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Welcombe, Stratford on Avon. - Glad to hear Julian is crawling now; will send a parcel for his birthday soon. Unlucky that Miss [Margaret?] V[aughan] Williams has caught measles; it can be bad in adults. Miss Martin came to Welcombe yesterday; they expect the Runcimans, Janet, and George on Saturday; think Charlie is also coming since he stayed at home with a cold last week. Thinks Elizabeth will like Mrs Walter Rea; glad she has 'such nice neighbours'. She and Sir George move to London on 22 Feb; she will go to the concert on the way from the station, and asks whether Elizabeth will be there. Asks how she liked 'the Spaniard' [Benvingut Socias i Mercadé, see 46/174]. Nice that Julian listens to music.

Wallington, Cambo, Northumberland. - Hopes the 'invalid' [Thomas Sturge Moore?] is better and can return home soon, though sure he is comfortable at the Mill House; Mrs Moore seemed 'such a nice creature, with her pretty French manners & sweet face'; sure Elizabeth likes helping her. Keen to hear whether Elizabeth got to Tunbridge [for the Conference, see 11/107]; admire her for having canvassed. She herself has had 'urgent telegrams' about a women's meeting in Horsham today; would be wonderful if Erskine won. Sir George is very pleased at [Theodore] Roosevelt's victory. Sir Charles Dalrymple and his daughter have been staying for a couple of nights. Mary's cousin Blanche Stanley has been staying with her, who has a 'lovely soprano voice' and has been well taught. Mary has also got Charles to sing better; they are away now. Sends love to Robert, asks if he would like his "1001 Gems [of Poetry]" to be sent. Looking forward to the play. Asks if Elizabeth would like to have a box of chrysanthemums sent next week, and whether Mrs [Helen] Fry would like some, or Mrs Moore when they get back.

Was at the Deuchars' [Tommy and Dulcie] house yesterday, and met an Australian painter called [Colin] Colahan who lived for some years in Paris and the last three in England; does not know what his painting is like; he seems to be a friend of [George] Bernard Shaw, and has painted him. Will have to register next September, but would like to get into Julian's 'line of business' [camouflage work], which Bob thinks he would be better suited for than the regular army or munitions. He seems to have applied for this some months ago, but has heard nothing since. Julian might advise him who to approach; whether he is a good painter or not, he is 'very intelligent, and has plenty of energy', and seems 'quite a good sort' from an hour's acquaintance. Gives his address at Ockley. Bessie is quite well; [Karl] Bluth has been very ill, though better the last time Bessie rang [his wife] Theo; it is his 'old duodenal trouble'. Has written a few poems, one 'an interpretation in blank verse of an ass's bray'. Hopes Julian and Ursula are well, and that Ursula is 'enlarging her Urceolarian knowledge with her potter friend [Michael Cardew]': urceolus is Latin for 'a little pitcher or water pot'.

Hotel de Paris, Benares. - Found his father's letter here when they arrived yesterday, after almost two weeks at Chhatapur as the guests of the Maharajah, a 'very charming and cultivated man'. Stayed longer than planned since [Goldsworthy Lowes] Dickinson was unwell for a few days due to 'indifferent food'. Has been very interesting to observe the governance of a 'native state' which the Maharajah left entirely to the Diwan or chief minister, a Brahmin and a 'very enlightened and able man' who is engaged in reform; they befriended him and the rajah's private secretary who was also chief judge, 'a Moslem and a very fine type, from the Punjab' [M. Fazal i Haq?]. Unlike the Punjabi Muslims he had met, he wishes there could be friendship between Muslims and Hindus and believes it would be possible if both sides made 'certain concessions'.

They made several expeditions to see temples and palaces while there, and found the countryside more beautiful than anything else they have seen since leaving Bombay, so it perhaps does not matter that they did not as first planned go to Jaipur and Udaipur. Tomorrow they will 'go to see the pilgrims bathing and praying on the Ghats'; [originally] enclosing a photograph of one of the main ghats; the ruined palace in the foreground collapsed about twenty years ago; thinks the other photograph looks 'Italian'. Expects his father saw Benares when he was in India. They will probably go to Goya for two nights on 18 December, then on to Calcutta for a couple of weeks or more before going south to Madras; they may pay a short visit to Darjeeling. They have now given up the plan of going to Burma, for which there is not sufficient time. Bessie seems to have been happy in the Netherlands; expects she will have fetched Julian from Wallington by now; very glad to have had 'such good accounts of him' from her and his parents. Is writing with a champak [flower] bud on his table, whose 'odour perfades [sic] the room, and is worthy of its lyrical fame'.

Hopedene, Holmbury St Mary, Dorking. - Sends 'Congratulations from an ignoramus': thinks it [Trevelyan's translation of Lucretius's "De Rerum Natura"?] deserves a better format, with the text on facing page and larger print. Has only read Book 1 so far. Not sure he likes 'farded' line 645, but Trevelyan probably knows best; the dictionary gave a quotation from Scott's "Old M[ortality]" as illustration of the word, which he confesses he did not know. The work is a great 'labour'; hopes Trevelyan will have some 'jolly reviews'.

The end of term is close: 'in fact there are less than 1,000,000 seconds' until it comes. The exam [for Harrow?] will be 'very exciting'. Though he has not yet decided on a 'present for Mr A[rnold]', Robert thinks he 'would like best something for his writing table, like a good paper-weight'; thinks it would be almost as good to get it at 'the beginning of the hols', though if his mother has already found something she could send it to Robert now.

Has written to C[harlie] today. G[eorgie] is 'quite well now, and is doing very well in his class'; Robert hopes he will be placed first or second. They did not go in for the history exam with the rest, as they were 'not good enough', but took it a month afterwards. Mr Arnold has got Mr [E.E.?] Bowen to 'look them over', and if they are good enough Mr Arnold will 'give a prize like Mr Bowen's'; if not, just an 'ordinary prize'.

They were beaten three-nil in the Farnborough match. Is reading 'Leslie Stephen's life of [Henry] Fawcett', and thinks it 'very interesting'. Is glad 'Spi[der?' is all right'; it is 'a great pity about Mr Gladstone'.

Downside Abbey, Stratton-on-the-Fosse, near Bath.—Has recovered from his sinus trouble. Asks Smith’s opinion of the [Downing] Review and discusses some of the contents. Reiterates his approval of Maxwell’s article, with its ‘daring strictures’ on Leavis’s style. Urges Smith to contribute something. Leavis has written thanking him for La Vie intellectuelle and criticising the eclecticism of the Criterion. Agrees that Leavis is no nearer the Church. Is sorry Smith was disappointed by the ‘Gilbey lectures’ [probably lectures by Thomas Gilby], but maintains that there are some genuinely learned English Dominicans, including his friend Kenelm Foster. As the personnel of St Michael’s have changed, except for Gerard Meath, he supposes the lectures will not continue. Agrees that the ‘aridly polemical tone’ of English sixteenth-century controversial literature compares poorly with the breadth of devotional and theological life of the Cloud of Unknowing. Asks whether he should start compiling a prose anthology of the recusants or continue working towards a book by writing occasional articles.

Remembers his long vacations

With carbon copy of reply from R. A. Butler,

Northlands, Englefield Green, Surrey. - Glad of a communication from Bessie, as she has long been fond of her and her children; asks if she has been 'decently fair' towards her; Bessie has allowed Donald, whom no-one else apart from Miss Weisse's 'best friend... a dying man' knows as well and to whom she has been 'far more than a mother', to abuse her and has criticised her to him behind her back. Says it does not matter for her sake as her life is 'drawing to its close', but it does that her influence with Donald is therefore 'undermined'; Bessie has 'increased the danger in which he lives as no one else has'. Best to be frank: she is 'German all over in that'. Asks when Bessie expects Donald and his wife [Grettie] and for how long. Wishes them to go and stay with the Trevelyans very much; would be a 'service' to her to keep them as long as they can. Has only really seen Donald's wife once, and 'noticed her so little that [she] would not recognise her in the street'. Has not been in Edinburgh since Donald went to Holland [in January]. The engagement was very short.

Società Italiana per la Organizzazione Internazionale, Roma, Palazzetto di Venezia, Via S. Marco, 5. - It is all right for the Deuchars to come in spring; Trevelyan just has to let him know what they will need. Is almost certain to come to England around 15 May for the Executive Committee of PEN, to attend to business relating to the PEN Congress in Venice this September; would be pleased also to see Trevelyan in Italy, as this would indicate his health was getting better. Is permanently attached now to WFUNA, 'the old League of Nations Union'; their headquarters were once the beautiful private home of Mussolini's chauffeur.

Harnham, Monument Green, Weybridge. - He and Masood have been at W[est] H[ackhurst]; heard that the Trevelyans were away in the Post Office when about to send a telegram to them.

Chetham's Library, Hunt's Bank, Manchester - Sends a subscription to the bibliography.

Landhaus, "Hochried", Murnau/Staffelsee - Received the 'Apollodorus', and expresses his admiration, saying it will be the star of the Loeb Classical Library; they have not been in touch recently, he had a nervous breakdown lasting four years and has recently married Mrs. Hambuechen.

Kings College Cambridge. - Should like to come on the 18th. 'Oppression of the war' worse than ever; the government is 'mad wicked [and] incompetent'. Expects Bob has not yet been called up. Result of Bertie [Russell's] trial better than might have been feared.

On Rectorial Installation, Glasgow University

Gift of Christies Since The War (1945-1958)

Poem, Ode to the Garbageman.