LORD  BYRON  and  his  TIMES
Byron
Documents Biography Criticism
Recollections of Writers
Leigh Hunt to Vincent Novello, 25 February 1843
INTRODUCTION & INDEXES
DOCUMENT INFORMATION
GO TO PAGE NUMBER:
Contents
Preface
Chapter I.
Chapter II.
Chapter III.
Chapter IV.
Chapter V.
Chapter VI.
Chapter VII.
Chapter VIII.
Chapter IX
John Keats
Charles Lamb
Mary Lamb
Leigh Hunt
Douglas Jerrold
Charles Dickens
Index
Creative Commons License

Licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-Share Alike 3.0 Unported License.
Produced by CATH
 
Kensington, 25th February, 1843.

My dear Vincent,—Lēmŭrĕs sometimes called Lēmŭrs (as in Milton, Ode to Nativity,—
“The Lārs and Lēmurs moan with midnight plaint”) is accented on the first syllable. The Lemurs were the departed souls of the wicked, as the Lars or Lares were those of the good; so the former came and bothered people, while the latter befriended them. A fellow who leaves us his malediction, and does not leave us his money, is a Lemur. An
256 RECOLLECTIONS OF WRITERS  
old lady, who was tiresome in her life, and who says that her spirit will watch over the premises to see we behave properly is a sort of fair Lemur; for she candidly gives us notice to quit.

I have been going to write to you every day to thank you for your kind present of the music, before hearing it, and in despair, just now, of hearing it properly. You recollect you asked me to give you my opinion after hearing it. How can I doubt, however, that it will be very delightful, considering who selected and harmonized it? The next time I see you I hope to be able to speak from the particular experience.

Ever, my dear Vincent,
Your affectionate old friend,
Leigh Hunt.