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Monk Soham.—Thanks him for a copy of his book (the Bible Word Book), and reflects on the death of William Whewell. Invites him to stay, to give him an opportunity of consulting manuscripts at Helmingham. Discusses connections between English dialects and East Frisian.

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Transcript

Monk Soham
March 9. 1866.

Dear Mr Wright,

Many thanks for your book {1} which I have looked over with very great interest, and shall hope to have an early notice of in the Christian Advocate.

You have lost a Great Man at Cambridge {2}. I thought him looking so handsome, when I saw him a month ago. Age had given dignity to the hard features, and his white hair gave him a venerable look.

All his foibles and failings will be buried in his grave and forgotten: but he will live, specially among you at Trinity.

As regards any Chaucer M.SS. at Helmingham, I only know of one a fragment on paper, and I cannot trust my recollection as to what it is.

The books and M.S.S are not accessible save when Mr Tollemache is there.

Perhaps he may come down during the Whitsun Holydays.

Can you come and stay a few days with me, in case the Library is then accessible.

I will ask Bradshaw to come down with you, and you shall rummage one or two closets &c, which I don’t think have been sufficiently gone over.

I quite hold to your project about the General Dialecticon—to coin a word—and will gladly help in it.

I think I can furnish some good specimens of old Harvest-songs, and such old songs as go to tuneless tunes.

Did you ever hear a true Suffolk tune—“never ending, still beginning.”

Do you know a book—of which I carried off Vol. 1. the other day from the P.L.—which mightily amuses me.

“Firmenich, J. W. “Germaniens Völkerstimmen.”

I cannot make out much system in it, except that the series of dialects are topographically arranged. Perhaps the third Volume contains results.

I have gathered some very curious illustrations and Bremen dialects.

Perhaps things all known before, only having the special flavour to me of game taken by my own hunting.

E.G.

Do you know the Dorset Dialect? How constantly the words “I low” recur: “I low, twill rain tomorrow.”—I used to think this meant “I allow” by the figure of Tmesis—so convenient for amateur philologists.

But, lo ye {3}, in East Frisian. | (p. 18. Fermenich)

“De Dokter Liefpien het mi dar’n Dings an mien Schürdöer schreven, ich lör, ’t is Kremerlatien”

“Docter Liefpien had written me something about it on the — {4} door, I low, it is Kremer-(?) Latin.

(Elsewhere it is called “Dews-latien” = Dog-latin!!!

Then p. 42. Mundart Kiels.

“Ich glöw, et sull en Amtsverwalter sien.”

I low, it was an Official.”

So here we have “Ich glaube”. and Dorsetshire “I low” = I believe.

Tög = heng {5} = Dress = Toggery.

Noch ein Wortchen!

Moor = Mother | = Mor, Suffolk.

Yours sincerely,
Robert. W. Groome

I know so little of your Cambridge politics; but who will be your new master.
Mathison, Vaughan, Thompson? {6}

Has W.H.T. any chance?

Have you read E.F.G. “Mighty Magician” yet? {7}

[Second postscript:]

I open my letter to obtrude some advice.

In your list of books appended to your W.B. {8} I miss one book, which may be after all well known to you, but if not a book of great value for your Shakspere Glossary, if you are meditating such a Magnum opus.

“The Courtier of Count Baldesar Castilio – – – – done into English by Thomas Hobby. | London Printed by John Wolfe | 1588.

I meant to have excerpt† it for the Big Dic {9}, during poor H. Coleridge’s Life, but since then “fresh fields”—I cannot “pastures gay”—for they are sad at times—have occupied me.

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The first postscript was added at the head of the first sheet, the second on a separate slip. There are a few irregularities of punctuation, which have not been corrected. The letter was sent with two lists of notable words in Hoby’s translation of Castiglione’s Courtier (Add. MS b. 74/5/2).

{1} Wright’s Bible Word Book, first published this year.

{2} William Whewell, who died on 6 March.

{3} ‘lo ye’: reading uncertain.

{4} A question mark has been added above the dash.

{5} Reading uncertain.

{6} W. C. Mathison, C. J. Vaughan, W. H. Thompson, all Fellows of Trinity.

{7} Edward FitzGerald’s translation of Calderón’s play El mágico prodigioso, privately printed in 1865. There are six copies in Trinity College Library.

{8} i.e. the Bible Word Book.

{9} This is the apparent reading—perhaps short for ‘Big Dictionary’; but the reference is unclear.

Thanks Sidgwick for his letter. Reports that since they saw each other at Cambridge he has been reading the statutes of the [Whewell] International Law Professorship, and he believes that 'the founder of the Professorship contemplated the Professor being [ ] engaged in non-academical pursuits.' States however that his intentions regarding the India Office 'are independent of any question raised by Dr Whewell's will.' Believes that it would be 'extremely wrong' that any public servant should hold a seat on the Indian Council as well as two academic offices, viz., the Mastership of Trinity Hall and the International Professorship, and states that if he were to be appointed to the latter, he would resign from the Indian Council as soon as he could. His perception of the situation is that the electors, having surveyed the field of candidates, came to the conclusion that there was no one to be preferred to Maine, he would be invited to apply for the position. Suggests that it would be enough if he authorised Sidgwick to declare him a candidate; assures him that he is 'not for a moment suggesting that' Sidgwick vote for him. Asks him to let him know the result by telegraph when the election is over.

Margin of c 30 mm ruled on each page. Note in margin of first page, in 18th century hand [perhaps John Byrom's?], 'Dr Barrows Sermon in his own Hand. it belongs to Trinity College Library'. Text on first page under the heading 'Prov. 14.6: A scorner seeketh wisedome & findeth it not, but knowledge is easy to him that inderstandeth'; quotations also on knowledge from Cicero and Romans. Sermon on 3. Colossians. 2, 'Sett your affections on things above, not on things upon the earth', begins on f. 1v.

Loose wrapper inside back cover, addressed to 'The Rev. Dr. Whewell, Master of Trinity College, Cambridge' and postmarked 4 and 5 Nov. 1851. With note in Whewell's hand, 'A Sermon of Dr Barrow received from Rev. R. Parkinson Nov 1851 - unpublished? WW'

Signature and title on recto of flyleaf. Contents on first page: pp 3-11, 'Introductory Statement'; pp 15-25, 'Correspondence of 1863; pp 27-54, 'Case submitted by Whewell, 1864'; pp 55-57, 'Counsels' Opinion thereon'; pp 79-101, 'Correspondence, March 1866, on the method of procedure; pp 102-111, '[Correspondence], 1866, on the terms of the proposed Instrument'; pp 75-77, '[Correspondence], 1883, on whether Judges could bring their wives'; p 113 'Dr Thompson's views of the effect of the Instrument'; p. 71, 'On the Reception of the Judges circ. 1830'; pp 65-69, 'Taylor's Ballad on the dispute between Denman & Whewell'; pp 65-69, 'Practice (1879) of giving Invitations to dine in Hall'; pp 115-[118], 'Correspondence (1918) on the Judge's Lodgings'.

Newspaper cutting pasted to page 118: 'Correspondence in May 1918 between the High Sheriff (Sir George Fordham) and the Town Authorities'.

Embossed notepaper, 'Palace, Abergwili, Carmarthen'. - Recollections of figures commemorated in Monographs, including 'the excellent renegade who treated us with anecdotes of Napoleon' [Suleiman Pasha?] at one of Houghton's breakfasts; accounts of von Humboldt and Whewell are surprisingly charitable. Landor well represented; 'I met him at Whewell's table. He unfolded his ideas of the most pressingly needed reforms of the Church. "I would give every Bishop £500 a year. The Bishop of London only should have £1000. And I would make it a capital felony for any Bishop to leave his Diocese." Whewell got very hot indeed and we narrowly missed a scene'. Sydney Smith's antipathy to Bishops appeared to be aggravated by seeing Thirwall.

Sends back 'both Proof and M.S.' [of The Methods of Ethics?, not included], which he read with interest. Acknowledges 'the difficulties attaching to the doctrine' criticised by Sidgwick, but does not believe them to be insuperable, 'or so considerable as the difficulties which the doctrine removes.' Admits that his lack of any adequate conception of Sidgwick's point of view, and also from the 'imperfect way' in which he has presented his own doctrine 'in the Whewell paper', he finds it impossible to present his case 'with any effect.' Suggests that the fundamental difference between their opinions is that while Sidgwick regards judgment of the actions of others as the primary moral fact, he [Martineau] finds it in judgment upon his own actions. States that he has never regarded the valuation of "Motives" as a method for determining the actions proper to pursue. Admits that the '"Moral Sentiments"' have their place 'among the scale of possible impulses', but claims that, if present, 'they cannot decide between the claims of the two competing impulses whose presence constitutes the problem, but can only add themselves on, as an intensification, to the [felt] authority of the higher.'

Trevelyan notes that Geoffrey Winthrop Young told him the first time he saw Trinity as a boy with his father Sir George Young, he was told that his father saw William Whewell jump up the hall steps in cap and gown. Lord Adrian notes that he saw an undergraduate jump the steps in a gown after hall in summer in 1955 or so.

Rochester. - Thanks for Mr Monckton's letter about the Brewood election; resigned in defeat and would not have expressed annoyance; local favour prevailed over testimonial evidence; believes Mason's testimonials were fifth-rate; thinks more highly of Whewell, having received his gracious reply to congratulations; asks what Milnes thinks of the Morning Chronicle on himself and Disraeli on the Oxford Poetry question; Milnes should attend to personal matters this winter; 'you have not the obstacle of a College Fellowship to prevent it'.