"of a most unwarrantable nature, as my "friends consulted whether they should 66 66 66 66 66 66 acquaint me with the purport of them. What they precisely were I never knew, or should certainly have made him re tract them. I met him afterwards at Coppet, but was not at that time ac quainted with this circumstance. He "took on himself the advocate also, in 66 66 66 writing to Madame de Staël, and advis ing her not to meddle in the quarrel between Lady Byron and myself. This was not kind; it was a gratuitous and "unfeed act of hostility. But there was "another reason that influenced me even 66 more than my cooled resentment against "Jeffrey, to suppress English Bards and In the duel-scene I "had unconsciously made part of the ridi "cule fall on Moore. The fact was, that "there was no imputation on the courage " of either of the principals. One of the "balls fell out in the carriage, and was lost; and the seconds, not having a further supply, drew the remaining one. 66 Shortly after this publication I went "abroad: and Moore was so offended by "the mention of the leadless pistols, that "he addressed a letter to me in the na"ture of a challenge, delivering it to the 66 66 care of Mr. Hanson, but without acquainting him with the contents. This letter was mislaid,- at least never for"warded to me. "But, on my return to England in 1812, "an enquiry was made by Moore if I had "received such a letter? adding, that par"ticular circumstances (meaning his mar riage, or perhaps the suppression of the "satire) had now altered his situation, and 66 that he wished to recall the letter, and "to be known to me through Rogers. I 66 66 66 was shy of this mode of arranging mat ters, one hand presenting a pistol, and another held out to shake; and felt awk"ward at the loss of a letter of such a na 66 66 ture, and the imputation it might have given rise to. But when, after a consi"derable search, it was at length found, I "returned it to Moore with the seal un 66 broken; and we have since been the "best friends in the world. I correspond 66 with no one so regularly as with Moore. "It is remarkable that I should at this moment number among my most intimate friends and correspondents those whom “I most made the subjects of satire in 66 6 'English Bards.' I never retracted my opinions of their works,-I never sought "their acquaintance; but there are men "who can forgive and forget. The Laureate is not one of that disposition, and "exults over the anticipated death-bed repentance of the objects of his hatred. Finding that his denunciations or panegyrics are of little or no avail here, he in 66 66 66 dulges himself in a pleasant vision as to "what will be their fate hereafter. The "third Heaven is hardly good enough for 66 66 a king, and Dante's worst birth in the "Inferno' hardly bad enough for me. 'My kindness to his brother-in-law might "have taught him to be more charitable. "I said in a Note to The Two Foscari,' " in answer to his vain boasting, that I had "done more real good in one year than "Mr. Southey in the whole course of his 66 shifting and turn-coat existence, on "which he seems to reflect with so much 66 66 complacency. I did not mean to pride myself on the act to which I have just "referred, and should not mention it to 66 you, but that his self-sufficiency calls "for the explanation. When Coleridge "was in great distress, I borrowed 100. " to give him." 66 Some days after this discussion appeared Mr. Southey's reply to the Note in question. I happened to see 'The Literary Gazette' at Mr. Edgeworth's, and mentioned the general purport of the letter to Lord Byron during our evening ride. His anxiety to get a sight of it was so great, that he wrote me two notes in the course of the evening, entreating me to procure the paper. I at length succeeded, and |