Item 97 - Letter from George Macaulay Trevelyan to Elizabeth Trevelyan

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Wallington, Cambo, Northumberland. - A long way to Ravello from here, where there is a 'wild wind' whose 'idea of celebrating the birth of Christ is somewhat of the nature of pagan glee'; hopes she and Bob are having a 'sun-warmed and happy Christmas'. Very sorry he has seen little of them both recently; 'this "[Independent] Review" business is dragging [him] about all over the place'; the Prospectus will be out on 15 January, and he will write to Bob then if they are in Italy. Has just read [Paul] Kruger and [Christiaan] de Wet's books [Kruger's memoirs and de Wet's "Three Years War"] with the greatest interest'; quite a contrast between the 'old fashionedness of Kruger' and de Wet's 'piety... relieved by a sense of humour and a habit of looking things in the face'. Praises de Wet's book highly for its honesty, and finds that 'the things he says in indignation against the English, are warrant of the genuineness of the fine things he says at the end in favour of loyalty to us'. He may be 'too simple a man to be among history's greatest', but is 'certainly among the best of the great'. His mother has said something about Bob having his play ["Cecilia Gonzaga"] published soon; asks if this is with Longman's. His own book ["England under the Stuarts"] is going slowly because of the "Review" and his Cambridge work; will give up half of that at the end of this year.