ry truly, &c.

"P.S. Make my respects to Mr. Gifford. I am perfectly aware that
'Don Juan' must set us all by the ears, but that is my concern, and
my beginning. There will be the 'Edinburgh,' and all, too, against
it, so that, like 'Rob Roy,' I shall have my hands full."

[Footnote 31: This story, as given in the Preface to the "Vampire," is
as follows:--

"It appears that one evening Lord B., Mr. P.B. Shelley, two ladies, and
the gentleman before alluded to, after having perused a German work
called Phantasmagoria, began relating ghost stories, when his Lordship
having recited the beginning of Christabel, then unpublished, the whole
took so strong a hold of Mr. Shelley's mind, that he suddenly started
up, and ran out of the room. The physician and Lord Byron followed, and
discovered him leaning against a mantel-piece, with cold drops of
perspiration trickling down his face. After having given him something
to refresh him, upon enquiring into the cause of his alarm, they found
that his wild imagination having pictured to him the bosom of one of the
ladies with eyes (which was reported of a lady in the neighbourhood
where he lived), he was obliged to leave the room in order to destroy
the impression."]

* * * * *

LETTER 329. TO MR. MURRAY.

"Venice, May 25. 1819.

"I have received no proofs by the last post, and shall probably
have quitted Venice before the arrival of the next. There wanted a
few stanzas to the termination of Canto first in the last proof;
the next will, I presume, contain them, and the whole or a portion
of Canto second; but it will be idle to wait for further answers
from me, as I have directed that my letters wait for my return
(perhaps in a month, and probably so); therefore do not wait for
further advice from me. You may as well talk to the wind, and
better--for _it_ will at least convey your accents a little further
than they would otherwise have gone; whereas _I_ shall neither
echo nor acquiesce in your 'exquisite reasons.' You may omit the
_note_ of reference to Hobhouse's travels, in Canto second, and you
will put as motto to the whole--

'Difficile est proprie communia dicere.'--HORACE.

"A few days ago I sent you all I know of Polidori's Vampire. He may
do, say, or write, what he pleases, but I wish he would not
attribute to me his own com