catching the first accents of that many-toned voice, and the first glimpse of that party-coloured face, when, year after year, we have squeezed into any part of the theatre his attraction had left standing room in. Has there been any social happiness of after days, the memory of which can impart such true delight, as a recurrence to those green and bright hours of life's unclouded boyhood? Oh, no-the conflict of manhood and the effort of age are but vain and fruitless struggles, from which the mind too often recoils, to revel in the retrospect of long-departed pleasures. Grimaldi's death soon followed the scene I have alluded to, having occurred on the thirty-first of May, 1837. Colman, Exploring Bailey's dictionary, He found no rhyme for Tipperary: * Nota bene, his mother Mary 168 DUCHESS DE LA VALLIERE. and Bannister, and Grimaldi! Well hath the rival of the Teian bard sung: "We are fallen upon evil days, Star after star decays." Good-night, old fellow! The voluptuary of bygone times, who offered a reward for any new gratification, would much more gladly have paid it for the restoration of many an old one, had he only known thee. But to the busy world again. 66 A few days after the introduction of our pantomime at Drury Lane Theatre, a play in five acts, entitled the "Duchess de la Vallière," written by the author of Eugene Aram," "The Last Days of Pompeii," &c., was produced at Covent Garden Theatre, and to the published copies of that work is prefixed an "advertisement" from which the following is an extract : "This play (with the above preface) was written "in the autumn and winter of 1835. It was sub"mitted to no other opinion than that of Mr. 66 66 66 Macready, with whom the author had the honour "of a personal acquaintance; and who, on perusal, was obligingly anxious for its performance at Drury Lane. The manager of that theatre wished, naturally perhaps, to see the manuscript before he hazarded the play; the author (perhaps "no less naturally) declined a condition from a manager, which was precisely of that nature which "no author, of moderate pretensions, concedes to a 66 MR. BULWER'S MODESTY. 169 66 publisher. A writer can have but little selfrespect, who does not imagine, in any new expe"riment in literature, that no risk can be greater " than his own." The writer of this precious piece of modesty, Mr. E. L. Bulwer, not having condescended to mention the cognomen of the particular manager herein alluded to, notwithstanding that in another part of the said advertisement he ostentatiously parades the names of two others, who "at once" and "liberally " acceded to his conditions, it becomes the duty of the delinquent, who could do such an audacious thing as to refuse to pay a sum of money for a piece of which he had never read a line, to proclaim himself. It was stipulated, at the time the subject was first introduced, that the transaction should be kept secret, and by me that stipulation, nonsensical as it appeared, was inviolably maintained; but Mr. Bulwer having thought proper to dissolve the spell, and unveil such an important mystery, there can be no possible reason why I should not follow the example he has set. In the beginning of March, this said year of 1836, Mr. Macready came into my room, and with a selfsatisfied smile said, "What will you give for a first-rate play by a first-rate man?" "A first-rate price," said I; " and who's your friend?" VOL. II. I 170 A NOVELIST NOT ALWAYS A DRAMATIST. "I am not at liberty to mention names," answered he. "Then send me the piece, and you shall have my answer in four-and-twenty hours," said I. "I do not think the author will do that," rejoined he. "Pray, have you read it?" inquired Pilgarlick. "I have, and think very highly of it,” answered he. "Well, doctors, you know, may differ; and I should like to know upon what grounds I, who have all the risk to run, am to be deprived of the same opportunity of judging accorded to you, who are a comparative cipher in the affair,” said I. "Well, well, I understand you are free then to receive the play, and I will therefore see the author, try and get his permission to mention his name, and give you some idea of his terms," ejaculated Mr. Macready, and out he went. The following day brought another interview, at which Mr. Macready conveyed to me the important intelligence that the author was no less a personage than Edward Lytton Bulwer; that he required a considerable sum to be paid down on the delivery of the manuscript, and that the communication was to be considered altogether private! I took the liberty of saying, that although Mr. Bulwer might be considered a first-rate novelist, he could not possibly be considered a first-rate dramatist, and that I declined making any such blind bargain. We parted on the understanding that I should write my sentiments MR. BULWER'S LETTER. 171 on the business part of this interview to Mr. Bulwer, which I instantly did, to which I received the following reply:— 66 66 “SIR, 66 Albany, March 7, 1836. "Before I reply to the more business part of your letter, allow me to set both parties right with "regard to a seeming misunderstanding. I made no communications. I rather imagine I was the who received them. I had an offer from person "another theatre. Previous to my decision, I felt obliged (according to an old promise) to show the 66 66 66 play to Mr. Macready, and in some measure to "allow him the first choice! Mr. Macready pro❝fessed himself so much pleased with the play, that "he wrote me word he would speak to you, con cealing my name. He afterwards called on me “and made certain propositions, which I considered "fair and liberal, but which I was obliged to mo 66 dify in some instances, viz. to limit the copyright "to the theatre to three years, and to require a cer"tain portion of the money on giving the MS., though perfectly willing, should the play fail of an adequate run, to return it. 66 66 "With regard to showing the MS. to you, sir, " in your capacity of manager, while I allow it quite "natural in you to wish to see the play before you produce it! yet, having in no instance since my "first publication, allowed the purchaser to inspect 66 |