“Yours, &c.

“P.S.  If you venture, as you say, to Ravenna this year, I will exercise the rites of hospitality while you live, and bury you handsomely (though not in holy ground), if you get ’shot or slashed in a creagh or splore,’ which are rather frequent here of late among the native parties.  But perhaps your visit may be anticipated; I may probably come to your country; in which case write to her Ladyship the duplicate of the epistle the King of France wrote to Prince John.”

* * * * *

LETTER 412.  TO MR. MURRAY.

     “Ravenna, February 16, 1821.

“In the month of March will arrive from Barcelona Signor Curioni, engaged for the Opera.  He is an acquaintance of mine, and a gentlemanly young man, high in his profession.  I must request your personal kindness and patronage in his favour.  Pray introduce him to such of the theatrical people, editors of papers, and others, as may be useful to him in his profession, publicly and privately.

“The fifth is so far from being the last of Don Juan, that it is hardly the beginning.  I meant to take him the tour of Europe, with a proper mixture of siege, battle, and adventure, and to make him finish as Anacharsis Cloots, in the French Revolution.  To how many cantos this may extend, I know not, nor whether (even if I live) I shall complete it:  but this was my notion.  I meant to have made him a cavalier servente in Italy, and a cause for a divorce in England, and a sentimental ‘Werter-faced man’ in Germany, so as to show the different ridicules of the society in each of those countries, and to have displayed him gradually gate and blase as he grew older, as is natural.  But I had not quite fixed whether to make him end in hell, or in an unhappy marriage, not knowing which would be the severest:  the Spanish tradition says hell:  but it is probably only an allegory of the other state.  You are now in possession of my notions on the subject.

“You say the Doge will not be popular:  did I ever write for popularity?  I defy you to show a work of mine (except a tale or two) of a popular style or complexion.  It appears to me that there is room for a different style of the drama; neither a servile following of the old drama, which is a grossly erroneous one, nor yet too French, like those who succeded the older writers.  It appears to me, that good English, and a severer approach to the rules, might combine something not dishonourable to our literature.  I have also attempted to make a play without love; and there are neither rings, nor mistakes, nor starts, nor outrageous ranting villains, nor melodrame in it.  All this will prevent its popularity, but does not persuade me that it is therefore faulty.  Whatever faults it has will arise from deficiency in the conduct, rather than in