George Borrow and His Circle Part 36

In June 1874 FitzGerald writes to Donne:

'I saw in some _Athenaeum_ a somewhat contemptuous notice of G. B.'s _Rommany Lil_ or whatever the name is. I can easily understand that B.

should not meddle with _science_ of any sort; but some years ago he would not have liked to be told so; however, old age may have cooled him now.'

[218] Mr. Robert Cooke was a partner in John Murray's firm at this time.

[219] It is to be found in Dr. Knapp's _Life_, vol. ii. pp. 248-9.

[220] I have a copy of FitzGerald's.

[221] Dr. Aldis Wright tells me that he did go over to Oulton to see Mrs. MacOubrey, and gave her the best advice he could, but it was neglected.

CHAPTER x.x.xII

_WILD WALES_

The year 1854 was an adventurous one in Borrow's life, for he, so essentially a Celt, as Mr. Watts-Dunton has more than once reminded us,[222] had in that year two interesting experiences of the 'Celtic Fringe.' He spent the first months of the year in Cornwall, as we have seen, and from July to November he was in Wales. That tour he recorded in pencilled notebooks, four of which are in the Knapp Collection in New York, and are duly referred to in Dr. Knapp's biography, and two of which are in my possession. In addition to this I have the complete ma.n.u.script of _Wild Wales_ in Borrow's handwriting, and many variants of it in countless, carefully written pages. Therein lie the possibilities of a singularly interesting edition of _Wild Wales_ should opportunity offer for its publication. When I examine the ma.n.u.script, with its demonstration of careful preparation, I do not wonder that it took Borrow eight years--from 1854 to 1862--to prepare this book for the press. a.s.suredly we recognise here, as in all his books, that he realised Carlyle's definition of genius--'the transcendent capacity of taking trouble--first of all.'

[Ill.u.s.tration: _WILD WALES_ IN ITS BEGINNINGS.

Two pages from one of George Borrow's Pocket-books with pencilled notes made on his journey through Wales.]

It was on 27th July 1854 that Borrow, his wife and her daughter, Henrietta Clarke, set out on their journey to North Wales. Dr. Knapp prints two kindly letters from Mrs. Borrow to her mother-in-law written from Llangollen on this tour. 'We are in a lovely quiet spot,' she writes, 'Dear George goes out exploring the mountains.... The poor here are humble, simple, and good.' In the second letter Mrs. Borrow records that her husband 'keeps a _daily_ journal of all that goes on, so that he can make a most amusing book in a month.' Yet Borrow took eight years to make it. The failure of _The Romany Rye_, which was due for publication before _Wild Wales_, accounts for this, and perhaps also the disappointment that another book, long since ready, did not find a publisher. In the letter from which I have quoted Mary Borrow tells Anne Borrow that her son will, she expects at Christmas, publish _The Romany Rye_, 'together with his poetry in all the European languages.' This last book had been on his hands for many a day, and indeed in _Wild Wales_ he writes of 'a mountain of unpublished translations' of which this book, duly advertised in _The Romany Rye_, was a part.[223]

After an ascent of Snowdon arm in arm with Henrietta, Mrs. Borrow remaining behind, Borrow left his wife and daughter to find their way back to Yarmouth, and continued his journey, all of which is most picturesquely described in _Wild Wales_. Before that book was published, however, Borrow was to visit the Isle of Man, Scotland, and Ireland. He was to publish _Lavengro_ (1857); to see his mother die (1858); and to issue his very limited edition of _The Sleeping Bard_ (1860); and, lastly, to remove to Brompton (1860). It was at the end of the year 1862 that _Wild Wales_ was published. It had been written during the two years immediately following the tour in Wales, in 1855 and 1856. It had been announced as ready for publication in 1857, but doubtless the chilly reception of _The Romany Rye_ in that year, of which we have written, had made Borrow lukewarm as to venturing once more before the public. The public was again irresponsive. _The Cornhill Magazine_, then edited by Thackeray, declared the book to be 'tiresome reading.' The _Spectator_ reviewer was more kindly, but nowhere was there any enthusiasm. Only a thousand copies were sold,[224] and a second edition did not appear until 1865, and not another until seven years after Borrow's death. Yet the author had the encouragement that comes from kindly correspondents. Here, for example, is a letter that could not but have pleased him:

WEST HILL LODGE, HIGHGATE, _Dec. 29th, 1862._

DEAR SIR,--We have had a great Christmas pleasure this year--the reading of your _Wild Wales_, which has taken us so deliciously into the lovely fresh scenery and life of that pleasant mountain-land. My husband and myself made a little walking tour over some of your ground in North Wales this year; my daughter and her uncle, Richard Howitt, did the same; and we have been ourselves collecting material for a work, the scenes of which will be laid amidst some of our and your favourite mountains. But the object of my writing was not to tell you this; but after a.s.suring you of the pleasure your work has given us--to say also that in one respect it has tantalised us.

You have told over and over again to fascinated audiences, Lope de Vega's ghost story, but still leave the poor reader at the end of the book longing to hear it in vain.

May I ask you, therefore, to inform us in which of Lope de Vega's numerous works this same ghost story is to be found? We like ghost stories, and to a certain extent believe in them, we deserve therefore to know the best ghost story in the world:

Wis.h.i.+ng for you, your wife and your Henrietta, all the compliments of the season in the best and truest of expression.--I am, dear sir, yours sincerely,

MARY HOWITT.[225]

[Ill.u.s.tration: FACSIMILE OF THE t.i.tLE-PAGE OF _WILD WALES_

_From the original Ma.n.u.script in the possession of the Author of 'George Borrow and his Circle.'_]

The reference to Lope de Vega's ghost story is due to the fact that in the fifty-fifth chapter of _Wild Wales_, Borrow, after declaring that Lope de Vega was 'one of the greatest geniuses that ever lived,' added, that among his tales may be found 'the best ghost story in the world.'

Dr. Knapp found the story in Borrow's handwriting among the ma.n.u.scripts that came to him, and gives it in full. In good truth it is but moderately interesting, although Borrow seems to have told it to many audiences when in Wales, but this perhaps provides the humour of the situation. It seems clear that Borrow contemplated publis.h.i.+ng Lope de Vega's ghost story in a later book. We note here, indeed, a letter of a much later date in which Borrow refers to the possibility of a supplement to _Wild Wales_, the only suggestion of such a book that I have seen, although there is plenty of new ma.n.u.script in my Borrow collection to have made such a book possible had Borrow been encouraged by his publisher and the public to write it.

[Ill.u.s.tration: FACSIMILE OF THE FIRST PAGE OF _WILD WALES_

_From the original Ma.n.u.script in the possession of the Author of 'George Borrow and his Circle.'_]

To J. Evan Williams, Esq.

22 HEREFORD SQUARE, BROMPTON, _Decr. 31, 1863._

DEAR SIR,--I have received your letter and thank you for the kind manner in which you are pleased to express yourself concerning me. Now for your questions. With respect to Lope De Vega's ghost story, I beg to say that I am thinking of publis.h.i.+ng a supplement to my _Wild Wales_ in which, amongst other things, I shall give a full account of the tale and point out where it is to be found. You cannot imagine the number of letters I receive on the subject of that ghost story. With regard to the Sclavonian languages, I wish to observe that they are all well deserving of study. The Servian and Bohemian contain a great many old traditionary songs, and the latter possesses a curious though not very extensive prose literature.

The Polish has, I may say, been rendered immortal by the writings of Mickiewicz, whose 'Conrad Wallenrod' is probably the most remarkable poem of the present century. The Russian, however, is the most important of all the Sclavonian tongues, not on account of its literature but because it is spoken by fifty millions of people, it being the dominant speech from the Gulf of Finland to the frontiers of China. There is a remarkable similarity both in sound and sense between many Russian and Welsh words, for example 'tchelo' ([Russian]) is the Russian for forehead, 'tal' is Welsh for the same; 'iasnhy'

(neuter 'iasnoe') is the Russian for clear or radiant, 'iesin'

the Welsh, so that if it were grammatical in Russian to place the adjective after the noun as is the custom in Welsh, the Welsh compound 'Taliesin' (Radiant forehead) might be rendered in Russian by 'Tchel[=o]iasnoe,' which would be wondrously like the Welsh name; unfortunately, however, Russian grammar would compel any one wis.h.i.+ng to Russianise 'Taliesin' to say not 'Tchel[=o]iasnoe' but 'Iasnoetchelo.'--Yours truly,

GEORGE BORROW.

Another letter that Borrow owed to his _Wild Wales_ may well have place here. It will be recalled that in his fortieth chapter he waxes enthusiastic over Lewis Morris, the Welsh bard, who was born in Anglesey in 1700 and died in 1765. Morris's great-grandson, Sir Lewis Morris (1833-1907), the author of the once popular _Epic of Hades_, was twenty-nine years of age when he wrote to Borrow as follows:--

To George Borrow, Esq.

REFORM CLUB, _Dec. 29, 1862._

SIR,--I have just finished reading your work on _Wild Wales_, and cannot refrain from writing to thank you for the very lifelike picture of the Welsh people, North and South, which, unlike other Englishmen, you have managed to give us. To ordinary Englishmen the language is of course an insurmountable bar to any real knowledge of the people, and the result is that within six hours of Paddington or Euston Square is a country nibbled at superficially by droves of holiday-makers, but not really better known than Asia Minor. I wish it were possible to get rid of all obstacles which stand in the way of the development of the Welsh people and the Welsh intellect. In the meantime every book which like yours tends to lighten the thick darkness which seems to hang round Wales deserves the acknowledgments of every true Welshman. I am, perhaps, more especially called upon to express my thanks for the very high terms in which you speak of my great-grandfather, Lewis Morris. I believe you have not said a word more than he deserves. Some of the facts which you mention with regard to him were unknown to me, and as I take a very great interest in everything relating to my ancestor I venture to ask you whether you can indicate any source of knowledge with regard to him and his wife, other than those which I have at present--viz. an old number of the _Cambrian Register_ and some notices of him in the _Gentleman's Magazine_, 1760-70. There is also a letter of his in Lord Teignmouth's _Life of Sir William Jones_ in which he claims kindred with that great scholar. Many of his ma.n.u.script poems and much correspondence are now in the library of the British Museum, most of them I regret to say a sealed book to one who like myself had yet to learn Welsh. But I am not the less anxious to learn all that can be ascertained about my great ancestor. I should say that two of his brothers, Richard and William, were eminent Welsh scholars.

With apologies for addressing you so unceremoniously, and with renewed thanks, I remain, Sir, your obedient servant,

LEWIS MORRIS.

An interesting letter to Borrow from another once popular writer belongs to this period:

To George Borrow, Esq.

THE 'PRESS' OFFICE, STRAND, WESTMINSTER, _Thursday._

One who has read and delighted in everything Mr. Borrow has yet published ventures to say how great has been his delight in reading _Wild Wales_. No philologist or linguist, I am yet an untiring walker and versifier: and really I think that few things are pleasanter than to walk and to versify. Also, well do I love good ale, natural drink of the English. If I could envy anything, it is your linguistic faculty, which unlocks to you the hearts of the unknown races of these islands--unknown, I mean, as to their real feelings and habits, to ordinary Englishmen--and your still higher faculty of describing your adventures in the purest and raciest English of the day. I send you a Danish daily journal, which you may not have seen. Once a week it issues articles in English. How beautiful (but of course not new to you) is the legend of Queen Dagmar, given in this number! A n.o.ble race, the Danes: glad am I to see their blood about to refresh that which runs in the royal veins of England. Sorry and ashamed to see a Russell bullying and insulting them.

MORTIMER COLLINS.[226]

How greatly Borrow was disappointed at the comparative failure of _Wild Wales_ may be gathered from a curt message to his publisher which I find among his papers:

Mr. Borrow has been applied to by a country bookseller, who is desirous of knowing why there is not another edition of _Wild Wales_, as he cannot procure a copy of the book, for which he receives frequent orders. That it was not published in a cheap form as soon as the edition of 1862 was exhausted has caused much surprise.

Borrow, it will be remembered, left Wales at Chepstow, as recorded in the hundred and ninth and final chapter of _Wild Wales_, 'where I purchased a first cla.s.s ticket, and ensconcing myself in a comfortable carriage, was soon on my way to London, where I arrived at about four o'clock in the morning.' In the following letter to his wife there is a slight discrepancy, of no importance, as to time: