Lord Byron's Conversations on Religion with Dr Kennedy
While Lord Byron was hesitating, in the Island of Cephalonia, about
proceeding to Greece, an occurrence took place, of which much has
been made. I allude to the acquaintance he formed with a Dr Kennedy,
the publication of whose conversations with him on religion has
attracted some degree of public attention.
This gentleman was originally destined for the Scottish bar, but
afterwards became a student of medicine, and entering the medical
department of the army, happened to be stationed in Cephalonia when
Lord Byron arrived. He appears to have been a man of kind
dispositions, possessed of a better heart than judgment; in all
places wherever his duty bore him he took a lively interest in the
condition of the inhabitants, and was active, both in his official
and private capacity, to improve it. He had a taste for circulating
pious tracts, and zealously co-operated in distributing copies of the
Scriptures.
Firmly settled, himself, in a conviction of the truth of
Christianity, he was eager to make converts to his views of the
doctrines; but whether he was exactly the kind of apostle to achieve
the conversion of Lord Byron may, perhaps, be doubted. His sincerity
and the disinterestedness of his endeavours would secure to him from
his Lordship an indulgent and even patient hearing. But I fear that
without some more effectual calling, the arguments he appears to have
employed were not likely to have made Lord Byron a proselyte. His
Lordship was so constituted in his mind, and by his temperament, that
nothing short of regeneration could have made him a Christian,
according to the gospel of Dr Kennedy.
Lord Byron had but loose feelings in religion--scarcely any. His
sensibility and a slight constitutional leaning towards superstition
and omens showed that the sense of devotion was, however, alive and
awake within him; but with him religion was a sentiment, and the
convictions of the understanding had nothing whatever to do with his
creed. That he was deeply imbued with the essence of natural piety;
that he often felt the power and being of a God thrilling in all his
frame, and glowing in his bosom, I declare my thorough persuasion;
and that he believed in some of the tenets and in the philosophy of
Christianity, as they influence the spirit and conduct of men, I am
as little disposed to doubt; especially if those portions of his
works which only trend towards the subject, and which bear the
impression of fervour and earnestness, may be admitted as evidence.
But he was not a member of any particular church, and, without a
reconstruction of his mind and temperament, I venture to say, he
could not have become such; not in consequence, as too many have
represented, of any predilection, either of feeling or principle,
against Christianity, but entirely owing to an organic peculiarity of
mind. He reasoned on every topic by instinct, rather than by
induction or any process of logic; and could never be so convinced of
the truth or falsehood of an abstract proposition, as to feel it
affect the current of his actions. He may have assented to
arguments, without being sensible of their truth; merely because they
were not objectionable to his feelings at the time. And, in the same
manner, he may have disputed even fair inferences, from admitted
premises, if the state of his feelings happened to be indisposed to
the subject. I am persuaded, nevertheless, that to class him among
absolute infidels were to do injustice to his memory, and that he has
suffered uncharitably in the opinion of "the rigidly righteous," who,
because he had not attached himself to any particular sect or
congregation, assumed that he was an adversary to religion. To claim
for him any credit, as a pious man, would be absurd; but to suppose
he had not as deep an interest as other men "in his soul's health"
and welfare, was to impute to him a nature which cannot exist.
Being, altogether, a creature of impulses, he certainly could not be
ever employed in doxologies, or engaged in the logomachy of
churchmen; but he had the sentiment which at a tamer age might have
made him more ecclesiastical. There was as much truth as joke in the
expression, when he wrote,
I am myself a moderate Presbyterian.
A mind constituted like that of Lord Byron, was little susceptible of
impressions from the arguments of ordinary men. It was necessary
that Truth, in visiting him, should come arrayed in her solemnities,
and with Awe and Reverence for her precursors. Acknowledged
superiority, yea, celebrated wisdom, were indispensable, to bespeak
his sincere attention; and, without disparagement, it may be fairly
said, these were not the attributes of Dr Kennedy. On the contrary,
there was a taint of cant about him--perhaps he only acted like those
who have it--but still he was not exactly the dignitary to command
unaffected deference from the shrewd and irreverent author of Don
Juan. The result verified what ought to have been the anticipation.
The doctor's attempt to quicken Byron to a sense of grace failed; but
his Lordship treated him with politeness. The history of the affair
will, however, be more interesting than any reflections which it is
in my humble power to offer.
Some of Dr Kennedy's acquaintances wished to hear him explain, in "a
logical and demonstrative manner, the evidences and doctrines of
Christianity"; and Lord Byron, hearing of the intended meeting,
desired to be present, and was accordingly invited. He attended; but
was not present at several others which followed; he however
intimated to the doctor, that he would be glad to converse with him,
and the invitation was accepted. "On religion," says the doctor,
"his Lordship was in general a hearer, proposing his difficulties and
objections with more fairness than could have been expected from one
under similar circumstances; and with so much candour, that they
often seemed to be proposed more for the purpose of procuring
information, or satisfactory answers, than from any other motive."
At the first meeting, Dr Kennedy explained, becomingly, his views of
the subject, and that he had read every work against Christianity
which fell in his way. It was this consideration which had induced
him with such confidence to enter upon the discussion, knowing, on
the one hand, the strength of Christianity, and, on the other, the
weakness of its assailants. "To show you, therefore," said the
doctor, "the grounds on which I demand your attention to what I may
say on the nature and evidence of Christianity, I shall mention the
names of some of the authors whose works I have read or consulted."
When he had mentioned all these names, Lord Byron asked if he had
read Barrow's and Stillingfleet's works? The doctor replied, "I have
seen them, but I have not read them."
After a disquisition, chiefly relative to the history of
Christianity, Dr Kennedy observed, "We must, on all occasions, but
more particularly in fair and logical discussions with sceptics, or
Deists, make a distinction between Christianity, as it is found in
the Scriptures, and the errors, abuses, and imperfections of
Christians themselves." To this his Lordship remarked, that he
always had taken care to make that distinction, as he knew enough of
Christianity to feel that it was both necessary and just. The doctor
remarked that the contrary was almost universally the case with those
who doubted or denied the truth of Christianity, and proceeded to
illustrate the statement. He then read a summary of the fundamental
doctrines of Christianity; but he had not proceeded far, when he
observed signs of impatience in Lord Byron, who inquired if these
sentiments accorded with the doctor's? and being answered they did,
and with those of all sound Christians, except in one or two minor
things, his Lordship rejoined, that he did not wish to hear the
opinions of others, whose writings he could read at any time, but
only his own. The doctor then read on till coming to the expression
"grace of God." His Lordship inquired, "What do you mean by grace?"
"The primary and fundamental meaning of the word," replied the
doctor, somewhat surprised at his ignorance (I quote his own
language), "is favour; though it varies according to the context to
express that disposition of God which leads Him to grant a favour,
the action of doing so, or the favour itself, or its effects on those
who receive it." The arrogance of the use of the term ignorance
here, requires no animadversion; but to suppose the greatest master,
then in existence, of the English language, not acquainted with the
meaning of the word, when he asked to be informed of the meaning
attached to it by the individual making use of it, gives us some
insight into the true character of the teacher. The doctor closed
the book, as he perceived that Lord Byron, as he says, had no
distinct conception of many of the words used; and his Lordship
subjoined, "What we want is, to be convinced that the Bible is true;
because if we can believe that, it will follow as a matter of course,
that we must believe all the doctrines it contains."
The reply to this was to the effect, that the observation was partly
just; but though the strongest evidence were produced of the
Scriptures being the revealed will of God, they (his Lordship and
others present) would still remain unbelievers, unless they knew and
comprehended the doctrines contained in the Scriptures. This was not
conclusive, and Lord Byron replied, that they wished him to prove
that the Scriptures were the Word of God, which the doctor, with more
than apostolic simplicity, said that such was his object, but he
should like to know what they deemed the clearest course to follow
with that object in view. After some farther conversation--"No other
plan was proposed by them," says the doctor; and he adds, "they had
violated their engagement to hear me for twelve hours, for which I
had stipulated." This may, perhaps, satisfy the reader as to the
quality of the doctor's understanding; but as the subject, in its
bearing, touches Lord Byron's character, I shall proceed a little
farther into the marrow of the matter.
The inculcation being finished for that evening, Lord Byron said,
that when he was young his mother brought him up strictly; and that
he had access to a great many theological works, and remembered that
he was particularly pleased with Barrow's writings, and that he also
went regularly to church. He declared that he was not an infidel,
who denied the Scriptures and wished to remain in unbelief; on the
contrary, he was desirous to believe, as he experienced no happiness
in having his religious opinions so unsteady and unfixed. But he
could not, he added, understand the Scriptures. "Those people who
conscientiously believe, I always have respected, and was always
disposed to trust in them more than in others." A desultory
conversation then ensued, respecting the language and translations of
the Scriptures; in the course of which his Lordship remarked, that
Scott, in his Commentary on the Bible, did not say that it was the
devil who tempted Eve, nor does the Bible say a word about the devil.
It is only said that the serpent spoke, and that it was the subtlest
of all the beasts of the field.--Will it be said that truth and
reason were served by Dr Kennedy's {319} answer? "As beasts have not
the faculty of speech, the just inference is, that the beast was only
an instrument made use of by some invisible and superior being. The
Scriptures accordingly tell us, that the devil is the father of lies-
-the lie made by the serpent to Eve being the first we have on
record; they call him also a murderer from the beginning, as he was
the cause of the sentence of death which was pronounced against Adam
and all his posterity; and still farther, to remove all doubt, and to
identify him as the agent who used the serpent as an instrument, he
is called the serpent--the devil."
Lord Byron inquired what the doctor thought of the theory of
Warburton, that the Jews had no distinct idea of a future state? The
doctor acknowledged that he had often seen, but had never read The
Divine Legation. And yet, he added, had Warburton read his Bible
with more simplicity and attention, he would have enjoyed a more
solid and honourable fame.
His Lordship then said, that one of the greatest difficulties he had
met with was the existence of so much pure and unmixed evil in the
world, and which he could not reconcile to the idea of a benevolent
Creator. The doctor set aside the question as to the origin of evil;
but granted the extensive existence of evil in the universe; to
remedy which, he said, the Gospel was proclaimed; and after some of
the customary commonplaces, he ascribed much of the existing evil to
the slackness of Christians in spreading the Gospel.
"Is there not," said his Lordship, "some part of the New Testament
where it appears that the disciples were struck with the state of
physical evil, and made inquiries into the cause?"--"There are two
passages," was the reply. The disciples inquired, when they saw a
man who had been born blind, whether it was owing to his own or his
parents' sin?--and, after quoting the other instance, he concludes,
that moral and physical evil in individuals are not always a judgment
or punishment, but are intended to answer certain ends in the
government of the world.
"Is there not," said his Lordship, "a prophecy in the New Testament
which it is alleged has not been fulfilled, although it was declared
that the end of the world would come before the generation then
existing should pass away?"--"The prediction," said Dr Kennedy,
"related to the destruction of Jerusalem, which certainly took place
within the time assigned; though some of the expressions descriptive
of the signs of that remarkable event are of such a nature as to
appear to apply to Christ's coming to judge the world at the end of
time."
His Lordship then asked, if the doctor thought that there had been
fewer wars and persecutions, and less slaughter and misery, in the
world since the introduction of Christianity than before? The doctor
answered this by observing, that since Christianity inculcates peace
and good-will to all men, we must always separate pure religion from
the abuses of which its professors are guilty.
Two other opinions were expressed by his Lordship in the
conversation. The doctor, in speaking of the sovereignty of God, had
alluded to the similitude of the potter and his clay; for his
Lordship said, if he were broken in pieces, he would say to the
potter, "Why do you treat me thus?" The other was an absurdity. It
was--if the whole world were going to hell, he would prefer going
with them than go alone to heaven.
Such was the result of the first council of Cephalonia, if one may
venture the allusion. It is manifest, without saying much for Lord
Byron's ingenuity, that he was fully a match for the doctor, and that
he was not unacquainted with the subject under discussion.
In the next conversation Lord Byron repeated, "I have no wish to
reject Christianity without investigation; on the contrary, I am very
desirous of believing. But I do not see very much the need of a
Saviour, nor the utility of prayer. Devotion is the affection of the
heart, and this I feel. When I view the wonders of creation, I bow
to the Majesty of Heaven; and when I feel the enjoyments of life, I
feel grateful to God for having bestowed them upon me." Upon this
some discussion arose, turning chiefly on the passage in the third
chapter of John, "Unless a man is converted, he cannot enter the
kingdom of Heaven"; which naturally led to an explanatory
interlocutor, concerning new birth, regeneration, etc.; and thence
diverged into the topics which had been the subject of the former
conversation.
Among other things, Lord Byron inquired, "if the doctor really
thought that the devil appeared before God, as is mentioned in the
Book of Job, or is it only an allegorical or poetical mode of
speaking?"--The reply was, "I believe it in the strict and literal
meaning."
"If it be received in a literal sense," said his Lordship, "it gives
me a much higher idea of the majesty, power, and wisdom of God, to
believe that the devils themselves are at His nod, and are subject to
His control, with as much ease as the elements of nature follow the
respective laws which His will has assigned them."
This notion was characteristic, and the poetical feeling in which it
originated, when the doctor attempted to explain the doctrine of the
Manicheans, was still more distinctly developed; for his Lordship
again expressed how much the belief of the real appearance of Satan,
to hear and obey the commands of God, added to his views of the
grandeur and majesty of the Creator.
This second conversation was more desultory than the first; religion
was brought in only incidentally, until his Lordship said, "I do not
reject the doctrines of Christianity; I want only sufficient proofs
of it, to take up the profession in earnest; and I do not believe
myself to be so bad a Christian as many of them who preach against me
with the greatest fury--many of whom I have never seen nor injured."
"You have only to examine the causes which prevent you" (from being a
true believer), said the doctor, "and you will find they are futile,
and only tend to withhold you from the enjoyment of real happiness;
which at present it is impossible you can find."
"What, then, you think me in a very bad way?"
"I certainly think you are," was the reply; "and this I say, not on
my own authority, but on that of the Scriptures.--Your Lordship must
be converted, and must be reformed, before anything can be said of
you, except that you are bad, and in a bad way."
"But," replied his Lordship, "I already believe in predestination,
which I know you believe, and in the depravity of the human heart in
general, and of my own in particular; thus you see there are two
points in which we agree. I shall get at the others by-and-by. You
cannot expect me to become a perfect Christian at once."
And farther his Lordship subjoined:
"Predestination appears to me just; from my own reflection and
experience, I am influenced in a way which is incomprehensible, and
am led to do things which I never intended; and if there is, as we
all admit, a Supreme Ruler of the universe; and if, as you say, he
has the actions of the devils, as well as of his own angels,
completely at his command, then those influences, or those
arrangements of circumstances, which lead us to do things against our
will, or with ill-will, must be also under his directions. But I
have never entered into the depths of the subject; I have contented
myself with believing that there is a predestination of events, and
that predestination depends on the will of God."
Dr Kennedy, in speaking of this second conversation, bears testimony
to the respectfulness of his Lordship's attention. "There was
nothing in his manner which approached to levity, or anything that
indicated a wish to mock at religion; though, on the other hand, an
able dissembler would have done and said all that he did, with such
feelings and intentions."
Subsequent to the second conversation, Dr Kennedy asked a gentleman
who was intimate with Lord Byron, if he really thought his Lordship
serious in his desire to hear religion explained. "Has he exhibited
any contempt or ridicule at what I have said?" This gentleman
assured him that he had never heard Byron allude to the subject in
any way which could induce him to suspect that he was merely amusing
himself. "But, on the contrary, he always names you with respect. I
do not, however, think you have made much impression on him: he is
just the same fellow as before. He says, he does not know what
religion you are of, for you neither adhere to creeds nor councils."
It ought here to be noticed, as showing the general opinion
entertained of his Lordship with respect to these polemical
conversations, that the wits of the garrison made themselves merry
with what was going on. Some of them affected to believe, or did so,
that Lord Byron's wish to hear Dr Kennedy proceeded from a desire to
have an accurate idea of the opinions and manners of the Methodists,
in order that he might make Don Juan become one for a time, and so be
enabled to paint their conduct with greater accuracy.
The third conversation took place soon after this comment had been
made on Lord Byron's conduct. The doctor inquired if his Lordship
had read any of the religious books he had sent. "I have looked,"
replied Byron, "into Boston's Fourfold State, but I have not had time
to read it far: I am afraid it is too deep for me."
Although there was no systematic design, on the part of Lord Byron,
to make Dr Kennedy subservient to any scheme of ridicule; yet it is
evident that he was not so serious as the doctor so meritoriously
desired.
"I have begun," said his Lordship, "very fairly; I have given some of
your tracts to Fletcher (his valet), who is a good sort of man, but
still wants, like myself, some reformation; and I hope he will spread
them among the other servants, who require it still more. Bruno, the
physician, and Gamba, are busy, reading some of the Italian tracts;
and I hope it will have a good effect on them. The former is rather
too decided against it at present; and too much engaged with a spirit
of enthusiasm for his own profession, to attend to other subjects;
but we must have patience, and we shall see what has been the result.
I do not fail to read, from time to time, my Bible, though not,
perhaps, so much as I should."
"Have you begun to pray that you may understand it?"
"Not yet. I have not arrived at that pitch of faith yet; but it may
come by-and-by. You are in too great a hurry."
His Lordship then went to a side-table, on which a great number of
books were ranged; and, taking hold of an octavo, gave it to the
doctor. It was Illustrations of the Moral Government of God, by E.
Smith, M.D., London. "The author," said he, "proves that the
punishment of hell is not eternal; it will have a termination."
"The author," replied the doctor, "is, I suppose, one of the
Socinians; who, in a short time, will try to get rid of every
doctrine in the Bible. How did your Lordship get hold of this book?"
"They sent it out to me from England, to make a convert of me, I
suppose. The arguments are strong, drawn from the Bible itself; and
by showing that a time will come when every intelligent creature
shall be supremely happy, and eternally so, it expunges that shocking
doctrine, that sin and misery will for ever exist under the
government of God, Whose highest attribute is love and goodness. To
my present apprehension, it would be a most desirable thing, could it
be proved that, alternately, all created beings were to be happy.
This would appear to be most consistent with the nature of God.--I
cannot yield to your doctrine of the eternal duration of punishment.-
-This author's opinion is more humane; and, I think, he supports it
very strongly from Scripture."
The fourth conversation was still more desultory, being carried on at
table amid company; in the course of it Lord Byron, however, declared
"that he was so much of a believer as to be of opinion that there is
no contradiction in the Scriptures which cannot be reconciled by an
attentive consideration and comparison of passages."
It is needless to remark that Lord Byron, in the course of these
conversations, was incapable of preserving a consistent seriousness.
The volatility of his humour was constantly leading him into
playfulness, and he never lost an opportunity of making a pun or
saying a quaint thing. "Do you know," said he to the doctor, "I am
nearly reconciled to St Paul; for he says there is no difference
between the Jews and the Greeks, and I am exactly of the same
opinion, for the character of both is equally vile."
Upon the whole it must be conceded, that whatever was the degree of
Lord Byron's dubiety as to points of faith and doctrine, he could not
be accused of gross ignorance, nor described as animated by any
hostile feeling against religion.
In this sketch of these conversations, I have restricted myself
chiefly to those points which related to his Lordship's own
sentiments and belief. It would have been inconsistent with the
concise limits of this work to have detailed the controversies. A
fair summary of what Byron did not believe, what he was disposed to
believe but had not satisfied himself with the evidence, and what he
did believe, seemed to be the task I ought to undertake. The result
confirmed the statement of his Lordship's religious condition, given
in the preliminary remarks which, I ought to mention, were written
before I looked into Dr Kennedy's book; and the statement is not
different from the estimate which the conversations warrant. It is
true that Lord Byron's part in the conversations is not very
characteristic; but the integrity of Dr Kennedy is a sufficient
assurance that they are substantially correct.