Читать книгу Autobiography, Letters and Literary Remains of Mrs. Piozzi (Thrale) (2nd ed.) (2 vols.) - Hester Lynch Piozzi - Страница 3
ОглавлениеTHE SECOND EDITION.
THE first edition of a work of this kind is almost necessarily imperfect; since the editor is commonly dependent for a great deal of the required information upon sources the very existence of which is unknown to him till reminiscences are revived, and communications invited, by the announcement or publication of the book. Some valuable contributions reached me too late to be properly placed or effectively worked up; some, too late to be included at all. The arrangement in this edition will therefore, I trust, be found less faulty than in the first, whilst the additions are large and valuable. They principally consist of fresh extracts from Mrs. Piozzi's private diary ("Thraliana"), amounting to more than fifty pages; of additional marginal notes on books, and of copious extracts from letters hitherto unpublished.
Amongst the effects of her friend Conway, the actor, after his untimely death by drowning in North America, were a copy of Mrs. Piozzi's "Travel Book" and a copy of Johnson's "Lives of the Poets," each enriched by marginal notes in her handwriting. Such of those in the "Travel Book" as were thought worth printing appeared in "The Atlantic Monthly" for June last, from which I have taken the liberty of copying the best. The "Lives of the Poets" is now the property of Mr. William Alexander Smith, of New York, who was so kind as to open a communication with me on the subject, and to have the whole of the marginal notes transcribed for my use at his expense.
Animated by the same liberal wish to promote a literary undertaking, Mr. J.E. Gray, son of the Rev. Dr. Robert Gray, late Bishop of Bristol, has placed at my disposal a series of letters from Mrs. Piozzi to his father, extending over nearly twenty-five years (from 1797 to the year of her death) and exceeding a hundred in number. These have been of the greatest service in enabling me to complete and verify the summary of that period of her life.
So much light is thrown by the new matter, especially by the extracts from "Thraliana," on the alleged rupture between Johnson and Mrs. Piozzi, that I have re-cast or re-written the part of the Introduction relating to it, thinking that no pains should be spared to get at the merits of a controversy which now involves, not only the moral and social qualities of the great lexicographer, but the degree of confidence to be placed in the most brilliant and popular of modern critics, biographers and historians. It is no impeachment of his integrity, no detraction from the durable elements of his fame, to offer proof that his splendid imagination ran away with him, or that reliance on his wonderful memory made him careless of verifying his original impressions before recording them in the most gorgeous and memorable language.
No one likes to have foolish or erroneous notions imputed to him, and I have pointed out some of the misapprehensions into which an able writer in the "Edinburgh Review" (No. 231) has been hurried by his eagerness to vindicate Lord Macaulay. Moreover, this struck me to be as good a form as any for re-examining the subject in all its bearings; and now that it has become common to reprint articles in a collected shape, the comments of a first-rate review can no longer be regarded as transitory.
I gladly seize the present opportunity to offer my best acknowledgments for kind and valuable aid in various shapes, to the Marquis of Lansdowne, His Excellency M. Sylvain Van de Weyer (the Belgian Minister), the Viscountess Combermere, Mr. and the Hon. Mrs. Monckton Milnes, the Hon. Mrs. Rowley, Miss Angharad Lloyd, and the Rev. W.H. Owen, Vicar of St. Asaph and Dymerchion.
8, St. James's Street:
Oct. 18th, 1861.
OF
THE FIRST VOLUME
PAGE
Origin and Materials of the Work3-7
Object of the Introduction7
Origin, Education, and Character of Thrale7-11
Introduction of Johnson to the Thrales 11-14
Johnson's Habits at the Period14-20
His Social Position25
Society at Streatham 26
Johnson's Fondness for Female Society 29-35
Nature of his Intimacy with Mrs. Thrale35
Her Personal Appearance and Handwriting41-42
Her Behaviour to Johnson48
Johnson's Estimate of her53-57
Popular Estimate of her58
Manners of her Time59
Madame D'Arblay at Streatham60
Her Account of Conversations there61-67
Johnson's Politeness 68
Mrs. Thrale's Domestic Trials69-70
Electioneering with Johnson71
Thrale's Embarrassments, and Johnson's Advice72-74
Johnson on Housekeeping and Dress75-77
His Opinions on Marriage78
Johnson fond of riding in a Carriage, but a bad Traveller80-81
His Want of Taste for Music or Painting82
Tour in Wales82-89
Tour in France90-91
Baretti91-99
Campbell's Diary99-102
Mrs. Thrale's Account of her Quarrel with Baretti103-108
His Account108
Alleged Slight to Johnson109
Miss Streatfield110-122
Thrale's Infidelity123
Madame D'Arblay as an Inmate124-126
Dr. Burney127
Mrs. Thrale canvassing Southwark127
Attack by Rioters on the Brewhouse128
Thrale's Illness and Winter in Grosvenor Square129-131
Proposed Tour131-132
Thrale's Death132-136
His Will137
Johnson as Executor138
Her Management of the Brewery139-140
Italian Translation141
A strange Incident142
Mrs. Montagu—Mr. Crutchley143-144
Sale of the Brewery144-147
Mrs. Thrale's Introduction to Piozzi147
Scene with him at Dr. Burney's148-151
Her early Impressions of him152-153
Melancholy Reflections154
Johnson's Regard for Thrale155-156
Mrs. Thrale's and Johnson's Feelings towards each other156-160
Johnson at Streatham after Thrale's Death161
Piozzi—Verses to him162
Johnson's Health163
Self-Communings164
Town Gossip165
Verses on Pacchierotti165-167
Fears for Johnson167
Reports of her marrying again167-168
Reasons for quitting Streatham169
Resolution to quit approved by Johnson 169-170
Complaints of Johnson's Indifference171
Piozzi—to marry or not to marry 172-175
Was Johnson driven out of Streatham176
His Farewell to Streatham177-178
His last Year there179-185
Johnson and Mrs. Thrale at Brighton186-188
Conflicting Feelings 189
Gives up Piozzi190-191
Meditated Journey to Italy192
Parting with Piozzi193-195
Unkindness of Daughters197
Position as regards Johnson198
Objections to him as an Inmate199-204
Parting with Piozzi205
Verses to him on his Departure206
Her undiminished Regard for Johnson proved by
their Correspondence 207-214
Character of Daughters212
Madame D'Arblay, Scene with Johnson214-216
Lord Brougham's Commentary216
Correspondence with Johnson217-219
Recall of Piozzi220-221
Trip to London222-223
Verses to Piozzi on his Return224
Journey with Daughters225
Feelings on Piozzi's Return, and Marriage226
Objections to her Second Marriage discussed227-230
Correspondence with Madame D'Arblay on the Marriage231-233
Objections of Daughters—Lady Keith233-236
Correspondence with Johnson as to the Marriage236-243
Baretti's Story of her alleged Deceit 243-247
Her uniform Kindness to Johnson247-248
Johnson's Feelings and Conduct249-251
Miss Wynn's Commonplace Book251-253
Johnson's unfounded Objections to the Marriage and erroneous Impressions of Piozzi254-255
Miss Seward's Account of his Loves256
Misrepresentation and erroneous Theory of a Critic257-260
Last Days and Death of Johnson261-262
Lord Macaulay's Summary of Mrs. Piozzi's Treatment of Johnson262-266
Life in Italy266-269
Projected Work on Johnson269-270
The Florence Miscellany271
Correspondence with Cadell and Publication of the "Anecdotes"272-274
Her alleged Inaccuracy, with Instances 274-285
H. Walpole286
Peter Pindar287-289
H. Walpole again290
Hannah More291
Marginal Notes on the "Anecdotes"292-297
Extracts from Dr. Lort's Letters297-299
Her Thoughts on her Return from Italy 299-302
Her Reception303-306
Miss Seward's Impressions of her and Piozzi307
Publication of the "Letters"307-308
Opinions on them—Madame D'Arblay, Queen Charlotte, Hannah More, and Miss Seward309-314
Baretti's libellous Attacks314
Her Character of him on his Death315-318
"The Sentimental Mother"319
"Johnson's Ghost"320
The Travel Book321
Offer to Cadell322
Publication of the Book and Criticisms—Walpole and Miss Seward322-324
Mrs. Piozzi's Theory of Style325
Attacked by Walpole and Gifford326-327
The Preface327-328
Extracts329-335
Anecdote of Goldsmith 336
Publication of her "Synonyms"—Gifford's Attack337
Extract338-341
Remarks on the Appearance of Boswell's Life of Johnson342
"Retrospection"343-344
Moore's Anecdotes of her and Piozzi344-345
Lord Lansdowne's Visit and Impressions 345-346
Adoption and Education of Piozzi's Nephew, afterwards Sir John Salusbury347-350
Life in Wales351
Character and Habits of Piozzi352-353
Brynbella354
Illness and Death of Piozzi355-356
Miss Thrale's Marriage358
The Conway Episode357-361
Anecdotes361
Celebration of her Eightieth Birthday 361-362
Her Death and Will362-364
Madame D'Arblay's Parallel between Mrs. Piozzi and Madame de Staël364-369
Character of Mrs. Piozzi, Moral and Intellectual369-375
AUTOBIOGRAPHY &c. OF MRS. PIOZZI
VOL. I
LIFE AND WRITINGS OF MRS. PIOZZI.
Dr. Johnson was hailed the colossus of Literature by a generation who measured him against men of no common mould—against Hume, Robertson, Gibbon, Warburton, the Wartons, Fielding, Richardson, Smollett, Gray, Goldsmith, and Burke. Any one of these may have surpassed the great lexicographer in some branch of learning or domain of genius; but as a man of letters, in the highest sense of the term, he towered pre-eminent, and his superiority to each of them (except Burke) in general acquirements, intellectual power, and force of expression, was hardly contested by his contemporaries. To be associated with his name has become a title of distinction in itself; and some members of his circle enjoy, and have fairly earned, a peculiar advantage in this respect. In their capacity of satellites revolving round the sun of their idolatry, they attracted and reflected his light and heat. As humble companions of their Magnolia grandiflora, they did more than live with it[1]; they gathered and preserved the choicest of its flowers. Thanks to them, his reputation is kept alive more by what has been saved of his conversation than by his books; and his colloquial exploits necessarily revive the memory of the friends (or victims) who elicited and recorded them.
