'that I cannot meet you in the Bernese Alps this summer, as I once hoped and intended. With my 'best respects to madam, 'I am ever, &c.

'P.S. I gave to a musicianer a letter for you some 'time ago-has he presented himself? Perhaps you 'could introduce him to the Ingrams and other dilet'tanti. He is simple and unassuming-two strange 'things in his profession-and he fiddles like Orpheus ' himself or Amphion: 'tis a pity that he can't make 'Venice dance away from the brutal tyrant who tram'ples upon it.'

May 14th, 1821. A Milan paper states that the play has been represented and universally condemned. As remon'strance has been vain, complaint would be useless. 'I presume, however, for your own sake (if not for 'mine), that you and my other friends will have at ' least published my different protests against its being 'brought upon the stage at all; and have shown that

Elliston (in spite of the writer) forced it upon the 'theatre. It would be nonsense to say that this has 'not vexed me a good deal,but I am not dejected, ' and I shall not take the usual resource of blaming 'the public (which was in the right), or my friends 'for not preventing-what they could not help, nor I 'neither a forced representation by a speculating manager. It is a pity that you did not show them its unfitness for the stage before the play was pub'lished, and exact a promise from the managers not to act it. In case of their refusal, we would not have published it at all. But this is too late.

'Yours.

'P.S. I enclose Mr. Bowles's letters: thank him in my name for their candour and kindness.-Also a ' letter for Hodgson, which pray forward. The Milan paper states that I "brought forward the play!!!" 'This is pleasanter still. But don't let yourself be worried about it; and if (as is likely) the folly of 'Elliston checks the sale, I am ready to make any ' deduction, or the entire cancel of your agreement.

6

You will of course not publish my defence of Gil'christ, as, after Bowles's good humour upon the sub'ject, it would be too savage.

'Let me hear from you the particulars; for, as yet, 'I have only the simple fact.

'If you knew what I have had to go through here, on account of the failure of these rascally Neapolitans, you would be amused; but it is now apparently over. They seemed disposed to throw the whole project and plans of these parts upon me chiefly.'

'May 14th, 1821. 'If any part of the letter to Bowles has (uninten'tionally, as far as I remember the contents) vexed you, you are fully avenged; for I see by an Italian paper that, notwithstanding all my remonstrances through all my friends (and yourself among the rest), 'the managers persisted in attempting the tragedy, ' and that it has been "unanimously hissed!!" This is the consolatory phrase of the Milan paper (which 'detests me cordially, and abuses me, on all occasions, as a Liberal), with the addition, that I "brought the play out" of my own good will.

6.66

All this is vexatious enough, and seems a sort of 'dramatic Calvinism-predestined damnation, with

' out a sinner's own fault. I took all the pains poor 'mortal could to prevent this inevitable catastrophepartly by appeals of all kinds up to the Lord Chamberlain, and partly to the fellows themselves. But, 'as remonstrance was vain, complaint is useless. I 'do not understand it-for Murray's letter of the 24th, and all his preceding ones, gave me the strongest hopes that there would be no representation. As ' yet, I know nothing but the fact, which I presume to be true, as the date is Paris, and the 30th. They 'must have been in a hell of a hurry for this damnation, since I did not even know that it was pub'lished; and, without its being first published, the 'histrions could not have got hold of it. Any one 'might have seen, at a glance, that it was utterly 'impracticable for the stage; and this little accident. 'will by no means enhance its merit in the closet.

Well, patience is a virtue, and, I suppose, practice 'will make it perfect. Since last year (spring, that is) I have lost a lawsuit, of great importance, on 'Rochdale collieries-have occasioned a divorcehave had my poesy disparaged by Murray and the ' critics-my fortune refused to be placed on an ad'vantageous settlement (in Ireland) by the trusteesmy life threatened last month (they put about a paper here to excite an attempt at my assassination, 'on account of politics, and a notion which the priests 'disseminated that I was in a league against the Germans) and, finally, my mother-in-law recovered 'last fortnight, and my play was damned last week! These are like "the eight-and-twenty misfortunes of Harlequin." But they must be borne. If I give 'in, it shall be after keeping up a spirit at least. I 'should not have cared so much about it, if our

'southern neighbours had not bungled us all out of 'freedom for these five hundred years to come.

(

6

Did you know John Keats? They say that he was killed by a review of him in the Quarterly—if he be dead, which I really don't know. I don't ' understand that yielding sensitiveness. What I feel (as at this present) is an immense rage for eight-andforty hours, and then, as usual-unless this time it should last longer. I must get on horseback to quiet me. 'Yours, &c. Francis I. wrote, after the battle of Pavia, "All is lost except our honour." A hissed author may re' verse it—" Nothing is lost, except our honour." But the horses are waiting, and the paper full. I wrote last week to you.'

LETTER 427.

TO MR. MURRAY.

'Ravenna, May 19th, 1821.

By the papers of Thursday, and two letters of Mr. Kinnaird, I perceive that the Italian gazette had lied 'most Italically, and that the drama had not been ⚫ hissed, and that my friends had interfered to prevent the representation. So it seems they continue to

act it, in spite of us all for this we must "trouble 'them at 'size." Let it by all means be brought to a

plea: I am determined to try the right, and will 'meet the expenses. The reason of the Lombard lie was that the Austrians-who keep up an Inquisition throughout Italy, and a list of names of all who think ' or speak of anything but in favour of their despotism -have for five years past abused me in every form ' in the Gazette of Milan, &c. I wrote to you a week ago on the subject.

Now I should be glad to know what compensation

'Mr. Elliston would make me, not only for dragging 'my writings on the stage in five days, but for being the cause that I was kept for four days (from Sunday 'to Thursday morning, the only post-days) in the 'belief that the tragedy had been acted and "unani'mously hissed;" and this with the addition that I "had brought it upon the stage," and consequently 'that none of my friends had attended to my request 'to the contrary. Suppose that I had burst a blood' vessel, like John Keats, or blown my brains out in a 'fit of rage,-neither of which would have been unlikely a few years ago. At present I am, luckily, 'calmer than I used to be, and yet I would not pass 'those four days over again for-I know not what *.

The account, given by Madame Guiccioli, of his anxiety on this occasion, fully corroborates his own:- His quiet was, in spite of himself, often disturbed by public events, and by the attacks which, prin'cipally in his character of author, the journals levelled at him. In vain did he protest that he was indifferent to these attacks. The impression was, it is true, but momentary, and he, from a feeling of noble pride, but too much disdained to reply to his detractors. But, however brief his annoyance was, it was sufficiently acute to occasion him much pain, and to afflict those who loved him. Every occurrence relative to the bringing Marino Faliero on the stage caused him exces'sive inquietude. On the occasion of an article in the Milan Gazette, in which mention was made of this affair, he wrote to me in the fol'lowing manner:-" You will see here confirmation of what I told you 'the other day! I am sacrificed in every way, without knowing the why or the wherefore. The tragedy in question is not (nor ever was) 'written for, or adapted to, the stage; nevertheless, the plan is not romantic; it is rather regular than otherwise;-in point of unity of 'time, indeed, perfectly regular, and failing but slightly in unity of 'place. You well know whether it was ever my intention to have it 'acted, since it was written at your side, and at a period assuredly ' rather more tragical to me as a man than as an author; for you were in affliction and peril. In the mean time, I learn from your Gazette that a cabal and party has been formed, while I myself have never 'taken the slightest step in the business. It is said that the author read it aloud!!!-here, probably, at Ravenna?-and to whom? 'perhaps to Fletcher!!!-that illustrious literary character, &c. &c.""

Ma però la sua tranquillità era suo malgrado sovente alterata dalle publiche vicende, e dagli attachi che spesso si direggevano a lui ⚫ nei giornali come ad autore principalmente. Era invano che egli protestava indifferenza per codesti attachi. L'impressione non era é vero che momentanea, è purtroppo per una nobile fierezza sdegnava