Rassegna storica del Risorgimento

438
Gustavo Costa
in data 19 novembre 1854, getta nuova luce sulla vicenda sentimentale, giu­dicata con tanta durezza da Giovanni Ruirniij'J
Sunday tNòvember 19, 1854] My dear Friend, whatever you may think or Bay:
First: your letter, written on Wednesday, reaches me only noto', it went wan dering through ali the Radnor Streets in London; then carne back, I think, yesterduy morning to Campanella, who, being ili in bed, did not send it.
Secondly: ali that you say is utterly groundless, us trae as I love my poor dead molber. I carne to London with the doublé determination of keeping my sojonrn secret to olmost every body, and of telling you, amongst the very few, that I was bere. I carne principolly for the sake of hringing some friendly words of comfort to the Ashnrst family, having seen the annonncement of the mother's death in the Times wbilst at Brussels; so, I went on to them immediately, first at Fulham, then at Sydenham, where the old Mr. Ashurst lives. When I carne back, I wrote to you. I wrote to yon before Emine Hawkes told me any thing about you: I was sadly wondering at my having not a single word of answer, when she told me that certainly yon had received my lettor, becauBe you had told her that yon knew I was in London. Although I do féel very grateful to my vìper for the way in which she behaves not only towards me, bui to ali my Italian friends, I had predetermìned to not let her know that I was in London: I thonght that she would not keep the secret witb ali; and that, moreover, it would grieve her mach more to know that, being in London, I was not going to Radnor Street, than to not know it at ali. I had already written to yon, when Camp[anella] - having perhaps been bimself impradent with her prevailed upon me to trust her and teli ber.
Tbirdly: yon went, evidenti)-, to Thurloe Sanare, wbilst I was 11. Thurloe Place West; and musi bave written so. Even if I had miBtaken the address, really, you know very little of me. if yon can for one moment believe that I could sink so low as to tarite to you and to mislead you at the sanie time.
Fourthly, I leave again now for Sydenham and Barden; and will not be able to come to you before; bui I shall, on Thnrsday evening, praying that God does not inspire any one with the wisb of coming to yon.
I trust your heart so much as to pray that, spite of lliis sìngular instance, you always follow your first movcment; and feel, most decidedly, your friend.
Joseph Mazzini2)
"NEI " i
Mazzini si trovava sul continente, quando lesse nel Times del 28 ottobre 1854 l'annuncio della morte di Elizabeth, moglie di William Henry Ashnrst, avvenuta il 25 ottobre.3* Il 1 novembre 1854, l'esule mandava da Bruxelles ad Emilie Ashurst, una delle figlie della defunta, che aveva sposato Sidney Hawkes, *) una breve, ma sincera lettera di condoglianze, in cai annunciava
t) CABLO CAGNACCI, Giuseppe Mazzini e f fratelli Raffini, Porto Maurizio, 1893, p. 25; FRANCESCO FIUMARA, Donne e amori di Manzini, Reggio Calabria, 1965, pp. 63 64; GUGLIELMO MACCHIA, Appunti- per una Bibliografia Mazziniana, in Bollettino della Domus Mazziniana, XIV (1968), n. 1, pp. 239,240.
2) Biblioteca Bodleiona di Oxford. Ms. Eng. lotterà e. 144, IT. 158459. Sulla busta si legge )I seguente indirizzo: Mrs. Carlyta 7 5. Ckeync Row / King's Road / Ghcl? aea .
8) The Times, n. 21,884, Londra, 28 ottobre 1854, p, 1. Cfr. Mazsiui's Letters Hì.t I, pp. 316-317 e passim. Su William Henry Asburst cfr. il DJV.B.
*) EMILIA Monei.Lt, L'Inghilterra dt, p. 79.