"his own antithesis (if I may say so). He 66 was a glorious tyrant, after all. Look "at his public works; compare his face, 66 66 66 66 even on his coins, with those of the other sovereigns of Europe. I blame the man ner of his death: he shewed that he possessed much of the "in consenting to live. Italian character There he lost "himself in his dramatic character, in my "estimation. He was master of his own 66 destiny; of that, at least, his enemies "could not deprive him. He should have 66 gone off the stage like a hero: it was 66 expected of him. "Madame de Staël, as an historian, "should have named him in her Alle 66 magne;' she was wrong in suppressing "his name, and he had a right to be "offended. Not that I mean to justify "his persecutions. These, I cannot help thinking, must have arisen indirectly " from some private enemy. But we shall "She was always aiming to be brilliant "-to produce a sensation, no matter how, 66 when, or where. She wanted to make "all her ideas, like figures in the modern "French school of painting, prominent "and shewy,-standing out of the can vass, each in a light of its own. She was "vain; but who had an excuse for vanity "if she had not? I can easily conceive "her not wishing to change her name, or ' acknowledge that of Rocca. I liked 66 66 Rocca; he was a gentleman and a cle ver man; no one said better things, or "with a better grace. The remark about "the Meillerie road that I quoted in the Notes of Childe Harold,' • La route "vaut mieux que les souvenirs,' was the "observation of a thorough Frenchman." "Here is a letter I have had to-day," said he. "The writer is a stranger to 66 me, and pleads great distress. He says "he has been an officer in the East India 66 66 service, and makes out a long list of grievances, against the Company and a "Mr. S. He charges the Government 66 with sending him home without a trial, " and breaking him without a Court-mar 66 66 tial; and complains that a travelling gentleman, after having engaged him as " an interpreter to accompany him to Per 66 66 66 sia, and put him to great expense in preparations for the journey, has all at once changed his mind, and refused to remunerate him for his lost time, or pay him any of the annual stipend he had fixed to give him. His name seems You have been at Bombay, "to be "-do you know him?” "No," answered I; "but I know his story. He was thought to have been hardly used. As to the other part of his complaint, I know nothing." "He asks me for 501. I shall send it "him by to-morrow's post: there is no "courier to-day.” "Who would not wish to have been "born two or three centuries later ?" said he, putting into my hand an Italian letter. "Here is a savant of Bologna, "who pretends to have discovered the 66 manner of directing balloons by means "of a rudder, and tells me that he is ready 66 to explain the nature of his invention "to our Government. I suppose we shall soon travel by air-vessels; make air in"stead of sea-voyages; and at length find 66 our way to the moon, in spite of the "want of atmosphere." * 66 "Cœlum ipsum petimus stultitiâ,” said I. "There is not so much folly as you may suppose, and a vast deal of poetry, "in the idea,” replied Lord Byron. “Where 66 shall we set bounds to the power of 66 Steam-engines will convey him to the moon." Don Juan, Canto X. Stanza 2. |