Naples. November 19<New Style> 1846.

At last in Naples I found a letter from you (from October<I> 4)*, written by you on your return from Kiev. It comforted me greatly, as did the letters of all three sisters. Great is the mercy of God, which inspires us with good thoughts. So is your trip to Kiev, it was inspired by God, and therefore its fruits are grace-filled. Thank you all for your letters. The only thing I wanted during the reading of them was that they should be more authentic. Every word was pleasant to me, and every line brought me spiritual pleasure. No, my good sisters, write to me everything, absolutely everything; You can't write trifles now. Eternal thanks to God: you are now on a beautiful road. Any slightest incident, the slightest, insignificant anecdote that has happened to you will now be insignificant, because it will express either the feeling that filled you at that time, or your state of mind, or something that will show me closer and better than you and help me better understand you and your destiny better and fraternally help you in striving for that perfection. to which we should all aspire. Do not hide from me any of your shortcomings, write everything and do not be ashamed before me. Now I will not reproach you for anything, and should I, burdened with my own imperfections, be indignant with you? No, we consult both about how we can be better and how to fulfill on earth that for which we are called to earth. Therefore, try<s> so that your letters resemble, as it were, a journal of all your actions and even all your thoughts and feelings. It is necessary that each of you write to me as if you were your best friend, not only to your brother by earthly kinship here, but by brother by heavenly, higher kinship. Address the letters to Naples, adding in place the poste restante: Palazzo Ferandini. I am not going to Palestine soon. There are still many things that I have to finish, without which[397] my conscience will be troubled, and it will be impossible for me to bow down to the Holy Sepulchre as I would like. So, let God's will be done in everything! Pray that our Most High Providence[398] will give me the strength to do the work that I must do before my departure, so that freshness and health will not leave me for all the time that is necessary for writing it. You probably already have in your hands my book*, which contains a confession of some of my deeds. Tell me about it[399] everything that your hearts and souls feel, as well as everything you hear about it from other people, all the opinions that you hear even from people who are almost illiterate and have hardly read anything before. Especially pass on those that are not in praise of my book: I need them. [400] Do not leave it to notify me about the farm as before. The expenses and receipts recorded by Lisa were received by me in good order. I would like, however, <that > would be added to the parish,[401] to whom exactly every thing was sold, and for what use. In two places it says "from passers-by" and does not say why. If it is for travel through rowing or bridges, then this fee must be stopped, it is also small. Or, perhaps, you can collect, but for the benefit of the poor and needy. And therefore the peasant assigned to such a collection must always tell about it to those from whom he takes money, and ask them[402] to tell their names, so that the poor will know for whom they should pray and for whom they should ask God. The rest is all well and good, and it will surely be even better when you begin to read the expenses more often, and weigh each thing comparatively with one another, in order to see which of them is more necessary than the other, and which can be dispensed with. Then I hug you all. Give me an answer to this letter immediately. And in general, it will be better if you do it in such a way as not to delay answering my letters: if you cannot answer everything, answer some; everything will be better than not answering at all. So, until the next post.

All yours, Nikolai.

You will receive four more copies from St. Petersburg, so that each sister will get a copy. For now I see that my book will be accessible and understandable to you, and you will make excellent use of it, if you will read it more often. I pray to God for this, and I am firmly convinced that it will be so.

On the back: Poltava. Russie. To Her Excellency Maria Ivanovna Gogol. In Poltava. From there to the village <herevnya> Vasilevka.

Zhukovsky V. A., November 24, 1846*

79. TO V. A. ZHUKOVSKY.

Naples. November 24 <n. st. 1846>

I hasten to inform, my precious friend, in a few lines[403] about myself. I arrived safely at Naples, which was like a beautiful crossroads for me all the way. My soul is so quiet and bright that I do not know whom to thank for it; Who prayed to God for this state of mind with his pure prayers? Oh, may his whole life be as bright as these moments are for me! Naples is beautiful, but I feel that it would never have seemed so beautiful to me if God had not prepared my soul to receive the impression of its beauty. I was in it ten years ago, and admired it coldly. During all my former stay in Rome, I was never drawn to Naples; I came to Rome every time as if to my own country. But now, during my passage through Rome, nothing in it occupied me, not even the remarkable manifestation of the general popular enthusiasm for the present truly worthy pope. I passed it as I passed a road[404] station; my sense of smell did not even feel that sweet air with which I was so pleasantly greeted every time I entered it; [405] On the contrary, my nerves heard the touch of cold and dampness. But as soon as I arrived in Naples, my whole body felt the warmth I desired, my nerves subsided, which, as you know, others are still irritated by Naples. I took refuge with Sophia Petrovna Apraksina, who, perhaps, was also inspired by God to invite me to Naples and prepare an apartment for her. Without this, knowing that I would have to live in an inn and not have people near me who were dear to my soul, I might not have come. My soul, still weak, not yet as well established for the work of life, needs the closeness of beautiful people in order to become prettier from them. In Rome I met Bludov at Mass in our church, to whom, of course, I approached at the same time. He has aged a little, but I liked his current expression very much: there is something pleasant and blissful about him. He received me very warmly. Unfortunately, I did not find him at home, when I visited him the next day, and I can say nothing more about him. For the time being, it seemed to me, he was pleased with his affairs and with his father, whom he spoke of with great respect. At the post office I found a letter sent to me from Frankfort, on the envelope of which a pen familiar to me, having crossed out all the previous lines, had inscribed my name very clearly, together with the words poste restante, so that the beautiful owner of it himself suddenly appeared in my thoughts. I have not yet received a single letter from St. Petersburg, and I have no news of it. But that doesn't bother me. My soul looks brightly ahead. Everything will be as God wills; therefore, everything will be fine. One thing may happen, apparently transverse to my affairs: that is, that this delayed appearance of my book may postpone my departure to the holy places a little further. But if this really happens, it means that it is God's will, and that it must be so. I had never before thought of undertaking this journey obstinately and of my own free will, but to await the indications of God, which I recognize in the course of all the circumstances that are conducive to it, and in the removal of all obstacles. I had never thought of going on such a journey otherwise than in the company of at least a few people close to my heart. Not because I am afraid of any dangers in strange lands, but because I am still weak in spirit, I cannot yet do without the help of people, I do not yet have the strength to ascend to God alone and live, following the example of the righteous, in direct conversation with Him. Finally, I consider the growth of the very desire to go to be an indication of God. I believe that when the rightful time and hour to embark on board the ship arrives, this desire will grow in such intensity that I will not feel myself when I go on deck, I will not feel myself how I will be carried like an inanimate ship, obedient to the favorable breeze of the animate heavenly breath. And then I must sit by the sea and wait patiently for the weather, looking closely and listening to everything that is being done, and questioning every moment both my own mind and all the strength and abilities given to me by God. But... My beautiful brother, until the next letter. I hug all of you as close and dear to my heart.

G.

My address is: Palazzo Ferandini; However, you can also simply: poste restante.

On the reverse: Francfort sur Mein. Son excellence monsieur Basile de Joukoffsky. Francfort s/M. Saxenhausen. Salzwedelsgarten vor dem Schaumeinthor.