353—to John Murray

you and I may distinctly understand each other on a subject, which, like "the dreadful reckoning when men smile no more,"

makes conversation not very pleasant, I think it as well to

write

a few lines on the topic.—Before I left town for Yorkshire, you said that you were ready and willing to give five hundred guineas for the copyright of

The Giaour

; and my answer was—from which I do not mean to recede—that we would discuss the point at Christmas. The new story may or may not succeed; the probability, under present circumstances, seems to be, that it may at least pay its expences—but even that remains to be proved, and till it is proved one way or the other, we will say nothing about it. Thus then be it: I will postpone all arrangement about it, and

The Giaour

also, till Easter, 1814; and you shall then, according to your own notions of fairness, make your own offer for the two. At

the

same time, I do not rate the last in my own estimation at half

The Giaour

; and according to your own notions of its worth and its success within the time mentioned, be the addition or deduction to or from whatever sum may be your proposal for the first, which has already had its success

My account with you since my last payment (which I believe cleared it off within five pounds) I presume has not

much

increased—but whatever it is have the goodness to send it to me—that I may at least meet you on even terms.

The pictures of Phillips I consider as

mine

, all three; and the one (not the Arnaut) of the two best is much at

your service

, if you will accept it as a present, from Yours very truly,

Biron

P. S.—The expence of engraving from the miniature send me in my account, as it was destroyed by my desire; and have the goodness to burn that detestable print from it immediately.

Footnote 1:

The What d'ye call't?

by John Gay (act ii. sc. 9):

"So comes a reckoning when the banquet's o'er,
The dreadful reckoning, and men smile no more."

return to footnote mark

Footnote 2:

Murray replies, November 18, 1813,

"I restore the Giaour to your Lordship entirely, and for it, the Bride of Abydos, and the miscellaneous poems intended to fill up the volume of the small edition, I beg leave to offer you the sum of One Thousand Guineas, and I shall be happy if you perceive that my estimation of your talents in my character of a man of business is not much under my admiration of them as a man."

return

List of Letters
Contents

approbation (

he did approve) I need not say makes me proud

As to printing, print as you will and how you will—by itself, if you like; but let me have a few copies in

sheets

Ever yours,

Footnote 1:

Canning wrote the following note to Murray:

"I received the books, and, among them, The Bride of Abydos. It is very, very beautiful. Lord Byron (when I met him, one day, at dinner at Mr. Ward's) was so kind as to promise to give me a copy of it. I mention this, not to save my purchase, but because I should be really flattered by the present. I can now say that I have read enough of Mad. de Staël to be highly pleased and instructed by her. The second volume delights me particularly. I have not yet finished the third, but am taking it with me on my journey to Liverpool."

return

List of Letters
Contents

357—to John Murray

November 24, 1813.

You must pardon me once more, as it is all for your good: it must be thus:

He makes a Solitude, and calls it Peace.

Makes

" is

closer

to the passage of Tacitus

, from which the line is taken, and is, besides, a stronger word than "

leaves

Mark where his carnage and his conquests cease—
He makes a Solitude, and calls it—peace.

You will perceive that the sense is now clearer, the "

" refers to "

Man

" in the preceding couplet.

Yours ever,

Footnote 1:

"Solitudinem faciunt—pacem appellant."

Tacitus,

Agricola

, 30.

return to footnote mark

List of Letters
Contents

358—to John Murray

November 27, 1813.

Dear Sir,—If you look over this carefully by the

last proof

with my corrections, it is probably right; this

you

can

as well or better;—I have not now time. The copies I mentioned to be sent to different friends last night, I should wish to be made up with the new Giaours, if it also is ready. If not, send

The Giaour

afterwards.

The

Morning Post

says

am the author of

Nourjahad¹!!

This comes of lending the drawings for their dresses; but it is not worth a

formal contradiction

. Besides, the criticisms on the

supposition

will, some of them, be quite amusing and furious. The

Orientalism

—which I hear is very splendid—of the Melodrame (whosever it is, and I am sure I don't know) is as good as an Advertisement for your Eastern Stories, by filling their heads with glitter. Yours ever, B.

P. S.—You will of course

say

the truth, that I am

not

the Melo-dramatist—if any one charges me in your presence with the performance.

Footnote 1:

The same charge is made in the

Satirist

(vol. xiii. p. 508).

Illusion, or the Trances of Nourjahad

, was acted at Drury Lane, November 25, 1813. It is described by Genest (

The English Stage

, vol. viii. p. 403) as "a Melo-dramatic spectacle in three acts by an anonymous author." "Nourjahad" was acted by Elliston; "Mandane," his wife, by Mrs. Horn.

return

List of Letters
Contents

359—to John Murray

November 28, 1813.

Dear Sir,—

Send

another copy (if not too much of a request) to Lady Holland of the

Journal

, in my name, when you receive this; it is for

Earl Grey

—and I will relinquish my own. Also to Mr. Sharpe, Lady Holland, and Lady Caroline Lamb, copies of

The Bride

, as soon as convenient.

Ever yours,

Biron

P. S.—Mr. W. and myself still continue our purpose; but I shall not trouble you on any arrangement on the score of

The Giaour

and

The Bride

till our return,—or, at any rate, before

May

, 1814,—that is, six months from hence: and before that time you will be able to ascertain how far your offer may be a losing one: if so, you can deduct proportionably; and if not, I shall not at any rate allow you to go higher than your present proposal, which is very handsome, and more than fair.

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 1:

The Rev. John Eagles (1783-1855), scholar, artist, and contributor (1831-55) to

Blackwood's Magazine

, edited

The Journal of Llewellin Penrose, a Seaman

, which Murray published in 1815.

return to footnote mark

Footnote 2:

"Lord Byron is the author of the day; six thousand of his Bride of Abydos have been sold within a month."

Sir James Mackintosh (

Life

, vol. ii. p. 271).

return

List of Letters
Contents

360—to John Murray.

November 29, 1813.

Sunday—Monday morning—three o'clock—in my doublet and hose,—

swearing

Dear Sir,—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 passage 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.

Ever yours,

Biron

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.

Footnote 1:

The Bride of Abydos

, Canto II. stanza xx. The lines were:

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

return to footnote mark

List of Letters
Contents

361—to John 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.

List of Letters
Contents

362—to John Murray

Nov. 29, 1813, Monday.

Dear Sir,—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, principally papers. The

vases

need not be now sent, as Mr. W. is gone to Scotland. You are right about the Er[rata] 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

ought to be above it—

though

I see the next paragraph is on the

Journal

, which makes me suspect

you

as the author of both.

Would it not have been as well to have said in 2 cantos in the advertisement? 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 damned to it), for

The Giaour

is but a string of passages, 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. W[ard]: one I see to-day

The first I did not see, but heard yesterday. The second seems very bad and Mr. P[erry] has placed it over

your

puff. I only hope that Mr. W. does not believe that I had any connection with either. The Regent is the only person on whom I ever expectorated an epigram, or ever should; and even if I were disposed that way, I like and value Mr. W. 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.