"Ravenna, Sept. '23. 1820.
"Get from Mr. Hobhouse, and send me a proof (with the Latin) of my
Hints from Horace; it has now the _nonum prematur in annum_
complete for its production, being written at Athens in 1811. I
have a notion that, with some omissions of names and passages, it
will do; and I could put my late observations _for_ Pope amongst
the notes, with the date of 1820, and so on. As far as
versification goes, it is good; and, on looking back to what I
wrote about that period, I am astonished to see how _little_ I have
trained on. I wrote better then than now; but that comes of my
having fallen into the atrocious bad taste of the times. If I can
trim it for present publication, what with the other things you
have of mine, you will have a volume or two of _variety_ at least,
for there will be all measures, styles, and topics, whether good or
no. I am anxious to hear what Gifford thinks of the tragedy: pray
let me know. I really do not know what to think myself.
"If the Germans pass the Po, they will be treated to a mass out of
the Cardinal de Retz's _Breviary_. * *'s a fool, and could not
understand this: Frere will. It is as pretty a conceit as you would
wish to see on a summer's day.
"Nobody here believes a word of the evidence against the Queen. The
very mob cry shame against their countrymen, and say, that for half
the money spent upon the trial, any testimony whatever may be
brought out of Italy. This you may rely upon as fact. I told you as
much before. As to what travellers report, what _are travellers_?
Now I have _lived_ among the Italians--not _Florenced_, and
_Romed_, and galleried, and conversationed it for a few months, and
then home again; but been of their families, and friendships, and
feuds, and loves, and councils, and correspondence, in a part of
Italy least known to foreigners,--and have been amongst them of all
classes, from the Conte to the Contadine; and you may be sure of
what I say to you.
"Yours," &c.
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