Last words of Thomas Carlyle - Warburg Institute

232 LETTERS WRITTEN BY THOMAS CARLYLE TOto any extent. Nay I think it would not be difficultto pick from the Old-Book stalls a copy of the bookitself: but indeed there is a new Edition of allHobbes' works lately published, in w^hich the'Behemoth ' is duly included,—Sir William Molesworth'sEdition ' of Hobbes ; ' which is probably inone of your Public Libraries by this time.I send you an Autograph of Thomas BabingtonMacaulay, a conspicuous Politician, Edinburgh-Eeviewer,Khetorician, and what not, among us atpresent. The note is addressed to me : ^ the subjectis perhaps worth mentioning. An old foolish storycirculates concerning Oliver Cromwell : how when'We are enabled to give the said letter of Macaulay to Carlyle.Albany : March 31, 1845.Dear Sir,—I should be most happy to be of the smallest use toyou. But I fear that Mr. Mackintosh's memory has misled him.He is under the impression that the famous saddle letter got into SirEdward Harley's hands, and that Sir Edward Harley shewed it toSir Harry Vane. This, he thought, was mentioned in the extractswhich Sir James Mackintosh made from the Welbeck papers.There certainly is among those extracts a concise account of SirEdward Harley's life by one of his sons, but not a word touching theletter. In truth the story is incredible. For Sir Edward was astrong Presbyterian, bitterly hostile to the military Saints, and closelyconnected with Denzil Hollis.If Cromwell had found such a letter,the last man to whom he would have given it would have beenHarley ;and, if Harley had got hold of such a letter, the last man towhom he would have shown it would have been Vane. But I believethe whole story of the letter to be a mere romance.If you have the smallest curiosity to look over the Welbeck papersor any other part of Sir James Mackintosh's collection, I shall betruly glad to give you any help in my power. Mr. Mackintosh, Ihave no doubt, would permit me to send you any volume which you