1817.] MANUEL CRITICISED. 135 some trickery, in a masque or vizor) fight his own battle, instead of employing Molineux as his champion; and, after defeating Torrismond, have made him spare the son of his enemy, by some revulsion of feeling, not incompatible with a character of extravagant and distempered emotions. But as it is, what with the Justiza, and the ridiculous conduct of the whole dram. pers. (for they are all as mad as Manuel, who surely must have had greater interest with a corrupt bench than a distant relation and heir presumptive, somewhat suspect of homicide), I do not wonder at its failure. As a play, it is impracticable; as a poem, no great things. Who was the "Greek "that grappled with Glory naked?" the Olympic wrestler? or Alexander the Great, when he ran stark round the tomb of t'other fellow ?2 or the Spartan 3 who was fined by the Ephori for fighting without his armour? or who? And as to "flinging off life like a garment," that's in Tom Thumb-see king Arthur's soliloquy : "Life's a mere rag, not worth a prince's wearing; 1. Manuel, act i. sc. 3 "We charged in death; Flung life away, as an incumbering garment; And, like the Greek, grappled with Glory naked!" 2. "Achilles, whose grave he (Alexander) anointed with oile, "and ranne naked about it with his familiars, according to the "ancient custome of funerals. Then he covered it with nosegaics "and flowers, saying, that Achilles was happy, who while he lived "had a faithfull friend, and after his death an excellent herauld to "sing his praise."-North's Plutarch (ed. 1631), p. 680. 3. Isadas was crowned for his valour, but fined 1000 drachmas for going to battle before the legal age, and without the regular accoutrements of a soldier—μὴ τὰ ἐπιχώρια ἔχων ὅπλα (Ælian, V. H., vi. 3). See also Plutarch's Lives, "Agesilaos," xxxiv. 4. In Fielding's Tom Thumb, act ii. sc. 8, King Arthur says"Sure never was so sad a king as I, My life is worn as ragged as a coat A beggar wears; a prince should put it off.” And the stage-directions-"Staggers among the bodies;" -the slain are too numerous, as well as the blackamoor knight-penitent being one too many: and De Zelos is such a shabby Monmouth Street1 villain, without any redeeming quality-Stap my vitals! Maturin seems to be declining into Nat. Lee. But let him try again; he has talent, but not much taste. I 'gin to fear, or to hope, that Sotheby, after all, is to be the Eschylus of the age, unless Mr. Shiel 2 be really worthy his success. The Similar lines occur in Dryden's Love Triumphant, act iv. sc. I— "You'd been more kind To take my life, for I would throw it off; 1. Monmouth Street, now partly Dudley Street, partly Shaftesbury Avenue, was celebrated for second-hand clothes. "Ever since I "knew the world," writes Lady M. Wortley Montagu to Lady Bute, June 22, 1750 (Letters, ed. 1893, vol. ii. p. 194), "Irish patents "have been hung out to sale, like the laced and embroidered coats "in Monmouth Street, and bought up by the same sort of people; "I mean those who had rather wear shabby finery than no finery "at all." Moore (Memoirs, etc., vol. ii. p. 243) says that Bowles was "most amusing about his purchase of a great coat once in "Monmouth Street, which while in the shop he took for blue, but "which on his appearance in the sunshine he found to be a glaring "glossy green. His being met in this coat by a great Church "dignitary, etc., etc." 2. Richard Lalor Sheil (1791-1851) succeeded with his second tragedy, The Apostate, produced at Covent Garden, May 3, 1817, with C. Kemble as 66 Hemeya," Young as "Malec," Macready as "Pescara," and Miss O'Neill as "Florinda." Murray, writing to Byron, May 13, 1817 (Memoir of John Murray, vol. i. pp. 384, 385), says, "Mr. Sheil, the author of Adelaide, "has had most extraordinary success on the stage with his tragedy "called The Apostate, merely from forming a series of interesting "situations. I read it with Mr. Gifford in MS., and we both "thought it impossible it could succeed. I went, fully convinced "that it would be damned; but nothing could exceed the applause "which it drew throughout. It had the advantage of giving four "exceedingly appropriate characters to C. Kemble, Macready, Young, "and Miss O'Neil; neither of whom ever had an opportunity of "acting better. Its success has been complete, and it must be "acted as long as four good actors can be brought together." Sheil's Evadne, or the Statue was produced with great success at Covent Garden, February 10, 1819. 1817.] LIFE AT LA MIRA. 137 more I see of the stage, the less I would wish to have any thing to do with it; as a proof of which, I hope you have received the 3d of M[anfre]d which will at least prove that I wish to steer very clear of the possibility of being put into scenery. I sent it from Rome. I returned the proof of Tasso. By the way, have you never received a translation of St. Paul which I sent you, not for publication, before I went to Rome? I am at present on the Brenta. Opposite is a Spanish marquis, ninety years old; next his casino is a Frenchman's, besides the natives; so that, as somebody said the other day, we are exactly one of Goldoni's comedies (La Vedova Scaltra 1), where a Spaniard, English, and Frenchman are introduced: but we are all very good neighbours, Venetians, etc., etc., etc. I am just getting on horseback for my evening ride, and a visit to a physician, who has an agreeable family, of a wife and four unmarried daughters, all under eighteen, who are friends of Signora Segati and enemies to nobody. There are, and are to be, besides, Conversaziones and I know not what, at a Countess Labbia's and I know not whom. The weather is mild; the thermometer 110 in the Sun this day, and 80 odd in the shade. Yours, 1. Carlo Goldoni (1707-1793), the "Italian Molière," wrote 150 comedies. His Bourru bienfaisant was composed for the marriage of Louis XVI. and Marie Antoinette. The three characters in La Vedova Scaltra, referred to by Byron, are "Milord Runebif," "Monsieur le Blau," and "Don Alvaro di Castiglia." 659.-To John Murray. La Mira, near Venice, June 17, 1817. DEAR SIR,-It gives me great pleasure to hear of Moore's success-and the more so that I never doubted that it would be complete. Whatever good you can tell me of him and his poem will be most acceptable: I feel very anxious indeed to receive it. I hope that he is as happy in his fame and reward as I wish him to be; for I know no one who deserves both more-if any so much. Now to business our own. For the drama I required three hundred guineas, and desire no more, and for the other-three hundred guineas, and will take no less. When you say that the Drama is of the same length, and will form the same-sized publication as most of the preceding, it is probable that you will charge the same price to the purchaser, and in that case (unless the publication fails altogether) will probably be not less a gainer than upon the former. At least it seems that you can hardly be a loser-when the author's demand has not been a third of what you have already paid for productions of the like calibre. Do you mean to say that it is dearer or shorter than Mr. R.'s Jaqueline? or than my Lara? or than The Giaour? or the Bride? Or do you mean to say that it is inferior to these as Poetry? or that its dramatic form renders it less susceptible of profit? I will tell you that to you, from its being the first poem of mine in that form, it must to a certain degree be more advantageous, as far as an object of curiosity, and although it is not a drama properly-but a dialogue, still it contains poetry and passion-although I by no means look on it as the best or conceive that it will be the most fortunate of compositions by the same writer. When therefore you talk to me as of its being a dear 1817.] AUTHORS AND BOOKSELLERS. 139 purchase, I answer you in so many words, that if I had not named the prior price (with which by the way I was satisfied and had no wish to enlarge) you would yourself have offered me a greater, and, if you would not, I could find those who would. As to the other poem I look upon that as good of its kind, and the price not at all out of proportion to what writers require and obtain. You are to print in what form you please—that is your concern; as far as your connection with myself has gone, you are the best judge, how far you have lost or gained-probably sometimes one and sometimes the other, but when you come to me with your "can" and talk to me about the copy of Manfred as if the "force of "purchase would no further go-to make a book he "separates the two," I say unto you, verily, it is not so; or, as the Foreigner said to the Waiter, after asking him to bring a glass of water, to which the man answered "I will, sir,"-"You will!-God damn,-I say, you "mush!" And I will submit this to the decision of any person or persons to be appointed by both, on a fair examination of the circumstances of this as compared with the preceding publications. So there's for you. There is always some row or other previously to all our publications: it should seem that, on approximating, we can never quite get over the natural antipathy of author and bookseller, and that more particularly the ferine nature of the latter must break forth. You are out about the third (sic) Canto: I have not done, nor designed, a line of continuation to that poem. I was too short a time at Rome for it, and have no thoughts of recommencing. But if I ever do, I will put it to market to the best bidder and will desert at once to the "Row," if you come over me with your |