1816.]

LOVE AND STUDY.

19

me directly to Venice, poste restante.-Mr. Hobhouse, for the present, is gone to Rome, with his brother, brother's wife, and Sister, who overtook him here: he returns in two months. I should have gone too, but I fell in love, and must stay that over. I should think that and the Armenian alphabet will last the winter. The lady has, luckily for me, been less obdurate than the language, or, between the two, I should have lost my remains of sanity. By the way, she is not Armenian, but a Venetian, as I believe I told you in my last. As for Italian, I am fluent enough, even in its Venetian modification, which is something like the Somersetshire version of English; and as for the more classical dialects, I had not forgot my former practice during my voyaging.

Yours, ever and truly,

B.

P.S.-Remember me to Mr. Gifford. And do not forget me to but I don't think I have any other friends of your acquaintance.

618.-To John Murray.

Venice, Dec. 9, 1816.

DEAR SIR,-In a letter from England, I am informed that a man named Johnson has taken upon himself to

1. See Letters, vol. iii. p. 337, note 1. The "Pilgrimage to the "Holy Land" is a poem in two cantos, the first consisting of 512 lines, the second of 510. The following paragraphs appeared in the Morning Chronicle for November 30, 1816 :

:

"Court of Chancery, Westminster, Nov. 28th, Lord Byron's "Poems.

"Lord Byron v. James Johnston.

"Sir Samuel Romilly moved for an Injunction on the part of the "Noble Plaintiff, to restrain the Defendant from publishing a "spurious edition of his Works, entitled, 'Lord Byron's Pilgrimage "to the Holy Land'-' The Tempest''Farewell to England'

publish some poems called a "Pilgrimage to Jerusalem, "a Tempest, and an Address to my Daughter," etc., and

"Ode to St. Helena 'To my Daughter on the Morning of her "Birth' and 'To the Lily of France;' which the defendant "advertised in the Newspapers, particularly on Saturday, the 16th "instant, as follows:

"The Publisher of Lord Byron's " Pilgrimage to the Holy Land" "together with "The Tempest," begs leave to say, that it will be "ready for delivery on Wednesday next, price 5s. 6d., uniform "with the Noble Author's former Works. He likewise takes the opportunity of informing the public, lest they may be misled, that "the copy-right of this Work was consigned to him exclusively by "the Noble Author himself, and for which he gave 500 guineas,"98, Cheapside, and 353, Oxford-street.'

"The Learned Counsel then stated, that so far from this being a "true statement, that he held in his hand the affidavit of a Gentle"man of the name of Scrope Berdmore Davies, which set forth that "the plaintiff was travelling in Italy, and in the beginning of "September he left him near Genoa, and that he intrusted him to "bring over to Mr. John Murray, bookseller, of Albemarle-street, "his two last Poems, to be published by him, and which Mr. "Murray agreed to give two thousand guineas for: and from the "conversations he had with the Noble Lord, he was confident that "the works held out by the Defendant, are not the production of "his Lordship, only so far as they may contain plagiarisms. An "application for an injunction had been made to the Vice"Chancellor ; but his Honour was of opinion, as the Noble Plaintiff "was not in the kingdom, notice of the motion ought to be served "on the defendant, to give him an opportunity of proving the "assertions of his advertisement. He would not take up the further "time of the Court, but wait to hear what would be advanced by "his Learned Friends on the other side.

"Mr. Shadwell followed on the same side, and said, it was not "the wish of his Noble Client that the defendant should be "restrained from publishing his rhymes; all he wished was, that "he should be prohibited from selling them as his, the plaintiff's, "poetry, for it was neither grammar nor poetry that he was vending. "Mr. Leach, Counsel for the defendant, stated, that the works in "question were denied by Lord Byron to be his works. He con"tended, therefore, that no notice of motion could oblige the "defendant to come into Court and defend it. He would be doing "injustice to his Client, if he was to say one word more.

"Sir Samuel Romilly, in reply, contended that he was obliged "to defend after notice, or that it would be incumbent on the Court "to act as if he had. There were many cases in point, that of the "celebrated Mr. Pope, where a bookseller was restrained from "publishing poetry in his name, which he had never written. Also "in the case of Dr. Paley, and in that of Lord Chesterfield's "executors, prohibiting a work which introduced a letter of his

T

1816.]

A SPURIOUS WORK.

21

to attribute them to me, adding that he had paid five hundred guineas for them. The answer to this is short: I never wrote such poems, never received the sum he mentions, nor any other in the same quarter, nor (as far as moral or mortal certainty can be sure) ever had, directly or indirectly, the slightest communication with Johnson in my life; not being aware that the person existed till this intelligence gave me to understand that there were such people. Nothing surprises me, or this perhaps would, and most things amuse me, or this probably would not. With regard to myself, the man has merely lied; that's natural; his betters have set him the example. But with regard to you, his assertion may perhaps injure you in your publications; and I desire that it may receive the most public and unqualified contradiction. I do not know that there is any punishment for a thing of this kind; and if there were, I should not feel disposed to pursue this ingenious mountebank farther than was necessary for "Lordship's advice to his son. The defendant had undertaken to "inform the public that the works he was publishing were the works "of the plaintiff, and that he had given for them a valuable con"sideration, when his Lordship had disposed of them to Mr. "Murray for a large sum, and authorized him to publish them. It "was not remuneration for his talents that the Noble Plaintiff "wanted-it was only that spurious and ungrammatical matter "should not go out as his production. His Learned Friend (Mr. "Leach) had made no objection that the bill could not be filed in "the absence of Lord Byron. But if he had, he could have proved, "by affidavit, that his Lordship had left authority with Mr. Murray, "before he went abroad, for that purpose, and also a general "authority. Under those considerations, he had no doubt but his "Lordship would grant the injunction to restrain the Defendant "from selling the works as those of Lord Byron.

"The Lord Chancellor observed, that the Noble Plaintiff did not "ask the injunction to restrain the defendant from publishing on "pecuniary grounds, but on the grounds of character as an author; "in answer to which the defendant had said he had given a "pecuniary compensation for the work he had published. He "(the Lord Chancellor) certainly could not refuse the injunction, "on Lord Byron giving security for the costs of the suit.

"Injunction granted."

his confutation; but thus far it may be necessary to proceed.

You will make what use you please of this letter; and Mr. Kinnaird who has power to act for me during my absence-will, I am sure, readily join you in any steps which it may be proper to take, with regard to the absurd falsehood of this poor creature. As you will have recently received several letters from me on my way to Venice, as well as two written since my arrival, I will not at present trouble you further.

Ever very truly yours,

BYRON.

P.S.-Pray let me know that you have received this letter. Address to Venice, poste restante.

To prevent the recurrence of similar fabrications, you may state, that I consider myself responsible for no publication from the year 1812 up to the present date, which is not from your press. I speak of course from that period, because, previously, Cawthorn and Ridge had both printed compositions of mine. "A Pilgrimage to "Jerusalem!" How the devil should I write about

Jerusalem, never having yet been there? As for "a "tempest," it was not a tempest when I left England, but a very fresh breeze: and as to an address to little Ada, (who, by the way, is a year old to-morrow,) I never wrote a line about her, except in "Farewell" and the 3d canto of Childe H-d.

619.-To the Hon. Augusta Leigh.

Venice, Dec! 19th 1816.

MY DEAREST AUGUSTA,-I wrote to you a few days ago. Your letter of the 1st is arrived, and you have "a hope"1

I. Mrs. Leigh, writing to Hodgson, October 29, 1816 (Memoir

1816.] "NO HOPES FOR THEM AS LAUGHS."

23

for me, it seems: what "hope," child? my dearest Sis. I remember a methodist preacher who, on perceiving a profane grin on the faces of part of his congregation, exclaimed "no hopes for them as laughs." And thus it is with us: we laugh too much for hopes, and so even let them go. I am sick of sorrow, and must even content myself as well as I can : so here goes-I won't be woeful again if I can help it.

My letter to my moral Clytemnestra required no answer, and I would rather have none. I was wretched enough when I wrote it, and had been so for many a long day and month: at present I am less so, for reasons explained in my late letter1 (a few days ago); and as I never pretend to be what I am not, you may tell her if you please that I am recovering, and the reason also if you like it.

66

I do not agree with you about Ada: there was

of Rev. F. Hodgson, vol. ii. p. 39), says of Byron, "Sometimes I venture to indulge a hope that what I wish most earnestly for him "may be working its way in his mind. Heaven grant it!" She probably refers to religious feeling.

1. In a letter to Hodgson, March 4, 1817, Mrs. Leigh writes of her brother

"From him I have not heard for nearly 5 weeks, and his letter "was dated the 13th Jan. Of him I have heard a little later "account; Mr. Murray showed me a letter to him dated ye 24 of "Jan", and I believe Mr. Moore has heard since that. I am daily "hoping to do so, for any unusual silence puts me into a fidget. "His last letters have been uncomfortable; in one of them, after "giving me the history of a new attachment, he says, and tell "Hodgson his prediction is fulfilled; you know he foretold I should "fall in love with an Italian, and so I have.' I should prefer giving "you a more agreeable message, dear Mr. H., but I don't like to "withhold any of his words to you. As for the circumstance it "alludes to, it is only one among a million of melancholy anticipa"tions of mine."

2. Mrs. Leigh, in a letter written to Hodgson, March 4, 1817, says of Byron

"He has lately given himself and others much needless worry "on the subject of the poor dear little girl. I forget whether I told "you, but must risk a repetition. Somebody wrote, I believe