Thornton Arnott Lewes to GE, Edinburgh, 25 June 1861
Title
Thornton Arnott Lewes to GE, Edinburgh, 25 June 1861
Title
Thornton Arnott Lewes to GE, Edinburgh, 25 June 1861
Sender
Thornton Arnott Lewes
Recipient
F
Date(s)
- 1861-06-25
Place
Edinburgh
Letter Content
Thornton Arnott Lewes to GE, Edinburgh, 25 June 1861
MS: Yale.
549 Duncan Street, | Newington, | Edinburgh | 25 June. 1861.
Dear Mother,
As I received a letter this morning from Pater, informing me that you were alive and kicking I hasten to assume the pen to undress myself to you. I am in the first place extremely obliged to every body for every thing i.e. to you and Pater for the stamps etc. which you sent from Italy. In the second place I am very glad that you enjoyed yourselves so much, though doubtless if your heads had not troubled you, you would have enjoyed yourselves much more. When I received Patris epistolam from Italy, I was enjoying the temporary honours of the Duxship, temporary because honours in this fleeting vorld don't last long, and therefore Pater's growl about my not writing de meis litterarum studiis c'est-'e0-dire mes 'e9tudes litt'e9raires came very mal-'e0-propos. The reason for my not writing about my lessons was, because I had other things to say, and as lessons are the dullest things, to write about, not to learn, I only mention them, when I have nothing else to say, whereas last time I sent Pater a terse, vigourous, funny, punning, amusing, interesting, English, French, German, Italian and Latin epistle.
I am very much obliged to Pater for allowing a trip to the Highlands of Scotland, but I am a true Swiss, attacked ever since I came here with an incurable disease commonly known under the name of nostalgia or under the more poetical one of Heimweh, and consequently there is nothing I should like half so much as to go to Switzerland for a fortnight with Empson, who I suppose will not go before the 27 or 28 July. Please, Pater et Mater, take this matter into your favourable consideration, I should like so much to see Switzerland once more. Vidi la Svizzera e poi muori!
I am going to dine this evening with Mr. Blackwood, and shall see your portrait, which he says looks rather sad; but I will give you my opinion in my next.
I suppose you don't know that Mr. Howard (the great concert man here) has opened what he calls an operetta house, 550 and Miss Julia St. George is the directress (I suppose you neve saw her), well I knew her again the instant I saw her, though I had not seen her I should think for 6 or 7 years.
How long did you stop at Hofwyl? 2 or three days, I suppose. 551 Dr. M'fcller sent me a beautiful letter the other day from which I quote the following:
Von allen unsern Sch'fclern bist du wohl so ziemlich der einzige, der nicht in dieser Sprache geboren, sich das Deutsche ganz zu eigen gemacht, was allerdings keine Kleinigkeit ist etc.
I suppose neither of you are coming down to the Examination, which takes place on the 24 and 25 July. I am said to be quite sure of the Club prize (the best of the lot,) though I should prefer the Dux's medal) consisting as Mr. Robertson says of almost a library, some 8 or ten splendid volumes. The competitors are to be examined in Latin, Greek, French, German, English and Mathematics in a fortnight or so.
My stamps are flourishing, 550. Butterflies ditto though I have made no new acquisition. In the shooting line I am such a crack shot, that I hardly ever fire at a bird sitting. I shoot swallows almost easier than anything else, but as it is a great pity to shoot the poor beasts I have given it up, so I have only shot 5 of them.
I suppose you have seen the glorious books published by Routledge at 1/ each, viz: British Butterflies, British Birds eggs, Common objects of the seashore, of the country, and the microscope etc. 552 They are the cheapest books ever published. Blackwood says that 8000 copies of Silas Marner have been sold, the more the merrier.
I was in a very good humour yesterday, so one of my friends, who always puns and quizzes when he gets the chance, said: Ah! ha! I know why you are so elated today. Where were you fencing this morning? Now it happened that in the morning I had been fencing in Dr. Schmitz's garden with one of his boarders and had seen Dora, which fact had been communicated to the other fellow, who always asks me when I see Dora, whether she squeedged my hand or not?
I express great sorrow at not having written to thank Grandmamma, but I hope you will do it when you see her and I will do it soon by letter. Tell Charlie I shall write to him soon. Is Walter Young living close to you? Tell Charles to tell Empson to answer my letter.
Here ends my tail, that with affection wags From want of stuff not want of time it flags!
Ever your affectionate Son
Thornton Arnott Lewes.
Messrs. R. and Schmitz send kind regards.
Rex Ranarum.
MS: Yale.
549 Duncan Street, | Newington, | Edinburgh | 25 June. 1861.
Dear Mother,
As I received a letter this morning from Pater, informing me that you were alive and kicking I hasten to assume the pen to undress myself to you. I am in the first place extremely obliged to every body for every thing i.e. to you and Pater for the stamps etc. which you sent from Italy. In the second place I am very glad that you enjoyed yourselves so much, though doubtless if your heads had not troubled you, you would have enjoyed yourselves much more. When I received Patris epistolam from Italy, I was enjoying the temporary honours of the Duxship, temporary because honours in this fleeting vorld don't last long, and therefore Pater's growl about my not writing de meis litterarum studiis c'est-'e0-dire mes 'e9tudes litt'e9raires came very mal-'e0-propos. The reason for my not writing about my lessons was, because I had other things to say, and as lessons are the dullest things, to write about, not to learn, I only mention them, when I have nothing else to say, whereas last time I sent Pater a terse, vigourous, funny, punning, amusing, interesting, English, French, German, Italian and Latin epistle.
I am very much obliged to Pater for allowing a trip to the Highlands of Scotland, but I am a true Swiss, attacked ever since I came here with an incurable disease commonly known under the name of nostalgia or under the more poetical one of Heimweh, and consequently there is nothing I should like half so much as to go to Switzerland for a fortnight with Empson, who I suppose will not go before the 27 or 28 July. Please, Pater et Mater, take this matter into your favourable consideration, I should like so much to see Switzerland once more. Vidi la Svizzera e poi muori!
I am going to dine this evening with Mr. Blackwood, and shall see your portrait, which he says looks rather sad; but I will give you my opinion in my next.
I suppose you don't know that Mr. Howard (the great concert man here) has opened what he calls an operetta house, 550 and Miss Julia St. George is the directress (I suppose you neve saw her), well I knew her again the instant I saw her, though I had not seen her I should think for 6 or 7 years.
How long did you stop at Hofwyl? 2 or three days, I suppose. 551 Dr. M'fcller sent me a beautiful letter the other day from which I quote the following:
Von allen unsern Sch'fclern bist du wohl so ziemlich der einzige, der nicht in dieser Sprache geboren, sich das Deutsche ganz zu eigen gemacht, was allerdings keine Kleinigkeit ist etc.
I suppose neither of you are coming down to the Examination, which takes place on the 24 and 25 July. I am said to be quite sure of the Club prize (the best of the lot,) though I should prefer the Dux's medal) consisting as Mr. Robertson says of almost a library, some 8 or ten splendid volumes. The competitors are to be examined in Latin, Greek, French, German, English and Mathematics in a fortnight or so.
My stamps are flourishing, 550. Butterflies ditto though I have made no new acquisition. In the shooting line I am such a crack shot, that I hardly ever fire at a bird sitting. I shoot swallows almost easier than anything else, but as it is a great pity to shoot the poor beasts I have given it up, so I have only shot 5 of them.
I suppose you have seen the glorious books published by Routledge at 1/ each, viz: British Butterflies, British Birds eggs, Common objects of the seashore, of the country, and the microscope etc. 552 They are the cheapest books ever published. Blackwood says that 8000 copies of Silas Marner have been sold, the more the merrier.
I was in a very good humour yesterday, so one of my friends, who always puns and quizzes when he gets the chance, said: Ah! ha! I know why you are so elated today. Where were you fencing this morning? Now it happened that in the morning I had been fencing in Dr. Schmitz's garden with one of his boarders and had seen Dora, which fact had been communicated to the other fellow, who always asks me when I see Dora, whether she squeedged my hand or not?
I express great sorrow at not having written to thank Grandmamma, but I hope you will do it when you see her and I will do it soon by letter. Tell Charlie I shall write to him soon. Is Walter Young living close to you? Tell Charles to tell Empson to answer my letter.
Here ends my tail, that with affection wags From want of stuff not want of time it flags!
Ever your affectionate Son
Thornton Arnott Lewes.
Messrs. R. and Schmitz send kind regards.
Rex Ranarum.
Signature
Thornton Arnott Lewes.
Citation
Thornton Arnott Lewes, Thornton Arnott Lewes to GE, Edinburgh, 25 June 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/95610