Leigh Hunt, one of Keats’ warmest friends, when in Italy, told Lord Byron (as he relates in his Autobiography) the real state of the case, proving to him that the supposition of Keats’ death being the result of the review was a mistake, and therefore, if printed, would be a misrepresentation.  But the stroke of wit was not to be given up.  Either Mr. Gifford, or “the poet-priest Milman,” has generally, but erroneously, been blamed for being the author of the review in the Quarterly, which, as is now well known, was written by Mr. Croker.]

The same number of Blackwood contained a short article about Hazlitt—­elsewhere styled “pimpled Hazlitt.”  It was very short, and entitled “Hazlitt cross-questioned.”  Hazlitt considered the article full of abuse, and commenced an action for libel against the proprietors of the magazine.  Upon this Blackwood sent Hazlitt’s threatening letter to Murray, with his remarks: 

Mr. Blackwood to John Murray.

September 22, 1818.

“I suppose this fellow merely means to make a little bluster, and try if he can pick up a little money.  There is nothing whatever actionable in the paper....  The article on Hazlitt, which will commence next number, will be a most powerful one, and this business will not deprive it of any of its edge.”

September 25, 1818.

“What are people saying about that fellow Hazlitt attempting to prosecute?  There was a rascally paragraph in the Times of Friday last mentioning the prosecution, and saying the magazine was a work filled with private slander.  My friends laugh at the idea of his prosecution.”

Mr. Murray, however, became increasingly dissatisfied with this state of things; he never sympathised with the slashing criticisms of Blackwood, and strongly disapproved of the personalities, an opinion which was shared by most of his literary friends.  At the same time his name was on the title-page of the magazine, and he was jointly responsible with Blackwood for the articles which appeared there.

In a long letter dated September 28, 1818, Mr. Murray deprecated the personality of the articles in the magazine, and entreated that they be kept out.  If not, he begged that Blackwood would omit his name from the title-page of the work.

A long correspondence took place during the month of October between Murray and Blackwood:  the former continuing to declaim against the personality of the articles; the latter averring that there was nothing of the sort in the magazine.  If Blackwood would only keep out these personal attacks, Murray would take care to send him articles by Mr. Frere, Mr. Barrow, and others, which would enhance the popularity and respectability of the publication.