Volume 1 - Electric Scotland

THE 'siege of CORINTH.' 49
that he will yet allow their separate publication, which I must
continue to urge for mine own honour. These poems are not
by any means equally finished as the ' Corsair,' but the ' Siege
of Corinth ' contains two or three of the finest scenes he ever
conceived, and the other, called ' Parisina,' is the most interesting
and best conceived and best told story I ever read. I was
never more affected ; and, you may be sure, from habit, I can
tell when a thing is very good, and, moreover, that I have,
according to our respective situations, as much to resign in
my property in his name and fame as he has. I shall long to
send them to you, and should think that James Ballantyne
would give you and Scott and Erskine a dinner to read them.
It was Mr Blackwood himself who gave the dinner
which, I think, must
at the house in Salisbury E-oad ;
have been the time when a little speech made by the
distinguished guest found its place in the domestic
archives. Mr Scott, sitting by the side of the mistress
of the house, and looking out upon the garden, remarked
upon the fact that a green lawn occupied
the greater part of it, instead of flowers—to which
Mrs Blackwood replied that the pleasant green was
better for her little boys than flower-beds. "Ah, they
are your flowers," said the genial guest, no doubt
with a glance at the sturdy little figures trooping
in with joyful pride to dessert, whoever might be
there : a pride and joy more complete to the father
of the family than even the presence of the greatest
poet, or of ' Parisina ' on the side-table waiting to be
read. But Mr Scott was " quite enthusiastic with
regard to the Poems, and considers Monday's meet-
ing one of the highest treats and greatest favours
ever done him," as Blackwood made haste to report.
It was not, however, solely on Byron's account
that this dinner was given. There were in the
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