Page:A history of booksellers, the old and the new.djvu/222

186 JOHN MURRA Y.

Brought forward ... .. . 1 5, 005 1822 Werner ; Deformed Transformed ; Heaven and Earth, to which were added Hours of Idleness, English Bards, Hints from Horace, &c. 3>8S5 Sundries ... ... ... ... ... 450 1822 Don Juan, VI. VII. VIII. IX. X. XI. ... 1823 Age of Bronze, The Island, and more cantos of Don Juan Total .... 19,340 Life, by Thomas Moore 4,200 23,540 Murray's kindness to Byron may be said to have displayed itself even after his death. In 1821, Byron had given his friend Moore his autobiography, partly as a means of justifying his character, partly to enrich his friend. Moore, pressed as usual for money, made over the MS. to Murray for the sum of 2000 guineas, undertaking to edit it in case of survivorship. He subsequently intended to modify the transaction by a clause to be inserted in the deed, by which he, Moore, should have the option of redeeming it within three months after Byron's death. When Byron did die, in 1824, the MS. was given to Gifford to read, and found to be far too gross for publication, and, spite of Moore's wish to modify it, Sir John Hobhouse and Mrs. Leigh insisted upon its being destroyed. Murray offered to give it up upon repayment of the 2000 guineas ; and after an unpleasant scene in Murray's shop, the MS. was destroyed by Wilmot Horton and Colonel Doyle, with the full consent of Moore, who repaid Murray the sum advanced by a draft on Rogers. . No sooner had it been burnt than it was found that, through the want of the clause above named, Moore's interest in the MS. had entirely ceased at Byron's