hed it
was seen that there were two sides to the question, and that, if he
had leisure to think of what he was doing, Carlyle could be the most
considerate of husbands. Irritable and selfish he might be.
Deliberately cruel he never was. Froude, with his accustomed
frankness, told Carlyle at once what he thought. Mrs. Carlyle's
letters should be published, not alone, but with the memoir composed
by himself.

Carlyle had originally intended that this memoir, or sketch, as it
rather is, should be preserved, but not printed. Afterwards,
however, he gave it to Froude, and added an express permission to do
as he liked with it. Froude was not content with his own opinion. He
consulted John Forster, the biographer of Goldsmith and of Dickens,
a common friend of Carlyle and himself. Forster read the documents,
and promised that he would speak to Carlyle about them, giving no
opinion to Froude, but intimating that he should impress upon
Carlyle the need for making things clear in his will. This most
sensible advice was duly taken, and Carlyle's will, signed on the
6th of February, 1873, which nominated Forster and his own brother
John as executors, contained the following passage:

"My manuscript entitled 'Letters and Memorials of Jane Welsh
Carlyle' is to me in my now bereaved state, of endless value, though
of what value to others I cannot in the least clearly judge; and
indeed for the last four years am imperatively forbidden to write
farther on it, or even to look farther into it. Of that manuscript
my kind, considerate, and ever faithful friend, James Anthony Froude
(as he has lovingly promised me) takes precious charge in my stead.
To him therefore I give it with whatever other fartherances and
elucidations may be possible, and I solemnly request of him to do
his best and wisest in the matter, as I feel assured he will. There
is incidentally a quantity of autobiographic record in my notes to
this manuscript; but except as subsidiary and elucidative of the
text I put no value on such. Express biography of me I had really
rather that there should be none. James Anthony Froude, John
Forster, and my brother John, will make earnest survey of the
manuscript and its subsidiaries there or elsewhere in respect to
this as well as to its other bearings; their united utmost candour
and impartiality, taking always James Anthony Froude's practicality
along with it, will evidently furnish a better judgment than mine
can be. The manusc