Are you not near the Luddites1? By the Lord! if there's a row, but I'll be among ye! How go on the weavers-the breakers of frames-the Lutherans of politics-the reformers? As the Liberty lads o'er the sea Bought their freedom, and cheaply, with blood, Will die fighting, or live free, And down with all kings but King Ludd! When the web that we weave is complete, And dye it deep in the gore he has pour'd. Though black as his heart its hue, Which the tree shall renew Of Liberty, planted by Ludd! There's an amiable chanson for you-all impromptu. I have written it principally to shock your neighbour [Hodgson ?], who is all clergy and loyalty-mirth and innocence-milk and water. * * But the Carnival's coming, Oh Thomas Moore, The Carnival's coming, Oh Thomas Moore; 1. See Letters, vol. ii. p. 97, note 1. 1816.] COLERIDGE'S CHRISTABEL. Masking and humming, Oh Thomas Moore. 331 The other night I saw a new play, and the author. The subject was the sacrifice of Isaac. The play succeeded, and they called for the author-according to continental custom-and he presented himself, a noble Venetian, Mali-or Malapiero, by name. Mala was his name, and pessima his production,—at least, I thought so; and I ought to know, having read more or less of five hundred Drury Lane offerings, during my coadjutorship with the sub-and-super Committee. When does your poem of poems come out? I hear that the Edinburgh Review has cut up Coleridge's Christabel, and declared against me for praising it.1 I praised it, firstly, because I thought well of it; secondly, because Coleridge was in great distress, and after doing what little I could for him in essentials, I thought that the public avowal of my good opinion might help him further, 1. "Lord Byron, it seems, has somewhere praised Christabel, as "a wild and singularly original and beautiful poem.' Great as the "noble bard's merits undoubtedly are in poetry, some of his latest “publications dispose us to distrust his authority, where the question "is what ought to meet the public eye; and the works before us "afford an additional proof, that his judgment on such matters is "not absolutely to be relied on."-Edin. Rev., vol. xxvii. p. 58. "I have been much taken to task," said Byron to Medwin (Conversations, pp. 261-263), "for calling Christabel a wild and "singularly original and beautiful poem; and the Reviewers very "sagely come to a conclusion therefrom, that I am no judge of the 'compositions of others. Christabel was the origin of all Scott's 'metrical tales, and that is no small merit. Some eight or "ten lines of Christabel found themselves in The Siege of Corinth, "I hardly know how; but I adopted another passage, of greater "beauty, as a motto to a little work I need not name ['Fare thee "Well!'] and paraphrased without scruple the same idea in Childe "Harold" (Canto III. stanza xciv.). (See also Letters, vol. iii. p. 228, note 1.) at least with the booksellers. I am very sorry that Jeffrey has attacked him, because, poor fellow, it will hurt him in mind and pocket. As for me, he's welcome -I shall never think less of Jeffrey for any thing he may say against me or mine in future. I suppose Murray has sent you, or will send (for I do not know whether they are out or no) the poem, or poesies, of mine, of last summer. By the mass! they are sublime-Ganion Coheriza-gainsay who dares ! Pray, let me hear from you, and of you, and, at least, let me know that you have received these three letters. Direct right here, poste restante. 2 Ever and ever, etc. P.S.-I heard the other day of a pretty trick of a bookseller, who has published some damned nonsense, swearing the bastards to me, and saying he gave me five hundred guineas for them. He lies-I never wrote such stuff, never saw the poems, nor the publisher of them, in my life, nor had any communication, directly or indirectly, with the fellow. Pray say as much for me, if need be. I have written to Murray, to make him contradict the impostor. 1. The motto borne below the arms of the Macdonalds, chiefs of Clanranald, is written Dhandeon co heirogha. Byron gives the meaning of the Gaelic words correctly, "Gainsay who dares." His spelling is phonetic, and nearly represents the sound. The Gaelic dh is sounded as a guttural (gh) before broad vowels, and d is very lightly pronounced. Thus Dhandeon or Dh'andeoin is very nearly Ghanjion. The Gaelic j is either pronounced as h or omitted altogether. But probably Byron quotes from Waverley (chap. xliv.), "the proud gathering word of Clanronald, Ganion Coheriga-(Gainsay who "dares)." 66 2. Lord Byron's Pilgrimage to the Holy Land, etc., see p. 19, note I. "Of this publication," says the Gentleman's Magazine (December, 1816, Part II. p. 524), "it may be sufficient to say that, "had it been published either without the name of any Author, or "with a real name, it might claim some merit. But it is not Lord "Byron's; and the Lord Chancellor has already REVIEWED it." 1816.] AN EQUIVOCAL ANSWER. 33 1 621.-To John Hanson. Venice, Dec! 26th 1816. MY DEAR SIR,-The Baronet's letter is equivocal. "At present." I require an explicit answer with regard to the child, and am more inclined to credit what they prove than what they say. It is nothing to me what Lady Byron's intentions are with regard to herself; but I desire a declaration and an assurance that my daughter shall not be taken out of the country; if this is refused, pray take all proper and legal measures without delay to prevent such a step. Why, the intention is manifest in his very answer: in case of the mother's leaving England they would try to take the Child. At all events the question must be settled one way or the other. He gives no answer whatever with regard to the child, which I again require and demand, or I once more desire that you will take the legal steps in my behalf proper to put the point at rest. I shall have no comfort till I know this. It would be too late to wait for her being in readiness to set off the infant might be over the Channel before you could prevent it. I am glad to hear that Claughton has got [Haford ?], but I wish something could be done about Newstead. I approve very much of poor Joe being put in good plight. Pray make my regards to your family, of whose welfare I rejoice to hear, and Believe me, ever and very truly yours, BYRON. P.S.-Address as before, Venice-Poste restante. 1. See p. 5, note 1. VOL. IV. Ꭰ 622.-To John Murray. Venice, Dec. 27, 1816. DEAR SIR,-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. 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 divertisements, on every canal of this aquatic city. Idined 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 opera and its Syrens were much like all other operas and women, but the subject of the said opera was something edifying; it turned-the plot and conduct thereof-upon a fact narrated by Livy1 of a hundred and fifty married ladies 1. Byron alludes to Livy, bk. viii. c. 18. A number of leading citizens were attacked and died by a mysterious disease. In each case the symptoms were identical. At last a girl offered to reveal the cause of the disease to Fabius Maximus, the Curule Edile. Fabius put the matter into the hands of the Consuls, who laid it before the Senate. That body unanimously agreed to hold the girl harmless if she told the truth. Thus encouraged, she disclosed a conspiracy on the part of the Matrona. Acting on the girl's |