Pièce 303 - Letter from Edward Marsh to R. C. Trevelyan

Trinity College, Cambridge. - Apologises for not replying sooner to Bob's letter; blames the weather, which 'has brought germs of indolence'; has done no work for a fortnight except reading Euripides' "Medea" and "Electra". Stops writing as his 'hands were dripping with heat'; continues on Monday morning when it is cooler. Has been to breakfast with [Jack?] MacT[aggart], who sold him Dal[housie] Young's "Defence of Oscar Wilde"; this 'makes the mistake of imitating Oscar's style' so readers will 'say that the good sense of it is discounted because it is obvious that the writer was under Oscar's influence'. Says he will not talk about the [General] elections; asks if Charley minds; was very sorry [that Charley was not elected], though he did not want Lord Rosebery to be in again just yet, and expects 'the enormous majority will bring the Tories to grief sooner'. Wonders if Bob is still at Wallington; hopes he was not 'awfully tired' by their trip to Shap. He himself had a 'pleasant journey' reading "Lord Ormont [and his Arminta]"; does not think he has ever read anything 'so exclusively spiritual... nothing of what George Moore calls exteriority, & scarcely any action'; could call it 'the revolt from naturalism' except that [George] Meredith has never been in that movement. Enjoyed their time in the Lakes very much; shame 'we & the weather weren't in better form', but they saw some 'beautiful things'. In London, saw Duse in her 'finest part, Magda' [in Sudermann's "Magda"]. They have been "very frivolous" in Cambridge, and '"Gerald Eversley's Friendship" has been a great delight' and has been read aloud; is afraid their 'brother [in the Cambridge Apostles] Welldon has done for himself.' Is reading "Don Quixote", and finding 'delicious things every now & then, but much dulness [sic]; has a 'wretched old translation', whose only recommendations are that Swift was one of the subscribers, and there are 'some funny old pictures which open out like maps'. Is leaving today; will spend tomorrow night with the Russells and start for Germany on Thursday evening; gives his address for the next month in Hildesheim. Gives a limerick beginning 'There was a young man of Madrid...'