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Correspondence from Aleister Crowley to Gerald Kelly
29/9/03 [29 September 1903]
My dear G.
Your letter is the most cryptic I have ever had even from you. It is kind to say that I am clever (I take your whole letter as kindness albeit I understand it ill) but on my word, to this hour I see no jab in the juxtaposition. I have plied in vain an imagination whetted by persistent and successful efforts to discover indecent illusions in the Binomial Theorem: I have turned and twisted the names about: all is in vain. If you will devote a week of your valuable time to explaining verbally when we get to Paris, I shall discover a new point of Coptic and if R. [Rose Kelly] and I get as far as Cairo this winter, my name will go down with Bruce and Harris. For I will be avenged upon you by not putting you in the Papyrus. Herewith the end o' th' Sword—Bendictus etc. I cannot even find from your letter whether you have written to your mother to smooth things or no. "The allusion to the Rev F. F. Kelly is beneath contempt and meaningless"—I felt inclined to echo your Hmmmm! till I saw it was merely a classical example of the transferred epithet. I have not twisted or doubled to anybody. I maintain, as always that no insult was offered to B.K. [Blanche Kelly] in my consciousness or R's, and therefore no apology was possible. I am very sorry but I did no wrong. You are mistaken. At present the method of conducting the controversy is exclusively employed: that hurts R. and B.K. but neither you nor me, save mediately. I have had great benefits of you and you of me: we are artists and should quarrel with buttons on—Touch me, and I'll call the guard!—again let us calm the indignant ones. Your letters will (I suppose) be received at the vicarage: I suggest you write. We come South on the 8th till 23rd about: do not let R. leave England, perhaps for months without seeing her mother.) I am deadly busy so write no more; just paint hard; send news of the Quarter and believe me "God's poet".
A.C.
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