The Charleston daily news. [volume] (Charleston, S.C.) 1865-1873, 1868-06-22
CHAR TON
MONDAY MORNING. JUNE %, 1868.
Forbidden Fruit.

Bread and butter girls and sentimental
striplings have ceased to make BYRON the
idol of their lives. 1t is no longer the style
to ape the vsgsries and weaknesses Of the
imitator of Lesnder; but, at a certain age,
the verses of the noble poet are devoured
with an appetite that knows no safety,
although the beauty and ugliness of Don
Juan may be still forbidden fruit. They
| who look for power, force, pathos, graphic
description, tender and touching sentiment,
may find then in the Childe Harold, in the
Bride of Abydos, in Parisins. in the Two
Foscsri, in the Giaour, in canto of the
famous Don; they too, who look for drivel,
! forced humor, libertinsge of thought and
word, mock gloom, Cynical affeotation, may
find them easily enough. The ono is the
fruit of the immortal genius Of the poet,
the other is the expression of the folly and
vanity of the man.
Now, and with reason, it is held that too
much knowledge of personal peculiarities
is disappointment and vexation; but goS-
sip and scandal never lese their charm, and
will not as long as there is any craving for
what is forbidden or strange. The gallows
tree is surrounded by curious thousands;
the rops-wslker attracts crowd whose size
is in proportion to the risk that he runs of
breaking his neck; the criminal trial finds
thirsty readers for its disgusting details;-
all indications of a morbid taste that will
last as long as there is charm in the un-
known, and fierce pleasure in seeing or
knowing that others do what We dare not
attempt ourselves. This feeling led to
greedy anticipation of the promised me-
moirs Of Byron by the Countess GuIcoIoL1.
MOORE, the 3oon companion and staunch
friend, had consented to the suppression of
BYnos's autobiography; but this loss, it was
thought, would be replaced when La Gu1o-
cIoII gave to the world ciroumstantial ac
count of the bard she knew too we'll. The
lady had had peculiar opportunities, and it
was expected that she had made the most of
them. -
At last the book has been issued, and
"Lord BYRON, judged by the witnesses of
his life," has been given to the public
Strangely enough, it bears no authors
name, and the responsibility Of the pub
fishers is the only guarantee of its authen-
tioity. GuIccIoLI is not named, does not
speak of herself, aud the one thousand
pages of which the work consists are devo-
ted solely to proving that the hero was per-
feot ss man and as poet, which, Of course,
t.nobody can deny" A few shadows are
left for artistic effect. "QuelQues ombres"-
says she-'trendsnt ls paysags plus beau ct
plus Selatant."
The Itafian lady thinks It pity that
Byron was an Englishman, un-English as
he was in taste, manner and appearance;
while the truth is, that in his greatest fol-
bles as well as merits, he was thoroughly
and essentially English. Oblivious Of e1pe-
rience and tradih,n, she asserts that con-
stancy in love was one of BYRoN's great
characteristics, and, after treating of the
childhood and early friendship Of her idol,
exslts him ss father, brother and son,
praises his charity and benevolence, lauds
T his consistency, modesty and courage, and
dedioates one long chapter to description
Of the virtues of bis soul. Then she JUS
titles him against the charges connected
With his vices and defects, and urges that
he shall be pronounced not guilty of irri
tation, instability, misanthrOpy, pride and
vanity; or, if guilty, then with e1tenusting
circumstances. But there is no word of the
writer's own experience with BYRON; there
is scarcely an aneodote that is nsw,-the
volumes are rather panegyric than biog-
rsphy. The Countess denies her hero's be-
setting ain of sffeotstion, oyerlooks the
public biscuit and soda-water, or potato and
vinegar, and the private rioh dish and
choice wines; and yet she has done nothing
that was not better done before.
The book has, of course, caused great
disappointment, and may not have the
doubtful honor of being republished in
America. BYRON, in his works, has writ
ten all that is needed for the knowledge of
his life;-by his best and purest works, by
the good shining through the bad, by the
natural light breaking out from the arti-
ficisl darkness, it is enough for US to know
him. Public scandal-seekers have been
foiled for once, and this time the lovers Of
forbidden fruit mourn and will not be COM
forted.
The New YORK WORLD says that the
great issues Of the coming Presidential
contest are the powers of the Executive,
the authority of the Supreme Court, and
the rights of the States, which together
amount TO the question whether constitu-
,-z,.ont ~ th;o ooupfry 10 q foil