[Footnote 13: William Gifford (1756-1826), a self-taught scholar, first
a ploughboy, then boy on board a Brixham coaster, afterwards shoemaker's
apprentice, was sent by friends to Exeter College, Oxford (1779-81). In
the 'Baviad' (1794) and the 'Maeviad' (1795) he attacked many of the
smaller writers of the day, who were either silly, like the Della
Cruscan School, or discreditable, like Williams, who wrote as "Anthony
Pasquin." In his 'Epistle to Peter Pindar' (1800) he laboured to expose
the true character of John Wolcot. As editor of the 'Anti-Jacobin, or
Weekly Examiner' (November, 1797, to July, 1798), he supported the
political views of Canning and his friends. As editor of the 'Quarterly
Review', from its foundation (February, 1809) to his resignation in
September, 1824, he soon rose to literary eminence by his sound sense
and adherence to the best models, though his judgments were sometimes
narrow-minded and warped by political prejudice. His editions of
'Massinger' (1805), which superseded that of Monck Mason and Davies
(1765), of 'Ben Jonson' (1816), of 'Ford' (1827), are valuable. To his
translation of 'Juvenal' (1802) is prefixed his autobiography. His
translation of 'Persius' appeared in 1821. To Gifford, Byron usually
paid the utmost deference. "Any suggestion of yours, even if it were
conveyed," he writes to him, in 1813, "in the less tender text of the
'Baviad', or a Monck Mason note to Massinger, would be obeyed." See also
his letter (September 20, 1821, 'Life', p.531): "I know no praise which
would compensate me in my own mind for his censure." Byron was attracted
to Gifford, partly by his devotion to the classical models of
literature, partly by the outspoken frankness of his literary criticism,
partly also, perhaps, by his physical deformity.]
[Footnote 14: Henry James Pye (1745-1813), M.P. for Berkshire, and
afterwards Police Magistrate for Westminster, held the office of poet
laureate from 1790 till his death in 1813, succeeding Thomas Warton, and
succeeded by Southey. He published 'Farringdon Hill' in 1774, The
'Progress of Refinement' in 1783, and a translation of Burger's 'Lenore'
in 1795. His name recurs in the 'Vision of Judgment', stanza xcii. Lines
97-102 were inserted in the Fifth Edition.]
[Footnote 15: The first edition of the Satire opened with this line; and
Byron's original intention was to prefix the following argument, first
published in 'Recollections', by R. C. Dallas (1824):--
"ARGUMENT.
"The poet considereth times past, and their poesy--makes a sudden
transition to times present--is incensed against book-makers--revileth
Walter Scott for cupidity and ballad-mongering, with notable remarks
on Master Southey--complaineth that Master Southey had inflicted three
poems, epic and otherwise, on the public--inveigheth against William
Wordsworth, but laudeth Mister Coleridge and his elegy on a young
ass--is disposed to vituperate Mr. Lewis--and greatly rebuketh Thomas
Little (the late) and Lord Strangford--recommendeth Mr. Hayley to turn
his attention to prose--and exhorteth the Moravians to glorify Mr.
Grahame--sympathiseth with the Rev. [William Bowles]--and deploreth
the melancholy fate of James Montgomery--breaketh out into invective
against the Edinburgh Reviewers--calleth them hard names, harpies and
the like--apostrophiseth Jeffrey, and prophesieth.--Episode of Jeffrey
and Moore, their jeopardy and deliverance; portents on the morn of the
combat; the Tweed, Tolbooth, Firth of Forth [and Arthur's Seat],
severally shocked; descent of a goddess to save Jeffrey; incorporation
of the bullets with his sinciput and occiput.--Edinburgh Reviews 'en
masse'.--Lord Aberdeen, Herbert, Scott, Hallam, Pillans, Lambe,
Sydney Smith, Brougham, etc.--Lord Holland applauded for dinners and
translations.--The Drama; Skeffington, Hook, Reynolds, Kenney, Cherry,
etc.--Sheridan, Colman, and Cumberland called upon [requested, MS.] to
write.--Return to poesy--scribblers of all sorts--lords sometimes
rhyme; much better not--Hafiz, Rosa Matilda, and X.Y.Z.--Rogers,
Campbell, Gifford, etc. true poets--Translators of the Greek
Anthology--Crabbe--Darwin's style--Cambridge--Seatonian
Prize--Smythe--Hodgson--Oxford--Richards--Poetaloquitur--Conclusion."]
[Footnote 16: Lines 115, 116, were a MS. addition to the printed text of
'British Bards'. An alternative version has been pencilled on the
margin:--
"Otway and Congreve mimic scenes had wove
And Waller tuned his Lyre to mighty Love."]
[Footnote 17: Thomas Little was the name under which Moore's early poems
were published, 'The Poetical Works of the late Thomas Little, Esq.'
(1801). "Twelves" refers to the "duodecimo." Sheets, after printing, are
pressed between cold or hot rollers, to impart smoothness of "surface."
Hot rolling is the more expensive process.]
[Footnote 18: Eccles. chapter i. verse 9.]
[Footnote 19: At first sight Byron appears to refer to the lighting of
streets by gas, especially as the first shop lighted with it was that of
Lardner & Co., at the corner of the Albany (June, 1805), and as lamps
were on view at the premises of the Gas Light and Coke Company in Pall
Mall from 1808 onwards. But it is almost certain that he alludes to the
"sublimating gas" of Dr. Beddoes, which his assistant, Davy, mentions in
his 'Researches' (1800) as nitrous oxide, and which was used by Southey
and Coleridge. The same four "wonders" of medical science are depicted
in Gillray's caricatures, November, 1801, and May and June, 1802, and
are satirized in Christopher Caustic's 'Terrible Tractoration! A
Poetical Petition against Galvanising Trumpery and the Perkinistit
Institution' (in 4 cantos, 1803).
Against vaccination, or cow-pox, a brisk war was still being carried on.
Gillray has a likeness of Jenner vaccinating patients.
Metallic "Tractors" were a remedy much advertised at the beginning of
the century by an American quack, Benjamin Charles Perkins, founder of
the Perkinean Institution in London, as a "cure for all Disorders, Red
Noses, Gouty Toes, Windy Bowels, Broken Legs, Hump Backs."
In Galvanism several experiments, conducted by Professor Aldini, nephew
of Galvani, are described in the 'Morning Post' for Jan. 6th, Feb. 6th,
and Jan. 22nd, 1803. The latter were made on the body of Forster the
murderer.