The morning call. [volume] (San Francisco [Calif.]) 1878-1895, 1892-12-04
LORD BYRON.
Some New Light on the
Poets Character.
NEWSTEAD ABBEY VISITED
Joaquin niIler Says He Was Not Only
a Temperate and Just Man, but
a floral One as Well.
Written for THE MORNING CALL

per magazine was necessarily incomplete.
The swift Trent, the broad beeches of Sher-
wood Forest, the soft, sweet air and the stu
pendous hills OF Nottingham. these larger
things were fairly photographed. and so
were the larger things in the sublime poets
life and works, think; but the sparrow in
the hedge. the blue-eyed violets under foot,
the hearthstone, so to speak, and all the
tender little things that go to the heart had
to be passed over. So. while we may travel
the same road here, we shall keep our eyes
to the ground and see what lies close at
hand In quiet, humble way.
1t may be best to explain how ] came to
be made SO very welcome at Newstead 40
bey-almost as one of the family. In the
first place it was due entirely to the noble
people who now possess the ancient pile /;
but my introduction to them was brought
about by wreath of laurel. or Greek bay.
which lady OF San Francisco sent by me
to be placed on the tomb of the inspired
young nobleman vino had laid down his life
for Greek liberty
Il his was well on toward a quarter Of a
century ago. My work in hand took me 10
the seat OF the Franco-PTussian war. but
10y landing at Glasgow | would see the
tomDs OF both Burns and Byron and then
embark at Hull, ard so get 10 my work on
tue continent more surely and securely
IMAM Dy Inc popular route by way OF Lon
don and Paris.
On reaching Nottingham. four miles from
Mewstead Abbey and six from Hucknall
Iofkard. where the poet Is ent0mbed,
began making hurried Inquiries as 10 how
10 reach those places. where l should de-
posit Inc wreath, In whose charge l should
place II. and so on. | was stared at in
blank amaZement, although j had gone
directly to tile Office Of the Lord Mayor, and
wnen at evening. disheartened and dis
gusted, L asked for a copy OF Byren's
works at my hotel it was not TO lie had, nor
could find it at any of the bookst torres,
aithough this. his city, was larger than the
one which had sent the WREATH
And so wrote aud appealed to the lady
oil Newstead. then in London. Back came
promptly the klndliest of letters opening
the doors of Newstead and advising that
the gay wreath be hung on the tablet which
had been placed by his sister on the wall
above the dust of Byron in the little church
at Hucknall TOrkard. Armed with this
letter presented myself one gloomy morn
ing, wreath in hand, 10 the white-haired
and noble hearted old sexton. John Brown,
and together we placed the laurel wreath as
Desired. Nearly twenty years later William
winter, The poet. made pilgrimage there,
and clip this from his long and loving
article on Byron in Harper's Weekly:
90 the capital OF column near Byron's
tomb l. saw two moldering wreaths of
laurei-only twO-which had hung there for
years, one brought by the Bishop of Nor
wicb, the other by the American poet,
joaquin Miller. 1t was good to see them,
and especially to see them close by the
tablet OF white marble which was placed on
that church wall TO commemorate the poet
and to be her witness in death, by his low
ing and beloved sister, Augusta Maria
Leigh-a name that is the synonym of noble
fidelity. a name that in our day the most
cruel detractOn and the most hideous
caiumny have yainly done their worst to
tarnlsh. That tablet names him The
Author OF Childe Harold's Pilgrimage"
But let me tell you more about the-matter.
for IL took courage and care on the part of
stout-hearted and honest old John Brown
and little money on the part of some one
else TO keep 1t in place. The rector, or
vicar. at once ordered it taken down. John
Brown refused to obey. Orders came from
higher authority. Then he took il down
and hid it away in his house. Then Mrs.
Webb. the lady of Newstead, who had adj
vised NE to place 1t there. appealed to the
Bishop. And what did the Bishop answer?
Why. the Bishop of Norwich sent another
wreath and commanded that they should be
hung up side by side. So that is the way
the big-hearted Bishop came TO hang
wreath above the dust that had
been refused burial at Westminster
and St. PauPs. And You can now
begin 10 see, as time swept by,
why Byron's old home was and still Is my
home; why his rooms and his bed, that no
given TO me whenever L could or cared to
live at Newstead. and why some few sacred
details. which L may or may not here set
down, were given me.
Lord Byron was an old man when he died
az SO. His proud nature, so sensitive to
wrong, was kept constantly on fire by the
cruel prosecutions OF his countrymen, and
so his life burned away and went out in
darkness and sorrow in his very boyhood.
Gray at IS, what shall be at 40?" says
HuEn in lott
who was with him when he died, told me
that he was not only gray bus quite bald.
"DsSipation, ah y said member of the
Savage Club. who sat listening. frelawney.
giant in size and strength. although. per-
haps. so years Of age at the time, sprang to
his feet aud clinched his fists with iadigna-
ton.
"DssipatoDw he shrieked, Lord Byron
was the most temperate man ever knew.
Why. ii was this that cost him his life. He
would not drink. would not drink drop in
Greece. he was so anxious to get his men
In the field that he would scarcely eat; and
when be grew weak aud ailng / took
brandy to him time and time again. but he
would not touch it, Finally told him he
would die there in that fever hole if he
didn't brace up with brandy"
DO you remember his answer" l
asked this old soldier of Greece, this man
who had helped TO burn Shelley and bury
Byron. But he only shook his head, and
The curling lock of hair cut from the
poets temple after death. one of the sacred
things at Newstead, is brown I'm color, if
We except the many lines of white, and
iuxurlant. as IL life was still there.
am convinced, from details too long and
elaborate 10 be here set down. that Lord
Byron was not only temperate man but a
most just man. 1t was, in fact, this very
severe sense of right that first made him
enemies e. Then he wrote book; and,
on that mine enemy might write book!"
You see. he inherited Newstead when IL
was buried under a load of debt. or all the
vast halls and the 200 rooms there. | am in
formed that he aud his mother found not
one really habitable. A great patch of
lead on the roof still shows the corner
where they tried 10 keep the rain out and
live in splendid misery"
In the House OF Lords. a raw lad, he took
the side OF the poor tenantry. Read his
long, elaborate and most just spe' ches. to be
found In any American edition of his COM
piete works. and You will see where the an
tagonisms began. The landed nobility led
the clergy to antagoDize him; the critics
slashed his poetry; he struck back with his
English Bards and Scotch Reviewers"
cutting such gashes as could never heal,
ana so opened war that did not nearly
end this side his grave.
Ana now let me tell you how know, and
know IL more certainly and truly than any
living witness could tell 1t, that Lord Byron
was not only temperate and a just man.
put strictly moral man; and my witness
you will not attempt to impeach. i appeal
to his vast mass OF manuscript. No man
couid put his pen to paper so continually as
that man must have done and have ad time
for aught but toll
Ii you will pause a moment to think you
will see how utterly unimpeachable is this
manuscript witness. A Congressman may
purchase his speeches, an author OF to-day
may dictate novels, but Byron put his own
hand to all he did. He wrote and revised
and revised and wrote, working it all over
and over again, as the manuscripts placed In
my hand at Newstead show. Why, the very
physical toll Of 1t preserved him through all
bis dozen or so years of mans estate from