scussed between us, I
felt myself at a loss in what manner to reply. Was I to anticipate
friendship from one who conceived me to have charged him with
falsehood? were not advances under such circumstances to be
misconstrued, not perhaps by the person to whom they were addressed,
but by others? In my case such a step was impracticable. If you,
who conceived yourself to be the offended person, are satisfied that
you had no cause for offence, it will not be difficult to convince me
of it. My situation, as I have before stated, leaves me no choice.
I should have felt proud of your acquaintance had it commenced under
other circumstances, but it must rest with you to determine how far
it may proceed after so AUSPICIOUS a beginning."

Mr Moore acknowledges that he was somewhat piqued at the manner in
which his efforts towards a more friendly understanding were
received, and hastened to close the correspondence by a short note,
saying that his Lordship had made him feel the imprudence he was
guilty of in wandering from the point immediately in discussion
between them. This drew immediately from Lord Byron the following
frank and openhearted reply:

"You must excuse my troubling you once more upon this very unpleasant
subject. It would be a satisfaction to me, and I should think to
yourself, that the unopened letter in Mr Hodgson's possession
(supposing it to prove your own) should be returned in statu quo to
the writer, particularly as you expressed yourself 'not quite easy
under the manner in which I had dwelt on its miscarriage.'

"A few words more and I shall not trouble you further. I felt, and
still feel, very much flattered by those parts of your correspondence
which held out the prospect of our becoming acquainted. If I did not
meet them, in the first instance, as perhaps I ought, let the
situation in which I was placed be my defence. You have NOW declared
yourself SATISFIED, and on that point we are no longer at issue. If,
therefore, you still retain any wish to do me the honour you hinted
at, I shall be most happy to meet you when, where, and how you
please, and I presume you will not attribute my saying thus much to
any unworthy motive."

The result was a dinner at the house of Mr Rogers, the amiable and
celebrated author of The Pleasures of Memory, and the only guest
besides the two adversaries was Mr Campbell, author of The Pleasures
of Hope: a poetical group of four not easily to be matched, among