Glimpses of Montague Druitt's private life.

[Johnr]

As Andy Spallek seems to agree that the letter written by MJD, preserved in the West Sussex Records Office, deserves further study for its content and not just as a sample of his hand-writing, I'd like to start a list of records or newspaper articles which throw light on the private - as opposed to the professional life - of Montague John Druitt.
I have previously incorrectly posted an entry on the " Druitt's Mother " thread on this subject.
To me, the West Sussex letter ( also quoted by Andy on the other thread) shows Montague Druitt thought he could brighten up his female ( younger) cousin's holiday with the Wimborne Druitts, by setting a Latin Comprehension Test for her to do. How boring is that? Typifying his pedantic bent?
Not only that, he then proceeds to send off details of her results therein, for his Uncle Robert in London to digest.Oh boy!
The other example I had referred to a now unlocated posting by a Druitt descendant," C. King', mentioning a copy of a book ( "Flowers Of The Field" (?) ) presented by MJD to his female cousin, Sarah (b. 1864).
I commented on that other post, that perhaps this showed MJD preferred the company of his young cousins.Or, at least, we should look out for that being an ( innocent) possibility.
The " C.King" who made the posting said the Hare family still possesses the MJD autographed book. JOHN RUFFELS.

[aspallek]

Hi John,

Lets post the transcription of the letter here (courtesy Chris Scott):

Here is the text of the letter:

Dear Uncle Robert
In the two short bits of Vergil Kitty translated for me vii (105-118) and xii (342-356) there was no grammatical mistake of any sort except perhaps a very doubtful use of the dative - 'place near the food' - 'subjicient spulis.'
A dictionary was used, which I did not intend, so that the pieces which would otherwise have fairly tested a knowledge of words did not do so.
The construing in the second piece was plain sailibng, but the really hard passages vii:109-11 and 117-8, which would have been a great thing to have done rightly, Kitty greatly misunderstood.
Some curious English expressions were made use of, froma desire to be too literal I expect - such as 'to apply their bites' - 'ventue morsus': 'amazed with his wits(?) held on' - 'stupefactus numine pressit,' and speaking of Turnus, 'mores suntios(?)' - 'bad manners.' The definite article was used for the indefinite article; but of course Vergil is bery hard to make good English of.
It is evident that Kitty has a sound knowledge of grammar rules, but does not know that the idioms of the two languages are so different that change of form in translating Latin to English as as English to Latin is indispensable.
I was sorry to hear that you were not so well again and hope you will soon be better.
I am afraid Emily and Kitty had a very dull time of it at Wimborne; an attempt of ours to make it less so was met by the assurance of their hostess that she should take care of her own guests herself!
I hope you will be able at some time to see me for a day or two in Oxford; I hope very soon to earn something independently.
With love to Aunt, Robert and Ella
V. affect. nephew
M. J. Druitt.

[aspallek]

Now it is clear to me from a careful reading of this letter that Montague attempted to "enliven" the visits of his [U]two[U] cousins, Kitty and Emily, not by tutoring Kitty in Latin but rather by some undisclosed hijinks in which at least one other person, probably a brother, participated. Their "hostess," almost certainly one of Montague's sisters, objected. The nature of such hijinks was presumably innocent as Montague himself discloses it to the girls' father.

As to the Latin tutoring, I strongly suspect this was something Montague was hired by his uncle to do. I infer this from Montague's comments about earning something "independently" soon. I.e., he earned something by tutoring his cousin in Latin but not "independently" as the job came from his family.

As to the timing, the postmark is 16 September 1876. This would have been when Druitt was about to depart for Oxford for his first Michaelmas term. Presumably, Druitt has spent his summer holidays at the family home at Wimborne following his commencement from Winchester.

[Johnr]

I liked your interpretation Andy,
I am sure it makes more sense than my impetuous and perhaps a little harsh reading of this rare Montague Druitt letter.Thank you.
The two girls mentioned are " Kitty ", likely Katherine Fitzroy Druitt (born 6 July 1858), and her older sister, Emily Druitt ( born 18 February, 1856). Two of the younger children of Dr Robert Druitt.There was the youngest child, a sister Gertrude Elizabeth (born 9 December 1862), but these two were the next youngest.
(It is possible this latter was the preserver of these important Druitt family documents, whose descendants, no doubt, sent them to the West Sussex Records Office).
It seems highly logical that the school and university were on vacation at the time, so this explains the presence of all three at Wimborne.
Your suggestion that Montague was earning a bit of pocket money tutoring Emily is interesting. If true, it makes Montague less of a dull future school master than I had inferred.
The Emily mentioned, of course, is the subject of Stephen P. Ryder's Dissertation " Emily and The Bibliophile ".
JOHN RUFFELS.

[aspallek]

Hi John. Just a couple of things.

1. Gertrude Druitt was indeed the compiler of the information in the file at West Sussex (Chichester). I have examined much of that file, which incidentally includes a lock of her hair. Particularly interesting in this file is
a) a news article that definitely ties John Henry Lonsdale to Charles Druitt, establishing a strong acquaintance with the Druitt family.

b) letters from Jabez Druitt of Mile End Road in the East End pertaining to Gertrude's genealogical research.

c) a bit of dried leaves that fell from Prince Eddy's casket.

d) the "Uncle Robert" Letter, of course.

2. Although Gertrude's sister Emily was the subject of Stephen's dissertation, he later found that it was not she who worked for Quaritch but rather Jabez Druitt's daughter Emily who did so. Thus it may have been Jabez's daughter who was the subject of the Crawford letter. It may be remembered that Jabez's family lived in the East End.

Now a very interesting question is why Gertrude would have preserved the "Uncle Robert" Letter as it does not seem to have involved her directly. There is quite a cache of correspondence, however, much of which does not pertain directly to Gertrude. One wonders, however, why someone bothered to preserve it at all.

[Johnr]

Very useful, thanks Andy,
Now what other pieces of ( backed up, or documented: verifiabl) information do we have about Montague Drutii's private life?
( I'll try to tracked down the page of Casebook when " C.King" posted about his family's possession of a signed book which had been a present from MJD to Sarah Hare (b.1844, daughter of James Druitt)).and I'll transcribe it here.
I suppose Andy's recent Ripperologist article fills in a few of the gaps: Cricketing pals; school debate topics; facial hair;....
Can you think of any others? JOHN RUFFELS.

[Byzantine]

In the two short bits of Vergil Kitty translated for me vii (105-118) and xii (342-356)

Based on the extracts Montague lists, they were translating passages of the "Aeneid". Publius Vergilius Maro (70 - 19 BC) has also written the "Bucolics" and "Georgics".

The first passage is given as:

"Ausonias tulerat, cum Laomedontia pubes
gramineo ripae religavit ab aggere classem.
Aeneas primique duces et pulcher Iulus
corpora sub ramis deponunt arboris altae
instituuntque dapes et adorea liba per herbam
subiciunt epulis (sic Iuppiter ipse monebat)
et Cereale solum pomis agrestibus augent.
Consumptis hic forte aliis ut vertere morsus
exiguam in Cererem penuria adegit edendi
et violare manu malisque audacibus orbem
fatalis crusti patulis nec parcere quadris:
“Heus ! etiam mensas consumimus,” inquit Iulus,
nec plura adludens. Ea vox audita laborum
prima tulit finem, primamque loquentis ab ore"

The English translation by John Dryden (1631-1700) translates the passage as:

"The fame thro' all the neighb'ring nations flew,
When now the Trojan navy was in view.
Beneath a shady tree, the hero spread
His table on the turf, with cakes of bread;
And, with his chiefs, on forest fruits he fed.
They sate; and, (not without the god's command,)
Their homely fare dispatch'd, the hungry band
Invade their trenchers next, and soon devour,
To mend the scanty meal, their cakes of flour.
Ascanius this observ'd, and smiling said:
“See, we devour the plates on which we fed.”
The speech had omen, that the Trojan race
Should find repose, and this the time and place."

An early 20th century translation by Theodore C. Williams was closer to the original text:

"But on restless wing
rumor had spread it, when the men of Troy
along the river-bank of mounded green
their fleet made fast.
Aeneas and his chiefs,
with fair Iulus, under spreading boughs
of one great tree made resting-place, and set
the banquet on. Thin loaves of altar-bread
along the sward to bear their meats were laid
(such was the will of Jove), and wilding fruits
rose heaping high, with Ceres' gift below.
Soon, all things else devoured, their hunger turned
to taste the scanty bread, which they attacked
with tooth and nail audacious, and consumed
both round and square of that predestined leaven.
“Look, how we eat our tables even!” cried
Iulus, in a jest. Such was the word
which bade their burdens fall."

The entire scene is supposed to be an omen from which Aeneas proceeds to interprete the will of fate for himself and his people.

The second passage is given as:

"hunc congressus et hunc, illum eminus; eminus ambo
Imbrasidas, Glaucum atque Laden, quos Imbrasus ipse
nutrierat Lycia paribusque ornaverat armis,
vel conferre manum vel equo praevertere ventos.
Parte alia media Eumedes in proelia fertur,
antiqui proles bello praeclara Dolonis,
nomine avum referens, animo manibusque parentem,
qui quondam, castra ut Danaum speculator adiret,
ausus Pelidae pretium sibi poscere currus;
illum Tydides alio pro talibus ausis
adfecit pretio, nec equis adspirat Achillis.
Hunc procul ut campo Turnus prospexit aperto,
ante levi iaculo longum per inane secutus
sistit equos biiugis et curru desilit atque
semianimi lapsoque supervenit et pede collo"

Dryden translates it as:

"From far the sons of Imbracus he slew,
Glaucus and Lades, of the Lycian crew;
Both taught to fight on foot, in battle join'd,
Or mount the courser that outstrips the wind.
Meantime Eumedes, vaunting in the field,
New fir'd the Trojans, and their foes repell'd.
This son of Dolon bore his grandsire's name,
But emulated more his father's fame;
His guileful father, sent a nightly spy,
The Grecian camp and order to descry:
Hard enterprise! and well he might require
Achilles' car and horses, for his hire:
But, met upon the scout, th' Aetolian prince
In death bestow'd a juster recompense.
Fierce Turnus view'd the Trojan from afar,
And launch'd his jav'lin from his lofty car;
Then lightly leaping down, pursued the blow,
And, pressing with his foot his prostrate foe,
Wrench'd from his feeble hold the shining sword,
And plung'd it in the bosom of its lord."

Williams translates:

"also from far he smote with fatal spear
Glaucus and Lades, the Imbrasidae,
whom Imbrasus himself in Lycia bred,
and honored them with arms of equal skill
when grappling with a foe, or o'er the field
speeding a war-horse faster than the wind.
Elsewhere Eumedes through a throng of foes
to battle rode, the high-born Dolon's child,
famous in war, who bore his grandsire's name,
but seemed in might and courage like his sire:
that prince, who reconnoitring crept so near
the Argive camp, he dared to claim for spoil
the chariot of Achilles; but that day
great Diomed for such audacious deed
paid wages otherwise,--and he no more
dreamed to possess the steeds of Peleus' son.
When Turnus recognized in open field
this warrior, though far, he aimed and flung
his javelin through the spacious air; then stayed
his coursers twain, and, leaping from his car,
found the wretch helpless fallen; so planted he
his foot upon his neck"

The text concludes in the following verses with
"and from his hand
wrested the sword and thrust it glittering
deep in the throat, thus taunting as he slew:
“There's land for thee, thou Trojan! Measure there
th' Hesperian provinces thy sword would find.
Such reward will I give to all who dare
draw steel on me; such cities they shall build.” "

Meaning Turnus kills Glaucus and Lades, proceeding to enjoy killing Eumedes by thrusting his foe's own sword through the throat of the Trojan. Naturally Druitt reading about slayings should be somewhat amusing for those familiar with him as a Ripper suspect.

[Chris]

Meaning Turnus kills Glaucus and Lades, proceeding to enjoy killing Eumedes by thrusting his foe's own sword through the throat of the Trojan. Naturally Druitt reading about slayings should be somewhat amusing for those familiar with him as a Ripper suspect.

That was exactly what I thought when I first read this letter several years ago, but unfortunately MJD seems to have made an error with his references. It seems to have been xi 342-356, not xii 342-356, that he set Kitty to translate. The phrase "moresque sinistros" occurs at xi 347; I can't find "mores sinistros" or anything like it in vii 105-118 or xii 342-356.