Literary character of men of genius : drawn from their own feelings and confessions / by Isaac Disraeli.

  • Isaac D'Israeli
Date:
[1881?]
Catalogue details

Licence: Public Domain Mark

Credit: Literary character of men of genius : drawn from their own feelings and confessions / by Isaac Disraeli. Source: Wellcome Collection.

    26/488 (page 6)
    quence of my labours was tho publication, in 1818, of an octavo volume, under tho title of “ The Literary Character, illustrated by tho History of ]\Ien of Genius, drawn from their own feelings and confessions.” In tho preface to this edition, in mentioning the fact respecting Lord Hyron, which had been the immediate cause of its publication, I added these words; “ I tell this fact assuredly not from any little vanity which it may appear to betray;—for the truth is, were I not as liberal and as candid in respect to my own productions, as I hope I am to others, I could not have been gratified by the present circumstance ; for the marginal notes of the noble author convey no flattery; —but amidst their pungency, and sometimes their truth, the circumstance that a man of genius could reperuse this slight elfusion at two different periods of his life, was a sufficient authority, at least for au author, to return it once more to the anvil.” Some time after the publication of this edition of “The Literary Chai'acter,” whieh was in fact a new work, I was shown, through the kindness of an English gentleman lately retui’ned from Italy, a copy of it, which had been given to him by Lord Byron, and which again contained marginal notes by the noble author. These were peculiarly interesting, and were chiefly occasioned by observations on his character, which appeared in the work. In 1822 I published a new edition of this work, greatly enlarged, and in two volumes. I took this opportunity of inserting tho manuscript Notes of Lord Byron, with the ex- ception of one, which, however characteristic of the amiable feelings of the noble poet, and however gratifying to my own, I had no wish to obtrude on the notice of the public. * * As everything connected with the reading of a mind like Lord Evron’s interesting to tho philosophical inquirer, this note may now be preserved. On that passage of tho Preface of the second Edition which I have already quoted, his Lordship was thus pleased to write: “I was wrong, hut I was young and petulant, and probably wotedown