Chapter XIII: Letter 284: To Mr. Murray

"La Mira, near Venice, June 17. 1817.

"It gives me great pleasure to hear of Moore's success, and the
more so that I never doubted that it would be complete. Whatever
good you can tell me of him and his poem will be most acceptable: I
feel very anxious indeed to receive it. I hope that he is as happy
in his fame and reward as I wish him to be; for I know no one who
deserves both more--if any so much.

"Now to business; * * * * * * I say unto you, verily, it is not so;
or, as the foreigner said to the waiter, after asking him to bring
a glass of water, to which the man answered, 'I will, sir,'--'You
will!--G----d d----n,--I say, you _mush_!' And I will submit this
to the decision of any person or persons to be appointed by both,
on a fair examination of the circumstances of this as compared
with the preceding publications. So there's for you. There is
always some row or other previously to all our publications: it
should seem that, on approximating, we can never quite get over the
natural antipathy of author and bookseller, and that more
particularly the ferine nature of the latter must break forth.

"You are out about the third Canto: I have not done, nor designed,
a line of continuation to that poem. I was too short a time at Rome
for it, and have no thought of recommencing.

"I cannot well explain to you by letter what I conceive to be the
origin of Mrs. Leigh's notion about 'Tales of my Landlord;' but it
is some points of the characters of Sir E. Manley and Burley, as
well as one or two of the jocular portions, on which it is founded,
probably.

"If you have received Dr. Polidori as well as a parcel of books,
and you can be of use to him, be so. I never was much more
disgusted with any human production than with the eternal nonsense,
and tracasseries, and emptiness, and ill humour, and vanity of that
young person; but he has some talent, and is a man of honour, and
has dispositions of amendment, in which he has been aided by a
little subsequent experience, and may turn out well. Therefore, use
your government interest for him, for he is improved and
improvable.

"Yours," &c.

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