God bless the Queen:1 & may she live heaps of years. ― Slept well. Cloudy morning. News of Garibaldi good so far as one can see or believe. Breakfast at 9. ― At 10½ go with G. to take ticket but find that the passport won’t do without visé of English Consulate ― which I got, & then [procure] ticket for Malta in the Quirinale, wh. I am glad G. is to go in.

[επειτα, επαρη πατησαμεν ολογυρα ολα το τσιχη, και δια τους Κηπους “Ακουα=σολα,” ― και κουθα ς την θαλασσην, εως το Ξενοδοξειον ― που εφθασα μεν εις δοδεκα τεταρτον].2 ― ― ― Partly slept, or read, or dawdled: read papers, & heard G. read. ― And walked a bit alone. ― At 5 table d’hôte, some 30 or 40. Η τρομερα αντι μου3 ― & very queer & formidable she is. Her son is not overpromising to see: & she puts elbows on table ― twirls knives & forx, & does all kinds of maniac faccende ― having arranged her cap & dress at table. Two very toady[-]like persons came to her before dinner was ended ― as yesterday.

1860-05-24_1

1860-05-24_2

1860-05-24_3

Επειτα  ― walked out with G., but he seemed queer & absent, so I let him go home soon, wh. he seemed glad to do. ―

Back by 8¼.

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

  1. Queen Victoria was born on 24 May 1819. [↩]
  2. On the basis of Google Translator I guess Lear is describing a walk: “Then I walked a bit around the [] and through the Gardens of Aqua=sola and [] the sea [] I arrived at 12¼.” [↩]
  3. The awesome (i.e. Mme Bonaparte) in front of me. [↩]