Transcript
Dublin, 28 July 1817—
My dear Sir
I was a good deal surprised, I may say shocked, at the account of Layton’s marriage—his letter to you was one of the most desperate I have ever read—he fairly renders you the halter wherewith to hang him & is indifferent whether you do or not—he attempts no justification, shews no cause & with theatrical hardihood glories in self exposure. Is it not like the act of frenzy? no one can say it is the decision right or wrong, of a reasoning being. I really am sorry for him. You justly observe that you have yet to learn the circumstances that led to the event—something no doubt remains to be told, which indeed I should like to know, for the mysterious enigma in which the intelligence is conveyed fairly baffles me. The relation of this extraordinary transaction has led you naturally enough to general observation, & for what you have suggested as a warning to me that I make no shipwreck of myself, I receive as a further instance of your friendly regard. But tho’ I agree most entirely in the view you have taken, I must be allowed to submit in my own behalf that all your reasoning presumes (in the instance in which you apply it) that there has been if not a neglect, at least an indifference to the fair opportunity which is generally extended to all. This with perfect sincerity I can assure you is not the case with me. I may perhaps be romantic, tho’ I believe I do not pass for being so, but I have feelings about marriage which have hitherto excluded me, & may perhaps for ever, from entering upon the enjoyments (& no-one more highly values them) of that state. Without meaning to underrate worldly advantages, I never could contemplate a connexion of which these were to be the main considerations—& I know I have been blamed more than once, for what was considered turning my back upon myself—Othello says—
“But that I love the gentle Desdemona
I would not my unhoused free condition
Put into circumscription & confine
For the Sea’s worth.”—& so say I.
On the other hand, peculiar circumstances which it would be long & tedious to explain have prevented my exercising a choice free from the advantages above referred to. I never could in fact have so chosen without knowing that I was acting selfishly as regards others & impudently as regards myself. Celibacy is therefore in me, a state not of deliberate preference, but of submission to circumstances which I cannot confront & do not care to oppose.—You kindly tax me & what is worse, Mrs Turner taxes me, with protracting my stay in England & not going to you, in contempt of your joint invitation. It is true I did delay (for that is the proper word) much longer that I originally intended—but it was a delay without premeditation & without plan, continuing from week to week, or rather from day to day. I never had time sufficient in prospect, to enable me to propose an excursion to Yarmouth—to have accomplished which according to my wishes & engagements, could not have been done in a day. {1} I rely therefore on your candor for an excuse, & I must make the same appeal to Mrs Turner’s. It vexes me that you have not yet got Junot’s catalogue {2}—pray remind Mr Evans when you next are in town, that Mr Crosse of Hull, more than a year ago, sent his catalogue to be marked for you—this may bring the matter to his recollection. The Dublin Society has not yet ordered Cotman’s work, but I intend to propose it the first opportunity, I think with you that it will be of use to us. I have been searching “Nashe’s Lenten Stuff” in vain, for a word which I thought I had met in that tract, nor can I now remember it—it is that which Mr Kemble was offering an explanation of—it occurs as you told me in Shakespea[re] {3} & seems to signify some kind of ship—do remind me of it, that I may puzzle myself no longer. Mr Prendergast’s eldest son is now at Lowestoff† with a Cambridge tutor, who is cramming him during the recess—he has applied to me to bring him acquainted with some of the neighbourhood & I know no method so effectual as mentioning the circumstance to you, with an assurance that whoever may do him the kindness to notice him will find him to be an amiable, well-disposed young man, reasonably gifted & cultivated according to his time of life—he has but just left school & his residence at Cambridge is to commence with the next Term. I beg my kindest regards to Mrs Turner & your young ladies, Hannah not excepted, & believe Me to be
Yours very sincerely & faithf[ull]y
P L Patrick
[Direction:] To | Dawson Turner Esq[ui]r[e] | Yarmouth | Norfolk
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Postmarked 28 July 1817, and marked with the postage charge ‘1/6’. There are some indistinct pencil inscriptions on the outside. Letter omitted from words abbreviated by superscript letters have been supplied in square brackets.
{1} A few words in this sentence were torn away with the seal, and have been supplied by Turner.
{2} The catalogue of the Library of Field Marshal Junot, sold by R. H. Evans in 1816. ‘A very remarkable collection of books, printed on vellum by Didot and other eminent printers, the most noteworthy being the unique copy of Longus’s Pastoralia, printed expressly for him by Didot, with the original drawings by Prudhon, and a set of proof impressions of the engravings to illustrate the work. Sold for £37 10s.’ See F. Norgate, ‘Book Sales by R. H. Evans (1812-1845)’, The Library, series 1, vol. iii (1891), pp. 12-13.
{3} The end of this word is concealed by the guard.
† Sic.
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