ent there everywhere are; the reflections upon which in
my own poor life made me now and then very sad, as I read you.
Ah me, ah me; what a vista it is, mournful, beautiful,
_unfathomable_ as Eternity itself, these last fifty years of Time
to me.--

Let me not forget to thank you for that _fourth_ page of your
Note; I should say it was almost the most interesting of all.
News from yourself at first hand; a momentary glimpse into the
actual Household at Concord, face to face, as in years of old!
True, I get vague news of you from time to time; but what are
these in comparison?--If you _will,_ at the eleventh hour, turn
over a new leaf, and write me Letters again,--but I doubt _you
won't._ And yet were it not worth while, think you? [Greek]--
will be here _anon._--My kindest regards to your wife. Adieu, my
ever-kind Old Friend.

Yours faithfully always,
T. Carlyle

CLXXXIV. Emerson to Carlyle

Concord, 17 June, 1870

My Dear Carlyle,--Two* unanswered letters filled and fragrant and
potent with goodness will not let me procrastinate another
minute, or I shall sink and deserve to sink into my dormouse
condition. You are of the Anakim, and know nothing of the
debility and postponement of the blonde constitution. Well,
if you shame us by your reservoir inexhaustible of force,
you indemnify and cheer some of us, or one of us, by charges
of electricity.

--------
* One seems to be missing.
--------

Your letter of April came, as ever-more than ever, if possible--
full of kindness, and making much of our small doings and
writings, and seemed to drive me to instant acknowledgment; but
the oppressive engagement of writing and reading eighteen
lectures on Philosophy to a class of graduates in the College,
and these in six successive weeks, was a task a little more
formidable in prospect and in practice than any foregoing one.
Of course, it made me a prisoner, took away all rights of
friendship, honor, and justice, and held me to such frantic
devotion to my work as must spoil that also.

Well, it is now ended, and has no shining side but this one, that
materials are collected and a possibility shown me how a
repetition of the course next year--which is appointed--will
enable me partly out of these materials, and partly by large
rejection of these, and by large addition to them, to construct a
fair report of what I have read and thought on the subject. I
doubt the experts in Philo