The evening telegraph. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1864-1918, 1869-08-23

possess, 'now that their first zest as a subject
of scandal is gone by" "would be too slight to
justify me in entering upon them more pafticu-
i larly." A shallow excuse for such reserve ut the
very crisis of the poets life. More likely causes
might be found, aud among them, that the jour
nails would have coutadicted Mr.. Moore's story
. OF the separation. That his wiie's sorrow In
childbirth was aggravated by his unkindness ne
! himself bears witness. He had breathed upon
her the breath Of ljl ter Words their child was
born in bitterness aud nurtured in CONFUSION,
. and the bitterness UHS altogether his own; he
never had, or could have, any reproach to make
against her; the itu,L of the cruel separation lay
! with him alone. AA ing his confession that he
! had soul (which not only tormented ITSELF
! but everybody else u contact with it," his inti-
nations that, following the doctrine of William
| of Nassau, he chose to 90 wherever he had
mind, and never dreamed his lady was cen
ccrned.
From these revelations his wlfe's wretchedncs5
may, in some degree, be imagined. From her
we learn, incidentally, that during the latterpart
of her stay in London she saw little OF her hus-
band; that tWcntN-scyen days alter the Drtl OF
her child he siguiicd to her. in writing. his
absolute desire that she should leave London on
the earliest day that -hc could conveniently hA,
and that she went accordingly. And what maO-
ncr of woman Wds she to whom the vow 10 love,
honor and cherish had been thus kepE Let her
husband tcll-spcakiug lin the very dregS Of
the 'bittcr business Immediately after she had
enforced separation, and while, as the consc-
quencc OF the separation, he was suffering I'M
eNampled public shame, was OutlaWCd III the
general opinion ar exile without nope, without
pride, without alienation.
II must set YOU right in one point, however.
The fault wns not, NO, nor even The misfortune,
i'm my choice (uuirss i'm choosing mt alD; for
do not believe, and / must say il in the very
dregs of all this bitter business, that there ever
was a better, or even a brighter. a kinder. or
more amiable and agreeable being than Lady
Byron ] never had, nor can have, any rGprOach
to make her while with me. Where there is
blame it belongs to myself, and if l cannot
redeem, | must bear IT,
In the Portraits" of the Countess
Albrzzi, she writes ul Lord Byron at Venice
speaking of his marr.age-a delicate subject,
but one still agreeable to him, if it was treated
in a friendly vOicc-hc was greatly moved and
said it had been the innocent cause OF all his
errors and all his gricts. Of his wife he spoke
with much respect aud affection. He said she
was an illustriouo ldy, distinguished for the
qualities of her heart and understanding, and
that all the fault of their cruel separation lay
with himself As Il taunt against his wife he
wrote:-''She was governed by what she called
fixed rules and principles" There is a remark
able passage in lcttgcto Murray, letter which,
coupled with one TO Moore, shows the wites de-
light i'm sharing. as a humble minister in the
glory of her husband. \ few weeks after their
marriage he sent to Moore in Lady Byron's
handwriting, the verses which beTin:-
"Theres not a joy the world can give like that it
takes away.
Some days before the day on which he eX-
pressed his absolute desire that she should leave
his house. he sent tJ Murray manuscripts, also
in his wife's handwriting, OF The Siege of
Corinth and Pari~,ua' and wrote presently
afterwards
81 am very glad that the handwriting was a IA
vOrabe omen Of the u.Orclc Of the piece; bat you
must not trust to that for my cOpyis would Wrte.Out
anything desired n I the ignorance OF innocence
! | hope, however, in this instance, with no great
! peril to either
How could Lord Byron so soon grow weary
of, and neglect, and breathe bIttcrwOrds against
n creature so bright and beautiful so kind, so
| amiable. so agreeable, of such exquisite purity
and truth g.? 1t might have been thought that he
would find to borrow the words OF Mr.. Moore,
those images OF ideal good and beauty that
| surround him in his musings, rather in the
! ciCty of his wife than of those whom he sought
! before and after marriage. But he had followed
| a course of life which hardens the heart and de-
! praves the taste, though seldom so cruelty, and
| so utterly, as in him and marriage if it does not
| purify the scnsualst. does but give darker hue
! to his pollution. Lady Byron was mate for
the man whose thoughts Of women were such as
! thcse:-
Thought of the state Of women under the ancient
| Greeks, convenient enough. Present state a rem
nant Of the barbarism OF the Chivary and feudal
! ages-artlhcia and unnatural. They ought to mind
home, and be well FED and clothed, but not mixed in
society Well eduyate too, in religion; but TO read
piety and cookery. Music, drawing, dancing, also a
| little gardening ana poughing, now and then.
! have seen them mcndng the roads in Epirus with
good success
The sort of pcty which he contemplated ap-
pears in his story of u Nrago, the reignng
favOrite of his harem at Ncnce:-''Shc was very
/ deyout.' Whatever Lady Byron suffered from
neglect, weariness disquiet, disgust, or bitter
ness, she concealed. Her father and mother
were unacquaintcd with any cause of unhappi-
ness. There was not n murmur abroad that the
. course OF her married life had not run smooth.
Her child was born on the 10th of December
| 1918. On the 9th OF The next month she received
| in writing her husbands absolute desire that She
should leave London. She had u strong impress
sion that he was in-ane-her opinion being de-
rived, IN great measure, from communications
made to her by his nearest relatives and his per-
sonal attendant, who had more opportunities
than she had of Observing him during the latter
scnted to her that he was in danger of DESTROY
ing himself Lord Byron allows that She really
did believe him to be mad. On the Sth
OF January, with the concurrence of his
family, she consulted DR.. Baille us a friend.
Not having the opportunity of seeing Lord
Byron he could not give positive opinion; but
being informed OF his wish that Lady Byron
should leave London he thought her absence
! desirable as an experiment. He enioined that
in her letters she should avoid all but lirht and
soothing topics She left London on the 18th of
! january. That day, and the next when She
! arrived at her fathers house. she wrote TO her
! husband III a kind and cheerful tone She told
! her parents of the opinion which had been
formed OF his state OF mind, and they assured
| the relations who were with him in London that
if he would visit them, they would devote their
whole care to the alienation of his malady On
the Ith OF January Lady Noel wrote to Lord
Byron inviting him to kirllby Mallory Reports
Whlch Lady byron received from the persons in
constant intercourse with him, and from his
medical attendant, increased doubts which
mad already crossed her mind whether
anything like lunacy did in fact. exist.
IN IN +oI this rs uncertainty she judged it right