Letters written during a short residence in Sweden, Norway, and Denmark

1889·7.1 MB·English

by  Wollstonecraft, Mary, 1759-1797

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LETTEES
\VRITTEN DURING A SHORT RESIDENCE IN SWEDEN,
NORWAY, AND DENMARK.
CASSINEWLEELK'LYSVOLNUMAEST, pIriOceN3dA.;LoriLn CIloBthR, A6d.RY.
Edited by HENRY MORLEY. LL.D.
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49.DiscoursesonSatireandonEpicPoetry JOHN DRYDEN.
TheAmberWitch
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157. TheBattle ofLife CHARLESDICKENS.
158.MemorableThoughtsofSocrates .. XENOPHON.
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165. TravelsinEngland PAULHENTZNER.
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,77. TheDiscoveryofMuscovy .. ..{EgSl i SS^?f
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181. Love'sLabour'sLost WM. SHAKESPEARE.
182. Utopia SIRTHOMAS MORE.
183. ThirdVoyage forthe Discovery ofa\CAPT. W. E. PARRY, R.N.,
North-WestPassage / F.R.S.
184. EssaysCivilandMoral FRANCISBACON.
185.KingHenryVI.(PartI.) WM. SHAKESPEARE.
186. Tales fromtheDecameron GIOVANNI BOCCACCIO.
118878.. TLeatbtieersTaolnkSwaenddeno,thNeorrwPaoye,n&nDen..mar.k. WMIALRLYIAWMOLCLOSWTPOENRE.CRAFT.
The next Volume-willbe
King Henry VI. (Part II.).-ByWILLIAM SHAKESPEARE.
'S NATIONAL LIBRARY.
BETTERS
WRITTEN
DURING A SHORT RESIDENCE
IN
SWEDEN, NORWAY, AND
DENMARK.
BY
MARY WOLLSTONECKAFT.
CASSELL & COMPANY, LIMITED:
LONDON, PARIS, NEW YORK & MELBOURNE.
at
INTBODUCTION.
M17A5R9.Y WHOeLrLSfaTtOhNeErCRaAFqTuiwcaks-tebmoprenreodnatnhdeu2n7stehttloefdApmrainl,,
capableof beatingwife, orchild, or dog was thesonof a
manufacturerwhomademoneyinSpitalfields, when Spital-
fields was prosperous. Her.mother was a rigorous Irish-
woman, of the Dixons of /Sallyshannon. Edward John
Wollstonecraft ofwhosechildpen^besidesMary,thesecond
child, three sons and two daughters lived to be men and
women in courseof time got rid *>f about ten thousand
pounds, whichhad beenlefthimbyhis father. He began
to get rid of it byfarming. MaryWollstonecraft's first-
remembered homewas in a farm at Epping. When she
wasfiveyearsoldthefamilymovedtoanotherfarm,bythe
Chelmsford Eoad. When shewas between six and seven
years old they moved again, to the neighbourhood of
Barking. Theretheyremainedthreeyearsbeforethenext
move, which was to a farm near Beverley, in Yorkshire.
In Yorkshire they remained six years, and MaryWoll-
stonecraft hadtherewhateducation felltoherlot between
the ages of tenandsixteen. Edward JohnWollstonecraft
thengaveupfarmingtoventureuponacommercialspecula-
tion. This caused him to live for a year and a half at
Queen'sRow, Hoxton. His daughter Marywas then six-
teen andwhileatHoxtonshehad hereducationadvanced
byth;efriendlycareofadeformedclergyman aMr.Clare
wholived nextdoor, andstayed so much athomethathis
onepairofshoeshadlastedhimforfourteenyears.
But Mary Wollstonecraft's chief friend at this time
wasanaccomplishedgirlonlytwoyearsolderthanherself,
whomaintained her father, mother, and familybyskill in
drawing. Her name was Frances Blood, and she espe-
cially, byher example anddirect instruction, drew outher'
young friend's powers. In 1776, Mary Wollstonecraft's
father, arollingstone, rolled intoWales. Again he was a
6 INTRODUCTION.
farmer. Next year again he was a Londoner andMary
hadinfluence enoughto persuade him. tochoose; ahouseat
Walworth, where she would be near to herfriendFanny.
Then, however, the conditions of herhomelifecaused her
tobe oftenonthepointof goingawayto earn alivingfor
herself. In 1778, whenshe wasnineteen,Mary Wollstone-
craftdidleavehome, totakeasituation ascompanionwith
arichtradesman'swidow atBath,ofwhomitwassaidthat
none of her companions could stay with her. Mary
Wollstonecraft, nevertheless, stayed two years with the
difficultwidow, andmadeherself respected. Hermother's
failing health then caused Mary to return to her. The
father was then living at Enfield, and trying to save the
small remainder of his means bynotventuring upon any
business at all. The mother died after long suffering,
wholly dependent on her daughter Mary's constant care.
Themother's last wordswereoftenquotedby MaryWoll-
stonecraft in her own last years of distress "A little
patience,andallwillbeover."
Afterthemother'sdeath, MaryWollstonecraft lefthome
again, to live with her friend, Fanny Blood, who was at
WalhamGreen. In 1782 shewenttonurseamannedsister
throughadangerous illness. The father's needofsupport
next pressed upon her. He had spent not only his own
money,but also the little that had been speciallyreserved
forhischildren. Itissaidtobetheprivilegeofapassionate
man that he always gets what he wants; he gets to be
avoided, and they never findaconvenient corner of their
ownwhoshutthemselves outfromthekindlyfellowshipof
life.
In 1783 Mary Wollstonecraft aged twenty-lour with
two of her sisters, joined FannyBloodinsettingupaday
schoolat Islington, whichwas removedinafewmonths to
Newington Green. Earlyin 1785 FannyBlood, far gone
inconsumption, sailedforLisbontomarryanIrishsurgeon
whowas settledthere. Afterhermarriage it was evident
that she had but a few monthstolive MaryWollstone-
;
craft, deaftoallopposingcounsel,thenleftherschool,and,
withhelpofmoneyfromafriendlywoman, shewentoutto
nurseher, andwasbyherwhenshedied. MaryWollstone-
craft remembered her loss ten years afterwards in these
"Letters from Sweden and Norway," when she wrote: