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328 The Adventures of Roderick Random thought the circumstances of the times required, whether the inclination was absent or present.33 Upon my sincerity, Mr. Random, I have been so much pestered and besieged by those children of clamour, that life became a burden to me.” chapter lxiii. The continuation and conclusion of Mr. Melopoyn’s story. “Imade shift, notwithstanding, to maintain myself till the beginning of next winter, when I renewed my addresses to my friend Mr. Supple, and was most graciously received.——‘I have been thinking of your affair, Mr. Melopoyn (said he) and am determined to shew how far I have your interest at heart, by introducing you to a young nobleman of my acquaintance, who is remarkable for his fine taste in dramatic writings , and is, besides, a man of such influence, that if once he should approve of your play, his patronage will support it against all the efforts of envy and ignorance: For I do assure you, that merit alone will not bring success.—I have already spoken of your performance to Lord Rattle,1 and if you will call at my house, in a day or two, you shall have a letter of introduction to his lordship.’—I was sensibly touched with this mark of Mr. Supple’s friendship, and looking upon my affair as already done, went home and imparted my good fortune to my landlord, who, to render my appearance more acceptable to my patron, procured a suit of new cloaths for me on his own credit. “Not to trouble you with idle particulars, I carried my tragedy to his lordship’s lodgings , and sent it up along with Mr. Supple’s letter, by one of his servants, who desired me by his lord’s order, to return in a week.—I did so, and was admitted to his lordship, who received me very courteously, told me he had perused my play, which he thought, on the whole, was the best coup d’essai2 he had ever seen; but that he had marked some places in the margin, which he imagined might be altered for the better.—I was transported with this reception, and promised (with many acknowlegments of his lordship’s generosity) to be governed solely by his advice and direction.—‘Well then, (said he) write another fair copy, with the alterations I have proposed, and bring it to me as soon as possible; for I am resolved to have it brought on the stage this winter.’—You may be sure I set about this task with alacrity, and although I found his lordship’s remarks much more numerous, and of less importance than I expected, I thought it was not my interest to dispute upon trifles with my patron; therefore new-modelled it according to his desire, in less than a month. “When I waited upon him with the manuscript, I found one of the actors3 at breakfast with his lordship, who immediately introduced him to my acquaintance, and desired him to read a scene of my play.—This task he performed very much to my satisfaction , with regard to emphasis and pronounciation; but he signified his disgust at several words in every page, which I presuming to defend, Lord Rattle told me with a Volume Two, Chapter LXIII 329 peremptory look, I must not pretend to dispute with him, who had been a player these twenty years, and understood the œ conomy of the stage better than any man living. I was forced to submit, and his lordship proposed the same actor should read the whole play, in the evening, before some gentlemen of his acquaintance, whom he would convene at his lodgings for that purpose. “I was present at the reading; and I protest to you, my dear friend, I never underwent such a severe trial in the whole course of my life, as that juncture! for although the player might be a very honest man, and a good performer, he was excessively illiterate4 and assuming, and made a thousand frivolous objections, which I was not permitted to answer: However, the piece was very much applauded on the whole; the gentlemen present, who I understood, were men of fortune, promised to countenance and support it as much as they could; and Lord Rattle assuring me that he would act the part of a careful nurse to it, desired me to carry it home, and alter it immediately, according to their remarks:—I was fain to...

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