on both sides. By Miss Sara Hennell. 
 
 VOL. I. 2 E
 
 434 
 
 Miss HcnnelVs Essay. [Richmond, 
 
 Letter to 
 Miss Sara 
 Hennell, 2d 
 March 1857. 
 
 Letter to 
 Miss Sara 
 Hennell, 
 5tli Jlarch 
 1857. 
 
 though I can iiiiagiiie it may be a serviceable form 
 of presentation to some inquirers. The CA'ccution I 
 do admire. I think it shows very high and rare 
 quahties of mind — a self-discipline and largeness of 
 thought, which are the highest result of culture. 
 The ' Objections of Christianity,' which I have also 
 read, are excellently put, and have an immense 
 advantage over the ' Answers of Infidelity ' in their 
 greater homogeneity. The first part I have only 
 begun and glanced through, and at present have no 
 other observation to make than that I think you 
 might have brought a little more artillery to Ijear 
 on Christian morality. But nothing is easier than 
 to find fault — nothing so difficult as to do some 
 real work. 
 
 I think I wrote very IjriLsquely and disagreeably 
 to you the other day, but the impertinence was 
 altogether in the form and not at all in the feeling. 
 I always have uncomfortable sensations after writ- 
 ing objections and criticisms when they relate to 
 things I substantially admire. It is inflicting a 
 hurt on my own veneration. 
 
 I showed the passage on the eye, p. 157, to Her- 
 liert Spencer, and he agrees with us that you have 
 not stated your idea so as to render it a logical 
 argument against design. You appear to imply
 
 1857.] Caterinas Character-. 435 
 
 that development and gradation in organs and func- Letter to 
 
 Miss Sara 
 
 tions are opposed to that conception, which they are Hemieii, 
 
 ^ . ,, - 5th March 
 
 not. 1 suppose yon are aware that we all three issr. 
 hokl the conception of creative design to be un- 
 tenable. We only think you have not made out 
 a good case against it. 
 
 Thank you for sending me some news of Harriet 
 Martineau. I have often said lately, " I wonder 
 how she is." 
 
 I am glad you retain a doubt in favour of the Letter to 
 
 John Blac'k- 
 
 dagger, and wish I could convert you to entire wood, i4th 
 
 March 1S57. 
 
 approval, for I am much more satisfied when your 
 feeling is thoroughly with me. But it would be 
 the death of my story to substitute a dream for the 
 real scene. Dreams usually play an important part 
 in fiction, but rarely, I think, in actual life. 
 
 So many of us liave reason to know that criminal 
 impulses may be felt by a nature which is never- 
 theless guarded by its entire constitution from the 
 commission of crime, that I can't help hoping that 
 my Caterina will not forfeit tlie sympathy of all 
 my readers. 
 
 The answer you propose to give to curious in- 
 quirers is the best possible. For several reasons I 
 am very anxious to retain my incognito for some 
 time to come, and to an author not already famous,
 
 436 
 
 Description of St Marys. [SGILLY ISLES, 
 
 Letter to anoiiyiiiity is the highest j^'^^c-stirjc. Besides, if 
 
 Jolin Black- 
 wood, 14th George Eliot turns out a dull dog and an ineffective 
 
 March 1857. . n i • i ' t p 
 
 writer — a mere flash m the pan — I, for one, am 
 determined to cut him on the first intimation of 
 that disagreeable fact. 
 
 The fates have willed that this shall be a very 
 melancholy story, and I am longing to be a little 
 merrier again. 
 
 On the 16tli March, Mr Lewes and George 
 Eliot started for I'lymouth, Penzance, and the 
 Scilly Isles, and we have the following recollec- 
 tions of their stay there : — 
 I had never before seen a granite coast, and on 
 the southern side of the island of St IMary's one 
 sees such a coast in its most striking and charac- 
 teristic forms. Eectangular crevices, the edges of 
 which have been rounded by weather, give many 
 of the granite masses a resemblance to bales of 
 wool or cotton heaped on each other ; another 
 characteristic form is the mushroom-slia]3ed' mass, 
 often lying poised on the summits of more cubical 
 boulders or fragments ; another is the immense 
 flat platform stretching out like a pier into the sea ; 
 another the oval basins formed by the action of 
 the rain-water on the summits of the rocks and 
 boulders. The colouring of the rocks was very vari- 
 
 RecoUec- 
 tions, Scilly 
 Isles, 
 
 March-JIay 
 1S57.
 
 1857.] Beauties of the Coast. 437 
 
 ous and beautiful : sometimes a delicate greyish- ReeoUec- 
 green from the shaggy byssus which clothes it, iSes' ^""'' 
 chiefly high up from the water; then a light warm issr!'' ''^ 
 brown ; then black ; occasionally of a rich yellow ; 
 and here and there purplish. Below the rocks, on 
 the coast, are almost everywhere heaps of white 
 boulders, sometimes remarkably perfect ovals, and 
 looking like huge eggs of some monstrous bird. 
 Hardly any weed was to be seen on the granite, 
 except here and there in a rock-pool, green with 
 young ulva ; and no barnacles incrust the rock, no 
 black mussels, scarcely any limpets. The waves 
 that lieat on this coast are clear as crystal, and we 
 used to delight in watching them rear themselves 
 like the horses of a mighty sea-god as they ap- 
 proached the rocks on which they were broken into 
 eddies of milky foam. Along a great part of this 
 southern coast there stretch heathy or furzy downs, 
 over which I used to enjoy rambling immensely 
 — there is a sense of freedom in those unenclosed 
 grounds that one never has in a railed park, liow- 
 ever extensive. Then, on tlie north side of the 
 island, above Sandy Bar, what a view we used to 
 get of the opposite islands and reefs, with their 
 delicious violet and yellow tints — the tall ship or 
 two anchored in the Sound, changing their aspect
 
 438 Colour on the Sea. [scilly isles, 
 
 Recoiiec- like liviiio' tilings, and when the wind was at all 
 
 Mes,' '^' ^ high the white foam prancing round the reefs and 
 iSt*. '^ ^^ rising in fountain-like curves above the screen of 
 rocks ! 
 
 Many a wet and dirty walk we had along the lanes, 
 for the weather was often wet and almost always 
 blustering. Now and then, however, we had a 
 clear sky and a calm sea, and on such days it was 
 delicious to look up after the larks that were soar- 
 ing above us, or to look out on the island- and reef- 
 studded sea. I never enjoyed the lark before as I 
 enjoyed it at Scilly — never felt the full beauty of 
 Shelley's poem on it before. A spot we became 
 very fond of toward the close of our stay was 
 Carne Lea, where, between two fine jutting piles of 
 granite, there was a soft down, gay with the pretty 
 pink flowers of the thrift, which, in this island, 
 carpets the ground like greensward. Here we 
 used to sit and lie in the bright afternoons, watch-" 
 ing the silver suidight on the waves, — bright silver, 
 not golden — it is the morning and evening sunlight 
 that is golden. A week or two after our arrival 
 we made the acquaintance of Mr Moyle, the sur- 
 geon, who became a delightful friend to us, always 
 ready to help with the contents of his surgery or 
 anything else at his command. We liked to have
 
 1857.] Social Life at St Marys. 439 
 
 him come and smoke a cigar in the evening, and Recollec- 
 tions, Scilly 
 look in now and then for a little lesson in micros- isies, 
 
 March-May 
 
 copy. The little indications of the social life at issr. 
 Scilly that we were able to pick np were very 
 amusing. I was repeatedly told, in order to make 
 me aware who Mr Hall was, that he married a 
 Miss Lemon. The people at St Mary's imagine 
 that the lawyers and doctors at Penzance are a 
 sort of European characters that every one knows. 
 We heard a great deal about Mr Quill, an Irishman, 
 the Controller of the Customs ; and one day, when 
 we were making a call on one of the residents, our 
 host said two or three times at intervals, " I wish 
 you knew Quill ! " At last, on our farewell call, 
 we saw the distinguished Quill, with his hair 
 plaistered down, his charming smile, and his 
 trousers with a broad stripe down each leg. Our 
 host amused us by his contempt for curs : " Oh, I 
 wouldn't have a cur— there's nothing to look at in 
 a cur ! " i 
 
 The smallest details written in the hastiest way Letter to 
 
 Mrs Bray, 
 
 that will enable me to imagine you as you are, are 5th Apru 
 
 1S57 
 
 just wliat I want — indeed all [ care alxjut in cor- 
 respondence. We are more and more in love with 
 these little islands. There is not a tree to be seen, 
 
 1 ' Mill on the Floss,' chap, iii., P.ook IV. l?ol) Jakin.
 
 1857 
 
 440 Careless Coohing. [scilly isles, 
 
 Letter to but there are grand granite hills on the coast such 
 5th Api'iV as I never saw before, and furze-covered hills with 
 larks soaring and singing above them, and zoolo- 
 gical wonders on the shore to fill our bottles and 
 our souls at once. For some time I have been un- 
 usually weak and knock-upable. Our landlady is 
 an excellent woman, but like almost all peculiarly 
 domestic women, has not more than rudimentary 
 ideas of cooking ; and in an island where you can get 
 nothing but beef, except by sending to Penzance, 
 that supreme science has its maximum value. She 
 seems to think eating a purely arbitrary procedure 
 — an abnormal function of mad people who come to 
 Scilly ; and if we ask her what the people live on 
 here, is cpiite at a loss to tell us, apparently think- 
 ing the question relates to the abstruser portion of 
 natural history. But I insist, and give her a cul- 
 inary lecture every morning, and we do in the end 
 get fed. Altogether our life here is so far better 
 than the golden age, that we work as well as play. 
 That is the happy side of things. But there is a 
 very sad one to me which I shall not dwell upon — 
 only tell you of. ]\Iore than a week ago I received 
 the news that poor Chrissey had lost one of her 
 pretty little girls of fever, that the other little one 
 — they were the only two she had at home with
 
 1857.] Life of Charlotte Bronte. 441 
 
 her — was also dangerously ill, and Clnissey herself Letter to 
 
 , , 1 Til '^'''^ Bray, 
 
 and her servant apparently attacked by typhus too. 5th Apni 
 
 1857 
 
 The thought of her in this state is a perpetual 
 shadow to me in the sunshine. 
 
 I shudder at entering on such great subjects (as Letter to 
 
 Jliss Sara 
 
 " Design ") in letters ; — my idle brain wants lash- Heimeii, 
 
 lOth A]iril 
 
 ing to work like a negro, and will do nothing under issr. 
 a slighter stimulus, A¥e are enjoying a retrogres- 
 sion to old-fashioned reading. I rush on tlie slight- 
 est pretext to Sophocles, and am as excited about 
 blind old (Edipus as any young lady can be about 
 the latest hero with magnificent eyes. But there 
 is 071C new book we have been enjoying, and so, I 
 hope, have you — the ' Life of Charlotte Bronte.' 
 Deeply affecting throughout : in the early part 
 romantic, poetic as one of her own novels ; in 
 the later years tragic — especially to those who 
 know what sickness is. Mrs Gaskell has done her 
 work admirably, both in the industry and care with 
 which she has gathered and selected her material, 
 and in the feeling with which she has presented 
 it. There is one exception, however, whicli I re- 
 gret very much. She sets down Branwell's conduct 
 entirely to remorse. Remorse may make sad work 
 with a man; but it will not make such a life as 
 Branwell's was in the last three or four years,
 
 442 
 
 Anxiety for Mrs Clarhe. [SCILLY ISLES, 
 
 Letter to 
 Miss Sara 
 Hennell, 
 lOtli April 
 1S57. 
 
 Letter to 
 Isaac P. 
 
 unless the genu: of vice had sprouted and shot 
 up long before, as it seems clear they had in him. 
 What a tragedy ! — that picture of the old father 
 and the three sisters trembling, day and night, in 
 terror at the possible deeds of their drunken, brutal 
 son and brother ! That is the part of the life 
 which affects me most. 
 
 I have been looking anxiously for some further 
 Evans, i6tii tidiugs of Chrisscv since your last letter, which told 
 
 April 1857. "= \ 
 
 me that she and Kate were better, though not out 
 of danger. I try to hope that no news is good 
 news, but if you do not think it troublesome to 
 write, I shall be thankful to have that hope 
 changed into certainty. 
 
 Meanwhile, to save multiplying letters — which 
 I know you are not fond of — I mention now what 
 will take no harm from being mentioned rather 
 prematurely. I should like Chrissey to have £15 
 of my next half-year's income, due at the beginning 
 of June, to spend in taking a change of air as soon 
 as she is able to do so ; and perhaps if it were 
 desirable for her to leave before the money has 
 been paid in, you would be so kind as to advance 
 it for a few weeks. I am writing, of course, in 
 ignorance of her actual state ; but I should think 
 it must be good for lier, as soon as slie is able
 
 1857.] Conchisions of Stories. 443 
 
 to move, to leave that fever-infected place for a Letter to 
 
 Isaac P. 
 
 time, and i know the money must have gone very Evans, leth 
 
 . April 1S57. 
 
 last m recent expenses, i only suggest the change 
 of ah- as the thing that I should think best for 
 Chrissey ; but in any case 1 should like her to 
 have the money to do what she pleases with it. 
 If she is well enough, please to give her the en- 
 closed note, in which I have suggested to her what 
 I have just written to you. 
 
 I am much obliged to you for your last letter, 
 and shall be still more so if you will write me word 
 of Chrissey's present condition. 
 
 Thank you for the pleasant notes of impressions Letter to 
 
 John Blaek- 
 
 concerning my story sent to me through Lewes. wood, ist 
 
 I will pay attention to your caution al:)out the 
 danger of huddling up my stories. Conclusions 
 are the weak point of most authors, but some of 
 the fault lies in the very nature of a conclusion 
 which is at best a negation. 
 
 There must be something wrong in the winding 
 up of "Amos," for I have heard of two persons who 
 are disappointed with the conclusion. But the 
 story never presented itself to me as possible to 
 be protracted after Milly's death. The drama ends 
 there. 
 
 I am thinking of writing a short epilogue to 
 
 Jlav 1S67.
 
 444 
 
 "ifr Gilfil " Finished, [scilly isles, 
 
 Ijetter to 
 John Blacl 
 wood, 1st 
 May 185T. 
 
 Jersey, Re- 
 oollections, 
 ISST. 
 
 "Mr Gilfil's Love-Story," and I will send it you 
 with the proof from Jersey, where, on a strict 
 promise that I am not to be dissected, I shall 
 shortly join our friend Lewes. 
 
 The third story will be very different from either 
 of the preceding, which will perhaps be an advan- 
 tage, as poor Tina's sad tale was necessarily rather 
 monotonous in its effects. 
 
 The Epilogue to " Mr Gilfil " was written sit- 
 ting on the Fortification Hill, Scilly Isles, one 
 sunshiny morning. 
 It was a beautiful moment (12th May) when we 
 came to our lodgings at Gorey. The orchards were 
 all in blossom — and this is an island of orchards. 
 They cover the slopes ; they stretch before you in 
 shady, grassy, indefinite extent through every other 
 gateway by the roadside ; they flourish in some 
 spots almost close to the sea, Wliat a contrast 
 to the Scilly Isles ! There you stand on the hills 
 like a sparrow on the housetop ; here you are 
 like the same sparrow when he is hopping about 
 on the branches with green above him, green 
 below, and green all round. Gorey stands in 
 Granville Bay, where the grand old castle of Mont 
 Orgueil stands and keeps guard on a fine rocky 
 promontory overlooking the little harbour dotted
 
 1857.] Jersey Scenery. 445 
 
 with fishing craft. Tliere is a charming piece of Jersey, Re- 
 
 ^ , 11. collections, 
 
 common, or clown, where yon can have the qnietest, issr. 
 easiest walking, with a carpet of niinnte wild 
 flowers that are not hindered from flourishing by 
 the sandy rain of the coast. I delighted extremely 
 in the brownish green softness of this undulating 
 common, here and there varied with a patch of 
 bright green fern — all the prettier for two little 
 homesteads set down upon it, with their garden- 
 fence and sheltermg trees. It was pretty in all 
 lights, but especially the evening light, to look 
 round at the castle and harlwur, the village and 
 the scattered dwellings peeping out from among 
 trees on the hill. The castle is built of stone 
 which has a beautiful pinkish-grey tint, and the 
 bright green ivy hangs oblique curtains on its 
 turreted walls, making it look like a natural con- 
 tinuation or outgrowth of the rocky and grassy 
 height on which it stands. Then the eye wanders 
 on to the right and takes in the church standing 
 halfway down the Ihll, wdiich is clothed with a 
 plantation, and shelters the little village with its 
 cloud of blue smoke : still to the right and the 
 village breaks oft", leaving nothing but meadows 
 in front of the slope that shuts out the setting 
 sun, and only lets you see a hint of the golden
 
 446 Inland Walks. [JERSEY, 
 
 Jersey, Re- glory that is reflected in the pink eastern 
 
 collections, 
 
 1857. clouds. 
 
 The first lovely walk we found inland was the 
 Queen's Fern Valley, where a broad strip of meadow 
 and pasture lies between two high slopes covered 
 with woods and ferny wilderness. Wlien we first 
 saw this valley it was in the loveliest spring time : 
 the woods were a delicious mixture of red and 
 tender green and purple. We have watched it 
 losing that spring beauty and j)assing into the 
 green and flowery luxuriance of June, and now 
 into the more monotonous summer tint of July. 
 
 Wlien the blossoms fell away from the orchards, 
 my next delight was to look at the grasses mingled 
 with the red sorrel ; then came the white umbellifer- 
 ous plants, making a border or inner frame for them 
 along the hedgerows and streams. Another pretty 
 thing here is the luxuriance of the yellow iris that 
 covers large pieces of moist ground with its broad 
 blades. Everywhere there are tethered cows, look- 
 ing at you with meek faces — mild-eyed, sleek, fawn- 
 coloured creatures, with delicate downy udders. 
 
 Another favourite walk of ours was round by 
 Mont Orgueil along the coast. Here we had the 
 green or rocky slope on one side of us, and on the 
 other the calm sea stretching to the coast of
 
 1857.] Coast Beauties. 447 
 
 France, visible on all but the murkiest days. But Jersey, ru- 
 
 collections, 
 
 the murky days were not many during our stay, isor. 
 and our evening walks round the coast usually 
 showed us a peaceful, scarcely rippled sea, plashing 
 gently on the purple pebbles of the little scalloped 
 bays. There were two such bays within the boun- 
 dary of our sea-side walk in that direction, and one 
 of them was a perpetual wonder to us, in the 
 luxuriant verdure of meadows and orchards and 
 forest-trees that sloped down to the very shore. 
 No distressed look about the trees, as if they were 
 ever driven harshly back by the winter winds : it was 
 like an inland slope suddenly carried to the coast. 
 
 As for the inland walks, they are inexhaustible. 
 The island is one labyrinth of delicious roads and 
 lanes, leading you by the most charming nooks of 
 houses with shady grounds and shrubberies — de- 
 lightful farm homesteads — and trim villas. 
 
 It was a sweet peaceful life we led here. Good 
 creatures, the Amys, our host and hostess, with 
 their nice boy and girl, and the little white kid — 
 the family pet. No disagreeable sounds to l)e heard 
 in the house, no unpleasant qualities to hinder one 
 from feeling perfect love to these simple people. 
 We have had long rambles and long readings. But 
 our choice of literature lias been rather circum-
 
 448 
 
 Books Read. 
 
 [JEKSEY, 
 
 Jersey, Re- 
 collections, 
 1867. 
 
 Letter to 
 Miss Sara 
 Hemiell, 2-Jd 
 May 1857. 
 
 scribed in this ont-of-tlic-way place. The ' Life of 
 George Stephenson ' has been a real profit and 
 pleasure. I have read Draper's ' riiysiology ' aloud 
 for grave evening hours, and such books as Currer 
 Bell's ' Professor,' INIlle. d'Auny's ' Mariage en Pro- 
 vince,' and Miss Ferrier's 'Marriage,' for lighter 
 food. The last, however, we found ourselves un- 
 able to finish, notwithstanding Miss Ferrier's high 
 reputation. I have been getting a smattering of 
 botany from Miss Catlow and from Dr Thomson's 
 little book on wild flowers, which have created at 
 least a longing for something more complete on the 
 subject. 
 
 Such hedgerows in this island ! Such orchards, 
 white against the green slopes and shady walks by 
 the woodside with distracting wild flowers. We 
 enjoy the greenery and variety of this bushy island 
 all the better for our stay on bare Scilly, which we 
 had gone to and fro upon till we knew it by heart. 
 Our little lodgings are very snug — only 13s. a 
 week — a nice little sitting-room, with a work-room 
 adjoining for Mr Lewes, who is at this moment in 
 all the bliss of having discovered a parasitic worm 
 in a cuttlefish. We dine at five, and our afternoons 
 are almost exhausted in rambling. I hope to get 
 up my strength in this delicious quiet, and have
 
 1857.] First mention of Mr Liggins. 449 
 
 fewer interruptions to work from lieadaclie than I Letter to 
 
 Miss Sara 
 
 have been having since Christmas. I wonder if I Henneii, 2-ia 
 
 May 1857. 
 
 should have had the happiness of seeing Cara if I 
 had been at Eichmond now. I would rather see 
 her than any one else in the world — except poor 
 Chrissey. Tell me when you have read the life of 
 Currer Bell. Some people think its revelations in 
 bad taste — making money out of the dead, wound- 
 ing the feelings of the living, &c. What book is 
 there that some people or other will not find abom- 
 inable ? We thought it admirable, cried over it, 
 and felt the better for it. We read Cromwell's 
 letters again at Scilly with great delight. 
 
 In May Mr Lewes writes to ]\Ir John Black- 
 wood — " We were both amused with the divina- 
 tion of the Manx seer and his friend Liggers." 
 This is the first mention of the individual, 
 whose real name was Liggins of Nuneaton, who 
 afterwards became notorious for laying claim 
 to the authorship of the ' Scenes of Clerical 
 Life ' and ' Adam Bede.' 
 
 " Janet's Eepentance " had been begun on tlie 
 18th April, and the first three parts were 
 finished in Jersey. In reference to the ' Scenes 
 of Clerical Life ' there are the following entries 
 in the Journal : — 
 
 VOL. I. 2 F
 
 13&7. 
 
 450 Ojnnioiis of "Mr Giljil." [jersey, 
 
 Journal, 3fai/ 2. — Eeceivecl letter from Blackwood ex- 
 pressing his approbation of Part IX. of " Mr Gilfil's 
 Love-Story," He writes very pleasantly, says the 
 series is attributed by many to Bulwer, and that 
 Thackeray thinks highly of it. This was a pleasant 
 fillip to me, who am just now ready to be dis- 
 pirited on the slightest pretext. 
 
 3fai/ 21. — The other day we had a pleasant 
 letter from Herl^ert Spencer, saying that he had 
 heard " Mr Gilfil's Love-Story " discussed by Baynes 
 and Dallas, as well as previously by Pigott, all 
 expressing warm a]3proval and curiosity as to the 
 author. 
 
 Ifai/ 26. — Keceived a pleasant letter from 
 Blackwood, enclosing one from Archer Gurney to 
 the author of "Mr Gilfil's Love-Story." 
 
 I subjoin this letter, as it is the first she 
 received in her character of a creative author, 
 and it still bears a pencil memorandum in her 
 writing: "This letter he brought up to me at 
 Jersey after reading it, saying with intense joy, 
 ' Her fame is beginning. 
 
 
 Letter from 
 
 Rev. Archer 
 
 Gurney to " BUCKINGHAM (BuCKS), 
 
 tl.eautiiorof Thursday, I4th May 1857. 
 
 " Mr Gillil's "^' ^ 
 
 Love-Story," " SiE, — Will you cousidcr it impertinent in 
 
 14tli May ^ 
 
 1S57. a brother author and old reviewer to address a
 
 1857.] Rev. Archer Giirney on " The Scenes." 451 
 
 few lines of earnest sympathy and admiration Letter from 
 
 Rev. Arclier 
 
 to you, excited by the purity of your style, Gumeyto 
 
 the author of 
 
 originality of your thoughts, and absence of all '■MrGiitii's 
 
 Love-Story," 
 
 vulgar seeking for effect in those ' Scenes of uth May 
 
 Clerical Life ' now appearing in ' Blackwood ' ? 
 If I mistake not much, your muse of invention 
 is no hackneyed one, and your style is too 
 peculiar to allow of your being confounded 
 witli any of the already well-known writers 
 of the day. Your great and characteristic 
 charm is, to my mind, I^ature. You fre- 
 quently, indeed, express what I may call bril- 
 liant ideas, but they always seem to come 
 unsought for, never, as in Lytton, for instance, 
 to be elaborated and placed in the most advan- 
 tageous light. I allude to such brief aphoristic 
 sayings as 'Animals are such agreeable friends, 
 they ask no questions, they pass no criticisms,' 
 — 'All with that brisk and cheerful air which a 
 sermon is often observed to produce when it 
 is quite finished.' By-the-by, I am one of the 
 cloth, and might take exception to certain hints 
 perhaps, but these are dubious. A\1iat I see 
 X^lamly I admire honestly, and trust that more 
 good remains behind. "Will you always remain 
 equally natural ? That is the doubt. Will the 
 
 1857
 
 Letter from 
 Rev. Archer 
 Gurney to 
 the author of 
 " Mr GiUil's 
 Love-Story," 
 14th May 
 185V. 
 
 Journal, 
 1S57. 
 
 Letter to 
 John Black- 
 wood, '2il 
 June 1857. 
 
 452 Lord Stcmky on " The Scenes." [Jersey, 
 
 fear of tlie critic, or the public, or the literary 
 world, which spoils almost every one, never 
 master you ? Will you always write to please 
 yourself, and preserve the true independence 
 which seems to mark a real supremacy of 
 intellect ? But these questions are, I fear, im- 
 pertinent. I will conclude. Pardon this word 
 of greeting from one whom you may never see 
 or know, and believe me, your earnest admirer, 
 
 Aecher Gurney. 
 
 " The Author of 
 
 ' Mr Gilfil's Love-Story.' " 
 
 j,,,i,._ Blackwood writes from London that he 
 hears nothing but approval of " Mr GilfU's Love- 
 Story." Lord Stanley, among other people, had 
 spoken to him about the ' Clerical Scenes ' at Bul- 
 wer's, and was astonished to find Blackwood in the 
 dark as to the author. 
 
 I send you by the same post with this the first 
 part of my third story, which I hope will not 
 disappoint you. The part is, I think, rather longer 
 than my parts have usually been, but it would 
 have been injurious to the effect of the story to 
 
 pause earlier. 
 
 Pleasant letters like yours are the best possible 
 stimulus to an author's powers, and if I don't write
 
 1857.] Professor Aytoun's Admiration. 453 
 
 better and better, the fault will certainly not lie in Letter to 
 
 Jolm Black 
 
 my editor, who seems to have been created in pre- wood, 2d 
 
 . June 1S57. 
 
 estabhshed harmony with the organisation of a 
 susceptible contributor. 
 
 This island, too, with its grassy valleys and 
 pretty indented coast, is not at all a bad haunt 
 for the Muses, if, as one may suppose, they have 
 dropped their too scanty classical attire, and appear 
 in long dresses and brown hats, like decent Chris- 
 tian women likely to inspire ' Clerical Scenes.' 
 
 Moreover, having myself a slight zoological 
 weakness, I am less alarmed than most people at 
 the society of a zoological maniac. So that, alto- 
 gether, your contributor is in promising circum- 
 stances, and if he doesn't behave like an animal 
 in good condition, is clearly unworthy of his 
 keep. 
 
 I am much gratified to have made the conquest 
 of Professor Aytoun ; but with a parent's love for 
 the depreciated child, I can't help standing up for 
 " Amos " as better than " Gilfil." 
 
 Lewes seems to have higher expectations from 
 the third story than from either of the preceding ; 
 but I can form no judgment myself until I have 
 quite finished a thing, and see it aloof from my 
 actual self. I can only go on writing what I feel,
 
 1857. 
 
 454 Charms of Richmond Park. [jeusey, 
 
 and waiting for the proof that I liave been able to 
 make others feel. 
 Letter to Kichmond is not fascinating in " the season " 
 
 Mrs Bray, i i i t • i 
 
 5th June or throiigh the summer. It is hot, noisy, and 
 haunted with Cockneys ; but at otlier times we 
 love the Park with an increasing love, and we 
 have such a kind, good landlady there, that it 
 always seems like going home when we return 
 to Park Shot. She writes to us : " I hope you 
 will make your fortune — l^ut you must always 
 live with me," which, considering that she gets 
 less out of us than other lodgers, is a proof of 
 affection in a landlady. Yes ! we like our wander- 
 ing life at present, and it is fructifying, and brings 
 us material in many ways ; but we keep in per- 
 spective the idea of a cottage among green fields 
 and cows, where we mean to settle down (after 
 we have once been to Italy), and buy pots and 
 kettles and keep a dog. Wherever we are we 
 work hard — and at work which brings 'p'^'cscnt 
 money ; for we have too many depending on us 
 to be dilettanti or idlers. 
 
 I wish it to 1)6 understood that I should never 
 invite any one to come and see me who did not 
 ask for the invitation. 
 
 You wonder how my face has changed in the
 
 1857.] Interest in Mrs Sibrccs Family. 455 
 
 last three years. Doubtless it is older and uglier, Lottei- to 
 
 -, , •. ij , J 1 11 . „ Mrs Bray, 
 
 but it ought not to have a bad expression, for stiijime 
 
 LS.j 
 
 .luiie 185 
 
 I never have anything to call out my ill-humour 
 or discontent, — which you know were always ready 
 enough to come on slight call, — and I have every- 
 thing to call out love and gratitude. 
 
 Your letter was very sweet to me. The sense Letter to 
 
 , J-. . . . ^I''>5 John 
 
 or my deficiencies in the past often presses on o,tsii(>riss 
 me with a discouraging weight, and to know that sibrue), ctu 
 any one can remember me lovingly, helps me to 
 believe tliat there has been some cood to balance 
 the evil. I like to think of you as a happy wife 
 and mother; and since Eosehill must have new 
 tenants, I like to think that you and yours are 
 there rather than any one else, not only because 
 of my own confidence in your nature, but because 
 our dear friends love you so much as a neighbour. 
 You know I can never feel otherwise than sorry 
 that they should not have ended their days in 
 that pretty home ; but the ine^dtable regret is 
 softened as mucli as possible hy the fact that the 
 home has become yours. 
 
 It is very nice to hear that Mrs Sibree can 
 relish anything of my writing. She was always 
 a favourite with me ; and I remember very vividly 
 many pleasant little conversations with her, Sev-
 
 456 
 
 Fsychical Satisfaction. 
 
 [jersey, 
 
 Letter to 
 Mrs John 
 Cash (Miss 
 Mary 
 
 Sibree), 6th 
 June 1857. 
 
 enty-two ! How happy you are to have a dear, 
 aged mother, whose heart you can gladden. 
 
 I was a good deal touched by the letter your 
 brother wrote to you about accepting, or rather 
 declining, more pupils. I feel sure that his sen- 
 sitive nature has its peculiar trials and struggles 
 in this strange life of ours, which some thick- 
 skinned mortals take so easily. 
 
 T am very happy — happy in the highest bless- 
 ing life can give us, the perfect love and sympathy 
 of a nature that stimulates my own to healthful 
 activity. I feel too that all the terrible pain I 
 have gone through in past years, partly from the 
 defects of my own nature, partly from outward 
 things, has probably been a preparation for some 
 special work that I may do before I die. That 
 is a blessed hope, to be rejoiced in with trembling. 
 But even if that hope should be unfulfilled, I am 
 contented to have lived and suffered for the sake 
 of what has already been. You see your kind 
 letter has made me inclined to talk about myself, 
 but as we do not often have any communication 
 with each other, I know it will be a gratification 
 to your sympathetic nature to have a few direct 
 words from me that will assure you of my moral 
 wellbeing.
 
 1857.] " Janefs Repentance." 457 
 
 I hope your little ones are just like you — ^just 
 as fair and sweet-tempered. 
 
 I sent off the first part of " Janet's Eepentance," Journal, 
 
 - - . - June 1857. 
 
 but to my disappointment Blacjiwood did not lilie 
 it so well — seemed to misunderstand the char- 
 acters, and to he doubtful about the treatment 
 of clerical matters. I wrote at once to beg liim 
 to give up printing the story if he felt uncom- 
 fortable about it, and he immediately sent a very 
 anxious, cordial letter, saying the thought of 
 putting a stop to the series "gave him quite a 
 turn : " he " did not meet with George Eliots 
 every day" — and so on. 
 
 I am not much surprised and not at all hurt Letter to 
 
 .Jolin Black 
 
 by your letter received to-day with the proof. It wood, nti 
 is a great satisfaction — in fact, my only satis- 
 faction — that you should give me your judgment 
 with perfect frankness. I am able, I think, to 
 enter into an editor's doubts and difficulties, and to 
 see my stories in some degree from your point of 
 view as well as my own. My answer is written after 
 considering the question as far as possible on all 
 sides, and as I feel that I shall not be able to make 
 any other than superficial alterations in the proof, I 
 will, first of all, say what I can m explanation of 
 the spirit and future course of the present story. 
 
 June 1S57.
 
 June 1857. 
 
 458 " Janefs Repentance." [JERSEY, 
 
 Letter to The collisioii in the thaiiia is not at all between 
 
 Jolin Black- 
 wood, 11th " bigoted chnrchmanship " and evangelicalism, but 
 
 between w-religion and religion. Eeligion in this 
 case happens to Ije represented by evangelicalism ; 
 and the story, so far as regards the persecution, is a 
 real bit in the religious history of England, that 
 happened about eight-and-twenty years ago. I 
 thought I had made it apparent in my sketch of 
 Milby feelings, on the advent of ]\Ir Tryan, that 
 the contiict lay between immorality and morality — 
 irreligion and religion. ]\Ir Tryan will carry the 
 reader's sympathy. It is through him that Janet 
 is brought to repentance. Dempster's vices have 
 their natural evolution in deeper and deeper moral 
 deterioration (though not without softening 
 touches), and death from intemperance. Every- 
 thing is softened from the fact, so far as art is 
 permitted to soften and yet to remain essentially 
 true. 
 
 My sketches, l)oth of Churclimen and Dissenters, 
 with whom I am almost equally acquainted, are 
 drawn from close observation of them in real life, 
 and not at all from hearsay or from the descrip- 
 tions of novelists. If I were to undertake to alter 
 language or character, I should be attempting to 
 represent some vague conception of what may
 
 June 1857. 
 
 1857.] • " Janet's Repentance." 459 
 
 possibly exist in other people's minds, but has no Letter to 
 
 • , • a ^ p . -, -Jolin Black- 
 
 existence m my own. Snch of your marginal wood, ntn 
 objections as relate to a mere detail, I can meet 
 without difficulty by alteration ; l;)ut as an artist 
 I should be utterly powerless if I departed from 
 my own conceptions of life and character. There 
 is nothing to be done with the story, but either to 
 let Dempster and Janet and the rest be as I see 
 them, or to renounce it as too painful. I am 
 keenly alive, at once to the scruples and alarms 
 an editor may feel, and to my own utter inability 
 to write under cramping influence, and on this 
 double ground I should like you to consider whether 
 it will not be lietter to close the series for the 
 ' Magazine ' nmn. I daresay you will feel no diffi- 
 culty about publishing a volume containing the 
 story of "Janet's Eepentance," and I sliall accept 
 that plan with no other feeling than that you have 
 been to me the most liberal and agreeable of 
 editors, and are the man of all others I would 
 choose for a publisher. 
 
 My irony, so far as I understand myself, is not 
 directed against opinions — against any class of 
 religious views — but against the vices and weak- 
 nesses that belong to human nature in every sort 
 of clothing. But it is possible that I may not
 
 4 GO " Jancffi Bcpentance." • [jeesey, 
 
 Letter t(i aflect otlier minds as I intend and wish to affect 
 
 Jolin Black- 
 wood, 11th them, and yon are a better judge than I can be 
 
 June 1867. 
 
 of the degree in which I may occasionally be 
 offensive. I should like not to be offensive — I 
 should like to touch every heart among my readers 
 with nothing but loving humour, with tenderness, 
 with belief in goodness. But I may have failed 
 in this case of Janet, at least so far as to have 
 made you feel its publication in the ' Magazine ' 
 a disagreeable risk. If so, there will be no harm 
 done by closing the series with No. 2, as I have 
 suggested. If, however, I take your objections to 
 be deeper than they really are — if you prefer in- 
 serting the story in spite of your partial dissatis- 
 faction, I shall of course be happy to appear 
 under ' Maga's ' wing still. 
 
 Wlien I remember what have been the successes 
 in fiction, even as republications from ' Maga,' I can 
 hardly believe that the public will regard my pic- 
 tures as exceptionally coarse. But in any case 
 there are too many prolific writers who devote 
 themselves to the production of pleasing pictures, 
 to the exclusion of all disagreeable truths, for me 
 to desire to add to their number. In this respect, 
 at least, I may have some resemblance to Thack- 
 eray, though I am not conscious of being in any
 
 June 1857. 
 
 1857.] No Bepcntimj of the Past. 461 
 
 way a disciple of his, unless it constitute disciple- 
 ship to think him, as I suppose the majority of 
 people with any intellect do, on the whole the 
 most ]Dowerful of living novelists. 
 
 I feel every day a greater disinclination for Letter to 
 theories and arguments about the origin of things neiineii, sth 
 in the presence of all this mystery and Ijcauty and 
 pain and ugliness that floods one with conflicting 
 emotions. 
 
 We are reading ' Aurora Leigh ' for the third 
 time with more enjoyment than ever. I know 
 no book that gives me a deeper sense of com- 
 munion with a large as well as beautiful mind. 
 It is in process of appearing in a third edition, 
 and no wonder. 
 
 If I live five years longer, the positive result of 
 my existence on the side of truth and goodness 
 will outweigh the small negative good that would 
 have consisted in my not doing anything to shock 
 others, and I can conceive no consequences that 
 will make me repent the past. Do not misunder- 
 stand me, and suppose that I think myself heroic 
 or great in any way. Far enough from that ! 
 Faulty, miserably faulty I am — but least of all 
 faulty when others most blame. 
 
 On the 24th July the pleasant sojourn at
 
 462 Mr Trt/an. [RICHMOND, 
 
 Jersey came to an end. The travellers re- 
 turned to 8 Park Shot, Eichmond, where 
 Miss Sara Hennell paid them a visit at the 
 end of the month, and Dr and Mrs Bodichon 
 (nde Miss Barbara L. Smith) came on the 4th 
 of August. On the 12th August there is an 
 entry in the Journal, " Finished the ' Electra ' 
 of Sophocles, and began -^schylus's ' Agamem- 
 non,' " and then come the following letters : — 
 Letter to Lcwcs has just givcu me your letter of the 15th 
 
 Jolm Black- 
 wood, Tues- with the accompanying one from the Eev. W. P. 
 
 day, 17th 
 
 Aug. 1857. Jones. 
 
 Mr Tryaii is not a portrait of any clergyman, 
 living or dead. He is an ideal character, but I 
 hope probable enough to resemble more than one 
 evangelical clergyman of his day. 
 
 If Mr Jones's deceased brother was like Mr 
 Tryan, so much the l)etter, for in that case he was 
 made of human nature's finer clay. I think you 
 will agree with me that there are few clergymen 
 who would be depreciated by an identification 
 with Mr Tryan. But I should rather suppose 
 that the old gentleman, misled by some similarity 
 in outward circumstances, is blind to the discrep- 
 ancies which must exist where no portrait was 
 intended. As to the rest of my story, so far as
 
 1857.] '• Janet's Bc][)e7itanc6" 463 
 
 its elements were suggested by real persons, those LLtterto 
 
 John Black- 
 persons have been, to use good Mr Jones's phrase, wood, Tues- 
 day, 17th 
 " long m eternity." Aug. isst. 
 
 I tliink I told you that a persecution of the kind 
 I have described did actually take place, and be- 
 longs as much to the common store of our religious 
 history as the Gorham Controversy, or as Bishop 
 Blomfield's decision about wax candles. But I only 
 know the outline of the real persecution. The 
 details have been filled in from my imagination. 
 I should consider it a fault which would cause 
 me lasting regret if I had used reality in any 
 other than the legitimate way common to all 
 artists, who draw their materials from their ob- 
 servation and experience. It would be a melan- 
 choly result of my fictions, if I gave just cause of 
 annoyance to any good and sensible person. But 
 I suppose there is no perfect safeguard against 
 erroneous impressions or a mistaken susceptibility. 
 We are all apt to forget how little there is about 
 us that is unique, and how very strongly we re- 
 semble many other insignificant people who have 
 lived before us. I shouldn't wonder if several 
 nieces of pedantic maiden ladies saw a portrait 
 of their aunt in Miss Pratt, Ijut I hope they will 
 not think it necessary, on tliat ground, to increase
 
 464 Bosa Bonlimr. [kighmond, 
 
 the already troulilesome number of your corre- 
 spondents. 
 Letter to We Went to see Eosa Bonlieur's picture the 
 
 Miss Sara 
 
 Henncii, other dav. Wliat power ! That is the way 
 
 19th Aug. "^ ^ '' 
 
 1857. women should assert their rights. Writing is 
 
 part of my religion, and I can write no word 
 that is not prompted from within. At the same 
 time I believe that almost all the best books in 
 the world have been written with the hope of 
 getting money for them. 
 
 Letter to Uuless there he any strong reason to the con- 
 
 Johii Black- 
 wood, 1st trary, I should like to close the series with this 
 
 Sept. 1857. 
 
 story. According to my calculation, which, how- 
 ever, may be an erroneous one, the three stories 
 will make two good volumes — i.e., good as to bulk. 
 
 I have a subject in my mind which will not 
 come under the limitations of the title ' Clerical 
 Life,' and I am inclined to take a large canvas 
 for it and write a novel. 
 
 In case of my writing fiction for ' Maga ' again, 
 I should like to be considerably beforehand with 
 my work, so that you can read a thoroughly deci- 
 sive portion before beginning to print. 
 Letter to The days are very peaceful — peacefully busy. 
 
 Miss Sara 
 
 Henneii, Oiic always fccls a deeper calm as autumn comes on. 
 
 21st Sept. 
 
 1857. I should be satisfied to look forward to a heaven
 
 1857.] Tkoiujkt, not Action. 4G5 
 
 made up of long autumn afternoon walks, quite Letter to 
 
 TVTiss Suvn 
 
 delivered from any necessity of giving a judgment Henneii, 
 on the woman question, or of reading newspapers 1857. 
 about Indian mutinies. I am so glad there are 
 thousands of good people in the world wlio have 
 very decided opinions, and are fond of working hard 
 to enforce them. I like to feel and think every- 
 thing and do nothing, a pool of the " deep con- 
 templative " kind. 
 
 Some people do prosper — that is a comfort. The 
 rest of us must fall back on the beatitudes — 
 " Blessed are the poor " — that is Luke's version, you 
 know, and it is really, on the whole, more comfort- 
 ing than Matthew's. I'm afraid tliere are few of 
 us who can appropriate the blessings of the " poor 
 in spirit." 
 
 We are reading one of the most wonderful books 
 in French or any other literature — Monteil's ' Ilis- 
 toire des rran9ais des divers Etats ' — a history 
 written on an original plan. If you see any account 
 of it, read that account. 
 
 I am very much gratified that my Janet has won Letter to 
 
 . . . John Black- 
 
 your heart and kept up your interest in her to wood, satur- 
 the end. oct. issv. 
 
 My new story haunts me a good deal, and I shall 
 set about it without delay. It will be a country 
 
 VOL. I. 2 G
 
 -1:66 Mcditatiwj New Story. [kichmond, 
 
 utUT lo story — full of the breath of cows aud the scent of 
 
 Jolin Black- 
 wood, Satur- hay. But I shall not ask you to look at it till I 
 
 day, 17th 
 
 Oct. 1857. have written a volume or more, and then you will 
 be able to judge whether you will prefer printing 
 it in the ' Magazine,' or publishing it as a separate 
 novel when it is completed. 
 
 By the way, the sheets of the ' Clerical Scenes ' 
 are not come, but I shall not want to make any 
 other than verbal and literal corrections, so that it 
 will hardly be necessary for me to go through the 
 sheets and the proofs, which I must, of course, 
 see. 
 
 I enclose a title-page with a motto. But if you 
 don't like the motto, I give it up. I've not set my 
 heart on it. 
 
 I leave the number of copies to be published, 
 and the style of getting up, entirely to your dis- 
 cretion. As to the terms, I wish to retain the 
 copyright, according to the stipulation made for me 
 by Lewes when he sent "Amos Barton ;" and what- 
 ever you can afford to give me for the first edition, 
 I shall prefer having as a definite payment rather 
 than as half profits. 
 
 You stated, in a letter about "Amos Barton," your 
 willingness to accede to either plan, so T have no 
 hesitation in expressing my wishes.
 
 1857.] Mr and Mrs Call. 467 
 
 " Open to conviction," indeed ! I should think Letter tn 
 
 Miss Sara 
 
 SO. I am open to conviction on all points except Henueii, 
 
 20th Oct. 
 
 dinner and debts. I hold that the one must he 1857. 
 eaten and the other paid. These are my only 
 prejudices. 
 
 I was pleased with Mr Call.^ He is a man one 
 really cares to talk to — has thoughts, says what 
 he means, and listens to what others say. We 
 should quite like to see him often. And I cannot 
 tell you how much I have felt Mrs Call's graceful 
 as well as kind Ijohaviour to me. Some months 
 ago, before the new edition of the ' Biographical 
 History of Philosophy ' came out, Mr Lewes had a 
 letter from a working-man at Leicester, I think, 
 who said that he and some fellow students met 
 together, on a Sunday, to read the Ijook aloud and 
 discuss it. He had marked some errors of the 
 press, and sent them to Mr Lewes for his new 
 edition. Wasn't that pretty ? 
 
 " Conscience goes to the hammering in of nails " Li^ttert.itiie 
 
 Brays, SOtli 
 
 is my gospel. There can be no harm in preaching oct. issr. 
 
 1 Mr W. M. W. Call, author of ' Reverberations and other Poems,' 
 who mamed Mr Cliarles Hennell's widow — formerly Miss Brabant. 
 As will be seen from the subsequent correspondence, Mr and Mrs 
 Call remained amongst the Leweses' warm friends to the end, and 
 Mr Call is the author of an interesting paper on George Eliot in the 
 'Westminster Review' of July 1881.
 
 468 The " Woman Question." [Richmond, 
 
 Letter to the that to womeii at any rate. But I should be sorry 
 
 Brays, 30tli 
 
 Oct. 1S57. to undertake any more specific enunciation of doc- 
 trine on a question so entangled as the " woman 
 question." The part of the Epicurean gods is always 
 an easy one ; but because I prefer it so strongly 
 myself, I the more highly venerate those who are 
 struggling in the tliick of the contest. " La carri- 
 ere ouverte aux talens," whether the talents be 
 feminine or masculine, I am quite confident is a 
 right maxim. Wliether " La carriere ouverte a la 
 sottise " be equally just when made equally uni- 
 versal, it would be too much like " taking sides " 
 for me to say. 
 
 There are only tliree entries in the journal 
 for October. 
 Oct. 9. — Finished " Janet's Eepentance." I had 
 meant to carry on the series, and especially I longed 
 to tell the story of the " Clerical Tutor," but my 
 annoyance at Blackwood's want of sympathy in 
 the first part (although he came round to admir- 
 ation at the third part) determined me to close the 
 series and republish them in two volumes. 
 Oct. 22. — Began my new novel 'Adam Bede.' 
 Oct. 29. — Eeceived a letter from Blackwood 
 offering me £120 for the first edition of ' Scenes 
 of Clerical Life'
 
 1857.] Unhelicf in Others' Love. 469 
 
 I am quite contented with the sum (£120) you Letter to 
 
 T • 1 • 1 Joliu Black- 
 
 offer me for the edition, being thoroughly confident wood, sotii 
 
 or your disposition to do tlie best you can for me. 
 
 I perceive your hope of success for the ' Scenes ' 
 
 is not strong, and you certainly have excellent 
 
 means of knowing the probabilities in such a case. 
 
 I am not aware that the motto has been used 
 before, but if you suspect it, we had better leave it 
 out altogether. A stale motto would hardly be an 
 ornament to the title-page. 
 
 How I wish I could get to you by some magic, Letter to 
 and have one walk over the hill with you again. ls^No\^^' 
 Letters are poor things compared with five minutes 
 of looking and speaking, and one kiss. Neverthe- 
 less, I do like to have a little letter now and then, 
 though I don't for a moment ask it if you have no 
 spontaneous impulse to give it. I can't help losing 
 belief that people love me — the unbelief is in my 
 nature, and no sort of fork will drive it finally out. 
 I can't help wondering that you can think of me in 
 the past with much pleasure. It all seems so pain- 
 ful to me— made up of blunders and selfishness — 
 and it only comes back upon me as a thing to be 
 forgiven. That is honest painful truth, and not 
 sentimentality. But I am thankful if others found 
 more good than I am able to remember.
 
 470 Progress of Neiv Story. [Richmond, 
 
 Letter to It is pleasaiit to have the first sheet of one's proof 
 
 John Black- i i i c ^ • ^ 
 
 wood, 7th — to see one s paragraphs released ironi the tight- 
 lacmg of double columns, and expandmg themselves 
 at their ease. 
 
 I perceive clearly the desirableness of the short 
 number — for my observation of literary affairs has 
 crone far enoufih to convince me that neither critical 
 judgment, nor practical experience, can guarantee 
 any opinion as to rapidity of sale, in the case of an 
 unknown author ; and I shudder at the prospect of 
 encumbering my publishers' bookshelves. 
 
 My new story is in progress — slow progress at 
 present. A little sunshine of success would stimu- 
 late its growth, I daresay. Unhappily, I am as 
 impressionable as I am obstinate, and as much in 
 need of sympathy from my readers as I am incap- 
 able of bending myself to their tastes. But if I can 
 only find a public as cordial and agreeable in its 
 treatment of me as my editor, I shall have nothing 
 to wish. Even my thin skin will be comfortable 
 then. Tlie page is not a shabby one, after all ; but 
 I fear the fact of two volumes instead of three is a 
 fatal feature in my style in the eyes of librarians. 
 Letter to One is glad to have one's book (apro2)os of review 
 
 Henneii, fith of Lcwcs's ' History of Philosopliy ') spoken well of 
 
 Nov. 1S57. , P 1 • 1 . , 
 
 by papers oi good circulation, because it is possible.
 
 1857.] Tolerating the Intolerant. 471 
 
 though not certain, that such praise may help the Letter to 
 
 Miss Sara 
 
 sale ; but otherwise it is hardly worth while to iienneii, oth 
 
 Nov. 1S5T. 
 
 trouble one s self about newspaper reviews, unless 
 they point out some error, or present that very rare 
 phenomenon, a true appreciation, which is the most 
 delicious form in which sympathy can reach one. 
 So much sectarian feeling usually arises in discus- 
 sions on the subject of phrenology, that I confess 
 the associations of the word are not agreeable to 
 me. Tlie last refuge of intolerance is in not toler- 
 ating the intolerant ; and I am often in danger of 
 secreting that sort of venom. 
 
 It is pleasant to have a kind word now and then, Letter to 
 
 Charles 
 
 when one is not near enough to have a kind glance Bray, isth 
 
 Nov. 1857. 
 
 or a hearty shake by the hand. It is an old weak- 
 ness of mine to have no faith in aftection that does 
 not express itself ; and when friends take no notice 
 of me for a long while, I generally settle down into 
 the belief that they have become indifferent or have 
 bemm to dislike me. That is not the best mental 
 constitution ; but it might be worse — for I don't feel 
 obliged to dislike them in consequence. I, for one, 
 ought not to complain if people think worse of me 
 than I deserve, for I have very often reason to be 
 ashamed of my thoughts about others. They almost 
 always turn out to be better than I expected — fuller
 
 472 The Philosophy of Necessity. [Richmond, 
 
 Letter to of kiiidiiess towaids me at least. In the funcla- 
 Bray, 15th mental doctrine of your book (' The Philosophy of 
 Necessity') — that mind presents itself under the 
 same conditions of invariableness of antecedent and 
 consequent as all other phenomena (the only differ- 
 ence being that the true antecedent and consequent 
 are proportionately difticult to discover as the phen- 
 omena are more complex) — I think you know that 
 I agree. And every one who knows what science 
 means, must also agree with you that there can be 
 no social science without the admission of that doc- 
 trine. I dislike extremely a passage in which you 
 appear to consider the disregard of individuals as a 
 lofty condition of mind. My own experience and 
 development deepen every day my conviction that 
 our moral progress may be measured by the degree 
 in which we sympathise with individual suffering 
 and individual joy. The fact that in the scheme of 
 things we see a constant and tremendous sacrifice of 
 individuals, is, it seems to me, only one of the many 
 proofs that urge upon us our total inability to find 
 in our own natures a key to the Divine mystery. I 
 could more readily turn Christian, and worship Jesus 
 again, than embrace a Theism which professes to 
 explain the proceedings of God. But I don't feel 
 at all wise in these matters. I have a few strong
 
 1857.] The Position of Phrenology. 473 
 
 impressions which serve me for my own support Letter to 
 
 Charles 
 
 and guidance, but do not in the least qualify me to Bray, isth 
 
 Nov. 1857. 
 
 speak as a theorist. 
 
 Mr Lewes sends you his kind remembrances, and 
 will not like you any the worse for cutting him up. 
 He has had to perform that office for his own friends 
 sometimes. I suppose phrenology is an open ques- 
 tion, on which everybody has a right to speak his 
 mind. Mr Lewes, feeling the importance of the 
 subject, desired to give it its due place in his ' His- 
 tory of Philosophy,' and doing so, he must, of course, 
 say what he beheves to be the truth, not what other 
 people believe to be the truth. If you will show 
 where he is mistaken, you will be domg him a ser- 
 vice as well as phrenology. His arguments may be 
 bad ; but I will answer for him that he has not been 
 guilty of any intentional unfairness. "With regard 
 to their system, phrenologists seem to me to be ani- 
 mated by the same sort of spirit as that of religious 
 dogmatists, and especially in this — that in propor- 
 tion as a man approximates to their opinions with- 
 out identifying himself with them, they think him 
 offensive and contemptible. It is amusing to read 
 from the opposite side complamts against Mr Lewes 
 for gi^"ing too high a position to phrenology, and a 
 confident opinion that "phrenologists, by their ridic-
 
 474 Buclxlen' History of Civilisation' [Richmond, 
 
 Letter to 
 Charles 
 Bray, 15th 
 Nov. 1857. 
 
 Letter to 
 Miss Sara 
 Heniicll, 
 24th Nov. 
 1857. 
 
 Journal, 
 
 1857. 
 
 ulous pretensions, merit all the contempt that has 
 been thrown on them." Thus doctors differ ! But I 
 am much less interested in crusades for or against 
 phrenology than in your happiness at Ivy Cottage.^ 
 Happiness means all sorts of love and good feeling ; 
 and that is the best result that can ever come out of 
 science. Do you know Buckle's 'History of Civilisa- 
 tion ' ? I think you would find it a suggestive book. 
 
 Anniversaries are sad things — to one who has 
 lived long and done little. Herbert Spencer dined 
 with us the other day — looks well, and is 'brimful 
 of clever talk as usual. His volume of ' Essays ' is 
 to come out soon. He is just now on a crusade 
 against the notion of " species." We are reading 
 Harriet Martineau's history with edification, and 
 otherwise feeding our souls, which flourish very 
 well, notwithstanding November weather. 
 
 Nov. 28. — A glorious day, still autumnal and not 
 wintry. We have had a delicious walk in the 
 Park, and I think the colouring of the scenery 
 is more beautiful than ever. Many of the oaks are 
 still thickly covered with leaves of a rich yellow- 
 brown ; the elms, golden sometimes, still with ling- 
 ering patches of green. On our way to the Park 
 the view from PJchmond Hill had a delicate blue 
 
 1 The Brays' new lionse at Coventry.
 
 185V.] Sunset Effects. 475 
 
 mist over it, that seemed to hang like a veil before Journal, 
 
 1857. 
 
 the sober browuish-yellow of the distant elms. As 
 we came home, the sun was setting on a fog-bank, 
 and we saw him sink into that purple ocean — the 
 orange and gold passing into green above the fog- 
 bank, the gold and orange reflected in the river in 
 more sombre tints. The other day, as we were com- 
 ing home through the Park, after having walked 
 under a sombre, heavily-clouded sky, the western 
 sun shone out from under the curtain, and lit up 
 the trees and grass, thrown into relief on a back- 
 ground of dark-purple cloud. Then as we advanced 
 towards the Richmond end of the Park, the level 
 reddening rays shone on the dry fern and the distant 
 oaks, and threw a crimson light on them. I have 
 especially enjoyed this autumn, the delicious green- 
 ness of the turf, in contrast with the red and yellow 
 of the dying leaves. 
 
 Dec. 6 {Sunday). — Finished the ' Agamemnon ' 
 to-day. In the evenings of late we have been 
 reading Harriet IMartineau's ' Sketch of the British 
 Empire in India,' and are now following it' up with 
 Macaulav's articles on Clive and Hastinos. We 
 have lately read Harriet IMartineau's Introduction 
 to the ' History of the Peace.' 
 
 Dec. 8. — I am reading 'Die Familie,' by Eiehl,
 
 476 
 
 Increase of ' Clerical Scenes.' [Richmond, 
 
 Journal, 
 1857. 
 
 Letter to 
 Jolin Black- 
 wood, lltli 
 Den. 1857. 
 
 forming the third volume of the series, the two first 
 of which, ' Land nnd Volk,' and ' Die Biirgeiiiche 
 Gesellschaft,' I reviewed for the ' Westminster.' 
 
 A letter from Blackwood to-day tells us that 
 Major Blackwood, during his brother's absence in 
 England, having some reasons, not specified, for being 
 more hopeful about the ' Clerical Scenes,' resolved 
 to publish 1000 instead of 750 ; and in consequence 
 of this, Blackwood promises to pay me an addi- 
 tional £60 when 750 shall have been sold off. He 
 reports that an elderly clergyman has written to 
 him to say that "Janet's Eepentance" is exquisite 
 — another vote to register along with that of Mrs 
 Nutt's rector, who " cried over the story like a child." 
 
 Dec. 10. — Major Blackwood called — an unaffected, 
 agreeable man. It was evident to us, when he had 
 only been in the room a few minutes, that he 
 knew I was George Eliot. 
 
 Lewes has read to me your last kind letter, and 
 I am not insensible to the "practical cheerer" it 
 contains. But I rejoice with trembling at the addi- 
 tional 250, lest you should have to repent of them. 
 
 I have certainly had a good deal of encourage- 
 ment to believe that there are many minds, both of 
 the more cultured sort and of the common novel- 
 reading class, likely to be touched by my stories ; but
 
 1857.] Carbjles 'Frederic' ill 
 
 the word " many " is very elastic, and often shrinks Letter to 
 
 John Black- 
 frightfully when measured by a financial standard, wood, nth 
 
 Dec. 1857. 
 
 Wlien one remembers how long it was before 
 Charles Lamb's Essays were known familiarly to 
 any luit the elect few% the very strongest assurance 
 of merit or originality — supposing one so happy as 
 to have that assurance — could liardly do more than 
 give the hope of ultimate recognition. 
 
 Our affairs are very prosperous just now, making Letter to 
 
 IMiss Sara 
 
 sunshine in a shady or rather a foggy place. It iienneii, 
 
 13th Dec. 
 
 is a great happiness to me that ]\Ir Lewes gets more is57. 
 and more of the recognition he deserves ; pleasant ' 
 letters and speeches have been very numerous 
 lately, especially about his ' Sea-side Studies ' which 
 have appeared in ' Blackwood,' and are soon to 
 appear — very much improved and enlarged — in 
 a separate volume. Dear Carlyle writes, wprcypos 
 of his 'Prederic' — "I have had such a fourteen 
 months as was never appointed me before in this 
 world — sorrow, darkness, and disgust my daily com- 
 panions; and no outlook visible, except gettmg a 
 detestable business turned off, or else being driven 
 mad by it." That is his exaggerated way of speak- 
 ing ; and writing is always painful to him. Do you 
 know he is sixty-two ! I fear this will be his 
 last book. Tell Mr Bray I am reading a book of
 
 478 
 
 Ridd's 'Die Familic' [RICHMOND, 
 
 Letter to 
 Miss Sara 
 Hennell, 
 13tli Dec. 
 1807. 
 
 Letter to 
 John Black- 
 wootf lOtli 
 Dec. 1857. 
 
 Joiinuil, 
 1857. 
 
 Eielil's, 'The Family,' forming the sequel to his 
 other volumes. He will be pleased to hear that so 
 good a writer agrees with him on several points 
 about the occupations of women. The book is a 
 good one; and if I were in the way of writing 
 articles, I should write one on it. There is so much 
 to read, and the days are so short! I get more 
 hungry for knowledge every day, and less able to 
 satisfy my hunger. Time is like the Sibylline 
 leaves, getting more precious the less there remains 
 of it. That, I believe, is the correct allusion for a 
 fine writer to make on the occasion. 
 
 I give up the motto, because it struck you as 
 having been used before; and though I copied it 
 into my note-l)ook when I was re-reading ' Amelia ' 
 a few months ago, it is one of those obvious quota- 
 tions which never cvpiKar fresh, though they may 
 actually be made for the first time. 
 
 I shall be curious to know the result of the sub- 
 scription. 
 
 There are a few persons to whom I should like a 
 copy of tlie volume to be sent, and I enclose a list 
 of them. 
 
 Dec. 17. — Eead my new story to G. this 
 evening as far as the end of the third chapter. He 
 praised it liighly. I have finished ' Die Familie,'
 
 1857.] The Years Work. 479 
 
 by Eielil — a delightful book, I am in the ' Choe- Jomn.ii, 
 phoKe now. In the evenings we are reading 
 ' History of the Thirty Years' Peace ' and Beranger. 
 Thoroughly disappointed in Beranger. 
 
 Dec. 19 (Saturday). — Alone this evening with 
 very thankful, solenni thoughts — feeling the 
 great and unhoped-for blessings that have been 
 given me in life. This last year, especially, has 
 been marked by inward progress and outward 
 advantages. In the spring George's ' History of 
 Philosophy ' appeared in the new edition ; liis ' Sea- 
 side Studies ' have been written with much enjoy- 
 ment, and met with much admiration, and now 
 they are on the verge of being puljlished with 
 bright prospects. Blackwood has also accepted his 
 ' Physiology of Connuon Life ; ' the ' Goethe ' has 
 passed into its third German edition ; and best 
 of all, G.'s head is well. I have written the 
 ' Scenes of Clerical Life ' — my first book ; and 
 though we are uncertain still whether it will 
 be a success as a separate publication, I have 
 had much sympathy from my readers in ' Black- 
 wood,' and feel a deep satisfaction in having done 
 a l)it of faithful work that will perhaps remani 
 like a primrose root in the hedgerow, and gladden 
 and chasten human hearts in vears to come.
 
 480 B'mhU's History. [Richmond, 
 
 Letter to the Buckle's IS a book fuU of suggestive material, 
 
 Brays, 23d 
 
 Dec. 1S57. though theiB are some strangely unphilosophic 
 opinions mixed with its hardy philosophy. For 
 example, he holds that there is no such thing as 
 race or hereditary transmission of qualities ! (I 
 should tell you, at the same time, that he is a 
 necessitarian and a physiological-psychologist.) It 
 is only by such negations as these that he can find 
 his way to the position which he maintains at great 
 length — that tlie progress of mankind is dependent 
 entirely on the progress of knowledge, and tliat 
 there has been no intrinsically moral advance. 
 However, he presents that side of the subject which 
 has perhaps been least adequately dwelt on. 
 
 Journal, J)qq^ 25 {Christmas - Day). — George and I 
 
 spent this lovely day together — lovely as a clear 
 spring day. We could see Hampstead from the 
 Park so distinctly, that it seemed to have suddenly 
 come nearer to us. We ate our turkey together in 
 a happy solitude a deux. 
 
 Dec. 31 {the last night of 1857). — The dear 
 old year is gone, witli all its Wehcn and Strehen. 
 Yet not Efone eitlier : for what I have suffered and 
 enjoyed in it remains to me an everlasting posses- 
 sion while my soul's life remains. This time last 
 year I was alone, as I am now, and dear George was 
 
 1S57,
 
 1857.] Review of Year 1857. 481 
 
 at Vernon Hill. I was writing the introduction to journal, 
 
 1857. 
 
 " Mr Gilfil's Love-Story." Wliat a world of thoughts 
 and feelings since then ! My life has deepened un- 
 speakably during the last year : I feel a greater 
 capacity for moral and intellectual enjoyment; a 
 more acute sense of my deficiencies in the past; 
 a more solemn desire to be faithful to coming 
 duties than I remember at any former period of my 
 life. And my happiness has deepened too : the 
 blessedness of a perfect love and union grows daily. 
 I have had some severe suffering this year from 
 anxiety about my sister, and what will probably be 
 a final separation from her — there has been no 
 other real trouble. Few women, I fear, have had 
 such reason as I have to think the long sad years 
 of youth were worth li^dng for the sake of middle 
 age. Our prospects are very bright too. I am 
 writing my new novel. G. is full of his 'Phy- 
 siology of Common Life.' He has just finished 
 editing Johnston, for which he is to have 100 
 guineas, and we have both encouragement to think 
 that our books just coming out, ' Sea-side Studies ' 
 and ' Scenes of Clerical Life,' will be well received. 
 So good-bye, dear 1857 ! May I be able to look back 
 on 1858 with an equal consciousness of advance- 
 ment in work and in heart. 
 
 VOL. I. 2 H
 
 482 Summary of Chapter VII. [1855- 
 
 SUMMARY. 
 
 MARCH 1855 TO DECEMBER 1857. 
 
 Return to England — Dover — Bayswater — East Sheen — 
 Books read — Articles written — Letters to Miss Hennell — 
 ' Life of Goethe ' — Fronde's article on Spinoza — Article 
 writing — " Gumming" — 8 Park Shot, Richmond — Letter to 
 Gliarles Bray — Effect of article on Gumming — Letter to Miss 
 Hennell — Reading on Physiology — Article on Heine — Re- 
 view for ' Leader,' &c. — Books read — Visit to Mrs Glarke at 
 Attleboro — Sale of 'Life of Goethe' — 'Shaving of Shagpat' 
 — Spinoza's ' Ethics,' translation finished — The ' Saturday 
 Review ' — Ruskin — Alison — Harriet Martineau — Women's 
 earnings— Articles and reviews — Wishes not to be known 
 as translator of the ' Ethics ' — Article on Young begun — 
 Visit to Ilfracombe — Description — Zoophyte hunting — 
 Finished articles on Young and Riehl — Naturalistic ex- 
 perience— Delightful walks — Rev. Mr Tugwell — Devonshire 
 lanes and springs — Tendency to scientific accuracy — Sunsets 
 — Gockle women at Swansea — Letters to Miss Hennell and 
 Mrs Peter Taylor — Tenby — Zoology — Thoreau's ' Walden ' — 
 Feeling strong in mind and body — Barbara Leigh Smith 
 comes to Tenby — George Eliot anxious to begin her fiction 
 writing — Mr E. F. S. Pigott — Return to Richmond — Mr 
 Lewes takes his boys to Hofwyl— George Eliot writes article 
 on " Silly Novels by Lady Novelists " — " How I came to 
 write Fiction " — Gorrespondence between Mr Lewes and Mr 
 John Blackwood about MS. of " Amos Barton "— " Mr Gilfil's 
 Love-Story " begun — Books read— Letter from John Black-
 
 1857.] Summary of (Jliapter VII. 483 
 
 wood to the autlior of " Amos Barton," sending copy of the 
 January 1857 number of the Magazine and fifty guineas — 
 Reply — Blackwood's admiration — Albert Smith's apprecia- 
 tion — Letters to Blackwood — Name of George Eliot assumed 
 — Dutch school in art — Artistic bent — Letter to Miss Hen- 
 nell — Intolerance — Letter to John Blackwood on ]\Ir Swayne 
 comparing writing to Goldsmith's — Letter to Miss Hennell 
 on essay, ' Christianity and Infidelity ' — Letter to Black- 
 wood — Caterina and the dagger scene — Trip to Penzance and 
 the Scilly Isles — Description of St Mary's — Mr Moyle, the 
 surgeon — Social Life — Letter to Mrs Bray — Anxiety about 
 sister — Letter to Miss Sara Hennell — ' Life of Charlotte 
 Bronte ' — Letter to Isaac P. Evans — Mrs Clarke's illness — 
 Letter to Blackwood — Conclusions of stories — Jersey — 
 Description of Gorey — Delightful walks — Reading Draper's 
 ' Physiology ' — Miss Catlow and Dr Thomson on wild flowers 
 — ' Life of George Stephenson ' — Letter to Miss Hennell — 
 Life in Jersey — Liggins appears on the scene — " Janet's Re- 
 pentance " — Series attributed to Bulwer — Thackeray thinks 
 highly of it — Letter from Herbert Spencer about ' Mr Gilfil ' 
 — Letter from Archer Gurney — Lord Stanley thinks highly of 
 the 'Scenes' — Letter to Blackwood, with first part of " Janet's 
 Repentance " — Letter to Mrs Bray — Richmond — Expression 
 of face — Letter to Mrs John Cash — Happiness in her life and 
 hope in her work — Chilled by Blackwood's want of enthusi- 
 asm about " Janet " — Letter to John Blackwood on " Janet " 
 — Letter to Miss Sara Hennell — ' Aurora Leigh ' — Return 
 to Richmond — Letter to John Blackwood on " Janet " — Let- 
 ters to Miss Hennell — Rosa Bonheur — Thought, not action 
 — Mr and Mrs Call — Letter to John Blackwood — Haunted 
 by new story — Letter to Charles Bray — The " Woman Ques- 
 tion " — Close of ' Clerical Scenes ' series — ' Adam Bede ' 
 begun — Receives £120 for first edition of ' Scenes of Clerical 
 Life ' — Letter to Mrs Bray — Unbelief in people's love —
 
 484 Summary of Cha2:)ter VII. [1855-57.] 
 
 Letter to John Blackwood — Sheets of ' Clerical Scenes ' — 
 Letter to Miss Hennell — Newspaper criticism — Letter to 
 Charles Bray—' The Philosophy of Necessity '■ — Sympathy 
 with individuals — Objection to Theism — Phrenology — Hap- 
 piness the best result that can ever come out of science — 
 Letters to Miss Hennell — Reading Riehl's ' The Family ' — 
 Hunger for knowledge — Buckle's ' History of Civilisation ' 
 — Autumn days at Richmond — Reading the ' Agamemnon ' 
 — Harriet Martineau's ' Sketch of the British Empire in 
 India' — Macaulay's essays on Clive and Hastings— Major 
 Blackwood calls, and suspects identity of George Eliot 
 — Reading the ' Choephora) ' — ' History of the Thirty Years' 
 Peace,' and Beranger — Thankfulness in reviewing experience 
 of 1857. 
 
 END OF VOL. I. 
 
 PRINTED BY WILLIAM BLACKWOOD AND SONS. 
 
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