Corpus of Modern Scottish Writing (CMSW) - www.scottishcorpus.ac.uk/cmsw/ Document : 202 Title: Letter from Murray2 to Byron, 25 Sept 1822 Author(s): Murray, John Albemarle St. Sept. 25th 1822 Dear Lord Byron On my return from paying the last offices to Allegra I found your letter of Aug 27-31 & this day I have received a third dated Sept 10. I did, certainly omit in the published Copies of Cain the lines quoted by your Lordship. I could not venture to give them to the public, and I even hoped that when their omission should be discovered, you would [¿] feel surprise rather than dissatisfaction. I have so often and so publicly acknowledged my obligation for the fame and profit which I have gained by the publication of your writings, that your Lordship cannot imagine that I am not sensible of the heavy sacrifice which I should make in losing so in valuable a friend, and it is this circumstance alone which has rendered my recent (not as you, I think, unjustly term it "shuffling” & "timeserving” which would imply sinister motives, for it is obvious than I have none but a regard to your fame & my own character - but, certainly, I must allow,) indecision - for this there would have, I think, been no occa sion were you still in this country for then you would have been more sensible to those public animadversions which at present fall upon me. If you are so kind so nobly generous to allow me the honour of continuing to be the publisher of such of your writings as are of your former glorious class — I shall feel more than ever gratefulBut, I beg leave to repeat, that no adverse determination of yours can diminish — at any time — my sense of obligation to you, nor of the most sincere personal attachment — and as you have avowed that, when an occasion offered you did not find me mercenary or indesposed to practical gratitude I trust that our mutual feelings will be such as to leave the door open to a speedy renewal of the most delightful con nexion which I ever formed in my life; — but if you should accede to my proposal it will really leave un destroyed, a very considerable portion of my happiness. With regard to my reception of Mr John Hurst whom I was not aware that your Lordship had ever seen, he sent up word that “a Gentleman” wished to deliver into my own hands a letter from Lord Byron, & with instantane ous joy, I went down to receive him — there I found Mr Hurst & a person obviously brought there as a witness — He delivered the letter in the most [¿] & formal man ner to me staring me, fully & closely in the face as if having administered a dose of arsnick he wished to see its minute [ ] — & to all that I civilly & simply replied — with the same assassin look, he ever repeated “are these your words Sir — “is that your answer Sir” — “am I to write these words to Lord Bryon” — in fact if you knew the insulting behaviour of this man you would I am sure excuse me for having directed my confidential Clerk to tell him when he called again that he might be assured that whatever papers Lord Byron directed Mr Murray to send to him would be carefully and, as speedily as possible delivered at his house, but that personal intercourse was not agreeable & would not be necessary. A friend of yours - My heart & soul are & ever have been with any & every friend of yours - After so long an interval it is not very extraordinary that some of the Slips of letters to Pope Blackwood & co should have been mislaid- but this man can make no allowances but conceives that mystery, deceit or fraud, can be the only [¿]- There have now been sent to him [¿] 1. The Blues 2. -[Pulci]. Orig. & [Eng.] 3. -Francesca 4. Hints from Horace 5. Part of letter to Blackwood yet wanting I Armenian Epistles II Lines on the Po (wch Mr Kinnaird has) III remainder of Letter to Blackwood all these, I know I have, & my papers are undergoing diligent investigation to find them - The inclosed notice has been just put into circulation - the association which it unfolds, thus publicly - your friends will view with regret. I have received the very interesting Journal which your Lordship was so good as to send me by your most gentlemanly friend Lord Clair & it is deposited in the Iron Box containing all your other papers, I inclose specimens of two editions of your Lordships Works which I am printing in the most beauti ful manner that modern art can effect - the best proof of my honouring your Writings. I have sent for the Don Juan. I open the letter to say that I called immediately upon Mr Kinnaird - he is in Paris - but I saw that all your Lordships packets had arrived safely. I entreat you to believe that I remain My Lord Yours most sincerely & faithfully John Murray Milord Milord Byron Poste restante Genoa 1822 Mr Murray Lord Byron Sept 25th