Prospero's Cell: A Guide to the Landscape and Manners of the Island of Corfu (28 page)

This place is wonderfully lovely. I wish you could see it; if you came I could put you up beautifully, & feed you on Ginger-beer & claret & prawns & figs.

The philosophical silent Suliot is of the greatest comfort to me. His remarks in Greek—by play—kill me.
he says of the Romans, who are so slow & odiously indifferent. And of their incessant begging,
. ” It is hardly possible to be thankful enough for so good a servant.

Everybody was overwhelmingly hospitable, from the Palace downwards—but as the balls, & small monotonous whist or tea-parties are wholly out of my line in this very very very small tittletattle place, & as moreover night walks from this side of the city to the other don’t suit me, not to speak of late hours & a multitude of new & uninteresting acquaintance, I decline all visiting on the plea of health & antiquity or what not. The Woolfe’s have very amiably asked me several times—they seem very justly popular—but the only point which Greeks, Germans, French, Italians & English in such a place as this, can amalgamate being balls and the smallest gossip—this tone of social life bores me even more than total loneliness—tho’ that is very bad for me I know: only the alternative is wusser.

And so, the aspect spiritual of this little piggywiggy island is much as a very little village in Ireland would
be—peopled by Orangemen & papists—& having all the extra fuss & ill-will produced by a Court & small officials—more or less with or against a resident crowded garrison.

The aspect material meanwhile—(with which I have most to do—tho’ unhappily no man can be quite independent of the others, ) is—so far as climate & country goes, lovelier than ever. Yet seeing it has never rained since April last, & that it is now daily perfectly clear & fine—the wise anticipate 3 months rain at once & continual.

O! if I could but come back to London, bringing with me the gold & blue & lilac & pink of the air, sun, hills & snow.

I wish I had more time for Greek—if I had it my way & wor an axiom maker & Lawgiver, I would cause it to be understood that Greek is (or a knowledge of it) the first of virtues: cleanliness the 2nd., and Godliness—as held up by parsons generally—the 3rd. O mi hi!—here is a new table—six feet too—by 2 feet high! I shall dine at one end of it—write at the other, & “open out” in the middle.