"There is no doubt, Sir, the Court of Chancery would redress us. But delays are dangerous. Of this the history of the acting Manager, recorded by Cibber, is a _memento_. A long Chancery suit would be but a very poor remedy for the injuries you are daily doing us. "About a month since we were again amused by you with the hopes of a fair reference.--By our respective counsel a meeting was appointed for all parties in Westminster-hall. We there met, in order, if possible, to fix on a mode of arbitrating all differences; both parties brought preliminary articles to be agreed to, before the general concerns should be referred. On our part were produced these two: "1st. That the contracts which you might have made without our knowledge and consent, for the ensuing season, should be rescinded, unless agreed to by us. "2d. That no servants who were employed in shutting us out of our own house, should be employed in future. "Surely these can never be deemed unreasonable by any person, when at the same time he is assured that we never wish, nor ever did wish, to engage any performer, servant, &c. &c. who should be objected to by Mr. Colman and Mr. Powell. "You, Sir, on your part, insisted on the following eight preliminaries. "1st. Colman and Powell should not be obliged to sell. "Meaning, we conceive, that if the referees should think it necessary to oblige either of the parties to sell, it must be Harris and Rutherford. "2d. All contracts to be made by Mr. Colman to be confirmed. "Can this be a reasonable preliminary, to be obliged to confirm all contracts made by you, without having the least knowledge how many, with whom, or upon what condition, they were entered into? For we are at this time entire and absolute strangers to all your late proceedings, except what we gather from uncertain report, and some few of the parties who have engaged with you. "3d. No legal proceedings to be stopped. "The meaning of this preliminary we did not enter into, as no legal proceedings were begun, nor had we any guess at your litigious intention of making Garton put us in the Crown-office; or of your inquisition, &c. &c. "4th. Powell's article to be cancelled, and another made, allowing him more explicitly the largest salary in the house. "That you should think it proper to give Mr. Powell this _douceur_, we were not at all surprised; but it did not occur to us why we should give any farther indulgence to a man, who, after having attached himself to you, had separated himself from you, disapproved of your conduct, and then without the least reason implicitly and blindly suffered himself to be duped by you again. "5th. The books to be restored to Garton. "The books were never intended to be kept from Mr. Garton, so as to prevent his making up his accounts. We mean, whenever he is disposed to take his discharge.