“. . . Do not imagine you have been long out of my
thoughts. Your novel, your
tragedy, your
well-being and happiness in every sense, are the frequent and serious subjects
of recollection. Having made four at least fruitless attempts in Hamburg to
make the first productive of some small gain to you, I hoped to have been more
successful at Berlin, where I am told the booksellers are more liberal and
enterprising. Two men of considerable literary merit here have read it, and,
after considerable praise of the style, have pronounced it cold and
uninteresting: at least
| 348 | WILLIAM GODWIN |
“For your Tragedy I am still more, I may say, irritably anxious. I saw it only in its half-finished state. Give me the history of its theatrical progress. When is it to be performed? What are your feelings? Do you remain thoroughly concealed? Are you yet thoroughly under the scourge of Managerial tyranny? I am very desirous to hear this, and anything else you can tell me on the subject.
“. . . Let me know if Opie has received my pictures, what you think of them, and what he and others say. In my opinion, the ‘Guide’ is a masterpiece, though it will not appear so, perhaps, till it has been deeply considered. . . . Care has been taken of young Arnot.
