Lady Byron Vindicated

the requests of those who feel that they have a ri

account, there were given some smaller details of the story, of no particular value to the main purpose of it, which I received not from Lady Byron, but from h

had been all my life an object of great interest to me. I inquired what sort of a person Lady Byron was. My friend spoke of her with enthusiasm. I then said, 'but of course she n

f the parting-scene between Lord and Lady Byron. In re

her death. It was not, therefore, a complete history of all the events in their order, but specimens of a few incidents and facts. Her object was, not to prove her story to me, nor t

mprised primari

ent, in so many wo

forced on her attention by Lord Byron's words and a

d when she had ascribed his

ces of guilt, the existence of a child,

in reference to the alleged

her doubts became certainties; nor did her conversation touch either of these points: and, on a careful review of the latter, I s

to her from London, and

tineau's published Memoir of Lady Byron, which has long stood uncontradicted before the public, of wh

in 1816; died on May 16, 1860.' This makes her married life two years; but w

time to her uncertainty as to his sanity; to deceptions practised on her, making her doubt at one time, and believe at

ccuracies; for example, the number of executions in the house: but these poin

ndal, where everyone freely throws in an assertion, with or without proof. In making out my narrative, however, I shall use only certain authentic sources, some o

Life o

ount of the separati

statements

y Anne Barnard's diary, and a copy of a letter from Lady

iven in a daily paper publi

as given recently in the

ar to arrange themselves

n, let us const

e spent by Lord and Lady Byron in bridal-visiting was three weeks at Haln

testified to by the servant, was such that she advised her young mistress to r

on received and was received by Lord Byron's sister with the greatest affection. Lady Byron herself says to Lady Anne Barnard, 'I had heard that he was the best of brothers;' and the inference is, that she, at an early period of her married life, felt the greatest co

there, at Colonel Leigh's, near Newmarket, where any epistle of yours will find its welcome way. I have been very comfortable here, listening to that d---d monologue which elderly gentlemen call conversation, in which my pious father-in-law repeats himself every evening, save one

you will address your next to Piccadilly.' The inference is, that the days intermediate were spent a

with more propriety ask, from her, counsel or aid in respect to his peculiarities than she could from her own parents. If we consider the character of Lady Byron as given by Mrs. Mimms, that of a young person of warm but repressed feeling, without sister or brother, longing for human sympathy, and having so far found no

operty. Lord Byron had mentioned him before in his letters as so kind to Bell and himself that he could not find it in his heart to wish him in heaven if he preferred staying he

this time a member of the Drury-Lane Theatre Committee; and that, in this unlucky connection, one of the fatalities of the first year of trial as a husband lay. From the strain of Byron's letters, as given in Moore, it is appar

inner-parties, and leading, generally, what would, in these days, be called a disorderly life, was great. We should infer that none of the literary men of Byron's time would have been ashamed of being drunk

of all wines and spirits upon me is, however, strange. It settles, but makes me gloomy-gloomy at the very moment of their effect: it com

ower in that direction, stimulate the brain so as to produce there the ferocity, the steadiness, the utter deadness to compassion or conscience, which characterise a madman. How fearful to a sensitive young mother in the period of pregnancy might be the return of such a madman to the domestic

r examp

d to come over him. He called himself a monster, and, though his sister was present, threw himself in agony at my feet. "I could not, no, I could not, forgive him such injuries! He

laughter. "What do you mean?" said I. "Only a philosophical experiment; t

effect of drink upon Lord Byron, is the most chari

ave often come to this condition while only doing what many of

f a private supper between himself and Lord Byron. We giv

ish. My companion, however, confined himself to lobsters; and of these finished two or three, to his own share, interposing, sometimes, a small liqueur-glass of strong white brandy, sometimes a tumbler of very hot water, and then pure brandy again, to the amount of near

orth commemorating, these particulars of one in which

saw lights in the windows of his old haunt, Stevens's in Bond Street, and agreed to stop there and sup. On entering, we found an old friend of his, Sir G---- W----, who

on was, night after night, engaged out at dinner parties, in which getting drunk

TER

R. M

ICCADILLY,

e for selling out, and I hope so. First, because I shall see you; and, next, because I shall receive certain moneys o

putatious, then unintelligible, * then altogethery, then inarticulate, and then drunk. When we had reached the last step of this glorious ladder, it was difficult to get down again without stumbling; and, to crown all, Kinnaird and I had to conduct Sheridan down a d---d corkscrew sta

you heard of a late answer of Sheridan to the watchman who found him bereft of that "divine particle of air" called reason . . . He (the watchman) found Sherry in the street fuddled and bewildered, and almost insensible. "Who are you, sir?"-No answer. "Wha

l, and I have a

"Juno Lucina, fer opem," or rather opes, for the last are most wanted) the tenth

ed to settle debts; her husband out at a dinner-party, going through the usual course of such parties, able

nal one, but one of a series: for he says, 'To-day I dine with Kinnaird,-we are to h

ses in the vices of his times had wrought effects on his sensitive, nervous organisation, very different from what they

pose either to sleep again, or at least to quiet. In England, five years ago, I had the same kind of hypochondria, but accompanied with so violent a thirst, that I have drunk as many as fifteen bottles of soda-water in one night, after going to bed, and been still thirsty,-calculating

and pleasures. That his nerves were exacerbated by violent extremes of abstinence and reckless indulgence; that he was often day after day drunk, and that drunkenness made him sa

paroxysms of rage, so disproportioned to the cause as to surprise me when they were over; and this still continues. I cannot coolly view any thing which excites my feelings; and, once the lurking devil in me is roused, I lose all command of myself. I do not recover a g

many which may have occurred at these times, in a note on p.215, vol. iv., where he speaks of Lord Byron's destroying a favourite old watch that had been his companion from boyhood, and gone with him to Greece. 'In a fit of

the only female companionship she could dare to trust in the case, and earnestly desired

presented itself as a refuge in her approaching confinement. Mrs Leigh speaks of leaving. The young wife, conscious that the house presents no attra

clined to do. It would [be] the worst return for all I ever received from you. But in this at least I am "truth itself," when I say, that whatever the situation may be, there is no one whose society is dearer to me, or can contribute more to my happiness. These feelings will not change under any c

hi

I.

cover, 'To The

evidence. It certainly is not written in Lady Byron's usual clear and elegant style; a

uch peculiar and distressing circumstances mus

ecame daily more and more unaccountable, may have come that startling scene in which Lord Byron to

ing from her the last hold of friendship, and the last refuge

to be attributed to insanity. It would be a conviction gladly accepted, and bring

Lady Byron in her statement published in 1830.

ng, Jan. 6, his absolute desire that I should leave London on the earliest day that I could conveniently fix. It was not safe for me to encounter the fatigues

ed from the communications made to me by h

rsonal attendant was Fletcher. It was therefore presumably M

represented to me that he was

n Jan. 6. It appears, then, that Lady Byron, acting in concurrence with Mrs. Leigh and others of her husband's family, consulted Dr. Baillie, on Jan. 8, as to what she should do;

Byron, could not pronounce an opinion on that point. He enjoined, that, in correspondence with Lord Byron, I should avoid all but light and soothing topics. Under these impressions, I left London, determined to follow the advice given me by Dr. Baillie. Whate

includes more. That some of Lord Byron's own relatives were cognisant of facts at this time, and that they took Lady Byron's side, is shown by one of his own chance admissions. In vol. vi. p.394, in a letter on Bowles, he says, speaking of this time, 'All my relations, save one

ussed in our days with a want of ordinary human feeling that is surprising. Let any father

able treatment,-she comes to them, expelled from her husband's house, an object of hatred and aversion to him,

s young wife

o leave him, she writes on the road the much-quoted letter, beginning 'Dear Duck.' This is an exaggerated and unnatural letter, it is true

addressed to Aug

great comfort that you

n, on th

understood than I think. You have been, ever since I knew you, my best comfort

emains to soothe and guide and restrain the moody madman, whose madness takes a form, at times, so repulsive

ntinues her s

unicated to them the opinion that had been formed concerning Lord Byron's state of mind, they were most anxious to promote his restoration by every means in t

dy Byron also adds, in justification of her mother from Lord Byron's slanders, 'She had always treated him with an affectionate consideration and ind

able part of Lady

ded to those doubts which had before transiently occurred to my mind as to the reality of the allege

rst, involve Mrs. Leigh. She still appears to Lady Byron as the devoted, believing sister

his wife were real, he must have lied about his sister in th

the conviction of insanity and the commencing c

on of sound mind, nothing could induce me to return to him. It therefore appeared expedient, both to them and to myself, to consult the ablest advisers. For that object, and also to obtain still further information respecting appearances which indic

eems to be rather a fragment of a letter than a whole one: perhaps it is an extract; in whic

25,

right to be so considered; but I don't think that will make any di

ed in any way, but indicates that the w

to London to make more particular inquiries into his state. This fragment seems part of a letter f

ron now

dings, that the notion of insanity was an illusion, I no longer hesitated to authorize such

ather wrote to him, on the 2nd of Febru

ated the day after this application, an

LLORY, Feb

ever can be my wish to remember unnecessarily [sic] those injuries for which, however deep, I feel no resentment. I will now only recall to Lord Byron's mind his avowed and insurmountable aversion to the married state, and the desire and determination he has expressed ever since its commencement to free himself from that bondage, as fi

s most aff

I. B

be seen that the letter must necessarily be a reserved one. This sufficiently accounts for the guarded character of the language when speaking of the causes of separation. One part of the letter incide

nd determination he has expressed ever since h

hould leave his house on the earliest day possible; and she places the cause of the sep

te to her brother. It is bringing on a crisis whi

s her feel it more than ever essential to make the decision final. I have

. 4,

answer to yours written by his desire, particularly as one which I have received from himself to-day renders it

st affect

I. B

r, or fragments from a letter, selected and united. There is a great want of that clearness and precision which usually characterised Lady Byron'

LLORY, Feb

hich I am most unhappy to cause thus unintentionally. You will be of my opinion hereafter; and at present your bitterest reproach would be forgiven, though Heaven knows you have considered me more th

I.

confidante and friend; that she has denied the charges her brother has made, and referred them to i

sire on the part of the brother, not as yet believed in by the sister. She regards the sister as one, who, though deceive

cate situation, has taken on herself the whole charge of a maniacal brother, although suffering from him language and actions of the most injurious kind. That Mrs. Leigh did not fl

ent of the truth came to Lady

hington's letter to Lady Byron, pub

it being an important part of his policy that all the responsibility and insistence sh

however, says

tion as to render such a measure indispensable. On Lady Noel's representations, I deemed a reconciliation with Lord Byron practicable, and felt most sincerely a wish to aid in effecting it. There was no

ssing a wish to aid in a reconciliation, and Lady Noel not expressing any aver

of her lawyer, in view of a

bruary; viz., fifteen days after the date of the last letter to Mrs. Leigh. It must have been about t

t decided terms his conviction that reconciliation w

own, as I have no doubt, to Sir Ralph and Lady Noel. On receiving this additional information, my opinion was entirely changed. I considered a reconciliation impossibl

had on Lady Byron's mind. By the expressions he uses, we should infer that she ma

, supposing Lady Byron or her friends desirous of one, he declares positively that he cannot, e

ces deeper and stronger than those which presented themselves to the m

s astonished by this declaration from Dr. Lushington, in langu

sunderstood by his friends, when, had she so chosen, this opinion of Dr. Lushi

of her counsel at a time when all the world was on her side, and this decision would have been the decisive blow against her husband? Why, by sealing the lip