Chapter 53

"Venice, September 24. 1818.

"In the one hundredth and thirty-second stanza of Canto fourth, the stanza runs in the manuscript--

"And thou, who never yet of human wrong Left the unbalanced scale, great Nemesis!

and _not 'lost,'_ which is nonsense, as what losing a scale means, I know not; but _leaving_ an unbalanced scale, or a scale unbalanced, is intelligible.[28] Correct this, I pray,--not for the public, or the poetry, but I do not choose to have blunders made in addressing any of the deities so seriously as this is addressed.

"Yours, &c.

"P.S. In the translation from the Spanish, alter

"In increasing squadrons flew,

to--

To a mighty squadron grew.

"What does 'thy waters _wasted_ them' mean (in the Canto)? _That is not me._[29] Consult the MS. _always_.

"I have written the first Canto (180 octave stanzas) of a poem in the style of Beppo, and have Mazeppa to finish besides.

"In referring to the mistake in stanza 132. I take the opportunity to desire that in future, in all parts of my writings referring to religion, you will be more careful, and not forget that it is possible that in addressing the Deity a blunder may become a blasphemy; and I do not choose to suffer such infamous perversions of my words or of my intentions.

"I saw the Canto by accident."

[Footnote 28: This correction, I observe, has never been made,--the passage still remaining, unmeaningly,

"_Lost_ the unbalanced scale." ]

[Footnote 29: This passage also remains uncorrected.]

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