5

In Lady Blessington’s conversations with Lord Byron, just before he went to Greece, she records that he gave her this poem in manuscript.  It was published in her ‘Journal.’

6

Vol. vi. p.22.

7

‘Byron’s Miscellany,’ vol. ii. p.358.  London, 1853.

8

The italics are mine.

9

Lord Byron says, in his observations on an article in ‘Blackwood:’ ‘I recollect being much hurt by Romilly’s conduct: he (having a general retainer for me) went over to the adversary, alleging, on being reminded of his retainer, that he had forgotten it, as his clerk had so many.  I observed that some of those who were now so eagerly laying the axe to my roof-tree might see their own shaken.  His fell and crushed him.’

In the first edition of Moore’s Life of Lord Byron there was printed a letter on Sir Samuel Romilly, so brutal that it was suppressed in the subsequent editions.  (See Part III.)

10

Vol. iv. p.40

11

Ibid. p.46.

12

The italics are mine.

13

Vol. iv. p.143.

14

Lord Byron took especial pains to point out to Murray the importance of these two letters.  Vol. V. Letter 443, he says: ‘You must also have from Mr. Moore the correspondence between me and Lady B., to whom I offered a sight of all that concerns herself in these papers.  This is important.  He has her letter and my answer.’

15

16

‘Conversations,’ p.108.

17

Murray’s edition of ‘Byron’s Works,’ vol. ii. p.189; date of dedication to Hobhouse, Jan. 2, 1818.

18

Recently, Lord Lindsay has published another version of this story, which makes it appear that he has conversed with a lady who conversed with Hobhouse during his lifetime, in which this story is differently reported.  In the last version, it is made to appear that Hobhouse got this declaration from Lady Byron herself.

19

The references are to the first volume of the first edition of Moore’s ‘Life,’ originally published by itself.

20

‘The officious spies of his privacy,’ p.65O.

21

‘The deserted husband,’ p.651.

22

‘I (Campbell) had not time to ask Lady Byron’s permission to print this private letter; but it seemed to me important, and I have published it meo periculo.’