24 — To the Hon. Augusta Byron

[The Earl of Carlisle's, Grosvenor Place, London.]

Burgage Manor, Southwell, Friday, April 25th, 1805.

My dearest Augusta, — Thank God, I believe I shall be in town on Wednesday next, and at last relieved from those

agreeable amusements

, I described to you in my last. I return you and Lady G. many thanks for your

benediction

, nor do I doubt its efficacy as it is bestowed by

two such Angelic beings

; but as I am afraid my

profane blessing

would but expedite your road to

Purgatory

, instead of

Salvation

, you must be content with my best wishes in return, since the

unhallowed adjurations

of a mere mortal would be of no effect.

You

say, you are sick of the Installation

; and that L'd C. was not present; I however saw his name in the

Morning Post

, as one of the Knights Companions. I indeed expected that

you

would have been present at the Ceremony.

I

have seen this young Roscius

several times at the hazard of my life, from the

affectionate squeezes

of the surrounding crowd. I think him tolerable in some characters, but by no means equal to the ridiculous praises showered upon him by

John Bull

I

am afraid that my stay in town ceases after the 10th. I should not continue it so long, as we meet on the 8th at Harrow, But, I remain on purpose to hear our

Sapient

and

noble Legislators

of Both Houses debate on the Catholic Question

, as I have no doubt there will be many

nonsensical

, and some

Clever

things said on the occasion. I am extremely glad that you

sport

an audience Chamber for the Benefit of your

modest

visitors, amongst whom I have the

honour

to reckon myself: I shall certainly be most happy again to see you, notwithstanding my

wise

and

Good

mother (who is at this minute thundering against Somebody or other below in the Dining Room), has interdicted my visiting at his

Lordship's

house, with the threat of her malediction, in case of disobedience, as she says he has behaved very ill to her; the truth of this I much doubt, nor should the orders of all the mothers (especially such mothers) in the world, prevent me from seeing my Beloved Sister after so long an Absence. I beg you will forgive this

well written epistle

, for I write in a great Hurry, and, believe me, with the greatest impatience again to behold you, your

Attached Brother and [Friend,

Byron

P.S. — By the bye Lady G. ought not to complain of your writing a

decent

long letter to me, since I remember your

11 Pages

to her, at which I did not make the least complaint, but submitted like a

meek Lamb

to the innovation of my privileges, for nobody

ought

to have had so long an epistle but my

most excellent Self

Footnote 1:

On St. George's Day, April 23, 1805, seven Knights were installed at Windsor as Knights of the Garter, each in turn being invested with the surcoat, girdle, and sword. The new Knights were the Dukes of Rutland and Beaufort; the Marquis of Abercorn; the Earls of Chesterfield, Pembroke, and Winchilsea; and, by proxy, the Earl of Hardwicke.

Lady Louisa Strangways, writing to her sister, Lady Harriet Frampton, on April 24, 1805 (

Journal of Mary Frampton

, p. 129), says,

"I was full dressed for seventeen hours yesterday, and sat in one spot for seven, which is enough to tire any one who enjoyed what was going on, which I did not. I saw them walk to St. George's Chapel, which was the best part, as it did not last long ... Their dresses were very magnificent. The Knights, before they were installed, were in white and silver, like the old pictures of Henry VIII., and afterwards they had a purple mantle put on. They had immense plumes of ostrich feathers, with a heron's feather in the middle."

return to footnote mark

Footnote 2:

William Henry West Betty (1791-1874), the "Young Roscius," made his first appearance on the stage at Belfast, in 1803, in the part of "Osman," in Hill's

Zara;

and on December 1, 1804, at Covent Garden, as "Selim" disguised as "Achmet," in Browne's

Barbarossa

. In the winter season of 1804-5, when he appeared at Covent Garden and Drury Lane, such crowds collected to see him, that the military were called out to preserve order. Leslie (

Autobiographical Recollections

, vol. i p. 218) speaks of him as a boy "of handsome features and graceful manners, with a charming voice." Fox, who saw him in

Hamlet

, said, "This is finer than Garrick" (

Table-Talk of Samuel Rogers

, p. 88). Northcote (

Conversations

, p. 23) spoke of his acting as "a beautiful effusion of natural sensibility; and then that graceful play of the limbs in youth gave such an advantage over every one about him."

"Young Roscius's premature powers," writes Mrs. Piozzi, February 21, 1805, "attract universal attention, and I suppose that if less than an angel had told his parents that a bulletin of that child's health should be necessary to quiet the anxiety of a metropolis for his safety, they would not have believed the prediction"

Life and Writings of Mrs. Piozzi

, vol. ii. p. 263). In society he was the universal topic of conversation, and he commanded a salary of £50 a night, at a time when John Kemble was paid £37 16

s

. a week (

Life of Frederick Reynolds

, vol. ii. p. 364).

"When," writes Mrs. Byron of her son to Hanson (December 8, 1804), "he goes to see the Young Roscius, I hope he will take care of himself in the crowd, and not go alone."

Betty lost his attractiveness with the growth of his beard. Byron's opinion of the merits of the youthful prodigy became that of the general public; but not till the actor had made a large fortune. He retired from the stage in 1824.

Footnote 3:

On March 25, 1805, petitions were presented by Lord Grenville in the House of Lords, and Fox in the House of Commons, calling the attention of the country to the claims of the Roman Catholics, and praying their relief from their disabilities, civil, naval, and military. On Friday, May 10, Lord Grenville moved, in the Upper House, for a committee of the whole House to consider the petition. At six o'clock on the morning of Tuesday, May 14, the motion was negatived by a division of 178 against 49. On Monday, May 13, Fox, in the Lower House, made a similar motion, which was negatived, at five o'clock on the morning of Wednesday, May 15, by a division of 336 against 126. Byron, on April 21, 1812, in the second of his three Parliamentary speeches, supported the relief of the Roman Catholics.

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