The Greville Memoirs, Part 2 (of 3), Volume 2 (of 3): A Journal of the Reign of Queen Victoria from 1837 to 1852Greville, Charles
History
The Greville Memoirs, Part 2 (of 3), Volume 2 (of 3): A Journal of the Reign of Queen Victoria from 1837 to 1852
Greville, Charles
Great Britain -- History -- Victoria, 1837-1901
excellence or distinguished by their intellectual qualities and
attainments. The world at large will never know what virtues and
talents have been prematurely snatched away from it, for those only
who have seen Edward Villiers in the unrestraint and unreserve of
domestic familiarity can appreciate the charm of his disposition and
the vigour of his understanding. No stranger would have divined that
under that cold and grave exterior there lay concealed an exquisite
sensibility, the most ardent affections, and a mind fertile in every
good and noble quality. To the relations and friends, who were
devotedly attached to him, the loss is irreparable and will long
be deplored, and the only consolation which offers itself is to be
found in the circumstances of his end. He was surrounded by kind and
affectionate friends, and expired in the arms of a wife whose conduct
he himself described to have been that of a heroine as well as an
angel. He was in possession of all his faculties, and was free from
bodily pain. He died with the cheerfulness of a philosopher, and the
resignation of a Christian, happy, devout, and hopeful, and joyfully
contemplating death in an assured faith of a resurrection from the
dead.
_November 14th._--I broke off to go and attend my poor aunt's funeral,
who was buried in the most private way possible at Kensal Green. I
never saw the place before, and liked the appearance of it, for I
have never seen any reason why none but gloomy images and symbols
should be accumulated round the graves of our departed friends. I
am not surprised that people who go to visit this spot, and see the
cheerfulness and the beauty it exhibits, feel a longing to take their
last rest in it. Such was her case, poor soul. A more kind-hearted
being never lived, one more inoffensive, or who passed a more
uneventful and innocent life. She was one of the
Unlettered Christians who believe in gross,
Plod on to Heaven and ne'er are at a loss--
and so much the better for her. I suppose few people ever had fewer
sins to repent of, none probably, unless some infirmities of temper
amounted to such. For the last two years she was afflicted with a
cancer, and under the exhaustion produced by this disease she at last
sank. She died full of devout sentiments, and uttering that language,
at once self-accusing, humble, and grateful, which the orthodox forms
of religion indiscriminately prescribe. God only can judge how far
they are sincere.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
Reviews
Reviews
No reviews yet
Be the first to share your thoughts on this work.
Elsewhere in the archive
Join the Discussion
Join the discussion
Sign in to leave a comment or review.
Sign InorCreate an account