byMarkTwainMARKTWAIN’S
[Date，1601]
ConversationAsitwasbytheSocialFiresideintheTimeoftheTudorsINTRODUCTION
\"Bornirreverent，\"scrawledMarkTwainonascratchpad，\"——likeallotherpeopleIhaveeverknownorheardof——Iamhopingtoremainsowhilethereareanyreverentirreverenceslefttomakefunof。\"
——[HolographmanuscriptofSamuelL。Clemens，inthecollectionoftheF。J。Meine]
MarkTwainwasjustasirreverentashedaredbe，and1601revealshisrichestexpressionofsovereigncontemptforoverstuffedlanguage，genteelliterature，andconventionalidiocies。Later，whenamagazineeditorapostrophized，\"OthatwehadaRabelais！\"Markimpishlyandanonymously——submitted1601；andthatsameeditor，apraiserofRabelais，scathinglyabuseditandthesender。Inthisepisode，asinmanyothers，MarkTwain，the\"badboy\"ofAmericanliterature，revealedhishugedelightinblastingtheshamsofcontemporaryhypocrisy。Too，therewasalwaysthespiritofTomSawyerdeviltryinMark’smake—upthatpromptedhim，ashehimselfboasted，toseehowmuchholyindignationhecouldstirupintheworld。
WHOWROTE1601？
Thecorrectandcompletetitleof1601，asfirstissued，was：[Date，1601。]’Conversation，asitwasbytheSocialFireside，intheTimeoftheTudors。’Formanyyearsafteritsanonymousfirstissuein1880，itsauthorshipwasvariouslyconjecturedandwidelydisputed。InBoston，WilliamT。Ball，oneoftheleadingtheatricalcriticsduringthelatego’s，assertedthatitwasoriginallywrittenbyanEnglishactor（namenotdivulged）whogaveittohim。Ball’soriginal，itwassaid，lookedlikeanewspaperstripinthewayitwasprinted，andmayindeedhavebeenaproofpulledinsomenewspaperoffice。InSt。Louis，WilliamMarionReedy，editoroftheSt。LouisMirror，hadseenthisfamoustourdeforcecirculatedintheearly80’singalley—proofform；hefirstlearnedfromEugeneFieldthatitwasfromthepenofMarkTwain。
\"Manypeople，\"saidReedy，\"thoughtthethingwasdonebyFieldandattributed，asajoke，toMarkTwain。Fieldhadaperfectgeniusforthatsortofthing，asmanyextantspecimensattest，andforthatsortofpracticaljoke；buttomythinkingthehumorofthepieceistoomellow——nothardandbrightandbitter——tobeEugeneField’s。\"Reedy’sopinionhitsoffthefundamentaldifferencebetweenthesetwogreathumorists；
onehalfsuspectsthatReedywasthinkingofField’sFrenchCrisis。
ButTwainfirstclaimedhisbantlingfromthefogofanonymityin1906，inaletteraddressedtoMr。CharlesOrr，librarianofCaseLibrary，Cleveland。SaidClemens，inthecourseofhisletter，datedJuly30，1906，fromDublin，NewHampshire：
\"Thetitleofthepieceis1601。ThepieceisasupposititiousconversationwhichtakesplaceinQueenElizabeth’sclosetinthatyear，betweentheQueen，BenJonson，Beaumont，SirWalterRaleigh，theDuchessofBilgewater，andoneortwoothers，andisnot，asJohnHaymistakenlysupposes，aseriousefforttobringbackourliteratureandphilosophytothesoberandchasteElizabeth’stime；ifthereisadecentwordfindableinit，itisbecauseIoverlookedit。Ihastentoassureyouthatitisnotprintedinmypublishedwritings。\"
TWITTINGTHEREV。JOSEPHTWICHELL
Thecircumstancesofhow1601cametobewrittenhavesincebeenofficiallyrevealedbyAlbertBigelowPainein’MarkTwain，ABibliography’（1912），andinthepublicationofMarkTwain’sNotebook（1935）。
1601waswrittenduringthesummerof1876whentheClemensfamilyhadretreatedtoQuarryFarminElmiraCounty，NewYork。HereMrs。Clemensenjoyedrelieffromsocialobligations，thechildrenrompedoverthecountryside，andMarkretiredtohisoctagonalstudy，which，perchedhighonthehill，lookedoutuponthevalleybelow。Itwasinthefamoussummerof1876，too，thatMarkwasputtingthefinishingtouchestoTomSawyer。Beforethecloseofthesameyearhehadalreadybegunworkon’TheAdventuresofHuckleberryFinn’，publishedin1885。Itisinterestingtonotetheuseofthetitle，the\"DukeofBilgewater，\"inHuckFinnwhenthe\"DuchessofBilgewater\"hadalreadymadeherappearancein1601。Sandwichedbetweenhistwogreatmasterpieces，TomSawyerandHuckFinn，thewritingof1601wasindeedastrangeinterlude。
DuringthisprolificperiodMarkwrotemanyminoritems，mostofthemrejectedbyHowells，andreadextensivelyinoneofhisfavoritebooks，Pepys’Diary。LikemanyanotherwriterMarkwascaptivatedbyPepys’
styleandspirit，and\"hedetermined，\"saysAlbertBigelowPaineinhis’MarkTwain，ABiography’，\"totryhishandonanimaginaryrecordofconversationandcourtmannersofabygoneday，writteninthephraseoftheperiod。Theresultwas’FiresideConversationintheTimeofQueenElizabeth’，orashelatercalledit，’1601’。The’conversation’
recordedbyasupposedPepysofthatperiod，waswrittenwithalltheoutspokencoarsenessandnakednessofthatrankday，whenfiresidesociabilitieswerelimitedonlytotheloosenedfancy，vocabulary，andphysicalperformance，andnotbyanyboundsofconvention。\"
\"Itwaswrittenasaletter，\"continuesPaine，\"tothatrobustdivine，Rev。JosephTwichell，\"who，unlikeHowells，hadnoscruplesaboutMark’s’Elizabethanbreadthofparlance。’\"
TheRev。JosephTwichell，Mark’smostintimatefriendforoverfortyyears，waspastoroftheAsylumHillCongregationalChurchofHartford，whichMarkfacetiouslycalledthe\"ChurchoftheHolySpeculators，\"
becauseofitswealthyparishioners。HereMarkhadfirstmet\"Joe\"atasocial，andtheirmeetingripenedintoaglorious，lifelongfriendship。
TwichellwasamanofaboutMark’sownage，aprofoundscholar，adevoutChristian，\"yetamanwithanexuberantsenseofhumor，andaprofoundunderstandingofthefrailtiesofmankind。\"TheRev。Mr。TwichellperformedthemarriageceremonyforMarkTwainandsolemnizedthebirthsofhischildren；\"Joe，\"hisfriend，counseledhimonliteraryaswellaspersonalmattersfortheremainderofMark’slife。Itisimportanttocatchthisbriefglimpseofthemanforwhomthismasterpiecewaswritten，forwithoutitonecannotfullyunderstandthespiritinwhich1601waswritten，orthekeenenjoymentwhichMarkand\"Joe\"derivedfromit。
\"SAVEMEONE。\"
Thestoryofthefirstissueof1601isoneoffinesse，statediplomacy，andsurreptitiousprinting。
TheRev。\"Joe\"Twichell，forwhosedelectationthepiecehadbeenwritten，apparentlyhadpocketedthedocumentforfourlongyears。Then，in1880，itcameintothehandsofJohnHay，laterSecretaryofState，presumablysenttohimbyMarkTwain。Haypronouncedthesketchamasterpiece，andwroteimmediatelytohisoldClevelandfriend，AlexanderGunn，princeofconnoisseursinartandliterature。ThefollowingcorrespondencerevealsthefinediplomacywhichmadethenameofJohnHayknownthroughouttheworld。
DEPARTMENTOFSTATE
WashingtonJune21，1880。
DearGunn：
AreyouinClevelandforallthisweek？Ifyouwillsayyesbyreturnmail，Ihaveamasterpiecetosubmittoyourconsiderationwhichisonlyinmyhandsforafewdays。
Yours，verymuchworrittedbythedepravityofChristendom，HayThesecondletterdisclosesHay’sownhighopinionoftheeffortandhisdeepconcernforitssafety。
June24，1880
MydearGunn：
Hereitis。ItwaswrittenbyMarkTwaininaseriousefforttobringbackourliteratureandphilosophytothesoberandchasteElizabethanstandard。Butthetasteofthepresentdayistoocorruptforanythingsoclassic。Hehasnotyetbeenableeventofindapublisher。TheGlobehasnotyetrecoveredfromDowney’sinroad，andtheywon’ttouchit。
Isendittoyouasoneofthefewlingeringrelicsofthatraceofappreciativecritics，whoknowagoodthingwhentheyseeit。
Readitwithreverenceandgratitudeandsenditbacktome；forMarkisimpatienttoseeoncemorehiswanderingoffspring。
Yours，Hay。
InhisthirdletteronecanalmosthearHay’schuckleinthecertaintythathisdiplomatic，ifsomewhatwicked，suggestionwouldbearfruit。
Washington，D。C。
July7，1880
MydearGunn：
Ihaveyourletter，andthepropositionwhichyoumaketopullafewproofsofthemasterpieceishighlyattractive，andofcoursehighlyimmoral。Icannotproperlyconsenttoit，andIamafraidthegreatmanywouldthinkIwastakinganunfairadvantageofhisconfidence。Pleasesendbackthedocumentassoonasyoucan，andif，inspiteofmyprohibition，youtaketheseproofs，savemeone。
Verytrulyyours，JohnHay。
ThuswasthisElizabethandialoguepouredintothemouldsofcoldtype。
AccordingtoMerleJohnson，MarkTwain’sbibliographer，itwasissuedinpamphletform，withoutwrappersorcovers；therewere8pagesoftextandthepamphletmeasured7by8？inches。Onlyfourcopiesarebelievedtohavebeenprinted，oneforHay，oneforGunn，andtwoforTwain。
\"Inthematterofhumor，\"wroteClemens，referringtoHay’sdeliciousnotes，\"whatanunsurpassabletouchJohnHayhad！\"
HUMORATWESTPOINT
Thefirstprintingof1601inactualbookformwas\"DonneatyeAcademiePress，in1882，WestPoint，NewYork，underthesupervisionofLieut。C。
E。S。Wood，thenadjutantoftheU。S。MilitaryAcademy。
In1882MarkTwainandJoeTwichellvisitedtheirfriendLieut。WoodatWestPoint，wheretheylearnedthatWood，asAdjutant，hadunderhiscontrolasmallprintingestablishment。OnMark’sreturntoHartford，WoodreceivedaletteraskingifhewoulddoMarkagreatfavorbyprintingsomethinghehadwritten，whichhedidnotcaretoentrusttotheordinaryprinter。Woodrepliedthathewouldbegladtooblige。
OnApril3，1882，Marksentthemanuscript：
\"Ienclosetheoriginalof1603[sic]asyousuggest。Iamafraidthereareerrorsinit，also，heedlessnessinantiquatedspelling——e’sstuckonoftenatendofwordswheretheyarenotstricklynecessary，etc……
IwouldgothroughthemanuscriptbutIamtoomuchdrivenjustnow，anditisnotimportantanyway。Iwishyouwoulddomethekindnesstomakeanyandallcorrectionsthatsuggestthemselvestoyou。
Sincerelyyours，S。L。Clemens。\"
CharlesErskineScottWoodrecalledinaforeword，whichhewroteforthelimitededitionof1601issuedbytheGrabhornPress，howhefeltwhenhefirstsawtheoriginalmanuscript。\"WhenIreadit，\"writesWood，\"Ifeltthatthecharacterofitwouldbecarriedalittlebetterbyaprintingwhichpretendedtotheeyethatitwascontemporaneouswiththepretended’conversation。’
\"IwroteMarkthatforliteraryeffectIthoughtthereshouldbeaspeciesofforgery，thoughofcoursetherewasnoefforttoactuallydeceiveascholar。MarkansweredthatImightdoasIliked；——thathisonlyobjectwastosecureanumberofcopies，asthedemandforitwasbecomingburdensome，buthewouldbeverygratefulforanyinterestI
broughttothedoing。
\"Well，Tucker[foremanoftheprintingshop]andIsoakedsomehandmadelinenpaperinweakcoffee，putitasawetbundleintoawarmroomtomildew，driedittoadampnessapprovedbyTuckerandheprintedthe’copy’onahandpress。IhadspecialpunchescutforsuchElizabethanabbreviationsasthea，e，oandu，whenfollowedbymorn——andforthe（commonlyandstupidlypronouncedye）。
\"TheonlyeditingIdidwasastothespellingandafewoldEnglishwordsintroduced。Thespelling，ifIremembercorrectly，ismine，butthetextisexactlyaswrittenbyMark。Iwroteaskinghisviewofmakingthespellingoftheperiodandhewasenthusiastic——tellingmetodowhateverIthoughtbestandhewasgreatlypleasedwiththeresult。\"
ThuswasprintedinadeluxeeditionoffiftycopiesthemostcuriousmasterpieceofAmericanhumor，atoneofAmerica’smostdignifiedinstitutions，theUnitedStatesMilitaryAcademyatWestPoint。
\"1601wassobe—praisedbythearchaeologicalscholarsofaquarterofacenturyago，\"wroteClemensinhislettertoCharlesOrr，\"thatIwasratherinordinatelyvainofit。Atthattimeithadbeenprivatelyprintedinseveralcountries，amongthemJapan。Asumptuouseditiononlargepaper，rough—edged，wasmadebyLieut。C。E。S。WoodatWestPoint——aneditionof50copies——anddistributedamongpopesandkingsandsuchpeople。InEnglandcopiesofthatissuewereworthtwentyguineaswhenI
wastheresixyearsago，andnonetobehad。\"
FROMTHEDEPTHS
MarkTwain’sirreverenceshouldnotbemisinterpreted：itwasanirreverencewhichbubbledupfromadeep，passionateinsightintothewell—springsofhumannature。In1601，asin’TheManThatCorruptedHadleyburg，’andin’TheMysteriousStranger，’hetorethemasksoffhumanbeingsandleftthemcringingbeforethepublicview。WiththedeftnessofamastersurgeonClemensdealtwithhumanemotionsanddelightedinexposinghumannatureintheraw。
ThespiritandthelanguageoftheFiresideConversationwererooteddeepinMarkTwain’snatureandinhislife，asC。E。S。Wood，whoprinted1601atWestPoint，haspertinentlyobserved，\"IfImadeaguessastotheintellectualfermentoutofwhich1601roseIwouldsaythatMark’sintellectualstructureandsubconsciousgrainingwasfromAnglo—SaxonsasprimitiveasthecommonmanoftheTudorperiod。
HecamefromthebanksoftheMississippi——fromtheflatboatmen，pilots，roustabouts，farmersandvillagefolkofarude，primitivepeople——asLincolndid。
\"HewasfinishedintheminingcampsoftheWestamongstagedrivers，gamblersandthemenof’49。Thesimpleroughnessofafrontierpeoplewasinhisbloodandbrain。
\"Wordsvulgarandoffensivetootherearswereacommonlanguagetohim。
AnyonewhoeverknewMarkheardhimusethemfreely，forcibly，picturesquelyinhisunrestrainedconversation。Suchlanguageisforcibleasallprimitivewordsare。Refinementseemstomakeforweakness——orletussayacuttingedge——buttheoldvulgarmonosyllabicwordsbitliketheblowofapioneer’sax——andMarkwaslikethat。ThenIthink1601cameoutofMark’sinstinctivehumor，satireandhatredofpuritanism。Butthereismorethanthis；withallitshumorthereisasenseofrealdelightinwhatmaybecalledobscenityforitsownsake。
WhitmanandtheBiblearenomoreobscenethanNatureherself——nomoreobscenethanamanurepile，outofwhichcomerosesandcherries。Everywordusedin1601wasusedbyourownrudepioneersasapartoftheirvocabulary——andnowordwaseverinventedbymanwithobsceneintent，butonlyaslanguagetoexpresshismeaning。Noactofnatureisobsceneinitself——butwhensuchwordsandactsaredraggedinforanulteriorpurposetheybecomeoffensive，aseverythingoutofplaceisoffensive。
Ithinkhedelighted，too，inshocking——givingresoundingslapsonwhatChaucerwouldquitesimplycall’thebareerse。’\"
QuiteasidefromthisChaucerian\"erse\"slapping，Clemenshadalsoasemi—seriouspurpose，thatofreproducingapasttimeashesawitinShakespeare，Dekker，Jonson，andotherwritersoftheElizabethanera。
FiresideConversationwasanexerciseinscholarshipilluminedbyakeensenseofcharacter。Itwasmadeespeciallyeffectivebytheartisticarrangementofwidely—gatheredmaterialintoacompressedpictureofaphaseofthemannersandeventhemindsofthemenandwomen\"inthespacioustimesofgreatElizabeth。\"
MarkTwainmadeof1601averysmartandfascinatingperformance，carriedoveralmosttogrotesquenessjusttoshowitwasnotdoneformeredelightinthefranknaturalismofthefunctionswithwhichitdeals。
ThatMarkTwainhadmadeconsiderablestudyofthisfranknessisapparentfromchapterfourof’AYankeeAtKingArthur’sCourt，’wherehereferstotheconversationatthefamousRoundTablethus：
\"Manyofthetermsusedinthemostmatter—of—factwaybythisgreatassemblageofthefirstladiesandgentlemenofthelandwouldhavemadeaComancheblush。Indelicacyistoomildatermtoconveytheidea。
However，IhadreadTomJonesandRoderickRandomandotherbooksofthatkindandknewthatthehighestandfirstladiesandgentlemeninEnglandhadremainedlittleornocleanerintheirtalk，andinthemoralsandconductwhichsuchtalkimplies，clearuptoonehundredyearsago；infactclearintoourownnineteenthcentury——inwhichcentury，broadlyspeaking，theearliestsamplesoftherealladyandtherealgentlemandiscoverableinEnglishhistory，——orinEuropeanhistory，forthatmatter——maybesaidtohavemadetheirappearance。SupposeSirWalter[Scott]insteadofputtingtheconversationintothemouthsofhischaracters，hadallowedthecharacterstospeakforthemselves？WeshouldhavehadtalkfromRebeccaandIvanhoeandthesoftladyRowenawhichwouldembarrassatrampinourday。However，totheunconsciouslyindelicateallthingsaredelicate。\"
MarkTwain’sinterestinhistoryandinthedepictionofhistoricalperiodsandcharactersisrevealedthroughhisfondnessforhistoricalreadinginpreferencetofiction，andthroughhisotherhistoricalwritings。Eveninthehilarious，youthfuldaysinSanFrancisco，Painereportsthat\"Clemens，however，wasneverquitereadyforsleep。Then，asever，hewouldprophimselfupinbed，lighthispipe，andlosehimselfinEnglishorFrenchhistoryuntilhissleepconquered。\"Painetellsus，too，thatLecky’s’EuropeanMorals’wasanoldfavorite。
Thenotesto’ThePrinceandthePauper’showagainhowcarefullyClemensexaminedhishistoricalbackground，andhisinterestinthesematerials。
Someofthemoreimportantsourcesarenoted：Hume’s’HistoryofEngland’，Timbs’’CuriositiesofLondon’，J。HammondTrumbull’s’BlueLaws，TrueandFalse’。ApparentlyMarkTwainrelishedit，forasBernardDeVotopointsout，\"ThebookisalwaysMarkTwain。ItsparodiesofTudorspeechlapsesometimesintoacallowsatisfactioninthatidiom——Markhugelyenjoyshisnathlessesandbeshrewsandmarrys。\"Thewritingof1601foreshadowshisfondnessforthistreatment。
\"DoyousupposethelibertiesandtheBrawnofTheseStateshavetodoonlywithdelicatelady—words？withglovedgentlemanwords\"
WaltWhitman，’AnAmericanPrimer’。
Although1601wasnotmatchedbyanysimilarsketchinhispublishedworks，itwasrepresentativeofMarkTwaintheman。Hewasnoemaciatedliterarytea—tosser。BronzedandweatherbeatensonoftheWest，Markwasaman’sman，andthatsignificantfactisemphasizedbytheseveralphasesofMark’srichlifeassteamboatpilot，printer，miner，andfrontierjournalist。
OntheVirginiaCityEnterpriseMarklearnedfromeditorR。M。Daggettthat\"whenitwasnecessarytocallamannames，therewerenoexpletivestoolongortooexpressivetobehurledinrapidsuccessiontoemphasizetheutterwantofcharacterofthemanassailed……ThereweretypesetterstherewhocouldhurlanathemasatbadcopywhichwouldhavefrightenedaBengaltiger。Thenewseditorcoulddamnamutilateddispatchintwenty—fourlanguages。\"
InSanFranciscointhesizzlingsixtieswecatchaglimpseofMarkTwainandhisbuddy，SteveGillis，pausingindoorwaystosing\"TheDolefulBalladoftheNeglectedLover，\"anoldpieceofuncollectederotica。
Onemorning，whenadogbegantohowl，Steveawoke\"tofindhisroom—matestandinginthedoorthatopenedoutintoabackgarden，holdingabigrevolver，hishandshakingwithcoldandexcitement，\"relatesPaineinhisBiography。
\"’Comehere，Steve，’hesaid。’I’msochilledthroughIcan’tgetabeadonhim。’
\"’Sam，’saidSteve，’don’tshoothim。Justswearathim。Youcaneasilykillhimatanyrangewithyourprofanity。’
\"SteveGillisdeclaresthatMarkTwainletgosuchascorching，singeingblastthatthebrute’sownersoldhimthenextdayforaMexicanhairlessdog。\"
NordidMark’s\"geysersofprofanity\"ceasespoutingafterthesegayandyouthfuldaysinSanFrancisco。WithClemensitmaytrulybesaidthatprofanitywasanart——apyrotechnicartthatentertainednations。
\"Itwasmydutytokeepbuttonsonhisshirts，\"recalledKatyLeary，life—longhousekeeperandfriendintheClemensmenage，\"andhe’dswearsomethingterribleifIdidn’t。Ifhefoundashirtinhisdrawerwithoutabuttonon，he’dtakeeverysingleshirtoutofthatdrawerandthrowthemrightoutofthewindow，rainorshine——outofthebathroomwindowthey’dgo。Iusedtolookouteverymorningtoseethesnowflakes——anythingwhite。Outthey’dfly……Oh！he’dswearatanythingwhenhewasonarampage。He’dswearathisrazorifitdidn’tcutright，andMrs。Clemensusedtosendmearoundtothebathroomdoorsometimestoknockandaskhimwhatwasthematter。Well，I’dgoandknock；I’dsay，’Mrs。Clemenswantstoknowwhat’sthematter。’Andthenhe’dsaytome（kindoflow）inawhisperlike，’DidshehearmeKaty？’’Yes，’I’dsay，’everyword。’Oh，well，hewasashamedthen，hewasafraidofgettingscoldedforswearinglikethat，becauseMrs。
Clemenshatedswearing。\"ButhisswearingneverseemedreallybadtoKatyLeary，\"Itwassortoffunny，andapartofhim，somehow，\"shesaid。
\"Sortofamusingitwas——andgay——notlikerealswearing，’causehesworelikeanangel。\"
InhislateryearsatStormfieldMarklovedtoplayhisfavoritebilliards。\"ItwassometimesawonderfulandfearsomethingtowatchMr。
Clemensplaybilliards，\"relatesElizabethWallace。\"Helovedthegame，andhelovedtowin，butheoccasionallymadeaverybadstroke，andthenthevaried，picturesque，andunorthodoxvocabulary，acquiredinhismoreyouthfulyears，wastheonlythingthatgavehimcomfort。Gently，slowly，withnoprofaneinflexionsofvoice，butirresistiblyasthoughtheyhadtheheadwatersoftheMississippifortheirsource，camethisstreamofunholyadjectivesandchoiceexpletives。\"
Mark’svocabularyranthewholegamutoflifeitself。InParis，inhisappearancein1879beforetheStomachClub，ajollylotofgaywags，Mark’saddress，reportsPaine，\"obtainedawidecelebrityamongtheclubsoftheworld，thoughnolineofit，notevenitstitle，haseverfounditswayintopublishedliterature。\"Itisrumoredtohavebeencalled\"SomeRemarksontheScienceofOnanism。\"
InBerlin，MarkaskedHenryW。FishertoaccompanyhimonanexplorationoftheBerlinRoyalLibrary，wherethelibrarian，havinglearnedthatClemenshadbeentheKaiser’sguestatdinner，openedthesecrettreasurechestsforthefamousvisitor。OneoftheseguardedtreasureswasavolumeofgrosslyindecentversesbyVoltaire，addressedtoFredericktheGreat。\"Toomuchisenough，\"Markisreportedtohavesaid，whenFishertranslatedsomeoftheverses，\"IwouldblushtorememberanyofthesestanzasexcepttotellKrafft—EbingaboutthemwhenIgettoVienna。\"
WhenFisherhadfinishedcopyingaverseforhimMarkputitintohispocket，saying，\"Livy[Mark’swife，Olivia]issobusymispronouncingGermanthesedaysshecan’tevenattempttogetatthis。\"
Inhisletters，too，Howellsobserved，\"HehadtheSouthwestern，theLincolnian，theElizabethanbreadthofparlance，whichIsupposeoneoughtnottocallcoarsewithoutcallingone’sselfprudish；andIwasoftenhidingawayindiscreetholesandcornersthelettersinwhichhehadloosedhisboldfancytostooponranksuggestion；Icouldnotbeartoburnthem，andIcouldnot，afterthefirstreading，quitebeartolookatthem。IshallbestgivemyfeelingonthispointbysayingthatinithewasShakespearean。\"
\"Withaniggersquatonhersafety—valve\"
JohnHay，PikeCountyBallads。
\"Isthereanyotherexplanation，\"asksVanWyckBrooks，\"’ofhisElizabethanbreadthofparlance？’Mr。HowellsconfessesthathesometimesblushedoverMarkTwain’sletters，thatthereweresomewhich，totheverydaywhenhewrotehiseulogyonhisdeadfriend，hecouldnotbeartoreread。Perhapsifhehadnotsoinsisted，informeryears，whilegoingoverMarkTwain’sproofs，upon’havingthatswearingoutinaninstant，’hewouldneverhadhadcausetosufferfromhishaving’loosedhisboldfancytostooponranksuggestion。’MarkTwain’sverbalRabelaisianismwasobviouslytheexpressionofthatvitalsapwhich，nothavingbeenpermittedtoinformhiswork，hadbeendriveninwardandlefttheretoferment。Nowonderhewasalwaysindulginginorgiesofforbiddenwords。Considerthefamousbook，1601，thatfiresideconversationinthetimeofQueenElizabeth：isthereanyobsoleteverbalindecencyintheEnglishlanguagethatMarkTwainhasnotpainstakinglyresurrectedandassembledthere？He，whosebloodwasinconstantfermentandwhocouldnotcontainwithinthenarrowbondsthathadbeensetforhimtheroitousexuberanceofhisnature，hadtohaveanescape—valve，andhepouredthroughitafetidstreamofmeaninglessobscenity——thewasteofapricelesspsychicmaterial！\"Thus，Brookslumps1601withMarkTwain’s\"bawdry，\"andinterpretsitsimplyasanotherindicationoffrustration。
FIGSFORFIGLEAVES！
Ofcourse，thewritingofsuchapieceas1601raisedthequestionoffreedomofexpressionforthecreativeartist。
Althoughlittlediscussedatthattime，itwasaquestionwhichintenselyinterestedMark，andforafullerappreciationofMark’spositiononemustkeepinmindtheyearinwhich1601waswritten，1876。TherehadbeennothinglikeitbeforeinAmericanliterature；therehadappearednoCaldwells，noFaulkners，noHemingways。VictorianEnglandwasgushingTennyson。IntheUnitedStatespoliteletterswasacultoftheBrahminsofBoston，withWilliamDeanHowellsatthehelmoftheAtlantic。LouisaMayAlcottpublishedLittleWomenin1868—69，andLittleMenin1871。In1873MarkTwainledthevanofthedebunkers，scrapingthegiltoffthelilyintheGildedAge。
In1880MarktookafewpotshotsatlicenseinArtandLiteratureinhisTrampAbroad，\"Iwonderwhysomethingsare？Forinstance，Artisallowedasmuchindecentlicenseto—dayasinearliertimes——buttheprivilegesofLiteratureinthisrespecthavebeensharplycurtailedwithinthepasteightyorninetyyears。FieldingandSmolletcouldportraythebeastlinessoftheirdayinthebeastliestlanguage；wehaveplentyoffoulsubjectstodealwithinourday，butwearenotallowedtoapproachthemverynear，evenwithniceandguardedformsofspeech。
ButnotsowithArt。Thebrushmaystilldealfreelywithanysubject；
howeverrevoltingorindelicate。Itmakesabodyoozesarcasmateverypore，togoaboutRomeandFlorenceandseewhatthislastgenerationhasbeendoingwiththestatues。Theseworks，whichhadstoodininnocentnakednessforages，areallfig—leavednow。Yes，everyoneofthem。
Nobodynoticedtheirnakednessbefore，perhaps；nobodycanhelpnoticingitnow，thefig—leafmakesitsoconspicuous。Butthecomicalthingaboutitall，is，thatthefig—leafisconfinedtocoldandpallidmarble，whichwouldbestillcoldandunsuggestivewithoutthisshamandostentatioussymbolofmodesty，whereaswarm—bloodedpaintingswhichdoreallyneedithaveinnocasebeenfurnishedwithit。
\"AtthedooroftheUfizzi，inFlorence，oneisconfrontedbystatuesofamanandawoman，noseless，battered，blackwithaccumulatedgrime——theyhardlysuggesthumanbeings——yettheseridiculouscreatureshavebeenthoughtfullyandconscientiouslyfig—leavedbythisfastidiousgeneration。Youenter，andproceedtothatmost—visitedlittlegallerythatexistsintheworld……andthere，againstthewall，withoutobstructingragorleaf，youmaylookyourfilluponthefoulest，thevilest，theobscenestpicturetheworldpossesses——Titian’sVenus。Itisn’tthatsheisnakedandstretchedoutonabed——no，itistheattitudeofoneofherarmsandhand。IfIventuredtodescribetheattitude，therewouldbeafinehowl——buttheretheVenuslies，foranybodytogloatoverthatwantsto——andthereshehasarighttolie，forsheisaworkofart，andArthasitsprivileges。Isawyounggirlsstealingfurtiveglancesather；Isawyoungmengazelongandabsorbedlyather；Isawaged，infirmmenhanguponhercharmswithapatheticinterest。HowIshouldliketodescribeher——justtoseewhataholyindignationIcouldstirupintheworld——justtoheartheunreflectingaveragemandeliverhimselfaboutmygrossnessandcoarseness，andallthat。
\"IneverygalleryinEuropetherearehideouspicturesofblood，carnage，oozingbrains，putrefaction——picturesportrayingintolerablesuffering——
picturesalivewitheveryconceivablehorror，wroughtoutindreadfuldetail——andsimilarpicturesarebeingputonthecanvaseverydayandpubliclyexhibited——withoutagrowlfromanybody——fortheyareinnocent，theyareinoffensive，beingworksofart。Butsupposealiteraryartistventuredtogointoapainstakingandelaboratedescriptionofoneofthesegrislythings——thecriticswouldskinhimalive。Well，letitgo，itcannotbehelped；Artretainsherprivileges，Literaturehaslosthers。Somebodyelsemaycipheroutthewhysandthewhereforesandtheconsistenciesofit——Ihaven’tgottime。\"
PROFESSORSCENTSPORNOGRAPHY
Unfortunately，1601hasrecentlybeentaggedbyProfessorEdwardWagenknechtas\"themostfamouspieceofpornographyinAmericanliterature。\"Likemanyanotheruninformed，Prof。W。islikethelittleboywhoisshockedtosee\"naughty\"wordschalkedonthebackfence，andthinkstheyarepornography。Theinitiated，afteryearsofwadingthroughthemire，willrecognizeinstantlythesignificantdifferencebetweenfilthyfilthandfunny\"filth。\"Dirtfordirt’ssakeissomethingelseagain。Pornography，aneminentAmericanjuristhaspointedout，isdistinguishedbythe\"leerofthesensualist。\"
\"Thewordswhicharecriticisedasdirty，\"observedjusticeJohnM。
WoolseyintheUnitedStatesDistrictCourtofNewYork，liftingthebanonUlyssesbyJamesJoyce，\"areoldSaxonwordsknowntoalmostallmenand，Iventure，tomanywomen，andaresuchwordsaswouldbenaturallyandhabituallyused，Ibelieve，bythetypesoffolkwhoselife，physicalandmental，Joyceisseekingtodescribe。\"Neitherwasthere\"pornographicintent，\"accordingtojusticeWoolsey，norwasUlyssesobscenewithinthelegaldefinitionofthatword。
\"Themeaningoftheword’obscene，’\"theJusticeindicated，\"aslegallydefinedbythecourtsis：tendingtostirtheseximpulsesortoleadtosexuallyimpureandlustfulthoughts。
\"Whetheraparticularbookwouldtendtoexcitesuchimpulsesandthoughtsmustbetestedbythecourt’sopinionastoitseffectonapersonwithaveragesexinstincts——whattheFrenchwouldcall’l’hommemoyensensuel’——whoplays，inthisbranchoflegalinquiry，thesameroleofhypotheticalreagentasdoesthe’reasonableman’inthelawoftortsand’thelearnedmanintheart’onquestionsofinventioninpatentlaw。\"
Obviously，itisridiculoustosaythatthe\"leerofthesensualist\"
lurksinthepagesofMarkTwain’s1601。
DROLLSTORY
\"Inaway，\"observedWilliamMarionReedy，\"1601istoTwain’swholeworkswhatthe’DrollStories’aretoBalzac’s。ItisbetterthantheprivatelycirculatedribaldryandvulgarityofEugeneField；is，indeed，anessayinasortofprimordialhumorsuchaswefindinRabelais，orintheplaysofsomeofthelesserstarsthatdrewtheirlightfromShakespeare’surn。Itishumororfunsuchasoneexpects，letussay，fromthepeasantsofThomasHardy，outsideofHardy’sbooks。And，thoughitbefilthy，ityethathasplendorofmereanimalismofgoodspirits……
Iwouldsayitisscatalogicalratherthanerotic，saveforonetouchtowardtheend。Indeed，itseemsmoreofRabelaisthanofBoccaccioorMasuccioorAretino——isbrutallyBritishratherthanlasciviouslylatinate，astothesubjects，butsumptuousasregardsthelanguage。\"
Immediatelyuponfirstreading，JohnHay，laterSecretaryofState，hadproclaimed1601amasterpiece。AlbertBigelowPaine，MarkTwain’sbiographer，likewiseacknowledgeditsgreatness，whenhesaid，\"1601isagenuineclassic，asclassicsofthatsortgo。ItisbetterthanthegrossobscenitiesofRabelais，andperhapsinsomedaytocome，thetastethatjustifiedGargantuaandtheDecameronwillgivethisliteraryrefugeeshelterandsettingamongthemoreconventionalwritingofMarkTwain。Humantasteisacuriousthing；delicacyispurelyamatterofenvironmentandpointofview。\"
\"Itdependsonwhowritesathingwhetheritiscoarseornot，\"wroteClemensinhisnotebookin1879。\"Ibuiltaconversationwhichcouldhavehappened——Iusedwordssuchaswereusedatthattime——1601。Isentitanonymouslytoamagazine，andhowtheeditorabuseditandthesender！
ButthatmanwasapraiserofRabelaisandhadbeensaying，’OthatwehadaRabelais！’IjudgedthatIcouldfurnishhimone。
\"ThenItookittooneofthegreatest，bestandmostlearnedofDivines[Rev。JosephH。Twichell]andreadittohim。Hecamewithinanaceofkillinghimselfwithlaughter（forbetweenyouandmethethingwasdreadfullyfunny。Idon’toftenwriteanythingthatIlaughatmyself，butIcanhardlythinkofthatthingwithoutlaughing）。ThatoldDivinesaiditwasapieceofthefinestkindofliteraryart——andDavidGrayoftheBuffaloCouriersaiditoughttobeprintedprivatelyandleftbehindmewhenIdied，andthenmyfameasaliteraryartistwouldlast。\"
FRANKLINJ。MEINE
THEFIRSTPRINTING
VerbatimReprint[Date，1601。]
CONVERSATION，ASITWASBYTHESOCIALFIRESIDE，INTHETIMEOFTHE
TUDORS。