in this city.  Come, nevertheless,—­you can pay Dante a morning visit, and I will undertake that Theodore and Honoria will be most happy to see you in the forest hard by.  We Goths, also, of Ravenna, hope you will not despise our arch-Goth, Theodoric.  I must leave it to these worthies to entertain you all the fore part of the day, seeing that I have none at all myself—­the lark that rouses me from my slumbers, being an afternoon bird.  But, then, all your evenings, and as much as you can give me of your nights, will be mine.  Ay! and you will find me eating flesh, too, like yourself or any other cannibal, except it be upon Fridays.  Then, there are more Cantos (and be d——­d to them) of what the courteous reader, Mr. S——­, calls Grub Street, in my drawer, which I have a little scheme to commit to your charge for England; only I must first cut up (or cut down) two aforesaid Cantos into three, because I am grown base and mercenary, and it is an ill precedent to let my Mecaenas, Murray, get too much for his money.  I am busy, also, with Pulci—­translating—­servilely translating, stanza for stanza, and line for line—­two octaves every night,—­the same allowance as at Venice.

“Would you call at your banker’s at Bologna, and ask him for some letters lying there for me, and burn them?—­or I will—­so do not burn them, but bring them,—­and believe me ever and very affectionately Yours,

     “BYRON.

     “P.S.  I have a particular wish to hear from yourself something
     about Cyprus, so pray recollect all that you can.—­Good night.”

* * * * *

LETTER 357.  TO MR. MURRAY.

     “Ravenna, February 21. 1820.

“The bull-dogs will be very agreeable.  I have only those of this country, who, though good, have not the tenacity of tooth and stoicism in endurance of my canine fellow-citizens:  then pray send them by the readiest conveyance—­perhaps best by sea.  Mr. Kinnaird will disburse for them, and deduct from the amount on your application or that of Captain Tyler.

“I see the good old King is gone to his place.  One can’t help being sorry, though blindness, and age, and insanity, are supposed to be drawbacks on human felicity; but I am not at all sure that the latter, at least, might not render him happier than any of his subjects.

“I have no thoughts of coming to the coronation, though I should like to see it, and though I have a right to be a puppet in it; but my division with Lady Byron, which has drawn an equinoctial line between me and mine in all other things, will operate in this also to prevent my being in the same procession.

“By Saturday’s post I sent you four packets, containing Cantos third and fourth.  Recollect that these two cantos reckon only as one with you and me, being, in fact, the third canto cut into two, because I