Many a time have I asked myself what
is becoming of my good old Mother in these
wild blasts.
is becoming of my good old Mother in these
wild blasts.
Thomas Carlyle
"
XXVII. CARLYLE TO HIS MOTHER, SCOTSBRIG. LlNLATHEN, DUNDEE,
Tuesday, 12th Sep. 1843.
My dear Mother, -- According to pro-
mise, I write you another little word to an-
nounce that I am safe so far on my way, that
I embark to-morrow and hope to be home on
Friday afternoon. I am heartily desirous of
it! This last part of my travels has been
considerably the weariest, for I have been all
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? TO HIS MOTHER
157
along eager chiefly to have done with it.
Jamie knows how fain I would never have
entered upon it all. He took notice of my
reluctance at Dumfries and how welcome a
shower of rain would have been to me!
However it is near ending now; and I shall
enjoy the quiet of home all the more. One
thing, dear Mother, let me straightway tell
you; that I have not left one of my new
shirts, that the whole six, when I fold them
duly out, are here. I grieve that you should
have had a moment's uneasiness about that
matter, which is due only to my own blind-
ness and numbness; my hope is that you did
not take it up too earnestly, but left the
matter over " till Jenny came. "
I have now got two letters from Jane, the
last of them only yesterday! All is well at
Chelsea; Jack not yet settled in any lodging,
nor in the least decided what to do, but " in
a state of torpor" as Jane says "playing
with the cat. " He was dining with Lady
Clare; that was the last feat recorded of
him. I was much grieved to hear that you
had somehow missed Alick's letter: has it
never yet turned up for you? I am too ig-
norant about the business to form any con-
jecture how it could have come about. Mean-
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? 158 LETTERS OF CASLYLE
while it was very lucky that there came
another letter of the same date for Jack: --
this I am in hopes will be ready for me at
London when I arrive. By the bye, might
it not be that Alick had only meant and fully
intended to write you a letter, and then had
suddenly found that he would not have time
by that mail? Of course the two letters, if
there had been two, would come together: it
is unaccountable how one of them should
drop by the way. What a blessing to us to
hear that poor Alick is safe there and ready
to begin his adventure on fair terms. Jane
says his letter is of very composed tone and
"very practical looking. " She seems to like
the tone of it well. I went over to Edin-
burgh since I last wrote. I there saw Gor-
don, saw various other friends -- with more
or less of labour and fatigue. I spent a fore-
noon with Jeffrey who is very thin and fret-
ful I think; being at any rate weakly, he is
much annoyed at present by a hurt on his
shin -- a quite insignificant thing otherwise,
which however disables him from walking.
Poor Jeffrey! he does not make a nice old
man, he has too little real seriousness in him
for that. On the whole I was heartily glad
to quit Edinburgh again and get away from
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? HOUSEHOLD CHANGES 159
it into quietude across the Frith. I wrote to
Jean at Dumfries one day.
"Carlyle returned from his travels very
bilious," so his wife wrote to Mrs. Aitken in
October, 1843, "and continues very bilious
up to this hour. " He could not refuse a
"certain admiration" at the state of the
house, which had been painted and papered
in his absence. Mrs. Carlyle, with her own
hands, had put down carpets, newly covered
chairs and sofas, and arranged a library ac-
cording to his (expressed) mind. His satis-
faction lasted only three days, for on the
morning of the fourth day "the young lady
next door took a fit of practising on her ac-
cursed piano-forte. " There had then to be
another upheaval: "down went a partition
in one room, up went a new chimney in
another;" and still another library, farther
from the piano, was thus contrived. Finally,
the young lady, charmed by "a seductive
letter" from Carlyle, agreed never to play
until two in the afternoon. The dinner hour
was changed to the middle of the day, be-
cause Carlyle thought it would be better for
his digestion.
Although these changes, which in Mrs.
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? 160 LETTERS OF CAELYLE
Carlyle's account seem planet-shaking, were
in the interest of Cromwell, Cromwell re-
mained persistently unwritable. On the 4th
of December the historian wrote to Sterling:
"Confound it! I have lost four years of
good labour in the business; and still the
more I expend on it, it is like throwing good
labour after bad. " Two days later he put a
better face on it to his mother.
XXVIII. CARLYLE TO HIS MOTHER, SCOTSBRIG.
Chelsea, Monday, 6th Dec. 1843.
My dear Mother, -- We have a letter
from Jean this week, who reports a visit to
you and gives us a description of what you
were about. We were very glad to look in
upon you in that way. Jean describes you
as very well when they came, but since then
(though she tells us of your prohibition to
mention it at all) there has been some ill
turn of health which we long greatly to hear
of the removal of! I study, dear Mother,
not to afflict myself with useless anxieties,
but on the whole it is much better that one
knows exactly how matters do stand, the very
fact, no better and no worse than it is. To-
day there was a little Note from James Ait-
ken apprising us that the Books are come,
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? TO HIS MOTHER
161
that Jenny is with him. He has evidently
heard nothing farther from Scotsbrig, so we
will hope things may have got into their
usual course again there. But Jamie or
somebody may write us a scrap of intelli-
gence, surely? . . .
This is said to be a very unhealthy season
here; for the past two months about two
hundred more deaths in the week have oc-
curred than is usual at this season, but I
rather conjecture it is the result of the long
continued hardship the Poor have been suf-
fering, which now, after wearing out the con-
stitution by hunger and distress of mind, be-
gins to tell more visibly! Our weather is
very mild, soft without any great quantity of
rain and not at all disagreeable. Jane's cold
is gone again and we are in our common
way.
My Book goes on badly, yet I do think
it goes on, in fact it must go: Bore away
at it with continuous boring day and night
and it will be obliged to go! I study how-
ever not to "split my gall" with it, but
to " hasten slowly" as the old Romans said.
When writing will not brother with me at all,
I fling it entirely by and go and walk many
a mile in the country. I have big thick
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? 162 LETTERS OF CARLYLE
shoes, my jacket is waterproof against slight
rain, I take a stick in my hand and walk with
long strides. The farther I walk, the abler
I grow; in fact I am rather in better health,
I think, than usual, if all things are consid-
ered. Jack and I had a long walk after
Tailors for some three hours in the moon-
light streets last night. To-day it is damp,
but I am for a sally again. Alas, it is but a
very poor morning task I have done, but we
cannot help it. Adieu, dear good Mother,
for our sakes take care of yourself. My love
to all.
Yours affection1. 7
T. Carlyle.
Carlyle never liked any portrait of himself.
The one mentioned in the following letter
had made him look like "a flayed horse's
head. "
XXIX. CARLYLE TO HIS MOTHER, SCOTSBRIG.
Chelsea, 10th March, 1844.
My dear Mother, -- It is a shame for me
if I do not write a bit of a letter to you.
There is nothing else I can do for you at
present. I will scribble you a few words of
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? TO HIS MOTHEB
163
news on this paper, let other employments
fare as they can for the present.
I sent your good little note to the Doctor.
Jamie's letter for Alick came duly to hand
and was duly forwarded; I also wrote a let-
ter to Alick myself. Poor fellow, I suppose
he has had a very solitary, meditative winter
of it over in America, and has no doubt had
a great many reflections in his head, looking
back and looking forward, with perhaps sad-
ness enough, but it will do him good, I really
believe. Perhaps this winter, seemingly one
of the idlest he has had, may turn out to be
one of the most profitably occupied. My
own hope and persuasion is that he will now
do well, that he is probably about to begin a
new course of activity on better terms than
before, better terms both inward and out-
ward, and that in fine, poor fellow, he may
begin to see the fruit of his labor round him
and go on with much more peace and pro-
sperity than heretofore. . . . I also like the
tone of his letters, which is much quieter
than it used to be. He does not know, I
suppose, in what direction he is to go when
April arrives. I urged, as Jamie did, that a
healthy quality of situation should outweigh
all other considerations whatever, that for the
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? 164 LETTERS OF CARLYLE
rest all places seemed to me much alike; if
the land were cheap, it would be unfavour-
ably situated &c. I also hinted my notion
that a small piece of good handy soil might
be preferable to a large lot of untowardly,
outlying ground. We can only hope and
pray he may be guided well. We cannot
assist him with any real guidance. Difficul-
ties beset a man everywhere under this sun.
There if he have patience, insight, energy
and justness of mind he will daily conquer
farther, -- not otherwise, either in America
or here. But, as I said, I have never lost
hope with Alick, and I have now better hope
than ever. We will commit him to the all-
wise Governor with many a prayer from the
bottom of all our hearts that it may be well
with him. To hear and know that he does
see good under the sun, fighting his way like
a true man in that new country! -- what a
comfort to you and to every one of us. My
dear Mother, I know your heart is many a
time sad about Alick. He is far away and
there are others of us gone still farther, be-
yond the shores of this earth, whither our
poor thoughts vainly strive to follow them, --
our hearts' love following them still: -- but
we know this one thing, that God is there
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? TO HIS MOTHER
165
also, in America, in the dark Grave itself and
the unseen Eternity -- even He is there too,
and will not He do all things well? We
have no other Anchor of the soul in any of
the tempests, great or little, of this world.
By this let us hold fast and piously hope in
all scenes and seasons whatsoever. Amen.
You bid me "call on Patience" in this
Book of mine. Dear Mother, it is the best
and only good advice that can be given. I do
endeavour to call on patience and sometimes
she comes, and if I keep my shoulder stiffly
at the wheel withal, we shall certainly get
under way by and bye. The thing goes in-
deed, or now promises to go, a little better
with me. I stand to it as I can. But it will
be a terribly difficult job and take a long
time, I think. However, that it is a useful
one, worthy to be done by me I am resolved,
and so I will do it if permitted -- the return
and earthy reward of it may be either great
or small, or even nothing and abuse into the
bargain, just as it likes. Thank Heaven I
can do either or any way as to that, for this
time, and indeed, often when I look at it, the
prizes people get in this world and the kind
of people that get them seem but a ridiculous
business. If there were not something more
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? 166 LETTERS OF CARLYLE
serious behind all that, I think it would
hardly be worth while to live in such a place
as this world at all. In short I hold on the
best I can -- and my good Mother's picture
looking down on me here, seems to bid me
"call on Patience" and persevere like a man. Jane has not been very well in these cold
stormy weeks, but I think is now getting
better again. It is the spring weather, which
this year has been the real winter; all manner
of people are unwell here at present. You in
the North have it still worse, far worse than
we.
Many a time have I asked myself what
is becoming of my good old Mother in these
wild blasts. Surely you keep good fires at
Scotsbrig? Surely you wear the new Hawick
sloughs? Jane finds hers very warm and
nice; but the thing you might improve greatly
and never do is your diet. I think you
should live chiefly on fowl. A hen is always
fair food, divide her into four pieces -- she
makes you an excellent dinner of soup and
meat for four days. This you know very
well for others, but never learn it for your-
self. I am very serious. You should actu-
ally set about this reform. Do now -- you
will find it more important on your health
than any medicine or other appliance you can
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? TO BIS MOTHER
167
think of. Jenny, I suppose, is still at the
Gill. When you feel tired of solitude again
she will come back to you. The bairns as
they grow will be quieter and give less trou-
ble. Poor Jenny, no doubt of it, she has
many cares of her own: we should all be
gentle with her, pity her and help her what
we can.
But now I suppose you are very impatient
to know what is in that paste board roll tied
with string. Open the string with your scis-
sors and you will see -- one of the ugliest
pictures ever drawn of man. A certain per-
son here has been publishing some book
called "Spirit of the Age," pretending to
give people account of all the remarkable men
of the age; he has put me into it--better
luck to him. He wrote several months ago
requesting that I should furnish him with
some life of myself -- forsooth! This I alto-
gether begged leave respectfully to decline,
but he got hold of a picture that a certain
painter has of me, and of this he has made
an engraving, -- like me in nothing, or in
very little, I should flatter myself. Let Isa-
bella roll the paper of it the contrary way
and then it will lie flat, if indeed the post
office bags do not squeeze it all to pieces,
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? 168 LETTERS OF CARLYLE
which I think is fully as likely and will be no
great matter. I sent it to you as to the one
that had a right to it. Much good may it do
you!
Jamie said he would write. Let him do so
-- or else you yourself ought to write, or both
will be best. Jack and I were at Dinner to-
gether among a set of notables the night be-
fore last, came home together smoking two
cigars, all right. Adieu, dear Mother, my
big sheet is done. My regards to Isabella,
to Jamie and them all. My blessings with
you, dear Mother.
Yours affect.
T. Carlyle.
Carlyle maps the Gill, as well as other
places to which these letters make frequent
reference, in his introductory note to Letter
283, in the "Letters and Memorials of Jane
Welsh Carlyle : " -- " The Gill, Sister Mary's
poor but ever kind and generous human
habitation, is a small farmhouse, seven miles
beyond Annan, twenty-seven beyond Carlisle,
eight or ten miles short of Dumfries. . . .
Scotsbrig lies some ten miles northward of
the Gill (road at right angles to the Carlisle
and Dumfries Railway). "
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? TO MBS. JAMES AUSTIN 169
"Our brother," spoken of in the second
paragraph, is again the half-brother already
mentioned.
XXX. CARLYLE TO MRS. JAMES AUSTIN, THE GILL.
Chelsea, 30th April, 1844. My dear Mary, -- We seldom hear di-
rectly of you and it is a long while since you
have had an express word from any of our
hands here. You are not to suppose that we
forget you on that account. Far enough
from that! You are many times in my
thoughts. I fancy you and James strug-
gling along in your diligent, industrious way,
struggling to fight your battles in these bad
times, and from the bottom of my heart I
affectionately bid you God Speed. Struggle
away, my dear sister. We must so struggle
and we must not be beaten. Assure yourself
always that I am not less brother-like in heart
towards you than in old days when you saw
me oftener and heard from me oftener. To-
day I send you a little slip of paper which
will turn into a sovereign when you present it
at the Annan Post Office and sign your name
"Mary Austin " -- from me "at Chelsea. "
If you be not there yourself, James can sign
for you if you sign it first, but the thing is
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? 170 LETTERS OF CARLYLE
in no haste and will lie till you go. Buy
yourself a bit of a bonnet or anything you
like with the piece of money and wear it with
my blessing, sometimes thinking of us here.
No doubt you hear duly about us. You
have heard I suppose how Alick is gone over
to Canada, to our brother there, not into the
deep Western regions of America with Clow,
which Canada arrangement of Alick's we like
better than the other. It seems to me Alick
may do well there now. He will get a piece
of land and every year that he tills it faith-
fully it will be growing better for him. La-
bour is labour, not joyful but heavy and sore
in any part of this world, but if a person see
any fruit of his labour it is always an encour-
agement to him.
Our dear old Mother seems to have been
rather weaklier this last winter than hereto-
fore. Jack had a letter yesterday from Jen-
nie at Scotsbrig which represents her as being
pretty well at present. I think Jenny should
stay much with her and look after her. Good
old Mother -- the spring weather will grow
gradually into steady summer and then she
will have a better time of it, we may hope.
Jack was here last night. He talks of go-
ing North to "the country," probably toward
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? TO MRS. JAMES AUSTIN 171
Annandale, before long, but his movements
are very uncertain. He has not yet any
fixed employment here and would be much
better if he had. He does not seem to like
medicine and is hovering among a great
variety of things. We always hope he will
fix himself on some specific object by and
bye. As for me I am very busy but making
very bad progress. I have nothing for it but
to bore along mole-like; I shall get out some
time or other. Our spring wind has turned
round tempestuously into the North of late
and brought cold and dust, with the glare of
sunshine, not so pleasant to the invalid part
of us. Jane, however, is tolerably well and
growing stronger as the sun grows. She
sends her old love to you and kind remem-
brances. Give my regards to James -- he
must be planting his potatoes now. Love to
you.
John Sterling, whose illness is lamented in
the next letter, died on the 18th of the fol-
lowing September. Shortly before his death
he wrote to Carlyle: "Towards me, it is still
more true than towards England, that no
man has been and done like you. "
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? 172 LETTERS OF CARLYLE
XXXI. CARLYLE TO DR. JOHN CARLYLE, SCOTSBRIG.
Chelsea, 5th Aug. 1844.
My dear Brother, -- Your letter in my
dearth of news was very welcome to me.
You should keep me going at least for Scots-
brig news while you are there. Our good
Mother must go back to the bathing. I hope
the next spring, rides will prove handier.
Our weather here too is much broken with
rain, though otherwise warm and genial.
I asked about your Book-sheets of Coch-
rane. The sheets were duly furnished: the
book is lying bound and ready in the London
Library. I would have brought it home with
me had there been a conveyance at my com-
mand. I left it lying there for yourself. Our
City is got almost empty and very quiet in
comparison. I hope I shall get on with some-
what less interruption in my labour; it is a
sluggish element, sluggish as thick mud and
bottomless, except when one makes a bottom.
Nothing but strenuous hard work, harder
than I have yet continuously given it, will
ever bring me through; for all is chaos
within it and without it. Eheu!
A striving Scotch youth came to me the
other week, equal, as he said, to all kinds of
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? TO DR. JOBN CARLYLE 173
old manuscripts &c, &c. I gave him a sov-
ereign to copy me that Election Tumult? of
d'Ewer at Ipswich. I have got that here
and think of trying to make a magazine
article of it somewhere. The poor lad at-
tempted farther to make an estimate of copy-
ing all d'Ewer's Parl't manuscript for me.
? 30, he said, would do it and I had for some
days real thoughts of the thing, but alas,
my man in the interim was discovered by me
to be a quite loose-talking, dishonest-minded
little thing, unable to employ on any busi-
ness; so having found him a job with Mau-
rice, writing to dictation (in which dishonesty
cannot long remain undetected) I shook him
off, but it does partly appear to me I must
have that MSS. to read and con over at my
leisure -- if possible. I am now about con-
sulting with the Secretary of the Camden
Society, but expect to hear that they, poor
dilettante quacks, will do nothing. Nothing
however will serve me as an answer from
them. I think if I had the MS. right here I
could either now or some time pay myself
? 30 of it. On the whole I am looking out
for a hand amanuensis to copy me a good
many things. I find such a one may be got,
if you alight luckily, for some ? 60 or ? 80
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? 174 LETTERS OF CARLYLE
to work all the year round; it is but the
price of keeping a horse here. On the other
hand no Bookseller can be made in the least
to bite at such a thing; -- the inane mounte-
bank quacks, -- one must do it one's self or
it will remain undone. I made them get
into the Library a Thrigg and now also a
Vicen, Part First, which are real conquests to
me.
Nothing remarkable has arrived here ex-
cept Emerson's letter, which indeed is not
very remarkable either. Poor Sterling, as
you will see by it, and may know more
directly now from me, continues very ill,
even I begin now to doubt, to despond alto-
gether. He is obliged to "sit up all night
propped with pillows," the greater part of his
lungs (Clark says) is quite useless to him and
he cannot get breath enough without immense
difficulty. Anthony is going down to wait
near him awhile. Poor Sterling! I fear the
worst. Robertson, they say, is in Sutherland,
marking out the site of Free Kirks. Go
ahead!
Jamie's letter was very gratifying and
satisfactory; certainly we will take a couple
more of Annandale hams. I will write to
him more specially on the subject very soon.
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? TO MRS. BANNING
175
Isabella too is in the way of shower baths
and better: Bravely that is good. Did any
of you write to Alick by this mail? Jane is
well again from her bit of headaches.
XXVII. CARLYLE TO HIS MOTHER, SCOTSBRIG. LlNLATHEN, DUNDEE,
Tuesday, 12th Sep. 1843.
My dear Mother, -- According to pro-
mise, I write you another little word to an-
nounce that I am safe so far on my way, that
I embark to-morrow and hope to be home on
Friday afternoon. I am heartily desirous of
it! This last part of my travels has been
considerably the weariest, for I have been all
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? TO HIS MOTHER
157
along eager chiefly to have done with it.
Jamie knows how fain I would never have
entered upon it all. He took notice of my
reluctance at Dumfries and how welcome a
shower of rain would have been to me!
However it is near ending now; and I shall
enjoy the quiet of home all the more. One
thing, dear Mother, let me straightway tell
you; that I have not left one of my new
shirts, that the whole six, when I fold them
duly out, are here. I grieve that you should
have had a moment's uneasiness about that
matter, which is due only to my own blind-
ness and numbness; my hope is that you did
not take it up too earnestly, but left the
matter over " till Jenny came. "
I have now got two letters from Jane, the
last of them only yesterday! All is well at
Chelsea; Jack not yet settled in any lodging,
nor in the least decided what to do, but " in
a state of torpor" as Jane says "playing
with the cat. " He was dining with Lady
Clare; that was the last feat recorded of
him. I was much grieved to hear that you
had somehow missed Alick's letter: has it
never yet turned up for you? I am too ig-
norant about the business to form any con-
jecture how it could have come about. Mean-
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? 158 LETTERS OF CASLYLE
while it was very lucky that there came
another letter of the same date for Jack: --
this I am in hopes will be ready for me at
London when I arrive. By the bye, might
it not be that Alick had only meant and fully
intended to write you a letter, and then had
suddenly found that he would not have time
by that mail? Of course the two letters, if
there had been two, would come together: it
is unaccountable how one of them should
drop by the way. What a blessing to us to
hear that poor Alick is safe there and ready
to begin his adventure on fair terms. Jane
says his letter is of very composed tone and
"very practical looking. " She seems to like
the tone of it well. I went over to Edin-
burgh since I last wrote. I there saw Gor-
don, saw various other friends -- with more
or less of labour and fatigue. I spent a fore-
noon with Jeffrey who is very thin and fret-
ful I think; being at any rate weakly, he is
much annoyed at present by a hurt on his
shin -- a quite insignificant thing otherwise,
which however disables him from walking.
Poor Jeffrey! he does not make a nice old
man, he has too little real seriousness in him
for that. On the whole I was heartily glad
to quit Edinburgh again and get away from
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? HOUSEHOLD CHANGES 159
it into quietude across the Frith. I wrote to
Jean at Dumfries one day.
"Carlyle returned from his travels very
bilious," so his wife wrote to Mrs. Aitken in
October, 1843, "and continues very bilious
up to this hour. " He could not refuse a
"certain admiration" at the state of the
house, which had been painted and papered
in his absence. Mrs. Carlyle, with her own
hands, had put down carpets, newly covered
chairs and sofas, and arranged a library ac-
cording to his (expressed) mind. His satis-
faction lasted only three days, for on the
morning of the fourth day "the young lady
next door took a fit of practising on her ac-
cursed piano-forte. " There had then to be
another upheaval: "down went a partition
in one room, up went a new chimney in
another;" and still another library, farther
from the piano, was thus contrived. Finally,
the young lady, charmed by "a seductive
letter" from Carlyle, agreed never to play
until two in the afternoon. The dinner hour
was changed to the middle of the day, be-
cause Carlyle thought it would be better for
his digestion.
Although these changes, which in Mrs.
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? 160 LETTERS OF CAELYLE
Carlyle's account seem planet-shaking, were
in the interest of Cromwell, Cromwell re-
mained persistently unwritable. On the 4th
of December the historian wrote to Sterling:
"Confound it! I have lost four years of
good labour in the business; and still the
more I expend on it, it is like throwing good
labour after bad. " Two days later he put a
better face on it to his mother.
XXVIII. CARLYLE TO HIS MOTHER, SCOTSBRIG.
Chelsea, Monday, 6th Dec. 1843.
My dear Mother, -- We have a letter
from Jean this week, who reports a visit to
you and gives us a description of what you
were about. We were very glad to look in
upon you in that way. Jean describes you
as very well when they came, but since then
(though she tells us of your prohibition to
mention it at all) there has been some ill
turn of health which we long greatly to hear
of the removal of! I study, dear Mother,
not to afflict myself with useless anxieties,
but on the whole it is much better that one
knows exactly how matters do stand, the very
fact, no better and no worse than it is. To-
day there was a little Note from James Ait-
ken apprising us that the Books are come,
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? TO HIS MOTHER
161
that Jenny is with him. He has evidently
heard nothing farther from Scotsbrig, so we
will hope things may have got into their
usual course again there. But Jamie or
somebody may write us a scrap of intelli-
gence, surely? . . .
This is said to be a very unhealthy season
here; for the past two months about two
hundred more deaths in the week have oc-
curred than is usual at this season, but I
rather conjecture it is the result of the long
continued hardship the Poor have been suf-
fering, which now, after wearing out the con-
stitution by hunger and distress of mind, be-
gins to tell more visibly! Our weather is
very mild, soft without any great quantity of
rain and not at all disagreeable. Jane's cold
is gone again and we are in our common
way.
My Book goes on badly, yet I do think
it goes on, in fact it must go: Bore away
at it with continuous boring day and night
and it will be obliged to go! I study how-
ever not to "split my gall" with it, but
to " hasten slowly" as the old Romans said.
When writing will not brother with me at all,
I fling it entirely by and go and walk many
a mile in the country. I have big thick
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? 162 LETTERS OF CARLYLE
shoes, my jacket is waterproof against slight
rain, I take a stick in my hand and walk with
long strides. The farther I walk, the abler
I grow; in fact I am rather in better health,
I think, than usual, if all things are consid-
ered. Jack and I had a long walk after
Tailors for some three hours in the moon-
light streets last night. To-day it is damp,
but I am for a sally again. Alas, it is but a
very poor morning task I have done, but we
cannot help it. Adieu, dear good Mother,
for our sakes take care of yourself. My love
to all.
Yours affection1. 7
T. Carlyle.
Carlyle never liked any portrait of himself.
The one mentioned in the following letter
had made him look like "a flayed horse's
head. "
XXIX. CARLYLE TO HIS MOTHER, SCOTSBRIG.
Chelsea, 10th March, 1844.
My dear Mother, -- It is a shame for me
if I do not write a bit of a letter to you.
There is nothing else I can do for you at
present. I will scribble you a few words of
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? TO HIS MOTHEB
163
news on this paper, let other employments
fare as they can for the present.
I sent your good little note to the Doctor.
Jamie's letter for Alick came duly to hand
and was duly forwarded; I also wrote a let-
ter to Alick myself. Poor fellow, I suppose
he has had a very solitary, meditative winter
of it over in America, and has no doubt had
a great many reflections in his head, looking
back and looking forward, with perhaps sad-
ness enough, but it will do him good, I really
believe. Perhaps this winter, seemingly one
of the idlest he has had, may turn out to be
one of the most profitably occupied. My
own hope and persuasion is that he will now
do well, that he is probably about to begin a
new course of activity on better terms than
before, better terms both inward and out-
ward, and that in fine, poor fellow, he may
begin to see the fruit of his labor round him
and go on with much more peace and pro-
sperity than heretofore. . . . I also like the
tone of his letters, which is much quieter
than it used to be. He does not know, I
suppose, in what direction he is to go when
April arrives. I urged, as Jamie did, that a
healthy quality of situation should outweigh
all other considerations whatever, that for the
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? 164 LETTERS OF CARLYLE
rest all places seemed to me much alike; if
the land were cheap, it would be unfavour-
ably situated &c. I also hinted my notion
that a small piece of good handy soil might
be preferable to a large lot of untowardly,
outlying ground. We can only hope and
pray he may be guided well. We cannot
assist him with any real guidance. Difficul-
ties beset a man everywhere under this sun.
There if he have patience, insight, energy
and justness of mind he will daily conquer
farther, -- not otherwise, either in America
or here. But, as I said, I have never lost
hope with Alick, and I have now better hope
than ever. We will commit him to the all-
wise Governor with many a prayer from the
bottom of all our hearts that it may be well
with him. To hear and know that he does
see good under the sun, fighting his way like
a true man in that new country! -- what a
comfort to you and to every one of us. My
dear Mother, I know your heart is many a
time sad about Alick. He is far away and
there are others of us gone still farther, be-
yond the shores of this earth, whither our
poor thoughts vainly strive to follow them, --
our hearts' love following them still: -- but
we know this one thing, that God is there
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? TO HIS MOTHER
165
also, in America, in the dark Grave itself and
the unseen Eternity -- even He is there too,
and will not He do all things well? We
have no other Anchor of the soul in any of
the tempests, great or little, of this world.
By this let us hold fast and piously hope in
all scenes and seasons whatsoever. Amen.
You bid me "call on Patience" in this
Book of mine. Dear Mother, it is the best
and only good advice that can be given. I do
endeavour to call on patience and sometimes
she comes, and if I keep my shoulder stiffly
at the wheel withal, we shall certainly get
under way by and bye. The thing goes in-
deed, or now promises to go, a little better
with me. I stand to it as I can. But it will
be a terribly difficult job and take a long
time, I think. However, that it is a useful
one, worthy to be done by me I am resolved,
and so I will do it if permitted -- the return
and earthy reward of it may be either great
or small, or even nothing and abuse into the
bargain, just as it likes. Thank Heaven I
can do either or any way as to that, for this
time, and indeed, often when I look at it, the
prizes people get in this world and the kind
of people that get them seem but a ridiculous
business. If there were not something more
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? 166 LETTERS OF CARLYLE
serious behind all that, I think it would
hardly be worth while to live in such a place
as this world at all. In short I hold on the
best I can -- and my good Mother's picture
looking down on me here, seems to bid me
"call on Patience" and persevere like a man. Jane has not been very well in these cold
stormy weeks, but I think is now getting
better again. It is the spring weather, which
this year has been the real winter; all manner
of people are unwell here at present. You in
the North have it still worse, far worse than
we.
Many a time have I asked myself what
is becoming of my good old Mother in these
wild blasts. Surely you keep good fires at
Scotsbrig? Surely you wear the new Hawick
sloughs? Jane finds hers very warm and
nice; but the thing you might improve greatly
and never do is your diet. I think you
should live chiefly on fowl. A hen is always
fair food, divide her into four pieces -- she
makes you an excellent dinner of soup and
meat for four days. This you know very
well for others, but never learn it for your-
self. I am very serious. You should actu-
ally set about this reform. Do now -- you
will find it more important on your health
than any medicine or other appliance you can
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? TO BIS MOTHER
167
think of. Jenny, I suppose, is still at the
Gill. When you feel tired of solitude again
she will come back to you. The bairns as
they grow will be quieter and give less trou-
ble. Poor Jenny, no doubt of it, she has
many cares of her own: we should all be
gentle with her, pity her and help her what
we can.
But now I suppose you are very impatient
to know what is in that paste board roll tied
with string. Open the string with your scis-
sors and you will see -- one of the ugliest
pictures ever drawn of man. A certain per-
son here has been publishing some book
called "Spirit of the Age," pretending to
give people account of all the remarkable men
of the age; he has put me into it--better
luck to him. He wrote several months ago
requesting that I should furnish him with
some life of myself -- forsooth! This I alto-
gether begged leave respectfully to decline,
but he got hold of a picture that a certain
painter has of me, and of this he has made
an engraving, -- like me in nothing, or in
very little, I should flatter myself. Let Isa-
bella roll the paper of it the contrary way
and then it will lie flat, if indeed the post
office bags do not squeeze it all to pieces,
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? 168 LETTERS OF CARLYLE
which I think is fully as likely and will be no
great matter. I sent it to you as to the one
that had a right to it. Much good may it do
you!
Jamie said he would write. Let him do so
-- or else you yourself ought to write, or both
will be best. Jack and I were at Dinner to-
gether among a set of notables the night be-
fore last, came home together smoking two
cigars, all right. Adieu, dear Mother, my
big sheet is done. My regards to Isabella,
to Jamie and them all. My blessings with
you, dear Mother.
Yours affect.
T. Carlyle.
Carlyle maps the Gill, as well as other
places to which these letters make frequent
reference, in his introductory note to Letter
283, in the "Letters and Memorials of Jane
Welsh Carlyle : " -- " The Gill, Sister Mary's
poor but ever kind and generous human
habitation, is a small farmhouse, seven miles
beyond Annan, twenty-seven beyond Carlisle,
eight or ten miles short of Dumfries. . . .
Scotsbrig lies some ten miles northward of
the Gill (road at right angles to the Carlisle
and Dumfries Railway). "
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? TO MBS. JAMES AUSTIN 169
"Our brother," spoken of in the second
paragraph, is again the half-brother already
mentioned.
XXX. CARLYLE TO MRS. JAMES AUSTIN, THE GILL.
Chelsea, 30th April, 1844. My dear Mary, -- We seldom hear di-
rectly of you and it is a long while since you
have had an express word from any of our
hands here. You are not to suppose that we
forget you on that account. Far enough
from that! You are many times in my
thoughts. I fancy you and James strug-
gling along in your diligent, industrious way,
struggling to fight your battles in these bad
times, and from the bottom of my heart I
affectionately bid you God Speed. Struggle
away, my dear sister. We must so struggle
and we must not be beaten. Assure yourself
always that I am not less brother-like in heart
towards you than in old days when you saw
me oftener and heard from me oftener. To-
day I send you a little slip of paper which
will turn into a sovereign when you present it
at the Annan Post Office and sign your name
"Mary Austin " -- from me "at Chelsea. "
If you be not there yourself, James can sign
for you if you sign it first, but the thing is
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? 170 LETTERS OF CARLYLE
in no haste and will lie till you go. Buy
yourself a bit of a bonnet or anything you
like with the piece of money and wear it with
my blessing, sometimes thinking of us here.
No doubt you hear duly about us. You
have heard I suppose how Alick is gone over
to Canada, to our brother there, not into the
deep Western regions of America with Clow,
which Canada arrangement of Alick's we like
better than the other. It seems to me Alick
may do well there now. He will get a piece
of land and every year that he tills it faith-
fully it will be growing better for him. La-
bour is labour, not joyful but heavy and sore
in any part of this world, but if a person see
any fruit of his labour it is always an encour-
agement to him.
Our dear old Mother seems to have been
rather weaklier this last winter than hereto-
fore. Jack had a letter yesterday from Jen-
nie at Scotsbrig which represents her as being
pretty well at present. I think Jenny should
stay much with her and look after her. Good
old Mother -- the spring weather will grow
gradually into steady summer and then she
will have a better time of it, we may hope.
Jack was here last night. He talks of go-
ing North to "the country," probably toward
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? TO MRS. JAMES AUSTIN 171
Annandale, before long, but his movements
are very uncertain. He has not yet any
fixed employment here and would be much
better if he had. He does not seem to like
medicine and is hovering among a great
variety of things. We always hope he will
fix himself on some specific object by and
bye. As for me I am very busy but making
very bad progress. I have nothing for it but
to bore along mole-like; I shall get out some
time or other. Our spring wind has turned
round tempestuously into the North of late
and brought cold and dust, with the glare of
sunshine, not so pleasant to the invalid part
of us. Jane, however, is tolerably well and
growing stronger as the sun grows. She
sends her old love to you and kind remem-
brances. Give my regards to James -- he
must be planting his potatoes now. Love to
you.
John Sterling, whose illness is lamented in
the next letter, died on the 18th of the fol-
lowing September. Shortly before his death
he wrote to Carlyle: "Towards me, it is still
more true than towards England, that no
man has been and done like you. "
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? 172 LETTERS OF CARLYLE
XXXI. CARLYLE TO DR. JOHN CARLYLE, SCOTSBRIG.
Chelsea, 5th Aug. 1844.
My dear Brother, -- Your letter in my
dearth of news was very welcome to me.
You should keep me going at least for Scots-
brig news while you are there. Our good
Mother must go back to the bathing. I hope
the next spring, rides will prove handier.
Our weather here too is much broken with
rain, though otherwise warm and genial.
I asked about your Book-sheets of Coch-
rane. The sheets were duly furnished: the
book is lying bound and ready in the London
Library. I would have brought it home with
me had there been a conveyance at my com-
mand. I left it lying there for yourself. Our
City is got almost empty and very quiet in
comparison. I hope I shall get on with some-
what less interruption in my labour; it is a
sluggish element, sluggish as thick mud and
bottomless, except when one makes a bottom.
Nothing but strenuous hard work, harder
than I have yet continuously given it, will
ever bring me through; for all is chaos
within it and without it. Eheu!
A striving Scotch youth came to me the
other week, equal, as he said, to all kinds of
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? TO DR. JOBN CARLYLE 173
old manuscripts &c, &c. I gave him a sov-
ereign to copy me that Election Tumult? of
d'Ewer at Ipswich. I have got that here
and think of trying to make a magazine
article of it somewhere. The poor lad at-
tempted farther to make an estimate of copy-
ing all d'Ewer's Parl't manuscript for me.
? 30, he said, would do it and I had for some
days real thoughts of the thing, but alas,
my man in the interim was discovered by me
to be a quite loose-talking, dishonest-minded
little thing, unable to employ on any busi-
ness; so having found him a job with Mau-
rice, writing to dictation (in which dishonesty
cannot long remain undetected) I shook him
off, but it does partly appear to me I must
have that MSS. to read and con over at my
leisure -- if possible. I am now about con-
sulting with the Secretary of the Camden
Society, but expect to hear that they, poor
dilettante quacks, will do nothing. Nothing
however will serve me as an answer from
them. I think if I had the MS. right here I
could either now or some time pay myself
? 30 of it. On the whole I am looking out
for a hand amanuensis to copy me a good
many things. I find such a one may be got,
if you alight luckily, for some ? 60 or ? 80
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? 174 LETTERS OF CARLYLE
to work all the year round; it is but the
price of keeping a horse here. On the other
hand no Bookseller can be made in the least
to bite at such a thing; -- the inane mounte-
bank quacks, -- one must do it one's self or
it will remain undone. I made them get
into the Library a Thrigg and now also a
Vicen, Part First, which are real conquests to
me.
Nothing remarkable has arrived here ex-
cept Emerson's letter, which indeed is not
very remarkable either. Poor Sterling, as
you will see by it, and may know more
directly now from me, continues very ill,
even I begin now to doubt, to despond alto-
gether. He is obliged to "sit up all night
propped with pillows," the greater part of his
lungs (Clark says) is quite useless to him and
he cannot get breath enough without immense
difficulty. Anthony is going down to wait
near him awhile. Poor Sterling! I fear the
worst. Robertson, they say, is in Sutherland,
marking out the site of Free Kirks. Go
ahead!
Jamie's letter was very gratifying and
satisfactory; certainly we will take a couple
more of Annandale hams. I will write to
him more specially on the subject very soon.
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? TO MRS. BANNING
175
Isabella too is in the way of shower baths
and better: Bravely that is good. Did any
of you write to Alick by this mail? Jane is
well again from her bit of headaches.
