ration, on the score of his anxiety to hear all he could of his friends in England; and I quitted him with a confirmed impression of the strong ardour and sincerity of his attachment to those by whom he did not fancy himself slighted or ill-treated." LETTER CCXCV. TO MR MURRAY. "Sept 4th, 1817. 6 "Your letter of the 15th has conveyed with its contents the impression of a seal, to which the 'Saracen's Head' is a seraph, and the Bull and Mouth' a delicate device. I knew that calumny had sufficiently blackened me of later days, but not that it had given the features as well as complexion of a negro. Poor Augusta is not less, but rather more, shocked than myself, and says 'people seem to have lost their recollection strangely' when they engraved such a blackamoor.' Pray don't seal (at least to me) with such a caricature of the human numskull altogether; and if you don't break the seal cutter's head, at least crack his libel (or likeness, if it should be a likeness) of mine. "Mr. Kinnaird is not yet arrived, but expected. He has lost by the way all the tooth-powder, as a letter from Spa informs me. * * "By Mr Rose I received safely, though tardily, magnesia and tooth-powder, and* *. Why do you send me such trash-worse than trash, the Sublime of Mediocrity? Thanks for Lalla, however, which is good; and thanks for the Edinburgh and Quarterly, both very amusing and well-written. Paris in 1815, &c.-good. Modern Greece-good for nothing; written by some one who has never been there, and not being able to manage the Spenser stanza, has invented a thing of its own, consisting of two elegiac stanzas, a heroic line, and an Alexandrine, twisted on a string. Besides, why 'modern?' You may say modern Greeks, but surely Greece itself is rather more ancient than ever it was.-Now for business. say, "You offer 1500 guineas for the new Canto: I won't take it. I ask two thousand five hundred guineas for it, which you will either give or not, as you think proper. It concludes the poem, and consists of 144 stanzas. The notes are numerous, and chiefly written by Mr Hobhouse, whose researches have been indefatigable, and who. I will venture to has more real knowledge of Rome and its environs than any Englishman who has been there since Gibbon. By the way, to prevent any mistakes, I think it necessary to state the fact that he, Mr Hobhouse, has no interest whatever in the price or profit to be derived from the copyright of either poem or notes directly or indirectly; so that you are not to suppose that it is by, for, or through him, that I require more for this Canto than the preceding.-No : but if Mr Eustace was to have had two thousand for a poem on Education; if Mr Moore is to have three thousand for Lalla, &c.; if Mr Campbell is to have three thousand for his prose on poetry-I don't mean to disparage these gentlemen in their labours-but I ask the aforesaid price for mine. You will tell me that their productions are considerably longer: very true, and when they shorten them, I will lengthen mine, and ask less. You shall submit the MS. to Mr Gifford, and any other two gentlemen to be named by you (Mr Frere, or Mr Croker, or whomever you please, except such fellows as your ✶ ✶s and ** s), and if they pronounce this Canto to be inferior as a whole to the preceding, I will not appeal from their award, but burn the manuscript, and leave things as they are. "Yours very truly. "P.S. In answer to a former letter, I sent you a short statement of what I thought the state of our present copyright account, viz., six hundred pounds still (or lately) due on Childe Harold, and six hundred guineas, Manfred and Tasso, making a total of twelve hundred and thirty pounds. If we agree about the new poem, I shall take the liberty to reserve the choice of the manner in which it should be published, viz. a quarto, certes." LETTER CCXCVI. TO MR HOPPNER. * * * "La Mira, Sept. 12th, 1817. "I set out yesterday morning with the intention of paying my respects, and availing myself of your permission to walk over the premises.* On arriving at Padua, I found that the march of the Austrian troops had engrossed so many horses, that those I could procure were hardly able to crawl; and their weakness, together with the prospect of finding none at all at the post-house of Monselice, and consequently either not arriving that day at Este, or so late as to be unable to return home the same evening, induced me to turn aside in a second visit to Arqua, instead of proceeding onwards; and even thus I hardly got back in time. "Next week I shall be obliged to be in Venice to meet Lord Kinnaird and his brother, who are expected in a few days. And this interruption, together with that occasioned by the continued march of the Austrians for the next few days, will not allow me to fix any precise period for availing myself of your kindness, though I should wish to take the earliest opportunity. Perhaps, if absent, you will have the goodness to permit one of your servants to show me the grounds and house, or as much of either as may be convenient; at any rate, I shall take the first occasion possible to go over, and regret very much that I was yesterday prevented. "I have the honour to be your obliged, &c." A country-house on the Euganean hills, near Este, which Mr Hoppner, who was then the English ConsulGeneral at Venice, had for some time occupied, and which Lord Byron afterwards rented of him, but never resided in it. † So great was the demand for horses, on the line of march of the Austrians, that all those belonging to private individuals were put in requisition for their use, and Lord Byron himself received an order to send his for the same purpose. This, however, he positively refused to do, adding, that if an attempt were made to take them by force, he would shoot them through the head in the middle of the road, rather than submit to such an act of tyranny upon a foreigner who was merely a temporary resident in the country. Whether his answer was ever reported to the higher authorities I know not; but his horses were suffered to remain unmolested in his stables. LETTER CCXCVII. TO MR MURRAY. "Sept. 15th, 1817. "I enclose a sheet for correction, if ever you get to another edition. You will observe that the blunder in printing makes it appear as if the Chateau was over St Gingo, instead of being on the opposite shore of the Lake, over Clarens. So, separate the paragraphs, otherwise my topography will seem as inaccurate as your typography on this occasion. * TO MR MURRAY. "September 17th, 1817. * * * "Mr Hobhouse purposes being in England in November; he will bring the Fourth Canto with him, notes and all; the text contains one hundred and long for that measure. fifty stanzas, which "The other day I wrote to convey my proposition with regard to the fourth and concluding Canto. I have gone over and extended it to one hundred and fifty stanzas, which is almost as long as the two first were originally, and longer by itself than any of the smaller poems except the Corsair.' Mr Hobhouse has made some very valuable and accurate notes of considerable length, and you may be sure that I will do for the text all that I can to finish with decency. I look upon Childe Harold as my best; and as I be"With regard to the Ariosto of the North,' surely gun, I think of concluding with it. But I make no their themes, chivalry, war, and love, were as like as resolutions on that head, as I broke my former intencan be; and as to the compliment, if you knew what tion with regard to the 'Corsair.' However, I fear the Italians think of Ariosto, you would not hesitate that I shall never do better; and yet, not being thirty about that. But as to their 'measures,' you forget that Ariosto's is an octave stanza, and Scott's any years of age, for some moons to come, one ought to be progressive as far as intellect goes for many a good thing but a stanza. If you think Scott will dislike it, year. But I have had a devilish deal of tear and wear say so, and I will expunge. I do not call him the of mind and body in my time, besides having pub-Scotch Ariosto,' which would be sad provincial lished too often and much already. God grant me eulogy, but the Ariosto of the North,' meaning of some judgment to do what may be most fitting in that all countries that are not the South. and every thing else, for I doubt my own exceedingly. "I have read 'Lalla Rookh,' but not with sufficient attention yet, for I ride about, and lounge, and ponder, and two or three other things; so that my reading is very desultory, and not so attentive as it used to be. I am very glad to hear of its popularity, for Moore is a very noble fellow in all respects, and will enjoy it without any of the bad feelings which success -good or evil-sometimes engenders in the men of rhyme. Of the Poem itself, I will tell you my opinion when I have mastered it: I say of the Poem, for I don't like the prose at all, at all; and in the meantime, the Fire-worshippers' is the best, and the "Veiled Prophet' the worst, of the volume. 6 ་ "With regard to poetry in general,* I am convinced, the more I think of it, that he and all of usScott, Southey, Wordsworth, Moore, Campbell, I, -are all in the wrong, one as much as another; that we are upon a wrong revolutionary poetical system, or systems, not worth a damn in itself, and from which none but Rogers and Crabbe are free; and that the present and next generations will finally be of this opinion. I am the more confirmed in this by having lately gone over some of our classics, particularly Pope whom I tried in this way :-I took Moore's poems and my own and some others, and went over them side by side with Pope's, and I was really asto nished (I ought not to have been so) and mortified at On this paragraph, in the MS. copy of the above letter, I find the following note, in the handwriting of Mr Gifford "There is more good sense, and feeling, and judgment in this passage, than in any other I ever read, or Lord Byron wrote." * * "In 's Life, I perceive an attack upon the then Committee of D. L. Theatre for acting Bertram, and an attack upon Maturin's Bertram for being acted. Considering all things, this is not very grateful nor graceful on the part of the worthy autobiographer; and I would answer, if I had not obliged him. Putting my own pains to forward the views of ** out of the question, I know that there was every disposition, on the part of the Sub-Committee, to bring forward any production of his, were it feasible. The play he offered, though poetical, did not appear at all practicable, and Bertram did;-and hence this long tirade, which is the last chapter of his vagabond life. "As for Bertram, Maturin may defend his own "My answer to your proposition about the Fourth Canto you will have received, and I await yours ;perhaps we may not agree. I have since written a Poem (of 84 octave stanzas), humorous, in or after the excellent manner of Mr Whistlecraft (whom I take to be Frere), on a Venitian anecdote which amused me :-but till I have your answer, I can say nothing more about it. "Mr Hobhouse does not return to England in November, as he intended, but will winter here; and as he is to convey the poem, or poems,-for there may perhaps be more than the two mentioned (which, by the way, I shall not perhaps include in the same publication or agreement), I shall not be able to publish so soon as expected; but I suppose there is no harm in the delay. I have signed and sent your former copyrights by Mr Kinnaird, but not the receipt, because the money is not yet paid. Mr. Kinnaird has a power of attorney to sign for me, and will, when necessary. 66 'Many thanks for the Edinburgh Review, which is very kind about Manfred, and defends its originality, which I did not know that any body had attacked. I never read, and do not know that I ever saw, the Faustus of Marlow,' and had, and have, no dramatic works by me in English, except the recent things you sent me; but I heard Mr Lewis translate verbally some scenes of Goethe's Faust (which were, some good, and some bad) last summer;-which is all I know of the history of that magical personage; and as to the germs of Manfred, they may be found in the Journal which I sent to Mrs Leigh (part of which you saw) when I went over first the Dent de Jaman, and then the Wengen or Wengeberg Alp and Sheideck, and made the giro of the Jungfrau, Shreckhorn, &c. &c. shortly before I left Switzerland. Jaman, the whole scene of Manfred before me as if it was but yesterday, and could point it out, spot by spot, torrent and all. "Of the Prometheus of Eschylus I was passionately fond as a boy (it was one of the Greek plays we read thrice a year at Harrow);-indeed that and the 'Medea' were the only ones, except the Seven before Thebes,' which ever much pleased me. As to the Faustus of Marlow,' I never read, never saw, nor heard of it-at least, thought of it, except that I think Mr Gifford mentioned, in a note of his which you sent me, something about the catastrophe ; but not as having any thing to do with mine, which may or may not resemble it, for any thing I know. "The Prometheus, if not exactly in my plan, has always been so much in my head, that I can easily conceive its influence over all or any thing that I have written ;-but I deny Marlow and his progeny, and beg that you will do the same. "If you can send me the paper in question,* which the Edinburgh Review mentions, do. The review in the magazine you say was written by Wilson? it had all the air of being a poet's, and was a very good The Edinburgh Review I take to be Jeffrey's own by its friendliness. I wonder they thought it worth while to do so, so soon after the former; but it was evidently with a good motive. one. "I saw Hoppner the other day, whose countryhouse at Este I have taken for two years. If you come out next summer, let me know in time, Love to Gifford. "Yours ever truly. "Crabbe, Malcolm, Hamilton, and Chantrey, These two lines are omitted in your letter to the doctor, after "All clever men who make their way." LETTER CCC. TO MR MURRAY. "Venice, October 23d, 1817. "Your two letters are before me, and our bargain is so far concluded. How sorry I am to hear that Gifford is unwell! Pray tell me he is better: I hope it is nothing but cold. As you say his illness originates in cold, I trust it will get no further. "Mr Whistlecraft has no greater admirer than myself: I have written a story in 89 stanzas, in imitation of him, called Beppo (the short name for Giuseppe, that is, the Joe of the Italian Joseph), which I shall throw you into the balance of the Fourth Canto, to help you round to your money; but you perhaps had better publish it anonymously; but this we will see to by and by. "In the Notes to Canto Fourth, Mr Hobhouse has pointed out several errors of Gibbon. You may depend upon H.'s research and accuracy. You may print it in what shape you please. "With regard to a future large Edition, you may print all, or any thing, except English Bards,' to the republication of which at no time will I consent. I would not reprint them on any consideration. I don't think them good for much, even in point of poetry; and, as to other things, you are to recollect that I gave up the publication on account of the Hollands, and I do not think that any time or circumstances can neutralize the suppression. Add to which, that, after being on terms with almost all the bards and critics of the day, it would be savage at any time, but worst of all now, to revive this foolish Lampoon. burgh controverts) that it was taken from Marlow's | Admiralty, and its bookseller. I used to think that Faust, which I never read nor saw. An American, I was a good deal of an author in amour propre and who came the other day from Germany, told M. Hob- noli me tangere; but these prose fellows are worst, house that Manfred was taken from Goëthe's Faust. after all, about their little comforts. The devil may take both the Faustuses, German and English-I have taken neither. "Will you send to Hanson, and say that he has not written since 9th September?-at least I have had no letter since, to my great surprise. "Do you remember my mentioning, some months ago, the Marquis Moncada-a Spaniard of distinction and fourscore years, my summer neighbour at La Mira? Well, about six weeks ago, he fell in love with a Venetian girl of family, and no fortune or cha "Will you desire Messrs Morland to send out what-racter; took her into his mansion; quarrelled with all ever additional sums have or may be paid in credit immediately, and always, to their Venice correspondents? It is two months ago that they sent me out an additional credit for one thousand pounds. I was very glad of it, but I don't know how the devil it came; for I can only make out 500 of Hanson's payment, and I had thought the other 500 came from you; but it did not, it seems, as, by yours of the 7th instant, you have only just paid the £1230 balance. "Mr Kinnaird is on his way home with the assignments. I can fix no time for the arrival of Canto Fourth, which depends on the journey of Mr Hobhouse home; and I, do not think that this will be immediate. "Yours in great haste and very truly, "B. "P. S. Morlands have not yet written to my bankers apprizing the payment of your balances: pray desire them to do so. "Ask them about the previous thousand-of which I know 500 came from Hanson's-and make out the other 500-that is, whence it came." LETTER CCCI. TO MR MURRAY. "Venice, November 15th, 1817. "Mr Kinnaird has probably returned to England by this time, and will have conveyed to you any tidings you may wish to have of us and ours. I have come back to Venice for the winter. Mr Hobhouse will probably set off in December, but what day or week, I know not. He is my opposite neighbour at present. "I wrote yesterday in some perplexity, and no very good humour, to Mr Kinnaird, to inform me about Newstead and the Hansons, of which and whom I hear nothing since his departure from this place, except in a few unintelligible words from an unintelligible woman. "I am as sorry to hear of Dr Polidori's accident as one can be for a person for whom one has a dislike, and something of contempt. When he gets well, tell me, and how he gets on in the sick line. Poor fellow! how came he to fix there? "I fear the Doctor's skill at Norwich Methought he was going to the Brazils to give the Portuguese physic (of which they are fond to desperation) with the Danish consul. his former friends for giving him advice (except me who gave him none), and installed her present concubine and future wife and mistress of himself and furniture. At the end of a month, in which she demeaned herself as ill as possible, he found out a correspondence between her and some former keeper, and after nearly strangling, turned her out of the house, to the great scandal of the keeping part of the town, and with a prodigious éclat, which has occupied all the canals and coffee-houses in Venice. He said she wanted to poison him; and she says-God knows what; but between them they have made a great deal of noise. I know a little of both the parties: Moncada seemed a very sensible old man, a character which he has not quite kept up on this occasion; and the woman is rather showy than pretty. For the honour of religion, she was bred in a convent, and for the credit of Great Britain, taught by an Englishwoman. "Yours, &c." LETTER CCCII. TO MR MURRAY. "Venice, December 3d, 1817. "A Venetian lady, learned and somewhat stricken in years, having, in her intervals of love and devotion, taken upon her to translate the Letters and write the Life of Lady Mary Wortley Montague,-to which undertaking there are two obstacles, firstly, ignorance of English, and, secondly, a total dearth of information on the subject of her projected biography, has applied to me for facts or falsities upon this promising project. Lady Montague lived the last twenty or more years of her life in or near Venice, I believe; but here they know nothing, and remember nothing, for the story of to-day is succeeded by the scandal of to-morrow; and the wit, and beauty, and gallantry, which might render your country woman notorious in her own country, must have been here no great distinction--because the first is in no request, and the two latter are common to all women, or at least the last of them. If you can therefore tell me any thing, or get any thing told, of Lady Wortley Montague, I shall take it as a favour, and will transfer and translate it to the Dama' in question. And I pray you besides to send me, by some quick and safe voyager, the edition of her Let ters, 6 and the stupid Life, by Dr Dallaway, published by her proud and foolish family. "The death of the Princess Charlotte has been a shock even here, and must have been an earthquake at home. The Courier's list of some three hundred heirs to the crown (including the house of Wirtemberg, with that ***, P—, of disreputable memory, whom I remember seeing at various balls during the visit of the Muscovites, &c. in 1814) must be very consolatory to all true lieges, as well as foreigners, except Signor Travis, a rich Jew merchant of this city, who complains grievously of the length of British mourning, which has countermanded all the silks which he was on the point of transmitting, for a year to come. The death of this poor girl is melancholy in every respect, dying at twenty or so, in childbed-of a boy too, a present princess and future queen, and just as she began to be happy, and to enjoy herself and the hopes which she inspired. * * * * "The Prince will marry again, after divorcing his wife, and Mr Southey will write an elegy now, and an ode then; the Quarterly will have an article against the press, and the Edinburgh an article, half and half, about reform and right of divorce; * * the British will give you Dr Chalmers's funeral sermon much commended, with a place in the stars for deceased royalty; and the Morning Post will have already yelled forth its syllables of dolour.' 'Woe, woe, Nealliny !-the young Nealliny!' "Venice, December 15th, 1817. "I should have thanked you before, for your favour a few days ago, had I not been in the intention of paying my respects, personally, this evening, from which I am deterred by the recollection that you will probably be at the Count Goess's this evening, which has made me postpone my intrusion. "I think your Elegy a remarkably good one, not only as a composition, but both the politics and poetry contain a far greater portion of truth and generosity than belongs to the times, or to the professors of these opposite pursuits, which usually agree only in one point, as extremes meet. I do not know whether you wished me to retain the copy, but I shall retain it till you tell me otherwise; and am very much obliged by the perusal. "My own sentiments on Venice, &c. such as they are, I had already thrown into verse last summer, in the Fourth Canto of Childe Harold, now in preparation for the press; and I think much more highly of them, for being in coincidence with yours. "Believe me yours, &c." "Venice, January 19th, 1818. "I send you the Story† in three other separate covers. It won't do for your Journal, being full of political allusions. Print alone, without name; alter nothing; get a scholar to see that the Italian phrases are correctly published (your printing, by the way, always makes me ill with its eternal blunders, which are incessant), and God speed you. Hobhouse left Venice a fortnight ago, saving two days. I have heard nothing of or from him. "Yours, &c. "He has the whole of the MSS.; so put up prayers in your back shop, or in the printer's Chapel."" * "Vide your letter." † Beppo. |