Last words of Thomas Carlyle - Warburg Institute

VAENHAGEN VON ENSE IN THE YEAKS 1837-57 257XXIChelsea : Deer. 24, 1850.My dear Sir,—At the winter solstice, whenChristmas Carols are about breaking out, and menare remembering old friends, I again write to you.For many months past, I have been too sickly anddispirited to write to any one; indeed, of late, theburden of life falls so heavy on me, and things inthis strange epoch are so intricate around and inme, I feel it a kind of necessity to hold my peace,and contemplate the Inextricablewithout attemptingto name it at all. I do confidently hope to reacquirethe use of speech, and with it much human joy atpresent very much forborne :—in the meanwhile I cansay : old friends are only the more dear and sacredto me that I have to look at them as if I were alreadyin Hades,—as if they and I had no portion but inEternity, and our speech to one another, for thepresent, were as that of Gods, a mute symbolicalone ! Perhaps you understand all this, out of yourown experience too ; at any rate, I know you willforgive it, and look kindly on it as you do on allthings.We regularly hear of you thro' Miss Wynnewe had Berlin visitors not long since,and otherwise ;and looked direct upon faces that had lately lookedon you. 'Many kind and pleasant messages have weL L