"The Bessboroughs," writes Lady H. Leveson Gower to Lady G. Morpeth,
September 12, 1812 (Letters of Harriet, Countess Granville,
vol. i. pp. 40, 41), "have been unpacked about a couple of hours. My
aunt looks stout and well, but poor Caroline most terribly the
contrary. She is worn to the bone, as pale as death and her eyes
starting out of her head. She seems indeed in a sad way, alternately
in tearing spirits and in tears. I hate her character, her feelings,
and herself when I am away from her, but she interests me when I am
with her, and to see her poor careworn face is dismal, in spite of
reason and speculation upon her extraordinary conduct. She appears to
me in a state very (little) short of insanity, and my aunt describes
it as at times having been decidedly so."
The context and allusion seem to require another word than
"
brief
;" but the sentence is written as printed. In Fielding's
Life of Mr. Jonathan Wild
(Bk. III. chap. viii.) and in
"a dialogue matrimonial, which passed between Jonathan Wild, Esquire,
and Laetitia his wife" (née Laetitia Snap), "Laetitia asks,
'But pray, Mr. Wild, why b—ch? Why did you suffer such a word to
escape you?'"
The republication of the
Anthology
Murray's removal from 32, Fleet Street, to 50, Albemaile
Street.
With Lady Caroline Lamb.
Near Lower Moor, the residence of Hodgson's relatives, the
Cokes.
List of Letters
Contents
3d Feb'y, 1813.
Dear Sir,—
you forward the inclosed immediately to Corbet, whose
address I do not exactly remember? It is of consequence, relative to a
foolish woman
I never saw, who fancies I want to marry her.
Yours ever, B.
P. S.—I wish you would see Corbet and talk to him about it, for she
plagues my soul out with her damned letters.
The lady in question seems to have been Lady Falkland (see
Letters
, vol. 1, p. 216,
note
1 [Footnote 1 of Letter 117], and
.
List of Letters
Contents
February 20, 1813.
Dear Sir,—
"
Horace in London
"
I perceive some stanzas on Lord Elgin in which (waving the kind
compliment to myself
) I heartily concur. I wish I had the pleasure
of Mr. Smith's acquaintance, as I could communicate the curious anecdote
you read in Mr. T.'s letter. If he would like it, he can have the
substance
for his second Edition; if not, I shall add it to
our
next, though I think we already have enough of Lord Elgin.
What I have read of this work seems admirably done. My praise, however,
is not much worth the Author's having; but you may thank him in my name
for
his
. The idea is new—we have excellent imitations of the
Satires, etc. by Pope; but I remember but one imitative Ode in his
works, and
none
any where else. I
hardly suppose that
they
have lost any fame by the fate of the Farce
; but even
should this be the case, the present publication will again place them
on their pinnacle.
Yours truly,
B.
Horace in London; consisting of Imitations of the First
Two Books of the Odes of Horace
, by James and Horace Smith (1813),
was a collection of imitations, the best of which are by James Smith,
republished from Hill's
Monthly Mirror
, where they originally
appeared.
In Book 1. ode xv. of
Horace in London
, entitled
"The Parthenon," Minerva thus speaks:
"All who behold my mutilated pile
Shall brand its ravager with classic rage,
And soon a titled bard from Britain's Isle,
Thy country's praise and suffrage shall engage,
And fire with Athens' wrongs an angry age!"
Horace Smith's unsuccessful comedy,
First Impressions; or,
Trade in the West
, was performed at Drury Lane. The prologue,
spoken by Powell, beseeches a judgment from the audience:
"Such as mild Justice might herself dispense,
To Inexperience and a First Offence."
List of Letters
Contents
4, Bennet Street, St. James's, Feb. 24th, 1813.
I feel rather surprised to have heard nothing from you or your father in
answer to Fletcher's last letter. I wish to know whether you intend
taking a share in a farm with your brother, or prefer to wait for some
other situation in Lancashire;—the first will be the best, because, at
your time of life, it is highly improper to remain idle. If this
marriage
which is spoken of for you is at all advantageous, I can
have no objection; but I should suppose, after being in my service from
your infancy, you will at least let me know the name of your
intended
, and her expectations. If at all respectable, nothing
can be better for your settlement in life, and a proper provision will
be made for you; at all events let me hear something on the subject,
for, as I have some intention of leaving England in the Summer, I wish
to make my arrangements with regard to yourself before that period. As
you and Mr. Murray have not received any money for some time, if you
will draw on
me
for
fifty
pounds (payable at Messrs.
Hoare's, Bankers, Fleet Street), and tell Mr. J[oseph] Murray to draw
for the
same sum
on his
own
account, both will be paid by
me.
Etc., etc.,
B.
List of Letters
Contents
F'y. 27th, 1813.
Dear Sir,—I have called several times, and you may suppose am very
anxious to hear something from or of Mr. Claughton.
It is my determination, on account of a malady to which I am subject,
and for other weighty reasons, to go abroad again almost immediately. To
this you will object; but, as my intention cannot be altered, I have
only to request that you will assist me as far as in your power to make
the necessary arrangements.
I have every confidence in you, and will leave the fullest powers to act
in my absence. If this man still hesitates, I must sell my part of
Rochdale for what it will bring, even at a loss, and fight him out about
Newstead; without this, I have no funds to go on with, and I do not wish
to incur further debts if possible.
Pray favour me with a short reply to this, and say when I can see you.
Excuse me to Mrs. H. for my non-appearance last night; I was detained in
the H. of L. till too late to dress for her party. Compliments to all.
Ever yours,
B.
List of Letters
Contents
March 1st, 1813.
Dear Sir,—I am sorry that I could not call today but will tomorrow.
Your objections I anticipated and can only repeat that I cannot act
otherwise; so pray hasten some arrangement—for with, or without, I must
go.
A person told me yesterday there was one who would give within £10,000 of
C.'s price and take the title as it was. C. is a fool or is shuffling.
Think of what I said about
Rochdale
, for I will sell it for what
I can get, and will not stay three months longer in this country. I
again repeat I will leave all with full powers to you. I commend your
objection which is a proof of an honourable mind—which however I did
not need to convince me of your character. If you have any news send a
few lines.
Ever yours,
BN.
List of Letters
Contents
Mh. 5th, 1813.
Dear Sir,—Lady F[alkland?] has returned by Mr. Hanson the only two
letters I ever wrote her, both some time ago, and neither containing the
least allusion which could make any person suppose that I had any
intention further than regards the children of her husband. My servant
returned the packet and letter of yesterday at the moment of receiving
them; by her letter to Mr. H. it should seem they have not been
redelivered. I am sorry for this, but it is not my fault, and they ought
never to have been sent. After her Ladyship's mistakes, so often
repeated, you will not blame me for declining all further interference
in her affairs, and I rely much upon your word in contradicting her
foolish assertions, and most absurd imaginations. She now says that "I
need not leave the country on her account." How the devil she knew that
I was about to leave it I cannot guess; but, however, for the first time
she has
dreamed
right. But
her
being the cause is still
more ludicrous than the rest. First, she would have it that I returned
here for love of a woman I
never saw
, and now that I am going,
for the same whom I
have never seen
, and certainly never wished,
nor wish, to see! The maddest
consistency
I ever heard of. I
trust that she has regained her senses, as she tells Mr. H. she will not
scribble any more, which will also save
you
from the troublesome
correspondence of
Your obliged and obedient servant,
Byron
.
List of Letters
Contents
cross-reference: return to Footnote 1 of Letter 276
March 6th, 1813.
Dear Sir,—I must be ready in April at whatever risk,—at whatever loss.
You will therefore advertize Rochdale; if you decline this, I will sell
it for what it will bring, even though but a few thousand pounds.
With regard to Claughton, I shall only say that, if he knew the
ruin,—the misery, he occasions by his delay, he would be sorry for his
conduct, and I only hope that he and I may not meet, or I shall say
something he will not like to hear. I have called often. I shall call
today at three or between three and four; again and again, I can only
beg of you to forward my plans, for here no power on earth shall make me
remain six weeks longer.
Ever yours,
B.
List of Letters
Contents
Mh. 24th, 1813.
My Dear Charles,—This is very evasive and dissatisfactory. What is to
be done I cannot tell, but your father had better see his letter and
this of mine. A long litigation neither suits my inclination nor
circumstances; it were better to take back the estate, and raise it to
what it will bear, which must be at least double, to dismantle the house
and sell the materials, and sell Rochdale. Something I must determine on
and that quickly. I want to go abroad immediately; it is utterly
impossible for me to remain here; every thing I have done to extricate
myself has been useless. Your father said "
sell
;" I have sold,
and see what has become of it! If I go to Law with this fellow, after
five years litigation at the present depreciation of money, the
price
will not be worth the
property
; besides how much of
it will be spent in the contest! and how am I to live in the interim?
Every day land rises and money falls. I shall tell Mr. Cn. he is a
scoundrel
, and have done with him, and I only hope he will have
spirit enough to resent the appellation, and defend his own rascally
conduct. In the interim of his delay in his journey, I shall leave town;
on Sunday I shall set out for Herefordshire, from whence, when wanted, I
will return.
Pray tell your father to get the money on Rochdale, or I must sell it
directly. I must be ready by the last week in
May
, and am
consequently pressed for time.
I go first to Cagliari in Sardinia, and on to the Levant.
Believe me, dear Charles,
Yours truly,
B.
List of Letters
Contents
284—to Samuel Rogers1
March 25, 1813.
I enclose you a draft for the usurious interest due to Lord
B[oringdon]'s
protégé
;—I also could wish you would state thus
much for me to his Lordship. Though the transaction speaks plainly in
itself for the borrower's folly and the lender's usury, it never was my
intention to
quash
the demand, as I
legally
might, nor to
withhold payment of principal, or, perhaps, even
unlawful
interest. You know what my situation has been, and what it is. I have
parted with an estate (which has been in my family for nearly three
hundred years, and was never disgraced by being in possession of a
lawyer
, a
churchman
, or a
woman
, during that
period,) to liquidate this and similar demands; and the payment of the
purchase is still withheld, and may be, perhaps, for years. If,
therefore, I am under the necessity of making those persons
wait
for their money, (which, considering the terms, they can afford to
suffer,) it is my misfortune.
When I arrived at majority in 1809,1 offered my own security on
legal
interest, and it was refused.
Now
, I will not accede
to this. This man I may have seen, but I have no recollection of the
names of any parties but the
agents
and the securities. The
moment I can, it is assuredly my intention to pay my debts. This
person's case may be a hard one; but, under all circumstances, what is
mine? I could not foresee that the purchaser of my estate was to demur
in paying for it.
I am glad it happens to be in my power so far to accommodate my
Israelite, and only wish I could do as much for the rest of the Twelve
Tribes.
Ever yours, dear R.,
BN.
The following was Rogers's reply:
"Friday Morning.
"My Dearest Byron,—I have just received your note, but I will
not execute your Commission; and, moreover, I will tell Lord
Boringdon that I refused to do it. I know your situation; and I should
never sleep again, if by any interference of mine, for by so harsh a
word I must call it, you should be led by your generosity, your pride,
or any other noble motive, to do more than you are called upon to do.
"I mentioned the thing to Lord Holland last night, and he entirely
agreed with me, that you are not called upon to do it. The Principal
and the legal interest are all that these extortioners are entitled
to; and, you must forgive me, but I will not do as you require. I
shall keep the draft till I see you.
"Yours ever and ever,
"Saml. Rogers."
List of Letters
Contents
4, Bennet Street, St. James's, March 26th, 1813.
My Dearest Augusta,—I did not answer your letter, because I could not
answer as I wished, but expected that every week would bring me some
tidings that might enable me to reply better than by apologies. But
Claughton has not, will not, and, I think, cannot pay his money, and
though, luckily, it was stipulated that he should never have possession
till the whole was paid, the estate is still on my hands, and your
brother consequently not less embarrassed than ever. This is the truth,
and is all the excuse I can offer for inability, but not unwillingness,
to serve you.
I am going abroad again in June, but should wish to see you before my
departure. You have perhaps heard that I have been fooling away my time
with different "
regnantes
;" but what better can be expected from
me? I have but one
relative
, and her I never see. I have no
connections to domesticate with, and for marriage I have neither the
talent nor the inclination. I cannot fortune-hunt, nor afford to marry
without a fortune.
parliamentary schemes are not much to my taste—I
spoke twice last Session