The Life & Letters of Mary Wollstonecraft Shelley
Total Page:16
File Type:pdf, Size:1020Kb
*#. >* ^%v*. ^T^Jr* 38? * |4\ -' "^ t" *'*$&<s ^ *^: sr%^' ^- *,\\^\ ^j -.j**[Al'..i j$ IVI OT R I ATtamBUNIVERsTTAS. "^gaElr- y / , '//// /'s' /.)///, // fy,fy, THE LIFE AND LETTERS OF MARY WOLLSTONECRAFT SHELLEY II ' . J. TRELA WNY. from, a portrait after Severn,, in, ?Ju>, possession, of Sir Percy f'Shelley. 73/rrf London. Richird BenUev i Son; 1889 THE LIFE & LETTERS OF oIlstonetraft BY MRS. JULIAN MARSHALL WITH PORTRAITS AND FACSIMILE IN TWO VOLUMES VOL. II LONDON RICHARD BENTLEY & SON in rttnarg to p?cr fHajcstg tfje uem 1889 ?R 5338 V-2 CONTENTS CHAPTER XVII JULY-SEPTEMBER 1822 1822 (July). Mary and Mrs. Williams go to Pisa They can learn nothing Trelawny accompanies them back to Casa Magni The bodies of Shelley and Williams are washed ashore Trelawny brings Mary, Jane, and Clare back to Pisa Mary's endurance Letters from Godwin Mary's letter to Mrs. Gisborne The bodies are cremated Dispute about Shelley's heart It remains with Mary Mary's decision to remain for a time with the Hunts, and to assist them and Byron with the Liberal Goes to Genoa Mrs. Williams goes to England Letter from Mary to Mrs. Gis- borne and Clare Letters from Clare and Jane Williams The Hunts and Byron are established at Albaro '-35 CHAPTER XVIII SEPTEMBER i822-JuLV 1823 1822 (October). Mary's desolate condition Her diary Extracts Discomfort with the Hunts Byron's antipathy to them all Note from him to Mary Trelawny's presence a refresh- ment Letters to and from him Letter from Godwin Journal Letter to Clare Mary's poem "The Choice." 1823. Trelawny's zealous care for Shelley's tomb Mary's grati- tude She decides on returning to England Sir Timothy Shelley's refusal to assist her Letter from Godwin Cor- respondence between Mary and Trelawny Letter from to Godwin criticising Valperga Byron is induced to go Greece Summons Trelawny to accompany him Mrs. Hunt's confinement Letters from Mary to Jane Williams She starts on her journey to England Diary 36-88 CONTENTS CHAPTER XIX JULY i823-DECEMBER 1824 PAGES 1823. Mary's journey Letters to the Leigh Hunts Arrival in London Jane Williams Her attractiveness Frankenstein on the stage Publication of Shelley's Posthumous Poems. 1824. Journal Mary's wish to write for the stage Godwin dis- courages the idea Affairs of the Examiner newspaper The Novellos Mrs. Cowden Clarke's reminiscences of Mary Death of Byron Profound sensation Journal Letters from Trelawny Description of the "Cavern For- " tress of Mount Parnassus Letter from Mary to Trelawny Letter to Leigh Hunt Negotiation with Sir T. Shelley Allowance Suppression of the Posthumous Poems Journal Medwin's Memoirs of Byron Asks Mary to assist him Her feelings on the subject Letter to Mrs. Hunt Journal 89-129 CHAPTER XX JANUARY i825~JuLY 1827 1825. Improvement in Mary's prospects Letter to Miss Curran Letter to Leigh Hunt about his article on Shelley Shelley's portrait arrives Journal Trelawny's adventures and escape from Greece Mary's letter to him (February 1826). 1826. Reminiscences of Lord Byron's projected performance of Othello at Pisa Clare Clairmont's life as a governess in Russia Description of her Letter from her to Jane Williams Publication of The Last Alan Hogg's apprecia- tion Stoppage of Mary's allowance Peacock's interven- tion in her behalf Death of Charles Shelley Mary's letter to Leigh Hunt on the subject of Shelley's intended legacy Increase of allowance Melancholy letter from Trelawny. 1827. Mary's reply Letter from Clare to Jane Williams Jane Williams' duplicity Mary becomes aware of it Her misery Journal 130-167 CHAPTER XXI JULY i827-AuousT 1830 1827. Letter to Mary from Frances Wright presented by Robert Dale Owen Friendly Correspondence Acquaintance Fanny Wright's history Her personal appearance Con- trast between her and Mrs. Shelley She returns to America Letter from her Letter from Godwin to Mary Mary's stay at Arundel The Miss Robinsons Letter from CONTENTS Trelawny Explanation with Jane Williams Letter from Mary Visit to Paris Mary catches the small-pox Tre- lawny arrives in England Letters from him. 1829. He returns to Italy Letter to Mary to say he is writing his own life. Asks Mary to help him with reminiscences of Shelley She declines He is angry Letter from Lord Dillon Perkin Warbeck. 1830. Journal (January) Mrs. Shelley's "at homes" in Somerset Street T. Moore Perkin Warleck a disappointment Need of money Letter from Clare Mary writes for the 168-203 CHAPTER XXII AUGUST i83o-OcTOBER 1831 1830. Trelawny's autobiographical adventures to be entitled A Mail's Life Correspondence with Mary respecting the preparation and publication of the book. 1831. She negotiates the matter Entreats for certain modifications The title is altered to Adventures of a Yotmger Son The author's vexation Mary's patience Horace Smith's assistance Trelawny surmises that "fate" may unite him and Mary Shelley some day "My name will never be Trelawny" Publication of the Adventures Trelawny's later Recollections of Shelley, Byron, and the Author His rare appreciation of Shelley Singular discrepancies between the first and second editions of the book Complete change of tone in later life with regard to Mrs. Shelley Conclusions 204-232 CHAPTER XXIII OCTOBER 1831 -OCTOBER 1839 Godwin's Thottghts on Man (1830) Letter to Mary Letter from Clare Question of Percy's going to a public school. 1831. Mary Shelley applies to Sir Timothy for an increase of allow- ance She is refused. 1832. Letter from Godwin asking for an idea or suggestion Mary writes "Lives of Italian and Spanish Literary Men "for Lardner's Cyclopaedia Clare's tale Cholera in London Mary goes to Sandgate Trelawny returns His daughter stays with Mary at Sandgate Death of Lord Dillon Letter from Godwin His son William dies of cholera Posthumous novel, Transfusion Clare's letters to Jane and Mary. to Gis- 1833. Mrs. Shelley goes to live at Harrow Letter Mrs. borne Influenza Solitude Hard work Letter from CONTENTS PAGES 1834 Godwin Letters from Mary to Trelawny and to Mrs. Gisborne Offer of ;6oo for annotated edition of Shelley's works Difficulties. 1835. Lodore Its success Reminiscences of her own experiences Letter from Clare Melancholy letter from Mary to Mrs. Gisborne "A Dirge" Trelawny returns from America Mary's friendship with Mrs. Norton Letter to Mrs. Gis- 1836 borne Godwin's death Efforts to get an annuity for his widow Letters from Mrs. Norton and Trelawny. 1837. Letters from Mary to Trelawny Death of the Gisbornes Impediments to Mary's undertaking the biography of her father Her edition of Shelley's works Painful task. 1839. Letter from Sir E. L. Bulwer Fragment from Mrs. Norton The Diplomatic Service Journal Bitter Vexations Illness Recovery ........ 233-291 CHAPTER XXIV OCTOBER i839-FEBRUARY 1851 1839. Publication of Shelley's prose works Motto Letter from Carlyle. 1840. Journal Brighton Continental tour with Percy and his reading-party Stay at Como Mary's enjoyment Her son takes his degree, and receives allowance from his grand- father Letter of congratulation from Mrs. Norton Mary Gotha 1841 and Percy go abroad again Kissingen ; ; Weimar ; Berlin Dresden Linz Leipzig ; ; ; Prague ; ; Salzburg ; Venice Associations Winter at Florence Rome Sor- rento Home again. 1844. Rambles in Germany and Italy Dedication to Rogers : note from him Death of Sir T. Shelley Mary's letter to Leigh Hunt Shelley's various legacies Letter from Hogg Portrait Mrs. Shelley's literary friendships Letter from Walter Savage Landor Hogg's Shelley Papers Subse- quent Life of Shelley Facsimile of fragment in Mary's handwriting Medwin's book inaccurate and objection- able Mary fails to write Shelley's Life Marriage of Sir 1847 Percy Shelley Mary lives with her son and daughter-in- law Her sweetness and unselfishness Her kindness to her son's friends Clare's visits to Field Place Her ex- at citability and eccentricity Her death Florence ; 1878. 1851. Mary Shelley's health declines Her death Her grave in Bournemouth Churchyard Retrospect of her history and mental development Extract from Journal of October 1838, giving her own views The success of her life a moral rather than an intellectual one Her nobility of character Her influence on Shelley Her lifelong devotion to him . 292-325 THE LIFE AND LETTERS OF MARY WOLLSTONECRAFT SHELLEY CHAPTER XVII JULY-SEPTEMBER 1822 THEY set off at once, death in their hearts, yet clinging outwardly to any semblance of a hope. crossed to to Pisa They Lerici, they posted ; they went first to Casa Lanfranchi. was there Byron ; he could tell them nothing. It was midnight, but to rest or wait was on to impossible ; they posted Leghorn. They went about inquiring for Tre- lawny or Roberts. Not finding the right inn they were forced to wait till next morning before pro- their search. found Roberts he secuting They ; the Ariel had sailed on there only knew Monday ; had been a storm, and no more had been heard of her. Still they did not utterly despair. Contrary winds might have driven the boat to Corsica or elsewhere, and information was perhaps withheld. VOL. ii 24 THE LIFE AND LETTERS OF " " So remorselessly," says Trelawny, are the quarantine laws enforced in Italy that, when at sea, if you render assist- ance to a vessel in distress, or rescue a drowning stranger, on returning to port you are condemned to a long and rigorous quarantine of fourteen or more days. The consequence is, should one vessel see another in peril, or even run it down by accident, she hastens on her course, and by general accord not a word is said or reported on the subject." Trelawny accompanied the forlorn women back to Casa Magni, whence, for the next seven or eight days, he patrolled the coast with the coastguards, stimulating them to keep a good look-out by the promise of a reward.