5 i

Mr. Bowles Indirectly makes a kind of appeal tome personally, by saying, «Lord Byron , if heremembers the circumstance, will witness ” —(witness nr italics, an ominous character for atestimony at present.)

I shall not avail myself of a «non mi ricordo”even after so long a residence in Italy ; — I do«remember the circumstance,” — and have noreluctance to relate it (since called upon so todo) as correctly as the distance of time and theimpression of intervening events will permit me.In the year 1812, more than three years after thepublication of « English Bards and Scotch Re-viewers,” I had the honour of meeting Mr.Bowles in the house of our venerable host of«Humau Life, etc.” the last Argonaut of classicEnglish poetry, and the Nestor of our inferiorrace of living poets. Mr. Bowles calls this (( soonafter” the publication; but to me three yearsappear a considerable segment of the immor-tality of a modern poem. I recollect nothingof « the rest of the company going into anotherroom” — nor, though I well remember the to*