BYRON, GEORGE GORDON NOEL. LORD, one of the greatest English poets, born in London, Jan. 22, 1788. He was the grandson of Admiral John Byron and son of the Admiral's only son, Capt. John Byron, of the Guards, known as "Mad Jack Byron." His mother was Catherine Gordon of Aberdeenshire, who was left a widow in 1791. .Mrs. Byron retired with the infant poet to Aberdeen, where she lived in seclusion on the ruins of her fortune. Till the age of seven he was entirely under the care of his mother, and to her injudicious indul gence the waywardness that marked his after career has been partly attributed. On reaching his seventh year he was sent to the grammar school at Aberdeen, and four years after, in 1798, the death of his granduncle gave him the titles and estates of the family. Mother and son then removed to Newstead Abbey, the family seat, near Nottingham. Soon after Byron was sent to Harrow, where he distinguished himself by his love of manly sports and his undaunted spirit. While yet at school he fell deeply in love with Miss Chaworth, a distant cousin; but the lady slighted the homage of the Harrow school boy, her junior by two years, and married another and more mature suitor. In "The Dream," Byron alludes finely to their parting in terview. In 1805 he was entered at Trinity College, Cambridge. Two years after, in 1807, appeared his first poetic volume, "Hours of Idleness," which, though indeed containing nothing much of merit, was castigated with over-sever ity by Brougham in the "Edinburgh Review." This caustic critic roused the slumbering energy in Byron, and drew from him his first really notable effort, the celebrated satire, "English Bards and Scotch Reviewers." In 1809, in company with a friend, he visited the southern provinces of Spain, and voy aged along the shores of the Mediter ranean. The fruit of these travels was the fine poem of "Childe Harold's Pil grimage," the first two cantos of which were published on his return in 1812. The poem was an immense success, and Byron "awoke one morning and found himself famous." His acquaintance was now much courted, and his first entry on the stage of public life may be dated from this era. During the next two years (1813-1814) the "Giaour," the "Bride of Abydos," the "Corsair," "Zara," and the "Siege of Corinth" showed the brilliant work of which the new poet was capable. On Jan. 2, 1815, Byron married Anna Isabella, only daughter of Sir Ralph Milbanke, but the marriage turned out unfortunate, and in about a year, Lady Byron, having gone on a visit to her parents, refused to return, and a formal separation took place. This rupture produced a consid erable sensation, and the real cause of it has never been satisfactorily ex plained. It gave rise to much popular
indignation against Byron, who left England, with an expressed resolution never to return. He visited France, the field of Waterloo, and Brussels, the Rhine, Switzerland, and the north of Italy, and for some time took up his abode at Venice, and later at Rome, where he completed his third canto of "Childe Harold." Not long after ap peared the "Prisoner of Chillon," "The Dream," and other "Poems," and, in 1817, "Manfred," a tragedy, and the "Lament of Tasso." From Italy he made occasional excursions to the islands of Greece, and at length visited Athens, where he sketched many of the scenes of the fourth and last canto of "Childe Harold." In 1819 was published the romantic tale of "Ma7eppa," and the same year was marked by the coin mencement of "Don Juan." In 1820 appeared "Marino Faliero, Doge of Ven ice," a tragedy; the drama of "Sarda napalus," the "Two Fotcari," a tragedy, and "Cain," a mystery. After leaving Venice, Byron resided for some time at Ravenna, then at Pisa, and lastly at Genoa. At Ravenna he became intimate with the Countess Guiccioli, a married lady; and when he removed to Pisa, in 1822,-, she followed him. There he con tinued to occupy himself with literature and poetry, sustained for a time by the companionship of Shelley, one of the few men whom he entirely respected and with whom he was quite confidential. Besides his contributions to the "Lib eral," a periodical established at this time in conjunction with Leigh Hunt and Shelley, he completed the later cantos of "Don Juan," with "Werner," a tragedy, and the "Deformed Transformed," a fragment. These are the last of By ron's poetical efforts. In 1823, troubled perhaps by the consciousness that his life had too long been unworthy of him, he conceived the idea of throwing him self into the struggle for the independ ence of Greece. In January, 1824, he arrived at Missolonghi, was received with the greatest enthusiasm, and im mediately took into his pay a body of 500 Suliotes. The disorderly temper of these troops, and the difficulties of his situation, together with the malarious air of Missolonghi, began to affect his health. On April 9, 1824, while riding out in the rain, he caught a fever, which, 10 days later, ended fatally. Thus, in his 37th year, died prematurely a man whose natural force and genius were perhaps superior to those of any Eng lishman of his time, and, largely undis ciplined as they were, and wasted by an irregular life, they acquired for him a name second, in the opinion of Conti nental Europe, at least, to that of no other Englishman of his time. The body of Byron was taken to England and in terred near Newstead Abbey.