The Republican journal., 1888-04-19
George Gordon Noel Byron.

by PROF.. T.. {. BATEMAN.
| To the literary ornament there are fo,,l
great stars whose undmmcd rays will ever H.
Illuminate the solitary paths Of nature Among
| the ancientS the name of Homer stands alone
| in IFS poetic grandeur TO his wonderful pen
| are We indebted for much of the halo which
| will ever hover around the classic isles of
Greece. The writings of Virgil are but a
feeble reflection of his mighty genius. Achil-
les Hector, Pram, and Ayamemnon, become
| living, breathing realities As they pass beneath
his magic touch. When the daring deeds of
her mighte>t heroes shall he forgotten the
fame of IIellas will yet live upon the pages of
Homer The thousand years of intellectual
! darkness aud prie>tly superstition which span
| the civilization of ancient Greece and the
dawn of modern liberty are redeemed by the
| solitary name of Dante. His genius was of
| the first magnitude. 1t was but natural, how
ever, that its productions should be tnctured
| by the superstition Of the times in which he
| lived. Religious mysticism was the sole main
| spring Of mems thoughts. But as every great
| epoch in human history produces its own poet.
so Was Dante the mighty intellectual inStr.l-
ment used to record the peculiar workings Of
| the human mind during the Ozark Ages" The
intellectual renaissance found its fitting expo
nent in the Bard of Avon. OF his attainments
| | need not speak. That he was worthy of the
two great historic poets that had preceded him
| there can be 10 question. lie simply persona
| lied the superstition of the past in its mighty
struggle with tie iconocla>tic sceptici>m of the
| present. Nohly he performed his work, and
| the name OF Shakespeare is now enrolled
among those few that were not born to die.
| With the close OF the eighteenth century a
new light was dawnng upon humanity. The
spirit of liberty which for ages had slumbered
| in the lap of despotSln had again awakened
and was shedding its bright rays upon the soil
| of two continents. The American Declaration
| of Independence was but the harbingcr Of the
| French Revolution and the horrors of 1913.
| The head of Louis XVI. had rolled into the
| basket of the guilIotne, and the eioqucnce of
| Miribcau was arouSing the latent spirit OF free
dom throughout Europe. Napoleon'S sword
was carving its way through the thrones of
| feudal de-poti>m and the dogma of divine
| rights was trembling and tottcriny in the bal
ance. The age of reason was planting the
| torch of truth amid the ruins of the age of
! superstition. But where was the great poet
| for the occasion and the epoch: None existed.
The sole duty of the alleged literary men of
the time was to glorfy dcspotiSm and toady at
the shrine of royalty. 1t was the spectacle of
| men clingins to clothes which they had long
since outgrown. History repeats itself. and
the aspirations of men We're soon to be fulfilled
by Il poet the flash of whose geniis would il
Illuminate the world. At the Very moment
when Il horde of 1riyelling poe-s were pouring
their trrace over tottcring dyna sites. the gen
iu> of Lord Byron burst forth to startc. to be-
| wilder, and to dazzle mankind Homer. Dante,
Shakespeare and Byron. These are the four
| names that will live in history As the reprcsen-
tatiNeS of the four great epochs Of humanity.
In many respects the last name is the greatest.
| Born in HOLES street, London, in the year
11SS. his early years were amid surroundings
not favorable to the development of harmon
| ou> character. He was descended from a long
line of ilIu>triou> ancestors. dating back to the
| days of the Norman Conquest. Two of his
| family line had fallen in the battle of CresSy,
and nearly ali of them were distinguished in
some direction. 1t was only in his father that
all the vices and nonc OF the virtues of the
| BvronS were concentrated. DESERVING his fam
| lily and eoping with another woman. he finally
| fled to France, where he died in 1871. The care
of young Byron then developed entirely upon
| his mother. This lady. a lineal descendant of
james H.. Of Scotland, was sngularly ill bal
| ancca in character AMI caprcions in temper.
| At times She would indulge his most foolish
whim>, and then deal with him too harshly fer
| belief. The absence of Ill discipline and con-
| troll 50 necessary to childhood doubtless con
| trbutcd to the formation of the less pleasing
| features of his character in after years. These
| things should he duly considered in forming
| our estimate of his failngs and vices.
May l1th. l.os, his great uncle, William,
| the fifth Lord Byron, died leaving his title and
estates to our young bard who at that time
| was but ten years Of age. His guardian, the
| Earl of Carlisle. took immediate steps for the
| young nobeman to receive an education be-
fitting his high rank. lie was sent to Harrow,
where he distinguished himself more for his
| love of athletic sports than proficiency in his
studies. From thence he was taken to Trinity
| College, Cambridge, where for two years he
was a thorn in the side of the dignified authori-
| ties. At the age of nineteen he left Cambridge
| without even taking a degree. Men of genius
are rarely ever candidates for college honors,
| and Byron was no exception to the rule. 1t
! was at this time that he wrote and published
his first poetical works, "IIours of Idleness."
These verses contained no particular merit.
| and gave but feeble promise of his future gen
| ius. Coming from nObleman they were of
| sufficient importance to draw down upon his
head the sarcastic scorn of the Edinburgh Re-
view. Byron was furious at this treatment,
and resolved to take terrible revenge. The
leading literary men of the day had all ap-
| plauded the Review criticism, and made merry
at his expense. Byron Immediately set detcc-
tives at work and collected every particle of
gossip and scandal regarding every one Of
these men. The result was "English Bards
| and Scotch Reviewers" the most scathing sat
| ire in the English language. 1t was like pour
| ing a charge of buck shot into closely hulded
flock of ducks. No one escaped. This poem
was the first intimaton of his real power. Not
wishing to remain in the hornets nest he had
stirred up he Immediately set sail for 4 two
years pilgrimage through Albania, Greece,
and Persia. 1t was while his ship was lying at
anchor in the Dardanelles that Byron accom-.
| pished his wonderful feat of swimming across
the Hellespont in imitation Of Leander OF
classic history. The distance was full three
miles, and by performing the feat Byron estab
lished the possibility of its accomplishment by
the Grecian lover. After wandering amid the
classic scenes of the Levant for two years hi
again returned to England and published hi'