Harrow <1>
Nov. 7th 1813.
My dear Jane,
I am much obliged to you for your letter. Ld Ashley <2> is son of the Earl of Shaftesbury. <3> He is a boy I like. He is about 13 I suppose. I have not had patience to apply myself to Shorthand yet. I have many things to read, before Southeys Ld Nelson. <4> The English of the Greek you sent me is obscure, unless one knew what preceded it. It is literally “They are deities, in the council of great Jupiter; good inhabitants of the earth, guards of mortal men”. What author is that in? The greek for dear, if applied to a woman is öéëç, that is “phile” if applied to a man, öéëïò “philos.” – The Percevals at Harrow who are not Mr P’s sons, are Lord Arden’s. <5> We are to have fireworks next Saturday, on account of the glorious news. An artist from London is to come and let them off. The are paid for by subscription among the boys, who have subscribed £60. about. – I subscribed half a guinea. – They have frequent subscriptions here, for different things; A few days ago, they raised about £..120, for a monument to John Lyon;–<6> Last year also, they got £..100, for the Russian sufferers.–<7> I will write you an account of the fireworks.
Your Affte cousin
WHFTalbot.
Notes:
1. Harrow School: WHFT attended from 1811–1815 and his son Charles from 1855-1859.
2. Anthony Ashley Cooper, Lord Ashley, 7th Earl of Shaftsbury (1801–1885), MP.
3. Cropley Ashley Cooper, 6th Earl of Shaftesbury (1768–1851).
4. Robert Southey, The life of Nelson (London: John Murray, 1813).
5. Charles George Perceval, 2nd Baron Arden (1756–1840), politician and antiquary.
6. John Lyon, a local yeoman farmer, was granted a charter by Elizabeth I in 1572 to found 'The Free Grammar School of John Lyon.' Thanks to his endowments, this evolved into Harrow School. The marble memorial to him, by John Flaxman, is in St Mary's church, Harrow on the Hill.
7. The French invasion of Russia in 1812 proved to be the turning point in the Napoleanic Wars, but the devastation to Moscow and the countryside was severe.