The Works of Lord Byron: Letters and Journals Volume I Part 11

I remain, yours, etc., etc.,

BYRON.

28.--To the Hon. Augusta Byron.

[Address cut out], Tuesday, July 2d, 1805.

My dearest Augusta,--I am just returned from Cambridge, where I have been to enter myself at Trinity College.--Thursday is our Speechday at Harrow, and as I forgot to remind you of its approach, previous to our first declamation, [1] I have given you _timely_ notice this time. If you intend doing me the _honour_ of attending, I would recommend you not to come without a Gentleman, as I shall be too much engaged all the morning to take care of you, and I should not imagine you would admire _stalking_ about by yourself. You had better be there by 12 o'clock as we begin at 1, and I should like to procure you a good place; Harrow is 11 miles from town, it will just make a _comfortable_ mornings drive for you. I don't know how you are to come, but for _G.o.dsake_ bring as few women with you as possible. I would wish you to Write me an answer immediately, that I may know on Thursday morning, whether you will drive over or not, and I will arrange my other engagements accordingly. I _beg_, _Madam_, you may make your appearance in one of his Lords.h.i.+ps most _das.h.i.+ng_ carriages, as our Harrow _etiquette_, admits of nothing but the most _superb_ vehicles, on our Grand _Festivals_. In the mean time, believe me, dearest Augusta,

Your affectionate Brother,

BYRON.

[Footnote 1: Mrs. Byron, writing to Hanson (June 25, 1805), says, "The fame of Byron's oratory has reached Southwell" (see page 27, note 1).]

29.--To John Hanson.

Harrow, 8 July, 1805.

My dear Sir,--I have just received a Letter from my Mother, in which she talks of coming to Town about the _commencement_ of our Holidays.

If she does, it will be impossible for me to call on _my Sister_, previous to my leaving it, and at the same time I cannot conceive what the Deuce she can want at this season in London. I have written to tell her that my Holidays commence on the 6th of August, but however, July the 1st is the proper day.--I beg that if you cannot find some means to keep her in the Country that you at least will connive at this deception which I can palliate, and then I shall be down in the country before she knows where I am. My reasons for this are, that I do _not wish_ to be detained in Town so uncomfortably as I know I shall be if I remain with her; that _I do wish_ to see my Sister; and in the next place she can just as well come to Town after my return to Notts, as I don't desire to be dragged about according to her caprice, and there are some other causes I think unnecessary to be now mentioned. If you will only contrive by settling this business (if it is in your power), or if that is impossible, not mention anything about the day our Holidays commence, of which you can be easily supposed not to be informed. If, I repeat, you can by any means prevent this Mother from executing her purposes, believe me, you will greatly oblige

Yours truly,

BYRON.

30.--To Charles O. Gordon. [1]

Burgage Manor, Southwell, Notts, August 4, 1805.

Although I am greatly afraid, my Dearest Gordon, that you will not receive this epistle till you return from Abergeldie, (as your letter stated that you would be at Ledbury on Thursday next) yet, that is not my fault, for I have not deferred answering yours a moment, and, as I have just now concluded my Journey, my first, and, I trust you will believe me when I say, most pleasing occupation will be to write to you.

We have played the Eton and were most confoundedly beat; [2] however it was some comfort to me that I got 11 notches the 1st Innings and 7 the 2nd, which was more than any of our side except Brockman & Ipswich could contrive to hit. After the match we dined together, and were extremely friendly, not a single discordant word was uttered by either party. To be sure, we were most of us rather drunk and went together to the Haymarket Theatre, where we kicked up a row, As you may suppose, when so many Harrovians & Etonians met at one place; I was one of seven in a single hackney, 4 Eton and 3 Harrow, and then we all got into the same box, and the consequence was that such a devil of a noise arose that none of our neighbours could hear a word of the drama, at which, not being _highly delighted_, they began to quarrel with us, and we nearly came to a _battle royal_. How I got home after the play G.o.d knows. I hardly recollect, as my brain was so much confused by the heat, the row, and the wine I drank, that I could not remember in the morning how I found my way to bed.

The rain was so incessant in the evening that we could hardly get our Jarveys, which was the cause of so many being stowed into one. I saw young Twilt, your brother, with Malet, and saw also an old schoolfellow of mine whom I had not beheld for six years, but he was not the one whom you were so good as to enquire after for me, and for which I return you my sincere thanks. I set off last night at eight o'clock to my mother's, and am just arrived this afternoon, and have not delayed a second in thanking you for so soon fulfilling my request that you would correspond with me. My address at Cambridge will be Trinity College, but I shall not go there till the 20th of October.

You may continue to direct your letters here, when I go to Hamps.h.i.+re which will not be till you have returned to Harrow. I will send my address previous to my departure from my mother's. I agree with you in the hope that we shall continue our correspondence for a long time. I trust, my dearest friend, that it will only be interrupted by our being some time or other in the same place or under the same roof, as, when I have finished my _Cla.s.sical Labour_, and my minority is expired, I shall expect you to be a frequent visitor to Newstead Abbey, my seat in this county which is about 12 miles from my mother's house where I now am. There I can show you plenty of hunting, shooting and fis.h.i.+ng, and be a.s.sured no one ever will be more welcome guest than yourself--nor is there any one whose correspondence can give me more pleasure, or whose friends.h.i.+p yield me greater delight than yours, sweet, dearest Charles, believe me, will always be the sentiments of

Yours most affectionately,

BYRON.

[Footnote 1: This and Letter 33 are written to Byron's Harrow friend, Charles Gordon, one of his "juniors and favourites," whom he "spoilt by indulgence." Gordon, who was the son of David Gordon of Abergeldie, died in 1829.]

[Footnote 2: Byron's reputation as a cricketer rests on this match between Eton and Harrow. It was played on the old cricket ground in Dorset Square, August 2, 1805, and ended in a victory for Eton by an innings and two runs. The score is thus given by Lillywhite, in his _Cricket Scores and Biographies of Celebrated Cricketers from 1745 to 1826_ (vol. i. pp. 319, 320)--

HARROW.

First Innings. Second Innings.

-------------------------------------------------------- Lord Ipswich, b Carter --10 b Heaton --21 T. Farrer, Esq., b Carter -- 7 c Bradley-- 3 T. Drury, Esq., b Carter -- 0 st Heaton-- 6 --Bolton, Esq., run out -- 2 b Heaton -- 0 C. Lloyd, Esq., b Carter -- 0 b Carter -- 0 A. Shakespeare, Esq., st Heaton-- 8 runout -- 5 Lord Byron, c Barnard-- 7 b Carter -- 2 Hon. T. Erskine, b Carter -- 4 b Heaton -- 8 W. Brockman, Esq., b Heaton -- 9 b Heaton --10 E. Stanley, Esq., not out -- 3 c Canning-- 7 --Asheton, Esq., b Carter -- 3 not out -- 0 Byes -- 2 Byes -- 3 -- -- 55 65

ETON.

-------------------------------------------------------- --Heaton, Esq., b Lloyd -- 0 --Slingsby, Esq., b Shakespeare--29 --Carter, Esq., b Shakespeare-- 3 --Farhill, Esq., c Lloyd -- 6 --Canning, Esq., c Farrer --12 --Camplin, Esq., b Ipswich --42 --Bradley, Esq., b Lloyd --16 --Barnard, Esq., b Shakespeare-- 0 --Barnard, Esq., not out -- 3 --Kaye, Esq., b Byron -- 7 --Dover, Esq., c Bolton -- 4 Byes -- 0 -- 122

At this match Lord Stratford de Redcliffe remembers seeing a "moody-looking boy" dismissed for a small score. The boy was Byron. But the moment is not favourable to expression of countenance.

31.--To the Hon. Augusta Byron.

[Castle Howard, Malton, Yorks.h.i.+re.] Burgage Manor, August 6th, 1805.

Well, my dearest Augusta, here I am, once more situated at my mother's house, which together with its _inmate_ is as _agreeable_ as ever. I am at this moment _vis a vis_ and Tete a tete with that amiable personage, who is, whilst I am writing, pouring forth complaints against your _ingrat.i.tude_, giving me many oblique hints that I ought not to correspond with you, and concluding with an interdiction that if you ever after the expiration of my minority are invited to my residence, _she_ will no longer condescend to grace it with her _Imperial_ presence. You may figure to yourself, for your amus.e.m.e.nt, my solemn countenance on the occasion, and the _meek Lamblike_ demeanour of her Ladys.h.i.+p, which, contrasted with my _Saintlike visage_, forms a _striking family painting_, whilst in the back ground, the portraits of my Great Grandfather and Grandmother, suspended in their frames, seem to look with an eye of pity on their _unfortunate descendant_, whose _worth_ and _accomplishments_ deserve a milder fate.

I am to remain in this _Garden_ of _Eden_ one month, I do not indeed reside at Cambridge till October, but I set out for Hamps.h.i.+re in September where I shall be on a visit till the commencement of the term. In the mean time, Augusta, your _sympathetic_ correspondence must be some alleviation to my sorrows, which however are too ludicrous for me to regard them very seriously; but they are _really_ more _uncomfortable_ than _amusing_.

I presume you were rather surprised not to see my _consequential_ name in the papers [1] amongst the orators of our 2nd speech day, but unfortunately some wit who had formerly been at Harrow, suppressed the merits of Long [2], Farrer [3] and myself, who were always supposed to take the Lead in Harrow eloquence, and by way of a _hoax_ thought proper to insert a panegyric on those speakers who were really and truly allowed to have rather disgraced than distinguished themselves, of course for the _wit_ of the thing, the best were left out and the worst inserted, which accounts for the _Gothic omission_ of my _superior talents._ Perhaps it was done with a view to weaken our vanity, which might be too much raised by the flattering paragraphs bestowed on our performance the 1st speechday; be that as it may, we were omitted in the account of the 2nd, to the astonishment of all Harrow. These are _disappointments_ we _great men_ are liable to, and we must learn to bear them with philosophy, especially when they arise from attempts at wit. I was indeed very ill at that time, and after I had finished my speech was so overcome by the exertion that I was obliged to quit the room. I had caught cold by sleeping in damp sheets which was the cause of my indisposition. However I am now perfectly recovered, and live in hopes of being emanc.i.p.ated from the slavery of Burgage manor. But Believe me, Dearest Augusta, whether well or ill,

I always am your affect. Brother,

BYRON.