Memoir of John Murray
John Murray to Lord Byron, 25 September 1813
September 25th, 1813.
My Dear Lord,
Some time ago I mentioned that I had sent the fifth Edition of
‘The Giaour’ to
Mr. Gifford. I did not expect him to
touch it except for the purpose of sending it to our reviewer, who has totally
disappointed us. I called to-day upon Mr. G., and as soon as a gentleman who
was present had gone, and he was ready to begin your business, he fell back in
his largest armchair, and exclaimed, “Upon my honour, Murray, Lord
Byron is a most extraordinary man. The new edition of his
poem contains passages of exquisite—extraordinary beauty (I recollect
now that he said they astonished him)—equal to anything that I have
ever read.
* With respect to the passage in which the lines
occur— “Though in Time’s record it was nought, It was eternity in thought,” |
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Lord Byron told Mr. Murray that he took this idea
from one of the Arabian
tales—that in which the Sultan puts his head into
a butt of water, and, though it remains there for only two or three
minutes, he imagines that he lives many years during that time. The
story had been quoted by Addison in the Spectator.
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| 220 | MEMOIRS OF JOHN MURRAY | |
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What is he about? Will he not collect all his force
for one immortal work? His subject is an excellent one. We never had
descriptions of Eastern manners before. All that has been hitherto
attempted was done without actual knowledge.” I told him that
Moore was writing an Eastern story.
“Moore,” said he, “will do only
what has been already done, and he is incapable of writing anything like
Lord Byron.” Mr.
Gifford spoke too of the vigour of all your additions.
Speaking of Scott, he said you did not interfere with each
other, but that he had completely settled in his mind your certain superiority
or genius of a higher order. I told him how rejoiced I was to hear him speak
thus of you, and added that I knew you cherished his letter to you. He again
deplored your wanderings from some great object, and regretted that you would
not follow his recommendation of producing something worthy of you; for, highly
as he thinks of your talents in both poems, and I believe most particularly in
the last, still he thinks you have by no means stretched your pinions to the
full, and taken the higher flight to which they are equal. I would apologise to
you for detailing what superficially appears mere
praise; but I am sure you will go deeper into the subject, and see in it my
anxiety after your fame alone.
In our next number there will be an able
review of the Fifth Edition, though the Edinburgh
Review had anticipated our extracts. At Madame de Staël’s yesterday, you
were the subject of much conversation, with Sir
James Mackintosh and Conversation
Sharp. Sir James asked and was astonished
at the number of copies sold of ‘The Giaour,’ and a lady (not very young though) took away a
copy of ‘The Giaour’ by the talismanic
effect of the enclosed card. Do me the kindness to tell me when you propose to
return. I am at Home for the remainder of the season,
and until the termination of all seasons, and am,
Your faithful Servant,
Joseph Addison (1672-1719)
English politician and man of letters, with his friend Richard Steele he edited
The Spectator (1711-12). He was the author of the tragedy
Cato (1713).
William Gifford (1756-1826)
Poet, scholar, and editor who began as a shoemaker's apprentice; after Oxford he
published
The Baviad (1794),
The Maeviad
(1795), and
The Satires of Juvenal translated (1802) before becoming
the founding editor of the
Quarterly Review (1809-24).
Sir James Mackintosh (1765-1832)
Scottish philosopher and man of letters who defended the French Revolution in
Vindiciae Gallicae (1791); he was Recorder of Bombay (1803-1812) and
MP for Knaresborough (1819-32).
Thomas Moore (1779-1852)
Irish poet and biographer, author of the
Irish Melodies (1807-34),
The Fudge Family in Paris (1818), and
Lalla
Rookh (1817); he was Byron's close friend and designated biographer.
John Murray II (1778-1843)
The second John Murray began the
Quarterly Review in 1809 and
published works by Scott, Byron, Austen, Crabbe, and other literary notables.
Germaine de Staël (1766-1817)
French woman of letters; author of the novel
Corinne, ou L'Italie
(1807) and
De l'Allemagne (1811); banned from Paris by Napoleon, she
spent her later years living in Germany, Britain, and Switzerland.
The Spectator. (1711-1714). Essays from the
Spectator, conducted by Addison and Steele, were
collected in five volumes and frequently reprinted.
The Arabian Nights. (1705-08 English trans.). Also known as
The Thousand and One Nights. Antoine Galland's
French translation was published 1704-17, from which the original English versions were
taken.
