ea' were the only ones, except
the 'Seven before Thebes,' which ever much pleased me. As to the
'Faustus of Marlow,' I never read, never saw, nor heard of it--at
least, thought of it, except that I think Mr. Gifford mentioned, in
a note of his which you sent me, something about the catastrophe;
but not as having any thing to do with mine, which may or may not
resemble it, for any thing I know.

"The Prometheus, if not exactly in my plan, has always been so much
in my head, that I can easily conceive its influence over all or
any thing that I have written;--but I deny Marlow and his progeny,
and beg that you will do the same.

"If you can send me the paper in question[10], which the Edinburgh
Review mentions, _do_. The review in the magazine you say was
written by Wilson? it had all the air of being a poet's, and was a
very good one. The Edinburgh Review I take to be Jeffrey's own by
its friendliness. I wonder they thought it worth while to do so, so
soon after the former; but it was evidently with a good motive.

"I saw Hoppner the other day, whose country-house at Este I have
taken for two years. If you come out next summer, let me know in
time. Love to Gifford.

"Yours ever truly.

"Crabbe, Malcolm, Hamilton, and Chantrey,
Are all partakers of my pantry.

These two lines are omitted in your letter to the doctor, after--

"All clever men who make their way."

[Footnote 10: A paper in the Edinburgh Magazine, in which it was
suggested that the general conception of Manfred, and much of what is
excellent in the manner of its execution, had been borrowed from "The
Tragical History of Dr. Faustus," of Marlow.]

* * * * *

LETTER 300. TO MR. MURRAY.

"Venice, October 23. 1817.

"Your two letters are before me, and our bargain is so far
concluded. How sorry I am to hear that Gifford is unwell! Pray tell
me he is better: I hope it is nothing but _cold_. As you say his
illness originates in cold, I trust it will get no further.

"Mr. Whistlecraft has no greater admirer than myself: I have
written a story in 89 stanzas, in imitation of him, called _Beppo_,
(the short name for Giuseppe, that is, the _Joe_ of the Italian
Joseph,) which I shall throw you into the balance of the fourth
Canto, to help you round