514 Lady Byron, Campbell, and Moore. [[MAY, 



was too delicate for you to consult Lady Byron's confidential friends, 

 you ought to have had nothing to do with the subject/' 



He then wrote to Lady Byron to ascertain the correctness of Moore's 

 statements, and she thus answers him : 



" DEAR MR. CAMPBELL, In taking up my pen to point out for 

 your private information those passages in Mr. Moore's representation 

 of my part of the story which were open to contradiction, I find them of 

 still greater extent than I had supposed and to deny an assertion HERE 

 AND THERE would virtually admit the truth of the rest. If, on the 

 contrary, I were to enter into a full exposure of the falsehood of the 

 views taken by Mr. Moore, I must detail various matters, which, con- 

 sistently with my principles and feelings, I cannot, under existing cir- 

 cumstances, disclose. I may, perhaps, convince you better of the diffi- 

 culty of the case by an example : ' it is not true that pecuniary embar- 

 rassments were the cause of the disturbed state of Lord Byron's mind, 

 or formed the chief reason for the arrangements made by him at that 

 time.' But it is reasonable for me to expect that you, or any one else, 

 should believe this, unless I show you what were the causes in question, 

 and this I cannot do. I am, &c. &c. E. NOEL BYRON." 



This letter is a mere matter of words ; for it tells nothing but her lady- 

 ship's opinion, that there are falsehoods in Moore's book : and when she 

 comes to the proof, it depends on matters ' ' which, under existing circum- 

 stances, and connected with her principles and feelings, she cannot disclose" 

 Campbell now proceeds to animadvert upon the biographer's garbling the 

 evidence before his eyes. " What I regret most in Mr. Moore's Life of 

 Lord Byron is, that he had in his own hands the only pure means of 

 serving Lord Byron's character, which was his lordship's own touching 

 confession, and that he has thrown away the said means by garnishing 

 that fair confession with unfair attempts at blaming others. In Letter 

 235, Lord Byron takes all the blame on himself. But why, Mr. Moore, 

 have you frozen the effect of this melting candour by dishing up the 

 inconsistencies of Lord Byron on the same subject, and by showing 

 your own ungallant indifference to the thus acquitted Lady Byron ? In 

 the name of both of them, I reprove you. Byron confesses, but you try 

 to explain away his confession j and by your hints at spies, unsuitable- 

 ness, &c., you dirty and puddle the holy water of acknowledgment, that 

 alone will wash away the poor penitent man's transgressions. You resort 

 to Byron's letter to Mr. Rogers, for the means of inculpating Lady 

 Byron and her friends, as blamers of Lord Byron. But they never said 

 more than that Lord Byron's temper was intolerable to Lady Byron. 

 That was true, and they never circulated any calumnies against him." But 

 a passage follows, which, adopting her ladyship's own style, heaps that 

 enigmatical odium on his memory, which no direct charge could much 

 exceed. " It is more for Lord Byron's sake than for his widow's, that I 

 resort not to a more special examination of Mr. Moore's misconceptions. 

 The subject would lead me insensibly into hateful disclosures against 

 poor Lord Byron, who is more unfortunate in his rash defenders than 

 his reluctant accusers. Happily, his own candour turns our hostility 

 from himself against his defenders. It was only in wayward and bitter 

 remarks that he misrepresented Lady Byron. He would have defended 

 himself irresistibly, if Mr. Moore had left only his acknowledging pass- 

 ages. But Mr. Moore has produced a Life of him which reflects blame 

 oivLady Byron so dexterously, that more is meant than meets the ear." 



