es, and even miseries, of genius are
forgotten in its greatness. Who now asks whether Dante was right or
wrong in his matrimonial differences? or by how many of those whose
fancies dwell fondly on his Beatrice is even the name of his Gemma
Donati remembered?

Already, short as has been the interval since Lord Byron's death, the
charitable influence of time in softening, if not rescinding, the harsh
judgments of the world against genius is visible. The utter
unreasonableness of trying such a character by ordinary standards, or of
expecting to find the materials of order and happiness in a bosom
constantly heaving forth from its depths such "lava floods," is--now
that big spirit has passed from among us--felt and acknowledged. In
reviewing the circumstances of his marriage, a more even scale of
justice is held; and while every tribute of sympathy and commiseration
is accorded to her, who, unluckily for her own peace, became involved in
such a destiny,--who, with virtues and attainments that would have made
the home of a more ordinary man happy, undertook, in evil hour, to "turn
and wind a fiery Pegasus," and but failed where it may be doubted
whether even the fittest for such a task would have succeeded,--full
allowance is, at the same time, made for the great martyr of genius
himself, whom so many other causes, beside that restless fire within
him, concurred to unsettle in mind and (as he himself feelingly
expresses it) "disqualify for comfort;"--whose doom it was to be either
thus or less great, and whom to have tamed might have been to
extinguish; there never, perhaps, having existed an individual to whom,
whether as author or man, the following line was more applicable:--

"Si non errasset, fecerat ille minus."[98]

While these events were going on,--events, of which his memory and heart
bore painfully the traces through the remainder of his short life,--some
occurrences took place, connected with his literary history, to which it
is a relief to divert the attention of the reader from the distressing
subject that has now so long detained us.

The letter that follows was in answer to one received from Mr. Murray,
in which that gentleman had enclosed him a draft for a thousand guineas
for the copyright of his two poems, The Siege of Corinth and Parisina:--

* * * * *

LETTER 236. TO MR. MURRAY.

"January 3. 1816.

"Your offer is _liberal_ in the extreme, (you see I u