Letter to <persName ref="#Talfourd_Thos">T.N. Talfourd</persName>[1822 May 19] Mary Russell Mitford Lisa M. Wilson Mary Russell Mitford Society: Digital Mitford Project University of Pittsburgh at Greensburg Elisa Beshero-Bondar Transcription and coding by Lisa M. Wilson Proofing and corrections by Lisa M. Wilson First digital edition in TEI, date: 24 May 2014. P5. Digital Mitford: The Mary Russell Mitford Archive Greensburg, PA, USA 2013

Reproduced by courtesy of the The John Rylands University Library.

Distributed under a Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 3.0 Unported License Digital Mitford Letters: The Mary Russell Mitford Archive The John Rylands University Library Mitford-Talfourd Correspondence: Letters from Mary Russell Mitford to Thomas Noon Talfourd: vol. 665 JRL English MS 665 no. 12 Coles no. 36 Letter from Mary Russell Mitford to T.N. Talfourd, [1822 May 19].

Folio sheet of paper folded in half to form four quarto pages, with correspondence on 1-3 and address leaf on page 4, then folded in thirds twice more and sealed for posting.

Address leaf bearing no postmarks

A small portion of page 1 has been torn away under the seal but it does not affect any text.

Partial red wax seal, right side up.

 Someone cataloging the letters, apparently other than Mitford, numbered each on page 1. This letter numbered 12.

Mitford’s spelling and punctuation are retained, except where a word is split at the end of a line and the beginning of the next in the manuscript. Where Mitford’s spelling and hyphenation of words deviates from the standard, in order to facilitate searching we are using the TEI elements “choice," “sic," and “reg" to encode both Mitford’s spelling and the regular international standard of Oxford English spelling, following the first listed spelling in the Oxford English Dictionary. The long s and ligatured forms are not encoded.

propitiated our Manager--whose childishness is really in a man of his ripe years incredible. In the mean time would you advise me to try another Tragedy? If I could ever hope to do any thing really good--any thing worthy of Mr. Macready--But oh I never Shall!--Would you try Julian? I don't think you like the subject, & I have many fears myself--& the dear Doctor's admiration is seriously a bad sign--for you know he likes nothing but the melodramatic. Do you think that Mr. Macready who has already been so very very kind would take the trouble to read the first scenes & say whether he thought it promising? I shall enclose it to you--but I depend on you not to mention it to him if he is at all likely to consider it as an intrusion--& mind (as Cobbett says) that I shall not take his advice to continue it--if such should be his advice--as at all pledging him to patronize the Play. I had much rather that you would would give me a final answer--make up my mind for me yourself--without troubling him--both because I have a great reluctance to take a liberty which he may well thinking unwarrantable with a gentleman whom I know only by his admirable talents & his admirable kindness--& because I still hold that old faith. Which you wot of in your infallibility--but on this subject you have always seemed almost as undecided as myself. Perhaps I ought to have taken your indecision as an absolute No, because you never fail to give encouragement where you can honestly--& yet you do pay me the Compliment of telling me the truth sometimes too. You need not take the trouble to retain the M.S. as I have another copy--I have marked the little bits of Euripides. The worst of Julian is that I don't see there can be any part at all for Mr. Kemble--for I suppose to think of his ever playing a father to Mr. Macready is quite out of the question--unless in his love of young characters he should take a fancy to "do" the little King. I wish with all my heart I had some high historical subject. Miss James was recommending to me the story of the two Gaston de Foix Counts of Orthe in Froissart--Do you remember it? I do not--but I have sent to her for it--If the subject be good--& unoccupied & there were a Father who might be made the real hero & a son who might pass for such it would just do, & I need not have troubled you with Julian. I am quite astonished to find myself planning new plays again after this disappointment. It is just like the poor silly birds who begin to build afresh the moment their nests have been taken. But really there is some little hope even in the caprice of these Managers--& I do not know what to do better--I wish I did.

During the negotiation about poor Foscari I have had another affair with another Manager, & have fallen out & fallen in with John Valpy's Mr. Bayley--the Editor of the Museum. It is the worst consequence of this sort of anxiety--& I suppose of all anxiety--that it makes one nervous as it is called--that is to say unquiet & irritable--So that I have lost my only good gift the serenity of a naturally calm & cheerful temper, & things fret me now which two years ago would only have amused me. In this mood I was so affronted at a certainly impertinent notice in No. 1 of the Museum that I wrote to John Valpy & desired him to return the three Articles which I had sent him. Instead of doing so John wrote back a letter so very kind & friendly that it was quite irresistible & with it came an epistle from the Editor in which amidst a shower of compliments he reiterates his original charge of imitation & conjured me not to waste my powers by catching up the peculiarities of a style &c. &c. Now I am so guiltless of intentional imitation that I did not even guess what poet he meant till a letter from Miss Nooth, who was I suppose behind the scenes, explained the mystery by advising me not "to pervert my dramatic Style by the example of Barry Cornwall--not to be pretty & simple but pointed & polished & concise" & so on. You know her notions on poetry & the drama--& by the bye I don't believe that she ever read a line of Barry Cornwalls & I am pretty sure that she has never seen any dramatic poetry of mine. But I don't see why Mr. Bayley should fancy an imitation if none existed & I have mentioned the circumstance in order to implore you to tell me frankly if there is in my Dramatic Scenes any culpable "catching at the peculiarities of Mr. Proctor's style." There is a resemblance in form certainly--& though I have never seen his delightful work since I read it very hastily & admired it very much soon after its publication yet I am aware that certain forms of dialogue may have fixed themselves in my mind & may have been unconsciously transferred to my own pages. Do tell me if it is so.--I have just heard of a worse affair in these Museum Managers than the notice.--They have actually lost my articles, & want to throw the blame on the poor dear Doctor whom I believe to be as innocent in the matter as a Dove. Well. Papa will take them in hand--I have not made him promise not to scold them--& Mr. Bayley is likely enough to come in for a small portion of the hoarded wrath excited by Mr. his friend Mr. Kemble.--Perhaps his is one of the Rotation Tragedies--John Valpy said he had one in the Theatre--at least he said the Editor had one--whom we then took forMr. Soane .--I am quite ashamed of this interminable letter--I hope Papa will find you quite recovered.--Adieu my dear & kind friend--

I cannot tell you with how much gratitude I am always your's M.R. Mitford

Do you think there would be any use in shewing the altered Foscari to Mr. Milman--It is much better than the original play certainly (thanks to you!)--& his good word would go far with the Kemble's--but then I suppose he is pledged to the Sicilian Vesper Tragedy--What do you think--I have never yet had the heart to write out the alterations--but that would soon be done.

You will tell Papa whether Mr. Macready is really coming & when.--& whether you come too--Oh do pray.--And whether you are really & truly quite quite well again--Once more Good bye.--I am ashamed of this sad scrawl.
To T. N. Talfourd Esqre.