Offering works of art for sale
In German
Asking for help with Leonardo Appeal Fund
Asking for message to mark 21st anniversary of Oakley Secondary School, Cheltenham
On renewal of his wife's passport
Thanks for The Roots of Crime by Edward Glover
Gift of Alas Babylon [published in 1959, an early example of post-nuclear apocalyptic fiction] by Pat Frank
Congratulations on political broadcast.
On gambling.
Thanks for book, Early Scottish Newspapers
On the final accounts of the Stopes estate
Arrangements for Isaacson to see Monet painting at 3 Smith Square
French translation by Marie-Anne Chazel and Albert Algoud.
Photocopies of articles relating to the scholarly argument concerning the circumstances of Tchaikovsky's death: an article in the New York Times by Donal Henahan ("Did Tchaikovsky Really Commit Suicide?"), articles in High Fidelity by Joel Spiegelman ("The Trial, Condemnation, and Death of Tchaikovsky"), and Nina Berberova ("Tchaikovsky's 'Suicide' Reconsidered: A Rebuttal"), including a typescript letter to the editor of by Spiegelman and accompanied by a typescript "Table of Comparison between Stories by Dr Lev B. Bertenson and Modeste I. Tchaikovsky regarding the illness and death of P. I. Tchaikovsky," and a copy of a translation of a letter, "On Tchaikovsky's death" from Alexandra Orlova, and her article in Music & Letters ("Tchaikovsky: the Last Chapter").
Photocopy of a combination of typescript pages heavily revised in manuscript and manuscript pages, heavily revised, with a manuscript title page, with "Tchaikovsky Play" crossed out and "Bezique" added in pencil.
Typescript draft revised in Shaffer's hand accompanied by a folder identifying it as the first draft; folder has a draft of a scene written on the front.
Outline is accompanied by two pages of notes for the film version of 'White Liars,' both in Shaffer's hand, and a set of alternative lyrics to "It's Delovely" written in an unidentified hand.
Volume One and Only, edited by Anthony Shaffer. Featuring two articles by Peter: "Trick Photography or the Real Thing?, signed 'Levine'" and "Catastrophozzi Castle by Mrs. Bannister, digested by Peter Shaffer". Accompanied by typescript carbon of "Catastrophozzi Castle" article.
Blue W H Smith notebook with drafts of scenes from 'Bezique' and 'Black Comedy' and a bit of a memoir of his own life.
Trinity College, Cambridge.—Was sorry to hear of Uncle John’s death. Hopes Kitty (his sister) was not hurt much by the swing. Has heard from Mr Heywood and seen Tovey. Romilly has died.
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Transcript
Coll: SS: Trin: Cantab:
Aug: 20/64
My dear Papa and Mama
I was very sorry and surprised to hear of poor Uncle John’s death. It is no wonder that you are not well. You say he was well enough the Saturday before to go to Starcross {1} and stay with Aunt Lizzie. Is it not very like what one has heard of the flicker of a candle before it goes out? I remember having noticed it in other cases. It must be a consolation to think that he had no suffering during the week, and was conscious so long. And, if I may say anything of this kind, ought we to think that the mercy which we should ourselves accord can be greater than the Infinite mercy? It seems to take away all the benefit of the Incarnation, if the Compassion of our Lord is not at least as great as that of men.
I do hope dear little Kitty was not much hurt by the swing. I know it can knock very hard, because Clement hurt his knee there very much once. I have been scratching myself in bathing. About a fortnight ago I knocked my elbow against a rough post in diving, but it is nearly well now.
I have heard from Mr Heywood, who was in Paris on the 13th, and seems to be enjoying himself. Mrs Heywood is with him, and he says they have had delightful weather. I saw Tovey in a boat last night. You will see by the Paper that Mr Romilly, one of our Dons, has just died {2}.
Please to give my love to Mitchell, and say I hope he has not lost the opportunity of making interesting experiments as to the nature of physical pain. It is such a waste of trouble if he has.
With best love to all the little ones, and hopes that you are much better, believe me to remain
your very affectionate son
+W: K: Clifford.
P:S: I have at last borrowed a machine for mending pens, and my writing is rapidly improving under its influence. You should see the two awful tables of the Inequalities of the Moon’s Radius Vector and Longitude, which I have to read over every day, so as to get them by heart.
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On the back of the letter are two addresses in an unidentified hand: ‘W | 59 Cannon St | London’ (‘City’ struck through before ‘London’), and ‘2 Elm Grove | New North Rd’. The latter is an address in Exeter.
{1} A village in Devon, eight miles south-east of Exeter.
{2} Joseph Romilly died of heart failure on 7 August, while on holiday at Great Yarmouth.
(Cambridge.)—Cannot get away from Cambridge before Friday. Alludes to various theological doctrines relating to the body of Christ.
(Undated. Marked ‘1869’.)
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Transcript
Union Society, Cambridge
Dear Fred
can’t fix it nohow to get a way† from Cambridge before Friday afternoon. Awfully sorry. The universe physical moral and spiritual has been execrated; in vain. I know “sicut in loco” {1} was condemned by the council of Trent; and think oculus saltem glorificatus {2} means only hyperæsthesia which is well known as a disease of the celestials. Will read S. Th. again on 1st opportunity. The Capernaite views {3} made it necessary to give distinct denials to several absurdly material doctrines, and the denials were afterwards made to mean more. Thus the refinement you mention of the harmless remark that “no man hath seen God at any time” into “the Divine essence is per se beyond human perceptive faculties”.
Yours ever
W.K.C.
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{1} Cf. Aquinas, Summa Theologica, III. 76. 5: ‘corpus Christi non est in hoc sacramento sicut in loco, sed per modum substantiae: eo scilicet modo quo substantia continetur a dimensionibus’ (‘the body of Christ is not in this sacrament as in a place, but in the manner of a substance, that is, in the manner in which a substance is contained by dimensions’).
{2} oculus saltem glorificatus. i.e. ‘the specially glorified eye.’ Cf. Summa Theologica, I. 12. 3: ‘Ergo oculus glorificatus potest videre Deum’ (‘Therefore the glorified eye can see God’).
{3} i.e. the views of those who believe in transubstantiation.
† Sic.
Cavendish Laboratory, Cambridge.—Sends a contribution to the Clifford fund. Discusses Tait's criticisms of Mayer.
(With an envelope.)
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Transcript
Cavendish Laboratory
Cambridge
12 April 1876
Dear Pollock
I enclose £5 for the Clifford Fund. I hope that a slight displacement of his position on the earth’s surface may bring him into a milder air and one less stimulating than that at Gower Street, {1} so that as his oscillations between elliptic and hyperbolic space gradually subside he may find himself settling back again into that parabolic space wherein so many great and good men have been content to dwell, and may long enjoy the 3 treasures of the said great & good men as enumerated by S.T.C. {2}
The gospel according to Peter G. T. {3} although somewhat entêté {4} in the places where old controversies are fought over again is much sounder than it sounds when read aloud. The habit of lecturing generates a peculiar jargon which, when taken down by a reporter, looks strange. Tail† has always been proving that Mayer used inconclusive reasoning when he made an estimate of the dynamical equivalent of heat, {1} whereas Joule was on firm ground all along.
Hence Mayer should not have many marks for this piece of his work. But Mayer sent up ingenious answers to a great many questions propounded by nature, many wrong some right, but all clever. The strict examiner gives him but small credit for these but the historian of science must take account of the amount of good work by others which followed on the publication of Mayers† papers.
Now one man thinks most of the credit to be assigned to each individual as his property while another thinks most of the advance of science which is often associated by the noise even of fools, which directs wiser men to good diggings.
Yours truly
J Clerk Maxwell
[Direction on envelope:] F Pollock Esqre | 12 Bryanston Street | London W.
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The envelope was postmarked at Cambridge on 12 April 1876, and has been marked in pencil ‘Clerk Maxwell’.
{1} Comma supplied, in place of a full stop.
{2} Coleridge’s poem ‘Reproof’ contains the following lines:
Hath he not always treasures, always friends,
The great good man?—three treasures, love, and light,
And calm thoughts, regular as infant’s breath
{3} Peter Guthrie Tait.
{4} Obstinate (Fr.).
{5} This is probably the intended reading, but what is written resembles ‘Tail’.
† Sic.
Bound duplicated typescript, inscribed to Peter on the title page.
John Gielgud, 16 Cowley Street, London S.W.1. - Discusses casting for 'Five Finger Exercise': [Harry?] Lockart, James Hayter and John Perry's reaction; Brenda de Banzie has the play and is considering it; asks him to come see him after he is launched at the Globe with 'The Potting Shed'.