BEAUMARCHAIS, Pierre-Augustin Caron de (1732–1799).

He comes to the aid of the penniless poet and speaks of his fight for authors’ rights.

‘Never have I been so short of money as at this moment. But since you still need a thousand écus to extricate yourself from all your troubles, you shall have them.’ He sends him 25 louis, ‘it is almost the widow’s mite. As your debt to me is set to become greater than I had thought, you will have to provide some other form of security besides the note you sent me. Although I have no intention of putting your bill into circulation; for it to appear to represent money, it must be negotiable, and in the accounts I submit to my company, I have made it a rule not to present any other. […] 9 m.L. leaves too big a gap for me to leave them without bank drafts to take their place’.

He wished Dorat ‘good luck at the theatre, and provided your cruel troubles have not, even for a moment, dampened your charming verve, I have no doubt of it. But remember that, as a man of high literature, you must not, on this occasion, distance yourself from your fellow men of letters. And why, my friend, that I—who have merely made a brief appearance and am no longer fortunate enough to pursue a career in the theatre—should be so passionate and work tirelessly for the sake of literature, whilst those who honour it most through their talent remain as cold as ice towards this great cause’…

[Dorat had his comedy *Roséïde, or The Schemer* performed on 2 October; he died on 29 April 1780.]