" of number; and my spirits, good or bad, must "serve for the machinery. If that be not an 66 epic, if it be not strictly according to Aristo ❝tle, I don't know what an epic poem means." "Murray," said he, "pretends to have "lost money by my writings, and pleads poverty: but if he is poor, which is somewhat 66 66 problematical to me, pray who is to blame? "The fault is in his having purchased, at the "instance of his great friends, during the last 66 year, so many expensive Voyages and Tra"vels, which all his influence with The 66 66 6 Quarterly' cannot persuade people to buy, cannot puff into popularity. The Cookery"book (which he has got a law-suit about) has "been for a long time his sheet-anchor; but * "Death to his publisher-to him 'tis sport." Don Juan, Canto V. Stanza 52. "they say he will have to re-fund the worst " of funds. Mr. Murray is tender of my fame! 66 "How kind in him! He is afraid of my "writing too fast. Why? because he has 66 a tenderer regard for his own pocket, and "does not like the look of any new acquaint"ance, in the shape of a book of mine, till he "has seen his old friends in a variety of 66 * new faces; id est, disposed of a vast many 罪 "editions of the former works. I don't know "what would become of me without Douglas "Kinnaird, who has always been my best (and "kindest friend. It is not easy to deal with "Mr. Murray eff gait up of bott" 66 + Murray offered me, of his own accord, "1000l. a Canto for 'Don Juan,' and after "wards reduced it to 500l. on the plea of 66 piracy; and complained of my dividing one "Canto into two, because I happened to say 66 something at the end of the Third about 66 having done so. It is true enough that.' Don "Juan' has been pirated; but whom has he "to thank but himself? In the first place, "he put too high a price on the copies of the "two first Cantos that came out, only printing "a quarto edition, at, I think, a guinea and "a half. There was a great demand for it, "and this induced the knavish booksellers to "buccaneers If he had put John Murray on "the title-page, like a man, instead of smug"gling the brat into the world, and getting Davison, who is a printer and not a publisher, to father it, who would have ven"tured to question his paternal rights? or "who would have attempted to deprive him " of them? "The thing was plainly this: he disowned "and refused to acknowledge the bantling; "the natural consequence was, that others “should come forward to adopt it. Mr. John 66 66 Murray is the most nervous of God's book"sellers. When Don Juan' first came out, he "was so frightened that he made a precipitate "retreat into the country, shut himself up, and "would not open his letters. The fact is, he prints for too many Bishops. He is always "boring me with piratical edition after edition, "to prove the amount of his own losses, and "furnish proof of the extent of his own folly. "Here is one at two-and-sixpence that came "only yesterday. I do not pity him. Because "I gave him one of my poems, he wanted to "make me believe that I had made him a pre"sent of two others, and hinted at some lines "in English Bards' that were certainly to the 66 66 66 6 point. But I have altered my mind consi derably upon that subject: as I once hinted to him, I see no reason why a man should "not profit by the sweat of his brain, as well 66 as that of his brow, &c.; besides, I was poor "at that time, and have no idea of aggran 66 dizing booksellers. I was in Switzerland "when he made this modest request, and he 66 always entertained a spite against Shelley "for making the agreement, and fixing the 66 price, which I believe was not dear. For "the Third Canto of Childe Harold,' Man"fred," and "The Prisoner of Chillon,' &c. "I got 2400%. Depend on it, he did not "lose money he was not ruined by that speculation.. 66 66 "Murray has long prevented The Quarterly from abusing me. Some of its bullies "have had their fingers itching to be at me; "but they would get the worst of it in a set-to." (Here he put himself in a boxing attitude.) "I 66 66 perceive, however, that we shall have some sparring ere long. I don't wish to quarrel "with Murray, but it seems inevitable. I "had no reason to be pleased with him the "other day. Galignani wrote to me, offer 66 ing to purchase the copyright of my works, "in order to obtain an exclusive privilege |