To Thomas Archer Hirst   1849

Marburg [üf nonio] nüft [Munn] 1849

My Dear Tom,

I hereby certify that you deserve some credit for originality, for, by the Law, the offer you have made me¹ is not a thing common in the world. It argues a degree of courage which I hardly contemplated as belonging to your pulpy texture! – What you dog! would you ‘set your life upon a cast and stand the hazard of the dye’?² – and to have contemplated the thing beforehand – this tops all, for it takes away every excuse of rashness from the act and reduces it to a case of ‘malice prepense’!³ – Somebody mentions a class of people who feel themselves wronged in being born wealthy, inasmuch as their independence has shut them out from all healthful struggle in the world – it was with a feeling somewhat akin to this that I read your letter; I should have felt a grim satisfaction and the strength of ten men in taking the world by the throat, did I know that the fate of my friend depended upon the energy of my gripe!⁴ but your letter pared me down to my former dimensions and just left me sufficient courage to struggle for myself. yet do I not bless thee Nature? – sweet mother! who, teachest my hands to war and my fingers to fight, and who when difficulty arises, pats thy son cheeringly upon the back and criest ‘Go it my boy – the devil himself is gifted with claws only by thy sufferance’.

‘Whatever is is right’⁵

So saith Alexander Pope⁶ wheth he understood it or not. It would be a holy and wholesome struggle, Tom, yours with the world had you been compelled to buckle on your armour and face it – it is just as holy and wholesome however to let it alone and to fight for something else [besdes] a bellyfull. – Were I a catholic how I would pray for the everlasting peace of that good mother who thus watched over your welfare⁷ – What is it Tom at bottom but a transfusion of life – no death at all – I saw two signboards the other day one bearing the date 1791 the other 1847 – In that little gap thought I fitted the lifetime of my father,⁸ and here am I to carry out the same, ready also to disappear when my time comes; shall I mourn because a leaf falls from the everlasting tree? Is his tongue silent? can I not now truly affirm that ‘he being dead yet speaketh’⁹ – is he not engrafted into me, ‘bone of my bone and flesh of my flesh?’¹⁰ Come not even now the brave words as fresh as ever from his grave – ‘be just and fear not’¹¹ – by the Lord I would not give his memory for that of a King, nor my own blood for the Prince Royal’s.

I stand here upon a free equipoise,¹² ready to accept your manly offer to some extent and just as ready to let it alone – have you calculated chances? If God gives me health and strength I shall pay all debts and have capital remaining, but I may die, and the cholera is at hand to increase perils; what then Tom? draw bills upon the world to come for payment or exclaim in the spirit of Marcus Antonius ‘I have lost all except what I have given away!’¹³ –

I dont know what to say; 3 or 4 months in France would be of great advantage to me and you would not press me for payment for a couple of years – I dont know what to say – I should have been vastly content had you been a beggar, and now equally so when this is not the case – I will decide nothing now; for the present I will look to affairs as if you were at the antipodes¹⁴ and if I find you can render me a service I will accept it, without troubling you with many thanks. I thank you not, because the act if rightly performed will be its own reward – ‘There are 20 pounds’ said I to a man¹⁵ once who wanted it but did not expect it – ‘take them’ – he did so and owes it to me yet, but the expansion of my pericardium¹⁶ at the time was recompense sufficient to tempt me to a similar act tomorrow had I the means. If I borrow any thing from you it must be done in proper legal form, not that I doubt myself or doubt you – but as promising youths as I am have heretofore turned vagabonds – tell me then how much you could conveniently lend me, to be repaid in two years from the time of lending? you need not be in haste to answer my question just deal with it in the common course of correspondence.

I have been to Switzerland – paid Heidelberg¹⁷ a visit and the sun shone so bright and clear that I felt an irresistable impulse to go further – trusting to my legs and mountain stick, repudiating guides, eating bread and milk and sleeping when possible in the country villages where nobody could detect my accent, I got through amazingly cheap – I have thrown my adventures into the form of a story, the incidents real, the plot fanciful, it will probably appear in the Chronicle,¹⁸ just enquire, and try can you unravel a character or two – you will laugh at least twice over it, I lay a wager –

Guess what the packet was, a bit of sugar work from Ada.¹⁹ why in heaven’s name didn’t you open it before you paid the extravagant postage it must have cost. Noll²⁰ and I echoed each others laughter as the mysterious bundle was unloosed and the little cherries of gum and lump sugar revealed themselves – I wrote to Ada but did not mention this – if she permits you kiss her for me. I shant be jealous because I know that Ada is true.

Poor M^rs Wright, my personal connexion with her seems to be once more revived, on account of both of you I am glad to see you there – all my lifetime with her flashed back upon me as you mentioned her name²¹ – the hardworking little woman running up and down stairs at the tinkle of the bell, bearing folds of savoury beef or rectangular masses of Yorkshire pudding – the lively cachination²² of John Hall and the lisp of Kuppers,²³ all are present with me; a word from you now and then may serve her son Alfred²⁴ –

You talk about a settlement. this is beggarly after your offer. I know what you mean – these paltry half dozen Punches²⁵ is it not? I’ll quietly leave you and M^rs Fearnly²⁶ to settle the matter, for – I was going to swear By Heaven! – I wont pay a sous²⁷ for them! –

Noll is in Cassell.²⁸ Frankland is in Geissen²⁹ – Frankland has engaged himself to one of the young ladies³⁰ we met at that village party – you noticed her, she sat nearly opposite and spoke English –

And now my dear Tom may the Lord prepare your pasture and the way of the reightious prove your everlasting delight.

Your affectionate friend | Tyndall

RI MS JT/1/HTYP/35-36

RI MS JT/1/T/862