Showing 449 results

R Finch in Rome to PE in Florence. Apologises for not having accomplished PE's 2 commissions. Niebuhr has been ill, and he hopes to persuade Amati on the morrow to collate the 4 mss of Sophocles. Hopes Jenkyns will not succeed Parsons as Master of Balliol (he did). Has heard of a good ms of Suidas in the Roman College. Miller has fallen and hurt his shoulder. The Holy Roman Emperor (??? - tear in letter) has placed restrictions on ruin-hunters. Talk of the dating of some Roman antiquities. Ashbridge and Miller disagree on the merits of Vasi's Itinerary (of Naples).

Invitation from J Rowe to join a few friends one evening.

Collingwood (of the Clarendon Press) with costings for printing the Bacchae. Pencilled quotation from Johannes Malala on back.

Undated and unsigned, but apparently a first draft of the following letter (identical opening sentence, referring to the previous letter). More on the dishonest clerk. Carnival began on PE's birthday, Saturday, 8th February, and continued to Shrove Tuesday, 18th February - subtract 2 Sundays and 1 Saturday, this makes 8 days of carnival proper. Disguises (but not ecclesiastical, under penalty of whipping and excommunication) - devils, harlequins, cuckolds with long horns and most commonly white dresses like a domino. Walk on the Corso and pelt each other with confetti (formerly sugar-plums, but now limes); horse race (but no riders); masquerade at one of the theatres; all very innocent and stupid. Rome even safer to stay in than London. Detained 14 weeks in Rome by a Eur. ms in the Vatican Library. Foolish, having come so far, not to continue to Naples - only 150 miles on a good road, which would take 20 hours in England, but took PE 36 hours in Italy - brief description of route, passing from papal territory into the Kingdom of Naples.

Naples. Ship sailing this evening for Malta. Repeats (in case previous letters have not Arrived) that he has not heard from sister-in-law since November - and to pay the

Florence. Short opening times of the Laurentian library - about 14 hours a week - but able to work in his own room, so does not have to kill time. Italians a race of professed loungers. Loves Florence, but despises the Florentine gentry for their meanness. Depends on expatriate Englishmen for society - many half-pay officers (who would be dandies if they had the means of being so). The Hon. Brownlow-Charles Colyear a good example of the travelling youth of England (died in Rome because of wounds received from bandits whilst en route from Naples - but according to PE from a typhus fever). Dreadful weather over the winter - rain and fog - so cold that the cellars of confectioners contain blocks of ice thick even by English standards. Now lovely, though odd to see the surrounding hills white with snow. The weather changed with the arrival of the Emperor of Austria on 7th March, a person of mean presence. His fourth wife young enough to be PE's daughter - daughter married to Napoleon, and allowed to speak to no one. Florence very cheap - has only spent

Glasgow. Comfortable night at Dalnacardoch. Grounds of Taymouth Castle (but not inside, due to the imminent arrival of Lord Bradalbane and his bride). Killin and the burial ground of the Lairds of MacNab (the current Laird, while wooing a lady, promised her the grandest burial place in Scotland - she refused him). Night at Tyndrum - inns in Scotland inferior to the English, but far superior in terms of wine, rum and brandy (inns in Yorkshire an exception to this). Loveliness of the Vale of Glenorchy and of Loch Awe. Splendours of Inverary Castle...but the town a paltry deception. Description of journey from Inverary to Arrochar. Visited Inchtavannach. Night at Dumbarton (a dirty town, with one dirty inn), and castle before church the next day. Finally to a splendid inn in Glasgow (whose coffee room alone is larger than the assembly room in Ramsgate).

No formal addressee or date or signature - apparently the draft of a love letter to one Mary Hallowell, first object of his youthful affection and chosen life companion of his later years, but also a letter of apology and regret

Hague. Visit (by canal) on July 7th to last day of Haarlem fair. Failure to hear Haarlem organ because of a lengthy sermon. Wonderful flowers and gardens. 7 hour voyage to Leyden on 9th July. University on vacation, so town is peaceful and pleasant. Thomas Gaisford (regius professor of Greek) in Leiden for a few months collating mss. - they visit Daniel Wyttenbach, who expresses surprise that such a learned scholar as PE could be so merry (quite the opposite to Valckenaer and Ruhnken) - when Gaisford reports the story to his wife, she says that the household consider PE a vast deal more 'vrolijk' than Gaisford. 3 nights in Leyden (because of presence of Gaisfords), staying on Golden Lion, then on to The Hague. House names displayed prominently (usually compounds of pleasure, rest or prospect). Failure to find intended hotel because of language difficulties - ends up at Marechal de Turenne, which he suspects will be expensive. (Sunday, 14th July). Does not think The Hague as pretty as the Dutch do. Walked yesterday and saw many groups of ragged boys playing cards on the pavement - perhaps Jews keeping the sabbath holy. The common people (who cannot all be Jews) are as ragged and filthy as the Jews themselves. Vieille Cour only building to arrest attention. 2 mile walk to Scheveningen (past an odorous cemetery).

Just returned from Tunbridge Wells, leaving behind those he would rather be with. Has a great secret, which seems to be on the point of coming out - but PE is against this. Has received a promotion, and went to T Wells to provide lodgings for his mother (which she did not occupy). Stayed at Mr D's. A very wordy account of his relations with the daughter of the household - his brother Henry came to stay and was involved. How are his attentions to and friendship with the girl to be interpreted? Is he being honourable? Appears to decide on making a proposal - but by letter or in person? (NB He died unmarried.)