The Love Affairs of Lord Byron

CONTENTS


CHAPTER PAGE

I. ANCESTORS, PARENTS, AND HEREDITARY INFLUENCES 1

II. CHILDHOOD AND SCHOOLDAYS AT ABERDEEN, DULWICH, AND HARROW 10

III. A SCHOOLBOY'S LOVE AFFAIRS--MARY DUFF, MARGARET PARKER,
AND MARY CHAWORTH 23

IV. LIFE AT CAMBRIDGE AND FLIRTATIONS AT SOUTHWELL 35

V. REVELRY AT NEWSTEAD--"ENGLISH BARDS AND SCOTCH REVIEWERS" 50

VI. THE GRAND TOUR--FLIRTATIONS IN SPAIN 63

VII. FLORENCE SPENCER SMITH 75

VIII. THE MAID OF ATHENS--MRS. WERRY--MRS. PEDLEY--THE SWIMMING
OF THE HELLESPONT 87

IX. RETURN TO ENGLAND--PUBLICATION OF "CHILDE HAROLD" 101

X. THE SECRET ORCHARD 114

XI. LADY CAROLINE LAMB 127

XII. THE QUARREL WITH LADY CAROLINE--HER CHARACTER AND
SUBSEQUENT CAREER 138

XIII. LADY OXFORD--BYRON'S INTENTION OF GOING ABROAD WITH HER 148

XIV. AN EMOTIONAL CRISIS--THOUGHTS OF MARRIAGE, OF FOREIGN
TRAVEL, AND OF MARY CHAWORTH 158

XV. RENEWAL AND INTERRUPTION OF RELATIONS WITH MARY CHAWORTH 170

XVI. MARRIAGE 182

XVII. INCOMPATIBILITY OF TEMPER 194

XVIII. LADY BYRON'S DEMAND FOR A SEPARATION--RUMOURS THAT
"GROSS CHARGES" MIGHT BE BROUGHT, INVOLVING MRS. LEIGH 208

XIX. "GROSS CHARGES" DISAVOWED BY LADY BYRON--SEPARATION
AGREED TO 221

XX. REVIVAL OF THE BYRON SCANDAL BY MRS. BEECHER STOWE AND
THE LATE LORD LOVELACE 231

XXI. INHERENT IMPROBABILITY OF THE CHARGES AGAINST AUGUSTA
LEIGH--THE ALLEGATION THAT SHE "CONFESSED"--THE PROOF THAT SHE
DID NOTHING OF THE KIND 240

XXII. BYRON'S DEPARTURE FOR THE CONTINENT--HIS ACQUAINTANCE
WITH JANE CLAIRMONT 253

XXIII. LIFE AT GENEVA--THE AFFAIR WITH JANE CLAIRMONT 264

XXIV. FROM GENEVA TO VENICE--THE AFFAIR WITH THE DRAPER'S WIFE 277

XXV. AT VENICE--THE AFFAIR WITH THE BAKER'S WIFE--DISSOLUTE
PROCEEDINGS IN THE MOCENIGO PALACE--ILLNESS, RECOVERY AND
REFORMATION 287

XXVI. IN THE VENETIAN SALONS--INTRODUCTION TO COUNTESS GUICCIOLI 300

XXVII. BYRON'S RELATIONS WITH THE COUNTESS GUICCIOLI AND HER
HUSBAND AT RAVENNA 312

XXVIII. REVOLUTIONARY ACTIVITIES--REMOVAL FROM RAVENNA TO PISA 324

XXIX. THE TRIVIAL ROUND AT PISA 336

XXX. FROM PISA TO GENOA 345

XXXI. DEPARTURE FOR GREECE 356

XXXII. DEATH IN A GREAT CAUSE 369

APPENDIX 375

INDEX 377




LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS


LORD BYRON _Frontispiece_

THE MAID OF ATHENS _To face page_ 88

LADY CAROLINE LAMB " 128

MARY CHAWORTH " 174

LADY BYRON " 222

COUNTESS GUICCIOLI " 302




CHAPTER I

ANCESTORS, PARENTS, AND HEREDITARY INFLUENCES


The Byrons came over with the Conqueror, helped him to conquer, and were
rewarded with a grant of landed estates in Lancashire. Hundreds of years
elapsed before they distinguished themselves either for good or evil, or
emerged from the ruck of the landed gentry. There were Byrons at Crecy,
and at the siege of Calais; and there probably were Byrons among the
Crusaders. There is even a legend of a Byron Crusader rescuing a Christian
maiden from the Saracens; but neither the maiden nor the Crusader can be
identified.