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hundreds slily – for copies” (10.145, to Kinnaird 7/4/23). The clerk’s tale isconsistent with the Literary Chronicle’s description of the poem as “universally read,much admired, often abused”, 147 and with Campbell’s assertion that “scarcely anypoem of the present day has been more generally read”. 148 As with many of Byron’sother productions, the very popularity of the calumniated work demonstrated that thecritics’ proclaimed repugnance was not representative of the wider readership’sfeelings.None of this suggests that he was unaware of its deviation from moral propriety: in aletter to Augusta Leigh, he comments,I have also had a love letter from Pimlico from a lady whom I never saw in mylife – but who hath fallen in love with me for having written Don Juan! – Isuppose that she is either mad or nau[ghty]. (10.29, 7/11/22).That she must be mad or naughty to fall in love over Don Juan says that the poemmust diverge significantly from normal standards, but the poet did not considernormality to be equivalent with correctness, as is demonstrated by his frequentcommentary upon the disjunction between the normal appearance of social proprietyand the actual behaviours in which people engaged. The divergence of Don Juanfrom common social standards he did not consider to be dangerous, immoral, orunpopular, to judge by his comment to Kinnaird regarding Don Juan’s legal status, hisdeclaration that Little and Rousseau are more corrupting, and his preference for a juryover the Lord Chancellor:I am not at all clear that the poem is not a Copyright – at least all but the twofirst cantos – it is not sedition – it is not blasphemy – if Murray chooses to trythe question before a jury with the former cantos – I will with the present ones.[…] it is useless to go to the Chancellor – better to a Jury at once. (10.98, toKinnaird 12/2/23).147 Literary Chronicle, August 11, 1821, 495-7; August 11, 1821, 514-6, RR, III, 1297-1302: p.495(1297).148 Monthly Magazine, September 1823, p.112 (1705).90