tts-Dunton at
The Pines, Putney. The conversation ran chiefly on the Gipsies, [11]
upon whom Mr. Watts-Dunton is one of our best authorities, and the
various translations of The Arabian Nights. Both he and Mr. A. C.
Swinburne have testified to Burton's personal charm and his marvellous
powers. "He was a much valued and loved friend," wrote Mr. Swinburne to
me [12], "and I have of him none but the most delightful recollections."
Mr. Swinburne has kindly allowed me to give in full his magnificent poem
on "The Death of Richard Burton." Dr. Grenfell Baker, whom I interviewed
in London, had much to tell me respecting Sir Richard's last three
years; and he has since very kindly helped me by letter.

The great object of this book is to tell the story of Burton's life, to
delineate as vividly as possible his remarkable character--his magnetic
personality, and to defend him alike from enemy and friend. In writing
it my difficulties have been two. First, Burton himself was woefully
inaccurate as an autobiographer, and we must also add regretfully that
we have occasionally found him colouring history in order to suit his
own ends. [13] He would have put his life to the touch rather than
misrepresent if he thought any man would suffer thereby; but he seems to
have assumed that it did not matter about keeping strictly to the truth
if nobody was likely to be injured. Secondly, Lady Burton, with
haughty indifference to the opinions of everyone else, always exhibited
occurrences in the light in which she herself desired to see them.
This fact and the extreme haste with which her book was written are
sufficient to account for most of its shortcomings. She relied entirely
upon her own imperfect recollections. Church registers and all such
documents were ignored. She begins with the misstatement that Burton was
born at Elstree, she makes scarcely any reference to his most intimate
friends and even spells their names wrongly. [14] Her remarks on the
Kasidah are stultified by the most cursory glance at that poem; while
the whole of her account of the translating of The Arabian Nights is at
variance with Burton's own letters and conversations. I am assured by
several who knew Burton intimately that the untrustworthiness of the
latter part of Lady Burton's "Life" of her husband is owing mainly to
her over-anxiety to shield him from his enemies. But I think she mistook
the situation. I do not believe Burton had any enemies to speak of at
the t