Years 1795 and 1816 in the ‘Memoir of Chief Justice Lefroy’
This review is made possible by manuscripts of Memoir of Chief Justice Lefroy (1871) provided by Linda and
“The papers in this parcel were written at different times from the year 1816, when I first began to have any view of God’s true method of salvation for a sinner. I had from the year 1795, more or less, read the Scriptures, but not with faith – nor as a little child – but in the pride of a Socinian spirit, and consequently I remained long in the dark.
Tom Lefroy mentioned two years in his letter: 1795 and 1816. Year 1795… what happened that year? On page 12 of the Memoir, Thomas Lefroy wrote that ‘he [Tom Lefroy] was appointed Auditor, and delivered the opening address of the Session for 1795. In that Session he obtained a fourth medal from the Society.’
'I wish to give Jane and Tom credit for having learning, intelligence and reasoning powers. They weren't your ordinary 'teenagers'. Modern writers have taken bits and pieces to make their case, but have failed to get the big picture, which is as follows. I previously mentioned that in the Memoir, Tom specifically mentions the year 1795 as a turning point – and as I noted it was the year he met Jane. My point being, based on my brief scan of the Memoir, I believe she pointed out to him the difference between 'head' knowledge and 'heart' knowledge of the scriptures. The bits I have seen in the Memoir seem to illustrate his growing influence in the 'heart' area. Now, throw in the problem of his stance on the Catholic Emancipation in
'He [Tom Lefroy] never kept any diary, but he left behind him a large portfolio full of short notes on passages of Scripture and points of doctrine, jotted down from time to time as opportunity offered, and in these we have a clue to the topics which engaged his thoughts in his hours of retirement. From their dates they appear to have been commenced as early as 1816 and were carried on to 1860.'
Tom Lefroy could not visit her, even just as a friend… so the best other thing he could do was to turn to God and ask for His Guidance. Too far fetched? I use my prerogative here… but who knows if my hunch was right? That one of the factors that drove Tom nearer to Thee in 1816 was also… Jane Austen?
And by the way, it is very interesting to me that both Memoirs of Jane Austen and Chief Justice Lefroy were published in the same year, in 1871. Well, JA's Memoir was a reprint and expanded edition, the first edition was published in December 1869. But, still...
Reference:
Austen-Leigh, J. E. 1871, A Memoir of Jane Austen and Other Family Recollections (2002 Oxford edition), Oxford World's Classics, Oxford.
Lefroy, T. 1871, Memoir of Chief Justice Lefroy, Hodges, Foster & Co., Dublin.
Tomalin, C. 2000, Jane Austen: A Life, Penguin Books, London.Pic 1: Chief Justice Thomas Langlois Lefroy in 1855, drawing by W.H. Mote
Pic 2: James McAvoy as the young Tom Lefroy
Pic 3: The Right Honorable Thomas Lefroy (I assume this is THE Tom Lefroy, instead of his son). The picture was taken from Ebay, provided by Linda, and it could be taken c1855 or earlier, judging that he looked a bit younger than the first picture with the wig. Thanks a lot, Linda! And I also ask any readers who are familiar with the origin of this picture to contact me, for I would like to learn more details of this new picture.
5 comments:
Congratulations Icha. I think this is one of the best posts yet! It is so full of insight and in my romantic heart I can believe it is all true! Thanks also to Linda and Warren for providing the information to work with.
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Hello there, ni hao ma?
Thanks a lot for dropping by, very nice of you! And I think your English is very good, you'll have no significant trouble in reading the entries!
And I watched it about 4 times at the cinema, and many times afterwards, so your action is pardonable, hahaha!
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http://www.bbc.co.uk/worldservice/images/2008/06/20080610141229_44733342_darcy_body.jpg
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