ch 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

'I made 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 show 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,
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 clothes 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'essai 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 acknowledgments 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