Castleford <1>
Nov. 8th 1815
My Dear Mamma,
Why do not you write to me? – I wrote you a long letter <2> from Ferrybridge, to which you have not vouchsafed to reply. My Companions here are two; Stewart & Nuttall, – but this Mr Feilding <3> can tell you. – Stewart is now at a visit near Doncaster, so there remains only myself & Nuttall. – The bent of his genius is not towards the Classics, but inclines rather to Music, Ornithology, Ichthyology, & Pastination<4>: For his chief delight is in Ringing the Church Bells, feeding Pigeons, Fishing & digging in his Garden. – Stewart’s propensity is rather for horses, & he takes in the Sporting Calendar; – Mrs Barnes <5> is about eight & twenty I think, & agreeable enough, tho’ Nuttall does not much like her, for criticizing his dress, manners, & occupations. – I think you will be entertained by a passage in Æschylus’s tragedy of the Eumenides. <6> – You know that Agamemnon returning from Troy, was murdered by Clytemnestra, & she in turn by her son Orestes, when grown up. – In Consequence of this crime, Orestes was tormented by the Furies, or Eumenides, & took refuge in the temple of Apollo at Delphos. <7> – That Deity had compassion on Orestes, & lulled the Furies to sleep, advising Orestes to escape in the meanwhile, as the Furies would be exceedingly puzzled to find him again, when they awoke. – In the meanwhile however, according to the translation of Pompignan, <8> “ Survient l’ombre de Clytemnestre qui trouve fort mauvais que les Furies sommeillent. Mais c’est un dieu que les a endormies, et leur sommeil est bien dur, car il se passe beaucoup de tems avant que Clytemnestre parvienne a les reveiller. Cette scene est curieuse; en voici une petite partie. <9>
“Ecoutez mes plaintes, ô divinitès infernales ! Ecoutez Clytemnestre qui se montre a vous, pendant votre sommeil” (Les Eumenides ron flent <10>
Clytemnestre irritée. <11>
“Vous me repondez par un vain bruit, et votre proie s’eloigne.” etcet. – <12>
If these extracts amuse you, I will send you more in my next letter.
I remain, Yr Affte Son
W H F Talbot
The Lady Elisabeth Feilding
Melbury
Sherborne
Dorset
Notes:
1. Castleford, Yorkshire, 10 mi SE of Leeds, where WHFT went to school from 1815-1816.
2. Letter not located.
3. Rear Admiral Charles Feilding (1780–1837), Royal Navy; WHFT’s step-father.
4. Digging in preparation for planting.
5. Charlotte Davison Barnes, née Bland (b. 1788), wife of Rev Theophilus Barnes, Rector of Castleford.
6. Eumenides was written in 458 BC.
7. Temple of Apollo at Delphi, built in 548–510 BC. It was restored in 373–330 BC. following an earthquake.
8. Probably a reference to Jean-Jacques Le Franc de Pompignan’s, Tragédies d’Échyle, traduites en françois (Paris: Saillant et Nyon, 1770). This was the first complete translation of Aeschylus in French.
9. “The shadow of Clytemnestra looms. She finds it most regrettable that the Furies should sleep. But it is a god who has put them to sleep, and their sleep is most heavy, for a great deal of time passes before Clytemnestra succeeds in rousing them. This scene is curious; here is a small part of it.
10. “Listen to Clytemnestra who shows herself to you as you sleep” (The Eumenides snore).
11. Clytemnestra, irritated.
12. “Answer me with vain noise, and your prey moves away.”