The Divine Lady

THE DIVINE LADY

A Romance of Nelson and Emma Hamilton

BY

E. BARRINGTON

AUTHOR OF “THE LADIES” AND “THE CHASTE DIANA”

NEW YORK

DODD, MEAD AND COMPANY

1924

Copyright
, 1924

By DODD, MEAD AND COMPANY, Inc.

   Published, June, 1924

Second Printing, June, 1924

Third Printing, July, 1924

Fourth Printing, July, 1924

Fifth Printing, August, 1924

Sixth Printing, August, 1924

Seventh Printing, September, 1924

Eighth Printing, October, 1924

Ninth Printing, November, 1924

Tenth Printing, December, 1924

Eleventh Printing, January, 1925

Twelfth Printing, February, 1925

PRINTED IN THE U. S. A. BY

The Quinn & Boden Company

BOOK MANUFACTURERS

RAHWAY
      
NEW JERSEY

PREFACE

As I sat, years ago, in the Admiral’s cabin of Nelson’s flag-ship, the
Foudroyant
, the thought of this romance came to me, for this ship was the sea-shrine of that great but errant passion. She is a wreck now, her stranded ribs are green with weed, her bones are broken in the wash of the tide. A grave at sea amidst the answering thunder and flash of guns would have been a nobler ending.

But the story, with all its love, cruelty and heroism, remains alike beyond oblivion, condemnation or pardon. It is. It has its niche beside the other great passions which have moulded the world’s history. For if Nelson knew himself when he declared that Emma was part and parcel of the fire breaking out of him, without her inspiration Trafalgar might not have been.

I have treated it imaginatively, yet have not, as I think, departed from the essential truth which I have sought in many famous biographies such as Mahan’s, Sichel’s, Laughton’s and others.

Yet the best biographies of Emma are the lovely portraits Romney left of his Divine Lady, and of Nelson the best is the sea-cathedral, the
Victory
, at rest in the last home port he sailed from to his splendid doom. From these all the rest of the story might well be reconstructed.

E. Barrington

Canada

PART I