1819.] VISIT TO ENGLAND POSTPONED. 389 her so myself, at least as yet; but I will soon, with the reasons. Pray tell her so. 766.-To the Hon. Augusta Leigh. Bologna, Dec 23 1819. DEAREST AUGUSTA,-The health of my daughter Allegra, the cold season, and the length of the journey, induce me to postpone for some time a purpose (never very willing on my part) to revisit Great Britain. You can address to me at Venice as usual. Wherever I may be in Italy, the letter will be forwarded. I enclose to you all that long hair,1 on account [of] you would not go to see my picture. You will see which "last recovered one halfpenny of the money owed to him. Upon "this subject he writes to me from Ravenna, If * * * [Merry"weather] is in (prison), let him out; if out, put him in for a week, "merely for a lesson, and give him a good lecture.' "He was also ever ready to assist the distressed, and he was most "unostentatious in his charities; for besides considerable sums which "he gave away to applicants at his own house, he contributed largely by weekly and monthly allowances to persons whom he had never seen, and who, as the money reached them by other hands, did 66 not even know who was their benefactor. One or two instances "might be adduced where his charity certainly bore an appearance "of ostentation; one particularly, when he sent fifty louis d'or to a "poor printer whose house had been burnt to the ground, and all "his property destroyed; but even this was not unattended with advantage; for it in a manner compelled the Austrian authorities 66 to do something for the poor sufferer, which I have no hesitation "in saying they would not have done otherwise; and I attribute it entirely to the publicity of his donation, that they allowed the man "the use of an unoccupied house belonging to the government until "he could rebuild his own, or re-establish his business elsewhere. "Other instances might be perhaps discovered where his liberalities "proceeded from selfish, and not very worthy motives;* but these "are rare, and it would be unjust in the extreme to assume them as proofs of his character." 66 1. See p. 271, note 1. "The writer here, no doubt, alludes to such questionable liber"alities as those exercised towards the husbands of his two favourites, "Madame Segati and the Fornarina" (Moore). that it was not so very long. I curtailed it yesterday, my head and hair being weakly after my tertian. I wrote to you not very long ago, and, as I do not know that I could [add] anything satisfactory to that letter, I may as well finish this. In a letter to Murray, I requested him to apprize you that my journey was postponed; but here, there, and every where, know me, Yours ever and very truly, B. 1819.] LOVE'S VICTORY. 391 CHAPTER XIX. DECEMBER, 1819-MARCH, 1820. THE PALAZZO GUICCIOLI AT RAVENNA-MORGANTE MAG. GIORE-THe propheCY OF DANTE-FRANCESCA OF La F** ti avra detta, colla sua solita sublimità, che l'Amor ha vinto. Io non ho potuto trovare forza di anima per lasciare il paese dove tu sei, senza vederti almeno un' altra volta :-forse dipenderà da te se mai ti lascio più. Per il resto parleremo. Tu dovresti adesso 66 1. The following is Moore's translation of the above fragment :"F** will already have told you, with her accustomed sublimity, "that Love has gained the victory. I could not summon up reso"lution enough to leave the country where you are, without, at "least, once more seeing you. On yourself, perhaps, it will depend, "whether I ever again shall leave you. Of the rest we shall speak "when we meet. You ought, by this time, to know which is most conducive to your welfare, my presence or my absence. For myself, I am a citizen of the world-all countries are alike to me. "You have ever been, since our first acquaintance, the sole object of "my thoughts. My opinion was, that the best course I could adopt, "both for your peace and that of all your family, would have been "to depart and go far, far away from you ;-since to have been "near and not approach you would have been, for me, impossible. "You have however decided that I am to return to Ravenna. I "shall accordingly return-and shall do-and be all that you wish. "I cannot say more." 1 sapere cosa sarà più convenevole al tuo ben essere la mia presenza o la mia lontananza. Io sono cittadino del mondo-tutti i paesi sono eguali per me. Tu sei stata sempre (dopo che ci siamo conosciuti) l'unico oggetto di miei pensieri. Credeva che il miglior partito per la pace tua e la pace di tua famiglia fosse il mio partire, e andare ben lontano; poichè stare vicino e non avvicinarti sarebbe per me impossibile. Ma tu hai deciso che io debbo ritornare a Ravenna-tornaro- e farò e sarò ciò che tu vuoi. Non posso dirti di più. 768.-To Richard Belgrave Hoppner. Ravenna, Dec. 31, 1819. MY DEAR HOPPNER,-Will you have the goodness to ask or cause to be asked of Siri and Willhalm, if they have not three sabres of mine in custody according to the enclosed note? if not, they must have lost two for they never sent them back. And will you desire Missiaglia to subscribe for and send me the Minerva, a Paris paper, as well as Galignani. I have been here this week, and was obliged to put 1. Byron's irresolution is thus described by a female friend of Madame Guiccioli Egli era tutto vestito di viaggio coi guanti fra le mani, col suo "bonnet, e persino colla piccola sua canna; non altro aspettavasi "che egli scendesse le scale, tutti i bauli erano in barca. Milord fa "la pretesta che se suona un ora dopo il mezzodì e che non sia ogni "cosa all' ordine (poichè le armi sole non erano in pronto) egli non "partirebbe più per quel giorno. L'ora suona, ed egli resta." "He was ready dressed for the journey, his gloves and cap on, "and even his little cane in his hand. Nothing was now waited for "but his coming down stairs,-his boxes being already all on board "the gondola. At this moment, my Lord, by way of pretext, "declares, that if it should strike one o'clock before every thing was "in order (his arms being the only thing not yet quite ready) he "would not go that day. The hour strikes, and he remains !" The writer adds, "It is evident he has not the heart to go ;" and the result proved that she had not judged him wrongly (Moore). 1819.] A CICISBEO. 393 on my armour and go the night after my arrival to the Marquis Cavalli's, where there were between two and three hundred of the best company I have seen in Italy, -more beauty, more youth, and more diamonds among the women than have been seen these fifty years in the Sea-Sodom.1 I never saw such a difference between two places of the same latitude, (or platitude, it is all one,)-music, dancing, and play, all in the same salle. The G.'s object appeared to be to parade her foreign lover as much as possible, and, faith, if she seemed to glory in the Scandal, it was not for me to be ashamed of it. Nobody seemed surprised;—all the women, on the contrary, were, as it were, delighted with the excellent example. The Vice-legate, and all the other Vices, were as polite as could be ;-and I, who had acted on the reserve, was fairly obliged to take the lady under my arm, and look as much like a Cicisbeo as I could on so short a notice, to say nothing of the embarrassment of a cocked hat and sword, much more formidable to me than ever it will be to the enemy. I write in great haste-do you answer as hastily. I can understand nothing of all this; but it seems as if the G. had been presumed to be planted, and was determined to show that she was not,―plantation, in this hemisphere, being the greatest moral misfortune. But this is mere conjecture, for I know nothing about it-except that every body are very kind to her, and not discourteous to me. Fathers, and all relations, quite agreeable. Yours ever and truly, I. "Gehenna of the waters! thou Sea-Sodom! B. Marino Faliero, act v. sc. 3. |