Penrice <1>
Aug. 13. 1815.
My Dear Mamma,
I shall begin my letter by informing you, that tomorrow Mary <2> compleats her twentieth year, which is something quite - to think upon. I want a word here, so if I ever print my letters, I hope you will afford me your assistance in filling up the blank - I am not sure whether my last letter to you, ever went - Tell me. Owing to the indistinctness of Ld Auckland's <3> handwriting, the postmasters mistook his "Swansea" for "Glasgow", & your letter of July 29th did not arrive here till the 11th August!!!. a Fortnight! in which time it had travelled in quest of me, 1200 miles. Mr Feildings <4> letter of a much later date, came with it. On the outside was printed, -
Missent to Glasgow Penrice Try Swansea Swansea <5>
This will account for my not answering you sooner.
After these few prefatory remarks, I shall resume the thread of my narration, which I left off in my last letter, which I should be sorry if you have not received. . . On Tuesday I bathed in the Sea at the Great Tor, <6> which was exceedingly pleasant, but by the consequence I suppose was very foolish, for, by reason of this, or something else, I had a very bad headache in the Evg, & all the next day, besides being very unwell otherwise. Now, unfortunately, this next day was the day on which the Bishop was to confirm. - I doubted for some time, whether I could bear the motion of the carriage to the Church (of Llandewy beyond Reynoldston) but at length I resolved to go. When we got there, I felt so exceedingly ill, that I could not go into the Church, but stayed in the Farm house belonging to the Bishop there - so they, namely Aunt Mary, Sir Christopher, & Charlotte <7> went in without me As soon as they had left me, I was very sick indeed, which relieved me so much, that I felt myself well enough to push my way through the Crowd into the Church, & kneel down by Charlotte. The Service had not begun. It was short & impressive - & when it was ended, the Bishop distributed to each person, a small packet of Tracts concerning Confirmation, & the Lord's Supper: a very useful & beneficial custom, only adopted in these days of Universal knowledge. The number of persons to be confirmed, some of whom were at least 40 or 50 years of age, amounted to 320 I believe. Indeed a confirmation is so rare in Gower, that many were disposed to take advantage of the opportunity who had hitherto neglected to be confirmed, in their youth. Mr Collins's<8> list, from his three parishes, was 40. All the clergymen in the neighbourhood were collected; - Mr Davis of Rossilly, Mr Davis of Port Eynon, Mr Davis of Ilston with some others of the same name. Mr James of Penmain, &c. &c. &c. The name of the Bishop of St Davids is Dr Burgess. <9> He looks a good man, but high. He declined dining here, but took a cursory view of the Garden, which he liked very much. He left the country (that is, this part of the country) early next day. -
Last Monday, Dr Hunt, <10> & Mr King arrived on a visit. Mr King is lowspirited, & has by no means recovered his illness last year. He rallied wonderfully, (to use Sir C.C.'s expression) during the short time he stayed here, but I am afraid it was only temporary, & will subside again, now that he has returned to Merino[?]. He is so lonely there. - Dr Hunt is very well. - Wednesday Mr & Mrs Dillwyn <11> came from Swansea; he is an exceedingly clever man, & the more I see of him, the more I think so, & like him. - He entertained us in the Evg with extraordinary arithmetical puzzles, & solved with great ease, all that we could propose to him. He is fond of Chess, but so much out of practice, that I won two games of him. - He is moreover an excellent magistrate, a very eminent naturalist, & as you know, famous for making good & beautiful china, which he is daily improving. There is so much to be learned from such a man: Especially when joined to a very obliging disposition. - He began his Natural History, with Botany, then Insects, &c &c. Birds, & now Shells, on which he is writing a book, & is therefore become a very early riser, that it may not interfere with his magisterial duties. . . . Mary, Jane, Kit, <12> Myself, & Mr Dillwyn, went on Thursday to Port Eynon, <13> & were very happy, each in our way. - Kit, examining the names of the vessels on the beach. Mr Dillwyn & Mary breaking stones with sledge hammers, & examining the Quarries, which indeed are well worth attention. - The stalactitic incrustations (perhaps they are not so, but I am not a mineralogist) are curious & beautiful. The rocks on the beach, consist (I believe generally) of petrified coralline. . . . Mind, - I am told so, I do not vouch for the fact. - and the neighbourhood abounds with rare plants, among which the bloody Geranium would have delighted you. - Next day, directly after Breakfast, I rode on Kit's grey poney, with Mary & Mr Dillwyn, to New Slade. This, you know, is the very first time I ever rode, in the Country. They went so slow, that I left them far behind, & found the way, by enquiring of the Peasants. - not the Pheasants. I met with no accidents, except once dropping my Whip, & once losing my Hat: in both which cases, I was obliged to dismount. I wonder I did not meet with a tumble, for the little poney goes like lightning, & once or twice was I thought running away with me. - I was exceedingly out of practice, not having ridden for a year & an [sic] half. When I arrived at the Village, I left my poney in the stable of a neat cottage; & the man obligingly, shewed me the way, across the fields, to the sea. . . The tide was quite in, so I climbed the Hill on the left, which bears a strange guttural Welsh name; - on the top of it, is an extraordinary Hole, [illustration labelled: 'can you understand?'] of the same name, (which I have forgot) through the Hill, into the Sea. vide <14> Margin. . . After some time, I returned to the Village to look for my companions, & by so doing, unfortunately missed them - Thereupon I returned again, & climbed the Hill on the Right, which is so high, that I could see from it both Pwldye & Worms head. - Here, after a long time, I met them, just as they were going, & rode back with them, by Stouthall, which is a longer way, & the road very little superior to the other. I suppose we went ten miles, which is a long way for me, & made me very tired. I think Christopher rides much better than I do, but he has had more practice, for he rides almost every day. - His poney is very nice indeed, & quiet, & goes at an amazing rate. - All our Company went that Evening. -
You say, no one writes to you from this Château. - I wrote you a long letter, <15> ten days ago. - Do you not acknowledge the receipt of it? -
As this letter is already too long to be read at once, I may as well make it a little longer, by sundry digressions.
You have often wished to know whence that well known proverb is taken,
" Incidis in Scyllam, cupiens vitare Charybdim, <16>"
or as it is sometimes quoted,
" Incidit in Scyllam, qui vult vitare Charybdim <17>"
but the first is the original.
It is in a poem concerning Alexander the Great, called "Alexandreïs", written by Philippus Gualterus,<18> a native of Flanders, in the year 1250.
The Poet is addressing himself to Darius, who flying from Alexander fell into the hands of Bessus, Quo tendis inertem, Rex periture, fugam? Nescis, heu perdite, nescis Quem fugias; hostes incurris, dum fugis hostem; Incidis in Scyllam, cupiens vitare Charybdim. <19>
Book 5. verse 301.
I suppose you can translate these verses. this information is in the Gentleman's Magazine, Nov. 1774.
Sir Christopher, who is full of odd nautical anecdotes, says, that the sailors cannot make out the names of the Ships, & call the
Agamemnon, <20> the, Eggs & Bacon,
Alcide, <21> - All sides.
Æolus,<22> - Ale house. !!!
Bellerophon <23>- Bloody Ruffin [sic].
Piedmontaise <24>- Pettymagee. !!! &c. &c.
Tell Mr Feilding that I am reading De Solone, - & Euclid, <25> of which I have almost finished the Third book; - & teaching myself Italian <26> see I know the verbs, Essere, Avere, Parlare, and Credere. - Sentire <27> Tomorrow.
I don't think I shall use my Gun much, when I have got it, for my time is entirely filled up, as it is. - I longed for it the other day; - for I saw the most beautiful shot. Two Cormorants hovered over my head for a long time, not twenty feet above me, & their large shaggy black wings afforded a wide mark. - I thank you for the Chronicle, <28> pray continue it. - I will not write anymore, lest I should have nothing to say in my next letter, & remain,
Yr Affte Son
W. H. F. Talbot
Lady Elisabeth Feilding
31 Sackville Street
London
Notes:
1. Penrice Castle and Penrice House, Gower, Glamorgan, 10 mi SW of Swansea: home of Christopher Rice Mansel Talbot.
2. Mary Thereza Talbot (1795-1861), WHFT's cousin.
3. George Eden, 1st Earl of Auckland (1784-1849), Governor General of India.
4. Rear Admiral Charles Feilding (1780-1837), Royal Navy; WHFT's step-father.
5. This is the inscription of a sketch.
6. Great Tor Rock, Swansea.
7. Lady Mary Lucy Cole, née Strangways, first m. Talbot (1776-1855), WHFT's aunt, Sir Christopher Cole (1770-1836), Captain, MP & naval officer, and Charlotte Louisa 'Charry' Traherne, née Talbot (1800-1880), WHFT's cousin.
8. Rev John Collikns (1740-1830), Rector of Oxwich Church, near Penrice Castle, from 1772-1830.
9. Thomas Burgess (1756-1837), Bishop of St David's (1803-1825) and Bishop of Salisbury (1825-1837), founder of St David's College.
10. See Doc. No: 00657.
11. Lewis Weston Dillwyn (1778-1855), Welsh botanist & MP, and his wife Mary Dillwyn, née Adams (1788-1855).
12. Jane Harriot Nicholl, née Talbot (1796-1874), and Christopher Rice Mansel Talbot (1803-1890), immensely wealthy landowner, mathematician & politician; WHFT's Welsh cousin.
13. Port Eynon, Swansea.
14. See the margin.
15. See Doc. No: 00657.
16. You fall into Scylla, wishing to avoid Charybdis.
17. He falls into Scylla who wishes to avoid Charybdis.
18. Philippus Gualterus, or Philippe Gautier de Chatillon (1135-1201), composer of a heroic poem.
19. Where are you going, wise King, in heedless fight? Alas, you do not know, hopeless one, you do not know what you flee; you rush towards enemies while you flee the enemy; you fall into Scylla, wishing to avoid Charybdis.
20. Probably HMS Agamemnon, built in 1777. It took part in eleven battles and it was commanded between 1793 and 1796 by Captain Horatio Nelson.
21. Although there were French vessels of the same name, this was a 74 gun British frigate which saw service from 1779-1817.
22. A 32 gun British frigate that saw service off the New Jersey coast in 1812.
23. HMS Bellerophon, built in 1786. It was best known as the ship on which Napoleon spent time before his exile in St Helena.
24. Piemontase was a 38 gun French frigate captured by the British in 1808. In 1810, it was under the command of Captain Christopher Cole in the Moluccas.
25. Probably a work on the 6th century BC lawmaker Solon, and Euclid of Alexandria, the famous Greek geometrician.
26. Text torn away under seal.
27. Sit, avail; have, have got, credit; speak, talk; and believe, deem .
28. Morning Chronicle, newspaper, first established in London by William Woodfall in 1769.