and not made it public at the trial of the song-seller
in Dublin. I tell you why: it is a liberal thing for Longman to do,
and honourable for you to obtain; but it will set all the 'hungry
and dinnerless, lank-jawed judges' upon the fortunate author. But
they be d----d!--the 'Jeffrey and the Moore together are confident
against the world in ink!' By the way, if poor C * * e--who is a
man of wonderful talent, and in distress[86], and about to publish
two vols. of Poesy and Biography, and who has been worse used by
the critics than ever we were--will you, if he comes out, promise
me to review him favourably in the E.R.? Praise him I think you
must, but you will also praise him _well_,--of all things the most
difficult. It will be the making of him.

"This must be a secret between you and me, as Jeffrey might not
like such a project;--nor, indeed, might C. himself like it. But I
do think he only wants a pioneer and a sparkle or two to explode
most gloriously. Ever yours most affectionately, B.

"P.S. This is a sad scribbler's letter; but the next shall be 'more
of this world.'"

[Footnote 86: It is but justice both to "him that gave and him that
took" to mention that the noble poet, at this time, with a delicacy
which enhanced the kindness, advanced to the eminent person here spoken
of, on the credit of some work he was about to produce, one hundred
pounds.]

* * * * *

As, after this letter, there occur but few allusions to his connection
with the Drury Lane Management, I shall here avail myself of the
opportunity to give some extracts from his "Detached Thoughts,"
containing recollections of his short acquaintance with the interior of
the theatre.

"When I belonged to the Drury Lane Committee, and was one of the
Sub-Committee of Management, the number of _plays_ upon the shelves
were about _five_ hundred. Conceiving that amongst these there must be
_some_ of merit, in person and by proxy I caused an investigation. I do
not think that of those which I saw there was one which could be
conscientiously tolerated. There never were such things as most of them!
Mathurin was very kindly recommended to me by Walter Scott, to whom I
had recourse, firstly, in the hope that he would do something for us
himself; and, secondly, in my despair, that he would point out to us any
young (or old) writer of promise. Mat