1837-April 6-Robinson-Wordsworth

Henry Crabb Robinson, Marseilles, to Mary Wordsworth, Brinsop Court, near Hereford, 6 April 1837.

Marseilles 6th April 1837

     Ma chere Maman – As I pass among the intelligent for the Son of M: votre Mari Both of our characters require that you should not disclaim the revered title. Whether I owe mine to any strong personal resemblance as to my filial assiduities I cannot pretend to determine Perhaps the latter In fact, M le Pere not having the full possession of his eyesight or entire use of his fingers I have undertaken to relieve him of a portion of the labour of writing by narrating the history of our journey leaving him to put in the Sense and the Sentiment that generally occupy but a minute space in a traveller’s diary – We left Paris on Sunday the 26th glad to escape from the tumult of the gayety And I [am] not quite sobered from the intoxicating pleasure of riding in my own phaeton carriage – we set out in chilly & chearless weather which seems resolved to stay by us – We made but half a day’s journey to Fontainbleau 7 & ½ posts – (A post is about 5 miles[)] Here I bore in my mind that we had in this place 17 years ago heard the cannon announce the birth of a Son of France – He was called The child of miracle It will require a greater miracle to place him on the throne of his fathers  27th – We advanced 15 ¼ p. to Cosne, having seen nothing worth recollecting but the pretty scenery near Nemours  The 28th took us to Moulins thro Nevers 13 & ½ p: but instead of Stern’s Maria we met with nothing better than unsociable travellers in the public room, except a military bavard whom vanity renderd usefully loquacious On the 29th we slept at Tarare a town pent in a valley on an eminence rather romantic but wretchedly cold here & elsewhere we had a difficulty in getting sufficient bed clothes And Monsr made the discovery that the spring had gone back since he left Westmoreland. This day we went 18 posts On arriving at Lyons next morning we found to our mortification that the river was too low for navigation we spent the latter half of the day in climbing up the hill to make our pilgrimage to Notre Dame de la Touviere – A sight interesting from the vast extent of the second city in France & from the monuments of superstition in the votive offerings not of the peasantry only By an inscription authorised by the governm.t it is affirmed that Lyons was saved from the Cholera in 1832 by “the intercession of our lady of Touvieres”!!! – We began the current ^ended the last^ month by posting on the left bank of the Rhone – 11 & ¼ p: to Tain – The backwardness of the season robbed us of the pleasure we were entitled to expect And on the 1st of this month we first came to an object both new to us and having an historical interest At Orange is a grand triumphal arch erected in honour of the victories of that arch Whig-radical Marcus And a sadly dilipidated Roman theatre – 15 ½ p: But the next day presented a far more congenial object to the < > in the Vaucluse of Petrarch – We left our carriage in the venerable & decayed Ex-papal city of Avignon & were driven to the poets asylum & haunt – This famous spot is a ^naked^ valley at the end of which under a rock like Mawm cove rushes out a stream of great beauty – And lofty & wild rocks give an earnest & even savage character to the scene But it is treeless & nearly grassless And I therefore could not fancy it the residence by choice of the writer of the first perfect Sonnets – Sonnets preeminently soft and sweet, even to[o] effemine [sic].  St John the baptist on the contrary might have dwelt there, but he cod not have found wild honey there, for there can be no bees where there are no flowers. 10 ½ p. next morning we rambled abot Avignon – were amused by the display of national & professional character in the Invalides where the governmt have allowed the veterans of the French army to erect a wooden pyramidal monument in honour of Buonaparte – Indeed the walls of the garden are coverd with inscriptions in triumphantly recording the conquests & victories of the French <paper torn> And under this title is found the battle of Waterloo!!! On the same day we proceeded <paper torn> Seeing by the way the most beautiful aqueduct the romans have left us, called the Font du Gard –  <–> the vicinity of N: has the very finest roman Aqueduct, so the city itself has a very fine temple – And ample remains of a noble Amphitheatre Few places in Italy contrive as much to gratify the learned architect – And as far as antiquities are concerned an unlearned traveller’s curiosity might be well satisfied – As if however to try the superior power of nature over art – two little girls had curiously placed themselves on before one of the entrances into the Arenes & were plucking the wings of a dead bird – Their beautiful eyes so fascinated the poet that had we been on our homeward not outward bound voyage, And could I have bribed to assist in the atrocious theft I believe he might have been wrought on to seize the little innocents not indeed like an ogre to feed on them; but with the more laudable purpose of improving the Westmoreland breed – Jesting apart as far as the obtaining a distinct notion of antient art in architecture belongs to the motive & inducement for a tour into Italy, the journey may be considd as being having attained its purpose – 7 posts

8th – At Toulon On the 4th we were detained for clean linen & by the antiquities &c all the afternoon And we went only 3 & ½ posts to Tarascon enjoying a refreshing breeze & shade after being alarmed by sultry heat in the forenoon – Suffering extremes of heat & cold within a few hours, for at Orange we required a fire in our sitting room – The 5th afforded us a delightful drive before breakfast to St Remi where some beautiful antiquities a Mausoleum & Arch of triumph adorn an otherwise interestg & fertile plain at the feet of a ridge of picturesque rocks – but the rest of the day was woefully unpleasant – We were molested by dust & wind. We drove thro’ a chearless and wearisome country white earth grey trees (olives) And no grass at all it was yellow [as] in the Autumn of 1822. We just touched it the handsome town of Aix but we made the annoying discovery that we had lost probably by theft our Sabot (dray chain) And we went on in some anxiety to Marseilles  14 posts  Here we had a day of acceptable rest of which I endeavour to make some use by beginning this letter. This famous city & sea port rendered the day amusing  A handsome quay A <  > population And in the vicinity a very fine view of the city – Yesterday we had by far the most agreeable drive thro’ a country highly romantic – The low lands of this extremity of France are fertile but unpleasing – The olive being the ugliest tree in nature except the vine but the rocks on this spot are wild even to grandeur. – We found this celebrated military naval depot charmingly situated – We had a delightful breeze in the Evening And enjoyed a view of great beauty from the adjacent heights – We had the comforts of a good inn and tho Spring angers, it must come And tho I have now put on my Macintosh for warmth now Yet I have thrown off my Winter dress W. felicitades [sic] himself in having provided himself with both Winter and Summer clothing And tho’ a cold has hitherto molested him Yet as well as myself Yet as mine is leaving now – I am assured that his will not resist the influence of the mild climate that sooner or later must open itself to us – Tomorrow we hope to enter Italy  we have only 20 posts to make before we reach Nice the first Italian city We shall then have traveled nearly 100 posts say 500 miles without an accident or serious annoyance We eat drink & sleep well – Save only once or twice befuddled ourselves with a bottle of wine wch <  > to 5d  And on the whole have endured the toilsome passage thro’ France with laudable patience if not enviable high spirits – I leave my friend to give a more interesting account of his personal feelings – he means to put this letter in the post before we leave France Therefore I close I wish I cod say – This morning “to fresh fields and pastures new” Alas pastures we have not seen for many a day – And the fields are any thing but fresh

                 Comps to your brother Mrs Hutchin[son]

Love to Sister and brothers &c &c                    H. C. [R. is missing – paper torn]

Text: WLL, Wordsworth, W and D/7/515.1, Wordsworth Trust and Museum, Grasmere.