"To do good to mankind is the chivalrous plan, And is always as nobly requited; Then battle for freedom wherever you can, And, if not shot or hang'd, you'll get knighted. "So you have gotten the letter of 'Epigrams'--I am glad of it. You will not be so, for I shall send you more. Here is one I wrote for the endorsement of 'the Deed of Separation' in 1816; but the lawyers objected to it, as superfluous. It was written as we were getting up the signing and sealing. * * has the original. "_Endorsement to the Deed of Separation, in the April of 1816._ "A year ago you swore, fond she! 'To love, to honour, and so forth: Such was the vow you pledged to me, And here's exactly what 'tis worth. "For the anniversary of January 2. 1821, I have a small grateful anticipation, which, in case of accident, I add-- "_To Penelope, January 2. 1821._ "This day, of all our days, has done The worst for me and you:-- 'Tis just _six_ years since we were _one_, And _five_ since we were _two_. "Pray excuse all this nonsense; for I must talk nonsense just now, for fear of wandering to more serious topics, which, in the present state of things, is not safe by a foreign post. "I told you in my last, that I had been going on with the 'Memoirs,' and have got as far as twelve more sheets. But I suspect they will be interrupted. In that case I will send them on by post, though I feel remorse at making a friend pay so much for postage, for we can't frank here beyond the frontier. "I shall be glad to hear of the event of the Queen's concern. As to the ultimate effect, the most inevitable one to you and me (if they and we live so long) will be that the Miss Moores and Miss Byrons will present us with a great variety of grandchildren by different fathers. "Pray, where did you get hold of Goethe's Florentine husband-killing story? Upon such matters, in general, I may say, with Beau Clincher, in reply to Errand's wife-- "'Oh the villain, he hath murdered my poor Timothy!' "'_Clincher_. Damn your Timothy!--I tell you, woman, your husband has _murdered me_--he has carried away my fine jubilee clothes.' "So Bowles has been telling a story, too ('tis in the Quarterly), about the woods of 'Madeira,' and so forth. I shall be at Bowles again, if he is not quiet. He mis-states, or mistakes, in a point or two. The paper is finished, and so is the letter. "Yours," &c. * * * * * LETTER 393. TO MR. MURRAY. "Ravenna, 9bre 9°, 1820.