"You are to know that, if I had not had the body moved, they would
have left him there till morning in the street, for fear of
consequences. I would not choose to let even a dog die in such a
manner, without succour--and, as for consequences, I care for none
in a duty. Yours, &c.

"P.S. The lieutenant on duty by the body is smoking his pipe with
great composure.--A queer people this."

* * * * *

LETTER 403. TO MR. MOORE.

"Ravenna, Dec. 25. 1820.

"You will or ought to have received the packet and letters which I
remitted to your address a fortnight ago (or it may be more days),
and I shall be glad of an answer, as, in these times and places,
packets per post are in some risk of not reaching their
destination.

"I have been thinking of a project for you and me, in case we both
get to London again, which (if a Neapolitan war don't suscitate)
may be calculated as possible for one of us about the spring of
1821. I presume that you, too, will be back by that time, or never;
but on that you will give me some index. The project, then, is for
you and me to set up jointly a _newspaper_--nothing more nor
less--weekly, or so, with some improvement or modifications upon
the plan of the present scoundrels, who degrade that
department,--but a _newspaper_, which we will edite in due form,
and, nevertheless, with some attention.

"There must always be in it a piece of poesy from one or other of
us _two_, leaving room, however, for such dilettanti rhymers as may
be deemed worthy of appearing in the same column; but _this_ must
be a _sine qua non_; and also as much prose as we can compass. We
will take an _office_--our names _not_ announced, but
suspected--and, by the blessing of Providence, give the age some
new lights upon policy, poesy, biography, criticism, morality,
theology, and all other _ism_, _ality_, and _ology_ whatsoever.

"Why, man, if we were to take to this in good earnest, your debts
would be paid off in a twelvemonth, and by dint of a little
diligence and practice, I doubt not that we could distance the
common-place blackguards, who have so long disgraced common sense
and the common reader. They have no merit but practice and
impudence, both of which we may acquire; and, as for talent and
cul