Ashtabula telegraph. (Ashtabula, Ohio) 1874-1880, 1874-03-21

"Strange that the soul. that very fiery particle,
Should let itself be snuffed out by an article
Byron had no idea of being snuff
ed out, and devoted some months to
writing a Satirical poem upon the ed
tor, supposed contributors and actu-
II supporters of the Edinburgh Re
0ie'o. To this, which was very Sc
we're and personal, besides being very
well written, he gave the title OF
"English Bards and Scotch Review
ers." As it bitterly attacked and
ridiculed most of the poets of that
ptriod, it was frequently unjust and
,li-tempered, as well as being highly
pOetical in many parts.
The original intention was to have
called it "The British Bards: A Sa-
tire" The friend whom he consult
ed as to its publication, being very
much of pedant, suggested that it
should be entitled " The Parish Poor
of Parnassus," which Byron rejected.
Soon after he had attained legal ma
jority, the satire was published, and
became very popular. Byron was
wenty-one on the 22d of January,
1909, English Bards and Scotch Re
viewers" was published three weeks
after that. 1t ran through several
editions, turned the laugh against
the Reviewers, and gained for By
ron the popularity which, even thus
early, had begun to be ''to him the
breath of Iife."
Having thus returned blow for
blow, and given the Edinburgh Re
gieao the first serious scourging it had
received up to that time, Byron quit
ted England, in July 1909, and de-
voted two years to foreign travel,
successively visiting Portugal, Spain,
Sicily, Malta, Greece, Asia Minor
and Turkey. He returned to Eng
land in July, ISIl-too late to see
his mother die, in Newstead Abby,
but Just in time for the funeral.
His friend, Mr.. Dallas, who had
seen 'English Bards" through the
press, was one of the first to welcome
him back to England, and naturally
inquired whether he had written any
thing, and what, during his two
years wanderings? The answer was
that he had enjoyed his travels very
much, but had no idea of writing
anything about them; that be believ-
ed satire to he his forte, and that
while absent he had written para
phrase of HOraces cart of Poetry"
which would be a good finish to
%English Bards and Scotch Review
ers." This manuscrip he gave to
Mr.. Dallas to read. They met again
next morning, at breakfast, and Dal-
las frankly expressed his dissatisfac-
tion and disappointment. The poem
Is now included in Murray's collect
i've London edition of ByrOn's works,
and the only fair criticism upon it
can be that it might have been writ
ten by almost any tolerable rhymes
ter who wished to satirize London So
ciety sixty years ago, 1t might pass
for weak imitation of English
Bards."
When asked if this was all he had
written, Byron answered that he had
occasionally scribbled short poems,
and had written a great many stan
zas, in measure of Spencer's ''Fairy
Queen" relative to the countries he
had visited.
"They are not worth troubling you
with" he said, "but you shall have
them alEwith you if you like"
Then he took large bundle of
manuscript, with some other verses,
out of a small trunk, and placed
them in Dallas's hands, adding that
athey had been read only by one
person, who had found very little to
commend and much to condemn"
that this was his own opinion, and he
was sure would also be that of Mr.
Dallas. Such as it was, he present
ed it to his friend, and urged him to
hasten the publication of ''Hints from
Horace" of which he-Byron-
thought very highly.
The big bundle of stanzas in the
Spenserian measure was ''Childe Har-
old's Pilgrimage"--that is, the first
two cantos. 1t has been believed
that the friend who saw little merit
in that poem was John Cam Hob
house, afterwards Lord BroughrOn,
who was Byron's life long friend
from their first meeting in the Uni
versity at Cambridge until, and l
NAV sav after-the poets death in
Greece, in April, 1924.
To the fourth canto of "Childe
| Harold''-published early in 1915
is prefxed a dedicatory letter, ad-
dressed to HobhOuse, in which By
ron speaks of him as some whom !
have known long and accompanied
far-whom / have found wakeful
over my sickness, and kind in my
sorrow; glad in my prosperity and
firm in my adversely; true in counsel
and trusty in peril-a friend often
| JEl6u ana never lOuiiu W hdhtiH
! 1t is only fair to add that Hob
house denied having been the harsh
critic ON "Childe Harold;" and it has
been suggested that the Marquis OF
Sligo, whose acquaintance Byron
made in Turkey, may have been the
person.
Robert Charles Dallas, who usher
ed two of Byron's most famous po-
ems-"Englfsb Bards" and ''Childt
Harold"-into the world, was con.
nected with the poet by marriage
that is, Lord Byron was nephew ot
Captain Byron, r. N, who wa,
married to Mr.. Dallas's sister. Thh
will account for the intimacy of tw,
men of such different ages-Dalla.
being fifty-seven in 1911, whereas
Byron was only twenty-three. Dal
lls, native of Jamaica, had beel
educated for the law, but neve
could settle down to it, and success
lively resided in France, in the Uni
ted States and in England. H'
u,rota saveral novels which wert