Yours very truly,

Byron

.

P. S.—I was applied to to write the

Address

for Drury Lane, but the moment I heard of the contest, I gave up the idea of contending against all Grub Street, and threw a few thoughts on the subject into the fire. I did this out of respect to you, being sure you would have turned off any of your authors who had entered the lists with such scurvy competitors; to triumph would have been no glory, and to have been defeated—'sdeath!—I

[would]

have choked myself, like Otway, with a quartern loaf

[4]

; so, remember I had, and have, nothing to do with it, upon