s own lips the story a hundred times over.

Mr. Esmond, forced to be quiet, betook himself to literature for a
relaxation, and composed his comedy, whereof the prompter's copy lieth
in my walnut escritoire, sealed up and docketed, "The Faithful Fool,
a Comedy, as it was performed by her Majesty's Servants." 'Twas a
very sentimental piece; and Mr. Steele, who had more of that kind of
sentiment than Mr. Addison, admired it, whilst the other rather sneered
at the performance; though he owned that, here and there, it contained
some pretty strokes. He was bringing out his own play of "Cato" at the
time, the blaze of which quite extinguished Esmond's farthing candle;
and his name was never put to the piece, which was printed as by a
Person of Quality. Only nine copies were sold, though Mr. Dennis, the
great critic, praised it, and said 'twas a work of great merit; and
Colonel Esmond had the whole impression burned one day in a rage, by
Jack Lockwood, his man.

All this comedy was full of bitter satiric strokes against a certain
young lady. The plot of the piece was quite a new one. A young woman was
represented with a great number of suitors, selecting a pert fribble of
a peer, in place of the hero (but ill-acted, I think, by Mr. Wilks,
the Faithful Fool,) who persisted in admiring her. In the fifth act,
Teraminta was made to discover the merits of Eugenio (the F. F.), and
to feel a partiality for him too late; for he announced that he had
bestowed his hand and estate upon Rosaria, a country lass, endowed with
every virtue. But it must be owned that the audience yawned through the
play; and that it perished on the third night, with only half a dozen
persons to behold its agonies. Esmond and his two mistresses came to the
first night, and Miss Beatrix fell asleep; whilst her mother, who had
not been to a play since King James the Second's time, thought the
piece, though not brilliant, had a very pretty moral.

Mr. Esmond dabbled in letters, and wrote a deal of prose and verse at
this time of leisure. When displeased with the conduct of Miss Beatrix,
he would compose a satire, in which he relieved his mind. When smarting
under the faithlessness of women, he dashed off a copy of verses, in
which he held the whole sex up to scorn. One day, in one of these moods,
he made a little joke, in which (swearing him to secrecy) he got his
friend Dick Steele to help him; and, composing a paper, he had it
printed exactly like Steele's pap