_him_ in _English_; and then tell me
fairly your opinion. But don't measure me by YOUR OWN _old_ or
_new_ tailors' yards. Nothing so easy as intricate confusion of
plot and rant. Mrs. Centlivre, in comedy, has _ten times the bustle
of Congreve_; but are they to be compared? and yet she drove
Congreve from the theatre."

* * * * *

LETTER 406. TO MR. MURRAY.

"Ravenna, January 19. 1821.

"Yours of the 29th ultimo hath arrived. I must, really and
seriously request that you will beg of Messrs. Harris or Elliston
to let the Doge alone: it is _not_ an acting play; it will not
serve _their_ purpose; it will destroy _yours_ (the sale); and it
will distress me. It is not courteous, it is hardly even
gentlemanly, to persist in this appropriation of a man's writings
to their mountebanks.

"I have already sent you by last post a short protest[28] to the
public (against this proceeding); in case that _they_ persist,
which I trust that they will not, you must then publish it in the
newspapers. I shall not let them off with that only, if they go on;
but make a longer appeal on that subject, and state what I think
the injustice of their mode of behaviour. It is hard that I should
have all the buffoons in Britain to deal with--_pirates_ who _will_
publish, and _players_ who _will_ act--when there are thousands of
worthy men who can get neither bookseller nor manager for love nor
money.

"You never answered me a word about _Galignani_. If you mean to use
the two _documents, do_; if not, _burn_ them. I do not choose to
leave them in any one's possession: suppose some one found them
without the letters, what would they _think_? why, that _I_ had
been doing the _opposite_ of what I _have_ _done_, to wit, referred
the whole thing to you--an act of civility at least, which required
saying, 'I have received your letter.' I thought that you might
have some hold upon those publications by this means; to _me_ it
can be no interest one way or the other.[29]

"The _third_ canto of Don Juan is 'dull,' but you must really put
up with it: if the two first and the two following are tolerable,
what do you expect? particularly as I neither dispute with you on
it as a matter of criticism, nor as a matter of business.

"Besides, wha