309—to John Murray

July 1st, 1813.

Dear Sir

,—

There

is an error in my dedication

1

. The word "

my

" must be struck out—"my" admiration, etc.; it is a false construction and disagrees with the signature. I hope this will arrive in time to prevent a

cancel

and serve for a proof; recollect it is only the "my" to be erased throughout.

There

is a critique in the

Satirist

2

, which I have read,—fairly written, and, though

vituperative

, very fair in judgment. One part belongs to you,

viz

., the 4

s

. and 6

d

charge; it is unconscionable, but you have no conscience.

Yours truly,

B.

Footnote 1:

  The dedication was originally printed thus:

"To Samuel Rogers, Esq., as a slight but most sincere token of my admiration of his genius."

Footnote 2:

The Satirist

for July 1, 1813 (pp. 70-88), reviews the

Giaour

at length. It condemns it for its fragmentary character and consequent obscurity, its carelessness and defects of style; but it also admits that the poem "abounds with proofs of genius:"

"A word in conclusion. The noble lord appears to have an aristocratical solicitude to be read only by the opulent. Four shillings and sixpence for forty-one octavo pages of poetry! and those pages verily happily answering to Mr. Sheridan's image of a rivulet of text flowing through a meadow of margin. My good Lord Byron, while you are revelling in all the sensual and intellectual luxury which the successful sale of Newstead Abbey has procured for you, you little think of the privations to which you have subjected us unfortunate Reviewers, ... in order to enable us to purchase your lordship's expensive publication."

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