22 — To Hargreaves Hanson

Burgage Manor, April 20, 1805.

Dear

Hargreaves, — Dr. Butler

, our new Master, has thought proper to postpone our Meeting till the 8th of May, which obliges me to delay my return to Town for one week, so that instead of Wednesday the 24th I shall not arrive in London till the 1st of May, on which Day (If I live) I shall certainly be in town, where I hope to have the pleasure of seeing you. I shall remain with you only a week, as we are all to return to the very day, on account of the prolongation of our Holidays. However, if you shall previous to that period take a

jaunt

into Hants, I beg you will leave my

valuables

, etc., etc., in the care of one of the

Gentlemen

of your office, as that

Razor faced Villain

, James, might perhaps take the Liberty of walking off with a suit.

have heard several times from Tattersall

and it is very probable we may see him on my return. I beg you will excuse this short epistle as my time is at present rather taken up, and Believe Me,

Yours very sincerely,

Byron

Footnote 1:

The Rev. George Butler (1774-1853), who was Senior Wrangler (1794), succeeded Dr. Drury as Head-master of Harrow School in April, 1805. He was then Fellow, tutor, and classical lecturer at Sydney Sussex College, Cambridge. From affection to Dr. Drury, Byron supported the candidature of his brother, Mark Drury, and avenged himself on Butler for the defeat of his candidate by the lines on "Pomposus" (see

Poems

, vol. i. pp. 16, 17, "On a Change of Masters," etc.; and pp. 84-106, "Childish Recollections"). At a later period he became reconciled to Butler, who knew the Continent well, was an excellent linguist, and gave him valuable advice for his foreign tour in 1809-11. Butler resigned the Head-mastership of Harrow in April, 1824, and retired to a country living. In 1842 he was appointed to the Deanery of Peterborough, where he died in 1853.]

return to footnote mark

cross-reference: return to Footnote 2 of Letter 67

cross-reference: return to Footnote 2 of Letter 85

Footnote 2:

John Cecil Tattersall entered Harrow in May, 1801. He was the "Davus" of "Childish Recollections" (

Poems

, vol. i. pp. 97, 98, and

notes

). He went from Harrow to Christ Church, Oxford, took orders, and died December 8, 1812.

cross-reference: return to Footnote 3 of Letter 85

List of Letters