“In the month of March will arrive from Barcelona Signor Curioni, engaged for the Opera. He is an acquaintance of mine, and a gentlemanly young man, high in his profession. I must request your personal kindness and patronage in his favour. Pray introduce him to such of the theatrical people, editors of papers, and others, as may be useful to him in his profession, publicly and privately.
“The fifth is so far from being the last of Don Juan, that it is hardly the beginning. I
meant to take him the tour of Europe, with a proper mixture of siege, battle, and
adventure, and to make him finish as Anacharsis Cloots, in the French Revolution. To how many cantos
| 446 | NOTICES OF THE | A. D. 1821. |
“You say the Doge will not be popular: did I ever write for popularity? I defy you to show a work of mine (except a tale or two) of a popular style or complexion. It appears to me that there is room for a different style of the drama; neither a servile following of the old drama, which is a grossly erroneous one, nor yet too French, like those who succeeded the older writers. It appears to me, that good English, and a severer approach to the rules, might combine something not dishonourable to our literature. I have also attempted to make a play without love; and there are neither rings, nor mistakes, nor starts, nor outrageous ranting villains, nor melodrame in it. All this will prevent its popularity, but does not persuade me that it is therefore faulty. Whatever faults it has will arise from deficiency in the conduct, rather than in the conception, which is simple and severe.
“So you epigrammatize upon my epigram? I will pay you for that, mind if I don’t, some day. I never let any one off in the long run (who first begins). Remember * * *, and see if I don’t do you as good a turn. You unnatural publisher! what! quiz your own authors? you are a paper cannibal!
“In the Letter on Bowles (which I sent by Tuesday’s post), after the words ‘attempts had been made,’ (alluding to the republication of ‘English Bards’), add the words, ‘in Ireland;’ for I believe that English pirates did not begin their attempts till after I had left England the second time. Pray attend to this. Let me know what you and your synod think on Bowles.
“I did not think the second seal so
bad; surely it is far better
| A. D. 1821. | LIFE OF LORD BYRON. | 447 |
“So Foscolo says he will get you a seal cut better in Italy? he means a throat—that is the only thing they do dexterously. The Arts—all but Canova’s, and Morghen’s, and Ovid’s (I don’t mean poetry),—are as low as need be: look at the seal which I gave to William Bankes, and own it. How came George Bankes to quote ‘English Bards’ in the House of Commons? All the world keep flinging that poem in my face.
“Belzoni is a grand traveller, and his English is very prettily broken.
“As for news, the Barbarians are marching on Naples, and if they lose a single battle, all Italy will be up. It will be like the Spanish row, if they have any bottom.
“‘Letters opened?’—to be sure they are, and that’s the reason why I always put in my opinion of the German Austrian scoundrels. There is not an Italian who loathes them more than I do; and whatever I could do to scour Italy and the earth of their infamous oppression would be done con amore.
