'The churchyard and the little church of Hucknall were so crowded that it was with difficulty we could follow the coffin up the aisle. The contrast between the gorgeous decorations of the coffin and the urn, and the humble village church, was very striking. I was told afterwards that the place was crowded until a late hour in the evening, and that the vault was not closed until the next morning. 'I should mention that I thought Lady Byron ought to be consulted respecting the funeral of her husband; and I advised Mrs. Leigh to write to her, and ask what her wishes might be. Her answer was, if the deceased had left no instructions, she thought the matter might be left to the judgment of Mr. Hobhouse. There was a postscript, saying, "If you like you may show this."' Hobhouse concludes his account with these words: 'I was present at the marriage of this lady with my friend, and handed her into the carriage which took the bride and bridegroom away. Shaking hands with Lady Byron, I wished her all happiness. Her answer was: "If I am _not_ happy, it will be my own fault."' PART II WHAT THE POEMS REVEAL 'Intesi, che a cosi fatto tormento Enno dannati i peccator carnali Che la ragion sommettono al talento.' _Inferno_, Canto V., 37-39. WHAT THE POEMS REVEAL 'Every author in some degree portrays himself in his works, even be it against his will.'--GOETHE. Lady Byron has expressed her opinion that almost every incident in Byron's poems was drawn from his personal experience. In a letter to Lady Anne Barnard, written two years after the separation, she says: 'In regard to [Byron's] poetry, egotism is the vital principle of his imagination, which it is difficult for him to kindle on any subject with which his own character and interests are not identified; but by the introduction of fictitious incidents, by change of scene or time, he has enveloped his poetical disclosures in a system impenetrable except to a very few.' Byron himself has told us in 'Don Juan' that his music 'has some mystic diapasons, with much which could not be appreciated in any manner by the _uninitiated_.' In a letter to John Murray (August 23, 1821), he says: 'Almost all "Don Juan" is _real_ life, either my own or from people I knew.'