Year: 1869

darEness rising to take possession Of bis de.
spairing soul. That Byron knew his owl
guilt well, aud judged himself severely ,maJ


be gathered from passages in his poem, which
I are as powerful as human language can b,
made. @


The world can easily see, in MOors's bio
graphy what, after this, was the course o.
Lord ByrOn's life-how be went from shame
to shame, and dishonOr to dishouOr, and used
the fortude which his wife brought him in
the manner described in those private letters
which his biographer was left to print
Moore, indeed says Byron had made the re-
solution not to touch his ladys fortune, bui
adds that it required more self-command
than he possessed to carry out SO honorable
purpose.


Lady Byron made but one condition with
him. She had him in her power, and she
exaeted that the unhappy partner Of his sins
should not follow him out of England, and
that the ruinous intrigue should be given up.
Her inAezibility on this point kept up that
enmity which was constantly expressing It.
self in some publication or other, and which
drew her and her private relations with him
before the public.


As a mother, her course was embarrassed
by peculiar trials. The daughter inherited
from the father not only brilliant talents, but
a restlessness and morbid sensibility which
might be too surely traced to the storms and
agitatiOns of the period of which she was
born. 1t was necessary to bring her up in
ignorance of the true history of her mothers
life, and the consequences was that she could
not fully understand that mother.


During her early girlhoOd, her career was
source Of more anxiety than of comfort.
She married a man Of fashion, ran a brilliant
course as gay woman of fashion, and died
early Of lingering and painful disease.


In the silence and shaded retirement ofthe
sick room, the daughter came wholly back
to her mothers arms and heart; and it was
on that mothers bosom she leaned, as she
went down the dark valley. 1t was that
mother who placed her weak and diving
hand in that of her Almighty Savior.


To the children left by her daughter she
ministered with the faithfulness Of guardian
angel; and it is owing to her influence that
those who yet remein are among the noblest
and best of mankind.


The person whose relations with Byron
had been so disastrous, also, in the latter
years Of her life, felt Lady Byron's loving
aud ennobling influences, aud in her last
sickness and dying hours looked to her for
consolation and help.


There was an unfortunate child Of sin.
born with the curse upon her, over whose
Wayward nature Lady Byron watched with
mothers tenderness. She was the one
who could have patience when the patience
Of every one else failed; and though her task
was a difficult one, from the strange, abnor-
NAL prOPenSities to evil in the object Of her
cares, yet Lady Byron never faltered and
never gave over, until death took the rsspon-
sibility from her hands.


During all this trial, strange TO say. her
belief in the good Of Lord Byron would final
ly conquer was unshsken.


To friend who said to her, %, how could
you love himP she answered briefly, Ny
dear, there was the angel in him, It is in
Us all. bT


It was in this angel that she had faith. It
was for the deliverance Of this angel from
degradation, anS shame, and sin, that she
increasingly prayed. She read every work
Byron wrOte-read it with deeper know
ledge than any human being but herself
could. possess. The ribaldry and the OBJ
sesnity, and the insults with which he strove
TO make her ridiculous to the world, fell at
her plying feet unheeded.


When he broke away from all this un-
worthy life to devote himself to manly en-
terprise for the redemption of Greece, she
Thought she saw the beginning of an answer
to her prayers. Even although one Of his
latest acts concerning her was to repeat to
Lady BlessingtOn the false accusation which
made Lady Byron the author of all his err
rOrs, she stin had hopes, from the one step
taken in the right direction.


In the midst Of these hopes came the news
of his sudden death. On his dsath-bed it is
wen-knOwn that he called his confidential
English servant to him, and said to him, SEQ
to my sister-tell her-gO to lady Byron
you viii see her aud say"


Here followed twenty minutes of indistinct
mutterings, in which the names Of his wife,
daughter and sister frequently occurred. He
then said, Now have told you all lI


My Lord replied Fletcher, i have no.
understood word your LOrdsbip has been
saying


Not understood mel exclaimed Lord
Byron, with look of the utmost distress
what pityl then it is too late-all is Overf
He afterwards, says Moore, tried to utter
words of which none were intelligible e1-
cept my si.teF-my child


When Fletcher returned to London, Lady
Byron sent for him, and walked the room
in cOuvultive struggles TO repress her tears
and sobs, while she over and over again
strove to elicit something from him which
should eulightsn her upon what that last
message had been; but in vain-the gates of
eternity were shut in her face, and not a
word had passed to tell her if he had re.
Pented. ,


1t has been thought by some friends who
have read the PrOOf-sheets of the foregoing,
that the author should state more speci6eal-
ly her authority for these statement.


The circumstances which led the writer 10
England at certain time originated friend
ship and correspondence with Lady Byron,
which was always regarded as ons Of the
greatest acquisitions Of that visit.


On the occasion Of a second visit to Eng.
land, in 1856, the writer received note from
Lady Byron, indicating that she wished to
have some private, confidential eonTsrsa-
ton upon important subjects, and inviting
her for that purpose to spend day with her
at her country seat near London.


The writer went and spent a day with /
Lady Byron alone, and the object Of the in
vitatiOn was explained to her. Lady Byron
was in such state of health that her physi-
clans had warned her that she had very 1T
tie time to live. She was engaged in those
duties and retrOspectiOns which every
person finds necessary when
coming deliberately and with open eyes 10
the boundaries Of this mortal life.


At that time there was a cheap edition Of
ByrOns works in contemplation, intended to
bring his writings among the masses, and the
pathos arising from the story Of his domestic