28 Via del Tritone, Rome: April 13, [1860].

My dear Mr. Chorley,--It is always better to be frank than otherwise;
sometimes it is necessary to be frank--that is when one would fain keep
a friend, yet has a thing against him which burns in one. I shall put my
foot on this spark in a moment; but first I must throw it out of my
heart you see, and here it is.

Dearest Mr. Chorley, you have not been just to me in the matter of my
'oems oem .' Why have you not been just to me? You are an
honest man and my friend. Those two things might go together. Your
opinions, critical or political, are free from stress of friendship. I
never expected from you favor or mercy _because_ you were my friend (it
would have been unworthy of us both) but I did expect justice from you,
_although_ you were my friend. That is reasonable.

And I consider that as a conscientious critic you were bound to read
through the whole of the 'rhyme' called 'A Curse for a Nation' before
ticketing it for the public, and I complain that after neglecting to do
so and making a mistake in consequence, you refused the poor amends of
printing my letter in full. A loose paragraph like this found to-day in
your 'Athenaeum' about Mrs. Browning 'wishing to state' that the 'Curse'
was levelled at America _quoad_ negro-slavery, and the satisfaction of
her English readers in this correction of what was 'generally thought';
as if Mrs. Browning 'stated' it arbitrarily (perhaps from fright) and as
if the poem stated nothing distinctly, and as if the intention of it
_could_ be 'generally thought' what the 'Athenaeum' critic took it to be,
except by following his lead or adopting his process of a general
skipping of half the said poem--this loose paragraph does not cover a
great fault, it seems to me. Well, I have spoken.

As to the extent of the 'general thought,' we cannot, of course judge
here, where it is so difficult to get access to periodicals. We have
seen, however, two virulent articles from enemies in 'Blackwood' and the
'Saturday Review,' the latter sparing none of its native mud through
three columns; _not_ to speak of a renewal of the charge in several
political articles with a most flattering persistency. Both these
writers (being enemies) keep clear of the 'general thought' suggested by
a friend, and accepted indeed by friendly and generous reviewers in the
'Atlas' and 'Daily News.' Therefore I feel perfectly unaggrieved by all
the enemies' hard words. They speak from their own point of view, and
have a right to speak.

In fact, in printing the poems, I did not expect to help my reputation
in England, but simply to deliver my soul, to get the relief to my
conscience and heart, which comes from a pent-up word spoken or a tear
shed. Whatever I may have ever written of the least worth has
represented a conviction in me, something in me felt as a truth. I never
wrote to please any of you, not even to please my own husband. Every
genuine artist in the world (whatever his degree) goes to heaven for
speaking the truth. It is one of the beatitudes of art, and attainable
without putting off the flesh.

To be plain, and not mystical, it is obvious that if I had expected
compliments and caresses from the English press to my 'oems before
Congress,' the said poems would have been little deserved in England,
and a greater mistake on my part than any committed by the 'Athenaeum,'
which is saying much.

There! I have done. The spark is under my shoe. If in 'losing my temper'
I have 'lost my music,' don't let it be said that I have lost my friend
by my own fault and choice also.

For I would not willingly lose him, though he should be unjust to me
thrice, instead of this once throughout our intercourse. Affectionately
yours, dear Mr. Chorley,

ELIZABETH BARRETT BROWNING.