[Footnote 29: No further step was ever taken in this affair; and the documents, which were of no use whatever, are, I believe, still in Mr. Murray's possession.] [Footnote 30: The self-will of Lord Byron was in no point more conspicuous than in the determination with which he thus persisted in giving the preference to one or two works of his own which, in the eyes of all other persons, were most decided failures. Of this class was the translation from Pulci, so frequently mentioned by him, which appeared afterwards in the Liberal, and which, though thus rescued from the fate of remaining unpublished, roust for ever, I fear, submit to the doom of being unread.] * * * * * LETTER 407. TO MR. MURRAY. "January 20. 1821. "I did not think to have troubled you with the plague and postage of a _double letter_ this time, but I have just read in an _Italian paper_, 'That Lord Byron has a tragedy coming out,' &c. &c. &c. and that the Courier and Morning Chronicle, &c. &c. are pulling one another to pieces about it and him, &c. "Now I do reiterate and desire, that every thing may be done to prevent it from coming out on _any theatre_, for which it never was designed, and on which (in the present state of the stage of London) it could never succeed. I have sent you my appeal by last post, which you _must publish in case of need_; and I require you even in _your own name_ (if my honour is dear to you) to declare that such representation would be contrary to my _wish and to my judgment_. If you do not wish to drive me mad altogether, you will hit upon some way to prevent this. "Yours, &c. "P.S. I cannot conceive how Harris or Elliston should be so insane as to think of acting Marino Faliero; they might as well act the Prometheus of Aeschylus. I speak of course humbly, and with the greatest sense of the distance of time and merit between the two performances; but merely to show the absurdity of the attempt. "The Italian paper speaks of a 'party against it;' to be sure there would be a party. Can you imagine, that after having never flattered man, nor beast, nor opinion, nor politics, there would _not_ be a party against a man, who is also a _popular_ writer--at least a successful? Why, all parties would be a party against." * * * * * 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.'