“Castle Beautiful”
Oct. 11.
My Dear Mr. Blaine:1
I think I am going to get the best of the Professor. I am expecting replies from his other endorsers, but I can guess their nature, for you are the only backer that really & powerfully endorsed him—the others only calmly & blandly recommend‸ed‸ his school project & f‸ight‸ ou [ sky ] shy of glorifying the Late Candidate in person. When I shall have received all [of ] my [testifmony ] I propose to move on the Professor’s works.2 He wrote a marvellously foul & scurrilous letter to the Courant in reply to me, & they have naturally suppressed the libelous thing.3 But I am not going to allow any such gem to [perish. ] I shall publish it in full, along with my other evidences that this beggar is a fraud & a canting hypocrite. At the same time, may I print the accompanying paragraph as representing your views? If so, please return it to me (altered, if you [like)—]or else jot me a little paragraph to use in its place., please.
Now that I have started after this youth, I shall not fell feel content untill I shall have destroyed his Hartford market for him.
A couple of his most prominent endorsers are dead.4 I wish I knew whether they endorsed V. before they died or after.
With many thanks
Yrs Truly
Samℓ L. Clemens
{graphic group: 8 vertical slash inline left}
P. S. I wish you would let me publish your entire letter just as it stands —it is just what I want!5
S. L. C
[enclosure:]
The gist of Hon. Mr. Blainse’s letter is this:—Washington is always full of impecunious philanthropists & martyrs who persecute officials for “endorsements” & other assistance—“dead beats,” in a word; Mr. V. doubt ‸V.‸ had about him the signs of brotherhood with this class; Mr. Blaine hardly knew him at all, but gave him a letter to the Secretary of State6 solilciting a the post of bearer of dispatches to England, hoping thereby to procure compass the pleasure of his absence, but thinks he could hardly have written so enthusaiastically about him as the “endorsement” which now purports to be a copy of that letter to the Secretary would seem to [suggest. Mr. ] Blaine’s “real convictions are that Vaughan belongs to that innumerable caravan of ‘dead beats’ whose headquarters are in Washington.”
[letter docketed:] S. L. Clements [and] Vaughan
Explanatory Notes | Textual Commentary
(In the penultimate paragraph, where the letter is torn on the right side, editorial interpolations supply the
missing letters.) Blaine quoted the Aeneid, Book 2: “Infandum, regina, iubes renovare
dolorem” (“O Queen, you ask me to recall unspeakable sorrow”).
Source text(s):Previous publication:
L6, 552–55.
Emendations and textual notes:
sky • [‘y’ partly formed]
of • of of [corrected miswriting]
testifmony • [‘f’ partly formed]
perish • per- | perish [rewritten for clarity]
like)— • like)——
OVER • [capitals simulated, not underscored]
suggest. Mr. • suggest.—|Mr.
