Memoir of John Murray
John Murray to Lord Byron, 13 December 1816
In literary affairs I have taken the field in great
force—opening with the Third
Canto, ‘Chillon,’ and, following up my blow, I have since published
‘Tales of my Landlord,’
another novel, I believe (but I really don’t know) by the author of ‘Waverley’; but much
superior to what has already appeared, excepting the character of Meg Merrilies. Every one is in ecstasy about it,
and I would give a finger if I could send it you, but this I will contrive.
Conversations with your friend
Buonaparte at St. Helena, amusing, but scarce worth sending.
Lord Holland has just put forth a very
improved edition of the ‘Life of
Lope de Vega and Inez de Castro.’ Gifford’s ‘Ben Jonson’ has put to death all
former editions, and is very much liked. The ‘Faro-Table’ of Tobin has
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been acted and successfully, but it is very
paltry—principally made up from the ‘School for Scandal.’ Mr. Leigh’s (M.P.) account of his Travels contains a very
remarkable and well-told incident, which would amuse you. We have letters
coming out from Hume, Chesterfield, and Franklin. Moore’s poem is to be in the press in February, so the author tells me. I
have a poem, or rather one is coming to me by an obscure author in Paris, which
I am assured contains some very powerful passages; this Mr.
Gifford allows. Mr.
K[innaird] has been ejected from Drury Lane, to his no small
annoyance; this comes of quarrelling with a woman!
Henry Richard Fox, third baron Holland (1773-1840)
Whig politician and literary patron; Holland House was for many years the meeting place
for reform-minded politicians and writers. He also published translations from the Spanish
and Italian;
Memoirs of the Whig Party was published in 1852.
Benjamin Franklin (1706-1790)
American printer, scientist, writer, and statesman; author of
Poor
Richard's Almanack (1732-57).
William Gifford (1756-1826)
Poet, scholar, and editor who began as a shoemaker's apprentice; after Oxford he
published
The Baviad (1794),
The Maeviad
(1795), and
The Satires of Juvenal translated (1802) before becoming
the founding editor of the
Quarterly Review (1809-24).
David Hume (1711-1776)
Scottish philosopher and historian; author of
Essays Moral and
Political (1741-42),
Enquiry concerning Human Understanding
(1748) and
History of Great Britain (1754-62).
Thomas Legh (1793 c.-1857)
Of Lyme Park, Cheshire; he was MP for Newton (1814-1832) and travelled in Africa and the
Levant.
Hon. Augusta Mary Leigh [née Byron] (1783-1851)
Byron's half-sister; the daughter of Amelia Darcy, Baroness Conyers, she married
Lieutenant-Colonel George Leigh on 17 August 1807.
Thomas Moore (1779-1852)
Irish poet and biographer, author of the
Irish Melodies (1807-34),
The Fudge Family in Paris (1818), and
Lalla
Rookh (1817); he was Byron's close friend and designated biographer.
John Tobin (1770-1804)
English playwright whose posthumous
The Honey Moon was performed
with success at Drury Lane in 1805. The poet's brother, James Webbe Tobin (1767-1814), was
an associate of Coleridge and Southey.
