66 Marriage.' The Cenci' is equally horrible, though perhaps the best tragedy modern times have produced. It " is a play,—not a poem, like 'Remorse' and 'Fazio;' and "the best proof of its merit is, that people are continually 66 66 66 quoting it. What may not be expected from such a beginning? “The Germans are colder and more phlegmatic than we are, and bear even to see 'Werner.' "To write any thing to please, at the present day, is "the despair of authors." It was easy to be perceived that during this tirade upon the stage, and against Shakspeare, he was smarting under the ill-reception ‘Marino Faliero' had met with, and indignant at the critics, who had denied him the dramatic faculty. This, however, was not the only occasion of his abusing the old dramatists. Some days after I revived the subject of the drama, and led him into speaking of his own plays. I have just got a letter," said he, " from Murray. What "do think he has enclosed me? you A long dull extract "from that long dull Latin epic of Petrarch's, Africa, which " he has the modesty to ask me to translate for Ugo Fos 66 colo, who is writing some Memoirs of Petrarch, and has got Moore, Lady Dacre, &c. to contribute to. What am I to do with the death of Mago? I wish to God, Med"win, you would take it home with you, and translate it; " and I will send it to Murray. We will say nothing about "its being yours, or mine; and it will be curious to hear "Foscolo's opinion upon it. Depend upon it, it will not "be an unfavourable one." In the course of the day I turned it into couplets, (and lame enough they were,) which he forwarded by the next courier to England. Almost by return of post arrived a furiously complimentary epistle in acknowledgment, which made us laugh very heartily. "There are three good lines," said Lord Byron, "in Mago's speech, which may be thus translated: * Ugo Foscolo afterwards took them for his motto. "Yet, thing of dust! "Man strives to climb the earth in his ambition, "Till death, the monitor that flatters not, "Points to the grave where all his hopes are laid.' "What do you think of Ada?" said he, looking earnestly at his daughter's miniature, that hung by the side of his writing-table. "They tell me she is like me-but she has "her mother's eyes. "It is very odd that my mother was an only child;—I am an only child; my wife is an only child; and Ada is an only child. It is a singular coincidence; that is the least "that can be said of it. I can't help thinking it was des"tined to be so; and perhaps it is best. I was once anxious "for a son; but, after our separation, was glad to have had 66 a daughter; for it would have distressed me too much to “have taken him away from Lady Byron, and I could not "have trusted her with a son's education. I have no idea "of boys being brought up by mothers. brought up by mothers. I suffered too "much from that myself: and then, wandering about the 66 66 world as I do, I could not take proper care of a child; otherwise I should not have left Allegra, poor little N 66 thing!* at Ravenna. She has been a great resource to me, though I am not so fond of her as of Ada; and yet I mean to make their fortunes equal-there will be enough for them both. I have desired in my will that Allegra "shall not marry an Englishman. The Irish and Scotch "make better husbands than we do. You will think it was 66 66 66 66 an odd fancy, but I was not in the best of humours with my countrymen at that moment-you know the reason. I am told that Ada is a little termagant; I hope not. I shall write to my sister to know if this is the case: perhaps I am wrong in letting Lady Byron have entirely "her own way in her education. I hear that my name is "not mentioned in her presence; that a green curtain is 66 66 66 always kept over my portrait, as over something forbid den; and that she is not to know that she has a father, "till she comes of age. Of course she will be taught to "hate me; she will be brought up to it. Lady Byron is conscious of all this, and is afraid that I shall some * She appears to be the Leila of his Don Juan : Don Juan, Canto X. Stanza 52. day carry off her daughter by stealth or force. I might "claim her of the Chancellor, without having recourse to 66 66 either one or the other. But I had rather be unhappy myself, than make her mother so; probably I shall never see her again." Here he opened his writing-desk, and shewed me some hair, which he told me was his child's. During our drive and ride this evening, he declined our usual amusement of pistol-firing, without assigning a cause. He hardly spoke a word during the first half-hour, and it was evident that something weighed heavily on his mind. There was a sacredness in his melancholy that I dared not interrupt. At length be said: "This is Ada's birthday, and might have been the hap"piest day of my life as it is !" He stopped, seemingly ashamed of having betrayed his feelings. He tried in vain to rally his spirits by turning the conversation; but he created a laugh in which he could not join, and soon relapsed into his former reverie. It lasted till we came within a mile of the Argive gate. There our silence was all at once interrupted by shrieks that seemed to proceed |