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。