Life and Letters of Robert Browning [98]
of personal imagination,
and, as we shall see, of personal reminiscence, into their historical truth.
Before `The Ring and the Book' was actually begun,
`Dramatis Personae' and `In a Balcony' were to be completed.
Their production had been delayed during Mrs. Browning's lifetime,
and necessarily interrupted by her death; but we hear of the work
as progressing steadily during this summer of 1862.
A painful subject of correspondence had been also for some time
engaging Mr. Browning's thoughts and pen. A letter to Miss Blagden
written January 19, '63, is so expressive of his continued attitude
towards the questions involved that, in spite of its strong language,
his family advise its publication. The name of the person referred to
will alone be omitted.
==
`. . . Ever since I set foot in England I have been pestered
with applications for leave to write the Life of my wife -- I have refused --
and there an end. I have last week received two communications from friends,
enclosing the letters of a certain . . . of . . ., asking them
for details of life and letters, for a biography he is engaged in --
adding, that he "has secured the correspondence with her old friend . . ."
Think of this beast working away at this, not deeming my feelings
or those of her family worthy of notice -- and meaning to print letters
written years and years ago, on the most intimate and personal subjects
to an "old friend" -- which, at the poor . . . [friend's] death
fell into the hands of a complete stranger, who, at once wanted to print them,
but desisted through Ba's earnest expostulation enforced by my own threat
to take law proceedings -- as fortunately letters are copyright.
I find this woman died last year, and her son writes to me this morning
that . . . got them from him as autographs merely -- he will try
and get them back. . . ., evidently a blackguard, got my letter,
which gave him his deserts, on Saturday -- no answer yet, -- if none comes,
I shall be forced to advertise in the `Times', and obtain an injunction.
But what I suffer in feeling the hands of these blackguards (for I forgot
to say another man has been making similar applications to friends)
what I undergo with their paws in my very bowels, you can guess,
and God knows! No friend, of course, would ever give up the letters --
if anybody ever is forced to do that which SHE would have writhed under --
if it ever WERE necessary, why, _I_ should be forced to do it,
and, with any good to her memory and fame, my own pain in the attempt
would be turned into joy -- I should DO it at whatever cost:
but it is not only unnecessary but absurdly useless -- and, indeed,
it shall not be done if I can stop the scamp's knavery along with his breath.
`I am going to reprint the Greek Christian Poets and another essay --
nothing that ought to be published shall be kept back, -- and this
she certainly intended to correct, augment, and re-produce -- but _I_ open
the doubled-up paper! Warn anyone you may think needs the warning
of the utter distress in which I should be placed were this scoundrel,
or any other of the sort, to baffle me and bring out the letters --
I can't prevent fools from uttering their folly upon her life,
as they do on every other subject, but the law protects property, --
as these letters are. Only last week, or so, the Bishop of Exeter
stopped the publication of an announced "Life" -- containing extracts
from his correspondence -- and so I shall do. . . .'
==
Mr. Browning only resented the exactions of modern biography
in the same degree as most other right-minded persons; but there was,
to his thinking, something specially ungenerous in dragging to light
any immature or unconsidered utterance which the writer's later judgment
would have disclaimed. Early work was always for him
included in this category; and here it was possible to disagree with him;
since the promise of genius has a legitimate interest
from which no distance from its subsequent fulfilment can detract.
But there could be no disagreement
and, as we shall see, of personal reminiscence, into their historical truth.
Before `The Ring and the Book' was actually begun,
`Dramatis Personae' and `In a Balcony' were to be completed.
Their production had been delayed during Mrs. Browning's lifetime,
and necessarily interrupted by her death; but we hear of the work
as progressing steadily during this summer of 1862.
A painful subject of correspondence had been also for some time
engaging Mr. Browning's thoughts and pen. A letter to Miss Blagden
written January 19, '63, is so expressive of his continued attitude
towards the questions involved that, in spite of its strong language,
his family advise its publication. The name of the person referred to
will alone be omitted.
==
`. . . Ever since I set foot in England I have been pestered
with applications for leave to write the Life of my wife -- I have refused --
and there an end. I have last week received two communications from friends,
enclosing the letters of a certain . . . of . . ., asking them
for details of life and letters, for a biography he is engaged in --
adding, that he "has secured the correspondence with her old friend . . ."
Think of this beast working away at this, not deeming my feelings
or those of her family worthy of notice -- and meaning to print letters
written years and years ago, on the most intimate and personal subjects
to an "old friend" -- which, at the poor . . . [friend's] death
fell into the hands of a complete stranger, who, at once wanted to print them,
but desisted through Ba's earnest expostulation enforced by my own threat
to take law proceedings -- as fortunately letters are copyright.
I find this woman died last year, and her son writes to me this morning
that . . . got them from him as autographs merely -- he will try
and get them back. . . ., evidently a blackguard, got my letter,
which gave him his deserts, on Saturday -- no answer yet, -- if none comes,
I shall be forced to advertise in the `Times', and obtain an injunction.
But what I suffer in feeling the hands of these blackguards (for I forgot
to say another man has been making similar applications to friends)
what I undergo with their paws in my very bowels, you can guess,
and God knows! No friend, of course, would ever give up the letters --
if anybody ever is forced to do that which SHE would have writhed under --
if it ever WERE necessary, why, _I_ should be forced to do it,
and, with any good to her memory and fame, my own pain in the attempt
would be turned into joy -- I should DO it at whatever cost:
but it is not only unnecessary but absurdly useless -- and, indeed,
it shall not be done if I can stop the scamp's knavery along with his breath.
`I am going to reprint the Greek Christian Poets and another essay --
nothing that ought to be published shall be kept back, -- and this
she certainly intended to correct, augment, and re-produce -- but _I_ open
the doubled-up paper! Warn anyone you may think needs the warning
of the utter distress in which I should be placed were this scoundrel,
or any other of the sort, to baffle me and bring out the letters --
I can't prevent fools from uttering their folly upon her life,
as they do on every other subject, but the law protects property, --
as these letters are. Only last week, or so, the Bishop of Exeter
stopped the publication of an announced "Life" -- containing extracts
from his correspondence -- and so I shall do. . . .'
==
Mr. Browning only resented the exactions of modern biography
in the same degree as most other right-minded persons; but there was,
to his thinking, something specially ungenerous in dragging to light
any immature or unconsidered utterance which the writer's later judgment
would have disclaimed. Early work was always for him
included in this category; and here it was possible to disagree with him;
since the promise of genius has a legitimate interest
from which no distance from its subsequent fulfilment can detract.
But there could be no disagreement