The Works of Lord Byron: Letters and Journals Volume II Part 26

"Breakfasted with Mr. Cowell," writes Moore, in his Diary, June 11, 1828, "having made his acquaintance for the purpose of gaining information about Lord Byron. Knew Byron for the first time when he himself was a little boy, from being in the habit of playing with B.'s dogs. Byron wrote to him to school to bid him mind his prosody. Gave me two or three of his letters to him. Saw a good deal of B. at Hastings; mentioned the anecdote about the ink-bottle striking one of the lead Muses. These Muses had been brought from Holland; and there were, I think, only eight of them arrived safe. Fletcher had brought B. a large jar of ink, and, not thinking it was full, B. had thrust his pen down to the very bottom; his anger at finding it come out all besmeared with ink made him chuck the jar out of the window, when it knocked down one of the Muses in the garden, and deluged her with ink.

In 1813, when B. was at Salt Hill, he had Cowell over from Eton, and 'pouched' him no less than ten pounds. Cowell has ever since kept one of the notes. Told me a curious anecdote of Byron's mentioning to him, as if it had made a great impression on him, their seeing Sh.e.l.ley (as they thought) walking into a little wood at Lerici, when it was discovered afterwards that Sh.e.l.ley was at that time in quite another direction. 'This,' said Byron, in a sort of awe-struck voice, 'was about ten days before his death.' Cowell's imitation of his look and manner very striking. Thinks that in Byron's speech to Fletcher, when he was dying, threatening to appear to him, there was a touch of that humour and fun which he was accustomed to mix up with everything".

('Memoirs, Journals, etc'., vol. v. pp. 302, 303).]

[Footnote 2: See 'Letters', vol. i. p. 70, and 'note' 1 [Footnote 2 of Letter 30.]]

224.--To Francis Hodgson.

8, St. James's Street, February 16, 1812.

Dear Hodgson,--I send you a proof. Last week I was very ill and confined to bed with stone in the kidney, but I am now quite recovered. The women are gone to their relatives, after many attempts to explain what was already too clear. If the stone had got into my heart instead of my kidneys, it would have been all the better. However, I have quite recovered _that_ also, and only wonder at my folly in excepting my own strumpets from the general corruption,--albeit a two months' weakness is better than ten years. I have one request to make, which is, never mention a woman again in any letter to me, or even allude to the existence of the s.e.x. I won't even read a word of the feminine gender;--it must all be 'propria quae maribus'.

In the spring of 1813 I shall leave England for ever. Every thing in my affairs tends to this, and my inclinations and health do not discourage it. Neither my habits nor const.i.tution are improved by your customs or your climate. I shall find employment in making myself a good Oriental scholar. I shall retain a mansion in one of the fairest islands, and retrace, at intervals, the most interesting portions of the East. In the mean time, I am adjusting my concerns, which will (when arranged) leave me with wealth sufficient even for home, but enough for a princ.i.p.ality in Turkey. At present they are involved, but I hope, by taking some necessary but unpleasant steps, to clear every thing. Hobhouse is expected daily in London: we shall be very glad to see him; and, perhaps, you will come up and "drink deep ere he depart," if not, "Mahomet must go to the mountain;" [1]--but Cambridge will bring sad recollections to him, and worse to me, though for very different reasons. I believe the only human being, that ever loved me in truth and entirely, was of, or belonging to, Cambridge, and, in that, no change can now take place. There is one consolation in death--where he sets his seal, the impression can neither be melted nor broken, but endureth for ever.

Yours always,

B.

P.S.--I almost rejoice when one I love dies young, for I could never bear to see them old or altered.

[Footnote 1: See Bacon's 'Essays' ("Of Boldness"):

"Mahomet made the people believe that he would call a hill to him, and from the top of it offer up his prayers for the observers of his law.

The people a.s.sembled; Mahomet called the hill to come to him, again and again; and when the hill stood still, he was never a whit abashed, but said, 'If the hill will not come to Mahomet, Mahomet will go to the hill.'"]

225.--To Francis Hodgson.

London, February 21, 1812.

My Dear Hodgson,--There is a book ent.i.tuled _Galt, his Travels in ye Archipelago_, [1] daintily printed by Cadell and Davies, ye which I could desiderate might be criticised by you, inasmuch as ye author is a well-respected esquire of mine acquaintance, but I fear will meet with little mercy as a writer, unless a friend pa.s.seth judgment. Truth to say, ye boke is ye boke of a c.o.c.k-brained man, and is full of devises crude and conceitede, but peradventure for my sake this grace may be vouchsafed unto him. Review him myself I can not, will not, and if you are likewize hard of heart, woe unto ye boke! ye which is a comely quarto.

Now then! I have no objection to review, if it pleases Griffiths [2] to send books, or rather _you_, for you know the sort of things I like to [play] with. You will find what I say very serious as to my intentions.

I have every reason to induce me to return to Ionia.

Believe me, yours always,

B.

[Footnote 1: John Galt (1779-1839) published in 1812 his 'Voyages and Travels in the Years 1809, 1810, and 1811'. For his meeting with Byron at Gibraltar in 1809, see 'Letters', vol. i. p. 243, 'note' 1 [Footnote 1 of Letter 130]; see also 'ibid.', p. 304, 'note' 2 [Footnote 2 of Letter 131]. Galt's novels were, in later years, liked by Byron, who

"praised the 'Annals of the Parish' very highly, as also 'The Entail' ... some scenes of which, he said, had affected him very much.

'The characters in Mr. Galt's novels have an ident.i.ty,' added Byron, 'that reminds me of Wilkie's pictures'"

(Lady Blessington's 'Conversations with Lord Byron', p. 74).

"When I knew Galt, years ago," said Byron to Lady Blessington, "I was not in a frame of mind to form an impartial opinion of him: his mildness and equanimity struck me even then; but, to say the truth, his manner had not deference enough for my then aristocratical taste, and finding I could not awe him into a respect sufficiently profound for my sublime self, either as a peer or an author, I felt a little grudge towards him that has now completely worn off," etc., etc.

('ibid.', p. 249).]

[Footnote 2: George Edward Griffiths (circ. 1769-1829), son of Ralph Griffiths, who founded, owned, and published the 'Monthly Review', and boarded and lodged Oliver Goldsmith as a contributor, succeeded to the management of the 'Review' on the death of his father in 1803. He edited it till 1825, when he sold the property. He lived at Linden House, Turnham Green. Francis Hodgson wrote for the 'Monthly Review', and, March 2, 1814, he writes to Byron,

"I have already read a review of Safie in the 'British Critic', and will undertake it in the 'Monthly' if Griffiths, with whom I am in very bad odour from my late shameful idleness, will allow me. Oh that you would write a good smart critique of something to get both 'yourself and me' in high repute at Turnham Green!!!!"

In Byron's 'Detached Thoughts' occurs the following pa.s.sage:

"I have been a reviewer. In the 'Monthly Review' I wrote some articles which were inserted. This was in the latter part of 1811. In 1807, in a Magazine called 'Monthly Literary Recreations', I reviewed Wordsworth's trash of that time.

"Excepting these, I cannot accuse myself of anonymous Criticism (that I recollect), though I have been 'offered' more than one review in our princ.i.p.al Journals."

In the Bodleian Library is a copy of the 'Monthly Review', in which Griffiths has entered the initials of the authors of each article. Two articles from the 'Review', attributed to Byron on this authority, are given in Appendix I.]

226.--To Lord Holland.