[17] A reference to the “Vailima Letters” of Stevenson which Wilde read when he was in prison.

[18] An architect who sent Wilde books on his release from prison.

[19] His letter to The Daily Chronicle about Warder Martin and the little children.

[20] The Ballad was finished in Naples and Alfred Douglas has since declared that he helped Oscar Wilde to write it.  I have no wish to dispute this:  Alfred Douglas’ poetic gift was extraordinary, far greater than Oscar Wilde’s.  The poem was conceived in prison and a good deal of it was printed before Oscar went near Alfred Douglas and some of the best stanzas in it are to be found in this earlier portion:  no part of the credit of it, in my opinion, belongs to Alfred Douglas.  See Appendix for Ross’s opinion.

[21] Hanging in chains was called keeping sheep by moonlight.

CHAPTER XX

     “Non dispetto, ma doglia.”—­Dante.

Oscar Wilde did not stay long in Naples, a few brief months; the forbidden fruit quickly turned to ashes in his mouth.

I give the following extracts from a letter he wrote to Robert Ross in December, 1897, shortly after leaving Naples, because it describes the second great crisis in his life and is besides the bitterest thing he ever wrote and therefore of peculiar value: 

“The facts of Naples are very bald.  Bosie for four months, by endless lies, offered me a home.  He offered me love, affection, and care, and promised that I should never want for anything.  After four months I accepted his offer, but when we met on our way to Naples, I found he had no money, no plans, and had forgotten all his promises.  His one idea was that I should raise the money for us both; I did so to the extent of L120.  On this Bosie lived quite happy.  When it came to his having to pay his own share he became terribly unkind and penurious, except where his own pleasures were concerned, and when my allowance ceased, he left.

“With regard to the L500[22] which he said was a debt of honour, he has written to me to say that he admits the debt of honour, but as lots of gentlemen don’t pay their debts of honour, it is quite a common thing and no one thinks any the worse of them.

“I don’t know what you said to Constance, but the bald fact is that I accepted the offer of the home, and found that I was expected to provide the money, and when I could no longer do so I was left to my own devices.  It is the most bitter experience of a bitter life.  It is a blow quite awful.  It had to come, but I know it is better I should never see him again, I don’t want to, it fills me with horror.”

A word of explanation will explain his reference to his wife, Constance, in this letter:  by a deed of separation made at the end of his imprisonment, Mrs. Wilde undertook to allow Oscar L150 a year for