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 death; and though Moore, nobly and firmly, refused to receive the money back from Byron’s friends, he chose to consider for a time that Murray had wronged him.
He took a proposal to Longman of a “Life of Byron,” and the matter was partially arranged, when Moore, urged on both by his feelings and his friends, seeing Murray in the street, started after him. “Mr. Murray, some friends of yours and mine seem to think that we should no longer continue on these terms. I therefore proffer you my hand, and most heartily forgive and forget all that has passed.” Murray’s face brightened into smiles, and on parting he said, “God bless you, sir, God bless you!” Longman agreed, upon this, that Murray was the publisher to whom a life of Byron most properly belonged, and Murray eventually gave £4200 for one of the most delightful and entertaining biographies in our literature--a companion volume, in every way, to Boswell’s “Johnson” and Lockhart’s “Scott.” Murray, in this transaction, seems to have behaved with generous firmness. Now that Byron was dead, the autobiography would certainly have proved the most remunerative of all his works; and Moore himself, in his Diary, ultimately confessed that “Murray’s conduct” had been admirable throughout.