To this circumstance, which I immediately
communicated to him, Lord Byron alludes in this letter. In my hero (to
whom I had even given the name of 'Zelim,' and who was a descendant of
Ali, outlawed, with all his followers, by the reigning Caliph) it was
my intention to shadow out, as I did afterwards in another form, the
national cause of Ireland. To quote the words of my letter to Lord
Byron on the subject: 'I chose this story because one writes best
about what one feels most, and I thought the parallel with Ireland
would enable me to infuse some vigour into my hero's character. But to
aim at vigour and strong feeling after 'you' is hopeless;--that region
"was made for Caesar."'"
(Moore).]
[Footnote 2: 'Macbeth', act i. sc. 7.]
[Footnote 3: 'De la Litterature du Midi de l'Europe', ed. 1813, tom. ii.
p. 436.]
[Footnote 4: Grimm ('Correspondance Litteraire', ed. 1813, part iii. tom
ii. p. 126) says of Mlle. de Sommery, who died of apoplexy in 1790,
"Que de gens ont la reputation d'etre mechans, avec lesquels on serait
trop heureux de passer sa vie."
The 'Biographie Universelle' says of her,
"Elle avait du talent pour ecrire; mais elle ne l'exerca que fort tard
.... Le premier livre qu'elle publia, n'etant plus tres jeune, fut un
recueil de pensees detachees, dedie aux manes de Saurin, qu'elle
intitula 'Doutes sur differentes Opinions recues dans la Societe'. Ce
recueil eut un veritable succes.
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