Letter from CHARLES ELIOT NORTON to GEORGE PERKINS MARSH, dated February 12, 1870.
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My dear Mr. Marsh
Many thanks for your kind answers to my troublesome enquiries.
Mr Kirkup, whom I saw yesterday, told me that it was Prof d'Ancona of Pisa who was at work, or proposed to set
himself at work on Dr Paur's treatise. But I suspect that the
old Baron had turned an expression of interest into an intention of translation. The
poor old man was greatly animated in showing me the pencil head of Dante &
the autograph of his name, which
the Divine Poet presented him with two or three years
ago. The spelling of the signature settles the long dispute in favor of
Aighieri!
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As to the Court Ball, I am not inclined to put on a uniform, but one of my sisters
& Miss Sedgwick would like much to see the show if it be permitted to them
to take advantage of your kindness so far as to be allowed to go under your
protection. If you do not mean to attend the ball they, with their best thanks to
you for the offer to secure them
admission, on the whole prefer to remain at home.
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I am very glad that Hoar's pluck forced the Senate to an open vote. But the result is a very disheartening one. So too is that in the matter of the bill for admission of Virginia.
Every faithfully Yours.
References in this letter:
Seymour Kirkup (1788-1880), a British artist, was the leader of a literary circle in Florence.
Alessandro d'Ancona (1835-1914) was an Italian critic, journalist, and scholar.
The article by Dr. Theodor Paur (1815-1892), "Dante's Portrt," had appeared in the Jahrbuch der deutschen Dante-Gesellschaft for 1869.
George Frisbee Hoar (1826-1904) of Massachusetts was a member of the U.S. House of Representatives 1869-77.