GHL to Thomas Carlyle, Weimar, [19 October 1854]
Title
GHL to Thomas Carlyle, Weimar, [19 October 1854]
Title
GHL to Thomas Carlyle, Weimar, [19 October 1854]
Sender
George Henry Lewes
Recipient
Thomas Carlyle
Date(s)
- 1854-10-19
Place
Weimar
Letter Content
GHL to Thomas Carlyle, Weimar, [19 October 1854]
MS: Parrish Collection, Princeton. Hitherto unpublished.
Weimar Thursday night.
My dear Carlyle
Your letter 523 has been with me half an hour and I have not yet recovered the shock -- delightful shock -- it gave me. One must have been, like me, long misjudged and harshly judged without power of explanation, to understand the feelings which such a letter creates. My heart yearned towards you as I read it. It has given me new courage. I sat at your feet when my mind was first awakening; I have honoured and loved you ever since both as teacher and friend, and now to find that you judge me rightly, and are not estranged by what has estranged so many from me, gives me strength to bear what yet must be borne!
So much in gratitude. Now for justice: On my word of honor there is no foundation for the scandal as it runs. My separation was in nowise caused by the lady named, nor by any other lady. It has always been imminent, always threatened, but never before carried out, because of those assailing pangs of anticipation which would not let me carry resolution into fact. At various epochs I have explicitly declared that unless a change took place I would not hold out. At last -- and this more because some circumstances into which I do [not] wish to enter, happened to occur at a time when I was hypochondriacal and hopeless about myself, fearing lest a chronic disease would disable me from undertaking such responsibilities as those previously borne -- at last, I say, the crisis came. But believe me the lady named had not only nothing whatever to do with it but was, I solemnly declare, ignorant of my own state of mind on the subject. She knew the previous state of things, as indeed others knew it, but that is all.
Then as to the "letter to Miss Martineau" -- not only is she totally incapable of anything she justly considers so foolish and unworthy; but in fact she has not written to Miss Martineau at all -- has had no communication with her for twelvemonths -- has sent no message to her, or any one else -- in short this letter is a pure, or impure, fabrication -- the letter, the purport, the language, all fiction. And I shall feel doubly bound to you if you will, on all occasions, clear the lady from such unworthy aspersions and not allow her to be placed in so totally false a position.
Thus far I give you a solemn denial of the scandal. Where gossip affects a point of honour or principle I feel bound to meet it with denial; on all private matters my only answer is silence. 524
Marshall, 525 who has been absent since my arrival until within the last few days, I find a very agreeable friendly fellow, whom I should have been glad to see earlier. However there has been no end of kindness shown me here, and I have gained such materials for Goethe 526 as could only have been gained here. I go to Berlin shortly, and think of wintering there, and quietly finishing my work.
Wilson seems to pine for London, although they do everything they can to make Weimar agreeable to him. Eckermann 527 is very feeble, and his intellect going fast.
With kindest regards to your wife, Believe me, dear Carlyle,
Your very grateful
G. H. Lewes.
MS: Parrish Collection, Princeton. Hitherto unpublished.
Weimar Thursday night.
My dear Carlyle
Your letter 523 has been with me half an hour and I have not yet recovered the shock -- delightful shock -- it gave me. One must have been, like me, long misjudged and harshly judged without power of explanation, to understand the feelings which such a letter creates. My heart yearned towards you as I read it. It has given me new courage. I sat at your feet when my mind was first awakening; I have honoured and loved you ever since both as teacher and friend, and now to find that you judge me rightly, and are not estranged by what has estranged so many from me, gives me strength to bear what yet must be borne!
So much in gratitude. Now for justice: On my word of honor there is no foundation for the scandal as it runs. My separation was in nowise caused by the lady named, nor by any other lady. It has always been imminent, always threatened, but never before carried out, because of those assailing pangs of anticipation which would not let me carry resolution into fact. At various epochs I have explicitly declared that unless a change took place I would not hold out. At last -- and this more because some circumstances into which I do [not] wish to enter, happened to occur at a time when I was hypochondriacal and hopeless about myself, fearing lest a chronic disease would disable me from undertaking such responsibilities as those previously borne -- at last, I say, the crisis came. But believe me the lady named had not only nothing whatever to do with it but was, I solemnly declare, ignorant of my own state of mind on the subject. She knew the previous state of things, as indeed others knew it, but that is all.
Then as to the "letter to Miss Martineau" -- not only is she totally incapable of anything she justly considers so foolish and unworthy; but in fact she has not written to Miss Martineau at all -- has had no communication with her for twelvemonths -- has sent no message to her, or any one else -- in short this letter is a pure, or impure, fabrication -- the letter, the purport, the language, all fiction. And I shall feel doubly bound to you if you will, on all occasions, clear the lady from such unworthy aspersions and not allow her to be placed in so totally false a position.
Thus far I give you a solemn denial of the scandal. Where gossip affects a point of honour or principle I feel bound to meet it with denial; on all private matters my only answer is silence. 524
Marshall, 525 who has been absent since my arrival until within the last few days, I find a very agreeable friendly fellow, whom I should have been glad to see earlier. However there has been no end of kindness shown me here, and I have gained such materials for Goethe 526 as could only have been gained here. I go to Berlin shortly, and think of wintering there, and quietly finishing my work.
Wilson seems to pine for London, although they do everything they can to make Weimar agreeable to him. Eckermann 527 is very feeble, and his intellect going fast.
With kindest regards to your wife, Believe me, dear Carlyle,
Your very grateful
G. H. Lewes.
Signature
G. H. Lewes.
Citation
George Henry Lewes, GHL to Thomas Carlyle, Weimar, [19 October 1854], 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/95045