The more violent the fatigue, the better my spirits 'for the rest of the day; and then, my evenings have 'that calm nothingness of languor, which I most delight in. To-day I have boxed one hour-written an ode to Napoleon Buonaparte-copied it-eaten 'six biscuits-drunk four bottles of soda water'redde away the rest of my time-besides giving poor ** a world of advice about this mistress of his who 'is plaguing him into a phthisic and intolerable ' tediousness. I am a pretty fellow truly to lecture "about "the sect." No matter, my counsels are all 'thrown away. 'April 19th, 1814. 'There is ice at both poles, north and south-all 'extremes are the same-misery belongs to the highest and the lowest only,-to the emperor and the beggar, when unsixpenced and unthroned. There is, to 'be sure, a damned insipid medium-an equinoctial line-no one knows where, except upon maps and 'measurement. < "And all our yesterdays have lighted fools 'I will keep no further journal of that same hesternal 'torch-light; and, to prevent me from returning, like 'a dog, to the vomit of memory, I tear out the remaining leaves of this volume, and write, in Ipecacuanha, "-"that the Bourbons are restored!!!" "Hang up philosophy." To be sure, I have long despised 'myself and man, but I never spat in the face of my species before-"O fool! I shall go mad." The perusal of this singular Journal having made the reader acquainted with the chief occurrences that marked the present period of his history—the publi cation of the Corsair, the attacks upon him in the newspapers, &c.-there only remains for me to add his correspondence at the same period, by which the moods and movements of his mind, during these events, will be still further illustrated. TO MR. MURRAY. Sunday, Jan. 2, 1814. Excuse this dirty paper-it is the penultimate 'half-sheet of a quire. Thanks for your book and the Ln. Chron., which I return. The Corsair is copied, ' and now at Lord Holland's; but I wish Mr. Gifford 'to have it to-night. ' Mr. Dallas is very perverse; so that I have offended 'both him and you, when I really meaned to do good, ' at least to one, and certainly not to annoy either*. * He had made a present of the copyright of The Corsair' to Mr. Dallas, who thus describes the manner in which the gift was bestowed: - On the 28th of December, I called in the morning on Lord Byron, whom I found composing "The Corsair." He had been working upon ' it but a few days, and he read me the portion he had written. After some observations, he said, "I have a great mind-I will." He then ' added that he should finish it soon, and asked me to accept of the copyright. I was much surprised. He had, before he was aware of the value of his works, declared that he never would take money for them, ' and that I should have the whole advantage of all he wrote. This declaration became morally void when the question was about thousands, instead of a few hundreds; and I perfectly agree with the admired and admirable author of Waverley, that "the wise and good accept not gifts which are made in heat of blood, and which may be after repented of.”—I felt this on the sale of "Childe Harold," and observed it to him. The copyright of "The Giaour" and "The Bride of Abydos" remained undisposed of, though the poems were selling rapidly, nor had I the slightest notion that he would ever again give me a copyright. But as he continued in the resolution of not appropriating the 'sale of his works to his own use, I did not scruple to accept that of "The 'Corsair," and I thanked him. He asked me to call and hear the portions read as he wrote them. I went every morning, and was astonished at the rapidity of his composition. He gave me the Poem complete on 'New-year's day, 1814, saying, that my acceptance of it gave him great pleasure, and that I was fully at liberty to publish it with any bookseller I pleased, independent of the profit.' ' Out of this last-mentioned permission arose the momentary embarrass But I shall manage him, I hope.-I am pretty con'fident of the Tale itself; but one cannot be sure. If 'I get it from Lord Holland, it shall be sent. Yours, ' &c.' TO MR. MURRAY. '[Jan. 1814.] 'I will answer your letter this evening; in the ' meantime, it may be sufficient to say, that there was no intention on my part to annoy you, but merely to 'serve Dallas, and also to rescue myself from a possi'ble imputation that I had other objects than fame in writing so frequently. Whenever I avail myself of any profit arising from my pen, depend upon it, it is 'not for my own convenience; at least it never has 'been so, and I hope never will. 'P.S. I shall answer this evening, and will set all right about Dallas. I thank you for your expressions of personal regard, which I can assure you I do not 'lightly value.' LETTER 155. TO MR. MOORE. 'January 6th, 1814. 'I have got a devil of a long story in the press, entitled "The Corsair," in the regular heroic measure. It is a pirate's isle, peopled with my own creatures, and you may easily suppose they do a 'world of mischief through the three Cantos. Now ( for Dedication-if you your you will accept it. This is positively my last experiment on public literary opi'nion, till I turn my thirtieth year,-if so be I flourish ' until that downhill period. I have a confidence for ment between the noble poet and his publisher, to which the above notes allude. 'you-a perplexing one to me, and, just at present, ' in a state of abeyance in itself. However, we shall see. In the mean time, you may amuse yourself with my suspense, and put all the justices of peace in requisition, in case I come ' into your county with "hackbut bent." Seriously, whether I am to hear from her or him, it is a pause, which I shall fill up with as few thoughts of my own as I can borrow from other people. Any'thing is better than stagnation; and now, in the interregnum of my autumn and a strange summer adventure, which I don't like to think of (I don't 'mean **'s, however, which is laughable only), the ' antithetical state of my lucubrations makes me alive, ' and Macbeth can "sleep no more:"-he was lucky in getting rid of the drowsy sensation of waking ' again. 6 Pray write to me. I must send you a copy of the letter of Dedication. When do you come out? I I am sure we don't clash this time, for I am all at sea, ' and in action,—and a wife, and a mistress, &c. &c. Thomas, thou art a happy fellow; but if you wish us to be so, you must come up to town, as you did 'last year; and we shall have a world to say, and to 'see, and to hear. Let me hear from you. 'P.S. Of course you will keep my secret, and don't ' even talk in your sleep of it. Happen what may, your Dedication is ensured, being already written; ' and I shall copy it out fair to-night, in case business 'or amusement-Amant alterna Camœnæ.' TO MR. MURRAY. 'Jan. 7th, 1814. You don't like the Dedication-very well; there 'is another but you will send the other to Mr. 'Moore, that he may know I had written it. I send ' also mottoes for the Cantos. I think you will allow ' that an elephant may be more sagacious, but cannot 'be more docile. • Yours, 'The name is again altered to Medora"." 'BN. LETTER 156. TO MR. MOORE. 'January 8th, 1814. 'As it would not be fair to press you into a Dedication, without previous notice, I send you two, and 'I will tell you why two. The first, Mr. M., who some'times takes upon him the critic (and I bear it from astonishment), says, may do you harm-God forbid !— 'this alone makes me listen to him. The fact is, he ' is a damned Tory, and has, I dare swear, something 'of self, which I cannot divine, at the bottom of his objection, as it is the allusion to Ireland to which he ' objects. But he be d-d-though a good fellow enough (your sinner would not be worth a d-n). 'Take your choice;-no one, save he and Mr. Dallas, has seen either, and D. is quite on my side, ' and for the first t. If I can but testify to you and the * It had been at first Genevra,—not Francesca, as Mr. Dallas asserts. The first was, of course, the one that I preferred. The other ran as follows: My dear Moore, 'January 7th, 1814. I had written to you a long letter of dedication, which I suppress, because, though it contained something relating to you which every one had been glad to hear, yet there was too much about politics, and poesy, and all things whatsoever, ending with that topic on which most men are fluent, and none very amusing-one's self. It might have ⚫ been re-written-but to what purpose? My praise could add nothing to your well-earned and firmly-established fame; and with my most hearty admiration of your talents, and delight in your conversation, you are already acquainted. In availing myself of your friendly permission to inscribe this Poem to you, I can only wish the offering were as wor "thy your acceptance as your regard is dear to, Yours, most affectionately and faithfully, 'BYRON.' |