Long life to the grape! and when summer is flown, The age of our nectar shall gladden our own. forgiven! And Hebe shall never be idle in Heaven. Dining with him another day, the subject of private theatricals was introduced. "I am very fond of a private theatre," said he. "I remember myself and some "friends at Cambridge getting up a play; " and that reminds me of a thing which happened, that was very provoking in itself, 66 but very humorous in its 66 66 consequence. "On the day of representation, one of the performers took it into his head to make "an excuse, and his part was obliged to be read. Hobhouse came forward to apolo gize to the audience, and told them that had declined to perform his "a Mr. 66 66 part, &c. The gentleman was highly in dignant at the 'u,' and had a great in"clination to pick a quarrel with Scrope "Davies, who replied, that he supposed wanted to be called the Mr. so "Mr. and so. He ever after went by the name "of the Definite Article." "After this preface, to be less indefinite, suppose we were to get up a play. My "hall, which is the largest in Tuscany, "would make a capital theatre; and we 66 may send to Florence for an audience, if 66 we cannot fill it here. And as to deco "rations, nothing is easier in any part of 66 Italy than to get them: besides that, Wil"liams will assist us.' It was accordingly agreed that we should commence with "Othello." Lord Byron was to be Iago. Orders were to be given for the fitting up of the stage, preparing the dresses, &c., and rehearsals of a few scenes took place. Perhaps Lord Byron would have made the finest actor in the world. His voice had a flexibility, a variety in its tones, a power and pathos beyond any I ever heard; and his countenance was capable of expressing the tenderest, as well as the strongest emotions. I shall never forget his reading Iago's part in the handkerchief-scene. "Shakspeare was right," said he, after he had finished," in making Othello's jealousy 66 turn upon that circumstance.* The hand "kerchief is the strongest proof of love, not 66 only among the Moors, but all Eastern "nations: and yet they say that the plot of “Marino Faliero' hangs upon too slight a All at once a difficulty arose about a Desdemona, and the Guiccioli put her Veto on our theatricals. The influence of the Countess over Lord Byron reminded *Calderon says, in the Cisma de l'Inglaterra, (I have not the original,) "She gave me, too, a handkerchief—a spell A flattering pledge, my hopes to animate An astrologic favour-fatal prize, That told too true what tears must weep these eyes!" me of a remark of Fletcher's, that Shelley once repeated to me as having overheard: "That it was strange every woman should be able to manage his Lordship, but her Ladyship!" Discussing the different actors of the day, he said: "Dowton, who hated Kean, used to say "that his Othello reminded him of Obi, or "Three-fingered Jack,-not Othello. But, "whatever his Othello might have been, "Garrick himself never surpassed him in 66 66 Iago. I am told that Kean is not so great a favourite with the public since his return "from America, and that party strengthened 66 against him in his absence. I guess he "could not have staid long enough to be |