Wednesday, 24 October 1860
Off the Rails again. Breakfast at 8. Off in car by 9.
Rail from Micheldever at 9.36
X
X
X9
Bah! ―
Bah!
Bah!
Stratford Place by 12. ――
Arranged & unpacked & wrote letters.
Fine day. Calls on Edwards, C.F. Mr. Hay, Col. Hornby & others. ――― Saw Mr. Bilton Mrs. Macbean’s uncle.
J.B.E. came up at 6 ― & I to him. At his lodgings μοῦ ἔκαμε μίαν ὁμολογία ὅτι ἡγάπα τῆν ἀδελφὴν τῆς Κυρίας Δροῦμονδ — ἥγουν, Μίζι Λίζερ.1
Much thought thereon.
Home by 10.
[Transcribed by Marco Graziosi from Houghton Library, Harvard University, MS Eng. 797.3.]
- He confided in me that he loved the sister of Lady Drummond ― i.e. Miss Lizer (NB). [↩]
I guess those X’s are epileptic fits–perhaps three in the same day–and so a very sad 24 October it was for Lear. What torture it must have been to think these seizures, which were not understood then and which were thought to be allied to the only sexual practice not denied him, one that had to be practiced in secrecy and with guilt. And this was (and is) the man making thousands laugh with delight.