Chapter XVI: Letter 408: To Mr. Murray

"Ravenna, January 20. 1821.

"If Harris or Elliston persist, after the remonstrance which I
desired you and Mr. Kinnaird to make on my behalf, and which I
hope will be sufficient--but _if_, I say, they _do persist_, then I
pray you to _present in person_ the enclosed letter to the Lord
Chamberlain: I have said _in person_, because otherwise I shall
have neither answer nor knowledge that it has reached its address,
owing to 'the insolence of office.'

"I wish you would speak to Lord Holland, and to all my friends and
yours, to interest themselves in preventing this cursed attempt at
representation.

"God help me! at this distance, I am treated like a corpse or a
fool by the few people that I thought I could rely upon; and I
_was_ a fool to think any better of them than of the rest of
mankind.

"Pray write. Yours, &c.

"P.S. I have nothing more at heart (that is, in literature) than to
prevent this drama from going upon the stage: in short, rather than
permit it, it must be _suppressed altogether_, and only _forty
copies struck off privately_ for presents to my friends. What curst
fools those speculating buffoons must be _not_ to see that it is
unfit for their fair--or their booth!"

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