i68

the world will commonly restrain himself withinsome hounds after he has overstepped the nar-rower limits of religious restraint! For who canventure to call Lord Byron either one or theother after reading the unrestrained disclosureshe is said, in his published Conversations, tohave made, «without any injunctions to se-crecy.” Who could have imagined that thesame man who had observed upon the offensive-ness of the expression of another’s irreligiousprinciples, should ever be capable of offendingthe world with such awfully fearless impiety asis contained in the latter Cantos of Don Juan ,and boldly advanced in Cain ? Who can read,in his own handwriting, the opinion that asublime and well intentioned anticipation ofthe Last Judgment is too daring, and puts himin mind of the line —

«And fools rush in where Angels fear totread

and conceive that the same hand wrote his Vi-sion of Judgment ?

Yet such a change did take place, as anyone may be convinced of, who will take the