Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1882-08-25
TALKS WITH TRELAwNY.
Rmi iniscences OF shelley and Byron
Narrated 10 W. VI. ROssetti.


w. NJ. Rossetti contributes to the
Athen6um some very interesting extracts
from his notes Of conversation with Tre-
lawny. In 1869 Trelawny was still very
fine vigorous old man, most energetic in
tone and manners at moments. ! stayed
with him full four hours, and had high
" interesting conversation on Shelley,
whom he regards with the same un-
dimmed enthusiasm as ever branching
off somewhat too frequently to other
subjects, such as America, medical sys-
tens, etc. He retains his ancient habit
of going stockingless. He gave me a
number Of valuable details about Shelley,
and confded to me the original MSS. of
the poems which Shelley addressed to
Mrs. Williams, with the scraps Of mes
sage which accompanied them-m most
interesting. He did not greatly like
Mrs. Shelley, thinking her too eager to
stand we'll with society, and, as regards
her husband, too fractions and plaguy !;
also she had none of the habits OF a
housewife, and dinner, etc. had very
much to take care of themselves Shell
ley's heart, recovered from the funeral
pyre, was delivered to Mrs. Shelley but
she used to say it was too painful, etc,
etc, and the heart wns then transferred
to Leigh Hunt. The renowned surgeon
Nacca expressed to Trelawny after Shell
ley's death an opinion that the disease
from which the poet had suffered was not
nephritic. Trelawny had not an un-
pleasant impression of Shelley's voice.
save when lie was excited, and then it
turned shrieky. Trelawny saw some
thing of Japan in his youth, and was
much taken with the series of Japanese
colored prints hung round my dining
room. He must be some seventy-six
years of age, but thinks nothing of sit
ting up till midnight and walking home
perhaps four and half miles from
my neighborhood. He told me the other
day that daughter of Lieutenant Will
liams married one of Leigh Hunts
SONS. He disliked the whole Hunt-fami
y-thought Hunt exceedingly selfish.
think he looks little older than he did
last Summer. He has been writing down
some further "reminiscences of Shelley
which pressed him to publish. This he
seems tolerably well inclined to do, but
objects to the trouble of recopying. l
offered to do it for him. Miss Clarimont
has lately been writing to him at great
length, also in the way of Shelley rem
iniscences and it seems that Elsie, the
Swiss maid who attended to Miss CLAIR
mont's and Byron's daughter Alegra is
likewise still alive and inclined to be
reminiscent. Trelawny says he feels
hurt at the imputation upon the moral
character of Harriet Shelley in her latter
days, as contained ii. O., repeated from
other printed statements) in my memoir
of Shelley; it seems to be new to him,
but I can't doubt its truth. He says that
Mary Shelley was excessively jealous Of
Shelley jealous in the ordinary sense
and also as regards the influence of other
women over his mind. But he seems to
think (as far as can make OUT that the
coujugal jealousy was baseless Shelley,
he says, attempted suicide in Naples
had also previously done SO in London !;
but the effects of the poison were worked
off by walking him about for some hours
March Is. Dined with Trelawny; his
house is at present kept by young lady,
Miss TT, to whom / was introduced.
He is, and always has been, total dis
believer in every form OF theological re-
ligion, and contemplates annihilation
without any repugnance, Once, when
living in Italy, he saw little man come
up to his house, and called through the
wicket, "No admittance except to atheists
and Republicans. 1t was Roebuck.
He seems to be confident that there was
nothing beyond an abstract or "Platon-
ic" attachment between Shelley and
Emilia Viviani.
1872, Jan. I. Spent the day with
, 1relawny, at his invitation arrived at
two and remained till eleven, Trelawny
keeping up without ever tagging, n con
versation about Shelley, Byron and sever
al other matters. He told me number
of interesting details. He showed me q
bit of Shelley's jawbono which he
, snatched from the funeral pyre, charred
white, with the teeth sockets showing
his features were almost gone when
the burning took place. He wrote down
: in Byron's death chamber a number OF
= details of the poets last hours, given
, him by the valet Fletcher these have
! never been published, nor did Fletcher
so freely relate the real facts to members
of the Byron family, Byron had habit
9 of keeping by his bedside n Bible ant
two pistols. Near his end he made some
remark in a spirit OF resignation t.
according to Trelawny), availed himself
and began reading from it to Byron
but the latter stopl ed him, saying, "Shu
. it up; that is all weakness, weakness
u weakness !" striking his hand on hi.
. forehead. Byron had no palate. Trelaw
ny could mix his gin-and water as veal
az he chose without Byron's taking an!
a notice of it whatever; once he purpOsel,
4 missed out the gin altogether, and Byrol
" seemed struck by it only after severa
q sips. Byron's left leg and foot wer,
i much worse than the right. The toes o
e both feet were perfectly we'll formed, an,
! Byron used to wear linen pantaloons will
~ straps in bathing. (Trelawny says thi
is quite common, especially with seafar
> ing people, Hence it is that, although
"a a Trelawny had often seen Byron bathing
q q he did not accurately understand the con
" dition of his legs and feet till he viewe'
:" the corpse This is n point that ha
struck several people myself included
y :, as not accounted for in Trelawnys boo
= of "Reminiscences Trelawny consider
i. that Shelley had he survived, would hay
~ joined him and Byron in the Grecian ex
~ pedition, but would not have made
- good soldier. Neither did Byron sho'
y thesleast faculty that way or as apoliticl
~ ~ leader. Moore, Imay observe, gives
!, contrary idea.) Had Byron lived on,
4 movement would have been started
~ make him king Of Greece, and Trelawn
j.. thinks the thing would have bee
a. ~ achieved. The notes which Trelawn
50 8 made at the time OF his conversation
n' re with Byron in the Gresian expeditio
Nc "a disappeared he named to me the Eng
+. llshman whom he suspects of havin
y, filched them. Shelley, he says, was u
~ ~. terly fearless in every way, standing O
th the edge of precipices, etc. Trelawl
ba thinks also no had no sensation of horr,
NC NC as connected with the conception of deaf
n 10. only ideal feelings in relation to deatl
nm m and mostly even aspirations toward it.