once in a way? They are my favourite dish and drinkable; but as neither of them agree with me, I never use them but on great jubilees—once in four or five years or so.

I see some booby1 represents the Hunts and Mrs. Shelley as living in my house: it is a falsehood. They reside at some distance, and I do not see them twice in a month. I have not met Mr. H[unt] a dozen times since I came to Genoa, or near it.

Yours ever,

N. B.

1. "Living now in a separate house from Lord Byron," says Leigh Hunt (Autobiography, vol. iii. pp. 58, 59), “I saw less of him "than before; and, under all the circumstances, it was as well; for "though we had always been on what are called 'good terms,' the "cordiality did not increase. His friends in England, who, after "what had lately taken place there in his instance, were opposed, “naturally enough, to his opening new fields of publicity, did what "they could to prevent his taking a hearty interest in the Liberal; "and I must confess that I did not mend the matter by my own "inability to fall in cordially with his ways, and by a certain "jealousy of my position, which prevented me, neither very wisely nor justly, from manifesting the admiration due to his genius, and "reading the manuscripts he showed me with a becoming amount "of thanks and good words. I think he had a right to feel this "want of accord in a companion, whatever might be its value." From Mrs. Shelley Byron was still more estranged. Her Diary for October 19, 1822 (Life, etc., of M. W. Shelley, vol. ii. p. 43), records the effect upon her mind which his voice produced by carrying her back to former days at Diodati, and reminding her vividly of Shelley. "I see no one," she says in a letter to Jane Clairmont, December 20, 1822 (ibid., p. 56). "The Guiccioli and Lord Byron once a month, Trelawny seldom, and he is on the eve of his departure for 'Leghorn." "Lord B. continues kind," she tells Trelawny, January 30, 1823 (ibid., p. 64); "he has made frequent offers of "money." ,, She waited on at Albaro till Mrs. Hunt's confinement was over, and on June 9, for the first time, asked Byron for money to enable her to return to England. But now (ibid., p. 80) "he "gave such an air of unwillingness and sense of the obligation he "conferred" that she refused his aid, and asked and obtained the requisite sum from Trelawny.

་་

Medwin was probably the author of the rumour to which Byron refers. Moore (Memoirs, etc., vol. iv., p. 20) notes in his diary for November 15, 1822, a visit from Capt. Medwin. "Tells me Hunt's "whole family is living in the same house with B., and he believes "Mrs. Shelley also and her children."

1046.-To the Hon. Douglas Kinnaird (?)

December 19, 1822.

MY DEAR [DOUGLAS],-As you are convalescent-that is to say, not quite well, but not ill enough to find yourself not" ennuyé "-I have less hesitation in writing frequently; because, after having yawned sufficiently over present friends, you can fairly go to sleep over the absent. When you are once abroad again, haranguing, galloping, and prospering, I shall have less chance of attention; but nevertheless I pray you "to ride gently

"" 1 over the stones." One would think you had been breaking in my Pegasus, by the falls you have undergone. Prithee, be careful: after a man is turned of thirty, why should he ride a mad horse except in case of war or woman?

I have been pondering over the vicissitudes of Don Juan. As for booksellers' intrigues, and booksellers' demons, they are not worth a thought:-I tell you that the two most successful things ever written by me, viz., the English Bards and Childe Harold, were refused by one half "the trade," and reluctantly received by the other. There are two or three ways to proceed.

Firstly, To look about and see if any proposition is made by those tanners of authors, the calf-skin, morocco, and Muscovite publishers.

Secondly, If none be made, we have always the option of stamping (an Italic phrase) upon the "touch "and go" account score; which is only objectionable inasmuch as it never yet succeeded-but it may; as steam has, and as balloons will.

1. Kinnaird had been thrown from his horse. Possibly Byron compares the London banker to John Gilpin

"Full slowly pacing o'er the stones."

Thirdly, If so concluded, we must have securities that said publisher's account shall have its arithmetic summed up, and checked by the skilful in such affairs.

Fourthly, Are the Don Juans subject to any laws? that is, your laws, which are somewhat of the queerest; and is any compact respecting them binding to the contracting parties?

Fifthly, If Mr. John Hunt publish them eventually, his son (if of age) ought to be comprised in the stipulation to render a fair account of meum et tuum quarterly, to persons appointed by the author.

Sixthly, Some other ought to be bound-not for the assets, but merely in case of non-fulfilment to guarantee, that the account (be it good, bad, or indifferent) is a fair and true one; for it is a difficult piece of antiquarianism to decypher the hieroglyphic of a publisher's balance pro, con, or otherwise, or anywise.

I venture to throw out these hints for your honour's convalescence; but how far they may merit attention in your sickness, or your health, is left to your consideration. "And your petitioner shall ever," etc., etc., etc.

I am not very well-I suspect worse than you are— at least I hope so. Ever since the summer, when I was fool enough to swim some four miles under a broiling sun, at Via Reggio, I have been more or less ailing.

First, my skin peeled off-then it came again-then I had a fever and violent inflammation, which confined me to my bed, in a bad inn, on a worse road. I thought I was well quit for the winter at least, but lo! within this last month, I have had eruptions, and the deuce knows what besides; so that I have been compelled to call in an English physician, who has decocted and concocted me, secundum artem, until I am turned inside out.

I am as temperate as an anchorite; but I suspect

that temperance is a more effective medicine at twe
than at thirty-and almost five.

Oh Parish Register! oh Peerage! why
Record those years that I would fain deny?

I shall not trouble you farther, and I merely do it now as a sleeping draught for your collar-bone.

Yours ever, and truly,

N. B.

P.S.-I tell you that English Bards and the first and second cantos of Childe Harold were refused by half the craft, and even crafts, in London, although no demand was made. Decide for yourself from such premises -they know nothing.

1047.-To John Murray.

Genoa, Iobre 21st 1822.

It was my hope that our concluding transaction should be an amicable one-and I wish that it may be so still. But I perceive by some extracts in a paper that you appear to have omitted, contrary to my repeatedly urged requests, both the conclusion to the preface (written last summer and carefully sent to you) referring to the E. R. and also the inscription to Goethe. If Mr. K had it, you knew where to find it. You also knew my desire, particularly as you had already omitted it from before Sardanapalus, for which I reproved you, and yet you seem to have repeated the same omission. Is this courteous ?-is it even politic? I repeat to you that no publisher has a right to be negligent upon such subjects. Here was no parson to bully you, nor Society to threaten you that I know of