ur Letter proceeded from neglect,
it would be a shamefull return for the kindness I have allways
experienced from you, the truth is Mr. Coleman [sic] as well as
myself is allways so full of business that I have not been able to
meet with him so often as I could wish, however when we do meet I
have endeavourd to press him to complete the negociation by Letter
as I found it impossible to persuade you to come to Town. The last
time I saw him he told me he would write to you in a few days,
as by this time you have probably receiv'd his Letter, you have
a more explicit account than any I can give. In regard to the
hundred Pounds for which I told him you would let him have the
Tragedy, he said he fear'd that you suspected that he wanted to
decline receiving it, which was not the case, that he wish'd to
receive it and certainly would when those alterations were made,
that if he gave this sum for the Tragedy, he should probably
receive more profit from it than he had any right to, that he
never would receive any profit but as Manager.

I beg my Compliments to Miss Morrison and am with the
greatest respect your most humble and obedient servant

Joshua Reynolds.

On reading this, Morrison may well have thought that his tragedy was
almost certain of acceptance; a few months later, however, he heard from
George Colman, who had succeeded Beard as manager of Covent Garden
Theatre in 1767. The letter is dated July 23, 1771, and its opening
sentence is explained by the death of Colman's wife earlier in the year.

Sir,

My last Letter would very soon have been succeeded by another if a
very unexpected & most shocking domestick calamity had not
rendered me wholly incapable of attending to every kind of
business. I have however lately read your Tragedy over & over with
the strictest attention, and after considering it again & again,
not without a real partiality to the Author, & the strongest
desire of encouraging the most favourable idea of it, I am with
much concern obliged to declare it unfit for representation.

The first act is very excellent, & with a few slight alterations,
would be a most affecting opening of a Tragedy. In the second act
the scene of Iphigenia is also extremely beautiful and
interesting; but the other parts of the act have no dramatick
merit. The circumstance so much insist