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Albaro—30 June. 1823.
Dearest Bebs,
I should have written to you on Saturday, but was interrupted by a Greek gentleman, a cousin of Mavrocordato's, whom I had to introduce to Lord. B. [Byron] So I did, and afterwards had to discuss a very unpleasant matter with the Noble Bard, to wit, the expenses of Mrs. S.'s [Shelley's] journey to England, which happens to fall on his shoulders, and which he winces under like an intolerable burden. This too, after conduct on the part of dear S. [Shelley] which ought to have made him do every thing to heap his memory with jewels! But-- --what he will do with his promises to the Greeks, Heaven only knows. He made them in a desperate hour, and in another desperate hour will very likely endeavour to shirk some or all of them. He already talks of not being able to "escape" under six thousand pounds; which is three less than his ebullition stipulated for. Such is his mode of getting fame!— I do not tell you to keep these things to yourself, because I know you will, and always do; but I
Object Description
| Rating | |
| Title | Leigh Hunt letter to Elizabeth Kent, June 30, 1823 |
| Creator |
Hunt, Leigh, 1784-1859 |
| Date Original | 1823-06-30 |
| Description | Concerning his unpleasant discussion with Byron over the expenses of Mrs. Shelley's journey to England; Byron's promises to the Greeks, some of which he is liable to shirk. |
| Note | Letter in Marianne Hunt's hand. |
| Personal Name Subject |
Hunt, Leigh, 1784-1859 Kent, Elizabeth, 1790-1861 Byron, George Gordon Byron, Baron, 1788-1824 Shelley, Mary Wollstonecraft, 1797-1851 |
| Geographic Subject |
Italy -- Albaro |
| Chronological Subject |
1820-1830 |
| Type (DCMIType) | Text |
| Type (AAT) |
Correspondence |
| Type (IMT) | jpeg |
| Digital Collection | Leigh Hunt Letters |
| Contributing Institution | University of Iowa. Libraries. Special Collections Dept. |
| Archival Collection | Brewer-Leigh Hunt Collection |
| Collection Guide | http://www.lib.uiowa.edu/spec-coll/resources/Brewer-LeighHunt.html |
| Location | MsL H94ke no. 3 |
| Rights Management | Educational use only, no other permissions given. This letter is owned by The University of Iowa Libraries Special Collections Department, and is provided here for educational purposes. It may not be reproduced or distributed in any format without written permission of the Special Collections Department. |
| Contact Information | Contact the University of Iowa Libraries Special Collections Department: lib-spec@uiowa.edu |
| Height (cm) | 27.4 |
| Width (cm) | 14.9 |
| Number of Pages | 3 + 3 blank |
| Number of Sheets of Paper | 3 |
| Digitization Specifications | Scanned with Ricoh Aficio 2335 scanner at 400 ppi, 24-bit color. Archival tiff image available. |
| Date Digital | 2008-04-01 |
| Transcript |
Albaro—30 June. 1823 . Dearest Bebs , I should have written to you on Saturday, but was interrupted by a Greek gentleman, a cousin of Mavrocordato's, whom I had to introduce to Lord. B. [Byron] So I did, and afterwards had to discuss a very unpleasant matter with the Noble Bard, to wit, the expenses of Mrs. S.'s [Shelley's] journey to England, which happens to fall on his shoulders, and which he winces under like an intolerable burden. This too, after conduct on the part of dear S. [Shelley] which ought to have made him do every thing to heap his memory with jewels! But-- --what he will do with his promises to the Greeks, Heaven only knows. He made them in a desperate hour, and in another desperate hour will very likely endeavour to shirk some or all of them. He already talks of not being able to "escape" under six thousand pounds; which is three less than his ebullition stipulated for. Such is his mode of getting fame!— I do not tell you to keep these things to yourself, because I know you will, and always do; but I [Page Break] mention them as a secret for two reasons: first, that you may not think I have taken to tattling in general; and second, that I may have the pleasure of telling you how certain I am that you treasure up what ever I communicate to you only,—and your sister, whose secret keeping faculty is equally exemplary, and a scandal to the scandal against your sex.... . The box has not yet arrived, though I expect to hear of its arrival every hour. You have got packets for me there; but I need not tell you that the appetite for packets at a distance is inexhaustible. I could devour a box from you a week, with all that you could put in it:—which reminds me, by the way, though it is unworthy of the association; that my neighbour had a box from Paris a month or two ago, containing an immense meat pie, for which he gave 20 crowns. You will laugh at this: you cannot help it: I am sure I cannot at the bare recollection: and yet is it not melancholy to see that a man's nature can be so spoiled by self-indulgence and foolish company, even a man of wit and talents, and (I persist [Page Break] in thinking) not bad originally. The best joke is, that after all, he could not eat it, it was so unwholesome. Yet he is by no means a glutton or an epicure; but he must indulge his whim whatever it is, sometimes even at the expense of money which it would frighten him to lay out on a cottager. He is a portent, is he not? or rather, is he not "Baby B." as he says his sister calls him. This sort of candour of his, he thinks, helps him over things; but it is neither general nor genuine. It is only <amusing> cunning, and does not produce any of the results which people might expect from it. As Martial says of a poor man who wished to hide his poverty by affecting poverty , Videri vult pauper, et est pauper (there is a piece of Latin for you to begin your exercises with) so he wishes to appear worldly, and is worldly. But enough—enough—and too much.... . Ever your affectionate friend Leigh Hunt |
| Transcript Notes |
1. "For special use" is written across the top of the letter . 2. This letter is in Marianne’s hand. |
| Transcript By | Cheney, David R. (David Raymond), 1922-2006 |
| Transcript Location | Ward M. Canaday Center for Special Collections: http://www.utoledo.edu/library/canaday/index.html |
| Letter Published In |
Luther A. Brewer, ed. My Leigh Hunt Library, the Holograph Letters. Iowa City: University of Iowa Press, 1938, p. 128-29; Hunter Pell McCartney, ed. "The Letters of Leigh Hunt in the Luther A. Brewer Collection: 1816-1825." Diss. University of Pennsylvania, 1958, p. 179-83. |
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