given rise to
consequences affecting his fame--with advantage.

In English Bards and Scotch Reviewers, he had alluded, with provoking
pleasantry, to a meeting which had taken place at Chalk Farm some
years before, between Mr Jeffrey, the Edinburgh reviewer, and Mr
Moore, without recollecting, indeed without having heard, that Mr
Moore had explained, through the newspapers, what was alleged to have
been ridiculous in the affair. This revival of the subject,
especially as it called in question the truth of Mr Moore's
statement, obliged that gentleman to demand an explanation; but Lord
Byron, being abroad, did not receive this letter, and of course knew
not of its contents, so that, on his return, Mr Moore was induced to
address his Lordship again. The correspondence which ensued is
honourable to the spirit and feelings of both.

Mr Moore, after referring to his first letter, restated the nature of
the insult which the passage in the note to the poem was calculated
to convey, adding, "It is now useless to speak of the steps with
which it was my intention to follow up that letter, the time which
has elapsed since then, though it has done away neither the injury
nor the feeling of it, has, in many respects, materially altered my
situation, and the only object I have now in writing to your
Lordship, is to preserve some consistency with that former letter,
and to prove to you that the injured feeling still exists, however
circumstances may compel me to be deaf to its dictates at present.
When I say 'injured feeling,' let me assure your Lordship that there
is not a single vindictive sentiment in my mind towards you; I mean
but to express that uneasiness under what I consider to be a charge
of falsehood, which must haunt a man of any feeling to his grave,
unless the insult be retracted, or atoned for, and which, if I did
not feel, I should indeed deserve far worse than your Lordship's
satire could inflict upon me." And he concluded by saying, that so
far from being influenced by any angry or resentful feeling, it would
give him sincere pleasure if, by any satisfactory explanation, his
Lordship would enable him to seek the honour of being ranked among
his acquaintance.

The answer of Lord Byron was diplomatic but manly. He declared that
he never received Mr Moore's letter, and assured him that in whatever
part of the world it had reached him, he would have deemed it his
duty to return and answer it in person; that he knew