excepting eating and sleeping times, to read all the pieces annually presented to them. Therefore, (and very wisely in my mind,) they confine their attention to such as have recommendations of a nature-which I will not assert that I precisely understand: or, if they now and then accept the production of an unrecommended author, I should conclude, from the wisdom they so commonly evince in the selection, that they adopt some such method as this:-aye, upon my life I have it:-by way of dealing fairly by the Public, they make a pile of their whole unrejected stock-upon the Stage, most likely, as no apartment in the Theatre, you know, might be capacious or lofty enough for the purpose-which done, walking blindfold round it, they draw each a piece from the theatrical Olympus; and then calling for a sub-scene-shifter, or the prompter's boy, bid him, without favour or affection, choose one from the number by them extracted from the awful heap; when this felicitous one is immediately announced for performance.

I leave unnoticed the sundry interruptions, which the laughter-loving disposition of my friend gave to the current of these his pleasant fancies, and most facetious observations, as to him they appeared, upon a subject to me of mournful interest: though I must acknowledge

myself to have been surprised into a smile by that conceit of the mountain of dramatic manuscripts, and the sage censors traversing its vast circumference and picking blindfold. It might be imagined that arguments, if such they might be called, so inflated and metaphorical as these, could be but little calculated to create an impression in their favour: and yet, strange to say, one of my first occupations on reaching. home, was to turn over the well-known leaves, and here and there to peruse a scene, from my own beloved dramatic labours. Let rejected dramatists conceive my feelings, for they only can conceive them, while I was thus employed: I do not dwell upon them: it must suffice for me to tell my tale. After a long hour thus spent, I closed the valued works, and, with an elbow resting on their nicely marbled covers, fell into melancholy musing on my friend's recent conversation. Its general tenour appeared sufficiently ridiculous; still, that part of it in which he had compared the censorship to a lottery, struck me again and again, and ever with redoubled force. That both Play and Farce might be at least once more presented to the Houses, and nor form nor feature of them remembered by either Management, I had my own good reasons for supposing possible: and did even the censors commit the choice of

pieces to the prompter's call-boy, might he not, by some astounding turn of luck, choose MINE? The chance of such an event, however far removed from probability, seemed not at greater distance from it than the chance of a prize in that famous pecuniary speculation, annually set afloat by government for the moral benefit of all loyal subjects: and my venture, besides, would have this advantage over the pecuniary one, that it might be made without expence, whether terminated or not by profit. At any rate, the matter appeared to me to be worth another trial; although, not to be too hazardous, I resolved to commit one only of my dramatic children to a new ordeal. And the PLAY, as the elder of the two, being but properly entitled to the priority of fresh adventure, that was once again transmitted to the House over whose destinies yet presided the glorious Coterie, of whom worthy mention hath been already made in these Confessions.

My intention executed, I determined to let the ordinary business of life possess my thoughts as fully and exclusively, as though a fate, more important to me than that of empires, were not once again suspended in the managerial balances. In truth, my philosophy was called to no extraordinary trial upon the occasion; for so certain did I feel, if a passing reflection upon

the subject obtruded itself, of ere long receiving back my Piece, and with it the customary theatrical reply, that I rather feared than hoped for the arrival of an answer. A fortnight, the

pro

longest period I had ever previously been permitted to remain in suspense, passed away without intelligence: a faint joy diffused itself within my bosom, that my sentence was as yet delayed: three weeks expired-a month-five, six weeks-two months!-I then grew pale, and wondered. Hope, for delicious moments, painted the air around me with her day-dreams: but apprehension, again, pictured far darker things: yes, even that my Play (of which I had no copy) was mislaid-lost-had been made perty of dishonourable handss-was gone from me beyond prospect or possibility of recovery! These last ideas were too tormenting for endurance beyond the close of the succeeding week: that period having passed, my resolution was taken; and it was no other than to proceed to the House in person, and insist upon the redelivery of my Piece. Accordingly, I dressed one morning for this especial purpose; and was in the act of setting out from the street-door, when the Post-man placed a letter in my hands, whose purport proved as follows:

" SIR,

THEATRE ROYAL,

"Mr.

12th

desires me to request you would

"be kind enough to favour him with a call at the Theatre some "morning, and at as early an opportunity as you can make it "convenient.

"I am, Sir,

"Your very hble Servt.

O! the wild mountings of a hope, so long that struggled with the fiend adversity, when called, like birds from winter-sleep by spring and sunlight, to soar all-buoyant up to joy at last!-Bear with me, even in my poetics, Reader: the ecstacy of the moment in which the lines I have repeated met my view, inspires me even yet in the remembrance of it: despite the melancholy close to every bright anticipation; despite rejections still to thee untold; despite the fact, that my dramatic path was checquered, truly, by "a gleam of prosperous shine," yet neither usefully nor permanently enlightened.-But I forget that the very ecstacy I speak of, may appear to need elucidation.

Know, then, that the "Mr.

"whose de

sires were communicated to me in the note above cited, was no other than that mighty theatrical monarch, whom to distinguish by a title worthy of himself, I would fain revive a good old