Character Of Lord Byron.
The Times, 1824-05-31T00:00:00

tDY iWr Walter Scott.1 . The following warm-hearted tribute to the memoryof LordByron is a proof how much liberality is allied to true genius Aiidst tbe general calmness of the political atmos herc, we hae been stunned from another quarter by one of those death.notes which are pealed at intervals, as-fr an cs ' h ruwmet, te awaken the soul of a whole people rat onee ord nbyond his bei Solong and so amply filled the asigh bi the grea bluina yeo has sharfted loit of humanity.. Has Lor ipeatiso g i e thel19th of Anril. Tlhattmighitygeniswchvlle sogtme assoerythisopwa lppledofomeh sy 3th rnet whett assomethitsbr iaperior to ordinary mortality,n whopwer e were beheld with wonder, and somethling approacing to terror, as if we know not whether they were of goodl or or evil, i o l to rest as the Poor peasant whose ideas neyer went beond si dail task. The voice ofust blameand ofmalignantc cene ar e silenCed ; and Nve feel almostag if 'the wieat l ry of haven had suddenly disappeared fromtesyathmoetwn every telescope washleled fou t al ino o the staich dimmed its brightne tisn otishe theuesotion fhaming todaz faults, what hirrs misk hut B o w a se the blan which, he ha left inoris lieature tod bet fnilled uphe anot,awe ofear,in touc genera- tion, which,among ay v c y Noimanmhed pveraonde hcasrode on e- wht,or ap c myreopn ind forigna the fdistaribu of genius.. Onlyeve mhirty enyears theol :e-Sonmuc alreadymdon or nortali.. tylso muhotidme remwas aininlg,asi t seems to us short-sig ed morn is,tort maintapnlandto extend Bis fame, and to atone f r errors ivn co enduct rndleiiesmin COMPOsitons ; who will notgrieve that such aoracolhas abee ; shorened though niot always keeping the straight strongasu n an lght etinguished u though sometimes flaming to dazzle aned torbewider eo that isaungratefuo subject ere we quit itfor The errors of Lord Byrosn rose neither from depravity of beart. for nature had not comoitted the anomaly of unniting to such extrain ordinarv talents an imperfect moral sense-nor from feelings dead to the adniiiration~of virtue. No manlhadlever akinder heart for sym- pathy, or amoreopenbhand fortherelief of distres; anadono ind was ever more formed for he enthusiastic admiration of noble ac- tions, providing he was convinced that the actors had roceeded upog n disinterested principles. Lord Byron was totally frefrorn thecurse. and degradation of literature-its jealousies, we me-an, and its envy. But hir wonderfal genius was of a natture which disdained restraint, even when restraint was most wholesome. 'When at school,. the tasks in which he excelled were those only which he under- took voluntarily; and heis situationes oa young.otnan of rank, with strong passions and in the uncontrolled enjoymenit of a consider. able fortune, added to that impatience of stricturi% or iorcion which was natural to hiscr. As an author, he refused to plead at the bar of criticism; as a man, he would not submit to be momray aamena ble to the tribunal of public opision Remonstrances from a friend, of whose iLtentions and kindness ghe was secure, had often great bzuwe It with him; but there were few who corld venture on a task o ifficul Reproof he entured iwith impatience, and reproach hardened bim in his error-so that he often reseubled the gallant war-steed, who rushes forward on the steel that ouncs himn. In. the most painful Crisis of his privatelife, he evinced ths irritablity- and impatience of censure in such a degree, as almost to resemble the noble victim of the bull-fight, which is note raddened by thne squibs, darts, and petty annoyances of the unworthy crowds beyoni the lists,than bv the lance of his nobler, and, so to speak, his mare legimuimte antagonist. Infa word, much of that in which he errea was in brvado and scorn of his censors, and was done with. the mo- tive of Dryden's despot, "of to whis arbitrary power." It ib needless-to sayuthett his was a false and prejxdiced vieW o suich lacntestooanifthe noble bard gained a sort harmoylby comh palingtheword t rad poetry, thouigh mixed writh baer matter, heesse t ws hs, e gave, in return, an unwrorthy triump to the. unwrth, bsids ds? 027w to those whoge-aPIjlAng.-in h icoolo~- - oitiwas theh sae hh his politics, which on several occasidns as- sumedatone whenmaieng aned contemptuous to the constitution of his country; while, in fact, Lord Byron was in his own heart suflicient. ly sensible, not only of his privileges as a Briton, but of the dlies- tinction attending his high bieth Zan ranik, and was pecu'liarly sen- sitive of those shades which constitute wyhat is termed the manners, of agentleman. Indeed, notwithstanding his having employed epi..~ grams, and all the petty -war of wit, when such would iave been; much better abstained from, he would have been found, had a coDl- lision tak-en place between th6aristocratic parties in the State, exert.. ingallhisenrgis i deene o tht t whicls he naturall~ belong- ad. is wn eelng o thse ubjctshe has explained in the very- lastcano o Doe Jun; nd heyarein entire harmofiy with the opinonswhih w hae sen epresedin is correspondence, at a. momen whe maters ppeaed t appoacha serious struggle in his. 'He was as independent-ay, mucth more, " Than those who were not paid for independence As conmmon soldiers, or a common-Shore. Have in their several acts or parts ascendance O'er the irregulars in lust or gore, " Who do not give professional attendance. Thus on the mob all statesmen are as eager To prove their gride as footmen to a beggar." lVe arc not, however. yron's apologists, for now, alas X he needs none. His exceUencies will noue be universally acknowledged, and his faults (let us hope and believe) not remembered in his epitaph. It will be recollected what a part ae bas sustained in British litera- ture since the first appearance of Childe Harold,_-a space of nearly 16 years. There has been no reposing under the shade of his laurels, no liVing Upon the resource of past reputation; nene of that codlinrg and petty precaution, which little authors call 'itaking- care of their fame." Byron let his fame take care of it- self. His foot was always in the arena, his shield hung always in the lists; ai,d although his own gigantic renown increased the dif- ficulty of the struggle, since he could produee nothing, however great, which exceeded the public estimates of his genius, yet he ad- vanced to the honourable cojitest again and again and again, and came alwvays off with distinction, almost always with comnlete tri- umph. As vanious in composition as Shakspeare himself (this will be admitted by alU who are acquainted with his Dot Juaon, lie has embraced every topic of human life, and sounded every string on the divinehary,from ibslightesttoits mostpowerfaland heart-astounding tones. Tsere i6 scarce a passion or a situation which has escaped his pen; and he miniht be drawn, like Garrick, betwreen the weeping and the laugling Mluse, although his most powerful efforts have certainly been dedicated to Melpomene. His genius seemed as pro- lIfic as vanous, The most prodigal use did not exhaust his powers, nay. seemed rather to increase their vigour. Neither Ch1ilde Ha- rod, nor any of the most beautiful of Byron's earlier tales, contain muore exquisite mosels of poetry than are to be found scattered through the cantos of ban Juan, amidst verses which the author ap- pears to have thrown off' with an effort as spontaneous as that of a tree resigning its leaves to the wind. But that noble tree will never more bear fruit or blossom , It has becR cut down in its strength, and the past is all that remains to us of Byron. WVe can scarce re- concile ourselves to the idea-scarce think ihat the voice is silent for ever, which, bursting so often on our ear, vas often heard with rap- turous ad(miration, sometimes with regret, but always with the deep- est interest... ",AI thatls bright mustfade, " The brightest still the fleetest." Withi a strong feeling of awful sorrow, we take leave of the sub- ject. Death creeps upon our most serious as -well as upon our most idle employments; and it is a reflection solemn and gratifying, that he found our Byron in no moment of levitv, but contributing hi% fortune, and hazarding his life, in behalf ofa people-only endeared te hit by their past glories, and as fellow-creatures suffering snder the yoke of a heathen oppressor. To have fallen in a e.usade for freedom en dhumanity, as in olden times it wod have been an atonement ror the blackest crimes, may ln the present be a21ewed to, e-xpate greater follies than even exaggerated alumny bas propas, N CUARACTER OF LORD BYRn2X .