The Letters of William James, Vol. 1James, William
General
The Letters of William James, Vol. 1
James, William
Intellectuals -- United States; James, William, 1842-1910; Philosophers -- United States; Psychologists -- United States
BELOVED BEAUTLINGTON,--I cannot retire to rest on this eve of a
well-filled day without imparting to thy noble nature a tithe of the
enjoyment and happiness with which I am filled, and wishing you was here
to take your share in it.... The barbarian mind stretches little by
little to take in Rome, but I doubt if I shall ever call it the "city of
my soul," or "my country." Strange to say, my very enjoyment of what
here belongs to hoary eld has done more to reconcile me to what belongs
to the present hour, business, factories, etc., etc., than anything I
ever experienced. Every day I sally out into the sunshine and plod my
way o'er steps of broken thrones and temples until one o'clock, when I
repair to a certain café in the Corso, begin to eat and read "Galignani"
and the "Débats," until Harry comes in with the flush of successful
literary effort fading off his cheek. (It may interest the sympathetic
soul of Mother to know that my diet until that hour consists of a roll,
which a waiter in wedding costume brings up to my room when I rise, and
three sous' worth of big roasted chestnuts, which I buy, on going out,
from an old crone a few doors from the hotel. In this respect I am
economical. Likewise in my total abstinence from spirituous liquors, to
which Harry, I regret to say, has become an utter slave, spending a
large part of his earnings in Bass's Ale and wine, and trembling with
anger if there is any delay in their being brought to him.) After
feeding, the Angel in his old and rather shabby striped overcoat, and I
in my usual neat attire, proceed to walk together either to the big
Pincian terrace which overhangs the city, and where on certain days
everyone resorts, or to different churches and spots of note. I always
dine at the table-d'hôte here; Harry sometimes, his indisposition lately
(better the past two days) having made him prefer a solitary gorge at
the restaurant.
The people in the house are hardly instructive or exciting, but at
dinner and for an hour after in the dining-room they very pleasantly
kill time. I am become so far Anglicized that I find myself quite
fearful of speaking too much to a family of three "cads" who sit
opposite me at the table-d'hôte, and of whom the young lady (though
rather greasy about the face) is very handsome and intelligent. In the
evening I usually light my fire and read some local book....
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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