GE to Mrs. Thomas Adolphus Trollope, Naples, 1 April 1869
Title
GE to Mrs. Thomas Adolphus Trollope, Naples, 1 April 1869
Title
GE to Mrs. Thomas Adolphus Trollope, Naples, 1 April 1869
Sender
George Eliot
Recipient
Mrs. Thomas Adolphus Trollope
Date(s)
- 1869-04-01
Place
Naples
Letter Content
GE to Mrs. Thomas Adolphus Trollope, Naples, 1 April 1869
MS: British Museum, inserted in the Ashley Library copy of Agatha, 1869. Published: T. A. Trollope, What I Remember, 2 vols., 1887, II, 319-321.
H'f4tel de Gen'e8ve, Naples | April 1. 69.
My dear Mrs. Trollope 40
The kindness which induces you to shelter travellers will make you willing to hear something of their subsequent fate, and I am the more inclined to send you some news of ourselves because I have nothing dismal to tell. We bore our long journey better than we had dared to expect, for the night was made short by sleep in our large coup'e9, and during the day we had no more than one headache between us. Mr. Lewes really looks better and has lost his twinges, and though pleasure-seekers are notoriously the most aggrieved and howling inhabitants of the universe, we can allege nothing against our lot here but the persistent coldness of the wind which is in dangerously sudden contrast with the warmth of the sunshine, whenever one gets on the wrong side of a wall. This prevents us from undertaking any carriage expeditions, which is rather unfortunate, because such expeditions are among the chief charms of Naples. We have not been able to renew our old memories of that sort at all, except by a railway journey to Pompeii, and our days are spent in the museum and in the sunniest outdoor spots. We have been twice to the San Carlo, 41 which we were the more pleased to do because when we were here before that fine theatre was closed. The singing is so-so, and the tenor especially is gifted with limbs rather than with voice or ear, but there is a baritone worth hearing and a soprano whom the Neapolitans delight to honour with hideous sounds of applause.
We are longing for a soft wind which will allow us to take the long drive to Baia during one of our remaining days here. At present we think of leaving for Rome on Sunday or Monday, but our departure will probably be determined by an answer from the landlord of the H'f4tel de Minerva to whom Mr. Lewes has written. We have very comfortable quarters here, out of the way of that English and American society whose charms "you can imagine." Our private dinner is well-served, and I am glad to be away from the Chiaja, except (the exception is a great one) for the sake of the sunsets which I should have seen there.
Mr. Lewes has found a book by an Italian named Franchi -- formerly a priest -- on the present condition of philosophy in Italy. 42 He emerges from its depths, or shallows, to send his best remembrances, and to Bice he begs especially to recommend Plantation Bitters (in small cups).
I usually think all the more of things and places, the farther I get from them, and on that ground you will understand that at Naples I think of Florence and the kindness I found there under my small miseries. Pray offer my kind regards to Miss Blagden when you see her, and tell her that I hope to shake hands with her in London this spring.
We shall obey Mr. Trollope's injunction to write again -- from Perugia or elsewhere, according to our route homeward. But pray warn him that when my throat is not sore and my head not stagnant I am a much fiercer antagonist. It is perhaps a delight to one's egoism to have a friend who is among the best of men with the worst of theories: 43 one can be at once affectionate and spit-fire.
Pray remember me with indulgence -- all of you -- and believe me, dear Mrs. Trollope,
Yours most truly
M. E. Lewes.
MS: British Museum, inserted in the Ashley Library copy of Agatha, 1869. Published: T. A. Trollope, What I Remember, 2 vols., 1887, II, 319-321.
H'f4tel de Gen'e8ve, Naples | April 1. 69.
My dear Mrs. Trollope 40
The kindness which induces you to shelter travellers will make you willing to hear something of their subsequent fate, and I am the more inclined to send you some news of ourselves because I have nothing dismal to tell. We bore our long journey better than we had dared to expect, for the night was made short by sleep in our large coup'e9, and during the day we had no more than one headache between us. Mr. Lewes really looks better and has lost his twinges, and though pleasure-seekers are notoriously the most aggrieved and howling inhabitants of the universe, we can allege nothing against our lot here but the persistent coldness of the wind which is in dangerously sudden contrast with the warmth of the sunshine, whenever one gets on the wrong side of a wall. This prevents us from undertaking any carriage expeditions, which is rather unfortunate, because such expeditions are among the chief charms of Naples. We have not been able to renew our old memories of that sort at all, except by a railway journey to Pompeii, and our days are spent in the museum and in the sunniest outdoor spots. We have been twice to the San Carlo, 41 which we were the more pleased to do because when we were here before that fine theatre was closed. The singing is so-so, and the tenor especially is gifted with limbs rather than with voice or ear, but there is a baritone worth hearing and a soprano whom the Neapolitans delight to honour with hideous sounds of applause.
We are longing for a soft wind which will allow us to take the long drive to Baia during one of our remaining days here. At present we think of leaving for Rome on Sunday or Monday, but our departure will probably be determined by an answer from the landlord of the H'f4tel de Minerva to whom Mr. Lewes has written. We have very comfortable quarters here, out of the way of that English and American society whose charms "you can imagine." Our private dinner is well-served, and I am glad to be away from the Chiaja, except (the exception is a great one) for the sake of the sunsets which I should have seen there.
Mr. Lewes has found a book by an Italian named Franchi -- formerly a priest -- on the present condition of philosophy in Italy. 42 He emerges from its depths, or shallows, to send his best remembrances, and to Bice he begs especially to recommend Plantation Bitters (in small cups).
I usually think all the more of things and places, the farther I get from them, and on that ground you will understand that at Naples I think of Florence and the kindness I found there under my small miseries. Pray offer my kind regards to Miss Blagden when you see her, and tell her that I hope to shake hands with her in London this spring.
We shall obey Mr. Trollope's injunction to write again -- from Perugia or elsewhere, according to our route homeward. But pray warn him that when my throat is not sore and my head not stagnant I am a much fiercer antagonist. It is perhaps a delight to one's egoism to have a friend who is among the best of men with the worst of theories: 43 one can be at once affectionate and spit-fire.
Pray remember me with indulgence -- all of you -- and believe me, dear Mrs. Trollope,
Yours most truly
M. E. Lewes.
Signature
M. E. Lewes.
Citation
George Eliot, GE to Mrs. Thomas Adolphus Trollope, Naples, 1 April 1869, Complete George Eliot Letters(2026), George Eliot Archive, edited by Beverley Park Rilett. https://GeorgeEliotArchive.org, Accessed September 7, 2026. https://www.georgeeliotarchive.org/items/show/93705