Lord Byron, and the sun has extinguished the glow-worm; for I cannot hope with St. John, that 'the light came into the world, and the world knew it not.'"

Byron's temperament was of an entirely different cast; susceptible of every impression but one of any deficiency in himself; his naturally capacious mind continually received accessions of strength from the admiration he met with, and he knew how to quicken into vigorous life the grasping ideas suggested to himself by the elevated tone of thought and feeling which so eminently distinguished the conversation of his companion.

In "Cain," the influence which Shelley exercised over the mind of its author may be sufficiently traced, though his modesty led him to disclaim having any share in the production of that remarkable poem.

Moore, as appears by his "Life of Byron," endeavoured to disturb the harmony in which the two poets lived, and it is to be sincerely regretted, on his own account, that he should have thrust himself into so obnoxious a position.

His anxiety lest Byron's mind should be contaminated by contact with Shelley's, was probably

as sincere as any other action of his life; possessing a mind that was both superficial and inconsistent, the shallowness of his nature often deluded him into the belief that he was sincere, when in reality he was only striving to insinuate himself into the better opinion of his titled friend; and when in a moment of pious indignation he declared that he would almost prefer the damning bigot to the annihilating infidel, he betrayed rather the meanness of his own nature, the narrowness of his own heart, than the benign spirit inseparable from true piety and the elevated tone of Christianity in its proper sense.

I might enlarge upon the shortcomings of Moore's character as it appears in the pages of his noble biographer, but I refrain, from admiration of his genius, which undoubtedly he possessed, though not in the highest degree. Byron, however, was little affected by his importunity and warning against the influences of Shelley, which were intended on behalf of his morals no less than his religion.

"As to poor Shelley," Byron writes on one of these occasions, "who is another bugbear to you and the world; he is, to my knowledge, the

least selfish and the mildest of men-a man who has made more sacrifices of his fortune and feelings for others, than any I ever heard of.

"The truth is, my dear Moore, you live near the stove of society, where you are unavoidably influenced by its heat and its vapours. I did so once-and too much-and enough to give a colour to my whole future existence. As my success in society was not inconsiderable, I am surely not a prejudiced judge on the subject unless in its favour; but I think it, as now constituted, fatal to all great original undertakings."

On another occasion he says, "you are all mistaken about Shelley. You do not know how mild, how tolerant, how good he was in society; and as perfect a gentleman as ever stepped across a drawing-room, when he liked, and where liked."*

And again, in conversation with Lady Blessington after Shelley's death, Byron said :"You should have known Shelley to feel how much I must regret him. He was the most gentle, the most amiable, and least worldly

minded person I ever met; full of delicacy, disinterested beyond all other men, and posessing a degree of genius, joined to a simplicity as rare as it is admirable.

"He had formed to himself a beau ideal of all that is fine, high-minded, and noble, and he acted up to this ideal, even to the very letter. He had a most brilliant imagination, but a total want of worldly wisdom. I have seen nothing like him, and never shall again, I am certain."*

* Lady Blessington's "Conversations with Lord Byron."

VOL II.

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CHAPTER XXII.

Want of proper understanding between Byron and Shelley-Apparent insincerity of Byron-An affray in the streets of Pisa-Insolence of the soldiery encouraged by the Government-Banishment of Count GambaLord Byron quits Pisa-Instance of Shelley's impetuosity.

THIS mutual good feeling and high appreciation of each other's merits was unfortunately sullied by some strange misunderstanding that seems difficult to account for.

It is certain, however, that Shelley enjoyed an intense apprehension of the reality of life and of its capacity for good; that Byron believed in its nothingness, and the vanity of all human