A Thing Divine

Audio: 

Henry James (1843–1916)
Autograph letter, signed, to John La Farge, 21 September 1869
Lent by the New-York Historical Society, La Farge Papers, New York; ms 360.

Henry James to John La Farge
Venice, Hotel Barbesi, 21 September [1869]

It’s [sic] treasures of course are numerable, & I have seen but a small fraction. I have been haunting chie y the ducal palace & the Academy & putting o  the churches. Tintoretto is omnipresent & well-nigh omnipotent. Titian I like less here than in London & elsewhere. He is strangely unequal. P. Veronese is great & J. Bellini greater. Perfect felicity I  find nowhere but in the manner of the Ducal Palace & bits of other palaces on the Gd. Canal. One thing strangely strikes me; viz. that if I were an “artist” all these immortal daubers would have anything but a directly discouraging effect upon me. On the contrary: they are full of their own peculiar compromises, poverties, & bêtises, & are as far o  from the absolute as Miss Jane Stuart.—I go hence to Florence, via Bologna, in about 10 days. I hope to remain some time at F., to see Rome & Naples & possibly have a glimpse of Sicily. I must stay my hand just now. I only wanted to let you know that if you  find it possible to come within a short time, I should like well to do some travelling in your company. Offering counsel is repugnant to the discrete mind; yet I can’t but say that I should predict serious good of your coming. Steady sight seeing is extremely fatiguing, but there is a way of taking it easy—such as I—theoretically—practice.

Transcription: 

A letter from Henry James to John La Farge:
Venice. Hotel Barbesi, 21st of September, 1869.

Its treasures, of course, are innumerable and I have seen but a small fraction. I've been haunting, chiefly, the Ducal Palace and the Academy and putting off the churches. Tintoretto is omnipresent and well-nigh omnipotent. Titian, I like less here than in London and elsewhere. He's strangely unequal. Veronese is great, and Bellini greater. Perfect felicity I find nowhere but in the manner of the Ducal Palace and bits of other palaces on the Grand Canal. One thing strangely strikes me, that if I were an "artist" all these immortal daubers would have anything but a directly discouraging effect upon me. On the contrary, they're full of their own peculiar compromises, poverties, and betises, and are as far off from the absolute as Ms. Jane Stewart. —I go, hence, to Florence via Bologna in about 10 days. I hope to remain some time at Florence to see Rome and Naples, and possibly have a glimpse of Sicily. I must stay my hand just now. I only wanted to let you know that if you find it possible to come within a short time, I should like well, to do some traveling in your company. Offering counsel is repugnant to the discreet mind, yet I can't but say that I should predict serious good of your coming. Steady sightseeing is extremely fatiguing, but there's a way of taking it easy—such as I—theoretically—practice.