1. Cf. Eccl. 9:10.

2. For Het Heike, see letter 98, n. 1. Sprundel is c. 4 km south of Etten.

3. George Eliot, ‘Two lovers’. See George Eliot, Collected poems. Ed. Lucien Jenkins. London 1989, pp. 42-43. This edition has the word ‘vanished’ where Van Gogh wrote ‘banished’.

4. James Giles (composer), Three little chairs. Song and chorus. Pittsburgh Music Publishing Company 1872. This song version was published earlier as a poem – see for instance Daily Alta California and San Francisco Times, 27 October 1872. The alleged ‘poem’ lacks the chorus ‘Three little chairs, three little chairs are empty now, / In Heav’n above three little children bow before the Father’s throne’. Van Gogh’s poem displays slight variations with this version. The song also appeared in One hundred choice selections, compiled by Phineas Garrett. Philadelphia 1877, p. 113, no. 13. Both versions are to be found in the Library of Congress in Washington D.C.

a. The horses’ shoes had not yet had frost-nails inserted in them to prevent them from slipping.

5. Uncle Jan (Johannes) van Gogh.

6. Another version of this proverb is ‘De duivel is zoo zwart niet, als hij wel geschilderd wordt’ (The devil is not so black as he is painted), see Harrebomée 1858-1870.

7. 2 Cor. 6:10.

8. Cf. Matt. 5:3 and Luke 6:20.

9. Prov. 18:24.

10. ‘Wat God doet, dat is welgedaan’ (What God hath done is done aright) is the first line of each verse of hymn 197.

11. Cf. hymn 200:2, hymn 271:2, and the hymn ‘Lead, kindly light, amid the encircling gloom’; see also letters 131 and 134.

12. Acts 5:14-16 (which tells of the miracles performed by the apostles who healed the sick).

13. Regarding John and Theagenes, see letter 89, n. 2.

14. Sarah Ursula Loyer had turned 61 on 17 November.

15. Cf. Matt. 9:24, Mark 5:39 and Luke 8:52.

16. Cf. Phil. 4:3 and Rev. 3:8, 13:8 and 17:8.

17. At this time Charles Obach and his wife Pauline had two daughters, Malchen (7) and Lena (4). Since 1875 the family had been living at 314 Brixton Road (Lambeth), around the corner from Van Gogh’s old lodgings (LAL).

18. Van Gogh was mistaken: the funeral was not on a Saturday but on a Thursday (see letter 88).

19. Although Van Gogh said he was working on Ps. 42:1, he actually quoted Ps. 42:3 (in KJ Ps. 42:2). Cf., however, the related text in rhy. ps. 42:1: ‘mijn ziel verlangt naar God. Ja, mijn ziel dorst naar den Heer’ (My soul yearns for God. Yea, my soul thirsts after the Lord).

20. Matt. 18:26.

21. Cf. letter 89, n. 12.

22. For Bunyan’s The pilgrim’s progress, see letter 96, n. 17.

23. Luke 24:32.

24. Eph. 1:10.