1820.]

UNROLLING PAPYRI.

23

fortnight, and I was in his company in the house of a very pretty Italian Lady of rank, who, by way of displaying her learning in presence of the great Chemist then describing his fourteenth ascension of Mount Vesuvius, asked "if "there was not a similar Volcano in Ireland?" My only notion of an Irish Volcano consisted of the Lake of Killarney, which I naturally conceived her to mean; but, on second thoughts, I divined that she alluded to Iceland and to Hecla-and so it proved, though she sustained her volcanic topography for some time with all the amiable pertinacity of "the Feminie." She soon after turned to me and asked me various questions about Sir Humphry's philosophy, and I explained as well as an Oracle his skill in gases, safety lamps, and in ungluing the Pompeian MSS. "But what do you call him?"

(Memoirs, etc., vol. iii. p. 118), "went to Ravenna to see Lord "Byron, who is now living domesticated with the Guiccioli and her "husband after all. He was rather anxious to get off with Davy to "Bologna, professedly for the purpose of seeing Lady Davy, but I "have no doubt with a wish to give his Contessa the slip."

1. In the Philosophical Transactions (1821, pp. 191, 192) will be found a paper read by Sir Humphry Davy (March 15, 1821), on "Some Observations and Experiments on the Papyri found in the "Ruins of Herculaneum." From this paper the following extract is taken :

66

"During the two months that I was actively employed in experi"ments on the papyri at Naples, I had succeeded, with the assist"ance of six of the persons attached to the Museum, and whom I had "engaged for the purpose, in partially unrolling 23 MSS., from "which fragments of writing were obtained, and in examining "about 120 others, which afforded no hopes of success; and I should "gladly have gone on with the undertaking, from the mere prospect of a possibility of discovering some better results, had not the "labour, in itself difficult and unpleasant, been made more so, by "the conduct of the persons at the head of this department in the "Museum. At first every disposition was shown to promote my "researches; for the papyri remaining unrolled were considered by "them as incapable of affording anything legible by the former 66 methods, or, to use their own word, disperati; and the efficacy "and use of the new processes were fully allowed by the Svolgatori, "or unrollers of the Museum; and I was for some time permitted "to choose and operate upon the specimens at my own pleasure.

said she. "A great Chemist," quoth I. "What can he "do?" repeated the lady. "Almost any thing," said I. "Oh, then, mio Caro, do pray beg him to give me some

thing to dye my eyebrows black. I have tried a "thousand things, and the colours all come off; and "besides, they don't grow: can't he invent something to "make them grow?" All this with the greatest earnestness; and what you will be surprized at, she is neither ignorant nor a fool, but really well educated and clever. But they speak like children, when first out of their convents; and, after all, this is better than an English blue-stocking.

I did not tell Sir Humphry of this last piece of philosophy, not knowing how he might take it. He is gone on towards England. Sotheby has sent him a poem on his undoing the MSS., which Sir H. says is a bad one. Who the devil doubts it? Davy was much taken with Ravenna, and the primitive Italianism of the people, who are unused to foreigners: but he only staid a day.

Send me Scott's novels and some news.

P.S.-I have begun and advanced into the second Act of a tragedy on the subject of the Doge's Conspiracy

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"When, however, the Reverend Peter Elmsley, whose zeal for the 'promotion of ancient literature brought him to Naples for the "purpose of assisting in the undertaking, began to examine the frag"ments unrolled, a jealousy, with regard to his assistance, was "immediately manifested; and obstacles, which the kind interfer"ence of Sir William A'Court was not always capable of removing, "were soon opposed to the progress of our enquiries; and these "obstacles were so multiplied, and made so vexatious towards the "end of February, that we conceived it would be both a waste of "the public money, and a compromise of our own characters, to 'proceed." For the improvements in Padre Piaggi's method of unrolling the MSS. (described in the Annual Register for 1820, p. 504), which were suggested by Sir H. Davy, see Philosophical Transactions, 1821, p. 199.

1820.]

THOMAS CAMPBELL CORRECTED.

25

(i.e. the story of Marino Faliero); but my present feeling is so little encouraging on such matters, that I begin to think I have mined my talent out, and proceed in no great phantasy of finding a new vein.

P.S.—I sometimes think (if the Italians don't rise) of coming over to England in the Autumn after the coronation, (at which I would not appear, on account of my family Schism with "the feminie") but as yet I can decide nothing. The place must be a great deal changed since I left it, now more than four years ago.

May 9th, 1820. Address directly to Ravenna.

796.-To John Murray.

Ravenna, May 20, 1820.

Murray, my dear, make my respects to Thomas Campbell, and tell him from me, with faith and friendship, three things that he must right in his Poets: Firstly, he says Anstey's Bath Guide Characters are taken from Smollett. 'Tis impossible :-the Guide was published in 1766, and Humphrey Clinker in 1771— dunque, 'tis Smollett who has taken from Anstey.1 Secondly, he does not know to whom Cowper alludes, when he says that there was one who "built a church to "God, and then blasphemed his name:" it was "Deo "erexit Voltaire" to whom that maniacal Calvinist and coddled poet alludes.2 Thirdly, he misquotes and spoils

1. Campbell's Specimens of the British Poets, with biographical and critical notices, etc., was published in 1819 (7 vols., London). The corrections pointed out by Byron were not made in subsequent editions of the biographical portion of the work. In the Notice of Christopher Anstey (Notices of the British Poets, ed. 1819, P. 439), Campbell says of The New Bath Guide, "The droll and "familiar manner of the poem is original, but its leading characters "are evidently borrowed from Smollett."

2. In his Notice of Cowper (Notices, etc., ed. 1819, p. 358), Campbell lays stress on the impersonal character of his satires.

"I

a passage from Shakespeare, "to gild refined gold, to "paint the lily," etc.; for lily he puts rose, and bedevils in more words than one the whole quotation.1

Now, Tom is a fine fellow; but he should be correct; for the 1st is an injustice (to Anstey), the 2nd an ignorance, and the third a blunder. Tell him all this, and let him take it in good part; for I might have rammed it into a review and vexed him-instead of which, I act like a Christian.

Yours,

B.

797.-To Richard Belgrave Hoppner.

Ravenna, May 20th 1820.

MY DEAR HOPPNER,-Let Merryweather be kept in for one week, and then let him out for a Scoundrel. Tell him that such is the lesson for the ungrateful, and let this be a warning; a little common feeling, and common honesty would have saved him from useless expence and utter ruin.

"know not," he adds in a note, "to whom he alludes in these "lines :

"Nor he who, for the bane of thousands born,

Built God a church, and laugh'd His word to scorn.'" The lines are from Cowper's Retirement, and the allusion is, as Byron says, to Voltaire.

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1. Campbell, in his Notice of Burns (Notices, etc., ed. 1819, p. 245), says, Every reader must recal abundance of thoughts in "his love-songs, to which any attempt to superadd a tone of "gallantry would not be

"To gild refined gold, to paint the rose,

Or add fresh perfume to the violet ;'

"but to debase the metal, and to take the odour and colour from the "flower." The quotation from King John (act iv. sc. 2) should be, as Byron points out

"To gild refined gold, to paint the lily,

To throw a perfume on the violet."

1820.]

A MORAL LESSON.

27

Never would I pursue a man to Jail for a mere debt, and never will I forgive one for ingratitude such as this Villain's. But let him go and be damned (once in though first); but I could much wish you to see him and inoculate him with a moral sense by shewing him the result of his rascality.

As to Mother Mocenigo, we'll battle with her, and her ragamuffin. Castelli must dungeon Merryweather, if it be but for a day, I don't want to hurt, only to teach him.

I write to you in such haste and such heat; it seems to be under the dog (or bitch) Star that I can no more, but sottoscribble myself,

Yours ever,

B.

P.S.-My best respects to the Consolessa and Compts. to Mr. Dorville.

Hobhouse is angry with me for a ballad1 and epigram I made upon him; only think-how odd!

798.-To John Murray.

Ravenna, May 20th, 1820.

DEAR MURRAY,-First and foremost, you must forward my letter to Moore dated 2d January, which I said you might open, but desired you to forward. Now, you should really not forget these little things, because they do mischief among friends. You are an excellent man, a great man, and live among great men, but do pray recollect your absent friends and authors. I return you the packets. The prose (the Edin. Mag. answer) looks better than I thought it would, and you

1. See Letters, vol. iv. p. 423, note 1, and Appendix XI.