Sent letters to C.M. Church, & Brandling.

Not well. Weather the same: colder, not so damp.

Worked at Potter’s Palermo

Letter from C. Church ― rather sad. ― Wrote to him, & to Brandling, asking him to make a drawing of the Bassæ.

Went to Macbean’s, & drew 50 scudi.

Worked till 4, then walked with P. Williams.

Gibson was about 27 when he came to Rome in 1817 ― & must be 70 now.

The Carnival is a miserable failure this year of course.

Dined alone. ― Cheales came ― a nice fellow: ― & one Barber, of the Barks Oxford militia, once of Corfu.

As I was going off to bed, ― G. said ‘Vo’ raccontarvi una istoria mia Segnore ―: ho detto mai una bugia in 4 anni che sono con voi?1 ―

On which he went on to say ― “Non avete mai Saputo che sono maritato? ― Sono maritato 9 anni: ed ho 3 figli uno maschio ― 8 anni, ― una femmina ― 6 anni, ed uno piccolo 3 anni.”2 ――

There is no doubt that these people are unfathomable: one of these children was born in 1857, since G. was with me, yet not a word even to such a master as I have been to him. Distrust & secrecy is the element in chief of the composition.

[Transcribed by Marco Graziosi from Houghton Library, Harvard University, MS Eng. 797.3.]

  1. Master, I want to tell you a story about me ―: have I ever lied to you in the four years I have been with you? [↩]
  2. Have you ever heard that I am married? ― I have been married for nine years: and I have three children a boy ― 8 years old, ― a girl ― 6, and a younger one, 3 years old. [↩]