Cast

Lord Byron

Fletcher

John Murray

Richard Hoppner

Cavalier Mendalgo

James Perry

4

 

Scene 1

 

Albemarle Street, 1818  

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P: How do Murray

M: Perry - 

To hook the reader, you, John Murray, Have publish’d “Anjou”’s Margaret, Which won’t be sold off in a hurry (At least, it has not been as yet); And then, still further to bewilder ’em, Without remorse, you set up “Ilderim”; So mind you don’t get into debt, Because, as how, if you should fail, These books would he but baddish bail. And mind you do not let escape These rhymes to Morning Post or Perry, Which would be very treacherous – very – And get me into such a scrape. For, firstly, I should have to sally, All in my little boat, against a Galley – And, should I chance to slay the Assyrian wight, Have next to combat with the female knight. And pricked to death expire upon her needle, A sort of end which I should take indeed ill!

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Pooh! pooh! I look’d at Wordsworth’s milk-white “Rylstone Doe” –44 Hillo!45 I read “Glenarvon” too by Caro Lamb –46 God damn!

I read the “Christabel”;39 Very well – I read the “Missionary” –40 Pretty – very – I tried at “Ilderim” –41 Ahem! I read a sheet of “Marg’ret of Anjou” –42 Can you? I turned a page of Webster’s “Waterloo

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If Scrope comes out – tell him there {are} some “light wines” which will bring to his recollection “the day of Pentecost” & other branches of his vinous thirty nine articles. – I have solaced myself moderately with such “flaggons of Rhenish”20 as have fallen in my way – but without our Yorick – they are nothing. – I hope your book of letters is not slack in sale – {and} I can’t see why Ridgway should not pay “a few paouands”21 for the 2d . Edition unless it be that I did not pay him his bill – & that he thinks therefore you should. – – I trust that you will give Spooney a jog 2:3 as to selling & so forth – & tell my Potestas (Kinnaird) to come the committee over him. –