Grace, I hope, will forgive me, that, to gratify you, I do not consign to distress and poverty above sixty families, who all live comfortably, many of them plentifully, under my present jurisdiction. When I resign them, they may be governed by your Grace's successor in your office as they have been by your predecessor *, according to humour and caprice, and not reason and justice. In their defence and my own, I deny all allegations of voluntary neglect imputed to me or them, or undue demands made upon the subject by me or them; and shall always, with safety to my honour, and duty to the rest of the world, and no other reserve, be, My Lord,

Your Grace's most obliged, most devoted,

and obedient humble servant,

RICH. STEELE.

433. TO THE LORD CHANCELLOR†.

MY LORD,

JAN. 17, 1719-20.

THAT you were Lord Chief Justice, was a consideration which gave me much resolution in the last reign; that you are Chancellor, is a comfort to me under much hardships in this. I have, my Lord, a. by letters Patent from his Majesty, to keep and govern a company of Comedians :

* The Duke of Bolton was the predecessor; the Duke of Grafton the successor.

+ Thomas Lord Parker; Lord Chief Justice of the King'sBench 1710; Lord Chancellor 1718; created Earl of Maccles

field 1721.

the

the tenure is for my life, and three years after my death. My Lord Chamberlain thinks his office injured in this grant, and disturbs me in it. His Grace has already sent an order to silence one of the chief Actors; upon which I wrote to him, and complained of the oppression which I took the liberty of it. Upon this I received a message by his Secretary, never to write or speak to him more during our natural lives. His Grace has since declared, he will obtain a sign manual to silence the Theatre. I cannot, by his own order, expostulate with him; therefore am obliged to apply to other Lords of the Council, to prevent the grant of such an instrument. My Lord has acquainted me, that this Patent of mine shall be disputed in Westminster-hall; which I am very glad of, and am ready to defend myself; but cannot do so, if my means of doing it are taken from me, and the cause is in effect to begin at the latter end of it, and, by the interposition of the King's name and authority, I am to be bereaved in a summary and arbitrary way of what I am to dispute according to the rules of justice.

I presume to write to the other great Officers of the Crown on this subject; and hope I shall not be distinguished by receiving injustice with relation to the Playhouse, as I have been by right justice in . case of omission of duty in the Commission of Forfeitures *. I am, my Lord,

Your Lordship's most obedient,

and most humble servant,

RICH. STEELe.

For which he incurred, and paid a penalty of 5001; see

pp. 554, 572.

434. TO

434. TO THE DUKE OF ARGYLE *.

MY LORD,

JAN. 17, 1719-20.

I AM necessitated to be guilty of this presumption, from a menace of my Lord Chamberlain, that he would silence the Theatre' under my government by a sign manual, though at the same time he has sent me word by his Secretary that he will prosecute my Patent according to Law.

I have not the honour of your Grace's friendship; and therefore want a powerful man who knows superiority is maintained only by benefaction, and that no man is truly above a Gentleman of England, but merely in a ceremonial and insipid way, but he who is ready to favour, protect, and defend him.

This, my Lord, is what you are well known to understand and perform with a frankness and beauty which very few are capable to imitate. But, as I have no pretension to such protection and patronage from you, I only apply to you, as you are a Privy Councillor, for justice; and humbly beg of you, to grant me so far your observation (as it may come before you either in business or conversation) should a step be made; but I shall not omit to tell you, who know human life, and have reason about you, in spite of being a man of immense fortune, and the highest title I can say to you, that this attack at the Playhouse and the penalty of taking - from me 500l. for my absence from Scotland, has extremely reduced my finances and credit.

* John Campbell, Duke of Argyle and Greenwich.

Forgive

Forgive me, my Lord, for this application to you, which proceeds from a deep sense of your many noble qualities which make me (though I speak it when I am a petitioner), my Lord, with great truth, Your Grace's most obedient

and most humble servant,

RICH. STEELE.

I

435. TO JAMES CRAGGS*, ESQ.

SIR,

JAN. 17, 1719-20.

PRESUME to give you this trouble in hopes of your protection, as you are a Privy Councillor, against what his Grace my Lord Chamberlain is pleased to threaten, contrary to the rules of justice. My Lord is instigated to dispute the King's authority in giving me a Patent for the government of the Playhouse; and has sent me word he will go to law with me on that subject, but at the same time menaces to silence the House by his Majesty's sign manual. I insist upon it that it will be an arbitrary application of the sign manual; and doubt not but you will, in duty to your Sovereign and justice to your fellow subjects, if it should fall to your province to be consulted, avert this calamity from, Sir, Your most obedient

and most humble servant,

RICH. STEELE.

* This was the "Statesman, yet Friend to Truth," who is so justly complimented by Mr. Pope. He was made Secretary of State in 1718; and died Feb. 14, 1720.

436. TO

I

436. TO EARL STANHOPE *.

MY LORD,

JAN. 17, 1719-20.

AM obliged to give your Lordship this trouble on occasion of a menace from my Lord Chamberlain, that he will silence the Actors under my go-vernment by his Majesty's Letters Patent, though at the same time he has notified to me by his Secretary, that he will proceed against this little theatrical authority according to Law†, I presume to assert

* An old friend and patron of Steele; see p. 338.

+ The following Dialogue, which is said to have passed in or about 1719, between Sir Richard Steele and the Earl of Sunderland, first Lord Commissioner of the Treasury from 1718 to 1721 (whether genuine or not) is characteristic; and is here transcribed from Ralph's "Case of Authors by Profession."

"STEELE. I beg your pardon, my Lord-Though such as you seldom remember, such as I seldom forget- -And I must now beg leave to put you in mind of what you have told me over and over again-That you thought Dick Steele had almost as good pretensions as Bob Walpole-That it was unpardonable in one who had been my right-hand man at the bar of the House, to turn his back on me when at the head of the Treasury-and that when you came to be Minister all should be made up to me.

Lord SUNDERLAND. I did; I did sure enough-But, my dear Sir Richard

STEELE. My Lord-my Lord-I know what you would say; and I will save you the trouble of saying it-I am of the miller's mind-The fault is in the mill-in more senses than one.

Lord SUNDERLAND. What mill? I do not understand you. STEELE. Afford me a little patience, my Lord, and I will make you understand me-A poor country-fellow, coming too late on a Saturday-evening to the mill with his corn to be ground, found the miller had shut up, and was jogging home-This was

a sorry