Some days afterwards, I called upon the Resident, and found Lord B. there; a glass of brandy was on the table untouched, brought, I suppose, for his lordship, as he had come in from the country, and the day was rainy. A gentleman in a few moments after entered, he had come from the Castle (Fort St. George), another glass was brought for him, which he took. Lord B. begged me to observe, that he had not taken any brandy, as it was still untouched on the table. The conversation was desultory, but it soon turned on an officer, who was said to have been converted to the truth, and whose conduct, an individual present deemed to be inconsistent with his principles, and he mentioned some things which he had done, I begged them to consider dates, and stated, that I had access to know that these things were done before the gentleman alluded to had become religious; that since that time, his conduct was irreproachable, except, perhaps, in too assiduous attention to, and courting of his superiors,—a fault, I said, which would also in time be removed.
| WITH LORD BYRON. | 279 |
“I am sorry,” said Lord B., “to hear of this failure in one of your converts: it will throw me ten years back in mine.” “A proof,” I replied, “that your lordship’s conversion is not yet begun; for if it was, no real or alleged failure would ever affect your opinions, unless to excite a regret for those who could not adhere to the principles they profess.”
About this time Lord B. was busy
preparing all things for his departure; having hired two small vessels, he sent his things
to Argostoli, and left his house at Metaxata. I met him as I was walking, coming into town,
attended by a Suliote, who was also on horseback. He took up his residence at an English
gentleman’s house. Next day Count Gamba called
upon me, and after some conversation, requested a French Bible. While he was with me, a
servant came to say that the vessel in which they were to embark was ready to sail, and
only waited for him. He arose, and I accompanied him; and as he had already taken leave of
Lord B., he embarked at once, with the Bible in one
hand, and an eye-glass in the other. I then went to take leave of Lord
B., who, with his physician, was to embark in a smaller vessel that same
afternoon. I found him alone, reading
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Lord B. thanked me, and said, “he would do his
best in assisting the Greeks, and that his inclination would lead him to continue the
investigation of the subjects about which we had conversed. I have taken,” he
said, “all your books with me, which I shall peruse carefully; I feel some
reluctance in depriving you of them.” “Think nothing of that. So
far from wishing them returned, I have a box of other books ready for you, which I
would have sent now, but I thought you would be too much engaged, and would have so
many things to carry with you; I have therefore deferred it for the present; I shall,
however, send them by the first opportunity to Missolunghi.” “Do
so,” said Lord B. “I shall dispose of them
prudently; and in everything in which you think me likely to be of any use in promoting
education
| WITH LORD BYRON. | 281 |
Here the gentleman of the house entered, with Dr. Bruno. “Is Gamba gone?” asked Lord B. “He is,” replied one of them. “He has carried with him all my money. Where is Fletcher?” One of them answered he did not know. “Send some one after him, we must embark immediately; send down to the Mess-house, you will probably find him there, taking a parting glass with some of his cronies.”
“If your lordship wants any money,” said the gentleman of the house, “I can supply you with whatever sum you please.” “I thank you,” said Lord B.; “I believe I shall have enough till I reach Zante.” He then went into the next room, and soon returned with fifteen dollars, which he presented to me. “Take them,” said he, “as a very small donation from me to the school for Greek females which Mrs. K. is establishing, as a mark of my approbation and sincere good wishes for the success of so useful an institution.*”
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* Many others had subscribed very liberally to this little establishment: Lord Guildford gave twenty dollars annually; the Lord High Commissioner gave the same. The Resident, Colonel N., has acted with great generosity, and under his patronage, it is confidently hoped that this school, which after Mrs. K.’s depar- |
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I thanked him, and said, “that some of the ladies had requested me to ask his lordship’s assistance, which I declined, knowing the many claims and applications which had been, and would yet be made upon his generosity.”
“The ladies did right, and you did wrong,” said Lord B.; “for I should at any time be ready to lend my aid, however small, to such useful institutions.” I shook hands with him, and he said, “I shall write to you, and give you an account of my proceedings in assisting Stanhope in establishing schools, and in forwarding the moral and religious improvement of the Greeks.”
I answered, “I shall always esteem it an honour to hear from your lordship. From what has occurred, I shall ever feel a warm interest and anxiety in whatever concerns you, especially till such time as I hear that you have arrived at that point of religious knowledge and improvement, towards which I have, in our conversations, been
ture sunk into a temporary abeyance, will again flourish. The ladies of Edinburgh have instituted a Society for the promotion of Female Education among the Greeks, and a governess has left England for Corfu. It is ardently hoped that the English ladies will not be backward in giving their aid to so benevolent an undertaking. The Lord High Commissioner has entered with great kindness into the plan, and has held out every prospect of encouragement.— 1830. |
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“I shall always feel myself indebted to you,” said Lord B. We again shook hands, and departed, never to see each other more.
Lord B. embarked the same evening. Next day his vessels touched at Zante. After leaving this island they were separated, and during the night, that in which Lord B. sailed came close upon a Turkish vessel, but escaped to one of the Strophades; and after a few days, he arrived at Missolunghi, and was received by the Greeks with every demonstration of honour, and with universal enthusiasm*.
Count Gamba was not so fortunate. He was taken by a Turkish frigate, and the lives of the crew were in some danger, till the Captain of the Turkish vessel discovered in the person of Spiro Valsimachi (Count G.’s Captain), one who had preserved his life when shipwrecked in the Black Sea. They were detained a few days at Patras,
* See Appendix— Count G.’s letter. |
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His lordship was now engaged in a new scene. His rank, his talents, his wealth, and influence, naturally made him an object of much importance to the Greeks, and his time was completely occupied in doing all the good he could among this turbulent and thoughtless people. His stedfast object was to promote an union among all parties; to organize a corps of artillery, fortify Missolunghi, and, at last, prepare for an attack on Lepanto; which, from circumstances, appeared likely to be taken by assault without much difficulty. He had occasion to send some of the English officers repeatedly to Cephalonia, both for warlike stores, and for part of his baggage, which he had left behind. From them we had opportunities of learning how matters were going on. All were unanimous in their praises of Lord B., and of his incessant efforts to do something
* Their papers or manifestoes were not taken out for Missolunghi, or they would have fallen inevitable victims to Turkish policy, for the Turks would not have tolerated any who were about to enter an hostile town. As it was, Jusuf Pasha felt some degree of difficulty in releasing them. This Count D. related, and the Captain also, to Dr. K. |
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Colonel Stanhope addressed two letters to me, which will be seen in the Appendix. This gentleman’s constant attention to the promotion of education is well known, and deserves every commendation. I received, also, two letters from Count Gamba , written with a view of gaining the assistance of my friend, Professor Bambas, for the Greek Chronicle.
I told Bambas that the patriots of Missolunghi were desirous that he should furnish them with something from his pen, to promote the cause of liberty, and that he might have his own price.
“Tell his lordship,” said this true patriot, “that the efforts of my pen will, as a matter of course, be at the service of my oppressed country. It would be base in me to take money for any of my labours for her good; they are due from me to her; or, indeed, to any country similarly situated, and struggling nobly for her freedom.*”
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* Bambas often came to our house in Cephalonia, and was particularly pleased with the literature and periodical works of England. We sometimes translated pieces from the Quarterly Review, which were remitted for insertion in the Missolunghi Gazette. One article, I particularly remember, was on the literature of the ancient Greeks, |
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The second letter was to request my consent to take under my own charge and that of Mrs. K., a young Turkish girl whom his lordship, from feelings of humanity, had resolved to educate as a companion to his daughter, if it met with Lady B.’s approbation; and in the mean time he was to write to his sister, the Honourable Mrs. Leigh; and at all events, he promised to provide for her respectably.
To this we readily consented. In writing to Count Gamba, I forwarded at the same time a box of Bibles and tracts for Lord B., and I said to Gamba, that as his lordship was much engaged, I begged, after he had taken as many Bibles as
and on the present struggle for freedom. B. entered with all the spirit of the writer, into that apostrophe—
|
| WITH LORD BYRON. | 287 |
About the 15th of February, Lord B. was seized with an epileptic fit, which gave much concern to all his friends in Cephalonia. As his physician, though ingenious and well educated, was young, and could not have had much experience, three medical officers in Cephalonia consulted together, and we agreed that each of us should write to Dr. Bruno, giving our opinion of the best mode of treating his lordship, should a second attack return, and begging for a particular account of the first.
It was generally reported in Cephalonia, that his lordship’s case
was said to have been nervous spasms, and to have been treated with valerian and bark, and
hence it was that we were induced to take the liberty of writing to Dr. Bruno, apologizing at the same time for our
interference, and ascribing it to the interest which we naturally felt
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Dr. Bruno received our letters with great politeness, corrected the false rumours which had been circulated, and stated that he agreed with us in opinion respecting his lordship’s complaint and mode of treatment.
As in my letter I had expressed my opinion that it would be advisable for
Lord B. to leave Missolunghi, which, from its low
and marshy situation, would be unhealthy in the summer months, I advised him either to
persuade Lord B. to return to the islands, or make short and easy
journies through Greece; to go as far as the seat of government, but not to occupy himself
with much political care and business, till his health was completely re-established.
Dr. Bruno disagreed with me, as will be seen in
the Appendix, No. 8; he thought that no reason for change of place existed, and
| WITH LORD BYRON. | 289 |
Feeling, as I did, a considerable degree of interest in Lord B., I took the liberty of addressing a letter to himself, in which I advised the same things I had urged to Dr. Bruno. In answer to this, Lord Byron wrote me the letter No. 1, in which he expresses his determination to remain at all hazards, as long as his presence was supposed likely to be of use. I again wrote to Lord Byron on the same subject, and on that of the Turkish girl*. About this time, his boat, or felucca, came to Argostoli, on board which was Mr. Hodges, who brought a prospectus of the Greek Telegraph. As from the motto and style of the prospectus there was an appearance of radicalism, and an air of irreligion, we all expressed our apprehension to Mr. Hodges, and our regret at such a proceed-
* Mr. Hobhouse has this letter and the papers and books which Dr. K. sent to Lord Byron. Lord B. had proposed, that should Lady B. not consent to receive Haidee, that she should be educated in Italy. To this Dr. K. remonstrated, for after we had received the child we should have considered ourselves her guardians, and could but feel an interest in her future welfare. A slight demur arose from the mother’s wishing to accompany her daughter; but as Lord B. had put us to the test, as Christians opposed to Mahometans; although highly inconvenient, we consented to receive both,— Vide Lord B.’s letter, Appendix. |
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In answer to this, Lord B. wrote the letter No. 2, in the Appendix. As I kept no copies of my correspondence, I am unable to give their contents; but they are still preserved by his lordship’s executors*.
We continued to take an interest in all that was going on in Missolunghi, from whence we had arrivals at intervals. As we heard of Lord B.’s preparations for Lepanto, and of his increasing influence and popularity among the Greeks; and learned from Dr. Bruno’s letters, that his lordship’s health regularly continued to improve,—we had ceased any longer to have apprehension. The intelligence came suddenly and unexpectedly, that Lord B. was dead. The shock that this excited, both among the Greeks and English, was very strong. The singularly great
* I regret that I cannot give Dr. K.’s answer. |
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It appears from Count Gamba’s Journal, that on the 1st of March,
Lord B. complained of frequent vertigos, which made
him feel as though he were intoxicated; but it does not seem that bleeding, which would now
have been useful, or indeed that any medical treatment, was judged necessary. From this
time till the fatal attack, his mind must have been full of anxiety, from the numerous
applications of the Greeks for money,—from the turbulence and refractory conduct of
the Suliotes,—and from the failure of the projected expedition to Lepanto, of which
he was to have been the leader. On the 9th of April, he was overtaken by the rain, yet went
into the boat, and two hours afterwards was seized with rigors, fever, and rheumatic pains.
On the 10th, he was affected with almost constant shivering; on the 11th, he found himself
so well that he rode out; on the 12th, he was confined to his bed with fever. He
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Thus died Lord Byron, in the thirty-seventh year of his age. It would appear from the accounts of his physicians, who differed in opinion (see Dr. Bruno’s letter) with respect to the treatment, that his lordship was averse to be bled, and said, that the lancet had killed more than the lance.
It was industriously spread abroad, that I was going to prove that I had converted his lordship. After trying in vain to stop the idle rumour, I allowed it to take its course. Several of the gentlemen in Cephalonia furnished me with copies of Lord Byron’s letters to them, and gave me some curious details of his conversation.
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From the time that Lord Byron arrived at Argostoli, on the 6th of August, 1823, to the time of his death, on the 19th of April, 1824,—short as this period was,—it may be said with truth, that it was the happiest and brightest of his life. During the whole of that time, he was not engaged in writing any poem, nor was he in the practice of any open vice. The flattering reception which he met with from his countrymen in Cephalonia gave him no small pleasure, which was enhanced by the feeling which he had entertained that his reception would be very different.
He remained on board the Hercules for nearly a month, except a short tour which he made to Ithaca, before he went to reside at Metaxata. In returning from Ithaca, he was accompanied by a Scotch gentleman, who asked him his opinion of the epitaph on Sir John Moore, written by Mr. Wolfe. He said, it was the finest epitaph ever written*.
| WITH LORD BYRON. | 295 |
“You must have been highly gratified by the classical remains, and the classical recollections of Ithaca during your visit there,” said Colonel D. “You quite mistake me,” said Lord B. “I have no poetical humbug about me; I am too old for that. Ideas of that sort are confined to rhyme.—The people at home have very absurd notions of the Greeks, as if they were the Greeks of
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| WITH LORD BYRON. | 297 |
One night he was out at a gentleman’s house; the weather was very hot, and he said when he went on board, that he would bathe; some one expressed surprise that he should bathe at so late an hour; “Oh,” said T. (a gentleman who from too great vivacity of imagination and thoughtlessness exaggerated a little), “we were two hours in the water late last night.” “Yes,” said Lord B. emphatically, “by Shrewsbury clock.”
Dr. —— when on board one evening, was narrating to his lordship some wonderful act of legerdemain which he witnessed at Paris; Lord B. smiled: “You look incredulous, my lord,” said the Doctor. “No, not at all,” replied Lord B.; “where is T.? I dare say, he saw the same thing.”
When he went out to Metaxata he spent the day in an easy and tranquil
manner. He seemed to have no fixed hour for his meals, and at the time lived very low, on
account of his health. He sometimes forgot himself in the warmth of conversation, and often
both ate and drank more than he intended, though I never saw him do either except in a
moderate degree. He was fond of riding,—an exercise he daily took. He was a bold and
graceful horseman, and appeared to great advantage on horseback. One day, when he
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Lord B.’s right foot was what is called clubfooted, which he took care to conceal, by wearing his pantaloons as much over the foot as possible, and the weakness of feeling shame for this deformity was frequently apparent, in his care to place this leg behind the other when he was sitting so as to have himself exposed to view. I am persuaded that this deformity was a cause of frequent vexation and chagrin to him. At times, however, as might be expected, he was superior to this weakness, and would make allusions to it. “Take care,” said a gentleman who was riding with him, when they came to a difficult pass of the road,— “take care, lest you fall and break your neck.” “I should not like that,” said his lordship, “but should this leg of mine be broken, of which I have not much use, I should not mind, and perhaps I might get a better.”
He was an excellent marksman, and was accustomed to exercise himself with
some of his friends
| WITH LORD BYRON. | 299 |
The woman who washed for him, a soldier’s widow, had a smart, genteel-looking girl, her daughter, about fifteen, whom she occasionally sent to his lordship’s house with the linen. Lord B. noticed this, and wrote to Mr. H., of the regiment to which she belonged, requesting him to tell the mother not to send her daughter any more. “You know,” he said, “what a parcel of rascals my household is composed of, and I should not like the poor girl to get any injury; and don’t fail,” he added, “to let Dr. K. know this good action of mine.”
He displayed great humanity when some Greeks were buried beneath a part of the road, by the falling in of the sand; some of them were killed, and some seriously injured. He rode instantly to the spot, and was incensed at the indifference which the Greeks collected shewed to the fate of their countrymen*. Alluding to this circumstance,
* A new and handsome road had been projected by Colonel N., leading from the town of Argostoli to the district of Levato, in which district his lordship’s house was situated, and many Greeks were engaged in this work. Owing to the negligence or inexperience of the workmen, the earth fell in and covered several. |
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He was very glad to see any of the English gentlemen who visited him at Metaxata: they were, always hospitably entertained and welcomed, as were also the principal Greeks, who often went out to him. His conversation was invariably lively, polite, and pleasing. He was fond of saying smart and witty things, and never allowed an opportunity of punning to escape him. He generally showed high spirits and hilarity. His conversation and manners varied according to his company. With some of the young officers, whose chief pleasure consisted in excitement and
The news reached Metaxata immediately; Lord B. rode up to the spot, and inquired whether there were any below the earth. The Greeks (about forty) said they did not know, but they believed there were. “Why,” he asked, “do they not get them out?” when he was told their laziness prevented them, he ordered his valet to get off his horse and thrash them soundly, if they did not immediately commence their work. |
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When he first arrived at Cephalonia, the Captain of his ship anchored just
before the military hospital. When Lord B. saw it, he
complained of it laughingly to Captain Scott, as a
thing of bad omen. “But,” said his lordship, when he told the story,
“the Captain, in order to remedy the evil, made it still worse; for next
morning when we awoke, we found he had moored us on the opposite
| WITH LORD BYRON. | 303 |
At Metaxata his lordship was visited by many poor refugee Greeks from the Continent and the Isles of the Archipelago. He not only relieved their present distresses, but allotted a certain sum monthly to the most destitute, and this was paid till his death. A list of these poor pensioners was given me by the nephew of Professor Bambas, which I have not at present by me.
When Lord B. was in the harbour, on
board the ship, although I had not called on him myself, I persuaded my friend Professor Bambas to pay
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It was from Metaxata he wrote those fine letters to the Greek government,
in which he warned them of the consequences of dissensions, and
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Count Delladecima assured me, and he had ample opportunities of ascertaining the fact, that in conversing with him on the affairs of Greece, Lord Byron shewed a profound, cool, and deliberate judgment; a patience in examining, and a soundness of political views, which did honour both to the strength of his understanding, and to the goodness of his heart, which was the more surprising to him, he said, as he had formed an idea from Lord Byron’s poetical genius, that he would find him full of imaginary and fanciful schemes, or fickle and changeable in his judgment; but, he added, of all the men whom I have had an opportunity of conversing with, on the means of establishing the independence of Greece, and regenerating the character of the natives, Lord B. appears to entertain the most enlightened and correct views.
How well Lord B. spent his time in
Missolunghi—the utility which his presence and his councils produced to the
Greeks—the advances of money
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“There was little comfort, or even appearance of comfort, in his
mode of living in Missolunghi; his house was small and incommodious, though one of the
best in the town; and it was in a low and damp situation. It was frequently necessary
to use boats to get at it. Count Gamba lived in
lodgings, and often took his meals by himself. Parry and some others lived on the ground-floor, or in houses near his
lordship. Bruno was seldom in his company. When
my friend arrived at Missolunghi, Lord B. was under a strict
regimen; this was probably after his first attack, and hence there was no regular meal
prepared for him: his scanty meals he generally took by himself, at
| WITH LORD BYRON. | 307 |
As most of the officers were dependent on Lord
B., either on account of his influence, or for their actual pay, they did
not disturb him often. My friend, who thought that Lord B. would not
be displeased with company, visited him every night, and took F. with
him. Lord B. always received them kindly: there was, however, often as
little ceremony in the house, as if it had been an inn; and G.
F. was often accustomed to take up a book, and lounge over it till
Lord B. had time, or was in the humour for conversing with them.
Sometimes he was animated and gay, telling them many amusing anecdotes and stories. He told
them that, once when Mr. Murray was complaining of
the high price which he gave for his book,
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“But you have the printing of the Navy List, My Murray.” |
He said that when he and Hobhouse were together in Albania, Hobhouse laid hold of a great quantity of manuscript paper, which had fallen out of his portmanteau, and asked what it was—on being told that it was an account of Lord B.’s early life and opinions, he persuaded him to burn it; “for,” said he, “if any sudden accident occur, they will print it, and thus injure your memory.” “The loss is irreparable,” said Lord B. One evening they were talking of the separation between him and Lady B.; he desired them to mention all the causes which they had heard assigned for it, and seemed amused at the absurdity and falsehood of them. When he had heard all, he said, “The causes were too simple to be soon found out.”
He often professed his admiration of Sir Walter
Scott. He was much engaged about uniforms, and appeared very particular
about his dress. Some of the agents of the committees of Switzerland and Germany published
something in the
| WITH LORD BYRON. | 309 |
He disliked Dr. Meyer, and some of the Germans; one in particular who was suspected of having assumed a title, and Meyer, because he was so fond of displaying his new ones, such as President of the Missolunghi School, Redacteur, &c. In one of his notes, in order to be as bitter as possible, he wrote, “Be assured that Dr. M. and Baron —— cannot have a greater contempt for borrowed titles than your humble servant, N. Byron.” The German came to him, and made many apologies with tears, and became on so good a footing with Lord B., that he consented to buy his rich and gaudy uniforms. One day, Lord B. shewed all these to G. F., who said, “I thought the German was your enemy?” “Oh,” said Lord B. , “I have pardoned him, for I can never resist a man’s tears.” He sent the uniforms all back, because he thought them too dear.
One of his household, G., sent to
Corfu for a great many articles of dress, all exceedingly fine, and among them was a pair
of jack-boots and spurs. Lord B. was very angry when
they
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The Turkish girl and her mother were captives, and inhabited the house allotted to Millingen for an hospital. M., from pity, allowed them to remain. Lord B. took a fancy to the girl, and had her dressed in fine gaudy clothes, but she became pert and forward. G. F. told this to Lord B., and said if he were M. he would drive them from the house. Lord B. sent for the girl and scolded her.
At this time he gave no dinner parties to the Greeks, and G. F. thinks that this produced no bad effects, as
distance increases respect, especially with such people as the Greeks. Mavrocordato came often to Lord
Byron, and sat, and smoked, and conversed. One evening when he came,
Lord Byron was out of humour, and said to G.
F. and F., “Do not go away,
for this fellow comes teasing me to give him money; I have
| WITH LORD BYRON. | 311 |
Lord B. was often suspicious, and seemed to think that those who approached him had some interested views, and in general he had too much reason for these conclusions. He at first thought that G. F. came to be admitted into his corps and get some of his money, till his acquaintance with him removed the error. Such of the Greeks as were in office were accustomed to dress in state,
* It has been suggested to me, that the above paragraph may give an unjust impression of Mavrocordato’s character, whose disinterested conduct in pecuniary matters has never been doubted. It may here be observed, though perhaps scarcely necessary, that the loan spoken of was not made to Mavrocordato, as an individual, but as governor of Missolunghi, for the good of the public service. The character of no one of the Greek leaders stands so high as that of Mavrocordato for disinterested zeal for his country’s cause; and after filling, for some years, the highest office in the Greek government, he has left it in honourable poverty. Lord Byron, whose little sally was made when out of humour, held Mavrocordato in high esteem, as may be seen from the following passage in a letter to Mr. Murray, dated February 25, 1824. “Prince Mavrocordato is an excellent person, and does all in his power; but his situation is perplexing in the extreme; still we have great hopes of the success of the contest.” |
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His presence in Missolunghi at times appeared to increase the confusion
which prevailed, and Lord B. seemed sometimes to enjoy
it, especially the burlesque manner in which P.
vapoured about and displayed his power, as Adjutant to the Commander-in-chief. He used to
say, “His lordship, as commander-in-chief, never gives orders directly, but only
through me. We,” he said
one day, “we will subscribe twenty dollars to your
Infirmary.” Lord B. gave fifty. G. F. sold a pair of tight leather breeches one day to
G., who strutted about the dirty streets of
Missolunghi in them, to the perfect amazement of the Greeks. “Do not laugh at
him,” said G. F. to his lordship, “or you will
cause him to give me them back, and break my bargain.” He seemed sometimes to
wish that T. would return, merely to drive away the
people that pestered him, and put his house in order; for though he took an obstinate fit
occasionally, and would not budge, merely to shew that he was not led by any one, yet in
general from indolence, or some other
| WITH LORD BYRON. | 313 |
During his illness, he said to M., who differed in opinion from B., “You differ, that you may have the credit of curing me.” At another time he said, “I see that neither of you know anything about the matter.” He returned T.’s gun which he had with him, either because he was reluctant to part with so much money, as it was dear, or, as was probable, he thought if T. was scarce of money, he would the sooner rejoin him.
He differed on many points with Colonel Stanhope. G. F. is inclined to think, that had he gone to Salona, he might have prevented the civil war by his influence; but he was careful not to write a letter to Ulysses, who had sent him a letter of compliment. One day he desire Count G. to write a letter, which he did. Lord B. took it up, read it, and then coolly tore it to pieces.
A letter was afterwards written to Ulysses, and when Lord B. was told that it had been lost in the river Phidari, with some valuables, he uttered an exclamation of joy, and said, “they should not again prevail on him to write.”
S. had been acquainted with T.,
and attended the funeral of Williams and Shelley. When it
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G. F. told me, that Lord B. liked and seemed pleased with F., who admired him excessively, and with the greatest simplicity and singleness of heart: but he did not like H., who was stiff and formal. When they were disputing about the motto for the Greek Telegraph, (the first having given offence to many,) Lord B. insisted that the old one should not be retained. Count G. entered one day, and said, “Pray, my lord, what motto shall we have?” Lord B. pettishly replied, “Foolishness to the Greeks.”
We all seemed at this time, said G.
F., to have lost our high sense of honour, and were occupied in selling and
buying, from one another, guns,
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