P.S.-Pray let my sister be informed that I am not coming as I intended: I have not the courage to tell

were impelled merely by idle curiosity. Whether it was so or "not, I cannot help thinking that if they had been of the other sex, "he would not have been so eager to escape from their observation, "as in that case he would have repaid them glance for glance.

"The curiosity that was expressed by all classes of travellers to "see him, and the eagerness with which they endeavoured to pick "up any anecdotes of his mode of life, were carried to a length "which will hardly be credited. It formed the chief subject of their "inquiries of the gondoliers who conveyed them from terra firma to "the floating city; and these people, who are generally loquacious, "were not at all backward in administering to the taste and humours "of their passengers, relating to them the most extravagant and "often unfounded stories. They took care to point out the house "where he lived, and to give such hints of his movements as might "afford them an opportunity of seeing him. Many of the English “visitors, under pretext of seeing his house, in which there were "no paintings of any consequence, nor, besides himself, anything "worthy of notice, contrived to obtain admittance through the "cupidity of his servants, and with the most barefaced impudence "forced their way even into his bedroom, in the hopes of seeing "him. Hence arose, in a great measure, his bitterness towards "them, which he has expressed in a note to one of his poems, on the "occasion of some unfounded remark made upon him by an anony"mous traveller in Italy; and it certainly appears well calculated "to foster that cynicism which prevails in his latter works more "particularly, and which, as well as the misanthropical expressions "that occur in those which first raised his reputation, I do not "believe to have been his natural feeling. Of this I am certain, "that I never witnessed greater kindness than in Lord Byron.

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"The inmates of his family were all extremely attached to him, "and would have endured anything on his account. He was indeed "culpably lenient to them; for even when instances occurred of "their neglecting their duty, or taking an undue advantage of his good nature, he rather bantered than spoke seriously to them upon "it, and could not bring himself to discharge them, even when he "had threatened to do so. An instance occurred within my know"ledge of his unwillingness to act harshly towards a tradesman whom he had materially assisted, not only by lending him money, "but by forwarding his interest in every way that he could. Not"withstanding repeated acts of kindness on Lord Byron's part, this "man robbed and cheated him in the most barefaced manner; and "when at length Lord Byron was induced to sue him at law for the "recovery of his money, the only punishment he inflicted upon him, "when sentence against him was passed, was to put him in prison "for one week, and then to let him out again, although his debtor "had subjected him to a considerable additional expense by dragging "him into all the different courts of appeal, and that he never at

1819.]

VISIT TO ENGLAND POSTPONED.

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her so myself, at least as yet; but I will soon, with the reasons. Pray tell her so.

766.-To the Hon. Augusta Leigh.

Bologna, Dec 23 1819.

DEAREST AUGUSTA,-The health of my daughter Allegra, the cold season, and the length of the journey, induce me to postpone for some time a purpose (never very willing on my part) to revisit Great Britain.

You can address to me at Venice as usual. Wherever I may be in Italy, the letter will be forwarded.

I enclose to you all that long hair,1 on account [of] which you would not go to see my picture. You will see

"last recovered one halfpenny of the money owed to him. Upon "this subject he writes to me from Ravenna, 'If *** [Merry"weather] is in (prison), let him out; if out, put him in for a week, "merely for a lesson, and give him a good lecture.'

"He was also ever ready to assist the distressed, and he was most "unostentatious in his charities; for besides considerable sums which "he gave away to applicants at his own house, he contributed largely "by weekly and monthly allowances to persons whom he had never "seen, and who, as the money reached them by other hands, did "not even know who was their benefactor. One or two instances "might be adduced where his charity certainly bore an appearance "of ostentation; one particularly, when he sent fifty louis d'or to a "poor printer whose house had been burnt to the ground, and all "his property destroyed; but even this was not unattended with "advantage; for it in a manner compelled the Austrian authorities to do something for the poor sufferer, which I have no hesitation "in saying they would not have done otherwise; and I attribute it "entirely to the publicity of his donation, that they allowed the man "the use of an unoccupied house belonging to the government until "he could rebuild his own, or re-establish his business elsewhere. "Other instances might be perhaps discovered where his liberalities "proceeded from selfish, and not very worthy motives; but these "are rare, and it would be unjust in the extreme to assume them as "proofs of his character."

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1. See p. 271, note I.

* "The writer here, no doubt, alludes to such questionable liber"alities as those exercised towards the husbands of his two favourites, "Madame Segati and the Fornarina" (Moore).

that it was not so very long. I curtailed it yesterday, my head and hair being weakly after my tertian.

I wrote to you not very long ago, and, as I do not know that I could [add] anything satisfactory to that letter, I may as well finish this.

In a letter to Murray, I requested him to apprize you that my journey was postponed; but here, there, and every where, know me,

Yours ever and very truly,

B.

1819.]

LOVE'S VICTORY.

391

CHAPTER XIX.

DECEMBER, 1819-MARCH, 1820.

THE PALAZZO GUICCIOLI AT RAVENNA-MORGANTE MAG. GIORE THE PROPHECY OF DANTE-FRANCESCA OF RIMINI- OBSERVATIONS UPON AN ARTICLE IN BLACKWOOD'S EDINBURGH MAGAZINE.

767.-To the Countess Guiccioli.1

[Undated.]

La F** ti avra detta, colla sua solita sublimità, che l'Amor ha vinto. Io non ho potuto trovare forza di · anima per lasciare il paese dove tu sei, senza vederti almeno un' altra volta :-forse dipenderà da te se mai ti lascio più. Per il resto parleremo. Tu dovresti adesso

1. The following is Moore's translation of the above fragment:"F** will already have told you, with her accustomed sublimity, that Love has gained the victory. I could not summon up reso"lution enough to leave the country where you are, without, at "least, once more seeing you. On yourself, perhaps, it will depend, "whether I ever again shall leave you. Of the rest we shall speak "when we meet. You ought, by this time, to know which is most "conducive to your welfare, my presence or my absence. For "myself, I am a citizen of the world-all countries are alike to me. "You have ever been, since our first acquaintance, the sole object of "my thoughts. My opinion was, that the best course I could adopt, "both for your peace and that of all your family, would have been "to depart and go far, far away from you ;-since to have been "near and not approach you would have been, for me, impossible. "You have however decided that I am to return to Ravenna. I "shall accordingly return-and shall do-and be all that you wish. "I cannot say more."

sapere cosa sarà più convenevole al tuo ben essere la mia presenza o la mia lontananza. Io sono cittadino del mondo-tutti i paesi sono eguali per me. Tu sei stata sempre (dopo che ci siamo conosciuti) l'unico oggetto di miei pensieri. Credeva1 che il miglior partito per la pace tua e la pace di tua famiglia fosse il mio partire, e andare ben lontano; poichè stare vicino e non avvicinarti sarebbe per me impossibile. Ma tu hai deciso che io debbo ritornare a Ravenna-tornaro-e farò-e sarò ciò che tu vuoi. Non posso dirti di più.

768.-To Richard Belgrave Hoppner.

Ravenna, Dec. 31, 1819.

MY DEAR HOPPNER,-Will you have the goodness to ask or cause to be asked of Siri and Willhalm, if they have not three sabres of mine in custody according to the enclosed note? if not, they must have lost two for they never sent them back.

And will you desire Missiaglia to subscribe for and send me the Minerva, a Paris paper, as well as Galignani. I have been here this week, and was obliged to put

1. Byron's irresolution is thus described by a female friend of Madame Guiccioli

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Egli era tutto vestito di viaggio coi guanti fra le mani, col suo "bonnet, e persino colla piccola sua canna; non altro aspettavasi "che egli scendesse le scale, tutti i bauli erano in barca. Milord fa "la pretesta che se suona un ora dopo il mezzodì e che non sia ogni "cosa all' ordine (poichè le armi sole non erano in pronto) egli non "partirebbe più per quel giorno. L'ora suona, ed egli resta."

"He was ready dressed for the journey, his gloves and cap on, "and even his little cane in his hand. Nothing was now waited for "but his coming down stairs,-his boxes being already all on board "the gondola. At this moment, my Lord, by way of pretext, "declares, that if it should strike one o'clock before every thing was "in order (his arms being the only thing not yet quite ready) he "would not go that day. The hour strikes, and he remains!" The writer adds, "It is evident he has not the heart to go ;" and the result proved that she had not judged him wrongly (Moore).