A Publisher And His Friends (Fiscle Part-4), Samuel Smiles [good beach reads txt] 📗

Acquainted With Lord Byron's

Principles And Character. His Morality Was Certainly More Suited To The

Meridian Of Italy Than England; But With All His Faults There Is A Charm

About Him That Excites The Deepest Interest And Admiration. His Letter

To Lady Byron Is More Affecting And Beautiful Than Anything I Have Read;

It Must Ever Be A Subject Of Regret That It Was Not Sent; It Seems

Impossible That It Should Not Have Made A Lasting Impression, And Might

Possibly Have Changed The Destinies Of Both. With Kind Remembrances To

Mrs. Murray And The Young People,

 

 

 

Believe Me, Truly Yours,

 

 

 

Mary Somerville.

 

 

 

Mr. Croker's Opinion Was As Follows:

 

 

 

"As To What You Say Of Byron's Volume, No Doubt There Are _Longueurs_,

But Really Not Many. The Most Teasing Part Is The Blanks, Which Perplex

Without Concealing. I Also Think That Moore Went On A Wrong Principle,

When, Publishing _Any_ Personality, He Did Not Publish _All_. It Is Like

A Suppression Of Evidence. When Such Horrors Are Published Of Sir S.

Romilly, It Would Have Been Justice To His Memory To Show That, On The

_Slightest_ Provocation, Byron Would Treat His Dearest Friend In The

Same Style. When His Sneers Against Lady Byron And Her Mother Are

Recorded, It Would Lessen Their Effect If It Were Shown That He Sneered

At All Man And Womankind In Turn; And That The Friend Of His Choicest

Selection, Or The Mistress Of His Maddest Love, Were Served No Better,

When The Maggot (Selfishness) Bit, Than His Wife Or His Mother-In-Law."

 

 

 

The Appearance Of The Life Induced Captain Medwin To Publish His

"Conversations With Lord Byron," A Work Now Chiefly Remembered As Having

Chapter 27 (Moore's "Life Of Byron") Pg 132

Called Forth From Murray, Who Was Attacked In It, A Reply Which, As A

Crashing Refutation Of Personal Charges, Has Seldom Been Surpassed.

[Footnote: Mr. Murray's Answer To Medwin's Fabrications Is Published In

The Appendix To The 8vo Edition Of "Lord Byron's Poems."]

 

 

 

Amongst The Reviews Of The Biography Was One By Lockhart In The

_Quarterly_ (No. 87), Which Was Very Favourable; But An Article, By Mr.

Croker In No. 91, On Another Of Moore's Works--The "Life Of Lord Edward

Fitzgerald"--Was Of A Very Different Character. Murray Told Moore Of The

Approaching Appearance Of The Article In The Next Number, And Moore

Enters In His Diary, "Saw My 'Lord Edward Fitzgerald' Announced As One

Of The Articles In The _Quarterly_, To Be Abused Of Course; And This Too

Immediately After My Dinings And Junketings With Both Author And

Publisher."

 

 

 

_Mr. Moore To John Murray_.

 

 

 

_October_ 25, 1831.

 

 

 

... I See That What I Took For A Joke Of Yours Is True, And That You Are

_At_ Me In This Number Of The _Quarterly_. I Have Desired Power To Send

You Back My Copy When It Comes, Not Liking To Read It Just Now For

Reasons. In The Meantime, Here's Some _Good_-Humoured Doggerel For You:

 

 

 

Thoughts On Editors.

 

 

 

_Editur Et Edit_.

 

 

 

No! Editors Don't Care A Button,

  What False And Faithless Things They Do;

They'll Let You Come And Cut Their Mutton,

  And Then, They'll Have A Cut At You.

 

 

 

With Barnes I Oft My Dinner Took,

  Nay, Met E'en Horace Twiss To Please Him:

Yet Mister Barnes Traduc'd My Book,

  For Which May His Own Devils Seize Him!

 

Chapter 27 (Moore's "Life Of Byron") Pg 133

 

 

With Doctor Bowring I Drank Tea,

  Nor Of His Cakes Consumed A Particle;

And Yet Th' Ungrateful Ll.D.

  Let Fly At Me, Next Week, An Article!

 

 

 

John Wilson Gave Me Suppers Hot,

  With Bards Of Fame, Like Hogg And Packwood;

A Dose Of Black-Strap Then I Got,

  And After A Still Worse Of Blackwood.

 

 

 

Alas! And Must I Close The List

  With Thee, My Lockhart Of The _Quarterly?_

So Kind, With Bumper In Thy Fist,--

  With Pen, So Very Gruff And Tartarly.

 

 

 

Now In Thy Parlour Feasting Me,

  Now Scribbling At Me From Your Garret,--

Till, 'Twixt The Two, In Doubt I Be,

  Which Sourest Is, Thy Wit Or Claret?

 

 

 

Should You Again See The Noble Scott Before He Goes, Remember Me Most

Affectionately To Him. Ever Yours,

 

 

 

Thomas Moore.

 

 

 

 

Mr. Murray Now Found Himself At Liberty To Proceed With His Cherished

Scheme Of A Complete Edition Of Lord Byron's Works.

 

 

 

 

_John Murray To Mr. Moore._

 

 

 

February 28, 1832.

 

 

 

Chapter 27 (Moore's "Life Of Byron") Pg 134

When I Commenced This Complete Edition Of Byron's Works I Was So Out Of

Heart By The Loss Upon The First Edition Of The "Life," And By The

Simultaneous Losses From The Failure Of Three Booksellers Very Largely

In My Debt, That I Had Little If Any Hopes Of Its Success, And I Felt

Myself Under The Necessity Of Declining Your Kind Offer To Edit It,

Because I Did Not Think That I Should Have Had It In My Power To Offer

You An Adequate Remuneration. But Now That The Success Of This

Speculation Is Established, If You Will Do Me The Favour To Do What You

Propose, I Shall Have Great Satisfaction In Giving You 500 Guineas For

Your Labours.

 

 

 

Most Sincerely Yours,

 

 

 

John Murray.

 

 

 

In 1837, The Year In Which The Work Now In Contemplation Was Published,

The Countess Guiccioli Was In London, And Received Much Kindness From

Mr. Murray. After Her Return To Rome, She Wrote To Him A Long Letter,

Acknowledging The Beautifully Bound Volume Of The Landscape And Portrait

Illustrations Of Lord Byron's Works. She Complained, However, Of

Brockedon's Portrait Of Herself.

 

 

 

_Countess Guiccioli To John Murray_.

 

 

 

"It Is Not Resembling, And To Tell You The Truth, My Dear Mr. Murray, I

Wish It Was So; Not On Account Of The Ugliness Of Features (Which Is

Also Remarkable), But Particularly For Having This Portrait An

Expression Of _Stupidity_, And For Its Being _Molto Antipatico_, As We

Say In Our Language. But Perhaps It Is Not The Fault Of The Painter, But

Of The Original, And I Am Sorry For That. What Is Certain Is That

Towards Such A Creature Nobody May Feel Inclined To Be Indulgent; And If

She Has Faults And Errors To Be Pardoned For, She Will Never Be So On

Account Of Her _Antipatia_! But Pray Don't Say That To Mr. Brockedon."

 

 

 

A Copy Was Likewise Sent To Sir R. Peel With The Following Letter:

 

 

 

Albemarle Street, _April_ 17, 1837.

 

 

 

Chapter 27 (Moore's "Life Of Byron") Pg 135

Dear Sir,

 

 

 

As The Invaluable Instructions Which You Addressed To The Students Of

The University Of Glasgow Have As Completely Associated Your Name With

The Literature Of This Country, As Your Political Conduct Has With Its

Greatest Statesmen, I Trust That I Shall Be Pardoned For Having

Inscribed To You (Without Soliciting Permission) The Present Edition Of

The Works Of One Of Our Greatest Poets, "Your Own School-And

Form-Fellow," _Byron_.

 

 

 

I Have The Honour To Be, Etc.,

 

 

 

John Murray.

 

 

 

_The Right Hon. Sir R. Peel To John Murray_.

 

 

 

Whitehall, _April_ 18, 1837.

 

 

 

My Dear Sir,

 

 

 

I Am Much Flattered By The Compliment Which You Have Paid To Me In

Dedicating To Me A Beautiful Edition Of The Works Of My Distinguished

"School-And Form-Fellow."

 

 

 

I Was The Next Boy To Lord Byron At Harrow For Three Or Four Years, And

Was Always On Very Friendly Terms With Him, Though Not Living In

Particular Intimacy Out Of School.

 

 

 

I Do Not Recollect Ever Having A Single Angry Word With Him, Or That

There Ever Was Any The Slightest Jealousy Or Coldness Between Us.

 

 

 

It Is A Gratification To Me To Have My Name Associated With His In The

Manner In Which You Have Placed It In Friendly Connection; And I Do Not

Believe, If He Could Have Foreseen, When We Were Boys Together At

Chapter 27 (Moore's "Life Of Byron") Pg 136

School, This Continuance Of A Sort Of Amicable Relation Between Us After

His Death, The Idea Would Have Been Otherwise Than Pleasing To Him.

 

 

 

Believe Me,

 

 

 

My Dear Sir,

 

 

 

Very Faithfully Yours,

 

 

 

Robert Peel.

 

 

 

A Few Words Remain To Be Added Respecting The Statue Of Lord Byron,

Which Had Been So Splendidly Executed By Thorwaldsen At Rome. Mr.

Hobhouse Wrote To Murray: "Thorwaldsen Offers The Completed Work For

L1,000, Together With A Bas-Relief For The Pedestal, Suitable For The

Subject Of The Monument." The Sculptor's Offer Was Accepted, And The

Statue Was Forwarded From Rome To London. Murray Then Applied To The

Dean Of Westminster, On Behalf Of The Subscribers, Requesting To Know

"Upon What Terms The Statue Now Completed Could Be Placed In Some

Suitable Spot In Westminster Abbey." The Dean's Answer Was As Follows:

 

 

 

_The Dean Of Westminster To John Murray_.

 

 

 

Deanery, Westminster, _December_ 17, 1834.

 

 

 

Dear Sir,

 

 

 

I Have Not Had The Opportunity, Till This Morning, Of Consulting With

The Chapter On The Subject Of Your Note. When You Formerly Applied To Me

For Leave To Inter The Remains Of Lord Byron Within This Abbey, I Stated

To You The Principle On Which, As Churchmen, We Were Compelled To

Decline The Proposal. The Erection Of A Monument In Honour Of His Memory

Which You Now Desire Is, In Its