[From an
autograph
MS.
Byron
Moore ("Parody of a
Celebrated Letter") makes the Regent conceive how shocked the king would
be to wake up sane and find "that R--se was grown honest, or
W--stm--rel--nd wiser. "]
[47] [Ernest Augustus (1771-1851), Duke of Cumberland and King of
Hanover, fifth son of George III. , was gazetted as Field-Marshal
November 27, 1813. His "wounds," which, according to the Duke's sworn
testimony, were seventeen in number, were inflicted during an encounter
with his valet, Joseph Sellis (? Selis), a Piedmontese, who had
attempted to assassinate the Prince (June 1, 1810), and, shortly
afterwards, was found with his throat cut. A jury of Westminster
tradesmen brought in a verdict of _felo de se_ against Sellis. The event
itself and the trial before the coroner provoked controversy and the
grossest scandal. The question is discussed and the Duke exonerated of
the charges brought against him, by J. H. Jesse, _Memoirs, etc. , of
George III. _, 1864, iii. 545, 546, and by George Rose, _Diaries, etc. _,
1860, ii. 437-446. The scandal was revived in 1832 by the publication of
a work entitled _The Authentic Memoirs of the Court of England for the
last Seventy Years. _ The printer and publisher of the work was found
guilty. (See _The Trial of Josiah Phillips for a Libel on the Duke of
Cumberland_, 1833. )]
[48] ["At half-past nine [Wednesday, December 8, 1813] there was a grand
dress party at Carlton House, at which her Majesty and the Prince Regent
most graciously received the following distinguished characters from the
Russian Court, viz. the Count and Countess Leiven, Mad. La Barrone
(_sic_) de Stael, Monsieur de Stael," etc. --_Morning Chronicle_,
December 10, 1813. ]
[49] [In the review of Madame de Stael's _De L'Allemagne_ (_Edinburgh
Review_, October, 1813, vol. 22, pp. 198-238), Sir James Mackintosh
enlarged upon and upheld the "opinions of Kant" as creative and seminal
in the world of thought. In the same article he passes in review the
systems of Hobbes, Paley, Bentham, Reid, etc. , and finds words of praise
and admiration for each in turn. See, too, a passage (p. 226) in which
he alludes to Coleridge as a living writer, whose "singular character
and unintelligible style" might, in any other country but England, have
won for him attention if not approval. His own "conversion" from the
extreme liberalism of the _Vindiciae Gallicae_ of 1791 to the philosophic
conservatism of the _Introductory Discourse_ (1798) to his lecture on
_The Law of Nature and Nations_, was regarded with suspicion by
Wordsworth and Coleridge, who, afterwards, were still more effectually
"converted" themselves. ]
[50] [See Introduction to _The Waltz, Poetical Works_, 1898, i. 475. ]
[51] [_Illusion, or the Trances of Nourjahad_, a melodrama founded on
_The History of Nourjahad_, By the Editor of Sidney Bidulph (Mrs.
Frances Sheridan, _nee_ Chamberlaine, 1724-1766), was played for the
first time at Drury Lane Theatre, November 25, 1813. Byron was
exceedingly indignant at being credited with the authorship or
adaptation. (See Letter to Murray, November 27, 1813, _Letters_, 1898,
ii. 288, _note_ 1. ) Miss Sophia Lee, who wrote some of the _Canterbury
Tales_, "made a very elegant musical drama of it" (_Memoirs of Mrs. F.
Sheridan_, by Alicia Lefanu, 1824, p. 296); but this was not the
_Nourjahad_ of Drury Lane. ]
[52] [Millbank Penitentiary, which was built in the form of a pentagon,
was finally taken in hand in the spring of 1813. Solitary confinement in
the "cells" was, at first, reserved as a punishment for
misconduct. --_Memorials of Millbank_, by Arthur Griffiths, 1875, i. 57. ]
WINDSOR POETICS.
LINES COMPOSED ON THE OCCASION OF HIS ROYAL HIGHNESS
THE PRINCE REGENT BEING SEEN STANDING BETWEEN
THE COFFINS OF HENRY VIII. AND CHARLES I. ,
IN THE ROYAL VAULT AT WINDSOR.
FAMED for contemptuous breach of sacred ties,
By headless Charles see heartless Henry lies;
Between them stands another sceptred thing--
It moves, it reigns--in all but name, a king:
Charles to his people, Henry to his wife,
--In him the double tyrant starts to life:
Justice and Death have mixed their dust in vain,
Each royal Vampire wakes to life again.
Ah, what can tombs avail! --since these disgorge
The blood and dust of both--to mould a George. [53]
[First published, _Poetical Works_, Paris, 1819, vi. 125. ]
[ANOTHER VERSION. ]
ON A ROYAL VISIT TO THE VAULTS. [54]
[OR CAESAR'S DISCOVERY OF C. I. AND H. 8. IN YE SAME VAULT. ]
FAMED for their civil and domestic quarrels
See heartless Henry lies by headless Charles;
Between them stands another sceptred thing,
It lives, it reigns--"aye, every inch a king. "
Charles to his people, Henry to his wife,
In him the double tyrant starts to life:
Justice and Death have mixed their dust in vain.
The royal Vampires join and rise again.
What now can tombs avail, since these disgorge
The blood and dirt[55] of both to mould a George!
FOOTNOTES:
[53] ["I cannot conceive how the _Vault_ has got about; but so it is. It
is too _farouche_; but truth to say, my satires are not very
playful. "--Letter to Moore, March 12, 1814, _Letters_, 1899, iii. 57-58.
Moore had written to him, "Your lines about the bodies of Charles and
Henry are, I find, circulated with wonderful avidity; even some clods in
this neighbourhood have had a copy sent to them by some 'young ladies in
town. '"--_Ibid_. , p. 57, _note_ 3.
The discovery "that King Charles I. was buried in the vault of King
Henry VIII. ," was made on completing the mausoleum which George III.
caused to be built in the tomb-house. The Prince Regent was informed of
the circumstance, and on April 1, 1813, the day after the funeral of his
mother-in-law, the Duchess of Brunswick, he superintended in person the
opening of the leaden coffin, which bore the inscription, "King Charles,
1648" (_sic_). See _An Account of what appeared on Opening the Coffin of
King Charles the First_, by Sir H. Halford, Bart. , 1813, pp. 6, 7.
Cornelia Knight, in her _Autobiography_ (1861, i. 227), notes that the
frolic prince, the "Adonis of fifty," who was in a good humour, and "had
given to Princess Charlotte the centre sapphire of Charles's crown,"
acted "the manner of decapitation on my shoulders. " He had "forgotten"
Cromwell, who, as Lord Auchinleck reminded Dr. Johnson, had "gart kings
ken that they had a _lith_ in their neck! "]
[54] [From an autograph MS. in the possession of the Hon. Mrs. Norbury.
The first wrapper has written upon it, "The original Impromptu within is
in the handwriting of the noble author Lord Byron, given to Mr. Norbury
[private secretary to Lord Granville] by Mr. Dallas, his Lordship's
valued relative. "
Second wrapper, "Autograph of Lord Byron--tres precieux. "
Third (outside) wrapper, "Autographe celebre de Lord Byron. "]
[55][
? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? [Greek: Pel? n ai(/mati pephyramhenon]
"Clay kneaded with blood. "
Suetonius, in _Tiberium_, cap. 57. ]
ICH DIEN.
FROM this emblem what variance your motto evinces,
For the _Man_ is his country's--the Arms are the Prince's!
? 1814.
[From an autograph MS. in the possession of
Mr. A. H. Hallam Murray, now for the first time printed. ]
CONDOLATORY ADDRESS
TO SARAH COUNTESS OF JERSEY, ON THE PRINCE REGENT'S
RETURNING HER PICTURE TO MRS. MEE. [56]
WHEN the vain triumph of the imperial lord,
Whom servile Rome obeyed, and yet abhorred,
Gave to the vulgar gaze each glorious bust,
That left a likeness of the brave, or just;
What most admired each scrutinising eye
Of all that decked that passing pageantry?
What spread from face to face that wondering air?
The thought of Brutus[57]--for his was not there!
That absence proved his worth,--that absence fixed
His memory on the longing mind, unmixed; 10
And more decreed his glory to endure,
Than all a gold Colossus could secure.
If thus, fair Jersey, our desiring gaze
Search for thy form, in vain and mute amaze,
Amidst those pictured charms, whose loveliness,
Bright though they be, thine own had rendered less:
If he, that VAIN OLD MAN, whom truth admits
Heir of his father's crown, and of his wits,
If his corrupted eye, and withered heart,
Could with thy gentle image bear to part; 20
That tasteless shame be _his_, and ours the grief,
To gaze on Beauty's band without its chief:
Yet Comfort still one selfish thought imparts,
We lose the portrait, but preserve our hearts.
What can his vaulted gallery now disclose?
A _garden_ with all flowers--except the rose;--
A _fount_ that only wants its living stream;
A _night_, with every star, save Dian's beam.
Lost to our eyes the present forms shall be,
That turn from tracing them to dream of thee; 30
And more on that recalled resemblance pause,
Than all he _shall_ not force on our applause.
Long may thy yet meridian lustre shine,
With all that Virtue asks of Homage thine:
The symmetry of youth--the grace of mien--
The eye that gladdens--and the brow serene;
The glossy darkness of that clustering hair,[58]
Which shades, yet shows that forehead more than fair!
Each glance that wins us, and the life that throws
A spell which will not let our looks repose, 40
But turn to gaze again, and find anew
Some charm that well rewards another view.
These are not lessened, these are still as bright,
Albeit too dazzling _for a dotard's sight_;
And those must wait till ev'ry charm is gone,
To please the paltry heart that pleases none;--
That dull cold sensualist, whose sickly eye
In envious dimness passed thy portrait by;
Who racked his little spirit to combine
Its hate of _Freedom's_ loveliness, and _thine_. 50
_May_ 29, 1814.
[First published in _The Champion_, July 31, 1814. ]
FOOTNOTES:
[56] ["The gentlemen of the _Champion_, and Perry, have got hold (I know
not how) of the condolatory Address to Lady Jersey on the
picture-abduction by our Regent, and have published them--with my name,
too, smack--without even asking leave, or inquiring whether or no! Damn
their impudence, and damn every thing. It has put me out of patience,
and so, I shall say no more about it. "--Letter to Moore, August 3, 1814,
_Letters_, 1899, iii. 118. For Byron's letter to Lady Jersey, of May 29,
1814, and a note from her with reference to a lost(? ) copy of the
verses, _vide ibid_. , p. 85. Mrs. Anne Mee (1775? -1851) was a
miniature-painter, who was employed by the Prince Regent to take the
portraits of fashionable beauties. ]
[57] [Compare _Childe Harold_, Canto IV. stanza lix. line 3, _Poetical
Works_, 1899, ii. 374, _note_ 2. ]
[58] [See _Conversations . . . with the Countess of Blessington_, 1834,
p. 50. ]
[Illustration: ANNESLEY HALL. ]
FRAGMENT OF AN EPISTLE TO THOMAS MOORE.
"WHAT say _I_? "--not a syllable further in prose;
I'm your man "of all measures," dear Tom,--so here goes!
Here goes, for a swim on the stream of old Time,
On those buoyant supporters, the bladders of rhyme.
If our weight breaks them down, and we sink in the flood,
We are smothered, at least, in respectable mud,
Where the divers of Bathos lie drowned in a heap,
And Southey's last Paean has pillowed his sleep;
That _Felo de se_ who, half drunk with his Malmsey,
Walked out of his depth and was lost in a calm sea, 10
Singing "Glory to God" in a spick and span stanza,
The like (since Tom Sternhold was choked) never man saw. [59]
The papers have told you, no doubt, of the fusses,
The fetes, and the gapings to get at these Russes,[60]--
Of his Majesty's suite, up from coachman to Hetman,--
And what dignity decks the flat face of the great man.
I saw him, last week, at two balls and a party,--
For a Prince, his demeanour was rather too hearty.
You know, _we_ are used to quite different graces,
* * * * *
The Czar's look, I own, was much brighter and brisker, 20
But then he is sadly deficient in whisker;
And wore but a starless blue coat, and in kersey-
mere breeches whisked round, in a waltz with the Jersey,[61]
Who, lovely as ever, seemed just as delighted
With Majesty's presence as those she invited.
* * * * *
* * * * *
_June_, 1814.
[First published, _Letters and Journals_, 1830, i. 561, 562 (note). ]
FOOTNOTES:
[59] [The two first stanzas of Southey's "_Carmen Triumphale_, for the
Commencement of the Year 1814," end with the line--
"Glory to God--Deliverance for Mankind! "]
[60] ["The newspapers will tell you all that is to be told of emperors,
etc. They have dined, and supped, and shown their flat faces in all
thoroughfares and several saloons. "--Letter to Moore, June 14, 1814,
_Letters_, 1899, iii. 93, 94.
From June 6 to June 27, 1814, the Emperor of Russia, and the King of
Prussia were in England. Huge crowds watched all day and night outside
the Pulteney Hotel (105, Piccadilly), where the Emperor of Russia
stayed. Among the foreigners in London were Nesselrode, Metternich,
Blucher, and Platoff, Hetman of the Cossacks. The two latter were the
heroes of the mob. _Ibid_. , p. 93, _note_ 1. ]
[61] ["The Emperor," says Lady Vernon (_Journal of Mary Frampton_, pp.
225, 226), "is fond of dancing. . . . He waltzed with Lady Jersey, whom he
admires, to the great discomposure of the Regent, who has quarrelled
with her. "]
ANSWER TO----'S PROFESSIONS OF AFFECTION.
IN hearts like thine ne'er may I hold a place
Till I renounce all sense, all shame, all grace--
That seat,--like seats, the bane of Freedom's realm,
But dear to those presiding at the helm--
Is basely purchased, not with gold alone;
Add Conscience, too, this bargain is your own--
'T is thine to offer with corrupting art
The _rotten borough_[62] of the human heart.
? 1814.
[From an autograph MS. , now for the first time printed. ]
FOOTNOTES:
[62] [The phrase, "rotten borough," was used by Sir F. Burdett,
_Examiner_, October 12, 1812. ]
ON NAPOLEON'S ESCAPE FROM ELBA. [63]
ONCE fairly set out on his party of pleasure,
Taking towns at his liking, and crowns at his leisure,
From Elba to Lyons and Paris he goes,
Making _balls for_ the ladies, and _bows to_ his foes.
_March 27, 1815. _
[First published, _Letters and Journals_, 1830, i. 611. ]
FOOTNOTES:
[63] [It may be taken for granted that the "source" of this epigram was
a paragraph in the _Morning Chronicle_ of March 27, 1815: "In the
_Moniteur_ of Thursday we find the Emperor's own account of his _jaunt_
from the Island of Elba to the palace of the Thuilleries. It seems
certainly more like a jaunt of pleasure than the progress of an invader
through a country to be gained. "]
ENDORSEMENT TO THE DEED OF SEPARATION,
IN THE APRIL OF 1816.
A YEAR ago you swore, fond she!
"To love, to honour," and so forth:
Such was the vow you pledged to me,
And here's exactly what 't is worth.
[First published, _Poetical Works_, 1831, vi. 454. ]
[TO GEORGE ANSON BYRON(? )[64]]
1.
AND, dost thou ask the reason of my sadness?
Well, I will tell it thee, unfeeling boy!
'Twas ill report that urged my brain to madness,
'Twas thy tongue's venom poisoned all my joy.
2.
The sadness which thou seest is not sorrow;
My wounds are far too deep for simple grief;
The heart thus withered, seeks in vain to borrow
From calm reflection, comfort or relief.
3.
The arrow's flown, and dearly shalt thou rue it;
No mortal hand can rid me of my pain:
My heart is pierced, but thou canst not subdue it--
Revenge is left, and is not left in vain.
? 1816.
[First published, _Nicnac_, March 25, 1823. ]
FOOTNOTES:
[64] ["A short time before Lord Byron quitted England, in 1816, he
addressed these lines to an individual by whom he deemed himself
injured; they are but little known. "--_Nicnac_, March 25, 1823. ]
SONG FOR THE LUDDITES. [65]
1.
AS the Liberty lads o'er the sea
Bought their freedom, and cheaply, with blood,
So we, boys, we
Will _die_ fighting, or _live_ free,
And down with all kings but King Ludd!
2.
When the web that we weave is complete,
And the shuttle exchanged for the sword,
We will fling the winding sheet
O'er the despot at our feet,
And dye it deep in the gore he has poured.
3.
Though black as his heart its hue,
Since his veins are corrupted to mud,
Yet this is the dew
Which the tree shall renew
Of Liberty, planted by Ludd!
December 24, 1816.
[First published, _Letters and Journals_, 1830, ii. 58. ]
FOOTNOTES:
[65] [The term "Luddites" dates from 1811, and was applied first to
frame-breakers, and then to the disaffected in general. It was derived
from a half-witted lad named Ned Lud, who entered a house in a fit of
passion, and destroyed a couple of stocking-frames. The song was an
impromptu, enclosed in a letter to Moore of December 24, 1816. "I have
written it principally," he says, "to shock your neighbour [Hodgson? ]
who is all clergy and loyalty--mirth and innocence--milk and water. " See
_Letters_, 1900, iv. 30; and for General Lud and "Luddites," see
_Letters_, 1898, ii. 97, note 1. ]
TO THOMAS MOORE.
What are you doing now,
Oh Thomas Moore?
What are you doing now,
Oh Thomas Moore?
Sighing or suing now,
Rhyming or wooing now,
Billing or cooing now,
Which, Thomas Moore?
But the Carnival's coming,
Oh Thomas Moore!
The Carnival's coming,
Oh Thomas Moore!
Masking and humming,
Fifing and drumming,
Guitarring and strumming,
Oh Thomas Moore!
December 24, 1816.
[First published, _Letters and Journals_, 1830, ii. 58, 59. ]
TO MR. MURRAY.
TO hook the Reader, you, John Murray,
Have published "Anjou's Margaret,"[66]
Which won't be sold off in a hurry
(At least, it has not been as yet);
And then, still further to bewilder him,
Without remorse, you set up "Ilderim;"[67]
So mind you don't get into debt,--
Because--as how--if you should fail,
These books would be but baddish bail.
And mind you do _not_ let escape
These rhymes to _Morning Post_ or Perry,
Which would be _very_ treacherous--_very_,
And get me into such a scrape!
For, firstly, I should have to sally,
All in my little boat, against a _Galley_;
And, should I chance to slay the Assyrian wight,
Have next to combat with the female Knight:
And pricked to death expire upon her needle,
A sort of end which I should take indeed ill!
March 25, 1817.
[First published, _Letters and Journals_, 1830, ii. 91. ]
FOOTNOTES:
[66] [_Margaret of Anjou_, by Margaret Holford, 1816. ]
[67] [_Ilderim, a Syrian Tale_, by H. Gaily Knight, 1816. ]
VERSICLES.
I READ the "Christabel;"[68]
Very well:
I read the "Missionary;"[69]
Pretty--very:
I tried at "Ilderim;"
Ahem!
I read a sheet of "Marg'ret of _Anjou_;"
_Can you_?
I turned a page of Webster's "Waterloo;"[70]
Pooh! pooh!
I looked at Wordsworth's milk-white "Rylstone Doe;"[71]
Hillo!
I read "Glenarvon," too, by Caro Lamb;[72]
God damn!
March 25, 1817.
[First published, _Letters and Journals_, 1830, ii. 87. ]
FOOTNOTES:
[68] [_Christabel, etc. _, by S. T. Coleridge, 1816. ]
[69] [_The Missionary of the Andes, a Poem_, by W. L. Bowles, 1815. ]
[70] [_Waterloo and other Poems_, by J. Wedderburn Webster, 1816. ]
[71] [_The White Doe of Rylstone, or the Fate of the Nortons, a Poem_,
by W. Wordsworth, 1815. ]
[72] [_Glenarvon, a Novel_ [by Lady Caroline Lamb], 1816. ]
QUEM DEUS VULT PERDERE PRIUS DEMENTAT. [73]
God maddens him whom't is his will to lose,
And gives the choice of death or phrenzy--choose.
[First published, _Letters_, 1900, iv. 93. ]
FOOTNOTES:
[73] [_A propos_ of Maturin's tragedy, _Manuel_ (_vide post_, p. 48,
_note_ 1), Byron "does into English" the Latin proverb by way of
contrast to the text, "Whom the Lord loveth He chasteneth; blessed be
the Name of the Lord" (Letter to Murray, April 2, 1817). ]
TO THOMAS MOORE.
1.
My boat is on the shore,
And my bark is on the sea;
But, before I go, Tom Moore,
Here's a double health to thee!
2.
Here's a sigh to those who love me,
And a smile to those who hate;
And, whatever sky's above me,
Here's a heart for every fate.
3.
Though the Ocean roar around me,
Yet it still shall bear me on;
Though a desert shall surround me,
It hath springs that may be won.
4.
Were't the last drop in the well,
As I gasped upon the brink,
Ere my fainting spirit fell,
'T is to thee that I would drink.
5.
With that water, as this wine,
The libation I would pour
Should be--peace with thine and mine,
And a health to thee, Tom Moore. [74]
July, 1817.
[First published, _Waltz_, London, W. Benbow, 1821, p. 29. ]
FOOTNOTES:
[74] ["This should have been written fifteen months ago; the first
stanza was. "--Letter to Moore, July 10, 1817. ]
EPISTLE FROM MR. MURRAY TO DR. POLIDORI. [75]
DEAR Doctor, I have read your play,
Which is a good one in its way,--
Purges the eyes, and moves the bowels,
And drenches handkerchiefs like towels
With tears, that, in a flux of grief,
Afford hysterical relief
To shattered nerves and quickened pulses,
Which your catastrophe convulses.
I like your moral and machinery;
Your plot, too, has such scope for Scenery! 10
Your dialogue is apt and smart;
The play's concoction full of art;
Your hero raves, your heroine cries,
All stab, and every body dies.
In short, your tragedy would be
The very thing to hear and see:
And for a piece of publication,
If I decline on this occasion,
It is not that I am not sensible
To merits in themselves ostensible, 20
But--and I grieve to speak it--plays
Are drugs--mere drugs, Sir--now-a-days.
I had a heavy loss by _Manuel_--[76]
Too lucky if it prove not annual,--
And Sotheby, with his _Orestes_,[77]
(Which, by the way, the old Bore's best is),
Has lain so very long on hand,
That I despair of all demand;
I've advertised, but see my books,
Or only watch my Shopman's looks;-- 30
Still _Ivan_, _Ina_,[78] and such lumber,
My back-shop glut, my shelves encumber.
There's Byron too, who once did better,
Has sent me, folded in a letter,
A sort of--it's no more a drama
Than _Darnley_, _Ivan_, or _Kehama_;
So altered since last year his pen is,
I think he's lost his wits at Venice.
* * * * *
* * * * *
In short, Sir, what with one and t' other,
I dare not venture on another. 40
I write in haste; excuse each blunder;
The Coaches through the street so thunder!
My room's so full--we've Gifford here
Reading MS. , with Hookham Frere,
Pronouncing on the nouns and particles,
Of some of our forthcoming Articles.
The _Quarterly_--Ah, Sir, if you
Had but the Genius to review! --
A smart Critique upon St. Helena,
Or if you only would but tell in a 50
Short compass what--but to resume;
As I was saying, Sir, the Room--
The Room's so full of wits and bards,
Crabbes, Campbells, Crokers, Freres, and Wards
And others, neither bards nor wits:
My humble tenement admits
All persons in the dress of Gent. ,
From Mr. Hammond to Dog Dent. [79]
A party dines with me to-day,
All clever men, who make their way: 60
Crabbe, Malcolm,[80] Hamilton,[81] and Chantrey,
Are all partakers of my pantry.
They're at this moment in discussion
On poor De Stael's late dissolution.
Her book,[82] they say, was in advance--
Pray Heaven, she tell the truth of France!
'T is said she certainly was married
To Rocca, and had twice miscarried,
No--not miscarried, I opine,--
But brought to bed at forty-nine. 70
Some say she died a Papist; some
Are of opinion that's a Hum;
I don't know that--the fellows Schlegel,[83]
Are very likely to inveigle
A dying person in compunction
To try th' extremity of Unction.
But peace be with her! for a woman
Her talents surely were uncommon,
Her Publisher (and Public too)
The hour of her demise may rue-- 80
For never more within his shop he--
Pray--was not she interred at Coppet?
Thus run our time and tongues away;--
But, to return, Sir, to your play:
Sorry, Sir, but I cannot deal,
Unless 't were acted by O'Neill.
My hands are full--my head so busy,
I'm almost dead--and always dizzy;
And so, with endless truth and hurry,
Dear Doctor, I am yours, 90
JOHN MURRAY.
August 21, 1817.
[First published, _Letters and Journals_, 1830, ii. 139-141.
Lines 67-82 first published, _Letters_, 1900, iv. 161. ]
FOOTNOTES:
[75] ["By the way," writes Murray, Aug. 5, 1817 (_Memoir, etc. _, i.
386), "Polidori has sent me his tragedy! Do me the kindness to send by
return of post a _delicate_ declension of it, which I engage faithfully
to copy. "
"I never," said Byron, "was much more disgusted with any human
production than with the eternal nonsense, and _tracasseries_, and
emptiness, and ill-humour, and vanity of this young person; but he has
some talent, and is a man of honour, and has dispositions of amendment.
Therefore use your interest for him, for he is improved and improvable;"
and, in a letter to Murray, Aug. 21, 1817, "You want a 'civil and
delicate declension' for the medical tragedy? Take it. "--For J. W.
Polidori (1795-1821), see _Letters_, 1899, iii, 284 _note_ I. ]
[76] [Maturin's second tragedy, _Manuel_, produced at Drury Lane, March
8, 1817, with Kean as "Manuel Count Valdis, failed, and after five
nights was withdrawn. " It was published in 1817. "It is," says Byron
(letter to Murray, June 14, 1817), "the absurd work of a clever
man. "--_Letters_, 1900, iv. 134, and _note_ I. ]
[77] [Sotheby published, in 1814, _Five Tragedies_, viz. "The Confession,"
"Orestes," "Ivan," "The Death of Darnley," and "Zamorin and Zama. "]
[78] [_Ina, A Tragedy_, by Mrs. Wilmot [Barberina Ogle (1768-1854),
daughter of Sir Chaloner Ogle], afterwards Lady Dacre, was produced at
Drury Lane, April 22, 1815. Her "tragedy," writes Byron to Moore, April
23, 1815, "was last night damned. " See _Letters_, 1898, ii. 332, _note_
3, etc. ; _ibid. _, 1899, iii. 195, _note_ I. ]
[79] [George Hammond (1763-1853) was a distinguished diplomatist, who
twice (1795-1806 and 1807-1809) held the office of Under-secretary of
State for Foreign Affairs. He is associated with the foundation of the
_Anti-Jacobin_ and the _Quarterly Review_. In the drawing-room of
Albemarle Street, he was Murray's "chief 4-o'clock man," until his
official duties compelled him to settle at Paris. --_Letters_, 1900, iv.
160, _note_ 1.
John Dent, M. P. , a banker, was nicknamed "Dog Dent" because he was
concerned in the introduction of the Dog-tax Bill in 1796. In 1802 he
introduced a Bill to abolish bull-baiting. --_Ibid_]
[80] [Sir John Malcolm (1769-1833), soldier, administrator, and
diplomatist, published (January, 1815) his _History of
Persia. --Letters_, 1899, iii. 113, _note_ 1. ]
[81] [For "Dark Hamilton," W. R. Hamilton (1777-1859), see _Childe
Harold_, Canto II. stanza xiii. _var_. I, _Poetical Works_, 1899, ii.
108, _note_ 1. Lines 61, 62 were added October 12, 1817. ]
[82] [Madame de Stael's _Considerations sur la Revolution Francaise_ was
offered to Murray in June, 1816 (_Memoir, etc. , 1891_, i. 316), and the
sum of ? 4000 asked for the work. During the negotiations, Madame de
Stael died (July 14, 1817), and the book was eventually published by
Messrs. Baldwin and Cradock. --_Letters_, 1900, iv. 94, _note_.
Celebrated Letter") makes the Regent conceive how shocked the king would
be to wake up sane and find "that R--se was grown honest, or
W--stm--rel--nd wiser. "]
[47] [Ernest Augustus (1771-1851), Duke of Cumberland and King of
Hanover, fifth son of George III. , was gazetted as Field-Marshal
November 27, 1813. His "wounds," which, according to the Duke's sworn
testimony, were seventeen in number, were inflicted during an encounter
with his valet, Joseph Sellis (? Selis), a Piedmontese, who had
attempted to assassinate the Prince (June 1, 1810), and, shortly
afterwards, was found with his throat cut. A jury of Westminster
tradesmen brought in a verdict of _felo de se_ against Sellis. The event
itself and the trial before the coroner provoked controversy and the
grossest scandal. The question is discussed and the Duke exonerated of
the charges brought against him, by J. H. Jesse, _Memoirs, etc. , of
George III. _, 1864, iii. 545, 546, and by George Rose, _Diaries, etc. _,
1860, ii. 437-446. The scandal was revived in 1832 by the publication of
a work entitled _The Authentic Memoirs of the Court of England for the
last Seventy Years. _ The printer and publisher of the work was found
guilty. (See _The Trial of Josiah Phillips for a Libel on the Duke of
Cumberland_, 1833. )]
[48] ["At half-past nine [Wednesday, December 8, 1813] there was a grand
dress party at Carlton House, at which her Majesty and the Prince Regent
most graciously received the following distinguished characters from the
Russian Court, viz. the Count and Countess Leiven, Mad. La Barrone
(_sic_) de Stael, Monsieur de Stael," etc. --_Morning Chronicle_,
December 10, 1813. ]
[49] [In the review of Madame de Stael's _De L'Allemagne_ (_Edinburgh
Review_, October, 1813, vol. 22, pp. 198-238), Sir James Mackintosh
enlarged upon and upheld the "opinions of Kant" as creative and seminal
in the world of thought. In the same article he passes in review the
systems of Hobbes, Paley, Bentham, Reid, etc. , and finds words of praise
and admiration for each in turn. See, too, a passage (p. 226) in which
he alludes to Coleridge as a living writer, whose "singular character
and unintelligible style" might, in any other country but England, have
won for him attention if not approval. His own "conversion" from the
extreme liberalism of the _Vindiciae Gallicae_ of 1791 to the philosophic
conservatism of the _Introductory Discourse_ (1798) to his lecture on
_The Law of Nature and Nations_, was regarded with suspicion by
Wordsworth and Coleridge, who, afterwards, were still more effectually
"converted" themselves. ]
[50] [See Introduction to _The Waltz, Poetical Works_, 1898, i. 475. ]
[51] [_Illusion, or the Trances of Nourjahad_, a melodrama founded on
_The History of Nourjahad_, By the Editor of Sidney Bidulph (Mrs.
Frances Sheridan, _nee_ Chamberlaine, 1724-1766), was played for the
first time at Drury Lane Theatre, November 25, 1813. Byron was
exceedingly indignant at being credited with the authorship or
adaptation. (See Letter to Murray, November 27, 1813, _Letters_, 1898,
ii. 288, _note_ 1. ) Miss Sophia Lee, who wrote some of the _Canterbury
Tales_, "made a very elegant musical drama of it" (_Memoirs of Mrs. F.
Sheridan_, by Alicia Lefanu, 1824, p. 296); but this was not the
_Nourjahad_ of Drury Lane. ]
[52] [Millbank Penitentiary, which was built in the form of a pentagon,
was finally taken in hand in the spring of 1813. Solitary confinement in
the "cells" was, at first, reserved as a punishment for
misconduct. --_Memorials of Millbank_, by Arthur Griffiths, 1875, i. 57. ]
WINDSOR POETICS.
LINES COMPOSED ON THE OCCASION OF HIS ROYAL HIGHNESS
THE PRINCE REGENT BEING SEEN STANDING BETWEEN
THE COFFINS OF HENRY VIII. AND CHARLES I. ,
IN THE ROYAL VAULT AT WINDSOR.
FAMED for contemptuous breach of sacred ties,
By headless Charles see heartless Henry lies;
Between them stands another sceptred thing--
It moves, it reigns--in all but name, a king:
Charles to his people, Henry to his wife,
--In him the double tyrant starts to life:
Justice and Death have mixed their dust in vain,
Each royal Vampire wakes to life again.
Ah, what can tombs avail! --since these disgorge
The blood and dust of both--to mould a George. [53]
[First published, _Poetical Works_, Paris, 1819, vi. 125. ]
[ANOTHER VERSION. ]
ON A ROYAL VISIT TO THE VAULTS. [54]
[OR CAESAR'S DISCOVERY OF C. I. AND H. 8. IN YE SAME VAULT. ]
FAMED for their civil and domestic quarrels
See heartless Henry lies by headless Charles;
Between them stands another sceptred thing,
It lives, it reigns--"aye, every inch a king. "
Charles to his people, Henry to his wife,
In him the double tyrant starts to life:
Justice and Death have mixed their dust in vain.
The royal Vampires join and rise again.
What now can tombs avail, since these disgorge
The blood and dirt[55] of both to mould a George!
FOOTNOTES:
[53] ["I cannot conceive how the _Vault_ has got about; but so it is. It
is too _farouche_; but truth to say, my satires are not very
playful. "--Letter to Moore, March 12, 1814, _Letters_, 1899, iii. 57-58.
Moore had written to him, "Your lines about the bodies of Charles and
Henry are, I find, circulated with wonderful avidity; even some clods in
this neighbourhood have had a copy sent to them by some 'young ladies in
town. '"--_Ibid_. , p. 57, _note_ 3.
The discovery "that King Charles I. was buried in the vault of King
Henry VIII. ," was made on completing the mausoleum which George III.
caused to be built in the tomb-house. The Prince Regent was informed of
the circumstance, and on April 1, 1813, the day after the funeral of his
mother-in-law, the Duchess of Brunswick, he superintended in person the
opening of the leaden coffin, which bore the inscription, "King Charles,
1648" (_sic_). See _An Account of what appeared on Opening the Coffin of
King Charles the First_, by Sir H. Halford, Bart. , 1813, pp. 6, 7.
Cornelia Knight, in her _Autobiography_ (1861, i. 227), notes that the
frolic prince, the "Adonis of fifty," who was in a good humour, and "had
given to Princess Charlotte the centre sapphire of Charles's crown,"
acted "the manner of decapitation on my shoulders. " He had "forgotten"
Cromwell, who, as Lord Auchinleck reminded Dr. Johnson, had "gart kings
ken that they had a _lith_ in their neck! "]
[54] [From an autograph MS. in the possession of the Hon. Mrs. Norbury.
The first wrapper has written upon it, "The original Impromptu within is
in the handwriting of the noble author Lord Byron, given to Mr. Norbury
[private secretary to Lord Granville] by Mr. Dallas, his Lordship's
valued relative. "
Second wrapper, "Autograph of Lord Byron--tres precieux. "
Third (outside) wrapper, "Autographe celebre de Lord Byron. "]
[55][
? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? [Greek: Pel? n ai(/mati pephyramhenon]
"Clay kneaded with blood. "
Suetonius, in _Tiberium_, cap. 57. ]
ICH DIEN.
FROM this emblem what variance your motto evinces,
For the _Man_ is his country's--the Arms are the Prince's!
? 1814.
[From an autograph MS. in the possession of
Mr. A. H. Hallam Murray, now for the first time printed. ]
CONDOLATORY ADDRESS
TO SARAH COUNTESS OF JERSEY, ON THE PRINCE REGENT'S
RETURNING HER PICTURE TO MRS. MEE. [56]
WHEN the vain triumph of the imperial lord,
Whom servile Rome obeyed, and yet abhorred,
Gave to the vulgar gaze each glorious bust,
That left a likeness of the brave, or just;
What most admired each scrutinising eye
Of all that decked that passing pageantry?
What spread from face to face that wondering air?
The thought of Brutus[57]--for his was not there!
That absence proved his worth,--that absence fixed
His memory on the longing mind, unmixed; 10
And more decreed his glory to endure,
Than all a gold Colossus could secure.
If thus, fair Jersey, our desiring gaze
Search for thy form, in vain and mute amaze,
Amidst those pictured charms, whose loveliness,
Bright though they be, thine own had rendered less:
If he, that VAIN OLD MAN, whom truth admits
Heir of his father's crown, and of his wits,
If his corrupted eye, and withered heart,
Could with thy gentle image bear to part; 20
That tasteless shame be _his_, and ours the grief,
To gaze on Beauty's band without its chief:
Yet Comfort still one selfish thought imparts,
We lose the portrait, but preserve our hearts.
What can his vaulted gallery now disclose?
A _garden_ with all flowers--except the rose;--
A _fount_ that only wants its living stream;
A _night_, with every star, save Dian's beam.
Lost to our eyes the present forms shall be,
That turn from tracing them to dream of thee; 30
And more on that recalled resemblance pause,
Than all he _shall_ not force on our applause.
Long may thy yet meridian lustre shine,
With all that Virtue asks of Homage thine:
The symmetry of youth--the grace of mien--
The eye that gladdens--and the brow serene;
The glossy darkness of that clustering hair,[58]
Which shades, yet shows that forehead more than fair!
Each glance that wins us, and the life that throws
A spell which will not let our looks repose, 40
But turn to gaze again, and find anew
Some charm that well rewards another view.
These are not lessened, these are still as bright,
Albeit too dazzling _for a dotard's sight_;
And those must wait till ev'ry charm is gone,
To please the paltry heart that pleases none;--
That dull cold sensualist, whose sickly eye
In envious dimness passed thy portrait by;
Who racked his little spirit to combine
Its hate of _Freedom's_ loveliness, and _thine_. 50
_May_ 29, 1814.
[First published in _The Champion_, July 31, 1814. ]
FOOTNOTES:
[56] ["The gentlemen of the _Champion_, and Perry, have got hold (I know
not how) of the condolatory Address to Lady Jersey on the
picture-abduction by our Regent, and have published them--with my name,
too, smack--without even asking leave, or inquiring whether or no! Damn
their impudence, and damn every thing. It has put me out of patience,
and so, I shall say no more about it. "--Letter to Moore, August 3, 1814,
_Letters_, 1899, iii. 118. For Byron's letter to Lady Jersey, of May 29,
1814, and a note from her with reference to a lost(? ) copy of the
verses, _vide ibid_. , p. 85. Mrs. Anne Mee (1775? -1851) was a
miniature-painter, who was employed by the Prince Regent to take the
portraits of fashionable beauties. ]
[57] [Compare _Childe Harold_, Canto IV. stanza lix. line 3, _Poetical
Works_, 1899, ii. 374, _note_ 2. ]
[58] [See _Conversations . . . with the Countess of Blessington_, 1834,
p. 50. ]
[Illustration: ANNESLEY HALL. ]
FRAGMENT OF AN EPISTLE TO THOMAS MOORE.
"WHAT say _I_? "--not a syllable further in prose;
I'm your man "of all measures," dear Tom,--so here goes!
Here goes, for a swim on the stream of old Time,
On those buoyant supporters, the bladders of rhyme.
If our weight breaks them down, and we sink in the flood,
We are smothered, at least, in respectable mud,
Where the divers of Bathos lie drowned in a heap,
And Southey's last Paean has pillowed his sleep;
That _Felo de se_ who, half drunk with his Malmsey,
Walked out of his depth and was lost in a calm sea, 10
Singing "Glory to God" in a spick and span stanza,
The like (since Tom Sternhold was choked) never man saw. [59]
The papers have told you, no doubt, of the fusses,
The fetes, and the gapings to get at these Russes,[60]--
Of his Majesty's suite, up from coachman to Hetman,--
And what dignity decks the flat face of the great man.
I saw him, last week, at two balls and a party,--
For a Prince, his demeanour was rather too hearty.
You know, _we_ are used to quite different graces,
* * * * *
The Czar's look, I own, was much brighter and brisker, 20
But then he is sadly deficient in whisker;
And wore but a starless blue coat, and in kersey-
mere breeches whisked round, in a waltz with the Jersey,[61]
Who, lovely as ever, seemed just as delighted
With Majesty's presence as those she invited.
* * * * *
* * * * *
_June_, 1814.
[First published, _Letters and Journals_, 1830, i. 561, 562 (note). ]
FOOTNOTES:
[59] [The two first stanzas of Southey's "_Carmen Triumphale_, for the
Commencement of the Year 1814," end with the line--
"Glory to God--Deliverance for Mankind! "]
[60] ["The newspapers will tell you all that is to be told of emperors,
etc. They have dined, and supped, and shown their flat faces in all
thoroughfares and several saloons. "--Letter to Moore, June 14, 1814,
_Letters_, 1899, iii. 93, 94.
From June 6 to June 27, 1814, the Emperor of Russia, and the King of
Prussia were in England. Huge crowds watched all day and night outside
the Pulteney Hotel (105, Piccadilly), where the Emperor of Russia
stayed. Among the foreigners in London were Nesselrode, Metternich,
Blucher, and Platoff, Hetman of the Cossacks. The two latter were the
heroes of the mob. _Ibid_. , p. 93, _note_ 1. ]
[61] ["The Emperor," says Lady Vernon (_Journal of Mary Frampton_, pp.
225, 226), "is fond of dancing. . . . He waltzed with Lady Jersey, whom he
admires, to the great discomposure of the Regent, who has quarrelled
with her. "]
ANSWER TO----'S PROFESSIONS OF AFFECTION.
IN hearts like thine ne'er may I hold a place
Till I renounce all sense, all shame, all grace--
That seat,--like seats, the bane of Freedom's realm,
But dear to those presiding at the helm--
Is basely purchased, not with gold alone;
Add Conscience, too, this bargain is your own--
'T is thine to offer with corrupting art
The _rotten borough_[62] of the human heart.
? 1814.
[From an autograph MS. , now for the first time printed. ]
FOOTNOTES:
[62] [The phrase, "rotten borough," was used by Sir F. Burdett,
_Examiner_, October 12, 1812. ]
ON NAPOLEON'S ESCAPE FROM ELBA. [63]
ONCE fairly set out on his party of pleasure,
Taking towns at his liking, and crowns at his leisure,
From Elba to Lyons and Paris he goes,
Making _balls for_ the ladies, and _bows to_ his foes.
_March 27, 1815. _
[First published, _Letters and Journals_, 1830, i. 611. ]
FOOTNOTES:
[63] [It may be taken for granted that the "source" of this epigram was
a paragraph in the _Morning Chronicle_ of March 27, 1815: "In the
_Moniteur_ of Thursday we find the Emperor's own account of his _jaunt_
from the Island of Elba to the palace of the Thuilleries. It seems
certainly more like a jaunt of pleasure than the progress of an invader
through a country to be gained. "]
ENDORSEMENT TO THE DEED OF SEPARATION,
IN THE APRIL OF 1816.
A YEAR ago you swore, fond she!
"To love, to honour," and so forth:
Such was the vow you pledged to me,
And here's exactly what 't is worth.
[First published, _Poetical Works_, 1831, vi. 454. ]
[TO GEORGE ANSON BYRON(? )[64]]
1.
AND, dost thou ask the reason of my sadness?
Well, I will tell it thee, unfeeling boy!
'Twas ill report that urged my brain to madness,
'Twas thy tongue's venom poisoned all my joy.
2.
The sadness which thou seest is not sorrow;
My wounds are far too deep for simple grief;
The heart thus withered, seeks in vain to borrow
From calm reflection, comfort or relief.
3.
The arrow's flown, and dearly shalt thou rue it;
No mortal hand can rid me of my pain:
My heart is pierced, but thou canst not subdue it--
Revenge is left, and is not left in vain.
? 1816.
[First published, _Nicnac_, March 25, 1823. ]
FOOTNOTES:
[64] ["A short time before Lord Byron quitted England, in 1816, he
addressed these lines to an individual by whom he deemed himself
injured; they are but little known. "--_Nicnac_, March 25, 1823. ]
SONG FOR THE LUDDITES. [65]
1.
AS the Liberty lads o'er the sea
Bought their freedom, and cheaply, with blood,
So we, boys, we
Will _die_ fighting, or _live_ free,
And down with all kings but King Ludd!
2.
When the web that we weave is complete,
And the shuttle exchanged for the sword,
We will fling the winding sheet
O'er the despot at our feet,
And dye it deep in the gore he has poured.
3.
Though black as his heart its hue,
Since his veins are corrupted to mud,
Yet this is the dew
Which the tree shall renew
Of Liberty, planted by Ludd!
December 24, 1816.
[First published, _Letters and Journals_, 1830, ii. 58. ]
FOOTNOTES:
[65] [The term "Luddites" dates from 1811, and was applied first to
frame-breakers, and then to the disaffected in general. It was derived
from a half-witted lad named Ned Lud, who entered a house in a fit of
passion, and destroyed a couple of stocking-frames. The song was an
impromptu, enclosed in a letter to Moore of December 24, 1816. "I have
written it principally," he says, "to shock your neighbour [Hodgson? ]
who is all clergy and loyalty--mirth and innocence--milk and water. " See
_Letters_, 1900, iv. 30; and for General Lud and "Luddites," see
_Letters_, 1898, ii. 97, note 1. ]
TO THOMAS MOORE.
What are you doing now,
Oh Thomas Moore?
What are you doing now,
Oh Thomas Moore?
Sighing or suing now,
Rhyming or wooing now,
Billing or cooing now,
Which, Thomas Moore?
But the Carnival's coming,
Oh Thomas Moore!
The Carnival's coming,
Oh Thomas Moore!
Masking and humming,
Fifing and drumming,
Guitarring and strumming,
Oh Thomas Moore!
December 24, 1816.
[First published, _Letters and Journals_, 1830, ii. 58, 59. ]
TO MR. MURRAY.
TO hook the Reader, you, John Murray,
Have published "Anjou's Margaret,"[66]
Which won't be sold off in a hurry
(At least, it has not been as yet);
And then, still further to bewilder him,
Without remorse, you set up "Ilderim;"[67]
So mind you don't get into debt,--
Because--as how--if you should fail,
These books would be but baddish bail.
And mind you do _not_ let escape
These rhymes to _Morning Post_ or Perry,
Which would be _very_ treacherous--_very_,
And get me into such a scrape!
For, firstly, I should have to sally,
All in my little boat, against a _Galley_;
And, should I chance to slay the Assyrian wight,
Have next to combat with the female Knight:
And pricked to death expire upon her needle,
A sort of end which I should take indeed ill!
March 25, 1817.
[First published, _Letters and Journals_, 1830, ii. 91. ]
FOOTNOTES:
[66] [_Margaret of Anjou_, by Margaret Holford, 1816. ]
[67] [_Ilderim, a Syrian Tale_, by H. Gaily Knight, 1816. ]
VERSICLES.
I READ the "Christabel;"[68]
Very well:
I read the "Missionary;"[69]
Pretty--very:
I tried at "Ilderim;"
Ahem!
I read a sheet of "Marg'ret of _Anjou_;"
_Can you_?
I turned a page of Webster's "Waterloo;"[70]
Pooh! pooh!
I looked at Wordsworth's milk-white "Rylstone Doe;"[71]
Hillo!
I read "Glenarvon," too, by Caro Lamb;[72]
God damn!
March 25, 1817.
[First published, _Letters and Journals_, 1830, ii. 87. ]
FOOTNOTES:
[68] [_Christabel, etc. _, by S. T. Coleridge, 1816. ]
[69] [_The Missionary of the Andes, a Poem_, by W. L. Bowles, 1815. ]
[70] [_Waterloo and other Poems_, by J. Wedderburn Webster, 1816. ]
[71] [_The White Doe of Rylstone, or the Fate of the Nortons, a Poem_,
by W. Wordsworth, 1815. ]
[72] [_Glenarvon, a Novel_ [by Lady Caroline Lamb], 1816. ]
QUEM DEUS VULT PERDERE PRIUS DEMENTAT. [73]
God maddens him whom't is his will to lose,
And gives the choice of death or phrenzy--choose.
[First published, _Letters_, 1900, iv. 93. ]
FOOTNOTES:
[73] [_A propos_ of Maturin's tragedy, _Manuel_ (_vide post_, p. 48,
_note_ 1), Byron "does into English" the Latin proverb by way of
contrast to the text, "Whom the Lord loveth He chasteneth; blessed be
the Name of the Lord" (Letter to Murray, April 2, 1817). ]
TO THOMAS MOORE.
1.
My boat is on the shore,
And my bark is on the sea;
But, before I go, Tom Moore,
Here's a double health to thee!
2.
Here's a sigh to those who love me,
And a smile to those who hate;
And, whatever sky's above me,
Here's a heart for every fate.
3.
Though the Ocean roar around me,
Yet it still shall bear me on;
Though a desert shall surround me,
It hath springs that may be won.
4.
Were't the last drop in the well,
As I gasped upon the brink,
Ere my fainting spirit fell,
'T is to thee that I would drink.
5.
With that water, as this wine,
The libation I would pour
Should be--peace with thine and mine,
And a health to thee, Tom Moore. [74]
July, 1817.
[First published, _Waltz_, London, W. Benbow, 1821, p. 29. ]
FOOTNOTES:
[74] ["This should have been written fifteen months ago; the first
stanza was. "--Letter to Moore, July 10, 1817. ]
EPISTLE FROM MR. MURRAY TO DR. POLIDORI. [75]
DEAR Doctor, I have read your play,
Which is a good one in its way,--
Purges the eyes, and moves the bowels,
And drenches handkerchiefs like towels
With tears, that, in a flux of grief,
Afford hysterical relief
To shattered nerves and quickened pulses,
Which your catastrophe convulses.
I like your moral and machinery;
Your plot, too, has such scope for Scenery! 10
Your dialogue is apt and smart;
The play's concoction full of art;
Your hero raves, your heroine cries,
All stab, and every body dies.
In short, your tragedy would be
The very thing to hear and see:
And for a piece of publication,
If I decline on this occasion,
It is not that I am not sensible
To merits in themselves ostensible, 20
But--and I grieve to speak it--plays
Are drugs--mere drugs, Sir--now-a-days.
I had a heavy loss by _Manuel_--[76]
Too lucky if it prove not annual,--
And Sotheby, with his _Orestes_,[77]
(Which, by the way, the old Bore's best is),
Has lain so very long on hand,
That I despair of all demand;
I've advertised, but see my books,
Or only watch my Shopman's looks;-- 30
Still _Ivan_, _Ina_,[78] and such lumber,
My back-shop glut, my shelves encumber.
There's Byron too, who once did better,
Has sent me, folded in a letter,
A sort of--it's no more a drama
Than _Darnley_, _Ivan_, or _Kehama_;
So altered since last year his pen is,
I think he's lost his wits at Venice.
* * * * *
* * * * *
In short, Sir, what with one and t' other,
I dare not venture on another. 40
I write in haste; excuse each blunder;
The Coaches through the street so thunder!
My room's so full--we've Gifford here
Reading MS. , with Hookham Frere,
Pronouncing on the nouns and particles,
Of some of our forthcoming Articles.
The _Quarterly_--Ah, Sir, if you
Had but the Genius to review! --
A smart Critique upon St. Helena,
Or if you only would but tell in a 50
Short compass what--but to resume;
As I was saying, Sir, the Room--
The Room's so full of wits and bards,
Crabbes, Campbells, Crokers, Freres, and Wards
And others, neither bards nor wits:
My humble tenement admits
All persons in the dress of Gent. ,
From Mr. Hammond to Dog Dent. [79]
A party dines with me to-day,
All clever men, who make their way: 60
Crabbe, Malcolm,[80] Hamilton,[81] and Chantrey,
Are all partakers of my pantry.
They're at this moment in discussion
On poor De Stael's late dissolution.
Her book,[82] they say, was in advance--
Pray Heaven, she tell the truth of France!
'T is said she certainly was married
To Rocca, and had twice miscarried,
No--not miscarried, I opine,--
But brought to bed at forty-nine. 70
Some say she died a Papist; some
Are of opinion that's a Hum;
I don't know that--the fellows Schlegel,[83]
Are very likely to inveigle
A dying person in compunction
To try th' extremity of Unction.
But peace be with her! for a woman
Her talents surely were uncommon,
Her Publisher (and Public too)
The hour of her demise may rue-- 80
For never more within his shop he--
Pray--was not she interred at Coppet?
Thus run our time and tongues away;--
But, to return, Sir, to your play:
Sorry, Sir, but I cannot deal,
Unless 't were acted by O'Neill.
My hands are full--my head so busy,
I'm almost dead--and always dizzy;
And so, with endless truth and hurry,
Dear Doctor, I am yours, 90
JOHN MURRAY.
August 21, 1817.
[First published, _Letters and Journals_, 1830, ii. 139-141.
Lines 67-82 first published, _Letters_, 1900, iv. 161. ]
FOOTNOTES:
[75] ["By the way," writes Murray, Aug. 5, 1817 (_Memoir, etc. _, i.
386), "Polidori has sent me his tragedy! Do me the kindness to send by
return of post a _delicate_ declension of it, which I engage faithfully
to copy. "
"I never," said Byron, "was much more disgusted with any human
production than with the eternal nonsense, and _tracasseries_, and
emptiness, and ill-humour, and vanity of this young person; but he has
some talent, and is a man of honour, and has dispositions of amendment.
Therefore use your interest for him, for he is improved and improvable;"
and, in a letter to Murray, Aug. 21, 1817, "You want a 'civil and
delicate declension' for the medical tragedy? Take it. "--For J. W.
Polidori (1795-1821), see _Letters_, 1899, iii, 284 _note_ I. ]
[76] [Maturin's second tragedy, _Manuel_, produced at Drury Lane, March
8, 1817, with Kean as "Manuel Count Valdis, failed, and after five
nights was withdrawn. " It was published in 1817. "It is," says Byron
(letter to Murray, June 14, 1817), "the absurd work of a clever
man. "--_Letters_, 1900, iv. 134, and _note_ I. ]
[77] [Sotheby published, in 1814, _Five Tragedies_, viz. "The Confession,"
"Orestes," "Ivan," "The Death of Darnley," and "Zamorin and Zama. "]
[78] [_Ina, A Tragedy_, by Mrs. Wilmot [Barberina Ogle (1768-1854),
daughter of Sir Chaloner Ogle], afterwards Lady Dacre, was produced at
Drury Lane, April 22, 1815. Her "tragedy," writes Byron to Moore, April
23, 1815, "was last night damned. " See _Letters_, 1898, ii. 332, _note_
3, etc. ; _ibid. _, 1899, iii. 195, _note_ I. ]
[79] [George Hammond (1763-1853) was a distinguished diplomatist, who
twice (1795-1806 and 1807-1809) held the office of Under-secretary of
State for Foreign Affairs. He is associated with the foundation of the
_Anti-Jacobin_ and the _Quarterly Review_. In the drawing-room of
Albemarle Street, he was Murray's "chief 4-o'clock man," until his
official duties compelled him to settle at Paris. --_Letters_, 1900, iv.
160, _note_ 1.
John Dent, M. P. , a banker, was nicknamed "Dog Dent" because he was
concerned in the introduction of the Dog-tax Bill in 1796. In 1802 he
introduced a Bill to abolish bull-baiting. --_Ibid_]
[80] [Sir John Malcolm (1769-1833), soldier, administrator, and
diplomatist, published (January, 1815) his _History of
Persia. --Letters_, 1899, iii. 113, _note_ 1. ]
[81] [For "Dark Hamilton," W. R. Hamilton (1777-1859), see _Childe
Harold_, Canto II. stanza xiii. _var_. I, _Poetical Works_, 1899, ii.
108, _note_ 1. Lines 61, 62 were added October 12, 1817. ]
[82] [Madame de Stael's _Considerations sur la Revolution Francaise_ was
offered to Murray in June, 1816 (_Memoir, etc. , 1891_, i. 316), and the
sum of ? 4000 asked for the work. During the negotiations, Madame de
Stael died (July 14, 1817), and the book was eventually published by
Messrs. Baldwin and Cradock. --_Letters_, 1900, iv. 94, _note_.
