"Mr. Colley Cibber, Mr. Thomas Dogget, and "Mr. Barton Booth, full power, licence, and "authority, to form, conftitute, and establish a "Company of Comedians. And having re"ceived information of great misbehaviours "committed by our Company of Comedians "now acting at the Theatre in Drury Lane. "Therefore, for reforming the Comedians, and "for establishing the just and ancient authority "of the Officers of our Houfhold, and more ef"pecially of our Chamberlain, We have "thought fit to revoke the abovementioned "Licence. And we do further (as much as in "us lies, and as by law we may,) revoke and "make void all other licences, powers, and au"thorities whatsoever, and at any time hereto"fore given by us to the faid Sir Richard "Steele, Robert Wilks, Colley Cibber, Tho"mas Dogget, and Barton Booth, or to any of "them severally."

In pursuance of this, your Grace proceeds thus: "Whereas his Majefty has thought fit, by his "Letters of Revocation, bearing date the 23d

day of January, 1719, (for divers weighty " reasons therein contained) to revoke his Royal "Licence: For the effectual prevention of any "future misbehaviour, in obedience to his Ma"jefty's commands I do, by virtue of my of "fice of Chamberlain of his Majefty's Houf"hold, hereby discharge you the faid Managers

"and

"and Comedians at the faid Theatre in Drury "Lane in Covent Garden from further acting. "Given under my hand and feal this 25th day " of January, 1719..

"To the Gentlemen managing the Company "of Comedians at the Theatre in Drury "Lane in Covent Garden, and to all the "Comedians and Actors there."

It is obfervable, that though his Majesty took great care to express himself according to his gracious inclination, with much reserve and care that nothing but the law fhould hurt his poor fubject, in the words " as much as in us

lies, and as by law we may," your Grace has been prevailed upon to fupply the defective hardship. I shall not fay more, or make stronger obfervations upon what you have figned; for my love to you will not let me call this an act of yours, as my duty to my Prince will not let me call it an act of his. I wish your Grace had been as careful as he in leaving me to the law. But if you will allow me to ask you one favour, before you have quite broke my heart and spirit, give me but the name of your adviser, that is to fay, your lawyer, on this occafion; and you fhall fee that it is not for want of fkill in life that I am fubjected to all the pains and punishments to which those wicked ones are exposed who are described by the monofyllable "Poor." When I know who has made your Grace thus

injure the beft mafter and beft fervant that ever man had, I will teach him the difference between law and juftice; he fhall foon underftand, that he who advises how to escape the law and do injuftice to his fellow-fubject, is an agent of Hell; fuch a man, for a larger fee, would lend a dark-lanthorn to a murderer, which would be but the fame iniquity practifed in a higher degree, that would be more cruel, but not more unjuft. When I am fure who he is, I fhall with juftice ufe him, as he does with injuftice ufe me; I fhall fo far imitate him as to be within the law, when I am endeavouring to ftarve him. I hope he is poor, by félling poifon to get himself food *. But I fear I grow tranfported beyond the respect that is due to your Grace's prefence, and proteft to you, in the moft folemn manner, that, rather than never to be well with you more, were myself and family only concerned in it, I would this moment refign my patent for any employment of lefs profit that you would procure me; but my obligations to your Grace will not discharge those which I am under to the rest of the world. I would not hurt any man now in India for the favour of the greatest

*This lawyer was Sir Thomas Pengelly, fome time Chief Baron of the Exchequer court, whose name he dissects thus: Pen is the Welsh word for head, Guelt the Dutch word for money, which, with the English word Ly, exprefs one who turns his head to lye for money. "The Theatre," No IX. and XI. man

man in England, or give up a door-keeper of the play-house to make myself *; therefore your Grace, I hope, will forgive me, that, to gratify

*This application proving ineffectual, Steele published foon after "The State of the Cafe between the Lord Chamberlain of "his Majefty's Houfhold, and the Governor of the Royal Company of Comedians. With the opinions of Pemberton, "Northey, and Parker, concerning the Theatre.” In this pamphlet he flates the account of his lofs by this proceeding, as follows:

66

Six hundred pounds a year for life, moderately £ s. d. valued, amounts to

Three years after my life

My fhare in the fcenes, ftock, &c.

The profit of acting my own plays already written, or which I may write

66

6000 o o

Total £. 9800 0 0

He then declares he never did one act to provoke this attempt, nor, fays he, does the Chamberlain pretend to affign any dire&t reason of forfeiture, but openly and wittingly declares he will ruin Steele; "which, in a man in his circumstances against one "in mine, is as great as the humour of Malagene, in the co"medy, who valued himself upon his activity in tripping up "cripples. All this is done against a man to whom Whig, "Tory, Roman Catholic, Diffenter, Native, Foreigner, owe "zeal and good-will for good offices endeavoured towards every "one of their civil rights, and their kind wishes for him are but a just return. But what ought to weigh most with his Lordfhip the Chamberlain, is my zeal for his mafter; of which I "fhall at prefent fay no more than that his Lordship and many "others may perhaps have done more for the Houfe of Hano"ver than I have; but I am the only man in his Majefty's do"minions who did all he.could." State of the Cafe, &c. p. 30. It is obfervable that our Author's friend, Mr. Walpole, was at this time in disfavour at Court, having refigned his poft of First Commiflioner of the Treafury on the icth of April, 1717, and was not replaced till April 2, 1721, presently after which, viz. on the 18th of May following, Sir Richard was also restored to his Office of Comptroller of the Theatre.

you, I do not confign to diftrefs and poverty above fixty families, who all live comfortably, many of them plentifully, under my present jurifdiction. When I refign them, they may be governed by your Grace's fucceffor in your of fice as they have been by your predeceffor*, according to humour and caprice, and not rea fon and juftice. In their defence and my own I deny all allegations of voluntary neglect imputed to me or them, or undue demands made upon the subject by me or them; and fhall always, with fafety to my honour, and duty to the rest of the world, and no other reserve, be, my Lord, your Grace's most obliged, moft devoted, and obedient humble fervant,

RICHARD STEELE.

LETTER CCCCLV.

To Mr. CONGREVE.

Occafioned by Mr. TICKELL's Preface to the Four Volumes of Mr. ADDISON's Works +.

SIR,

[1722].

HIS is the fecond time that I have, with

THIS

of

out your leave, taken the liberty to make a public addrefs to you. However uneafy you may be for your own fake in receiving compli

* The Duke of Bolton was the predeceffor; the Duke of Grafton the fucceffor.

+ See, in p. 448, Steele's Original Preface to the Drummer. See the first Letter in p. 401. Letter CCCCXXXI.