“Get from Mr. Hobhouse, and send me a proof (with the Latin) of my Hints from Horace: it has now the nonum prematur in annum complete for its production, being written at Athens in 1811. I have a notion that, with some omissions of names and passages, it will do; and I could put my late observations for Pope amongst the notes, with the date of 1820, and so on. As far as versification goes, it is good; and on looking back to what I wrote about that period, I am astonished to see how little I have trained on. I wrote better then than now; but that comes of my having fallen into the atrocious bad taste of the times. If I can trim it for present publication, what with the other things you have of mine, you will have a volume or two of variety at least, for there will be all measures, styles, and topics, whether good or no. I am anxious to hear what Gifford thinks of the tragedy: pray let me know. I really do not know what to think myself.
“If the Germans pass the Po, they will be treated to a mass out of the Cardinal de Retz’s Breviary. * *’s a fool, and could not understand this: Frere will. It is as pretty a conceit as you would wish to see on a summer’s day.
“Nobody here believes a word of the evidence against the
Queen. The very mob cry shame against their
countrymen, and say, that for half the money spent upon the trial, any testimony
whatever may be brought out of Italy. This you may rely upon as fact. I told you as much
before. As to what travellers report, what are travellers? Now I
have lived among the Italians—not Florenced, and Romed, and galleried, and conversationed
it for a few months, and then home again; but been of their families, and friendships,
and feuds, and loves, and councils, and correspondence, in a part of Italy least known
to foreigners,—and have
| 346 | NOTICES OF THE | A. D. 1820. |
