In the year 1812 the then Editor of the Examiner had been provoked by the Prince Regent’s tergiversation towards Ireland, and the adulation of the Morning Post, into jesting about a large “Adonis of fifty,” and saying, that his Royal Highness had lived half a century without doing anything for the good of the people or the respect of posterity. For these words (or something like them) he and his brother, the joint proprietors of the Examiner, were sent to prison, and fined a thousand pounds. The sentence might have been escaped, the fine might have been escaped, had they consented to promise that they would say no more about the Prince. They refused. The fine was offered to be collected for them among friends,—among the people. They with gratitude declined. Some years after, Lord Byron, who thought himself obliged to Mr Leigh Hunt for his sticking by him in adversity, offered, through Mr Shelley, to lend him five hundred pounds to bring hint over to Italy, that he might endeavour to repair his broken health and fortunes. He thanked his Lordship, but as he could not go to Italy, he of course could not avail himself of the offer. We speak of these money matters in a lump, to let the reader see, that when Mr Leigh Hunt thought himself bound at last to apply to his friends, and his adherence to the Good Cause helped to keep him poor notwithstanding, the necessity did not imply a habit of mind which the generous would have met with ill-construction, whatever occasion might have been taken of his diminished influence, for the mean to insult him and the selfish to forsake.

The next of Mr Moore’s letters was written soon after his going to prison, in February 1813. At that time, everything from Mr Moore’s pen, whether he praised or objected, had in his correspondent’s eyes a hue of “favour and of prettiness;” nor did Mr Hunt ever afterwards say one word against him, or think it, till he found him insincere. What he now sees in some passages of his letters, he leaves the reader to guess. The one upon his patron Lord Moira in the following will surely be held a curiosity by those who think of the different positions of Mr Hunt as Editor of the Examiner and visitor of Lord Byron. The reader has been already told that the Italics in these letters are of the writers own marking, not ours.

In Mr Moore’s first volume is an amount of his coming with Lord Byron to dine in the prison, and a copy of verses from his lordship to his friend, in which the Editor of the Examiner is designated as “the wit in the dungeon.” How comes it by the way, that Mr. Moore never showed Mr Hunt any of these flattering phrases from the Noble Poet? And what is the probable reason why they are now produced, after Mr H. has known Lord Byron, and suffered from the advice given him by Mr Moore? Mr M. says, in this account of the dinner, that Lord Byron “good naturedly” accepted Mr Hunt’s invitation, and that the “wishes” of his lordship’s introducer were “attended to,” as far as the visitors at table were concerned; though it is intimated that a sad breach of politeness was manifested, when other visitors dropped in during the evening; Mr M. implying, that he had expressed “wishes” to the contrary. Our quondam friend must excuse us, if we think that a sincere man is likely to have a better memory than an insincere one, and that Mr Moore is mistaken in thinking that he expressed any such wish;—that is to say, meaning by the word “wish” a direction understood and received by the entertainer of the Noble Lord. We ask the reader whether the patronising style of this passage in Mr Moore’s, “reminiscences,” accords with the letters his host received from him at that period. As to “good-nature,” the host thought is good-natured enough certainly in Lord Byron to come to see him; and he had higher notions of lords then than he has learnt to have since. But he might have had fifty lords for his visitors, it he chose. Lords are never wanting: though patriots who can dispense with them are a little scarce, except in Paris. And with regard to friends dropping in, during this visitation by which the host was bound to die of honour and his monopoly, how was a man who has been such a student in truth as never to deny himself to a visitor in his life, to begin by not being at home in prison? Or how was he to excuse himself to friends who had come from a distance to see him, by telling them that he had a lord with him, and the invisible dignity of Mr Moore?

But all this is harmless, and we are sorry to waste the reader’s time upon it. The letter containing the following passage was written a month or two after this visit. Lord Byron’s other visits have been mentioned elsewhere; nor is it necessary to recur to them. Mr Leigh Hunt forgets how many letters, he received at various times from Mr Moore, having lost or mislaid several; but such as he can find that have anything to do with the object of these articles, are here continued.

446

THE TATLER.

LETTER VI.