BYHON 264 BYZANTINE EMPIRE now much courted, and his first entry on the stage of public life may be dated from this era. During the next two years (1813-1814) the "Giaour," the "Bride of Abydos," the "Corsair," "Lara," and the "Siege of Corinth" showed the brilliant work of which the new poet was capable. On Jan. 2, 1815, Byron married Anna Isabella, only daughter of Sir Ralph Milbanke, but the marriage turned out unfortunate, and in about a year, Lady Byron, having gone on a visit to her parents, refused to return, and a formal separation took place. This rupture produced a consid- erable sensation, and the real cause of it has never been satisfactorily ex- plained. It gave rise to much popular indignation against Byron, who left England, with an expressed resolution never to return. He visited France, the LORD BYRON field of Waterloo, and Brussels, the Rhine, Switzerland, and the north of Italy, and for some time took up his abode at Venice, and later at Rome, where he completed his third canto of "Childe Harold." Not long after ap- peared the "Prisoner of Chillon," "The Dream," and other "Poems," and, in 1817, "Manfred," a tragedy, and the "Lament of Tasso." From Italy he made occasional excursions to the islands of Greece, and at length visited Athens, where he sketched many of the scenes of the fourth and last canto of "Childe Harold." In 1819 was published the romantic tale of "Maaeppa," and the same year was marked by the com- mencement of "Don Juan." In 1820 appeared "Marino Faliero, Doge of Ven- ice," a tragedy; the drama of "Sarda- napalus," the "Two Foscari," a tragedy, and "Cain," a mystery. After leaving Venice, Byron resided for some time at Ravenna, then at Pisa, and lastly at Genoa. At Ravenna he became intimate with the Countess Guiccioli, a married lady; and when he removed to Pisa, in 1822,-. she followed him. There he con- tinued to occupy himself with literature and poetry, sustained for a time by the companionship of Shelley, one of the few men whom he entirely respected and with whom he was quite confidential. Besides his contributions to the "Lib- eral," a periodical established at this time in conjunction with Leigh Hunt and Shelley, he completed the later cantos of "Don Juan," with "Werner," a tragedy, and the "Deformed Transformed," a fragment. These are the last of By- ron's poetical efforts. In 1823, troubled perhaps by the consciousness that hie life had too long been unworthy of him, he conceived the idea of throwing him- self into the struggle for the independ- ence of Greece. In January, 1824, he arrived at Missolonghi, was received with the greatest enthusiasm, and im- mediately took into his pay a body of 500 Suliotes. The disorderly temper of these troops, and the difficulties of his situation, together with the malarious air of Missolonghi, began to affect his health. On April 9, 1824, while riding out in the rain, he caught a fever, which, 10 days later, ended fatally. Thus, in his 37th year, died prematurely a man whose natural force and genius were perhaps superior to those of any Eng- lishman of his time, and, largely undis- ciplined as they were, and wasted by an irregular life, they acquired for him a name second, in the opinion of Conti- nental Europe, at least, to that of no other Englishman of his time. The body of Byron was taken to England and in- terred near Newstead Abbey. BYZANTINE EMPIRE, the Eastern Roman Empire, so called from its cap- ital, Byzantium or Constantinople. The Byzantine Empire was founded in A. D. 395, when Theodosius at his death di- vided the Roman Empire between his sons Arcadius and Honorius. In this Empire the Greek language and civiliza- tion were prevalent; but the rulers claimed still to be Roman Emperors, and under their sway the laws and official forms of Rome were maintained. It lasted for about 1,000 years after the downfall of the Western Empire. It ia also known as the Greek Empire or Lower Empire. Its capital was natu-
