Life of Lord Byron Volume II Part 33

"I have had--but this must be _entre nous_--a very kind note, on the subject of 'The Bride,' from Sir James Mackintosh, and an invitation to go there this evening, which it is now too late to accept."

[Footnote 111: Penrose's Journal, a book published by Mr. Murray at this time.]

[Footnote 112: Mr. Murray had offered him a thousand guineas for the two poems.]

TO MR. MURRAY.

"November 29. 1813. Sunday--Monday morning--three o'clock--in my doublet and hose,--_swearing_.

"I send you in time an errata page, containing an omission of mine, which must be thus added, as it is too late for insertion in the text. The pa.s.sage is an imitation altogether from Medea in Ovid, and is incomplete without these two lines. Pray let this be done, and directly; it is necessary, will add one page to your book (_making_), and can do no harm, and is yet in time for the _public_. Answer me, thou oracle, in the affirmative. You can send the loose pages to those who have copies already, if they like; but certainly to all the _critical_ copyholders.

"P.S. I have got out of my bed, (in which, however, I could not sleep, whether I had amended this or not,) and so good morning. I am trying whether De l'Allemagne will act as an opiate, but I doubt it."

TO MR. MURRAY.

"November 29. 1813.

"_You have looked at it!_' to much purpose, to allow so stupid a blunder to stand; it is _not_ '_courage_' but '_carnage_;' and if you don't want me to cut my own throat, see it altered.

"I am very sorry to hear of the fall of Dresden."

LETTER 150. TO MR. MURRAY.

"Nov. 29. 1813. Monday.

"You will act as you please upon that point; but whether I go or stay, I shall not say another word on the subject till May--nor then, unless quite convenient to yourself. I have many things I wish to leave to your care, princ.i.p.ally papers. The _vases_ need not be now sent, as Mr. Ward is gone to Scotland. You are right about the errata page; place it at the beginning. Mr. Perry is a little premature in his compliments: these may do harm by exciting expectation, and I think we ought to be above it--though I see the next paragraph is on the _Journal_[113], which makes me suspect _you_ as the author of both.

"Would it not have been as well to have said 'in two Cantos' in the advertis.e.m.e.nt? they will else think of _fragments_, a species of composition very well for _once_, like _one ruin_ in a _view_; but one would not build a town of them. The Bride, such as it is, is my first _entire_ composition of any length (except the Satire, and be d----d to it), for The Giaour is but a string of pa.s.sages, and Childe Harold is, and I rather think always will be, unconcluded. I return Mr. Hay's note, with thanks to him and you.

"There have been some epigrams on Mr. Ward: one I see to-day. The first I did not see, but heard yesterday. The second seems very bad. I only hope that Mr. Ward does not believe that I had any connection with either. I like and value him too well to allow my politics to contract into spleen, or to admire any thing intended to annoy him or his. You need not take the trouble to answer this, as I shall see you in the course of the afternoon.

"P.S. I have said this much about the epigrams, because I lived so much in the _opposite camp_, and, from my post as an engineer, might be suspected as the flinger of these hand-grenadoes; but with a worthy foe, I am all for open war, and not this bushfighting, and have not had, nor will have, any thing to do with it. I do not know the author."

[Footnote 113: Penrose's Journal.]

TO MR. MURRAY.

"Nov. 30. 1813.

"Print this at the end of _all that is of 'The Bride of Abydos_,'

as an errata page. BN.

"Omitted, Canto 2d, page 47., after line 449.,

"So that those arms cling closer round my neck.

Read,

"Then if my lip once murmur, it must be No sigh for safety, but a prayer for thee."

TO MR. MURRAY.

"Tuesday evening, Nov. 30. 1813.

"For the sake of correctness, particularly in an errata page, the alteration of the couplet I have just sent (half an hour ago) must take place, in spite of delay or cancel; let me see the _proof_ early to-morrow. I found out _murmur_ to be a neuter _verb_, and have been obliged to alter the line so as to make it a substantive, thus--

"The deepest murmur of this lip shall be No sigh for safety, but a prayer for thee!

Don't send the copies to the _country_ till this is all right."

TO MR. MURRAY.

"Dec. 2. 1813.

"When you can, let the couplet enclosed be inserted either in the page, or in the errata page. I trust it is in time for some of the copies. This alteration is in the same part--the page _but one_ before the last correction sent.

"P.S. I am afraid, from all I hear, that people are rather inordinate in their expectations, which is very unlucky, but cannot now be helped. This comes of Mr. Perry and one's wise friends; but do not _you_ wind _your_ hopes of success to the same pitch, for fear of accidents, and I can a.s.sure you that my philosophy will stand the test very fairly; and I have done every thing to ensure you, at all events, from positive loss, which will be some satisfaction to both."

TO MR. MURRAY.

"Dec. 3. 1813.

"I send you a _scratch_ or _two_, the which _heal_. The Christian Observer is very savage, but certainly well written--and quite uncomfortable at the naughtiness of book and author. I rather suspect you won't much like the _present_ to be more moral, if it is to share also the usual fate of your virtuous volumes.

"Let me see a proof of the six before incorporation."

TO MR. MURRAY.

"Monday evening, Dec. 6. 1813.

"It is all very well, except that the lines are not numbered properly, and a diabolical mistake, page 67., which _must_ be corrected with the _pen_, if no other way remains; it is the omission of '_not_' before '_disagreeable_,' in the _note_ on the _amber_ rosary. This is really horrible, and nearly as bad as the stumble of mine at the threshold--I mean the _misnomer_ of Bride.

Pray do not let a copy go without the '_not_;' it is nonsense, and worse than nonsense as it now stands. I wish the printer was saddled with a vampire.