he was in debt for three weeks' board, and he had been ruthlessly and
ignominiously branded with failure. He reverted to Brutus at Philippi,
to Cato, and he was nearly on the verge of suicide. It may be that the
cheering words of his friend brought out his true but latent courage.
What were a troop of vulgar and ill-mannered players to him? What was a
dramatic agent but a harpy? He was worth a whole theatre full of actors
such as had worked almost his ruin. Go back and put his nose down to the
grindstone, his desk, where, at least they paid men enough to live on,
and did not make it necessary to cheat a poor landlady!