The Virginian. [volume] (Lynchburg [Va.]) 1822-1829, 1823-03-11
Miscellaneous selections from Foreign Jour
nais.
LORD BYRON IN ITALY.

1
Jmg To say that we lead an
greeabe life in this amyhibious ciiy, should
say The thing thai WAS not true. In many
respects we are more changcable than the
weather, and IN the circle of our little so
eiety, every thing depends upon the state
fit IIis Lordship is completely weather
struck IN all his actions. Ii the day is fine,
he Is gay II cloudy, he is dull aud despon.
dent If stormy, he is wild aud eXtfnva-
CANT il calm he is placid, cheerful, witty
and free il loggy and suitry, he il sullcn,
pee'sh aud must not be spoken 10. In
short, lac Is our thermometer by nm We
know the state OF the atmosphere before
We have opened window or door IN the
morning !; and, az he Is the prime agent OF
our sorroms and Joys, We are as anxious
" To truce
The day disasters in his morning face"
as ever coldsmith's boys did that of the
village schoolmastcr. Ills Lordship's anx-
iety to plense and make all happy about
him often puts him 10 great misery, IN str-
wing vainly to conquer his disposition, aud
combat passions which are I'M, ontrolable,
aud, like ihe laws OF The Modes and Per-
SLAMS, cannot he altered People who
measure other persons ways by the rule
and line ohserted in well-regulated En-
gllsh families, have probably assigned 10
my Lord Byron and suite a regular family
maxim here. No such thing. We ARE
only regular in one thing, and thai is IN do
ing nothing but what is irregular. We
have changed hotels four times in III
months, for reasons unknown to me, ex-
rent "A f.atp I'm. hnf.I M. l,r,I H..
cause church opposite chose 10 ring its
bells every morning before daylight. The
BISHOP offered 10 cease ringing for n sum
of money tn be paid 10 the ringers. Ills
Iordship swore he swcais as well rs Lord
that had never left LOndonl il was an at
tempt to extort, and that his money should
never ring The changes in his Graee's peck
ct. This caused change. The owner
OF the hotel, afraid of losing good custo
mer, offered 10 have the ciappers muz2ied
AT his own cost ; hut his Lordship had
read" him aud the Bishop out by "brll,
book aud candle light, and consigned them
TO the devil, IN his way We pitched our
tents IN a house near the liait0, and here
We should have done very well, hut I'm
luckily lower apartment, which reached
the whole length Of the dwelling, struck
his Lordshlp rs offering evegy convenience
for a stable it had formerly been used rs
a chapel, aud was laloeed IN lhe owuer's
estimation he refused TO hare 1t polluted
by horses. Ills Lorjslip wrote him
down Al ass" and left him IN high dudgcon
There was m Italian poem appeared on
the occasion, but il would mol do in an En-.
gsl dress. IL SAINT Marks piuce, we
quilted at midnight CONSCIENTIOUS pene-
tian's splendid palace, because, lorsooih,
he took IL into his head To refuse admission
to unmarried ladies after dark, without
an extra premium lur his apartments, To
pay n father cOnlessor for weekly pnriGea-
tons. Another we ran from with horror,
solely from his Lordship having discovered
thai the mistress bore a strong resemblance
To the devil in Dante's Inferno. These are
the only removals / eau account for. At
present we are set down opposite ST. |
Marks Church, aud have been for some
lime. Al times we see n great deal of
company, and keep il down day and night, |
by land aud water, like .Iolly fellows.--
Jice Ucr8d, for weeks we SIC no company
but his Lordship's Newfoundland dog, aud
the --------, eating III our separate apart
ments, and III the evening 10 smoke each |
other with scgars, and go drily TO bed like
autonatons. This is all owing to his Lord |
ships whms. When these fits are on BIN |
he goes 10 III" theatre, and receives com
pany in his box, hiosrIf en- dcshub,He, or |
rather disShobbay, being ungarlefed and
neglcnt 20 slONepilncss. This IN Venice
IS common way Of showing your nobility
but his Lordshipis no imlator--hr does
IL he knows moi why nor wherefore, and
cares not one straw for the worlds opinion.
At such times the -------- II the only one
thai darrs take liberty with him he puts
up with heI ropping, singing, dancing aud
sarcasms-but his features remain as rigid
and morose AS those upon the bust of Ga
TO. II is now that he becomes n lcoier
spaniel, and remains for half a day together
on the pillows of the Adrlaiic. He can do
every thing hut sleep on the water, and
with his little boat aud dog, alternately
swimming and rowing, he visits the neigh
boring continent and islands, where he Is
known by the name of "the Devil" He
will return IN the night, leaves his boat on
the strand, and goes to his apartment I'm
attended. A summon for the household
10 go to breakfast is, perhaps the first no
lice any one has ol his arrival Riding is "A
fayorlte amusement, though here the only
spot on which he can enjoy the sport is
not 500 yards III circuit, and the natives
stare at him as the Peruyans did at the
Spauiards when they believed man aud
horse 10 be one aud the same body. IL is
so much the fashion here to ape Lord By
ron, that several Italian nobieS9e have their
meadecs Of four or five "gallant steeds,"
and not half an acre Of ground to exercise
them upon. We have mol many English
admitted into our 8nnctum 8dnctorum
there is prejudice against them, and IN
less they come with the recommendations
Of genius and talent of their own, any other
claim 10 notice is little valued Mr.. -.