"Davies come to see me? Some one told me that he was "at Florence, but it is impossible. "There are two things that strike me at this moment, " which I did at Harrow: I fought Lord Calthorpe for writing 'D-d Atheist !' under my name; and prevented "the school-room from being burnt during a rebellion, by pointing out to the boys the names of their fathers and 66 grandfathers on the walls. "Had I married Miss C C—, perhaps the whole tenor "of my life would have been different. She jilted me, 66 however, but her marriage proved any thing but a happy "one. one. She was at length separated from Mr. M "and proposed an interview with me, but by the advice "of my sister I declined it. I remember meeting her 6 * Perhaps in his lyrical pieces, even those To Thyrza,' he never surpassed those exquisitely feeling Stanzas, beginning "O had my fate been join'd to thine," &c. t "the one "To end in madness; both in misery." The Dream. "after my return from Greece, but pride had conquered my love; and yet it was not with perfect indifference I saw her.* "For a man to become a poet (witness Petrarch and Dante) he must be in love, or miserable. I was both "when I wrote the Hours of Idleness;' some of those poems, in spite of what the reviewers say, are as good as any I ever produced. 66 "For some years after the event that had so much in"fluence on my fate, I tried to drown the remembrance of it and her in the most depraving dissipation;† but the poison was in the 66 66 cup. * Yet I was calm. I knew the time My heart would swell but at thy look; But now to tremble were a crime. We met, and not a nerve was shook! t "And monks might deem their time was come agen Childe Harold, Canto I. Stanza 7. "There had been found by the gardener, in digging, a “ skull that had probably belonged to some jolly friar or "monk of the Abbey about the time it was dis-monas"teried." "I heard at the Countess S's the other evening," said I, interrupting him, "that you drink out of a skull now." He took no notice of my observation, but continued: 66 Observing it to be of giant size, and in a perfect state "of preservation, a strange fancy seized me of having it set 66 and mounted as a drinking-cup. I accordingly sent it to town, and it returned with a very high polish, and of a "mottled colour like tortoise-shell; (Colonel Wildman now "has it.) I remember scribbling some lines about it; but "that was not all: I afterwards established at the Abbey a 66 66 66 new order. The members consisted of twelve, and I elected myself grand master, or Abbot of the Skull, a grand heraldic title. A set of black gowns, mine distinguished from the rest, was ordered, and from time to time, when a particular hard day was expected, a chapter was held; the crane was filled with claret, and, in imi"tation of the Goths of old, passed about to the gods of 66 66 66 the Consistory, whilst many a prime joke was cut at " its expense." "You seem," said I, "to have had a particular predilection for skulls and cross-bones; a friend of mine, Mr. told me he took some home for you from Switzerland." 66 "They were from the field of Morat," said he; a single "bone of one of those heroes is worth all the skulls of all "the priests that ever existed." 66 Talking of Morat," said I, where did you find the story of Julia Alpinula? M- and I searched among its archives in vain." 66 "I took the inscription," said he, “from an old chroni cle; the stone has no existence.-But to continue. You "know the story of the bear that I brought up for a degree "when I was at Trinity. I had a great hatred of College rules, and contempt for academical honours. How How many 66 " of their wranglers have ever distinguished themselves "in the world? There was, by the bye, rather a witty "satire founded on my bear. A friend of Shelley's made "an Ourang Outang (Sir Oran Haut-ton) the hero of a 66 66 novel, had him created a baronet, and returned for the borough of One Vote-I forget the name of the novel *. "I believe they were as glad to get rid of me at Cambridge as they were at Harrow. 66 66 66 "Another of the wild freaks I played during my mother's life-time, was to dress up Mrs. and to pass her off as my brother Gordon, in order that my mother might not hear of my having such a female acquaintance. You "would not think me a Scipio in those days, but I can safely say I never seduced any woman. I will give you an instance of great forbearance:-Mrs. L. G— "wrote and offered to let me have her daughter for 1007. "Can you fancy such depravity? The old lady's P. S. was excellent. With dilicaci every thing may be "made asy.' But the same post brought me a letter from "the young one, deprecating my taking advantage of their "necessities, and ending with saying that she prized her "virtue. I respected it too, and sent her some money. "There are few Josephs in the world, and many Potiphar's wives. 66 66 * Melincourt. † He remained at Cambridge till nineteen. |