Nashville patriot. [volume] (Nashville, Tenn.) 1858-1860, 1858-06-11
Byren,s Deformfxg and how IL Trou-
bled him. s-ss.s.sses,ss.


Byron,s Deformfxy and how it Trou-
bled him. -sssssszsses
: 1t was the 24th or 25th of April when
arrived Byron had died on the 18th. Iwad-
ed through the streets, between wind and
water, to the house he had lived in it was
detached, and on the margin of the shallow,
Shiny sea-waters. For three months this
house has been beseiged, day and night, like
a bank that has run upon it. Now. that
death had closed the door, it was as silent as
a cemetery No one was within the house
but Fletcher. of which was glad. As if he
knew my wishes, he led me up a narrow stair
into small room, with nothing in it but
coffin standing on trestles. No word was spo-
ken by either of us; he withdrew the black
pail and the white shroud and there lay the
ernhalmed body of the Pilgrim-more beauti-
full in death than in life. The contraction of
the muscles and skin had effaced every line
that time or passion had ever traced on it;
few marble busts could have matched its
stainless white, the harmony of its proportions
and perfect finish !; yet he had been dissatisfied
with that body, and longed to cast its slough.
How often had heard him curse it! He was
jealous of the genius of Shakespeare-tha
might well be-but where had he seen the
face or form worthy to excite his envy? L
asked Fletcher to bring me a glass OF water.
On his leaving the room, to confirm or re-
l uncovered the Pilgrims feet, and was an
swered-the great mystery was solved. Both
his feet were dubbed, and his legs withered to
the knee-form and features of an Apollo,
with the feet and legs of sylvan satyr. This
was curse, claiming proud and soring
spirit like his to the dull earth. In the drama
of "The Deformed Transformed" / knew
that he had expressed all he could express of
what man of higbly-wrought mind might
aaI x1yha brnO itu of o1v.
but when he said
az have done the best which spirit may TO make
Its way with all deformitv, dull deadly,
Dscouragng weight upon me-,
I thought it exaggerated as applied to himself
now saw it was not so. His deformity was
always uppermost in his thoughts, and infu-
enced every act of his life, spurred him on TO
poetry, as that was one of the few paths to
fame open to him-and, as if TO be revenged
on Nature for sending him into the world
'scarce half made up. F" he scoffrd at her works
and traditions with the pride of Lucifer; this
morbid feeling ultimately goaded him on to
his last QuiXotic crusade in Greece.
No other man, afflicted as he was. could
have been better justified than Byron in say
ing.
For valor, since deformty is darling;
1t is its essence TO o'ertake mankind
By heart and soul, and make itself the equal
Ay. the superior Of the rest. There is
spur in its halt movements, TO become
All that others cannot, in such things
As still are free to both, To compensate
For step-dame Natures niggardness at first
They with fearless deeds the smiles of fortune
And oft, like Timour, the lame Tartar, with them.
Knowing and sympathizing with Byron's
sensitiveness, his associates avoided prving in
to the cause of his lameness so did strangers
from good breeding or common humanity. 1t
was generally thought his hating gait origin
ated in some defect of the right foot or ankle
the right foot was the most distorted, and
it had been made worse in his boyhood by vain
efforts to set it right. He told me that for
several years he wore steel fints, which so
wrenched the Sinews and tendons of his leg,
that they increased his lameness; the foot was
twisted inwards, only the edge touched the
ground, and that leg was shorter than the
other. His shoes were paculiar-very high
heeled, with the soles uncommonly thick on
the inside and pared thin on the outside
the toes were stuffed with cottonwood and
his trousers were very large below the knee
and strapped down so as to cover his feet. The
popularity of his gait was now accounted for:
he entered IA room with a sort of run, as if he
could not stop, then planted his best leg well
forward, throwing back his body to keep his
balance. In early life whilst his frame was
light and elastic, with the aid of a stick he
might have tottered along for mile or two !;
but after he had Yaxed heavier, he seldom at
tempted to walk more than few hundred
yards, without squatting down or LEANING
against the first wall, bank. rock or tree at
hand, never sitting on the ground, as it would
have been difficult for him to get up again
In the company of strangers occasionally, he
would make desperate efforts to conceal his
infrmity but the hectic flush on his face. his
swelling veins, and quivering nerves betrayed
him, and he suffered for many days after such
eXertions Disposed TO fatten. incapable of
taking exercise to cheek the tendency, what
could he do? If he added to his weight, his
feet would not have supported him in this
Dilemma he was compelled 10 exist in state
of semi staryation he was less than eleven
stone when at Genoa, and said he had been
fourteen at Venice. The pangs of hunger
which travellers and ship-wrecked mariners
have described were nothing to what he suf
fered; their priyations were temporary, his
were for life, and more uncomfortable. us he
was IN the midst of abundance. | was eX-
claiming. Poor fellow, if your errors were
greater than those of ordinary men, so were
your temptations and provocations.' when
Fletcher returned with bottle and glass,
saying. There is nothing but Shiny salt
water in this horrid place. so | have been
halt over the town to beg this bottle of port
er, and answering my ejaculation of Poor
fellow?' he said
You may well say so. sir, these savages are
worse than any highwaymen they have rob-
bed my Lord of all his money and his life
too
Whilst saying this Fletcher without making
any remark, drew the shroud and pail careful
ly over the feet of his masters corpse-he
was very nervous and tremblcd as he did il A;
so strongly had his weak and supcrsttious
nature been acted upon by the injunctions
and threats of his master, that. alive or dead,
no one was to see his feet. for if they did. he
would haunt him, &C., &c"