Letters of Edward FitzGerald, in Two Volumes. Vol. 2FitzGerald, Edward
General
Letters of Edward FitzGerald, in Two Volumes. Vol. 2
FitzGerald, Edward
Authors, English -- 19th century -- Correspondence; FitzGerald, Edward, 1809-1883 -- Correspondence
Then I have bought 3 vols of the '_Ladies Magazine_' for 1750-3 by
'Jasper Goodwill' who died at Vol. iv. It contains the Trials and
Executions (16 men at a time) of the time; _Miss Blandy_ above all; and
such delightful Essays, Poems, and Enigmas, for _Ladies_! The Allegories
are in the Rasselas style, all Oriental. The Essays 'of all the Virtues
which adorn, etc.' Then Anecdotes of the Day: as of a Country woman in
St. James' Park taking on because she cannot go home till she has kissed
the King's hand: one of the Park keepers tells one of the Pages, who
tells the King, who has the Woman in to kiss his hand, and take some
money beside. One wonders there weren't heaps of such loyal Subjects.
Mowbray Donne wrote me that he sent you the Fragments I had saved and
transcribed of Morton's Letters; the best part having been lost by
Blackwood's People thirty years ago, as I believe I told you. But don't
you think what remains capital? I wish you would get them put into some
Magazine, just for the sake of some of our Day getting them in Print. You
might just put a word of Preface as to the Author: an Irish Gentleman, of
Estate and Fortune (which of course went the Irish way), who was Scholar,
Artist, Newspaper Correspondent, etc. A dozen lines would tell all that
is wanted, naming no names. It might be called 'Fragments of Letters by
an "Ill-starred" or "Unlucky" Man of Genius,' etc. as S. M. was:
'Unlucky' being still used in Suffolk, with something of Ancient Greek
meaning. See if you cannot get this done, will you? For I think many of
S. M.'s friends would be glad of it: and the general Public assuredly not
the worse. Some of the names would need some correction, I think: and
the Letters to be put in order of Time. {141a} 'Do it!' as Julia in the
Hunchback says.
[1872.]
MY DEAR POLLOCK,
I went to London at the end of last week, on my way to Sydenham, where my
second Brother is staying, whom I had not seen these six years, nor his
Wife. . . . On Saturday I went to the Academy, for little else but to
see Millais, and to disagree with you about him! I thought his three
Women and his Highlanders brave pictures, which you think also; but
braver than you think them. The Women looked alive: the right Eye so
much smaller than the left in the Figure looking at you that I suppose it
was so in the original, so that I should have chosen one of the other
Sisters for the position. I could not see any analogy between the
Picture and Sir Joshua's Graces, except that there were Three. Nor could
I think the Highlanders in the Landscape vulgar; they seemed to me in
character with the Landscape. Both Pictures want tone, which may mean
Glazing: wanting which they may last the longer, and sober down of
themselves without the danger of cracking by any transparent Colour laid
over them.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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