, a prospectus of a friend's book, and perhaps a song or two,

in Romaic, besides their Pater Noster; so there will be enough, if not too much, with what I have already sent. Have you received the

?

I sent also an annotation on Portugal.

is also forthcoming

.

  That is, with his

, in part of which Byron and his Greek servant, Demetrius, were assisting him with notes and other material.

Newstead Abbey, Sept. 23, 1811.

is

Portuguese word, consequently the very best. Ulissipont is pedantic; and as I have

and

not long before, there would be something like an affectation of Greek terms, which I wish to avoid, since I shall have a perilous quantity of

Greek in my notes, as specimens of the tongue; therefore Lisboa may keep its place. You are right about the

; they must not precede the

; but Cawthorn will be savage if they don't; however, keep

back, and

in

, if we can, but do not let him publish.

I have adopted, I believe, most of your suggestions, but "Lisboa" will be an exception to prove the rule. I have sent a quantity of notes, and shall continue; but pray let them be copied; no devil can read my hand.

the by, I do not mean to exchange the ninth verse of the "Good Night."

I have no reason to suppose my dog better than his brother brutes, mankind; and

we know to be a fable. The

was an acquisition abroad. I do not believe it is to be found in England. It is an amusing little volume, and full of French flippancy. I read, though I do not speak the language.

I

be

with Murray. It was a bookselling, back-shop, Paternoster-row, paltry proceeding; and if the experiment had turned out as it deserved, I would have raised all Fleet Street, and borrowed the giant's staff from St. Dunstan's church

, to immolate the betrayer of trust. I have written to him as he never was written to before by an author, I'll be sworn, and I hope you will amplify my wrath, till it has an effect upon him. You tell me always you have much to write about. Write it, but let us drop metaphysics;—on that point we shall never agree. I am dull and drowsy, as usual. I do nothing, and even that nothing fatigues me.

Adieu.

  See

, Canto I. stanza xvi., and Byron's

.

  See

, Canto I. The "Good Night" is placed between stanzas xiii. and xiv.

  St. Dunstan's in the West, before its rebuilding by Shaw (1831-33), was one of the oldest churches in London. The clock, which projected over the street, and had two wooden figures of wild men who struck the hours with their clubs, was set up in 1671. Unless there was a similar clock before this date, as is not improbable, Scott is wrong in

, where he makes Moniplies stand "astonished as old Adam and Eve ply their ding-dong." The figures, the removal of which, it is said, brought tears to the eyes of Charles Lamb, were bought by the Marquis of Hertford to adorn his villa in Regent's Park, still called St. Dunstan's. Murray's shop at 32, Fleet Street, stood opposite the church, the yard of which was surrounded with stationers' shops, where many famous books of the seventeenth century were published.

Newstead Abbey, Sept. 25, 1811.

,—I fear that before the latest of October or the first of November, I shall hardly be able to make Cambridge. My everlasting agent puts off his coming like the accomplishment of a prophecy. However, finding me growing serious he hath promised to be here on Thursday, and about Monday we shall remove to Rochdale. I have only to give discharges to the tenantry here (it seems the poor creatures must be raised, though I wish it was not necessary), and arrange the receipt of sums, and the liquidation of some debts, and I shall be ready to enter upon new subjects of vexation. I intend to visit you in Granta, and hope to prevail on you to accompany me here or there or anywhere.

I am plucking up my spirits, and have begun to gather my little sensual comforts together. Lucy is extracted from Warwickshire; some very bad faces have been warned off the premises, and more promising substituted in their stead; the partridges are plentiful, hares fairish, pheasants not quite so good, and the Girls on the Manor —— Just as I had formed a tolerable establishment my travels commenced, and on my return I find all to do over again; my former flock were all scattered; some married, not before it was needful. As I am a great disciplinarian, I have just issued an edict for the abolition of caps; no hair to be cut on any pretext; stays permitted, but not too low before; full uniform always in the evening; Lucinda to be commander—

the present, about to be wedded (

. she is 35 with a flat face and a squeaking voice), of all the makers and unmakers of beds in the household.

My tortoises (all Athenians), my hedgehog, my mastiff and the other live Greek, are all purely. The tortoises lay eggs, and I have hired a hen to hatch them. I am writing notes for

quarto (Murray would have it a

), and Hobhouse is writing text for

quarto; if you call on Murray or Cawthorn you will hear news of either. I

attacked De Pauw

, Thornton

, Lord Elgin

, Spain, Portugal, the

, travellers, Painters, Antiquarians, and others, so you see what a dish of Sour Crout Controversy I shall prepare for myself. It would not answer for me to give way, now; as I was forced into bitterness at the beginning, I will go through to the last.

! If I fall, I shall fall gloriously, fighting against a host.

B.

 

, Canto II. note D, part ii.

 

., note A.

 

., note D, part iii.

Newstead Abbey, Sept. 26, 1811.

,-In a stanza towards the end of canto 1st, there is in the concluding line,

I have altered it as follows:

If

will point out the stanzas on Cintra

which you wish recast, I will send you mine answer. Be good enough to address your letters here, and they will either be forwarded or saved till my return. My agent comes tomorrow, and we shall set out immediately.

The press must not proceed of course without my seeing the proofs, as I have much to do.

, do you think any alterations should be made in the stanzas on Vathek

?

I should be sorry to make any improper allusion, as I merely wish to adduce an example of wasted wealth, and the reflection which arose in surveying the most desolate mansion in the most beautiful spot I ever beheld.

Pray keep Cawthorn back; he was not to begin till November, and even that will be two months too soon. I am so sorry my hand is unintelligible; but I can neither deny your accusation, nor remove the cause of it.—It is a sad scrawl, certes.—A perilous quantity of annotation hath been sent; I think almost

, with the specimens of Romaic I mean to annex.

I will have nothing to say to your metaphysics, and allegories of rocks and beaches; we shall all go to the bottom together, so "let us eat and drink, for tomorrow," etc. I am as comfortable in my creed as others, inasmuch as it is better to sleep than to be awake.

I have heard nothing of Murray; I hope he is ashamed of himself. He sent me a vastly complimentary epistle, with a request to alter the two, and finish another canto. I sent him as civil an answer as if I had been engaged to translate by the sheet, declining altering anything in sentiment, but offered to tag rhymes, and mend them as long as he liked.

I will write from Rochdale when I arrive, if my affairs allow me; but I shall be so busy and savage all the time with the whole set, that my letters will, perhaps, be as pettish as myself. If so, lay the blame on coal and coal-heavers. Very probably I may proceed to town by way of Newstead on my return from Lancs. I mean to be at Cambridge in November, so that, at all events, we shall be nearer. I will not apologise for the trouble I have given and do give you, though I ought to do so; but I have worn out my politest periods, and can only say that I am much obliged to you.

Believe me, yours always,

.

 

, Canto I. stanza xviii.

 

on Bedford (see

, vol. i. p. 228,

1 [Footnote 2 of Letter 125]; and

, Canto I, stanza xxii.).

Newstead Abbey, Oct. 10th, 1811.

,—I can hardly invite a gentleman to my house a second time who walked out of it the first in so singular a mood, but if you had thought proper to pay me a visit, you would have had a "Highland Welcome."

I am only just returned to it out of Lancashire, where I have been on business to a Coal manor of mine near Rochdale, and shall leave it very shortly for Cambridge and London. My companions, or rather companion, (for Claridge alone has been with me) have not been very amusing, and, as to their "

," they are doubtless sincere enough for a man who will never put them to the trial.

you talked so much of your conjugal happiness, that an invitation from home would have seemed like Sacrilege, and my rough Bachelor's Hall would have appeared to little advantage after the "Bower of Armida"

where you have been reposing.

I cannot boast of my social powers at any time, and just at present they are more stagnant than ever.

Brother-in-law

means to stand for Wexford, but I have reasons for thinking the Portsmouth interest will be against him; however I wish him success. Do

mean to stand for any place next election? What are your politics? I hope Valentia's Lord is for the Catholics. You will find Hobhouse at Enniscorthy in the contested County.

Pray what has seized you? your last letter is the only one in which you do not rave upon matrimony. Are there no symptoms of a young W.W.? and shall I never be a Godfather? I believe I must be married myself soon, but it shall be a secret and a Surprise. However, knowing your exceeding discretion I shall probably entrust the secret to your silence at a proper period.

have, it is true, invited me repeatedly to Dean's Court

and now, when it is probable I might adventure there, you wish to be off. Be it so.

If you address your letters to this place they will be forwarded wherever I sojourn. I am about to meet some friends at Cambridge and on to town in November.

The

are full of Dalrymple's Bigamy

(I know the man). What the Devil will he do with his

? He is no beauty, but as lame as myself. He has more ladies than legs, what comfort to a cripple!

. .

.

  Armida is the Sorceress, the niece of Prince Idreotes, in Tasso's

, in whose palace Rinaldo forgets his vow as a crusader. Byron, in

(Canto I. stanza lxxi.), says:

In the Catalogue of Byron's books, sold April 5, 1816, appear four editions of Tasso's

, being those of 1776, 1785, 1813, and one undated.

  For George Annesley, Lord Valentia, afterwards Earl of Mountnorris (1769-1844), see

, ed. 1898, vol. i. p. 378, and

.

  Near Wimborne, Dorset.

  The suit of

v.

was tried before Sir William Scott, in the Consistory Court, Doctors' Commons, July 16, 1811. The suit was brought by Mrs. Dalrymple (

Joanna Gordon) against Captain John William Henry Dalrymple. By Scottish law he was held to have been married to Miss Gordon, and his subsequent marriage with Miss Manners, sister of the Duchess of St. Albans, was held to be illegal.

Newstead Abbey, October 10th, 1811.

,—

24, 26, 29

, though

must

, with their

. The

three

are cut out to meet your wishes. We must, however, have a repetition of the proof, which is the first. I will write soon.

Yours ever,

B.

P.S.—Yesterday I returned from Lancs.

  The stanzas are xxiv., xxv., xxvi. of Canto I.

  The following are the three deleted stanzas: