CORRESPONDENCE WITH RITSON. 7. Ritson to William Godwin. "GRAY'S INN, J "DEAR GODWIN,—I wish you would make it co... .801. 61 t to return me the thirty pounds i lent you. My circumstances are by The Same to the Same. "GRAY'S INN, March 7, 1801, "Though you have not ability to repay the money i lent, you might have integrity enough to return the books you borrowed. I do not wish to bring against you a railing accusation, but am compelled, nevertheless, to feel that you have not acted the part of an honest man, and, consequently, to decline all further communication. "I never received a copy of your unfortunate tragedy: nor, from the fate it experienced, and the character i have red and heard of it, can i profess myself very anxious for its perusal. "The offer you make of a security, with interest, seems merely a piece of pleasantry, but, however serious, i have no desire to accept it; for, though you have urged me to it, and my temper is somewhat irritable, i do not mean to persecute you: but shall, nevertheless, reserve to myself the liberty of speaking to your conduct according to its merit.-Yours, J. RITSON." The Same to the Same. "GRAY'S INN, March 10, 1801. "A very slight degree of candour and confidence could not have misbecome you, and would have prevented these disagreeable consequences. The business, however, has proceeded so far, and i have already spoken of it with such acrimony, as a person of money in my hand; and this in a full and entire sense I was unable to do. But I perceive I owed you an explanation. I might easily have said to you, as I said to myself, 'I believe I shall not spend more in my journey to Ireland (my residence there being entirely without expense) than I shall save in my housekeeping in England during my absence.' The journey had an appearance of extravagance. I might also have told you that my tragedy was accepted by Mr Sheridan as long ago as April 1799, and that the unexpected delays of the theatre were the direct causes of the delays that occurred as to your payment. I never failed before in any literary effort, and I had not the slightest apprehension of the misfortune that awaited me. Let me add that, instigated by Mr Sheridan's approbation, I applied a great [part] of the year 1800 to the rendering my play as perfect as the plan upon which it was constructed and the abilities I possessed would allow. "Restore me entirely to your good opinion. The letter I have just received from you manifests an inclination to do so. Let the consequences be only temporary and transient, which flowed from a transient misapprehension. I have some idea of engaging in a literary work, the nature of which will render your advice singularly interesting to me. Suffer me, when the time comes, to apply to you for that advice. Your silence in answer to what I have written shall be construed into a sufficient permission." The literary work in which Ritson's aid would be of use t was the "Life of Chaucer," which, with little intermission, occupied Godwin during the whole of this and the next years. The preparation of his "Remarks to Dr Parr's Spital Sermon can hardly be called an exception, since in this he scarcely did more than re-cast the letters he had already written to the preacher. cEarly in September Godwin finished another tragedy, which was to vindicate his fame as a dramatic author, and retrieve his fallen fortunes. Convinced as he was that per TRAGEDY OF ABBAS MIRZA. 65 sonal reasons had in great measure influenced the fate of Antonio, this was to be anonymously presented; for though this had been intended before, the secret had been scarcely kept, and, distrusting the fairness of the professional reader, he applied once more to head quarters. The following correspondence needs no elucidation. Of the first letter two copies are extant, one in Godwin's own writing, the other in that of Mrs Clairmont. She wrote an excellent and legible hand, and as an amanuensis was scarce less useful than Marshal. William Godwin to Mr Sheridan. "POLYGON, SOMERS TOWN, Sept. 10, 1801. "DEAR SIR,--I enclose to you the copy of an Historical Tragedy, entitled 'Abbas, King of Persia.' You will immediately perceive the necessity, if you should think it might be of use to your Theatre, and the justice to me on every supposition, which require the not publishing my name. "I need not tell you, after the approbation you were pleased to express of my last piece when put into your hands, that I suffered a very severe disappointment in the total miscarriage and defeat it sustained. My first impulse, however, upon that event was to sit down and write another, in which I should carefully avoid all the errors, which contributed, with certain external causes, to decide the fate of my piece of last year. The present performance is not so complete as I could wish: it is too long, but such as it is, it will be easy to perceive whether it is radically what it ought to be; and I really want encouragement to make those lesser improvements which, with encouragement, I could effect with great expedition. "I cheerfully commit the piece to your disposal. What I most earnestly request is, that I may not be exposed to unnecessary delays and uncertainty. After the misfortune I have sustained, I know enough of the generosity of your nature to be confident that you would, with the utmost promptness, embrace any opportunity of indemnifying and reinstating me. "I would not have troubled you personally on this occasion, but for the sort of dilemma into which some statements of last year from Mr Kemble have thrown me. He said that he had no concern with the reading and accepting of pieces, but that they were entirely referred to two nameless gentlemen (two men in buckram) who perused and decided. How was I to conduct myself in this case? Were these unknown gentlemen to be the depositaries of the secret I deem it necessary to preserve? I think it too much that my tragedy should come before them absolutely fatherless, as a mere waif or a stray, and to be exposed to the same inattention as, perhaps, five hundred others. I think myself entitled to the casual advantage which may arise from my being the author of one or two well known novels and other pieces, not that I desire by this means in the least to influence their judgment, but to rouse their perspicacity and excite their attention.— I am dear sir, with the highest regard, yours, "W. GODWIN." On second thoughts, however, an almost duplicate letter was despatched also to Kemble, leaving it to him to decide on the momentous question whether the author's name should or should not be communicated to the reader. 7. P. Kemble to William Godwin. 66 Sept. 16, 1801. "DEAR SIR,-Your directions shall be punctually observed. The Buckram Men shall not know that the Play comes from you, and I will let you know their answer as soon as they give it me, which I will endeavour shall be at furthest within this fortnight.— I am, Sir, your obedient Servant, J. P. KEMBLE. "I send this by the post, that nobody may observe any communication between us." The Play was declined on Sep. 23d, in a civil note signed CORRESPONDENCE WITH KEMBLE. 67 "Wm. Powell, Prompter," and addressed merely to "The Author." Godwin sent a note to Kemble, asking if his directions had been observed, whether it would be accepted if curtailed, &c. The Same to the Same. "THEATRE ROYAL, DRURY LANE, Sep. 26, 1801. "MY DEAR SIR,-When you have made such alterations in your Tragedy as you judge proper, it will give me great pleasure to present it for a Re-perusal. You must have the goodness not to press me further, for this is all I can honestly promise,-I am, my dear sir, your obedient Servant, J. P. KEMBLE." William Godwin to F. P. Kemble. 66 Sep. 28, 1801. "DEAR SIR,-The sole object of the note with which I troubled you on Friday last, was to ascertain whether the piece I had written had received that vigilant and attentive perusal which I conceive to be due to the production of a person already in the possession of some sort of literary character. There are I should suppose from fifty to a hundred manuscripts of all sizes and denominations handed to your theatre every season; a great majority of them the production of sempstresses, hair dressers, and taylors, without a glimmering of sense from one end to the other. It is impossible that these should be bona fide read through by your committee of censors, three or four pages will often be enough in conscience. The drift of my enquiry was, was my piece or was it not put into the heap? "Your answer, without applying exactly to this point, opens a new question. You hint at alterations to be made by me. Indeed, sir, standing as the affair does, it is impossible that I should make alterations. 66 My piece is promising, or it is not. If it is radically bad, can my efforts be worse employed than in attempting alterations? If it is worthy of encouragement your readers are bound by every |