GHL to Charles Lee Lewes, Florence, 5 May 1861
Title
GHL to Charles Lee Lewes, Florence, 5 May 1861
Title
GHL to Charles Lee Lewes, Florence, 5 May 1861
Sender
George Henry Lewes
Recipient
Charles Lee Lewes
Date(s)
- 1861-05-05
Place
Florence
Letter Content
GHL to Charles Lee Lewes, Florence, 5 May 1861
MS: Yale. Published: III, 411-412, with many omissions and revisions.
Florence Sunday 5 May 1861.
My dear Boy
It did the hearts of the tired Mutter and Pater good, last evening, shortly after reaching the hotel, to get your long and pleasant letter. We had swallowed some tea, and said deux mots to a thin beefsteak, not by any means juicy, when, as I learned the post would be open for an hour, I trotted out in the rain, and quickly came back bearing letters from "the boy," and from Blackwood -- that from the latter containing the best of news about [Silas] namely that the "Row" is buying furiously, that every one speaks admiringly, and that the edition is 7,500 copies, or was on the 24th last month.
I presume that on Monday after writing to us you received the darling Mutter's long letter which she wrote at Nice, while I enjoyed a sick headache. Therefore from that point shall be resumed the history of our very long, very delightful, and very expensive journey here. Writing to you brought us up to the hour of table d'h'f4te. After that we went to the French theatre, and saw Le P'e8re Prodigue which was prodige-ux! We came away disgusted at the end of the third act; disgusted with the piece, and with the audience which did not rise against it in protest. 540
On Friday we started by vetturino (one always says by vetturino, though why one should go by coachman and not by coach is not clear) for Mentone which we reached at noon. The carriage was as comfortable and elegant as a private carriage in England and the horses good. The road was a succession of pictures, winding up the mountain passes, with the snowy Apennines as a grand line on one horizon, and the Mediterranean, "deeply darkly beautifully blue" 541 on the other; through groves of olives, and orchards of orange trees and lemon trees bearing their golden fruit; the day being transcendant, bright, warm yet not sultry, and with no dust. At Mentone we had half a day of delicious rambling among the orchards of oranges, sitting "under the shade of melancholy boughs," 542 reading our books, and planning to have a lovely place of our own, some day, wherein Pater would rear his own peas, his own pears, and his own frogs -- leaving filius to do the hard work of digging etc. We dined at 6, and -- as usual -- were in bed by 'bd past 7.
Saturday we had another exquisite day, but much longer en route. We stayed two hours to lunch and repose at San Remo where we saw palm trees in blossom, a thing I once saw in Kew Conservatory, but never before in the open air. But palms here are abundant. The aloe is on this coast a common hedge weed; and the cactus grows freely in many places. We reached Oneglia, an uninteresting place at 'bd past 4 -- dined and went to bed early, as a step to getting wealthy and wise.
Sunday the route to Savona was less beautiful, but even less means much beauty; the day also was cloudy, though mild. Monday we got to Genoa by 2 o'clock having stopped to lunch en route. We were so enraptured with Genoa last year that I feared lest a second visit should be a disappointment. But a "thing of beauty is a joy for ever, its loveliness increaseth" 543 (as I remark to Mutter respecting my own beauty) and our stay at Genoa was again intoxicating (not alcoholic). At the hotel where we stayed there was Garibaldi's Col. Peard 544 -- his "Englishman" of whom you doubtless often heard. We had been very much struck by his appearance before we learned who he was, and after learning it we saw him no more. At Genoa, where we stayed Monday and Tuesday, we went to the opera and heard Verdi's Attila bawled with great vigour. The "scourge of god" 545 was represented by a basso with the shortest arms and the most obtrusive stomach, I ever saw, doch war es immer nicht der Held! 546 The Mutter conceived a violent passion for him. The tenor labored under a deficiency of voice and a redness of nose. The prima donna was a vigorous little fat jewess, not bad at all.
Mutter sternly resisted Genoese velvets, and Genoese bracelets, so that we bought nothing at Genoa but a few volumes of Italian lit[erature] and history. 547 On Wednesday, May 1 when we ought to have been here had we not taken this delicious but lengthy route, we started again with our vetturino, through a lovely country, still coasting the Mediterranean, remember that! staying at a charming place (Camogli) to lunch, and reaching Sestri at 5, in time to enjoy a ramble by sunset after dinner, and to get to bed well tired. Next day we got to Spezia which is very beautiful -- I mean the bay and Carrara marble mountains which rise on one side of it. We were here in time for a delicious ramble along the sands; and we did not quit till 'bd past 12 the next day, when we started on a much less interesting route to Pietra Santa; and yesterday got thence to Pisa, where we stayed four hours, and for the third time were thrilled by the marvels of the place.
During the last part of the journey Mutter has not been quite well, and yesterday was positively ill. But today she seems only languid, tired and with a slight cold. It is cold and raining so we have not been out today, and are languidly vegetating in the hotel, 548 rather unsettled as to our future settlement. We are too expensively lodged at present, but tomorrow I shall look about. Meanwhile address poste restante -- and prepay; as we shall do in future; for I find that letters not prepaid are charged double. I have scarcely left room for the Mutter's p.s. so will only say God bless you, my dearest boy.
Ever your loving
Pater.
MS: Yale. Published: III, 411-412, with many omissions and revisions.
Florence Sunday 5 May 1861.
My dear Boy
It did the hearts of the tired Mutter and Pater good, last evening, shortly after reaching the hotel, to get your long and pleasant letter. We had swallowed some tea, and said deux mots to a thin beefsteak, not by any means juicy, when, as I learned the post would be open for an hour, I trotted out in the rain, and quickly came back bearing letters from "the boy," and from Blackwood -- that from the latter containing the best of news about [Silas] namely that the "Row" is buying furiously, that every one speaks admiringly, and that the edition is 7,500 copies, or was on the 24th last month.
I presume that on Monday after writing to us you received the darling Mutter's long letter which she wrote at Nice, while I enjoyed a sick headache. Therefore from that point shall be resumed the history of our very long, very delightful, and very expensive journey here. Writing to you brought us up to the hour of table d'h'f4te. After that we went to the French theatre, and saw Le P'e8re Prodigue which was prodige-ux! We came away disgusted at the end of the third act; disgusted with the piece, and with the audience which did not rise against it in protest. 540
On Friday we started by vetturino (one always says by vetturino, though why one should go by coachman and not by coach is not clear) for Mentone which we reached at noon. The carriage was as comfortable and elegant as a private carriage in England and the horses good. The road was a succession of pictures, winding up the mountain passes, with the snowy Apennines as a grand line on one horizon, and the Mediterranean, "deeply darkly beautifully blue" 541 on the other; through groves of olives, and orchards of orange trees and lemon trees bearing their golden fruit; the day being transcendant, bright, warm yet not sultry, and with no dust. At Mentone we had half a day of delicious rambling among the orchards of oranges, sitting "under the shade of melancholy boughs," 542 reading our books, and planning to have a lovely place of our own, some day, wherein Pater would rear his own peas, his own pears, and his own frogs -- leaving filius to do the hard work of digging etc. We dined at 6, and -- as usual -- were in bed by 'bd past 7.
Saturday we had another exquisite day, but much longer en route. We stayed two hours to lunch and repose at San Remo where we saw palm trees in blossom, a thing I once saw in Kew Conservatory, but never before in the open air. But palms here are abundant. The aloe is on this coast a common hedge weed; and the cactus grows freely in many places. We reached Oneglia, an uninteresting place at 'bd past 4 -- dined and went to bed early, as a step to getting wealthy and wise.
Sunday the route to Savona was less beautiful, but even less means much beauty; the day also was cloudy, though mild. Monday we got to Genoa by 2 o'clock having stopped to lunch en route. We were so enraptured with Genoa last year that I feared lest a second visit should be a disappointment. But a "thing of beauty is a joy for ever, its loveliness increaseth" 543 (as I remark to Mutter respecting my own beauty) and our stay at Genoa was again intoxicating (not alcoholic). At the hotel where we stayed there was Garibaldi's Col. Peard 544 -- his "Englishman" of whom you doubtless often heard. We had been very much struck by his appearance before we learned who he was, and after learning it we saw him no more. At Genoa, where we stayed Monday and Tuesday, we went to the opera and heard Verdi's Attila bawled with great vigour. The "scourge of god" 545 was represented by a basso with the shortest arms and the most obtrusive stomach, I ever saw, doch war es immer nicht der Held! 546 The Mutter conceived a violent passion for him. The tenor labored under a deficiency of voice and a redness of nose. The prima donna was a vigorous little fat jewess, not bad at all.
Mutter sternly resisted Genoese velvets, and Genoese bracelets, so that we bought nothing at Genoa but a few volumes of Italian lit[erature] and history. 547 On Wednesday, May 1 when we ought to have been here had we not taken this delicious but lengthy route, we started again with our vetturino, through a lovely country, still coasting the Mediterranean, remember that! staying at a charming place (Camogli) to lunch, and reaching Sestri at 5, in time to enjoy a ramble by sunset after dinner, and to get to bed well tired. Next day we got to Spezia which is very beautiful -- I mean the bay and Carrara marble mountains which rise on one side of it. We were here in time for a delicious ramble along the sands; and we did not quit till 'bd past 12 the next day, when we started on a much less interesting route to Pietra Santa; and yesterday got thence to Pisa, where we stayed four hours, and for the third time were thrilled by the marvels of the place.
During the last part of the journey Mutter has not been quite well, and yesterday was positively ill. But today she seems only languid, tired and with a slight cold. It is cold and raining so we have not been out today, and are languidly vegetating in the hotel, 548 rather unsettled as to our future settlement. We are too expensively lodged at present, but tomorrow I shall look about. Meanwhile address poste restante -- and prepay; as we shall do in future; for I find that letters not prepaid are charged double. I have scarcely left room for the Mutter's p.s. so will only say God bless you, my dearest boy.
Ever your loving
Pater.
Signature
Pater.
Citation
George Henry Lewes, GHL to Charles Lee Lewes, Florence, 5 May 1861, 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/94457