and he never lost an opportunity of making a pun or
saying a quaint thing. "Do you know," said he to the doctor, "I am
nearly reconciled to St Paul; for he says there is no difference
between the Jews and the Greeks, and I am exactly of the same
opinion, for the character of both is equally vile."

Upon the whole it must be conceded, that whatever was the degree of
Lord Byron's dubiety as to points of faith and doctrine, he could not
be accused of gross ignorance, nor described as animated by any
hostile feeling against religion.

In this sketch of these conversations, I have restricted myself
chiefly to those points which related to his Lordship's own
sentiments and belief. It would have been inconsistent with the
concise limits of this work to have detailed the controversies. A
fair summary of what Byron did not believe, what he was disposed to
believe but had not satisfied himself with the evidence, and what he
did believe, seemed to be the task I ought to undertake. The result
confirmed the statement of his Lordship's religious condition, given
in the preliminary remarks which, I ought to mention, were written
before I looked into Dr Kennedy's book; and the statement is not
different from the estimate which the conversations warrant. It is
true that Lord Byron's part in the conversations is not very
characteristic; but the integrity of Dr Kennedy is a sufficient
assurance that they are substantially correct.

CHAPTER XLIV

Voyage to Cephalonia--Letter--Count Gamba's Address--Grateful
Feelings of the Turks--Endeavours of Lord Byron to mitigate the
Horrors of the War

Lord Byron, after leaving Argostoli, on the 29th December, 1823, the
port of Cephalonia, sailed for Zante, where he took on board a
quantity of specie. Although the distance from Zante to Missolonghi
is but a few hours' sail, the voyage was yet not without adventures.
Missolonghi, as I have already mentioned, was then blockaded by the
Turks, and some address was necessary, on that account, to effect an
entrance, independent of the difficulties, at all times, of
navigating the canals which intersect the shallows. In the following
letter to Colonel Stanhope, his Lordship gives an account of what
took place. It is very characteristic; I shall therefore quote it.

"Scrofer, or some such name, on board a
Cephaloniate Mistice, Dec. 31, 1823.

"MY DEAR STANHOPE,--We are just arrived here--that is, part of my
people and I, with some