an and
project of rising was settled by me, and the _means_ furnished, &c.
&c. All this was more fomented by the barbarian agents, who are
numerous here (one of them was stabbed yesterday, by the way, but
not dangerously):--and although when the Commandant was shot here
before my door in December, I took him into my house, where he had
every assistance, till he died on Fletcher's bed; and although not
one of them dared to receive him into their houses but myself, they
leaving him to perish in the night in the streets, they put up a
paper about three months ago, denouncing me as the Chief of the
Liberals, and stirring up persons to assassinate me. But this shall
never silence nor bully my opinions. All this came from the German
Barbarians."

* * * * *

LETTER 430. TO MR. MURRAY.

"Ravenna, May 25. 1821.

"Mr. Moray,

"Since I wrote the enclosed a week ago, and for some weeks before,
I have not had a line from you: now, I should be glad to know upon
what principle of common or _un_common feeling, you leave me
without any information but what I derive from garbled gazettes in
English, and abusive ones in Italian (the Germans hating me as a
_coal-heaver_), while all this kick-up has been going on about the
play? You SHABBY fellow!!! Were it not for two letters from Douglas
Kinnaird, I should have been as ignorant as you are negligent.

"So, I hear Bowles has been abusing Hobhouse? If that's the case,
he has broken the truce, like Morillo's successor, and I will cut
him out, as Cochrane did the Esmeralda.

"Since I wrote the enclosed packet, I have completed (but not
copied out) four acts of a new tragedy. When I have finished the
fifth, I will copy it out. It is on the subject of 'Sardanapalus,'
the last king of the Assyrians. The words _Queen_ and _Pavilion_
occur, but it is not an allusion to his Britannic Majesty, as you
may tremulously imagine. This you will one day see (if I finish
it), as I have made Sardanapalus _brave_, (though voluptuous, as
history represents him,) and also as _amiable_ as my poor powers
could render him:--so that it could neither be truth nor satire on
any living monarch. I have strictly preserved all the unities
hitherto, and mean to continue them in the fifth, if possible; but