The Diary and Letters of Madame D'Arblay Volume I Part 63

"I have not read it, ma'am."

"Not read it?"

(I believe she knew my copy, which lay on the table.)

I said I had taken it to Norbury, and meant to read it with Mrs. Locke, but things then prevented.

"Oh! (looking pleased) have you read the last edition of her 'Adele?'"[200]

"No, ma'am."

"Well, it is much improved; for the pa.s.sage, you know, Mrs. Delany, of the untruth, is all altered--fifteen pages are quite new; and she has altered it very prettily. She has sent it to me. She always sends me her works; she did it a long while ago, when I did not know there was such a lady as Madame de Genlis. You have not seen 'Adele,' then?"

"No, ma'am."

"You would like to see it. But I have it not here. Indeed, I think sometimes I have no books at all, for they are at Kew, or they are in town, and they are here; and I don't know which is which. Is Madame de Genlis about any new work?"

"Yes, ma'am---one which she intends 'pour le peuple.'"

"Ah, that will be a good work. Have you heard of--" (mentioning some German book, of which I forget the name).

"No, ma'am."

"O, it will be soon translated; very fine language,--very bad book.

They translate all our worst! And they are so improved in language; they write so finely now, even for the most silly books, that it makes one read on, and one cannot help it. O, I am very angry sometimes at that!

Do you like the 'Sorrows of Werter?'"

"I--I have not read it, ma'am, only in part."

"No? Well, I don't know how it is translated, but it is very finely writ in German, and I can't bear it."

"I am very happy to hear that, for what I did look over made me determine never to read it. It seemed only writ as a deliberate defence of suicide."

"Yes; and what is worse, it is done by a bad man for revenge."

She then mentioned, with praise, another book, saying,

"I wish I knew the translator."

"I wish the translator knew that."

"O--it is not--I should not like to give my name, for fear I have judged ill: I picked it up on a stall. O, it is amazing what good books there are on stalls."

"It is amazing to me," said Mrs. Delany, "to hear that."

"Why, I don't pick them up myself; but I have a servant very clever; and if they are not to be had at the booksellers', they are not for me any more than for another."

She then spoke of Klopstock's "Messiah," saying it contained four lines most perfect on religion.

"How I should like to see it. Is it translated?" asked Mrs. Delany, turning to me.

"In it," said her majesty: "there is a story of Lazarus and the Centurion's daughter; and another young lady, Asyddel, he calls her; and Lazarus is in love;--a very pretty scene--no stopping;--but it is out of place;--I was quite angry to read it. And a long conversation between Christ and Lazarus--very strange!"

"Yet Milton does that."

"Yes."

THE QUEEN ON ROMAN CATHOLIC SUPERSt.i.tIONS.

And then she went on discussing Milton; this led to Wickliffe and Cranmer; and she spoke of the Roman Catholic superst.i.tions.

"O, so odd! Can it signify to G.o.d Almighty if I eat a piece of fish or a piece of meat? And one of the Queen of France's sisters wears the heel of her shoe before for a penance; as if G.o.d Almighty could care for that!"

"It is supposing in Him the caprice of a fine lady."

"Yes, just so. Yet it is amusing, and pretty too, how sincere the lower people are, of the Catholics. I was with my mother at--a Catholic town, and there was a lady we knew, had a very bad tooth-ache; she suffered night and day, and we were very sorry. But, over the river there was a Virgin Mary of great fame for miracles, and, one morning, when I wanted to get up, our maid did not come, and n.o.body knew where she was, and she could not be found. At last she came back with a large bouquet, which she had carried over the river in the night and got it blessed, and gave it to the lady to cure her tooth-ache. But we have Protestant nunneries in Germany. I belonged to one which was under the Imperial protection; there is one for royal families--one for the n.o.blesse,--the candidates'

coats of arms are put up several weeks to be examined, and if any flaw is found, they are not elected. These nunneries are intended for young ladies of little fortunes and high birth. There is great licence in them. They have b.a.l.l.s, not at home, but next door; and there is no restriction but to go to prayers at eight, at nine, and at night,--that is very little, you know,--and wear black or white, The dress consists of three caps, one over the forehead, one for the back, one up high, and one lower, for the veil; very pretty; and the gown is a vest, and the skirt has I don't know how many hundred plaits. I had the cross and order, but I believe I gave it away when I came to England--for you may transfer; so I gave it to the Countess of a friend of mine."

I could not help saying, how glad we all were that she was no nun!

"Once," she continued, "I wanted to go to a chapel in that Catholic town, and my mother said I should go if I would be sure not to laugh at anything; and I promised I would not; so, I took care to keep my eyes half shut, half open, thus, for fear I should see something to make me laugh, for my mother told me I should not come out all day if I laughed.

But there was nothing ridiculous."

[The memorandum of the above conversation breaks off abruptly.]

ON BEING PRESENTED.

f.a.n.n.y BURNEY TO MRS. BURNEY.

Windsor, Dec. 17

My dearest Hetty,

I am sorry I could not more immediately write; but I really have not had a moment since your last.

Now I know what you next want is, to hear accounts of kings, queens, and such royal personages. O ho! do you so? Well.

Shall I tell you a few matters of fact?--or, had you rather a few matters of etiquette? Oh, matters of etiquette, you cry! for matters of fact are short and stupid, and anybody can tell, and everybody is tired with them.