770. RB to William Charles Macready
As published in The Brownings’ Correspondence, 4, 293–294.
Hanover Cottage, Southhampton St.Cll
Monday Mg [?27 July] [1840] [1]
My dear Macready,
“The luck of the third adventure” is proverbial– I have written a spick & span new Tragedy—(a sort of compromise between my own notion & yours—as I understand it, at least—) and will read it to you if you care to be bothered so far—there is action in it, drabbing, stabbing, et autres gentillesses, [2] —who knows but the Gods may mean me good even yet?– Only, make no scruple of saying flatly that you cannot spare the time, if engagements of which I know nothing but fancy a great deal, should claim every couple of hours in the course of this week. [3]
Yours ever truly,
Robt Browning.
Publication: LRB, p. 5 (as ca. 1840).
Manuscript: Armstrong Browning Library.
1. Dated by the reference to RB’s play.
2. “Other pretty tricks.”
3. Mansoor the Hierophant was one of the works advertised as “nearly ready” when Sordello was published in February 1840. Re-named The Return of the Druses, RB’s first version was promised to Macready in letter 753. As a result of Macready’s comments, the play was expanded to five acts and was the subject of letter 761. Further changes were made, and RB was now hoping “third time lucky”; however, as the following letter shows, Macready was still not enthusiastic about the play. He recorded in his diary on 3 August: “Read Browning’s play, and with the deepest concern I yield to the belief that he will never write again—to any purpose. I fear his intellect is not quite clear. I do not know how to write to Browning” (Macready, II, 72).
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