Call of Duty, by Horatio, Lord Nelson

The tomb of Horatio, Lord Nelson, in the crypt of St Paul’s Cathedral in London. On January 9th, 1806, Nelson’s coffin was brought from the Admiralty to St Paul’s Cathedral in a procession of ten thousand men from the armed forces. Thirty-two Admirals accompanied them. The funeral itself lasted four hours, and ended with interment in the crypt where he lies to this day. Nelson’s wish that Emma should sing at his funeral was politely disregarded. The great Admiral felt that his labours for his country had earned Emma a right to special treatment; but that hero status was the very reason why the country could not be seen to indulge him.

Call of Duty

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MONDAY, Octr. 21st, 1805. At day light saw the Enemy’s Combined Fleet from East to ESE. Bore away, made the signal for order of sailing and to prepare for Battle, the Enemy with their heads to the Southward.

At 7 the Enemy wearing in succession.* May the Great God whom I worship Grant to my Country and for the benefit of Europe in General* a great and Glorious Victory, and may no misconduct in anyone tarnish it, and may humanity after Victory be the predominant feature in the British Fleet. For myself individually I commit my life to Him Who made me, and may his blessing light upon my endeavours for serving my Country faithfully. To Him I resign myself and the just cause which is entrusted me to Defend. Amen, Amen, Amen.

by Horatio, Lord Nelson

Abridged from ‘Nelson’s Last Diary’ (1917), with an introduction and notes by Gilbert Hudson. Additional information from ‘Life of Nelson’ by Robert Southey (1777-1843) and ‘Nelson's words and deeds: A selection from the dispatches and correspondence of Horatio Nelson’ (1890), edited by W. Clarke Russell.

* ‘Wear’ in this context is a nautical term equivalent to gybe, that is, to change tack with the wind crossing behind the vessel. As battle approached, Nelson ordered the breakable fixtures in his cabin to be removed for safekeeping. “A portrait of Lady Hamilton hung in his cabin” Southey tells us; “and no Catholic ever beheld the picture of his patron saint with devouter reverence. The undisguised and romantic passion with which he regarded it amounted almost to superstition; and when the portrait was now taken down, in clearing for action, he desired the men who removed it to ‘take care of his guardian angel.’”

* In his correspondence, Nelson wrote more than once that he believed Napoleon was bent on a quest to ‘degrade’ and ‘humble’ the nations of Europe; his own quest, as he stated during his pursuit of the French Fleet to the West Indies, was ‘not only the honour and glory of our country, but possibly its safety, and with it that of all Europe, from French tyranny and oppression.’ Napoleon’s conviction that Europe would be happier if its diverse peoples were brought under one Government, and their daily lives closely regulated by his Napoleonic Code, was regarded with very much more horror, outrage and disbelief than similar ideas today.

Précis

Some five weeks after leaving Merton, Victory lay off Cape Trafalgar facing the enemy fleet. As Nelson watched their ships swing into position, he wrote a last prayer in his diary. He asked for humanity amid the battle and for God’s blessing upon his cause, and entrusted himself and the events of the day to divine Providence.

Questions for Critics

1. What is the author aiming to achieve in writing this?

2. Note any words, devices or turns of phrase that strike you. How do they help the author communicate his ideas more effectively?

3. What impression does this passage make on you? How might you put that impression into words?

Based on The English Critic (1939) by NL Clay, drawing on The New Criticism: A Lecture Delivered at Columbia University, March 9, 1910, by J. E. Spingarn, Professor of Comparative Literature in Columbia University, USA.

Sevens

Suggest answers to this question. See if you can limit one answer to exactly seven words.

When did Nelson give the order for battle at Trafalgar?

Suggestion

When dawn revealed the approaching enemy fleet.

Jigsaws

Express the ideas below in a single sentence, using different words as much as possible. Do not be satisfied with the first answer you think of; think of several, and choose the best.

It was dawn on October 21st, 1805. Nelson saw the enemy fleet. He told his men to prepare for battle.

See if you can include one or more of these words in your answer.

IGive. IISun. IIIView.

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