[Footnote 290: Byron did not altogether approve of Scott's poetry, but he felt its effectiveness. In his "Reply to Blackwood's Edinburgh Magazine," Byron wrote: "What have we got instead [of following Pope]? A deluge of flimsy and unintelligible romances, imitated from Scott and myself, who have both made the best of our bad materials and erroneous system."] [Footnote 291: Review of _Childe Harold_, _Canto III_, _Quarterly_, October, 1816.] [Footnote 292: _Lockhart_, Vol. III, p. 182.] [Footnote 293: It should be remembered also that Scott's first review of _Childe Harold_ appeared at a time when all England was condemning Byron for his treatment of Lady Byron, and that the article was thought by many to be altogether too lenient. Byron wrote to Murray expressing his pleasure in the review before he knew who was responsible for it, and some years later he wrote to Scott as follows: "To have been recorded by you in such a manner would have been a proud memorial at any time, but at such a time ... was something still higher to my self-esteem.... Had it been a common criticism, however eloquent or panegyrical, I should have felt pleased, undoubtedly, and grateful, but not to the extent which the extraordinary good-heartedness of the whole proceeding must induce in any mind capable of such sensations." (_Byron's Letters and Journals_, Vol. VI, p. 2.) See _Lockhart_, Vol. II, p. 510, for quotations from Byron showing his admiration for Scott. An interesting contrast between the characters of the two poets is drawn by H.S. Legare. (See his _Collected Writings_, Vol. II, p. 258.)] [Footnote 294: _Journal_, Vol. I, p. 221] [Footnote 295: _Remarks on the Death of Lord Byron_.] [Footnote 296: _Lockhart_, Vol. III, p. 525] [Footnote 297: See Nichol's _Byron_ (English Men of Letters), p. 205; and Arnold's essay on Byron.] [Footnote 298: _Quarterly Review_, May, 1809.] [Footnote 299: _Familiar Letters_, Vol. I, p. 341.] [Footnote 300: _Journal_, Vol. I, p. 9.] [Footnote 301: _Lockhart_, Vol. V, p. 70.] [Footnote 302: _Ibid._, Vol. II, p. 306.] [Footnote 303: Byron said, "Crabbe's the man, but he has got a coarse and impracticable subject." (Moore's _Life and Letters of Byron_, Vol. IV, pp. 63-4.) Leslie Stephen remarks that Crabbe "was admired by Byron in his rather wayward mood of Pope-worship, as the last representative of the legitimate school." (_English Literature and Society in the 18th Century_, p. 207.)] [Footnote 304: _Lockhart_, Vol. III, p. 197.] [Footnote 305: The reader will at once recall the ingenuous remark of Sophia Scott when she was asked, shortly after its appearance, how she liked _The Lady of the Lake_. She said, "Oh, I have not read it; Papa says there's nothing so bad for young people as reading bad poetry." (_Lockhart_, Vol. II, p. 130. See also the _Life of Irving_, Vol. I, p. 444.)]