Without seeing a line of Thomas Moore's "Lalla Rookh," Messrs. Longman undertook to pay £3,000 for it. The terms drawn up were simple, and read as follows: "That upon your giving into our hands a poem of yours, the length of 'Rokeby,' you shall receive from us the sum of £3,000. We also agree to the stipulation, that the few songs which you may introduce into the work shall be considered as reserved for your own selling." His poem, of some 6,000 lines, was written in a lonely cottage in Derbyshire. Moore never tired of telling his friends that the stormy winter weather in the country helped him to imagine, by contrast, the bright and everlasting summers and glowing scenery of the East. The work was a great success. The first edition was sold in almost fourteen days; within six months six editions had been called for. It is said that some parts of the poem were translated into Persian, a circumstance which caused Mr. Luttrell to write to the author in the following strain:-- "I'm told dear Moore, your lays are sung (Can it be true, you lucky man?) By moonlight, in the Persian tongue, Along the streets of Ispahan." Moore received considerable amounts for his "Irish Melodies." The mention of these call to mind a letter he penned to Mr. Power, his publisher, on November 12, 1812:-- "My dear Sir,--I have just got your letter, and have only time to say, that if you can let me have three or four pounds by return of post, you will oblige me. I would not have made this importunate demand on you, but I have foolishly let myself run dry without trying my other resources, and I have been the week past literally without one sixpence. Ever, with most sincere good will.--T.M." Mr. Power promptly posted ten pounds to the poet. Said Moore, in the course of his reply, "The truth is, we have been kept on a visit at a house where we have been much longer than I wished or intended, and simply from not having a shilling in my pocket to give to the servants on going away. So I know you will forgive my teasing you.... You may laugh at my ridiculous distress in being kept to turtle eating and claret-drinking longer than I wish, and merely because I have not a shilling in my pocket,--but, however paradoxical it sounds, it is true." We read in Moore's journals, ten years later: "17th August, 1822.--Received to-day a letter from Brougham, enclosing one from Barnes (the editor of _The Times_), proposing that, as he is ill, I shall take his place for some time in writing the leading articles of that paper, the pay to be £100 a month. This is flattering. To be thought capable of wielding so powerful a political machine as _The Times_ newspaper is a tribute the more flattering (as is usually the case) from my feeling conscious that I do not deserve it." The next day he wrote and declined the offer.