1. Salles had informed Theo on 19 April about Vincent’s decision to have himself admitted to an asylum, and had sent him information about the institution at Saint-Rémy (FR b1050). See letter 756, n. 6 and letter 762, n. 2.

a. Read: ‘distrait’.

2. Since 20 April Theo had been living with his wife, Jo Bonger, at 8 cité Pigalle. See Brief happiness 1999, p. 27.

3. Van Gogh did not finish this sentence.

4. Here Van Gogh is less harsh in his judgement of the people who had signed the petition complaining about him in February. He had previously accused them of a cowardly and meddlesome attitude towards him (see letters 750 and 751).

5. For the various attacks, see letter 750, n. 4.

6. As emerges from letter 726, Theo often used the expression ‘qui vivra verra’ (time will tell).

7. This ‘failure’ refers to Van Gogh’s dashed hopes of turning the Yellow House into a true artists’ house. The first attack of his illness had put an abrupt end to his collaboration with Gauguin (see letter 728).

8. The owner of the Yellow House was Marie Louise Verdier; Van Gogh paid his rent to Verdier’s agent, Bernard Soulè, who was in charge of the building. See letter 602, n. 19.