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. Not previously published.
These letters were edited with the assistance of Carol Bolton, Tim Fulford and Ian Packer
For permission to publish the text of MSS in their possession, the editor wishes to thank the Beinecke Rare Books and Manuscript Library, Yale University; Berg Collection of English and American Literature, The New York Public Library, Astor, Lenox and Tilden Foundations; the Bodleian Library Oxford University; the British Library; Boston Public Library; the Syndics of Cambridge University Library; the Syndics of the Fitzwilliam Museum Cambridge; Haverford College, Connecticut; the Historical Society of Pennsylvania; the Hornby Library, Liverpool Libraries and Information Services; the Houghton Library, Harvard University; the John Rylands Library, Manchester; the Kenneth Spencer Research Library, University of Kansas; Luton Museum (Bedfordshire County Council); Massachusetts Historical Society; McGill University Library; the National Library of Scotland; the Newberry Library, Chicago; the New York Public Library (Pforzheimer Collections); the Pierpont Morgan Library, New York; the Public Record Offices of Bedford, Suffolk (Bury St Edmunds) and Northumberland, the Master and Fellows of Trinity College, Cambridge; the Society of Antiquaries of Newcastle upon Tyne; the Trustees of the William Salt Library, Stafford, the Wisbech and Fenland Museum; the University of Virginia Library.
A research grant from the British Academy made much of the archival work possible, as did support from the English Department of Nottingham Trent University.
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Lisbon has twice been clean since the creation. Noahs flood
washed it once, & the fire after the earthquake
The filthiest offices in the place are performed by negroes –
they carry out from the decent houses the anonymous utensils. these poor people
were brought as slaves into Portugal, till Pombal prohibited all future
importation, still leaving those already in the country slaves, that property
might not be invaded.xx women wear nothing on their
heads, & this what with their woolly hair, & their broad features look
sometimes so fearfully ugly that I do not wonder at the frequency of Negresses
in Romance. A Priest in this country sold his own daughter
by a negress. The Portugueze despise the Negroes, & by way of insult sneeze
at them as they pass. this is their strongest mark of contempt. – Our phrase “a
fig for him!” is explained by an amulet in use here against witchcraft, called a
figa. the mules & asses bear it. it is the figure
of a hand, closed, the thumb cocked out between the fore & middle fingers. I
first saw it mentioned in a curious poem by Vieira, the famous, & indeed
only good, Portugueze Painter.gabar is to praise – to coax.
No doubt this is a regular government. it is an old monarchy –
& has an established church. if the monarchy be despotic, if the clergy have
an inquisition – so much the better a lawyer in England wrote a book to prove
that our monarchy was absolute alsoHughes <Hughes>aweful tribunal the Inquisition had relaxed its
vigilance, but you may rob, forge, & murder with impunity. An
acquaintance of mine, (Tennantsteals robs his master, it is a point of
honour in his fellow servants never to inform the master. both these points of
honours are inviolable – from prudence, for a stab would be the consequence. One
method of revenge used in the provinces is ingeniously wicked. they beat a man
with sand bags. these do not inflict so much immediate pain as a cane would do,
but they so bruise all the fine vessels, that unless the poor wretch be
immediately scarified, lingering death is the consequence. my Uncle has known instances at
Porto. For all useful purposes of society this is a complete anarchy. in the
police every individual is interested – security is the object of political
institutions, & here every man is at the mercy of every ruffian he meets.
these thugs make no noise here. a man was murdered this week within thirty yards
of our house – & we only heard it, ten days afterwards. by mere accident.
yet all goes on smoothly – as the Tagus flows over the dead bodies that
<are> thrown into it. they talk of clogging the wheels of government in
England – as if government were a mighty complex piece of clockwork. but the
wheels of government, only oil them well – are not easily clogged. even if the
liberties of the people stand in their way, they crush them – as a broad wheeled
waggon would pass over the head of a child – & feel no jolt.
In England you will imagine that this insecurity must occasion
perpetual disquiet. not so. as I do not quarrel, & nobody has any interest
in sending me to the next world there is no danger. we are indeed safer than in
England, because there is not so much ingenuity exerted in villainy. instruments
for picking pockets & breaking open houses have not yet been introduced into
Portugal. you meet no counterfeit money in circulation – the country is not
civilised enough to produce coiners. xxxx a man
may as easily escape being assassinated here, as he can fighting a duel in
England.
On Sunday some boys dressed like blue boysxxx his hat, as its heavy corners
preponderated. the attendants carried silver salvers, on which they had
collected much copper money, few poor people passing who did not give something.
– Lately a Negro went along our street with a Christ in a glass case which he
showed to every one whom he met. they usually kissed the glass & gave him
money. Pombal in his time prohibited such follies. these im[MS torn] have all
been blessed by the Pope & are therefore thus respected. I was [MS torn] a
shop the other day waiting for change, when a beggar woma[MS torn] came in. as I
did not give her anything she turned to an image of our Lady, prayed to it &
kissed it – & then turned round to beg again. Religion is kept alive here by
these images &c. like a fire perpetually supplied with fuel. they have a
Saints for every <thing> – we poor
heretics have only our Trinity & all things xxx are attributed to Providence – but here one saint preserves from
lightning xxxxx another from fire – a third
clears the clouds & so on – a salve for every sore. it is a fine religion
for an enthusiast – for one who can let his feelings remain awake, & opiate
his reason. never was Goddess so calculated to win upon the human heart as the
Virgin Mary – & devotees – Moravianst Theresa.
One of the New Convent towers is miserably disfigured by a projecting screen of wood. the man who rings the bell stands close by it, & this ugly thing is put there lest he should see the Nuns walking in the Garden – or least they should see him, for a Nun has nothing but Love to think of – & powder magazines must be guarded warily. a million sterling has been expended upon the Convent. it is magnificent within – wholly of marble & the colours well disposed. A million sterling! & the Great Square is unfinished, & the City without flagstones – without lamps – without drains.
I meet the galley slaves sometimes, & have looked at them with a physiognomic eye to see if they suffered from the rest of the people. it appeared to me that they had been found out – & the others had not. The Port. face, when fine, is very fine, & it rarely wants the expression of intellect.
The gardens have usually vine covered walks, stone pillars
supporting the trellis-poles. some you see in the old fashioned stile. borders of box cut into patterns like the
zig-zag-twirling of a Turkey carpet pattern. the Convent of the
Necessidadesx fount[MS obscured by binding] the spaces between the walks occupied
with oranges, lemons, & other fruit trees. every where innumerable lizards
are to be seen sporting in the sun – grey or green – from two inches to 20 in
length – nimble – harmless – beautiful animals. –
Edith has begun to copy Thalaba for
you.third letter) goes by
<a> privat hand.