Star.
London, England, 1830-04-02 00:00:00

N°• 13,438.

woman, and to liberty, and to natural religion. I claim a right,
more especially, as one of the many friends of lady Byron, who,
one and all, feel aggrieved by this production. It has virtually
dragged her from the shade of retirement, where she had hid her
sorrows, and compelled her to defend the heads of her friends and
her parents from being crushed under the tombstone of Byron,
Nay, in a general view, it has forced her to defend herself t though
with her true sense, and her pure tette, she stands above all special
pleading. To plenary explanation she °agile not—she never shall
be driven. Mr. Moore is too much a gentleman not to shudder at
the thought of that ; but if other Byronists, of a far different stamp,
were to force the savage ordeal, it is her searales, and not site, that
would have to dread the bunting ploughshares.
We, her friends, have no wish to prolong the discussion ; but a
few words we must add, even to her admirable statement—for her's,
is a cause not only dear to her friends, but having become, from Mr.
Moore and her misfortunes, a publicly agitated cause, it concerns
morality, and the most sacred rights of the sex, that she should (and
that, too, without more special explanations,) be acquitted out and
out, and honourably acquitted in this business, of all sihre in the
blame, which is one and indivisible. Mr. Moore, on farther reflec.
tion, may see this, and his return to candour will surprise us less
than his momentary deviation from its path.
I write not at Lady Byron's bidding—l have never humiliated
either her or myself by asking f I should write—or what I should
write—that is to say, I never applied to her for information against
Lord Byron ; though I was justified, as one intending to criticise to
Mr. Moore, to inquire into the truth of some of his statements.—
Neither will I suffer myself to be called her champion, if by that
word be meant the advocate of her mere legal innocence, for that, I
take it, nobody questions. Still less is it from the sorry impulse of
pity that I speak of this noble woman, for I look with wonder and
even envy at the proud purity of her sense and conscience, that have
carried her exquisite sensibilities in triumph through such poignant
tribulations. But lam proud to be called her friend—the humble
illustrator of her cause, and the advocate of those principles which
make it to me more interesting than Lord Byron's. Lady Byron
(if the subject must be discussed) belongs to sentiment and morality
—at least as much as Lord Byroo—nor is she to be suffered, when
compelled to speak, to raise her soles as in a desert with no friendly
voice to respond to her. %Lady Byron could not have outlived her
sufferings, if she had not wound up her fortitude to the high poin
of trusting mainly for consolation, not to the opinion of the world,
but to her own inward peace ; and having said what ought to con-
vince the world, I verily believe that she has less care about the fa.
shionable opinion respecting her than any of her friends can have.—
But we, her friends, mix with the world, and we hear offensive ab.
surdities about her which we have a right to put down.
What Lady Byron professes to be her main aim in her Remarks
on the Life of her husband, it seems to me that she very clearly ac-
complishes. lam not sure that I should feel my esteem for Byron,
or for any man, much enhanced by finding that a foolish relative sr
two could sever from him a wife once doathigly fond of him. 40
we have not a tittle of fair evidence against this pack of as his
Lordship politely calls them ; and, to throw the blame on her pa-
rents is proved ridiculous by Dr. Lushington's letter, for it shows
that the deepest cause, or causes, of the separation were not im.
parted to her parents. I dismiss, therefore, this hinted plea of pal.
Nation with contempt.
I proceed to deal more generally with Mr. Moore's book. You
speak, Mr. Moore, against Lord Byron's censures in a tone of
indignation which is perfectly lawful towards calumnious traducers,
but which will not terrify me, or any other man of courage, who is
no calumniator, from uttering his mind freely with regard to this
part of your hero's conduct. I think your whole theory about the
unmarriageableness of genius a twaddling little hint for a compli.
ment to yourself, and a theory refuted by the wedded lives of Scott
and Flaxman. I question your philosophy in assuming that all
that is noble in Byron's poetry was inconsistent with the possibility
of his being devoted to a pure and good woman—and I repudiate
your morality far canting too complacently about " the lava of his
imagination," and the unsettled fever of his passions being any ex-
cuses for his planting the tic doloreu.r of domestic suffering in a
meek woman's bosom. These ate hard words, 31r. Moore, but you
have brought them on yourself by your voluntary ignorance of facts
known to me—for you might, and ought to have known both sides
of the question ; and if the subject was too delicate fur you to con-
sult Lady Byron's confidential friends, you ought to have had no.
thing to do with the subject. But you cannot have submitted your
book even to Lord Byton's sister, otherwise she would have set you
right about the imaginary spy, Mrs. Clermont.
Hence arose your misconceptions, which are so numerous, that
having applied to Lady Byron (you will please to observe that I
applied not for facts against Lord Byr.in, for these I got elsewhere,
but for an estimate of the correctness doer statements,) I received
the following letter from her Ladyship :
" Dear Mr. Campbell,—ln taking up my pen to point out for
your private information' those passages in Mr. Moore's repre-
sentation of my part of the story which were open to contradiction,
I find them of still greater extent than 1 had supposed, and to deny
an assertion here and there would virtually admit the truth of the
rest. If, on the contrary, I were to enter into a full exposure of the
falsehood of the views taken by Mr. Moore, I must detail various
loaners, which. consistently with my principles and feelings, I
cannot, under the existing circumstances, disclose. 1 may, perhaps,
convince you better of the difficulty of the case by an example.—
, It is not true that pecuniary entbarrasetneuis were the cause of

the disturbed state of Lord Byron's mind, or formed the thief rea-
son for the arraugessents made by Aim at that time. Bet is it
reasonable for use to eapcct that you, o► any one else, should be-
lieve this, unless I show you what were the causes ix pestion 9
and this I cannot do.' I sm, ice. NOEL Biritow."

Excellent woman ! honoured by all who knew her, and injured
only by:those who know her not. I will believe her on her own les.
timony.
What I regret most in Mr. Moore's Life of Lord Byron is, that
be had in his own hands the only pure means of serving Lord
Byron's character—which was his Lordship's own touching con-
fession ; and that be has thrown away the said means, by gar-
nishing that fair confession with unfair attempts at blaming
others. In Letter 236, Lord Byron takes all the blame on himself.
" Thelasilt, he says, teas net t no, nor even the migfortune is m/
choice (unless in choosing at all), but 1 must say it in the rery
dress ilia this bitter business, that there army- was a better, or
even a kinder or more amiable and agreeable being than Lady
Ityron. I never had, nor even tan have, any reproach to snake
her it kite n 514 me." Now nothing in Lord Byron's poetry is finer
than this. But why, Mr. Moore, have you frown the efikct of this
melting mcdour by dishing up the inconsistencies of Lord Byron on
the Name subject, and by showing your own ungallant indtfilrence
to the thus acquitted Lady Byron ? In the name of both of them
I reprove you. Byron contemn, but try to explain away his
at a confession ; and by your hints unsuitableness, &c. you
dirty and puddle the holy water of ledgment that alone will
wash away the poor penitent mare* trameresaions. Yen resort to
Byron's letter to Mr. Rogers, for the mans of Inculpating Lady
Byron and her friends, as blanseve of Lead Brim Bat they never
Wad more than that Lord Byron'a tamper was biblisiabk to Lady
• I had mot-tines to ask Lady Byron's pawoludoe to print ibis
private later, but it seamed to wee hapoetaas, and I have published
ft wee ;winds.