Széchenyi barátja kérésére elküldi az “Athéni diadal” másolatát, ami szerinte ugyan nem kiemelkedő alkotás, de arra elég, hogy emlékeztesse Wilsont a városra és azokra, akikkel ott találkozott. Sajnálatát fejezi ki, amiért barátja uszkárja elveszett, és csak távozása után egy nappal lett meg. Házassággal kapcsolatos reményei szertefoszlottak, nem boldog. Három hét múlva elutazik Bécsből. Édesapja egészsége javul.
My dear Frienda – I send you with this letter the Copie of the win of Athens which1 you desired ‒. I dont think it done quite well — but yet it is good enough for remembering – the old town and all those you saw there. The letter you sent to me previously of your departure of Vienna touched me indeed very much – and though I was allways perfectly convinced of your sincere attachement to me, yet there was a certain delicacy in it which proved me that you can be at once a good and very pleasant friend — I was extremely sorry to hear the loss of your pudel and yet more dissappointed to see that he was found one day after your departure. –
There are many evenements2 which occured – in respect of the Fate of1 young C3 Szech4 in the short time since you left Vienna,5 “Every6 hope of marriage vanished at once of7 his gloomy soul – at I see now so clear – that the happiness of domestic life is for ever lost6 for me. –
I cant say more, but, that I am quite sure – that you would not have done differently in my position — which you can not know thouroghly. – it is impossible. — I am not very happy – yet I never will be tired ‒. The idea of doing right givs us a sort of consolation which never will fail to sustain us –
I am going to leave Vienna in about three weeks – on purpose of a journey in hongerie and Poland – I shall pass the next Winter here and the next Spring in Switzerland.
My Father gets better every day – but his manner of seeing is so quite different of mine, that we cannot agree in so many respects – which in my present situation cannot be very pleasant of course – Yet I shall allways behave well and gratefull.
1 Utólag beszúrva. (Beszúrás nincs jelölve, csak a mondat fölé írva.)
2 Széchenyi aláhúzása egy egyenes vonallal.
3 Count
4 Széchenyi
5 Utólag betoldva.
6 Törölve egy szó.
7 Törölve egy betű.
a Robert Wilson angol orvos, akivel Széchenyi Athénban ismerkedett meg, és Nápolyig együtt utaztak.