[90] Numa Praetorius (_Jahrbuch für sexuelle Zwischenstufen_, Bd. iv, p. 885), who has studied Byron from this point of view, considers that, though his biography has not yet been fully written on the sexual side, he was probably of bisexual temperament; Raffalovich (_Uranisme et Unisexualité_, p. 309) is of the same opinion. [91] A youthful attraction of this kind in a poet is well illustrated by Dolben, who died at the age of nineteen. In addition to a passion for Greek poetry he cherished a romantic friendship of extraordinary ardor, revealed in his poems, for a slightly older schoolfellow, who was never even aware of the idolatry he aroused. Dolben's life has been written, and his poems edited, by his friend the eminent poet, Robert Bridges (_The Poems of D.M. Dolben_, edited with a Memoir by R. Bridges, 1911). [92] A well-informed narrative of the Oscar Wilde trial is given by Raffalovich in his _Uranisme et Unisexualité_, pp. 241-281; the full report of the trial has been published by Mason. The best life of Wilde is probably that of Arthur Ransome. André Gide's little volume of reminiscences, _Oscar Wilde_ (also translated into English), is well worth reading. Wilde has been discussed in relation to homosexuality by Numa Praetorius (_Jahrbuch für sexuelle Zwischenstufen_, vol. iii, 1901). An instructive document, an unpublished portion of _De Profundis_, in which Wilde sought to lay the blame for his misfortune on a friend,--his "ancient affection" for whom has, he declares, been turned to "loathing, bitterness, and contempt,"--was published in the _Times_, 18th April, 1913; it clearly reveals an element of weakness of character. [93] T. Wright, _Life of Edward Fitzgerald_, vol. i, p. 158. [94] Most of these were carelessly lost or destroyed by Posh. A few have been published by James Blyth, _Edward Fitzgerald and_ '_Posh_,' 1908. [95] It is as such that Whitman should be approached, and I would desire to protest against the tendency, now marked in many quarters, to treat him merely as an invert, and to vilify him or glorify him accordingly. However important inversion may be as a psychological key to Whitman's personality, it plays but a small part in Whitman's work, and for many who care for that work a negligible part. (I may be allowed to refer to my own essay on Whitman, in _The New Spirit_, written nearly thirty years ago.) [96] I may add that Symonds (in his book on Whitman) accepted this letter as a candid and final statement showing that Whitman was absolutely hostile to sexual inversion, that he had not even taken its phenomena into account, and that he had "omitted to perceive that there are inevitable points of contact between sexual inversion and his doctrine of friendship." He recalls, however, Whitman's own lines at the end of "Calamus" in the Camden edition of 1876:--