Travel often excites the spirit to the point of expression.  Good travelers carry pads and pencils.  Byron reached England with fragments of marbles, skulls, pictures, shells, spears, guns, curios beyond count, and many manuscripts in process.

Upon arriving on the English coast the first news that reached him was that his mother had just died.  He hastened to Newstead and reached there in time to attend the funeral, but refrained from following the cortege to the grave because he could not master his emotions.  Their quarrels were at last ended.

A diversion to his feelings came soon after, in the way of a blunt letter from Tom Moore demanding if Lord Byron was the author of “English Bards and Scotch Reviewers.”

Byron replied very stiffly that he was, but he really had intended no insult to Mr. Moore, with whom he had not the honor of being acquainted.  Furthermore, if Mr. Moore felt himself aggrieved, why, the author of “English Bards” was at his service to supply him such satisfaction as he required.

The irate Irishman accepted “the apology,” a genial reply followed, and soon the poets met at the house of a friend, and there began that lifelong friendship, with the result that Moore wrote Byron’s “Life” and used much needless whitewash.

While abroad Byron had gotten into shape for publication one piece of manuscript.  This was “Hints From Horace,” and the matter was placed in the hands of Mr. Dallas, his businessman, very soon after his arrival.  Dallas read the poem and did not like it.

“Haven’t you anything else?” asked Dallas.

“Oh, nothing but a few stanzas of Spenserian stuff,” was the answer.

Dallas asked to see it, and there were placed in his hands rough drafts of the first and second cantos of “Childe Harold.”  This time Dallas was better suited, and to corroborate his judgment the matter was submitted to Murray, the publisher.

Murray thought the matter had more or less merit, and arrangements were at once made for its publication.  And so it came out, hammered into shape while in the printer’s hands.

“Childe Harold” was an instantaneous, brilliant success—­a success beyond the publisher’s or author’s expectations.  The book ran through seven editions in four weeks, and Lord Byron “became famous in a night.”

London society became Byron-mad.  The poet was feted, courted, petted.

He indulged in much innocent and costly dissipation, and some not so innocent.

Finally all this began to pall upon him.  When twenty-six we find him making a bold stand for reform:  he would get married and live a staid, sober, respectable life.  His finances were reduced—­all the money he had made out of his books had been given away, prompted by a foolish whim that no man should take pay for the product of his mind.

Now he would marry and “settle down”; and to marry a woman with an income would be no special disadvantage.  To sell one’s thoughts was abhorrent to the young man, but to marry for money was quite another thing.  Morality depends upon your point of view.