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


perpd fool If ne had disIked this relative ane
hanger-on of the Shelleys, Byron-lvlngln closer
macy with ShellevcOuld not have treated MN Witt
open rudeness. But Byron had tenderness LOT the
young man who was Just then no less unfortunate
than unwise. Warned by Irelawny tnat tnls III
quisitive prattler was taking notes WIN view &c
lies are told about me that Medwin won't be be-
lleved." And having said thus much ana Iltt u!
more to Trelawny, Byron took care tnat meawinn
should not be brieved,-tOok care that the notes
should comprise so large proportion or obvious nc
TONS that cautious readers would not know whal
of their statements they might belieye,IwouId be
doubtful whether they contained single pure ana
unadulteIated fact In word, Byron BANNED
Med win, aud Medwin was very easy man 70
"bam!" 49,
The old slang word BAN meant story winch
none but sImpleton wOul1 believe. 1t occurs III
"Sam Hail. the convict's dItty that used TO be en-
corcd loudly in the Cave Of Harmony when Arthur
Pendenniss was young man.
"The parson. he did come he did come,
And talk Of kingdom comet;
But then 1t was all BAN |"
In the DAYS when Kit North's friends wrote their
convivIal articles for "BlackwoOd" OyOr Their
tumblers. AMI sometimes under them. references to
the art OF bamming was often sen IN the columns
of that polite magazine. At the same tlme tue
Prince Regent, consummate master oil ne eIeeant
art, made "bammlng" favOrite pastme WIN
the gentlemen of his encourage. Nhtn beOrge
the Fourth en crtaIned dinDer,table by de-
scrIbIng graveiy how he commandments at
was telling "ham" for the fun of seeing how 1t
would b. received by one of his guests, the Duke
OF Wellington. Banning" was lying win q
difference Ii was necessary for q - BAN" 10 Do
humorous; il might not be uttered for the telers
pecunary benefit or for his material advantage IN
any way; 1t was neediul Tor II TO be 80 egTtgOusly
absurd thar no one but dUllard would believe ~;
B,ron's story about the lady's maid was all BAN"
Medwin having swalo we'd the invention, and grave
y pat IL away use, IL rs not WOndoIlu that byron
found hima dIvertinp companion III idle hours. .
money nOtwlthsIandinE the Young husnahu ahd
wife lived ~ Young married FOLK should Tor Tour
andeven five months in the Duchess OF DeyOnS mouse
without quarTeng or even pickering. In society
Byron PLAYED the part of an idOlzlng aud trlum-
phant hrsband at home he found IN Lady Byron
thoughtfui ana sympathetic wife, VINO, throwing
her.rlf into his literary interests. delighted 10
act as his amanucr sis aud secretary; hei service III
this respect berg OF great convenience 10 the poel
who wrote poor hand, and on his nervous GAYS
dishked he drudgery ct penmanship. During THESE
months sine wrote several small poems, some OF
which he corrected very mucn, OF course TO their
Improvement. .
Ihis was the time when he was habitually so
cheerful and sometimes so hilarious III her society
that he was suTpu8cI 10 find her OF NE same Opin-
ION as those who regarded him as the victim al deep
and Incurable melancholy. lie had brcu more than
usually gay aud brilliant in society, when MS wife
declared her pleasure az SeeiIg nun IN such ,ldRn
called and mlscaed melancholy you must have
mo. Byron" she answered, with the fine pcrcep-
=
are the most eiancholy OF mankind; ana often
when apparently gdycst.'
If Byron had been 50 gloomy at his wedding as
The Dream" represents he could scarcely have
been surprised at his wifes detection OF MS
melancholy.
II would be unfair to the reader Of this most en-
tcrtaining hook to rehearse here Nr. Jcaifreson's
explanation Of the separation OF Byron and his
wife. lie does full Justice to Lady Byron, and
while lifting from her husbands memory some of
the more cruel aspersIons To wuich that separation
gave RISE he is lar from bolding the poet bameles'.
lie points out aud proves indeed, that the chief
cause of the trouble which parted them was Byrou's
sefshncss hrs grand failing. " He would couccde,
Inc would give away anything except the one thing
on which he had for the moment set his heart but
as soon as any one denied him that one thing. or
tired to take it from his hands the sel'hncs over
powered every generous force of his nature
The monstrous accusation winch Lady Byron made
against her husband in her later years, and which
Mrs. Stowe so unwisely published, Mr. Jeailreson
thus explains:
When the deed Of separation had been signed
Byron declared that from the commencement OF the
domestic troubles although Augusta had been bis
for weeks, he bad never heard her speak
or known her write "A single unkiud word OF Ills
wife I'm truth, Augustus courageous devotion 10
her sister-in-law seemed To strengthen, and gam
strength from, her generous devotion To her brother
LOYALTY to her her absence. and deeply grateful 10
her foI II. Throughout the eight wTetched years
death the relations OF the Two sISteTs-lH-laW
underwent no dImunitiOn of cordahty.
The last five years had been years Of unuttcrable
trial scorcniuG humillatiOn and probably at guaw-
ing remorsc TO Indy Byron who IN every indication
oil the change OF sentiment Tor the poet, and every
proof OF the growing admiration OF his genius SAW
sign of the increasing dlsrcSpcct IN which she was
held-or at least felt herself TO be held. IL was
small solace 10 her that the world iorbore TO up
braid her, and under utterances OF condescendlng
compassion for her sOrrovs velled the opinion that
the sOrTOws though severe, were no undeseryed
punishment. len years since, had she told
aloud the real story OF her husbands offences
AGAINST her, the general verdict Oh the case would
have been III her favor. Bat now he fullest state
men of her would have been received rs tanta-
mount to confession of her conIugal lmpa fence,
seliisness and dlsOyalty. The time had passed tor
her TO sneak To her own advantage. llencetOTth II
would be tor her TO hold her tongue IN her own
interest. She would ONLY provoke EXPLANATIONS OF
a adherence bY an aVOwal that she had indeed bro
ken away from her husband. because his peiulauce
irritaied her, because his unnd words eXasperatrd
her. and because his determination 10 travel when
he ought 10 have been content TO remain in Eng
land worried her In charity and pity people were
silent about her: and their silence was whip of
fire to her pride And whilst mute tongues declared
her condemnation, tho land resoundcd with the
praises of her sIater-ln-law. IL was ever III The
widows mind how the glory about Augustus brow
might have dwet upon her own mead. II she had
not the manuscript OF The EDl~tle 10 Angus
tai which had been withheld from the press by
Mrs. Lelghs care for her siser-ln-law's peace OF
mind, Lazy Byron knew the 8 StanZas TO Augusta "
by heart. Lady Byron would have had q fautlcss
temper, a HAWKES. nature, TO persist in loving
Au .usta to the last.
rupture between Lady Byron and Mrs Leigh
was Inevitable, provided they survived Byron for a
considerable period and the rupture took place
tween the la Ter part of November 1929, and he
latter part of February, 1880. though they quar-
relied ike gentiewomeu they qu.Irelled bitterly.
No one will be surprised to hear that they differed
on "a trivial matter, put their quarrel on triv
ial matter distinct from the real cause of Lady
Byron's soreness against her slstcr-in-law
While the two gentewOmen were differing on so
slipbt an occasion for serious difference, other
matters happened to aggravate Lady Byron's
dislike of the sster-In-aw with whom sue had lived
for so long period in close Intimacy and affection
ate confidence Lady Byron's quarrel with Augusta
on the trivial preext was not contaminated till the
latter part Of February, ls30-the month in which
she read with reasonable Indignation MoOre's
" life" of her husband.
But though she made her bitter quarrel with
on the paItry Spute about the trus eeship