Owner
has reprinted it in "The Crescent and the Cross." I know what a
sacrifice I am making, for in noticing the first edition of this
book reviewers turned aside from the text to the note, and remarked
upon the interesting information which Warburton's letter
contained. [This narrative is reproduced in an Appendix to the
present edition.]
{20} In a letter which I afterwards received from Lady Hester, she
mentioned incidentally Lord Hardwicke, and said that he was "the
kindest-hearted man existing - a most manly, firm character. He
comes from a good breed - all the Yorkes excellent, with ANCIENT
French blood in their veins." The under scoring of the word
"ancient" is by the writer of the letter, who had certainly no
great love or veneration for the French of the present day: she
did not consider them as descended from her favourite stock.
{21} It is said that deaf people can hear what is said concerning
themselves, and it would seem that those who live without books or
newspapers know all that is written about them. Lady Hester
Stanhope, though not admitting a book or newspaper into her
fortress, seems to have known the way in which M. Lamartine
mentioned her in his book, for in a letter which she wrote to me
after my return to England she says, "Although neglected, as
Monsieur le M." (referring, as I believe, to M. Lamartine)
"describes, and without books, yet my head is organised to supply
the want of them as well as acquired knowledge."
{22} I have been recently told that this Italian's pretensions to
the healing art were thoroughly unfounded. My informant is a
gentleman who enjoyed during many years the esteem and confidence
of Lady Hester Stanhope: his adventures in the Levant were most
curious and interesting.
{23} The Greek Church does not recognise this as the true
sanctuary, and many Protestants look upon all the traditions by
which it is attempted to ascertain the holy places of Palestine as
utterly fabulous. For myself, I do not mean either to affirm or
deny the correctness of the opinion which has fixed upon this as
the true site, but merely to mention it as a belief entertained
without question by my brethren of the Latin Church, whose guest I
was at the time. It would be a great aggravation of the trouble of
writing about these matters if I were to stop in the midst of every
sentence for the purpose of saying "so called" or "so it is said,"
and would besides sound very ungraciously: yet I am anxious to be
literally true in all I write.
