Spottiswoode & Co. Printers, New-street Square, London
FOOTNOTES
1 With this and the following letter the addresses on the envelopes are given; for all subsequent letters the addresses are the same. The correspondence passed through the post.
2 'Not yet reached the prelude' (Aesch. Prom. 741).
3 The following is the version of the passage in Mrs. Browning's later translation of the 'Prometheus' (II. 247-251 of the original):
Prom. I did restrain besides
My mortals from premeditating death.
Cho. How didst thou medicine the plague-fear of death?
Prom. I set blind hopes to inhabit in their house.
Cho. By that gift thou didst help thy mortals well.
4 Aeschylus, Prometheus, 228ff.:
When at first
He filled his father's throne, he instantly
Made various gifts of glory to the gods.'
5 Ib. 439, 440:
'For see—their honours to these new-made gods,
What other gave but I?'
6 Ib. 231, 232:
'Alone of men,
Of miserable men, he took no count.'
7 Ib. 235: 'But I dared it.'
8 Ib. 11: 'Leave off his old trick of loving man.'
9 Ib. 443, 444:
'Being fools before,
I made them wise and true in aim of soul.'
10 Ib. 250: 'Blind hopes.'
11 Ib. 251: 'A great benefit.'
12 Ib. 92: 'Behold what I suffer.'
13 Ib. 1093: 'Dost see how I suffer this wrong?'
14 A rough sketch follows in the original.
15 Aeschylus, Agamemnon 36: 'An ox hath trodden on my tongue'—a Greek proverb implying silence.
16 Envelope endorsed by Robert Browning:—Tuesday, May 20, 1845, 3-4-1/2 p.m.
17 'What have I to do with thee?'
18 ... me on Tuesday, or Wednesday? if on Tuesday, I shall come by the three o'clock train; if on Wednesday, early in the morning, as I shall be anxious to secure rooms ... so that your Uncle and Arabel may come up on Thursday.
19 Aeschylus, Prometheus II.: 'trick of loving men,' see note 3, on p. 39 above. [Transcriber's note: note 3 has been renumbered note 8 in this e-book.]
20 'R. Benjamin of Tudela' added in Robert Browning's handwriting.
21 Mr. Browning's letter is written in an unusually bold hand.
22 Envelope endorsed by E.B.B. 'hair.'
23 'Purg.' v. 52 7.
24 The cutting enclosed is:—'A Few Rhymes for the Present Christmas' by J. Purchas, Esq., B.A. It is headed by several quotations, the first of which is signed 'Elizabeth B. Barrett:'
'This age shows to my thinking, still more infidels to Adam,
Than directly, by profession, simple infidels to God.'
This is followed by extracts from Pindar, 'Lear,' and the Hon. Mrs. Norton.
25 Sprig of Hawthorn enclosed with letter.
26 The words in brackets are struck out.