The Henson Journals

[439]

Monday, November 11th, 1929.

LAMBETH

All Pepys's books, down to the smallest, are most beautifully bound. Yet his eyes had failed him nearly 40 years before his death: and, if he used the books, the shift covers would have been inconvenient. I suspect that his library was rather the proper equipment of a gentleman than the necessary instrument of a scholar. His arrangement of the books according to size is better adapted to the exhibition of their bindings than for the convenience of their use. Pepys was very largely a humbug, being the slave of convention: but his native curiosity, which was abnormally great, was stimulated by the opportunities of gratifying at which were exceptional. His interest in himself was limitless, sincere, & unabashed as his famous Diary demonstrates. He fancied himself as a musician, but his achievements as a composer were inconsiderable.

[440]

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A wet unpleasant day. I left the college after breakfast, and travelled to London in the company of Clarke & Fawkes. Cambridge was bristling with poppy–decked undergraduates engaged in selling poppies. On arriving in Liverpool Street, I drove to Athenaeum through streets crowded with cenotaph–pilgrims. I went to the hairdressor, & was dealt with. Then I lunched in the Club, and afterwards wrote a number of letters, including one to the Dean of Chester, who had written to me expressing agreement with my present position.

An elderly gentleman came to me in the Club, & thanked me warmly for sending him the 'Bishoprick', but who he was I have not the faintest suspicion. I had some talk with Jenkins, & found him very confident that the nation wd not endure 'Disestablishment'. He may be right, but, if so, the Church of England is in an odd situation. The Bishop of Derby expressed his desire that the Assembly would reject the motion for a Commission on Church and State. This would create a strange [441] [symbol] situation. It is evident to me that a "rot" has set in among the bishops, and that I may find myself completely deserted.

I drove to Lambeth through heavy rain, and was shown into the Chaplain's room, which was filled with smoke. A new Chaplain appeared, & said that the Archbishop would certainly like to see me, but returned rather crest–fallen to say that His Grace was busy with his correspondence! So I was sent to my room like a school boy! This, perhaps, was not the heartiest of welcomes, but, que voulez vous? we must learn to keep our places! However, when we met at dinner, the Archbishop offered his explanations very politely, so that I could not but accept them: and, later we had some talk together about the situation in which he expressed himself very clearly. He was determined to go forward with the Commission, & so forth. He spoke rather strongly about the Times article, & said he would have a 'heart–to–heart' talk with Geoffrey Dawson with respect to the whole subject.

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