Fletcher had brought
B. a large jar of ink, and, not thinking it was full, B. had thrust
his pen down to the very bottom; his anger at finding it come out all
besmeared with ink made him chuck the jar out of the window, when it
knocked down one of the Muses in the garden, and deluged her with ink.
In 1813, when B. was at Salt Hill, he had Cowell over from Eton, and
'pouched' him no less than ten pounds. Cowell has ever since kept one
of the notes. Told me a curious anecdote of Byron's mentioning to him,
as if it had made a great impression on him, their seeing Shelley (as
they thought) walking into a little wood at Lerici, when it was
discovered afterwards that Shelley was at that time in quite another
direction. 'This,' said Byron, in a sort of awe-struck voice, 'was
about ten days before his death.' Cowell's imitation of his look and
manner very striking. Thinks that in Byron's speech to Fletcher, when
he was dying, threatening to appear to him, there was a touch of that
humour and fun which he was accustomed to mix up with everything".
('Memoirs, Journals, etc'., vol. v. pp. 302, 303).]
[Footnote 2: See 'Letters', vol. i. p. 70, and 'note' 1 [Footnote 2 of
Letter 30.]]
* * * * *
224.--To Francis Hodgson.
8, St. James's Street, February 16, 1812.
Dear Hodgson,--I send you a proof. Last week I was very ill and confined
to bed with stone in the kidney, but I am now quite recovered.
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