Cambridge <1>
15th Febry 1820
My Dear Mr Feilding,
I will certainly take a trip to Paris at Easter, but cannot stay more than ten days. When you leave Paris I hope you are going to Geneva, or somewhere that way, as you talked of doing, as I should like exceedingly to find you established among vineyards & olive groves when I pay you my summer visit. My intention is not to take a tutor this year, but to remain at Cambridge & tutorize myself till August, when I will set off, & join you, so as to have two months left to spend with you. I am convinced that one may get on just twice as fast without a tutor, as with one, that is you are to understand, when you have are advanced to a certain extent. I feel now getting on [sic] very fast. I am exceedingly obliged to you for your intention of looking out for a servant for me, but pray do not give yourself the trouble, because I could not have him here, not having anything whatever for him to do. - Will Sir C. Cole <2> be returned this time? the papers say he has another opponent, besides Edwards. <3>
The member for this town who is the D. of Rutland's man, <4> has not been chaired more than a month or two, on which occasion he was well pelted, what a bore it must be for him, to go through it all again. If Gen. Finch <5> had delayed his resignation a little, it would have saved them all the trouble. What do you think of the Spanish insurrection? The passage of Shakespeare which is appointed this year, to be translated into Greek, is rather hard to understand in some parts. It is, Macbeth Act 1. Scene last. <6> beginning, "We will proceed no further in this business" In particular, I cannot understand this part.
Macb. I dare do all that may become a man;
Who dares do more, is none.
Lady M. What beast was it then
That made you break this enterprize to me
If you can explain this, pray write me word, for I think you have got Shakespeare with you.<7> My love to all, & believe me
Yours ever afftly
W.H.F. Talbot
Captain Feilding, R.N.
2 Sackville St
London
Notes:
1. Trinity College, Cambridge.
2. Sir Christopher Cole (1770-1836), Captain, MP & naval officer. He was an MP for Glamorganshire in 1817 and from 1820 to 1830.
3. John Edwards, had been elected MP for Glamorgan in 1818.
4. John Henry Manners, 5th Duke of Rutland (1778-1857).
5. General Edward Finch (1756-1843), MP from 1789-1819. On receiving a promotion to general, he resigned from Parliament. On 6 December 1819, the Times reported, "on Friday last an election took place of a member to serve in the present Parliament, for the borough of Cambridge, in the room of the Hon. E. Finch, who has accepted the office of steward of the Chiltern Hundreds." A Col. French took this position and it led to riots. On 24 February 1820, the House of Commons got a petition about the undue influence of the Duke of Rutland in Cambridge.
6. Translation for which WHFT won the Porson Prize. [See Doc. No: 00885].
7. See Captain Feilding's common sense take on this in Doc. No: 00866.
8. Charles Ferdinand d'Artois Duc de Berri (1778-1820), youngest son of Comte d'Artois, the future Charles X, was stabbed to death by saddler named Louis Pierre Louvel upon leaving the Opera House at Paris on 13 February 1820. His death hastened the downfall and replacement of the Decazes government and the polarisation into liberal and royalist groups.