Lady Anne Isabella Byron, Brighton, to Henry Crabb Robinson, [30 Russell Square, London], 11 April [18]55.

[f. 129r]

Brighton

April 11th 55.

Dear Mr C. Robinson

       You appear to have more definite information respecting The Review than I have obtained.

       Can you think there is adequate security for the conduct of it when the names of The Editors are withheld? – from me at least. They are stated to be “two young men ed:d at The University” – One of them may be a literary man whom you know I greatly mistrust –

      It was also said that The Review in rus would in fact be The Prospective amplified – not satisfactory [f.129v] to me, because I have always thought that Periodical too Unitarian, in the sense of separating itself from other Xtian churches, if not by a high wall, at least by a Wire-gauge fence. Now separation is to me the αιςεσις (I forget the spelling perhaps).

      The Revelation thro’ Nature never separates. It is the Revelation thro’ the Book which separates. Whewell & Brewster would have been one, had they not, I think equally, dimmed their lamps of science when reading their Bibles. As long as we think a truth better for being shut up in text, we are not of the Wide-world religion, which is to include all in one fold, – for that text will not be [f. 130r] accepted by the followers of other Books, or students of the same & separation will ensue.

       The Christian Scripture should be dear to us not as the Charter of a few, but of mankind – & to fashion it into cages is to deny its ultimate objects. These thoughts hot like the roll at Breakfast, where your letter was so welcome an addition.

            Yours very truly

                         A I: Noel Byron.

Text:  MS-DEP Lovelace-Byron 109, fols. 129-30] (copy), Bodleian Library, Oxford.