John W. Cross to Mary F. Cross, Verona, 1 June 1880
Title
John W. Cross to Mary F. Cross, Verona, 1 June 1880
Title
John W. Cross to Mary F. Cross, Verona, 1 June 1880
Sender
John W. Cross
Recipient
Mary F. Cross
Date(s)
- 1880-06-01
Place
Verona
Letter Content
John W. Cross to Mary F. Cross, Verona, 1 June 1880
MS: Yale.
Verona 1 June 1880.
My Dearest Marly
I do believe you are the only one of my sweet sisters to whom I have not written since I entered into the holy state of matrimony and as I know the pleasure my autograph will be to you -- le voici! This is the most delicious town you can conceive -- molto molto pittoresquo e sympatico -- a very proper place for Romeo and Juliet. The Capulets palace is within a few doors of this hotel and one can see the balcony cette ch'e8re creature leaned out of. Also the stairs of Cangrande's palace where poor Dante found how salt was the bread of another as you will no doubt remember in your Purgatorio 551 -- I would give you the exact reference if Murray were handy! but it isn't. Also there is a Duomo with a wondrous portico and bronze gates of the 9th Century and a Church of Sta Anastasia with a notable roof and a charming picture by Andrea Mantegna and a sweet thing in the way of a porch which has been the joy of many architectural minds. My knowledge of early art is becoming surprising to myself! Imbued with the spirit of Cimabue and Giotto I come to my Mantegna and find him adequate and can understand the force he has been in the development of art -- a fact which will no doubt be well known to you my dear sister -- and if not let me refer you to Kugler 552 -- a worthy man though dry.
The best things here to my mind are the Piazzi de Erbe (the market place) and dei Signori (where Cangrande's palace is) and the Roman remains Amphitheatre etc. Yesterday we took a charming drive to a hill behind the town where we saw the whole Lombard plain stretched out at our feet with the Euganean Hills between us and Padua and on the other side Mantua, Solferino, Villafranca -- all names well known in ancient or in modern story. The view was as our Italian coachman -- an excellent fellow -- remarked "stupendo" -- this beautiful city with its purple roofs and graceful Campanile nestling itself in a great bend of the swiftly flowing Adige, over which there are 5 very picturesque bridges and the sense that our dear Dante might have been there, and no doubt often was -- musing on the hardness of his lot as an exile.
Murray says there are more balconies in Verona than in any other city in the world and I believe him: though as mia Donna aptly remarked she wondered if he had counted the balconies in the other Italian cities! But if ever one were to become blas'e9 of balconies it would be here. 553 But that is not possible for balconies are a chief joy in life when you have a sun and thank God we have seen a good deal of that almost forgotten luminary since we have been out! In fact we have only had rain on 2 days: once at Lyons, and on Sunday when we left Milan it was pouring. It has never yet become quite unclouded since Sunday but though a little overcast the temperature is very pleasant sitting with the windows open. Mia Donna continues in excellent form and surprises me by the amount of fatigue she can go through in seeing churches pictures etc. and she looks all the better of it. We have not talked to another soul since we left England and if I don't become very wise with Cotanta Amante, guide, philosopher, and friend -- well I ought to!
This afternoon we go on to Padua. I had half expected a letter here as I gave Nelly this address -- but no doubt we will find letters at Venice where we will arrive on Thursday and will probably remain some 10 days as there are so many pictures to see. I don't know what people generally complain so much of in their wedding journeys -- ours has certainly been very full of delight and it goes on increasing and I hope will go on jusqu''e0 la fin -- she is a very inexhaustible storehouse.
We hope to hear at Venice that you have found the right house and I am also anxious to hear from Willy how things are going on at No. 4 Cheyne Walk. I very often feel as if the whole thing were a dream! It is so very curious when I think of her as Mrs. Cross! Do you remember how we heard of Billy Druce's birth at Venice? How much has happened since then and how long ago it seems. I will write Anna from Venice in memoriam of the great event. Give her and Albert my best love when you see them also Emmy and all the children of light. Write soon and tell us all about yourselves. Love to Will and Henry and Dottie
Thine
J. W. C.
MS: Yale.
Verona 1 June 1880.
My Dearest Marly
I do believe you are the only one of my sweet sisters to whom I have not written since I entered into the holy state of matrimony and as I know the pleasure my autograph will be to you -- le voici! This is the most delicious town you can conceive -- molto molto pittoresquo e sympatico -- a very proper place for Romeo and Juliet. The Capulets palace is within a few doors of this hotel and one can see the balcony cette ch'e8re creature leaned out of. Also the stairs of Cangrande's palace where poor Dante found how salt was the bread of another as you will no doubt remember in your Purgatorio 551 -- I would give you the exact reference if Murray were handy! but it isn't. Also there is a Duomo with a wondrous portico and bronze gates of the 9th Century and a Church of Sta Anastasia with a notable roof and a charming picture by Andrea Mantegna and a sweet thing in the way of a porch which has been the joy of many architectural minds. My knowledge of early art is becoming surprising to myself! Imbued with the spirit of Cimabue and Giotto I come to my Mantegna and find him adequate and can understand the force he has been in the development of art -- a fact which will no doubt be well known to you my dear sister -- and if not let me refer you to Kugler 552 -- a worthy man though dry.
The best things here to my mind are the Piazzi de Erbe (the market place) and dei Signori (where Cangrande's palace is) and the Roman remains Amphitheatre etc. Yesterday we took a charming drive to a hill behind the town where we saw the whole Lombard plain stretched out at our feet with the Euganean Hills between us and Padua and on the other side Mantua, Solferino, Villafranca -- all names well known in ancient or in modern story. The view was as our Italian coachman -- an excellent fellow -- remarked "stupendo" -- this beautiful city with its purple roofs and graceful Campanile nestling itself in a great bend of the swiftly flowing Adige, over which there are 5 very picturesque bridges and the sense that our dear Dante might have been there, and no doubt often was -- musing on the hardness of his lot as an exile.
Murray says there are more balconies in Verona than in any other city in the world and I believe him: though as mia Donna aptly remarked she wondered if he had counted the balconies in the other Italian cities! But if ever one were to become blas'e9 of balconies it would be here. 553 But that is not possible for balconies are a chief joy in life when you have a sun and thank God we have seen a good deal of that almost forgotten luminary since we have been out! In fact we have only had rain on 2 days: once at Lyons, and on Sunday when we left Milan it was pouring. It has never yet become quite unclouded since Sunday but though a little overcast the temperature is very pleasant sitting with the windows open. Mia Donna continues in excellent form and surprises me by the amount of fatigue she can go through in seeing churches pictures etc. and she looks all the better of it. We have not talked to another soul since we left England and if I don't become very wise with Cotanta Amante, guide, philosopher, and friend -- well I ought to!
This afternoon we go on to Padua. I had half expected a letter here as I gave Nelly this address -- but no doubt we will find letters at Venice where we will arrive on Thursday and will probably remain some 10 days as there are so many pictures to see. I don't know what people generally complain so much of in their wedding journeys -- ours has certainly been very full of delight and it goes on increasing and I hope will go on jusqu''e0 la fin -- she is a very inexhaustible storehouse.
We hope to hear at Venice that you have found the right house and I am also anxious to hear from Willy how things are going on at No. 4 Cheyne Walk. I very often feel as if the whole thing were a dream! It is so very curious when I think of her as Mrs. Cross! Do you remember how we heard of Billy Druce's birth at Venice? How much has happened since then and how long ago it seems. I will write Anna from Venice in memoriam of the great event. Give her and Albert my best love when you see them also Emmy and all the children of light. Write soon and tell us all about yourselves. Love to Will and Henry and Dottie
Thine
J. W. C.
Signature
J. W. C.
Citation
John W. Cross, John W. Cross to Mary F. Cross, Verona, 1 June 1880, 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/95506