Chapter XV: Pisan Acquaintances 391

The Williamses--Shelley at Ravenna--The Shelley-Claire
Scandal--Shelley’s startling Letter to Mrs. Shelley--
Examination of the Letter--Its wild Inaccuracies--Mrs.
Shelley’s vindicatory Letter to Mrs. Hoppner--Demonstration
that Byron was authorized by Shelley to withhold the
Letter--Explanation of the Shelley-Claire Scandal--Shelley’s
Visit to Allegra at Bagna-Cavallo--Project for starting the
_Liberal_--Leigh Hunt invited to edit the _Liberal_--
Shelley’s Change of Plans--His Pretexts and Reasons for
changing them--Leigh Hunt’s Way of dealing with his
Friends--His Concealment of his financial Position--Byron at
Pisa--Hunt’s Misadventures on his Outward Voyage--Byron’s
Discouragement in respect to the _Liberal_--Differences
between Byron and Shelley--Shelley’s Position between Byron
and Hunt--The Byron-Shelley ‘Set’ at Pisa--Shelley and Hunt
in secret League against Byron--Shelley’s Change of Feeling
towards Byron--Was Byron aware of the Change?

CHAPTER XVI. CLOSING SCENES 423

Shelley’s Attachment to Jane Williams--Her Womanly Goodness--
Her Devotion to her Husband--_The Serpent is shut out from
Paradise_--_Essay on the Devil_--Shelley’s Happiness and
Discord with Mary--Her Remorseful Verses--Trials of her
Married Life--_Essay on Christianity_--San Terenzo and
Lerici--The Casa Magni--Mary’s Illness and Melancholy at San
Terenzo--Arrival of the ‘Don Juan’--Mutual Affection of Mrs.
Shelley and Mrs. Williams--Shelley’s latest Visions and
Hallucinations--Leigh Hunt’s Arrival in Italy--Shelley sails
for Leghorn--Meeting of Shelley and Hunt--Improvement in
Shelley’s Health--His Mediation between Hunt and Byron--The
Hunts in the Palazzo Lanfranchi--Lady Shelley’s Account of
the Difficulties between Byron and Shelley--Shelley’s
Contentment with his Arrangements for the Hunts--He sets Sail
for Lerici--The Fatal Storm--Cremation on the
Sea-shore--Grave at Rome.

CHAPTER XVII. SHELLEY’S WIDOW AND HER SISTER-BY-AFFINITY 453

The Widow in Italy--Her Return to England--Sojourn in the
Strand--Life at Kentish Town--Residence at Harrow--She is
forbidden to write her Husband’s ‘Life’--‘Moonshine’ and
‘Celestial Mate’--Her closing Years--Claire in her Later
Time--Trelawny’s inaccurate Talk about Shelley’s Will--
Claire’s Double Legacy--She becomes a Catholic--Dies in the
Catholic Faith.

CHAPTER XVIII. LAST WORDS 458

A Schedule of Significant Matters--Delusion and
Semi-delusion--Certain phenomenal Peculiarities of Shelley’s
Mind--The Psychological Problem--The Story that would have
opened Southey’s Eyes--How it would be received by Critical
Persons--Misconceptions of Field Place--Bootlessness of
publishing the Story--Shelley and Socialistic Literature--
Marian Evans’ Great Error--Her Marriage--Mischievous Effects
of the Apologies for Shelleyan Socialism--The Homage to which
Shelley is entitled--The Homage to which he has no Title.

THE REAL SHELLEY.