uld have told Johnson that she preferred Constance to any of
Shakespeare's Characters: perhaps I misremember; she may have said Queen
Catharine. {183a} I must not forget to thank you for the Nineteenth
Century from Hatchard's; Tieck's Article very interesting to me, and I
should suppose just in its criticism as to what John Kemble then was. I
have a little print of him about the time: in OEdipus--(whose Play, I
wonder, on such a dangerous subject?) from a Drawing by that very clever
Artist De Wilde: who never missed Likeness, Character, and Life, even
when reduced to 16mo Engraving. {183b}

What you say of Tennyson's Eyes reminded me that he complained of the
Dots in Persian type flickering before them: insomuch that he gave up
studying it. This was some thirty years ago. Talking on the subject one
day to his Brother Frederick, he--(Frederick)--said he thought possible
that a sense of the Sublime was connected with Blindness: as in Homer,
Milton, and Handel: and somewhat with old Wordsworth perhaps; though his
Eyes were, I think, rather weak than consuming with any inward Fire.

I heard from Mr. Norton that Lowell had returned to Madrid in order to
bring his Wife to London--if possible. She seems very far from being
recovered; and (Norton thinks) would not have recovered in Spain: so
Lowell will have one consolation for leaving the land of Cervantes and
Calderon to come among the English, whom I believe he likes little better
than Hawthorne liked them.

I believe that yesterday was the first of my hearing the Nightingale;
certainly of hearing _my_ Nightingale in the trees which I planted,
'hauts comme ca,' as Madame de Sevigne says. I am positively about to
read her again, 'tout Madame de Sevigne,' as Ste. Beuve said. {184a} What
better now Spring is come? {184b} She would be enjoying her Rochers just
now. And I think this is a dull letter of mine; but I am always
sincerely yours

E. DE PETITGRANGE.

LXXVI.

WOODBRIDGE: _May_ 25/80.

MY DEAR LADY,

Another full Moon reminds [me] of my monthly call upon you by Letter--a
call to be regularly returned, I know, according to your Etiquette. As
so it must be, I shall be very glad to hear that you are better than when
you last wrote, and that some, if not all, of the 'trouble' you spoke of
has passed away. I have not heard of Donne since that last letter of
yours: but a Post Card from Mowbray, who was out holyday-making in
Norfolk, tells me that he