John Lee (1725–81), actor and theatre manager, began his career in Goodman’s Field Theatre, London, in 1745. As was typical of the time, his career fluctuated between theatres, and he had periods at Drury Lane and Covent Garden. These changes in allegiance were not without problems and in 1750 David Garrick sued him for breach of articles after he left Drury Lane rather abruptly the year before. Forced to return, Lee acted at Drury Lane until 1752, when he left to follow his wife to Dublin. However, he only performed once at Thomas Sheridan's Smock Alley before he left for Edinburgh. Here he began his management career and introduced a number of innovations before his tenure at Edinburgh also collapsed into ignominy and legal wrangling. The remainder of his career saw him continue his itinerant ways and he had periods back in Dublin, Bath, Bristol and London. Lee also adapted a number of established plays but, it appears, without success. He was the father of the literary sisters, Sophia and Harriet Lee.

The date of the letter is conjectural. John Lee played one of the speaking parts in Threnodia Augustalis and it is likely their contact was motivated by this piece. Lee may have wished to speak to Goldsmith in advance of the performance, or perhaps to discuss it afterwards.

The copy-text is the manuscript in Somerville College, Oxford. It is published here for the first time. The letter is only partial with the manuscript cut away to the right side, where begins what remains of the letter. The sheet is marked, in a different hand in pencil ‘To Mr. Lee’.