Harness
favoured me, in placing at my disposal those of his noble
correspondent, will explain the circumstances that led, at this time,
to their reconcilement; and the candid tribute, in the concluding
sentences, to Lord Byron, will be found not less honourable to the
reverend writer himself than to his friend.
"A coolness afterwards arose, which Byron alludes to in the first of
the accompanying letters, and we never spoke during the last year of
his remaining at school, nor till after the publication of his 'Hours
of Idleness.' Lord Byron was then at Cambridge; I, in one of the upper
forms, at Harrow. In an English theme I happened to quote from the
volume, and mention it with praise. It was reported to Byron that I
had, on the contrary, spoken slightingly of his work and of himself,
for the purpose of conciliating the favour of Dr. Butler, the master,
who had been severely satirised in one of the poems. Wingfield, who
was afterwards Lord Powerscourt, a mutual friend of Byron and myself,
disabused him of the error into which he had been led, and this was
the occasion of the first letter of the collection. Our conversation
was renewed and continued from that time till his going abroad.
Whatever faults Lord Byron might have had towards others, to myself he
was always uniformly affectionate. I have many slights and neglects
towards him to reproach myself with; but I cannot call to mind a
single instance of caprice or unkindness, in the whole course of our
intimacy, to allege against him.
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