"Ravenna, February 19. 1820.
"I have room for you in the house here, as I had in Venice, if you
think fit to make use of it; but do not expect to find the same
gorgeous suite of tapestried halls. Neither dangers nor tropical
heats have ever prevented your penetrating wherever you had a mind
to it, and why should the snow now?--Italian snow--fie on it!--so
pray come. Tita's heart yearns for you, and mayhap for your silver
broad pieces; and your playfellow, the monkey, is alone and
inconsolable.
"I forget whether you admire or tolerate red hair, so that I rather
dread showing you all that I have about me and around me in this
city. Come, nevertheless,--you can pay Dante a morning visit, and I
will undertake that Theodore and Honoria will be most happy to see
you in the forest hard by. We Goths, also, of Ravenna, hope you
will not despise our arch-Goth, Theodoric. I must leave it to these
worthies to entertain you all the fore part of the day, seeing that
I have none at all myself--the lark that rouses me from my
slumbers, being an afternoon bird. But, then, all your evenings,
and as much as you can give me of your nights, will be mine. Ay!
and you will find me eating flesh, too, like yourself or any other
cannibal, except it be upon Fridays. Then, there are more Cantos
(and be d----d to them) of what the courteous reader, Mr. S----,
calls Grub Street, in my drawer, which I have a little scheme to
commit to your charge for England; only I must first cut up (or cut
down) two aforesaid Cantos into three, because I am grown base and
mercenary, and it is an ill precedent to let my Mecænas, Murray,
get too much for his money. I am busy, also, with
Pulci--translating--servilely translating, stanza for stanza, and
line for line--two octaves every night,--the same allowance as at
Venice.
"Would you call at your banker's at Bologna, and ask him for some
letters lying there for me, and burn them?--or I will--so do not
burn them, but bring them,--and believe me ever and very
affectionately Yours,
"BYRON.
"P.S. I have a particular wish to hear from yourself something
about Cyprus, so pray recollect all that you can.--Good night."
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