. I had released them from former ones, and thought,
when you took them, that they were yours.

"You shall have your bill again to-morrow."

[Footnote 99: The sale of these books took place the following month,
and they were described in the catalogue as the property of "a Nobleman
about to leave England on a tour."

From a note to Mr. Murray, it would appear that he had been first
announced as going to the Morea.

"I hope that the catalogue of the books, &c., has not been published
without my seeing it. I must reserve several, and many ought not to be
printed. The advertisement is a very bad one. I am not going to the
Morea; and if I was, you might as well advertise a man in Russia _as
going to Yorkshire_.--Ever," &c.

Together with the books was sold an article of furniture, which is now
in the possession of Mr. Murray, namely, "a large screen covered with
portraits of actors, pugilists, representations of boxing-matches,"
&c.]

* * * * *

During the month of January and part of February, his poems of The Siege
of Corinth and Parisina were in the hands of the printers, and about the
end of the latter month made their appearance. The following letters are
the only ones I find connected with their publication.

LETTER 240. TO MR. MURRAY.

"February 3. 1816.

"I sent for 'Marmion,' which I return, because it occurred to me,
there might be a resemblance between part of 'Parisina' and a
similar scene in Canto 2d of 'Marmion.' I fear there is, though I
never thought of it before, and could hardly wish to imitate that
which is inimitable. I wish you would ask Mr. Gifford whether I
ought to say any thing upon it;--I had completed the story on the
passage from Gibbon, which indeed leads to a like scene naturally,
without a thought of the kind: but it comes upon me not very
comfortably.

"There are a few words and phrases I want to alter in the MS., and
should like to do it before you print, and will return it in an
hour.

"Yours ever."

* * * * *

LETTER 241. TO MR. MURRAY.

"February 20. 1816.

"To return to our business--your epistles are vastly agreeable.
With regard to the observations on carelessness, &c. I think, with
all humility, that the gentle reader has considered a rather
uncommon, and designedly irregular, versification for hast