It is my pride to say that my Brain is my Plant; and I do not claim any
deduction for diminished value by reason of Wear and Tear, for the
reason that it does not wear and tear, but stays sound and whole all the
time. Yes, I could say to him, my Brain is my Plant, my Skull is my
Workshop, my Hand is my Machinery, and I am the Person carrying on the
Concern; it is not leased to anybody, and so there is no Lessee bound to
maintain and deliver over the same in good condition. There! I do not
wish to any way overrate this argument and answer, dashed off just so,
and not a word of it altered from the way I first wrote it, your
Majesty, but, indeed, it does seem to pulverise that young fellow, you
can see that yourself. But that is all I say; I stop there; I never
pursue a person after I have got him down.
Having thus shown your Majesty that I am not taxable, but am the victim
of the error of a clerk who mistakes the nature of my commerce, it only
remains for me to beg that you will of your justice annul my letter that
I spoke of, so that my publisher can keep back that tax-money which, in
the confusion and aberration caused by the document, I ordered him to
pay. You will not miss the sum, but this is a hard year for authors; and
as for lectures, I do not suppose your Majesty ever saw such a dull
season.
With always great, and ever increasing, respect, I beg to sign myself
your Majesty’s servant to command,