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by Margaret Fuller Ossoli
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Title: Memoirs of Margaret Fuller Ossoli, Vol. II
Author: Margaret Fuller Ossoli
Release Date: August 3, 2004 [EBook #13106]
Language: English
*** START OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK MARGARED FULLER, VOL. 2 ***
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MEMOIRS
OF
MARGARET FULLER OSSOLI.
VOL. II.
* * * * *
Only a learned and a manly soul
I purposed her, that should with even powers
The rock, the spindle, and the shears control
Of Destiny, and spin her own free hours.
BEN JONSON
Però che ogni diletto nostro e doglia
Sta in sì e nò saper, voler, potere;
Adunque quel sol può, che col dovere
Ne trae la ragion fuor di sua soglia.
Adunque tu, lettor di queste note,
S'a tè vuoi esser buono, e agli altri caro,
Vogli sempre poter quel che tu debbi.
LEONARDO DA VINCI.
BOSTON: PHILLIPS, SAMPSON AND COMPANY. MDCCCLVII.
Entered according to Act of Congress, in the year 1851,
BY R.F. FULLER,
In the Clerk's Office of the District Court of the District of Massachusetts
Stereotyped by
HOBART & ROBBINS;
NEW ENGLAND TYPE AND STEREOTYPE FOUNDRY;
BOSTON.
TABLE OF CONTENTS
FOR
VOLUME SECOND.
VI. JAMAICA PLAIN, _By W.H. Channing_
FIRST IMPRESSIONS
A CLUE
TRANSCENDENTALISM
GENIUS
THE DIAL
THE WOMAN
THE FRIEND
SOCIALISM
CREDO
SELF-SOVEREIGNTY
VII. NEW YORK. JOURNALS, LETTERS, &c.
LEAVING HOME
THE HIGHLANDS
WOMAN
THE TRIBUNE AND HORACE GREELEY
SOCIETY
VIII. EUROPE. LETTERS
LONDON
EDINBURGH.--DE QUINCEY
CHALMERS
A NIGHT ON BEN LOMOND
JOANNA BAILLIE.--HOWITTS.--SMITH
CARLYLE
PARIS
RACHEL
FOURIER,--ROUSSEAU
ROME
AMERICANS IN ITALY
THE WIFE AND MOTHER
THE PRIVATE MARRIAGE
AQUILA AND RIETI
CALM AFTER STORM
MARGARET AND HER PEERS
FLORENCE
IX. HOMEWARD _By W.H. Channing_
SPRING-TIME
OMENS
THE VOYAGE
THE WRECK
JAMAICA PLAIN
BY W.H. CHANNING.
* * * * *
"Quando
Lo raggio della grazia, onde s'accende
Verace amore, e che poi cresce amando,
Multiplicato in tè tanto risplende,
Che ti conduce su per quella scala,
U' senza risalir nessun discende,
Qual ti negasse 'l vin della sua fiàla
Por la tua sete, in libertà non fôra,
Se non com' acqua oh' al mar non si cala."
DANTE.
"Weite Welt und breites Leben,
Langer Jahre redlich Streben,
Stets geforscht und stets gegründet,
Nie geschlossen, oft geründet,
Aeltestes bewahrt mit Treue,
Freundlich aufgefasstes Neue,
Heitern Sinn und reine Zwecke:
Nun! man kommt wohl eine Strecke."
GOETHE.
"My purpose holds
To sail beyond the sunset, and the baths
Of all the western stars, until I die.
It may be that the gulfs will wash us down;
It may be we shall touch the Happy Isles."
TENNYSON.
"Remember how august the heart is. It contains the temple not only
of Love but of Conscience; and a whisper is heard from the
extremity of one to the extremity of the other."
LANDOR
"If all the gentlest-hearted friends I knew
Concentred in one heart their gentleness,
That still grew gentler till its pulse was less
For life than pity,--I should yet be slow
To bring my own heart nakedly below
The palm of such a friend, that he should press
My false, ideal joy and fickle woe
Out to full light and knowledge."
ELIZABETH BARRETT.
VI.
JAMAICA PLAIN
* * * * *
I.
FIRST IMPRESSIONS.
It was while Margaret was residing at Jamaica Plain, in the summer of
1839, that we first really met as friends, though for several years
previous we had been upon terms of kindest mutual regard. And, as the
best way of showing how her wonderful character opened upon me, the
growth of our acquaintance shall be briefly traced.
The earliest recollection of Margaret is as a schoolmate of my
sisters, in Boston. At that period she was considered a prodigy of
talent and accomplishment; but a sad feeling prevailed, that she had
been overtasked by her father, who wished to train her like a boy,
and that she was paying the penalty for undue application, in
nearsightedness, awkward manners, extravagant tendencies of thought,
and a pedantic style of talk, that made her a butt for the ridicule
of frivolous companions. Some seasons later, I call to mind seeing, at
the "Commencements" and "Exhibitions" of Harvard University, a girl,
plain in appearance, but of dashing air, who was invariably the centre
of a listening group, and kept their merry interest alive by sparkles
of wit and incessant small-talk. The bystanders called her familiarly,
"Margaret," "Margaret Fuller;" for, though young, she was already
noted for conversational gifts, and had the rare skill of attracting
to her society, not spirited collegians only, but men mature in
culture and of established reputation. It was impossible not to admire
her fluency and fun; yet, though curiosity was piqued as to this
entertaining personage, I never sought an introduction, but, on the
contrary, rather shunned encounter with one so armed from head to foot
in saucy sprightliness.
About 1830, however, we often met in the social circles of Cambridge,
and I began to observe her more nearly. At first, her vivacity,
decisive tone, downrightness, and contempt of conventional standards,
continued to repel. She appeared too _intense_ in expression, action,
emphasis, to be pleasing, and wanting in that _retenue_ which we
associate with delicate dignity. Occasionally, also, words flashed
from her of such scathing satire, that prudence counselled the keeping
at safe distance from a body so surcharged with electricity. Then,
again, there was an imperial--shall it be said imperious?--air,
exacting deference to her judgments and loyalty to her behests,
that prompted pride to retaliatory measures. She paid slight heed,
moreover, to the trim palings of etiquette, but swept through the
garden-beds and into the doorway of one's confidence so cavalierly,
that a reserved person felt inclined to lock himself up in his
sanctum. Finally, to the coolly-scanning eye, her friendships wore a
look of such romantic exaggeration, that she seemed to walk enveloped
in a shining fog of sentimentalism. In brief, it must candidly be
confessed, that I then suspected her of affecting the part of a Yankee
Corinna.
But soon I was charmed, unaware, with the sagacity of her sallies, the
profound thoughts carelessly dropped by her on transient topics,
the breadth and richness of culture manifested in her allusions
or quotations, her easy comprehension of new views, her just
discrimination, and, above all, her _truthfulness_. "Truth at all
cost," was plainly her ruling maxim. This it was that made her
criticism so trenchant, her contempt of pretence so quick and stern,
her speech so naked in frankness, her gaze so searching, her whole
attitude so alert. Her estimates of men, books, manners, events, art,
duty, destiny, were moulded after a grand ideal; and she was a severe
judge from the very loftiness of her standard. Her stately deportment,
border though it might on arrogance, but expressed high-heartedness.
Her independence, even if haughty and rash, was the natural action
of a self-centred will, that waited only fit occasion to prove itself
heroic. Her earnestness to read the hidden history of others was
the gauge of her own emotion. The enthusiasm that made her speech
so affluent, when measured by the average scale, was the unconscious
overflow of a poetic temperament. And the ardor of her friends'
affection proved the faithfulness of her love. Thus gradually the mist
melted away, till I caught a glimpse of her real self. We were one
evening talking of American literature,--she contrasting its boyish
crudity, half boastful, half timid, with the tempered, manly equipoise
of thorough-bred European writers, and I asserting that in its mingled
practicality and aspiration might be read bright auguries; when,
betrayed by sympathy, she laid bare her secret hope of what Woman
might be and do, as an author, in our Republic. The sketch was an
outline only, and dashed off with a few swift strokes, but therein
appeared her own portrait, and we were strangers no more.
It was through the medium of others, however, that at this time I best
learned to appreciate Margaret's nobleness of nature and principle. My
most intimate friend in the Theological School, James Freeman Clarke,
was her constant companion in exploring the rich gardens of German
literature; and from his descriptions I formed a vivid image of her
industry, comprehensiveness, buoyancy, patience, and came to honor
her intelligent interest in high problems of science, her
aspirations after spiritual greatness, her fine æsthetic taste, her
religiousness. By power to quicken other minds, she showed how living
was her own. Yet more near were we brought by common attraction toward
a youthful visitor in our circle, the untouched freshness of whose
beauty was but the transparent garb of a serene, confiding, and
harmonious soul, and whose polished grace, at once modest and naïve,
sportive and sweet, fulfilled the charm of innate goodness of heart.
Susceptible in temperament, anticipating with ardent fancy the lot of
a lovely and refined woman, and morbidly exaggerating her own slight
personal defects, Margaret seemed to long, as it were, to transfuse
with her force this nymph-like form, and to fill her to glowing with
her own lyric fire. No drop of envy tainted the sisterly love,
with which she sought by genial sympathy thus to live in another's
experience, to be her guardian-angel, to shield her from contact with
the unworthy, to rouse each generous impulse, to invigorate thought
by truth incarnate in beauty, and with unfelt ministry to weave bright
threads in her web of fate. Thus more and more Margaret became
an object of respectful interest, in whose honor, magnanimity and
strength I learned implicitly to trust.
Separation, however, hindered our growing acquaintance, as we both
left Cambridge, and, with the exception of a few chance meetings in
Boston and a ramble or two in the glens and on the beaches of Rhode
Island, held no further intercourse till the summer of 1839, when, as
has been already said, the friendship, long before rooted, grew up and
leafed and bloomed.
II.
A CLUE.
* * * * *
I have no hope of conveying to readers my sense of the beauty of our
relation, as it lies in the past with brightness falling on it from
Margaret's risen spirit. It would be like printing a chapter of
autobiography, to describe what is so grateful in memory,
its influence upon one's self. And much of her inner life, as
confidentially disclosed, could not be represented without betraying
a sacred trust. All that can be done is to open the outer courts, and
give a clue for loving hearts to follow. To such these few sentences
may serve as a guide.
'When I feel, as I do this morning, the poem of existence, I
am repaid for all trial. The bitterness of wounded affection,
the disgust at unworthy care, the aching sense of how far
deeds are transcended by our lowest aspirations, pass away as
I lean on the bosom of Nature, and inhale new life from her
breath. Could but love, like knowledge, be its own reward!'
'Oftentimes I have found in those of my own sex more
gentleness, grace, and purity, than in myself; but seldom the
heroism which I feel within my own breast. I blame not those
who think the heart cannot bleed because it is so strong;
but little they dream of what lies concealed beneath the
determined courage. Yet mine has been the Spartan sternness,
smiling while it hides the wound. I long rather for the
Christian spirit, which even on the cross prays, "Father,
forgive them," and rises above fortitude to heavenly
satisfaction.'
* * * * *
'Remember that only through aspirations, which sometimes
make me what is called unreasonable, have I been enabled to
vanquish unpropitious circumstances, and save my soul alive.'
* * * * *
'All the good I have ever done has been by calling on every
nature for its highest. I will admit that sometimes I have
been wanting in gentleness, but never in tenderness, nor in
noble faith.'
* * * * *
'The heart which hopes and dares is also accessible to terror,
and this falls upon it like a thunderbolt. It can never defend
itself at the moment, it is so surprised. There is no defence
but to strive for an equable temper of courageous submission,
of obedient energy, that shall make assault less easy to the
foe.
'_This_ is the dart within the heart, as well as I can tell
it:--At moments, the music of the universe, which daily I am
upheld by hearing, seems to stop. I fall like a bird when the
sun is eclipsed, not looking for such darkness. The sense of
my individual law--that lamp of life--flickers. I am repelled
in what is most natural to me. I feel as, when a suffering
child, I would go and lie with my face to the ground, to sob
away my little life.'
* * * * *
'In early years, when, though so frank as to the thoughts of
the mind, I put no heart confidence in any human being, my
refuge was in my journal. I have burned those records of my
youth, with its bitter tears, and struggles, and aspirations.
Those aspirations were high, and have gained only broader
foundations and wider reach. But the leaves had done their
work. For years to write there, instead of speaking, had
enabled me to soothe myself; and the Spirit was often my
friend, when I sought no other. Once again I am willing to
take up the cross of loneliness. Resolves are idle, but the
anguish of my soul has been, deep. It will not be easy to
profane life by rhetoric.'
* * * * *
'I woke thinking of the monks of La Trappe;--how could they
bear their silence? When the game of life was lost for me, in
youthful anguish I knew well the desire for that vow; but if
I had taken it, my heart would have burned out my physical
existence long ago.'
* * * * *
'Save me from plunging into the depths to learn the worst, or
from being led astray by the winged joys of childish feeling.
I pray for truth in proportion as there is strength to
receive.'
* * * * *
'My law is incapable of a charter. I pass all bounds, and
cannot do otherwise. Those whom it seems to me I am to meet
again in the Ages, I meet, soul to soul, now. I have no
knowledge of any circumstances except the degree of affinity.'
* * * * *
'I feel that my impatient nature needs the dark days. I would
learn the art of limitation, without compromise, and act out
my faith with a delicate fidelity. When loneliness becomes too
oppressive, I feel Him drawing me nearer, to be soothed by
the smile of an All-Intelligent Love. He will not permit
the freedom essential to growth to be checked. If I can give
myself up to Him, I shall not be too proud, too impetuous,
neither too timid, and fearful of a wound or cloud.'
III.
TRANSCENDENTALISM.
* * * * *
The summer of 1839 saw the full dawn of the Transcendental movement in
New England. The rise of this enthusiasm was as mysterious as that
of any form of revival; and only they who were of the faith
could comprehend how bright was this morning-time of a new hope.
Transcendentalism was an assertion of the inalienable integrity of
man, of the immanence of Divinity in instinct. In part, it was a
reaction against Puritan Orthodoxy; in part, an effect of renewed
study of the ancients, of Oriental Pantheists, of Plato and the
Alexandrians, of Plutarch's Morals, Seneca and Epictetus; in part, the
natural product of the culture of the place and time. On the somewhat
stunted stock of Unitarianism,--whose characteristic dogma was trust
in individual reason as correlative to Supreme Wisdom,--had been
grafted German Idealism, as taught by masters of most various
schools,--by Kant and Jacobi, Fichte and Novalis, Schelling and Hegel,
Schleiermacher and De Wette, by Madame de Stael, Cousin, Coleridge,
and Carlyle; and the result was a vague yet exalting conception of the
godlike nature of the human spirit. Transcendentalism, as viewed by
its disciples, was a pilgrimage from the idolatrous world of creeds
and rituals to the temple of the Living God in the soul. It was a
putting to silence of tradition and formulas, that the Sacred Oracle
might be heard through intuitions of the single-eyed and pure-hearted.
Amidst materialists, zealots, and sceptics, the Transcendentalist
believed in perpetual inspiration, the miraculous power of will, and a
birthright to universal good. He sought to hold communion face to face
with the unnameable Spirit of his spirit, and gave himself up to the
embrace of nature's beautiful joy, as a babe seeks the breast of a
mother. To him the curse seemed past; and love was without fear. "All
mine is thine" sounded forth to him in ceaseless benediction, from
flowers and stars, through the poetry, art, heroism of all ages, in
the aspirations of his own genius, and the budding promise of the
time. His work was to be faithful, as all saints, sages, and lovers
of man had been, to Truth, as the very Word of God. His maxims
were,--"Trust, dare and be; infinite good is ready for your asking;
seek and find. All that your fellows can claim or need is that you
should become, in fact, your highest self; fulfil, then, your
ideal." Hence, among the strong, withdrawal to private study and
contemplation, that they might be "alone with the Alone;" solemn
yet glad devotedness to the Divine leadings in the inmost will; calm
concentration of thought to wait for and receive wisdom; dignified
independence, stern yet sweet, of fashion and public opinion; honest
originality of speech and conduct, exempt alike from apology or
dictation, from servility or scorn. Hence, too, among the weak,
whimsies, affectation, rude disregard of proprieties, slothful
neglect of common duties, surrender to the claims of natural appetite,
self-indulgence, self-absorption, and self-idolatry.
By their very posture of mind, as seekers of the new, the
Transcendentalists were critics and "come-outers" from the old.
Neither the church, the state, the college, society, nor even reform
associations, had a hold upon their hearts. The past might be well
enough for those who, without make-belief, could yet put faith in
common dogmas and usages; but for them the matin-bells of a new day
were chiming, and the herald-trump of freedom was heard upon the
mountains. Hence, leaving ecclesiastical organizations, political
parties, and familiar circles, which to them were brown with drought,
they sought in covert nooks of friendship for running waters, and
fruit from the tree of life. The journal, the letter, became of
greater worth than the printed page; for they felt that systematic
results were not yet to be looked for, and that in sallies of
conjecture, glimpses and flights of ecstasy, the "Newness" lifted
her veil to her votaries. Thus, by mere attraction of affinity, grew
together the brotherhood of the "Like-minded," as they were pleasantly
nicknamed by outsiders, and by themselves, on the ground that no two
were of the same opinion. The only password of membership to this
association, which had no compact, records, or officers, was a hopeful
and liberal spirit; and its chance conventions were determined merely
by the desire of the caller for a "talk," or by the arrival of some
guest from a distance with a budget of presumptive novelties. Its
"symposium" was a pic-nic, whereto each brought of his gains, as he
felt prompted, a bunch of wild grapes from the woods, or bread-corn
from his threshing-floor. The tone of the assemblies was cordial
welcome for every one's peculiarity; and scholars, farmers, mechanics,
merchants, married women, and maidens, met there on a level of
courteous respect. The only guest not tolerated was intolerance;
though strict justice might add, that these "Illuminati" were as
unconscious of their special cant as smokers are of the perfume of
their weed, and that a professed declaration of universal independence
turned out in practice to be rather oligarchic.
Of the class of persons most frequently found at these meetings
Margaret has left the following sketch:--
'"I am not mad, most noble Festus," was Paul's rejoinder, as
he turned upon his vulgar censor with the grace of a courtier,
the dignity of a prophet, and the mildness of a saint. But
many there are, who, adhering to the faith of the soul with
that unusual earnestness which the world calls "mad," can
answer their critics only by the eloquence of their characters
and lives. Now, the other day, while visiting a person whose
highest merit, so far as I know, is to save his pennies, I was
astounded by hearing him allude to some of most approved worth
among us, thus: "You know _we_ consider _those men_ insane."
'What this meant, I could not at first well guess, so
completely was my scale of character turned topsy-turvy. But
revolving the subject afterward, I perceived that WE was
the multiple of Festus, and THOSE MEN of Paul. All the
circumstances seemed the same as in that Syrian hall; for the
persons in question were they who cared more for doing good
than for fortune and success,--more for the one risen from
the dead than for fleshly life,--more for the Being in whom we
live and move than for King Agrippa.
'Among this band of candidates for the mad-house, I found
the young poet who valued insight of nature's beauty, and the
power of chanting to his fellow-men a heavenly music, above
the prospect of fortune, political power, or a standing in
fashionable society. At the division of the goods of this
earth, he was wandering like Schiller's poet. But the
difference between American and German regulations would seem
to be, that in Germany the poet, when not "with Jove," is left
at peace on earth; while here he is, by a self-constituted
police, declared "mad."
'Another of this band was the young girl who, early taking a
solemn view of the duties of life, found it difficult to
serve an apprenticeship to its follies. She could not turn her
sweetness into "manner," nor cultivate love of approbation at
the expense of virginity of heart. In so called society she
found no outlet for her truest, fairest self, and so preferred
to live with external nature, a few friends, her pencil,
instrument, and books. She, they say, is "mad."
'And he, the enthusiast for reform, who gives away fortune,
standing in the world, peace, and only not life, because
bigotry is now afraid to exact the pound of flesh as well as
the ducats,--he, whose heart beats high with hopes for the
welfare of his race, is "mad."
'And he, the philosopher, who does not tie down his
speculation to the banner of the day, but lets the wings
of his thought upbear him where they will, as if they were
stronger and surer than the balloon let off for the amusement
of the populace,--he must be "mad." Off with him to the moon!
that paradise of noble fools, who had visions of possibilities
too grand and lovely for this sober earth.
'And ye, friends, and lovers, who see, through all the films
of human nature, in those you love, a divine energy, worthy of
creatures who have their being in very God, ye, too, are "mad"
to think they can walk in the dust, and yet shake it from
their feet when they come upon the green. These are no winged
Mercuries, no silver-sandalled Madonnas. Listen to "the
world's" truth and soberness, and we will show you that your
heart would be as well placed in a hospital, as in these
air-born palaces.
'And thou, priest, seek thy God among the people, and not in
the shrine. The light need not penetrate thine own soul.
Thou canst catch the true inspiration from the eyes of thy
auditors. Not the Soul of the World, not the ever-flowing
voice of nature, but the articulate accents of practical
utility, should find thy ear ever ready. Keep always among
men, and consider what they like; for in the silence of thine
own breast will be heard the voices that make men "mad." Why
shouldst thou judge of the consciousness of others by thine
own? May not thine own soul have been made morbid, by retiring
too much within? If Jesus of Nazareth had not fasted and
prayed so much alone, the devil could never have tempted
him; if he had observed the public mind more patiently and
carefully, he would have waited till the time was ripe, and
the minds of men prepared for what he had to say. He would
thus have escaped the ignominious death, which so prematurely
cut short his "usefulness." Jewry would thus, gently, soberly,
and without disturbance, have been led to a better course.
'"Children of this generation!"--ye Festuses and Agrippas!--ye
are wiser, we grant, than "the children of light;" yet we
advise you to commend to a higher tribunal those whom much
learning, or much love, has made "mad." For if they stay here,
almost will they persuade even you!'
Amidst these meetings of the Transcendentalists it was, that, after
years of separation, I again found Margaret. Of this body she was
member by grace of nature. Her romantic freshness of heart, her
craving for the truth, her self-trust, had prepared her from childhood
to be a pioneer in prairie-land; and her discipline in German schools
had given definite form and tendency to her idealism. Her critical
yet aspiring intellect filled her with longing for germs of positive
affirmation in place of the chaff of thrice-sifted negation; while her
æsthetic instinct responded in accord to the praise of Beauty as the
beloved heir of Good and Truth, whose right it is to reign. On the
other hand, strong common-sense saved her from becoming visionary,
while she was too well-read as a scholar to be caught by conceits, and
had been too sternly tried by sorrow to fall into fanciful effeminacy.
It was a pleasing surprise to see how this friend of earlier days was
acknowledged as a peer of the realm, in this new world of thought.
Men,--her superiors in years, fame and social position,--treated
her more with the frankness due from equal to equal, than the
half-condescending deference with which scholars are wont to adapt
themselves to women. They did not talk down to her standard, nor
translate their dialect into popular phrase, but trusted to her
power of interpretation. It was evident that they prized her verdict,
respected her criticism, feared her rebuke, and looked to her as an
umpire. Very observable was it, also, how, in side-talks with her,
they became confidential, seemed to glow and brighten into their best
mood, and poured out in full measure what they but scantily hinted in
the circle at large.
IV.
GENIUS.
* * * * *
It was quite a study to watch the phases through which Margaret
passed, in one of these assemblies. There was something in the air
and step with which she chose her place in the company, betokening
an instinctive sense, that, in intellect, she was of blood royal and
needed to ask no favors. And then she slowly gathered her attention
to take in the significance of the scene. Near-sighted and habitually
using an eye-glass, she rapidly scanned the forms and faces, pausing
intently where the expression of particular heads or groups suggested
thought, and ending her survey with some apt home-thrust to her next
neighbors, as if to establish full _rapport_, and so to become a
medium for the circulating life. Only when thus in magnetic relations
with all present, by a clear impress of their state and place, did
she seem prepared to rise to a higher stage of communion. Then she
listened, with ear finely vibrating to every tone, with all
capacities responsive in sympathy, with a swift and ductile power of
appreciation, that made her feel to the quick the varying moods of
different speakers, and yet the while with coolest self-possession.
Now and then a slight smile, flickering over her countenance, as
lightning plays on the surface of a cloud, marked the inward process
whereby she was harmonizing in equilibrium opposing thoughts. And,
as occasion offered, a felicitous quotation, pungent apothegm, or
symbolic epithet, dropped unawares in undertone, showed how swiftly
scattered rays were brought in her mind to a focus.
When her turn came, by a graceful transition she resumed the subject
where preceding speakers had left it, and, briefly summing up their
results, proceeded to unfold her own view. Her opening was deliberate,
like the progress of some massive force gaining its momentum; but as
she felt her way, and moving in a congenial element, the sweep of her
speech became grand. The style of her eloquence was sententious,
free from prettiness, direct, vigorous, charged with vitality.
Articulateness, just emphasis and varied accent, brought out most
delicate shades and brilliant points of meaning, while a rhythmical
collocation of words gave a finished form to every thought. She was
affluent in historic illustration and literary allusion, as well as
in novel hints. She knew how to concentrate into racy phrases the
essential truth gathered from wide research, and distilled with
patient toil; and by skilful treatment she could make green again the
wastes of common-place. Her statements, however rapid, showed breadth
of comprehension, ready memory, impartial judgment, nice analysis of
differences, power of penetrating through surfaces to realities, fixed
regard to central laws and habitual communion with the Life of
life. Critics, indeed, might have been tempted to sneer at a certain
oracular grandiloquence, that bore away her soberness in moments of
elation; though even the most captious must presently have smiled at
the humor of her descriptive touches, her dexterous exposure of
folly and pretension, the swift stroke of her bright wit, her shrewd
discernment, promptitude, and presence of mind. The reverential,
too, might have been pained at the sternness wherewith popular men,
measures, and established customs, were tried and found guilty, at
her tribunal; but even while blaming her aspirations as rash,
revolutionary and impractical, no honest conservative could fail
to recognize the sincerity of her aim. And every deep observer of
character would have found the explanation of what seemed vehement
or too high-strung, in the longing of a spirited woman to break every
trammel that checked her growth or fettered her movement.
In conversations like these, one saw that the richness of Margaret's
genius resulted from a rare combination of opposite qualities. To her
might have been well applied the words first used as describing George
Sand: "Thou large-brained Woman, and large-hearted Man." She blended
in closest union and swift interplay feminine receptiveness with
masculine energy. She was at once impressible and creative,
impulsive and deliberate, pliant in sympathy yet firmly self-centred,
confidingly responsive while commanding in originality. By the vivid
intensity of her conceptions, she brought out in those around their
own consciousness, and, by the glowing vigor of her intellect, roused
into action their torpid powers. On the other hand, she reproduced a
truth, whose germ had just been imbibed from others, moulded after her
own image and quickened by her own life, with marvellous rapidity. And
the presence of congenial minds so stimulated the prolific power of
her imagination, that she was herself astonished at the fresh beauty
of her new-born thoughts. 'There is a mortifying sense,' she writes,
'of having played the Mirabeau after a talk with a circle
of intelligent persons. They come with a store of acquired
knowledge and reflection, on the subject in debate, about
which I may know little, and have reflected less; yet, by
mere apprehensiveness and prompt intuition, I may appear their
superior. Spontaneously I appropriate all their material, and
turn it to my own ends, as if it was my inheritance from
a long train of ancestors. Rays of truth flash out at the
moment, and they are startled by the light thrown over their
familiar domain. Still they are gainers, for I give them new
impulse, and they go on their way rejoicing in the bright
glimpses they have caught. I should despise myself, if I
purposely appeared thus brilliant, but I am inspired as by a
power higher than my own.'
All friends will bear witness to the strict fidelity of this sketch.
There were seasons when she seemed borne irresistibly on to the verge
of prophecy, and fully embodied one's notion of a sibyl.
Admirable as Margaret appeared in public, I was yet more affected by
this peculiar mingling of impressibility and power to influence,
when brought within her private sphere. I know not how otherwise
to describe her subtle charm, than by saying that she was at once a
clairvoyante and a magnetizer. She read another's bosom-secret, and
she imparted of her own force. She interpreted the cipher in the
talisman of one's destiny, that he had tried in vain to spell alone;
by sympathy she brought out the invisible characters traced by
experience on his heart; and in the mirror of her conscience he might
see the image of his very self, as dwarfed in actual appearance, or
developed after the divine ideal. Her sincerity was terrible. In her
frank exposure no foible was spared, though by her very reproof she
roused dormant courage and self-confidence. And so unerring seemed
her insight, that her companion felt as if standing bare before a
disembodied spirit, and communicated without reserve thoughts and
emotions, which, even to himself, he had scarcely named.
This penetration it was that caused Margaret to be so dreaded, in
general society, by superficial observers. They, who came nigh
enough to test the quality of her spirit, could not but perceive how
impersonal was her justice; but, contrasted with the dead flat of
conventional tolerance, her candor certainly looked rugged and sharp.
The frivolous were annoyed at her contempt of their childishness, the
ostentatious piqued at her insensibility to their show, and the decent
scared lest they should be stripped of their shams; partisans were
vexed by her spurning their leaders; and professional sneerers,--civil
in public to those whom in private they slandered,--could not pardon
the severe truth whereby she drew the sting from their spite. Indeed,
how could so undisguised a censor but shock the prejudices of the
moderate, and wound the sensibilities of the diffident; how but enrage
the worshippers of new demi-gods in literature, art and fashion, whose
pet shrines she demolished; how but cut to the quick, alike by silence
or by speech, the self-love of the vain, whose claims she ignored?
So gratuitous, indeed, appeared her hypercriticism, that I could not
refrain from remonstrance, and to one of my appeals she thus replied:
'If a horror for the mania of little great men, so prevalent
in this country,--if aversion to the sentimental exaggerations
to which so many minds are prone,--if finding that most men
praise, as well as blame, too readily, and that overpraise
desecrates the lips and makes the breath unworthy to blow the
coal of devotion,--if rejection of the ----s and ----s, from
a sense that the priestess must reserve her pæans for
Apollo,--if untiring effort to form my mind to justice and
revere only the superlatively good, that my praise might be
praise; if this be to offend, then have I offended.'
V.
THE DIAL.
* * * * *
Several talks among the Transcendentalists, during the autumn of 1839,
turned upon the propriety of establishing an organ for the expression
of freer views than the conservative journals were ready to welcome.
The result was the publication of the "Dial," the first number of
which appeared early in the summer of 1840, under the editorship of
Margaret, aided by R.W. Emerson and George Ripley. How moderate were
her own hopes, in regard to this enterprise, is clearly enough shown
by passages from her correspondence.
'_Jamaica Plain, 22d March, 1840._ * * * I have a great deal
written, but, as I read it over, scarce a word seems pertinent
to the place or time. When I meet people, it is easy to
adapt myself to them; but when I write, it is into another
world,--not a better one, perhaps, but one with very
dissimilar habits of thought to this wherein I am
domesticated. How much those of us, who have been formed by
the European mind, have to unlearn, and lay aside, if we would
act here! I would fain do something worthily that belonged to
the country where I was born, but most times I fear it may not
be.
'What others can do,--whether all that has been said is the
mere restlessness of discontent, or there are thoughts really
struggling for utterance,--will be tested now. A perfectly
free organ is to be offered for the expression of individual
thought and character. There are no party measures to be
carried, no particular standard to be set up. A fair, calm
tone, a recognition of universal principles, will, I hope,
pervade the essays in every form. I trust there will be a
spirit neither of dogmatism nor of compromise, and that
this journal will aim, not at leading public opinion, but at
stimulating each man to judge for himself, and to think more
deeply and more nobly, by letting him see how some minds are
kept alive by a wise self-trust. We must not be sanguine as
to the amount of talent which will be brought to bear on this
publication. All concerned are rather indifferent, and there
is no great promise for the present. We cannot show high
culture, and I doubt about vigorous thought. But we shall
manifest free action as far as it goes, and a high aim.
It were much if a periodical could be kept open, not to
accomplish any outward object, but merely to afford an avenue
for what of liberal and calm thought might be originated among
us, by the wants of individual minds.' * *
* * * * *
'_April 19, 1840._--Things go on pretty well, but doubtless
people will be disappointed, for they seem to be looking for
the Gospel of Transcendentalism. It may prove as Jouffroy
says it was with the successive French ministries: "The public
wants something positive, and, seeing that such and such
persons are excellent at fault-finding, it raises them to be
rulers, when, lo! they have no noble and full Yea, to match
their shrill and bold Nay, and so are pulled down again." Mr.
Emerson knows best what he wants; but he has already said it
in various ways. Yet, this experiment is well worth trying;
hearts beat so high, they must be full of something, and here
is a way to breathe it out quite freely. It is for dear New
England that I want this review. For myself, if I had wished
to write a few pages now and then, there were ways and means
enough of disposing of them. But in truth I have not much to
say; for since I have had leisure to look at myself, I find
that, so far from being an original genius, I have not yet
learned to think to any depth, and that the utmost I have
done in life has been to form my character to a certain
consistency, cultivate my tastes, and learn to tell the truth
with a little better grace than I did at first. For this the
world will not care much, so I shall hazard a few critical
remarks only, or an unpretending chalk sketch now and then,
till I have learned to do something. There will be beautiful
poesies; about prose we know not yet so well. We shall be the
means of publishing the little Charles Emerson left as a mark
of his noble course, and, though it lies in fragments, all who
read will be gainers.'
* * * * *
'1840.--Since the Revolution, there has been little, in
the circumstances of this country, to call out the higher
sentiments. The effect of continued prosperity is the same
on nations as on individuals,--it leaves the nobler faculties
undeveloped. The need of bringing out the physical resources
of a vast extent of country, the commercial and political
fever incident to our institutions, tend to fix the eyes of
men on what is local and temporary, on the external advantages
of their condition. The superficial diffusion of knowledge,
unless attended by a correspondent deepening of its sources,
is likely to vulgarize rather than to raise the thought of a
nation, depriving them of another sort of education through
sentiments of reverence, and leading the multitude to believe
themselves capable of judging what they but dimly discern.
They see a wide surface, and forget the difference between
seeing and knowing. In this hasty way of thinking and living
they traverse so much ground that they forget that not the
sleeping railroad passenger, but the botanist, the geologist,
the poet, really see the country, and that, to the former,
"a miss is as good as a mile." In a word, the tendency
of circumstances has been to make our people superficial,
irreverent, and more anxious to get a living than to live
mentally and morally. This tendency is no way balanced by the
slight literary culture common here, which is mostly English,
and consists in a careless reading of publications of the day,
having the same utilitarian tendency with our own proceedings.
The infrequency of acquaintance with any of the great fathers
of English lore marks this state of things.
'New England is now old enough,--some there have leisure
enough,--to look at all this; and the consequence is a violent
reaction, in a small minority, against a mode of culture that
rears such fruits. They see that political freedom does not
necessarily produce liberality of mind, nor freedom in church
institutions--vital religion; and, seeing that these changes
cannot be wrought from without inwards, they are trying to
quicken the soul, that they may work from within outwards.
Disgusted with the vulgarity of a commercial aristocracy, they
become radicals; disgusted with the materialistic working of
"rational" religion, they become mystics. They quarrel with
all that is, because it is not spiritual enough. They would,
perhaps, be patient if they thought this the mere sensuality
of childhood in our nation, which it might outgrow; but they
think that they see the evil widening, deepening,--not only
debasing the life, but corrupting the thought, of our people,
and they feel that if they know not well what should be done,
yet that the duty of every good man is to utter a protest
against what is done amiss.
'Is this protest undiscriminating? are these opinions crude?
do these proceedings threaten to sap the bulwarks on which men
at present depend? I confess it all, yet I see in these men
promise of a better wisdom than in their opponents. Their hope
for man is grounded on his destiny as an immortal soul, and
not as a mere comfort-loving inhabitant of earth, or as a
subscriber to the social contract. It was not meant that the
soul should cultivate the earth, but that the earth should
educate and maintain the soul. Man is not made for society,
but society is made for man. No institution can be good which
does not tend to improve the individual. In these principles
I have confidence so profound, that I am not afraid to trust
those who hold them, despite their partial views, imperfectly
developed characters, and frequent want of practical sagacity.
I believe, if they have opportunity to state and discuss
their opinions, they will gradually sift them, ascertain their
grounds and aims with clearness, and do the work this country
needs. I hope for them as for "the leaven that is hidden in
the bushel of meal, till all be leavened." The leaven is not
good by itself, neither is the meal; let them combine, and we
shall yet have bread.
'Utopia it is impossible to build up. At least, my hopes for
our race on this one planet are more limited than those of
most of my friends. I accept the limitations of human nature,
and believe a wise acknowledgment of them one of the best
conditions of progress. Yet every noble scheme, every poetic
manifestation, prophesies to man his eventual destiny. And
were not man ever more sanguine than facts at the moment
justify, he would remain torpid, or be sunk in sensuality. It
is on this ground that I sympathize with what is called the
"Transcendental party," and that I feel their aim to be the
true one. They acknowledge in the nature of man an arbiter for
his deeds,--a standard transcending sense and time,--and
are, in my view, the true utilitarians. They are but at the
beginning of their course, and will, I hope, learn how to make
use of the past, as well as to aspire for the future, and to
be true in the present moment.
'My position as a woman, and the many private duties which
have filled my life, have prevented my thinking deeply on
several of the great subjects which these friends have at
heart. I suppose, if ever I become capable of judging, I shall
differ from most of them on important points. But I am not
afraid to trust any who 'are true, and in intent noble, with
their own course, nor to aid in enabling them to express their
thoughts, whether I coincide with them or not.
'On the subject of Christianity, my mind is clear. If Divine,
it will stand the test of any comparison. I believe the reason
it has so imperfectly answered to the aspirations of its
Founder is, that men have received it on external grounds. I
believe that a religion, thus received, may give the life
an external decorum, but will never open the fountains of
holiness in the soul.
'One often thinks of Hamlet as the true representative of
idealism in its excess. Yet if, in his short life, man be
liable to some excess, should we not rather prefer to have
the will palsied like Hamlet, by a deep-searching tendency and
desire for poetic perfection, than to have it enlightened
by worldly sagacity, as in the case of Julius Cæsar, or made
intense by pride alone, as in that of Coriolanus?
'After all, I believe it is absurd to attempt to speak on
these subjects within the limits of a letter. I will try to
say what I mean in print some day. Yet one word as to "the
material," in man. Is it not the object of all philosophy,
as well as of religion and poetry, to prevent its prevalence?
Must not those who see most truly be ever making statements
of the truth to combat this sluggishness, or worldliness?
What else are sages, poets, preachers, born to do? Men go an
undulating course,--sometimes on the hill, sometimes in the
valley. But he only is in the right who in the valley forgets
not the hill-prospect, and knows in darkness that the sun will
rise again. That is the real life which is subordinated to,
not merged in, the ideal; he is only wise who can bring the
lowest act of his life into sympathy with its highest thought.
And this I take to be the one only aim of our pilgrimage here.
I agree with those who think that no true philosophy will try
to ignore or annihilate the material part of man, but will
rather seek to put it in its place, as servant and minister to
the soul.'
VI.
THE WOMAN.
* * * * *
In 1839 I had met Margaret upon the plane of intellect. In the summer
of 1840, on my return from the West, she was to be revealed in a new
aspect.
It was a radiant and refreshing morning, when I entered the parlor of
her pleasant house, standing upon a slope beyond Jamaica Plain to the
south. She was absent at the moment, and there was opportunity to look
from the windows on a cheerful prospect, over orchards and meadows,
to the wooded hills and the western sky. Presently Margaret appeared,
bearing in her hand a vase of flowers, which she had been gathering in
the garden. After exchange of greetings, her first words were of the
flowers, each of which was symbolic to her of emotion, and associated
with the memory of some friend. I remember her references only to the
Daphne Odora, the Provence Rose, the sweet-scented Verbena, and the
Heliotrope; the latter being her chosen emblem, true bride of the sun
that it is.
From flowers she passed to engravings hanging round the room. 'Here,'
said she, 'are Dante and Beatrice.
"Approach, and know that I am Beatrice.
The power of ancient love was strong within me."
'She is beautiful enough, is not she, for that higher moment?
But Dante! Yet who could paint a Dante,--and Dante in heaven?
They give but his shadow, as he walked in the forest-maze of
earth. Then here is the Madonna del Pesce; not divine, like
the Foligno, not deeply maternal, like the Seggiola, not
the beätified "Mother of God" of the Dresden gallery, but
graceful, and "not too bright and good for human nature's
daily food." And here is Raphael himself, the young seer of
beauty, with eyes softly contemplative, yet lit with central
fires,' &c.
There were gems, too, and medallions and seals, to be examined, each
enigmatical, and each blended by remembrances with some fair hour of
her past life.
Talk on art led the way to Greece and the Greeks, whose mythology
Margaret was studying afresh. She had been culling the blooms of that
poetic land, and could not but offer me leaves from her garland. She
spoke of the statue of Minerva-Polias, cut roughly from an olive-tree,
yet cherished as the heaven-descended image of the most sacred shrine,
to which was due the Panathenaic festival.
'The less ideal perfection in the figure, the greater the
reverence of the adorer. Was not this because spiritual
imagination makes light of results, and needs only a germ whence
to unfold Olympic splendors?'
She spoke of the wooden column, left standing from the ruins of the
first temple to Juno, amidst the marble walls of the magnificent fane
erected in its place:--
'This is a most beautiful type, is not it, of the manner in
which life's earliest experiences become glorified by our
perfecting destiny?'
'In the temple of Love and the Graces, one Grace bore a rose,
a second a branch of myrtle, a third dice;--who can read that
riddle?
'"Better is it," said Appollonius, "on entering a small shrine
to find there a statue of gold and ivory, than in a large
temple to behold only a coarse figure of terra cotta." How
often, after leaving with disgust the so-called great affairs
of men, do we find traces of angels' visits in quiet scenes of
home.
'The Hours and the Graces appear as ornaments on all thrones
and shrines, except those of Vulcan and Pluto. Alas for us,
when we become so sunk in utilitarian toil as to be blind to
the beauty with which even common cares are daily wreathed!'
And so on and on, with myth and allusion.
Next, Margaret spoke of the friends whose generosity had provided
the decorations on her walls, and the illustrated books for her
table,--friends who were fellow-students in art, history, or
science,--friends whose very life she shared. Her heart seemed full
to overflow with sympathy for their joys and sorrows, their special
trials and struggles, their peculiar tendencies of character and
respective relations. The existence of each was to her a sacred
process, whose developments she watched with awe, and whose leadings
she reverently sought to aid. She had scores of pretty anecdotes
to tell, sweet bowers of sentiment to open, significant lessons of
experience to interpret, and scraps of journals or letters to read
aloud, as the speediest means of introducing me to her chosen circle.
There was a fascinating spell in her piquant descriptions, and a
genial glow of sympathy animated to characteristic movement the
figures, who in varying pantomime replaced one another on the theatre
of her fancy. Frost-bound New England melted into a dreamland of
romance beneath the spice-breeze of her Eastern narrative. Sticklers
for propriety might have found fault at the freedom with which she
confided her friends' histories to one who was a comparative stranger
to them; but I could not but note how conscientiousness reined in her
sensibilities and curbed their career, as they reached the due bounds
of privacy. She did but realize one's conception of the transparent
truthfulness that will pervade advanced societies of the future, where
the very atmosphere shall be honorable faith.
Nearer and nearer Margaret was approaching a secret throned in her
heart that day; and the preceding transitions were but a prelude of
her orchestra before the entrance of the festal group. Unconsciously
she made these preparations for paying worthy honors to a high
sentiment. She had lately heard of the betrothal of two of her
best-loved friends; and she wished to communicate the graceful story
in a way that should do justice to the facts and to her own feelings.
It was by a spontaneous impulse of her genius, and with no voluntary
foreshaping, that she had grouped the previous tales; but no drama
could have been more artistically constructed than the steps whereby
she led me onward to the denouement; and the look, tone, words,
with which she told it, were fluent with melody as the song of an
improvisatrice.
Scarcely had she finished, when, offering some light refreshment,--as
it was now past noon,--she proposed a walk in the open air. She led
the way to Bussey's wood, her favorite retreat during the past year,
where she had thought and read, or talked with intimate friends. We
climbed the rocky path, resting a moment or two at every pretty point,
till, reaching a moss-cushioned ledge near the summit, she seated
herself. For a time she was silent, entranced in delighted communion
with the exquisite hue of the sky, seen through interlacing boughs
and trembling leaves, and the play of shine and shadow over the wide
landscape. But soon, arousing from her reverie, she took up the thread
of the morning's talk. My part was to listen; for I was absorbed in
contemplating this, to me, quite novel form of character. It has
been seen how my early distaste for Margaret's society was gradually
changed to admiration. Like all her friends, I had passed through an
avenue of sphinxes before reaching the temple. But now it appeared
that thus far I had never been admitted to the adytum.
As, leaning on one arm, she poured out her stream of thought, turning
now and then her eyes full upon me, to see whether I caught her
meaning, there was leisure to study her thoroughly. Her temperament
was predominantly what the physiologists would call nervous-sanguine;
and the gray eye, rich brown hair and light complexion, with the
muscular and well-developed frame, bespoke delicacy balanced by vigor.
Here was a sensitive yet powerful being, fit at once for rapture or
sustained effort, intensely active, prompt for adventure, firm for
trial. She certainly had not beauty; yet the high arched dome of the
head, the changeful expressiveness of every feature, and her whole
air of mingled dignity and impulse, gave her a commanding charm.
Especially characteristic were two physical traits. The first was a
contraction of the eyelids almost to a point,--a trick caught from
near-sightedness,--and then a sudden dilation, till the iris seemed to
emit flashes;--an effect, no doubt, dependent on her highly-magnetized
condition. The second was a singular pliancy of the vertebræ and
muscles of the neck, enabling her by a mere movement to denote each
varying emotion; in moments of tenderness, or pensive feeling, its
curves were swan-like in grace, but when she was scornful or indignant
it contracted, and made swift turns like that of a bird of prey.
Finally, in the animation, yet _abandon_ of Margaret's attitude and
look, were rarely blended the fiery force of northern, and the soft
languor of southern races.
Meantime, as I was thus, through her physiognomy, tracing the outlines
of her spiritual form, she was narrating chapters from the book of
experience. How superficially, heretofore, had I known her! We had met
chiefly as scholars. But now I saw before me one whose whole life
had been a poem,--of boundless aspiration and hope almost wild in its
daring,--of indomitable effort amidst poignant disappointment,--of
widest range, yet persistent unity. Yes! here was a poet in deed, a
true worshipper of Apollo, who had steadfastly striven to brighten and
make glad existence, to harmonize all jarring and discordant strings,
to fuse most hard conditions and cast them in a symmetric mould, to
piece fragmentary fortunes into a mosaic symbol of heavenly order.
Here was one, fond as a child of joy, eager as a native of the tropics
for swift transition from luxurious rest to passionate excitement,
prodigal to pour her mingled force of will, thought, sentiment, into
the life of the moment, all radiant with imagination, longing for
communion with artists of every age in their inspired hours, fitted by
genius and culture to mingle as an equal in the most refined circles
of Europe, and yet her youth and early womanhood had passed away
amid the very decent, yet drudging, descendants of the prim Puritans.
Trained among those who could have discerned her peculiar power, and
early fed with the fruits of beauty for which her spirit pined, she
would have developed into one of the finest lyrists, romancers and
critics, that the modern literary world has seen. This she knew; and
this tantalization of her fate she keenly felt.
But the tragedy of Margaret's history was deeper yet. Behind the poet
was the woman,--the fond and relying, the heroic and disinterested
woman. The very glow of her poetic enthusiasm was but an outflush of
trustful affection; the very restlessness of her intellect was
the confession that her heart had found no home. A "book-worm," "a
dilettante," "a pedant," I had heard her sneeringly called; but now it
was evident that her seeming insensibility was virgin pride, and her
absorption in study the natural vent of emotions, which had met
no object worthy of life-long attachment. At once, many of her
peculiarities became intelligible. Fitfulness, unlooked-for changes of
mood, misconceptions of words and actions, substitution of fancy
for fact,--which had annoyed me during the previous season, as
inconsistent in a person of such capacious judgment and sustained
self-government,--were now referred to the morbid influence of
affections pent up to prey upon themselves. And, what was still more
interesting, the clue was given to a singular credulousness, by
which, in spite of her unusual penetration, Margaret might be led away
blindfold. As this revelation of her ardent nature burst upon me, and
as, rapidly recalling the past, I saw how faithful she had kept to her
high purposes,--how patient, gentle, and thoughtful for others, how
active in self-improvement and usefulness, how wisely dignified she
had been,--I could not but bow to her in reverence.
We walked back to the house amid a rosy sunset, and it was with no
surprise that I heard her complain of an agonizing nervous headache,
which compelled her at once to retire, and call for assistance. As
for myself, while going homeward, I reflected with astonishment on the
unflagging spiritual energy with which, for hour after hour, she
had swept over lands and seas of thought, and, as my own excitement
cooled, I became conscious of exhaustion, as if a week's life had been
concentrated in a day.
The interview, thus hastily sketched, may serve as a fair type of our
usual intercourse. Always I found her open-eyed to beauty, fresh for
wonder, with wings poised for flight, and fanning the coming breeze of
inspiration. Always she seemed to see before her,
"A shape all light, which with one hand did fling
Dew on the earth, as if she were the dawn,
And the invisible rain did ever sing
A silver music on the mossy lawn."
Yet more and more distinctly did I catch a plaintive tone of sorrow
in her thought and speech, like the wail of an Æolian harp heard at
intervals from some upper window. She had never met one who could love
her as she could love; and in the orange-grove of her affections
the white, perfumed blossoms and golden fruit wasted away unclaimed.
Through the mask of slight personal defects and ungraceful manners,
of superficial hauteur and egotism, and occasional extravagance of
sentiment, no equal had recognized the rare beauty of her spirit. She
was yet alone.
Among her papers remains this pathetic petition:--
'I am weary of thinking. I suffer great fatigue from living.
Oh God, take me! take me wholly! Thou knowest that I love none
but Thee. All this beautiful poesy of my being lies in Thee.
Deeply I feel it. I ask nothing. Each desire, each passionate
feeling, is on the surface only; inmostly Thou keepest me
strong and pure. Yet always to be thus going out into moments,
into nature, and love, and thought! Father, I am weary!
Reassume me for a while, I pray Thee. Oh let me rest awhile in
Thee, Thou only Love! In the depth of my prayer I suffer much.
Take me only awhile. No fellow-being will receive me. I cannot
pause; they will not detain me by their love. Take me awhile,
and again I will go forth on a renewed service. It is not that
I repine, my Father, but I sink from want of rest, and none
will shelter me. Thou knowest it all. Bathe me in the living
waters of Thy Love.'
VII.
THE FRIEND.
* * * * *
Yet, conscious as she was of an unfulfilled destiny, and of an
undeveloped being, Margaret was no pining sentimentalist. The gums
oozing from wounded boughs she burned as incense in her oratory; but
in outward relations she was munificent with sympathy.
'Let me be, Theodora, a bearer of heavenly gifts to my
fellows,'
is written in her journals, and her life fulfilled the aspiration.
The more one observed her, the more surprising appeared the variety,
earnestness, and constancy of her friendships. Far and wide reached
her wires of communication, and incessant was the interchange of
messages of good-will. She was never so preoccupied and absorbed as
to deny a claimant for her affectionate interest; she never turned
her visitors back upon themselves, mortified and vexed at being
misunderstood. With delicate justice she appreciated the special
form, force, tendency of utterly dissimilar characters and her heart
responded to every appeal alike of humblest suffering or loftiest
endeavor. In the plain, yet eloquent phrase of the backwoodsman, "the
string of her door-latch was always out," and every wayfarer was free
to share the shelter of her roof, or a seat beside her hearth-stone.
Or, rather, it might be said, in symbol of her wealth of spirit, her
palace, with its galleries of art, its libraries and festal-halls,
welcomed all guests who could enjoy and use them.
She was, indeed, The Friend. This was her vocation. She bore at her
girdle a golden key to unlock all caskets of confidence. Into
whatever home she entered she brought a benediction of truth, justice,
tolerance, and honor; and to every one who sought her to confess, or
seek counsel, she spoke the needed word of stern yet benignant wisdom.
To how many was the forming of her acquaintance an era of renovation,
of awakening from sloth, indulgence or despair, to heroic mastery of
fate, of inward serenity and strength, of new-birth to real self-hood,
of catholic sympathies, of energy consecrated to the Supreme Good.
Thus writes to her one who stands among the foremost in his own
department: "What I am I owe, in large measure, to the stimulus you
imparted. You roused my heart with high hopes; you raised my aims from
paltry and vain pursuits to those which tasked and fed the soul;
you inspired me with a great ambition, and made me see the worth
and meaning of life; you awakened in me confidence in my own powers,
showed me my special and distinct ability, and quickened my individual
consciousness by intelligent sympathy with tendencies and feelings
which I but half understood; you gave me to myself. This is a most
benign influence to exercise, and for it, above all other benefits,
gratitude is due. Therefore have you an inexhaustible bank of
gratitude to draw from. Bless God that he has allotted to you such a
ministry."
The following extracts from her letters will show how profusely
Margaret poured out her treasures upon her friends; but they reveal,
too, the painful processes of alchemy whereby she transmuted her lead
into gold.
'Your idea of friendship apparently does not include
intellectual intimacy, as mine does, but consists of mutual
esteem and spiritual encouragement. This is the thought
represented, on antique gems and bas-reliefs, of the meeting
between God and Goddess, I find; for they rather offer one
another the full flower of being, than grow together. As in
the figures before me, Jupiter, king of Gods and men, meets
Juno, the sister and queen, not as a chivalric suppliant, but
as a stately claimant; and she, crowned, pure, majestic, holds
the veil aside to reveal herself to her august spouse.'
* * * * *
'How variously friendship is represented in literature!
Sometimes the two friends kindle beacons from afar to apprize
one another that they are constant, vigilant, and each
content in his several home. Sometimes, two pilgrims, they go
different routes in service of the same saint, and remember
one another as they give alms, learn wisdom, or pray in
shrines along the road. Sometimes, two knights, they bid
farewell with mailed hand of truth and honor all unstained,
as they ride forth on their chosen path to test the spirit of
high emprise, and free the world from wrong,--to meet again
for unexpected succor in the hour of peril, or in joyful
surprise to share a frugal banquet on the plat of greensward
opening from forest glades. Sometimes, proprietors of two
neighboring estates, they have interviews in the evening to
communicate their experiments and plans, or to study together
the stars from an observatory; if either is engaged he simply
declares it; they share enjoyments cordially; they exchange
praise or blame frankly; in citizen-like good-fellowship they
impart their gains.
'All these views of friendship are noble and beautiful, yet
they are not enough for our manifold nature. Friends should
be our incentives to Right, yet not only our guiding, but our
prophetic stars. To love by sight is much, to love by faith
is more; together they make up the entire love, without which
heart, mind, and soul cannot be alike satisfied. Friends
should love not merely for the absolute worth of each to the
other, but on account of a mutual fitness of character. They
are not merely one another's priests or gods, but ministering
angels, exercising in their part the same function as the
Great Soul does in the whole,--of seeing the perfect through
the imperfect, nay, creating it there. Why am I to love my
friend the less for any obstruction in his life? Is not that
the very time for me to love most tenderly, when I must see
his life in despite of seeming? When he shows it to me I can
only admire; I do not give myself, I am taken captive.
'But how shall I express my meaning? Perhaps I can do so from
the tales of chivalry, where I find what corresponds far more
thoroughly with my nature, than in these stoical statements.
The friend of Amadis expects to hear prodigies of valor of
the absent Preux, but if he be mutilated in one of his first
battles, shall he be mistrusted by the brother of his soul,
more than if he had been tested in a hundred? If Britomart
finds Artegall bound in the enchanter's spell, can she
doubt therefore him whom she has seen in the magic glass? A
Britomart does battle in his cause, and frees him from the
evil power, while a dame of less nobleness might sit and watch
the enchanted sleep, weeping night and day, or spur on her
white palfrey to find some one more helpful than herself.
These friends in chivalry are always faithful through the dark
hours to the bright. The Douglas motto, "tender and true,"
seems to me most worthy of the strongest breast. To borrow
again from Spencer, I am entirely satisfied with the fate of
the three brothers. I could not die while there was yet life
in my brother's breast. I would return from the shades and
nerve him with twofold life for the fight. I could do it, for
our hearts beat with one blood. Do you not see the truth and
happiness of this waiting tenderness? The verse--
"Have I a lover
Who is noble and free,
I would he were nobler
Than to love me,"--
does not come home to my heart, though _this_ does:--
"I could not love thee, sweet, so much,
Loved I not honor more."
* * * '_October 10th, 1840._--I felt singular pleasure in
seeing you quote Hood's lines on "Melancholy." I thought
nobody knew and loved his serious poems except myself, and
two or three others, to whom I imparted them.[A] Do you like,
also, the ode to Autumn, and--
"Sigh on, sad heart, for love's eclipse"?
It was a beautiful time when I first read these poems. I was
staying in Hallowell, Maine, and could find no books that I
liked, except Hood's poems. You know how the town is built,
like a terraced garden on the river's bank; I used to go every
afternoon to the granite quarry which crowns these terraces,
and read till the sunset came casting its last glory on the
opposite bank. They were such afternoons as those in September
and October, clear, soft, and radiant. Nature held nothing
back. 'Tis many years since, and I have never again seen the
Kennebec, but remember it as a stream of noble character. It
was the first river I ever sailed up, realizing all which that
emblem discloses of life. Greater still would the charm have
been to sail downward along an unknown stream, seeking not a
home, but a ship upon the ocean.'
* * * * *
'_Newbury, Oct. 18, 1840._--It rained, and the day was pale
and sorrowful, the thick-fallen leaves even shrouded the
river. We went out in the boat, and sat under the bridge. The
pallid silence, the constant fall of the rain and leaves, were
most soothing, life had been for many weeks so crowded with
thought and feeling, pain and pleasure, rapture and care.
Nature seemed gently to fold us in her matron's mantle. On
such days the fall of the leaf does not bring sadness, only
meditation. Earth seemed to loose the record of past summer
hours from her permanent life, as lightly, and spontaneously,
as the great genius casts behind him a literature,--the
Odyssey he has outgrown. In the evening the rain ceased, the
west wind came, and we went out in the boat again for some
hours; indeed, we staid till the last clouds passed from the
moon. Then we climbed the hill to see the full light in solemn
sweetness over fields, and trees, and river.
'I never enjoyed anything more in its way than the three
days alone with ---- in her boat, upon the little river.
Not without reason was it that Goethe limits the days of
intercourse to _three_, in the Wanderjahre. If you have lived
so long in uninterrupted communion with any noble being, and
with nature, a remembrance of man's limitations seems to call
on Polycrates to cast forth his ring. She seemed the very
genius of the scene, so calm, so lofty, and so secluded. I
never saw any place that seemed to me so much like home. The
beauty, though so great, is so unobtrusive.
'As we glided along the river, I could frame my community far
more naturally and rationally than ----. A few friends should
settle upon the banks of a stream like this, planting their
homesteads. Some should be farmers, some woodmen, others
bakers, millers, &c. By land, they should carry to one another
the commodities; on the river they should meet for society. At
sunset many, of course, would be out in their boats, but they
would love the hour too much ever to disturb one another. I
saw the spot where we should discuss the high mysteries that
Milton speaks of. Also, I saw the spot where I would invite
select friends to live through the noon of night, in silent
communion. When we wished to have merely playful chat, or talk
on politics or social reform, we would gather in the mill, and
arrange those affairs while grinding the corn. What a happy
place for children to grow up in! Would it not suit little
---- to go to school to the cardinal flowers in her boat,
beneath the great oak-tree? I think she would learn more than
in a phalanx of juvenile florists. But, truly, why has such a
thing never been? One of these valleys so immediately suggests
an image of the fair company that might fill it, and live so
easily, so naturally, so wisely. Can we not people the banks
of some such affectionate little stream? I distrust ambitious
plans, such as Phalansterian organizations!
'---- is quite bent on trying his experiment. I hope he may
succeed; but as they were talking the other evening, I
thought of the river, and all the pretty symbols the tide-mill
presents, and felt if I could at all adjust the economics to
the more simple procedure, I would far rather be the miller,
hoping to attract by natural affinity some congenial baker,
"und so weiter." However, one thing seems sure, that many
persons will soon, somehow, somewhere, throw off a part, at
least, of these terrible weights of the social contract, and
see if they cannot lie more at ease in the lap of Nature. I
do not feel the same interest in these plans, as if I had a
firmer hold on life, but I listen with much pleasure to the
good suggestions.'
* * * * *
'_Oct. 19th, 1840._ ---- was here. Generally I go out of
the room when he comes, for his great excitability makes
me nervous, and his fondness for detail is wearisome. But
to-night I was too much fatigued to do anything else, and
did not like to leave mother; so I lay on the sofa while she
talked with him.
'My mind often wandered, yet ever and anon, as I listened
again to him, I was struck with admiration at the
compensations of Nature. Here is a man, isolated from his
kind beyond any I know, of an ambitious temper and without an
object of tender affections and without a love or a friend. I
don't suppose any mortal, unless it be his aged mother, cares
more for him than we do,--scarce any value him so much. The
disease, which has left him, in the eyes of men, a scathed and
blighted tree, has driven him back to Nature, and she has not
refused him sympathy. I was surprised by the refinement of
his observations on the animals, his pets. He has carried
his intercourse with them to a degree of perfection we rarely
attain with our human friends. There is no misunderstanding
between him and his dogs and birds; and how rich has been the
acquaintance in suggestion! Then the flowers! I liked to
hear him, for he recorded all their pretty ways,--not like a
botanist, but a lover. His interview with the Magnolia of Lake
Pontchartrain was most romantic. And what he said of the
Yuca seems to me so pretty, that I will write it down, though
somewhat more concisely than he told it:--
'"I had kept these plants of the Yuca Filamentosa six or seven
years, though they had never bloomed. I knew nothing of them,
and had no notion of what feelings they would excite. Last
June I found in bud the one which had the most favorable
exposure. A week or two after, another, which was more in the
shade, put out flower-buds, and I thought I should be able to
watch them, one after the other; but, no! the one which was
most favored waited for the other, and both flowered together
at the full of the moon. This struck me as very singular, but
as soon as I saw the flower by moonlight I understood it. This
flower is made for the moon, as the Heliotrope is for the sun,
and refuses other influences or to display her beauty in any
other light.
'"The first night I saw it in flower, I was conscious of a
peculiar delight, I may even say rapture. Many white flowers
are far more beautiful by day; the lily, for instance, with
its firm, thick leaf, needs the broadest light to manifest its
purity. But these transparent leaves of greenish white, which
look dull in the day, are melted by the moon to glistening
silver. And not only does the plant not appear in its destined
hue by day, but the flower, though, as bell-shaped, it cannot
quite close again after having once expanded, yet presses its
petals together as closely as it can, hangs down its little
blossoms, and its tall stalk seems at noon to have reared
itself only to betray a shabby insignificance. Thus, too,
with the leaves, which have burst asunder suddenly like the
fan-palm to make way for the stalk,--their edges in the day
time look ragged and unfinished, as if nature had left them
in a hurry for some more pleasing task. On the day after
the evening when I had thought it so beautiful, I could not
conceive how I had made such a mistake.
'"But the second evening I went out into the garden again. In
clearest moonlight stood my flower, more beautiful than ever.
The stalk pierced the air like a spear, all the little bells
had erected themselves around it in most graceful array, with
petals more transparent than silver, and of softer light
than the diamond. Their edges were clearly, but not sharply
defined. They seemed to have been made by the moon's rays. The
leaves, which had looked ragged by day, now seemed fringed by
most delicate gossamer, and the plant might claim with pride
its distinctive epithet of Filamentosa. I looked at it till
my feelings became so strong that I longed to share it. The
thought which filled my mind was that here we saw the type of
pure feminine beauty in the moon's own flower. I have since
had further opportunity of watching the Yuca, and verified
these observations, that she will not flower till the full
moon, and chooses to hide her beauty from the eye of day."
'Might not this be made into a true poem, if written out
merely as history of the plant, and no observer introduced?
How finely it harmonizes with all legends of Isis, Diana, &c.!
It is what I tried to say in the sonnet,--
Woman's heaven,
Where palest lights a silvery sheen diffuse.
'In tracing these correspondences, one really does take hold
of a Truth, of a Divine Thought.' * *
* * * * *
'_October 25th, 1840._--This week I have not read any book,
nor once walked in the woods and fields. I meant to give its
days to setting outward things in order, and its evenings to
writing. But, I know not how it is, I can never simplify my
life; always so many ties, so many claims! However, soon the
winter winds will chant matins and vespers, which may make my
house a cell, and in a snowy veil enfold me for my prayer.
If I cannot dedicate myself this time, I will not expect it
again. Surely it should be! These Carnival masks have crowded
on me long enough, and Lent must be at hand. * *
'---- and ---- have been writing me letters, to answer which
required all the time and thought I could give for a day or
two. ----'s were of joyful recognition, and so beautiful I
would give much to show them to you. ----'s have singularly
affected me. They are noble, wise, of most unfriendly
friendliness. I don't know why it is, I always seem to myself
to have gone so much further with a friend than I really have.
Just as at Newport I thought ---- met me, when he did not, and
sang a joyful song which found no echo, so here ---- asks me
questions which I thought had been answered in the first days
of our acquaintance, and coldly enumerates all the charming
qualities which make it impossible for him to part with me!
He scolds me, though in the sweetest and solemnest way. I will
not quote his words, though their beauty tempts me, for they
do not apply, they do not touch ME.
'Why is it that the religion of my nature is so much hidden
from my peers? why do they question me, who never question
them? why persist to regard as a meteor an orb of assured
hope? Can no soul know me wholly? shall I never know the deep
delight of gratitude to any but the All-Knowing? I shall
wait for ---- very peaceably, in reverent love as ever; but I
cannot see why he should not have the pleasure of knowing now
a friend, who has been "so tender and true."'
* * * * *
'---- was here, and spent twenty-four hours in telling me a
tale of deepest tragedy. Its sad changes should be written out
in Godwin's best manner: such are the themes he loved, as did
also Rousseau. Through all the dark shadows shone a pure
white ray, one high, spiritual character, a man, too, and of
advanced age. I begin to respect men more,--I mean actual men.
What men may be, I know; but the men of to-day have seemed to
me of such coarse fibre, or else such poor wan shadows!
'---- had scarcely gone, when ---- came and wished to spend
a few hours with me. I was totally exhausted, but I lay down,
and she sat beside me, and poured out all her noble feelings
and bright fancies. There was little light in the room, and
she gleamed like a cloud
--"of pearl and opal,"
and reminded me more than ever of
--"the light-haired Lombardess
Singing a song of her own native land,"
to the dying Correggio, beside the fountain.
'I am astonished to see how much Bettine's book is to all
these people. This shows how little courage they have had to
live out themselves. She really brings them a revelation. The
men wish they had been loved by Bettine; the girls wish to
write down the thoughts that come, and see if just such a book
does not grow up. ----, however, was one of the few who do not
over-estimate her; she truly thought Bettine only publishes
what many burn. Would not genius be common as light, if men
trusted their higher selves?'
* * * * *
'I heard in town that ---- is a father, and has gone to see
his child. This news made me more grave even than such news
usually does; I suppose because I have known the growth of
his character so intimately. I called to mind a letter he had
written me of what we had expected of our fathers. The ideal
father, the profoundly wise, provident, divinely tender and
benign, he is indeed the God of the human heart. How solemn
this moment of being called to prepare the way, to _make way_
for another generation! What fulfilment does it claim in
the character of a man, that he should be worthy to be a
father!--what purity of motive, what dignity, what knowledge!
When I recollect how deep the anguish, how deeper still the
want, with which I walked alone in hours of childish passion,
and called for a Father, often saying the word a hundred
times, till stifled by sobs, how great seems the duty that
name imposes! Were but the harmony preserved throughout! Could
the child keep learning his earthly, as he does his heavenly
Father, from all best experience of life, till at last it were
the climax: "I am the Father. Have ye seen me?--ye have seen
the Father." But how many sons have we to make one father?
Surely, to spirits, not only purified but perfected, this
must appear the climax of earthly being,--a wise and worthy
parentage. Here I always sympathize with Mr. Alcott. He views
the relation truly.'
* * * * *
'_Dec. 3, 1840._ ---- bids me regard her "as a sick child;"
and the words recall some of the sweetest hours of existence.
My brother Edward was born on my birth-day, and they said he
should be my child. But he sickened and died just as the bud
of his existence showed its first bright hues. He was some
weeks wasting away, and I took care of him always half the
night. He was a beautiful child, and became very dear to me
then. Still in lonely woods the upturned violets show me the
pleading softness of his large blue eyes, in those hours when
I would have given worlds to prevent his suffering, and
could not. I used to carry him about in my arms for hours; it
soothed him, and I loved to feel his gentle weight of helpless
purity upon my heart, while night listened around. At last,
when death came, and the soul took wing like an overtasked
bird from his sweet form, I felt what I feel now. Might I free
----, as that angel freed him!
'In daily life I could never hope to be an unfailing fountain
of energy and bounteous love. My health is frail; my earthly
life is shrunk to a scanty rill; I am little better than an
aspiration, which the ages will reward, by empowering me to
incessant acts of vigorous beauty. But now it is well with me
to be with those who do not suffer overmuch to have me suffer.
It is best for me to serve where I can better bear to fall
short. I could visit ---- more nobly than in daily life,
through the soul of our souls. When she named me her
Priestess, that name made me perfectly happy. Long has been my
consecration; may I not meet those I hold dear at the altar?
How would I pile up the votive offerings, and crowd the fires
with incense? Life might be full and fair; for, in my own way,
I could live for my friends.' * *
* * * * *
'_Dec. 8th, 1840._--My book of amusement has been the Evenings
of St. Petersburg. I do not find the praises bestowed on it at
all exaggerated. Yet De Maistre is too logical for me. I only
catch a thought here and there along the page. There is a
grandeur even in the subtlety of his mind. He walks with
a step so still, that, but for his dignity, it would be
stealthy, yet with brow erect and wide, eye grave and deep. He
is a man such as I have never known before.' * *
'I went to see Mrs. Wood in the Somnambula. Nothing could
spoil this opera, which expresses an ecstasy, a trance of
feeling, better than anything I ever heard. I have loved every
melody in it for years, and it was happiness to listen to
the exquisite modulations as they flowed out of one another,
endless ripples on a river deep, wide and strewed with
blossoms. I never have known any one more to be loved than
Bellini. No wonder the Italians make pilgrimages to his grave.
In him thought and feeling flow always in one tide; he never
divides himself. He is as melancholy as he is sweet; yet his
melancholy is not impassioned, but purely tender.'
* * * * *
'_Dec. 15, 1840._--I have not time to write out as I should
this sweet story of Melissa, but here is the outline:--
'More than four years ago she received an injury, which caused
her great pain in the spine, and went to the next country
town to get medical advice. She stopped at the house of a poor
blacksmith, an acquaintance only, and has never since been
able to be moved. Her mother and sister come by turns to take
care of her. She cannot help herself in any way, but is as
completely dependent as an infant. The blacksmith and his
wife gave her the best room in their house, have ever since
ministered to her as to a child of their own, and, when people
pity them for having to bear such a burthen, they say, "It is
none, but a blessing."
'Melissa suffers all the time, and great pain. She cannot
amuse or employ herself in any way, and all these years has
been as dependent on others for new thoughts, as for daily
cares. Yet her mind has deepened, and her character refined,
under those stern teachers, Pain and Gratitude, till she has
become the patron saint of the village, and the muse of
the village school-mistress. She has a peculiar aversion to
egotism, and could not bear to have her mother enlarge upon
her sufferings.
'"Perhaps it will pain the lady to hear that," said the mild,
religious sufferer, who had borne all without a complaint.
"Whom the Lord loveth he chasteneth." The poor are the
generous: the injured, the patient and loving.
All that ---- said of this girl was in perfect harmony with
what De Maistre says of the saint of St. Petersburg, who,
almost devoured by cancer, when, asked, "Quelle est la
premiere grace que vous demanderez a Dieu, ma chére enfant,
lorsque vous serez devant lui?" she replied, "Je lui
demanderai pour mes bienfaiteurs la grace de Paimer autant que
je l'aime."
'When they were lamenting for her, "Je ne suis pas, dit elle,
aussi malheureuse que vous le croyez; Dieu me fait la grace de
ne peuser, qu'a lui."' * *
'Next of Edith. Tall, gaunt, hard-favored was this candidate
for the American calendar; but Bonilacia might be her name.
From her earliest years she had valued all she knew, only as
she was to teach it again. Her highest ambition was to be the
school-mistress; her recreation to dress the little ragged
things, and take care of them out of school hours. She had
some taste for nursing the grown-up, but this was quite
subordinate to her care of the buds of the forest. Pure,
perfectly beneficent, lived Edith, and never thought of any
thing or person, but for its own sake. When she had attained
midway the hill of life, she happened to be boarding in the
house with a young farmer, who was lost in admiration of her
lore. How he wished he, too, could read! "What, can't you
read? O, let me teach you!"--"You never can; I was too
thick-skulled to learn even at school. I am sure I never
could now." But Edith was not to be daunted by any fancies
of incapacity, and set to work with utmost zeal to teach this
great grown man the primer. She succeeded, and won his heart
thereby. He wished to requite the raising him from the night
of ignorance, as Howard and Nicholas Poussin did the kind ones
who raised them from the night of the tomb, by the gift of his
hand. Edith consented, on condition that she might still keep
school. So he had his sister come to "keep things straight."
Edith and he go out in the morning,--he to his field, she to
her school, and meet again at eventide, to talk, and plan and,
I hope, to read also.
'The first use Edith made of her accession of property
through her wedded estate, was to give away all she thought
superfluous to a poor family she had long pitied, and
to invite a poor sick woman to her "spare chamber."
Notwithstanding a course like this, her husband has grown
rich, and proves that the pattern of the widow's cruse was not
lost in Jewry.
'Edith has become the Natalia of the village, as is Melissa
its "Schöne Seele."'
* * * * *
'_Dec., 22, 1840._--"Community" seems dwindling to a point,
and I fancy the best use of the plan, as projected thus far,
will prove the good talks it has caused here, upon principles.
I feel and find great want of wisdom in myself and the others.
We are not ripe to reconstruct society yet. O Christopher
Columbus! how art thou to be admired, when we see how other
men go to work with their lesser enterprises! ---- knows
deepest what he wants, but not well how to get it. ---- has a
better perception of means, and less insight as to principles;
but this movement has done him a world of good. All should
say, however, that they consider this plan as a mere
experiment, and are willing to fail. I tell them that they are
not ready till they can say that. ---- says he can bear to be
treated unjustly by all concerned,--which is much. He is too
sanguine, as it appears to me, but his aim is worthy, and,
with his courage and clear intellect, his experiment will not,
at least to him, be a failure.'
* * * * *
'_Feb. 19, 1841._--Have I never yet seen so much as _one_ of
my spiritual family? The other night they sat round me, so
many who have thought they loved, or who begin to love me.
I felt myself kindling the same fire in all their souls.
I looked on each, and no eye repelled me. Yet there was no
warmth for me on all those altars. Their natures seemed deep,
yet there was 'not one from which I could draw the living
fountain. I could only cheat the hour with them, prize,
admire, and pity. It was sad; yet who would have seen sadness
in me? * *
'Once I was almost all intellect; now I am almost all feeling.
Nature vindicates her rights, and I feel all Italy glowing
beneath the Saxon crust. This cannot last long; I shall burn
to ashes if all this smoulders here much longer. I must die if
I do not burst forth in genius or heroism.
'I meant to have translated the best passages of "Die
Gunderode,"--which I prefer to Bettine's correspondence with
Goethe. The two girls are equal natures, and both in earnest.
Goethe made a puppet-show, for his private entertainment,
of Bettine's life, and we wonder she did not feel he was not
worthy of her homage. Gunderode is to me dear and admirable,
Bettine only interesting. Gunderode is of religious grace,
Bettine the fulness of instinctive impulse; Gunderode is the
ideal, Bettine nature; Gunderode throws herself into the river
because the world is all too narrow, Bettine lives and
follows out every freakish fancy, till the enchanting child
degenerates into an eccentric and undignified old woman. There
is a medium somewhere. Philip Sidney found it; others had it
found for them by fate.'
* * * * *
'_March_ 29. 1841.--* * Others have looked at society with far
deeper consideration than I. I have felt so unrelated to this
sphere, that it has not been hard for me to be true. Also, I
do not believe in Society. I feel that every man must struggle
with these enormous ills, in some way, in every age; in that
of Moses, or Plato, or Angelo, as in our own. So it has not
moved me much to see my time so corrupt, but it would if I
were in a false position.
'---- went out to his farm yesterday, full of cheer, as
one who doeth a deed with sincere good will. He has shown
a steadfastness and earnestness of purpose most grateful to
behold. I do not know what their scheme will ripen to; at
present it does not deeply engage my hopes. It is thus far
only a little better way than others. I doubt if they will get
free from all they deprecate in society.'
* * * * *
'_Paradise Farm, Newport, July, 1841._--Here are no deep
forests, no stern mountains, nor narrow, sacred valleys; but
the little white farm-house looks down from its gentle
slope on the boundless sea, and beneath the moon, beyond the
glistening corn-fields, is heard the endless surge. All
around the house is most gentle and friendly, with many
common flowers, that seem to have planted themselves, and
the domestic honey-suckle carefully trained over the little
window. Around are all the common farm-house sounds,--the
poultry making a pleasant recitative between the carols of
singing birds; even geese and turkeys are not inharmonious
when modulated by the diapasons of the beach. The orchard of
very old apple-trees, whose twisted forms tell of the glorious
winds that have here held revelry, protects a little homely
garden, such as gives to me an indescribable refreshment,
where the undivided vegetable plots and flourishing young
fruit-trees, mingling carelessly, seem as if man had dropt the
seeds just where he wanted the plants, and they had sprung up
at once. The family, too, look, at first glance, well-suited
to the place,--homely, kindly, unoppressed, of honest pride
and mutual love, not unworthy to look out upon the far-shining
sea.
'Many, many sweet little things would I tell you, only they
are so very little. I feel just now as if I could live and die
here. I am out in the open air all the time, except about two
hours in the early morning. And now the moon is fairly gone
late in the evening. While she was here, we staid out, too.
Everything seems sweet here, so homely, so kindly; the old
people chatting so contentedly, the young men and girls
laughing together in the fields,--not vulgarly, but in the
true kinsfolk way,--little children singing in the house and
beneath the berry-bushes. The never-ceasing break of the
surf is a continual symphony, calming the spirits which this
delicious air might else exalt too much. Everything on the
beach becomes a picture; the casting the seine, the ploughing
the deep for seaweed. This, when they do it with horses, is
prettiest of all; but when you see the oxen in the surf, you
lose all faith in the story of Europa, as the gay waves tumble
in on their lazy sides. The bull would be a fine object on the
shore, but not, not in the water. Nothing short of a dolphin
will do! Late to-night, from the highest Paradise rocks,
seeing ---- wandering, and the horsemen careering on the
beach, so spectrally passing into nature, amid the pale,
brooding twilight, I almost thought myself in the land of
souls!
'But in the morning it is life, all cordial and common. This
half-fisherman, half-farmer life seems very favorable to
manliness. I like to talk with the fishermen; they are not
boorish, not limited, but keen-eyed, and of a certain rude
gentleness. Two or three days ago I saw the sweetest picture.
There is a very tall rock, one of the natural pulpits, at one
end of the beach. As I approached, I beheld a young fisherman
with his little girl; he had nestled her into a hollow of the
rock, and was standing before her, with his arms round her,
and looking up in her face. Never was anything so pretty. I
stood and stared, country fashion; and presently he scrambled
up to the very top with her in his arms. She screamed a little
as they went, but when they were fairly up on the crest of the
rock, she chuckled, and stretched her tiny hand over his neck,
to go still further. Yet, when she found he did not wish it,
she leaned against his shoulder, and he sat, feeling himself
in the child like that exquisite Madonna, and looking out over
the great sea. Surely, the "kindred points of heaven and home"
were known in his breast, whatever guise they might assume.
'The sea is not always lovely and bounteous, though generally,
since we have been here, she has beamed her bluest. The night
of the full moon we staid out on the far rocks. The afternoon
was fair: the sun set nobly, wrapped in a violet mantle,
which he left to the moon, in parting. She not only rose red,
lowering, and of impatient attitude, but kept hiding her head
all the evening with an angry, struggling movement. ----
said, "This is not Dian;" and I replied, "No; now we see the
Hecate." But the damp, cold wind came sobbing, and the waves
began wailing, too, till I was seized with a feeling of
terror, such as I never had before, even in the darkest, and
most treacherous, rustling wood. The moon seemed sternly to
give me up to the dæmons of the rock, and the waves to mourn
a tragic chorus, till I felt their cold grasp. I suffered
so much, that I feared we should never get home without some
fatal catastrophe. Never was I more relieved than when, as we
came up the hill, the moon suddenly shone forth. It was ten
o'clock, and here every human sound is hushed, and lamp put
out at that hour. How tenderly the grapes and tall corn-ears
glistened and nodded! and the trees stretched out their
friendly arms, and the scent of every humblest herb was like a
word of love. The waves, also, at that moment put on a silvery
gleam, and looked most soft and regretful. That was a real
voice from nature.'
* * * * *
'_February_, 1842.--I am deeply sad at the loss of little
Waldo, from whom I hoped more than from almost any living
being. I cannot yet reconcile myself to the thought that the
sun shines upon the grave of the beautiful blue-eyed boy, and
I shall see him no more.
'Five years he was an angel to us, and I know not that any
person was ever more the theme of thought to me. As I walk the
streets they swarm with apparently worthless lives, and the
question will rise, why he, why just he, who "bore within
himself the golden future," must be torn away? His father
will meet him again; but to me he seems lost, and yet that is
weakness. I _must_ meet that which he represented, since I
so truly loved it. He was the only child I ever saw, that I
sometimes wished I could have called mine.
'I loved him more than any child I ever knew, as he was of
nature more fair and noble. You would be surprised to know how
dear he was to my imagination. I saw him but little, and it
was well; for it is unwise to bind the heart where there is
no claim. But it is all gone, and is another of the lessons
brought by each year, that we are to expect suggestions only,
and not fulfilments, from each form of beauty, and to regard
them merely as Angels of The Beauty.'
* * * * *
'_June, 1842._--Why must children be with perfect people, any
more than people wait to be perfect to be friends? The secret
is,--is it not?--for parents to feel and be willing their
children should know that they are but little older than
themselves: only a class above, and able to give them some
help in learning their lesson. Then parent and child keep
growing together, in the same house. Let them blunder as we
blundered. God is patient for us; why should not we be for
them? Aspiration teaches always, and God leads, by inches. A
perfect being would hurt a child no less than an imperfect.'
* * * * *
'It always makes my annoyances seem light, to be riding about
to visit these fine houses. Not that I am intolerant towards
the rich, but I cannot help feeling at such times how much
characters require the discipline of difficult circumstances.
To say nothing of the need the soul has of a peace and courage
that cannot be disturbed, even as to the intellect, how can
one be sure of not sitting down in the midst of indulgence to
pamper tastes alone, and how easy to cheat one's self with the
fancy that a little easy reading or writing is quite work.
I am safer; I do not sleep on roses. I smile to myself, when
with these friends, at their care of me. I let them do as they
will, for I know it will not last long enough to spoil me.'
* * * * *
'I take great pleasure in talking with Aunt Mary.[B] Her
strong and simple nature checks not, falters not. Her
experience is entirely unlike mine, as, indeed, is that of
most others whom I know. No rapture, no subtle process, no
slow fermentation in the unknown depths, but a rill struck out
from the rock, clear and cool in all its course, the still,
small voice. She says the guide of her life has shown itself
rather as a restraining, than an impelling principle. I like
her life, too, as far as I see it; it is dignified and true.'
* * * * *
'_Cambridge, July_, 1842.--A letter at Providence would have
been like manna in the wilderness. I came into the very midst
of the fuss,[C] and, tedious as it was at the time, I am glad
to have seen it. I shall in future be able to believe real,
what I have read with a dim disbelief of such times and
tendencies. There is, indeed, little good, little cheer, in
what I have seen: a city full of grown-up people as wild, as
mischief-seeking, as full of prejudice, careless slander,
and exaggeration, as a herd of boys in the play-ground of the
worst boarding-school. Women whom I have seen, as the
domestic cat, gentle, graceful, cajoling, suddenly showing
the disposition, if not the force, of the tigress. I thought I
appreciated the monstrous growths of rumor before, but I
never did. The Latin poet, though used to a court, has faintly
described what I saw and heard often, in going the length of
a street. It is astonishing what force, purity and wisdom it
requires for a human being to keep clear of falsehoods. These
absurdities, of course, are linked with good qualities,
with energy of feeling, and with a love of morality, though
narrowed and vulgarized by the absence of the intelligence
which should enlighten. I had the good discipline of trying
to make allowance for those making none, to be charitable
to their want of charity, and cool without being cold. But
I don't know when I have felt such an aversion to my
environment, and prayed so earnestly day by day,--"O, Eternal!
purge from my inmost heart this hot haste about ephemeral
trifles," and "keep back thy servant from presumptuous sins;
let them not have dominion over me."
'What a change from the almost vestal quiet of "Aunt Mary's"
life, to all this open-windowed, open-eyed screaming of
"poltroon," "nefarious plan," "entire depravity," &c. &c.'
* * * * *
_'July, 1842. Boston_.--I have been entertaining the girls
here with my old experiences at Groton. They have been very
fresh in my mind this week. Had I but been as wise in such
matters then as now, how easy and fair I might have made the
whole! Too late, too late to live, but not too late to think!
And as that maxim of the wise Oriental teaches, "the Acts of
this life shall be the Fate of the next."'
* * * 'I would have my friends tender of me, not because I am
frail, but because I am capable of strength;--patient, because
they see in me a principle that must, at last, harmonize all
the exuberance of my character. I did not well understand what
you felt, but I am willing to admit that what you said of my
"over-great impetuosity" is just. You will, perhaps, feel it
more and more. It may at times hide my better self. When it
does, speak, I entreat, as harshly as you feel. Let me be
always sure I know the worst I believe you will be thus just,
thus true, for we are both servants of Truth.'
* * * * *
'_August, 1842. Cambridge._--Few have eyes for the pretty
little features of a scene. In this, men are not so good
as boys. Artists are always thus young; poets are; but the
pilgrim does not lay aside his belt of steel, nor the merchant
his pack, to worship the flowers on the fountain's brink. I
feel, like Herbert, the weight of "business to be done," but
the bird-like particle would skim and sing at these sweet
places. It seems strange to leave them; and that we do so,
while so fitted to live deeply in them, shows that beauty is
the end but not the means.
'I have just been reading the new poems of Tennyson. Much has
he thought, much suffered, since the first ecstasy of so fine
an organization clothed all the world with rosy light. He has
not suffered himself to become a mere intellectual voluptuary,
nor the songster of fancy and passion, but has earnestly
revolved the problems of life, and his conclusions are calmly
noble. In these later verses is a still, deep sweetness;
how different from the intoxicating, sensuous melody of his
earlier cadence! I have loved him much this time, and taken
him to heart as a brother. One of his themes has long been
my favorite,--the last expedition of Ulysses,--and his, like
mine, is the Ulysses of the Odyssey, with his deep romance of
wisdom, and not the worldling of the Iliad. How finely marked
his slight description of himself and of Telemachus. In Dora,
Locksley Hall, the Two Voices, Morte D'Arthur, I find my own
life, much of it, written truly out.'
* * * * *
_Concord, August 25. 1842._--Beneath this roof of peace,
beneficence, and intellectual activity, I find just the
alternation of repose and satisfying pleasure that I need. * *
*
'Do not find fault with the hermits and scholars. The true text
is:--
"Mine own Telemachus
He does his work--I mine."
'All do the work, whether they will or no; but he is "mine
own Telemachus" who does it in the spirit of religion, never
believing that the last results can be arrested in any one
measure or set of measures, listening always to the voice of
the Spirit,--and who does this more than ----?
'After the first excitement of intimacy with him,--when I
was made so happy by his high tendency, absolute purity, the
freedom and infinite graces of an intellect cultivated much
beyond any I had known,--came with me the questioning season.
I was greatly disappointed in my relation to him. I was,
indeed, always called on to be worthy,--this benefit was sure
in our friendship. But I found no intelligence of my best
self; far less was it revealed to me in new modes; for not
only did he seem to want the living faith which enables one to
discharge this holiest office of a friend, but he absolutely
distrusted me in every region of my life with which he was
unacquainted. The same trait I detected in his relations
with others. He had faith in the Universal, but not in the
Individual Man: he met men, not as a brother, but as a critic.
Philosophy appeared to chill instead of exalting the poet.
'But now I am better acquainted with him. His "accept"
is true; the "I shall learn," with which he answers every
accusation, is no less true. No one can feel his limitations,
in fact, more than he, though he always speaks confidently
from his present knowledge as all he has yet, and never
qualifies or explains. He feels himself "shut up in a crystal
cell," from which only "a great love or a great task could
release me," and hardly expects either from what remains in
this life. But I already see so well how these limitations
have fitted him for his peculiar work, that I can no longer
quarrel with them; while from his eyes looks out the angel
that must sooner or later break every chain. Leave him in his
cell affirming absolute truth; protesting against humanity,
if so he appears to do; the calm observer of the courses of
things. Surely, "he keeps true to his thought, which is the
great matter." He has already paid his debt to his time; how
much more he will give we cannot know; but already I feel how
invaluable is a cool mind, like his, amid the warring elements
around us. As I look at him more by his own law, I understand
him better; and as I understand him better, differences melt
away. My inmost heart blesses the fate that gave me birth in
the same clime and time, and that has drawn me into such a
close bond with him as, it is my hopeful faith, will never be
broken, but from sphere to sphere ever more hallowed. * * *
'What did you mean by saying I had imbibed much of his way
of thought? I do indeed feel his life stealing gradually into
mine; and I sometimes think that my work would have been more
simple, and my unfolding to a temporal activity more rapid and
easy, if we had never met. But when I look forward to eternal
growth, I am always aware that I am far larger and deeper for
him. His influence has been to me that of lofty assurance and
sweet serenity. He says, I come to him as the European to the
Hindoo, or the gay Trouvére to the Puritan in his steeple hat.
Of course this implies that our meeting is partial. I present
to him the many forms of nature and solicit with music; he
melts them all into spirit and reproves performance with
prayer. When I am with God alone, I adore in silence. With
nature I am filled and grow only. With most men I bring words
of now past life, and do actions suggested by the wants of
their natures rather than my own. But he stops me from doing
anything, and makes me think.'
* * * * *
_October_, 1842 * * To me, individually, Dr. Channing's
kindness was great; his trust and esteem were steady, though
limited, and I owe him a large debt of gratitude.
'His private character was gentle, simple, and perfectly
harmonious, though somewhat rigid and restricted in its
operations. It was easy to love, and a happiness to know him,
though never, I think, a source of the highest social pleasure
to be with him. His department was ethics; and as a literary
companion, he did not throw himself heartily into the works of
creative genius, but looked, wherever he read, for a moral. In
criticism he was deficient in "individuality," if by that
the phrenologists mean the power of seizing on the peculiar
meanings of special forms. I have heard it said, that, under
changed conditions, he might have been a poet. He had, indeed,
the poetic sense of a creative spirit working everywhere. Man
and nature were living to him; and though he did not yield to
sentiment in particulars he did in universals. But his mind
was not recreative, or even representative.
'He was deeply interesting to me as having so true a respect
for woman. This feeling in him was not chivalrous; it was not
the sentiment of an artist; it was not the affectionateness of
the common son of Adam, who knows that only her presence can
mitigate his loneliness; but it was a religious reverence. To
him she was a soul with an immortal destiny. Nor was there at
the bottom of his heart one grain of masculine assumption. He
did not wish that Man should protect her, but that God should
protect her and teach her the meaning of her lot.
'In his public relations he is to be regarded not only as a
check upon the evil tendencies of his era, but yet more as a
prophet of a better age already dawning as he leaves us. In
his later days he filled yet another office of taking the
middle ground between parties. Here he was a fairer figure
than ever before. His morning prayer was, "Give me more light;
keep my soul open to the light;" and it was answered. He
steered his middle course with sails spotless and untorn. He
was preserved in a wonderful degree from the prejudices of his
own past, the passions of the present, and the exaggerations
of those who look forward to the future. In the writings
where, after long and patient survey, he sums up the evidence
on both sides, and stands umpire, with the judicial authority
of a pure intent, a steadfast patience, and a long experience,
the mild wisdom of age is beautifully tempered by the
ingenuous sweetness of youth. These pieces resemble charges
to a jury; they have always been heard with affectionate
deference, if not with assent, and have, exerted a purifying
influence.' * *
* * * * *
'_November, 1842._--When souls meet direct and all secret
thoughts are laid open, we shall need no forbearance, no
prevention, no care-taking of any kind. Love will be pure
light, and each action simple,--too simple to be noble. But
there will not be always so much to pardon in ourselves and
others. Yesterday we had at my class a conversation on Faith.
Deeply true things were said and felt. But to-day the virtue
has gone out of me; I have accepted all, and yet there will
come these hours of weariness,--weariness of human nature
in myself and others. "Could ye not watch one hour?" Not one
faithfully through! * * To speak with open heart and "tongue
affectionate and true,"--to enjoy real repose and the
consciousness of a thorough mutual understanding in the
presence of friends when we do meet, is what is needed. That
being granted, I do believe I should not wish any surrender of
time or thought from a human being. But I have always a sense
that I cannot meet or be met _in haste_; as ---- said he could
not look at the works of art in a chance half-hour, so cannot
I thus rudely and hastily turn over the leaves of any mind. In
peace, in stillness that permits the soul to flow, beneath the
open sky, I would see those I love.'
[Footnote A: This was some years before their reprint in this country,
it should be noticed.]
[Footnote B: Miss Rotch, of New Bedford.]
[Footnote C: The Dorr rebellion.]
VIII.
SOCIALISM.
* * * * *
In the preceding extracts will have been noticed frequent reference
to the Association Movement, which, during the winter of 1840-41, was
beginning to appear simultaneously at several points in New England.
In Boston and its vicinity several friends, for whose characters
Margaret felt the highest honor, and with many of whose views,
theoretic and practical, she accorded, were earnestly considering
the possibility of making such industrial, social, and educational
arrangements, as would simplify economies, combine leisure for study
with healthful and honest toil, avert unjust collisions of caste,
equalize refinements, awaken generous affections, diffuse courtesy,
and sweeten and sanctify life as a whole. Chief among these was the
Rev. George Ripley, who, convinced by his experience in a faithful
ministry, that the need was urgent for a thorough application of the
professed principles of Fraternity to actual relations, was about
staking his all of fortune, reputation, position, and influence, in
an attempt to organize a joint-stock community at Brook Farm. How
Margaret was inclined to regard this movement has been already
indicated. While at heart sympathizing with the heroism that prompted
it, in judgment she considered it premature. But true to her noble
self, though regretting the seemingly gratuitous sacrifice of her
friends, she gave them without stint the cheer of her encouragement
and the light of her counsel. She visited them often; entering
genially into their trials and pleasures, and missing no chance to
drop good seed in every furrow upturned by the ploughshare or softened
by the rain. In the secluded yet intensely animated circle of these
co-workers I frequently met her during several succeeding years,
and rejoice to bear testimony to the justice, magnanimity, wisdom,
patience, and many-sided good-will, that governed her every thought
and deed. The feelings with which she watched the progress of this
experiment are thus exhibited in her journals:--
'My hopes might lead to Association, too,--an association, if
not of efforts, yet of destinies. In such an one I live with
several already, feeling that each one, by acting out his own,
casts light upon a mutual destiny, and illustrates the thought
of a mastermind. It is a constellation, not a phalanx, to
which I would belong.'
* * * * *
'Why bind oneself to a central or any doctrine? How much
nobler stands a man entirely unpledged, unbound! Association
may be the great experiment of the age, still it is only an
experiment. It is not worth while to lay such stress on it;
let us try it, induce others to try it,--that is enough.'
* * * * *
'It is amusing to see how the solitary characters tend
to outwardness,--to association,--while the social and
sympathetic ones emphasize the value of solitude,--of
concentration,--so that we hear from each the word which, from
his structure, we least expect.'
* * * * *
'On Friday I came to Brook Farm. The first day or two here
is desolate. You seem to belong to nobody--to have a right
to speak to nobody; but very soon you learn to take care of
yourself, and then the freedom of the place is delightful.
'It is fine to see how thoroughly Mr. and Mrs. R. act out, in
their own persons, what they intend.
'All Saturday I was off in the woods. In the evening we had
a general conversation, opened by me, upon Education, in its
largest sense, and on what we can do for ourselves and others.
I took my usual ground: The aim is perfection; patience the
road. The present object is to give ourselves and others a
tolerable chance. Let us not be too ambitious in our hopes
as to immediate results. Our lives should be considered as a
tendency, an approximation only. Parents and teachers
expect to do too much. They are not legislators, but only
interpreters to the next generation. Soon, very soon, does the
parent become merely the elder brother of his child;--a little
wiser, it is to be hoped. ---- differed from me as to some
things I said about the gradations of experience,--that "to
be brought prematurely near perfect beings would chill and
discourage." He thought it would cheer and console. He spoke
well,--with a youthful nobleness. ---- said "that the most
perfect person would be the most impersonal"--philosophical
bull that, I trow--"and, consequently, would impede us least
from God." Mr. R. spoke admirably on the nature of loyalty.
The people showed a good deal of the _sans-culotte_ tendency
in their manners,--throwing themselves on the floor, yawning,
and going out when they had heard enough. Yet, as the majority
differ from me, to begin with,--that being the reason this
subject was chosen,--they showed, on the whole, more respect
and interest than I had expected. As I am accustomed to
deference, however, and need it for the boldness and animation
which my part requires, I did not speak with as much force as
usual. Still, I should like to have to face all this; it would
have the same good effects that the Athenian assemblies had on
the minds obliged to encounter them.
'Sunday. A glorious day;--the woods full of perfume. I was out
all the morning. In the afternoon, Mrs. R. and I had a talk.
I said my position would be too uncertain here, as I could not
work. ---- said:--"They would all like to work for a person of
genius. They would not like to have this service claimed from
them, but would like to render it of their own accord." "Yes,"
I told her; "but where would be my repose, when they were
always to be judging whether I was worth it or not. It would
be the same position the clergyman is in, or the wandering
beggar with his harp. Each day you must prove yourself anew.
You are not in immediate relations with material things."
'We talked of the principles of the community. I said I had
not a right to come, because all the confidence in it I had
was as an _experiment_ worth trying, and that it was a part of
the great wave of inspired thought. ---- declared they none of
them had confidence beyond this; but they seem to me to have.
Then I said, "that though I entirely agreed about the dignity
of labor, and had always wished for the present change, yet
I did not agree with the principle of paying for services by
time;[A] neither did I believe in the hope of excluding evil,
for that was a growth of nature, and one condition of the
development of good." We had valuable discussion on these
points.
'All Monday morning in the woods again. Afternoon, out with
the drawing party; I felt the evils of want of conventional
refinement, in the impudence with which one of the girls
treated me. She has since thought of it with regret, I notice;
and, by every day's observation of me, will see that she ought
not to have done it.'
* * * * *
'In the evening, a husking in the barn. Men, women, and
children, all engaged. It was a most picturesque scene, only
not quite light enough to bring it out fully. I staid and
helped about half an hour, then took a long walk beneath the
stars.'
* * * * *
'Wednesday. I have been too much absorbed to-day by others,
and it has made me almost sick. Mrs. ---- came to see me,
and we had an excellent talk, which occupied nearly all the
morning. Then Mrs. ---- wanted to see me, but after a few
minutes I found I could not bear it, and lay down to rest.
Then ---- came. Poor man;--his feelings and work are wearing
on him. He looks really ill now. Then ---- and I went to walk
in the woods. I was deeply interested in all she told me. If
I were to write down all she and four other married women have
confided to me, these three days past, it would make a cento,
on one subject, in five parts. Certainly there should be some
great design in my life; its attractions are so invariable.'
* * * * *
'In the evening, a conversation on Impulse. The reason for
choosing this subject is the great tendency here to advocate
spontaneousness, at the expense of reflection. It was a much
better conversation than the one before. None yawned, for
none came, this time, from mere curiosity. There were about
thirty-five present, which is a large enough circle. Many
engaged in the talk. I defended nature, as I always do;--the
spirit ascending through, not superseding, nature. But in the
scale of Sense, Intellect, Spirit, I advocated to-night
the claims of Intellect, because those present were rather
disposed to postpone them. On the nature of Beauty we had
good talk. ---- spoke well. She seemed in a much more reverent
humor than the other night, and enjoyed the large plans of the
universe which were unrolled. ----, seated on the floor, with
the light falling from behind on his long gold locks, made,
with sweet, serene aspect, and composed tones, a good exposé
of his way of viewing things.'
* * * * *
'Saturday. Well, good-by, Brook Farm. I know more about this
place than I did when I came; but the only way to be qualified
for a judge of such an experiment would be to become an
active, though unimpassioned, associate in trying it. Some
good things are proven, and as for individuals, they are
gainers. Has not ---- vied, in her deeds of love, with "my
Cid," and the holy Ottilia? That girl who was so rude to me
stood waiting, with a timid air, to bid me good-by. Truly, the
soft answer turneth away wrath.
'I have found myself here in the amusing position of a
conservative. Even so is it with Mr. R. There are too many
young people in proportion to the others. I heard myself
saying, with a grave air, "Play out the play, gentles." Thus,
from generation to generation, rises and falls the wave.'
Again, a year afterward, she writes:--
'Here I have passed a very pleasant week. The tone of the
society is much sweeter than when I was here a year ago. There
is a pervading spirit of mutual tolerance and gentleness, with
great sincerity. There is no longer a passion for grotesque
freaks of liberty, but a disposition, rather, to study and
enjoy the liberty of law. The great development of mind and
character observable in several instances, persuades me
that this state of things affords a fine studio for the
soul-sculptor. To a casual observer it may seem as if there
was not enough of character here to interest, because there
are no figures sufficiently distinguished to be worth painting
for the crowd; but there is enough of individuality in free
play to yield instruction; and one might have, from a few
months' residence here, enough of the human drama to feed
thought for a long time.'
Thus much for Margaret's impressions of Brook Farm and its inmates.
What influence she in turn exerted on those she met there, may be seen
from the following affectionate tribute, offered by one of the young
girls alluded to in the journal:--
"Would that I might aid even slightly, in doing justice to the
noble-hearted woman whose departure we must all mourn. But I feel
myself wholly powerless to do so; and after I explain what my
relation to her was, you will understand how this can be, without
holding me indolent or unsympathetic.
"When I first met Miss Fuller, I had already cut from my moorings,
and was sailing on the broad sea of experience, conscious that I
possessed unusual powers of endurance, and that I should meet with
sufficient to test their strength. She made no offer of guidance,
and once or twice, in the succeeding year, alluded to the fact
that she 'had never helped me.' This was in a particular sense, of
course, for she helped all who knew her. She was interested in my
rough history, but could not be intimate, in any just sense, with
a soul so unbalanced, so inharmonious as mine then was. For my
part, I reverenced her. She was to me the embodiment of wisdom and
tenderness. I heard her converse, and, in the rich and varied
intonations of her voice, I recognized a being to whom every shade
of sentiment was familiar. She knew, if not by experience then by
no questionable intuition, how to interpret the inner life of
every man and woman; and, by interpreting, she could soothe and
strengthen. To her, psychology was an open book. When she came to
Brook Farm, it was my delight to wait on one so worthy of all
service,--to arrange her late breakfast in some remnants of
ancient China, and to save her, if it might be, some little
fatigue or annoyance, during each day. After a while she seemed to
lose sight of my more prominent and disagreeable peculiarities,
and treated me with affectionate regard."
Being a confirmed Socialist, I often had occasion to discuss with
Margaret the problems involved in the "Combined Order" of life; and
though unmoved by her scepticism, I could not but admire the sagacity,
foresight, comprehensiveness, and catholic sympathy with which she
surveyed this complicated subject. Her objections, to be sure, were of
the usual kind, and turned mainly upon two points,--the difficulty of
so allying labor and capital as to secure the hoped-for coöperation,
and the danger of merging the individual in the mass to such degree
as to paralyze energy, heroism, and genius; but these objections were
urged in a way that brought out her originality and generous hopes.
There was nothing abject, timid, or conventional in her doubts. The
end sought she prized; but the means she questioned. Though pleased
in listening to sanguine visions of the future, she was slow to credit
that an organization by "Groups and Series" would yield due incentive
for personal development, while ensuring equilibrium through exact and
universal justice. She felt, too, that Society was not a machine to be
put together and set in motion, but a living body, whose breath must
be Divine inspiration, and whose healthful growth is only hindered
by forcing. Finally, while longing as earnestly as any Socialist for
"Liberty and Law made one in living union," and assured in faith that
an era was coming of "Attractive Industry" and "Harmony," she
was still for herself inclined to seek sovereign independence in
comparative isolation. Indeed, at this period, Margaret was in spirit
and in thought preëminently a Transcendentalist.
[Footnote A: This was a transitional arrangement only.]
IX.
CREDO.
* * * * *
In regard to Transcendentalism again, there was reason to rejoice
in having found a friend, so firm to keep her own ground, while so
liberal to comprehend another's stand-point, as was Margaret. She
knew, not only theoretically, but practically, how endless are the
diversities of human character and of Divine discipline, and she
reverenced fellow-spirits too sincerely ever to wish to warp them to
her will, or to repress their normal development. She was stern but
in one claim, that each should be faithful to apparent leadings of the
Truth; and could avow widest differences of conviction without feeling
that love was thereby chilled, or the hand withheld from cordial
aid. Especially did she render service by enabling one,--through her
blended insight, candor, and clearness of understanding,--to see in
bright reflection his own mental state.
It would be doing injustice to a person like Margaret, always more
enthusiastic than philosophical, to attribute to her anything like a
system of theology; for, hopeful, reverent, aspiring, and free from
scepticism, she felt too profoundly the vastness of the universe and
of destiny ever to presume that with her span rule she could measure
the Infinite. Yet the tendency of her thoughts can readily be traced
in the following passages from note-books and letters:--
'When others say to me, and not without apparent ground, that
"the Outward Church is a folly which keeps men from enjoying
the communion of the Church Invisible, and that in the desire
to be helped by, and to help others, men lose sight of the
only sufficient help, which they might find by faithful
solitary intentness of spirit," I answer it is true, and the
present deadness and emptiness summon us to turn our thoughts
in that direction. Being now without any positive form of
religion, any unattractive symbols, or mysterious rites, we
are in the less danger of stopping at surfaces, of accepting
a mediator instead of the Father, a sacrament instead of the
Holy Ghost. And when I see how little there is to impede
and bewilder us, I cannot but accept,--should it be for many
years,--the forlornness, the want of fit expression, the
darkness as to what is to be expressed, even that characterize
our time.
'But I do not, therefore, as some of our friends do, believe
that it will always be so, and that the church is tottering to
its grave, never to rise again. The church was the growth of
human nature, and it is so still. It is but one result of the
impulse which makes two friends clasp one another's hands,
look into one another's eyes at sight of beauty, or the
utterance of a feeling of piety. So soon as the Spirit has
mourned and sought, and waited long enough to open new depths,
and has found something to express, there will again be
a Cultus, a Church. The very people, who say that none is
needed, make one at once. They talk with, they write to one
another. They listen to music, they sustain themselves with
the poets; they like that one voice should tell the thoughts
of several minds, one gesture proclaim that the same life is
at the same moment in many breasts.
'I am myself most happy in my lonely Sundays, and do not feel
the need of any social worship, as I have not for several
years, which I have passed in the same way. Sunday is to me
priceless as a day of peace and solitary reflection. To all
who will, it may be true, that, as Herbert says:--
"Sundays the pillars are
On which Heaven's palace arched lies;
The other days fill up the space
And hollow room with vanities;"
and yet in no wise "vanities," when filtered by the Sunday
crucible. After much troubling of the waters of my life, a
radiant thought of the meaning and beauty of earthly existence
will descend like a healing angel. The stillness permits me
to hear a pure tone from the One in All. But often I am not
alone. The many now, whose hearts, panting for truth and
love, have been made known to me, whose lives flow in the same
direction as mine, and are enlightened by the same star, are
with me. I am in church, the church invisible, undefiled by
inadequate expression. Our communion is perfect; it is that
of a common aspiration; and where two or three are gathered
together in one region, whether in the flesh or the spirit,
He will grant their request. Other communion would be a
happiness,--to break together the bread of mutual thought, to
drink the wine of loving life,--but it is not necessary.
'Yet I cannot but feel that the crowd of men whose pursuits
are not intellectual, who are not brought by their daily walk
into converse with sages and poets, who win their bread from
an earth whose mysteries are not open to them, whose worldly
intercourse is more likely to stifle than to encourage the
sparks of love and faith in their breasts, need on that
day quickening more than repose. The church is now rather a
lecture-room than a place of worship; it should be a school
for mutual instruction. I must rejoice when any one, who lays
spiritual things to heart, feels the call rather to mingle
with men, than to retire and seek by himself.
'You speak of men going up to worship by "households," &c.
Were the actual family the intellectual family, this might be;
but as social life now is, how can it? Do we not constantly
see the child, born in the flesh to one father, choose in the
spirit another? No doubt this is wrong, since the sign does
not stand for the thing signified, but it is one feature of
the time. How will it end? Can families worship together till
it does end?
* * * * *
'I have let myself be cheated out of my Sunday, by going to
hear Mr. ----. As he began by reading the first chapter
of Isaiah, and the fourth of John's Epistle, I made mental
comments with pure delight. "Bring no more vain oblations."
"Every one that loveth is born of God, and knoweth God." "We
know that we dwell in Him, and He in us, because he hath
given us of the Spirit." Then pealed the organ, full of
solemn assurance. But straightway uprose the preacher to deny
mysteries, to deny the second birth, to deny influx, and to
renounce the sovereign gift of insight, for the sake of what
he deemed a "_rational_" exercise of will. As he spoke I could
not choose but deny him all through, and could scarce refrain
from rising to expound, in the light of my own faith, the
words of those wiser Jews which had been read. Was it not a
sin to exchange friendly greeting as we parted, and yet tell
him no word of what was in my mind?
'Still I saw why he looked at things as he did. The old
religionists did talk about "grace, conversion," and the like,
technically, without striving to enter into the idea, till
they quite lost sight of it. Undervaluing the intellect, they
became slaves of a sect, instead of organs of the Spirit. This
Unitarianism has had its place. There was a time for asserting
"the dignity of human nature," and for explaining total
depravity into temporary inadequacy,--a time to say that the
truths of _essence_, if simplified at all in statement from
their infinite variety of existence, should be spoken of as
One, rather than Three, though that number, if they would only
let it reproduce itself simply, is of highest significance.
Yet the time seems now to have come for reinterpreting the old
dogmas. For one I would now preach the Holy Ghost as zealously
as they have been preaching Man, and faith instead of the
understanding, and mysticism instead &c. But why go on? It
certainly is by no means useless to preach. In my experience
of the divine gifts of solitude, I had forgotten what might
be done in this other way. That crowd of upturned faces,
with their look of unintelligent complacency! Give tears and
groans, rather, if there be a mixture of physical excitement
and bigotry. Mr. ---- is heard because, though he has not
entered into the secret of piety, he wishes to be heard,
and with a good purpose,--can make a forcible statement, and
kindle himself with his own thoughts. How many persons must
there be who cannot worship alone, since they are content with
so little! Can none wake the spark that will melt them, till
they take beautiful forms? Were one to come now, who could
purge us with fire, how would these masses glow and be
clarified!
'Mr. ---- made a good suggestion:--"Such things could not be
said in the open air." Let men preach for the open air, and
speak now thunder and lightning, now dew and rustling leaves.
Yet must the preacher have the thought of his day before he
can be its voice. None have it yet; but some of our friends,
perhaps, are nearer than the religious world at large, because
neither ready to dogmatize, as if they had got it, nor content
to stop short with mere impressions and presumptuous hopes. I
feel that a great truth is coming. Sometimes it seems as if
we should have it among us in a day. Many steps of the Temple
have been ascended, steps of purest alabaster, and of shining
jasper, also of rough-brick, and slippery moss-grown stone. We
shall reach what we long for, since we trust and do not fear,
for our God knows not fear, only reverence, and his plan is
All in All.'
* * * * *
'Who can expect to utter an absolutely pure and clear tone on
these high subjects? Our earthly atmosphere is too gross to
permit it. Yet, a severe statement has rather an undue charm
for me, as I have a nature of great emotion, which loves free
abandonment. I am ready to welcome a descending Moses, come
to turn all men from idolatries. For my priests have been very
generally of the Pagan greatness, revering nature and seeking
excellence, but in the path of progress, not of renunciation.
The lyric inspirations of the poet come very differently on
the ear from the "still, small voice." They are, in fact, all
one revelation; but one must be at the centre to interpret it.
To that centre I have again and again been drawn, but my large
natural life has been, as yet, but partially transfused with
spiritual consciousness. I shun a premature narrowness, and
bide my time. But I am drawn to look at natures who take a
different way, because they seem to complete my being for me.
They, too, tolerate me in my many phases for the same reason,
probably. It pleased me to see, in one of the figures by which
the Gnostics illustrated the progress of man, that Severity
corresponded to Magnificence.'
* * * * *
'In my quiet retreat, I read Xenophon, and became more
acquainted with his Socrates. I had before known only
the Socrates of Plato, one much more to my mind. Socrates
conformed to the Greek Church, and it is evident with a
sincere reverence, because it was the growth of the _national_
mind. He thought best to stand on its platform, and to
illustrate, though with keen truth, by received forms. This
was his right way, as his influence was naturally private, for
individuals who could in some degree respond to the teachings
of his dæmon; he knew the multitude would not understand him.
But it was the other way that Jesus took, preaching in the
fields, and plucking ears of corn on the Sabbath.'
* * * * *
'Is it my defect of spiritual experience, that while that
weight of sagacity, which is the iron to the dart of genius,
is needful to satisfy me, the undertone of another and a
deeper knowledge does not please, does not command me? Even in
Handel's Messiah, I am half incredulous, half impatient,
when the sadness of the second part comes to check, before
it interprets, the promise of the first; and the strain, "Was
ever sorrow like to his sorrow," is not for me, as I have
been, as I am. Yet Handel was worthy to speak of Christ. The
great chorus, "Since by man came death, by man came also the
resurrection of the dead; for as in Adam all die, even so in
Christ shall all be made alive," if understood in the
large sense of every man his own Saviour, and Jesus only
representative of the way all must walk to accomplish our
destiny, is indeed a worthy gospel.'
* * * * *
'Ever since ---- told me how his feelings had changed towards
Jesus, I have wished much to write some sort of a Credo, out
of my present state, but have had no time till last night. I
have not satisfied myself in the least, and have written
very hastily, yet, though not full enough to be true, this
statement is nowhere false to me.
* * * 'Whatever has been permitted by the law of being, must
be for good, and only in time not good. We trust, and are led
forward by experience. Light gives experience of outward life,
faith of inward life, and then we discern, however faintly,
the necessary harmony of the two. The moment we have broken
through an obstruction, not accidentally, but by the aid of
faith, we begin to interpret the Universe, and to apprehend
why evil is permitted. Evil is obstruction; Good is
accomplishment.
'It would seem that the Divine Being designs through man
to express distinctly what the other forms of nature only
intimate, and that wherever man remains imbedded in nature,
whether from sensuality, or because he is not yet awakened to
consciousness, the purpose of the whole remains unfulfilled.
Hence our displeasure when Man is not in a sense above
Nature. Yet, when he is not so closely bound with all other
manifestations, as duly to express their Spirit, we are also
displeased. He must be at once the highest form of Nature, and
conscious of the meaning she has been striving successively to
unfold through those below him. Centuries pass; whole races
of men are expended in the effort to produce one that shall
realize this Ideal, and publish Spirit in the human form. Here
and there is a degree of success. Life enough is lived through
a man, to justify the great difficulties attendant on the
existence of mankind. And then throughout all realms of
thought vibrates the affirmation, "This is my beloved Son, in
whom I am well pleased."
'I do not mean to lay an undue stress upon the position and
office of man merely because I am of his race, and understand
best the scope of his destiny. The history of the earth, the
motions of the heavenly bodies, suggest already modes of being
higher than ours, and which fulfil more deeply the office of
interpretation. But I do suppose man's life to be the rivet in
one series of the great chain, and that all higher existences
are analogous to his. Music suggests their mode of being, and,
when carried up on its strong wings, we foresee how the
next step in the soul's ascension shall interpret man to the
universe, as he now interprets those forms beneath himself. * *
'The law of Spirit is identical, whether displaying itself as
genius, or as piety, but its modes of expression are distinct
dialects. All souls desire to become the fathers of souls, as
citizens, legislators, poets, artists, sages, saints; and,
so far as they are true to the law of their incorruptible
essence, they are all Anointed, all Emanuel, all Messiah; but
they are all brutes and devils so far as subjected to the law
of corruptible existence.
'As wherever there is a tendency a form is gradually evolved,
as its Type,--so is it the law of each class and order of
human thoughts to produce a form which shall be the visible
representation of its aim and strivings, and stand before it
as its King. This effort to produce a kingly type it was, that
clothed itself with power as Brahma or Osiris, that gave laws
as Confucius or Moses, that embodied music and eloquence in
the Apollo. This it was that incarnated itself, at one time as
Plato, at another as Michel Angelo, at another as Luther, &c.
Ever seeking, it has produced Ideal after Ideal of the beauty,
into which mankind is capable of being developed; and one
of the highest, in some respects the very highest, of these
kingly types, was the life of Jesus of Nazareth.
'Few believe more in his history than myself, and it is very
dear to me. I believe, in my own way, in the long preparation
of ages for his coming, and the truth of prophecy that
announced him. I see a necessity, in the character of Jesus,
why Abraham should have been the founder of his nation, Moses
its lawgiver, and David its king and poet. I believe in the
genesis of the patriarchs, as given in the Old Testament. I
believe in the prophets,--that they foreknew not only what
their nation longed for, but what the development of universal
Man requires,--a Redeemer, an Atoner, a Lamb of God, taking
away the sins of the world. I believe that Jesus came when the
time was ripe, and that he was peculiarly a messenger and Son
of God. I have nothing to say in denial of the story of his
birth; whatever the actual circumstances were, he was born of
a Virgin, and the tale expresses a truth of the soul. I have
no objection to the miracles, except where they do not
happen to please one's feelings. Why should not a spirit,
so consecrate and intent, develop new laws, and make matter
plastic? I can imagine him walking the waves, without any
violation of my usual habits of thought. He could not remain
in the tomb, they say; certainly not,--death is impossible to
such a being. He remained upon earth; most true, and all who
have met him since on the way, have felt their hearts burn
within them. He ascended to heaven; surely, how could it be
otherwise?
'Would I could express with some depth what I feel as to
religion in my very soul; it would be a clear note of calm
assurance. But for the present this must suffice with regard
to Christ. I am grateful here, as everywhere, when Spirit
bears fruit in fulness; it attests the justice of aspiration,
it kindles faith, it rebukes sloth, it enlightens resolve.
But so does a beautiful infant. Christ's life is only one
modification of the universal harmony. I will not loathe
sects, persuasions, systems, though I cannot abide in them one
moment, for I see that by most men they are still needed. To
them their banners, their tents; let them be Fire-worshippers,
Platonists, Christians; let them live in the shadow of past
revelations. But, oh, Father of our souls, the One, let me
seek Thee! I would seek Thee in these forms, and in proportion
as they reveal Thee, they teach me to go beyond themselves.
I would learn from them all, looking only to Thee! But let me
set no limits from the past, to my own soul, or to any soul.
'Ages may not produce one worthy to loose the shoes of
the Prophet of Nazareth; yet there will surely be another
manifestation of that Word which was in the beginning. And all
future manifestations will come, like Christianity, "not to
destroy the law and the prophets, but to fulfil." The very
greatness of this manifestation demands a greater. As an
Abraham called for a Moses, and a Moses for a David, so does
Christ for another Ideal. We want a life more complete and
various than that of Christ. We have had a Messiah to teach
and reconcile; let us now have a Man to live out all the
symbolical forms of human life, with the calm beauty of a
Greek God, with the deep consciousness of a Moses, with the
holy love and purity of Jesus.'
X.
SELF-SOVEREIGNTY.
* * * * *
To one studying the signs of the times, it was quite instructive to
watch the moods of a mind so sensitive as Margaret's; for her delicate
meter indicated in advance each coming change in the air-currents of
thought. But I was chiefly interested in the processes whereby she was
gaining harmony and unity. The more one studied her, the more plainly
he saw that her peculiar power was the result of fresh, fervent,
exhaustless, and indomitable affections. The emotive force in her,
indeed, was immense in volume, and most various in tendency; and it
was wonderful to observe the outward equability of one inwardly so
impassioned.
This was, in fact, the first problem to be solved in gaining
real knowledge of her commanding character: "How did a person,
by constitution so impetuous, become so habitually serene?"
In temperament Margaret seemed a Bacchante,[A] prompt for wild
excitement, and fearless to tread by night the mountain forest, with
song and dance of delirious mirth; yet constantly she wore the laurel
in token of purification, and, with water from fresh fountains,
cleansed the statue of Minerva. Stagnancy and torpor were intolerable
to her free and elastic impulses; a brilliant fancy threw over each
place and incident Arcadian splendor; and eager desire, with energetic
purposes, filled her with the consciousness of large latent life:
and yet the lower instincts were duly subordinated to the higher, and
dignified self-control ordered her deportment. Somehow, according to
the doctrine of the wise Jacob Boehme, the fierce, hungry fire had
met in embrace the meek, cool water, and was bringing to birth
the pleasant light-flame of love. The transformation, though not
perfected, was fairly begun.
Partly I could see how this change had been wrought. Ill health, pain,
disappointment, care, had tamed her spirits. A wide range through
the romantic literature of ancient and modern times had exalted
while expending her passions. In the world of imagination, she had
discharged the stormful energy which would have been destructive in
actual life. And in thought she had bound herself to the mast while
sailing past the Sirens. Through sympathy, also, from childhood, with
the tragi-comedy of many lives around her, she had gained experience
of the laws and limitations of providential order. Gradually, too, she
had risen to higher planes of hope, whence opened wider prospects of
destiny and duty. More than all, by that attraction of opposites
which a strong will is most apt to feel, she had sought, as chosen
companions, persons of scrupulous reserve, of modest coolness,
and severe elevation of view. Finally, she had been taught, by a
discipline specially fitted to her dispositions, to trust the leadings
of the Divine Spirit. The result was, that at this period Margaret had
become a Mystic. Her prisoned emotions found the freedom they pined
for in contemplation of nature's exquisite harmonies,--in poetic
regards of the glory that enspheres human existence, when seen as a
whole from beyond the clouds,--and above all in exultant consciousness
of life ever influent from the All-Living.
A few passages from, her papers will best illustrate this proneness to
rapture.
'My tendency is, I presume, rather to a great natural than
to a deep religious life. But though others may be more
conscientious and delicate, few have so steady a faith in
Divine Love. I may be arrogant and impetuous, but I am never
harsh and morbid. May there not be a mediation, rather than a
conflict, between piety and genius? Greek and Jew, Italian and
Saxon, are surely but leaves on one stern, at last.'
* * * * *
'I am in danger of giving myself up to experiences till
they so steep me in ideal passion that the desired goal is
forgotten in the rich present. Yet I think I am learning how
to use life more wisely.'
* * * * *
'Forgive me, beautiful ones, who earlier learned the harmony
of your beings,--with whom eye, voice, and hand are already
true to the soul! Forgive me still some "lispings and
stammerings of the passionate age." Teach me,--me, also,--to
utter my paean in its full sweetness. These long lines are
radii from one centre; aid me to fill the circumference. Then
each moment, each act, shall be true. The pupil has found the
carbuncle,[B] but knows not yet how to use it day by day. But
"though his companions wondered at the pupil, the master loved
him." He loves me, my friends. Do ye trust me. Wash the tears
and black stains from the records of my life by the benignity
of a true glance; make each discord harmony, by striking
again the key-note; forget the imperfect interviews, burn the
imperfect letters, till at last the full song bursts forth,
the key-stone is given from heaven to the arch, the past is
all pardoned and atoned for, and we live forever in the Now.'
* *
* * * * *
'Henceforth I hope I shall not write letters thus full of
childish feeling; for in feeling I am indeed a child, and the
least of children. Soon I must return into the Intellect, for
_there_ in sight, at least, I am a man, and could write the
words very calmly and in steadfast flow. But, lately, the
intellect has been so subordinated to the soul, that I am
not free to enter the Basilikon, and plead and hear till I am
called. But let me not stay too long in this Sicilian valley,
gathering my flowers, for "night cometh."'
* * * * *
'The other evening, while hearing the Creation, in the music
of "There shoots the healing plant," I felt what I would ever
feel for suffering souls. Somewhere in nature is the Moly, the
Nepenthe, desired from the earliest ages of mankind. No wonder
the music dwelt so exultingly on the passage:--
"In native worth and honor clad."
Yes; even so would I ever see man. I will wait, and never
despair, through all the dull years.'
* * * * *
'I am "too fiery." Even so. Ceres put her foster child in the
fire because she loved him. If they thought so before, will
they not far more now? Yet I wish to be seen as I am, and
would lose all rather than soften away anything. Let my
friends be patient and gentle, and teach me to be so. I never
promised any one patience or gentleness, for those beautiful
traits are not natural to me; but I would learn them. Can I
not?'
* * * * *
'Of all the books, and men, and women, that have touched me
these weeks past, what has most entered my soul is the music
I have heard,--the masterly expression from that violin; the
triumph of the orchestra, after the exploits on the piano;
Braham, in his best efforts, when he kept true to the dignity
of art; the Messiah, which has been given on two successive
Sundays, and the last time in a way that deeply expressed its
divine life; but above all, Beethoven's seventh symphony. What
majesty! what depth! what tearful sweetness! what victory!
This was truly a fire upon an altar. There are a succession
of soaring passages, near the end of the third movement, which
touch me most deeply. Though soaring, they hold on with a
stress which almost breaks the chains of matter to the hearer.
O, how refreshing, after polemics and philosophy, to soar thus
on strong wings! Yes, Father, I will wander in dark ways with
the crowd, since thou seest best for me to be tied down.
But only in thy free ether do I know myself. When I read
Beethoven's life, I said, "I will never repine." When I heard
this symphony, I said, "I will triumph."
* * * * *
'To-day I have finished the life of Raphael, by Quatremere de
Quincy, which has so long engaged me. It scarce goes deeper
than a _catalogue raisonnée_, but is very complete in its way.
I could make all that splendid era alive to me, and inhale the
full flower of the Sanzio. Easily one soars to worship these
angels of Genius. To venerate the Saints you must well nigh be
one.
'I went out upon the lonely rock which commands so delicious
a panoramic view. A very mild breeze had sprung up after the
extreme heat. A sunset of the melting kind was succeeded by a
perfectly clear moon-rise. Here I sat, and thought of Raphael.
I was drawn high up in the heaven of beauty, and the mists
were dried from the white plumes of contemplation.'#/
'Only by emotion do we know thee, Nature. To lean upon thy
heart, and feel its pulses vibrate to our own;--that is
knowledge, for that is love, the love of infinite beauty, of
infinite love. Thought will never make us be born again.
'My fault is that I think I feel _too much_. O that my friends
would teach me that "simple art of not too much!" How can I
expect them to bear the ceaseless eloquence of my nature?'
* * * * *
'Often it has seemed that I have come near enough to the
limits to see what they are. But suddenly arises afar the Fata
Morgana, and tells of new Sicilies, of their flowery valleys
and fields of golden grain. Then, as I would draw near, my
little bark is shattered on the rock, and I am left on the
cold wave. Yet with my island in sight I do not sink.'
* * * * *
'I look not fairly to myself, at the present moment. If noble
growths are always slow, others may ripen far worthier fruit
than is permitted to my tropical heats and tornadoes. Let me
clasp the cross on my breast, as I have done a thousand times
before.'
'Let me but gather from the earth one full-grown fragrant flower;
Within my bosom let it bloom through, its one blooming hour;
Within my bosom let it die, and to its latest breath
My own shall answer, "Having lived, I shrink not now from death."
It is this niggard halfness that turns my heart to stone;
'T is the cup seen, not tasted, that makes the infant moan.
For once let me press firm my lips upon the moment's brow,
For once let me distinctly feel I am all happy now,
And bliss shall seal a blessing upon that moment's brow.'
'I was in a state of celestial happiness, which lasted a great
while. For months I was all radiant with faith, and love,
and life. I began to be myself. Night and day were equally
beautiful, and the lowest and highest equally holy. Before, it
had seemed as if the Divine only gleamed upon me; but then it
poured into and through me a tide of light. I have passed down
from the rosy mountain, now; but I do not forget its pure air,
nor how the storms looked as they rolled beneath my feet. I
have received my assurance, and if the shadows should lie upon
me for a century, they could never make me forgetful of the
true hour. Patiently I bide my time.'
The last passage describes a peculiar illumination, to which Margaret
often referred as the period when her earthly being culminated, and
when, in the noon-tide of loving enthusiasm, she felt wholly at one
with God, with Man, and the Universe. It was ever after, to her,
an earnest that she was of the Elect. In a letter to one of her
confidential female friends, she thus fondly looks back to this
experience on the mount of transfiguration:--
'You know how, when the leadings of my life found their
interpretation, I longed to share my joy with those I prized
most; for I felt that if they could but understand the past we
should meet entirely. They received me, some more, some less,
according to the degree of intimacy between our natures. But
now I have done with the past, and again move forward. The
path looks more difficult, but I am better able to bear its
trials. We shall have much communion, even if not in the
deepest places. I feel no need of isolation, but only of
temperance in thought and speech, that the essence may not
evaporate in words, but grow plenteous within. The Life will
give me to my own. I am not yet so worthy to love as some
others are, because my manifold nature is not yet harmonized
enough to be faithful, and I begin, to see how much it was the
want of a pure music in me that has made the good doubt me.
Yet have I been true to the best light I had, and if I am so
now much will be given.
'During my last weeks of solitude I was very happy, and all
that had troubled me became clearer. The angel was not weary
of waiting for Gunhilde, till she had unravelled her mesh of
thought, and seeds of mercy, of purification, were planted
in the breast. Whatever the past has been, I feel that I have
always been reading on and on, and that the Soul of all souls
has been patient in love to mine. New assurances were given
me, that if I would be faithful and humble, there was no
experience that would not tell its heavenly errand. If
shadows have fallen, already they give way to a fairer if more
tempered light; and for the present I am so happy that the
spirit kneels.
'Life, is richly worth living, with its continual revelations
of mighty woe, yet infinite hope: and I take it to my breast.
Amid these scenes of beauty, all that is little, foreign,
unworthy, vanishes like a dream. So shall it be some time
amidst the Everlasting Beauty, when true joy shall begin and
never cease.'
Filled thus as Margaret was with ecstasy, she was yet more than
willing,--even glad,--to bear her share in the universal sorrow. Well
she knew that pain must be proportioned to the fineness and fervor of
her organization; that the very keenness of her sensibility exposed
her to constant disappointment or disgust; that no friend, however
faithful, could meet the demands of desires so eager, of sympathies
so absorbing. Contrasted with her radiant visions, how dreary looked
actual existence; how galling was the friction of petty hindrances;
how heavy the yoke of drudging care! Even success seemed failure,
when measured by her conscious aim; and experience had brought out to
consciousness excesses and defects, which humbled pride while shaming
self-confidence. But suffering as she did with all the intensity of so
passionate a nature, Margaret still welcomed the searching discipline.
'It is only when Persephone returns from lower earth that she weds
Dyonysos, and passes from central sadness into glowing joy,' she
writes. And again: 'I have no belief in beautiful lives; we are born
to be mutilated; and the blood must flow till in every vein its place
is supplied by the Divine ichor.' And she reiterates: 'The method of
Providence with me is evidently that of "cross-biassing," as Herbert
hath it. In a word, to her own conscience and to intimate friends she
avowed, without reserve, that there was in her 'much rude matter that
needed to be spiritualized.' Comment would but weaken the pathos of
the following passages, in which so plainly appears a once wilful
temper striving, with child-like faith, to obey:--
'I have been a chosen one; the lesson of renunciation was
early, fully taught, and the heart of stone quite broken
through. The Great Spirit wished to leave me no refuge but
itself. Convictions have been given, enough to guide me many
years if I am steadfast. How deeply, how gratefully I feel
this blessing, as the fabric of others' hopes are shivering
round me. Peace will not always flow thus softly in my life;
but, O, our Father! how many hours has He consecrated to
Himself. How often has the Spirit chosen the time, when no ray
came from without, to descend upon the orphan life!'
* * * * *
'A humbler, tenderer spirit! Yes, I long for it. But how to
gain it? I see no way but prayerfully to bend myself to meet
the hour. Let friends be patient with me, and pardon some
faint-heartedness. The buds will shiver in the cold air when
the sheaths drop. It will not be so long. The word "Patience"
has been spoken; it shall be my talisman. A nobler courage
will be given, with gentleness and humility. My conviction is
clear that all my troubles are needed, and that one who has
had so much light thrown upon the path, has no excuse for
faltering steps.'
* * * * *
'Could we command enthusiasm; had we an interest with the gods
which would light up those sacred fires at will, we should be
even seraphic in our influences. But life, if not a complete
waste of wearisome hours, must be checkered with them; and I
find that just those very times, when I feel all glowing and
radiant in the happiness of receiving and giving out again the
divine fluid, are preludes to hours of languor, weariness, and
paltry doubt, born of---
"The secret soul's mistrust
To find her fair ethereal wings
Weighed down by vile, degraded dust."
'To this, all who have chosen or been chosen to a life of
thought must submit. Yet I rejoice in my heritage. Should I
venture to complain? Perhaps, if I were to reckon up the hours
of bodily pain, those passed in society with which I could
not coalesce, those of ineffectual endeavor to penetrate the
secrets of nature and of art, or, worse still, to reproduce
the beautiful in some way for myself, I should find they
far outnumbered those of delightful sensation, of full and
soothing thought, of gratified tastes and affections, and of
proud hope. Yet these last, if few, how lovely, how rich in
presage! None, who have known them, can in their worst estate
fail to hope that they may be again upborne to higher, purer
blue.'
* * * * *
'As I was steeped in the divine tenth book of the Republic,
came ----'s letter, in which he so insultingly retracts his
engagements. I finished the book obstinately, but could get
little good of it; then went to ask comfort of the descending
sun in the woods and fields. What a comment it was on the
disparity between my pursuits and my situation to receive
such a letter while reading that book! However, I will not let
life's mean perplexities blur from my eye the page of Plato;
nor, if natural tears must be dropt, murmur at a lot, which,
with all its bitterness, has given time and opportunity to
cherish an even passionate love for Truth and Beauty.'
* * * * *
'Black Friday it has been, and my heart is well nigh wearied
out. Shall I never be able to act and live with persons of
views high as my own? or, at least, with some steadiness of
feeling for me to calculate upon? Ah, me! what woes within and
without; what assaults of folly; what mean distresses; and,
oh, what wounds from cherished hands! Were ye the persons who
should stab thus? Had I, too, the Roman right to fold my
robe about me decently, and breathe the last sigh! The last!
Horrible, indeed, should sobs, deep as these, be drawn to all
eternity. But no; life could not hold out for more than one
lease of sorrow. This anguish, however, will be wearied out,
as I know by experience, alas! of how many such hours.'
* * * * *
'I am reminded to-day of the autumn hours at Jamaica Plain,
where, after arranging everything for others that they wanted
of me, I found myself, at last, alone in my still home, where
everything, for once, reflected my feelings. It was so still,
the air seemed full of spirits. How happy I was! with what
sweet and solemn happiness! All things had tended to a crisis
in me, and I was in a higher state, mentally and spiritually,
than I ever was before or shall be again, till death shall
introduce me to a new sphere. I purposed to spend the winter
in study and self-collection, and to write constantly. I
thought I should thus be induced to embody in beautiful
forms all that lay in my mind, and that life would ripen into
genius. But a very little while these fair hopes bloomed; and,
since I was checked then, I do never expect to blossom forth
on earth, and all postponements come naturally. At that time
it seemed as if angels left me. Yet, now, I think they still
are near. Renunciation appears to be entire, and I quite
content; yet, probably, 't is no such thing, and that work is
to be done over and over again.'
* * * * *
'Do you believe our prayers avail for one another? and that
happiness is good for the soul? Pray, then, for me, that I may
have a little peace,--some green and flowery spot, 'mid which
my thoughts may rest; yet not upon fallacy, but only upon
something genuine. I am deeply homesick, yet where is that
home? If not on earth, why should we look to heaven? I would
fain truly live wherever I must abide, and bear with full
energy on my lot, whatever it is. He, who alone knoweth,
will affirm that. I have tried to work whole-hearted from an
earnest faith. Yet my hand is often languid, and my heart is
slow. I would be gone; but whither? I know not; if I cannot
make this spot of ground yield the corn and roses, famine must
be my lot forever and ever, surely.'
* * * * *
'I remember how at a similar time of perplexity, when there
were none to counsel, hardly one to sympathize, and when the
conflicting wishes of so many whom I loved pressed the aching
heart on every side, after months of groping and fruitless
thought, the merest trifle precipitated the whole mass; all
became clear as crystal, and I saw of what use the tedious
preparation had been, by the deep content I felt in the
result.'
* * * * *
'Beethoven! Tasso! It is well to think of you! What sufferings
from baseness, from coldness! How rare and momentary were the
flashes of joy, of confidence and tenderness, in these noblest
lives! Yet could not their genius be repressed. The Eternal
Justice lives. O, Father, teach the spirit the meaning of
sorrow, and light up the generous fires of love and hope and
faith, without which I cannot live!'
* * * * *
'What signifies it that Thou dost always give me to drink more
deeply of the inner fountains? And why do I seek a reason for
these repulsions and strange arrangements of my mortal lot,
when I always gain from them a deeper love for all men, and a
deeper trust in Thee? Wonderful are thy ways! But lead me the
darkest and the coldest as Thou wilt.'
* * * * *
'Please, good Genius of my life, to make me very patient,
resolute, gentle, while no less ardent; and after having tried
me well, please present, at the end of some thousand years
or so, a sphere of congenial and consecutive labors; of
heart-felt, heart-filling wishes carried out into life on
the instant; of aims obviously, inevitably proportioned to my
highest nature. Sometime, in God's good time, let me live as
swift and earnest as a flash of the eye. Meanwhile, let me
gather force slowly, and drift along lazily, like yonder
cloud, and be content to end in a few tears at last.'
* * * * *
'To-night I lay on the sofa, and saw how the flame shot up
from beneath, through the mass of coal that had been
piled above. It shot up in wild beautiful jets, and then
unexpectedly sank again, and all was black, unsightly and
forlorn. And thus, I thought, is it with my life at present.
Yet if the fire beneath persists and conquers, that black dead
mass will become all radiant, life-giving, fit for the altar
or the domestic hearth. Yes, and it shall be so.'
* * * * *
'My tendency at present is to the deepest privacy. Where can I
hide till I am given to myself? Yet I love the others more and
more. When they are with me I must give them the best from
my scrip. I see their infirmities, and would fain heal them,
forgetful of my own! But am I left one moment alone, then, a
poor wandering pilgrim, but no saint, I would seek the shrine,
and would therein die to the world. Then if from the poor
relics some miracles might be wrought, that should be for my
fellows. Yet some of the saints were able to work in their
generation, for they had renounced all!'
* * * * *
'Forget, if you can, all of petulant or overstrained that may
have displeased you in me, and commend me in your prayers to
my best self. When, in the solitude of the spirit, comes upon
you some air from the distance, a breath of aspiration, of
faith, of pure tenderness, then believe that the Power which
has guided me so faithfully, emboldens my thoughts to frame a
prayer for you.'
* * * * *
'Beneath all pain inflicted by Nature, be not only serene, but
more; let it avail thee in prayer. Put up, at the moment of
greatest suffering, a prayer; not for thy own escape, but
for the enfranchisement of some being dear to thee, and the
Sovereign Spirit will accept thy ransom.'
* * * * *
'Strive, strive, my soul, to be innocent; yes! beneficent.
Does any man wound thee? not only forgive, but Work into thy
thought intelligence of the kind of pain, that thou mayest
never inflict it on another spirit. Then its work is done; it
will never search thy whole nature again. O, love much, and be
forgiven!'
* * * * *
'No! we cannot leave society while one clod remains unpervaded
by divine life. We cannot live and grow in consecrated earth,
alone. Let us rather learn to stand up like the Holy Father,
and with extended arms bless the whole world.'
* * * * *
'It will be happiness indeed, if, on passing this first stage,
we are permitted, in some degree, to alleviate the ills of
those we love,--to lead them on a little way; to aid them when
they call. Often it seems to me, it would be sweet to feel
that I had certainly conferred one benefit. All my poor little
schemes for others are apparently blighted, and now, as ever,
I am referred to the Secular year for the interpretation of my
moments.'
In one of Margaret's manuscripts is found this beautiful
symbol:--'There is a species of Cactus, from whose outer bark, if
torn by an ignorant person, there exudes a poisonous liquid; but the
natives, who know the plant, strike to the core, and there find a
sweet, refreshing juice, that renews their strength.' Surely the
preceding extracts prove that she was learning how to draw life-giving
virtue from the very heart of evil. No superficial experience of
sorrow embittered her with angry despair; but through profound
acceptance, she sought to imbibe, from every ill, peace, purity and
gentleness.
* * * * *
The two fiery trials through which she had been made to pass, and
through which she was yet to pass again and again,--obstruction to
the development of her genius, and loneliness of heart,--were the very
furnace needed to burn the dross from her gold, till it could fitly
image the Heavenly Refiner. By inherited traits, and indiscreet
treatment, self-love had early become so excessive that only severest
discipline could transmute it to disinterestedness. Pity for her own
misfortunes had, indeed, taught her to curb her youthful scorn
for mediocrity, and filled her with considerateness and delicate
sensibility. Constant experience, too, of the wonderful modes whereby
her fate was shaped by overruling mercy, had chastened her love of
personal sway, and her passion for a commanding career; and
Margaret could humble herself,--did often humble herself,--with an
all-resigning contrition, that was most touching to witness in one
naturally so haughty. Of this the following letter to a valued friend
gives illustration:--
'I ought, I know, to have laid aside my own cares and griefs,
been on the alert for intelligence that would gratify you,
and written letters such as would have been of use and given
pleasure to my wise, tender, ever faithful friend. But no; I
first intruded on your happiness with my sorrowful epistles,
and then, because you did not seem to understand my position,
with sullen petulance I resolved to write no more. Nay, worse;
I tried to harden my heart against you, and felt, "If you
cannot be all, you shall be nothing."
'It was a bad omen that I lost the locket you gave me, which
I had constantly worn. Had that been daily before my eyes,
to remind me of all your worth,--of the generosity with which
you, a ripe and wise character, received me to the privileges
of equal friendship; of the sincerity with which you reproved
and the love with which you pardoned my faults; of how much
you taught me, and bore with from me,--it would have softened
the flint of my heart, and I should have relaxed from my
isolation.
'How shall I apologize for feelings which I now recognize as
having been so cold, so bitter and unjust? I can only say
I have suffered greatly, till the tone of my spirits seems
destroyed. Since I have been at leisure to realize how very
ill I have been, under what constant pain and many annoyances
I have kept myself upright, and how, if I have not done
my work, I have learned my lesson to the end, I should be
inclined to excuse myself for every fault, except this neglect
and ingratitude against friends. Yet, if you can forgive, I
will try to forgive myself, and I do think I shall never so
deeply sin again.'
Yet, though thus frank to own to herself and to her peers her errors,
Margaret cherished a trust in her powers, a confidence in her destiny,
and an ideal of her being, place and influence, so lofty as to be
extravagant. In the morning-hour and mountain-air of aspiration, her
shadow moved before her, of gigantic size, upon the snow-white vapor.
In accordance with her earnest charge, 'Be true as Truth to me,' I
could not but expose this propensity to self-delusion; and her answer
is her best explanation and defence:--
'I protest against your applying to me, even in your
most transient thought, such an epithet as "determined
exaggeration." Exaggeration, if you will; but not determined.
No; I would have all open to the light, and would let my
boughs be pruned, when they grow rank and unfruitful, even if
I felt the knife to the quick of my being. Very fain would I
have a rational modesty, without self-distrust; and may
the knowledge of my failures leaven my soul, and check its
intemperance. If you saw me wholly, you would not, I think,
feel as you do; for you would recognize the force, that
regulates my life and tempers the ardor with an eventual
calmness. You would see, too, that the more I take my flight
in poetical enthusiasm, the stronger materials I bring back
for my nest. Certainly I am nowise yet an angel; but neither
am I an utterly weak woman, and far less a cold intellect.
God is rarely afar off. Exquisite nature is all around. Life
affords vicissitudes enough to try the energies of the human
will. I can pray, I can act, I can learn, I can constantly
immerse myself in the Divine Beauty. But I also need to
love my fellow-men, and to meet the responsive glance of my
spiritual kindred.'
Again, she says:--
'I like to hear you express your sense of my defects. The
word "arrogance" does not, indeed, appear to me to be just;
probably because I do not understand what you mean. But in due
time I doubtless shall; for so repeatedly have you used it,
that it must stand for something real in my large and rich,
yet irregular and unclarified nature. But though I like to
hear you, as I say, and think somehow your reproof does me
good, by myself, I return to my native bias, and feel as if
there was plenty of room in the universe for my faults, and
as if I could not spend time in thinking of them, when so
many things interest me more. I have no defiance or coldness,
however, as to these spiritual facts which I do not know;
but I must follow my own law, and bide my time, even if, like
Oedipus, I should return a criminal, blind and outcast, to
ask aid from the gods. Such possibilities, I confess, give
me great awe; for I have more sense than most, of the tragic
depths that may open suddenly in the life. Yet, believing in
God, anguish cannot be despair, nor guilt perdition. I feel
sure that I have never wilfully chosen, and that my life has
been docile to such truth as was shown it. In an environment
like mine, what may have seemed too lofty or ambitious in
my character was absolutely needed to keep the heart from
breaking and enthusiasm from extinction.'
Such Egoism as this, though lacking the angel grace of
unconsciousness, has a stoical grandeur that commands respect. Indeed,
in all that Margaret spoke, wrote, or did, no cynic could detect the
taint of meanness. Her elation came not from opium fumes of vanity,
inhaled in close chambers of conceit, but from the stimulus of
sunshine, fresh breezes, and swift movement upon the winged steed of
poesy. Her existence was bright with romantic interest to herself.
There was an amplitude and elevation in her aim, which were worthy, as
she felt, of human honor and of heavenly aid; and she was buoyed up
by a courageous good-will, amidst all evils, that she knew would have
been recognized as heroic in the chivalric times, when "every morning
brought a noble chance." Neither was her self-regard of an engrossing
temper. On the contrary, the sense of personal dignity taught her
the worth of the lowliest human being, and her intense desire for
harmonious conditions quickened a boundless compassion for the
squalid, downcast, and drudging multitude. She aspired to live in
majestic fulness of benignant and joyful activity, leaving a track of
light with every footstep; and, like the radiant Iduna, bearing to
man the golden apples of immortality, she would have made each meeting
with her fellows rich with some boon that should never fade, but
brighten in bloom forever.
This characteristic self-esteem determined the quality of Margaret's
influence, which was singularly penetrating, and most beneficent where
most deeply and continuously felt. Chance acquaintance with her, like
a breath from the tropics, might have prematurely burst the buds of
feeling in sensitive hearts, leaving after blight and barrenness.
Natures, small in compass and of fragile substance, might have been
distorted and shattered by attempts to mould themselves on her grand
model. And in her seeming unchartered impulses,--whose latent law was
honorable integrity,--eccentric spirits might have found encouragement
for capricious license. Her morbid subjectivity, too, might, by
contagion, have affected others with undue self-consciousness.
And, finally, even intimate friends might have been tempted, by
her flattering love, to exaggerate their own importance, until they
recognized that her regard for them was but one niche in a Pantheon
at whose every shrine she offered incense. But these ill effects were
superficial accidents. The peculiarity of her power was to make all
who were in concert with her feel the miracle of existence. She lived
herself with such concentrated force in the moments, that she was
always effulgent with thought and affection,--with conscience,
courage, resource, decision, a penetrating and forecasting wisdom.
Hence, to associates, her presence seemed to touch even common scenes
and drudging cares with splendor, as when, through the scud of
a rain-storm, sunbeams break from serene blue openings, crowning
familiar things with sudden glory. By manifold sympathies, yet central
unity, she seemed in herself to be a goodly company, and her words
and deeds imparted the virtue of a collective life. So tender was her
affection, that, like a guardian genius, she made her friends' souls
her own, and identified herself with their fortunes; and yet, so pure
and high withal was her justice, that, in her recognition of their
past success and present claims, there came a summons for fresh
endeavor after the perfect. The very thought of her roused manliness
to emulate the vigorous freedom, with which one was assured, that
wherever placed she was that instant acting; and the mere mention
of her name was an inspiration of magnanimity, and faithfulness, and
truth.
'"Sincere has been their striving; great their love,"
'is a sufficient apology for any life,' wrote Margaret; and how
preëminently were these words descriptive of herself. Hers was indeed
"The equal temper of heroic hearts,
Made weak by time and fate, but strong in will,
To strive, to seek, to find, and not to yield."
This indomitable aspiration found utterance in the following verses,
on
'SUB ROSA CRUX.
'In times of old, as we are told,
When men more childlike at the feet
Of Jesus sat than now,
A chivalry was known, more bold
Than ours, and yet of stricter vow,
And worship more complete.
'Knights of the Rosy Cross! they bore
Its weight within the breast, but wore
Without the sign, in glistening ruby bright.
The gall and vinegar they drank alone,
But to the world at large would only own
The wine of faith, sparkling with rosy light.
'They knew the secret of the sacred oil,
Which, poured upon the prophet's head,
Could keep him wise and pure for aye,
Apart from all that might distract or soil;
With this their lamps they fed,
Which burn in their sepulchral shrines,
Unfading night and day.
'The pass-word now is lost
To that initiation full and free;
Daily we pay the cost
Of our slow schooling for divine degree.
We know no means to feed an undying lamp,
Our lights go out in every wind and damp.
'We wear the cross of Ebony and Gold,
Upon a dark back-ground a form of light,
A heavenly hope within a bosom cold,
A starry promise in a frequent night;
And oft the dying lamp must trim again,
For we are conscious, thoughtful, striving men.
'Yet be we faithful to this present trust,
Clasp to a heart resigned this faithful Must;
Though deepest dark our efforts should enfold,
Unwearied mine to find the vein of gold;
Forget not oft to waft the prayer on high;--
The rosy dawn again shall fill the sky.
'And by that lovely light all truth revealed,--
The cherished forms, which sad distrust concealed,
Transfigured, yet the same, will round us stand,
The kindred angels of a faithful band;
Ruby and ebon cross then cast aside,
No lamp more needed, for the night has died.
'"Be to the best thou knowest ever true,"
Is all the creed.
Then be thy talisman of rosy hue,
Or fenced with thorns, that wearing, thou must bleed,
Or, gentle pledge of love's prophetic view,
The faithful steps it will securely lead.
'Happy are all who reach that distant shore,
And bathe in heavenly day;
Happiest are those who high the banner bore,
To marshal others on the way,
Or waited for them, fainting and way-worn,
By burthens overborne.'
[Footnote A: This sentence was written before I was aware that
Margaret, as will be seen hereafter, had used the same symbol to
describe Madame Sand. The first impulse, of course, when I discovered
this coincidence, was to strike out the above passage; yet, on second
thought, I have retained it, as indicating an actual resemblance
between these two grand women. In Margaret, however, the benediction
of their noble-hearted sister, Elizabeth Barrett, had already been
fulfilled; for she to "woman's claim" had ever joined
"the angel-grace
Of a pure genius sanctified from blame."]
[Footnote B: Novalis.]
NEW YORK.
JOURNALS, LETTERS, &c.
* * * * *
"How much, preventing God, how much. I owe
To the defences thou hast round me set!
Example, Custom, Fear, Occasion slow,--
These scorned bondsmen were my parapet.
I dare not peep over this parapet,
To gauge with glance the roaring gulf below,
The depths of sin to which I had descended,
Had not these me against myself defended."
"Di tè, finor, chiesto non hai severa
Ragione a tè; di sua virtù non cade
Sospetto in cor conscio a se stesso."
ALFIERI.
"He that lacks time to mourn, lacks time to mend;
Eternity mourns that. 'Tis an ill cure
For life's worst ills, to have no time to feel them.
Where sorrow's held intrusive, and turned out,
There wisdom, will not enter, nor true power,
Nor aught that dignifies humanity."
TAYLOR.
"That time of year thou may'st in me behold,
When yellow leaves, or none, or few do hang
Upon those boughs which shake against the cold,
Bare ruined choirs, where late the sweet birds sang.
In me thou seest the twilight of such day,
As after sunset fadeth in the west;
Which by and by black night doth take away,--
Death's second self, that seals up all in rest.
In me thou seest the glowing of such fire,
That on the ashes of his youth doth lie;
As the death-bed whereon it must expire,
Consumed with that which it was nourished by."
SHAKSPEARE. [Sonnet lxxiii.]
"Aber zufrieden mit stillerem Ruhme,
Brechen die Frauen des Augenblick's Blume,
Nähren sie sorgsam mit liebendem Fleiss,
Freier in ihrem gebundenen Wirken,
Reicher als er in des Wissens Bezirken
Und in der Dichtung unendlichem Kreiz."
SCHILLER.
"Not like to like, but like in difference;
Yet in the long years liker must they grow,--
The man be more of woman, she of man;
He gain in sweetness and in moral height,
Nor lose the wrestling thews that throw the world;
She mental breadth, nor fail in childward care;
More as the double-natured poet each;
Till at the last she set herself to man,
Like perfect music unto noble words."
TENNYSON.
VII.
NEW YORK
* * * * *
LEAVING HOME.
Incessant exertion in teaching and writing, added to pecuniary
anxieties and domestic cares, had so exhausted Margaret's energy, in
1844, that she felt a craving for fresh interests, and resolved to
seek an entire change of scene amid freer fields of action.
'The tax on my mind is such,' she writes,
'and I am so unwell, that I can scarcely keep up the spring of
my spirits, and sometimes fear that I cannot go through with
the engagements of the winter. But I have never stopped yet
in fulfilling what I have undertaken, and hope I shall not be
compelled to now. How farcical seems the preparation needed to
gain a few moments' life; yet just so the plant works all the
year round for a few days' flower.'
But in brighter mood she says, again:--
'I congratulate myself that I persisted, against every
persuasion, in doing all I could last winter; for now I am and
shall be free from debt, and I look on the position of debtor
with a dread worthy of some respectable Dutch burgomaster.
My little plans for others, too, have succeeded; our small
household is well arranged, and all goes smoothly as a
wheel turns round. Mother, moreover, has learned not to
be over-anxious when I suffer, so that I am not obliged to
suppress my feelings when it is best to yield to them. Thus,
having more calmness, I feel often that a sweet serenity is
breathed through every trifling duty. I am truly grateful for
being enabled to fulfil obligations which to some might seem
humble, but which to me are sacred.'
And in mid-summer comes this pleasant picture:--
'Every day, I rose and attended to the many little calls which
are always on me, and which have been more of late. Then,
about eleven, I would sit down to write, at my window, close
to which is the apple-tree, lately full of blossoms, and now
of yellow birds. Opposite me was Del Sarto's Madonna; behind
me Silenus, holding in his arms the infant Pan. I felt very
content with my pen, my daily bouquet, and my yellow birds.
About five I would go out and walk till dark; then would
arrive my proofs, like crabbed old guardians, coming to tea
every night. So passed each day. The 23d of May, my birth-day,
about one o'clock, I wrote the last line of my little book;[A]
then I went to Mount Auburn, and walked gently among the
graves.'
As the brothers had now left college, and had entered or were entering
upon professional and commercial life, while the sister was married,
and the mother felt calls to visit in turn her scattered children, it
was determined to break up the "Home." 'As a family,' Margaret writes,
'we are henceforth to be parted. But though for months I had
been preparing for this separation, the last moments were very
sad. Such tears are childish tears, I know, and belie a deeper
wisdom. It is foolish in me to be so anxious about my family.
As I went along, it seemed as if all I did was for God's sake;
but if it had been, could I now thus fear? My relations to
them are altogether fair, so far as they go. As to their being
no more to me than others of my kind, there is surely a mystic
thrill betwixt children of one mother, which can never cease
to be felt till the soul is quite born anew. The earthly
family is the scaffold whereby we build the spiritual one. The
glimpses we here obtain of what such relations should be are
to me an earnest that the family is of Divine Order, and not a
mere school of preparation. And in the state of perfect being
which we call Heaven, I am assured that family ties will
attain to that glorified beauty of harmonious adaptation,
which stellar groups in the pure blue typify.'
Margaret's admirable fidelity, as daughter and sister,--amidst her
incessant literary pursuits, and her far-reaching friendships,--can be
justly appreciated by those only who were in her confidence; but from
the following slight sketches generous hearts can readily infer what
was the quality of her home-affections.
'Mother writes from Canton that my dear old grandmother is
dead. I regret that you never saw her. She was a picture of
primitive piety, as she sat holding the "Saint's Rest" in her
hand, with her bowed, trembling figure, and her emphatic nods,
and her sweet blue eyes. They were bright to the last, though
she was ninety. It is a great loss to mother, who felt a large
place warmed in her heart by the fond and grateful love of
this aged parent.'
'We cannot be sufficiently grateful for our mother,--so so
fair a blossom of the white amaranth; truly to us a mother
in this, that we can venerate her piety. Our relations to her
have known no jar. Nothing vulgar has sullied them; and in
this respect life has been truly domesticated. Indeed, when I
compare my lot with others, it seems to have had a more than
usual likeness to home; for relations have been as noble
as sincerity could make them, and there has been a frequent
breath of refined affection, with its sweet courtesies. Mother
thanks God in her prayers for "all the acts of mutual love
which have been permitted;" and looking back, I see that these
have really been many. I do not recognize this, as the days
pass, for to my desires life would be such a flower-chain of
symbols, that what is done seems very scanty, and the thread
shows too much.
'She has just brought me a little bouquet. Her flowers have
suffered greatly by my neglect, when I would be engrossed
by other things in her absences. But, not to be disgusted or
deterred, whenever she can glean one pretty enough, she brings
it to me. Here is the bouquet,--a very delicate rose, with its
half-blown bud, heliotrope, geranium, lady-pea, heart's-ease;
all sweet-scented flowers! Moved by their beauty, I wrote a
short note, to which this is the reply. Just like herself![B]
'"I should not love my flowers if they did not put forth all
the strength they have, in gratitude for your preserving care,
last winter, and your wasted feelings over the unavoidable
effects of the frost, that came so unexpectedly to nip their
budding beauties. I appreciate all you have done, knowing
at what cost any plant must be nourished by one who sows in
fields more precious than those opened, in early life, to my
culture. One must have grown up with flowers, and found joy
and sweetness in them, amidst disagreeable occupations, to
take delight in their whole existence as I do. They have long
had power to bring me into harmony with the Creator, and to
soothe almost any irritation. Therefore I understand your love
for these beautiful things, and it gives me real pleasure to
procure them for you.
'"You have done everything that the most affectionate and
loving daughter could, under all circumstances. My faith in
your generous desire to increase my happiness is founded on
the knowledge I have gained of your disposition, through your
whole life. I should ask your sympathy and aid, whenever it
could be available, knowing that you would give it first to
me. Waste no thought on neglected duties. I know of none.
Let us pursue our appointed paths, aiding each other in rough
places; and if I live to need the being led by the hand,
I always feel that you will perform this office wisely and
tenderly. We shall ever have perfect peace between us. Yours,
in all love."'
Margaret adds:--
'It has been, and still is, hard for me to give up the thought
of serenity, and freedom from toil and care, for mother,
in the evening of a day which has been all one work of
disinterested love. But I am now confident that she will learn
from every trial its lesson; and if I cannot be her protector,
I can be at least her counsellor and soother.'
From the less private parts of Margaret's correspondence with the
younger members of the family, some passages may be selected, as
attesting her quick and penetrating sympathy, her strict truth,
and influential wisdom. They may be fitly prefaced by these few but
emphatic words from a letter of one of her brothers:--
"I was much impressed, during my childhood, at Groton, with
an incident that first disclosed to me the tenderness of
Margaret's character. I had always viewed her as a being
of different nature from myself, to whose altitudes of
intellectual life I had no thought of ascending. She had been
absent during the winter, and on her return asked me for some
account of my experiences. Supposing that she could not enter
into such insignificant details, I was not frank or warm in
my confidence, though I gave no reason for my reserve; and the
matter had passed from my mind, when our mother told me that
Margaret had shed tears, because I seemed to heed so little
her sisterly sympathy. 'Tears from one so learned,' thought I,
'for the sake of one so inferior!' Afterwards, my heart opened
to her, as to no earthly friend.
"The characteristic trait of Margaret, to which all
her talents and acquirements were subordinate, was
sympathy,--universal sympathy. She had that large intelligence
and magnanimity which enabled her to comprehend the struggles
and triumphs of every form of character. Loving all about her,
whether rich or poor, rude or cultivated, as equally formed
after a Divine Original, with an equal birth-right of immortal
growth, she regarded rather their aspirations than their
accomplishments. And this was the source of her marvellous
influence. Those who had never thought of their own destiny,
nor put faith in their own faculties, found in her society not
so much a display of her gifts, as surprising discoveries of
their own. She revealed to them the truth, that all can be
noble by fidelity to the highest self. She appreciated, with
delicate tenderness, each one's peculiar trials, and, while
never attempting to make the unhappy feel that their miseries
were unreal, she pointed out the compensations of their
lot, and taught them how to live above misfortune. She had
consolation and advice for every one in trouble, and wrote
long letters to many friends, at the expense not only of
precious time, but of physical pain.
"When now, with the experience of a man, I look back upon her
wise guardianship over our childhood, her indefatigable labors
for our education, her constant supervision in our family
affairs, her minute instructions as to the management of
multifarious details, her painful conscientiousness in every
duty; and then reflect on her native inaptitude and even
disgust for practical affairs, on her sacrifice,--in the
very flower of her genius,--of her favorite pursuits, on her
incessant drudgery and waste of health, on her patient
bearing of burdens, and courageous conflict with difficult
circumstances, her character stands before me as heroic."
It was to this brother that Margaret wrote as follows:--
'It is a great pleasure to me to give you this book; both that
I have a brother whom I think worthy to value it, and that
I can give him something worthy to be valued more and more
through all his life. Whatever height we may attain in
knowledge, whatever facility in the expression of thoughts,
will only enable us to do more justice to what is drawn
from so deep a source of faith and intellect, and arrayed,
oftentimes, in the fairest hues of nature. Yet it may not be
well for a young mind to dwell too near one tuned to so high
a pitch as this writer, lest, by trying to come into concord
with him, the natural tones be overstrained, and the strings
weakened by untimely pressure. Do not attempt, therefore, to
read this book through, but keep it with you, and when the
spirit is fresh and earnest turn to it. It is full of the
tide-marks of great thoughts, but these can be understood
by one only who has gained, by experience, some knowledge of
these tides. The ancient sages knew how to greet a brother who
had consecrated his life to thought, and was never disturbed
from his purpose by a lower aim. But it is only to those
perfected in purity that Pythagoras can show a golden thigh.
'One word as to your late readings. They came in a timely way
to admonish you, amidst mere disciplines, as to the future
uses of such disciplines. But systems of philosophy are mere
pictures to him, who has not yet learned how to systematize.
From an inward opening of your nature these knowledges must
begin to be evolved, ere you can apprehend aught beyond
their beauty, as revealed in the mind of another. Study in a
reverent and patient spirit, blessing the day that leads you
the least step onward. Do not ride hobbies. Do not hasten
to conclusions. Be not coldly sceptical towards any thinker,
neither credulous of his views. A man, whose mind is full of
error, may give us the genial sense of truth, as a tropical
sun, while it rears crocodiles, yet ripens the wine of the
palm-tree.
'To turn again to my Ancients: while they believed in
self-reliance with a force little known in our day, they
dreaded no pains of initiation, but fitted themselves for
intelligent recognition of the truths on which our being is
based, by slow gradations of travel, study, speech, silence,
bravery, and patience. That so it may be with you, dear ----,
hopes your sister and friend.'
A few extracts from family letters written at different times, and
under various conditions, may be added.
'I read with great interest the papers you left with me. The
picture and the emotions suggested are genuine. The youthful
figure, no doubt, stands portress at the gate of Infinite
Beauty; yet I would say to one I loved as I do you, do not
waste these emotions, nor the occasions which excite them.
There is danger of prodigality,--of lavishing the best
treasures of the breast on objects that cannot be the
permanent ones. It is true, that whatever thought is awakened
in the mind becomes truly ours; but it is a great happiness
to owe these influences to a cause so proportioned to our
strength as to grow with it. I say this merely because I
fear that the virginity of heart which I believe essential
to feeling a real love, in all its force and purity, may
be endangered by too careless excursions into the realms of
fancy.'
* * * * *
'It is told us, we should pray, "lead us not into temptation;"
and I agree. Yet I think it cannot be, that, with a good
disposition, and the means you have had to form your mind and
discern a higher standard, your conduct or happiness can be
so dependent on circumstances, as you seem to think. I never
advised your taking a course which would blunt your finer
powers and I do not believe that winning the means of
pecuniary independence need do so. I have not found that it
does, in my own case, placed at much greater disadvantage than
you are. I have never considered, either, that there was
any misfortune in your lot. Health, good abilities, and a
well-placed youth, form a union of advantages possessed by
few, and which leaves you little excuse for fault or failure.
And so to your better genius and the instruction of the One
Wise, I commend you.'
* * * * *
'It gave me great pleasure to get your last letter, for these
little impromptu effusions are the genuine letters. I rejoice
that man and nature seem harmonious to you, and that the heart
beats in unison with the voices of Spring. May all that is
manly, sincere, and pure, in your wishes, be realized! Obliged
to live myself without the sanctuary of the central relations,
yet feeling I must still not despair, nor fail to profit by
the precious gifts of life, while "leaning upon our Father's
hand," I still rejoice, if any one can, in the true temper,
and with well-founded hopes, secure a greater completeness of
earthly existence. This fortune is as likely to be yours, as
any one's I know. It seems to me dangerous, however, to meddle
with the future. I never lay my hand on it to grasp it with
impunity.'
* * * * *
'Of late I have often thought of you with strong yearnings of
affection and desire to see you. It would seem to me, also,
that I had not devoted myself to you enough, if I were not
conscious that by any more attention to the absent than I have
paid, I should have missed the needed instructions from the
present. And I feel that any bond of true value will endure
necessary neglect.'
* * * * *
'There is almost too much of bitter mixed in the cup of life.
You say religion is a mere sentiment with you, and that if
you are disappointed in your first, your very first hopes and
plans, you do not know whether you shall be able to act well.
I do not myself see how a reflecting soul can endure the
passage through life, except by confidence in a Power that
must at last order all things right, and the resolution that
it shall not be our own fault if we are not happy,--that we
will resolutely deserve to be happy. There are many bright
glimpses in life, many still hours; much worthy toil, some
deep and noble joys; but, then, there are so many, and such
long, intervals, when we are kept from all we want, and must
perish but for such thoughts.'
* * * * *
'You need not fear, dear ----, my doing anything to chill
you. I am only too glad of the pure happiness you so sweetly
describe. I well understand what you say of its invigorating
you for every enterprise. I was always sure it would be so
with me,--that resigned, I could do well, but happy I could
do excellently. Happiness must, with the well-born, expand
the generous affections towards all men, and invigorate one to
deserve what the gods have given.'
Margaret's charities and courtesies were not limited to her kindred.
She fell, at once, into agreeable relations with her domestics,
became their confidant, teacher, and helper, studied their characters,
consulted their convenience, warned them of their dangers or
weaknesses, and rejoiced to gratify their worthy tastes; and, in
return, no lady could receive, from servants, more punctual or hearty
attendance. She knew how to command and how to persuade, and her
sympathy was perfect. They felt the power of her mind, her hardy
directness, prompt judgment, decision and fertility of resource, and
liked to aid one who knew so well her own wants. 'Around my path,' she
writes,
'how much humble love continually flows. These every-day and
lowly friends never forget my wishes, never censure my
whims, make no demands on me, and load me with gifts and
uncomplaining service. Though sometimes forgetful of their
claims, I try to make it up when we do meet, and I trust give
little pain as I pass along this world.'
Even in extreme cases of debasement she found more to admire than to
contemn, and won the confidence of the fallen by manifesting her real
respect. "There was in my family," writes a friend, "a very handsome
young girl, who had been vicious in her habits, and so enamored of
one of her lovers, that when he deserted her, she attempted to drown
herself. She was rescued, and some good people were eager to reform
her life. While she was engaged in housework for us, Margaret saw her,
and one day asked ---- if she could not help her. ---- replied: 'No!
for should I begin to talk with her, I should show my consciousness of
her history so much as to be painful.' Margaret was very indignant at
this weakness. Said she,
'This girl is taken away, you know, from all her objects of
interest, and must feel her life vacant and dreary. Her mind
should be employed; she should be made to feel her powers.'
It was plain that if Margaret had been near her, she would have
devoted herself at once to her education and reestablishment."
About the time of breaking up their home, Margaret thus expressed, to
one of her brothers, her hopes and plans.
'You wish, dear ----, that I was not obliged to toil and spin,
but could live, for a while, like the lilies. I wish so,
too, for life has fatigued me, my strength is little, and the
present state of my mind demands repose and refreshment,
that it may ripen some fruit worthy of the long and deep
experiences through which I have passed. I do not regret that
I have shared the labors and cares of the suffering million,
and have acquired a feeling sense of the conditions under
which the Divine has appointed the development of the human.
Yet, if our family affairs could now be so arranged, that I
might be tolerably tranquil for the next six or eight years,
I should go out of life better satisfied with the page I have
turned in it, than I shall if I must still toil on. A noble
career is yet before me, if I can be unimpeded by cares. I
have given almost all my young energies to personal relations;
but, at present, I feel inclined to impel the general stream
of thought. Let my nearest friends also wish that I should now
take share in more public life.'
[Footnote A: Summer on the Lakes.]
[Footnote B: The editor must offer as excuse for printing, without
permission asked, this note, found carefully preserved among
Margaret's papers, that he knew no other way of so truly indicating
the relation between mother and daughter. This lily is eloquent of the
valley where it grew. W.H.C.]
THE HIGHLANDS.
Seeking thus, at once, expansion and rest in new employments, Margaret
determined, in the autumn of 1844, to accept a liberal offer of
Messrs. Greeley and McElrath, to become a constant contributor to the
New York Tribune. But before entering upon her new duties, she found
relaxation, for a few weeks, amid the grand scenery of the Hudson. In
October, she writes from Fishkill Landing:--
'Can I find words to tell you how I enjoy being here,
encircled by the majestic beauty of these mountains? I felt
regret, indeed, in bidding farewell to Boston, so many
marks of affection were shown me at the last, and so many
friendships, true if imperfect, were left behind. But now I am
glad to feel enfranchized in the society of Nature. I have a
well-ordered, quiet house to dwell in, with nobody's humors
to consult but my own. From my windows I see over the tops of
variegated trees the river, with its purple heights beyond,
and a few moments' walk brings me to the lovely shore, where
sails are gliding continually by, and the huge steamers sweep
past with echoing tread, and a train of waves, whose rush
relieves the monotone of the ripples. In the country behind us
are mountain-paths, and lonely glens, with gurgling streams,
and many-voiced water-falls. And over all are spread the
gorgeous hues of autumn.'
And again:--
'"From the brain of the purple mountain" flows forth cheer
to my somewhat weary mind. I feel refreshed amid these bolder
shapes of nature. Mere gentle and winning landscapes are not
enough. How I wish my birth had been cast among the sources
of the streams, where the voice of hidden torrents is heard
by night, and the eagle soars, and the thunder resounds in
prolonged peals, and wide blue shadows fall like brooding
wings across the valleys! Amid such scenes, I expand and feel
at home. All the fine days I spend among the mountain passes,
along the mountain brooks, or beside the stately river. I
enjoy just the tranquil happiness I need in communion with
this fair grandeur.'
And, again:--
'The boldness, sweetness, and variety here, are just what
I like. I could pass the autumn in watching the exquisite
changes of light and shade on the heights across the river.
How idle to pretend that one could live and write as well amid
fallow flat fields! This majesty, this calm splendor, could
not but exhilarate the mind, and make it nobly free and
plastic.'
These few weeks among the Highlands,--spent mostly in the open air,
under October's golden sunshine, the slumberous softness of the Indian
summer, or the brilliant, breezy skies of November,--were an important
era for Margaret. She had--
"lost the dream of Doing
And the other dream of Done;
The first spring in the pursuing,
The first pride in the Begun,
First recoil from incompleteness in the face of what is won."
But she was striving, also, to use her own words, 'to be patient to
the very depths of the heart, to expect no hasty realizations, not to
make her own plan her law of life, but to learn the law and plan of
God.' She adds, however:--
'What heaven it must be to have the happy sense of
accomplishing something, and to feel the glow of action
without exhausted weariness! Surely the race would have worn
itself out by corrosion, if men in all ages had suffered, as
we now do, from the consciousness of an unattained Ideal.'
Extracts from journals will best reveal her state of mind.
'I have a dim consciousness of what the terrible experiences
must be by which the free poetic element is harmonized with
the spirit of religion. In their essence and their end these
are one, but rarely in actual existence. I would keep what
was pure and noble in my old native freedom, with that
consciousness of falling below the best convictions which now
binds me to the basest of mankind, and find some new truth
that shall reconcile and unite them. Once it seemed to
me, that my heart was so capable of goodness, my mind of
clearness, that all should acknowledge and claim me as a
friend. But now I see that these impulses were prophetic of a
yet distant period. The "intensity" of passion, which so often
unfits me for life, or, rather, for _life here_, is to
be moderated, not into dulness or languor, but a gentler,
steadier energy.'
'The stateliest, strongest vessel must sometimes be brought
into port to rent. If she will not submit to be fastened to
the dock, stripped of her rigging, and scrutinized by unwashed
artificers, she may spring a leak when riding most proudly
on the subject wave. Norway fir nor English oak can resist
forever the insidious assaults of the seemingly conquered
ocean. The man who clears the barnacles from the keel is more
essential than he who hoists the pennant on the lofty mast.'
* * * * *
'A week of more suffering than I have had for a long
time,--from Sunday to Sunday,--headache night and day! And not
only there has been no respite, but it has been fixed in one
spot--between the eyebrows!--what does that promise?--till it
grew real torture. Then it has been depressing to be able to
do so little, when there was so much I had at heart to do.
It seems that the black and white guardians, depicted on the
Etrurian monuments, and in many a legend, are always fighting
for my life. Whenever I have any cherished purpose, either
outward obstacles swarm around, which the hand that would be
drawing beautiful lines must be always busy in brushing away,
or comes this great vulture, and fastens his iron talons on
the brain.
'But at such times the soul rises up, like some fair child in
whom sleep has been mistaken for death, a living flower in
the dark tomb. He casts aside his shrouds and bands, rosy and
fresh from the long trance, undismayed, not seeing how to get
out, yet sure there is a way.
'I think the black jailer laughs now, hoping that while I
want to show that Woman can have the free, full action of
intellect, he will prove in my own self that she has not
physical force to bear it. Indeed, I am too poor an example,
and do wish I was bodily strong and fair. Yet, I will not be
turned from the deeper convictions.'
'Driven from home to home, as a Renouncer, I gain the poetry
of each. Keys of gold, silver, iron, lead, are in my casket.
Though no one loves me as I would be loved, I yet love many
well enough to see into their eventual beauty. Meanwhile, I
have no fetters, and when one perceives how others are bound
in false relations, this surely should be regarded as a
privilege. And so varied have been my sympathies, that this
isolation will not, I trust, make me cold, ignorant, nor
partial. My history presents much superficial, temporary
tragedy. The Woman in me kneels and weeps in tender rapture;
the Man in me rushes forth, but only to be baffled. Yet the
time will come, when, from the union of this tragic king and
queen, shall be born a radiant sovereign self.'
* * * * *
'I have quite a desire to try my powers in a narrative poem;
but my head teems with plans, of which there will be time
for very few only to take form. Milton, it is said, made
for himself a list of a hundred subjects for dramas, and the
recorder of the fact seems to think this many. I think it very
few, so filled is life with innumerable themes.'
* * * * *
'_Sunday Evening._--I have employed some hours of the day,
with great satisfaction, in copying the Poet's Dreams from the
Pentameron of Landor. I do not often have time for such slow,
pleasing labor. I have thus imprinted the words in my mind, so
that they will often recur in their original beauty.
'I have added three sonnets of Petrarca, all written after the
death of Laura. They are among his noblest, all pertinent to
the subject, and giving three aspects of that one mood. The
last lines of the last sonnet are a fit motto for Boccaccio's
dream.
'In copying both together, I find the prose of the Englishman
worthy of the verse of the Italian. It is a happiness to see
such marble beauty in the halls of a contemporary.
'How fine it is to see the terms "onesto," "gentile," used in
their original sense and force.
'Soft, solemn day!
Where earth and heaven together seem to meet,
I have been blest to greet
From human thought a kindred sway;
In thought these stood
So near the simple Good,
That what we nobleness and honor call,
They viewed as honesty, the common dower of all.'
Margaret was reading, in these weeks, the Four Books of Confucius,
the Desatir, some of Taylor's translations from the Greek, a work on
Scandinavian Mythology, Moehler's Symbolism, Fourier's Noveau Monde
Industriel, and Landor's Pentameron,--but she says, in her journal,
'No book is good enough to read in the open air, among these
mountains; even the best seem partial, civic, limiting,
instead of being, as man's voice should be, a tone higher than
nature's.'
And again:--
'This morning came ----'s letter, announcing Sterling's
death:--
'"Weep for Dedalus all that is fairest."
'The news was very sad: Sterling did so earnestly wish to do
a man's work, and had done so small a portion of his own. This
made me feel how fast my years are flitting by, and nothing
done. Yet these few beautiful days of leisure I cannot resolve
to give at all to work. I want absolute rest, to let the mind
lie fallow, to keep my whole nature open to the influx of
truth.'
At this very time, however, she was longing to write with full freedom
and power. 'Formerly,' she says,
'the pen did not seem to me an instrument capable of
expressing the spirit of a life like mine. An enchanter's
mirror, on which, with a word, could be made to rise all
apparitions of the universe, grouped in new relations; a magic
ring, that could transport the wearer, himself invisible, into
each region of grandeur or beauty; a divining-rod, to tell
where lie the secret fountains of refreshment; a wand, to
invoke elemental spirits;--only such as these seemed fit to
embody one's thought with sufficient swiftness and force. In
earlier years I aspired to wield the sceptre or the lyre; for
I loved with wise design and irresistible command to mould
many to one purpose, and it seemed all that man could desire
to breathe in music and speak in words, the harmonies of the
universe. But the golden lyre was not given to my hand, and I
am but the prophecy of a poet. Let me use, then, the slow pen.
I will make no formal vow to the long-scorned Muse; I assume
no garland; I dare not even dedicate myself as a novice; I
can promise neither patience nor energy:--but I will court
excellence, so far as an humble heart and open eye can merit
it, and, if I may gradually grow to some degree of worthiness
in this mode of expression, I shall be grateful.'
WOMAN.
It was on "Woman in the Nineteenth Century" that Margaret was now
testing her power as a writer. 'I have finished the pamphlet,' she
writes, 'though the last day it kept spinning out beneath my hand.
After taking a long walk, early one most exhilarating morning, I sat
down to work, and did not give it the last stroke till near nine in
the evening. Then I felt a delightful glow, as if I had put a good
deal of my true life in it, and as if, should I go away now, the
measure of my foot-print would be left on the earth.'
A few extracts from her manuscripts upon this subject may be of
interest, as indicating the spirit and aim with which she wrote:--
'To those of us who hate emphasis and exaggeration, who
believe that whatever is good of its kind is good, who shrink
from love of excitement and love of sway, who, while ready for
duties of many kinds, dislike pledges and bonds to any,--this
talk about "Woman's Sphere," "Woman's Mission," and all such
phrases as mark the present consciousness of an impending
transition from old conventions to greater freedom, are most
repulsive. And it demands some valor to lift one's head amidst
the shower of public squibs, private sneers, anger, scorn,
derision, called out by the demand that women should be put on
a par with their brethren, legally and politically; that they
should hold property not by permission but by right, and that
they should take an active part in all great movements. But
though, with Mignon, we are prompted to characterize heaven as
the place where
"Sie fragen nicht nach Mann nie Weib,"
yet it is plain that we must face this agitation; and beyond
the dull clouds overhead hangs in the horizon Venus, as
morning-star, no less fair, though of more melting beauty,
than the glorious Jupiter, who shares with her the watch.
* * * * *
'The full, free expression of feeling must be rare, for this
book of Bettina Brentano's to produce such an effect. Men who
have lived in the society of women all their days, seem never
before to have dreamed of their nature; they are filled with
wonderment and delight at these revelations, and because
they see the woman, fancy her a genius. But in truth her
inspiration is nowise extraordinary; and I have letters from
various friends, lying unnoticed in my portfolio, which are
quite as beautiful. For one, I think that these veins of gold
should pass in secret through the earth, inaccessible to all
who will not take the trouble to mine for them. I do not like
Bettina for publishing her heart, and am ready to repeat to
her Serlo's reproof to Aurelia.'
* * * * *
'How terrible must be the tragedy of a woman who awakes to
find that she has given herself wholly to a person for whom
she is not eternally fitted! I cannot look on marriage as on
the other experiments of life: it is the one grand type that
should be kept forever sacred. There are two kinds of love
experienced by high and rich souls. The first seeks, according
to Plato's myth, another half, as being not entire in itself,
but needing a kindred nature to unlock its secret chambers
of emotion, and to act with quickening influence on all its
powers, by full harmony of senses, affections, intellect,
will; the second is purely ideal, beholding in its object
divine perfection, and delighting in it only in degree as
it symbolizes the essential good. But why is not this love
steadily directed to the Central Spirit, since in no form,
however suggestive in beauty, can God be fully revealed?
Love's delusion is owing to one of man's most godlike
qualities,--the earnestness with which he would concentrate
his whole being, and thus experience the Now of the I Am.
Yet the noblest are not long deluded; they love really the
Infinite Beauty, though they may still keep before them a
human form, as the Isis, who promises hereafter a seat at the
golden tables. How high is Michel Angelo's love, for instance,
compared with Petrarch's! Petrarch longs, languishes; and
it is only after the death of Laura that his muse puts on
celestial plumage. But Michel always soars; his love is a
stairway to the heavens.
* * * * *
'Might not we women do something in regard to this Texas
Annexation project? I have never felt that I had any call to
take part in public affairs before; but this is a great
moral question, and we have an obvious right to express our
convictions. I should like to convene meetings of the women
everywhere, and take our stand.
* * * * *
'Had Christendom but been true to its standard, while
accommodating its modes of operation to the calls of
successive times, woman would now have not only equal _power_
with man,--for of that omnipotent nature will never permit
her to be defrauded,--but a _chartered_ power, too fully
recognized to be abused. Indeed, all that is wanting is, that
man should prove his own freedom by making her free. Let
him abandon conventional restriction, as a vestige of that
Oriental barbarity which confined woman to a seraglio. Let
him trust her entirely, and give her every privilege already
acquired for himself,--elective franchise, tenure of property,
liberty to speak in public assemblies, &c.
'Nature has pointed out her ordinary sphere by the
circumstances of her physical existence. She cannot wander
far. If here and there the gods send their missives through
women, as through men, let them speak without remonstrance.
In no age have men been able wholly to hinder them. A Deborah
must always be a spiritual mother in Israel; a Corinna may
be excluded from the Olympic games, yet all men will hear her
song, and a Pindar sit at her feet. It is man's fault that
there ever were Aspasias and Ninons. These exquisite forms
were intended for the shrines of virtue.
'Neither need men fear to lose their domestic deities. Woman
is born for love, and it is impossible to turn her from
seeking it. Men should deserve her love as an inheritance,
rather than seize and guard it like a prey. Were they noble,
they would strive rather not to be loved too much, and to turn
her from idolatry to the true, the only Love. Then, children
of one Father, they could not err, nor misconceive one
another.
'Society is now so complex, that it is no longer possible to
educate woman merely as woman; the tasks which come to her
hand are so various, and so large a proportion of women are
thrown entirely upon their own resources. I admit that this
is not their state of perfect development; but it seems as
if heaven, having so long issued its edict in poetry and
religion, without securing intelligent obedience, now
commanded the world in prose, to take a high and rational
view. The lesson reads to me thus:--
'Sex, like rank, wealth, beauty, or talent, is but an accident
of birth. As you would not educate a soul to be an aristocrat,
so do not to be a woman. A general regard to her usual sphere
is dictated in the economy of nature. You need never enforce
these provisions rigorously. Achilles had long plied the
distaff as a princess, yet, at first sight of a sword, he
seized it. So with woman, one hour of love would teach her
more of her proper relations, than all your formulas and
conventions. Express your views, men, of what you _seek_ in
woman: thus best do you give them laws. Learn, women, what you
should _demand_ of men: thus only can they become themselves.
Turn both from the contemplation of what is merely phenomenal
in your existence, to your permanent life as souls. Man, do
not prescribe how the Divine shall display itself in woman.
Woman, do not expect to see all of God in man. Fellow-pilgrims
and helpmeets are ye, Apollo and Diana, twins of one heavenly
birth, both beneficent, and both armed. Man, fear not to yield
to woman's hand both the quiver and the lyre; for if her urn
be filled with light, she will use both to the glory of
God. There is but one doctrine for ye both, and that is the
doctrine of the SOUL.
Thus, in communion with the serene loveliness of mother-earth, and
inspired with memories of Isis and Ceres, of Minerva and Freia, and
all the commanding forms beneath which earlier ages symbolized their
sense of the Divine Spirit in woman, Margaret cherished visions of the
future, and responded with full heart to the poet's prophecy:--
"Then comes the statelier Eden back to men;
Then reign the world's great bridals, chaste and calm;
Then springs the crowning race of human-kind."
It was but after the usual order of our discordant life,--where
Purgatory lies so nigh to Paradise,--that she should thence be
summoned to pass a Sunday with the prisoners at Sing-Sing. This was
the period when, in fulfilment of the sagacious and humane counsels of
Judge Edmonds, a system of kind discipline, combined with education,
was in practice at that penitentiary, and when the female department
was under the matronly charge of Mrs. E.W. Farnum, aided by Mrs.
Johnson, Miss Bruce, and other ladies, who all united sisterly
sympathy with energetic firmness. Margaret thus describes her
impressions:--
'We arrived on Saturday evening, in such resplendent
moonlight, that we might have mistaken the prison for a
palace, had we not known but too well what those massive walls
contained.
'Sunday morning we attended service in the chapel of the male
convicts. They listened with earnest attention, and many were
moved to tears. I never felt such sympathy with an audience
as when, at the words "Men and brethren," that sea of faces,
marked with the scars of every ill, were upturned, and the
shell of brutality burst apart at the touch of love. I
knew that at least heavenly truth would not be kept out by
self-complacence and dependence on good appearances.
'After twelve at noon, all are confined in their cells, that
the keepers may have rest from their weekly fatigue. But I was
allowed to have some of the women out to talk with, and the
interview was very pleasant. They showed the natural aptitude
of the sex for refinement. These women were among the
so-called worst, and all from the lowest haunts of vice. Yet
nothing could have been more decorous than their conduct,
while it was also frank; and they showed a sensibility
and sense of propriety, which would not have disgraced any
society. All passed, indeed, much as in one of my Boston
classes. I told them I was writing about Woman; and, as my
path had been a favored one, I wanted to gain information from
those who had been tempted and afflicted. They seemed to
reply in the same spirit in which I asked. Several, however,
expressed a wish to see me alone, as they could then say
_all_, which they could not bear to before one another. I
shall go there again, and take time for this. It is very
gratifying to see the influence these few months of gentle and
intelligent treatment have had upon these women; indeed, it is
wonderful.'
So much were her sympathies awakened by this visit, that she rejoiced
in the opportunity, soon after offered, of passing Christmas with
these outcasts, and gladly consented to address the women in their
chapel. "There was," says one present, "a most touching tenderness,
blended with dignity, in her air and tone, as, seated in the desk, she
looked round upon her fallen sisters, and begun: 'To me the pleasant
office has been given, of 'wishing you a happy Christmas.' A
simultaneous movement of obeisance rippled over the audience, with
a murmured 'Thank you;' and a smile was spread upon those sad
countenances, like sunrise sparkling on a pool." A few words from this
discourse,--which was extemporaneous, but of which she afterward made
an imperfect record,--will show the temper in which she spoke:--
'I have passed other Christmas days happily, but never felt
as now, how fitting it is that this festival should come among
the snows and chills of winter; for, to many of you, I
trust, it is the birth-day of a higher life, when the sun of
good-will is beginning to return, and the evergreen of hope
gives promise of the eternal year. * * *
'Some months ago, we were told of the riot, the license, and
defying spirit which made this place so wretched, and the
conduct of some now here was such that the world said:--"Women
once lost are far worse than abandoned men, and cannot be
restored." But, no! It is not so! I know my sex better. It is
because women have so much feeling, and such a rooted respect
for purity, that they seem so shameless and insolent, when
they feel that they have erred and that others think ill of
them. They know that even the worst of men would like to see
women pure as angels, and when they meet man's look of scorn,
the desperate passion that rises is a perverted pride, which
might have been their guardian angel. Might have been! Rather
let me say, which may be; for the great improvement so rapidly
wrought here gives us all warm hopes. * * *
'Be not in haste to leave these walls. Yesterday, one of you,
who was praised, replied, that "if she did well she hoped that
efforts would be made to have her pardoned." I can feel the
monotony and dreariness of your confinement, but I entreat
you to believe that for many of you it would be the greatest
misfortune to be taken from here too soon. You know, better
than I can, the temptations that await you in the world; and
you must now perceive how dark is the gulf of sin and sorrow,
towards which they would hurry you. Here, you have friends
indeed; friends to your better selves; able and ready to
help you. Born of unfortunate marriages, inheriting dangerous
inclinations, neglected in childhood, with bad habits and bad
associates, as certainly must be the case with some of you,
how terrible will be the struggle when you leave this shelter!
O, be sure that you are fitted to triumph over evil, before
you again expose yourselves to it! And, instead of wasting
your time and strength in vain wishes, use this opportunity to
prepare yourselves for a better course of life, when you are
set free. * * *
'When I was here before, I was grieved by hearing several of
you say, "I will tell you what you wish to know, if I can be
alone with you; but not before the other prisoners; for, if
they know my past faults, they will taunt me with them." O,
never do that! To taunt the fallen is the part of a fiend. And
you! you were meant by Heaven to become angels of sympathy and
love. It says in the Scripture: "Their angels do always behold
in heaven the face of my Father." So was it with you in your
childhood; so is it now. Your angels stand forever there to
intercede for you; and to you they call to be gentle and good.
Nothing can so grieve and discourage those heavenly friends as
when you mock the suffering. It was one of the highest praises
of Jesus, "The bruised reed he will not break." Remember that,
and never insult, where you cannot aid, a companion. * * *
'Let me warn you earnestly against acting insincerely, and
appearing to wish to do right for the sake of approbation
I know you must prize the good opinion of your friendly
protectors; but do not buy it at the cost of truth. Try to be,
not to seem. Only so far as you earnestly wish to do right for
the sake of right, can you gain a principle that will sustain
you hereafter; and that is what we wish, not fair appearances
now. A career can never be happy that begins with falsehood.
Be inwardly, outwardly true; then you will never be weakened
or hardened by the consciousness of playing a part; and if,
hereafter, the unfeeling or thoughtless give you pain, or
take the dreadful risk of pushing back a soul emerging
from darkness, you will feel the strong support of a good
conscience. * * *
'And never be discouraged; never despond; never say, "It is
too late." Fear not, even if you relapse again and again. Many
of you have much to contend with. Some may be so faulty, by
temperament or habit, that they can never on this earth lead a
wholly fair and harmonious life, however much they strive.
Yet do what you can. If in one act,--for one day,--you can do
right, let that live like a point of light in your memory; for
if you have done well once you can again. If you fall, do
not lie grovelling; but rise upon your feet once more, and
struggle bravely on. And if aroused conscience makes you
suffer keenly, have patience to bear it. God will not let you
suffer more than you need to fit you for his grace. At the
very moment of your utmost pain, persist to seek his aid, and
it will be given abundantly. Cultivate this spirit of prayer.
I do not mean agitation and excitement, but a deep desire for
truth, purity, and goodness, and you will daily learn how near
He is to every one of 'us.''
These fragments, from a hasty report transcribed when the impressions
of the hour had grown faint, give but a shadow of the broad good
sense, hearty fellow-feeling, and pathetic hopefulness, which made so
effective her truly womanly appeal.
This intercourse with the most unfortunate of her sex, and a desire
to learn more of the causes of their degradation, and of the means
of restoring them, led Margaret, immediately on reaching New York, to
visit the various benevolent institutions, and especially the prisons
on Blackwell's Island. And it was while walking among the beds of the
lazar-house,--mis-called "hospital,"--which then, to the disgrace
of the city, was the cess-pool of its social filth, that an incident
occurred, as touching as it was surprising to herself. A woman was
pointed out who bore a very bad character, as hardened, sulky, and
impenetrable. She was in bad health and rapidly failing. Margaret
requested to be left alone with her; and to her question, 'Are you
'willing to die?' the woman answered, "Yes;" adding, with her usual
bitterness, "not on religious grounds, though." 'That is well,--to
understand yourself,' was Margaret's rejoinder. She then began to
talk with her about her health, and her few comforts, until the
conversation deepened in interest. At length, as Margaret rose to
go, she said: 'Is there not anything I can do 'for you?' The woman
replied: "I should be glad if you will pray with me."
The condition of these wretched beings was brought the more home to
her heart, as the buildings were directly in sight from Mr. Greeley's
house, at Turtle Bay, where Margaret, on her arrival, went to reside.
'Seven hundred females,' she writes,
'are now confined in the Penitentiary opposite this point.
We can pass over in a boat in a few minutes. I mean to visit,
talk, and read with them. I have always felt great interest in
those women who are trampled in the mud to gratify the brute
appetites of men, and wished that I might be brought naturally
into contact with them. Now I am.'
THE TRIBUNE AND HORACE GREELEY.
It was early in December of 1844 that Margaret took up her abode
with Mr. and Mrs. Greeley, in a spacious old wooden mansion, somewhat
ruinous, but delightfully situated on the East River, which she thus
describes:--
'This place is, to me, entirely charming; it is so completely
in the country, and all around is so bold and free. It is two
miles or more from the thickly settled parts of New York, but
omnibuses and cars give me constant access to the city, and,
while I can readily see what and whom I will, I can command
time and retirement. Stopping on the Haarlem road, you enter
a lane nearly a quarter of a mile long, and going by a small
brook and pond that locks in the place, and ascending a
slightly rising ground, get sight of the house, which,
old-fashioned and of mellow tint, fronts on a flower-garden
filled with shrubs, large vines, and trim box borders. On
both sides of the house are beautiful trees, standing fair,
full-grown, and clear. Passing through a wide hall, you come
out upon a piazza, stretching the whole length of the house,
where one can walk in all weathers; and thence by a step or
two, on a lawn, with picturesque masses of rocks, shrubs
and trees, overlooking the East River. Gravel paths lead, by
several turns, down the steep bank to the water's edge, where
round the rocky point a small bay curves, in which boats are
lying. And, owing to the currents, and the set of the tide,
the sails glide sidelong, seeming to greet the house as
they sweep by. The beauty here, seen by moonlight, is truly
transporting. I enjoy it greatly, and the _genius loci_
receives me as to a home.'
Here Margaret remained for a year and more, writing regularly for the
Tribune. And how high an estimate this prolonged and near acquaintance
led her to form for its Editor, will appear from a few passages in her
letters:--
'Mr. Greeley is a man of genuine excellence, honorable,
benevolent, and of an uncorrupted disposition. He is
sagacious, and, in his way, of even great abilities. In modes
of life and manner he is a man of the people, and of the
American people.' And again:--Mr. Greeley is in many ways
very interesting for me to know. He teaches me things, which
my own influence on those, who have hitherto approached me,
has prevented me from learning. In our business and friendly
relations, we are on terms of solid good-will and mutual
respect. With the exception of my own mother, I think him the
most disinterestedly generous person I have ever known.'
And later she writes:--
'You have heard that the Tribune Office was burned to the
ground. For a day I thought it must make a difference, but it
has served only to increase my admiration for Mr. Greeley's
smiling courage. He has really a strong character.'
On the other side, Mr. Greeley thus records his recollections of his
friend:--
"My first acquaintance with Margaret Fuller was made through
the pages of 'The Dial.' The lofty range and rare ability
of that work, and its un-American richness of culture and
ripeness of thought, naturally filled the 'fit audience,
though few,' with a high estimate of those who were known
as its conductors and principal writers. Yet I do not now
remember that any article, which strongly impressed me, was
recognized as from the pen of its female editor, prior to the
appearance of 'The Great Lawsuit,' afterwards matured into the
volume more distinctively, yet not quite accurately, entitled
'Woman in the Nineteenth Century.' I think this can hardly
have failed to make a deep impression on the mind of every
thoughtful reader, as the production of an original, vigorous,
and earnest mind. 'Summer on the Lakes,' which appeared some
time after that essay, though before its expansion into
a book, struck me as less ambitious in its aim, but more
graceful and delicate in its execution; and as one of the
clearest and most graphic delineations, ever given, of the
Great Lakes, of the Prairies, and of the receding
barbarism, and the rapidly advancing, but rude, repulsive
semi-civilization, which were contending with most unequal
forces for the possession of those rich lands. I still
consider 'Summer on the Lakes' unequalled, especially in its
pictures of the Prairies and of the sunnier aspects of Pioneer
life.
"Yet, it was the suggestion of Mrs. Greeley,--who had spent
some weeks of successive seasons in or near Boston, and who
had there made the personal acquaintance of Miss Fuller, and
formed a very high estimate and warm attachment for her,--that
induced me, in the autumn of 1844, to offer her terms, which
were accepted, for her assistance in the literary department
of the Tribune. A home in my family was included in the
stipulation. I was myself barely acquainted with her, when she
thus came to reside with us, and I did not fully appreciate
her nobler qualities for some months afterward. Though we
were members of the same household, we scarcely met save at
breakfast; and my time and thoughts were absorbed in duties
and cares, which left me little leisure or inclination for the
amenities of social intercourse. Fortune seemed to delight
in placing us two in relations of friendly antagonism,--or
rather, to develop all possible contrasts in our ideas and
social habits. She was naturally inclined to luxury and a good
appearance before the world. My pride, if I had any, delighted
in bare walls and rugged fare. She was addicted to strong tea
and coffee, both which I rejected and contemned, even in the
most homoeopathic dilutions: while, my general health being
sound, and hers sadly impaired, I could not fail to find in
her dietetic habits the causes of her almost habitual illness;
and once, while we were still barely acquainted, when she
came to the breakfast-table with a very severe headache, I was
tempted to attribute it to her strong potations of the Chinese
leaf the night before. She told me quite frankly that she
'declined being lectured on the food or beverage she saw fit
to take;' which was but reasonable in one who had arrived
at her maturity of intellect and fixedness of habits. So
the subject was thenceforth tacitly avoided between us; but,
though words were suppressed, looks and involuntary gestures
could not so well be; and an utter divergency of views on this
and kindred themes created a perceptible distance between us.
"Her earlier contributions to the Tribune were not her best,
and I did not at first prize her aid so highly as I afterwards
learned to do. She wrote always freshly, vigorously, but not
always clearly; for her full and intimate acquaintance with
continental literature, especially German, seemed to have
marred her felicity and readiness of expression in her mother
tongue. While I never met another woman who conversed more
freely or lucidly, the attempt to commit her thoughts to paper
seemed to induce a singular embarrassment and hesitation. She
could write only when in the vein; and this needed often to be
waited for through several days, while the occasion sometimes
required an immediate utterance. The new book must be reviewed
before other journals had thoroughly dissected and discussed
it, else the ablest critique would command no general
attention, and perhaps be, by the greater number, unread. That
the writer should wait the flow of inspiration, or at least
the recurrence of elasticity of spirits and relative health of
body, will not seem unreasonable to the general reader; but
to the inveterate hack-horse of the daily press, accustomed to
write at any time, on any subject, and with a rapidity
limited only by the physical ability to form the requisite
pen-strokes, the notion of waiting for a brighter day, or a
happier frame of mind, appears fantastic and absurd. He would
as soon think of waiting for a change in the moon. Hence,
while I realized that her contributions evinced rare
intellectual wealth and force, I did not value them as I
should have done had they been written more fluently and
promptly. They often seemed to make their appearance 'a day
after the fair.'
"One other point of tacit antagonism between us may as well be
noted. Margaret was always a most earnest, devoted champion
of the Emancipation of Women, from their past and present
condition of inferiority, to an independence on Men. She
demanded for them the fullest recognition of Social and
Political Equality with the rougher sex; the freest access to
all stations, professions, employments, which are open to any.
To this demand I heartily acceded. It seemed to me, however,
that her clear perceptions of abstract right were often
overborne, in practice, by the influence of education and
habit; that while she demanded absolute equality for Woman,
she exacted a deference and courtesy from men to women, _as_
women, which was entirely inconsistent with that requirement.
In my view, the equalizing theory can be enforced only by
ignoring the habitual discrimination of men and women, as
forming separate _classes_, and regarding all alike as simply
_persons_,--as human beings. So long as a lady shall deem
herself in need of some gentleman's arm to conduct her
properly out of a dining or ball-room,--so long as she shall
consider it dangerous or unbecoming to walk half a mile alone
by night,--I cannot see how the 'Woman's Rights' theory
is ever to be anything more than a logically defensible
abstraction. In this view Margaret did not at all concur,
and the diversity was the incitement to much perfectly
good-natured, but nevertheless sharpish sparring between us.
Whenever she said or did anything implying the usual demand
of Woman on the courtesy and protection of Manhood, I was apt,
before complying, to look her in the face and exclaim with
marked emphasis,--quoting from her 'Woman in the Nineteenth
Century,'--'LET THEM BE SEA-CAPTAINS IF THEY WILL!' Of course,
this was given and received as raillery, but it did not tend
to ripen our intimacy or quicken my esteem into admiration.
Though no unkind word ever passed between us, nor any approach
to one, yet we two dwelt for months under the same roof, as
scarcely more than acquaintances, meeting once a day at a
common board, and having certain business relations with
each other. Personally, I regarded her rather as my wife's
cherished friend than as my own, possessing many lofty
qualities and some prominent weaknesses, and a good deal
spoiled by the unmeasured flattery of her little circle of
inordinate admirers. For myself, burning no incense on any
human shrine, I half-consciously resolved to 'keep my eye beam
clear,' and escape the fascination which she seemed to exert
over the eminent and cultivated persons, mainly women, who
came to our out-of-the-way dwelling to visit her, and who
seemed generally to regard her with a strangely Oriental
adoration.
"But as time wore on, and I became inevitably better and
better acquainted with her, I found myself drawn, almost
irresistibly, into the general current. I found that her
faults and weaknesses were all superficial and obvious to the
most casual, if undazzled, observer. They rather dwindled than
expanded upon a fuller knowledge; or rather, took on new and
brighter aspects in the light of her radiant and lofty soul. I
learned to know her as a most fearless and unselfish champion
of Truth and Human Good at all hazards, ready to be their
standard-bearer through danger and obloquy, and, if need be,
their martyr. I think few have more keenly appreciated
the material goods of life,--Rank, Riches, Power, Luxury,
Enjoyment; but I know none who would have more cheerfully
surrendered them all, if the well-being of our Race could
thereby have been promoted. I have never met another in whom
the inspiring hope of Immortality was so strengthened into
profoundest conviction. She did not _believe_ in our future
and unending existence,--she _knew_ it, and lived ever in the
broad glare of its morning twilight. With a limited income
and liberal wants, she was yet generous beyond the bounds of
reason. Had the gold of California been all her own, she would
have disbursed nine tenths of it in eager and well-directed
efforts to stay, or at least diminish, the flood of human
misery. And it is but fair to state, that the liberality she
evinced was fully paralleled by the liberality she experienced
at the hands of others. Had she needed thousands, and made
her wants known, she had friends who would have cheerfully
supplied her. I think few persons, in their pecuniary
dealings, have experienced and evinced more of the better
qualities of human nature than Margaret Fuller. She seemed to
inspire those who approached her with that generosity which
was a part of her nature.
"Of her writings I do not purpose to speak critically. I think
most of her contributions to the Tribune, while she remained
with us, were characterized by a directness, terseness,
and practicality, which are wanting in some of her earlier
productions. Good judges have confirmed my own opinion, that,
while her essays in the Dial are more elaborate and ambitious,
her reviews in the Tribune are far better adapted to win the
favor and sway the judgment of the great majority of readers.
But, one characteristic of her writings I feel bound to
commend,--their absolute truthfulness. She never asked how
this would sound, nor whether that would do, nor what would be
the effect of saying anything; but simply, 'Is it the truth?
Is it such as the public should know?' And if her judgment
answered, 'Yes,' she uttered it; no matter what turmoil it
might excite, nor what odium it might draw down on her
own head. Perfect conscientiousness was an unfailing
characteristic of her literary efforts. Even the severest
of her critiques,--that on Longfellow's Poems,--for which
an impulse in personal pique has been alleged, I happen with
certainty to know had no such origin. When I first handed her
the book to review, she excused herself, assigning the wide
divergence of her views of Poetry from those of the author and
his school, as her reason. She thus induced me to attempt the
task of reviewing it myself. But day after day sped by, and
I could find no hour that was not absolutely required for
the performance of some duty that _would not_ be put off, nor
turned over to another. At length I carried the book back to
her in utter despair of ever finding an hour in which even to
look through it; and, at my renewed and earnest request, she
reluctantly undertook its discussion. The statement of these
facts is but an act of justice to her memory.
"Profoundly religious,--though her creed was, at once, very
broad and very short, with a genuine love for inferiors in
social position, whom she was habitually studying, by her
counsel and teachings, to elevate and improve,--she won
the confidence and affection of those who attracted her, by
unbounded sympathy and trust. She probably knew the cherished
secrets of more hearts than any one else, because she freely
imparted her own. With a full share both of intellectual and
of family pride, she preëminently recognized and responded to
the essential brotherhood of all human kind, and needed but to
know that a fellow-being required her counsel or assistance,
to render her, riot merely willing, but eager to impart it.
Loving ease, luxury, and the world's good opinion, she stood
ready to renounce them all, at the call of pity or of duty.
I think no one, not radically averse to the whole system of
domestic servitude, would have treated servants, of whatever
class, with such uniform and thoughtful consideration,--a
regard which wholly merged their factitious condition in their
antecedent and permanent humanity. I think few servants ever
lived weeks with her, who were not dignified and lastingly
benefited by her influence and her counsels. They might be
at first repelled, by what seemed her too stately manner and
exacting disposition, but they soon learned to esteem and love
her.
"I have known few women, and scarcely another maiden, who had
the heart and the courage to speak with such frank compassion,
in mixed circles, of the most degraded and outcast portion of
the sex. The contemplation of their treatment, especially
by the guilty authors of their ruin, moved her to a calm and
mournful indignation, which she did not attempt to suppress
nor control. Others were willing to pity and deplore; Margaret
was more inclined to vindicate and to redeem. She did not
hesitate to avow that on meeting some of these abused, unhappy
sisters, she had been surprised to find them scarcely fallen
morally below the ordinary standard of Womanhood,--realizing
and loathing their debasement; anxious to escape it; and only
repelled by the sad consciousness that for them sympathy and
society remained only so long as they should persist in
the ways of pollution. Those who have read her 'Woman,' may
remember some daring comparisons therein suggested between
these Pariahs of society and large classes of their
respectable sisters; and that was no fitful expression,--no
sudden outbreak,--but impelled by her most deliberate
convictions. I think, if she had been born to large fortune, a
house of refuge for all female outcasts desiring to return to
the ways of Virtue, would have been one of her most cherished
and first realized conceptions.
"Her love of children was one of her most prominent
characteristics. The pleasure she enjoyed in their society
was fully counterpoised by that she imparted. To them she was
never lofty, nor reserved, nor mystical; for no one had ever
a more perfect faculty for entering into their sports, their
feelings, their enjoyments. She could narrate almost any
story in language level to their capacities, and in a manner
calculated to bring out their hearty and often boisterously
expressed delight. She possessed marvellous powers of
observation and imitation or mimicry; and, had she been
attracted to the stage, would have been the first actress
America has produced, whether in tragedy or comedy. Her
faculty of mimicking was not needed to commend her to the
hearts of children, but it had its effect in increasing the
fascinations of her genial nature and heartfelt joy in their
society. To amuse and instruct them was an achievement for
which she would readily forego any personal object; and her
intuitive perception of the toys, games, stories, rhymes,
&c., best adapted to arrest and enchain their attention, was
unsurpassed. Between her and my only child, then living, who
was eight months old when she came to us, and something over
two years when she sailed for Europe, tendrils of affection
gradually intertwined themselves, which I trust Death has not
severed, but rather multiplied and strengthened. She became
his teacher, playmate, and monitor; and he requited her with a
prodigality of love and admiration.
"I shall not soon forget their meeting in my office, after
some weeks' separation, just before she left us forever. His
mother had brought him in from the country and left him asleep
on my sofa, while she was absent making purchases, and he had
rolled off and hurt himself in the fall, waking with the shock
in a phrensy of anger, just before Margaret, hearing of his
arrival, rushed into the office to find him. I was vainly
attempting to soothe him as she entered; but he was running
from one end to the other of the office, crying passionately,
and refusing to be pacified. She hastened to him, in perfect
confidence that her endearments would calm the current of his
feelings,--that the sound of her well-remembered voice would
banish all thought of his pain,--and that another moment would
see him restored to gentleness; but, half-wakened, he did not
heed her, and probably did not even realize who it was that
caught him repeatedly in her arms and tenderly insisted that
he should restrain himself. At last she desisted in
despair; and, with the bitter tears streaming down her face,
observed:--'Pickie, many friends have treated me unkindly,
but no one had ever the power to cut me to the heart, as you
have!' Being thus let alone, he soon came to himself, and
their mutual delight in the meeting was rather heightened by
the momentary estrangement.
"They had one more meeting; their last on earth! 'Aunty
Margaret' was to embark for Europe on a certain day, and
'Pickie' was brought into the city to bid her farewell.
They met this time also at my office, and together we thence
repaired to the ferry-boat, on which she was returning to her
residence in Brooklyn to complete her preparations for the
voyage. There they took a tender and affecting leave of each
other. But soon his mother called at the office, on her way to
the departing ship, and we were easily persuaded to accompany
her thither, and say farewell once more, to the manifest
satisfaction of both Margaret and the youngest of her devoted
friends. Thus they parted, never to meet again in time. She
sent him messages and presents repeatedly from Europe; and he,
when somewhat older, dictated a letter in return, which was
joyfully received and acknowledged. When the mother of our
great-souled friend spent some days with us nearly two years
afterward, 'Pickie' talked to her often and lovingly of 'Aunty
Margaret,' proposing that they two should 'take a boat and go
over and see her,'--for, to his infantile conception, the low
coast of Long Island, visible just across the East River,
was that Europe to which she had sailed, and where she was
unaccountably detained so long. Alas! a far longer and more
adventurous journey was required to reunite those loving
souls! The 12th of July, 1849, saw him stricken down, from
health to death, by the relentless cholera; and my letter,
announcing that calamity, drew from her a burst of passionate
sorrow, such as hardly any bereavement but the loss of a
very near relative could have impelled. Another year had just
ended, when a calamity, equally sudden, bereft a wide circle
of her likewise, with her husband and infant son. Little did I
fear, when I bade her a confident Good-by, on the deck of her
outward-bound ship, that the sea would close over her earthly
remains, ere we should meet again; far less that the light
of my eyes and the cynosure of my hopes, who then bade her
a tenderer and sadder farewell, would precede her on the dim
pathway to that 'Father's house,' whence is no returning! Ah,
well! God is above all, and gracious alike in what he conceals
and what he discloses;--benignant and bounteous, as well when
he reclaims as when he bestows. In a few years, at farthest,
our loved and lost ones will welcome us to their home."
Favorably as Mr. Greeley speaks of Margaret's articles in the Tribune,
it is yet true that she never brought her full power to bear upon
them; partly because she was too much exhausted by previous over-work,
partly because it hindered her free action to aim at popular effect.
Her own estimate of them is thus expressed:--
'I go on very moderately, for my strength is not great, and
I am connected with one who is anxious that I should not
overtask it. Body and mind, I have long required rest and
mere amusement, and now obey Nature as much as I can. If
she pleases to restore me to an energetic state, she will
by-and-by; if not, I can only hope this world will not turn
me out of doors too abruptly. I value my present position very
much, as enabling me to speak effectually some right words to
a large circle; and, while I can do so, am content.'
Again she says,--
'I am pleased with your sympathy about the Tribune, for I
do not find much among my old friends. They think I ought to
produce something excellent, while I am satisfied to aid
in the great work of popular education. I never regarded
literature merely as a collection of exquisite products, but
rather as a means of mutual interpretation. Feeling that many
are reached and in some degree helped, the thoughts of every
day seem worth noting, though in a form that does not inspire
me.'
The most valuable of her contributions, according to her own judgment,
were the Criticisms on Contemporary Authors in Europe and America. A
few of these were revised in the spring of 1846, and, in connection
with some of her best articles selected from the Dial, Western
Messenger, American Monthly, &c., appeared in two volumes of Wiley and
Putnam's Library of American Books, under the title of PAPERS ON ART
AND LITERATURE.
SOCIETY.
Heralded by her reputation, as a scholar, writer, and talker, and
brought continually before the public by her articles in the Tribune,
Margaret found a circle of acquaintance opening before her, as wide,
various, and rich, as time and inclination permitted her to know.
Persons sought her in her country retreat, attracted alike by idle
curiosity, desire for aid, and respectful sympathy. She visited freely
in several interesting families in New York and Brooklyn: occasionally
accepted invitations to evening parties, and often met, at the
somewhat celebrated _soirées_ of Miss Lynch, the assembled authors,
artists, critics, wits, and _dilettanti_ of New York. As was
inevitable, also, for one of such powerful magnetic influence, liberal
soul and broad judgment, she once again became, as elsewhere she had
been, a confidant and counsellor of the tempted and troubled; and her
geniality, lively conversation, and ever fresh love, gave her a home
in many hearts. But the subdued tone of her spirits at this period led
her to prefer seclusion.
Of her own social habits she writes:--
'It is not well to keep entirely apart from the stream of
common life; so, though I never go out when busy, nor keep
late hours, I find it pleasanter and better to enter somewhat
into society. I thus meet with many entertaining acquaintance,
and some friends. I can never, indeed, expect, in America, or
in this world, to form relations with nobler persons than I
have already known; nor can I put my heart into these new ties
as into the old ones, though probably it would still respond
to commanding excellence. But my present circle satisfies
my wants. As to what is called "good society," I am wholly
indifferent. I know several women, whom I like very much,
and yet more men. I hear good music, which answers my social
desires better than any other intercourse can; and I love
four or five interesting children, in whom I always find more
genuine sympathy than in their elders.'
Of the impression produced by Margaret on those who were but slightly
acquainted with her, some notion may be formed from the following
sketch:--
"In general society, she commanded respect rather than
admiration All persons were curious to see her, and in full
rooms her fine head and spiritual expression at once marked
her out from the crowd; but the most were repelled by what
seemed conceit, pedantry, and a harsh spirit of criticism,
while, on her part, she appeared to regard those around her
as frivolous, superficial, and conventional. Indeed, I must
frankly confess, that we did not meet in pleasant relations,
except now and then, when the lifting of a veil, as it were,
revealed for a moment the true life of each. Yet I was fond of
looking at her from a distance, and defending her when silly
people were inclined to cavil at her want of feminine graces.
Then I would say, 'I would like to be an artist now, that I
might paint, not the care-worn countenance and the uneasy air
of one seemingly out of harmony with the scene about her, but
the soul that sometimes looks out from under those large lids.
Michel Angelo would have made her a Sibyl.' I remember I was
surprised to find her height no greater; for her writings had
always given me an impression of magnitude. Thus I studied
though I avoided her, admitting, the while, proudly and
joyously, that she was a woman to reverence. A trifling
incident, however, gave me the key to much in her character,
of which, before, I had not dreamed. It was one evening, after
a Valentine party, where Frances Osgood, Margaret Fuller, and
other literary ladies, had attracted some attention, that,
as we were in the dressing-room preparing to go home, I
heard Margaret sigh deeply. Surprised and moved, I said,
'Why?'--'Alone, as usual,' was her pathetic answer, followed
by a few sweet, womanly remarks, touching as they were
beautiful. Often, after, I found myself recalling her look and
tone, with tears in my eyes; for before I had regarded her as
a being cold, and abstracted, if not scornful."
Cold, abstracted, and scornful! About this very time it was that
Margaret wrote in her journal:--
'Father, let me not injure my fellows during this period of
repression. I feel that when we meet my tones are not so sweet
as I would have them. O, let me not wound! I, who know so well
how wounds can burn and ache, should not inflict them. Let my
touch be light and gentle. Let me keep myself uninvaded, but
let me not fail to be kind and tender, when need is. Yet I
would not assume an overstrained poetic magnanimity. Help
me to do just right, and no more. O, make truth profound and
simple in me!'
Again:--
'The heart bleeds,--faith almost gives way, to see man's
seventy years of chrysalis. Is it not too long? Enthusiasm
must struggle fiercely to burn clear amid these fogs. In what
little, low, dark cells of care and prejudice, without
one soaring thought or melodious fancy, do poor
mortals--well-intentioned enough, and with religious
aspiration too--forever creep. And yet the sun sets to-day as
gloriously bright as ever it did on the temples of Athens, and
the evening star rises as heavenly pure as it rose on the
eye of Dante. O, Father! help me to free my fellows from the
conventional bonds whereby their sight is holden. By purity
and freedom let me teach them justice.'
And yet again:--
'There comes a consciousness that I have no real hold on
life,--no real, permanent connection with any soul. I seem a
wandering Intelligence, driven from spot to spot, that I may
learn all secrets, and fulfil a circle of knowledge. This
thought envelopes me as a cold atmosphere. I 'do not see how I
shall go through this destiny. I can, if it is mine; but I do
not feel that I can.'
Casual observers mistook Margaret's lofty idealism for personal pride;
but thus speaks one who really knew her:--"You come like one of the
great powers of nature, harmonizing with all beauty of the soul or
of the earth. You cannot be discordant with anything that is true and
deep. I thank God for the noble privilege of being recognized by so
large, tender, and radiant a soul as thine."
EUROPE.
LETTERS
"I go to prove my soul.
I see my way, as birds their trackless way.
In some time, God's good time, I shall arrive
He guides me and the bird. In his good time!"
BROWNING.
"One, who, if He be called upon to face
Some awful moment, to which Heaven has joined
Great issues, good or bad for human kind,
Is happy as a lover, and attired
With sudden brightness, like a man inspired;
And, through the heat of conflict, keeps the law
In calmness made, and sees what he foresaw."
WORDSWORTH.
"Italia! Italia! O tu cui feo la sorte
Dono infelice di bellezza, ond' hai
Funesta dote d' infiniti guai,
Che in fronte scritti per gran doglia porte.
Deh, fossi tu men bella, ò almen píù forte!"
FILICAJA.
"Oh, not to guess it at the first.
But I did guess it,--that is, I divined,
Felt by an instinct how it was;--why else
Should I pronounce you free from all that heap
Of sins, which had been irredeemable?
I felt they were not yours."
BROWNING.
"Nests there are many of this very year,
Many the nests are, which the winds shall shake,
The rains run through and other birds beat down
Yours, O Aspasia! rests against the temple
Of heavenly love, and, thence inviolate,
It shall not fall this winter, nor the next."
LANDOR.
"Lift up your heart upon the knees of God,
Losing yourself, your smallness and your darkness
In His great light, who fills and moves the world,
Who hath alone the quiet of perfect motion."
STERLING.
VIII.
EUROPE
* * * * *
[It has been judged best to let Margaret herself tell the story of her
travels. In the spring of 1846, her valued friends, Marcus Spring and
lady, of New York, had decided to make a tour in Europe, with their
son, and they invited Miss Fuller to accompany them. An arrangement
was soon made on such terms as she could accept, and the party sailed
from Boston in the "Cambria," on the first of August. The following
narrative is made up of letters addressed by her to various
correspondents. Some extracts, describing distinguished persons whom
she saw, have been borrowed from her letters to the New York Tribune.]
TO MRS. MARGARET FULLER.
_Liverpool, Aug_. 16, 1846.
My dear Mother:--
The last two days at sea passed well enough, as a number of agreeable
persons were introduced to me, and there were several whom I knew
before. I enjoyed nothing on the sea; the excessively bracing air so
affected me that I could not bear to look at it. The sight of land
delighted me. The tall crags, with their breakers and circling
sea-birds; then the green fields, how glad! We had a very fine day to
come ashore, and made the shortest passage ever known. The stewardess
said, "Any one who complained this time tempted the Almighty." I did
not complain, but I could hardly have borne another day. I had no
appetite; but am now making up for all deficiencies, and feel already
a renovation beginning from the voyage; and, still more, from freedom
and entire change of scene.
We came here Wednesday, at noon; next day we went to Manchester; the
following day to Chester; returning here Saturday evening.
On Sunday we went to hear James Martineau; were introduced to him,
and other leading persons. The next day and evening I passed in the
society of very pleasant people, who have made every exertion to give
me the means of seeing and learning; but they have used up all my
strength.
LONDON.
TO C.S.
As soon as I reached England, I found how right we were in supposing
there was elsewhere a greater range of interesting character among the
men, than with us. I do not find, indeed, any so valuable as three or
four among the most marked we have known; but many that are strongly
individual, and have a fund of hidden life.
In Westmoreland, I knew, and have since been seeing in London, a man,
such as would interest you a good deal; Mr. Atkinson. He is sometimes
called the "prince of the English mesmerisers;" and he has the fine
instinctive nature you may suppose from that. He is a man of about
thirty; in the fulness of his powers; tall, and finely formed, with
a head for Leonardo to paint; mild and composed, but powerful and
sagacious; he does not think, but perceives and acts. He is intimate
with artists, having studied architecture himself as a profession; but
has some fortune on which he lives. Sometimes stationary and acting
in the affairs of other men; sometimes wandering about the world and
learning; he seems bound by no tie, yet looks as if he had relatives
in every place.
I saw, also, a man,--an artist,--severe and antique in his spirit; he
seemed burdened by the sorrows of aspiration; yet very calm, as secure
in the justice of fate. What he does is bad, but full of a great
desire. His name is David Scott. I saw another,--a pupil of De la
Roche,--very handsome, and full of a voluptuous enjoyment of nature:
him I liked a little in a different way.
By far the most beauteous person I have seen is Joseph Mazzini. If you
ever see Saunders' "People's Journal," you can read articles by him
that will give you some notion of his mind, especially one on his
friends, headed "Italian Martyrs." He is one in whom holiness has
purified, but somewhat dwarfed the man.
* * * * *
Our visit to Mr. Wordsworth was fortunate. He is seventy-six; but his
is a florid, fair old age. He walked with us to all his haunts about
the house. Its situation is beautiful, and the "Rydalian Laurels" are
magnificent. Still, I saw abodes among the hills that I should have
preferred for Wordsworth; more wild and still more romantic. The fresh
and lovely Rydal Mount seems merely the retirement of a gentleman,
rather than the haunt of a poet. He showed his benignity of
disposition in several little things, especially in his attentions to
a young boy we had with us. This boy had left the circus, exhibiting
its feats of horsemanship, in Ambleside, "for that day only," at his
own desire to see Wordsworth; and I feared he would be dissatisfied,
as I know I should have been at his age, if, when called to see
a poet, I had found no Apollo flaming with youthful glory,
laurel-crowned, and lyre in hand; but, instead, a reverend old man
clothed in black, and walking with cautious step along the level
garden-path. However, he was not disappointed; and Wordsworth, in his
turn, seemed to feel and prize a congenial nature in this child.
Taking us into the house, he showed us the picture of his sister,
repeating with much expression some lines of hers, and those so famous
of his about her, beginning "Five years," &c.; also, his own picture,
by Inman, of whom he spoke with esteem. I had asked to see a picture
in that room, which has been described in one of the finest of his
later poems. A hundred times had I wished to see this picture, yet
when seen was not disappointed by it. The light was unfavorable, but
it had a light of its own,--
"whose mild gleam
Of beauty never ceases to enrich
The common light."
Mr. Wordsworth is fond of the hollyhock; a partiality scarcely
deserved by the flower, but which marks the simplicity of his tastes.
He had made a long avenue of them, of all colors, from the crimson
brown to rose, straw-color, and white, and pleased himself with having
made proselytes to a liking for them, among his neighbors.
I never have seen such magnificent fuchsias as at Ambleside, and there
was one to be seen in every cottage-yard. They are no longer here
under the shelter of the green-house, as with us, and as they used to
be in England. The plant, from its grace and finished elegance, being
a great favorite of mine, I should like to see it as frequently and of
as luxuriant growth at home, and asked their mode of culture, which
I here mark down for the benefit of all who may be interested. Make
a bed of bog-earth and sand; put down slips of the fuchsia, and give
them a great deal of water; this is all they need. People leave them
out here in winter, but perhaps they would not bear the cold of our
Januaries.
Mr. Wordsworth spoke with more liberality than we expected of the
recent measures about the Corn-laws, saying that "the principle
was certainly right, though whether existing interests had been as
carefully attended to as was right, he was not prepared to say," &c.
His neighbors were pleased to hear of his speaking thus mildly, and
hailed it as a sign that he was opening his mind to more light on
these subjects. They lament that his habits of seclusion keep him
ignorant of the real wants of England and the world. Living in this
region, which is cultivated by small proprietors, where there is
little poverty, vice, or misery, he hears not the voice which cries so
loudly from other parts of England, and will not be stilled by sweet,
poetic suasion, or philosophy, for it is the cry of men in the jaws of
destruction.
It was pleasant to find the reverence inspired by this great and pure
mind warmest near home. Our landlady, in heaping praises upon him,
added, constantly, "and Mrs. Wordsworth, too." "Do the people here,"
said I, "value Mr. Wordsworth most because he is a celebrated writer?"
"Truly, madam," said she, "I think it is because he is so kind a
neighbor."
"True to the kindred points of Heaven and Home."
EDINBURGH.----DE QUINCEY.
At Edinburgh we were in the wrong season, and many persons we most
wished to see were absent. We had, however, the good fortune to find
Dr. Andrew Combe, who received us with great kindness. I was impressed
with great and affectionate respect, by the benign and even temper of
his mind, his extensive and accurate knowledge, accompanied by a large
and intelligent liberality. Of our country he spoke very wisely and
hopefully.
* * * * *
I had the satisfaction, not easily attainable now, of seeing De
Quincey for some hours, and in the mood of conversation. As one
belonging to the Wordsworth and Coleridge constellation (he, too,
is now seventy years of age), the thoughts and knowledge of Mr. De
Quincey lie in the past, and oftentimes he spoke of matters now become
trite to one of a later culture. But to all that fell from his lips,
his eloquence, subtle and forcible as the wind, full and gently
falling as the evening dew, lent a peculiar charm. He is an admirable
narrator; not rapid, but gliding along like a rivulet through a green
meadow, giving and taking a thousand little beauties not absolutely
required to give his story due relief, but each, in itself, a separate
boon.
I admired, too, his urbanity; so opposite to the rapid, slang,
Vivian-Greyish style, current in the literary conversation of the
day. "Sixty years since," men had time to do things better and more
gracefully.
CHALMERS.
With Dr. Chalmers we passed a couple of hours. He is old now, but
still full of vigor and fire. We had an opportunity of hearing a
fine burst of indignant eloquence from him. "I shall blush to my very
bones," said he, "if the _Chaarrch_" (sound these two _rrs_ with
as much burr as possible, and you will get an idea of his mode of
pronouncing that unweariable word,) "if the Chaarrch yield to the
storm." He alluded to the outcry now raised by the Abolitionists
against the Free Church, whose motto is, "Send back the money;" i.e.,
the money taken from the American slaveholders. Dr. C. felt, that
if they did not yield from conviction, they must not to assault.
His manner in speaking of this gave me a hint of the nature of his
eloquence. He seldom preaches now.
* * * * *
A Scottish gentleman told me the following story:--Burns, still only
in the dawn of his celebrity, was invited to dine with one of the
neighboring so-called gentry, unhappily quite void of true gentle
blood. On arriving, he found his plate set in the servants' room.
After dinner, he was invited into a room where guests were assembled,
and, a chair being placed for him at the lower end of the board, a
glass of wine was offered, and he was requested to sing one of his
songs for the entertainment, of the company. He drank off the wine,
and thundered forth in reply his grand song "For a' that and a' that,"
and having finished his prophecy and prayer, nature's nobleman left
his churlish entertainers to hide their heads in the home they had
disgraced.
A NIGHT ON BEN LOMOND.
At Inversnaid, we took a boat to go down Loch Lomond, to the little
inn of Rowardennan, from which the ascent is made of Ben Lomond. We
found a day of ten thousand, for our purpose; but, unhappily, a large
party had come with the sun, and engaged all the horses, so that if we
went, it must be on foot. This was something of an enterprise for me,
as the ascent is four miles, and toward the summit quite fatiguing.
However, in the pride of newly-gained health and strength, I was
ready, and set forth with Mr. S. alone. We took no guide, and the
people of the house did not advise us to take one, as they ought.
On reaching the peak, the sight was one of beauty and grandeur such as
imagination never painted. You see around you no plain ground, but on
every side constellations, or groups of hills, exquisitely dressed in
the soft purple of the heather, amid which gleam the lakes, like eyes
that tell the secrets of the earth, and drink in those of the heavens.
Peak beyond peak caught from the shifting light all the colors of
the prism, and, on the furthest, angel companies seemed hovering in
glorious white robes.
About four o'clock we began our descent. Near the summit, the traces
of the path are not distinct, and I said to Mr. S., after a while,
that we had lost it. He said he thought that was of no consequence;
we could find our way down. I said I thought it was, as the ground was
full of springs that were bridged over in the pathway. He accordingly
went to look for it, and I stood still, because I was so tired I did
not like to waste any labor.
Soon he called to me that he had found it, and I followed in the
direction where he seemed to be. But I mistook, overshot it, and saw
him no more. In about ten minutes I became alarmed, and called him
many times. It seems, he on his side shouted also, but the brow of
some hill was between us, and we neither saw nor heard one another. I
then thought I would make the best of my way down, and I should
find him when I arrived. But, in doing so, I found the justice of my
apprehension about the springs, so soon as I got to the foot of the
hills; for I would sink up to my knees in bog, and must go up the
hills again, seeking better crossing places. Thus I lost much time.
Nevertheless, in the twilight, I saw, at last, the lake, and the inn
of Rowardennan on its shore.
Between me and it, lay, direct, a high heathery hill, which I
afterwards found is called "The Tongue," because hemmed in on three
sides by a water-course. It looked as if, could I only get to the
bottom of that, I should be on comparatively level ground. I
then attempted to descend in the water-course, but, finding that
impracticable, climbed on the hill again, and let myself down by the
heather, for it was very steep, and full of deep holes. With great
fatigue, I got to the bottom, but when I was about to cross the
water-course there, I felt afraid, it looked so deep in the dim
twilight. I got down as far as I could by the root of a tree, and
threw down a stone. It sounded very hollow, and I was afraid to jump.
The shepherds told me afterwards, if I had, I should probably have
killed myself, it was so deep, and the bed of the torrent full of
sharp stones.
I then tried to ascend the hill again, for there was no other way to
get off it; but soon sank down utterly exhausted. When able to get up
again, and look about me, it was completely dark. I saw, far below me,
a light, that looked about as big as a pin's head, that I knew to be
from the inn at Rowardennan, but heard no sound except the rush of the
waterfall, and the sighing of the night wind.
For the first few minutes after I perceived I had come to my night's
lodging, such as it was, the circumstance looked appalling. I was very
lightly clad, my feet and dress were very wet, I had only a little
shawl to throw round me, and the cold autumn wind had already come,
and the night mist was to fall on me, all fevered and exhausted as I
was. I thought I should not live through the night, or, if I did, I
must be an invalid henceforward. I could not even keep myself warm by
walking, for, now it was dark, it would be too dangerous to stir. My
only chance, however, lay in motion, and my only help in myself; and
so convinced was I of this, that I did keep in motion the whole of
that long night, imprisoned as I was on such a little perch of that
great mountain.
For about two hours, I saw the stars, and very cheery and
companionable they looked; but then the mist fell, and I saw nothing
more, except such apparitions as visited Ossian, on the hill-side,
when he went out by night, and struck the bosky shield, and called to
him the spirits of the heroes, and the white-armed maids, with their
blue eyes of grief. To me, too, came those visionary shapes. Floating
slowly and gracefully, their white robes would unfurl from the great
body of mist in which they had been engaged, and come upon me with a
kiss pervasively cold as that of death. Then the moon rose. I could
not see her, but her silver light filled the mist. Now I knew it was
two o'clock, and that, having weathered out so much of the night, I
might the rest; and the hours hardly seemed long to me more.
It may give an idea of the extent of the mountain, that, though I
called, every now and then, with all my force, in case by chance some
aid might be near, and though no less than twenty men, with their
dogs, were looking for me, I never heard a sound, except the rush of
the waterfall and the sighing of the night wind, and once or twice
the startling of the grouse in the heather. It was sublime indeed,--a
never-to-be-forgotten presentation of stern, serene realities. At last
came the signs of day,--the gradual clearing and breaking up; some
faint sounds from I know not what; the little flies, too, arose from
their bed amid the purple heather, and bit me. Truly they were very
welcome to do so. But what was my disappointment to find the mist so
thick, that I could see neither lake nor inn, nor anything to guide
me. I had to go by guess, and, as it happened, my Yankee method served
me well. I ascended the hill, crossed the torrent, in the waterfall,
first drinking some of the water, which was as good at that time as
ambrosia. I crossed in that place, because the waterfall made steps,
as it were, to the next hill. To be sure, they were covered with
water, but I was already entirely wet with the mist, so that it
did not matter. I kept on scrambling, as it happened, in the right
direction, till, about seven, some of the shepherds found me. The
moment they came, all my feverish strength departed, and they carried
me home, where my arrival relieved my friends of distress far greater
than I had undergone; for I had my grand solitude, my Ossianic
visions, and the pleasure of sustaining myself; while they had only
doubt, amounting to anguish, and a fruitless search through the night.
Entirely contrary to my forebodings, I only suffered for this a few
days, and was able to take a parting look at my prison, as I went
down the lake, with feelings of complacency. It was a majestic-looking
hill, that Tongue, with the deep ravines on either side, and the
richest robe of heather I have anywhere seen.
Mr. S. gave all the men who were looking for me a dinner in the
barn, and he and Mrs. S. ministered to them; and they talked of
Burns,--really the national writer, and known by them, apparently,
as none other is,--and of hair-breadth 'scapes by flood and fell.
Afterwards they were all brought up to see me, and it was gratifying
to note the good breeding and good feeling with which they deported
themselves. Indeed, this adventure created quite an intimate feeling
between us and the people there. I had been much pleased before,
in attending one of their dances, at the genuine independence and
politeness of their conduct. They were willing to dance their Highland
flings and strathspeys, for our amusement, and did it as naturally and
as freely as they would have offered the stranger the best chair.
JOANNA BAILLIE.--HOWITTS.--SMITH.
I have mentioned with satisfaction seeing some persons who illustrated
the past dynasty in the progress of thought here: Wordsworth, Dr.
Chalmers, De Quincey, Andrew Combe. With a still higher pleasure,
because to one of my own sex, whom I have honored almost above any,
I went to pay my court to Joanna Baillie. I found on her brow, not,
indeed, a coronal of gold; but a serenity and strength undimmed and
unbroken by the weight of more than fourscore years, or by the scanty
appreciation which her thoughts have received. We found her in her
little calm retreat, at Hampstead, surrounded by marks of love and
reverence from distinguished and excellent friends. Near her was the
sister, older than herself, yet still sprightly and full of active
kindness, whose character and their mutual relations she has, in one
of her last poems, indicated with such a happy mixture of sagacity,
humor, and tender pathos, and with so absolute a truth of outline.
* * * * *
Mary and William Howitt are the main support of the People's Journal.
I saw them several times at their cheerful and elegant home. In Mary
Howitt, I found the same engaging traits of character we are led
to expect from her books for children. At their house, I became
acquainted with Dr. Southwood Smith, the well-known philanthropist.
He is at present engaged in the construction of good tenements,
calculated to improve the condition of the working people.
TO R.W.E.
_Paris, Nov. 16, 1846._--I meant to write on my arrival in London, six
weeks ago; but as it was not what is technically called "the season,"
I thought I had best send all my letters of introduction at once, that
I might glean what few good people I could. But more than I expected
were in town. These introduced others, and in three days I was engaged
in such a crowd of acquaintance, that I had hardly time to dress, and
none to sleep, during all the weeks I was in London.
I enjoyed the time extremely. I find myself much in my element in
European society. It does not, indeed, come up to my ideal, but so
many of the encumbrances are cleared away that used to weary me in
America, that I can enjoy a freer play of faculty, and feel, if not
like a bird in the air, at least as easy as a fish in water.
In Edinburgh, I met Dr. Brown. He is still quite a young man, but with
a high ambition, and, I should think, commensurate powers. But all is
yet in the bud with him. He has a friend, David Scott, a painter,
full of imagination, and very earnest in his views of art. I had some
pleasant hours with them, and the last night which they and I passed
with De Quincey, a real grand _conversazione_, quite in the Landor
style, which lasted, in full harmony, some hours.
CARLYLE.
Of the people I saw in London, you will wish me to speak first of the
Carlyles. Mr. C. came to see me at once, and appointed an evening to
be passed at their house. That first time, I was delighted with him.
He was in a very sweet humor,--full of wit and pathos, without being
overbearing or oppressive. I was quite carried away with the rich flow
of his discourse; and the hearty, noble earnestness of his personal
being brought back the charm which once was upon his writing, before I
wearied of it. I admired his Scotch, his way of singing his great full
sentences, so that each one was like the stanza of a narrative ballad.
He let me talk, now and then, enough to free my lungs and change my
position, so that I did not get tired. That evening, he talked of the
present state of things in England, giving light, witty sketches
of the men of the day, fanatics and others, and some sweet, homely
stories he told of things he had known of the Scotch peasantry. Of you
he spoke with hearty kindness; and he told, with beautiful feeling, a
story of some poor farmer, or artisan, in the country, who on Sunday
lays aside the cark and care of that dirty English world, and sits
reading the Essays, and looking upon the sea.
I left him that night, intending to go out very often to their
house. I assure you there never was anything so witty as Carlyle's
description of ---- ----. It was enough to kill one with laughing.
I, on my side, contributed a story to his fund of anecdote on this
subject, and it was fully appreciated. Carlyle is worth a thousand of
you for that;--he is not ashamed to laugh, when he is amused, but goes
on in a cordial human fashion.
The second time, Mr. C. had a dinner-party, at which was a witty,
French, flippant sort of man, author of a History of Philosophy, and
now writing a Life of Goethe, a task for which he must be as unfit as
irreligion and sparkling shallowness can make him. But he told stories
admirably, and was allowed sometimes to interrupt Carlyle a little,
of which one was glad, for, that night, he was in his more acrid
mood; and, though much more brilliant than on the former evening,
grew wearisome to me, who disclaimed and rejected almost everything he
said.
For a couple of hours, he was talking about poetry, and the whole
harangue was one eloquent proclamation of the defects in his own mind.
Tennyson wrote in verse because the schoolmasters had taught him that
it was great to do so, and had thus, unfortunately, been turned from
the true path for a man. Burns had, in like manner, been turned from
his vocation. Shakspeare had not had the good sense to see that
it would have been better to write straight on in prose;--and such
nonsense, which, though amusing enough at first, he ran to death after
a while. The most amusing part is always when he comes back to some
refrain, as in the French Revolution of the _sea-green_. In this
instance, it was Petrarch and _Laura_, the last word pronounced with
his ineffable sarcasm of drawl. Although he said this over
fifty times, I could not ever help laughing when _Laura_ would
come,--Carlyle running his chin out, when he spoke it, and his eyes
glancing till they looked like the eyes and beak of a bird of prey.
Poor Laura! Lucky for her that her poet had already got her safely
canonized beyond the reach of this Teufelsdrockh vulture.
The worst of hearing Carlyle is that you cannot interrupt him. I
understand the habit and power of haranguing have increased very much
upon him, so that you are a perfect prisoner when he has once got hold
of you. To interrupt him is a physical impossibility. If you get a
chance to remonstrate for a moment, he raises his voice and bears
you down. True, he does you no injustice, and, with his admirable
penetration, sees the disclaimer in your mind, so that you are not
morally delinquent; but it is not pleasant to be unable to utter it.
The latter part of the evening, however, he paid us for this, by a
series of sketches, in his finest style of railing and raillery, of
modern French literature, not one of them, perhaps, perfectly just,
but all drawn with the finest, boldest strokes, and, from his point of
view, masterly. All were depreciating, except that of Béranger. Of him
he spoke with perfect justice, because with hearty sympathy.
I had, afterward, some talk with Mrs. C., whom hitherto I had only
_seen_, for who can speak while her husband is there? I like her very
much;--she is full of grace, sweetness, and talent. Her eyes are sad
and charming. * * *
After this, they went to stay at Lord Ashburton's, and I only saw
them once more, when they came to pass an evening with us. Unluckily,
Mazzini was with us, whose society, when he was there alone, I enjoyed
more than any. He is a beauteous and pure music; also, he is a dear
friend of Mrs. C.; but his being there gave the conversation a turn to
"progress" and ideal subjects, and C. was fluent in invectives on
all our "rose-water imbecilities." We all felt distant from him, and
Mazzini, after some vain efforts to remonstrate, became very sad. Mrs.
C. said to me, "These are but opinions to Carlyle; but to Mazzini, who
has given his all, and helped bring his friends to the scaffold, in
pursuit of such subjects, it is a matter of life and death."
All Carlyle's talk, that evening, was a defence of mere
force,--success the test of right;--if people would not behave well,
put collars round their necks;--find a hero, and let them be his
slaves, &c. It was very Titanic, and anti-celestial. I wish the last
evening had been more melodious. However, I bid Carlyle farewell with
feelings of the warmest friendship and admiration. We cannot feel
otherwise to a great and noble nature, whether it harmonize with our
own or not. I never appreciated the work he has done for his age
till I saw England. I could not. You must stand in the shadow of that
mountain of shams, to know how hard it is to cast light across it.
Honor to Carlyle! _Hoch!_ Although in the wine with which we drink
this health, I, for one, must mingle the despised "rose-water."
And now, having to your eye shown the defects of my own mind, in the
sketch of another, I will pass on more lowly,--more willing to be
imperfect,--since Fate permits such noble creatures, after all, to
be only this or that. It is much if one is not only a crow or
magpie;--Carlyle is only a lion. Some time we may, all in full, be
intelligent and humanly fair.
CARLYLE, AGAIN.
_Paris, Dec, 1846._--Accustomed to the infinite wit and exuberant
richness of his writings, his talk is still an amazement and
a splendor scarcely to be faced with steady eyes. He does not
converse;--only harangues. It is the usual misfortune of such marked
men,--happily not one invariable or inevitable,--that they cannot
allow other minds room to breathe, and show themselves in their
atmosphere, and thus miss the refreshment and instruction which the
greatest never cease to need from the experience of the humblest.
Carlyle allows no one a chance, but bears down all opposition, not
only by his wit and onset of words, resistless in their sharpness as
so many bayonets, but by actual physical superiority,--raising his
voice, and rushing on his opponent with a torrent of sound. This is
not in the least from unwillingness to allow freedom to others. On the
contrary, no man would more enjoy a manly resistance to his thought.
But it is the habit of a mind accustomed to follow out its own
impulse, as the hawk its prey, and which knows not how to stop in
the chase. Carlyle, indeed, is arrogant and overbearing; but in his
arrogance there is no littleness,--no self-love. It is the heroic
arrogance of some old Scandinavian conqueror;--it is his nature, and
the untamable energy that has given him power to crush the dragons.
You do not love him, perhaps, nor revere; and perhaps, also, he would
only laugh at you if you did; but you like him heartily, and like to
see him the powerful smith, the Siegfried, melting all the old iron
in his furnace till it glows to a sunset red, and burns you, if you
senselessly go too near. He seems, to me, quite isolated,--lonely as
the desert,--yet never was a man more fitted to prize a man, could he
find one to match his mood. He finds them, but only in the past.
He sings, rather than talks. He pours upon you a kind of satirical,
heroical, critical poem, with regular cadences, and generally, near
the beginning, hits upon some singular epithet, which serves as a
_refrain_ when his song is full, or with which, as with a knitting
needle, he catches up the stitches, if he has chanced, now and then,
to let fall a row. For the higher kinds of poetry he has no sense,
and his talk on that subject is delightfully and gorgeously absurd. He
sometimes stops a minute to laugh at it himself, then begins anew with
fresh vigor; for all the spirits he is driving before him seem to him
as Fata Morgana, ugly masks, in fact, if he can but make them turn
about; but he laughs that they seem to others such dainty Ariels.
His talk, like his books, is full of pictures; his critical strokes
masterly. Allow for his point of view, and his survey is admirable.
He is a large subject. I cannot speak more or wiselier of him now, nor
needs it;--his works are true, to blame and praise him,--the Siegfried
of England,--great and powerful, if not quite invulnerable, and of a
might rather to destroy evil, than legislate for good.
Of Dr. Wilkinson I saw a good deal, and found him a substantial
person,--a sane, strong, and well-exercised mind,--but in the last
degree unpoetical in its structure. He is very simple, natural, and
good; excellent to see, though one cannot go far with him; and he
would be worth more in writing, if he could get time to write, than in
personal intercourse. He may yet find time;--he is scarcely more than
thirty. Dr. W. wished to introduce me to Mr. Clissold, but I had not
time; shall find it, if in London again. Tennyson was not in town.
Browning has just married Miss Barrett, and gone to Italy. I may meet
them there. Bailey is helping his father with a newspaper! His wife
and child (Philip Festus by name) came to see me. I am to make them a
visit on my return. Marston I saw several times, and found him full
of talent. That is all I want to say at present;--he is a delicate
nature, that can only be known in its own way and time. I went to see
his "Patrician's Daughter." It is an admirable play for the stage. At
the house of W.J. Fox, I saw first himself, an eloquent man, of great
practical ability, then Cooper, (of the "Purgatory of Suicides,") and
others.
My poor selection of miscellanies has been courteously greeted in
the London journals. Openings were made for me to write, had I but
leisure; it is for that I look to a second stay in London, since
several topics came before me on which I wished to write and publish
_there_.
* * * * *
I became acquainted with a gentleman who is intimate with all the
English artists, especially Stanfield and Turner, but was only able to
go to his house once, at this time. Pictures I found but little time
for, yet enough to feel what they are now to be to me. I was only at
the Dulwich and National Galleries and Hampton Court. Also, have seen
the Vandykes, at Warwick; but all the precious private collections
I was obliged to leave untouched, except one of Turner's, to which I
gave a day. For the British Museum, I had only one day, which I spent
in the Greek and Egyptian Rooms, unable even to look at the vast
collections of drawings, &c. But if I live there a few months, I shall
go often. O, were life but longer, and my strength greater! Ever I am
bewildered by the riches of existence, had I but more time to open
the oysters, and get out the pearls. Yet some are mine, if only for a
necklace or rosary.
PARIS.
TO HER MOTHER.
_Paris, Dec. 26, 1846._--In Paris I have been obliged to give a
great deal of time to French, in order to gain the power of speaking,
without which I might as usefully be in a well as here. That has
prevented my doing nearly as much as I would. Could I remain six
months in this great focus of civilized life, the time would be all
too short for my desires and needs.
My Essay on American Literature has been translated into French, and
published in "La Revue Indépendante," one of the leading journals of
Paris; only, with that delight at manufacturing names for which the
French are proverbial, they put, instead of _Margaret_, _Elizabeth_.
Write to ----, that aunt Elizabeth has appeared unexpectedly before
the French public! She will not enjoy her honors long, as a future
number, which is to contain a notice of "Woman in the Nineteenth
Century," will rectify the mistake.
I have been asked, also, to remain in correspondence with La Revue
Indépendante, after my return to the United States, which will be very
pleasant and advantageous to me.
I have some French acquaintance, and begin to take pleasure in them,
now that we can hold intercourse more easily. Among others, a Madame
Pauline Roland I find an interesting woman. She is an intimate friend
of Béranger and of Pierre Leroux.
We occupy a charming suite of apartments, Hotel Rougement, Boulevard
Poissonière. It is a new hotel, and has not the arched gateways and
gloomy court-yard of the old mansions. My room, though small, is very
pretty, with the thick, flowered carpet and marble slabs; the French
clock, with Cupid, of course, over the fireplace, in which burns a
bright little wood fire; the canopy bedstead, and inevitable large
mirror; the curtains, too, are thick and rich, the closet, &c.,
excellent, the attendance good. But for all this, one pays dear. We do
not find that one can live _pleasantly_ at Paris for little money; and
we prefer to economize by a briefer stay, if at all.
TO E.H.
_Paris, Jan. 18, 1847,_ and _Naples, March 17, 1847._--You wished to
hear of George Sand, or, as they say in Paris, "Madame Sand." I find
that all we had heard of her was true in the outline; I had supposed
it might be exaggerated. She had every reason to leave her husband,--a
stupid, brutal man, who insulted and neglected her. He afterwards gave
up their child to her for a sum of money. But the love for which she
left him lasted not well, and she has had a series of lovers, and I
am told has one now, with whom she lives on the footing of combined
means, independent friendship! But she takes rank in society like a
man, for the weight of her thoughts, and has just given her daughter
in marriage. Her son is a grown-up young man, an artist. Many women
visit her, and esteem it an honor. Even an American here, and with
the feelings of our country on such subjects, Mrs. ----, thinks of her
with high esteem. She has broken with La Mennais, of whom she was once
a disciple.
I observed to Dr. François, who is an intimate of hers, and loves and
admires her, that it did not seem a good sign that she breaks with her
friends. He said it was not so with her early friends; that she has
chosen to buy a chateau in the region where she passed her childhood,
and that the people there love and have always loved her dearly. She
is now at the chateau, and, I begin to fear, will not come to town
before I go. Since I came, I have read two charming stories recently
written by her. Another longer one she has just sold to _La Presse_
for fifteen thousand francs. She does not receive nearly as much
for her writings as Balzac, Dumas, or Sue. She has a much greater
influence than they, but a less circulation.
She stays at the chateau, because the poor people there were suffering
so much, and she could help them. She has subscribed _twenty thousand
francs_ for their relief, in the scarcity of the winter. It is a great
deal to earn by one's pen: a novel of several volumes sold for only
fifteen thousand francs, as I mentioned before. * * *
At last, however, she came; and I went to see her at her house,
Place d'Orleans. I found it a handsome modern residence. She had not
answered my letter, written about a week before, and I felt a little
anxious lest she should not receive me; for she is too much the mark
of impertinent curiosity, as well as too busy, to be easily accessible
to strangers. I am by no means timid, but I have suffered, for the
first time in France, some of the torments of _mauvaise honte_, enough
to see what they must be to many.
It is the custom to go and call on those to whom you bring letters,
and push yourself upon their notice; thus you must go quite ignorant
whether they are disposed to be cordial. My name is always murdered
by the foreign servants who announce me. I speak very bad French;
only lately have I had sufficient command of it to infuse some of my
natural spirit in my discourse. This has been a great trial to me,
who am eloquent and free in my own tongue, to be forced to feel my
thoughts struggling in vain for utterance.
The servant who admitted me was in the picturesque costume of a
peasant, and, as Madame Sand afterward told me, her god-daughter,
whom she had brought from her province. She announced me as "_Madame
Salere,_" and returned into the ante-room to tell me. "_Madame says
she does not know you_" I began to think I was doomed to a rebuff,
among the crowd who deserve it. However, to make assurance sure, I
said, "Ask if she has not received a letter from me." As I spoke,
Madame S. opened the door, and stood looking at me an instant. Our
eyes met. I never shall forget her look at that moment. The doorway
made a frame for her figure; she is large, but well-formed. She was
dressed in a robe of dark violet silk, with a black mantle on her
shoulders, her beautiful hair dressed with the greatest taste, her
whole appearance and attitude, in its simple and lady-like dignity,
presenting an almost ludicrous contrast to the vulgar caricature idea
of George Sand. Her face is a very little like the portraits, but
much finer; the upper part of the forehead and eyes are beautiful,
the lower, strong and masculine, expressive of a hardy temperament and
strong passions, but not in the least coarse; the complexion olive,
and the air of the whole head Spanish, (as, indeed, she was born at
Madrid, and is only on one side of French blood.) All these details
I saw at a glance; but what fixed my attention was the expression of
_goodness_, nobleness, and power, that pervaded the whole,--the truly
human heart and nature that shone in the eyes. As our eyes met, she
said, "_C'est vous_" and held out her hand. I took it, and went into
her little study; we sat down a moment, then I said, "_Il me fait de
bien de vous voir_" and I am sure I said it with my whole heart, for
it made me very happy to see such a woman, so large and so developed
a character, and everything that _is_ good in it so _really_ good. I
loved, shall always love her.
She looked away, and said, "_Ah! vous m'avez écrit une lettre
charmante_" This was all the preliminary of our talk, which then went
on as if we had always known one another. She told me, before I went
away, that she was going that very day to write to me; that when
the servant announced me she did not recognize the name, but after
a minute it struck her that it might be _La dame Americaine,_ as
the foreigners very commonly call me, for they find my name hard
to remember. She was very much pressed for time, as she was then
preparing copy for the printer, and, having just returned, there were
many applications to see her, but she wanted me to stay then, saying,
"It is better to throw things aside, and seize the present moment." I
staid a good part of the day, and was very glad afterwards, for I did
not see her again uninterrupted. Another day I was there, and saw
her in her circle. Her daughter and another lady were present, and a
number of gentlemen. Her position there was of an intellectual woman
and good friend,--the same as my own in the circle of my acquaintance
as distinguished from my intimates. Her daughter is just about to
be married. It is said, there is no congeniality between her and her
mother; but for her son she seems to have much love, and he loves and
admires her extremely. I understand he has a good and free character,
without conspicuous talent.
Her way of talking is just like her writing,--lively, picturesque,
with an undertone of deep feeling, and the same skill in striking the
nail on the head every now and then with a blow.
We did not talk at all of personal or private matters. I saw, as one
sees in her writings, the want of an independent, interior life, but
I did not feel it as a fault, there is so much in her of her kind.
I heartily enjoyed the sense of so rich, so prolific, so ardent a
genius. I liked the woman in her, too, very much; I never liked a
woman better.
For the rest I do not care to write about it much, for I cannot, in
the room and time I have to spend, express my thoughts as I would; but
as near as I can express the sum total, it is this. S---- and others
who admire her, are anxious to make a fancy picture of her, and
represent her as a Helena (in the Seven Chords of the Lyre); all whose
mistakes are the fault of the present state of society. But to me the
truth seems to be this. She has that purity in her soul, for she
knows well how to love and prize its beauty; but she herself is
quite another sort of person. She needs no defence, but only to be
understood, for she has bravely acted out her nature, and always with
good intentions. She might have loved one man permanently, if she
could have found one contemporary with her who could interest and
command her throughout her range; but there was hardly a possibility
of that, for such a person. Thus she has naturally changed the
objects of her affection, and several times. Also, there may have been
something of the Bacchante in her life, and of the love of night and
storm, and the free raptures amid which roamed on the mountain-tops
the followers of Cybele, the great goddess, the great mother. But she
was never coarse, never gross, and I am sure her generous heart has
not failed to draw some rich drops from every kind of wine-press. When
she has done with an intimacy, she likes to break it off suddenly, and
this has happened often, both with men and women. Many calumnies upon
her are traceable to this cause.
I forgot to mention, that, while talking, she _does_ smoke all the
time her little cigarette. This is now a common practice among ladies
abroad, but I believe originated with her.
For the rest, she holds her place in the literary and social world
of France like a man, and seems full of energy and courage in it. I
suppose she has suffered much, but she has also enjoyed and done much,
and her expression is one of calmness and happiness. I was sorry to
see her _exploitant_ her talent so carelessly. She does too much, and
this cannot last forever; but "Teverino" and the "Mare au Diable,"
which she has lately published, are as original, as masterly in truth,
and as free in invention, as anything she has done.
Afterwards I saw Chopin, not with her, although he lives with her, and
has for the last twelve years. I went to see him in his room with one
of his friends. He is always ill, and as frail as a snow-drop, but an
exquisite genius. He played to me, and I liked his talking scarcely
less. Madame S. loved Liszt before him; she has thus been intimate
with the two opposite sides of the musical world. Mickiewicz says,
"Chopin talks with spirit, and gives us the Ariel view of the
universe. Liszt is the eloquent _tribune_ to the world of men, a
little vulgar and showy certainly, but I like the tribune best." It is
said here, that Madame S. has long had only a friendship for Chopin,
who, perhaps, on his side prefers to be a lover, and a jealous lover;
but she does not leave him, because he needs her care so much, when
sick and suffering. About all this, I do not know; you cannot know
much about anything in France, except what you see with your two eyes.
Lying is ingrained in "_la grande nation_" as they so plainly show no
less in literature than life.
RACHEL.
In France the theatre is living; you see something really good, and
good throughout. Not one touch of that stage-strut and vulgar bombast
of tone, which the English actor fancies indispensable to scenic
illusion, is tolerated here. For the first time in my life, I saw
something represented in a style uniformly good, and should have found
sufficient proof, if I had needed any, that all men will prefer what
is good to what is bad, if only a fair opportunity for choice
be allowed. When I came here, my first thought was to go and see
Mademoiselle Rachel. I was sure that in her I should find a true
genius. I went to see her seven or eight times, always in parts that
required great force of soul, and purity of taste, even to conceive
them, and only once had reason to find fault with her. On one single
occasion, I saw her violate the harmony of the character, to produce
effect at a particular moment; but, almost invariably, I found her
a true artist, worthy Greece, and worthy at many moments to have her
conceptions immortalized in marble.
Her range even in high tragedy is limited. She can only express the
darker passions, and grief in its most desolate aspects. Nature has
not gifted her with those softer and more flowery attributes, that
lend to pathos its utmost tenderness. She does not melt to tears, or
calm or elevate the heart by the presence of that tragic beauty that
needs all the assaults of fate to make it show its immortal sweetness.
Her noblest aspect is when sometimes she expresses truth in some
severe shape, and rises, simple and austere, above the mixed elements
around her. On the dark side, she is very great in hatred and revenge.
I admired her more in Phèdre than in any other part in which I
saw her; the guilty love inspired by the hatred of a goddess was
expressed, in all its symptoms, with a force and terrible naturalness,
that almost suffocated the beholder. After she had taken the poison,
the exhaustion and paralysis of the system,--the sad, cold, calm
submission to Fate,--were still more grand.
I had heard so much about the power of her eye in one fixed look, and
the expression she could concentrate in a single word, that the utmost
results could only satisfy my expectations. It is, indeed, something
magnificent to see the dark cloud give out such sparks, each one fit
to deal a separate death; but it was not that I admired most in her.
It was the grandeur, truth, and depth of her conception of each part,
and the sustained purity with which she represented it.
The French language from her lips is a divine dialect; it is stripped
of its national and personal peculiarities, and becomes what any
language must, moulded by such a genius, the pure music of the heart
and soul. I never could remember her tone in speaking any word; it
was too perfect; you had received the thought quite direct. Yet, had
I never heard her speak a word, my mind would be filled by her
attitudes. Nothing more graceful can be conceived, nor could the
genius of sculpture surpass her management of the antique drapery.
She has no beauty, except in the intellectual severity of her outline,
and she bears marks of race, that will grow stronger every year,
and make her ugly at last. Still it will be a _grandiose_, gypsy,
or rather Sibylline ugliness, well adapted to the expression of some
tragic parts. Only it seems as if she could not live long; she expends
force enough upon a part to furnish out a dozen common lives.
TO R.W.E.
_Paris, Jan_. 18, 1847.--I can hardly tell you what a fever consumes
me, from sense of the brevity of my time and opportunity. Here I
cannot sleep at night, because I have been able to do so little in
the day. Constantly I try to calm my mind into content with small
achievements, but it is difficult. You will say, it is not so mightily
worth knowing, after all, this picture and natural history of Europe.
Very true; but I am so constituted that it pains me to come away,
having touched only the glass over the picture.
I am assiduous daily at the Academy lectures, picture galleries,
Chamber of Deputies,--last week, at the court and court ball. So far
as my previous preparation enabled me, I get something from all these
brilliant shows,--thoughts, images, fresh impulse. But I need,
to initiate me into various little secrets of the place and
time,--necessary for me to look at things to my satisfaction,--some
friend, such as I do not find here. My steps have not been fortunate
in Paris, as they were in England. No doubt, the person exists here,
whose aid I want; indeed, I feel that it is so; but we do not meet,
and the time draws near for me to depart.
French people I find slippery, as they do not know exactly what to
make of me, the rather as I have not the command of their language.
_I_ see _them_, their brilliancy, grace, and variety, the thousand
slight refinements of their speech and manner, but cannot meet them
in their way. My French teacher says, I speak and act like an Italian,
and I hope, in Italy, I shall find myself more at home.
I had, the other day, the luck to be introduced to Béranger, who is
the only person beside George Sand I cared very particularly to see
here. I went to call on La Mennais, to whom I had a letter. I found
him in a little study; his secretary was writing in a large room
through which I passed. With him was a somewhat citizen-looking, but
vivacious elderly man, whom I was, at first, sorry to see, having
wished for half an hour's undisturbed visit to the Apostle of
Democracy. But those feelings were quickly displaced by joy, when he
named to me the great national lyrist of France, the great Béranger.
I had not expected to see him at all, for he is not to be seen in any
show place; he lives in the hearts of the people, and needs no homage
from their eyes. I was very happy, in that little study, in the
presence of these two men, whose influence has been so real and
so great. Béranger has been much to me,--his wit, his pathos, and
exquisite lyric grace. I have not received influence from La Mennais,
but I see well what he has been, and is, to Europe.
TO LA MENNAIS.
Monsieur:--
As my visit to you was cut short before I was quite satisfied, it
was my intention to seek you again immediately; although I felt some
scruples at occupying your valuable time, when I express myself so
imperfectly in your language. But I have been almost constantly ill
since, and now am not sure of finding time to pay you my respects
before leaving Paris for Italy. In case this should be impossible, I
take the liberty to write, and to present you two little volumes of
mine. It is only as a tribute of respect. I regret that they do not
contain some pieces of mine which might be more interesting to you,
as illustrative of the state of affairs in our country. Some such will
find their place in subsequent numbers. These, I hope, you will,
if you do not read them, accept kindly as a salutation from our
hemisphere. Many there delight to know you as a great apostle of
the ideas which are to be our life, if Heaven intends us a great
and permanent life. I count myself happy in having seen you, and
in finding with you Béranger, the genuine poet, the genuine man of
France. I have felt all the enchantment of the lyre of Béranger;
have paid my warmest homage to the truth and wisdom adorned with such
charms, such wit and pathos. It was a great pleasure to see himself.
If your leisure permits, Monsieur, I will ask a few lines in reply.
I should like to keep some words from your hand, in case I should not
look upon you more here below; and am always, with gratitude for the
light you have shed on so many darkened spirits,
Yours, most respectfully,
MARGARET FULLER.
* * * * *
_Paris, Jan_., 1847.--I missed hearing M. Guizot, (I am sorry for it,)
in his speech on the Montpensier marriage. I saw the little Duchess,
the innocent or ignorant topic of all this disturbance, when presented
at court. She went round the circle on the arm of the queen. Though
only fourteen, she looks twenty, but has something fresh, engaging,
and girlish about her.
I attended not only at the presentation, but at the ball given at
the Tuileries directly after. These are fine shows, as the suite of
apartments is very handsome, brilliantly lighted,--the French ladies
surpassing all others in the art of dress; indeed, it gave me much
pleasure to see them. Certainly there are many ugly ones; but they are
so well dressed, and have such an air of graceful vivacity, that
the general effect was of a flower-garden. As often happens, several
American women were among the most distinguished for positive beauty;
one from Philadelphia, who is by many persons considered the prettiest
ornament of the dress circle at the Italian opera, was especially
marked by the attention of the king. However, these ladies, even if
here a long time, do not attain the air and manner of French
women. The magnetic fluid that envelops them is less brilliant and
exhilarating in its attractions.
Among the crowd wandered Leverrier, in the costume of Academician,
looking as if he had lost, not found, his planet. French _savants_ are
more generally men of the world, and even men of fashion, than those
of other climates; but, in his case, he seemed not to find it easy to
exchange the music of the spheres for the music of fiddles.
Speaking of Leverrier leads to another of my disappointments. I
went to the Sorbonne to hear him lecture, not dreaming that the old
pedantic and theological character of those halls was strictly kept up
in these days of light. An old guardian of the inner temple seeing me
approach, had his speech all ready, and, manning the entrance, said,
with a disdainful air, before we had time to utter a word, "Monsieur
may enter if he pleases, but madame must remain here" (_i.e._, in
the court-yard). After some exclamations of surprise, I found an
alternative in the Hotel de Clugny, where I passed an hour very
delightfully, while waiting for my companion.
I was more fortunate in hearing Arago, and he justified all my
expectations. Clear, rapid, full, and equal, his discourse is worthy
its celebrity, and I felt repaid for the four hours one is obliged to
spend in going, in waiting, and in hearing, for the lecture begins at
half past one, and you must be there before twelve to get a seat, so
constant and animated is his popularity.
I was present on one good occasion, at the Academy,--the day that M.
Rémusat was received there, in the place of Royer Collard. I looked
down, from one of the tribunes, upon the flower of the celebrities of
France; that is to say, of the celebrities which are authentic, _comme
il faut_. Among them were many marked faces, many fine heads; but,
in reading the works of poets, we always fancy them about the age of
Apollo himself, and I found with pain some of my favorites quite old,
and very unlike the company on Parnassus, as represented by Raphael.
Some, however, were venerable, even noble to behold.
The poorer classes have suffered from hunger this winter. All signs of
this are kept out of sight in Paris. A pamphlet called "The Voice of
Famine," stating facts, though in a tone of vulgar and exaggerated
declamation, was suppressed as soon as published. While Louis Philippe
lives, the gases may not burst up to flame, but the need of radical
measures of reform is strongly felt in France; and the time will come,
before long, when such will be imperatively demanded.
FOURIER.
The doctrines of Fourier are making progress, and wherever they
spread, the necessity of some practical application of the precepts of
Christ, in lieu of the mummeries of a worn-out ritual, cannot fail
to be felt. The more I see of the terrible ills which infest the body
politic of Europe, the more indignation I feel at the selfishness
or stupidity of those in my own country who oppose an examination
of these subjects,--such as is animated by the hope of prevention.
Educated in an age of gross materialism, Fourier is tainted by its
faults; in attempts to reorganize society, he commits the error of
making soul the result of health of body, instead of body the clothing
of soul; but his heart was that of a genuine lover of his kind, of a
philanthropist in the sense of Jesus; his views are large and noble;
his life was one of devout study on these subjects, and I should pity
the person who, after the briefest sojourn in Manchester and Lyons,
the most superficial acquaintance with the population of London and
Paris, could seek to hinder a study of his thoughts, or be wanting in
reverence for his purposes.
ROUSSEAU.
To the actually so-called Chamber of Deputies, I was indebted for a
sight of the manuscripts of Rousseau treasured in their library. I saw
them and touched them,--those manuscripts just as he has celebrated
them, written on the fine white paper, tied with ribbon. Yellow and
faded age has made them, yet at their touch I seemed to feel the fire
of youth, immortally glowing, more and more expansive, with which his
soul has pervaded this century. He was the precursor of all we most
prize. True, his blood was mixed with madness, and the course of his
actual life made some _detours_ through villanous places; but his
spirit was intimate with the fundamental truths of human nature, and
fraught with prophecy. There is none who has given birth to more life
for this age; his gifts are yet untold; they are too present with us;
but he who thinks really must often think with Rousseau, and learn him
ever more and more. Such is the method of genius,--to ripen fruit for
the crowd by those rays of whose heat they complain.
TO R.W.E.
_Naples, March_ 15, 1847.--Mickiewicz, the Polish poet, first
introduced the Essays to acquaintance in Paris. I did not meet him
anywhere, and, as I heard a great deal of him which charmed me, I sent
him your poems, and asked him to come and see me. He came, and I
found in him the man I had long wished to see, with the intellect and
passions in due proportion for a full and healthy human being, with a
soul constantly inspiring. Unhappily, it was a very short time before
I came away. How much time had I wasted on others which I might have
given to this real and important relation.
After hearing music from Chopin and Neukomm, I quitted Paris on the
25th February, and came, _via_ Chalons, Lyons, Avignon, (where I waded
through melting snow to Laura's tomb,) Arles, to Marseilles; thence,
by steamer, to Genoa, Leghorn, and Pisa. Seen through a cutting wind,
the marble palaces, the gardens, the magnificent water-view of Genoa,
failed to charm. Only at Naples have I found _my_ Italy. Between
Leghorn and Naples, our boat was run into by another, and we only just
escaped being drowned.
ROME.
_Rome, May_, 1847.--Of the fragments of the great time, I have now
seen nearly all that are treasured up here. I have as yet nothing of
consequence to say of them. Others have often given good hints as
to how they _look_. As to what they _are_, it can only be known by
approximating to the state of soul out of which they grew. They are
many and precious; yet is there not so much of high excellence as
I looked for. They will not float the heart on a boundless sea of
feeling, like the starry night on our Western Prairies. Yet I love
much to see the galleries of marbles, even where there are not many
separately admirable, amid the cypresses and ilexes of Roman villas;
and a picture that is good at all, looks best in one of these old
palaces. I have heard owls hoot in the Colosseum by moonlight, and
they spoke more to the purpose than I ever heard any other voice on
that subject. I have seen all the pomps of Holy Week in St. Peter's,
and found them less imposing than an habitual acquaintance with the
church itself, with processions of monks and nuns stealing in, now and
then, or the swell of vespers from some side chapel. The ceremonies of
the church have been numerous and splendid, during our stay, and they
borrow unusual interest from the love and expectation inspired by the
present pontiff. He is a man of noble and good aspect, who has set his
heart on doing something solid for the benefit of man. A week or
two ago, the Cardinal Secretary published a circular, inviting
the departments to measures which would give the people a sort of
representative council. Nothing could seem more limited than this
improvement, but it was a great measure for Rome. At night, the
Corso was illuminated, and many thousands passed through it in a
torch-bearing procession, on their way to the Quirinal, to thank the
Pope, upbearing a banner on which the edict was printed.
TO W.H.C.
_Rome, May_ 7, 1847.--I write not to you about these countries, of the
famous people I see, of magnificent shows and places. All these things
are only to me an illuminated margin on the text of my inward life.
Earlier, they would have been more. Art is not important to me now.
I like only what little I find that is transcendently good, and even
with that feel very familiar and calm. I take interest in the state
of the people, their manners, the state of the race in them. I see
the future dawning; it is in important aspects Fourier's future. But
I like no Fourierites; they are terribly wearisome here in Europe; the
tide of things does not wash through them as violently as with us, and
they have time to run in the tread-mill of system. Still, they serve
this great future which I shall not live to see. I must be born again.
TO R.W.E.
_Florence, June_ 20, 1847.--I have just come hither from Rome. Every
minute, day and night, there is something to be seen or done at Rome,
which we cannot bear to lose. We lived on the Corso, and all night
long, after the weather became fine, there was conversation or music
before my window. I never seemed really to sleep while there, and now,
at Florence, where there is less to excite, and I live in a more quiet
quarter, I feel as if I needed to sleep all the time, and cannot rest
as I ought, there is so much to do.
I now speak French fluently, though not correctly, yet well enough
to make my thoughts avail in the cultivated society here, where it
is much spoken. But to know the common people, and to feel truly in
Italy, I ought to speak and understand the spoken Italian well, and
I am now cultivating this sedulously. If I remain, I shall have, for
many reasons, advantages for observation and enjoyment, such as are
seldom permitted to a foreigner.
I forgot to mention one little thing rather interesting. At the
_Miserere_ of the Sistine chapel, I sat beside Goethe's favorite
daughter-in-law, Ottilia, to whom I was introduced by Mrs. Jameson.
TO R.F.F.
_Florence, July_ 1, 1847.--I do not wish to go through Germany in
a hurried way, and am equally unsatisfied to fly through Italy; and
shall, therefore, leaving my companions in Switzerland, take a servant
to accompany me, and return hither, and hence to Rome for the autumn,
perhaps the winter. I should always suffer the pain of Tantalus
thinking of Rome, if I could not see it more thoroughly than I have
as yet even begun to; for it was all _outside_ the two months, just
finding out where objects were. I had only just begun to know them,
when I was obliged to leave. The prospect of returning presents many
charms, but it leaves me alone in the midst of a strange land.
I find myself happily situated here, in many respects. The Marchioness
Arconati Visconti, to whom I brought a letter from a friend of hers
in France, has been good to me as a sister, and introduced me to many
interesting acquaintance. The sculptors, Powers and Greenough, I have
seen much and well. Other acquaintance I possess, less known to fame,
but not less attractive.
Florence is not like Rome. At first, I could not bear the change; yet,
for the study of the fine arts, it is a still richer place. Worlds of
thought have risen in my mind; some time you will have light from all.
* * * * *
_Milan, Aug_. 9, 1847.--Passing from Florence, I came to Bologna. A
woman should love Bologna, for there has the intellect of woman been
cherished. In their Certosa, they proudly show the monument to Matilda
Tambreni, late Greek professor there. In their anatomical hall, is the
bust of a woman, professor of anatomy. In art, they have had Properzia
di Rossi, Elisabetta Sirani, Lavinia Fontana, and delight to give
their works a conspicuous place. In other cities, the men alone have
their Casino dei Nobili, where they give balls and conversazioni.
Here, women have one, and are the soul of society. In Milan, also, I
see, in the Ambrosian Library, the bust of a female mathematician.
TO HER MOTHER.
_Lago di Garda, Aug_. 1, 1847.--Do not let what I have written disturb
you as to my health. I have rested now, and am as well as usual. This
advantage I derive from being alone, that, if I feel the need of it, I
can stop.
I left Venice four days ago; have seen well Vicenza, Verona, Mantua,
and am reposing, for two nights and a day, in this tranquil room which
overlooks the beautiful Lake of Garda. The air is sweet and pure, and
I hear no noise except the waves breaking on the shore.
I think of you a great deal, especially when there are flowers.
Florence was all flowers. I have many magnolias and jasmines. I always
wish you could see them. The other day, on the island of San Lazaro,
at the Armenian Convent, where Lord Byron used to go, I thought of
you, seeing the garden full of immense oleanders in full bloom. One
sees them everywhere at Venice.
TO HER TRAVELLING COMPANIONS AFTER PARTING.
_Milan, Aug_. 9, 1847.--I remained at Venice near a week after your
departure, to get strong and tranquil again. Saw all the pictures,
if not enough, yet pretty well. My journey here was very profitable.
Vicenza, Verona, Mantua, I saw really well, and much there is to see.
Certainly I had learned more than ever in any previous ten days of my
existence, and have formed an idea of what is needed for the study of
art in these regions. But, at Brescia, I was taken ill with fever.
I cannot tell you how much I was alarmed when it seemed to me it
was affecting my head. I had no medicine; nothing could I do except
abstain entirely from food, and drink cold water. The second day, I
had a bed made in a carriage, and came on here. I am now pretty well,
only very weak.
TO R.W.E.
_Milan, Aug. 10, 1847._--Since writing you from Florence, I have
passed the mountains; two full, rich days at Bologna; one at Ravenna;
more than a fortnight at Venice, intoxicated with the place, and with
Venetian art, only to be really felt and known in its birth-place.
I have passed some hours at Vicenza, seeing mainly the Palladian
structures; a day at Verona,--a week had been better; seen Mantua,
with great delight; several days in Lago di Garda,--truly happy
days there; then, to Brescia, where I saw the Titians, the exquisite
Raphael, the Scavi, and the Brescian Hills. I could charm you by
pictures, had I time.
To-day, for the first time, I have seen Manzoni. Manzoni has spiritual
efficacy in his looks; his eyes glow still with delicate tenderness,
as when he first saw Lucia, or felt them fill at the image of Father
Cristoforo. His manners are very engaging, frank, expansive; every
word betokens the habitual elevation of his thoughts; and (what you
care for so much) he says distinct, good things; but you must not
expect me to note them down. He lives in the house of his fathers, in
the simplest manner. He has taken the liberty to marry a new wife for
his own pleasure and companionship, and the people around him do not
like it, because she does not, to their fancy, make a good pendant to
him. But I liked her very well, and saw why he married her. They asked
me to return often, if I pleased, and I mean to go once or twice, for
Manzoni seems to like to talk with me.
* * * * *
_Rome, Oct., 1847._--Leaving Milan, I went on the Lago Maggiore, and
afterward into Switzerland. Of this tour I shall not speak here; it
was a little romance by itself.
Returning from Switzerland, I passed a fortnight on the Lake of
Como, and afterward visited Lugano. There is no exaggeration in the
enthusiastic feeling with which artists and poets have viewed these
Italian lakes. The _"Titan"_ of Richter, the _"Wanderjahre"_ of
Goethe, the Elena of Taylor, the pictures of Turner, had not prepared
me for the visions of beauty that daily entranced the eyes and heart
in those regions. To our country, Nature has been most bounteous, but
we have nothing in the same class that can compare with these lakes,
as seen under the Italian heaven. As to those persons who have
pretended to discover that the effects of light and atmosphere were
no finer than they found in our own lake scenery, I can only say
that they must be exceedingly obtuse in organization,--a defect not
uncommon among Americans.
Nature seems to have labored to express her full heart in as many ways
as possible, when she made these lakes, moulded and planted their
shores. Lago Maggiore is grandiose, resplendent in its beauty; the
view of the Alps gives a sort of lyric exaltation to the scene. Lago
di Garda is so soft and fair on one side,--the ruins of ancient
palaces rise softly with the beauties of that shore; but at the other
end, amid the Tyrol, it is so sublime, so calm, so concentrated in its
meaning! Como cannot be better described in generals than in the words
of Taylor:--
"Softly sublime, profusely fair"
Lugano is more savage, more free in its beauty. I was on it in a high
gale; there was little danger, just enough to exhilarate; its waters
wild, and clouds blowing across its peaks. I like the boatmen on these
lakes; they have strong and prompt character; of simple features,
they are more honest and manly than Italian men are found in the
thoroughfares; their talk is not so witty as that of the Venetian
gondoliers, but picturesque, and what the French call _incisive._ Very
touching were some of their histories, as they told them to me, while
pausing sometimes on the lake. Grossi gives a true picture of such
a man in his family relations; the story may be found in "Marco
Visconti."
On this lake, I met Lady Franklin, wife of the celebrated navigator.
She has been in the United States, and showed equal penetration and
candor in remarks on what she had seen there. She gave me interesting
particulars as to the state of things in Van Diemen's Land, where she
passed seven years, when her husband was in authority there.
TO C.S.
_Lake of Como, Aug_. 22, 1847.--Rome was much poisoned to me. But,
after a time, its genius triumphed, and I became absorbed in its
proper life. Again I suffered from parting, and have since resolved to
return, and pass at least a part of the winter there. People may write
and prate as they please of Rome, they cannot convey thus a portion of
its spirit. The whole heart must be yielded up to it. It is something
really transcendent, both spirit and body. Those last glorious nights,
in which I wandered about amid the old walls and columns, or sat by
the fountains in the Piazza del Popolo, or by the river, were worth an
age of pain,--only one hates pain in Italy.
Tuscany I did not like as well. It is a great place to study the
history of character and art. Indeed, there I did really begin to
study, as well as gaze and feel. But I did not like it. Florence is
more in its spirit like Boston, than like an Italian city. I knew
a good many Italians, but they were busy and intellectual, not like
those I had known before. But Florence is full of really good, great
pictures. There first I saw some of the great masters. Andrea del
Sarto, in particular, one sees only there, and he is worth much. His
wife, whom he always paints, and for whom he was so infatuated, has
some bad qualities, and in what is good a certain wild nature or
_diablerie_.
Bologna is truly an Italian city, one in which I should like to live;
full of hidden things, and its wonders of art are very grand. The
Caracci and their friends had vast force; not much depth, but enough
force to occupy one a good while,--and Domenichino, when good at all,
is very great.
Venice was a dream of enchantment; _there_ was no disappointment.
Art and life are one. There is one glow of joy, one deep shade of
passionate melancholy; Giorgione, as a man, I care more for now than
any of the artists, though he had no ideas.
In the first week, floating about in a gondola, I seemed to find
myself again.
I was not always alone in Venice, but have come through the fertile
plains of Lombardy, seen the lakes Garda and Maggiore, and a part of
Switzerland, alone, except for occasional episodes of companionship,
sometimes romantic enough.
In Milan I stayed a while, and knew some radicals, young, and
interested in ideas. Here, on the lake, I have fallen into contact
with some of the higher society,--duchesses, marquises, and the like.
My friend here is Madame Arconati, Marchioness Visconti. I have
formed connection with a fair and brilliant Polish lady, born Princess
Radzivill. It is rather pleasant to come a little on the traces of
these famous histories; also, both these ladies take pleasure in
telling me of spheres so unlike mine, and do it well.
The life here on the lake is precisely what we once imagined as being
so pleasant. These people have charming villas and gardens on the
lake, adorned with fine works of art. They go to see one another in
boats. You can be all the time in a boat, if you like; if you want
more excitement, or wild flowers, you climb the mountains. I have been
here for some time, and shall stay a week longer. I have found soft
repose here. Now, I am to return to Rome, seeing many things by the
way.
TO R.F.F.
_Florence, Sept_. 25, 1847.--I hope not to want a further remittance
for a long time. I shall not, if I can settle myself at Rome so as
to avoid spoliation. That is very difficult in this country. I have
suffered from it already. The haste, the fatigue, the frequent illness
in travelling, have tormented me. At Rome I shall settle myself for
five months, and make arrangements to the best of my judgment, and
with counsel of experienced friends, and have some hope of economy
while there; but am not sure, as much more vigilance than I can
promise is needed against the treachery of servants and the cunning of
landlords.
You are disappointed by my letter from Rome. But I did not feel equal
then to speaking of the things of Rome, and shall not, till better
acquaintance has steadied my mind. It is a matter of conscience with
me not to make use of crude impressions, and what they call here
"coffee-house intelligence," as travellers generally do. I prefer
skimming over the surface of things, till I feel solidly ready to
write.
Milan I left with great regret, and hope to return. I knew there a
circle of the aspiring youth, such as I have not in any other city.
I formed many friendships, and learned a great deal. One of the young
men, Guerrieri by name, (and of the famous Gonzaga family,) I really
love. He has a noble soul, the quietest sensibility, and a brilliant
and ardent, though not a great, mind. He is eight-and-twenty. After
studying medicine for the culture, he has taken law as his profession.
His mind and that of Hicks, an artist of our country now here, a
little younger, are two that would interest you greatly. Guerrieri
speaks no English; I speak French now as fluently as English, but
incorrectly. To make use of it, I ought to have learned it earlier.
Arriving here, Mr. Mozier, an American, who from a prosperous merchant
has turned sculptor, come hither to live, and promises much excellence
in his profession, urged me so much to his house, that I came. At
first, I was ill from fatigue, and staid several days in bed; but his
wife took tender care of me, and the quiet of their house and regular
simple diet have restored me. As soon as I have seen a few things
here, I shall go to Rome. On my way, I stopped at Parma,--saw the
works of Correggio and Parmegiano. I have now seen what Italy contains
most important of the great past; I begin to hope for her also a
great future,--the signs have improved so much since I came. I am most
fortunate to be here at this time.
Interrupted, as always. How happy I should be if my abode at Rome
would allow some chance for tranquil and continuous effort. But I dare
not hope much, from the difficulty of making any domestic arrangements
that can be relied on. The fruit of the moment is so precious, that I
must not complain. I learn much; but to do anything with what I learn
is, under such circumstances, impossible. Besides, I am in great need
of repose; I am almost inert from fatigue of body and spirit.
TO E.H.
_Florence, Sept.,_ 1847.--I cannot even begin to speak of the
magnificent scenes of nature, nor the works of art, that have raised
and filled my mind since I wrote from Naples. Now I begin to be in
Italy! but I wish to drink deep of this cup before I speak my enamored
words. Enough to say, Italy receives me as a long-lost child, and I
feel myself at home here, and if I ever tell anything about it, you
will hear something real and domestic. Among strangers I wish most to
speak to you of my friend the Marchioness A. Visconti, a Milanese. She
is a specimen of the really high-bred lady, such as I have not known.
Without any physical beauty, the grace and harmony of her manners
produce all the impression of beauty. She has also a mind strong,
clear, precise, and much cultivated. She has a modest nobleness that
you would dearly love. She is intimate with many of the first men. She
seems to love me much, and to wish I should have whatever is hers. I
take great pleasure in her friendship.
TO R.W.E.
_Rome, Oct_. 28, 1847.--I am happily settled for the winter, quite by
myself, in a neat, tranquil apartment in the Corso, where I see all
the motions of Rome,--in a house of loving Italians, who treat me
well, and do not interrupt me, except for service. I live alone, eat
alone, walk alone, and enjoy unspeakably the stillness, after all the
rush and excitement of the past year.
I shall make no acquaintance from whom I do not hope a good deal,
as my time will be like pure gold to me this winter; and, just for
happiness, Rome itself is sufficient.
To-day is the last of the October feasts of the Trasteverini. I have
been, this afternoon, to see them dancing. This morning I was out,
with half Rome, to see the Civic Guard manoeuvring in that great field
near the tomb of Cecilia Metella, which is full of ruins. The effect
was noble, as the band played the Bolognese march, and six thousand
Romans passed in battle array amid these fragments of the great time.
TO R.F.F.
_Rome, Oct_. 29, 1847.--I am trying to economize,--anxious to keep
the Roman expenses for six months within the limits of four hundred
dollars. Rome is not as cheap a place as Florence, but then I would
not give a pin to live in Florence.
We have just had glorious times with the October feasts, when all the
Roman people were out. I am now truly happy here, quiet and familiar;
no longer a staring, sight-seeing stranger, riding about finely
dressed in a coach to see muses and sibyls. I see these forms now in
the natural manner, and am contented.
Keep free from false ties; they are the curse of life. I find myself
so happy here, alone and free.
TO M.S.
_Rome, Oct_. 1847.--I arrived in Rome again nearly a fortnight ago,
and all mean things were forgotten in the joy that rushed over me like
a flood. Now I saw the true Rome. I came with no false expectations,
and I came to live in tranquil companionship, not in the restless
impertinence of sight-seeing, so much more painful here than anywhere
else.
I had made a good visit to Vicenza; a truly Italian town, with much to
see and study. But all other places faded away, now that I again saw
St. Peter's, and heard the music of the fountains.
The Italian autumn is not as beautiful as I expected, neither in the
vintage of Tuscany nor here. The country is really sere and brown; but
the weather is fine, and these October feasts are charming. Two days I
have been at the Villa Borghese. There are races, balloons, and, above
all, the private gardens open, and good music on the little lake.
TO ----.
_Rome, morning of the 17th Nov_., 1847.--It seems great folly to send
the enclosed letter. I have written it in my nightly fever. All day
I dissipate my thoughts on outward beauty. I have many thoughts,
happiest moments, but as yet I do not have even this part in a
congenial way. I go about in a coach with several people; but English
and Americans are not at home here. Since I have experienced the
different atmosphere of the European mind, and been allied with it,
nay, mingled in the bonds of love, I suffer more than ever from that
which is peculiarly American or English. I should like to cease from
hearing the language for a time. Perhaps I should return to it; but
at present I am in a state of unnatural divorce from what I was most
allied to.
There is a Polish countess here, who likes me much. She has been very
handsome, still is, in the style of the full-blown rose. She is a
widow, very rich, one of the emancipated women, naturally vivacious,
and with talent. This woman _envies me_; she says, "How happy you are;
so free, so serene, so attractive, so self-possessed!" I say not a
word, but I do not look on myself as particularly enviable. A little
money would have made me much more so; a little money would have
enabled me to come here long ago, and find those that belong to me, or
at least try my experiments; then my health would never have sunk, nor
the best years of my life been wasted in useless friction. Had I money
now,--could I only remain, take a faithful servant, and live alone,
and still see those I love when it is best, that would suit me. It
seems to me, very soon I shall be calmed, and begin to enjoy.
TO HER MOTHER.
_Rome, Dec_. 16, 1847.--My life at Rome is thus far all I hoped.
I have not been so well since I was a child, nor so happy ever, as
during the last six weeks. I wrote you about my home; it continues
good, perfectly clean, food wholesome, service exact. For all this I
pay, but not immoderately. I think the sum total of my expenses here,
for six months, will not exceed four hundred and fifty dollars.
My _marchesa_, of whom I rent my rooms, is the greatest liar I ever
knew, and the most interested, heartless creature. But she thinks it
for her interest to please me, as she sees I have a good many persons
who value me; and I have been able, without offending her, to make it
understood that I do not wish her society. Thus I remain undisturbed.
Every Monday evening, I receive my acquaintance. I give no
refreshment, but only light the saloon, and decorate it with fresh
flowers, of which I have plenty still. How I wish _you_ could see
them!
Among the frequent guests are known to you Mr. and Mrs. Cranch, Mr.
and Mrs. Story. Mr. S. has finally given up law, for the artist's
life. His plans are not matured, but he passes the winter at Rome.
On other evenings, I do not receive company, unless by appointment. I
spend them chiefly in writing or study. I have now around me the books
I need to know Italy and Rome. I study with delight, now that I can
verify everything. The days are invariably fine, and each day I am out
from eleven till five, exploring some new object of interest, often at
a great distance.
TO R.W.E.
_Rome, Dec_. 20, 1847.--Nothing less than two or three years, free
from care and forced labor, would heal all my hurts, and renew my
life-blood at its source. Since Destiny will not grant me that, I hope
she will not leave me long in the world, for I am tired of keeping
myself up in the water without corks, and without strength to swim.
I should like to go to sleep, and be born again into a state where my
young life should not be prematurely taxed.
Italy has been glorious to me, and there have been hours in which I
received the full benefit of the vision. In Rome, I have known some
blessed, quiet days, when I could yield myself to be soothed and
instructed by the great thoughts and memories of the place. But those
days are swiftly passing. Soon I must begin to exert myself, for
there is this incubus of the future, and none to help me, if I am not
prudent to face it. So ridiculous, too, this mortal coil,--such small
things!
I find how true was the lure that always drew me towards Europe. It
was no false instinct that said I might here find an atmosphere to
develop me in ways I need. Had I only come ten years earlier! Now
my life must be a failure, so much strength has been wasted on
abstractions, which only came because I grew not in the right soil.
However, it is a less failure than with most others, and not worth
thinking twice about. Heaven has room enough, and good chances in
store, and I can live a great deal in the years that remain.
TO R.W.E.
_Rome, Dec_. 20, 1847.--I don't know whether you take an interest in
the present state of things in Italy, but you would if you were
here. It is a fine time to see the people. As to the Pope, it is as
difficult here as elsewhere to put new wine into old bottles, and
there is something false as well as ludicrous in the spectacle of the
people first driving their princes to do a little justice, and then
_evviva-ing_ them at such a rate. This does not apply to the Pope; he
is a real great heart, a generous man. The love for him is genuine,
and I like to be within its influence. It was his heart that gave the
impulse, and this people has shown, to the shame of English and other
prejudice, how unspoiled they were at the core, how open, nay, how
wondrous swift to answer a generous appeal!
They are also gaining some education by the present freedom of the
press and of discussion. I should like to write a letter for England,
giving my view of the present position of things here.
* * * * *
_Rome, October_ 18, 1847.--In the spring, when I came to Rome, the
people were in the intoxication of joy at the first serious measures
of reform taken by the Pope. I saw with pleasure their childlike joy
and trust. Still doubts were always present whether this joy was not
premature. From the people themselves the help must come, and not
from the princes. Rome, to resume her glory, must cease to be an
ecclesiastical capital. Whilst I sympathized with the warm love of the
people, the adulation of leading writers, who were willing to take
all from the prince of the Church as a gift and a bounty, instead
of steadily implying that it was the right of the people, was very
repulsive to me. Passing into Tuscany, I found the liberty of the
press just established. The Grand Duke, a well-intentioned, though
dull, man, had dared to declare himself an Italian prince. I arrived
in Florence too late for the great fête of the 12th September,
in honor of the grant of the National Guard, but the day was made
memorable by the most generous feeling on all sides. Some days before
were passed by reconciling all strifes, composing all differences
between cities, districts, and individuals. On that day they all
embraced in sign of this; exchanged banners as a token that they would
fight for one another.
AMERICANS IN ITALY.
The Americans took their share in this occasion, and Greenough,--one
of the few Americans who, living in Italy, takes the pains to know
whether it is alive or dead, who penetrates beyond the cheats of
tradesmen, and the cunning of a mob corrupted by centuries of slavery,
to know the real mind, the vital blood of Italy,--took a leading part.
I am sorry to say that a large portion of my countrymen here take
the same slothful and prejudiced view as the English, and, after many
years' sojourn, betray entire ignorance of Italian literature and
Italian life beyond what is attainable in a month's passage through
the thoroughfares. However, they did show, this time, a becoming
spirit, and erected the American Eagle where its cry ought to be heard
from afar. Crawford, here in Rome, has had the just feeling to join
the Guard, and it is a real sacrifice for an artist to spend time
on the exercises; but it well becomes the sculptor of Orpheus. In
reference to what I have said of many Americans in Italy, I will only
add that they talk about the corrupt and degenerate state of Italy as
they do about that of our slaves at home. They come ready trained to
that mode of reasoning which affirms, that, because men are degraded
by bad institutions, they are not fit for better. I will only add
some words upon the happy augury I draw from the wise docility of
the people. With what readiness they listened to wise counsel and the
hopes of the Pope that they would give no advantage to his enemies at
a time when they were so fevered by the knowledge that conspiracy
was at work in their midst! That was a time of trial. On all these
occasions of popular excitement their conduct is like music, in such
order, and with such union of the melody of feeling with discretion
where to stop; but what is wonderful is that they acted in the same
manner on that difficult occasion. The influence of the Pope here is
without bounds; he can always calm the crowd at once. But in Tuscany,
where they have no such one idol, they listened in the same way on a
very trying occasion. The first announcement of the regulation for the
Tuscan National Guard terribly disappointed the people. They felt that
the Grand Duke, after suffering them to demonstrate such trust and joy
on this feast of the 12th, did not really trust, on his side; that he
meant to limit them all he could; they felt baffled, cheated; hence
young men in anger tore down at once the symbols of satisfaction and
respect; but the leading men went among the people, begged them to be
calm, and wait till a deputation had seen the Grand Duke. The people
listened at once to men who, they were sure, had at heart their best
good--waited; the Grand Duke became convinced, and all ended without
disturbance. If the people continue to act thus, their hopes cannot be
baffled.
The American in Europe would fain encourage the hearts of these
long-oppressed nations, now daring to hope for a new era, by reciting
triumphant testimony from the experience of his own country. But we
must stammer and blush when we speak of many things. I take pride
here, that I may really say the liberty of the press works well, and
that checks and balances naturally evolve from it, which suffice to
its government. I may say, that the minds of our people are alert,
and that talent has a free chance to rise. It is much. But dare I
say, that political ambition is not as darkly sullied as in other
countries? Dare I say, that men of most influence in political life
are those who represent most virtue, or even intellectual power? Can
I say, our social laws are generally better, or show a nobler insight
into the wants of man and woman? I do indeed say what I believe, that
voluntary association for improvement in these particulars will be the
grand means for my nation to grow, and give a nobler harmony to the
coming age. Then there is this cancer of slavery, and this wicked war
that has grown out of it. How dare I speak of these things here? I
listen to the same arguments against the emancipation of Italy, that
are used against the emancipation of our blacks; the same arguments in
favor of the spoliation of Poland, as for the conquest of Mexico.
How it pleases me here to think of the Abolitionists! I could never
endure to be with them at home; they were so tedious, often so narrow,
always so rabid and exaggerated in their tone. But, after all, they
had a high motive, something eternal in their desire and life; and, if
it was not the only thing worth thinking of, it was really something
worth living and dying for, to free a great nation from such a blot,
such a plague. God strengthen them, and make them wise to achieve
their purpose!
I please myself, too, with remembering some ardent souls among the
American youth, who, I trust, will yet expand and help to give soul to
the huge, over-fed, too-hastily-grown-up body. May they be constant!
"Were man but constant, he were perfect." It is to the youth that Hope
addresses itself. But I dare not expect too much of them. I am not
very old; yet of those who, in life's morning, I saw touched by
the light of a high hope, many have seceded. Some have become
voluptuaries; some mere family men, who think it is quite life enough
to win bread for half a dozen people, and treat them decently; others
are lost through indolence and vacillation. Yet some remain constant.
"I have witnessed many a shipwreck, yet still beat noble hearts."
* * * * *
_Rome, January, 1848_.--As one becomes domesticated here, ancient and
modern Rome, at first so jumbled together, begin to separate. You see
where objects and limits anciently were. When this happens, one feels
first truly at ease in Rome. Then the old kings, the consuls, the
tribunes, the emperors, the warriors of eagle sight and remorseless
beak, return for us, and the toga-clad procession finds room to sweep
across the scene; the seven hills tower, the innumerable temples
glitter, and the Via Sacra swarms with triumphal life once more.
* * * * *
_Rome, Jan. 12, 1848._--In Rome, here, the new Council is inaugurated,
and the elections have given tolerable satisfaction. Twenty-four
carriages had been lent by the princes and nobles, at the request of
the city, to convey the councillors. Each deputy was followed by
his target and banner. In the evening, there was a ball given at the
Argentine. Lord Minto was there, Prince Corsini, now senator, the
Torlonias, in uniform of the Civic Guard, Princess Torlonia, in a
sash of their colors given her by the Civic Guard, which she waved in
answer to their greetings. But the beautiful show of the evening was
the _Trasteverini_ dancing the _Saltarello_ in their most beautiful
costume. I saw them thus to much greater advantage than ever before.
Several were nobly handsome, and danced admirably. The _saltarello_
enchants me; in this is really the Italian wine, the Italian sun.
The Pope, in receiving the councillors, made a speech, intimating that
he meant only to improve, not to _reform_ and should keep things safe
locked with the keys of St. Peter.
I was happy the first two months of my stay here, seeing all the great
things at my leisure. But now, after a month of continuous rain, Rome
is no more Rome. The atmosphere is far worse than that of Paris. It
is impossible to walk in the thick mud. The ruins, and other great
objects, always solemn, appear terribly gloomy, steeped in black rain
and cloud; and my apartment, in a street of high houses, is dark all
day. The bad weather may continue all this month and all next. If I
could use the time for work, I should not care; but this climate makes
me so ill, I can do but little.
TO C.S.
_Rome, Jan_. 12, 1848.--My time in Lombardy and Switzerland was a
series of beautiful pictures, dramatic episodes, not without some
original life in myself. When I wrote to you from Como, I had a
peaceful season. I floated on the lake with my graceful Polish
countess, hearing her stories of heroic sorrow; or I walked in the
delicious gardens of the villas, with many another summer friend. Red
banners floated, children sang and shouted, the lakes of Venus and
Diana glittered in the sun. The pretty girls of Bellaggio, with their
coral necklaces, brought flowers to the "American countess," and
"hoped she would be as happy as she deserved." Whether this cautious
wish is fulfilled, I know not, but certainly I left all the glitter of
life behind at Como.
My days at Milan were not unmarked. I have known some happy hours, but
they all lead to sorrow; and not only the cups of wine, but of milk,
seem drugged with poison for me. It does not _seem_ to be my fault,
this Destiny; I do not court these things,--they come. I am a poor
magnet, with power to be wounded by the bodies I attract.
Leaving Milan, I had a brilliant day in Parma. I had not known
Correggio before; he deserves all his fame. I stood in the parlor
of the Abbess, the person for whom all was done, and Paradise seemed
opened by the nymph, upon her car of light, and the divine children
peeping through the vines. Sweet soul of love! I should weary of you,
too; but it was glorious that day.
I had another good day, too, crossing the Apennines. The young
crescent moon rose in orange twilight, just as I reached the highest
peak. I was alone on foot; I heard no sound; I prayed.
At Florence, I was very ill. For three weeks, my life hung upon
a thread. The effect of the Italian climate on my health is not
favorable. I feel as if I had received a great injury. I am tired
and woe-worn; often, in the bed, I wish I could weep my life away.
However, they brought me gruel, I took it, and after a while rose up
again. In the time of the vintage, I went alone to Sienna. This is a
real untouched Italian place. This excursion, and the grapes, restored
me at that time.
When I arrived in Rome, I was at first intoxicated to be here. The
weather was beautiful, and many circumstances combined to place me in
a kind of passive, childlike well-being. That is all over now, and,
with this year, I enter upon a sphere of my destiny so difficult, that
I, at present, see no way out, except through the gate of death. It
is useless to write of it; you are at a distance and cannot help
me;--whether accident or angel will, I have no intimation. I have no
reason to hope I shall not reap what I have sown, and do not. Yet how
I shall endure it I cannot guess; it is all a dark, sad enigma. The
beautiful forms of art charm no more, and a love, in which there is
all fondness, but no help, flatters in vain. I am all alone; nobody
around me sees any of this. My numerous friendly acquaintances are
troubled if they see me ill, and who so affectionate and kind as Mr.
and Mrs. S.?
TO MADAME ARCONATI.
_Rome, Jan_. 14, 1848.--What black and foolish calumnies are these
on Mazzini! It is as much for his interest as his honor to let things
take their course, at present. To expect anything else, is to suppose
him base. And on what act of his life dares any one found such an
insinuation? I do not wonder that you were annoyed at his manner
of addressing the Pope; but to me it seems that he speaks as he
should,--near God and beyond the tomb; not from power to power, but
from soul to soul, without regard to temporal dignities. It must be
admitted that the etiquette, Most Holy Father, &c., jars with this.
TO R.W.E.
_Rome, March_ 14, 1848.--Mickiewicz is with me here, and will remain
some time; it was he I wanted to see, more than any other person, in
going back to Paris, and I have him much better here. France itself
I should like to see, but remain undecided, on account of my health,
which has suffered so much, this winter, that I must make it the
first object in moving for the summer. One physician thinks it will of
itself revive, when once the rains have passed, which have now lasted
from 16th December to this day. At present, I am not able to leave the
fire, or exert myself at all.
* * * * *
In all the descriptions of the Roman Carnival, the fact has been
omitted of daily rain. I felt, indeed, ashamed to perceive it, when no
one else seemed to, whilst the open windows caused me convulsive cough
and headache. The carriages, with their cargoes of happy women dressed
in their ball dresses and costumes, drove up and down, even in the
pouring rain. The two handsome _contadine_, who serve me, took off
their woollen gowns, and sat five hours at a time, in the street, in
white cambric dresses, and straw hats turned up with roses. I never
saw anything like the merry good-humor of these people. I should
always be ashamed to complain of anything here. But I had always
looked forward to the Roman Carnival as a time when I could play too;
and it even surpassed my expectations, with its exuberant gayety and
innocent frolic, but I was unable to take much part. The others threw
flowers all day, and went to masked balls all night; but I went out
only once, in a carriage, and was more exhausted with the storm of
flowers and sweet looks than I could be by a storm of hail. I went
to the German Artists' ball, where were some pretty costumes, and
beautiful music; and to the Italian masked ball, where interest lies
in intrigue.
I have scarcely gone to the galleries, damp and cold as tombs; or to
the mouldy old splendor of churches, where, by the way, they are
just wailing over the theft of St. Andrew's head, for the sake of
the jewels. It is quite a new era for this population to plunder the
churches; but they are suffering terribly, and Pio's municipality
does, as yet, nothing.
TO W.H.C.
_Rome, March 29, 1848._--I have been engrossed, stunned almost, by the
public events that have succeeded one another with such rapidity
and grandeur. It is a time such as I always dreamed of, and for long
secretly hoped to see. I rejoice to be in Europe at this time, and
shall return possessed of a great history. Perhaps I shall be called
to act. At present, I know not where to go, what to do. War is
everywhere. I cannot leave Rome, and the men of Rome are marching out
every day into Lombardy. The citadel of Milan is in the hands of my
friends, Guerriere, &c., but there may be need to spill much blood yet
in Italy. France and Germany are riot in such a state that I can go
there now. A glorious flame burns higher and higher in the heart of
the nations.
* * * * *
The rain was constant through the Roman winter, falling in torrents
from 16th December to 19th March. Now the Italian heavens wear again
their deep blue, the sun is glorious, the melancholy lustres are
stealing again over the Campagna, and hundreds of larks sing unwearied
above its ruins. Nature seems in sympathy with the great events that
are transpiring. How much has happened since I wrote!--the resistance
of Sicily, and the revolution of Naples; now the fall of Louis
Philippe; and Metternich is crushed in Austria. I saw the Austrian
arms dragged through the streets here, and burned in the Piazza del
Popolo. The Italians embraced one another, and cried, _miracolo,
Providenza!_ the Tribune Ciccronachio fed the flame with fagots; Adam
Mickiewicz, the great poet of Poland, long exiled from his country,
looked on; while Polish women brought little pieces that had
been scattered in the street, and threw into the flames. When the
double-headed eagle was pulled down from the lofty portal of the
Palazzo di Venezia, the people placed there, in its stead, one of
white and gold, inscribed with the name, ALTA ITALIA; and instantly
the news followed, that Milan, Venice, Modena, and Parma, were driving
out their tyrants. These news were received in Rome with indescribable
rapture. Men danced, and women wept with joy along the street. The
youths rushed to enrol themselves in regiments to go to the frontier.
In the Colosseum, their names were received.
* * * * *
_Rome, April 1, 1848._-Yesterday, on returning from Ostia, I find the
official news, that the Viceroy Ranieri has capitulated at Verona;
that Italy is free, independent, and one. I trust this will prove no
April foolery. It seems too good, too speedy a realization of hope.
* * * * *
_Rome, April 30, 1848._--It is a time such as I always dreamed of; and
that fire burns in the hearts of men around me which can keep me warm.
Have I something to do here? or am I only to cheer on the warriors,
and after write the history of their deeds? The first is all I have
done yet, but many have blessed me for my sympathy, and blest me by
the action it impelled.
My private fortunes are dark and tangled; my strength to govern them
(perhaps that I am enervated by this climate) much diminished. I have
thrown myself on God, and perhaps he will make my temporal state very
tragical. I am more of a child than ever, and hate suffering more than
ever, but suppose I shall live with it, if it must come.
I did not get your letter, about having the rosary blessed for ----,
before I left Rome, and now, I suppose, she would not wish it, as none
can now attach any value to the blessing of Pius IX. Those who loved
him can no longer defend him. It has become obvious, that those
first acts of his in the papacy were merely the result of a kindly,
good-natured temperament; that he had not thought to understand their
bearing, nor force to abide by it. He seems quite destitute of moral
courage. He is not resolute either on the wrong or right side. First,
he abandoned the liberal party; then, yielding to the will of the
people, and uniting, in appearance, with a liberal ministry, he let
the cardinals betray it, and defeat the hopes of Italy. He cried
peace, peace! but had not a word of blame for the sanguinary acts of
the King of Naples, a word of sympathy for the victims of Lombardy.
Seizing the moment of dejection in the nation, he put in this
retrograde ministry; sanctioned their acts, daily more impudent: let
them neutralize the constitution he himself had given; and when the
people slew his minister, and assaulted him in his own palace, he
yielded anew; he dared not die, or even run the slight risk,--for
only by accident could he have perished. His person as a Pope is still
respected, though his character as a man is despised. All the people
compare him with Pius VII. saying to the French, "Slay me if you will;
I _cannot_ yield," and feel the difference.
I was on Monte Cavallo yesterday. The common people were staring at
the broken windows and burnt door of the palace where they have so
often gone to receive a blessing, the children playing, "_Sedia
Papale. Morte ai Cardinali, e morte al Papa!_"
The men of straw are going down in Italy everywhere; the real men
rising into power. Montanelli, Guerazzi, Mazzini, are real men; their
influence is of character. Had we only been born a little later!
Mazzini has returned from his seventeen years' exile, "to see what he
foresaw." He has a mind far in advance of his times, and yet Mazzini
sees not all.
* * * * *
_Rome, May_ 7, 1848.--Good and loving hearts will be unprepared, and
for a time must suffer much from the final dereliction of Pius IX.
to the cause of freedom. After the revolution opened in Lombardy,
the troops of the line were sent thither; the volunteers rushed to
accompany them, the priests preached the war as a crusade, the Pope
blessed the banners. The report that the Austrians had taken and
hung as a brigand one of the Roman Civic Guard,--a well-known artist
engaged in the war of Lombardy,--roused the people; and they went to
the Pope, to demand that he should declare war against the Austrians.
The Pope summoned a consistory, and then declared in his speech that
he had only intended local reforms; that he regretted the misuse
that had been made of his name; and wound up by lamenting the war
as offensive to the spirit of religion. A momentary stupefaction,
followed by a passion of indignation, in which the words _traitor_ and
_imbecile_ were heard, received this astounding speech. The Pope was
besieged with deputations, and, after two days' struggle, was obliged
to place the power in the hands of persons most opposed to him, and
nominally acquiesce in their proceedings.
TO R.W.E. (_in London_).
_Rome, May 19, 1848._--I should like to return with you, but I have
much to do and learn in Europe yet. I am deeply interested in this
public drama, and wish to see it _played out_. Methinks I have _my
part_ therein, either as actor or historian.
I cannot marvel at your readiness to close the book of European
society. The shifting scenes entertain poorly. The flux of thought and
feeling leaves some fertilizing soil; but for me, few indeed are the
persons I should wish to see again; nor do I care to push the inquiry
further. The simplest and most retired life would now please me, only
I would not like to be confined to it, in case I grew weary, and
now and then craved variety, for exhilaration. I want some scenes
of natural beauty, and, imperfect as love is, I want human beings to
love, as I suffocate without. For intellectual stimulus, books would
mainly supply it, when wanted.
Why did you not try to be in Paris at the opening of the Assembly?
There were elements worth scanning.
TO R.F.F.
_Rome, May 20, 1848._--My health is much revived by the spring here,
as gloriously beautiful as the winter was dreary. We know nothing
of spring in our country. Here the soft and brilliant weather is
unbroken, except now and then by a copious shower, which keeps
everything fresh. The trees, the flowers, the bird-songs are in
perfection. I have enjoyed greatly my walks in the villas, where the
grounds are of three or four miles in extent, and like free nature in
the wood-glades and still paths; while they have an added charm in the
music of their many fountains, and the soft gleam, here and there, of
sarcophagus or pillar.
I have been a few days at Albano, and explored its beautiful environs
alone, to much greater advantage than I could last year, in the
carriage with my friends.
I went, also, to Frascati and Ostia, with an English family, who had
a good carriage, and were kindly, intelligent people, who could not
disturb the Roman landscape.
Now I am going into the country, where I can live very cheaply, even
keeping a servant of my own, without which guard I should not venture
alone into the unknown and wilder regions.
I have been so disconcerted by my Roman winter, that I dare not plan
decisively again. The enervating breath of Rome paralyzes my body, but
I know and love her. The expression, "City of the Soul," designates
her, and her alone.
TO MADAME ARCONATI.
_Rome, May 27, 1848._--This is my last day at Rome. I have been
passing several days at Subiaco and Tivoli, and return again to the
country to-morrow. These scenes of natural beauty have filled my
heart, and increased, if possible, my desire that the people who have
this rich inheritance may no longer be deprived of its benefits by bad
institutions.
The people of Subiaco are poor, though very industrious, and
cultivating every inch of ground, with even English care and
neatness;--so ignorant and uncultivated, while so finely and strongly
made by Nature. May God grant now, to this people, what they need!
An illumination took place last night, in honor of the "Illustrious
Gioberti." He is received here with great triumph, his carriage
followed with shouts of "_Viva Gioberti, morte ai Jesuiti!_" which
must be pain to the many Jesuits, who, it is said, still linger
here in disguise. His triumphs are shared by Mamiani and Orioli,
self-trumpeted celebrities, self-constituted rulers of the Roman
states,--men of straw, to my mind, whom the fire already kindled will
burn into a handful of ashes.
I sit in my obscure corner, and watch the progress of events. It is
the position that pleases me best, and, I believe, the most favorable
one. Everything confirms me in my radicalism; and, without any desire
to hasten matters, indeed with surprise to see them rush so like a
torrent, I seem to see them all tending to realize my own hopes.
My health and spirits now much restored, I am beginning to set down
some of my impressions. I am going into the mountains, hoping there to
find pure, strengthening air, and tranquillity for so many days as to
allow me to do something.
TO R.F. F----.
_Rieti, July 1, 1848._--Italy is as beautiful as even I hoped, and
I should wish to stay here several years, if I had a moderate fixed
income. One wants but little money here, and can have with it many
of the noblest enjoyments. I should have been very glad if fate would
allow me a few years of congenial life, at the end of not a few of
struggle and suffering. But I do not hope it; my fate will be the same
to the close,--beautiful gifts shown, and then withdrawn, or offered
on conditions that make acceptance impossible.
TO MADAME ARCONATI.
_Corpus Domini, June_ 22, 1848.--I write such a great number of
letters, having not less than a hundred correspondents, that it seems,
every day, as if I had just written to each. There is no one, surely,
this side of the salt sea, with whom I wish more to keep up the
interchange of thought than with you.
I believe, if you could know my heart as God knows it, and see
the causes that regulate my conduct, you would always love me. But
already, in absence, I have lost, for the present, some of those
who were dear to me, by failure of letters, or false report. After
sorrowing much about a falsehood told me of a dearest friend, I found
his letter at Torlonia's, which had been there ten months, and, duly
received, would have made all right. There is something fatal in my
destiny about correspondence.
But I will say no more of this; only the loss of that letter to you,
at such an unfortunate time,--just when I most wished to seem the
loving and grateful friend I was,--made me fear it might be my destiny
to lose you too. But if any cross event shall do me this ill turn on
earth, we shall meet again in that clear state of intelligence which
men call heaven.
I see by the journals that you have not lost Montanelli. That noble
mind is still spared to Italy. The Pope's heart is incapable of
treason; but he has fallen short of the office fate assigned him.
I am no bigoted Republican, yet I think that form of government will
eventually pervade the civilized world. Italy may not be ripe for it
yet, but I doubt if she finds peace earlier; and this hasty annexation
of Lombardy to the crown of Sardinia seems, to me, as well as I can
judge, an act unworthy and unwise. Base, indeed, the monarch, if it
was needed, and weak no less than base; for he was already too far
engaged in the Italian cause to retire with honor or wisdom.
I am here, in a lonely mountain home, writing the narrative of my
European experience. To this I devote great part of the day. Three or
four hours I pass in the open air, on donkey or on foot. When I have
exhausted this spot, perhaps I shall try another. Apply as I may, it
will take three months, at least, to finish my book. It grows upon me.
TO R.W.E.
_Rieti, July_ 11, 1848.--Once I had resolution to face my difficulties
myself, and try to give only what was pleasant to others; but now that
my courage has fairly given way, and the fatigue of life is beyond my
strength, I do not prize myself, or expect others to prize me.
Some years ago, I thought you very unjust, because you did not lend
full faith to my spiritual experiences; but I see you were quite
right. I thought I had tasted of the true elixir, and that the want
of daily bread, or the pangs of imprisonment, would never make me a
complaining beggar. A widow, I expected still to have the cruse full
for others. Those were glorious hours, and angels certainly visited
me; but there must have been too much earth,--too much taint of
weakness and folly, so that baptism did not suffice. I know now those
same things, but at present they are words, not living spells.
I hear, at this moment, the clock of the Church del Purgatorio
telling noon in this mountain solitude. Snow yet lingers on these
mountain-tops, after forty days of hottest sunshine, last night broken
by a few clouds, prefatory to a thunder storm this morning. It has
been so hot here, that even the peasant in the field says, "_Non porro
píù resistere_," and slumbers in the shade, rather than the sun. I
love to see their patriarchal ways of guarding the sheep and tilling
the fields. They are a simple race. Remote from the corruptions of
foreign travel, they do not ask for money, but smile upon and bless me
as I pass,--for the Italians love me; they say I am so "_simpatica._"
I never see any English or Americans, and now think wholly in Italian:
only the surgeon who bled me, the other day, was proud to speak a
little French, which he had learned at Tunis! The ignorance of this
people is amusing. I am to them a divine visitant,--an instructive
Ceres,--telling them wonderful tales of foreign customs, and even
legends of the lives of their own saints. They are people whom I could
love and live with. Bread and grapes among them would suffice me.
TO HER MOTHER.
_Rome, Nov_. 16, 1848.--* * * Of other circumstances which complicate
my position I cannot write. Were you here, I would confide in you
fully, and have more than once, in the silence of the night, recited
to you those most strange and romantic chapters in the story of my sad
life. At one time when I thought I might die, I empowered a person,
who has given me, as far as possible to him, the aid and sympathy of
a brother, to communicate them to you, on his return to the United
States. But now I think we shall meet again, and I am sure you will
always love your daughter, and will know gladly that in all events she
has tried to aid and striven never to injure her fellows. In earlier
days, I dreamed of doing and being much, but now am content with the
Magdalen to rest my plea hereon, "_She has loved much_."
You, loved mother, keep me informed, as you have, of important facts,
_especially_ the _worst_. The thought of you, the knowledge of your
angelic nature, is always one of my greatest supports. Happy those who
have such a mother! Myriad instances of selfishness and corruption of
heart cannot destroy the confidence in human nature.
I am again in Rome, situated for the first time entirely to my mind.
I have but one room, but large; and everything about the bed so
gracefully and adroitly disposed that it makes a beautiful parlor, and
of course I pay much less. I have the sun all day, and an excellent
chimney. It is very high and has pure air, and the most beautiful view
all around imaginable. Add, that I am with the dearest, delightful
old couple one can imagine, quick, prompt, and kind, sensible and
contented. Having no children, they like to regard me and the Prussian
sculptor, my neighbor, as such; yet are too delicate and too busy ever
to intrude. In the attic, dwells a priest, who insists on making
my fire when Antonia is away. To be sure, he pays himself for his
trouble, by asking a great many questions. The stories below are
occupied by a frightful Russian princess with moustaches, and a
footman who ties her bonnet for her; and a fat English lady, with a
fine carriage, who gives all her money to the church, and has made for
the house a terrace of flowers that would delight you. Antonia has
her flowers in a humble balcony, her birds, and an immense black
cat; always addressed by both husband and wife as "Amoretto," (little
love!)
The house looks out on the Piazza Barberini, and I see both that
palace and the Pope's. The scene to-day has been one of terrible
interest. The poor, weak Pope has fallen more and more under the
dominion of the cardinals, till at last all truth was hidden from his
eyes. He had suffered the minister, Rossi, to go on, tightening the
reins, and, because the people preserved a sullen silence, he thought
they would bear it. Yesterday, the Chamber of Deputies, illegally
prorogued, was opened anew. Rossi, after two or three most unpopular
measures, had the imprudence to call the troops of the line to defend
him, instead of the National Guard. On the 14th, the Pope had invested
him with the privileges of a Roman citizen: (he had renounced his
country when an exile, and returned to it as ambassador of Louis
Philippe.) This position he enjoyed but one day. Yesterday, as he
descended from his carriage, to enter the Chamber, the crowd
howled and hissed; then pushed him, and, as he turned his head in
consequence, a sure hand stabbed him in the back. He said no word,
but died almost instantly in the arms of a cardinal. The act was
undoubtedly the result of the combination of many, from the dexterity
with which it was accomplished, and the silence which ensued. Those
who had not abetted beforehand seemed entirely to approve when done.
The troops of the line, on whom he had relied, remained at their
posts, and looked coolly on. In the evening, they walked the streets
with the people, singing, "Happy the hand which rids the world of a
tyrant!" Had Rossi lived to enter the Chamber, he would have seen the
most terrible and imposing mark of denunciation known in the history
of nations,--the whole house, without a single exception, seated on
the benches of opposition. The news of his death was received by the
deputies with the same cold silence as by the people. For me, I never
thought to have heard of a violent death with satisfaction, but this
act affected me as one of terrible justice.
To-day, all the troops and the people united and went to the Quirinal
to demand a change of measures. They found the Swiss Guard drawn out,
and the Pope dared not show himself. They attempted to force the door
of his palace, to enter his presence, and the guard fired. I saw a man
borne by wounded. The drum beat to call out the National Guard. The
carriage of Prince Barberini has returned with its frightened inmates
and liveried retinue, and they have suddenly barred up the court-yard
gate. Antonia, seeing it, observes, "Thank Heaven, we are poor, we
have nothing to fear!" This is the echo of a sentiment which will soon
be universal in Europe.
Never feel any apprehensions for my safety from such causes. There
are those who will protect me, if necessary, and, besides, I am on the
conquering side. These events have, to me, the deepest interest. These
days are what I always longed for,--were I only free from private
care! But, when the best and noblest want bread to give to the cause
of liberty, I can just not demand _that_ of them; their blood they
would give me.
You cannot conceive the enchantment of this place. So much I suffered
here last January and February, I thought myself a little weaned; but,
returning, my heart swelled even to tears with the cry of the poet:--
"O, Rome, _my_ country, city of the soul!"
Those have not lived who have not seen Rome. Warned, however, by the
last winter, I dared not rent my lodgings for the year. I hope I am
acclimated. I have been through what is called the grape-cure, much
more charming, certainly, than the water-cure. At present I am very
well; but, alas! because I have gone to bed early, and done very
little. I do not know if I can maintain any labor. As to my life, I
think that it is not the will of Heaven it should terminate very
soon. I have had another strange escape. I had taken passage in the
diligence to come to Rome; two rivers were to be passed,--the Turano
and the Tiber,--but passed by good bridges, and a road excellent when
not broken unexpectedly by torrents from the mountains. The diligence
sets out between three and four in the morning, long before light.
The director sent me word that the Marchioness Crispoldi had taken for
herself and family a coach extraordinary, which would start two
hours later, and that I could have a place in that, if I liked; so I
accepted. The weather had been beautiful, but, on the eve of the day
fixed for my departure, the wind rose, and the rain fell in torrents.
I observed that the river which passed my window was much swollen,
and rushed with great violence. In the night, I heard its voice still
stronger, and felt glad I had not to set out in the dark. I rose with
twilight, and was expecting my carriage, and wondering at its delay,
when I heard, that the great diligence, several miles below, had
been seized by a torrent; the horses were up to their necks in water,
before any one dreamed of the danger. The postilion called on all the
saints, and threw himself into the water. The door of the diligence
could not be opened, and the passengers forced themselves, one after
another, into the cold water,--dark too. Had I been there I had fared
ill; a pair of strong men were ill after it, though all escaped with
life.
For several days, there was no going to Rome; but, at last, we set
forth in two great diligences, with all the horses of the route. For
many miles, the mountains and ravines were covered with snow; I seemed
to have returned to my own country and climate. Few miles passed,
before the conductor injured his leg under the wheel, and I had the
pain of seeing him suffer all the way, while "Blood of Jesus," "Souls
of Purgatory," was the mildest beginning of an answer to the jeers of
the postilions upon his paleness. We stopped at a miserable
osteria, in whose cellar we found a magnificent remain of Cyclopean
architecture,--as indeed in Italy one is paid at every step, for
discomfort or danger, by some precious subject of thought. We
proceeded very slowly, and reached just at night a solitary little
inn, which marks the site of the ancient home of the Sabine virgins,
snatched away to become the mothers of Rome. We were there saluted
with the news that the Tiber, also, had overflowed its banks, and it
was very doubtful if we could pass. But what else to do? There were no
accommodations in the house for thirty people, or even for three, and
to sleep in the carriages, in that wet air of the marshes, was a more
certain danger than to attempt the passage. So we set forth; the moon,
almost at the full, smiling sadly on the ancient grandeurs, then half
draped in mist, then drawing over her face a thin white veil. As we
approached the Tiber, the towers and domes of Rome could be seen,
like a cloud lying low on the horizon. The road and the meadows, alike
under water, lay between us and it, one sheet of silver. The horses
entered; they behaved nobly; we proceeded, every moment uncertain if
the water would not become deep; but the scene was beautiful, and I
enjoyed it highly. I have never yet felt afraid when really in the
presence of danger, though sometimes in its apprehension.
At last we entered the gate; the diligence stopping to be examined, I
walked to the gate of Villa Ludovisi, and saw its rich shrubberies of
myrtle, and its statues so pale and eloquent in the moonlight.
Is it not cruel that I cannot earn six hundred dollars a year, living
here? I could live on that well, now I know Italy. Where I have been,
this summer, a great basket of grapes sells for one cent!--delicious
salad, enough for three or four persons, one cent,--a pair of
chickens, fifteen cents. Foreigners cannot live so, but I could, now
that I speak the language fluently, and know the price of everything.
Everybody loves, and wants to serve me, and I cannot earn this pitiful
sum to learn and do what I want.
Of course, I wish to see America again; but in my own time, when I am
ready, and not to weep over hopes destroyed and projects unfulfilled.
My dear friend, Madame Arconati, has shown me generous love;--a
_contadina_, whom I have known this summer, hardly less. Every Sunday,
she came in her holiday dress,--beautiful corset of red silk richly
embroidered, rich petticoat, nice shoes and stockings, and handsome
coral necklace, on one arm an immense basket of grapes, in the other
a pair of live chickens, to be eaten by me for her sake, ("_per amore
mio_,") and wanted no present, no reward; it was, as she said, "for
the honor and pleasure of her acquaintance." The old father of the
family never met me but he took off his hat and said, "Madame, it
is to me a _consolation_ to see you." Are there not sweet flowers of
affection in life, glorious moments, great thoughts?--why must they be
so dearly paid for?
Many Americans have shown me great and thoughtful kindness, and none
more so than W. S---- and his wife. They are now in Florence, but
may return. I do not know whether I shall stay here or not; shall be
guided much by the state of my health.
All is quieted now in Rome. Late at night the Pope had to yield, but
not till the door of his palace was half burnt, and his confessor
killed. This man, Parma, provoked his fate by firing on the people
from a window. It seems the Pope never gave order to fire; his guard
acted from a sudden impulse of their own. The new ministry chosen are
little inclined to accept. It is almost impossible for any one to act,
unless the Pope is stripped of his temporal power, and the hour
for that is not yet quite ripe; though they talk more and more of
proclaiming the Republic, and even of calling my friend Mazzini.
If I came home at this moment, I should feel as if forced to leave my
own house, my own people, and the hour which I had always longed for.
If I do come in this way, all I can promise is to plague other people
as little as possible. My own plans and desires will be postponed to
another world.
Do not feel anxious about me. Some higher power leads me through
strange, dark, thorny paths, broken at times by glades opening down
into prospects of sunny beauty, into which I am not permitted to
enter. If God disposes for us, it is not for nothing. This I can say,
my heart is in some respects better, it is kinder and more humble.
Also, my mental acquisitions have certainly been great, however
inadequate to my desires.
TO M.S.
_Rome, Nov._ 23, 1848.--Mazzini has stood alone in Italy, on a sunny
height, far above the stature of other men. He has fought a great
fight against folly, compromise, and treason; steadfast in his
convictions, and of almost miraculous energy to sustain them, is he.
He has foes; and at this moment, while he heads the insurrection in
the Valtellina, the Roman people murmur his name, and long to call him
here.
How often rings in my ear the consolatory word of Körner, after many
struggles, many undeceptions, "Though the million suffer shipwreck,
yet noble hearts survive!"
I grieve to say, the good-natured Pio has shown himself utterly
derelict, alike without resolution to abide by the good or the ill. He
is now abandoned and despised by both parties. The people do not trust
his word, for they know he shrinks from the danger, and shuts the
door to pray quietly in his closet, whilst he knows the cardinals are
misusing his name to violate his pledges. The cardinals, chased from
Rome, talk of electing an anti-Pope; because, when there was danger,
he has always yielded to the people, and they say he has overstepped
his prerogative, and broken his papal oath. No one abuses him, for it
is felt that in a more private station he would have acted a kindly
part; but he has failed of so high a vocation, and balked so noble a
hope, that no one respects him either. Who would have believed, a year
ago, that the people would assail his palace? I was on Monte Cavallo
yesterday, and saw the broken windows, the burnt doors, the walls
marked by shot, just beneath the loggia, on which we have seen him
giving the benediction. But this would never have happened, if his
guard had not fired first on the people. It is true it was without his
order, but, under a different man, the Swiss would never have dared to
incur such a responsibility.
Our old acquaintance, Sterbini, has risen to the ministry. He has
a certain influence, from his consistency and independence, but has
little talent.
Of me you wish to know; but there is little I can tell you at this
distance. I have had happy hours, learned much, suffered much, and
outward things have not gone fortunately with me. I have had glorious
hopes, but they are overclouded now, and the future looks darker than
ever, indeed, quite impossible to my steps. I have no hope, unless
that God will show me some way I do not know of now; but I do not wish
to trouble you with more of this.
TO W.S.
_Rome, Dec_. 9, 1848.--As to Florence itself, I do not like it, with
the exception of the galleries and churches, and Michel Angelo's
marbles. I do not like it, for the reason you _do_, because it seems
like home. It seems a kind of Boston to me,--the same good and the
same ill; I have had enough of both. But I have so many dear friends
in Boston, that I must always wish to go there sometimes; and there
are so many precious objects of study in Florence, that a stay of
several months could not fail to be full of interest. Still, the
spring must be the time to be in Florence; there are so many charming
spots to visit in the environs, much nearer than those you go to
in Rome, within scope of an afternoon's drive. I saw them only when
parched with sun and covered with dust. In the spring they must be
very beautiful.
* * * * *
_December_, 1848.--I felt much what you wrote, "_if it were well with
my heart_." How seldom it is that a mortal is permitted to enjoy a
paradisaical scene, unhaunted by some painful vision from the past
or the future! With me, too, dark clouds of care and sorrow have
sometimes blotted out the sunshine. I have not lost from my side an
only sister, but have been severed from some visions still so dear,
they looked almost like hopes. The future seems too difficult for me.
I have been as happy as I could, and I feel that this summer, as last,
had I been with my country folks, the picture of Italy would not have
been so lively to me. Now I have been quite off the beaten track of
travel, have seen, thought, spoken, dreamed only what is Italian. I
have learned much, received many strong and clear impressions. While
among the mountains, I was for a good while quite alone, except for
occasional chat with the contadine, who wanted to know if Pius IX. was
not _un gran carbonaro!_--a reputation which he surely ought to have
forfeited by this time. About me they were disturbed: "_E sempre sola
soletta_," they said, "_eh perche?_"
Later, I made one of those accidental acquaintances, such as I have
spoken of to you in my life of Lombardy, which may be called romantic:
two brothers, elderly men, the last of a very noble family, formerly
lords of many castles, still of more than one; both unmarried, men of
great polish and culture. None of the consequences ensued that would
in romances: they did not any way adopt me, nor give me a casket of
diamonds, nor any of their pictures, among which were originals
by several of the greatest masters, nor their rich cabinets, nor
miniatures on agate, nor carving in wood and ivory. They only showed
me their things, and their family archives of more than a hundred
volumes, (containing most interesting documents about Poland, where
four of their ancestors were nuncios,) manuscript letters from Tasso,
and the like. With comments on these, and legendary lore enough to
furnish Cooper or Walter Scott with a thousand romances, they enriched
me; unhappily, I shall never have the strength or talent to make due
use of it. I was sorry to leave them, for now I have recrossed the
frontier into the Roman States. I will not tell you where,--I know
not that I shall ever tell where,--these months have been passed. The
great Goethe hid thus in Italy; "Then," said he, "I did indeed feel
alone,--when no former friend could form an _idea_ where I was." Why
should not ---- and I enjoy this fantastic luxury of _incognito_ also,
when we can so much more easily?
I will not name the place, but I will describe it. The rooms are
spacious and airy; the loggia of the sleeping room is rude, but it
overhangs a lovely little river, with its hedge of willows. Opposite
is a large and rich vineyard; on one side a ruined tower, on the other
an old casino, with its avenues of cypress, give human interest to the
scene. A cleft amid the mountains full of light leads on the eye to a
soft blue peak, very distant. At night the young moon trembles in the
river, and its soft murmur soothes me to sleep; it needs, for I have
had lately a bad attack upon the nerves, and been obliged to stop
writing for the present. I think I shall stay here some time, though I
suppose there are such sweet places all over Italy, if one only looks
for one's self. Poor, beautiful Italy! how she has been injured of
late! It is dreadful to see the incapacity and meanness of those to
whom she had confided the care of her redemption.
I have thus far passed this past month of fine weather most
delightfully in revisiting my haunts of the autumn before. Then, too,
I was uncommonly well and strong; it was the golden period of my Roman
life. The experience what long confinement may be expected after, from
the winter rains, has decided me _never_ to make my hay when the sun
shines: _i.e._, to give no fine day to books and pens.
The places of interest I am nearest now are villas Albani and
Ludovisi, and Santa Agnese, St. Lorenzo, and the vineyards near Porta
Maggiore. I have passed one day in a visit to Torre dei Schiavi
and the neighborhood, and another on Monte Mario, both Rome and the
Campagna-day golden in the mellowest lustre of the Italian sun. * * *
But to you I may tell, that I always go with Ossoli, the most
congenial companion I ever had for jaunts of this kind. We go out in
the morning, carrying the roast chestnuts from Rome; the bread and
wine are found in some lonely little osteria; and so we dine; and
reach Rome again, just in time to see it, from a little distance,
gilded by the sunset.
This moon having been so clear, and the air so warm, we have visited,
on successive evenings, all the places we fancied: Monte Cavallo, now
so lonely and abandoned,--no lights there but moon and stars,--Trinità
de' Monti, Santa Maria Maggiore, and the Forum. So now, if the rain
must come, or I be driven from Rome, I have all the images fair and
fresh in my mind.
About public events, why remain ignorant? Take a daily paper in the
house. The Italian press has recovered from the effervescence of
childish spirits;--you can now approximate to the truth from its
reports. There are many good papers now in Italy. Whatever represents
the Montanelli ministry is best for you. That gives the lead now. I
see good articles copied from the "Alba."
TO MADAME ARCONATI.
_Rome, Feb. 5_, 1849.--I am so delighted to get your letter, that I
must answer on the instant. I try with all my force to march straight
onwards,--to answer the claims of the day; to act out my feeling as
seems right at the time, and not heed the consequences;--but in my
affections I am tender and weak; where I have really loved, a barrier,
a break, causes me great suffering. I read in your letter that I am
still dear to you as you to me. I always felt, that if we had passed
more time together,--if the intimacy, for which there was ground in
the inner nature, had become consolidated,--no after differences of
opinion or conduct could have destroyed, though they might interrupt
its pleasure. But it was of few days' standing,--our interviews much
interrupted. I felt as if I knew you much better than you could me,
because I had occasion to see you amid your various and habitual
relations. I was afraid you might change, or become indifferent; now I
hope not.
True, I have written, shall write, about the affairs of Italy, what
you will much dislike, if ever you see it. I have done, may do,
many things that would be very unpleasing to you; yet there _is_ a
congeniality, I dare to say, pure, and strong, and good, at the bottom
of the heart, far, far deeper than these differences, that would
always, on a real meeting, keep us friends. For me, I could never have
but one feeling towards you.
Now, for the first time, I enjoy a full communion with the spirit of
Rome. Last winter, I had here many friends; now all are dispersed,
and sometimes I long to exchange thoughts with a friendly circle; but
generally I am better content to live thus:--the impression made by
all the records of genius around is more unbroken; I begin to be very
familiar with them. The sun shines always, when last winter it never
shone. I feel strong; I can go everywhere on foot. I pass whole days
abroad; sometimes I take a book, but seldom read it:--why should I,
when every stone talks?
In spring, I shall go often out of town. I have read "La Rome
Souterraine" of Didier, and it makes me wish to see Ardea and Nettuno.
Ostia is the only one of those desolate sites that I know yet. I study
sometimes Niebuhr, and other books about Rome, but not to any great
profit.
In the circle of my friends, two have fallen. One a person of great
wisdom, strength, and calmness. She was ever to me a most tender
friend, and one whose sympathy I highly valued. Like you by nature
and education conservative, she was through thought liberal. With no
exuberance or passionate impulsiveness herself, she knew how to allow
for these in others. The other was a woman of my years, of the most
precious gifts in heart and genius. She had also beauty and fortune.
She died at last of weariness and intellectual inanition. She never,
to any of us, her friends, hinted her sufferings. But they were
obvious in her poems, which, with great dignity, expressed a resolute
but most mournful resignation.
TO R.F.F.
_Rome, Feb_. 23, 1849.--It is something if one can get free foot-hold
on the earth, so as not to be jostled out of hearing the music, if
there should be any spirits in the air to make such.
For my part, I have led rather too lonely a life of late. Before, it
seemed as if too many voices of men startled away the inspirations;
but having now lived eight months much alone, I doubt that good has
come of it, and think to return, and go with others for a little. I
have realized in these last days the thought of Goethe,--"He who would
in loneliness live, ah! he is soon alone. Each one loves, each one
lives, and leaves him to his pain." I went away and hid, all summer.
Not content with that, I said, on returning to Rome, I must be busy
and receive people little. They have taken me at my word, and hardly
one comes to see me. Now, if I want play and prattle, I shall have to
run after them. It is fair enough that we all, in turn, should be made
to feel our need of one another.
Never was such a winter as this. Ten weeks now of unbroken sunshine
and the mildest breezes. Of course, its price is to be paid. The
spring, usually divine here, with luxuriant foliage and multitudinous
roses, will be all scorched and dusty. There is fear, too, of want of
food for the poor Roman state.
I pass my days in writing, walking, occasional visits to the
galleries. I read little, except the newspapers; these take up an hour
or two of the day. I own, my thoughts are quite fixed on the daily
bulletin of men and things. I expect to write the history, but because
it is so much in my heart. If you were here, I rather think you would
be impassive, like the two most esteemed Americans I see. They do not
believe in the sentimental nations. Hungarians, Poles, Italians, are
too demonstrative for them, too fiery, too impressible. They like
better the loyal, slow-moving Germans: even the Russian, with his
dog's nose and gentlemanly servility, pleases them better than _my_
people. There is an antagonism of race.
TO E.S.
_Rome, June_ 6, 1849.--The help I needed was external, practical. I
knew myself all the difficulties and pains of my position; they were
beyond present relief; from sympathy I could struggle with them, but
had not life enough left, afterwards, to be a companion of any worth.
To be with persons generous and refined, who would not pain; who
would sometimes lend a helping hand across the ditches of this strange
insidious marsh, was all I could have now, and this you gave.
On Sunday, from our loggia, I witnessed a terrible, a real battle. It
began at four in the morning: it lasted to the last gleam of light.
The musket-fire was almost unintermitted; the roll of the cannon,
especially from St. Angelo, most majestic. As all passed at Porta San
Pancrazio and Villa Pamfili, I saw the smoke of every discharge, the
flash of the bayonets; with a glass could see the men. Both French and
Italians fought with the most obstinate valor. The French could
not use their heavy cannon, being always driven away by the legions
Garibaldi and ----, when trying to find positions for them. The loss
on our side is about three hundred killed and wounded; theirs must
be much greater. In one casino have been found seventy dead bodies
of theirs. I find the wounded men at the hospital in a transport of
indignation. The French soldiers fought so furiously, that they think
them false as their general, and cannot endure the remembrance of
their visits, during the armistice, and talk of brotherhood. You will
have heard how all went:--how Lesseps, after appearing here fifteen
days as _plenipotentiary_, signed a treaty not dishonorable to Rome;
then Oudinot refused to ratify it, saying, _the plenipotentiary
had surpassed his powers_: Lesseps runs back to Paris, and Oudinot
attacks:--an affair alike infamous for the French from beginning to
end. The cannonade on one side has continued day and night, (being
full moon,) till this morning; they seeking to advance or take other
positions, the Romans firing on them. The French throw rockets into
the town: one burst in the court-yard of the hospital, just as I
arrived there yesterday, agitating the poor sufferers very much; they
said they did not want to die like mice in a trap.
TO M.S.
_Rome, March_ 9, 1849.--Last night, Mazzini came to see me. You will
have heard how he was called to Italy, and received at Leghorn like
a prince, as he is; unhappily, in fact, the only one, the only great
Italian. It is expected, that, if the republic lasts, he will be
President. He has been made a Roman citizen, and elected to the
Assembly; the labels bearing, in giant letters, "_Giuseppe Mazzini,
cittadino Romano_," are yet up all over Rome. He entered by night, on
foot, to avoid demonstrations, no doubt, and enjoy the quiet of his
own thoughts, at so great a moment. The people went under his windows
the next night, and called him out to speak; but I did not know about
it. Last night, I heard a ring; then somebody speak my name; the voice
struck upon me at once. He looks more divine than ever, after all
his new, strange sufferings. He asked after all of you. He stayed two
hours, and we talked, though rapidly, of everything. He hopes to come
often, but the crisis is tremendous, and all will come on him; since,
if any one can save Italy from her foes, inward and outward, it will
be he. But he is very doubtful whether this be possible; the foes are
too many, too strong, too subtle. Yet Heaven helps sometimes. I only
grieve I cannot aid him; freely would I give my life to aid him, only
bargaining for a quick death. I don't like slow torture. I fear that
it is in reserve for him, to survive defeat. True, he can never be
utterly defeated; but to see Italy bleeding, prostrate once more, will
be very dreadful for him.
He has sent me tickets, twice, to hear him speak in the Assembly. It
was a fine, commanding voice. But, when he finished, he looked very
exhausted and melancholy. He looks as if the great battle he had
fought had been too much for his strength, and that he was only
sustained by the fire of the soul.
All this I write to you, because you said, when I was suffering at
leaving Mazzini,--"You will meet him in heaven." This I believe will
be, despite all my faults.
[In April, 1849, Margaret was appointed, by the "Roman Commission
for the succor of the wounded," to the charge of the hospital of the
_Fate-Bene Fratetti_; the Princess Belgioioso having charge of the one
already opened. The following is a copy of the original letter
from the Princess, which is written in English, announcing the
appointment.]
_Comitato di Soccorso Pei Feriti_, }
April 30, 1849. }
Dear Miss Fuller:--
You are named Regolatrice of the Hospital of the _Fate-Rene Fratelli_.
Go there at twelve, if the alarm bell has not rung before. When you
arrive there, you will receive all the women coming for the wounded,
and give them your directions, so that you are sure to have a certain
number of them night and day.
May God help us.
CHRISTINE TRIVULZE,
of Belgioioso.
Miss Fuller, Piazza Barberini, No. 60.
TO R.W.E.
_Rome, June_ 10, 1849.--I received your letter amid the round of
cannonade and musketry. It was a terrible battle fought here from the
first till the last light of day. I could see all its progress from my
balcony. The Italians fought like lions. It is a truly heroic spirit
that animates them. They make a stand here for honor and their
rights, with little ground for hope that they can resist, now they are
betrayed by France.
Since the 30th April, I go almost daily to the hospitals, and,
though I have suffered,--for I had no idea before, how terrible
gunshot-wounds and wound-fever are,--yet I have taken pleasure, and
great pleasure, in being with the men; there is scarcely one who is
not moved by a noble spirit. Many, especially among the Lombards,
are the flower of the Italian youth. When they begin to get better, I
carry them books and flowers; they read, and we talk.
The palace of the Pope, on the Quirinal, is now used for
convalescents. In those beautiful gardens, I walk with them,--one with
his sling, another with his crutch. The gardener plays off all his
water-works for the defenders of the country, and gathers flowers for
me, their friend.
A day or two since, we sat in the Pope's little pavilion, where he
used to give private audience. The sun was going gloriously down over
Monte Mario, where gleamed the white tents of the French light-horse
among the trees. The cannonade was heard at intervals. Two bright-eyed
boys sat at our feet, and gathered up eagerly every word said by the
heroes of the day. It was a beautiful hour, stolen from the midst of
ruin and sorrow; and tales were told as full of grace and pathos as in
the gardens of Boccaccio, only in a very different spirit,--with noble
hope for man, with reverence for woman.
The young ladies of the family, very young girls, were filled with
enthusiasm for the suffering, wounded patriots, and they wished to
go to the hospital to give their services. Excepting the three
superintendents, none but married ladies were permitted to serve
there, but their services were accepted. Their governess then wished
to go too, and, as she could speak several languages, she was admitted
to the rooms of the wounded soldiers, to interpret for them, as the
nurses knew nothing but Italian, and many of these poor men were
suffering, because they could not make their wishes known. Some are
French, some German, and many Poles. Indeed, I am afraid it is too
true that there were comparatively but few Romans among them. This
young lady passed several nights there.
Should I never return,--and sometimes I despair of doing so, it seems
so far off, so difficult, I am caught in such a net of ties here,--if
ever you know of my life here, I think you will only wonder at the
constancy with which I have sustained myself; the degree of profit to
which, amid great difficulties, I have put the time, at least in the
way of observation. Meanwhile, love me all you can; let me feel, that,
amid the fearful agitations of the world, there are pure hands, with
healthful, even pulse, stretched out toward me, if I claim their
grasp.
I feel profoundly for Mazzini; at moments I am tempted to say, "Cursed
with every granted prayer,"--so cunning is the dæmon. He is become
the inspiring soul of his people. He saw Rome, to which all his hopes
through life tended, for the first time as a Roman citizen, and to
become in a few days its ruler. He has animated, he sustains her to a
glorious effort, which, if it fails, this time, will not in the age.
His country will be free. Yet to me it would be so dreadful to cause
all this bloodshed, to dig the graves of such martyrs.
Then Rome is being destroyed; her glorious oaks; her villas, haunts of
sacred beauty, that seemed the possession of the world forever,--the
villa of Raphael, the villa of Albani, home of Winkelmann, and
the best expression of the ideal of modern Rome, and so many other
sanctuaries of beauty,--all must perish, lest a foe should level his
musket from their shelter. _I_ could not, could not!
I know not, dear friend, whether I ever shall get home across that
great ocean, but here in Rome I shall no longer wish to live. O, Rome,
_my_ country! could I imagine that the triumph of what I held dear was
to heap such desolation on thy head!
Speaking of the republic, you say, do not I wish Italy had a great
man? Mazzini is a great man. In mind, a great poetic statesman; in
heart, a lover; in action, decisive and full of resource as Cæsar.
Dearly I love Mazzini. He came in, just as I had finished the first
letter to you. His soft, radiant look makes melancholy music in my
soul; it consecrates my present life, that, like the Magdalen, I may,
at the important hour, shed all the consecrated ointment on his head.
There is one, Mazzini, who understands thee well; who knew thee no
less when an object of popular fear, than now of idolatry; and who, if
the pen be not held too feebly, will help posterity to know thee too.
TO W.H.C.
_Rome, July_ 8, 1849.--I do not yet find myself tranquil and recruited
from the painful excitements of these last days. But, amid the ruined
hopes of Rome, the shameful oppressions she is beginning to suffer,
amid these noble, bleeding martyrs, my brothers, I cannot fix my
thoughts on anything else.
I write that you may assure mother of my safety, which in the last
days began to be seriously imperilled. Say, that as soon as I can find
means of conveyance, without an expense too enormous, I shall go again
into the mountains. There I shall find pure, bracing air, and I hope
stillness, for a time. Say, she need feel no anxiety, if she do not
hear from me for some time. I may feel indisposed to write, as I do
now; my heart is too full.
Private hopes of mine are fallen with the hopes of Italy. I have
played for a new stake, and lost it. Life looks too difficult. But
for the present I shall try to wave all thought of self and renew my
strength.
After the attempt at revolution in France failed, could I have
influenced Mazzini, I should have prayed him to capitulate, and yet I
feel that no honorable terms can be made with such a foe, and that the
only way is _never_ to yield; but the sound of the musketry, the sense
that men were perishing in a hopeless contest, had become too terrible
for my nerves. I did not see Mazzini, the last two weeks of the
republic. When the French entered, he walked about the streets, to
see how the people bore themselves, and then went to the house of
a friend. In the upper chamber of a poor house, with his life-long
friends,--the Modenas,--I found him. Modena, who abandoned not only
what other men hold dear,--home, fortune, peace,--but also endured,
without the power of using the prime of his great artist-talent, a
ten years' exile in a foreign land; his wife every way worthy of
him,--such a woman as I am not.
Mazzini had suffered millions more than I could; he had borne his
fearful responsibility; he had let his dearest friends perish; he had
passed all these nights without sleep; in two short months, he had
grown old; all the vital juices seemed exhausted; his eyes were all
blood-shot; his skin orange; flesh he had none; his hair was mixed
with white: his hand was painful to the touch; but he had never
flinched, never quailed; had protested in the last hour against
surrender; sweet and calm, but full of a more fiery purpose than ever;
in him I revered the hero, and owned myself not of that mould.
You say truly, I shall come home humbler. God grant it may be entirely
humble! In future, while more than ever deeply penetrated with
principles, and the need of the martyr spirit to sustain them, I will
ever own that there are few worthy, and that I am one of the least.
A silken glove might be as good a gauntlet as one of steel, but I,
infirm of mood, turn sick even now as I think of the past.
* * * * *
_July_, 1849.--I cannot tell you what I endured in leaving Rome;
abandoning the wounded soldiers; knowing that there is no provision
made for them, when they rise from the beds where they have been
thrown by a noble courage, where they have suffered with a noble
patience. Some of the poorer men, who rise bereft even of the right
arm,--one having lost both the right arm and the right leg,--I could
have provided for with a small sum. Could I have sold my hair, or
blood from my arm, I would have done it. Had any of the rich Americans
remained in Rome, they would have given it to me; they helped nobly at
first, in the service of the hospitals, when there was far less need;
but they had all gone. What would I have given that I could have
spoken to one of the Lawrences, or the Phillipses; they could and
would have saved the misery. These poor men are left helpless in
the power of a mean and vindictive foe. You felt so oppressed in the
slave-states; imagine what I felt at seeing all the noblest youth, all
the genius of this dear land, again enslaved.
TO W.H.C.
_Rieti, Aug_. 28, 1849.--You say, you are glad I have had this great
opportunity for carrying out my principles. Would it were so! I found
myself inferior in courage and fortitude to the occasion. I knew not
how to bear the havoc and anguish incident to the struggle for these
principles. I rejoiced that it lay not with me to cut down the trees,
to destroy the Elysian gardens, for the defence of Rome; I do not know
that I could have done it. And the sight of these far nobler growths,
the beautiful young men, mown down in their stately prime, became too
much for me. I forget the great ideas, to sympathize with the poor
mothers, who had nursed their precious forms, only to see them
all lopped and gashed. You say, I sustained them; often have they
sustained my courage: one, kissing the pieces of bone that were so
painfully extracted from his arm, hanging them round his neck to be
worn as the true relics of to-day; mementoes that he also had done and
borne something for his country and the hopes of humanity. One fair
young man, who is made a cripple for life, clasped my hand as he saw
me crying over the spasms I could not relieve, and faintly cried,
"Viva l'Italia." "Think only, _cara bona donna_" said a poor wounded
soldier, "that I can always wear my uniform on _festas_, just as it is
now, with the holes where the balls went through, for a memory." "God
is good; God knows," they often said to me, when I had not a word to
cheer them.
THE WIFE AND MOTHER.[A]
Beneath the ruins of the Roman Republic, how many private fortunes
were buried! and among these victims was Margaret. In that
catastrophe, were swallowed up hopes sacredly cherished by her through
weary months, at the risk of all she most prized.
Soon after the entrance of the French, she wrote thus, to the resident
Envoy of the United States:
My dear Mr. Cass,--I beg you to come and see me, and give me your
counsel, and, if need be, your aid, to get away from Rome. From what
I hear this morning, I fear we may be once more shut up here; and I
shall die, to be again separated from what I hold most dear. There
are, as yet, no horses on the way we want to go, or we should post
immediately.
You may feel, like me, sad, in these last moments, to leave this
injured Rome. So many noble hearts I abandon here, whose woes I have
known! I feel, if I could not aid, I might soothe. But for my child, I
would not go, till some men, now sick, know whether they shall live or
die.
* * * * *
Her child! Where was he? In RIETI,--at the foot of the Umbrian
Apennines,--a day's journey to the north-east of Rome. Thither
Margaret escaped with her husband, and thence she wrote the following
letter:
Dearest Mother,--I received your letter a few hours before leaving
Rome. Like all of yours, it refreshed me, and gave me as much
satisfaction as anything could, at that sad time. Its spirit is
of eternity, and befits an epoch when wickedness and perfidy so
impudently triumph, and the best blood of the generous and honorable
is poured out like water, seemingly in vain.
I cannot tell you what I suffered to abandon the wounded to the care
of their mean foes; to see the young men, that were faithful to their
vows, hunted from their homes,--hunted like wild beasts; denied a
refuge in every civilized land. Many of those I loved are sunk to the
bottom of the sea, by Austrian cannon, or will be shot. Others are in
penury, grief, and exile. May God give due recompense for all that has
been endured!
My mind still agitated, and my spirits worn out, I have not felt like
writing to any one. Yet the magnificent summer does not smile quite
in vain for me. Much exercise in the open air, living much on milk
and fruit, have recruited my health, and I am regaining the habit of
sleep, which a month of nightly cannonade in Rome had destroyed.
* * * * *
Receiving, a few days since, a packet of letters from America, I
opened them with more feeling of hope and good cheer, than for a long
time past. The first words that met my eye were these, in the hand of
Mr. Greeley:--"Ah, Margaret, the world grows dark with us! You grieve,
for Rome is fallen;--I mourn, for Pickie is dead."
I have shed rivers of tears over the inexpressibly affecting letter
thus begun. One would think I might have become familiar enough with
images of death and destruction; yet somehow the image of Pickie's
little dancing figure, lying, stiff and stark, between his parents,
has made me weep more than all else. There was little hope he could do
justice to himself, or lead a happy life in so perplexed a world;
but never was a character of richer capacity,--never a more charming
child. To me he was most dear, and would always have been so. Had he
become stained with earthly faults, I could never have forgotten what
he was when fresh from the soul's home, and what he was to me when my
soul pined for sympathy, pure and unalloyed.
The three children I have seen who were fairest in my eyes, and gave
most promise of the future, were Waldo, Pickie, Hermann Clarke;--all
nipped in the bud. Endless thoughts has this given me, and a resolve
to seek the realization of all hopes and plans elsewhere, which
resolve will weigh with me as much as it can weigh before the silver
cord is finally loosed. Till then, Earth, our mother, always finds
strange, unexpected ways to draw us back to her bosom,--to make us
seek anew a nutriment which has never failed to cause us frequent
sickness.
* * * * *
This brings me to the main object of my present letter,--a piece
of intelligence about myself, which I had hoped I might be able
to communicate in such a way as to give you _pleasure_. That I
cannot,--after suffering much in silence with that hope,--is like the
rest of my earthly destiny.
The first moment, it may cause you a pang to know that your eldest
child might long ago have been addressed by another name than yours,
and has a little son a year old.
But, beloved mother, do not feel this long. I do assure you, that it
was only great love for you that kept me silent. I have abstained a
hundred times, when your sympathy, your counsel, would have been most
precious, from a wish not to harass you with anxiety. Even now I would
abstain, but it has become necessary, on account of the child, for us
to live publicly and permanently together; and we have no hope, in
the present state of Italian affairs, that we can do it at any better
advantage, for several years, than now.
My husband is a Roman, of a noble but now impoverished house. His
mother died when he was an infant, his father is dead since we met,
leaving some property, but encumbered with debts, and in the present
state of Rome hardly available, except by living there. He has
three older brothers, all provided for in the Papal service,--one as
Secretary of the Privy Chamber, the other two as members of the Guard
Noble. A similar career would have been opened to him, but he embraced
liberal principles, and, with the fall of the Republic, has lost
all, as well as the favor of his family, who all sided with the Pope.
Meanwhile, having been an officer in the Republican service, it was
best for him to leave Rome. He has taken what little money he had,
and we plan to live in Florence for the winter. If he or I can get
the means, we shall come together to the United States, in the
summer;--earlier we could not, on account of the child.
He is not in any respect such a person as people in general would
expect to find with me. He had no instructor except an old priest,
who entirely neglected his education; and of all that is contained
in books he is absolutely ignorant, and he has no enthusiasm of
character. On the other hand, he has excellent practical sense; has
been a judicious observer of all that passed before his eyes; has a
nice sense of duty, which, in its unfailing, minute activity, may
put most enthusiasts to shame; a very sweet temper, and great native
refinement. His love for me has been unswerving and most tender. I
have never suffered a pain that he could relieve. His devotion, when
I am ill, is to be compared only with yours. His delicacy in trifles,
his sweet domestic graces, remind me of E----. In him I have found a
home, and one that interferes with no tie. Amid many ills and
cares, we have had much joy together, in the sympathy with natural
beauty,--with our child,--with all that is innocent and sweet.
I do not know whether he will always love me so well, for I am
the elder, and the difference will become, in a few years, more
perceptible than now. But life is so uncertain, and it is so necessary
to take good things with their limitations, that I have not thought it
worth while to calculate too curiously.
However my other friends may feel, I am sure that _you_ will love
him very much, and that he will love you no less. Could we all live
together, on a moderate income, you would find peace with us. Heaven
grant, that, on returning, I may gain means to effect this object.
He, of course, can do nothing, while we are in the United States, but
perhaps I can; and now that my health is better, I shall be able to
exert myself, if sure that my child is watched by those who love him,
and who are good and pure.
* * * * *
What shall I say of my child? All might seem hyperbole, even to my
dearest mother. In him I find satisfaction, for the first time, to the
deep wants of my heart. Yet, thinking of those other sweet ones fled,
I must look upon him as a treasure only lent. He is a fair child, with
blue eyes and light hair; very affectionate, graceful, and sportive.
He was baptized, in the Roman Catholic Church, by the name of Angelo
Eugene Philip, for his father, grandfather, and my brother. He
inherits the title of marquis.
Write the name of my child in your Bible, ANGELO OSSOLI, _born
September_ 5, 1848. God grant he may live to see you, and may prove
worthy of your love!
More I do not feel strength to say. You can hardly guess how all
attempt to express something about the great struggles and experiences
of my European life enfeebles me. When I get home,--if ever I do,--it
will be told without this fatigue and excitement. I trust there will
be a little repose, before entering anew on this wearisome conflict.
I had addressed you twice,--once under the impression that I should
not survive the birth of my child; again during the siege of Rome, the
father and I being both in danger. I took Mrs. Story, and, when she
left Rome, Mr. Cass, into my confidence. Both were kind as sister
and brother. Amid much pain and struggle, sweet, is the memory of
the generous love I received from William and Emelyn Story, and their
uncle. They helped me gently through a most difficult period. Mr.
Cass, also, who did not know me at all, has done everything possible
for me.
* * * * *
A letter to her sister fills out these portraits of her husband and
child.
* * * * *
About Ossoli[B] I do not like to say much, as he is an exceedingly
delicate person. He is not precisely reserved, but it is not natural
to him to talk about the objects of strong affection. I am sure he
would not try to describe me to his sister, but would rather she would
take her own impression of me; and, as much as possible, I wish to
do the same by him. I presume that, to many of my friends, he will
be nothing, and they will not understand that I should have life in
common with him. But I do not think he will care;--he has not the
slightest tinge of self-love. He has, throughout our intercourse, been
used to my having many such ties. He has no wish to be anything to
persons with whom he does not feel spontaneously bound, and when I am
occupied, is happy in himself. But some of my friends and my family,
who will see him in the details of practical life, cannot fail to
prize the purity and simple strength of his character; and, should
he continue to love me as he has done, his companionship will be an
inestimable blessing to me. I say _if_, because all human affections
are frail, and I have experienced too great revulsions in my own, not
to know it. Yet I feel great confidence in the permanence of his love.
It has been unblemished so far, under many trials; especially as I
have been more desponding and unreasonable, in many ways, than I ever
was before, and more so, I hope, than I ever shall be again. But at
all such times, he never had a thought except to sustain and cheer me.
He is capable of the sacred love,--the love passing that of woman. He
showed it to his father, to Rome, to me. Now he loves his child in the
same way. I think he will be an excellent father, though he could not
speculate about it, nor, indeed, about anything.
Our meeting was singular,--fateful, I may say. Very soon he offered me
his hand through life, but I never dreamed I should take it. I loved
him, and felt very unhappy to leave him; but the connection seemed so
every way unfit, I did not hesitate a moment. He, however, thought
I should return to him, as I did. I acted upon a strong impulse, and
could not analyze at all what passed in my mind. I neither rejoice
nor grieve;--for bad or for good, I acted out my character Had I never
connected myself with any one, my path was clear; now it is all
hid; but, in that case, my development must have been partial. As
to marriage, I think the intercourse of heart and mind may be fully
enjoyed without entering into this partnership of daily life. Still,
I do not find it burdensome. The friction that I have seen mar so much
the domestic happiness of others does not occur with us, or, at least,
has not occurred. Then, there is the pleasure of always being at hand
to help one another.
Still, the great novelty, the immense gain, to me, is my relation with
my child. I thought the mother's heart lived in me before, but it did
not;--I knew nothing about it. Yet, before his birth, I dreaded it.
I thought I should not survive: but if I did, and my child did, was I
not cruel to bring another into this terrible world? I could not, at
that time, get any other view. When he was born, that deep melancholy
changed at once into rapture: but it did not last long. Then came the
prudential motherhood. I grew a coward, a care-taker, not only for the
morrow, but, impiously faithless, for twenty or thirty years ahead.
It seemed very wicked to have brought the little tender thing into
the midst of cares and perplexities we had not feared in the least
for ourselves. I imagined everything;--he was to be in danger of
every enormity the Croats were then committing upon the infants
of Lombardy;--the house would be burned over his head; but, if he
escaped, how were we to get money to buy his bibs and primers? Then
his father was to be killed in the fighting, and I to die of my cough,
&c. &c.
During the siege of Rome, I could not see my little boy. What I
endured at that time, in various ways, not many would survive. In the
burning sun, I went, every day, to wait, in the crowd, for letters
about him. Often they did not come. I saw blood that had streamed on
the wall where Ossoli was. I have a piece of a bomb that burst close
to him. I sought solace in tending the suffering men; but when I
beheld the beautiful fair young men bleeding to death, or mutilated
for life, I felt the woe of all the mothers who had nursed each to
that full flower, to see them thus cut down. I felt the _consolation_,
too,--for those youths died worthily. I was a Mater Dolorosa, and I
remembered that she who helped Angelino into the world came from the
sign of the Mater Dolorosa. I thought, even if he lives, if he comes
into the world at this great troubled time, terrible with perplexed
duties, it may be to die thus at twenty years, one of a glorious
hecatomb, indeed, but still a sacrifice! It seemed then I was willing
he should die.
* * * * *
Angelino's birth-place is thus sketched:
My baby saw mountains when he first looked forward into the world.
RIETI,--not only an old classic town of Italy, but one founded by what
are now called the Aborigines,--is a hive of very ancient dwellings
with red brown roofs, a citadel and several towers. It is in a
plain, twelve miles in diameter one way, not much less the other, and
entirely encircled with mountains of the noblest form. Casinos and
hermitages gleam here and there on their lower slopes. This plain is
almost the richest in Italy, and full of vineyards. Rieti is near the
foot of the hills on one side, and the rapid Velino makes almost the
circuit of its walls, on its way to Terni. I had my apartment shut out
from the family, on the bank of this river, and saw the mountains, as
I lay on my restless couch. There was a piazza, too, or, as they call
it here, a loggia, which hung over the river, where I walked most of
the night, for I could not sleep at all in those months. In the wild
autumn storms, the stream became a roaring torrent, constantly lit up
by lightning flashes, and the sound of its rush was very sublime. I
see it yet, as it swept away on its dark green current the heaps of
burning straw which the children let down from the bridge. Opposite
my window was a vineyard, whose white and purple clusters were my food
for three months. It was pretty to watch the vintage,--the asses and
wagons loaded with this wealth of amber and rubies,--the naked boys,
singing in the trees on which the vines are trained, as they cut the
grapes,--the nut-brown maids and matrons, in their red corsets and
white head-clothes, receiving them below, while the babies and little
children were frolicking in the grass.
In Rieti, the ancient Umbrians were married thus. In presence of
friends, the man and maid received together the gifts of fire and
water; the bridegroom then conducted to his house the bride. At the
door, he gave her the keys, and, entering, threw behind him nuts, as a
sign that he renounced all the frivolities of boyhood.
I intend to write all that relates to the birth of Angelino, in a
little book, which I shall, I hope, show you sometime. I have begun
it, and then stopped;--it seemed to me he would die. If he lives, I
shall finish it, before the details are at all faded in my mind. Rieti
is a place where I should have liked to have him born, and where I
should like to have him now,--but that the people are so wicked. They
are the most ferocious and mercenary population of Italy. I did not
know this, when I went there, and merely expected to be solitary and
quiet among poor people. But they looked on the "Marchioness" as an
ignorant _Inglese_, and they fancy all _Inglesi_ have wealth untold.
Me they were bent on plundering in every way. They made me suffer
terribly in the first days.
[Footnote A: The first part of this chapter is edited by R.W.E.; the
remainder by W.H.C.]
[Footnote B: Giovanni Angelo Ossoli.]
THE PRIVATE MARRIAGE.
The high-minded friend, spoken of with such grateful affection by
Margaret, in her letter to her mother, thus gracefully narrates the
romance of her marriage; and the narrative is a noble proof of the
heroic disinterestedness with which, amidst her own engrossing trials,
Margaret devoted herself to others. Mrs. Story writes as follows:--
"During the month of November, 1847, we arrived in Rome,
purposing to spend the winter there. At that time, Margaret
was living in the house of the Marchesa ----, in the Corso,
_Ultimo Piano_. Her rooms were pleasant and cheerful, with
a certain air of elegance and refinement, but they had not
a sunny exposure, that all-essential requisite for health,
during the damp Roman winter. Margaret suffered from ill
health this winter, and she afterwards attributed it mainly
to the fact, that she had not the sun. As soon as she heard of
our arrival, she stretched forth a friendly, cordial hand, and
greeted us most warmly. She gave us great assistance in our
search for convenient lodgings, and we were soon happily
established near her. Our intercourse was henceforth most
frequent and intimate, and knew no cloud nor coldness. Daily
we were much with her, and daily we felt more sensible of the
worth and value of our friend. To me she seemed so unlike what
I had thought her to be in America, that I continually said,
'How have I misjudged you,--you are not at all such a person
as I took you to be.' To this she replied, 'I am not the
same person, but in many respects another;--my life has new
channels now, and how thankful I am that I have been able to
come out into larger interests,--but, partly, you did not know
me at home in the true light.' It was true, that I had not
known her much personally, when in Boston; but through her
friends, who were mine also, I had learned to think of her
as a person on intellectual stilts, with a large share of
arrogance, and little sweetness of temper. How unlike to
this was she now!--so delicate, so simple, confiding, and
affectionate; with a true womanly heart and soul, sensitive
and generous, and, what was to me a still greater surprise,
possessed of so broad a charity, that she could cover with its
mantle the faults and defects of all about her.
"We soon became acquainted with the young Marquis Ossoli, and
met him frequently at Margaret's rooms. He appeared to be of
a reserved and gentle nature, with quiet, gentleman-like
manners, and there was something melancholy in the expression
of his face, which made one desire to know more of him. In
figure, he was tall, and of slender frame, with dark hair
and eyes; we judged that he was about thirty years of age,
possibly younger. Margaret spoke of him most frankly, and soon
told us the history of her first acquaintance with him, which,
as nearly as I can recall, was as follows:--
"She went to hear vespers, the evening of 'Holy Thursday,'
soon after her first coming to Rome, in the spring of 1847, at
St. Peter's. She proposed to her companions that some place
in the church should be designated, where, after the services,
they should meet,--she being inclined, as was her custom
always in St. Peter's, to wander alone among the different
chapels. When, at length, she saw that the crowd was
dispersing, she returned to the place assigned, but could not
find her party. In some perplexity, she walked about, with her
glass carefully examining each group. Presently, a young man
of gentlemanly address came up to her, and begged, if she were
seeking any one, that he might be permitted to assist her; and
together they continued the search through all parts of the
church. At last, it became evident, beyond a doubt, that her
party could no longer be there, and, as it was then quite
late, the crowd all gone, they went out into the piazza to
find a carriage, in which she might go home. In the piazza, in
front of St. Peter's, generally may be found many carriages;
but, owing to the delay they had made, there were then none,
and Margaret was compelled to walk, with her stranger friend,
the long distance between the Vatican and the Corso. At
this time, she had little command of the language for
conversational purposes, and their words were few, though
enough to create in each a desire for further knowledge and
acquaintance. At her door, they parted, and Margaret, finding
her friends already at home, related the adventure."
This chance meeting at vesper service in St. Peter's prepared the
way for many interviews; and it was before Margaret's departure for
Venice, Milan, and Como, that Ossoli first offered her his hand, and
was refused. Mrs. Story continues:--
"After her return to Rome, they met again, and he became her
constant visitor; and as, in those days, Margaret watched with
intense interest the tide of political events, his mind was
also turned in the direction of liberty and better government.
Whether Ossoli, unassisted, would have been able to emancipate
himself from the influence of his family and early education,
both eminently conservative and narrow, may be a question; but
that he did throw off the shackles, and espouse the cause of
Roman liberty with warm zeal, is most certain. Margaret had
known Mazzini in London, had partaken of his schemes for the
future of his country, and was taking every pains to inform
herself in regard to the action of all parties, with a view
to write a history of the period. Ossoli brought her every
intelligence that might be of interest to her, and busied
himself in learning the views of both parties, that she might
be able to judge the matter impartially.
"Here I may say, that, in the estimation of most of those who
were in Italy at this time, the loss of Margaret's history
and notes is a great and irreparable one. No one could have
possessed so many avenues of direct information from both
sides. While she was the friend and correspondent of Mazzini,
and knew the springs of action of his party; through her
husband's family and connections, she knew the other view; so
that, whatever might be the value of her deductions, her facts
could not have been other than of highest worth. Together,
Margaret and Ossoli went to the meetings of either side; and
to her he carried all the flying reports of the day, such as
he had heard in the café, or through his friends.
"In a short time, we went to Naples, and Margaret, in the
course of a few months, to Aquila and Rieti. Meanwhile, we
heard from her often by letter, and wrote to urge her to join
us in our villa at Sorrento. During this summer, she wrote
constantly upon her history of the Italian movement, for which
she had collected materials through the past winter. We did
not again meet, until the following spring, March, 1849, when
we went from Florence back to Rome. Once more we were with
her, then, in most familiar every-day intercourse, and as at
this time a change of government had taken place,--the Pope
having gone to Molo di Gaeta.--we watched with her the great
movements of the day. Ossoli was now actively interested on
the liberal side; he was holding the office of captain in the
_Guardia Civica_, and enthusiastically looking forward to the
success of the new measures.
"During the spring of 1849, Mazzini came to Rome. He went at
once to see Margaret, and at her rooms met Ossoli. After this
interview with Mazzini, it was quite evident that they had
lost something of the faith and hopeful certainty with which
they had regarded the issue, for Mazzini had discovered
the want of singleness of purpose in the leaders of the
Provisional Government. Still zealously Margaret and Ossoli
aided in everything the progress of events; and when it was
certain that the French had landed forces at Civita Vecchia,
and would attack Rome, Ossoli took station with his men on the
walls of the Vatican gardens, where he remained faithfully
to the end of the attack. Margaret had, at the same time, the
entire charge of one of the hospitals, and was the assistant
of the Princess Belgioioso, in charge of '_dei Pellegrini_,'
where, during the first day, they received seventy wounded
men, French and Romans.
"Night and day, Margaret was occupied, and, with the princess,
so ordered and disposed the hospitals, that their conduct was
truly admirable. All the work was skilfully divided, so
that there was no confusion or hurry and, from the chaotic
condition in which these places had been left by the
priests,--who previously had charge of them,--they brought
them to a state of perfect regularity and discipline. Of money
they had very little, and they were obliged to give their time
and thoughts, in its place. From the Americans in Rome, they
raised a subscription for the aid of the wounded of either
party; but, besides this, they had scarcely any means to use.
I have walked through the wards with Margaret, and seen how
comforting was her presence to the poor suffering men. 'How
long will the Signora stay?' 'When will the Signora come
again?' they eagerly asked. For each one's peculiar tastes she
had a care: to one she carried books; to another she told the
news of the day; and listened to another's oft-repeated tale
of wrongs, as the best sympathy she could give. They raised
themselves up on their elbows, to get the last glimpse of her
as she was going away. There were some of the sturdy fellows
of Garibaldi's Legion there, and to them she listened, as they
spoke with delight of their chief, of his courage and
skill; for he seemed to have won the hearts of his men in a
remarkable manner.
"One incident I may as well narrate in this connection. It
happened, that, some time before the coming of the French,
while Margaret was travelling quite by herself, on her
return from a visit to her child, who was out at nurse in the
country, she rested for an hour or two at a little wayside
_osteria_. While there, she was startled by the _padrone_,
who, with great alarm, rushed into the room, and said, 'We
are quite lost! here is the Legion Garibaldi! These men always
pillage, and, if we do not give all up to them without pay,
they will kill us.' Margaret looked out upon the road, and
saw that it was quite true, that the legion was coming
thither with all speed. For a moment, she said, she felt
uncomfortably; for such was the exaggerated account of the
conduct of the men, that she thought it quite possible that
they would take her horses, and so leave her without the means
of proceeding on her journey. On they came, and she determined
to offer them a lunch at her own expense; having faith that
gentleness and courtesy was the best protection from injury.
Accordingly, as soon as they arrived, and rushed boisterously
into the _osteria_, she rose, and said to the _padrone_, 'Give
these good men wine and bread on my account; for, after their
ride, they must need refreshment.' Immediately, the noise and
confusion subsided; with respectful bows to her, they seated
themselves and partook of the lunch, giving her an account of
their journey. When she was ready to go, and her _vettura_ was
at the door, they waited upon her, took down the steps,
and assisted her with much gentleness and respectfulness of
manner, and she drove off, wondering how men with such natures
could have the reputation they had. And, so far as we could
gather, except in this instance, their conduct was of a most
disorderly kind.
"Again, on another occasion, she showed how great was her
power over rude men. This was when two _contadini_ at Rieti,
being in a violent quarrel, had rushed upon each other with
knives. Margaret was called by the women bystanders, as the
Signora who could most influence them to peace. She went
directly up to the men, whose rage was truly awful to behold,
and, stepping between them, commanded them to separate. They
parted, but with such a look of deadly revenge, that Margaret
felt her work was but half accomplished. She therefore sought
them out separately, and talked with each, urging forgiveness;
it was long, however, before she could see any change of
purpose, and only by repeated conversations was it, that she
brought about her desire, and saw them meet as friends. After
this, her reputation as peace-maker was great, and the women
in the neighborhood came to her with long tales of trouble,
urging her intervention. I have never known anything more
extraordinary than this influence of hers over the passion and
violence of the Italian character. Repeated instances come
to my mind, when a look from her has had more power to quiet
excitement, than any arguments and reasonings that could be
brought to bear upon the subject. Something quite superior and
apart from them, the people thought her, and yet knew her as
the gentle and considerate judge of their vices.
"I may also mention here, that Margaret's charities, according
to her means, were larger than those of any other whom I ever
knew. At one time, in Rome, while she lived upon the simplest,
slenderest fare, spending only some ten or twelve cents a day
for her dinner, she lent, unsolicited, her last fifty dollars
to an artist, who was then in need. That it would ever be
returned to her, she did not know; but the doubt did not
restrain the hand from giving. In this instance, it was soon
repaid her; but her charities were not always towards the most
deserving. Repeated instances of the false pretences, under
which demands for charity are made, were known to her after
she had given to unworthy objects; but no experience of this
sort ever checked her kindly impulse to give, and being once
deceived taught her no lesson of distrust. She ever listened
with ready ear to all who came to her in any form of distress.
Indeed, to use the language of another friend, 'the prevalent
impression at Rome, among all who knew her, was, that she was
a mild saint and a ministering angel.'
"I have, in order to bring in these instances of her influence
on those about her, deviated from my track. We return to the
life she led in Rome during the attack of the French, and her
charge of the hospitals, where she spent daily some seven or
eight hours, and, often, the entire night. Her feeble frame
was a good deal shaken by so uncommon a demand upon her
strength, while, at the same time, the anxiety of her mind was
intense. I well remember how exhausted and weary she was;
how pale and agitated she returned to us after her day's and
night's watching; how eagerly she asked for news of Ossoli,
and how seldom we had any to give her, for he was unable to
send her a word for two or three days at a time. Letters
from the country there were few or none, as the communication
between Rieti and Rome was cut off.
"After one such day, she called me to her bedside, and said
that I must consent, for her sake, to keep the SECRET she was
about to confide. Then she told me of her marriage; where her
child was, and where he was born; and gave me certain papers
and parchment documents which I was to keep; and, in the event
of her and her husband's death, I was to take the boy to her
mother in America, and confide him to her care, and that of
her friend, Mrs. ----.
"The papers thus given me, I had perfect liberty to read; but
after she had told me her story, I desired no confirmation of
this fact, beyond what her words had given. One or two of the
papers she opened, and we together read them. One was written
on parchment, in Latin, and was a certificate, given by the
priest who married them, saying that Angelo Eugene Ossoli was
the legal heir of whatever title and fortune should come to
his father. To this was affixed his seal, with those of the
other witnesses, and the Ossoli crest was drawn in full
upon the paper. There was also a book, in which Margaret had
written the history of her acquaintance and marriage with
Ossoli, and of the birth of her child. In giving that to
me, she said, 'If I do not survive to tell this myself to my
family, this book will be to them invaluable. Therefore keep
it for them. If I live, it will be of no use, for my word will
be all that they will ask.' I took the papers, and locked them
up. Never feeling any desire to look into them, I never did;
and as she gave them to me, I returned them to her, when I
left Rome for Switzerland.
"After this, she often spoke to me of the necessity there
had been, and still existed, for her keeping her marriage
a secret. At the time, I argued in favor of her making it
public, but subsequent events have shown me the wisdom of her
decision. The _explanation_ she gave me of the secret marriage
was this:
"They were married in December, soon after,--as I think,
though I am not positive,--the death of the old Marquis
Ossoli. The estate he had left was undivided, and the two
brothers, attached to the Papal household, were to be the
executors. This patrimony was not large, but, when fairly
divided, would bring to each a little property,--an income
sufficient, with economy, for life in Rome. Everyone knows,
that law is subject to ecclesiastical influence in Rome, and
that marriage with a Protestant would be destructive to all
prospects of favorable administration. And beside being
of another religious faith, there was, in this case, the
additional crime of having married a liberal,--one who had
publicly interested herself in radical views. Taking the two
facts together, there was good reason to suppose, that, if the
marriage were known, Ossoli must be a beggar, and a banished
man, under the then existing government; while, by waiting a
little, there was a chance,--a fair one, too,--of an honorable
post under the new government, whose formation every one was
anticipating. Leaving Rome, too, at that time, was deserting
the field wherein they might hope to work much good, and where
they felt that they were needed. Ossoli's brothers had
long before begun to look jealously upon him. Knowing his
acquaintance with Margaret, they feared the influence she
might exert over his mind in favor of liberal sentiments, and
had not hesitated to threaten him with the Papal displeasure.
Ossoli's education had been such, that it certainly argues an
uncommon elevation of character, that he remained so firm and
single in his political views, and was so indifferent to the
pecuniary advantages which his former position offered, since,
during many years, the Ossoli family had been high in favor
and in office, in Rome, and the same vista opened for his own
future, had he chosen to follow their lead. The Pope left
for Molo di Gaeta, and then came a suspension of all legal
procedure, so that the estate was never divided, before we
left Italy, and I do not know that it has ever been.
"Ossoli had the feeling, that, while his own sister and family
could not be informed of his marriage, no others should know
of it; and from day to day they hoped on for the favorable
change which should enable them to declare it. Their child was
born; and, for his sake, in order to defend him, as Margaret
said, from the stings of poverty, they were patient waiters
for the restored law of the land. Margaret felt that she
would, at any cost to herself, gladly secure for her child a
condition above want; and, although it was a severe trial,--as
her letters to us attest,--she resolved to wait, and hope,
and keep her secret. At the time when she took me into her
confidence, she was so full of anxiety and dread of some
shock, from which she might not recover, that it was
absolutely necessary to make it known to some friend. She
was living with us at the time, and she gave it to me. Most
sacredly, but timidly, did I keep her secret; for, all the
while, I was tormented with a desire to be of active service
to her, and I was incapacitated from any action by the
position in which I was placed.
"Ossoli's post was one of considerable danger, he being in one
of the most exposed places; and, as Margaret saw his wounded
and dying comrades, she felt that another shot might take him
from her, or bring him to her care in the hospital. Eagerly
she watched the carts, as they came up with their suffering
loads, dreading that her worst fears might be confirmed. No
argument of ours could persuade Ossoli to leave his post to
take food or rest. Sometimes we went to him, and carried a
concealed basket of provisions, but he shared it with so many
of his fellows, that his own portion must have been almost
nothing. Haggard, worn, and pale, he walked over the Vatican
grounds with us, pointing out, now here, now there, where some
poor fellow's blood sprinkled the wall; Margaret was with us,
and for a few moments they could have an anxious talk about
their child.
"To get to the child, or to send to him, was quite impossible,
and for days they were in complete ignorance about him. At
length, a letter came; and in it the nurse declared that
unless they should immediately send her, in advance-payment, a
certain sum of money, she would altogether abandon Angelo. It
seemed, at first, impossible to forward the money, the road
was so insecure, and the bearer of any parcel was so likely
to be seized by one party or the other, and to be treated as
a spy. But finally, after much consideration, the sum was sent
to the address of a physician, who had been charged with the
care of the child. I think it did reach its destination, and
for a while answered the purpose of keeping the wretched woman
faithful to her charge."
AQUILA AND RIETI.
Extracts from Margaret's and Ossoli's letters will guide us more into
the heart of this home-tragedy, so sanctified with holy hope, sweet
love, and patient heroism. They shall be introduced by a passage from
a journal written many years before.
"My Child! O, Father, give me a bud on my tree of life, so scathed
by the lightning and bound by the frost! Surely a being born
wholly of my being, would not let me lie so still and cold in
lonely sadness. This is a new sorrow; for always, before, I have
wanted a superior or equal, but now it seems that only the feeling
of a parent for a child could exhaust the richness of one's soul.
All powerful Nature, how dost thou lead me into thy heart and
rebuke every factitious feeling, every thought of pride, which has
severed me from the Universe! How did I aspire to be a pure flame,
ever pointing upward on the altar! But these thoughts of
consecration, though true to the time, are false to the whole.
There needs no consecration to the wise heart for all is pervaded
by One Spirit, and the Soul of all existence is the Holy of
Holies. I thought ages would pass, before I had this parent
feeling, and then, that the desire would rise from my fulness of
being. But now it springs up in my poverty and sadness. I am well
aware that I ought not to be so happy. I do not deserve to be well
beloved in any way, far less as the mother by her child. I am too
rough and blurred an image of the Creator, to become a bestower of
life. Yet, if I refuse to be anything else than my highest self,
the true beauty will finally glow out in fulness."
At what cost, were bought the blessings so long pined for! Early in
the summer of 1848, Margaret left Rome for Aquila, a small, old town,
once a baronial residence, perched among the mountains of Abruzzi. She
thus sketches her retreat:--
"I am in the midst of a theatre of glorious, snow-crowned
mountains, whose pedestals are garlanded with the olive and
mulberry, and along whose sides run bridle-paths, fringed with
almond groves and vineyards. The valleys are yellow with saffron
flowers; the grain fields enamelled with the brilliant blue
corn-flower and red poppy. They are of intoxicating beauty, and
like nothing in America. The old genius of Europe has so mellowed
even the marbles here, that one cannot have the feeling of holy
virgin loneliness, as in the New World. The spirits of the dead
crowd me in most solitary places. Here and there, gleam churches
or shrines. The little town, much ruined, lies on the slope of a
hill, with the houses of the barons gone to decay, and unused
churches, over whose arched portals are faded frescoes, with the
open belfry, and stone wheel-windows, always so beautiful. Sweet
little paths lead away through the fields to convents,--one of
Passionists, another of Capuchins; and the draped figures of the
monks, pacing up and down the hills, look very peaceful. In the
churches still open, are pictures, not by great masters, but of
quiet, domestic style, which please me much, especially one of the
Virgin offering her breast to the child Jesus. There is often
sweet music in these churches; they are dressed with fresh
flowers, and the incense is not oppressive, so freely sweeps
through them the mountain breeze."
Here Margaret remained but a month, while Ossoli was kept fast by
his guard duties in Rome. "_Addio, tutto caro_," she writes; "I shall
receive you with the greatest joy, when you can come. If it were
only possible to be nearer to you! for, except the good air and the
security, this place does not please me." And again:--"How much I
long to be near you! You write nothing of yourself, and this makes me
anxious and sad. Dear and good! I pray for thee often, now that it
is all I can do for thee. We must hope that Destiny will at last
grow weary of persecuting. Ever thy affectionate." Meantime Ossoli
writes:--"Why do you not send me tidings of yourself, every post-day?
since the post leaves Aquila three times a week. I send you journals
or letters every time the post leaves Rome. You should do the same.
Take courage, and thus you will make me happier also; and you can
think how sad I must feel in not being near you, dearest, to care for
all your wants."
By the middle of July, Margaret could bear her loneliness no longer,
and, passing the mountains, advanced to Rieti, within the frontier of
the Papal States. Here Ossoli could sometimes visit her on a Sunday,
by travelling in the night from Rome. "Do not fail to come," writes
Margaret. "I shall have your coffee warm. You will arrive early, and
I can see the diligence pass the bridge from my window." But now
threatened a new trial, terrible under the circumstances, yet met with
the loving heroism that characterized all her conduct. The civic guard
was ordered to prepare for marching to Bologna. Under date of August
17th, Ossoli writes:--"_Mia Cara!_ How deplorable is my state! I have
suffered a most severe struggle. If your condition were other than it
is, I could resolve more easily; but, in the present moment, I cannot
leave you! Ah, how cruel is Destiny! I understand well how much you
would sacrifice yourself for me, and am deeply grateful; but I cannot
yet decide." Margaret is alone, without a single friend, and not only
among strangers, but surrounded by people so avaricious, cunning,
and unscrupulous, that she has to be constantly on the watch to avoid
being fleeced; she is very poor, and has no confidant, even in Rome,
to consult with; she is ill, and fears death in the near crisis; yet
thus, with true Roman greatness, she counsels her husband:--"It seems,
indeed, a marvel how all things go contrary to us! That, just at this
moment, you should be called upon to go away. But do what is for your
honor. If honor requires it, go. I will try to sustain myself. I
leave it to your judgment when to come,--if, indeed, you can ever come
again! At least, we have had some hours of peace together, if now
it is all over. Adieu, love; I embrace thee always, and pray for thy
welfare. Most affectionately, adieu."
* * * * *
From this trial, however, she was spared. Pio Nono hesitated to send
the civic guard to the north of Italy. Then Margaret writes:--"On our
own account, love, I shall be most grateful, if you are not obliged to
go. But how unworthy, in the Pope! He seems now a man without a heart.
And that traitor, Charles Albert! He will bear the curse of all future
ages. Can you learn particulars from Milan? I feel sad for our poor
friends there; how much they must suffer! * * * I shall be much more
tranquil to have you at my side, for it would be sad to die alone,
without the touch of one dear hand. Still, I repeat what I said in my
last; if duty prevents you from coming, I will endeavor to take
care of myself." Again, two days later, she says:--"I feel, love, a
profound sympathy with you, but am not able to give perfectly wise
counsel. It seems to me, indeed, the worst possible moment to take
up arms, except in the cause of duty, of honor; for, with the Pope
so cold, and his ministers so undecided, nothing can be well or
successfully done. If it is possible for you to wait for two or three
weeks, the public state will be determined,--as will also mine,--and
you can judge more calmly. Otherwise, it seems to me that I ought to
say nothing. Only, if you go, come here first. I must see you once
more. Adieu, dear. Our misfortunes are many and unlooked for. Not
often does destiny demand a greater price for some happy moments. Yet
never do I repent of our affection; and for thee, if not for me, I
hope that life has still some good in store. Once again, adieu! May
God give thee counsel and help, since they are not in the power of thy
affectionate Margherita."
On the 5th of September, Ossoli was "at her side," and together, with
glad and grateful hearts, they welcomed their boy; though the father
was compelled to return the next day to Rome. Even then, however, a
new chapter of sorrows was opening. By indiscreet treatment, Margaret
was thrown into violent fever, and became unable to nurse her child.
Her waiting maid, also, proved so treacherous, that she was forced to
dismiss her, and wished "never to set eyes on her more;" and the
family, with whom she was living, displayed most detestable meanness.
Thus helpless, ill, and solitary, she could not even now enjoy the
mother's privilege. Yet she writes cheerfully:--"My present nurse is a
very good one, and I feel relieved. We must have courage but it is a
great care, alone and ignorant, to guard an infant in its first days
of life. He is very pretty for his age; and, without knowing what name
I intended giving him, the people in the house call him _Angiolino_,
because he is so lovely." Again:--"He is so dear! It seems to me,
among all disasters and difficulties, that if he lives and is well, he
will become a treasure for us two, that will compensate us for
everything." And yet again:--"This ---- is faithless, like the rest.
Spite of all his promises, he will not bring the matter to inoculate
Nino, though, all about us, persons are dying with small-pox. I cannot
sleep by night, and I weep by day, I am so disgusted; but you are too
far off to help me. The baby is more beautiful every hour. He is worth
all the trouble he causes me,--poor child that I am,--alone here, and
abused by everybody."
Yet new struggles; new sorrows! Ossoli writes:--
"Our affairs must be managed with the utmost caution imaginable, since
my thought would be to keep the baby out of Rome for the sake of
greater secrecy, if only we can find a good nurse who will take care
of him like a mother." To which Margaret replies:--"He is always so
charming, how can I ever, ever leave him! I wake in the night,--I look
at him. I think: Ah, it is impossible! He is so beautiful and good, I
could die for him!" Once more:--"In seeking rooms, do not pledge me to
remain in Rome, for it seems to me, often, I cannot stay long without
seeing the boy. He is so dear, and life seems so uncertain. It is
necessary that I should be in Rome a month, at least, to write, and
also to be near you. But I must be free to return here, if I feel too
anxious and suffering for him. O, love! how difficult is life! But
thou art good! If it were only possible to make thee happy!" And,
finally, "Signora speaks very highly of ----, the nurse of Angelo,
and says that her aunt is an excellent woman, and that the brothers
are all good. Her conduct pleases me well. This consoles me a little,
in the prospect of leaving my child, if that is necessary."
So, early in November, Ossoli came for her, and they returned
together. In December, however, Margaret passed a week more with her
darling, making two fatiguing and perilous journeys, as snows had
fallen on the mountains, and the streams were much swollen by the
rains. And then, from the combined motives of being near her husband,
watching and taking part in the impending struggle of liberalism,
earning support by her pen, preparing her book, and avoiding
suspicion, she remained for three months in Rome. "How many nights I
have passed," she writes, "entirely in contriving possible means, by
which, through resolution and effort on my part, that one sacrifice
could be avoided. But it was impossible. I could not take the nurse
from her family; I could not remove Angelo, without immense difficulty
and risk. It is singular, how everything has worked to give me more
and more sorrow. Could I but have remained in peace, cherishing the
messenger dove, I should have asked no more, but should have felt
overpaid for all the pains and bafflings of my sad and broken life."
In March, she flies back to Rieti, and finds "our treasure in the best
of health, and plump, though small. When first I took him in my arms,
he made no sound, but leaned his head against my bosom, and kept it
there, as if he would say, How could you leave me? They told me, that
all the day of my departure he would not be comforted, always looking
toward the door. He has been a strangely precocious infant, I think,
through sympathy with me, for I worked very hard before his birth,
with the hope that all my spirit might be incarnated in him. In
that regard, it may have been good for him to be with these more
instinctively joyous natures. I see that he is more serene, is less
sensitive, than when with me, and sleeps better. The most solid
happiness I have known has been when he has gone to sleep in my arms.
What cruel sacrifices have I made to guard my secret for the present,
and to have the mode of disclosure at my own option! It will, indeed,
be just like all the rest, if these sacrifices are made in vain."
* * * * *
At Rieti, Margaret rested till the middle of April, when, returning
once more to Rome, she was, as we have seen, shut up within the
beleagured city.
The siege ended, the anxious mother was free to seek her child once
more, in his nest among the mountains. Her fears had been but too
prophetic. "Though the physician sent me reassuring letters," she
writes, "I yet often seemed to hear Angelino calling to me amid the
roar of the cannon, and always his tone was of crying. And when I
came, I found mine own fast waning to the tomb! His nurse, lovely and
innocent as she appeared, had betrayed him, for lack of a few _scudi_!
He was worn to a skeleton; his sweet, childish grace all gone!
Everything I had endured seemed light to what I felt when I saw him
too weak to smile, or lift his wasted little hand. Now, by incessant
care, we have brought him back,--who knows if that be a deed of
love?--into this hard world once more. But I could not let him go,
unless I went with him; and I do hope that the cruel law of my life
will, at least, not oblige us to be separated. When I saw his first
returning smile,--that poor, wan, feeble smile!--and more than four
weeks we watched him night and day, before we saw it,--new resolution
dawned in my heart. I resolved to live, day by day, hour by hour, for
his dear sake. So, if he is only treasure lent,--if he too must go, as
sweet Waldo, Pickie, Hermann, did,--as all _my_ children do!--I shall
at least have these days and hours with him."
How intolerable was this last blow to one stretched so long on the
rack, is plain from Margaret's letters. "I shall never again," she
writes, "be perfectly, be religiously generous, so terribly do I need
for myself the love I have given to other sufferers. When you read
this, I hope your heart will be happy; for I still like to know that
others are happy,--it consoles me." Again her agony wrung from
her these bitter words,--the bitterest she ever uttered,--words of
transient madness, yet most characteristic:--"Oh God! help me, is
all my cry. Yet I have little faith in the Paternal love I need, so
ruthless or so negligent seems the government of this earth. I feel
calm, yet sternly, towards Fate. This last plot against me has been
so cruelly, cunningly wrought, that I shall never acquiesce. I submit,
because useless resistance is degrading, but I demand an explanation.
I see that it is probable I shall never receive one, while I live
here, and suppose I can bear the rest of the suspense, since I have
comprehended all its difficulties in the first moments. Meanwhile,
I live day by day, though not on manna." But now comes a sweeter,
gentler strain:--"I have been the object of great love from the
noble and the humble; I have felt it towards both. Yet I am _tired
out_,--tired of thinking and hoping,--tired of seeing men err and
bleed. I take interest in some plans,--Socialism for instance,--but
the interest is shallow as the plans. These are needed, are even
good; but man will still blunder and weep, as he has done for so many
thousand years. Coward and footsore, gladly would I creep into some
green recess, where I might see a few not unfriendly faces, and where
not more wretches should come than I could relieve. Yes! I am weary,
and faith soars and sings no more. Nothing good of me is left except
at the bottom of the heart, a melting tenderness:--'She loves much.'"
CALM AFTER STORM.
Morning rainbows usher in tempests, and certainly youth's romantic
visions had prefigured a stormy day of life for Margaret. But there
was yet to be a serene and glowing hour before the sun went down.
Angelo grew strong and lively once more; rest and peace restored her
elasticity of spirit, and extracts from various letters will show in
what tranquil blessedness, the autumn and winter glided by. After a
few weeks' residence at Rieti, the happy three journeyed on, by way
of Perugia, to Florence, where they arrived at the end of September.
Thence, Margaret writes:--
It was so pleasant at Perugia! The pure mountain air is such perfect
elixir, the walks are so beautiful on every side, and there is so much
to excite generous and consoling feelings! I think the works of the
Umbrian school are never well seen except in their home;--they suffer
by comparison with works more rich in coloring, more genial, more full
of common life. The depth and tenderness of their expression is lost
on an observer stimulated to a point out of their range. Now, I can
prize them. We went every morning to some church rich in pictures,
returning at noon for breakfast. After breakfast, we went into the
country, or to sit and read under the trees near San Pietro. Thus I
read Nicolo di' Lapi, a book unenlivened by a spark of genius, but
interesting, to me, as illustrative of Florence.
Our little boy gained strength rapidly there;--every day he was able
to go out with us more. He is now full of life and gayety. We hope he
will live, and grow into a stout man yet.
Our journey here was delightful;--it is the first time I have seen
Tuscany when the purple grape hangs garlanded from tree to tree. We
were in the early days of the vintage: the fields were animated by men
and women, some of the latter with such pretty little bare feet, and
shy, soft eyes, under the round straw hat. They were beginning to cut
the vines, but had not done enough to spoil any of the beauty.
Here, too, I feel better pleased than ever before. Florence seems so
cheerful and busy, after ruined Rome, I feel as if I could forget the
disasters of the day, for a while, in looking on the treasures she
inherits.
* * * * *
To-day we have been out in the country, and found a little chapel,
full of _contadine,_ their lovers waiting outside the door. They
looked charming in their black veils,--the straw hat hanging on the
arm,--with shy, glancing eyes, and cheeks pinched rosy by the cold;
for it is cold here as in New England. On foot, we have explored a
great part of the environs; and till now I had no conception of
their beauty. When here before, I took only the regular drives, as
prescribed for all lady and gentlemen travellers. This evening we
returned by a path that led to the banks of the Arno. The Duomo, with
the snowy mountains, were glorious in the rosy tint and haze,
just before sunset. What a difference it makes to come home to a
child!--how it fills up all the gaps of life, just in the way that is
most consoling, most refreshing! Formerly, I used to feel sad at that
hour; the day had not been nobly spent, I had not done my duty to
myself and others, and I felt so lonely! Now I never feel lonely; for,
even if my little boy dies, our souls will remain eternally united.
And I feel _infinite_ hope for him,--hope that he will serve God
and man more loyally than I have done; and, seeing how full he is
of life,--how much he can afford to throw away,--I feel the
inexhaustibleness of nature, and console myself for my own
incapacities.
* * * * *
_Florence, Oct. 14, 1849._--Weary in spirit, with the deep
disappointments of the last year, I wish to dwell little on these
things for the moment, but seek some consolation in the affections.
My little boy is quite well now, and I often am happy in seeing how
joyous and full of activity he seems. Ossoli, too, feels happier here.
The future is full of difficulties for us, but, having settled our
plans for the present, we shall set it aside while we may. "Sufficient
for the day is the evil thereof;" and if the good be not always
sufficient, in our case it is; so let us say grace to our dinner of
herbs.
* * * * *
_Florence, Nov. 7._--Dearest Mother,--Of all your endless acts and
words of love, never was any so dear to me as your last letter;--so
generous, so sweet, so holy! What on earth is so precious as a
mother's love; and who has a mother like mine!
I was thinking of you and my father, all that first day of October,
wishing to write, only there was much to disturb me that day, as the
police were threatening to send us away. It is only since I have had
my own child that I have known how much I always failed to do what I
might have done for the happiness of you both; only since I have
seen so much of men and their trials, that I have learned to prize my
father as he deserved; only since I have had a heart daily and hourly
testifying to me its love, that I have understood, too late, what it
was for you to be deprived of it. It seems to me as if I had never
sympathized with you as I ought, or tried to embellish and sustain
your life, as far as is possible, after such an irreparable wound.
It will be sad for me to leave Italy, uncertain of return. Yet when
I think of you, beloved mother; of brothers and sisters, and many
friends, I wish to come. Ossoli is perfectly willing. He leaves in
Rome a sister, whom he dearly loves. His aunt is dying now. He will
go among strangers; but to him, as to all the young Italians, America
seems the land of liberty. He hopes, too, that a new revolution will
favor return, after a number of years, and that then he may find
really a home in Italy. All this is dark;--we can judge only for the
present moment. The decision will rest with me, and I shall wait
till the last moment, as I always do, that I may have all the reasons
before me.
I thought, to-day, ah, if she could only be with us now! But who knows
how long this interval of peace will last? I have learned to
prize such, as the halcyon prelude to the storm. It is now about a
fortnight, since the police gave us leave to stay, and we feel safe
in our little apartment. We have no servant except the nurse, with
occasional aid from the porter's wife, and now live comfortably so,
tormented by no one, helping ourselves. In the evenings, we have a
little fire now;--the baby sits on his stool between us. He makes me
think how I sat on mine, in the chaise, between you and father. He is
exceedingly fond of flowers;--he has been enchanted, this evening, by
this splendid Gardenia, and these many crimson flowers that were given
me at Villa Correggi, where a friend took us in his carriage. It was a
luxury, this ride, as we have entirely renounced the use of a carriage
for ourselves. How enchanted you would have been with that villa! It
seems now as if, with the certainty of a very limited income, we could
be so happy! But I suppose, if we had it, one of us would die, or the
baby. Do not you die, my beloved mother;--let us together have some
halcyon moments, again, with God, with nature, with sweet childhood,
with the remembrance of pure trust and good intent; away from perfidy
and care, and the blight of noble designs.
Ossoli wishes you were here, almost as much as I. When there is
anything really lovely and tranquil, he often says, "Would not '_La
Madre_' like that?" He wept when he heard your letter. I never saw
him weep at any other time, except when his father died, and when the
French entered Rome. He has, I think, even a more holy feeling about
a mother, from having lost his own, when very small. It has been a
life-long want with him. He often shows me a little scar on his face,
made by a jealous dog, when his mother was caressing him as an infant.
He prizes that blemish much.
* * * * *
_Florence, December_ 1, 1849.--I do not know what to write about the
baby, he changes so much,--has so many characters. He is like me in
that, for his father's character is simple and uniform, though not
monotonous, any more than are the flowers of spring flowers of the
valley. Angelino is now in the most perfect rosy health,--a very gay,
impetuous, ardent, but sweet-tempered child. He seems to me to have
nothing in common with his first babyhood, with its ecstatic smiles,
its exquisite sensitiveness, and a distinction in the gesture and
attitudes that struck everybody. His temperament is apparently changed
by taking the milk of these robust women. He is now come to quite a
knowing age,--fifteen months.
In the morning, as soon as dressed, he signs to come into our room;
then draws our curtain with his little dimpled hand, kisses me rather
violently, pats my face, laughs, crows, shows his teeth, blows like
the bellows, stretches himself, and says "_bravo_." Then, having shown
off all his accomplishments, he expects, as a reward, to be tied in
his chair, and have his playthings. These engage him busily, but still
he calls to us to sing and drum, to enliven the scene. Sometimes he
summons me to kiss his hand, and laughs very much at this. Enchanting
is that baby-laugh, all dimples and glitter,--so strangely arch and
innocent! Then I wash and dress him. That is his great time. He makes
it last as long as he can, insisting to dress and wash me the while,
kicking, throwing the water about, and full of all manner of tricks,
such as, I think, girls never dream of. Then comes his walk;--we have
beautiful walks here for him, protected by fine trees, always warm in
mid-winter. The bands are playing in the distance, and children of
all ages are moving about, and sitting with their nurses. His walk and
sleep give me about three hours in the middle of the day.
I feel so refreshed by his young life, and Ossoli diffuses such a
power and sweetness over every day, that I cannot endure to think yet
of our future. Too much have we suffered already, trying to command
it. I do not feel force to make any effort yet. I suppose that very
soon now I must do something, and hope I shall feel able when the time
comes. My constitution seems making an effort to rally, by dint of
much sleep. I had slept so little, for a year and a half, and, after
the birth of the child, I had such anxiety and anguish when separated
from him, that I was consumed as by nightly fever. The last two
months at Rome would have destroyed almost any woman. Then, when I
went to him, he was so ill, and I was constantly up with him at night,
carrying him about. Now, for two months, we have been tranquil. We
have resolved to enjoy being together as much as we can, in this brief
interval,--perhaps all we shall ever know of peace. It is very sad we
have no money, we could be so quietly happy a while. I rejoice in
all Ossoli did; but the results, in this our earthly state, are
disastrous, especially as my strength is now so impaired. This much I
hope, in life or death, to be no more separated from Angelino.
Last winter, I made the most vehement efforts at least to redeem the
time, hoping thus good for the future. But, of at least two volumes
written at that time, no line seems of any worth. I had suffered much
constraint,--much that was uncongenial, harassing, even torturing,
before; but this kind of pain found me unprepared;--the position of a
mother separated from her only child is too frightfully unnatural.
* * * * *
The Christmas holidays interest me now, through my child, as they
never did for myself. I like to go out to watch the young generation
who will be his contemporaries. On Monday, we went to the _Caseine_.
After we had taken the drive, we sat down on a stone seat in the sunny
walk, to see the people pass;--the Grand Duke and his children;
the elegant Austrian officers, who will be driven out of Italy when
Angelino is a man; Princess Demidoff; Harry Lorrequer; an absurd brood
of fops; many lovely children; many little frisking dogs, with their
bells, &c. The sun shone brightly on the Arno; a barque moved gently
by; all seemed good to the baby. He laid himself back in my arms,
smiling, singing to himself, and dancing his feet. I hope he will
retain some trace in his mind of the perpetual exhilarating picture of
Italy. It cannot but be important in its influence while yet a child,
to walk in these stately gardens, full of sculpture, and hear the
untiring music of the fountains.
Christmas-eve we went to the Annunziata, for midnight mass. Though the
service is not splendid here as in Rome, we yet enjoyed it;--sitting
in one of the side chapels, at the foot of a monument, watching
the rich crowds steal gently by, every eye gleaming, every gesture
softened by the influence of the pealing choir, and the hundred silver
lamps swinging their full light, in honor of the abused Emanuel.
But far finest was it to pass through the Duomo. No one was there.
Only the altars were lit up, and the priests, who were singing, could
not be seen by the faint light. The vast solemnity of the interior
is thus really felt. The hour was worthy of Brunelleschi. I hope he
walked there so. The Duomo is more divine than St. Peter's, and worthy
of genius pure and unbroken. St. Peter's is, like Rome, a mixture of
sublimest heaven with corruptest earth. I adore the Duomo, though no
place can now be to me like St. Peter's, where has been passed the
splendidest part of my life. My feeling was always perfectly regal, on
entering the piazza of St. Peter's. No spot on earth is worthier the
sunlight;--on none does it fall so fondly.
* * * * *
You ask me, how I employ myself here. I have been much engaged in
writing out my impressions, which will be of worth so far as correct.
I am anxious only to do historical justice to facts and persons; but
there will not, so far as I am aware, be much thought, for I believe
I have scarce expressed what lies deepest in my mind. I take no pains,
but let the good genius guide my pen. I did long to lead a simple,
natural life, _at home_, learning of my child, and writing only when
imperatively urged by the need of utterance; but when we were forced
to give up the hope of subsisting on a narrow independence, without
tie to the public, we gave up the peculiar beauty of our lives, and I
strive no more. I only hope to make good terms with the publishers.
Then, I have been occupied somewhat in reading Louis Blanc's Ten
Years, Lamartine's Girondists, and other books of that class, which
throw light on recent transactions.
I go into society, too, somewhat, and see several delightful persons,
in an intimate way. The Americans meet twice a week, at the house of
Messrs. Mozier and Chapman, and I am often present, on account of
the friendly interest of those resident here. With our friends, the
Greenoughs, I have twice gone to the opera. Then I see the Brownings
often, and love and admire them both, more and more, as I know them
better. Mr. Browning enriches every hour I pass with him, and is
a most cordial, true, and noble man. One of my most highly prized
Italian friends, also, Marchioness Arconati Visconti, of Milan, is
passing the winter here, and I see her almost every day.
* * * * *
My love for Ossoli is most pure and tender, nor has any one, except my
mother or little children, loved me so genuinely as he does. To some,
I have been obliged to make myself known; others have loved me with a
mixture of fancy and enthusiasm, excited by my talent at embellishing
life. But Ossoli loves me from simple affinity;--he loves to be
with me, and to serve and soothe me. Life will probably be a severe
struggle, but I hope I shall be able to live through all that is
before us, and not neglect my child or his father. He has suffered
enough since we met;--it has ploughed furrows in his life. He has
done all he could, and cannot blame himself. Our outward destiny looks
dark, but we must brave it as we can. I trust we shall always feel
mutual tenderness, and Ossoli has a simple, childlike piety, that will
make it easier for him.
MARGARET AND HER PEERS.
Pure and peaceful as was the joy of Margaret's Florence winter, it was
ensured and perfected by the fidelity of friends, who hedged around
with honor the garden of her home. She had been called to pass through
a most trying ordeal, and the verdict of her peers was heightened
esteem and love. With what dignified gratitude she accepted this
well-earned proof of confidence, will appear from the following
extracts.
TO MRS. E.S.
Thus far, my friends have received news that must have been an
unpleasant surprise to them, in a way that, _á moi_, does them great
honor. None have shown littleness or displeasure, at being denied my
confidence while they were giving their own. Many have expressed the
warmest sympathy, and only one has shown a disposition to transgress
the limit I myself had marked, and to ask questions. With her, I
think, this was because she was annoyed by what people said, and
wished to be able to answer them. I replied to her, that I had
communicated already all I intended, and should not go into
detail;--that when unkind things were said about me, she should let
them pass. Will you, dear E----, do the same? I am sure your affection
for me will prompt you to add, that you feel confident whatever I
have done has been in a good spirit, and not contrary to _my_ ideas
of right. For the rest, you will not admit for me,--as I do not for
myself,--the rights of the social inquisition of the United States to
know all the details of my affairs. If my mother is content; if Ossoli
and I are content; if our child, when grown up, shall be content; that
is enough. You and I know enough of the United States to be sure that
many persons there will blame whatever is peculiar. The lower-minded
persons, everywhere, are sure to think that whatever is mysterious
must be bad. But I think there will remain for me a sufficient number
of friends to keep my heart warm, and to help me earn my bread;--that
is all that is of any consequence. Ossoli seems to me more lovely and
good every day; our darling child is well now, and every day more gay
and playful. For his sake I shall have courage; and hope some good
angel will show us the way out of our external difficulties.
TO W.W.S.
It was like you to receive with such kindness the news of my marriage.
A less generous person would have been displeased, that, when we had
been drawn so together,--when we had talked so freely, and you had
shown towards me such sweet friendship,--I had not told you. Often did
I long to do so, but I had, for reasons that seemed important, made
a law to myself to keep this secret as rigidly as possible, up to a
certain moment. That moment came. Its decisions were not such as I had
hoped; but it left me, at least, without that painful burden, which
I trust never to bear again. Nature keeps so many secrets, that I
had supposed the moral writers exaggerated the dangers and plagues of
keeping them; but they cannot exaggerate. All that can be said about
mine is, that I at least acted out, with, to me, tragic thoroughness,
"The wonder, a woman keeps a secret." As to my not telling _you_, I
can merely say, that I was keeping the information from my family and
dearest friends at home; and, had you remained near me a very little
later, you would have been the very first person to whom I should have
spoken, as you would have been the first, on this side of the water,
to whom I should have written, had I known where to address you. Yet
I hardly hoped for your sympathy, dear W----. I am very glad if I
have it. May brotherly love ever be returned unto you in like measure.
Ossoli desires his love and respect to be testified to you both.
TO THE MARCHIONESS VISCONTI ARCONATI.
Reading a book called "The Last Days of the Republic in Rome," I see
that my letter, giving my impressions of that period, may well have
seemed to you strangely partial. If we can meet as once we did,
and compare notes in the same spirit of candor, while making mutual
allowance for our different points of view, your testimony and
opinions would be invaluable to me. But will you have patience with my
democracy,--my revolutionary spirit? Believe that in thought I am more
radical than ever. The heart of Margaret you know,--it is always the
same. Mazzini is immortally dear to me--a thousand times deafer for
all the trial I saw made of him in Rome;--dearer for all he suffered.
Many of his brave friends perished there. We who, less worthy,
survive, would fain make up for the loss, by our increased devotion
to him, the purest, the most disinterested of patriots, the most
affectionate of brothers. You will not love me less that I am true to
him.
Then, again, how will it affect you to know that I have united my
destiny with that of an obscure young man,--younger than myself; a
person of no intellectual culture, and in whom, in short, you will
see no reason for my choosing; yet more, that this union is of long
standing; that we have with us our child, of a year old, and that it
is only lately I acquainted my family with the fact?
If you decide to meet with me as before, and wish to say something
about the matter to your friends, it will be true to declare that
there have been pecuniary reasons for this concealment. But _to
you_, in confidence, I add, this is only half the truth; and I cannot
explain, or satisfy my dear friend further. I should wish to meet
her independent of all relations, but, as we live in the midst of
"society," she would have to inquire for me now as Margaret Ossoli.
That being done, I should like to say nothing more on the subject.
However you may feel about all this, dear Madame Arconati, you will
always be the same in my eyes. I earnestly wish you may not feel
estranged; but, if you do, I would prefer that you should act upon it.
Let us meet as friends, or not at all. In all events, I remain ever
yours,
MARGARET.
TO THE MARCHIONESS VISCONTI ARCONATI.
My loved friend,--I read your letter with greatest content. I did not
know but that there might seem something offensively strange in the
circumstances I mentioned to you. Goethe says, "There is nothing men
pardon so little as singular conduct, for which no reason is given;"
and, remembering this, I have been a little surprised at the even
increased warmth of interest with which the little American society of
Florence has received me, with the unexpected accessories of husband
and child,--asking no questions, and seemingly satisfied to find me
thus accompanied. With you, indeed, I thought it would be so, because
you are above the world; only, as you have always walked in the beaten
path, though with noble port, and feet undefiled, I thought you might
not like your friends to be running about in these blind alleys. It
glads my heart, indeed, that you do not care for this, and that we may
meet in love.
You speak of our children. Ah! dear friend, I do, indeed, feel we
shall have deep sympathy there. I do not believe mine will be a
brilliant child, and, indeed, I see nothing peculiar about him. Yet he
is to me a source of ineffable joys,--far purer, deeper, than anything
I ever felt before,--like what Nature had sometimes given, but more
intimate, more sweet. He loves me very much; his little heart clings
to mine. I trust, if he lives, to sow there no seeds which are not
good, to be always growing better for his sake. Ossoli, too, will be
a good father. He has very little of what is called intellectual
development, but unspoiled instincts, affections pure and constant,
and a quiet sense of duty, which, to me,--who have seen much of the
great faults in characters of enthusiasm and genius,--seems of highest
value.
When you write by post, please direct "Marchesa Ossoli," as all the
letters come to that address. I did not explain myself on that point.
The fact is, it looks to me silly for a radical like me to be carrying
a title; and yet, while Ossoli is in his native land, it seems
disjoining myself from him, not to bear it. It is a sort of thing that
does not naturally belong to me, and, unsustained by fortune, is but a
_souvenir_ even for Ossoli. Yet it has appeared to me, that for him
to drop an inherited title would be, in some sort, to acquiesce in
his brothers' disclaiming him, and to abandon a right he may passively
wish to maintain for his child. How does it seem to you? I am not
very clear about it. If Ossoli should drop the title, it would be
a suitable moment to do so on becoming an inhabitant of Republican
America.
TO MRS. C.T.
What you say of the meddling curiosity of people repels me, it is so
different here. When I made my appearance with a husband and a child
of a year old, nobody did the least act to annoy me. All were most
cordial; none asked or implied questions. Yet there were not a few who
might justly have complained, that, when they were confiding to me
all their affairs, and doing much to serve me, I had observed absolute
silence to them. Others might, for more than one reason, be displeased
at the choice I made. All have acted in the kindliest and most refined
manner. An Italian lady, with whom I was intimate,--who might be
qualified in the Court Journal, as one of the highest rank, sustained
by the most scrupulous decorum,--when I wrote, "Dear friend, I am
married; I have a child. There are particulars, as to my reasons for
keeping this secret, I do not wish to tell. This is rather an odd
affair; will it make any difference in our relations?"--answered,
"What difference can it make, except that I shall love you more, now
that we can sympathize as mothers?" Her first visit here was to me:
she adopted at once Ossoli and the child to her love.
---- wrote me that ---- was a little hurt, at first, that I did not
tell him, even in the trying days of Rome, but left him to hear it, as
he unluckily did, at the _table d'hôte_ in Venice; but his second
and prevailing thought was regret that he had not known it, so as to
soothe and aid me,--to visit Ossoli at his post,--to go to the child
in the country. Wholly in that spirit was the fine letter he wrote
me, one of my treasures. The little American society have been most
cordial and attentive; one lady, who has been most intimate with me,
dropped a tear over the difficulties before me, but she said, "Since
you have seen fit to take the step, all your friends have to do, now,
is to make it as easy for you as they can."
TO MRS. E.S.
I am glad to have people favorably impressed, because I feel lazy and
weak, unequal to the trouble of friction, or the pain of conquest.
Still, I feel a good deal of contempt for those so easily disconcerted
or reässured. I was not a child; I had lived in the midst of that New
England society, in a way that entitled me to esteem, and a favorable
interpretation, where there was doubt about my motives or actions. I
pity those who are inclined to think ill, when they might as well have
inclined the other way. However, let them go; there are many in the
world who stand the test, enough to keep us from shivering to death. I
am, on the whole, fortunate in friends whom I can truly esteem, and
in whom I know the kernel and substance of their being too well to be
misled by seemings.
TO MRS. C.T.
I had a letter from my mother, last summer, speaking of the fact, that
she had never been present at the marriage of one of her children. A
pang of remorse came as I read it, and I thought, if Angelino dies,[A]
I will not give her the pain of knowing that I have kept this secret
from her;--she shall hear of this connection, as if it were something
new. When I found he would live, I wrote to her and others. It half
killed me to write those few letters, and yet, I know, many are
wondering that I did not write more, and more particularly. My mother
received my communication in the highest spirit. She said, she was
sure a first object with me had been, now and always, to save her
pain. She blessed us. She rejoiced that she should not die feeling
there was no one left to love me with the devotion she thought I
needed. She expressed no regret at our poverty, but offered her feeble
means. Her letter was a noble crown to her life of disinterested,
purifying love.
[Footnote A: This was when Margaret found Nino so ill at Rieti.]
FLORENCE.
The following notes respecting Margaret's residence in Florence were
furnished to the editors by Mr. W.H. Hurlbut.
I passed about six weeks in the city of Florence, during the months of
March and April, 1850. During the whole of that time Madame Ossoli was
residing in a house at the corner of the Via della Misericordia and
the Piazza Santa Maria Novella. This house is one of those large, well
built modern houses that show strangely in the streets of the stately
Tuscan city. But if her rooms were less characteristically Italian,
they were the more comfortable, and, though small, had a quiet,
home-like air. Her windows opened upon a fine view of the beautiful
Piazza; for such was their position, that while the card-board façade
of the church of Sta. Maria Novella could only be seen at an angle,
the exquisite Campanile rose fair and full against the sky. She
enjoyed this most graceful tower very much, and, I think, preferred it
even to Giotto's noble work. Its quiet religious grace was grateful to
her spirit, which seemed to be yearning for peace from the cares that
had so vexed and heated the world about her for a year past.
I saw her frequently at these rooms, where, surrounded by her books
and papers, she used to devote her mornings to her literary labors.
Once or twice I called in the morning, and found her quite immersed
in manuscripts and journals. Her evenings were passed usually in
the society of her friends, at her own rooms, or at theirs. With the
pleasant circle of Americans, then living in Florence, she was on the
best terms, and though she seemed always to bring with her her own
most intimate society, and never to be quite free from the company of
busy thoughts, and the cares to which her life had introduced her,
she was always cheerful, and her remarkable powers of conversation
subserved on all occasions the kindliest, purposes of good-will in
social intercourse.
The friends with whom she seemed to be on the terms of most sympathy,
were an Italian lady, the Marchesa Arconati Visconti,[A]--the
exquisite sweetness of whose voice interpreted, even to those who knew
her only as a transient acquaintance, the harmony of her nature,--and
some English residents in Florence, among whom I need only name Mr.
and Mrs. Browning, to satisfy the most anxious friends of Madame
Ossoli that the last months of her Italian life were cheered by all
the light that communion with gifted and noble natures could afford.
The Marchesa Arconati used to persuade Madame Ossoli to occasional
excursions with her into the environs of Florence, and she passed some
days of the beautiful spring weather at the villa of that lady.
Her delight in nature seemed to be a source of great comfort and
strength to her. I shall not easily forget the account she gave me, on
the evening of one delicious Sunday in April, of a walk which she had
taken with her husband in the afternoon of that day, to the hill of
San Miniato. The amethystine beauty of the Apennines,--the
cypress trees that sentinel the way up to the ancient and deserted
church,--the church itself, standing high and lonely on its hill,
begirt with the vine-clad, crumbling walls of Michel Angelo,--the
repose of the dome-crowned city in the vale below,--seemed to have
wrought their impression with peculiar force upon her mind that
afternoon. On their way home, they had entered the conventual church
that stands half way up the hill, just as the vesper service was
beginning, and she spoke of the simple spirit of devotion that filled
the place, and of the gentle wonder with which, to use her own words,
the "peasant women turned their glances, the soft dark glances of
the Tuscan peasant's eyes," upon the strangers, with a singular
enthusiasm. She was in the habit of taking such walks with her
husband, and she never returned from one of them, I believe, without
some new impression of beauty and of lasting truth. While her
judgment, intense in its sincerity, tested, like an _aqua regia_, the
value of all facts that came within her notice, her sympathies
seemed, by an instinctive and unerring action, to transmute all her
experiences instantly into permanent treasures.
The economy of the house in which she lived afforded me occasions
for observing the decisive power, both of control and of consolation,
which she could exert over others. Her maid,--an impetuous girl of
Rieti, a town which rivals Tivoli as a hot-bed of homicide,--was
constantly involved in disputes with a young Jewess, who occupied the
floor above Madame Ossoli. On one occasion, this Jewess offered the
maid a deliberate and unprovoked insult. The girl of Rieti, snatching
up a knife, ran up stairs to revenge herself after her national
fashion. The porter's little daughter followed her and, running
into Madame Ossoli's rooms, besought her interference. Madame Ossoli
reached the apartment of the Jewess, just in time to interpose between
that beetle-browed lady and her infuriated assailant. Those who
know the insane license of spirit which distinguishes the Roman
mountaineers, will understand that this was a position of no slight
hazard. The Jewess aggravated the danger of the offence by the
obstinate maliciousness of her aspect and words. Such, however, was
Madame Ossoli's entire self-possession and forbearance, that she was
able to hold her ground, and to remonstrate with this difficult pair
of antagonists so effectually, as to bring the maid to penitent tears,
and the Jewess to a confession of her injustice, and a promise of
future good behavior.
The porter of the house, who lived in a dark cavernous hole on the
first floor, was slowly dying of a consumption, the sufferings of
which were imbittered by the chill dampness of his abode. His hollow
voice and hacking cough, however, could not veil the grateful accent
with which he uttered any allusion to Madame Ossoli. He was so close
a prisoner to his narrow, windowless chamber, that when I inquired for
Madame Ossoli he was often obliged to call his little daughter, before
he could tell me whether Madame was at home, or not; and he always
tempered the official uniformity of the question with some word
of tenderness. Indeed, he rarely pronounced her name; sufficiently
indicating to the child whom it was that I was seeking, by the
affectionate epithet he used, "_Lita! e la cara Signora in casa_?"
The composure and force of Madame Ossoli's character would, indeed,
have given her a strong influence for good over any person with whom
she was brought into contact; but this influence must have been even
extraordinary over the impulsive and ill-disciplined children of
passion and of sorrow, among whom she was thrown in Italy.
Her husband related to me once, with a most reverent enthusiasm, some
stories of the good she had done in Rieti, during her residence there.
The Spanish troops were quartered in that town, and the dissipated
habits of the officers, as well as the excesses of the soldiery, kept
the place in a constant irritation. Though overwhelmed with cares and
anxieties, Madame Ossoli found time and collectedness of mind enough
to interest herself in the distresses of the towns-people, and to pour
the soothing oil of a wise sympathy upon their wounded and indignant
feelings. On one occasion, as the Marchese told me, she undoubtedly
saved the lives of a family in Rieti, by inducing them to pass over
in silence an insult offered to one of them by an intoxicated Spanish
soldier,--and, on another, she interfered between two brothers,
maddened by passion, and threatening to stain the family hearth with
the guilt of fratricide.[B]
Such incidents, and the calm tenor of Madame Ossoli's confident
hopes.--the assured faith and unshaken bravery, with which she met and
turned aside the complicated troubles, rising sometimes into absolute
perils, of their last year in Italy,--seemed to have inspired her
husband with a feeling of respect for her, amounting to reverence.
This feeling, modifying the manifest tenderness with which he hung
upon her every word and look, and sought to anticipate her simplest
wishes, was luminously visible in the air and manner of his
affectionate devotion to her.
The frank and simple recognition of his wife's singular nobleness,
which he always displayed, was the best evidence that his own nature
was of a fine and noble strain. And those who knew him best, are, I
believe, unanimous in testifying that his character did in no respect
belie the evidence borne by his manly and truthful countenance, to
its warmth and its sincerity. He seemed quite absorbed in his wife and
child. I cannot remember ever to have found Madame Ossoli alone, on
those evenings when she remained at home. Her husband was always with
her. The picture of their room rises clearly on my memory. A small
square room, sparingly, yet sufficiently furnished, with polished
floor and frescoed ceiling,--and, drawn up closely before the cheerful
fire, an oval table, on which stood a monkish lamp of brass, with
depending chains that support quaint classic cups for the olive
oil. There, seated beside his wife, I was sure to find the Marchese,
reading from some patriotic book, and dressed in the dark brown,
red-corded coat of the Guardia Civica, which it was his melancholy
pleasure to wear at home. So long as the conversation could be carried
on in Italian, he used to remain, though he rarely joined in it to any
considerable degree; but if a number of English and American visitors
came in, he used to take his leave and go to the Café d'Italia,
being very unwilling, as Madame Ossoli told me, to impose any seeming
restraint, by his presence, upon her friends, with whom he was unable
to converse. For the same reason, he rarely remained with her at
the houses of her English or American friends, though he always
accompanied her thither, and returned to escort her home.
I conversed with him so little that I can hardly venture to make any
remarks on the impression which I received from his conversation,
with regard to the character of his mind. Notwithstanding his general
reserve and curtness of speech, on two or three occasions he showed
himself to possess quite a quick and vivid fancy, and even a certain
share of humor. I have heard him tell stories remarkably well. One
tale, especially, which related to a dream he had in early life, about
a treasure concealed in his father's house, which was thrice repeated,
and made so strong an impression on his mind as to induce him to
batter a certain panel in the library almost to pieces, in vain, but
which received something like a confirmation from the fact, that a
Roman attorney, who rented that and other rooms from the family, after
his father's death, grew suddenly and unaccountably rich,--I remember
as being told with great felicity and vivacity of expression.
His recollections of the trouble and the dangers through which he
had passed with his wife seemed to be overpoweringly painful. On one
occasion, he began to tell me a story of their stay in the mountains:
He had gone out to walk, and had unconsciously crossed the
Neapolitan frontier. Suddenly meeting with a party of the Neapolitan
_gendarmerie_, he was called to account for his trespass, and being
unable to produce any papers testifying to his loyalty, or
the legality of his existence, he was carried off, despite his
protestations, and lodged for the night in a miserable guard-house,
whence he-was taken, next morning, to the head-quarters of the officer
commanding in the neighborhood. Here, matters might have gone badly
with him, but for the accident that he had upon his person a business
letter directed to himself as the Marchese Ossoli. A certain abbé, the
regimental chaplain, having once spent some time in Rome, recognized
the name as that of an officer in the Pope's Guardia Nobile,[C]
whereupon, the Neapolitan officers not only ordered him to be
released, but sent him back, with many apologies, in a carriage, and
under an armed escort, to the Roman territory. When he reached this
part of his story, and came to his meeting with Madame Ossoli,
the remembrance of her terrible distress during the period of his
detention so overcame him, that he was quite unable to go on.
Towards their child he manifested an overflowing tenderness, and most
affectionate care.
Notwithstanding the intense contempt and hatred which Signore Ossoli,
in common with all the Italian liberals, cherished towards the
ecclesiastical body, he seemed to be a very devout Catholic. He used
to attend regularly the vesper service, in some of the older and
quieter churches of Florence; and, though I presume Madame Ossoli
never accepted in any degree the Roman Catholic forms of faith, she
frequently accompanied him on these occasions. And I know that she
enjoyed the devotional influences of the church ritual, as performed
in the cathedral, and at Santa Croce, especially during the
Easter-week.
Though condemned by her somewhat uncertain position at Florence,[D]
as well as by the state of things in Tuscany at that time, to a
comparative inaction, Madame Ossoli never seemed to lose in the least
the warmth of her interest in the affairs of Italy, nor did she bate
one jot of heart or hope for the future of that country. She was much
depressed, however, I think, by the apparent apathy and prostration
of the Liberals in Tuscany; and the presence of the Austrian troops in
Florence was as painful and annoying to her, as it could have been
to any Florentine patriot. When it was understood that Prince
Lichtenstein had requested the Grand Duke to order a general
illumination in honor of the anniversary of the battle of Novara,
Madame Ossoli, I recollect, was more moved, than I remember on
any other occasion to have seen her. And she used to speak very
regretfully of the change which had come over the spirit of Florence,
since her former residence there. Then all was gayety and hope. Bodies
of artisans, gathering recruits as they passed along, used to form
themselves into choral bands, as they returned from their work at the
close of the day, and filled the air with the chants of liberty. Now,
all was a sombre and desolate silence.
Her own various cares so occupied Madame Ossoli that she seemed to be
very much withdrawn from the world of art. During the whole time of my
stay in Florence, I do not think she once visited either of the Grand
Ducal Galleries, and the only studio in which she seemed to feel any
very strong interest, was that of Mademoiselle Favand, a lady whose
independence of character, self-reliance, and courageous genius, could
hardly have failed to attract her congenial sympathies.
But among all my remembrances of Madame Ossoli, there are none more
beautiful or more enduring than those which recall to me another
person, a young stranger, alone and in feeble health, who found, in
her society, her sympathy, and her counsels, a constant atmosphere of
comfort and of peace. Every morning, wild-flowers, freshly gathered,
were laid upon her table by the grateful hands of this young man;
every evening, beside her seat in her little room, his mild, pure face
was to be seen, bright with a quiet happiness, that must have bound
his heart by no weak ties to her with whose fate his own was so
closely to be linked.
And the recollection of such benign and holy influences breathed upon
the human hearts of those who came within her sphere, will not, I
trust, be valueless to those friends, in whose love her memory is
enshrined with more immortal honors than the world can give or take
away.
[Footnote A: Just before I left Florence, Madame Ossoli showed me a
small marble figure of a child, playing among flowers or vine leaves,
which, she said, was a portrait of the child of Madame Arconati,
presented to her by that lady. I mention this circumstance, because I
have understood that a figure answering this description was recovered
from the wreck of the Elizabeth.]
[Footnote B: The circumstances of this story, perhaps, deserve to
be recorded. The brothers were two young men, the sons and the
chief supports of Madame Ossoli's landlord at Rieti. They were both
married,--the younger one to a beautiful girl, who had brought him no
dowry, and who, in the opinion of her husband's family, had not shown
a proper disposition to bear her share of the domestic burdens and
duties. The bickerings and disputes which resulted from this state
of affairs, on one unlucky day, took the form of an open and violent
quarrel. The younger son, who was absent from home when the conflict
began, returned to find it at its height, and was received by his wife
with passionate tears, and by his relations with sharp recriminations.
His brother, especially, took it upon himself to upbraid him, in the
name of all his family, for bringing into their home-circle such a
firebrand of discord. Charges and counter charges followed in rapid
succession, and hasty words soon led to blows. From blows the appeal
to the knife was swiftly made, and when Madame Ossoli, attracted by
the unusual clamor, entered upon the scene of action, she found that
blood had been already drawn, and that the younger brother was only
restrained from following up the first assault by the united force of
all the females, who hung about him, while the older brother, grasping
a heavy billet of wood, and pale with rage, stood awaiting his
antagonist. Passing through the group of weeping and terrified women,
Madame Ossoli made her way up to the younger brother and, laying her
hand upon his shoulder, asked him to put down his weapon and listen to
her. It was in vain that he attempted to ignore her presence. Before
the spell of her calm, firm, well-known voice, his fury melted away.
She spoke to him again, and besought him to show himself a man, and
to master his foolish and wicked rage. With a sudden impulse, he flung
his knife upon the ground, turned to Madame Ossoli, clasped and kissed
her hand, and then running towards his brother, the two met in a
fraternal embrace, which brought the threatened tragedy to a joyful
termination.]
[Footnote C: It will be understood, that this officer was the
Marchese's older brother, who still adheres to the Papal cause.]
[Footnote D: She believed herself to be, and I suppose really
was, under the surveillance of the police during her residence in
Florence.]
HOMEWARD.
BY W.H. CHANNING
* * * * *
Last, having thus revealed all I could love
And having received all love bestowed on it,
I would die: so preserving through my course
God full on me, as I was full on men:
And He would grant my prayer--"I have gone through
All loveliness of life; make more for me,
If not for men,--or take me to Thyself,
Eternal, Infinite Love!"
BROWNING.
Till another open for me
In God's Eden-land unknown,
With an angel at the doorway,
White with gazing at His Throne;
And a saint's voice in the palm-trees, singing,--"ALL IS LOST, and _won_."
ELIZABETH BARRETT.
La ne venimmo: e lo scaglión primaio
Bianco marmo éra si pulito e terso,
Ch'io mi specchiava in esso, qual io paio.
Era 'l secondo tinto, píù che pérso,
D'una petrina ruvida ed arsiccia,
Crepata per lo lungo e per traverso.
Lo terzo, che di sopra s'ammassiccia,
Pôrfido mi parea si fiammegiante,
Come sangue che fuor di vena spiccia.
Sopra questa teneva ambo le piante
L' angel di Dio, sedendo in su la soglia,
Che mi sembiava pietra di diamante.
Per li tre gradi su di buona voglia
Mi trasse 'l daca mio, dicendo, chiodi
Umilmente che 'l serráme scioglia.
DANTE.
Che luce è questa, e qual nuova beltate?
Dicean tra lor; perch' abito si adorno
Dal mondo errante a quest 'alto soggiorno
Non sail mai in tutta questa etàte.
Ella contenta aver cangiato albergo,
Si paragona pur coi più perfetti.
PETRARCA.
IX.
HOMEWARD
SPRING-TIME.
Spring, bright prophet of God's eternal youth, herald forever
eloquent of heaven's undying joy, has once more wrought its miracle of
resurrection on the vineyards and olive-groves of Tuscany, and touched
with gently-wakening fingers the myrtle and the orange in the gardens
of Florence. The Apennines have put aside their snowy winding-sheet,
and their untroubled faces salute with rosy gleams of promise the new
day, while flowers smile upward to the serene sky amid the grass and
grain fields, and fruit is swelling beneath the blossoms along the
plains of Arno. "The Italian spring," writes Margaret, "is as good as
Paradise. Days come of glorious sunshine and gently-flowing airs, that
expand the heart and uplift the whole nature. The birds are twittering
their first notes of love; the ground is enamelled with anemones,
cowslips, and crocuses; every old wall and ruin puts on its festoon
and garland; and the heavens stoop daily nearer, till the earth is
folded in an embrace of light, and her every pulse beats music."
"This world is indeed a sad place, despite its sunshine, birds, and
crocuses. But I never felt as happy as now, when I always find the
glad eyes of my little boy to welcome me. I feel the tie between him
and me so real and deep-rooted, that even death shall not part us. So
sweet is this unimpassioned love, it knows no dark reactions, it
does not idealize, and cannot be daunted by the faults of its object.
Nothing but a child can take the worst bitterness out of life, and
break the spell of loneliness. I shall not be alone in other worlds,
whenever Eternity may call me."
And now her face is turned homeward. "I am homesick," she had written
years before, "but where is that HOME?"
OMENS.
"My heart is very tired,--my strength is low,--
My hands are full of blossoms plucked before,
Held dead within them till myself shall die."
ELIZABETH BARRETT.
Many motives drew Margaret to her native land: heart-weariness at the
reaction in Europe; desire of publishing to best advantage the book
whereby she hoped at once to do justice to great principles and brave
men, and to earn bread for her dear ones and herself; and, above all,
yearning to be again among her family and earliest associates. "I
go back," she writes, "prepared for difficulties; but it will be a
consolation to be with my mother, brothers, sister, and old friends,
and I find it imperatively necessary to be in the United States, for
a while at least, to make such arrangements with the printers as may
free me from immediate care. I did think, at one time, of coming alone
with Angelino, and then writing for Ossoli to come later, or returning
to Italy; knowing that it will be painful for him to go, and that
there he must have many lonely hours. But he is separated from his old
employments and natural companions, while no career is open for him at
present. Then, I would not take his child away for several months; for
his heart is fixed upon him as fervently as mine. And, again, it would
not only be very strange and sad to be so long without his love
and care, but I should be continually solicitous about his welfare.
Ossoli, indeed, cannot but feel solitary at first, and I am much more
anxious about his happiness than my own. Still, he will have our boy,
and the love of my family, especially of my mother, to cheer him, and
quiet communings with nature give him pleasure so simple and profound,
that I hope he will make a new life for himself, in our unknown
country, till changes favor our return to his own. I trust, that we
shall find the means to come together, and to remain together."
Considerations of economy determined them, spite of many misgivings,
to take passage in a merchantman from Leghorn. "I am suffering," she
writes, "as never before, from the horrors of indecision. Happy
the fowls of the air, who do not have to think so much about their
arrangements! The barque _Elizabeth_ will take us, and is said to be
an uncommonly good vessel, nearly new, and well kept. We may be two
months at sea, but to go by way of France would more than double the
expense. Yet, now that I am on the point of deciding to come in her,
people daily dissuade me, saying that I have no conception of what
a voyage of sixty or seventy days will be in point of fatigue
and suffering; that the insecurity, compared with packet-ships or
steamers, is great; that the cabin, being on deck, will be terribly
exposed, in case of a gale, &c., &c. I am well aware of the proneness
of volunteer counsellors to frighten and excite one, and have
generally disregarded them. But this time I feel a trembling
solicitude on account of my child, and am doubtful, harassed, almost
ill." And again, under date of April 21, she says: "I had intended,
if I went by way of France, to take the packet-ship _'Argo_,' from
Havre; and I had requested Mrs. ---- to procure and forward to me some
of my effects left at Paris, in charge of Miss F----, when, taking
up _Galignani_, my eye fell on these words: 'Died, 4th of April, Miss
F----; 'and, turning the page, I read, 'The wreck of the _Argo_,'--a
somewhat singular combination! There were notices, also, of the loss
of the fine English steamer _Adelaide_, and of the American packet
_John Skiddy._ Safety is not to be secured, then, by the wisest
foresight. I shall embark more composedly in our merchant-ship,
praying fervently, indeed, that it may not be my lot to lose my boy
at sea, either by unsolaced illness, or amid the howling waves; or, if
so, that Ossoli, Angelo, and I may go together, and that the anguish
may be brief."
Their state-rooms were taken, their trunks packed, their preparations
finished, they were just leaving Florence, when letters came, which,
had they reached her a week earlier, would probably have induced them
to remain in Italy. But Margaret had already by letter appointed a
rendezvous for the scattered members of her family in July; and she
would not break her engagements with the commander of the barque. It
was destined that they were to sail,--to sail in the _Elizabeth_, to
sail then. And, even in the hour of parting, clouds, whose tops were
golden in the sunshine, whose base was gloomy on the waters, beckoned
them onward. "Beware of the sea," had been a singular prophecy, given
to Ossoli when a boy, by a fortune-teller, and this was the first ship
he had ever set his foot on. More than ordinary apprehensions of risk,
too, hovered before Margaret. "I am absurdly fearful," she writes,
"and various omens have combined to give me a dark feeling. I am
become indeed a miserable coward, for the sake of Angelino. I fear
heat and cold, fear the voyage, fear biting poverty. I hope I shall
not be forced to be as brave for him, as I have been for myself, and
that, if I succeed to rear him, he will be neither a weak nor a bad
man. But I love him too much! In case of mishap, however, I shall
perish with my husband and my child, and we may be transferred to
some happier state." And again: "I feel perfectly willing to stay my
threescore years and ten, if it be thought I need so much tuition from
this planet; but it seems to me that my future upon earth will soon
close. It may be terribly trying, but it will not be so very long,
now. God will transplant the root, if he wills to rear it into
fruit-bearing." And, finally: "I have a vague expectation of some
crisis,--I know not what. But it has long seemed, that, in the year
1850, I should stand on a plateau in the ascent of life, where I
should be allowed to pause for a while, and take more clear and
commanding views than ever before. Yet my life proceeds as regularly
as the fates of a Greek tragedy, and I can but accept the pages as
they turn." * *
* * * * *
These were her parting words:--
"_Florence, May 14, 1850._--I will believe, I shall be welcome
with my treasures,--my husband and child. For me, I long so much
to see you! Should anything hinder our meeting upon earth, think
of your daughter, as one who always wished, at least, to do her
duty, and who always cherished you, according as her mind opened
to discover excellence.
"Give dear love, too, to my brothers; and first to my eldest,
faithful friend! Eugene; a sister's love to Ellen; love to my kind
and good aunts, and to my dear cousin. E.,--God bless them!
"I hope we shall be able to pass some time together yet, in this
world. But, if God decrees otherwise,--here and HEREAFTER,--my
dearest mother,
"Your loving child, MARGARET."
THE VOYAGE.[A]
The seventeenth of May, the day of sailing, came, and the _Elizabeth_
lay waiting for her company. Yet, even then, dark presentiments
so overshadowed Margaret, that she passed one anxious hour more in
hesitation, before she could resolve to go on board. But Captain Hasty
was so fine a model of the New England seaman, strong-minded, prompt,
calm, decided, courteous; Mrs. Hasty was so refined, gentle, and
hospitable; both had already formed so warm an attachment for the
little family, in their few interviews at Florence and Leghorn;
Celeste Paolini, a young Italian girl, who had engaged to render
kindly services to Angelino, was so lady-like and pleasing; their only
other fellow-passenger, Mr. Horace Sumner, of Boston, was so obliging
and agreeable a friend; and the good ship herself looked so trim,
substantial, and cheery, that it seemed weak and wrong to turn back.
They embarked; and, for the first few days, all went prosperously,
till fear was forgotten. Soft breezes sweep them tranquilly over the
smooth bosom of the Mediterranean; Angelino sits among his heaps of
toys, or listens to the seraphine, or leans his head with fondling
hands upon the white goat, who is now to be his foster-parent, or in
the captain's arms moves to and fro, gazing curiously at spars and
rigging, or watches with delight the swelling canvass; while, under
the constant stars, above the unresting sea, Margaret and Ossoli
pace the deck of their small ocean-home, and think of storms left
behind,--perhaps of coming tempests.
But now Captain Hasty fell ill with fever, could hardly drag himself
from his state-room to give necessary orders, and lay upon the bed or
sofa, in fast-increased distress, though glad to bid Nino good-day, to
kiss his cheek, and pat his hand. Still, the strong man grew weaker,
till he could no longer draw from beneath the pillow his daily friend,
the Bible, though his mind was yet clear to follow his wife's voice,
as she read aloud the morning and evening chapter. But alas for the
brave, stout seaman! alas for the young wife, on almost her first
voyage! alas for crew! alas for company! alas for the friends of
Margaret! The fever proved to be confluent small-pox, in the most
malignant form. The good commander had received his release from
earthly duty. The _Elizabeth_ must lose her guardian. With calm
con-[Transcriber's note: A word appears to be missing here.]
authorities refused permission for any one to land, and directed that
the burial should be made at sea. As the news spread through the port,
the ships dropped their flags half-mast, and at sunset, towed by the
boat of a neighboring frigate, the crew of the _Elizabeth_ bore the
body of their late chief, wrapped in the flag of his nation, to its
rest in deep water. Golden twilight flooded the western sky, and
shadows of high-piled clouds lay purple on the broad Atlantic. In that
calm, summer sunset funeral, what eye foresaw the morning of horror,
of which it was the sad forerunner?
At Gibraltar, they were detained a week by adverse winds, but, on the
9th of June, set sail again. The second day after, Angelino sickened
with the dreadful malady, and soon became so ill, that his life was
despaired of. His eyes were closed, his head and face swollen out of
shape, his body covered with eruption. Though inexperienced in the
disease, the parents wisely treated their boy with cooling drinks, and
wet applications to the skin; under their incessant care, the fever
abated, and, to their unspeakable joy, he rapidly recovered. Sobered
and saddened, they could again hope, and enjoy the beauty of the calm
sky and sea. Once more Nino laughs, as he splashes in his morning
bath, and playfully prolongs the meal, which the careful father has
prepared with his own hand, or, if he has been angered, rests his head
upon his mother's breast, while his palm is pressed against her cheek,
as, bending down, she sings to him; once more, he sits among his toys,
or fondles and plays with the white-haired goat, or walks up and down
in the arms of the steward, who has a boy of just his age, at home,
now waiting to embrace him; or among the sailors, with whom he is a
universal favorite, prattles in baby dialect as he tries to imitate
their cry, to work the pumps, and pull the ropes. Ossoli and Sumner,
meanwhile, exchange alternate lessons in Italian and English. And
Margaret, among her papers, gives the last touches to her book on
Italy, or with words of hope and love comforts like a mother the
heart-broken widow. Slowly, yet peacefully, pass the long summer days,
the mellow moonlit nights; slowly, and with even flight, the good
Elizabeth, under gentle airs from the tropics, bears them safely
onward. Four thousand miles of ocean lie behind; they are nearly home.
THE WRECK.
"There are blind ways provided, the foredone
Heart-weary player in this pageant world
Drops out by, letting the main masque defile
By the conspicuous portal:--I am through,
Just through."
BROWNING.
On Thursday, July 18th, at noon, the Elizabeth was off the Jersey
coast, somewhere between Cape May and Barnegat; and, as the weather
was thick, with a fresh breeze blowing from the east of south,
the officer in command, desirous to secure a good offing, stood
east-north-east. His purpose was, when daylight showed the highlands
of Neversink, to take a pilot, and run before the wind past Sandy
Hook. So confident, indeed, was he of safety, that he promised his
passengers to land them early in the morning at New York. With this
hope, their trunks were packed, the preparations made to greet their
friends, the last good-night was spoken, and with grateful hearts
Margaret and Ossoli put Nino to rest, for the last time, as they
thought, on ship-board,--for the last time, as it was to be, on earth!
By nine o'clock, the breeze rose to a gale, which every hour increased
in violence, till at midnight it became a hurricane. Yet, as the
Elizabeth was new and strong, and as the commander, trusting to an
occasional cast of the lead, assured them that they were not nearing
the Jersey coast,--which alone he dreaded,--the passengers remained in
their state-rooms, and caught such uneasy sleep as the howling storm
and tossing ship permitted. Utterly unconscious, they were, even then,
amidst perils, whence only by promptest energy was it possible to
escape. Though under close-reefed sails, their vessel was making way
far more swiftly than any one on board had dreamed of; and for hours,
with the combined force of currents and the tempest, had been driving
headlong towards the sand-bars of Long Island. About four o'clock, on
Friday morning, July 19th, she struck,--first draggingly, then hard
and harder,--on Fire Island beach.
The main and mizzen masts were at once cut away; but the heavy marble
in her hold had broken through her bottom, and she bilged. Her bow
held fast, her stern swung round, she careened inland, her broadside
was bared to the shock of the billows, and the waves made a clear
breach over her with every swell. The doom of the poor Elizabeth was
sealed now, and no human power could save her. She lay at the mercy of
the maddened ocean.
At the first jar, the passengers, knowing but too well its fatal
import, sprang from their berths. Then came the cry of "Cut away,"
followed by the crash of falling timbers, and the thunder of the seas,
as they broke across the deck. In a moment more, the cabin skylight
was dashed in pieces by the breakers, and the spray, pouring down like
a cataract, put out the lights, while the cabin door was wrenched from
its fastenings, and the waves swept in and out. One scream, one only,
was heard from Margaret's state-room; and Sumner and Mrs. Hasty,
meeting in the cabin, clasped hands, with these few but touching
words: "We must die." "Let us die calmly, then." "I hope so, Mrs.
Hasty." It was in the gray dusk, and amid the awful tumult, that the
companions in misfortune met. The side of the cabin to the leeward had
already settled under water; and furniture, trunks, and fragments of
the skylight were floating to and fro; while the inclined position of
the floor made it difficult to stand; and every sea, as it broke
over the bulwarks, splashed in through the open roof. The windward
cabin-walls, however, still yielded partial shelter, and against it,
seated side by side, half leaning backwards, with feet braced upon
the long table, they awaited what next should come. At first. Nino,
alarmed at the uproar, the darkness, and the rushing water, while
shivering with the wet, cried passionately; but soon his mother,
wrapping him in such garments as were at hand and folding him to her
bosom, sang him to sleep. Celeste too was in an agony of terror, till
Ossoli, with soothing words and a long and fervent prayer, restored
her to self-control and trust. Then calmly they rested, side by side,
exchanging kindly partings and sending messages to friends, if any
should survive to be their bearer. Meanwhile, the boats having been
swamped or carried away, and the carpenter's tools washed overboard,
the crew had retreated to the top-gallant forecastle; but, as the
passengers saw and heard nothing of them, they supposed that the
officers and crew had deserted the ship, and that they were left
alone. Thus passed three hours.
At length, about seven, as there were signs that the cabin would soon
break up, and any death seemed preferable to that of being crushed
among the ruins, Mrs. Hasty made her way to the door, and, looking
out at intervals between the seas as they swept across the vessel
amidships, saw some one standing by the foremast. His face was toward
the shore. She screamed and beckoned, but her voice was lost amid the
roar of the wind and breakers, and her gestures were unnoticed. Soon,
however, Davis, the mate, through the door of the forecastle caught
sight of her, and, at once comprehending the danger, summoned the men
to go to the rescue. At first none dared to risk with him the perilous
attempt; but, cool and resolute, he set forth by himself, and now
holding to the bulwarks, now stooping as the waves combed over,
he succeeded in reaching the cabin. Two sailors, emboldened by his
example, followed. Preparations were instantly made to conduct the
passengers to the forecastle, which, as being more strongly built and
lying further up the sands, was the least exposed part of the ship.
Mrs. Hasty volunteered to go the first. With one hand clasped by
Davis, while with the other each grasped the rail, they started, a
sailor moving close behind. But hardly had they taken three steps,
when a sea broke loose her hold, and swept her into the hatch-way.
"Let me go," she cried, "your life is important to all on board."
But cheerily, and with a smile,[B] he answered, "Not quite yet;" and,
seizing in his teeth her long hair, as it floated past him, he caught
with both hands at some near support, and, aided by the seaman, set
her once again upon her feet. A few moments more of struggle brought
them safely through. In turn, each of the passengers was helped thus
laboriously across the deck, though, as the broken rail and cordage
had at one place fallen in the way, the passage was dangerous and
difficult in the extreme. Angelino was borne in a canvas bag,
slung round the neck of a sailor. Within the forecastle, which was
comparatively dry and sheltered, they now seated themselves, and,
wrapped in the loose overcoats of the seamen, regained some warmth.
Three times more, however, the mate made his way to the cabin; once,
to save her late husband's watch, for Mrs. Hasty; again for some
doubloons, money-drafts, and rings in Margaret's desk; and, finally,
to procure a bottle of wine and a drum of figs for their refreshment.
It was after his last return, that Margaret said to Mrs. Hasty,
"There still remains what, if I live, will be of more value to me than
anything," referring, probably, to her manuscript on Italy; but it
seemed too selfish to ask their brave preserver to run the risk again.
There was opportunity now to learn their situation, and to discuss
the chances of escape. At the distance of only a few hundred yards,
appeared the shore,--a lonely waste of sand-hills, so far as could
be seen through the spray and driving rain. But men had been early
observed, gazing at the wreck, and, later, a wagon had been drawn
upon the beach. There was no sign of a life-boat, however, or of any
attempt at rescue; and, about nine o'clock, it was determined that
some one should try to land by swimming, and, if possible, get help.
Though it seemed almost sure death to trust one's self to the surf, a
sailor, with a life-preserver, jumped overboard, and, notwithstanding
a current drifting him to leeward, was seen to reach the shore.
A second, with the aid of a spar, followed in safety; and Sumner,
encouraged by their success, sprang over also; but, either struck by
some piece of the wreck, or unable to combat with the waves, he sank.
Another hour or more passed by; but though persons were busy gathering
into carts whatever spoil was stranded, no life-boat yet appeared;
and, after much deliberation, the plan was proposed,--and, as it was
then understood, agreed to,--that the passengers should attempt to
land, each seated upon a plank, and grasping handles of rope, while
a sailor swam behind. Here, too, Mrs. Hasty was the first to venture,
under the guard of Davis. Once and again, during their passage, the
plank was rolled wholly over, and once and again was righted, with its
bearer, by the dauntless steersman; and when, at length, tossed by
the surf upon the sands, the half-drowned woman still holding, as in
a death-struggle, to the ropes, was about to be swept back by the
undertow, he caught her in his arms, and, with the assistance of a
bystander, placed her high upon the beach. Thus twice in one day had
he perilled his own life to save that of the widow of his captain,
and even over that dismal tragedy his devotedness casts one gleam of
light.
Now came Margaret's turn. But she steadily refused to be separated
from Ossoli and Angelo. On a raft with them, she would have boldly
encountered the surf, but alone she would not go. Probably, she had
appeared to assent to the plan for escaping upon planks, with the view
of inducing Mrs. Hasty to trust herself to the care of the best man on
board; very possibly, also, she had never learned the result of their
attempt, as, seated within the forecastle, she could not see the
beach. She knew, too, that if a life-boat could be sent, Davis was one
who would neglect no effort to expedite its coming. While she was
yet declining all persuasions, word was given from the deck, that
the life-boat had finally appeared. For a moment, the news lighted up
again the flickering fire of hope. They might yet be saved,--be saved
together! Alas! to the experienced eyes of the sailors it too soon
became evident that there was no attempt to launch or man her. The
last chance of aid from shore, then, was gone utterly. They must rely
on their own strength, or perish. And if ever they were to escape,
the time had come; for, at noon, the storm had somewhat lulled; but
already the tide had turned, and it was plain that the wreck could not
hold together through another flood. In this emergency, the commanding
officer, who until now had remained at his post, once more appealed
to Margaret to try to escape,--urging that the ship would inevitably
break up soon; that it was mere suicide to remain longer; that he did
not feel free to sacrifice the lives of the crew, or to throw away
his own; finally, that he would himself take Angelo, and that sailors
should go with Celeste, Ossoli, and herself. But, as before, Margaret
decisively declared that she would not be parted from her husband or
her child. The order was then given to "save themselves," and all
but four of the crew jumped over, several of whom, together with the
commander, reached shore alive, though severely bruised and wounded by
the drifting fragments. There is a sad consolation in believing that,
if Margaret judged it to be impossible that the _three_ should escape,
she in all probability was right. It required a most rare, combination
of courage, promptness and persistency, to do what Davis had done
for Mrs. Hasty. We may not conjecture the crowd of thoughts which
influenced the lovers, the parents, in this awful crisis; but
doubtless one wish was ever uppermost,--that, God willing, the last
hour might come for ALL, if it must come for _one_.
It was now past three o'clock, and as, with the rising tide, the gale
swelled once more to its former violence, the remnants of the barque
fast yielded to the resistless waves. The cabin went by the board, the
after-parts broke up, and the stem settled out of sight. Soon, too,
the forecastle was filled with water, and the helpless little band
were driven to the deck, where they clustered round the foremast.
Presently, even this frail support was loosened from the hull, and
rose and fell with every billow. It was plain to all that the final
moment drew swiftly nigh. Of the four seamen who still stood by the
passengers, three were as efficient as any among the crew of the
Elizabeth. These were the steward, carpenter, and cook. The fourth was
an old sailor, who, broken down by hardships and sickness, was going
home to die. These men were once again persuading Margaret, Ossoli
and Celeste to try the planks, which they held ready in the lee of
the ship, and the steward, by whom Nino was so much beloved, had just
taken the little fellow in his arms, with the pledge that he would
save him or die, when a sea struck the forecastle, and the foremast
fell, carrying with it the deck, and all upon it. The steward and
Angelino were washed upon the beach, both dead, though warm, some
twenty minutes after. The cook and carpenter were thrown far upon the
foremast, and saved themselves by swimming. Celeste and Ossoli caught
for a moment by the rigging, but the next wave swallowed them up.
Margaret sank at once. When last seen, she had been seated at the foot
of the foremast, still clad in her white night-dress, with her hair
fallen loose upon her shoulders. It was over,--that twelve hours'
communion, face to face, with Death! It was over! and the prayer was
granted, "that Ossoli, Angelo, and I, may go together, and that the
anguish may be brief!"
* * * * *
A passage from the journal of a friend of Margaret, whom the news
of the wreck drew at once to the scene, shall close this mournful
story:--
"The hull of the Elizabeth, with the foremast still bound to
it by cordage, lies so near the shore, that it seems as if
a dozen oar-strokes would carry a boat alongside. And as one
looks at it glittering in the sunshine, and rocking gently in
the swell, it is hard to feel reconciled to our loss. Seven
resolute men might have saved every soul on board. I know how
different was the prospect on that awful morning, when the
most violent gale that had visited our coast for years, drove
the billows up to the very foot of the sand-hills, and when
the sea in foaming torrents swept across the beach into the
bay behind. Yet I cannot but reluctantly declare my judgment,
that this terrible tragedy is to be attributed, so far
as human agency is looked at, to our wretched system, or
_no-system_, of life-boats. The life-boat at Fire Island
light-house, three miles distant only, was not brought to the
beach till between twelve and one o'clock, more than eight
hours after the Elizabeth was stranded, and more than six
hours after the wreck could easily have been seen. When
the life-boat did finally come, the beachmen could not be
persuaded to launch or man her. And even the mortar, by which
a rope could and should have been thrown on board, was not
once fired. A single lesson like this might certainly suffice
to teach the government, insurance companies, and humane
societies, the urgent need, that to every life-boat should
be attached ORGANIZED CREWS, stimulated to do their work
faithfully, by ample pay for actual service, generous
salvage-fees for cargoes and persons, and a pension to
surviving friends where life is lost. * * *
"No trace has yet been found of Margaret's manuscript on
Italy, though the denials of the wreckers as to having seen
it, are not in the least to be depended on. For, greedy
after richer spoil, they might well have overlooked a mass of
written paper; and, even had they kept it, they would be slow
to give up what would so clearly prove their participation
in the heartless robbery, that is now exciting such universal
horror and indignation. Possibly it was washed away before
reaching the shore, as several of the trunks, it is said, were
open and empty, when thrown upon the beach. But it is sad to
think, that very possibly the brutal hands of pirates may have
tossed to the winds, or scattered on the sands, pages so rich
with experience and life. The only papers of value saved, were
the love-letters of Margaret and Ossoli.[C]
"It is a touching coincidence, that the only one of Margaret's
treasures which reached the shore, was the lifeless form of
Angelino. When the body, stripped of every rag by the waves,
was rescued from the surf, a sailor took it reverently in
his arms, and, wrapping it in his neckcloth, bore it to the
nearest house. There, when washed, and dressed in a child's
frock, found in Margaret's trunk, it was laid upon a bed; and
as the rescued seamen gathered round their late playfellow and
pet, there were few dry eyes in the circle. Several of them
mourned for Nino, as if he had been their own; and even the
callous wreckers were softened, for the moment, by a sight
so full of pathetic beauty. The next day, borne upon their
shoulders in a chest, which one of the sailors gave for a
coffin, it was buried in a hollow among the sand heaps. As I
stood beside the lonely little mound, it seemed that never
was seen a more affecting type of orphanage. Around, wiry
and stiff, were scanty spires of beach-grass; near by,
dwarf-cedars, blown flat by wintry winds, stood like grim
guardians; only at the grave-head a stunted wild-rose, wilted
and scraggy, was struggling for existence. Thoughts came
of the desolate childhood of many a little one in this hard
world; and there was joy in the assurance, that Angelo was
neither motherless nor fatherless, and that Margaret and
her husband were not childless in that New World, which so
suddenly they had entered together.
"To-morrow, Margaret's mother, sister, and brothers will
remove Nino's body to New England."
* * * * *
Was this, then, thy welcome home? A howling hurricane, the pitiless
sea, wreck on a sand-bar, an idle life-boat, beach-pirates, and not
one friend! In those twelve hours of agony, did the last scene appear
but as the fitting close for a life of storms, where no safe haven
was ever in reach; where thy richest treasures were so often stranded;
where even the dearest and nearest seemed always too far off, or just
too late, to help.
Ah, no! not so. The clouds were gloomy on the waters, truly; but their
tops were golden in the sun. It was in the Father's House that welcome
awaited thee.
"Glory to God! to God! he saith,
Knowledge by suffering entereth,
And Life is perfected by Death."
[Footnote A: The following account is as accurate, even in minute
details, as conversation with several of the survivors enabled me to
make it.--W.H.C.]
[Footnote B: Mrs. Hasty's own words while describing the incident.]
[Footnote C: The letters from which extracts were quoted in the
previous chapter.]
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