truly disgusting; the want of congeniality in other men must have convinced him of their littleness, or of his own superiority; and the coldness with which his overflowing and warm attachments were received, must have damped his affection for his race, and induced that peculiar kind of temperament, which, though without a name, produces from its nature a blunted insensibility to outward appearances and opinions, and an aversion to any thing that brings to mind the necessity of its very existence. Accordingly, in the language almost of despair, we hear our poet thus forcibly expressing himself: "I have nearly been mad by eating my own heart," and again, "my head and heart they prey upon themselves." That he looked indeed for a degree of perfection of sentiment somewhat analagous to his own-but which of course here below is limited to the few-was to be expected; and we need not wonder that from the impetuousness of his feelings, he should frequently attribute to the man, what in many cases was totally owing to the imperfection of his nature. That his fevered discontent, however, ever degenerated into actual misanthropy, the Gets of Byron's Life deny.

Page 94, note 1 Whatever individuals may think of the religious sentiments of Lord Byron, as it is certain on the one hand that his faith was not established on the rock of revealed weight, if equally certain on the other that he believed in mething more than deism. In a note upon his own words—

* Augen I se sher I mean by Griner still' CHRIST. As a M M Mer Cute mas vci. I never arhate " As I have kers of Byron's charac

ances, and who regard professionship as the essence of religion. I do assert, however, regardless of the prejudices of narrow minds, that our Poet was naturally of a turn of mind that led him to venerate that Almighty power, whose works excited his fervent admiration, and whose "searchless ways" induced him even to indulge in superstitious feelings.-But his religion was chiefly sentimental, unfixed by any creed, unguided by any sect. It was such as arose from that inherent impulse in mind, which suggests the necessity and importance of the feeling, and which was blended with the breath of Deity in the original constitution of soul. It might perhaps have gone farther, for he ardently admired the philosophy of Christianity, although a conviction of its several truths never penetrated his mind; he applauded the doctrines of the Bible, yet was destitute of a constant faith; he was sensible of the beauty and tendency of its tenets, yet withal was guilty of nonconformity. It is difficult, indeed, to say how far he was a believer, as his writings are at variance on the subject, and few, if any, were ever entrusted with the secrets of his hearta. It may be observed, notwithstanding, that the philosophic eye with which he pryed into causes and effects, and the great activity of his reason which was ever exercising itself on abstruse subjects, might have induced a disposition towards scepticism. But the scepticism of Byron was not that of the calculating infidel; for he doubted but to arrive at certainty; he paused, but to dart to conclusions; and he enveloped himself in the mists of metaphysical disquisitions, but to enjoy with greater comfort the dazzling comforts of reality. He dared, in short, "to use his immortality;" let us hope then that it was for the best, agreeing on this ungrateful subject with the departed Bard himself, who observed in Childe Harold

"It is not ours to judge-far less condemn;

The hour must come, when such things shall be made
Known unto all-or hope or dread allayed

a Dr. Kennedy certainly was not.

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CITAT TIME me ilang sum Í 3 na vid lige my readers *l by did, he Lord 3 tere is a tentat Bose Let his youth, vieder is FREEZES, BRCES I SITEzts, remained attached a ham mo fhe last de man cf his mammer Teas is his name anhaggy exsecara se seis sace brought however triedy, in relates of amity with him, that 64 bit feel werk in kind regard in life and retain a kotness for his zentry.” Nzervos instances of praiseworthy onduct, meå indeed as are seldom met with, might be adduced at wil from the same prolide source. We find page 511, vol. ii.) in a letter of the Poet Shelley, that when Lord Byron's income was 4000l. a year. he devoted 1000l. of it to purposes of charity," the nature and extent of which, persons cannot form even the slightest idea, as long as ill-directed curiosity impels them to decide upon character from the accounts of malicious rumour, and prejudice forbids them to open their eyes to contemplate the real springs of action in the Poet, with whom as the illustrious Goëthe observes, "the joyful sympathy of others would have been perfect, had he not, by a life, marked by selfdissatisfaction, and the indulgence of strong passions, disturbed the enjoyment which his infinite genius produced."

Page 26 note 10.] It would be detracting from the character of Lord Byron, were not his ardent affection for children, and the lively interest he evinced towards them, noticed. I have been told by friends acquainted with the fact, that even in his most

impassioned moments, Lord Byron could never resist the impulse to caress an infant when brought into his company. The sudden appearance of a playful child has often stemmed the course of his vehement passions, and he has many a time yielded to the silent eloquence of infancy when the entreaties of maturer age were unavailing. Without a knowledge of this however, a small acquaintance with human nature must assure us of the strength and activity of such a feeling in the poet, who could so well represent the workings of the disposition in others. In act iii, scene i. of Cain, are these beautiful lines

The mother's joys of watching, nourishing,

And loving him? Soft! he awakes-sweet Enoch !
(She goes to the child.)

Oh! Cain! look on him! see how full of life,
Of strength, of bloom, of beauty, and of joy,
How like to me, how like to thee, when gentle,
For then, we are all alike; is't not so Cain?
Mother, and sire, and son, our features are
Reflected in each other.

Look how he laughs, and stretches out his arms
And opens wide his blue eyes upon thine
To hail his father-while his little form
Flutters as wing'd with joy.-Talk not of pain
The childless cherubs well might envy thee
The pleasures of a parent! bless him, Cain,
And yet he hath no words to thank thee, but
His heart will, and thine own too.-"

In vol. ii. of Mr. Moore's "Notices" (page 52.) corroborative testimony is afforded in an extract there given from a letter of the unfortunate Shelley." There were indeed," also adds the Biographer, "few things Lord Byron more delighted in than to watch beautiful children at play; many a lovely Swiss child received crowns from him as the reward of their grace and sweetness." In the letter also of Lord to Lady Byron (No. DXVIII.) the same depth and rallying point of feeling is as equally appa

rent, as is the spirit of forgiveness and openness of character which it manifests.

Page 27. note ".] Byron's own words applied to Conrad Corsair. ix. here suggest themselves:

"There was a laughing devil in his sneer
That rais'd emotions both of rage and fear;
And where his frown of hatred darkly fell
Hope withering fed and mercy sigh'd farewell!"

Page 27. note 12.]

« And madness laughing in his ireful mood-" Dryden.

Page 36, note 1.] It would be manifest injustice to the memory of Lord Byron, if the interest he took in the cause of the Greeks and his furtherance of humane principles and actions were not noticed. The additional light the mentioning a few instances will throw on the character of him, whom the Greeks considered as a Messiah, must be my apology for introducing rather a long note on the subject.

The first measure which Lord Byron attempted after his arrival in Greece, was to mitigate the ferocity with which the war was carried on; one of the objects which induced him to embark in the cause. And it happened the very day he reached the town of Missolonghi, was signalised by his rescuing a Turk who had fallen into the hands of some Greek sailors. This man was