ake any deduction, or the entire
cancel of your agreement.

"You will of course _not_ publish my defence of Gilchrist, as,
after Bowles's good humour upon the subject, 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."

* * * * *

LETTER 426. TO MR. MOORE.

"May 14. 1821.

"If any part of the letter to Bowles has (unintentionally, 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.

"All this is vexatious enough, and seems a sort of dramatic
Calvinism--predestined damnation, without a sinner's own fault. I
took all the pains poor mortal could to prevent this inevitable
catastrophe--partly 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
published; 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