ISlC] 



Defence of Lwd Byron. 



417 



readers can furnish informafion rcspcct- 

 ini; means for prescrvhi;^ yeast ; the tbl- 

 low'Mig was long practised in a family 

 ■vviio baked their own iiread, and otteii 

 supplied a garrison baker with barin 

 •vvhfii none conld be oblained else- 

 where^ — Set a qnantify of stronij beer 

 Of whisky barm to settle, closcfy cover- 

 ed; 'that tlie spirit may not evaporate. 

 Iff'^thc mean time iiavc ready as many 

 smalHiair seai>:cs as will hold the thiek 

 barm ; small vessels are mentioned, be- 

 ca'use, dividing tlic yeast into small 

 tj<iautiiies, coiidnces'to its preservation. 

 Lay over each searse a piece of coarse 

 flannel, that may reach I he bottom, and 

 leave at least eight inches over the rim. 

 Ponr olf the thin liqnor, and set it to 

 snbside, as the gromnfs will do for im- 

 uicdiato baking if covered up a few 

 liirt^s: Fill the searses with the thick 

 barm, and cover them up for two hours; 

 tft(*rt gather the ihninel edges as a bag, 

 and tie them firmly with twine. Lay 

 each bag upon .several ftilds of coarse 

 linen, changing these folds every hnlf 

 honr, till they imbibe no more moisture; 

 tlicncowr each bag witir another piece 

 of flannel, changing it if it becomes 

 damp, and hang (hem in a cool airy 

 place. Remember that the yeast should 

 Im) strained before it is put to settle, and 

 that vf bile the flannel bags are laid npon 

 tlie folds of linen, they must be covered 

 with a thick cloth. When the yeast is 

 wanted for use, prepare a stnmg hifu- 

 sion of malt, to a gallnu of which add a 

 piece of dried barm, about the size of a 

 goose's e^g ; indeed, the proportion must 

 depend on its quality, whicli only expe- 

 rience can ascertiiin. The malt infusion 

 Hiust be almost milk-warm when the 

 yeast is crumbled into it : for two hours 

 ft will froth high, and bake half a boll 

 of (lour into well-fornicnted bread. A 

 decoction of green pease, or of ripened 

 dry pease, with as much sugar as will 

 sweeten it, makes fairer bread than the 

 malt infusion ; but it will take a larger 

 quantity of dried yeast to produce tcr- 

 uentalion. , G. X* 



To the Editor of the Moiitlily Mughzine. 



SIK, 



THE illiberal invective against the 

 character and writings of Lord 

 Byron, lately obtruded upon th« public 

 under the title of " Liui.s on the Depar- 

 ture of a great I'ootfrom thiriCikuntry," 

 having probably become, by this time, 

 f^imiliur to many of your readers, it i.s ^ 

 duty we cue to defencehss genius, w hep 

 itfitfcriug under the hividioiis aduckii of 

 ^o.\ji!Lv Mao. No. ■i'<)\. 



a malignant and anonymons slanderer, 

 to endeavour to cousiteiaet the unfa- 

 vorable impressions which might possii»ly 

 be made on the minds of those who are 

 not sufliciently acquainted witii ll:e lite- 

 rary and domestic situation of his lord- 

 ship, by giving a greater (!egrce of pub- 

 licity (through the medium oi your valu- 

 able publication,) to the opinion of flie 

 enlightened conductors of the f'litical 

 Review. 'J'hey remark, that it is "an 

 ahMsivc elTnsion on the emigia(io»' of 

 Lord Byron, published on an oeiasion 

 when a generous njind would least of all 

 have been disposed to be pnidigal of 

 censure; the poetry has no merit to com- 

 pensate for our disgust at the purpose of 

 the writer." 



Tt is not surprising that the asperity of 

 a certain description of persons should be 

 awakened, when a mind like that of the 

 noble author alluded to, bursting from 

 the siiaeklcs of superstition, habit, of 

 policy, dares to avow his contempt of the 

 narrowness of their views, and the hy- 

 pocrisy of tlieir pretensions, and exclaim, 

 in nnisoiiMith the wisest of all ages and 

 nations — 



" All that we know is nothing can bCf 

 known." — Chihle Harold, Cunto 2. 



It is not my intention here to investi- 

 gate the nature of virtue or vice, or to en- 

 quire in what proportion cith< r is to be 

 attributed to his Lordship, but there i» 

 one passage in the preface to this 

 pamphlet upon which I must beg to Un 

 allowed a few observations. 



He would hifci-, that the pathelie 

 " Fare thee well." addres.sed to Lady E., 

 is not the ofl'spring of genuine aflliclion, 



because, forsooth, "a man in that situation 

 would not sit down to play wilii sylU- 

 bios, and sport ill song, or |)roportion aij 

 exact recurrence of rhyme andstanza." 

 His ignoranca is indeed pitiable who 

 needs now to be informed f liat all good 

 poetry i.s the spontaneous overflow ot 

 powerful feelings. There is no doubt 

 but that many of the composilions of 

 Sappho, the delight of anti(|uity, \Ncre 

 produced in that agitation of mind which 

 at length drove her to put an end to hep 

 existence. The sorrows of Catullus, oit 

 the death of his brother, hav<' been desig- 

 nated as the " very tears of Poesy ;" and, 

 in nnjdern times, arc we to suppose that 

 a iictitious grief ilictated the monodies of 

 Lord Lyttleton or Shaw? or that the 

 complaints of Young, Hammond, <'ow- 

 |)cr, &c. proceeded from an nlfectation of 

 sensibility.' M'c must conclude his, io 

 be a wry slight in;quuiutiim.\: with Mol- 



;i H 



l)ornaio 



