"R. C."

CHAPTER V. LETTERS TO TURTON

The correspondence of Carlile with Thomas Turton commenced with business, but ended in the truest and strongest friendship that Carlile ever had: and this is saying a great deal, for his life was enriched with the friendship and esteem of many n.o.ble men and women. But we have only glimpses of the correspondence of some of these, so that we cannot judge so well of the length and depth of their mutual esteem as we can of that of Carlile and Turton. It is to Mr. Turton that the grat.i.tude of the editor is due for having so laboriously yet lovingly procured and preserved the very complete collection of his friend's and her father's works and ma.n.u.scripts. Like that of W. V. Holmes, this correspondence commenced in 1822, and was kept up through a period of twenty-one years.

The first one was written March 21st, 1822, the last January 24th, 1843, just two weeks before his death. We will extract part from that dated June 23rd, 1822:--

"Mr. Thomas Turton,

"Sir,--I thank you for the subscription, and would by no means wish you to press it further. The same amount spent in my publications would have done me nearly as much good, and I rather think the idea of subscription is calculated to keep many aloof who would otherwise purchase the publications. I am in hopes I shall get on well now, without any further subscription, and I shall write to check it in all the princ.i.p.al towns where it has been kept up. Any new converts who may like to publish their names this way, well and good. I will send a man to Sheffield as soon as I hear of a volunteer who will keep out of the public house. No laboring man is worthy of being trusted who has not this resolution."

From this there is a jump to 1833, when Carlile was in Giltspur Street Compter, for a paragraph in the _Prompter_ relating to the agricultural riots which were then in progress.

"London, March 8th, 1833.

"Dear Sir,--I trouble you with a couple of dozen of the _Gauntlet_. I do not invoice them as I wish them to go to the cost of the carriage for the parcel; what I want is to introduce them to Sheffield and to have an agent for them there, if you can find me an honest one there. Every one there, excepting yourself, has failed me in something. The _Gauntlet_ is well received. It will be a political paper, now and then making a hit at superst.i.tion. I have sent of them this week 1,250 to Lancashire and a hundred to each of the other princ.i.p.al towns. The fourth number will be interesting to Sheffield for the extract from Buckingham's _Parliamentary Review_; indeed, I am sure the whole will give 'high political satisfaction'. You see I am not out of prison yet. You would have waited a long time in town to see me out. But I am in good health and the _Gauntlet_ will tell you I am in high spirits. I know you well enough to know that you will do what you can for me."

"London, September 19th, 1833.

"I like your suggestion of reviewing Allen's discourses on Atheism. I will do so. Allen was at Liverpool when we were there meeting Thom in 1829, and I heard he offered to meet us if some one in the Methodist connection would join him. You will see that I have fixed on being at Sheffield on Monday, the 30th inst. Mr. Taylor (the Rev. Robert) does not like the country. I wished him to go to Manchester and challenge the Methodist Conference, immediately on his liberation, but he declined it.

My taste is to excite Sheffield in the best possible way. I shall do it better alone than with Mr. Taylor, for his peculiar astronomical interpretation of the Bible leaves no room for discussion, and he does not like discussion. He is brilliant as a scientific lecturer on this ground. I could master Allen in good style now, it is just the thing. I thank you for the suggestion. I can do it so as not to offend any one."

"October 24th, 1833.

"I will leave you and other Sheffield friends to do what you will with Allen. I shall write to him from Manchester on all the points I have heard, and reiterate my challenge so that if he print anything as correspondence with me, he may have something efficient, and I, of course, shall print the letter."

"London, November 28th, 1833.

"Between you and me there is no question but Allen, like every other priest, when pressed to discussion, is a shuffling scoundrel appealing to calumny for a justification. I have paid and have to pay dearly for appealing to law against them, so, some day, I will horsewhip one of these rascals for meeting me with calumny. But if you take my advice you will notice nothing that is published on the subject unless it be an attempt at argument. I have received the knife from Mr. Holmes and every thing your good nature had intended for me. I send you the books I borrowed and a _Prompter_; you shall have a volume of the _Isis_ when ready, which I shall never drop, as I pride myself on that work."

"January 14th, 1835.

"It is true, as you say, that I have a formidable conspiracy against me, and the worst part of it is my own family do-their utmost to a.s.sist my enemies. I shall beat them all! I am as young and vigorous as ever in this sort of resistance." By this time he was in prison again, for refusing to pay Church rates. He says: "I bear imprisonment as well as ever, but I do not intend to stop after the church rate question is settled. I shall have out a good letter to Peel by the first of February--a goodly pamphlet."

"February 5th, 1835.

"I trouble you with a little parcel and beg your acceptance of my letter to Peel and portrait of Julian Hibbert. I still remember that I owe you a large portrait of Paine when I can get one. Peel has written to me to acknowledge the receipt of my pamphlet. I sent it on Friday evening. He acknowledged it on Monday, and on Wednesday I see a commission announced.

"I am about to memorialise the Court in my case: you will see it in print next week. I bear imprisonment as well as ever; though things go on ill at Fleet Street."

"May 7th, 1835.

"I am simplifying my allegorical interpretation of the Bible to the plainest understanding. Could I get the Sheffield Theatre again? I would improve on the last use I made of it. Robert Owen has announced his intended retirement from public life on account of age. The truth is, he projected in-vain. n.o.body understands him, and he does not understand himself as to the practical measures. The philosophy of beating down existing evils is the only practical philosophy. We are all in good health save that I suffer atmospherical injury on the lungs and want more exercise in good air."

"April 23rd, 1835.

"I am somewhat damaged in health, but I am looking? forward to country air for restoration."

This was when the cottage at Enfield was about to be leased.

"May 7th, 1835.

"I am waiting to see what the Whigs will do with the stamp duty before I start another publication. For the mere Radical, as certain men call themselves, I have but little respect, and have found them less honest than any other party. Richard [his son] is now in a shop in 37, Fleet Street, held from the Bishop of Worcester, clerk of the closet to the King, who is greatly annoyed at having a tenant from the Carlile family, but his forbiddance came a day too late."

"November 19th, 1835.

"I am surely a wreck in purse and health. I have this day taken a cottage in the country to recruit my health, and I do not despair as to purse, though it is now a trying struggle. I am now about to advertise my catalogue of books in the unstamped. These things have driven me from the business market. No regular printer will print them, and everyone now has to get his own types and press. This I cannot do, nor should I think the risk warranted, in so far as the principle is of value. Mrs.

Carlile and the boy [Julian] are well; all my family are well, but struggling for comforts."

"October 5th, 1835.

"I have nothing new; Mr. Cousins has put my name to his almanac. I am not pleased with this, so I have not sent it to-you. I gave him the t.i.tle, but he stole the name. I am writing a letter for print to the Bishop of Norwich, who has been silly enough to make a comparison between me and a Mr. Geary, of Norwich, who is building a school, as to which is the best friend of the people? He has given me a fine subject."

"December 10th, 1835.

"Dear Sir,--Though volume three of the _Deist_ will contain nothing new to you, I must beg your acceptance of it, on account of the perfect copy of Annett's lectures and in acknowledgment of my perpetuated debtorship to you. I am at another periodical, but the state of the thing is that no regular printer will venture to print an unstamped paper, and I, not having types and machines, suffer for want of a printer and not for want of credit. I shall hope to see you next year, as I mean to be active if I have health equal to it. At present I suffer much from the London winter climate, every now and then feeling as if I should cease to breathe, and finding great difficulty in getting upstairs, and always dying without a good fire."

"May 5th, 1836.

"The place I held last year did not suit my health. I became frightfully ill, and was driven to the country, where I soon rallied. I shall stick to the cottage in future. It is at Enfield Highway, ten miles on the Cambridge Road; garden, etc., low rent, and very neat place. I am now ready for activity of any kind, writing, lecturing, anything. I do not mean to die yet or to be idle, but to follow out the character I have formed. I have committed the folly of adding a daughter to my family. I am now about to end my days in wisdom. Joseph Harris is doing well in Newcastle, and Alfred [his second son] is well situated in Fleet Street.

We shall do business now on a new basis. Advertise much and have no credits. Many of my friends cannot follow me in the pure mythological description of Christianity; I hope you can; I am sure it is the best point in Infidelity yet reached. I have quite resolved on one thing--not to identify myself with the cla.s.s of men now self-styled 'Radicals'.

There is no good to be done on that ground."

"June 2nd, 1836.

"The Bradford people want me down there. If the Sheffield Theatre could be had, I would come to Sheffield; or if any other respectable place of good standing could be had I would come. I want a shy at Allen, and remember I shall take higher ground with him than I did before. I shall publicly declare that these men Allen & Co. are wholly ignorant of Christian Revelation, and challenge them on ignorance of their own subject."

"Manchester, November 11th, 1836.

"I have used the Oldham Theatre here for four nights with pecuniary success. My subject, 'The Application of Science to the Revelation of Mystery,' is very palatable to the people, and very annoying to the preachers. They are compelled to say 'they agree with me as far as I go', but 'I say nothing about a future life'. That is not my fault. I retort upon them that I have no evidence in or out of the Bible on the subject. That I should be an impostor to preach without evidence. But that I do more than they, I make my people sure of that salvation by setting their lives right here. To this they are bound to a.s.sent, but they will have the doctrine of a future life. The cultivation of the human mind universally as the catholicity of Christianity is everything.

Every kind will follow and not lead on that point in the way of reform.

I am sorry to hear of our young friend's illness [T. Turton, junr.].

Send Tom and Mrs. Turton to Enfield. My priestly authority bid him live and be useful. Cicero's subscription to his friends was 'Jubes te vale'.

I order you to be well! Such is mine to your family. I hope to give you a good account of myself yet, but at present I feel just like Simonides shipwrecked; I carry nothing about me but my brain. I think of being in Liverpool in September to meet the British a.s.sociation of scientific men."

"July 7th, 1837.

"My sister's [Mary Ann Carlile] marriage improves on more information.

It is a captain in the army, who has served much in India, that has married her, and I am told his income is not less than a thousand pounds a year. It is curious that he is a Methodist or attends the Methodist church."

"September 30th, 1837.

"I excited Norwich more than I ever did Sheffield, for by going to preach several days running in the market place, I got into a splendid hall, in discussion with a dissenting minister, before the mayor, and a hall filled with the best citizens of Norwich. It lasted two nights, and on the second I stuck my opponent so fast that he could not speak another word. Great good was done; before the discussion three or four were challenging in turn, and I triumphantly exclaimed before the mayor and a thousand persons on the retirement of my adversary, 'Who comes next?' No one came. My new friend remitted me 35 for my expenses here.

I spent the week quietly with the British a.s.sociation. I am about to challenge Roebuck. I have been pretty active this week, and now, like t.i.tus, I feel that I lose a day if I do not preach. I shall get to Halifax for the sake of giving Bywater another opportunity. He is, of course, now the Rev. Mr. Bywater, and my equal in t.i.tle, except that I am a M.B.A.A.S., Member of the British a.s.sociation for the Advancement of Science."

"November 22nd, 1837.