New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1883-05-06

| The bodv that had oppressed him was no longer
| unwieldy and unmanageable. Obeylng MS Will ~
| filled him with delight. And what Is even moro
note wor Inv than all the other results OF the reg'-
/ men taken together is that Ibis discipline Oh
| starvation and drastic depletives quickened MS
brain to such a degree. that the man of intellect ior
the FIRST time knew himself to be something TAR
higher than a man of mere Intellect. The goadS
and whips of the regimen mad affected the nervous
system. 80 that he had become man OF genius
He had gone to drugs and starvation at the lns'lsa
ton of personal vanity. Henceforth he perSlsleu
in using them for the sake If the delights OF thaV
highest life to which they had raised him ana from
which he soon sunk surely and quickly Without
| their assistance"
Mr. Jraffreson tells the story of Byron's marriage
at great length. and mentions az lone OF the Wildly
wrong notions about the poet that he marreu
| Miss MIibanke for her money When he proposed
| to her che was not heireSs-possess1hg lhueeu
50 modest a provision that several of the poets
friends thought her no fit match for nm. She hau
exoectatons, but they were at that time not daz-
zlug.
! In her book of strange misconceptions and delu-
SONS Mrs. Beccher Stowe regards Miss MIlbanke as
a simple maiden of high degree, who, passing her
! life in stately secuSiOn and benevolent concern for
the peasantryOn her fathers estate, entered woman
! hood with no experience of the worlds
! wIckedness and gave herself TO her hus-
band in ignorance of the sins of his youth.
! Having read "Chlde Harold" and, like
all the OF ladies of the period, taken much OF II
as autobiography Miss Milbanke cannot have been
unaware of the difference between his former lie
and her own. 1t certainly was due 10 no want OF
frankness on his part if she did not think HIM much
worse than he really was. Moreover the morals of
county society " III Durham aud 1nrkshiIe at the
beginning OF the presny century afforded young
lady OF the highest quality ample opportnnltI $ Tor
! discovering there was morality lOr men
| and q different morality for women OF their
| degree. Instead of being shocked BY "Chlide
| HMOld," she admired the poem greatly; ana though
shr d, cued the poets first offer, shs was Tar from
| tnInN.ng HIM unfit t. hold communion Win a
| pentleWoman of her refinement. On the contrary,
| She refused him IN gentle ana hGttcrlng manner
| that ne wished 10 be to her as a brother; and he
had tie difficulty III pefsuadIns her to receive let
| ters from HIM and TO answer them with slstery
| trUStulncss.
Perhaps 1t will surprise Mrs. Stowe to learn that
Miss MilOanke's views OF Enslsh ne ana character
were not taken altogether from the hamts OF me
Durham gentry and the manners OF the poor on her
atners estate. Though she not consider
able pcTSOuage as her sster-ln-law OF Melbourne
house, Lady Mloanke had her place in London
society and came to town Tor the season and her
only daughter saw as much f people of letters art
and science If not of people of he highest fashion,
as her cousins. the Lambs. Lady MllbanNos parties
were in good repute and when she received her ac
foiud people of mark IN her drawing
rooms Mrs. Siddons, Joanna Baltic, aud
EQgeWOrIu,
she had not been Lady Melbourne's niece,
Miss Milbaukc would have heard ali about Lord
b, ron ana Lady Caroline Lamn, his doings and his
wor,mDpaTs from her mothers guests. when all
London was Ia king of the new y. ct and Of the
pains people taxing 10 make bin q foolish one
Being Lady Melbourne, niece, Miss MIbauke, a
young woman o. abundant intelligence, knew well
enough why her aunt was so deSIIouS OF seeing heI
Lazy Byron.
no means uuattiacuYe to those who were not re-
PEELED by her tOTmdlIty anu Goodness. simple, un-
aztec ed, aud more likely TO think too much than
too little of her dignity she had the AR OF natural
refinement rather tnan OF fashion. Her presence |
would have gained greatly III effectiveness by Two
or even three more inches IN statJ but her hg
IRE Ito use Byron's own words was perfect for
her he lght." Though her cOuntenance was remark |
able for the rouunnesS, winch suggested to Byron |
the pet-name of PIppln" for her, IT had plquaut
and sometimes syy humorous eXDr, sson. Il They |
were wanting in regularity, her features were deli
cate, feminine and in ellectura There moth
ing III herface to indicate hardness OF nature. I'M |
less the placid severity II could To those
who were dstaStefui 10 her. She was known 20 DC
clever and well-read SO Tar rs the reading OF gen
tlewomen went III the days of the hlue-sto kings, |
Campbell went much too far when ne said that her |
poetry would endure comparison with her nus |
bands. Her best verses just missed the goodness |
that would have qualified them to be compared |
with lis worst verses Two the mluUl poems |
however, of kT. Murray's complete edition OF |
Byrun's works. were certainly of her writing. AT |
the time her slightest and most trivial essays
no .try of tho " KeepsaKes" aud other fashion, !
able collections of " JeyS de SOoi6t6!"
dered how a woman more remarkable for compOsure |
than loneliness attracted Byrons attention, and III
their mIsniOnmatiOn respecting her pecuuldTr worth
they have escaped from the difficulty by assuming
he was drawn to her by her mOncg. In his knOwl- |
edg of the ct Harness suggested shTewdy that her
GOODNESS mad "a charm tor MIN and there ~ sure evil
dence that The suggestion was III cgTce truc
From his knowledge OF himself Byron knew that
an air OF and even OF rigldty to compare
tive strangers did not necessarily indicate cOdness
of heart. lie was precisely the man TO be pIqued |
by coldncss to curiosity about Its cause ana de-
sire 10 overcomelt. Lady Caroline Lamb began IN
the right way when she " turned on her heelD two
DAYS aterward he asked for the reason OF her con
duct and the next day he called upon her and MADE
love 10 her. But though she was clever enough To
see the right course. Lady Caroline Lamb had not
self-contr0l aud strength enough to persist III
whilst his fair idolaters suflocated and sickencd
him TO degree Lady Caroline httle Imagined |
with their insane worship, Miss Mi.banke was one |
of the Jew women to talk TO HIM OF his poetry IN u
wav showing they could appreciate IL. But her re-
spect for his art was curiously devoid OF enthusiasm
tor the artist She liked 10 tax with MN OF poetry
and showed him specimens OF her own verse. But |
she respected poetry too much TO fall at the poets
feet: she respected herself too much TO become one
of the apes who tried 90 initiate ms feeling aud
manner. The young man, who piumed himself on
ms superiority to the herd, naturally honOIcd the
woman who showed herself superior 10 the mob OF
fashionable wOmanklnd. And as lie grew more and
weary OF tue fantastic caprlces ana hysterlca
Vehemence of the silly woman OF fashion, he was
more and more attracted by the composure ana
tranquil intellect OF the clever woman OF no
fashion.
That "The Dream" has no photographed
value except as evidence of the way in which the
poet was pleased TO regard certain passages of his
life eighteen months after his wedding is the con-
vcton of Mr.. Jeaffreson. lie tells tho story
of the weddng-morning noting that there
was mo lady'smaid in the carriage sit
ting 'bodkin between the bride and bridoGroom
though Byron, doubt, said to Medwin at Pisa, in
1921, After she ordeal was over we set of for a
country seat At Sir Ralphs and was surprised at
the arrangements for the journey, and somewhat
out of humOr TO find a lady maid stuck between
me and my bride. 1t rather too early TO assume
the husband; so l forced to submit, but it
not with very good grace Put Yourself in o sim |