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* greatest poet of the day. What poets "had we in 1795? Hayley had got a monopoly, such as it was. Coleridge might

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"have been any thing: as it is, he is a

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thing that dreams are made of."

Being one day at Moloni's the bookseller's at Pisa, a report was in circulation that a subject belonging to the Lucchese States had been taken up for sacrilege, and sentenced to be burnt alive. A priest who entered the library at that moment confirmed the news, and expressed himself

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thus: "Scelerato!" said he, he took

the consecrated wafers off the altar, and threw them contemptuously about the church! What punishment can be great enough for such a monstrous crime? Burning is too easy a death! I shall go

to Lucca,-I would almost go to Spain,to see the wretch expire at the stake!" Such were the humane and Christian sentiments of a minister of the Gospel! I quitted him with disgust, and immediately hastened to Lord Byron's.

"Is it possible?" said he, after he had heard my story.

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"Can we believe that

"we live in the nineteenth century? However, I can believe any thing of the "Duchess of Lucca. She is an Infanta of

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Spain, a bigot in religion, and of course "advocates the laws of the Inquisition. "But it is scarcely credible that she will "venture to put them into effect here. "We must endeavour to prevent this auto da fé. Lord Guilford is arrived :-we "will get him to use his influence. Surely

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"the Grand Duke of Tuscany will inter"fere, for he has himself never signed a "death-warrant since he came upon the throne."

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Shelley entered at this moment horrorstruck: he had just heard that the criminal was to suffer the next day. He proposed that we should mount and arm ourselves as well as we could, set off immediately for Lucca, and endeavour to rescue the prisoner when brought out for execution, making at full speed for the Tuscan frontiers, where he would be safe. Mad and hopeless as the scheme was, Lord Byron consented, carried away by his feelings, to join in it, if other means should fail. We agreed to meet again in the evening, and in the mean time to

get a petition signed by all the English residents at Pisa, to be presented to the Grand Duke.

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"I will myself," said he, "write immediately to Lord Guilford."

He did so, and received an answer a few hours after, telling him that the same report had reached Lord Guilford; but that he had learned, on investigation, that it was unfounded.

It appeared that the Duchess had issued a proclamation which made the peasant amenable, when apprehended, to the ancient laws of Spain; but that he had escaped to Florence and given himself up to the police, who had stipulated not to make him over to the authorities at Luc

ca, but on condition of his being tried by the Tuscan laws.

Speaking of Coppet and Madame de Staël, he said:

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"I knew Madame de Staël in Eng"land. When she came over she created a great sensation, and was much courted "in the literary as well as the political "world. On the supposition of her being "a Liberal, she was invited to a party, "where were present Whitbread, Sheridan, and several of the Opposition leaders.

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"To the great horror of the former, "she soon sported her Ultraisms. No one

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possessed so little tact as Madame de

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