The morning call. [volume] (San Francisco [Calif.]) 1878-1895, 1893-01-29
And shall Trelawny die
And shall TrelsWDy die
Tnen forty th usand COrnishmen
- -. = : u !. ..-n " LIZ

most SlngulaTiy fortunate uldh bNci hiSt'
and I have known nos "A few notable and
brave men. He claimed TO be not only n
descendant Of the hero referred to in this
stirring cid chorus. but 10 be a descendant
Of kings To he frank about 1t there were
few things worth claiming that "Oid Ire,
rs the clubmen and scribes In ana ABOUT
T..ndon used to cali him. did not lay clam
70 in some way lie had right 10 claim
rpcb. for what man had ever seen SO much
or known so much Of this world ana us
GREAT soldiers, sailors, statesmen ana poets
Ua was the most intimate friend OF ooiH
Rvror and Shelley, was with them In thelI
Igst hours and laid them both 10 resi-. anu
80. -,,sfsc-ny was for more than nifty years
sia .uthoritv en- certain facts touching
tfs.s in,r,ortal us cts Il Is this mat makes
>Trsroonv and his books SO fascinating:
And iri, IN reference 10 these poets lhat
nr,nose 10 consider his strange mau ana
is rude and realistic books. ior, rs
-, ,,,,iT. trow il was this man who asked
T--etrber Byror's faithful servant, 10 go out
nm, rbe room where he lay after deaih 10
brf~g n glass OF water IN order that he
frirht have a chance to hit the Sheet ana H.
spect tie dead u an ieet. ANA thlS IS only
one of The many co.d-biooded, n0t TO say
brutal. acts which this man mas
SET down with all the determined
precision OF detail that might chaIaeteIiZZe g d
$500, in tire ar,putation OF limb We
shah he able 10 paSs them nearly an VS,
however, but 10 enc can heip NoHut!1ns
an the time how it happened thaI ms
bioodIrss fellow claimed 10 be the beSt
friend Of these TWO most SENSITIVE % an
n.bis-horn FagliShmeu from the day when
he fr,t aet them TIL be laid them I'D Inc
grave.
starwtarn pine on a mCUntainl0p years ana
frfa -
must lave been far up u the eighties when
LAST saw him. Only a few years ago ne
sent me g. Oakland here revised copy OF
lis hooks On Byron, Shelley ard nlmsel,
and furauEht know lie may be sun living:
lie was fOrCeIul man ia every way ana
but for this coid-bi0Cded eoafseness ana
realism might nave been a great man. lie
faf5 ne that he had had 30 schooling or Or
r.~+nritirs at all. socially or Otherwise, nav
ir- been a sailor from 10 % wei blSu
l0 And this only increases eur wonder
al Ills familiarity with Byron, Shelley Lady
B.es>iuston and others OF their llme. heh
last ~aW him he Was trying TO reform me
.ver.Q av Giving naturally, as he called II.
visited him 1t very humble nut no the
Thames where he lived alone, ate yeEe-
tables. drank water from the river only,
arf. notwithstanding his Wild Salior lie ana
Lively days III the LeVaEt, never Il .Uc''t -
either iGm or "a ne OF tobacco. lie was ia
rahr.t health a.d insisted on bringing up
fresh bucket # water with his own hands
from tae river
ore peculiar thing about Trelawny was
lis desire for mystery touching MS own
life He insisted o NE In most mysterious
tone of voice tina, be had royal blood from
some extinct race If kings IN bis veins, and
That he had in early days been famous
rfrsfe: and If "old Ire could look over
NV shoulder at this moment lhlnk n0thlug
IN this sketch would please him so well as
all adherence TO TINS account q himself
He certainty had CiTCumnaYis gated Inc globe
as saHOr, and bad set foot here IN
California !oug be o-e the most OF us were
born lie was well up 10 all the deeds OF
Morgan and otief great pirates q the span
ISL Main: and with mere sed mystery
whispered that lie knew to dot the very
spOt where shlplCad Of goId as buried
near the harbOr Of san Diego. on per-
hans are aware that Lord Byron made
him TIE hero Of more than one Wild
p0etc tale. BE was Conrad, Lara,
and The ike Possibly here was the key 10
Byron love foT The fellow he had use ior
INN And yet, What use could Shelley ma
fr such A man. OF what fellowship could he
find iu such coarse company? None. ana
so am forced 10 the conclusion that Ire
laUuv was mot half SO bad as lie thought
lie vas ana tried 10 make others believe.
/ shall rather say t4at these ItIhed men
found him 10 be q bluff and honest though
rough cid savage good al heart al all tunes
ana useful Iu handling their boats IN emer-
geucies. As &c where he got money IN order
10 be on q footing with sucS men, tnat Is
certainly mystery. But there are plenty
OF ways to gel fortune "itLout turning
pirate.
We may stick pin here aud note that it
is no new thing 10 lld very good men trying
10 make out that they are or nave been ter
ribly bad. Byron himself, 1t seems t. me,
was Of that sort. Az the same tine, while
cannot c0ncede that IreIa"Dy was en-
tire.v bad, We Will have 10 concede that he
was entirely coarse and rough But iet ~
now take up tits book about Byron
and Shelley, first published about hIiy
years ago. Il may be noted, however,
that subsequent editions someW hat sOttened
his a, perilies toward the two poets.
But certain hard things set down ID the
first edition could not be s0fteued, and you
ma your teeth set on edge ID every chapter.
Far instance, having once told us. giving
date and place. that Shelley took such heavy
doses Of morphine that his life was endan-
g-red lie could not well alter the state
meut, and having told Us that Byron was
vain and silly, tie could not say otherwise
later on. And yet We must forgive him
these lies, for they were born OF the very
air and time Ia which the book was first
concerned. But here is q pleasant bit about
she which must be true.
He would set 10 work on book, Of a
pyramid Of books. bis eyes glistening
with an energy IS heree as that OF the most
s0rC q gGid-diggeT who works a rock OF
quartz, crushing his way through all im-
TediBents, DO grain Of the pure ore escap-
lug his eager scIuurY. called on him one
~ aTnIug at 10; he H as Ia his study with
German fol0-Den resting on the broad
marble mantepiece over an old-fash-
Toned fireplace, and with a dictionary in
his hand he always read standing II pos
sib.e. he had promised over night 10 90
10 D.
! ileu RODE 10 LsgnOTn, eleven or twelve
niles distant and passed tie day there: OH
returning a. n tie event. z to dine with
M. Shelley and the " .lismses.a as | had en-
20 ed TODD, went into the poets room and
found him exactly IN tie position in which
wic1 / lad left MIN ia tie morning, but
looking pale and exhausted.
well l said, have you found itP
Shutting tie book aud going TO the win
dow lie replied. " / have lost it, with a
deep gb ! have lost day
-Jheer up. my lad. and come 10 dinner
Putting his long fingers through his mass
e MD tangled hair he answered family
J ou 70, have dined. Late eating don't
60 for me-
What is this2' I asked as I was going
ou' Of tie room, pointing 70 one Of his book
shelves. with plate containing bread and
cid meat on Il.
THAT [coloringl why that must be my
dinner. Us very foolish. / thought l b ad
tateu it.
Now here is the final scene, he burning
Of poor Shelley. And let me here say that
Shelley was burned because Trelawny
Wiled it TO be SO, as in line with the life and
desire Of the poet; not because the Italian
Government compelled il. This was not
required at all. The body had, indeed
bren turieG some time before il was ex-
humed and burned. When they (Irelawpy
and Byron had fired the funeral pile Byron
said to Trelawpy: A" Let US humbly over
our heads and IN silence try to pray >
After the FIRE was well kindled We re-
peated the ceremony OF the previous day /;
and more wine was poured over Shelley's
dead body than he had consumed during his
life This with the oil and salt made the
yellow flames glisten and culver TIE heat
from the sun and fire was so intense that
tie atmosphere was tremulOus and wavy
The cOrpse fell open and the heart
VS. lain haze