No More Learning

During his long parliamentary career, Marvell
maintained a close correspondence with his con-
stituents — regularly sending to them, almost every
post night during the sittings of Parliament, an
account of its proceedings. These letters were
first made public by Captain Thompson, and
occupy about four hundred pages of the first
volume of his edition of MarvelFs works. They
are written with great plainness, and with a busi-



* Perhaps we are not to expect verbal exactness in an
epitaph, or perhaps allowance was made for the period of
Marvell's absence from his duties, but if he had not been
chosen to the Parliament of 1658-9 under Richard's Pro-
tectorate, it would be hard to explain why Marvell, in return-
ing thanks to the Corporation of Hull in a letter dated 6th
April, 1661, should say, ** I perceive you have a^^in made
choice of me, now the third time, to serve you in Parlia-
ment. " According to the statement in the text, he should
have said second. £d.



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NOTICE OF THE AUTHOR. XVU

ness-like brevity, which must have satisfiecl, we
should think, even the most laconic of his mer-
chant constituents. Thoy ai-e chiefly valuable
now, as affording proofs of the ability and fidelity
with which their author discharged his public
duties.

Marvell's stainless probity and honour every-
where appear, and in no case more amiably than
in the unhappy misunderstanding with his col-
league, or ** his partner," as he calls him. Colonel
Gilby, in 1661, and which seems to have arisen-
out of some electioneering proceedings. With
such unrivalled talents for ridicule as Marvell
possessed, one might not unnaturally have ex-
pected that this dispute would have furnished an
irresistible tempation to some ebullition of witty
malice. But his magnanimity was far superior
to such mean retaliation. He is eager to do his
opponent the amplest justice, and to put the
fairest construction on his conduct He is fearful
only lest their private quarrel should be of the
slighest detriment to the public service. He
says — " The bonds of civility betwixt Colonel
Gilby and myself being unliappily snapped in
pieces, and in such a manner that I cannot see
how it is possible ever to knit them again : the
only trouble that I have is, lest by our mis-intel-
ligence your business should receive any disad-
vantage Truly, I believe, that as

to your public trust and the discharge thereof,.
h



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XVlll NOTICE OF THE AUTHOR.
we do each of us still retain the same princi-
ples upon which we first undertook it ; and that,
though perhaps we may sometimes differ in our
advice concerning the way of proceeding, yet we
have the same good ends in the general ; and by
this unlucky falling out, we shall be provoked to
a greater emulation of serving you. " * Yet the
offence, whatever it was, must have been. a grave
one, for he says at the conclusion of the same
letter — " I would not tell you any tales, because
there are nakednesses which it becomes us to
cover, if it be possible ; as I shall, -unless I be
obliged to make some vfndications by any false
report or misinterpretations. In the mean time,
pity, I beseech you, my weakness ; for there are
same tJangs which men ought not, others that they
cannot patie^itly suffer *^'\

Of his integrity even in little things — of his
desire to keep his conscience pure and his repu-
tation untarnished — we have some staking proofs.
On one occasion he had been employed by his
constituents to wait on the Duke of Monmouth,
then governor of Hull, with a complimentary
letter, and to present him with a purse contain-
ing " six broad pieces " as an honorary fee. He
says — " He had before I came in, as I was told,
considered what to do with the gold ; and but
that I by all means prevented the offer, I had

* MarvelPs Letters, pp. 83, 34.
t Ibid. p. 36.



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NOTICE OP THE AUTHOR. XIX

been in danger of being reimbursed with it. "*
In the same letter he says — " I received the bill
which was sent me on Mr. Nelehorpe ; but the
surplus of it exceeding much the expense I have
been at on this occasion, I desire you to make
use of it, and of me, upon any other opportu-

nity. -t

In one of his letters he makes the following
declaration, which we have no doubt was per-
fectly sincere, and, what is still more strange,
imph'citly believed: — "I shall, God willing,
maintain the same incorrupt mind and clear con-
science, free from faction or any self-ends, which
I have, by his grace, hitherio preserved*' %

Not seldom, to the very moderate ** wages *' of
a legislator, was added some homely expression
of good-will on the part of the constituents. That
of the Hull people generally appeared in the
shape of a stout cask of ale, for which Mar-
veil repeatedly returns thanks.