1820.] THOMAS CAMPBELL CORRECTED. 25 (i.e. the story of Marino Faliero); but my present feeling is so little encouraging on such matters, that I begin to think I have mined my talent out, and proceed in no great phantasy of finding a new vein. P.S.-I sometimes think (if the Italians don't rise) of coming over to England in the Autumn after the coronation, (at which I would not appear, on account of my family Schism with "the feminie") but as yet I can decide nothing. The place must be a great deal changed since I left it, now more than four years ago. May 9th, 1820. Address directly to Ravenna. 796.-To John Murray. Ravenna, May 20, 1820. Murray, my dear, make my respects to Thomas Campbell, and tell him from me, with faith and friendship, three things that he must right in his Poets: Firstly, he says Anstey's Bath Guide Characters are taken from Smollett. 'Tis impossible :-the Guide was published in 1766, and Humphrey Clinker in 1771dunque, 'tis Smollett who has taken from Anstey.1 Secondly, he does not know to whom Cowper alludes, when he says that there was one who “built a church to "God, and then blasphemed his name:" it was "Deo "erexit Voltaire" to whom that maniacal Calvinist and coddled poet alludes. Thirdly, he misquotes and spoils 1. Campbell's Specimens of the British Poets, with biographical and critical notices, etc., was published in 1819 (7 vols., London). The corrections pointed out by Byron were not made in subsequent editions of the biographical portion of the work. In the Notice of Christopher Anstey (Notices of the British Poets, ed. 1819, P. 439), Campbell says of The New Bath Guide, "The droll and familiar manner of the poem is original, but its leading characters "are evidently borrowed from Smollett." 2. In his Notice of Cowper (Notices, etc., ed. 1819, p. 358), Campbell lays stress on the impersonal character of his satires. "I a passage from Shakespeare, "to gild refined gold, to "paint the lily," etc.; for lily he puts rose, and bedevils in more words than one the whole quotation.1 Now, Tom is a fine fellow; but he should be correct; for the 1st is an injustice (to Anstey), the 2nd an ignorance, and the third a blunder. Tell him all this, and let him take it in good part; for I might have rammed it into a review and vexed him-instead of which, I act like a Christian. Yours, B. 797.-To Richard Belgrave Hoppner. Ravenna, May 20th 1820. MY DEAR HOPPNER,-Let Merryweather be kept in for one week, and then let him out for a Scoundrel. Tell him that such is the lesson for the ungrateful, and let this be a warning; a little common feeling, and common honesty would have saved him from useless expence and utter ruin. "know not," he adds in a note, "to whom he alludes in these "lines : "Nor he who, for the bane of thousands born, Built God a church, and laugh'd His word to scorn.'' The lines are from Cowper's Retirement, and the allusion is, as Byron says, to Voltaire. 1. Campbell, in his Notice of Burns (Notices, etc., ed. 1819, p. 245), says, Every reader must recal abundance of thoughts in "his love-songs, to which any attempt to superadd a tone of gallantry would not be "To gild refined gold, to paint the rose, Or add fresh perfume to the violet ;' "but to debase the metal, and to take the odour and colour from the "flower." The quotation from King John (act iv. sc. 2) should be, as Byron points out "To gild refined gold, to paint the lily, To throw a perfume on the violet." 1820.] A MORAL LESSON. 27 Never would I pursue a man to Jail for a mere debt, and never will I forgive one for ingratitude such as this Villain's. But let him go and be damned (once in though first); but I could much wish you to see him and inoculate him with a moral sense by shewing him the result of his rascality. As to Mother Mocenigo, we'll battle with her, and her ragamuffin. Castelli must dungeon Merryweather, if it be but for a day, I don't want to hurt, only to teach him. I write to you in such haste and such heat; it seems to be under the dog (or bitch) Star that I can no more, but sottoscribble myself, Yours ever, B. P.S. My best respects to the Consolessa and Compts. to Mr. Dorville. Hobhouse is angry with me for a ballad1 and epigram I made upon him; only think-how odd! 798.-To John Murray. Ravenna, May 20th, 1820. DEAR MURRAY,-First and foremost, you must forward my letter to Moore dated 2d January, which I said you might open, but desired you to forward. Now, you should really not forget these little things, because they do mischief among friends. You are an excellent man, a great man, and live among great men, but do pray recollect your absent friends and authors. I return you the packets. The prose (the Edin. Mag. answer) looks better than I thought it would, and you 1. See Letters, vol. iv. p. 423, note 1, and Appendix XL may publish it: there will be a row, but I'll fight it out one way or another. You are wrong: I never had those "two ladies," upon my honour! Never believe but half of such stories. Southey was a damned scoundrel to spread such a lie of a woman, whose mother he did his best to get and could not. 1 So you and Hobhouse have squabbled about my ballad you should not have circulated it; but I am glad you are by the ears, you both deserve ithe for having been in Newgate, and you for not being there. Excuse haste: if you knew what I have on hand, you would. In the first place, your packets; then a letter from Kinnaird, on the most urgent business: another from Moore, about a communication to Lady B[yron] of importance; a fourth from the mother of Allegra; and, fifthly, at Ravenna, the Contessa G. is on the eve of being divorced on account of our having been taken together quasi in the fact, and, what is worse, that she did not deny it but the Italian public are on our side, particularly the women,—and the men also, because they say that he had no business to take the business up now after a year of toleration. The law is against him, because he slept with his wife after her admission. All her relations (who are numerous, high in rank, and powerful) are furious against him for his conduct, and his not wishing to be cuckolded at threescore, when every one else is at ONE. I am warned to be on my guard, as he is very capable of employing Sicarii-this is Latin as well as Italian, so you can understand it; but I have arms, and don't mind them, thinking that I can pepper his ragamuffins if they don't come unawares, and that, if 1. See Letters, vol. iv. pp. 298, 482. 1820.] THE BEGGAR'S OPERA QUOTED. 29 they do, one may as well end that way as another; and it would besides serve you as an advertisement : "Man may escape from rope or Gun, etc. But he who takes Woman, Woman, Woman," etc.' Yours, B. P.S.-I have looked over the press, but Heaven knows how think what I have on hand and the post going out tomorrow. Do you remember the epitaph on Voltaire ? 2 "Cy gît l'enfant gâté," etc. "Here lies the spoilt child Of the World which he spoil'd." The original is in Grimm and Diderot, etc., etc., etc. 799.-To Thomas Moore. I wrote to you a few days ago. Ravenna, May 24, 1820. There is also a letter of January last for you at Murray's, which will explain to you why I am here. Murray ought to have forwarded 1. The Beggar's Opera, act ii. sc. 2— Air.-Macheath. "Courtiers, courtiers, think it no harm." Man may escape from rope and gun, Nay, some have outliv'd the doctor's pill; Who takes a woman, must be undone, That basilisk is sure to kill. The fly, that sips treacle, is lost in the sweets, 2. In the Correspondance Littéraire, Partie IIme tom. ivme p. 355, ed. 1812, the epitaph is thus given "Épitaphe de Voltaire, faite par une dame de Lausanne 'Ci gît l'enfant gâté du monde qu'il gâta.'" |