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raph (though not quite so sacred), besides a long postscript of graces, virtues, and accomplishments, enough to furnish out a new chapter for Solomon's Song. But her great merit is finding out mine-there is nothing so amiable as discernment.

« The general race of women appear to be handsome; but in Italy, as on almost all the continent, the highest orders are by no means a well-looking generation, and indeed reckoned by their countrymen very much otherwise. Some are exceptions, but most of them as ugly as Virtue herself.

« If you write, address to me here, poste restante, as I shall probably stay the winter over. I never see a newspaper, and know nothing of England, except in a letter now and then from my sister. Of the MS. sent you, I know nothing, except that you have received it, and are to publish it, etc. etc.: but when, where, and how, you leave me to guess; but it don't much matter.

« I suppose you have a world of works passing through your process for next year? When does Moore's Poem appear? I sent a letter for him, addressed to your care, the other day."

LETTER CCLV.

TO MR MURRAY.

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Venice, Dec. 4th, 1816. « I have written to you so frequently of late, that you will think me a bore; as I think you a very impolite person, for not answering my letters from Switzerland, Milan, Verona, and Venice. There are some things I wanted, and want, to know; viz. whether Mr Davies, of inaccurate memory, had or had not delivered the MS.

as delivered to him; because, if he has not, you will find that he will bountifully bestow transcriptions on all the curious of his acquaintance, in which case you may probably find your publication anticipated by the 'Cambridge' or other Chronicles. In the next place,– I forget what was next; but, in the third place, I want to hear whether you have yet published, or when you mean to do so, or why you have not done so, because in your last (Sept. 20th,-you may be ashamed of the date), you talked of this being done immediately.

« From England I hear nothing, and know nothing of any thing or any body. I have but one correspondent (except Mr Kinnaird on business now and then), and her a female; so that I know no more of your island, or city, than the Italian version of the French papers chooses to tell me, or the advertisements of Mr Colburn tagged to the end of your Quarterly Review for the year ago. I wrote to you at some length last week, and have little to add, except that I have begun, and am proceeding in, a study of the Armenian language, which I acquire, as well as I can, at the Armenian convent, where I go every day to take lessons of a learned friar, and have gained some singular and not useless information with regard to the literature and customs of that oriental people. They have an establishment here-a church and convent of ninety monks, very learned and accomplished men, some of them. They have also a press, and make great efforts for the enlightening of their nation. I find the language (which is twin, the literal and the vulgar) difficult, but not invincible (at least I hope not). I shall go on. I found it necessary to twist my mind round some severer study, and this, as being the hardest I could devise here, will be a file for the serpent.

« I mean to remain here till the spring, so address to 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 an 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 much during my voyaging.

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« P. S.-Remember me to Mr Gifford.»

«B.

LETTER CCLVI.

TO MR MURRAY.

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<< In a letter from England, I am informed that a man named Johnson has taken upon himself to publish some poems called a Pilgrimage to Jerusalem, a Tempest, and an Address to my Daughter,' etc. and to attribute them to me, adding that he had paid five hundred guineas for them. The answer to this is short: never wrote such poems, never received the sum he mentions, nor any other in the same quarter, nor (as far as

I

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 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 in 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, etc.

« P.S.-Pray let me hear 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 Third Canto of Childe Harold.»

LETTER CCLVII.

TO MR MURRAY.

« Venice, Dec. 27th, 1816. « As the demon of silence seems to have possessed you, I am determined to have my revenge in postage: this is my sixth or seventh letter since summer and Switzerland. My last was an injunction to contradict and consign to confusion that Cheapside impostor, who (I heard by a letter from your island) had thought proper to append my name to his spurious poesy, of which I know nothing, nor of his pretended purchase or copyright. I hope you have, at least, received that letter. « As the news of Venice must be very interesting to you, I will regale you with it.

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Yesterday being the feast of St Stephen, every mouth was put in motion. There was nothing but fiddling and playing on the virginals, and all kinds of conceits and divertissements, on every canal of this aquatic city. I dined with the Countess Albrizzi and a Paduan and Venetian party, and afterwards went to the opera, at the Fenice theatre (which opens for the Carnival on that day),-the finest, by the way, I have ever seen it beats our theatres hollow in beauty and scenery, and those of Milan and Brescia bow before it. The and its sirens were much like other operas and women, but the subject of the said opera was something edifying; it turned-the plot and conduct there

opera

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