GHL to Mrs. William Cross, Shottermill, [24 July 1871]
Title
GHL to Mrs. William Cross, Shottermill, [24 July 1871]
Title
GHL to Mrs. William Cross, Shottermill, [24 July 1871]
Sender
George Henry Lewes
Recipient
Mrs. William Cross
Date(s)
- 1871-07-24
Place
Shottermill
Letter Content
GHL to Mrs. William Cross, Shottermill, [24 July 1871]
MS: Yale.
Brookbank Cottage | Shotter Mill | nr Petersfield | Monday.
My dear Mrs. Cross
I had addressed an envelope to you (by way of memorandum that I was to enclose a note when practicable) to tell you how Mrs. Lewes was going on and to tell Emily and Florence that if their German ardour is sustained they can now not only get Romeo und Julia auf dem Dorfe, 39 which I once spoke about and which I believe Mr. Bullock made a note of, but can get two or three other tales in the 3rd volume of the Deutscher Novellenschatz edited by Heyse and Kurz. Each volume only costs 1/6, so they can begin with volume III and add to them, si le coeur leur en dit.
Mrs. Lewes is decidedly stronger and has got rid of her tic; but she is still not so flourishing as she could, should, might, ought to be. But then you women are so unreasoning and unreasonable! The Saturday Review says so 40 -- and it must know. You, for instance, whom we had almost learned to regard as a judicious woman -- could any thing be more irrational, misplaced, intempestive, -- a crosstic -- than your taking to yourself a Bronchitis -- unless indeed a distant vision of the Champagne cure was the prompter! Now look at me -- a male and rational animal -- see how I brown here like a well fried sole -- how I "put on flesh" like a prize pig (of the Breton sort, I regret to say, that is rather lanky, all ribs and ears) -- how I digest (when I can get the food) and work at mathematics as if I were going in for honors. You don't see any injudiciousness in me. I don't coquette with Bronchitis or any other itis. I say unto them "get thee behind me; or visit some less rational party." Make me your model and it will be well with you!
We are glad you saw Tourgeneff -- to see him is to like him. Tell Johnnie I quite agree in his estimate of Armgart -- which makes me sure he must be a very profound critic! Seriously we were both pleased that you were all pleased with the poem; in spite of its misprints. 41 I suppose you noticed saraphrase for paraphrase and
Lay like frozen Rhine till a summer came instead of
Lay like a frozen Rhine till summers came.
There are several small inaccuracies but printers are mortal.
Our united love to all
Ever yours truly
G. H. Lewes.
We shall be forced to leave this at the end of the month -- although we don't go to Scotland 42 -- probably to Harrowgate.
MS: Yale.
Brookbank Cottage | Shotter Mill | nr Petersfield | Monday.
My dear Mrs. Cross
I had addressed an envelope to you (by way of memorandum that I was to enclose a note when practicable) to tell you how Mrs. Lewes was going on and to tell Emily and Florence that if their German ardour is sustained they can now not only get Romeo und Julia auf dem Dorfe, 39 which I once spoke about and which I believe Mr. Bullock made a note of, but can get two or three other tales in the 3rd volume of the Deutscher Novellenschatz edited by Heyse and Kurz. Each volume only costs 1/6, so they can begin with volume III and add to them, si le coeur leur en dit.
Mrs. Lewes is decidedly stronger and has got rid of her tic; but she is still not so flourishing as she could, should, might, ought to be. But then you women are so unreasoning and unreasonable! The Saturday Review says so 40 -- and it must know. You, for instance, whom we had almost learned to regard as a judicious woman -- could any thing be more irrational, misplaced, intempestive, -- a crosstic -- than your taking to yourself a Bronchitis -- unless indeed a distant vision of the Champagne cure was the prompter! Now look at me -- a male and rational animal -- see how I brown here like a well fried sole -- how I "put on flesh" like a prize pig (of the Breton sort, I regret to say, that is rather lanky, all ribs and ears) -- how I digest (when I can get the food) and work at mathematics as if I were going in for honors. You don't see any injudiciousness in me. I don't coquette with Bronchitis or any other itis. I say unto them "get thee behind me; or visit some less rational party." Make me your model and it will be well with you!
We are glad you saw Tourgeneff -- to see him is to like him. Tell Johnnie I quite agree in his estimate of Armgart -- which makes me sure he must be a very profound critic! Seriously we were both pleased that you were all pleased with the poem; in spite of its misprints. 41 I suppose you noticed saraphrase for paraphrase and
Lay like frozen Rhine till a summer came instead of
Lay like a frozen Rhine till summers came.
There are several small inaccuracies but printers are mortal.
Our united love to all
Ever yours truly
G. H. Lewes.
We shall be forced to leave this at the end of the month -- although we don't go to Scotland 42 -- probably to Harrowgate.
Signature
G. H. Lewes.
Citation
George Henry Lewes, GHL to Mrs. William Cross, Shottermill, [24 July 1871], Complete George Eliot Letters(2026), George Eliot Archive, edited by Beverley Park Rilett. https://GeorgeEliotArchive.org, Accessed September 7, 2026. https://georgeeliotarchive.org/items/show/94971