"When you write, continue to address to me at _Venice_. Where do you suppose the books you sent to me are? At _Turin_! This comes of '_the Foreign Office_' which is foreign enough, God knows, for any good it can be of to me, or any one else, and be d----d to it, to its last clerk and first charlatan, Castlereagh. "This makes my hundredth letter at least. "Yours," &c. * * * * * TO MR. MURRAY. "Venice, April 14. 1817. "The present proofs (of the whole) begin only at the 17th page; but as I had corrected and sent back the first Act, it does not signify. "The third Act is certainly d----d bad, and, like the Archbishop of Grenada's homily (which savoured of the palsy), has the dregs of my fever, during which it was written. It must on _no account_ be published in its present state. I will try and reform it, or rewrite it altogether; but the impulse is gone, and I have no chance of making any thing out of it. I would not have it published as it is on any account. The speech of Manfred to the Sun is the only part of this act I thought good myself; the rest is certainly as bad as bad can be, and I wonder what the devil possessed me. "I am very glad indeed that you sent me Mr. Gifford's opinion without _deduction_. Do you suppose me such a booby as not to be very much obliged to him? or that in fact I was not, and am not, convinced and convicted in my conscience of this same overt act of nonsense? "I shall try at it again: in the mean time, lay it upon the shelf (the whole Drama, I mean): but pray correct your copies of the first and second Acts from the original MS. "I am not coming to England; but going to Rome in a few days. I return to Venice in _June_; so, pray, address all letters, &c. to me _here_, as usual, that is, to _Venice_. Dr. Polidori this day left this city with Lord G * * for England. He is charged with some books to your care (from me), and two miniatures also to the same address, _both_ for my sister. "Recollect not to publish, upon pain of I know not what, until I have tried again at the third Act. I am not sure that I _shall_ try, and still less that I shall succeed, if I do; but I am very sure, that (as it is) it is unfit for publication or perusal; and unless I can make it out to my own satisfaction, I won't have any part published. "I write in haste, and after having lately written very often. Yours," &c. * * * * * LETTER 276. TO MR. MURRAY. "Foligno, April 26. 1817.