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diff --git a/44065-0.txt b/44065-0.txt new file mode 100644 index 0000000..4c21300 --- /dev/null +++ b/44065-0.txt @@ -0,0 +1,13289 @@ +*** START OF THE PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK 44065 *** + +Note: Project Gutenberg also has an HTML version of this + file which includes the original illustrations. + See 44065-h.htm or 44065-h.zip: + (http://www.gutenberg.org/files/44065/44065-h/44065-h.htm) + or + (http://www.gutenberg.org/files/44065/44065-h.zip) + + + Images of the original pages are available through + Internet Archive. See + https://archive.org/details/anapologyforlife02cibbuoft + + + Project Gutenberg has the other volume of this work. + Volume I: see http://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/44064 + + + +Transcriber's note: + + Text enclosed by underscores is in italics (_italics_). + + A carat character is used to denote superscription. A + single character following the carat is superscripted + (example: y^m). Multiple superscripted characters are + enclosed by curly brackets (example: 30^{th}). + + The scribal abbreviation found in Footnote 56 is + represented by the notation {c~o}. + + + + + + AN APOLOGY FOR THE LIFE OF + + MR. COLLEY CIBBER. + + _VOLUME THE SECOND._ + + + + + _NOTE._ + + _510 copies printed on this fine deckle-edge demy 8vo + paper for England and America, with the portraits as + India proofs after letters._ + + _Each copy is numbered, and the type distributed._ + + _No._ 368 + + [Illustration: COLLEY CIBBER AS LORD FOPPINGTON.] + + + + + AN APOLOGY FOR THE LIFE OF + + MR. COLLEY CIBBER + + _WRITTEN BY HIMSELF_ + + + + + A NEW EDITION WITH NOTES AND SUPPLEMENT + + BY + + ROBERT W. LOWE + + _WITH TWENTY-SIX ORIGINAL MEZZOTINT PORTRAITS BY + R. B. PARKES, AND EIGHTEEN ETCHINGS + BY ADOLPHE LALAUZE_ + + + _IN TWO VOLUMES_ + VOLUME THE SECOND + + + LONDON + JOHN C. NIMMO + 14, KING WILLIAM STREET, STRAND + MDCCCLXXXIX + + + + + Chiswick Press + + PRINTED BY CHARLES WHITTINGHAM AND CO. + TOOKS COURT, CHANCERY LANE, LONDON, E.C. + + + + + CONTENTS. + + + CHAPTER X. + + PAGE + THE RECRUITED ACTORS IN THE HAY-MARKET ENCOURAG'D BY A + SUBSCRIPTION, ETC. 1 + + + CHAPTER XI. + + SOME CHIMÆRICAL THOUGHTS OF MAKING THE STAGE USEFUL, ETC. 24 + + + CHAPTER XII. + + A SHORT VIEW OF THE OPERA WHEN FIRST DIVIDED FROM THE + COMEDY, ETC. 50 + + + CHAPTER XIII. + + THE PATENTEE, HAVING NOW NO ACTORS, REBUILDS THE NEW THEATRE + IN LINCOLNS-INN-FIELDS, ETC. 97 + + + CHAPTER XIV. + + THE STAGE IN ITS HIGHEST PROSPERITY, ETC. 117 + + + CHAPTER XV. + + SIR RICHARD STEELE SUCCEEDS COLLIER IN THE THEATRE-ROYAL, + ETC. 161 + + + CHAPTER XVI. + + THE AUTHOR STEPS OUT OF HIS WAY. PLEADS HIS THEATRICAL CAUSE + IN CHANCERY, ETC. 192 + + + SUPPLEMENTARY CHAPTER 257 + + BIBLIOGRAPHY OF COLLEY CIBBER 289 + + A BRIEF SUPPLEMENT TO COLLEY CIBBER, ESQ; HIS LIVES OF THE + LATE FAMOUS ACTORS AND ACTRESSES 299 + + MEMOIRS OF ACTORS AND ACTRESSES 319 + + + + + LIST OF MEZZOTINT PORTRAITS. + + NEWLY ENGRAVED BY R. B. PARKES. + + VOLUME THE SECOND. + + + PAGE + I. COLLEY CIBBER, in the character of "Sir Novelty + Fashion, newley created Lord Foppington," in + Vanbrugh's play of "The Relapse; or, Virtue in + Danger." From the painting by J. Grisoni. The + property of the Garrick Club. _Frontispiece_ + + II. OWEN SWINEY. After the painting by John Baptist + Vanloo. 54 + + III. ANNE OLDFIELD. From the picture by Jonathan + Richardson. 70 + + IV. THEOPHILUS CIBBER, in the character of "Antient + Pistol." 86 + + V. HESTER SANTLOW (Mrs. Barton Booth). After an + original picture from the life. 104 + + VI. ROBERT WILKS. After the painting by John Ellys, + 1732. 122 + + VII. RICHARD STEELE. From the painting by Jonathan + Richardson, 1712. 172 + + VIII. BARTON BOOTH. From the picture by George White. 206 + + IX. SUSANNA MARIA CIBBER. After a painting by Thomas + Hudson. 222 + + X. CHARLES FLEETWOOD. "Sir Fopling Flutter Arrested." + "Drawn from a real Scene." John Dixon _ad vivum del + et fect_. 254 + + XI. ALEXANDER POPE, at the age of 28. After the + picture by Sir Godfrey Kneller, painted in 1716. 272 + + XII. SUSANNA MARIA CIBBER, in the character of + Cordelia, "King Lear," act iii. After the + picture by Peter Van Bleeck. 288 + + XIII. CAVE UNDERHILL, in the character of Obadiah, + "The Fanatic Elder." After the picture by Robert + Bing, 1712. 306 + + + + + LIST OF CHAPTER HEADINGS. + + NEWLY ETCHED FROM CONTEMPORARY DRAWINGS BY + ADOLPHE LALAUZE. + + VOLUME THE SECOND. + + + X. SCENE ILLUSTRATING CIBBER'S "CARELESS HUSBAND." + After the picture by Philip Mercier. + + XI. COFFEE-HOUSE SCENE OF CIBBER'S DAY, "drawn from + the life" by G. Vander Gucht. + + XII. SCENE ILLUSTRATING "THE ITALIAN OPERA," WITH + SENESINO, CUZZONI, &C. From a contemporary design. + + XIII. SCENE ILLUSTRATING FARQUHAR'S "RECRUITING OFFICER." + After the picture by Philip Mercier. + + XIV. SCENE ILLUSTRATING ADDISON'S "CATO." After the + contemporary design by Lud. du Guernier. + + XV. SCENE ILLUSTRATING VANBRUGH AND CIBBER'S "PROVOKED + HUSBAND." After the contemporary design by + J. Vanderbank. + + XVI. SCENE ILLUSTRATING VANBRUGH'S "PROVOKED WIFE." + After the contemporary design by Arnold Vanhaecken. + + XVII. "THE STAGE MUTINY," with portraits of Theophilus + Cibber as "Antient Pistol," Mrs. Wilks, and others, + in character; Colley Cibber as Poet Laureate, with + his lap filled with bags of money. From a pictorial + satire of the time. + + XVIII. ANTHONY ASTON'S "THE FOOL'S OPERA." + + + + +AN APOLOGY FOR THE LIFE OF MR. COLLEY CIBBER, &c. + + + + +CHAPTER X. + + +[Illustration: Ad Lalauze, sc] + + _The recruited Actors in the_ Hay-Market _encourag'd by a + Subscription_. Drury-Lane _under a particular Management_. + _The Power of a Lord-Chamberlain over the Theatres consider'd. + How it had been formerly exercis'd. A Digression to Tragick + Authors._ + +Having shewn the particular Conduct of the Patentee in refusing so fair +an Opportunity of securing to himself both Companies under his sole +Power and Interest, I shall now lead the Reader, after a short View of +what pass'd in this new Establishment of the _Hay-Market_ Theatre, to +the Accidents that the Year following compell'd the same Patentee to +receive both Companies, united, into the _Drury-Lane_ Theatre, +notwithstanding his Disinclination to it. + +It may now be imagin'd that such a Detachment of Actors from +_Drury-Lane_ could not but give a new Spirit to those in the +_Hay-Market_; not only by enabling them to act each others Plays to +better Advantage, but by an emulous Industry which had lain too long +inactive among them, and without which they plainly saw they could not +be sure of Subsistence. Plays by this means began to recover a good +Share of their former Esteem and Favour; and the Profits of them in +about a Month enabled our new Menager to discharge his Debt (of +something more than Two hundred Pounds) to his old Friend the Patentee, +who had now left him and his Troop in trust to fight their own Battles. +The greatest Inconvenience they still laboured under was the immoderate +Wideness of their House, in which, as I have observ'd, the Difficulty of +Hearing may be said to have bury'd half the Auditors Entertainment. This +Defect seem'd evident from the much better Reception several new Plays +(first acted there) met with when they afterwards came to be play'd by +the same Actors in _Drury-Lane_: Of this Number were the _Stratagem_[1] +and the _Wife's Resentment_;[2] to which I may add the _Double +Gallant_.[3] This last was a Play made up of what little was tolerable +in two or three others that had no Success, and were laid aside as so +much Poetical Lumber; but by collecting and adapting the best Parts of +them all into one Play, the _Double Gallant_ has had a Place every +Winter amongst the Publick Entertainments these Thirty Years. As I was +only the Compiler of this Piece I did not publish it in my own Name; +but as my having but a Hand in it could not be long a Secret, I have +been often treated as a Plagiary on that Account: Not that I think I +have any right to complain of whatever would detract from the Merit of +that sort of Labour, yet a Cobler may be allow'd to be useful though he +is not famous:[4] And I hope a Man is not blameable for doing a little +Good, tho' he cannot do as much as another? But so it is--Twopenny +Criticks must live as well as Eighteenpenny Authors![5] + +While the Stage was thus recovering its former Strength, a more +honourable Mark of Favour was shewn to it than it was ever known before +or since to have receiv'd. The then Lord _Hallifax_ was not only the +Patron of the Men of Genius of this Time, but had likewise a generous +Concern for the Reputation and Prosperity of the Theatre, from whence +the most elegant Dramatick Labours of the Learned, he knew, had often +shone in their brightest Lustre. A Proposal therefore was drawn up and +addressed to that Noble Lord for his Approbation and Assistance to raise +a publick Subscription for Reviving Three Plays of the best Authors, +with the full Strength of the Company; every Subscriber to have Three +Tickets for the first Day of each Play for his single Payment of Three +Guineas. This Subscription his Lordship so zealously encouraged, that +from his Recommendation chiefly, in a very little time it was +compleated. The Plays were _Julius Cæsar_ of _Shakespear_; the _King and +no King_ of _Fletcher_, and the Comic Scenes of _Drydens Marriage à la +mode_ and of his _Maiden Queen_ put together;[6] for it was judg'd that, +as these comic Episodes were utterly independent of the serious Scenes +they were originally written to, they might on this occasion be as well +Episodes either to the other, and so make up five livelier Acts between +them: At least the Project so well succeeded, that those comic Parts +have never since been replaced, but were continued to be jointly acted +as one Play several Years after. + +By the Aid of this Subscription, which happen'd in 1707, and by the +additional Strength and Industry of this Company, not only the Actors +(several of which were handsomely advanc'd in their Sallaries) were duly +paid, but the Menager himself, too, at the Foot of his Account, stood a +considerable Gainer. + +At the same time the Patentee of _Drury-Lane_ went on in his usual Method +of paying extraordinary Prices to Singers, Dancers, and other exotick +Performers, which were as constantly deducted out of the sinking Sallaries +of his Actors: 'Tis true his Actors perhaps might not deserve much more +than he gave them; yet, by what I have related, it is plain he chose not +to be troubled with such as visibly had deserv'd more: For it seems he had +not purchas'd his Share of the Patent to mend the Stage, but to make Money +of it: And to say Truth, his Sense of every thing to be shewn there was +much upon a Level with the Taste of the Multitude, whose Opinion and whose +Money weigh'd with him full as much as that of the best Judges. His Point +was to please the Majority, who could more easily comprehend any thing +they _saw_ than the daintiest things that could be said to them. But in +this Notion he kept no medium; for in my Memory he carry'd it so far that +he was (some few Years before this time) actually dealing for an +extraordinary large Elephant at a certain Sum for every Day he might think +fit to shew the tractable Genius of that vast quiet Creature in any Play +or Farce in the Theatre (then standing) in _Dorset-Garden_. But from the +Jealousy which so formidable a Rival had rais'd in his Dancers, and by his +Bricklayer's assuring him that if the Walls were to be open'd wide enough +for its Entrance it might endanger the fall of the House, he gave up his +Project, and with it so hopeful a Prospect of making the Receipts of the +Stage run higher than all the Wit and Force of the best Writers had ever +yet rais'd them to.[7] + +About the same time of his being under this Disappointment he put in +Practice another Project of as new, though not of so bold a Nature; +which was his introducing a Set of Rope-dancers into the same Theatre; +for the first Day of whose Performance he had given out some Play in +which I had a material Part: But I was hardy enough to go into the Pit +and acquaint the Spectators near me, that I hop'd they would not think +it a Mark of my Disrespect to them, if I declin'd acting upon any Stage +that was brought to so low a Disgrace as ours was like to be by that +Day's Entertainment. My Excuse was so well taken that I never after +found any ill Consequences, or heard of the least Disapprobation of it: +And the whole Body of Actors, too, protesting against such an Abuse of +their Profession, our cautious Master was too much alarm'd and +intimidated to repeat it. + +After what I have said, it will be no wonder that all due Regards to the +original Use and Institution of the Stage should be utterly lost or +neglected: Nor was the Conduct of this Menager easily to be alter'd +while he had found the Secret of making Money out of Disorder and +Confusion: For however strange it may seem, I have often observ'd him +inclin'd to be cheerful in the Distresses of his Theatrical Affairs, and +equally reserv'd and pensive when they went smoothly forward with a +visible Profit. Upon a Run of good Audiences he was more frighted to be +thought a Gainer, which might make him accountable to others, than he +was dejected with bad Houses, which at worst he knew would make others +accountable to him: And as, upon a moderate Computation, it cannot be +supposed that the contested Accounts of a twenty Year's Wear and Tear in +a Play-house could be fairly adjusted by a Master in Chancery under +four-score Years more, it will be no Surprize that by the Neglect, or +rather the Discretion, of other Proprietors in not throwing away good +Money after bad, this Hero of a Menager, who alone supported the War, +should in time so fortify himself by Delay, and so tire his Enemies, +that he became sole Monarch of his Theatrical Empire, and left the quiet +Possession of it to his Successors. + +If these Facts seem too trivial for the Attention of a sensible Reader, +let it be consider'd that they are not chosen Fictions to _entertain_, +but Truths necessary to _inform_ him under what low Shifts and +Disgraces, what Disorders and Revolutions, the Stage labour'd before it +could recover that Strength and Reputation wherewith it began to +flourish towards the latter End of Queen _Anne_'s Reign; and which it +continued to enjoy for a Course of twenty Years following. But let us +resume our Account of the new Settlement in the _Hay-Market_. + +It may be a natural Question why the Actors whom _Swiney_ brought over +to his Undertaking in the _Hay-Market_ would tie themselves down to +limited Sallaries? for though he as their Menager was obliged to make +them certain Payments, it was not certain that the Receipts would enable +him to do it; and since their own Industry was the only visible Fund +they had to depend upon, why would they not for that Reason insist upon +their being Sharers as well of possible Profits as Losses? How far in +this Point they acted right or wrong will appear from the following +State of their Case. + +It must first be consider'd that this Scheme of their Desertion was all +concerted and put in Execution in a Week's Time, which short Warning +might make them overlook that Circumstance, and the sudden Prospect of +being deliver'd from having seldom more than half their Pay was a +Contentment that had bounded all their farther Views. Besides, as there +could be no room to doubt of their receiving their full Pay previous to +any Profits that might be reap'd by their Labour, and as they had no +great Reason to apprehend those Profits could exceed their respective +Sallaries so far as to make them repine at them, they might think it but +reasonable to let the Chance of any extraordinary Gain be on the Side of +their Leader and Director. But farther, as this Scheme had the +Approbation of the Court, these Actors in reality had it not in their +Power to alter any Part of it: And what induced the Court to encourage +it was, that by having the Theatre and its Menager more immediately +dependent on the Power of the Lord Chamberlain, it was not doubted but +the Stage would be recover'd into such a Reputation as might now do +Honour to that absolute Command which the Court or its Officers seem'd +always fond of having over it. + +Here, to set the Constitution of the Stage in a clearer Light, it may +not be amiss to look back a little on the Power of a Lord Chamberlain, +which, as may have been observ'd in all Changes of the Theatrical +Government, has been the main Spring without which no Scheme of what +kind soever could be set in Motion. My Intent is not to enquire how far +by Law this Power has been limited or extended; but merely as an +Historian to relate Facts to gratify the Curious, and then leave them to +their own Reflections: This, too, I am the more inclin'd to, because +there is no one Circumstance which has affected the Stage wherein so +many Spectators, from those of the highest Rank to the Vulgar, have +seem'd more positively knowing or less inform'd in. + +Though in all the Letters Patent for acting Plays, _&c._ since King +_Charles_ the _First_'s Time there has been no mention of the Lord +Chamberlain, or of any Subordination to his Command or Authority, yet it +was still taken for granted that no Letters Patent, by the bare Omission +of such a great Officer's Name, could have superseded or taken out of +his Hands that Power which Time out of Mind he always had exercised over +the Theatre.[8] The common Opinions then abroad were, that if the +Profession of Actors was unlawful, it was not in the Power of the Crown +to license it; and if it were not unlawful, it ought to be free and +independent as other Professions; and that a Patent to exercise it was +only an honorary Favour from the Crown to give it a better Grace of +Recommendation to the Publick. But as the Truth of this Question seem'd +to be wrapt in a great deal of Obscurity, in the old Laws made in former +Reigns relating to Players, _&c._ it may be no Wonder that the best +Companies of Actors should be desirous of taking Shelter under the +visible Power of a Lord Chamberlain who they knew had at his Pleasure +favoured and protected or born hard upon them: But be all this as it +may, a Lord Chamberlain (from whencesoever his Power might be derived) +had till of later Years had always an implicit Obedience paid to it: I +shall now give some few Instances in what manner it was exercised. + +What appear'd to be most reasonably under his Cognizance was the +licensing or refusing new Plays, or striking out what might be thought +offensive in them: Which Province had been for many Years assign'd to +his inferior Officer, the Master of the Revels; yet was not this License +irrevocable; for several Plays, though acted by that Permission, had +been silenced afterwards. The first Instance of this kind that common +Fame has deliver'd down to us, is that of the _Maid's Tragedy_ of +_Beaumont_ and _Fletcher_, which was forbid in King _Charles_ the +_Second_'s time, by an Order from the Lord Chamberlain. For what Reason +this Interdiction was laid upon it the Politicks of those Days have only +left us to guess. Some said that the killing of the King in that Play, +while the tragical Death of King _Charles_ the _First_ was then so fresh +in People's Memory, was an Object too horribly impious for a publick +Entertainment. What makes this Conjecture seem to have some Foundation, +is that the celebrated _Waller_, in Compliment to that Court, alter'd +the last Act of this Play (which is printed at the End of his Works) and +gave it a new Catastrophe, wherein the Life of the King is loyally +saved, and the Lady's Matter made up with a less terrible Reparation. +Others have given out, that a repenting Mistress, in a romantick Revenge +of her Dishonour, killing the King in the very Bed he expected her to +come into, was shewing a too dangerous Example to other _Evadnes_ then +shining at Court in the same Rank of royal Distinction; who, if ever +their Consciences should have run equally mad, might have had frequent +Opportunities of putting the Expiation of their Frailty into the like +Execution. But this I doubt is too deep a Speculation, or too ludicrous +a Reason, to be relied on; it being well known that the Ladies then in +favour were not so nice in their Notions as to think their Preferment +their Dishonour, or their Lover a Tyrant: Besides, that easy Monarch +loved his Roses without Thorns; nor do we hear that he much chose to be +himself the first Gatherer of them.[9] + +The _Lucius Junius Brutus_ of _Nat. Lee_[10] was in the same Reign +silenced after the third Day of Acting it; it being objected that the +Plan and Sentiments of it had too boldly vindicated, and might enflame +republican Principles. + +A Prologue (by _Dryden_) to the _Prophetess_ was forbid by the Lord +_Dorset_ after the first Day of its being spoken.[11] This happen'd when +King _William_ was prosecuting the War in _Ireland_. It must be +confess'd that this Prologue had some familiar, metaphorical Sneers at +the Revolution itself; and as the Poetry of it was good, the Offence of +it was less pardonable. + +The Tragedy of _Mary_ Queen of _Scotland_[12] had been offer'd to the +Stage twenty Years before it was acted: But from the profound +Penetration of the Master of the Revels, who saw political Spectres in +it that never appear'd in the Presentation, it had lain so long upon the +Hands of the Author; who had at last the good Fortune to prevail with a +Nobleman to favour his Petition to Queen _Anne_ for Permission to have +it acted: The Queen had the Goodness to refer the Merit of his Play to +the Opinion of that noble Person, although he was not her Majesty's Lord +Chamberlain; upon whose Report of its being every way an innocent Piece, +it was soon after acted with Success. + +Reader, by your Leave----I will but just speak a Word or two to any +Author that has not yet writ one Line of his next Play, and then I will +come to my Point again----What I would say to him is this--Sir, before +you set Pen to Paper, think well and principally of your Design or chief +Action, towards which every Line you write ought to be drawn, as to its +Centre: If we can say of your finest Sentiments, This or That might be +left out without maiming the Story, you would tell us, depend upon it, +that fine thing is said in a wrong Place; and though you may urge that a +bright Thought is not to be resisted, you will not be able to deny that +those very fine Lines would be much finer if you could find a proper +Occasion for them: Otherwise you will be thought to take less Advice +from _Aristotle_ or _Horace_ than from Poet _Bays_ in the _Rehearsal_, +who very smartly says--_What the Devil is the Plot good for but to bring +in fine things?_ Compliment the Taste of your Hearers as much as you +please with them, provided they belong to your Subject, but don't, like +a dainty Preacher who has his Eye more upon this World than the next, +leave your Text for them. When your Fable is good, every Part of it will +cost you much less Labour to keep your Narration alive, than you will be +forced to bestow upon those elegant Discourses that are not absolutely +conducive to your Catastrophe or main Purpose: Scenes of that kind shew +but at best the unprofitable or injudicious Spirit of a Genius. It is +but a melancholy Commendation of a fine Thought to say, when we have +heard it, _Well! but what's all this to the Purpose?_ Take, therefore, +in some part, Example by the Author last mention'd! There are three +Plays of his, The _Earl_ of _Essex_,[13] _Anna Bullen_,[14] and _Mary +Queen of Scots_, which, tho' they are all written in the most barren, +barbarous Stile that was ever able to keep Possession of the Stage, have +all interested the Hearts of his Auditors. To what then could this +Success be owing, but to the intrinsick and naked Value of the +well-conducted Tales he has simply told us? There is something so happy +in the Disposition of all his Fables; all his chief Characters are +thrown into such natural Circumstances of Distress, that their Misery or +Affliction wants very little Assistance from the Ornaments of Stile or +Words to speak them. When a skilful Actor is so situated, his bare +plaintive Tone of Voice, the Cast of Sorrow from his Eye, his slowly +graceful Gesture, his humble Sighs of Resignation under his Calamities: +All these, I say, are sometimes without a Tongue equal to the strongest +Eloquence. At such a time the attentive Auditor supplies from his own +Heart whatever the Poet's Language may fall short of in Expression, and +melts himself into every Pang of Humanity which the like Misfortunes in +real Life could have inspir'd. + +After what I have observ'd, whenever I see a Tragedy defective in its +Fable, let there be never so many fine Lines in it; I hope I shall be +forgiven if I impute that Defect to the Idleness, the weak Judgment, or +barren Invention of the Author. + +If I should be ask'd why I have not always my self follow'd the Rules I +would impose upon others; I can only answer, that whenever I have not, +I lie equally open to the same critical Censure. But having often +observ'd a better than ordinary Stile thrown away upon the loose and +wandering Scenes of an ill-chosen Story, I imagin'd these Observations +might convince some future Author of how great Advantage a Fable well +plann'd must be to a Man of any tolerable Genius. + +All this I own is leading my Reader out of the way; but if he has as +much Time upon his Hands as I have, (provided we are neither of us +tir'd) it may be equally to the Purpose what he reads or what I write +of. But as I have no Objection to Method when it is not troublesome, I +return to my Subject. + +Hitherto we have seen no very unreasonable Instance of this absolute +Power of a Lord Chamberlain, though we were to admit that no one knew of +any real Law, or Construction of Law, by which this Power was given him. +I shall now offer some Facts relating to it of a more extraordinary +Nature, which I leave my Reader to give a Name to. + +About the middle of King _William_'s Reign an Order of the Lord +Chamberlain was then subsisting that no Actor of either Company should +presume to go from one to the other without a Discharge from their +respective Menagers[15] and the Permission of the Lord Chamberlain. +Notwithstanding such Order, _Powel_, being uneasy at the Favour _Wilks_ +was then rising into, had without such Discharge left the _Drury-Lane_ +Theatre and engag'd himself to that of _Lincolns-Inn-Fields_: But by +what follows it will appear that this Order was not so much intended to +do both of them _good_, as to do that which the Court chiefly favour'd +(_Lincolns-Inn-Fields_) no harm.[16] For when _Powel_ grew dissatisfy'd +at his Station there too, he return'd to _Drury-Lane_ (as he had before +gone from it) without a Discharge: But halt a little! here, on this Side +of the Question, the Order was to stand in force, and the same Offence +against it now was not to be equally pass'd over. He was the next Day +taken up by a Messenger and confin'd to the Porter's-Lodge, where, to +the best of my Remembrance, he remain'd about two Days; when the +Menagers of _Lincolns-Inn-Fields_, not thinking an Actor of his loose +Character worth their farther Trouble, gave him up; though perhaps he +was releas'd for some better Reason.[17] Upon this occasion, the next +Day, behind the Scenes at _Drury-Lane_, a Person of great Quality in my +hearing enquiring of _Powel_ into the Nature of his Offence, after he +had heard it, told him, That if he had had Patience or Spirit enough to +have staid in his Confinement till he had given him Notice of it, he +would have found him a handsomer way of coming out of it. + +Another time the same Actor, _Powel_, was provok'd at _Will_'s +Coffee-house, in a Dispute about the Playhouse Affairs, to strike a +Gentleman whose Family had been sometimes Masters of it; a Complaint of +this Insolence was, in the Absence of the Lord-Chamberlain, immediately +made to the Vice-Chamberlain, who so highly resented it that he thought +himself bound in Honour to carry his Power of redressing it as far as it +could possibly go: For _Powel_ having a Part in the Play that was acted +the Day after, the Vice-Chamberlain sent an Order to silence the whole +Company for having suffer'd _Powel_ to appear upon the Stage before he +had made that Gentleman Satisfaction, although the Masters of the +Theatre had had no Notice of _Powel_'s Misbehaviour: However, this Order +was obey'd, and remain'd in force for two or three Days, 'till the same +Authority was pleas'd or advis'd to revoke it.[18] From the Measures +this injur'd Gentleman took for his Redress, it may be judg'd how far it +was taken for granted that a Lord-Chamberlain had an absolute Power over +the Theatre. + +I shall now give an Instance of an Actor who had the Resolution to stand +upon the Defence of his Liberty against the same Authority, and was +reliev'd by it. + +In the same King's Reign, _Dogget_, who tho', from a severe Exactness in +his Nature, he could be seldom long easy in any Theatre, where +Irregularity, not to say Injustice, too often prevail'd, yet in the +private Conduct of his Affairs he was a prudent, honest Man. He +therefore took an unusual Care, when he return'd to act under the Patent +in _Drury-Lane_, to have his Articles drawn firm and binding: But having +some Reason to think the Patentee had not dealt fairly with him, he +quitted the Stage and would act no more, rather chusing to lose his +whatever unsatisfy'd Demands than go through the chargeable and tedious +Course of the Law to recover it. But the Patentee, who (from other +People's Judgment) knew the Value of him, and who wanted, too, to have +him sooner back than the Law could possibly bring him, thought the surer +way would be to desire a shorter Redress from the Authority of the +Lord-Chamberlain.[19] Accordingly, upon his Complaint a Messenger was +immediately dispatch'd to _Norwich_, where _Dogget_ then was, to bring +him up in Custody: But doughty _Dogget_, who had Money in his Pocket and +the Cause of Liberty at his Heart, was not in the least intimidated by +this formidable Summons. He was observ'd to obey it with a particular +Chearfulness, entertaining his Fellow-traveller, the Messenger, all the +way in the Coach (for he had protested against Riding) with as much +Humour as a Man of his Business might be capable of tasting. And as he +found his Charges were to be defray'd, he, at every Inn, call'd for the +best Dainties the Country could afford or a pretended weak Appetite +could digest. At this rate they jollily roll'd on, more with the Air of +a Jaunt than a Journey, or a Party of Pleasure than of a poor Devil in +Durance. Upon his Arrival in Town he immediately apply'd to the Lord +Chief Justice _Holt_ for his _Habeas Corpus_. As his Case was something +particular, that eminent and learned Minister of the Law took a +particular Notice of it: For _Dogget_ was not only discharg'd, but the +Process of his Confinement (according to common Fame) had a Censure +pass'd upon it in Court, which I doubt I am not Lawyer enough to repeat! +To conclude, the officious Agents in this Affair, finding that in +_Dogget_ they had mistaken their Man, were mollify'd into milder +Proceedings, and (as he afterwards told me) whisper'd something in his +Ear that took away _Dogget_'s farther Uneasiness about it. + +By these Instances we see how naturally Power only founded on Custom is +apt, where the Law is silent, to run into Excesses, and while it +laudably pretends to govern others, how hard it is to govern itself. But +since the Law has lately open'd its Mouth, and has said plainly that +some Part of this Power to govern the Theatre shall be, and is plac'd in +a proper Person; and as it is evident that the Power of that white +Staff, ever since it has been in the noble Hand that now holds it, has +been us'd with the utmost Lenity, I would beg leave of the murmuring +Multitude who frequent the Theatre to offer them a simple Question or +two, _viz._ Pray, Gentlemen, how came you, or rather your Fore-fathers, +never to be mutinous upon any of the occasional Facts I have related? +And why have you been so often tumultuous upon a Law's being made that +only confirms a less Power than was formerly exercis'd without any Law +to support it? You cannot, sure, say such Discontent is either just or +natural, unless you allow it a Maxim in your Politicks that Power +exercis'd _without_ Law is a less Grievance than the same Power +exercis'd _according_ to Law! + +Having thus given the clearest View I was able of the usual Regard paid +to the Power of a Lord-Chamberlain, the Reader will more easily conceive +what Influence and Operation that Power must naturally have in all +Theatrical Revolutions, and particularly in the complete Re-union of +both Companies, which happen'd in the Year following. + + + + +CHAPTER XI. + + +[Illustration: Ad Lalauze, sc] + + _Some Chimærical Thoughts of making the Stage useful: Some, to + its Reputation. The Patent unprofitable to all the Proprietors + but one. A fourth Part of it given away to Colonel_ Brett. _A + Digression to his Memory. The two Companies of Actors reunited + by his Interest and Menagement. The first Direction of Operas + only given to Mr._ Swiney. + +From the Time that the Company of Actors in the _Hay-Market_ was +recruited with those from _Drury-Lane_, and came into the Hands of their +new Director, _Swiney_, the Theatre for three or four Years following +suffer'd so many Convulsions, and was thrown every other Winter under +such different Interests and Menagement before it came to a firm and +lasting Settlement, that I am doubtful if the most candid Reader will +have Patience to go through a full and fair Account of it: And yet I +would fain flatter my self that those who are not too wise to frequent +the Theatre (or have Wit enough to distinguish what sort of Sights there +either do Honour or Disgrace to it) may think their national Diversion +no contemptible Subject for a more able Historian than I pretend to be: +If I have any particular Qualification for the Task more than another it +is that I have been an ocular Witness of the several Facts that are to +fill up the rest of my Volume, and am perhaps the only Person living +(however unworthy) from whom the same Materials can be collected; but +let them come from whom they may, whether at best they will be worth +reading, perhaps a Judgment may be better form'd after a patient Perusal +of the following Digression. + +In whatever cold Esteem the Stage may be among the Wise and Powerful, it +is not so much a Reproach to those who contentedly enjoy it in its +lowest Condition, as that Condition of it is to those who (though they +cannot but know to how valuable a publick Use a Theatre, well +establish'd, might be rais'd) yet in so many civiliz'd Nations have +neglected it. This perhaps will be call'd thinking my own wiser than all +the wise Heads in _Europe_. But I hope a more humble Sense will be given +to it; at least I only mean, that if so many Governments have their +Reasons for their Disregard of their Theatres, those Reasons may be +deeper than my Capacity has yet been able to dive into: If therefore my +simple Opinion is a wrong one, let the Singularity of it expose me: And +tho' I am only building a Theatre in the Air, it is there, however, at +so little Expence and in so much better a Taste than any I have yet +seen, that I cannot help saying of it, as a wiser Man did (it may be) +upon a wiser Occasion: + + --_Si quid novisti rectius istis, + Candidus imperti; si non_-- Hor.[20] + +Give me leave to play with my Project in Fancy. + +I say, then, that as I allow nothing is more liable to debase and +corrupt the Minds of a People than a licentious Theatre, so under a just +and proper Establishment it were possible to make it as apparently the +School of Manners and of Virtue. Were I to collect all the Arguments +that might be given for my Opinion, or to inforce it by exemplary +Proofs, it might swell this short Digression to a Volume; I shall +therefore trust the Validity of what I have laid down to a single Fact +that may be still fresh in the Memory of many living Spectators. When +the Tragedy of _Cato_ was first acted,[21] let us call to mind the noble +Spirit of Patriotism which that Play then infus'd into the Breasts of a +free People that crowded to it; with what affecting Force was that most +elevated of Human Virtues recommended? Even the false Pretenders to it +felt an unwilling Conviction, and made it a Point of Honour to be +foremost in their Approbation; and this, too, at a time when the +fermented Nation had their different Views of Government. Yet the +sublime Sentiments of Liberty in that venerable Character rais'd in +every sensible Hearer such conscious Admiration, such compell'd Assent +to the Conduct of a suffering Virtue, as even _demanded_ two almost +irreconcileable Parties to embrace and join in their equal Applauses of +it.[22] Now, not to take from the Merit of the Writer, had that Play +never come to the Stage, how much of this valuable Effect of it must +have been lost? It then could have had no more immediate weight with the +Publick than our poring upon the many ancient Authors thro' whose Works +the same Sentiments have been perhaps less profitably dispers'd, tho' +amongst Millions of Readers; but by bringing such Sentiments to the +Theatre and into Action, what a superior Lustre did they shine with? +There _Cato_ breath'd again in Life; and though he perish'd in the Cause +of Liberty, his Virtue was victorious, and left the Triumph of it in the +Heart of every melting Spectator. If Effects like these are laudable, if +the Representation of such Plays can carry Conviction with so much +Pleasure to the Understanding, have they not vastly the Advantage of +any other Human Helps to Eloquence? What equal Method can be found to +lead or stimulate the Mind to a quicker Sense of Truth and Virtue, or +warm a People into the Love and Practice of such Principles as might be +at once a Defence and Honour to their Country? In what Shape could we +listen to Virtue with equal Delight or Appetite of Instruction? The Mind +of Man is naturally free, and when he is compell'd or menac'd into any +Opinion that he does not readily conceive, he is more apt to doubt the +Truth of it than when his Capacity is led by Delight into Evidence and +Reason. To preserve a Theatre in this Strength and Purity of Morals is, +I grant, what the wisest Nations have not been able to perpetuate or to +transmit long to their Posterity: But this Difficulty will rather +heighten than take from the Honour of the Theatre: The greatest Empires +have decay'd for want of proper Heads to guide them, and the Ruins of +them sometimes have been the Subject of Theatres that could not be +themselves exempt from as various Revolutions: Yet may not the most +natural Inference from all this be, That the Talents requisite to form +good Actors, great Writers, and true Judges were, like those of wise and +memorable Ministers, as well the Gifts of Fortune as of Nature, and not +always to be found in all Climes or Ages. Or can there be a stronger +modern Evidence of the Value of Dramatick Performances than that in many +Countries where the Papal Religion prevails the Holy Policy (though it +allows not to an Actor Christian Burial) is so conscious of the +Usefulness of his Art that it will frequently take in the Assistance of +the Theatre to give even Sacred History, in a Tragedy, a Recommendation +to the more pathetick Regard of their People. How can such Principles, +in the Face of the World, refuse the Bones of a Wretch the lowest +Benefit of Christian Charity after having admitted his Profession (for +which they deprive him of that Charity) to serve the solemn Purposes of +Religion? How far then is this Religious Inhumanity short of that famous +Painter's, who, to make his _Crucifix_ a Master-piece of Nature, stabb'd +the Innocent Hireling from whose Body he drew it; and having heighten'd +the holy Portrait with his last Agonies of Life, then sent it to be the +consecrated Ornament of an Altar? Though we have only the Authority of +common Fame for this Story, yet be it true or false the Comparison will +still be just. Or let me ask another Question more humanly political. + +How came the _Athenians_ to lay out an Hundred Thousand Pounds upon the +Decorations of one single Tragedy of _Sophocles_?[23] Not, sure, as it +was merely a Spectacle for Idleness or Vacancy of Thought to gape at, +but because it was the most rational, most instructive and delightful +Composition that Human Wit had yet arrived at, and consequently the most +worthy to be the Entertainment of a wise and warlike Nation: And it may +be still a Question whether the _Sophocles_ inspir'd this Publick +Spirit, or this Publick Spirit inspir'd the _Sophocles_?[24] + +But alas! as the Power of giving or receiving such Inspirations from +either of these Causes seems pretty well at an End, now I have shot my +Bolt I shall descend to talk more like a Man of the Age I live in: For, +indeed, what is all this to a common _English_ Reader? Why truly, as +_Shakespear_ terms it--_Caviare to the Multitude!_[25] Honest _John +Trott_ will tell you, that if he were to believe what I have said of the +_Athenians_, he is at most but astonish'd at it; but that if the +twentieth Part of the Sum I have mentioned were to be apply'd out of the +Publick money to the Setting off the best Tragedy the nicest Noddle in +the Nation could produce, it would probably raise the Passions higher in +those that did Not like it than in those that did; it might as likely +meet with an Insurrection as the Applause of the People, and so, mayhap, +be fitter for the Subject of a Tragedy than for a publick Fund to +support it.----Truly, Mr. _Trott_, I cannot but own that I am very much +of your Opinion: I am only concerned that the Theatre has not a better +Pretence to the Care and further Consideration of those Governments +where it is tolerated; but as what I have said will not probably do it +any great Harm, I hope I have not put you out of Patience by throwing a +few good Wishes after an old Acquaintance. + +To conclude this Digression. If for the Support of the Stage what is +generally shewn there must be lower'd to the Taste of common Spectators; +or if it is inconsistent with Liberty to mend that Vulgar Taste by making +the Multitude less merry there; or by abolishing every low and senseless +Jollity in which the Understanding can have no Share; whenever, I say, +such is the State of the Stage, it will be as often liable to unanswerable +Censure and manifest Disgraces. Yet there _was_ a Time, not yet out of +many People's Memory, when it subsisted upon its own rational Labours; +when even Success attended an Attempt to reduce it to Decency; and when +Actors themselves were hardy enough to hazard their Interest in pursuit of +so dangerous a Reformation. And this Crisis I am my self as impatient as +any tir'd Reader can be to arrive at. I shall therefore endeavour to lead +him the shortest way to it. But as I am a little jealous of the badness of +the Road, I must reserve to myself the Liberty of calling upon any Matter +in my way, for a little Refreshment to whatever Company may have the +Curiosity or Goodness to go along with me. + +When the sole Menaging Patentee at _Drury-Lane_ for several Years could +never be persuaded or driven to any Account with the Adventurers, Sir +_Thomas Skipwith_ (who, if I am rightly inform'd, had an equal Share +with him[26]) grew so weary of the Affair that he actually made a +Present of his entire Interest in it upon the following Occasion. + +Sir _Thomas_ happen'd in the Summer preceding the Re-union of the +Companies to make a Visit to an intimate Friend of his, Colonel _Brett_, +of _Sandywell_, in _Gloucestershire_; where the Pleasantness of the +Place, and the agreeable manner of passing his Time there, had raised +him to such a Gallantry of Heart, that in return to the Civilities of +his Friend the Colonel he made him an Offer of his whole Right in the +Patent; but not to overrate the Value of his Present, told him he +himself had made nothing of it these ten Years: But the Colonel (he +said) being a greater Favourite of the People in Power, and (as he +believ'd) among the Actors too, than himself was, might think of some +Scheme to turn it to Advantage, and in that Light, if he lik'd it, it +was at his Service. After a great deal of Raillery on both sides of +what Sir _Thomas_ had _not_ made of it, and the particular Advantages +the Colonel was likely to make of it, they came to a laughing Resolution +That an Instrument should be drawn the next Morning of an Absolute +Conveyance of the Premises. A Gentleman of the Law well known to them +both happening to be a Guest there at the same time, the next Day +produced the Deed according to his Instructions, in the Presence of whom +and of others it was sign'd, seal'd, and deliver'd to the Purposes +therein contain'd.[27] + +This Transaction may be another Instance (as I have elsewhere observed) +at how low a Value the Interests in a Theatrical License were then held, +tho' it was visible from the Success of _Swiney_ in that very Year that +with tolerable Menagement they could at no time have fail'd of being a +profitable Purchase. + +The next Thing to be consider'd was what the Colonel should do with his +new Theatrical Commission, which in another's Possession had been of so +little Importance. Here it may be necessary to premise that this +Gentleman was the first of any Consideration since my coming to the +Stage with whom I had contracted a Personal Intimacy; which might be the +Reason why in this Debate my Opinion had some Weight with him: Of this +Intimacy, too, I am the more tempted to talk from the natural Pleasure +of calling back in Age the Pursuits and happy Ardours of Youth long +past, which, like the Ideas of a delightful Spring in a Winter's +Rumination, are sometimes equal to the former Enjoyment of them. I +shall, therefore, rather chuse in this Place to gratify my self than my +Reader, by setting the fairest Side of this Gentleman in view, and by +indulging a little conscious Vanity in shewing how early in Life I fell +into the Possession of so agreeable a Companion: Whatever Failings he +might have to others, he had none to me; nor was he, where he had them, +without his valuable Qualities to balance or soften them. Let, then, +what was not to be commended in him rest with his Ashes, never to be +rak'd into: But the friendly Favours I received from him while living +give me still a Pleasure in paying this only Mite of my Acknowledgment +in my Power to his Memory. And if my taking this Liberty may find Pardon +from several of his fair Relations still living, for whom I profess the +utmost Respect, it will give me but little Concern tho' my critical +Readers should think it all Impertinence. + +This Gentleman, then, _Henry_, was the eldest Son of _Henry Brett_, Esq; +of _Cowley_, in _Gloucestershire_, who coming early to his Estate of about +Two Thousand a Year, by the usual Negligences of young Heirs had, before +this his eldest Son came of age, sunk it to about half that Value, and +that not wholly free from Incumbrances. Mr. _Brett_, whom I am speaking +of, had his Education, and I might say, ended it, at the University of +_Oxford_; for tho' he was settled some time after at the _Temple_, he so +little followed the Law there that his Neglect of it made the Law (like +some of his fair and frail Admirers) very often follow _him_. As he had an +uncommon Share of Social Wit and a handsom Person, with a sanguine Bloom +in his Complexion, no wonder they persuaded him that he might have a +better Chance of Fortune by throwing such Accomplishments into the gayer +World than by shutting them up in a Study. The first View that fires the +Head of a young Gentleman of this modish Ambition just broke loose from +Business, is to cut a Figure (as they call it) in a Side-box at the Play, +from whence their next Step is to the _Green Room_ behind the Scenes, +sometimes their _Non ultra_. Hither at last, then, in this hopeful Quest +of his Fortune, came this Gentleman-Errant, not doubting but the fickle +Dame, while he was thus qualified to receive her, might be tempted to fall +into his Lap. And though possibly the Charms of our Theatrical Nymphs +might have their Share in drawing him thither, yet in my Observation the +most visible Cause of his first coming was a more sincere Passion he had +conceived for a fair full-bottom'd Perriwig which I then wore in my first +Play of the _Fool in Fashion_ in the Year 1695.[28] For it is to be noted +that the _Beaux_ of those Days were of a quite different Cast from the +modern Stamp, and had more of the Stateliness of the Peacock in their +Mien than (which now seems to be their highest Emulation) the pert Air of +a Lapwing. Now, whatever Contempt Philosophers may have for a fine +Perriwig, my Friend, who was not to despise the World, but to live in it, +knew very well that so material an Article of Dress upon the Head of a Man +of Sense, if it became him, could never fail of drawing to him a more +partial Regard and Benevolence than could possibly be hoped for in an +ill-made one.[29] This perhaps may soften the grave Censure which so +youthful a Purchase might otherwise have laid upon him: In a Word, he made +his Attack upon this Perriwig, as your young Fellows generally do upon a +Lady of Pleasure, first by a few familiar Praises of her Person, and then +a civil Enquiry into the Price of it. But upon his observing me a little +surprized at the Levity of his Question about a Fop's Perriwig, he began +to railly himself with so much Wit and Humour upon the Folly of his +Fondness for it, that he struck me with an equal Desire of granting any +thing in my Power to oblige so facetious a Customer. This singular +Beginning of our Conversation, and the mutual Laughs that ensued upon it, +ended in an Agreement to finish our Bargain that Night over a Bottle. + +If it were possible the Relation of the happy Indiscretions which passed +between us that Night could give the tenth Part of the Pleasure I then +received from them, I could still repeat them with Delight: But as it +may be doubtful whether the Patience of a Reader may be quite so strong +as the Vanity of an Author, I shall cut it short by only saying that +single Bottle was the Sire of many a jolly Dozen that for some Years +following, like orderly Children, whenever they were call'd for, came +into the same Company. Nor, indeed, did I think from that time, whenever +he was to be had, any Evening could be agreeably enjoy'd without +him.[30] But the long continuance of our Intimacy perhaps may be thus +accounted for. + +He who can taste Wit in another may in some sort be said to have it +himself: Now, as I always had, and (I bless my self for the Folly) +still have a quick Relish of whatever did or can give me Delight: This +Gentleman could not but see the youthful Joy I was generally raised to +whenever I had the Happiness of a _Tête à tête_ with him; and it may be +a moot Point whether Wit is not as often inspired by a proper Attention +as by the brightest Reply to it. Therefore, as he had Wit enough for any +two People, and I had Attention enough for any four, there could not +well be wanting a sociable Delight on either side. And tho' it may be +true that a Man of a handsome Person is apt to draw a partial Ear to +every thing he says; yet this Gentleman seldom said any thing that might +not have made a Man of the plainest Person agreeable. Such a continual +Desire to please, it may be imagined, could not but sometimes lead him +into a little venial Flattery rather than not succeed in it. And I, +perhaps, might be one of those Flies that was caught in this Honey. As I +was then a young successful Author and an Actor in some unexpected +Favour, whether deservedly or not imports not; yet such Appearances at +least were plausible Pretences enough for an amicable Adulation to +enlarge upon, and the Sallies of it a less Vanity than mine might not +have been able to resist. Whatever this Weakness on my side might be, I +was not alone in it; for I have heard a Gentleman of Condition say, who +knew the World as well as most Men that live in it, that let his +Discretion be ever so much upon its Guard, he never fell into Mr. +_Brett_'s Company without being loth to leave it or carrying away a +better Opinion of himself from it. If his Conversation had this Effect +among the Men; what must we suppose to have been the Consequence when he +gave it a yet softer turn among the Fair Sex? Here, now, a _French_ +Novellist would tell you fifty pretty Lies of him; but as I chuse to be +tender of Secrets of that sort, I shall only borrow the good Breeding of +that Language, and tell you in a Word, that I knew several Instances of +his being _un Homme à bonne Fortune_. But though his frequent Successes +might generally keep him from the usual Disquiets of a Lover, he knew +this was a Life too liquorish to last; and therefore had Reflexion +enough to be govern'd by the Advice of his Friends to turn these his +Advantages of Nature to a better use. + +Among the many Men of Condition with whom his Conversation had +recommended him to an Intimacy, Sir _Thomas Skipwith_ had taken a +particular Inclination to him; and as he had the Advancement of his +Fortune at Heart, introduced him where there was a Lady[31] who had +enough in her Power to disencumber him of the World and make him every +way easy for Life. + +While he was in pursuit of this Affair, which no time was to be lost in +(for the Lady was to be in Town but for three Weeks) I one Day found +him idling behind the Scenes before the Play was begun. Upon sight of +him I took the usual Freedom he allow'd me, to rate him roundly for the +Madness of not improving every Moment in his Power in what was of such +consequence to him. Why are you not (said I) where you know you only +should be? If your Design should once get Wind in the Town, the Ill-will +of your Enemies or the Sincerity of the Lady's Friends may soon blow up +your Hopes, which in your Circumstances of Life cannot be long supported +by the bare Appearance of a Gentleman.----But it is impossible to +proceed without some Apology for the very familiar Circumstance that is +to follow----Yet, as it might not be so trivial in its Effect as I fear +it may be in the Narration, and is a Mark of that Intimacy which is +necessary should be known had been between us, I will honestly make bold +with my Scruples and let the plain Truth of my Story take its Chance for +Contempt or Approbation. + +After twenty Excuses to clear himself of the Neglect I had so warmly +charged him with, he concluded them with telling me he had been out all +the Morning upon Business, and that his Linnen was too much soil'd to be +seen in Company. Oh, ho! said I, is that all? Come along with me, we +will soon get over that dainty Difficulty: Upon which I haul'd him by +the Sleeve into my Shifting-Room, he either staring, laughing, or +hanging back all the way. There, when I had lock'd him in, I began to +strip off my upper Cloaths, and bad him do the same; still he either +did not, or would not seem to understand me, and continuing his Laugh, +cry'd, What! is the Puppy mad? No, no, only positive, said I; for look +you, in short, the Play is ready to begin, and the Parts that you and I +are to act to Day are not of equal consequence; mine of young _Reveller_ +(in _Greenwich-Park_[32]) is but a Rake; but whatever you may be, you +are not to appear so; therefore take my Shirt and give me yours; for +depend upon't, stay here you shall not, and so go about your Business. +To conclude, we fairly chang'd Linnen, nor could his Mother's have +wrap'd him up more fortunately; for in about ten Days he marry'd the +Lady.[33] In a Year or two after his Marriage he was chosen a Member of +that Parliament which was sitting when King _William_ dy'd. And, upon +raising of some new Regiments, was made Lieutenant-Colonel to that of +Sir _Charles Hotham_. But as his Ambition extended not beyond the Bounds +of a Park Wall and a pleasant Retreat in the Corner of it, which with +too much Expence he had just finish'd, he, within another Year, had +leave to resign his Company to a younger Brother. + +This was the Figure in Life he made when Sir _Thomas Skipwith_ thought +him the most proper Person to oblige (if it could be an Obligation) with +the Present of his Interest in the Patent. And from these Anecdotes of +my Intimacy with him, it may be less a Surprise, when he came to Town +invested with this new Theatrical Power, that I should be the first +Person to whom he took any Notice of it. And notwithstanding he knew I +was then engag'd, in another Interest, at the _Hay-Market_, he desired +we might consider together of the best Use he could make of it, assuring +me at the same time he should think it of none to himself unless +it could in some Shape be turn'd to my Advantage. This friendly +Declaration, though it might be generous in him to make, was not needful +to incline me in whatever might be honestly in my Power, whether by +Interest or Negotiation, to serve him. My first Advice, therefore, was, +That he should produce his Deed to the other Menaging Patentee of +_Drury-Lane_, and demand immediate Entrance to a joint Possession of all +Effects and Powers to which that Deed had given him an equal Title. +After which, if he met with no Opposition to this Demand (as upon sight +of it he did not) that he should be watchful against any Contradiction +from his Collegue in whatever he might propose in carrying on the +Affair, but to let him see that he was determin'd in all his Measures. +Yet to heighten that Resolution with an Ease and Temper in his manner, +as if he took it for granted there could be no Opposition made to +whatever he had a mind to. For that this Method, added to his natural +Talent of Persuading, would imperceptibly lead his Collegue into a +Reliance on his superior Understanding, That however little he car'd for +Business he should give himself the Air at least of Enquiry into what +_had_ been done, that what he intended to do might be thought more +considerable and be the readier comply'd with: For if he once suffer'd +his Collegue to seem wiser than himself, there would be no end of his +perplexing him with absurd and dilatory Measures; direct and plain +Dealing being a Quality his natural Diffidence would never suffer him to +be Master of; of which his not complying with his Verbal Agreement with +_Swiney_, when the _Hay-Market_ House was taken for both their Uses, was +an Evidence. And though some People thought it Depth and Policy in him +to keep things often in Confusion, it was ever my Opinion they +over-rated his Skill, and that, in reality, his Parts were too weak for +his Post, in which he had always acted to the best of his Knowledge. +That his late Collegue, Sir _Thomas Skipwith_, had trusted too much to +his Capacity for this sort of Business, and was treated by him +accordingly, without ever receiving any Profits from it for several +Years: Insomuch that when he found his Interest in such desperate Hands +he thought the best thing he could do with it was (as he saw) to give it +away. Therefore if he (Mr. _Brett_) could once fix himself, as I had +advis'd, upon a different Foot with this hitherto untractable Menager, +the Business would soon run through whatever Channel he might have a +mind to lead it. And though I allow'd the greatest Difficulty he would +meet with would be in getting his Consent to a Union of the two +Companies, which was the only Scheme that could raise the Patent to its +former Value, and which I knew this close Menager would secretly lay all +possible Rubs in the way to; yet it was visible there was a way of +reducing him to Compliance: For though it was true his Caution would +never part with a Straw by way of Concession, yet to a high Hand he +would give up any thing, provided he were suffer'd to keep his Title to +it: If his Hat were taken from his Head in the Street, he would make no +farther Resistance than to say, I _am not willing to part with it_. Much +less would he have the Resolution openly to oppose any just Measures, +when he should find one, who with an equal Right to his and with a known +Interest to bring them about, was resolv'd to go thro' with them. + +Now though I knew my Friend was as thoroughly acquainted with this +Patentee's Temper as myself, yet I thought it not amiss to quicken and +support his Resolution, by confirming to him the little Trouble he would +meet with, in pursuit of the Union I had advis'd him to; for it must be +known that on our side Trouble was a sort of Physick we did not much +care to take: But as the Fatigue of this Affair was likely to be lower'd +by a good deal of Entertainment and Humour, which would naturally engage +him in his dealing with so exotick a Partner, I knew that this softening +the Business into a Diversion would lessen every Difficulty that lay in +our way to it. + +However copiously I may have indulg'd my self in this Commemoration of a +Gentleman with whom I had pass'd so many of my younger Days with Pleasure, +yet the Reader may by this Insight into his Character, and by that of the +other Patentee, be better able to judge of the secret Springs that gave +Motion to or obstructed so considerable an Event as that of the Re-union +of the two Companies of Actors in 1708.[34] In Histories of more weight, +for want of such Particulars we are often deceiv'd in the true Causes of +Facts that most concern us to be let into; which sometimes makes us +ascribe to Policy, or false Appearances of Wisdom, what perhaps in +reality was the mere Effect of Chance or Humour. + +Immediately after Mr. _Brett_ was admitted as a joint Patentee, he made +use of the Intimacy he had with the Vice-Chamberlain to assist his +Scheme of this intended Union, in which he so far prevail'd that it was +soon after left to the particular Care of the same Vice-Chamberlain to +give him all the Aid and Power necessary to the bringing what he desired +to Perfection. The Scheme was, to have but one Theatre for Plays and +another for Operas, under separate Interests. And this the generality of +Spectators, as well as the most approv'd Actors, had been some time +calling for as the only Expedient to recover the Credit of the Stage and +the valuable Interests of its Menagers. + +As the Condition of the Comedians at this time is taken notice of in my +_Dedication_ of the _Wife's Resentment_ to the Marquis (now Duke) of +_Kent_, and then Lord-Chamberlain, which was publish'd above thirty Years +ago,[35] when I had no thought of ever troubling the World with this +Theatrical History, I see no Reason why it may not pass as a Voucher of +the Facts I am now speaking of; I shall therefore give them in the very +Light I then saw them. After some Acknowledgment for his Lordship's +Protection of our (_Hay-Market_) Theatre, it is further said---- + + "The Stage has, for many Years, 'till of late, groan'd under + the greatest Discouragements, which have been very much, if + not wholly, owing to the Mismenagement of those that have + aukwardly govern'd it. Great Sums have been ventur'd upon + empty Projects and Hopes of immoderate Gains, and when those + Hopes have fail'd, the Loss has been tyrannically deducted out + of the Actors Sallary. And if your Lordship had not redeem'd + them--_This is meant of our being suffer'd to come over_ to + Swiney----they were very near being wholly laid aside, or, at + least, the Use of their Labour was to be swallow'd up in the + pretended Merit of Singing and Dancing." + +What follows relates to the Difficulties in dealing with the then +impracticable Menager, _viz._ + + "--And though your Lordship's Tenderness of oppressing is so + very just that you have rather staid to convince a Man of your + good Intentions to him than to do him even a Service against + his Will; yet since your Lordship has so happily begun the + Establishment of the separate Diversions, we live in hope that + the same Justice and Resolution will still persuade you to go + as successfully through with it. But while any Man is suffer'd + to confound the Industry and Use of them by acting publickly + in opposition to your Lordship's equal Intentions, under a + false and intricate Pretence of not being able to comply with + them, the Town is likely to be more entertain'd with the + private Dissensions than the publick Performance of either, + and the Actors in a perpetual Fear and Necessity of + petitioning your Lordship every Season for new Relief." + +Such was the State of the Stage immediately preceding the time of Mr. +_Brett_'s being admitted a joint Patentee, who, as he saw with clearer +Eyes what was its evident Interest, left no proper Measures unattempted +to make this so long despair'd-of Union practicable. The most apparent +Difficulty to be got over in this Affair was, what could be done for +_Swiney_ in consideration of his being oblig'd to give up those Actors +whom the Power and Choice of the Lord-Chamberlain had the Year before +set him at the Head of, and by whose Menagement those Actors had found +themselves in a prosperous Condition. But an Accident at this time +happily contributed to make that Matter easy. The Inclination of our +People of Quality for foreign Operas had now reach'd the Ears of +_Italy_, and the Credit of their Taste had drawn over from thence, +without any more particular Invitation, one of their capital Singers, +the famous Signior _Cavaliero Nicolini_: From whose Arrival, and +the Impatience of the Town to hear him, it was concluded that Operas +being now so completely provided could not fail of Success, and that +by making _Swiney_ sole Director of them the Profits must be an ample +Compensation for his Resignation of the Actors. This Matter being thus +adjusted by _Swiney_'s Acceptance of the Opera only to be perform'd at +the _Hay-Market_ House, the Actors were all order'd to return to +_Drury-Lane_, there to remain (under the Patentees) her Majesty's only +Company of Comedians.[36] + + + + +CHAPTER XII. + + +[Illustration: Ad Lalauze, sc] + + _A short View of the Opera when first divided from the Comedy. + Plays recover their Credit. The old Patentee uneasy at their + Success. Why. The Occasion of Colonel_ Brett'_s throwing up + his Share in the Patent. The Consequences of it. Anecdotes + of_ Goodman _the Actor. The Rate of favourite Actors in his + Time. The Patentees, by endeavouring to reduce their Price, + lose them all a second time. The principal Comedians return to + the_ Hay-Market _in Shares with_ Swiney. _They alter that + Theatre. The original and present Form of the Theatre in_ + Drury-Lane _compar'd. Operas fall off. The Occasion of it. + Farther Observations upon them. The Patentee dispossess'd of_ + Drury-Lane _Theatre. Mr._ Collier, _with a new License, + heads the Remains of that Company_. + +Plays and Operas being thus established upon separate Interests,[37] +they were now left to make the best of their way into Favour by their +different Merit. Although the Opera is not a Plant of our Native Growth, +nor what our plainer Appetites are fond of, and is of so delicate a +Nature that without excessive Charge it cannot live long among us; +especially while the nicest _Connoisseurs_ in Musick fall into such +various Heresies in Taste, every Sect pretending to be the true one: +Yet, as it is call'd a Theatrical Entertainment, and by its Alliance or +Neutrality has more or less affected our Domestick Theatre, a short View +of its Progress may be allow'd a Place in our History. + +After this new Regulation the first Opera that appear'd was _Pyrrhus_. +Subscriptions at that time were not extended, as of late, to the whole +Season, but were limited to the first Six Days only of a new Opera. The +chief Performers in this were _Nicolini_, _Valentini_, and Mrs. +_Tofts_;[38] and for the inferior Parts the best that were then to be +found. Whatever Praises may have been given to the most famous Voices that +have been heard since _Nicolini_, upon the whole I cannot but come into +the Opinion that still prevails among several Persons of Condition who are +able to give a Reason for their liking, that no Singer since his Time has +so justly and gracefully acquitted himself in whatever Character he +appear'd as _Nicolini_. At most the Difference between him and the +greatest Favourite of the Ladies, _Farinelli_, amounted but to this, that +he might sometimes more exquisitely surprize us, but _Nicolini_ (by +pleasing the Eye as well as the Ear) fill'd us with a more various and +_rational_ Delight. Whether in this Excellence he has since had any +Competitor, perhaps will be better judg'd by what the Critical Censor of +_Great Britain_ says of him in his 115th _Tatler_, _viz._ + +"_Nicolini_ sets off the Character he bears in an Opera by his Action, +as much as he does the Words of it by his Voice; every Limb and Finger +contributes to the Part he acts, insomuch that a deaf Man might go along +with him in the Sense of it. There is scarce a beautiful Posture in an +old Statue which he does not plant himself in, as the different +Circumstances of the Story give occasion for it--He performs the most +ordinary Action in a manner suitable to the Greatness of his Character, +and shews the Prince even in the giving of a Letter or dispatching of a +Message, _&c._"[39] + +His Voice at this first time of being among us (for he made us a second +Visit when it was impair'd) had all that strong, clear Sweetness of +Tone so lately admir'd in _Senesino_. A blind Man could scarce have +distinguish'd them; but in Volubility of Throat the former had much the +Superiority. This so excellent Performer's Agreement was Eight Hundred +Guineas for the Year, which is but an eighth Part more than half the Sum +that has since been given to several that could never totally surpass +him: The Consequence of which is, that the Losses by Operas, for several +Seasons, to the End of the Year 1738, have been so great, that those +Gentlemen of Quality who last undertook the Direction of them, found it +ridiculous any longer to entertain the Publick at so extravagant an +Expence, while no one particular Person thought himself oblig'd by it. + +Mrs. _Tofts_,[40] who took her first Grounds of Musick here in her own +Country, before the _Italian_ Taste had so highly prevail'd, was then +not an Adept in it:[41] Yet whatever Defect the fashionably Skilful +might find in her manner, she had, in the general Sense of her +Spectators, Charms that few of the most learned Singers ever arrive at. +The Beauty of her fine proportion'd Figure, and exquisitely sweet, +silver Tone of her Voice, with that peculiar, rapid Swiftness of her +Throat, were Perfections not to be imitated by Art or Labour. +_Valentini_ I have already mention'd, therefore need only say farther of +him, that though he was every way inferior to _Nicolini_,[42] yet, as he +had the Advantage of giving us our first Impression of a good Opera +Singer, he had still his Admirers, and was of great Service in being so +skilful a Second to his Superior. + +[Illustration: OWEN SWINEY.] + +Three such excellent Performers in the same kind of Entertainment at +once, _England_ till this Time had never seen: Without any farther +Comparison, then, with the much dearer bought who have succeeded them, +their Novelty at least was a Charm that drew vast Audiences of the fine +World after them. _Swiney_, their sole Director, was prosperous, and in +one Winter a Gainer by them of a moderate younger Brother's Fortune. But +as Musick, by so profuse a Dispensation of her Beauties, could not +always supply our dainty Appetites with equal Variety, nor for ever +please us with the same Objects, the Opera, after one luxurious Season, +like the fine Wife of a roving Husband, began to loose its Charms, and +every Day discover'd to our Satiety Imperfections which our former +Fondness had been blind to: But of this I shall observe more in its +Place: in the mean time, let us enquire into the Productions of our +native Theatre. + +It may easily be conceiv'd, that by this entire Re-union of the two +Companies Plays must generally have been perform'd to a more than usual +Advantage and Exactness: For now every chief Actor, according to his +particular Capacity, piqued himself upon rectifying those Errors which +during their divided State were almost unavoidable. Such a Choice of +Actors added a Richness to every good Play as it was then serv'd up to the +publick Entertainment: The common People crowded to them with a more +joyous Expectation, and those of the higher Taste return'd to them as to +old Acquaintances, with new Desires after a long Absence. In a Word, all +Parties seem'd better pleas'd but he who one might imagine had most Reason +to be so, the (lately) sole menaging Patentee. He, indeed, saw his Power +daily mould'ring from his own Hands into those of Mr. _Brett_,[43] whose +Gentlemanly manner of making every one's Business easy to him, threw their +old Master under a Disregard which he had not been us'd to, nor could with +all his happy Change of Affairs support. Although this grave Theatrical +Minister of whom I have been oblig'd to make such frequent mention, had +acquired the Reputation of a most profound Politician by being often +incomprehensible, yet I am not sure that his Conduct at this Juncture gave +us not an evident Proof that he was, like other frail Mortals, more a +Slave to his Passions than his Interest; for no Creature ever seem'd more +fond of Power that so little knew how to use it to his Profit and +Reputation; otherwise he could not possibly have been so discontented, in +his secure and prosperous State of the Theatre, as to resolve at all +Hazards to destroy it. We shall now see what infallible Measures he took +to bring this laudable Scheme to Perfection. + +He plainly saw that, as this disagreeable Prosperity was chiefly owing +to the Conduct of Mr. _Brett_, there could be no hope of recovering the +Stage to its former Confusion but by finding some effectual Means to +make Mr. _Brett_ weary of his Charge: The most probable he could for the +Present think of, in this Distress, was to call in the Adventurers (whom +for many Years, by his Defence in Law, he had kept out) now to take care +of their visibly improving Interests.[44] This fair Appearance of Equity +being known to be his own Proposal, he rightly guess'd would incline +these Adventurers to form a Majority of Votes on his Side in all +Theatrical Questions, and consequently become a Check upon the Power of +Mr. _Brett_, who had so visibly alienated the Hearts of his Theatrical +Subjects, and now began to govern without him. When the Adventurers, +therefore, were re-admitted to their old Government, after having +recommended himself to them by proposing to make some small Dividend of +the Profits (though he did not design that Jest should be repeated) +he took care that the Creditors of the Patent, who were then no +inconsiderable Body, should carry off the every Weeks clear Profits in +proportion to their several Dues and Demands. This Conduct, so +speciously just, he had Hopes would let Mr. _Brett_ see that his Share +in the Patent was not so valuable an Acquisition as perhaps he might +think it; and probably make a Man of his Turn to Pleasure soon weary of +the little Profit and great Plague it gave him. Now, though these might +be all notable Expedients, yet I cannot say they would have wholly +contributed to Mr. _Brett_'s quitting his Post, had not a Matter of much +stronger Moment, an unexpected Dispute between him and Sir _Thomas +Skipwith_, prevailed with him to lay it down: For in the midst of this +flourishing State of the Patent, Mr. _Brett_ was surpriz'd with a +Subpoe into Chancery from Sir _Thomas Skipwith_, who alledg'd in his +Bill that the Conveyance he had made of his Interest in the Patent to +Mr. _Brett_ was only intended in Trust. (Whatever the Intent might be, +the Deed it self, which I then read, made no mention of any Trust +whatever.) But whether Mr. _Brett_, as Sir _Thomas_ farther asserted, +had previously, or after the Deed was sign'd, given his Word of Honour +that if he should ever make the Stage turn to any Account or Profit, he +would certainly restore it: That, indeed, I can say nothing to; but be +the Deed valid or void, the Facts that apparently follow'd were, that +tho' Mr. _Brett_ in his Answer to this Bill absolutely deny'd his +receiving this Assignment either in Trust or upon any limited Condition +of what kind soever, yet he made no farther Defence in the Cause. But +since he found Sir _Thomas_ had thought fit on any Account to sue for +the Restitution of it, and Mr. _Brett_ being himself conscious that, as +the World knew he had paid no Consideration for it, his keeping it might +be misconstrued, or not favourably spoken of; or perhaps finding, tho' +the Profits were great, they were constantly swallowed up (as has been +observ'd) by the previous Satisfaction of old Debts, he grew so tir'd of +the Plague and Trouble the whole Affair had given him, and was likely +still to engage him in, that in a few Weeks after he withdrew himself +from all Concern with the Theatre, and quietly left Sir _Thomas_ to +find his better Account in it. And thus stood this undecided Right till, +upon the Demise of Sir _Thomas_, Mr. _Brett_ being allow'd the Charges +he had been at in this Attendance and Prosecution of the Union, +reconvey'd this Share of the Patent to Sir _George Skipwith_, the Son +and Heir of Sir _Thomas_.[45] + +Our Politician, the old Patentee, having thus fortunately got rid of Mr. +_Brett_, who had so rashly brought the Patent once more to be a +profitable Tenure, was now again at Liberty to chuse rather to lose all +than not to have it all to himself. + +I have elsewhere observ'd that nothing can so effectually secure the +Strength, or contribute to the Prosperity of a good Company, as the +Directors of it having always, as near as possible, an amicable +Understanding with three or four of their best Actors, whose good or +ill-will must naturally make a wide Difference in their profitable or +useless manner of serving them: While the Principal are kept reasonably +easy the lower Class can never be troublesome without hurting +themselves: But when a valuable Actor is hardly treated, the Master must +be a very cunning Man that finds his Account in it. We shall now see how +far Experience will verify this Observation. + +The Patentees thinking themselves secure in being restor'd to their +former absolute Power over this now only Company, chose rather to govern +it by the Reverse of the Method I have recommended: For tho' the daily +Charge of their united Company amounted not, by a good deal, to what +either of the two Companies now in _Drury-Lane_ or _Covent-Garden_ +singly arises, they notwithstanding fell into their former Politicks of +thinking every Shilling taken from a hired Actor so much clear Gain to +the Proprietor: Many of their People, therefore, were actually, if not +injudiciously, reduced in their Pay, and others given to understand the +same Fate was design'd them; of which last Number I my self was one; +which occurs to my Memory by the Answer I made to one of the +Adventurers, who, in Justification of their intended Proceeding,[46] +told me that my Sallary, tho' it should be less than it was by ten +Shillings a Week, would still be more than ever _Goodman_ had, who was a +better Actor than I could pretend to be: To which I reply'd, This may be +true, but then you know, Sir, it is as true that _Goodman_ was forced to +go upon the High-way for a Livelihood. As this was a known Fact of +_Goodman_, my mentioning it on that Occasion I believe was of Service to +me; at least my Sallary was not reduced after it. To say a Word or two +more of _Goodman_, so celebrated an Actor in his Time, perhaps may set +the Conduct of the Patentees in a clearer Light. Tho' _Goodman_ had left +the Stage before I came to it, I had some slight Acquaintance with him. +About the Time of his being expected to be an Evidence against Sir _John +Fenwick_ in the Assassination-Plot,[47] in 1696, I happen'd to meet him +at Dinner at Sir _Thomas Skipwith_'s, who, as he was an agreeable +Companion himself, liked _Goodman_ for the same Quality. Here it was +that _Goodman_, without Disguise or sparing himself, fell into a +laughing Account of several loose Passages of _his_ younger Life; as his +being expell'd the University of _Cambridge_ for being one of the +hot-headed Sparks who were concern'd in the cutting and defacing the +Duke of _Monmouth_'s Picture, then Chancellor of that Place. But this +Disgrace, it seems, had not disqualified him for the Stage, which, like +the Sea-Service, refuses no Man for his Morals that is able-bodied: +There, as an Actor, he soon grew into a different Reputation; but +whatever his Merit might be, the Pay of a hired Hero in those Days was +so very low that he was forced, it seems, to take the Air (as he call'd +it) and borrow what Money the first Man he met had about him. But this +being his first Exploit of that kind which the Scantiness of his +Theatrical Fortune had reduced him to, King _James_ was prevail'd upon +to pardon him: Which _Goodman_ said was doing him so particular an +Honour that no Man could wonder if his Acknowledgment had carried him a +little farther than ordinary into the Interest of that Prince: But as he +had lately been out of Luck in backing his old Master, he had now no way +to get home the Life he was out upon his Account but by being under the +same Obligations to King _William_. + +Another Anecdote of him, though not quite so dishonourably enterprizing, +which I had from his own Mouth at a different Time, will equally shew to +what low Shifts in Life the poor Provision for good Actors, under the +early Government of the Patent, reduced them. In the younger Days of +their Heroism, Captain _Griffin_ and _Goodman_ were confined by their +moderate Sallaries to the Oeconomy of lying together in the same Bed +and having but one whole Shirt between them: One of them being under the +Obligation of a Rendezvous with a fair Lady, insisted upon his wearing +it out of his Turn, which occasion'd so high a Dispute that the Combat +was immediately demanded, and accordingly their Pretensions to it were +decided by a fair Tilt upon the Spot, in the Room where they lay: But +whether _Clytus_ or _Alexander_ was obliged to see no Company till a +worse could be wash'd for him, seems not to be a material Point in their +History, or to my Purpose.[48] + +By this Rate of _Goodman_, who, 'till the Time of his quitting the Stage +never had more than what is call'd forty Shillings a Week, it may be +judg'd how cheap the Labour of Actors had been formerly; and the +Patentees thought it a Folly to continue the higher Price, (which their +Divisions had since raised them to) now there was but one Market for +them; but alas! they had forgot their former fatal Mistake of squabbling +with their Actors in 1695;[49] nor did they make any Allowance for the +Changes and Operations of Time, or enough consider the Interest the +Actors had in the Lord Chamberlain, on whose Protection they might +always rely, and whose Decrees had been less restrain'd by Precedent +than those of a Lord Chancellor. + +In this mistaken View of their Interest, the Patentees, by treating their +Actors as Enemies, really made them so: And when once the Masters of a +hired Company think not their Actors Hearts as necessary as their Hands, +they cannot be said to have agreed for above half the Work they are able +to do in a Day: Or, if an unexpected Success should, notwithstanding, +make the Profits in any gross Disproportion greater than the Wages, the +Wages will always have something worse than a Murmur at the Head of them, +that will not only measure the Merit of the Actor by the Gains of the +Proprietor, but will never naturally be quiet till every Scheme of getting +into Property has been tried to make the Servant his own Master: And this, +as far as Experience can make me judge, will always be in either of these +Cases the State of our _English_ Theatre. What Truth there may be in this +Observation we are now coming to a Proof of. + +To enumerate all the particular Acts of Power in which the Patentees +daily bore hard upon _this_ now only Company of Actors, might be as +tedious as unnecessary; I shall therefore come at once to their most +material Grievance, upon which they grounded their Complaint to the Lord +Chamberlain, who, in the Year following, 1709, took effectual Measures +for their Relief. + +The Patentees observing that the Benefit-Plays of the Actors towards the +latter End of the Season brought the most crowded Audiences in the Year, +began to think their own Interests too much neglected by these partial +Favours of the Town to their Actors; and therefore judg'd it would not +be impolitick in such wholesome annual Profits to have a Fellow-feeling +with them. Accordingly an _Indulto_[50] was laid of one Third out of the +Profits of every Benefit for the proper Use and Behoof of the +Patent.[51] But that a clear Judgment may be form'd of the Equity or +Hardship of this Imposition, it will be necessary to shew from whence +and from what Causes the Actors Claim to Benefits originally proceeded. + +During the Reign of King _Charles_ an Actor's Benefit had never been +heard of. The first Indulgence of this kind was given to Mrs. _Barry_ +(as has been formerly observed[52]) in King _James_'s Time, in +Consideration of the extraordinary Applause that had followed her +Performance: But there this Favour rested to her alone, 'till after the +Division of the only Company in 1695, at which time the Patentees were +soon reduced to pay their Actors half in good Words and half in ready +Money. In this precarious Condition some particular Actors (however +binding their Agreements might be) were too poor or too wise to go to +Law with a Lawyer, and therefore rather chose to compound their Arrears +for their being admitted to the Chance of having them made up by the +Profits of a Benefit-Play. This Expedient had this Consequence; that the +Patentees, tho' their daily Audiences might, and did sometimes mend, +still kept the short Subsistance of their Actors at a stand, and grew +more steady in their Resolution so to keep them, as they found them less +apt to mutiny while their Hopes of being clear'd off by a Benefit were +depending. In a Year or two these Benefits grew so advantageous that +they became at last the chief Article in every Actor's Agreement. + +Now though the Agreements of these united Actors I am speaking of in +1708 were as yet only Verbal, yet that made no difference in the honest +Obligation to keep them: But as Honour at that time happen'd to have but +a loose hold of their Consciences, the Patentees rather chose to give it +the slip, and went on with their Work without it. No Actor, therefore, +could have his Benefit fix'd 'till he had first sign'd a Paper +signifying his voluntary Acceptance of it upon the above Conditions, any +Claims from Custom to the contrary notwithstanding. Several at first +refus'd to sign this Paper; upon which the next in Rank were offer'd on +the same Conditions to come before the Refusers; this smart Expedient +got some few of the Fearful the Preference to their Seniors; who, at +last, seeing the Time was too short for a present Remedy, and that they +must either come into the Boat or lose their Tide, were forc'd to comply +with what they as yet silently resented as the severest Injury. In this +Situation, therefore, they chose to let the principal Benefits be over, +that their Grievances might swell into some bulk before they made any +Application for Redress to the Lord-Chamberlain; who, upon hearing their +general Complaint, order'd the Patentees to shew cause why their +Benefits had been diminish'd one Third, contrary to the common Usage? +The Patentees pleaded the sign'd Agreement, and the Actors Receipts of +the other two Thirds, in Full Satisfaction. But these were prov'd to +have been exacted from them by the Methods already mentioned. They +notwithstanding insist upon them as lawful. But as Law and Equity do not +always agree, they were look'd upon as unjust and arbitrary. Whereupon +the Patentees were warn'd at their Peril to refuse the Actors full +Satisfaction.[53] But here it was thought necessary that Judgment should +be for some time respited, 'till the Actors, who had leave so to do, +could form a Body strong enough to make the Inclination of the +Lord-Chamberlain to relieve them practicable. + +Accordingly _Swiney_ (who was then sole Director of the Opera only) had +Permission to enter into a private Treaty with such of the united Actors +in _Drury-Lane_ as might be thought fit to head a Company under their +own Menagement, and to be Sharers with him in the _Hay-Market_. The +Actors chosen for this Charge were _Wilks_, _Dogget_, Mrs. _Oldfield_, +and Myself. But before I proceed, lest it should seem surprizing that +neither _Betterton_, Mrs. _Barry_, Mrs. _Bracegirdle_, or _Booth_ were +Parties in this Treaty, it must be observ'd that _Betterton_ was now +Seventy-three, and rather chose, with the Infirmities of Age upon him, +to rely on such Sallary as might be appointed him, than to involve +himself in the Cares and Hurry that must unavoidably attend the +Regulation of a new Company. As to the two celebrated Actresses I have +named, this has been my first proper Occasion of making it known that +they had both quitted the Stage the Year before this Transaction was +thought of.[54] And _Booth_ as yet was scarce out of his Minority as an +Actor, or only in the Promise of that Reputation which, in about four +or five Years after, he happily arriv'd at. However, at this Juncture +he was not so far overlook'd as not to be offer'd a valuable Addition +to his Sallary: But this he declin'd, being, while the Patentees were +under this Distress, as much, if not more, in favour with their chief +Menager as a Schematist than as an Actor: And indeed he appear'd, to +my Judgment, more inclin'd to risque his Fortune in _Drury-Lane_, +where he should have no Rival in Parts or Power, than on any Terms to +embark in the _Hay-Market_, where he was sure to meet with Opponents +in both.[55] However, this his Separation from our Interest when our +All was at stake, afterwards kept his Advancement to a Share with us +in our more successful Days longer postpon'd than otherwise it probably +might have been. + +When Mrs. _Oldfield_ was nominated as a joint Sharer in our new +Agreement to be made with _Swiney_, _Dogget_, who had no Objection to +her Merit, insisted that our Affairs could never be upon a secure +Foundation if there was more than one Sex admitted to the Menagement of +them. He therefore hop'd that if we offer'd Mrs. _Oldfield_ a _Carte +Blanche_ instead of a Share, she would not think herself slighted. This +was instantly agreed to, and Mrs. _Oldfield_ receiv'd it rather as a +Favour than a Disobligation: Her Demands therefore were Two Hundred +Pounds a Year certain, and a Benefit clear of all Charges, which were +readily sign'd to. Her Easiness on this Occasion, some Years after, when +our Establishment was in Prosperity, made us with less Reluctancy +advance her Two Hundred Pounds to Three Hundred Guineas _per Annum_, +with her usual Benefit, which, upon an Average, for several Years at +least doubled that Sum. + +[Illustration: ANNE OLDFIELD.] + +When a sufficient number of Actors were engag'd under our Confederacy with +_Swiney_, it was then judg'd a proper time for the Lord-Chamberlain's +Power to operate, which, by lying above a Month dormant, had so far +recover'd the Patentees from any Apprehensions of what might fall upon +them from their late Usurpations on the Benefits of the Actors, that they +began to set their Marks upon those who had distinguish'd themselves in +the Application for Redress. Several little Disgraces were put upon them, +particularly in the Disposal of Parts in Plays to be reviv'd, and as +visible a Partiality was shewn in the Promotion of those in their +Interest, though their Endeavours to serve them could be of no +extraordinary use. How often does History shew us, in the same State of +Courts, the same Politicks have been practis'd? All this while the other +Party were passively silent, 'till one Day the Actor who particularly +solicited their Cause at the Lord-Chamberlain's Office, being shewn there +the Order sign'd for absolutely silencing the Patentees, and ready to be +serv'd, flew back with the News to his Companions, then at a Rehearsal in +which he had been wanted; when being call'd to his Part, and something +hastily question'd by the Patentee for his Neglect of Business: This +Actor, I say, with an erected Look and a Theatrical Spirit, at once threw +off the Mask and roundly told him----_Sir, I have now no more Business +Here than you have; in half an Hour you will neither have Actors to +command nor Authority to employ them._----The Patentee, who though he +could not readily comprehend his mysterious manner of Speaking, had just a +Glimpse of Terror enough from the Words to soften his Reproof into a cold +formal Declaration, That _if he would not do his Work he should not be +paid_.--But now, to complete the Catastrophe of these Theatrical +Commotions, enters the Messenger with the Order of Silence in his Hand, +whom the same Actor officiously introduc'd, telling the Patentee that the +Gentleman wanted to speak with him from the Lord-Chamberlain. When the +Messenger had delivered the Order, the Actor, throwing his Head over his +Shoulder towards the Patentee, in the manner of _Shakespear_'s _Harry the +Eighth_ to Cardinal _Wolsey_, cry'd--_Read o'er that! and now--to +Breakfast, with what Appetite you may_. Tho' these Words might be spoken +in too vindictive and insulting a manner to be commended, yet, from the +Fulness of a Heart injuriously treated and now reliev'd by that instant +Occasion, why might they not be pardon'd?[56] + +The Authority of the Patent now no longer subsisting, all the confederated +Actors immediately walk'd out of the House, to which they never return'd +'till they became themselves the Tenants and Masters of it. + +Here agen we see an higher Instance of the Authority of a +Lord-Chamberlain than any of those I have elsewhere mentioned: From +whence that Power might be deriv'd, as I have already said, I am not +Lawyer enough to know; however, it is evident that a Lawyer obey'd it, +though to his Cost; which might incline one to think that the Law was +not clearly against it: Be that as it may, since the Law has lately made +it no longer a Question, let us drop the Enquiry and proceed to the +Facts which follow'd this Order that silenc'd the Patent. + +From this last injudicious Disagreement of the Patentees with their +principal Actors, and from what they had suffered on the same Occasion +in the Division of their only Company in 1695, might we not imagine +there was something of Infatuation in their Menagement? For though I +allow Actors in general, when they are too much indulg'd, or govern'd by +an unsteady Head, to be as unruly a Multitude as Power can be plagued +with; yet there is a Medium which, if cautiously observed by a candid +use of Power, making them always know, without feeling, their Superior, +neither suffering their Encroachments nor invading their Rights, with an +immoveable Adherence to the accepted Laws they are to walk by; such a +Regulation, I say, has never fail'd, in my Observation, to have made +them a tractable and profitable Society. If the Government of a +well-establish'd Theatre were to be compar'd to that of a Nation, there +is no one Act of Policy or Misconduct in the one or the other in which +the Menager might not, in some parallel Case, (laugh, if you please) be +equally applauded or condemned with the Statesman. Perhaps this will not +be found so wild a Conceit if you look into the 193d _Tatler_, Vol. 4. +where the Affairs of the State and those of the very Stage which I am +now treating of, are, in a Letter from _Downs_ the Promptor,[57] +compar'd, and with a great deal of Wit and Humour, set upon an equal +Foot of Policy. The Letter is suppos'd to have been written in the last +Change of the Ministry in Queen _Anne_'s Time. I will therefore venture, +upon the Authority of that Author's Imagination, to carry the +Comparison as high as it can possibly go, and say, That as I remember +one of our Princes in the last Century to have lost his Crown by too +arbitrary a Use of his Power, though he knew how fatal the same Measures +had been to his unhappy Father before him, why should we wonder that the +same Passions taking Possession of Men in lower Life, by an equally +impolitick Usage of their Theatrical Subjects, should have involved the +Patentees in proportionable Calamities. + +During the Vacation, which immediately follow'd the Silence of the +Patent, both Parties were at leisure to form their Schemes for the +Winter: For the Patentee would still hold out, notwithstanding his +being so miserably maim'd or over-match'd: He had no more Regard to +Blows than a blind Cock of the Game; he might be beaten, but would never +yield; the Patent was still in his Possession, and the Broad-Seal to it +visibly as fresh as ever: Besides, he had yet some Actors in his +Service,[58] at a much cheaper Rate than those who had left him, the +Sallaries of which last, now they would not work for him, he was not +oblig'd to pay.[59] In this way of thinking, he still kept together such +as had not been invited over to the _Hay-Market_, or had been +influenc'd by _Booth_ to follow his Fortune in _Drury-Lane_. + +By the Patentee's keeping these Remains of his broken Forces together, +it is plain that he imagin'd this Order of Silence, like others of the +same Kind, would be recall'd, of course, after a reasonable time of +Obedience had been paid to it: But, it seems, he had rely'd too much +upon former Precedents; nor had his Politicks yet div'd into the Secret +that the Court Power, with which the Patent had been so long and often +at variance, had now a mind to take the publick Diversions more +absolutely into their own Hands: Not that I have any stronger Reasons +for this Conjecture than that the Patent never after this Order of +Silence got leave to play during the Queen's Reign. But upon the +Accession of his late Majesty, Power having then a different Aspect, the +Patent found no Difficulty in being permitted to exercise its former +Authority for acting Plays, _&c._ which, however, from this time of +their lying still, in 1709, did not happen 'till 1714, which the old +Patentee never liv'd to see: For he dy'd about six weeks before the +new-built Theatre in _Lincoln's-Inn-Fields_ was open'd,[60] where the +first Play acted was the _Recruiting Officer_, under the Menagement of +his Heirs and Successors. But of that Theatre it is not yet time to give +any further Account. + +The first Point resolv'd on by the Comedians now re-established in the +_Hay-Market_,[61] was to alter the Auditory Part of their Theatre, the +Inconveniencies of which have been fully enlarged upon in a former +Chapter. What embarrass'd them most in this Design, was their want of +Time to do it in a more complete manner than it now remains in, +otherwise they had brought it to the original Model of that in +_Drury-Lane_, only in a larger Proportion, as the wider Walls of it +would require; as there are not many Spectators who may remember what +Form the _Drury-Lane_ Theatre stood in about forty Years ago, before +the old Patentee, to make it hold more Money, took it in his Head to +alter it, it were but Justice to lay the original Figure which Sir +_Christopher Wren_ first gave it, and the Alterations of it now +standing, in a fair Light; that equal Spectators may see, if they were +at their choice, which of the Structures would incline them to a +Preference. But in this Appeal I only speak to such Spectators as allow +a good Play well acted to be the most valuable Entertainment of the +Stage. Whether such Plays (leaving the Skill of the dead or living +Actors equally out of the Question) have been more or less recommended +in their Presentation by either of these different Forms of that +Theatre, is our present Matter of Enquiry. + +It must be observ'd, then,[62] that the Area or Platform of the old Stage +projected about four Foot forwarder, in a Semi-oval Figure, parallel to +the Benches of the Pit; and that the former lower Doors of Entrance for +the Actors were brought down between the two foremost (and then only) +Pilasters; in the Place of which Doors now the two Stage-Boxes are fixt. +That where the Doors of Entrance now are, there formerly stood two +additional Side-Wings, in front to a full Set of Scenes, which had then +almost a double Effect in their Loftiness and Magnificence. + +By this Original Form, the usual Station of the Actors, in almost every +Scene, was advanc'd at least ten Foot nearer to the Audience than they +now can be; because, not only from the Stage's being shorten'd in front, +but likewise from the additional Interposition of those Stage-Boxes, the +Actors (in respect to the Spectators that fill them) are kept so much +more backward from the main Audience than they us'd to be: But when the +Actors were in Possession of that forwarder Space to advance upon, the +Voice was then more in the Centre of the House, so that the most distant +Ear had scarce the least Doubt or Difficulty in hearing what fell from +the weakest Utterance: All Objects were thus drawn nearer to the Sense; +every painted Scene was stronger; every grand Scene and Dance more +extended; every rich or fine-coloured Habit had a more lively Lustre: +Nor was the minutest Motion of a Feature (properly changing with the +Passion or Humour it suited) ever lost, as they frequently must be in +the Obscurity of too great a Distance: And how valuable an Advantage the +Facility of hearing distinctly is to every well-acted Scene, every +common Spectator is a Judge. A Voice scarce raised above the Tone of a +Whisper, either in Tenderness, Resignation, innocent Distress, or +Jealousy suppress'd, often have as much concern with the Heart as the +most clamorous Passions; and when on any of these Occasions such +affecting Speeches are plainly heard, or lost, how wide is the +Difference from the great or little Satisfaction received from them? To +all this a Master of a Company may say, I now receive Ten Pounds more +than could have been taken formerly in every full House! Not unlikely. +But might not his House be oftener full if the Auditors were oftener +pleas'd? Might not every bad House too, by a Possibility of being made +every Day better, add as much to one Side of his Account as it could +take from the other? If what I have said carries any Truth in it, why +might not the original Form of this Theatre be restor'd? but let this +Digression avail what it may, the Actors now return'd to the +_Hay-Market_, as I have observ'd, wanting nothing but length of Time to +have govern'd their Alteration of that Theatre by this original Model of +_Drury-Lane_ which I have recommended. As their time therefore was +short, they made their best use of it; they did something to it: They +contracted its Wideness by three Ranges of Boxes on each side, and +brought down its enormous high Ceiling within so proportionable a +Compass that it effectually cur'd those hollow Undulations of the Voice +formerly complain'd of. The Remedy had its Effect; their Audiences +exceeded their Expectation. There was now no other Theatre open +against them;[63] they had the Town to themselves; they were their own +Masters, and the Profits of their Industry came into their own Pockets. + +[Illustration: THEOPHILUS CIBBER AS ANTIENT PISTOL.] + +Yet with all this fair Weather, the Season of their uninterrupted +Prosperity was not yet arriv'd; for the great Expence and thinner +Audiences of the Opera (of which they then were equally Directors) was a +constant Drawback upon their Gains, yet not so far but that their Income +this Year was better than in their late Station at _Drury-Lane_. But by +the short Experience we had then had of Operas; by the high Reputation +they seem'd to have been arriv'd at the Year before; by their Power of +drawing the whole Body of Nobility as by Enchantment to their +Solemnities; by that Prodigality of Expence at which they were so +willing to support them; and from the late extraordinary Profits +_Swiney_ had made of them, what Mountains did we not hope from this +Molehill? But alas! the fairy Vision was vanish'd; this bridal Beauty +was grown familiar to the general Taste, and Satiety began to make +Excuses for its want of Appetite: Or, what is still stranger, its late +Admirers now as much valued their Judgment in being able to find out the +Faults of the Performers, as they had before in discovering their +Excellencies. The Truth is, that this kind of Entertainment being so +entirely sensual, it had no Possibility of getting the better of our +Reason but by its Novelty; and that Novelty could never be supported but +by an annual Change of the best Voices, which, like the finest Flowers, +bloom but for a Season, and when that is over are only dead Nose-gays. +From this Natural Cause we have seen within these two Years even +_Farinelli_ singing to an Audience of five and thirty Pounds, and yet, +if common Fame may be credited, the same Voice, so neglected in one +Country, has in another had Charms sufficient to make that Crown sit +easy on the Head of a Monarch, which the Jealousy of Politicians +(who had their Views in his keeping it) fear'd, without some such +extraordinary Amusement, his Satiety of Empire might tempt him a second +time to resign.[64] + +There is, too, in the very Species of an _Italian_ Singer such an +innate, fantastical Pride and Caprice, that the Government of them (here +at least) is almost impracticable. This Distemper, as we were not +sufficiently warn'd or apprized of, threw our musical Affairs into +Perplexities we knew not easily how to get out of. There is scarce a +sensible Auditor in the Kingdom that has not since that Time had +Occasion to laugh at the several Instances of it: But what is still more +ridiculous, these costly Canary-Birds have sometimes infested the whole +Body of our dignified Lovers of Musick with the same childish +Animosities: Ladies have been known to decline their Visits upon account +of their being of a different musical Party. _Cæsar_ and _Pompey_ made +not a warmer Division in the _Roman_ Republick than those Heroines, +their Country Women, the _Faustina_ and _Cuzzoni_, blew up in our +Common-wealth of Academical Musick by their implacable Pretensions to +Superiority.[65] And while this Greatness of Soul is their unalterable +Virtue, it will never be practicable to make two capital Singers of the +same Sex do as they should do in one Opera at the same time! no, not +tho' _England_ were to double the Sums it has already thrown after them: +For even in their own Country, where an extraordinary Occasion has +called a greater Number of their best to sing together, the Mischief +they have made has been proportionable; an Instance of which, if I am +rightly inform'd, happen'd at _Parma_, where, upon the Celebration of +the Marriage of that Duke, a Collection was made of the most eminent +Voices that Expence or Interest could purchase, to give as complete an +Opera as the whole vocal Power of _Italy_ could form. But when it came +to the Proof of this musical Project, behold! what woful Work they made +of it! every Performer would be a _Cæsar_ or Nothing; their several +Pretensions to Preference were not to be limited within the Laws of +Harmony; they would all choose their own Songs, but not more to set off +themselves than to oppose or deprive another of an Occasion to shine: +Yet any one would sing a bad Song, provided no body else had a good one, +till at last they were thrown together, like so many feather'd Warriors, +for a Battle-royal in a Cock-pit, where every one was oblig'd to kill +another to save himself! What Pity it was these froward Misses and +Masters of Musick had not been engag'd to entertain the Court of some +King of _Morocco_, that could have known a good Opera from a bad one! +with how much Ease would such a Director have brought them to better +Order? But alas! as it has been said of greater Things, + + _Suis et ipsa Roma viribus ruit._ + Hor.[66] + +Imperial _Rome_ fell by the too great Strength of its own Citizens! So +fell this mighty Opera, ruin'd by the too great Excellency of its +Singers! For, upon the whole, it proved to be as barbarously bad as if +Malice it self had composed it. + +Now though something of this kind, equally provoking, has generally +embarrass'd the State of Operas these thirty Years, yet it was the +Misfortune of the menaging Actors at the _Hay-Market_ to have felt the +first Effects of it: The Honour of the Singer and the Interest of the +Undertaker were so often at Variance, that the latter began to have but +a bad Bargain of it. But not to impute more to the Caprice of those +Performers than was really true, there were two different Accidents that +drew Numbers from our Audiences before the Season was ended; which were +another Company permitted to act in _Drury-Lane_,[67] and the long Trial +of Doctor _Sacheverel_ in _Westminster-Hall_:[68] By the way, it must be +observed that this Company was not under the Direction of the Patent +(which continued still silenced) but was set up by a third Interest, +with a License from Court. The Person to whom this new License was +granted was _William Collier_, Esq., a Lawyer of an enterprizing Head +and a jovial Heart; what sort of Favour he was in with the People then +in Power may be judg'd from his being often admitted to partake with +them those detach'd Hours of Life when Business was to give way to +Pleasure: But this was not all his Merit, he was at the same time a +Member of Parliament for _Truro_ in _Cornwall_, and we cannot suppose a +Person so qualified could be refused such a Trifle as a License to head +a broken Company of Actors. This sagacious Lawyer, then, who had a +Lawyer to deal with, observing that his Antagonist kept Possession of a +Theatre without making use of it, and for which he was not obliged to +pay Rent unless he actually _did_ use it, wisely conceived it might be +the Interest of the joint Landlords, since their Tenement was in so +precarious a Condition, to grant a Lease to one who had an undisputed +Authority to be liable, by acting Plays in it, to pay the Rent of it; +especially when he tempted them with an Offer of raising it from three +to four Pounds _per Diem_. His Project succeeded, the Lease was sign'd; +but the Means of getting into Possession were to be left to his own Cost +and Discretion. This took him up but little Time; he immediately laid +Siege to it with a sufficient Number of Forces, whether lawless or +lawful I forget, but they were such as obliged the old Governor to give +it up; who, notwithstanding, had got Intelligence of his Approaches and +Design time enough to carry off every thing that was worth moving, +except a great Number of old Scenes and new Actors that could not easily +follow him.[69] + +A ludicrous Account of this Transaction, under fictitious Names, may be +found in the 99th _Tatler_, Vol. 2. which this Explanation may now +render more intelligible to the Readers of that agreeable Author.[70] + +This other new License being now in Possession of the _Drury-Lane_ +Theatre, those Actors whom the Patentee ever since the Order of Silence +had retain'd in a State of Inaction, all to a Man came over to the +Service of _Collier_. Of these _Booth_ was then the chief.[71] The Merit +of the rest had as yet made no considerable Appearance, and as the +Patentee had not left a Rag of their Cloathing behind him, they were but +poorly equip'd for a publick Review; consequently at their first Opening +they were very little able to annoy us. But during the Trial of +_Sacheverel_ our Audiences were extremely weaken'd by the better Rank of +People's daily attending it: While, at the same time, the lower Sort, +who were not equally admitted to that grand Spectacle, as eagerly +crowded into _Drury-Lane_ to a new Comedy call'd _The fair Quaker of +Deal_. This Play having some low Strokes of natural Humour in it, was +rightly calculated for the Capacity of the Actors who play'd it, and to +the Taste of the Multitude who were now more disposed and at leisure to +see it:[72] But the most happy Incident in its Fortune was the Charm of +the fair Quaker which was acted by Miss _Santlow_, (afterwards Mrs. +_Booth_) whose Person was then in the full Bloom of what Beauty she +might pretend to: Before this she had only been admired as the most +excellent Dancer, which perhaps might not a little contribute to the +favourable Reception she now met with as an Actress, in this Character +which so happily suited her Figure and Capacity: The gentle Softness of +her Voice, the composed Innocence of her Aspect, the Modesty of her +Dress, the reserv'd Decency of her Gesture, and the Simplicity of the +Sentiments that naturally fell from her, made her seem the amiable Maid +she represented: In a Word, not the enthusiastick Maid of _Orleans_ was +more serviceable of old to the _French_ Army when the _English_ had +distressed them, than this fair Quaker was at the Head of that dramatick +Attempt upon which the Support of their weak Society depended.[73] + +But when the Trial I have mention'd and the Run of this Play was over, +the Tide of the Town beginning to turn again in our Favour, _Collier_ +was reduced to give his Theatrical Affairs a different Scheme; which +advanced the Stage another Step towards that Settlement which, in my +Time, was of the longest Duration. + + + + +CHAPTER XIII. + + +[Illustration: Ad Lalauze, sc] + + _The Patentee, having now no Actors, rebuilds the new Theatre + in _Lincolns-Inn-Fields_. A Guess at his Reasons for it. More + Changes in the State of the Stage. The Beginning of its better + Days under the _Triumvirate_ of Actors. A Sketch of their + governing Characters._ + +As coarse Mothers may have comely Children, so Anarchy has been the +Parent of many a good Government; and by a Parity of possible +Consequences, we shall find that from the frequent Convulsions of the +Stage arose at last its longest Settlement and Prosperity; which many of +my Readers (or if I should happen to have but few of them, many of my +Spectators at least) who I hope have not yet liv'd half their Time, will +be able to remember. + +Though the Patent had been often under Distresses, it had never felt +any Blow equal to this unrevoked Order of Silence; which it is not easy +to conceive could have fallen upon any other Person's Conduct than that +of the old Patentee: For if he was conscious of his being under the +Subjection of that Power which had silenc'd him, why would he incur +the Danger of a Suspension by his so obstinate and impolitick Treatment +of his Actors? If he thought such Power over him illegal, how came he +to obey it now more than before, when he slighted a former Order +that injoin'd him to give his Actors their Benefits on their usual +Conditions?[74] But to do him Justice, the same Obstinacy that involv'd +him in these Difficulties, at last preserv'd to his Heirs the Property +of the Patent in its full Force and Value;[75] yet to suppose that he +foresaw a milder use of Power in some future Prince's Reign might be +more favourable to him, is begging at best but a cold Question. But +whether he knew that this broken Condition of the Patent would not make +his troublesome Friends the Adventurers fly from it as from a falling +House, seems not so difficult a Question. However, let the Reader form +his own Judgment of them from the Facts that follow'd: It must +therefore be observ'd, that the Adventurers seldom came near the House +but when there was some visible Appearance of a Dividend: But I could +never hear that upon an ill Run of Audiences they had ever returned or +brought in a single Shilling, to make good the Deficiencies of their +daily Receipts. Therefore, as the Patentee in Possession had alone, for +several Years, supported and stood against this Uncertainty of Fortune, +it may be imagin'd that his Accounts were under so voluminous a +Perplexity that few of those Adventurers would have Leisure or Capacity +enough to unravel them: And as they had formerly thrown away their +Time and Money at law in a fruitless Enquiry into them, they now seem'd +to have intirely given up their Right and Interest: And, according +to my best Information, notwithstanding the subsequent Gains of the +Patent have been sometimes extraordinary, the farther Demands or Claims +of Right of the Adventurers have lain dormant above these five and +twenty Years.[76] + +Having shewn by what means _Collier_ had dispossess'd this Patentee, not +only of the _Drury-Lane_ House, but likewise of those few Actors which +he had kept for some time unemploy'd in it, we are now led to consider +another Project of the same Patentee, which, if we are to judge of it by +the Event, has shewn him more a Wise than a Weak Man; which I confess at +the time he put it in Execution seem'd not so clear a Point: For +notwithstanding he now saw the Authority and Power of his Patent was +superseded, or was at best but precarious, and that he had not one Actor +left in his Service, yet, under all these Dilemma's and Distresses, he +resolv'd upon rebuilding the New Theatre in _Lincolns-Inn-Fields_, of +which he had taken a Lease, at a low Rent, ever since _Betterton_'s +Company had first left it.[77] This Conduct seem'd too deep for my +Comprehension! What are we to think of his taking this Lease in the +height of his Prosperity, when he could have no Occasion for it? Was he +a Prophet? Could he then foresee he should, one time or other, be turn'd +out of _Drury-Lane_? Or did his mere Appetite of Architecture urge him +to build a House, while he could not be sure he should ever have leave +to make use of it? But of all this we may think as we please; whatever +was his Motive, he, at his own Expence, in this Interval of his having +nothing else to do, rebuilt that Theatre from the Ground, as it is now +standing.[78] As for the Order of Silence, he seem'd little concern'd at +it while it gave him so much uninterrupted Leisure to supervise a Work +which he naturally took Delight in. + +After this Defeat of the Patentee, the Theatrical Forces of _Collier_ in +_Drury-Lane_, notwithstanding their having drawn the Multitude after +them for about three Weeks during the Trial of _Sacheverel_, had made +but an indifferent Campaign at the end of the Season. _Collier_ at least +found so little Account in it, that it obliged him to push his +Court-Interest (which, wherever the Stage was concern'd, was not +inconsiderable) to support him in another Scheme; which was, that in +consideration of his giving up the _Drury-Lane_, Cloaths, Scenes, and +Actors, to _Swiney_ and his joint Sharers in the _Hay-Market_, he +(_Collier_) might be put into an equal Possession of the _Hay-Market_ +Theatre, with all the Singers, _&c._ and be made sole Director of the +Opera. Accordingly, by Permission of the Lord Chamberlain, a Treaty was +enter'd into, and in a few Days ratified by all Parties, conformable to +the said Preliminaries.[79] This was that happy Crisis of Theatrical +Liberty which the labouring Comedians had long sigh'd for, and which, +for above twenty Years following, was so memorably fortunate to them. + +However, there were two hard Articles in this Treaty, which, though it +might be Policy in the Actors to comply with, yet the Imposition of them +seem'd little less despotick than a Tax upon the Poor when a Government +did not want it. + +The first of these Articles was, That whereas the sole License for +acting Plays was presum'd to be a more profitable Authority than that +for acting Operas only, that therefore Two Hundred Pounds a Year should +be paid to _Collier_, while Master of the Opera, by the Comedians; to +whom a verbal Assurance was given by the _Plenipo'_s on the Court-side, +that while such Payment subsisted no other Company should be permitted +to act Plays against them within the Liberties, _&c._ The other Article +was, That on every _Wednesday_ whereon an Opera could be perform'd, the +Plays should, _toties quoties_, be silent at _Drury-Lane_, to give the +Opera a fairer Chance for a full House. + +This last Article, however partial in the Intention, was in its Effect +of great Advantage to the sharing Actors: For in all publick +Entertainments a Day's Abstinence naturally increases the Appetite to +them: Our every _Thursday_'s Audience, therefore, was visibly the better +by thus making the Day before it a Fast. But as this was not a Favour +design'd us, this Prohibition of a Day, methinks, deserves a little +farther Notice, because it evidently took a sixth Part of their Income +from all the hired Actors, who were only paid in proportion to the +Number of acting Days. This extraordinary Regard to Operas was, in +effect, making the Day-labouring Actors the principal Subscribers to +them, and the shutting out People from the Play every _Wednesday_ many +murmur'd at as an Abridgment of their usual Liberty. And tho' I was one +of those who profited by that Order, it ought not to bribe me into a +Concealment of what was then said and thought of it. I remember a +Nobleman of the first Rank, then in a high Post, and not out of +Court-Favour, said openly behind the Scenes----_It was shameful to take +part of the Actors Bread from them to support the silly Diversion of +People of Quality_. But alas! what was all this Grievance when weighed +against the Qualifications of so grave and staunch a Senator as +_Collier_? Such visible Merit, it seems, was to be made easy, tho' at +the Expence of the--I had almost said, _Honour_ of the Court, whose +gracious Intention for the Theatrical Common-wealth might have shone +with thrice the Lustre if such a paltry Price had not been paid for it. +But as the Government of the Stage is but that of the World in +Miniature, we ought not to have wonder'd that _Collier_ had Interest +enough to quarter the Weakness of the Opera upon the Strength of the +Comedy. General good Intentions are not always practicable to a +Perfection. The most necessary Law can hardly pass, but a Tenderness to +some private Interest shall often hang such Exceptions upon particular +Clauses, 'till at last it comes out lame and lifeless, with the Loss of +half its Force, Purpose, and Dignity. As, for Instance, how many +fruitless Motions have been made in Parliaments to moderate the enormous +Exactions in the Practice of the Law? And what sort of Justice must that +be call'd, which, when a Man has not a mind to pay you a Debt of Ten +Pounds, it shall cost you Fifty before you can get it? How long, too, +has the Publick been labouring for a Bridge at _Westminster_? But the +Wonder that it was not built a Hundred Years ago ceases when we are +told, That the Fear of making one End of _London_ as rich as the other +has been so long an Obstruction to it:[80] And though it might seem a +still greater Wonder, when a new Law for building one had at last got +over that Apprehension, that it should meet with any farther Delay; yet +Experience has shewn us that the Structure of this useful Ornament to +our Metropolis has been so clogg'd by private Jobs that were to be +pick'd out of the Undertaking, and the Progress of the Work so +disconcerted by a tedious Contention of private Interests and Endeavours +to impose upon the Publick abominable Bargains, that a whole Year was +lost before a single Stone could be laid to its Foundation. But +Posterity will owe its Praises to the Zeal and Resolution of a truly +Noble Commissioner, whose distinguish'd Impatience has broke thro' those +narrow Artifices, those false and frivolous Objections that delay'd it, +and has already began to raise above the Tide that future Monument of +his Publick Spirit.[81] + +[Illustration: HESTER SANTLOW.] + +How far all this may be allow'd applicable to the State of the Stage is +not of so great Importance, nor so much my Concern, as that what is +observ'd upon it should always remain a memorable Truth, to the Honour +of that Nobleman. But now I go on: _Collier_ being thus possess'd of his +Musical Government, thought his best way would be to farm it out to a +Gentleman, _Aaron Hill_, Esq.[82] (who he had reason to suppose knew +something more of Theatrical Matters than himself) at a Rent, if I +mistake not, of Six Hundred Pounds _per Annum_: But before the Season +was ended (upon what occasion, if I could remember, it might not be +material to say) took it into his Hands again: But all his Skill and +Interest could not raise the Direction of the Opera to so good a Post as +he thought due to a Person of his Consideration: He therefore, the Year +following, enter'd upon another high-handed Scheme, which, 'till the +Demise of the Queen, turn'd to his better Account. + +After the Comedians were in Possession of _Drury-Lane_, from whence +during my time upon the Stage they never departed, their Swarm of +Audiences exceeded all that had been seen in thirty Years before; which, +however, I do not impute so much to the Excellence of their Acting as to +their indefatigable Industry and good Menagement; for, as I have often +said, I never thought in the general that we stood in any Place of +Comparison with the eminent Actors before us; perhaps, too, by there +being now an End of the frequent Divisions and Disorders that had from +time to time broke in upon and frustrated their Labours, not a little +might be contributed to their Success. + +_Collier_, then, like a true liquorish Courtier, observing the +Prosperity of a Theatre, which he the Year before had parted with for a +worse, began to meditate an Exchange of Theatrical Posts with _Swiney_, +who had visibly very fair Pretensions to that he was in, by his being +first chosen by the Court to regulate and rescue the Stage from the +Disorders it had suffer'd under its former Menagers:[83] Yet _Collier_ +knew that sort of Merit could stand in no Competition with his being a +Member of Parliament: He therefore had recourse to his Court-Interest +(where meer Will and Pleasure at that time was the only Law that +dispos'd of all Theatrical Rights) to oblige Swiney to let him be off +from his bad Bargain for a better. To this it may be imagin'd _Swiney_ +demurred, and as he had Reason, strongly remonstrated against it: But as +_Collier_ had listed his Conscience under the Command of Interest, he +kept it to strict Duty, and was immoveable; insomuch that Sir _John +Vanbrugh_, who was a Friend to _Swiney_, and who, by his Intimacy with +the People in Power, better knew the Motive of their Actions, advis'd +_Swiney_ rather to accept of the Change, than by a Non-compliance to +hazard his being excluded from any Post or Concern in either of the +Theatres: To conclude, it was not long before _Collier_ had procured a +new License for acting Plays, _&c._ for himself, _Wilks_, _Dogget_, and +_Cibber_, exclusive of _Swiney_, who by this new Regulation was reduc'd +to his _Hobson_'s Choice of the Opera.[84] + +_Swiney_ being thus transferr'd to the Opera[85] in the sinking +Condition _Collier_ had left it, found the Receipts of it in the Winter +following, 1711, so far short of the Expences, that he was driven to +attend his Fortune in some more favourable Climate, where he remain'd +twenty Years an Exile from his Friends and Country, tho' there has been +scarce an _English_ Gentleman who in his _Tour_ of _France_ or _Italy_ +has not renew'd or created an Acquaintance with him. As this is a +Circumstance that many People may have forgot, I cannot remember it +without that Regard and Concern it deserves from all that know him: Yet +it is some Mitigation of his Misfortune that since his Return to +_England_, his grey Hairs and cheerful Disposition have still found a +general Welcome among his foreign and former domestick Acquaintance. + +_Collier_ being now first-commission'd Menager with the Comedians, drove +them, too, to the last Inch of a hard Bargain (the natural Consequence +of all Treaties between Power and Necessity.) He not only demanded six +hundred a Year neat Money, the Price at which he had farm'd out his +Opera, and to make the Business a _Sine-cure_ to him, but likewise +insisted upon a Moiety of the Two hundred that had been levied upon us +the Year before in Aid of the Operas; in all 700_l._ These large and +ample Conditions, considering in what Hands we were, we resolv'd to +swallow without wry Faces; rather chusing to run any Hazard than contend +with a formidable Power against which we had no Remedy: But so it +happen'd that Fortune took better care of our Interest than we ourselves +had like to have done: For had _Collier_ accepted of our first Offer, of +an equal Share with us, he had got three hundred Pounds a Year more by +complying with it than by the Sum he imposed upon us, our Shares being +never less than a thousand annually to each of us, 'till the End of the +Queen's Reign in 1714. After which _Collier_'s Commission was +superseded, his Theatrical Post, upon the Accession of his late Majesty, +being given to Sir _Richard Steele_.[86] + +From these various Revolutions in the Government of the Theatre, all +owing to the Patentees mistaken Principle of increasing their Profits by +too far enslaving their People, and keeping down the Price of good +Actors (and I could almost insist that giving large Sallaries to bad +Ones could not have had a worse Consequence) I say, when it is +consider'd that the Authority for acting Plays, _&c._ was thought of so +little worth that (as has been observ'd) Sir _Thomas Skipwith_ gave away +his Share of it, and the Adventurers had fled from it; that Mr. +_Congreve_, at another time, had voluntarily resign'd it; and Sir _John +Vanbrugh_ (meerly to get the Rent of his new House paid) had, by Leave +of the Court, farm'd out his License to _Swiney_, who not without some +Hesitation had ventur'd upon it; let me say again, out of this low +Condition of the Theatre, was it not owing to the Industry of three or +four Comedians that a new Place was now created for the Crown to give +away, without any Expence attending it, well worth the Acceptance of any +Gentleman whose Merit or Services had no higher Claim to Preferment, and +which _Collier_ and Sir _Richard Steele_, in the two last Reigns, +successively enjoy'd? Tho' I believe I may have said something like this +in a former Chapter,[87] I am not unwilling it should be twice taken +notice of. + +We are now come to that firm Establishment of the Theatre, which, except +the Admittance of _Booth_ into a Share and _Dogget_'s retiring from it, +met with no Change or Alteration for above twenty Years after. + +_Collier_, as has been said, having accepted of a certain Appointment of +seven hundred _per Annum_, _Wilks_, _Dogget_, and Myself were now the +only acting Menagers under the Queen's License; which being a Grant but +during Pleasure oblig'd us to a Conduct that might not undeserve that +Favour. At this Time we were All in the Vigour of our Capacities as +Actors, and our Prosperity enabled us to pay at least double the +Sallaries to what the same Actors had usually receiv'd, or could have +hoped for under the Government of the Patentees. _Dogget_, who was +naturally an Oeconomist, kept our Expences and Accounts to the best of +his Power within regulated Bounds and Moderation. _Wilks_, who had a +stronger Passion for Glory than Lucre, was a little apt to be lavish in +what was not always as necessary for the Profit as the Honour of the +Theatre: For example, at the Beginning of almost every Season, he would +order two or three Suits to be made or refresh'd for Actors of moderate +Consequence, that his having constantly a new one for himself might seem +less particular, tho' he had as yet no new Part for it. This expeditious +Care of doing us good without waiting for our Consent to it, _Dogget_ +always look'd upon with the Eye of a Man in Pain: But I, who hated Pain, +(tho' I as little liked the Favour as _Dogget_ himself) rather chose to +laugh at the Circumstance, than complain of what I knew was not to be +cured but by a Remedy worse than the Evil. Upon these Occasions, +therefore, whenever I saw him and his Followers so prettily dress'd out +for an old Play, I only commended his Fancy; or at most but whisper'd +him not to give himself so much trouble about others, upon whose +Performance it would but be thrown away: To which, with a smiling Air of +Triumph over my want of Penetration, he has reply'd--Why, now, that was +what I really did it for! to shew others that I love to take care of +them as well as of myself. Thus, whenever he made himself easy, he had +not the least Conception, let the Expence be what it would, that we +could possibly dislike it. And from the same Principle, provided a +thinner Audience were liberal of their Applause, he gave himself little +Concern about the Receipt of it. As in these different Tempers of my +Brother-Menagers there might be equally something right and wrong, it +was equally my Business to keep well with them both: And tho' of the two +I was rather inclin'd to _Dogget_'s way of thinking, yet I was always +under the disagreeable Restraint of not letting _Wilks_ see it: +Therefore, when in any material Point of Menagement they were ready to +come to a Rupture, I found it adviseable to think neither of them +absolutely in the wrong; but by giving to one as much of the Right in +his Opinion this way as I took from the other in that, their Differences +were sometimes soft'ned into Concessions, that I have reason to think +prevented many ill Consequences in our Affairs that otherwise might have +attended them. But this was always to be done with a very gentle Hand; +for as _Wilks_ was apt to be easily hurt by Opposition, so when he felt +it he was as apt to be insupportable. However, there were some Points in +which we were always unanimous. In the twenty Years while we were our +own Directors, we never had a Creditor that had occasion to come twice +for his Bill; every _Monday_ Morning discharged us of all Demands before +we took a Shilling for our own Use. And from this time we neither ask'd +any Actor, nor were desired by them, to sign any written Agreement (to +the best of my Memory) whatsoever: The Rate of their respective +Sallaries were only enter'd in our daily Pay-Roll; which plain Record +every one look'd upon as good as City-Security: For where an honest +Meaning is mutual, the mutual Confidence will be Bond enough in +Conscience on both sides: But that I may not ascribe more to our Conduct +than was really its Due, I ought to give Fortune her Share of the +Commendation; for had not our Success exceeded our Expectation, it might +not have been in our Power so thoroughly to have observ'd those laudable +Rules of Oeconomy, Justice, and Lenity, which so happily supported us: +But the Severities and Oppression we had suffer'd under our former +Masters made us incapable of imposing them on others; which gave +our whole Society the cheerful Looks of a rescued People. But +notwithstanding this general Cause of Content, it was not above a Year +or two before the Imperfection of human Nature began to shew itself in +contrary Symptoms. The Merit of the Hazards which the Menagers had run, +and the Difficulties they had combated in bringing to Perfection that +Revolution by which they had all so amply profited in the Amendment of +their general Income, began now to be forgotten; their Acknowledgments +and thankful Promises of Fidelity were no more repeated, or scarce +thought obligatory: Ease and Plenty by an habitual Enjoyment had lost +their Novelty, and the Largeness of their Sallaries seem'd rather +lessen'd than advanc'd by the extraordinary Gains of the Undertakers; +for that is the Scale in which the hired Actor will always weigh his +Performance; but whatever Reason there may seem to be in his Case, yet, +as he is frequently apt to throw a little Self-partiality into the +Balance, that Consideration may a good deal alter the Justness of it. +While the Actors, therefore, had this way of thinking, happy was it for +the Menagers that their united Interest was so inseparably the same, and +that their Skill and Power in Acting stood in a Rank so far above the +rest, that if the whole Body of private Men had deserted them, it would +yet have been an easier matter for the Menagers to have pick'd up +Recruits, than for the Deserters to have found proper Officers to head +them. Here, then, in this Distinction lay our Security: Our being Actors +ourselves was an Advantage to our Government which all former Menagers, +who were only idle Gentlemen, wanted: Nor was our Establishment easily +to be broken, while our Health and Limbs enabled us to be +Joint-labourers in the Work we were Masters of. + +The only Actor who, in the Opinion of the Publick, seem'd to have had a +Pretence of being advanc'd to a Share with us was certainly _Booth_: But +when it is consider'd how strongly he had oppos'd the Measures that had +made us Menagers, by setting himself (as has been observ'd) at the Head +of an opposite Interest,[88] he could not as yet have much to complain +of: Beside, if the Court had thought him, now, an equal Object of +Favour, it could not have been in our Power to have oppos'd his +Preferment: This I mention, not to take from his Merit, but to shew from +what Cause it was not as yet better provided for. Therefore it may be no +Vanity to say, our having at that time no visible Competitors on the +Stage was the only Interest that rais'd us to be the Menagers of it. + +But here let me rest a while, and since at my time of Day our best +Possessions are but Ease and Quiet, I must be content, if I will have +Sallies of Pleasure, to take up with those only that are to be found in +Imagination. When I look back, therefore, on the Storms of the Stage we +had been toss'd in; when I consider that various Vicissitude of Hopes +and Fears we had for twenty Years struggled with, and found ourselves at +last thus safely set on Shore to enjoy the Produce of our own Labours, +and to have rais'd those Labours by our Skill and Industry to a much +fairer Profit, than our Task-masters by all their severe and griping +Government had ever reap'd from them, a good-natur'd Reader, that is not +offended at the Comparison of great things with small, will allow was a +Triumph in proportion equal to those that have attended the most heroick +Enterprizes for Liberty! What Transport could the first _Brutus_ feel +upon his Expulsion of the _Tarquins_ greater than that which now danc'd +in the Heart of a poor Actor, who, from an injur'd Labourer, unpaid his +Hire, had made himself, without Guilt, a legal Menager of his own +Fortune? Let the Grave and Great contemn or yawn at these low Conceits, +but let me be happy in the Enjoyment of them! To this Hour my Memory +runs o'er that pleasing Prospect of Life past with little less Delight +than when I was first in the real Possession of it. This is the natural +Temper of my Mind, which my Acquaintance are frequently Witnesses of: +And as this was all the Ambition Providence had made my obscure +Condition capable of, I am thankful that Means were given me to enjoy +the Fruits of it. + + ----_Hoc est + Vivere bìs, vitâ; posse priore frui._[89] + +Something like the Meaning of this the less learned Reader may find in +my Title Page. + + + + +CHAPTER XIV. + + +[Illustration: Ad Lalauze, sc] + + _The Stage in its highest Prosperity. The Menagers not without + Errors. Of what Kind._ Cato _first acted. What brought it to + the Stage. The Company go to _Oxford_. Their Success and + different Auditors there. _Booth_ made a Sharer. _Dogget_ + objects to him. Quits the Stage upon his Admittance. That not + his true Reason. What was. _Dogget_'s Theatrical Character._ + +Notwithstanding the Menaging Actors were now in a happier Situation +than their utmost Pretensions could have expected, yet it is not to +be suppos'd but wiser Men might have mended it. As we could not all +govern our selves, there were Seasons when we were not all fit to +govern others. Our Passions and our Interest drew not always the same +way. _Self_ had a great Sway in our Debates: We had our Partialities; +our Prejudices; our Favourites of less Merit; and our Jealousies of +those who came too near us; Frailties which Societies of higher +Consideration, while they are compos'd of Men, will not always be free +from. To have been constantly capable of Unanimity had been a Blessing +too great for our Station: One Mind among three People were to have had +three Masters to one Servant; but when that one Servant is called three +different ways at the same time, whose Business is to be done first? For +my own Part, I was forced almost all my Life to give up my Share of him. +And if I could, by Art or Persuasion, hinder others from making what I +thought a wrong use of their Power, it was the All and utmost I desired. +Yet, whatever might be our Personal Errors, I shall think I have no +Right to speak of them farther than where the Publick Entertainment was +affected by them. If therefore, among so many, some particular Actors +were remarkable in any part of their private Lives, that might sometimes +make the World merry without Doors, I hope my laughing Friends will +excuse me if I do not so far comply with their Desires or Curiosity as +to give them a Place in my History. I can only recommend such Anecdotes +to the Amusement of a Noble Person, who (in case I conceal them) does me +the flattering Honour to threaten my Work with a Supplement. 'Tis enough +for me that such Actors had their Merits to the Publick: Let those +recite their Imperfections who are themselves without them: It is my +Misfortune not to have that Qualification. Let us see then (whatever was +amiss in it) how our Administration went forward. + +When we were first invested with this Power, the Joy of our so +unexpectedly coming into it kept us for some time in Amity and +Good-Humour with one another: And the Pleasure of reforming the many +false Measures, Absurdities, and Abuses, that, like Weeds, had suck'd up +the due Nourishment from the Fruits of the Theatre, gave us as yet no +leisure for private Dissentions. Our daily Receipts exceeded our +Imagination: And we seldom met as a Board to settle our weekly Accounts +without the Satisfaction of Joint-Heirs just in Possession of an +unexpected Estate that had been distantly intail'd upon them. Such a +sudden Change of our Condition it may be imagin'd could not but throw +out of us a new Spirit in almost every Play we appear'd in: Nor did +we ever sink into that common Negligence which is apt to follow +Good-fortune: Industry we knew was the Life of our Business; that +it not only conceal'd Faults, but was of equal Value to greater Talents +without it; which the Decadence once of _Betterton_'s Company in +_Lincoln's-Inn-Fields_ had lately shewn us a Proof of. + +This then was that happy Period, when both Actors and Menagers were +in their highest Enjoyment of general Content and Prosperity. Now it +was that the politer World, too, by their decent Attention, their +sensible Taste, and their generous Encouragements to Authors and +Actors, once more saw that the Stage, under a due Regulation, was +capable of being what the wisest Ages thought it _might_ be, The +most rational Scheme that Human Wit could form to dissipate with +Innocence the Cares of Life, to allure even the Turbulent or +Ill-disposed from worse Meditations, and to give the leisure Hours +of Business and Virtue an instructive Recreation. + +If this grave Assertion is less recommended by falling from the Pen of a +Comedian, I must appeal for the Truth of it to the Tragedy of _Cato_, +which was first acted in 1712.[90] I submit to the Judgment of those who +were then the sensible Spectators of it, if the Success and Merit of +that Play was not an Evidence of every Article of that Value which I +have given to a decent Theatre? But (as I was observing) it could not be +expected the Summer Days I am speaking of could be the constant Weather +of the Year; we had our clouded Hours as well as our sun-shine, and were +not always in the same Good-Humour with one another: Fire, Air, and +Water could not be more vexatiously opposite than the different Tempers +of the Three Menagers, though they might equally have their useful as +well as their destructive Qualities. How variously these Elements in our +several Dispositions operated may be judged from the following single +Instance, as well as a thousand others, which, if they were all to be +told, might possibly make my Reader wish I had forgot them. + +Much about this time, then, there came over from _Dublin_ Theatre two +uncelebrated Actors to pick up a few Pence among us in the Winter, as +_Wilks_ had a Year or two before done on their side the Water in the +Summer.[91] But it was not so clear to _Dogget_ and myself that it was +in their Power to do us the same Service in _Drury-Lane_ as _Wilks_ +might have done them in _Dublin_. However, _Wilks_ was so much a Man of +Honour that he scorned to be outdone in the least Point of it, let the +Cost be what it would to his Fellow-Menagers, who had no particular +Accounts of Honour open with them. To acquit himself therefore with a +better Grace, _Wilks_ so order'd it, that his _Hibernian_ Friends were +got upon our Stage before any other Menager had well heard of their +Arrival. This so generous Dispatch of their Affair gave _Wilks_ a very +good Chance of convincing his Friends that Himself was sole Master of +the Masters of the Company. Here, now, the different Elements in our +Tempers began to work with us. While _Wilks_ was only animated by a +grateful Hospitality to his Friends, _Dogget_ was ruffled into a Storm, +and look'd upon this Generosity as so much Insult and Injustice upon +himself and the Fraternity. During this Disorder I stood by, a seeming +quiet Passenger, and, since talking to the Winds I knew could be to no +great Purpose (whatever Weakness it might be call'd) could not help +smiling to observe with what officious Ease and Delight _Wilks_ was +treating his Friends at our Expence, who were scarce acquainted with +them: For it seems all this was to end in their having a Benefit-Play in +the Height of the Season, for the unprofitable Service they had done us +without our Consent or Desire to employ them. Upon this _Dogget_ bounc'd +and grew almost as untractable as _Wilks_ himself. Here, again, I was +forc'd to clap my Patience to the Helm to weather this difficult Point +between them: Applying myself therefore to the Person I imagin'd was +most likely to hear me, I desired _Dogget_ "to consider that I must +naturally be as much hurt by this vain and over-bearing Behaviour in +_Wilks_ as he could be; and that tho' it was true these Actors had no +Pretence to the Favour design'd them, yet we could not say they had +done us any farther Harm, than letting the Town see the Parts they had +been shewn in, had been better done by those to whom they properly +belong'd: Yet as we had greatly profited by the extraordinary Labour of +_Wilks_, who acted long Parts almost every Day, and at least twice to +_Dogget_'s once;[92] and that I granted it might not be so much his +Consideration of our common Interest, as his Fondness for Applause, that +set him to Work, yet even that Vanity, if he supposed it such, had its +Merit to us; and as we had found our Account in it, it would be Folly +upon a Punctilio to tempt the Rashness of a Man, who was capable to undo +all he had done, by any Act of Extravagance that might fly into his +Head: That admitting this Benefit might be some little Loss to us, yet +to break with him upon it could not but be ten times of worse +Consequence, than our overlooking his disagreeable manner of making the +Demand upon us." + +[Illustration: ROBERT WILKS] + +Though I found this had made _Dogget_ drop the Severity of his Features, +yet he endeavoured still to seem uneasy, by his starting a new +Objection, which was, That we could not be sure even of the Charge they +were to pay for it: For _Wilks_, said he, you know, will go any Lengths +to make it a good Day to them, and may whisper the Door-keepers to give +them the Ready-money taken, and return the Account in such Tickets only +as these Actors have not themselves disposed of. To make this easy too, +I gave him my Word to be answerable for the Charge my self. Upon this he +acceded, and accordingly they had the Benefit-Play. But so it happen'd +(whether as _Dogget_ had suspected or not, I cannot say) the Ready-money +receiv'd fell Ten Pounds short of the Sum they had agreed to pay for it. +Upon the _Saturday_ following, (the Day on which we constantly made up +our Accounts) I went early to the Office, and inquired if the Ten Pounds +had yet been paid in; but not hearing that one Shilling of it had found +its way thither, I immediately supply'd the Sum out of my own Pocket, +and directed the Treasurer to charge it received from me in the +deficient Receipt of the Benefit-Day. Here, now, it might be imagined, +all this silly Matter was accommodated, and that no one could so +properly say he was aggrieved as myself: But let us observe what the +Consequence says--why, the Effect of my insolent interposing honesty +prov'd to be this: That the Party most oblig'd was the most offended; +and the Offence was imputed to me who had been Ten Pounds out of Pocket +to be able to commit it: For when _Wilks_ found in the Account how +spitefully the Ten Pounds had been paid in, he took me aside into the +adjacent Stone-Passage, and with some Warmth ask'd me, What I meant by +pretending to pay in this Ten Pounds? And that, for his part, he did not +understand such Treatment. To which I reply'd, That tho' I was amaz'd +at his thinking himself ill-treated, I would give him a plain, +justifiable Answer.----That I had given my Word to _Dogget_ the Charge +of the Benefit should be fully paid, and since his Friends had neglected +it, I found myself bound to make it good. Upon which he told me I was +mistaken if I thought he did not see into the bottom of all this--That +_Dogget_ and I were always endeavouring to thwart and make him uneasy; +but he was able to stand upon his own Legs, and we should find he would +not be used so: That he took this Payment of the Ten Pounds as an Insult +upon him and a Slight to his Friends; but rather than suffer it he would +tear the whole Business to pieces: That I knew it was in his Power to do +it; and if he could not do a civil thing to a Friend without all this +senseless Rout about it, he could be received in _Ireland_ upon his own +Terms, and could as easily mend a Company there as he had done here: +That if he were gone, _Dogget_ and I would not be able to keep the Doors +open a Week; and, by G--, he would not be a Drudge for nothing. As I +knew all this was but the Foam of the high Value he had set upon +himself, I thought it not amiss to seem a little silently concerned, for +the helpless Condition to which his Resentment of the Injury I have +related was going to reduce us: For I knew I had a Friend in his Heart +that, if I gave him a little time to cool, would soon bring him to +Reason: The sweet Morsel of a Thousand Pounds a Year was not to be met +with at every Table, and might tempt a nicer Palate than his own to +swallow it, when he was not out of Humour. This I knew would always be +of weight with him, when the best Arguments I could use would be of +none. I therefore gave him no farther Provocation than by gravely +telling him, We all had it in our Power to do one another a Mischief; +but I believed none of us much cared to hurt ourselves; that if he was +not of my Opinion, it would not be in my Power to hinder whatever new +Scheme he might resolve upon; that _London_ would always have a +Play-house, and I should have some Chance in it, tho' it might not be so +good as it had been; that he might be sure, if I had thought my paying +in the Ten Pounds could have been so ill received, I should have been +glad to have saved it. Upon this he seem'd to mutter something to +himself, and walk'd off as if he had a mind to be alone. I took the +Occasion, and return'd to _Dogget_ to finish our Accounts. In about six +Minutes _Wilks_ came in to us, not in the best Humour, it may be +imagined; yet not in so ill a one but that he took his Share of the Ten +Pounds without shewing the least Contempt of it; which, had he been +proud enough to have refused, or to have paid in himself, I might have +thought he intended to make good his Menaces, and that the Injury I had +done him would never have been forgiven; but it seems we had different +ways of thinking. + +Of this kind, more or less delightful, was the Life I led with this +impatient Man for full twenty Years. _Dogget_, as we shall find, could +not hold it so long; but as he had more Money than I, he had not +Occasion for so much Philosophy. And thus were our Theatrical Affairs +frequently disconcerted by this irascible Commander, this _Achilles_ of +our Confederacy, who, I may be bold to say, came very little short of +the Spirit _Horace_ gives to that Hero in his-- + + _Impiger, iracundus, inexorabilis, acer._[93] + +This, then, is one of those Personal Anecdotes of our Variances, which, +as our publick Performances were affected by it, could not, with regard +to Truth and Justice, be omitted. + +From this time to the Year 1712 my Memory (from which Repository alone +every Article of what I write is collected) has nothing worth +mentioning, 'till the first acting of the Tragedy of _Cato_.[94] As to +the Play itself, it might be enough to say, That the Author and the +Actors had their different Hopes of Fame and Profit amply answer'd by +the Performance; but as its Success was attended with remarkable +Consequences, it may not be amiss to trace it from its several Years +Concealment in the Closet, to the Stage. + +In 1703, nine Years before it was acted, I had the Pleasure of reading +the first four Acts (which was all of it then written) privately with +Sir _Richard Steele_: It may be needless to say it was impossible to lay +them out of my Hand 'till I had gone thro' them, or to dwell upon the +Delight his Friendship to the Author receiv'd upon my being so warmly +pleas'd with them: But my Satisfaction was as highly disappointed when +he told me, Whatever Spirit Mr. _Addison_ had shewn in his writing it, +he doubted he would never have Courage enough to let his _Cato_ stand +the Censure of an _English_ Audience; that it had only been the +Amusement of his leisure Hours in _Italy_, and was never intended for +the Stage. This Poetical Diffidence[95] Sir _Richard_ himself spoke of +with some Concern, and in the Transport of his Imagination could not +help saying, _Good God!_ what a Part would _Betterton_ make of _Cato!_ +But this was seven Years before _Betterton_ died, and when _Booth_ (who +afterwards made his Fortune by acting it) was in his Theatrical +Minority. In the latter end of Queen _Anne_'s Reign, when our National +Politicks had changed Hands, the Friends of Mr. _Addison_ then thought +it a proper time to animate the Publick with the Sentiments of _Cato_; +in a word, their Importunities were too warm to be resisted; and it was +no sooner finish'd than hurried to the Stage, in _April_, 1712,[96] at a +time when three Days a Week were usually appointed for the Benefit Plays +of particular Actors: But a Work of that critical Importance was to make +its way through all private Considerations; nor could it possibly give +place to a Custom, which the Breach of could very little prejudice the +Benefits, that on so unavoidable an Occasion were (in part, tho' not +wholly) postpon'd; it was therefore (_Mondays_ excepted) acted every Day +for a Month to constantly crowded Houses.[97] As the Author had made us +a Present of whatever Profits he might have claim'd from it, we thought +our selves oblig'd to spare no Cost in the proper Decorations of it. Its +coming so late in the Season to the Stage prov'd of particular Advantage +to the sharing Actors, because the Harvest of our annual Gains was +generally over before the middle of _March_, many select Audiences being +then usually reserv'd in favour to the Benefits of private Actors; which +fixt Engagements naturally abated the Receipts of the Days before and +after them: But this unexpected Aftercrop of _Cato_ largely supplied to +us those Deficiencies, and was almost equal to two fruitful Seasons in +the same Year; at the Close of which the three menaging Actors found +themselves each a Gainer of thirteen hundred and fifty Pounds: But to +return to the first Reception of this Play from the Publick. + +Although _Cato_ seems plainly written upon what are called _Whig_ +Principles, yet the _Torys_ of that time had Sense enough not to take it +as the least Reflection upon their Administration; but, on the contrary, +they seem'd to brandish and vaunt their Approbation of every Sentiment +in favour of Liberty, which, by a publick Act of their Generosity, was +carried so high, that one Day, while the Play was acting, they collected +fifty Guineas in the Boxes, and made a Present of them to _Booth_, with +this Compliment----_For his honest Opposition to a perpetual Dictator, +and his dying so bravely in the Cause of Liberty_: What was insinuated +by any Part of these Words is not my Affair;[98] but so publick a Reward +had the Appearance of a laudable Spirit, which only such a Play as +_Cato_ could have inspired; nor could _Booth_ be blam'd if, upon so +particular a Distinction of his Merit, he began himself to set more +Value upon it: How far he might carry it, in making use of the Favour he +stood in with a certain Nobleman[99] then in Power at Court, was not +difficult to penetrate, and indeed ought always to have been expected by +the menaging Actors: For which of them (making the Case every way his +own) could with such Advantages have contented himself in the humble +Station of an hired Actor? But let us see how the Menagers stood +severally affected upon this Occasion. + +_Dogget_, who expected, though he fear'd not, the Attempt of what after +happen'd, imagin'd he had thought of an Expedient to prevent it: And to +cover his Design with all the Art of a Statesman, he insinuated to us +(for he was a staunch _Whig_) that this Present of fifty Guineas was a +sort of a _Tory_ Triumph which they had no Pretence to; and that for his +Part he could not bear that so redoubted a Champion for Liberty as +_Cato_ should be bought off to the Cause of a Contrary Party: He +therefore, in the seeming Zeal of his Heart, proposed that the Menagers +themselves should make the same Present to _Booth_ which had been made +him from the Boxes the Day before. This, he said, would recommend the +Equality and liberal Spirit of our Menagement to the Town, and might be +a Means to secure _Booth_ more firmly in our Interest, it never having +been known that the Skill of the best Actor had receiv'd so round a +Reward or Gratuity in one Day before. _Wilks_, who wanted nothing but +Abilities to be as cunning as _Dogget_, was so charm'd with the Proposal +that he long'd that Moment to make _Booth_ the Present with his own +Hands; and though he knew he had no Right to do it without my Consent, +had no Patience to ask it; upon which I turned to _Dogget_ with a cold +Smile, and told him, that if _Booth_ could be purchas'd at so cheap a +Rate, it would be one of the best Proofs of his Oeconomy we had ever +been beholden to: I therefore desired we might have a little Patience; +that our doing it too hastily might be only making sure of an Occasion +to throw the fifty Guineas away; for if we should be obliged to do +better for him, we could never expect that _Booth_ would think himself +bound in Honour to refund them. This seem'd so absurd an Argument to +_Wilks_ that he began, with his usual Freedom of Speech, to treat it as +a pitiful Evasion of their intended Generosity: But _Dogget_, who was +not so wide of my Meaning, clapping his Hand upon mine, said, with an +Air of Security, O! don't trouble yourself! there must be two Words to +that Bargain; let me alone to menage that Matter. _Wilks_, upon this +dark Discourse, grew uneasy, as if there were some Secret between us +that he was to be left out of. Therefore, to avoid the Shock of his +Intemperance, I was reduc'd to tell him that it was my Opinion, that +_Booth_ would never be made easy by any thing we could do for him, 'till +he had a Share in the Profits and Menagement; and that, as he did not +want Friends to assist him, whatever his Merit might be before, every +one would think, since his acting of _Cato_, he had now enough to back +his Pretensions to it. To which _Dogget_ reply'd, that nobody could +think his Merit was slighted by so handsome a Present as fifty Guineas; +and that, for his farther Pretensions, whatever the License might avail, +our Property of House, Scenes, and Cloaths were our own, and not in the +Power of the Crown to dispose of. To conclude, my Objections that the +Money would be only thrown away, _&c._ were over-rul'd, and the same +Night _Booth_ had the fifty Guineas, which he receiv'd with a +Thankfulness that made _Wilks_ and _Dogget_ perfectly easy, insomuch +that they seem'd for some time to triumph in their Conduct, and often +endeavour'd to laugh my Jealousy out of Countenance: But in the +following Winter the Game happen'd to take a different Turn; and then, +if it had been a laughing Matter, I had as strong an Occasion to smile +at their former Security. But before I make an End of this Matter, I +cannot pass over the good Fortune of the Company that followed us to the +Act at _Oxford_, which was held in the intervening Summer: Perhaps, too, +a short View of the Stage in that different Situation may not be +unacceptable to the Curious. + +After the Restoration of King _Charles_, before the _Cavalier_ and +_Round-head_ Parties, under their new Denomination of _Whig_ and _Tory_, +began again to be politically troublesome, publick Acts at _Oxford_ (as +I find by the Date of several Prologues written by _Dryden_[100] for +_Hart_ on those Occasions) had been more frequently held than in later +Reigns. Whether the same Party-Dissentions may have occasion'd the +Discontinuance of them, is a Speculation not necessary to be enter'd +into. But these Academical Jubilees have usually been look'd upon as a +kind of congratulatory Compliment to the Accession of every new Prince +to the Throne, and generally, as such, have attended them. King +_James_,[101] notwithstanding his Religion, had the Honour of it; at +which the Players, as usual, assisted. This I have only mention'd to +give the Reader a Theatrical Anecdote of a Liberty which _Tony Leigh_ +the Comedian took with the Character of the well known _Obadiah +Walker_,[102] then Head of _University College_, who in that Prince's +Reign had turn'd _Roman Catholick_: The Circumstance is this. + +In the latter End of the Comedy call'd the _Committee_, _Leigh_, who +acted the Part of _Teague_, hauling in _Obadiah_ with an Halter about +his Neck, whom, according to his written Part, he was to threaten to +hang for no better Reason than his refusing to drink the King's Health, +(but here _Leigh_) to justify his Purpose with a stronger Provocation, +put himself into a more than ordinary Heat with his Captive _Obadiah_, +which having heightened his Master's Curiosity to know what _Obadiah_ +had done to deserve such Usage, _Leigh_, folding his Arms, with a +ridiculous Stare of Astonishment, reply'd--_Upon my Shoule, he has +shange his Religion_. As the Merit of this Jest lay chiefly in the +Auditors' sudden Application of it to the _Obadiah_ of _Oxford_, it was +received with all the Triumph of Applause which the Zeal of a different +Religion could inspire. But _Leigh_ was given to understand that the +King was highly displeased at it, inasmuch as it had shewn him that the +University was in a Temper to make a Jest of his Proselyte. But to +return to the Conduct of our own Affairs there in 1712.[103] + +It had been a Custom for the Comedians while at _Oxford_ to act twice a +Day; the first Play ending every Morning before the College Hours of +dining, and the other never to break into the time of shutting their +Gates in the Evening. This extraordinary Labour gave all the hired +Actors a Title to double Pay, which, at the Act in King _William_'s +Time, I had myself accordingly received there. But the present Menagers +considering that, by acting only once a Day, their Spirits might be +fresher for every single Performance, and that by this Means they might +be able to fill up the Term of their Residence, without the Repetition +of their best and strongest Plays; and as their Theatre was contrived to +hold a full third more than the usual Form of it had done, one House +well fill'd might answer the Profits of two but moderately taken up: +Being enabled, too, by their late Success at _London_, to make the +Journey pleasant and profitable to the rest of their Society, they +resolved to continue to them their double Pay, notwithstanding this new +Abatement of half their Labour. This Conduct of the Menagers more than +answered their Intention, which was rather to get nothing themselves +than not let their Fraternity be the better for the Expedition. Thus +they laid an Obligation upon their Company, and were themselves +considerably, though unexpected, Gainers by it. But my chief Reason for +bringing the Reader to _Oxford_ was to shew the different Taste of Plays +there from that which prevail'd at _London_. A great deal of that false, +flashy Wit and forc'd Humour, which had been the Delight of our +Metropolitan Multitude, was only rated there at its bare intrinsick +Value;[104] Applause was not to be purchased there but by the true +Sterling, the _Sal Atticum_ of a Genius, unless where the Skill of the +Actor pass'd it upon them with some extraordinary Strokes of Nature. +_Shakespear_ and _Johnson_ had there a sort of classical Authority; for +whose masterly Scenes they seem'd to have as implicit a Reverence as +formerly for the Ethicks of _Aristotle_; and were as incapable of +allowing Moderns to be their Competitors, as of changing their +Academical Habits for gaudy Colours or Embroidery. Whatever Merit, +therefore, some few of our more politely-written Comedies might pretend +to, they had not the same Effect upon the Imagination there, nor were +received with that extraordinary Applause they had met with from the +People of Mode and Pleasure in _London_, whose vain Accomplishments did +not dislike themselves in the Glass that was held to them: The elegant +Follies of higher Life were not at _Oxford_ among their Acquaintance, +and consequently might not be so good Company to a learned Audience as +Nature, in her plain Dress and unornamented, in her Pursuits and +Inclinations seem'd to be. + +The only distinguish'd Merit allow'd to any modern Writer[105] was to +the Author of _Cato_, which Play being the Flower of a Plant raised in +that learned Garden, (for there Mr. _Addison_ had his Education) what +favour may we not suppose was due to him from an Audience of Brethren, +who from that local Relation to him might naturally have a warmer +Pleasure in their Benevolence to his Fame? But not to give more Weight +to this imaginary Circumstance than it may bear, the Fact was, that on +our first Day of acting it our House was in a manner invested, and +Entrance demanded by twelve a Clock at Noon, and before one it was not +wide enough for many who came too late for Places. The same Crowds +continued for three Days together, (an uncommon Curiosity in that Place) +and the Death of _Cato_ triumph'd over the Injuries of _Cæsar_ every +where. To conclude, our Reception at _Oxford_, whatever our Merit might +be, exceeded our Expectation. At our taking Leave we had the Thanks of +the Vice-Chancellor for the Decency and Order observ'd by our whole +Society, an Honour which had not always been paid upon the same +Occasions; for at the Act in King _William_'s Time I remember some +Pranks of a different Nature had been complain'd of. Our Receipts had +not only enabled us (as I have observ'd) to double the Pay of every +Actor, but to afford out of them towards the Repair of St _Mary_'s +Church the Contribution of fifty Pounds: Besides which, each of the +three Menagers had to his respective Share, clear of all Charges, one +hundred and fifty more for his one and twenty Day's Labour, which being +added to his thirteen hundred and fifty shared in the Winter preceding, +amounted in the whole to fifteen hundred, the greatest Sum ever known to +have been shared in one Year to that Time: And to the Honour of our +Auditors here and elsewhere be it spoken, all this was rais'd without +the Aid of those barbarous Entertainments with which, some few Years +after (upon the Re-establishment of two contending Companies) we were +forc'd to disgrace the Stage to support it. + +This, therefore, is that remarkable Period when the Stage, during my +Time upon it, was the least reproachable: And it may be worth the +publick Observation (if any thing I have said of it can be so) that +_One_ Stage may, as I have prov'd it has done, very laudably support it +self by such Spectacles only as are fit to delight a sensible People; +but the equal Prosperity of _Two_ Stages has always been of a very short +Duration. If therefore the Publick should ever recover into the true +Taste of that Time, and stick to it, the Stage must come into it, or +_starve_; as, whenever the general Taste is vulgar, the Stage must come +down to it to _live_.----But I ask Pardon of the Multitude, who, in all +Regulations of the Stage, may expect to be a little indulg'd in what +they like: If therefore they _will_ have a May-pole, why, the Players +must _give_ them a May-pole; but I only speak in case they should keep +an old Custom of changing their Minds, and by their Privilege of being +in the _wrong_, should take a Fancy, by way of Variety, of being in the +_right_----Then, in such a Case, what I have said may appear to have +been no intended Design against their Liberty of judging for themselves. + +After our Return from _Oxford_, _Booth_ was at full Leisure to solicit +his Admission to a Share in the Menagement,[106] in which he succeeded +about the Beginning of the following Winter: Accordingly a new License +(recalling all former Licenses) was issued, wherein _Booth_'s Name was +added to those of the other Menagers.[107] But still there was a +Difficulty in his Qualification to be adjusted; what Consideration he +should allow for an equal Title to our Stock of Cloaths, Scenes, _&c._ +without which the License was of no more use than the Stock was without +the License; or, at least, if there were any Difference, the former +Menagers seem'd to have the Advantage in it; the Stock being intirely +theirs, and three Parts in four of the License; for _Collier_, though +now but a fifth Menager, still insisted on his former Appointment of +700_l._ a Year, which in Equity ought certainly to have been +proportionably abated: But Court-Favour was not always measur'd by +_that_ Yard; _Collier's_ Matter was soon out of the Question; his +Pretensions were too visible to be contested; but the Affair of _Booth_ +was not so clear a Point: The Lord Chamberlain, therefore, only +recommended it to be adjusted among our selves; which, to say the Truth, +at that Time was a greater Indulgence than I expected. Let us see, then, +how this critical Case was handled. + +_Wilks_ was of Opinion, that to set a good round Value upon our Stock, +was the only way to come near an Equivalent for the Diminution of our +Shares, which the Admission of _Booth_ must occasion: But _Dogget_ +insisted that he had no mind to dispose of any Part of his Property, and +therefore would set no Price upon it at all. Though I allow'd that Both +these Opinions might be grounded on a good deal of Equity, yet I was not +sure that either of them was practicable; and therefore told them, that +when they could Both agree which of them could be made so, they might +rely on my Consent in any Shape. In the mean time I desired they would +consider, that as our License subsisted only during Pleasure, we could +not pretend that the Queen might not recall or alter it: But that to +speak out, without mincing the matter on either Side, the Truth was +plainly this: That _Booth_ had a manifest Merit as an Actor; and as he +was not supposed to be a _Whig_, it was as evident that a good deal for +that Reason a Secretary of State had taken him into his Protection, +which I was afraid the weak Pretence of our invaded Property would not +be able to contend with: That his having signaliz'd himself in the +Character of _Cato_ (whose Principles the _Tories_ had affected to have +taken into their own Possession) was a very popular Pretence of making +him free of the Stage, by advancing him to the Profits of it. And, as we +had seen that the Stage was frequently treated as if it was not suppos'd +to have any Property at all, this Favour intended to _Booth_ was thought +a right Occasion to avow that Opinion by disposing of its Property at +Pleasure: But be that as it might, I own'd it was not so much my +Apprehensions of what the _Court_ might do, that sway'd me into an +Accommodation with _Booth_, as what the _Town_, (in whose Favour he now +apparently stood) might think _ought_ to be done: That there might be +more danger in contesting their arbitrary Will and Pleasure than in +disputing this less terrible Strain of the Prerogative. That if _Booth_ +were only impos'd upon us from his Merit to the Court, we were then in +the Condition of other Subjects: Then, indeed, Law, Right, and +Possession might have a tolerable Tug for our Property: But as the Town +would always look upon his Merit to _them_ in a stronger Light, and be +Judges of it themselves, it would be a weak and idle Endeavour in us not +to sail with the Stream, when we might possibly make a Merit of our +cheerfully admitting him: That though his former Opposition to our +Interest might, between Man and Man, a good deal justify our not making +an earlier Friend of him; yet that was a Disobligation out of the Town's +Regard, and consequently would be of no weight against so approv'd an +Actor's being preferr'd. But all this notwithstanding, if they could +both agree in a different Opinion, I would, at the Hazard of any +Consequence, be guided by it. + +Here, now, will be shewn another Instance of our different Tempers: +_Dogget_ (who, in all Matters that concern'd our common Weal and +Interest, little regarded our Opinion, and even to an Obstinacy walk'd +by his own) look'd only out of Humour at what I had said, and, without +thinking himself oblig'd to give any Reason for it, declar'd he would +maintain his Property. _Wilks_ (who, upon the same Occasions, was as +remarkably ductile, as when his Superiority on the Stage was in question +he was assuming and intractable) said, for his Part, provided our +Business of acting was not interrupted, he did not care what we did: +But, in short, he was for playing on, come what would of it. This last +Part of his Declaration I did not dislike, and therefore I desir'd we +might all enter into an immediate Treaty with _Booth_, upon the Terms of +his Admission. _Dogget_ still sullenly reply'd, that he had no Occasion +to enter into any Treaty. _Wilks_ then, to soften him, propos'd that, +if I liked it, _Dogget_ might undertake it himself. I agreed. No! he +would not be concern'd in it. I then offer'd the same Trust to _Wilks_, +if _Dogget_ approv'd of it. _Wilks_ said he was not good at making of +Bargains, but if I was willing, he would rather leave it to me. _Dogget_ +at this rose up and said, we might both do as we pleas'd, but that +nothing but the Law should make him part with his Property--and so went +out of the Room. After which he never came among us more, either as an +Actor or Menager.[108] + +By his having in this abrupt manner abdicated his Post in our +Government, what he left of it naturally devolv'd upon _Wilks_ and +myself. However, this did not so much distress our Affair as I have +Reason to believe _Dogget_ thought it would: For though by our +Indentures tripartite we could not dispose of his Property without his +Consent; Yet those Indentures could not oblige us to fast because he had +no Appetite; and if the Mill did not grind, we could have no Bread: We +therefore determin'd, at any Hazard, to keep our Business still going, +and that our safest way would be to make the best Bargain we could with +_Booth_; one Article of which was to be, That _Booth_ should stand +equally answerable with us to _Dogget_ for the Consequence: To which +_Booth_ made no Objection, and the rest of his Agreement was to allow us +Six Hundred Pounds for his Share in our Property, which was to be paid +by such Sums as should arise from half his Profits of Acting, 'till the +whole was discharg'd: Yet so cautious were we in this Affair, that this +Agreement was only Verbal on our Part, tho' written and sign'd by +_Booth_ as what intirely contented him: However, Bond and Judgment could +not have made it more secure to him; for he had his Share, and was able +to discharge the Incumbrance upon it by his Income of that Year only. +Let us see what _Dogget_ did in this Affair after he had left us. + +Might it not be imagin'd that _Wilks_ and Myself, by having made this +Matter easy to _Booth_, should have deserv'd the Approbation at least, +if not the Favour of the Court that had exerted so much Power to prefer +him? But shall I be believed when I affirm that _Dogget_, who had so +strongly oppos'd the Court in his Admission to a Share, was very near +getting the better of us both upon that Account, and for some time +appeared to have more Favour there than either of us? Let me tell out my +Story, and then think what you please of it. + +_Dogget_, who was equally oblig'd with us to act upon the Stage, as to +assist in the Menagement of it, tho' he had refus'd to do either, still +demanded of us his whole Share of the Profits, without considering what +Part of them _Booth_ might pretend to from our late Concessions. After +many fruitless Endeavours to bring him back to us, _Booth_ join'd with +us in making him an Offer of half a Share if he had a mind totally to +quit the Stage, and make it a _Sine-cure_. No! he wanted the whole, and +to sit still himself, while we (if we pleased) might work for him or let +it alone, and none of us all, neither he nor we, be the better for it. +What we imagin'd encourag'd him to hold us at this short Defiance was, +that he had laid up enough to live upon without the Stage (for he was +one of those close Oeconomists whom Prodigals call a Miser) and +therefore, partly from an Inclination as an invincible _Whig_ to +signalize himself in defence of his Property, and as much presuming that +our Necessities would oblige us to come to his own Terms, he was +determin'd (even against the Opinion of his Friends) to make no other +Peace with us. But not being able by this inflexible Perseverance to +have his wicked Will of us, he was resolv'd to go to the Fountain-head +of his own Distress, and try if from thence he could turn the Current +against us. He appeal'd to the Vice-Chamberlain,[109] to whose Direction +the adjusting of all these Theatrical Difficulties was then committed: +But there, I dare say, the Reader does not expect he should meet with +much Favour: However, be that as it may; for whether any regard was had +to his having some Thousands in his Pocket; or that he was consider'd as +a Man who would or could make more Noise in the Matter than Courtiers +might care for: Or what Charms, Spells, or Conjurations he might make +use of, is all Darkness to me; yet so it was, he one way or other play'd +his part so well, that in a few Days after we received an Order from +the Vice-Chamberlain, positively commanding us to pay _Dogget_ his whole +Share, notwithstanding we had complain'd before of his having withdrawn +himself from acting on the Stage, and from the Menagement of it. This I +thought was a dainty Distinction, indeed! that _Dogget_'s Defiance of +the Commands in favour of _Booth_ should be rewarded with so ample a +_Sine-cure_, and that we for our Obedience should be condemn'd to dig in +the Mine to pay it him! This bitter Pill, I confess, was more than I +could down with, and therefore soon determin'd at all Events never to +take it. But as I had a Man in Power to deal with, it was not my +business to speak _out_ to him, or to set forth our Treatment in its +proper Colours. My only Doubt was, Whether I could bring _Wilks_ into +the same Sentiments (for he never car'd to litigate any thing that did +not affect his Figure upon the Stage.) But I had the good Fortune to lay +our Condition in so precarious and disagreeable a Light to him, if we +submitted to this Order, that he fir'd before I could get thro' half the +Consequences of it; and I began now to find it more difficult to keep +him within Bounds than I had before to alarm him. I then propos'd to him +this Expedient: That we should draw up a Remonstrance, neither seeming +to refuse or comply with this Order; but to start such Objections and +perplexing Difficulties that should make the whole impracticable: That +under such Distractions as this would raise in our Affairs we could not +be answerable to keep open our Doors, which consequently would destroy +the Fruit of the Favour lately granted to _Booth_, as well as of This +intended to _Dogget_ himself. To this Remonstrance we received an Answer +in Writing, which varied something in the Measures to accommodate +Matters with _Dogget_. This was all I desir'd; when I found the Style of +_Sic jubeo_ was alter'd, when this formidable Power began to _parley_ +with us, we knew there could not be much to be fear'd from it: For I +would have remonstrated 'till I had died, rather than have yielded to +the roughest or smoothest Persuasion, that could intimidate or deceive +us. By this Conduct we made the Affair at last too troublesome for the +Ease of a Courtier to go thro' with. For when it was consider'd that the +principal Point, the Admission of _Booth_, was got over, _Dogget_ was +fairly left to the Law for Relief.[110] + +Upon this Disappointment _Dogget_ accordingly preferred a Bill in +_Chancery_ against us. _Wilks_, who hated all Business but that of +entertaining the Publick, left the Conduct of our Cause to me; in which +we had, at our first setting out, this Advantage of _Dogget_, that we +had three Pockets to support our Expence, where he had but One. My first +Direction to our Solicitor was, to use all possible Delay that the Law +would admit of, a Direction that Lawyers seldom neglect; by this means +we hung up our Plaintiff about two Years in _Chancery_, 'till we were at +full Leisure to come to a Hearing before the Lord-Chancellor _Cooper_, +which did not happen 'till after the Accession of his late Majesty. The +Issue of it was this. _Dogget_ had about fourteen Days allow'd him to +make his Election whether he would return to act as usual: But he +declaring, by his Counsel, That he rather chose to quit the Stage, he +was decreed Six Hundred Pounds for his Share in our Property, with 15 +_per Cent._ Interest from the Date of the last License: Upon the +Receipt of which both Parties were to sign General-Releases, and +severally to pay their own Costs. By this Decree, _Dogget_, when his +Lawyer's Bill was paid, scarce got one Year's Purchase of what we had +offer'd him without Law, which (as he surviv'd but seven Years after it) +would have been an Annuity of Five Hundred Pounds and a _Sine Cure_ for +Life.[111] + +Tho' there are many Persons living who know every Article of these Facts +to be true: Yet it will be found that the strongest of them was not the +strongest Occasion of _Dogget_'s quitting the Stage. If therefore the +Reader should not have Curiosity enough to know how the Publick came to +be depriv'd of so valuable an Actor, let him consider that he is not +obliged to go through the rest of this Chapter, which I fairly tell him +before-hand will only be fill'd up with a few idle Anecdotes leading to +that Discovery. + +After our Law-suit was ended, _Dogget_ for some few Years could scarce +bear the Sight of _Wilks_ or myself; tho' (as shall be shewn) for +different Reasons: Yet it was his Misfortune to meet with us almost +every Day. _Button_'s Coffee-house, so celebrated in the _Tatlers_ for +the Good-Company that came there, was at this time in its highest +Request. _Addison_, _Steele_, _Pope_, and several other Gentlemen of +different Merit, then made it their constant _Rendezvous_. Nor could +_Dogget_ decline the agreeable Conversation there, tho' he was daily +sure to find _Wilks_ or myself in the same Place to sour his Share of +it: For as _Wilks_ and He were differently Proud, the one rejoicing in a +captious, over-bearing, valiant Pride, and the other in a stiff, sullen, +Purse-Pride, it may be easily conceiv'd, when two such Tempers met, how +agreeable the Sight of one was to the other. And as _Dogget_ knew I +had been the Conductor of our Defence against his Law-suit, which +had hurt him more for the Loss he had sustain'd in his Reputation +of understanding Business, which he valued himself upon, than his +Disappointment had of getting so little by it; it was no wonder if I was +intirely out of his good Graces, which I confess I was inclin'd upon any +reasonable Terms to have recover'd; he being of all my Theatrical +Brethren the Man I most delighted in: For when he was not in a Fit of +Wisdom, or not over-concerned about his Interest, he had a great deal of +entertaining Humour: I therefore, notwithstanding his Reserve, always +left the Door open to our former Intimacy, if he were inclined to come +into it. I never failed to give him my Hat and _Your Servant_ wherever I +met him; neither of which he would ever return for above a Year after; +but I still persisted in my usual Salutation, without observing whether +it was civilly received or not. This ridiculous Silence between two +Comedians, that had so lately liv'd in a constant Course of Raillery +with one another, was often smil'd at by our Acquaintance who +frequented the same Coffee-house: And one of them carried his Jest upon +it so far, that when I was at some Distance from Town he wrote me a +formal Account that _Dogget_ was actually dead. After the first Surprize +his Letter gave me was over, I began to consider, that this coming from +a droll Friend to both of us, might possibly be written to extract some +Merriment out of my real belief of it: In this I was not unwilling to +gratify him, and returned an Answer as if I had taken the Truth of his +News for granted; and was not a little pleas'd that I had so fair an +Opportunity of speaking my Mind freely of _Dogget_, which I did, in some +Favour of his Character; I excused his Faults, and was just to his +Merit. His Law-suit with us I only imputed to his having naturally +deceived himself in the Justice of his Cause. What I most complain'd of +was, his irreconcilable Disaffection to me upon it, whom he could not +reasonably blame for standing in my own Defence; that not to endure me +after it was a Reflection upon his Sense, when all our Acquaintance had +been Witnesses of our former Intimacy, which my Behaviour in his +Life-time had plainly shewn him I had a mind to renew. But since he was +now gone (however great a Churl he was to me) I was sorry my +Correspondent had lost him. + +This Part of my Letter I was sure, if _Dogget_'s Eyes were still open, +would be shewn to him; if not, I had only writ it to no Purpose. But +about a Month after, when I came to Town, I had some little Reason to +imagine it had the Effect I wish'd from it: For one Day, sitting +over-against him at the same Coffee-house where we often mixt at the +same Table, tho' we never exchanged a single Syllable, he graciously +extended his Hand for a Pinch of my Snuff: As this seem'd from him a +sort of breaking the Ice of his Temper, I took Courage upon it to break +Silence on my Side, and ask'd him how he lik'd it? To which, with a slow +Hesitation naturally assisted by the Action of his taking the Snuff, he +reply'd--_Umh! the best--Umh!--I have tasted a great while!_--If the +Reader, who may possibly think all this extremely trifling, will +consider that Trifles sometimes shew Characters in as strong a Light as +Facts of more serious Importance, I am in hopes he may allow that my +Matter less needs an Excuse than the Excuse itself does; if not, I must +stand condemn'd at the end of my Story.----But let me go on. + +After a few Days of these coy, Lady-like Compliances on his Side, we +grew into a more conversable Temper: At last I took a proper Occasion, +and desired he would be so frank with me as to let me know what was his +real Dislike, or Motive, that made him throw up so good an Income as his +Share with us annually brought him in? For though by our Admission of +_Booth_, it might not probably amount to so much by a Hundred or two a +Year as formerly, yet the Remainder was too considerable to be quarrel'd +with, and was likely to continue more than the best Actors before us had +ever got by the Stage. And farther, to encourage him to be open, I told +him, If I had done any thing that had particularly disobliged him, I was +ready, if he could put me in the way, to make him any Amends in my +Power; if not, I desired he would be so just to himself as to let me +know the real Truth without Reserve: But Reserve he could not, from his +natural Temper, easily shake off. All he said came from him by half +Sentences and _Inuendos_, as--No, he had not taken any thing +particularly ill--for his Part, he was very easy as he was; but where +others were to dispose of his Property as they pleas'd--if you had stood +it out as I did, _Booth_ might have paid a better Price for it.--You +were too much afraid of the Court--but that's all over.--There were +other things in the Play-house.--No Man of Spirit.--In short, to be +always pester'd and provok'd by a trifling Wasp--a--vain--shallow!--A +Man would sooner beg his Bread than bear it--(Here it was easy to +understand him: I therefore ask'd him what he had to bear that I had not +my Share of?) No! it was not the same thing, he said.--You can play with +a Bear, or let him alone and do what he would, but I could not let him +lay his Paws upon me without being hurt; you did not feel him as I +did.--And for a Man to be cutting of Throats upon every Trifle at my +time of Day!--If I had been as covetous as he thought me, may be I might +have born it as well as you--but I would not be a Lord of the Treasury +if such a Temper as _Wilks_'s were to be at the Head of it.-- + +Here, then, the whole Secret was out. The rest of our Conversation was +but explaining upon it. In a Word, the painful Behaviour of _Wilks_ had +hurt him so sorely that the Affair of _Booth_ was look'd upon as much a +Relief as a Grievance, in giving him so plausible a Pretence to get rid +of us all with a better Grace. + +_Booth_ too, in a little time, had his Share of the same Uneasiness, and +often complain'd of it to me: Yet as we neither of us could then afford +to pay _Dogget_'s Price for our Remedy, all we could do was to avoid +every Occasion in our Power of inflaming the Distemper: So that we both +agreed, tho' _Wilks_'s Nature was not to be changed, it was a less Evil +to live with him than without him. + +Tho' I had often suspected, from what I had felt myself, that the Temper +of _Wilks_ was _Dogget_'s real Quarrel to the Stage, yet I could never +thoroughly believe it 'till I had it from his own Mouth. And I then +thought the Concern he had shewn at it was a good deal inconsistent with +that Understanding which was generally allow'd him. When I give my +Reasons for it, perhaps the Reader will not have a better Opinion of my +own: Be that as it may, I cannot help wondering that he who was so much +more capable of Reflexion than _Wilks_, could sacrifice so valuable an +Income to his Impatience of another's natural Frailty! And though my +Stoical way of thinking may be no Rule for a wiser Man's Opinion, yet, +if it should happen to be right, the Reader may make his Use of it. Why +then should we not always consider that the Rashness of Abuse is but the +false Reason of a weak Man? and that offensive Terms are only used to +supply the want of Strength in Argument? Which, as to the common +Practice of the sober World, we do not find every Man in Business is +oblig'd to resent with a military Sense of Honour: Or if he should, +would not the Conclusion amount to this? Because another wants Sense and +Manners I am obliged to be a Madman: For such every Man is, more or +less, while the Passion of Anger is in Possession of him. And what less +can we call that proud Man who would put another out of the World only +for putting him out of Humour? If Accounts of the Tongue were always to +be made up with the Sword, all the Wisemen in the World might be brought +in Debtors to Blockheads. And when Honour pretends to be Witness, Judge, +and Executioner in its own Cause, if Honour were a Man, would it be an +Untruth to say Honour is a very impudent Fellow? But in _Dogget_'s Case +it may be ask'd, How was he to behave himself? Were passionate Insults +to be born for Years together? To these Questions I can only answer with +two or three more, Was he to punish himself because another was in the +wrong? How many sensible Husbands endure the teizing Tongue of a froward +Wife only because she is the weaker Vessel? And why should not a weak +Man have the same Indulgence? Daily Experience will tell us that the +fretful Temper of a Friend, like the Personal Beauty of a fine Lady, by +Use and Cohabitation may be brought down to give us neither Pain nor +Pleasure. Such, at least, and no more, was the Distress I found myself +in upon the same Provocations, which I generally return'd with humming +an Air to myself; or if the Storm grew very high, it might perhaps +sometimes ruffle me enough to sing a little out of Tune. Thus too (if I +had any ill Nature to gratify) I often saw the unruly Passion of the +Aggressor's Mind punish itself by a restless Disorder of the Body. + +What inclines me, therefore, to think the Conduct of _Dogget_ was as rash +as the Provocations he complain'd of, is that in some time after he had +left us he plainly discover'd he had repented it. His Acquaintance +observ'd to us, that he sent many a long Look after his Share in the still +prosperous State of the Stage: But as his Heart was too high to declare +(what we saw too) his shy Inclination to return, he made us no direct +Overtures. Nor, indeed, did we care (though he was a golden Actor) to pay +too dear for him: For as most of his Parts had been pretty well supply'd, +he could not now be of his former Value to us. However, to shew the Town +at least that he had not forsworn the Stage, he one Day condescended to +play for the Benefit of Mrs. _Porter_,[112] in the _Wanton Wife_, at which +he knew his late Majesty was to be present.[113] Now (tho' I speak it not +of my own Knowledge) yet it was not likely Mrs. _Porter_ would have ask'd +that Favour of him without some previous Hint that it would be granted. +His coming among us for that Day only had a strong Appearance of his +laying it in our way to make him Proposals, or that he hoped the Court or +Town might intimate to us their Desire of seeing him oftener: But as he +acted only to do a particular Favour, the Menagers ow'd him no Compliment +for it beyond Common Civilities. And, as that might not be all he proposed +by it, his farther Views (if he had any) came to nothing. For after this +Attempt he never returned to the Stage. + +To speak of him as an Actor: He was the most an Original, and the +strictest Observer of Nature, of all his Contemporaries.[114] He +borrow'd from none of them: His Manner was his own: He was a Pattern to +others, whose greatest Merit was that they had sometimes tolerably +imitated him. In dressing a Character to the greatest Exactness he was +remarkably skilful; the least Article of whatever Habit he wore seem'd +in some degree to speak and mark the different Humour he presented; a +necessary Care in a Comedian, in which many have been too remiss or +ignorant. He could be extremely ridiculous without stepping into the +least Impropriety to make him so. His greatest Success was in Characters +of lower Life, which he improv'd from the Delight he took in his +Observations of that Kind in the real World. In Songs, and particular +Dances, too, of Humour, he had no Competitor. _Congreve_ was a great +Admirer of him, and found his Account in the Characters he expressly +wrote for him. In those of _Fondlewife_, in his _Old Batchelor_, and +_Ben_, in _Love for Love_, no Author and Actor could be more obliged to +their mutual masterly Performances. He was very acceptable to several +Persons of high Rank and Taste: Tho' he seldom car'd to be the Comedian +but among his more intimate Acquaintance. + +And now let me ask the World a Question. When Men have any valuable +Qualities, why are the generality of our modern Wits so fond of exposing +their Failings only, which the wisest of Mankind will never wholly be +free from? Is it of more use to the Publick to know their Errors than +their Perfections? Why is the Account of Life to be so unequally stated? +Though a Man may be sometimes Debtor to Sense or Morality, is it not +doing him Wrong not to let the World see, at the same time, how far he +may be Creditor to both? Are Defects and Disproportions to be the only +labour'd Features in a Portrait? But perhaps such Authors may know how +to please the World better than I do, and may naturally suppose that +what is delightful to themselves may not be disagreeable to others. For +my own part, I confess myself a little touch'd in Conscience at what I +have just now observ'd to the Disadvantage of my other Brother-Menager. + +If, therefore, in discovering the true Cause of the Publick's losing so +valuable an Actor as _Dogget_, I have been obliged to shew the Temper of +_Wilks_ in its natural Complexion, ought I not, in amends and Balance of +his Imperfections, to say at the same time of him, That if he was not +the most Correct or Judicious, yet (as _Hamlet_ says of the King his +Father) _Take him_ for _All in All_, &c. he was certainly the most +diligent, most laborious, and most useful Actor that I have seen upon +the Stage in Fifty Years.[115] + + + + +CHAPTER XV. + + +[Illustration: Ad Lalauze, sc] + + _Sir_ Richard Steele _succeeds_ Collier _in the + Theatre-Royal_. Lincoln's-Inn-Fields _House rebuilt_. _The + Patent restored. Eight Actors at once desert from the King's + Company. Why. A new Patent obtain'd by Sir_ Richard Steele, + _and assign'd in Shares to the menaging Actors of_ Drury-Lane. + _Of modern Pantomimes. The Rise of them. Vanity invincible and + asham'd. The_ Non-juror _acted_. _The Author not forgiven, and + rewarded for it._ + +Upon the Death of the Queen, Plays (as they always had been on the like +Occasions) were silenc'd for six Weeks. But this happening on the first +of _August_,[116] in the long Vacation of the Theatre, the Observance of +that Ceremony, which at another Juncture would have fallen like wet +Weather upon their Harvest, did them now no particular Damage. Their +License, however, being of course to be renewed, that Vacation gave the +Menagers Time to cast about for the better Alteration of it: And since +they knew the Pension of seven hundred a Year, which had been levied +upon them for _Collier_, must still be paid to somebody, they imagined +the Merit of a _Whig_ might now have as good a Chance for getting into +it, as that of a _Tory_ had for being continued in it: Having no +Obligations, therefore, to _Collier_, who had made the last Penny of +them, they apply'd themselves to Sir _Richard Steele_, who had +distinguished himself by his Zeal for the House of _Hanover_, and had +been expell'd the House of Commons for carrying it (as was judg'd at a +certain Crisis) into a Reproach of the Government. This we knew was his +Pretension to that Favour in which he now stood at Court: We knew, too, +the Obligations the Stage had to his Writings; there being scarce a +Comedian of Merit in our whole Company whom his _Tatlers_ had not made +better by his publick Recommendation of them. And many Days had our +House been particularly fill'd by the Influence and Credit of his Pen. +Obligations of this kind from a Gentleman with whom they all had the +Pleasure of a personal Intimacy, the Menagers thought could not be more +justly return'd than by shewing him some warm Instance of their Desire +to have him at the Head of them. We therefore beg'd him to use his +Interest for the Renewal of our License, and that he would do us the +Honour of getting our Names to stand with His in the same Commission. +This, we told him, would put it still farther into his Power of +supporting the Stage in that Reputation, to which his Lucubrations had +already so much contributed; and that therefore we thought no Man had +better Pretences to partake of its Success.[117] + +Though it may be no Addition to the favourable Part of this Gentleman's +Character to say with what Pleasure he receiv'd this Mark of our +Inclination to him, yet my Vanity longs to tell you that it surpriz'd +him into an Acknowledgment that People who are shy of Obligations are +cautious of confessing. His Spirits took such a lively turn upon it, +that had we been all his own Sons, no unexpected Act of filial Duty +could have more endear'd us to him. + +It must be observ'd, then, that as _Collier_ had no Share in any Part of +our Property, no Difficulties from that Quarter could obstruct this +Proposal. And the usual Time of our beginning to act for the Winter-Season +now drawing near, we press'd him not to lose any Time in his Solicitation +of this new License. Accordingly Sir _Richard_ apply'd himself to the Duke +of _Marlborough_, the Hero of his Heart, who, upon the first mention of +it, obtain'd it of his Majesty for Sir _Richard_ and the former Menagers +who were Actors. _Collier_ we heard no more of.[118] + +The Court and Town being crowded very early in the Winter-Season, upon +the critical Turn of Affairs so much expected from the _Hanover_ +Succession, the Theatre had its particular Share of that general +Blessing by a more than ordinary Concourse of Spectators. + +About this Time the Patentee, having very near finish'd his House in +_Lincoln's-Inn Fields_, began to think of forming a new Company; and in +the mean time found it necessary to apply for Leave to employ them. By the +weak Defence he had always made against the several Attacks upon his +Interest and former Government of the Theatre, it might be a Question, if +his House had been ready in the Queen's Time, whether he would then have +had the Spirit to ask, or Interest enough to obtain Leave to use it: But +in the following Reign, as it did not appear he had done any thing to +forfeit the Right of his Patent, he prevail'd with Mr. _Craggs_ the +Younger (afterwards Secretary of State) to lay his Case before the King, +which he did in so effectual a manner that (as Mr. _Craggs_ himself told +me) his Majesty was pleas'd to say upon it, "That he remember'd when he +had been in _England_ before, in King _Charles_ his Time, there had been +two Theatres in _London_; and as the Patent seem'd to be a lawful Grant, +he saw no Reason why Two Play-houses might not be continued."[119] + +The Suspension of the Patent being thus taken off, the younger Multitude +seem'd to call aloud for two Play-houses! Many desired another, from the +common Notion that _Two_ would always create Emulation in the Actors (an +Opinion which I have consider'd in a former Chapter). Others, too, were as +eager for them, from the natural Ill-will that follows the Fortunate or +Prosperous in any Undertaking. Of this low Malevolence we had, now and +then, had remarkable Instances; we had been forced to dismiss an Audience +of a hundred and fifty Pounds, from a Disturbance spirited up by obscure +People, who never gave any better Reason for it, than that it was their +Fancy to support the idle Complaint of one rival Actress against another, +in their several Pretensions to the chief Part in a new Tragedy. But as +this Tumult seem'd only to be the Wantonness of _English_ Liberty, I shall +not presume to lay any farther Censure upon it.[120] + +Now, notwithstanding this publick Desire of reestablishing two Houses; +and though I have allow'd the former Actors greatly our Superiors; and +the Menagers I am speaking of not to have been without their private +Errors: Yet under all these Disadvantages, it is certain the Stage, for +twenty Years before this time, had never been in so flourishing a +Condition: And it was as evident to all sensible Spectators that this +Prosperity could be only owing to that better Order and closer Industry +now daily observ'd, and which had formerly been neglected by our +Predecessors. But that I may not impose upon the Reader a Merit which +was not generally allow'd us, I ought honestly to let him know, that +about this time the publick Papers, particularly _Mist_'s Journal, took +upon them very often to censure our Menagement, with the same Freedom +and Severity as if we had been so many Ministers of State: But so it +happen'd, that these unfortunate Reformers of the World, these +self-appointed _Censors_, hardly ever hit upon what was really wrong in +us; but taking up Facts upon Trust, or Hear-say, piled up many a pompous +Paragraph that they had ingeniously conceiv'd was sufficient to demolish +our Administration, or at least to make us very uneasy in it; which, +indeed, had so far its Effect, that my equally-injur'd Brethren, _Wilks_ +and _Booth_, often complain'd to me of these disagreeable Aspersions, +and propos'd that some publick Answer might be made to them, which I +always oppos'd by, perhaps, too secure a Contempt of what such Writers +could do to hurt us; and my Reason for it was, that I knew but of one +way to silence Authors of that Stamp; which was, to grow insignificant +and good for nothing, and then we should hear no more of them: But while +we continued in the Prosperity of pleasing others, and were not +conscious of having deserv'd what they said of us, why should we gratify +the little Spleen of our Enemies by wincing at it,[121] or give them +fresh Opportunities to dine upon any Reply they might make to our +publickly taking Notice of them? And though Silence might in some Cases +be a sign of Guilt or Error confess'd, our Accusers were so low in their +Credit and Sense, that the Content we gave the Publick almost every Day +from the Stage ought to be our only Answer to them. + +However (as I have observ'd) we made many Blots, which these unskilful +Gamesters never hit: But the Fidelity of an Historian cannot be excus'd +the Omission of any Truth which might make for the other Side of the +Question. I shall therefore confess a Fact, which, if a happy Accident +had not intervened, had brought our Affairs into a very tottering +Condition. This, too, is that Fact which in a former Chapter I promis'd +to set forth as a Sea-Mark of Danger to future Menagers in their +Theatrical Course of Government.[122] + +When the new-built Theatre in _Lincoln's-Inn Fields_ was ready to be +open'd, seven or eight Actors in one Day deserted from us to the Service +of the Enemy,[123] which oblig'd us to postpone many of our best Plays +for want of some inferior Part in them which these Deserters had been +used to fill: But the Indulgence of the Royal Family, who then +frequently honour'd us by their Presence, was pleas'd to accept of +whatever could be hastily got ready for their Entertainment. And tho' +this critical good Fortune prevented, in some measure, our Audiences +falling so low as otherwise they might have done, yet it was not +sufficient to keep us in our former Prosperity: For that Year our +Profits amounted not to above a third Part of our usual Dividends; tho' +in the following Year we intirely recover'd them. The Chief of these +Deserters were _Keene_, _Bullock_, _Pack_,[124] _Leigh_, Son of the +famous _Tony Leigh_,[125] and others of less note. 'Tis true, they none +of them had more than a negative Merit, in being only able to do us more +Harm by their leaving us without Notice, than they could do us Good by +remaining with us: For though the best of them could not support a Play, +the worst of them by their Absence could maim it; as the Loss of the +least Pin in a Watch may obstruct its Motion. But to come to the true +Cause of their Desertion: After my having discover'd the (long unknown) +Occasion that drove _Dogget_ from the Stage before his settled +Inclination to leave it, it will be less incredible that these Actors, +upon the first Opportunity to relieve themselves, should all in one Day +have left us from the same Cause of Uneasiness. For, in a little time +after, upon not finding their Expectations answer'd in _Lincoln's-Inn +Fields_, some of them, who seem'd to answer for the rest, told me the +greatest Grievance they had in our Company was the shocking Temper of +_Wilks_, who, upon every, almost no Occasion, let loose the unlimited +Language of Passion upon them in such a manner as their Patience was +not longer able to support. This, indeed, was what we could not justify! +This was a Secret that might have made a wholesome Paragraph in a +critical News-Paper! But as it was our good Fortune that it came not to +the Ears of our Enemies, the Town was not entertain'd with their publick +Remarks upon it.[126] + +After this new Theatre had enjoy'd that short Run of Favour which is apt +to follow Novelty, their Audiences began to flag: But whatever good +Opinion we had of our own Merit, we had not so good a one of the +Multitude as to depend too much upon the Delicacy of their Taste: We +knew, too, that this Company, being so much nearer to the City than we +were, would intercept many an honest Customer that might not know a good +Market from a bad one; and that the thinnest of their Audiences must be +always taking something from the Measure of our Profits. All these +Disadvantages, with many others, we were forced to lay before Sir +_Richard Steele_, and farther to remonstrate to him, that as he now +stood in _Collier_'s Place, his Pension of 700_l._ was liable to the +same Conditions that _Collier_ had receiv'd it upon; which were, that it +should be only payable during our being the only Company permitted to +act, but in case another should be set up against us, that then this +Pension was to be liquidated into an equal Share with us; and which we +now hoped he would be contented with. While we were offering to proceed, +Sir _Richard_ stopt us short by assuring us, that as he came among us by +our own Invitation, he should always think himself oblig'd to come into +any Measures for our Ease and Service: That to be a Burthen to our +Industry would be more disagreeable to him than it could be to us; and +as he had always taken a Delight in his Endeavours for our Prosperity, +he should be still ready on our own Terms to continue them. Every one +who knew Sir _Richard Steele_ in his Prosperity (before the Effects of +his Good-nature had brought him to Distresses) knew that this was his +manner of dealing with his Friends in Business: Another Instance of the +same nature will immediately fall in my way. + +[Illustration: RICHARD STEELE.] + +When we proposed to put this Agreement into Writing, he desired us not to +hurry ourselves; for that he was advised, upon the late Desertion of our +Actors, to get our License (which only subsisted during Pleasure) enlarg'd +into a more ample and durable Authority, and which he said he had Reason +to think would be more easily obtain'd, if we were willing that a Patent +for the same Purpose might be granted to him only, for his Life and three +Years after, which he would then assign over to us. This was a Prospect +beyond our Hopes; and what we had long wish'd for; for though I cannot +say we had ever Reason to grieve at the Personal Severities or Behaviour +of any one Lord-Chamberlain in my Time, yet the several Officers under +them who had not the Hearts of Noblemen, often treated us (to use +_Shakespear_'s Expression) with all the _Insolence_ of _Office_ that +narrow Minds are apt to be elated with; but a Patent, we knew, would free +us from so abject a State of Dependency. Accordingly, we desired Sir +_Richard_ to lose no time; he was immediately promised it: In the Interim, +we sounded the Inclination of the Actors remaining with us; who had all +Sense enough to know, that the Credit and Reputation we stood in with the +Town, could not but be a better Security for their Sallaries, than the +Promise of any other Stage put into Bonds could make good to them. In a +few Days after, Sir _Richard_ told us, that his Majesty being apprised +that others had a joint Power with him in the License, it was expected we +should, under our Hands, signify that his Petition for a Patent was +preferr'd by the Consent of us all. Such an Acknowledgment was immediately +sign'd, and the Patent thereupon pass'd the Great Seal; for which I +remember the Lord Chancellor _Cooper_, in Compliment to Sir _Richard_, +would receive no Fee. + +We receiv'd the Patent _January 19, 1715_,[127] and (Sir _Richard_ being +obliged the next Morning to set out for _Burrowbridge_ in _Yorkshire_, +where he was soon after elected Member of Parliament) we were forced +that very Night to draw up in a hurry ('till our Counsel might more +adviseably perfect it) his Assignment to us of equal Shares in the +Patent, with farther Conditions of Partnership:[128] But here I ought to +take Shame to myself, and at the same time to give this second Instance +of the Equity and Honour of Sir _Richard_: For this Assignment (which I +had myself the hasty Penning of) was so worded, that it gave Sir +_Richard_ as equal a Title to our Property as it had given us to his +Authority in the Patent: But Sir _Richard_, notwithstanding, when he +return'd to Town, took no Advantage of the Mistake, and consented in our +second Agreement to pay us Twelve Hundred Pounds to be equally intitled +to our Property, which at his Death we were obliged to repay (as we +afterwards did) to his Executors; and which, in case any of us had died +before him, the Survivors were equally obliged to have paid to the +Executors of such deceased Person upon the same Account. But Sir +_Richard_'s Moderation with us was rewarded with the Reverse of +_Collier_'s Stiffness: _Collier_, by insisting on his Pension, lost +Three Hundred Pounds a Year; and Sir _Richard_, by his accepting a Share +in lieu of it, was, one Year with another, as much a Gainer. + +The Grant of this Patent having assured us of a competent Term to be +relied on, we were now emboldened to lay out larger Sums in the +Decorations of our Plays:[129] Upon the Revival of _Dryden_'s _All for +Love_, the Habits of that Tragedy amounted to an Expence of near Six +Hundred Pounds; a Sum unheard of, for many Years before, on the like +Occasions.[130] But we thought such extraordinary Marks of our +Acknowledgment were due to the Favours which the Publick were now again +pouring in upon us. About this time we were so much in fashion, and +follow'd, that our Enemies (who they were it would not be fair to guess, +for we never knew them) made their Push of a good round Lye upon us, to +terrify those Auditors from our Support whom they could not mislead by +their private Arts or publick Invectives. A current Report that the +Walls and Roof of our House were liable to fall, had got such Ground in +the Town, that on a sudden we found our Audiences unusually decreased by +it: _Wilks_ was immediately for denouncing War and Vengeance on the +Author of this Falshood, and for offering a Reward to whoever could +discover him. But it was thought more necessary first to disprove the +Falshood, and then to pay what Compliments might be thought adviseable +to the Author. Accordingly an Order from the King was obtained, to have +our Tenement surveyed by Sir _Thomas Hewet_, then the proper Officer; +whose Report of its being in a safe and sound Condition, and sign'd by +him, was publish'd in every News-Paper.[131] This had so immediate an +Effect, that our Spectators, whose Apprehensions had lately kept them +absent, now made up our Losses by returning to us with a fresh +Inclination and in greater Numbers. + +When it was first publickly known that the New Theatre would be open'd +against us; I cannot help going a little back to remember the Concern +that my Brother-Menagers express'd at what might be the Consequences of +it. They imagined that now all those who wish'd Ill to us, and +particularly a great Party who had been disobliged by our shutting them +out from behind our Scenes, even to the Refusal of their Money,[132] +would now exert themselves in any partial or extravagant Measures that +might either hurt us or support our Competitors: These, too, were some +of those farther Reasons which had discouraged them from running the +hazard of continuing to Sir _Richard Steele_ the same Pension which had +been paid to _Collier_. Upon all which I observed to them, that, for my +own Part, I had not the same Apprehensions; but that I foresaw as many +good as bad Consequences from two Houses: That tho' the Novelty might +possibly at first abate a little of our Profits; yet, if we slacken'd +not our Industry, that Loss would be amply balanced by an equal Increase +of our Ease and Quiet: That those turbulent Spirits which were always +molesting us, would now have other Employment: That the question'd Merit +of our Acting would now stand in a clearer Light when others were +faintly compared to us: That though Faults might be found with the best +Actors that ever were, yet the egregious Defects that would appear in +others would now be the effectual means to make our Superiority shine, +if we had any Pretence to it: And that what some People hoped might ruin +us, would in the end reduce them to give up the Dispute, and reconcile +them to those who could best entertain them. + +In every Article of this Opinion they afterwards found I had not been +deceived; and the Truth of it may be so well remember'd by many living +Spectators, that it would be too frivolous and needless a Boast to give +it any farther Observation. + +But in what I have said I would not be understood to be an Advocate for +two Play-houses: For we shall soon find that two Sets of Actors +tolerated in the same Place have constantly ended in the Corruption of +the Theatre; of which the auxiliary Entertainments that have so +barbarously supply'd the Defects of weak Action have, for some Years +past, been a flagrant Instance; it may not, therefore, be here improper +to shew how our childish Pantomimes first came to take so gross a +Possession of the Stage. + +I have upon several occasions already observ'd, that when one Company is +too hard for another, the lower in Reputation has always been forced to +exhibit some new-fangled Foppery to draw the Multitude after them: Of +these Expedients, Singing and Dancing had formerly been the most +effectual;[133] but, at the Time I am speaking of, our _English_ Musick +had been so discountenanced since the Taste of _Italian_ Operas +prevail'd, that it was to no purpose to pretend to it.[134] Dancing +therefore was now the only Weight in the opposite Scale, and as the New +Theatre sometimes found their Account in it, it could not be safe for +us wholly to neglect it. To give even Dancing therefore some +Improvement, and to make it something more than Motion without Meaning, +the Fable of _Mars_ and _Venus_[135] was form'd into a connected +Presentation of Dances in Character, wherein the Passions were so +happily expressed, and the whole Story so intelligibly told by a mute +Narration of Gesture only, that even thinking Spectators allow'd it both +a pleasing and a rational Entertainment; though, at the same time, from +our Distrust of its Reception, we durst not venture to decorate it with +any extraordinary Expence of Scenes or Habits; but upon the Success of +this Attempt it was rightly concluded, that if a visible Expence in both +were added to something of the same Nature, it could not fail of drawing +the Town proportionably after it. From this original Hint then (but +every way unequal to it) sprung forth that Succession of monstrous +Medlies that have so long infested the Stage, and which arose upon one +another alternately, at both Houses outvying in Expence, like contending +Bribes on both sides at an Election, to secure a Majority of the +Multitude. But so it is, Truth may complain and Merit murmur with what +Justice it may, the Few will never be a Match for the Many, unless +Authority should think fit to interpose and put down these Poetical +Drams, these Gin-shops of the Stage, that intoxicate its Auditors and +dishonour their Understanding with a Levity for which I want a +Name.[136] + +If I am ask'd (after my condemning these Fooleries myself) how I came to +assent or continue my Share of Expence to them? I have no better Excuse +for my Error than confessing it. I did it against my Conscience! and had +not Virtue enough to starve by opposing a Multitude that would have been +too hard for me.[137] Now let me ask an odd Question: Had _Harry the +Fourth_ of _France_ a better Excuse for changing his Religion?[138] I +was still, in my Heart, as much as he could be, on the side of Truth and +Sense, but with this difference, that I had their leave to quit them +when they could not support me: For what Equivalent could I have found +for my falling a Martyr to them? How far the Heroe or the Comedian was +in the wrong, let the Clergy and the Criticks decide. Necessity will be +as good a Plea for the one as the other. But let the Question go which +way it will, _Harry_ IV. has always been allow'd a great Man: And what I +want of his Grandeur, you see by the Inference, Nature has amply +supply'd to me in Vanity; a Pleasure which neither the Pertness of Wit +or the Gravity of Wisdom will ever persuade me to part with. And why is +there not as much Honesty in owning as in concealing it? For though to +hide it may be Wisdom, to be without it is impossible; and where is the +Merit of keeping a Secret which every Body is let into? To say we have +no Vanity, then, is shewing a great deal of it; as to say we _have_ a +great deal cannot be shewing so much: And tho' there may be Art in a +Man's accusing himself, even then it will be more pardonable than +Self-commendation. Do not we find that even good Actions have their +Share of it? that it is as inseparable from our Being as our Nakedness? +And though it may be equally decent to cover it, yet the wisest Man can +no more be without it, than the weakest can believe he was born in his +Cloaths. If then what we say of ourselves be true, and not prejudicial +to others, to be called vain upon it is no more a Reproach than to be +called a brown or a fair Man. Vanity is of all Complexions; 'tis the +growth of every Clime and Capacity; Authors of all Ages have had a +Tincture of it; and yet you read _Horace_, _Montaign_, and Sir _William +Temple_, with Pleasure. Nor am I sure, if it were curable by Precept, +that Mankind would be mended by it! Could Vanity be eradicated from our +Nature, I am afraid that the Reward of most human Virtues would not be +found in this World! And happy is he who has no greater Sin to answer +for in the next! + +But what is all this to the Theatrical Follies I was talking of? Perhaps +not a great deal; but it is to my Purpose; for though I am an Historian, +I do not write to the Wise and Learned only; I hope to have Readers of no +more Judgment than some of my _quondam_ Auditors; and I am afraid they +will be as hardly contented with dry Matters of Fact, as with a plain +Play without Entertainments: This Rhapsody, therefore, has been thrown +in as a Dance between the Acts, to make up for the Dullness of what would +have been by itself only proper. But I now come to my Story again. + +Notwithstanding, then, this our Compliance with the vulgar Taste, we +generally made use of these Pantomimes but as Crutches to our weakest +Plays: Nor were we so lost to all Sense of what was valuable as to +dishonour our best Authors in such bad Company: We had still a due +Respect to several select Plays that were able to be their own Support; +and in which we found our constant Account, without painting and +patching them out, like Prostitutes, with these Follies in fashion: If +therefore we were not so strictly chaste in the other part of our +Conduct, let the Error of it stand among the silly Consequences of Two +Stages. Could the Interest of both Companies have been united in one +only Theatre, I had been one of the Few that would have us'd my utmost +Endeavour of never admitting to the Stage any Spectacle that ought not +to have been seen there; the Errors of my own Plays, which I could not +see, excepted. And though probably the Majority of Spectators would not +have been so well pleas'd with a Theatre so regulated; yet Sense and +Reason cannot lose their intrinsick Value because the Giddy and the +Ignorant are blind and deaf, or numerous; and I cannot help saying, it +is a Reproach to a sensible People to let Folly so publickly govern +their Pleasures. + +While I am making this grave Declaration of what I _would_ have done had +One only Stage been continued; to obtain an easier Belief of my +Sincerity I ought to put my Reader in mind of what I _did_ do, even +after Two Companies were again establish'd. + +About this Time _Jacobitism_ had lately exerted itself by the most +unprovoked Rebellion that our Histories have handed down to us since the +_Norman_ Conquest:[139] I therefore thought that to set the Authors and +Principles of that desperate Folly in a fair Light, by allowing the +mistaken Consciences of some their best Excuse, and by making the artful +Pretenders to Conscience as ridiculous as they were ungratefully wicked, +was a Subject fit for the honest Satire of Comedy, and what might, if it +succeeded, do Honour to the Stage by shewing the valuable Use of +it.[140] And considering what Numbers at that time might come to it as +prejudic'd Spectators, it may be allow'd that the Undertaking was not +less hazardous than laudable. + +To give Life, therefore, to this Design, I borrow'd the _Tartuffe_ of +_Moliere_, and turn'd him into a modern _Nonjuror_:[141] Upon the +Hypocrisy of the _French_ Character I ingrafted a stronger Wickedness, +that of an _English_ Popish Priest lurking under the Doctrine of our own +Church to raise his Fortune upon the Ruin of a worthy Gentleman, whom +his dissembled Sanctity had seduc'd into the treasonable Cause of a +_Roman Catholick_ Out-law. How this Design, in the Play, was executed, I +refer to the Readers of it; it cannot be mended by any critical Remarks +I can make in its favour: Let it speak for itself. All the Reason I had +to think it no bad Performance was, that it was acted eighteen Days +running,[142] and that the Party that were hurt by it (as I have been +told) have not been the smallest Number of my back Friends ever since. +But happy was it for this Play that the very Subject was its Protection; +a few Smiles of silent Contempt were the utmost Disgrace that on the +first Day of its Appearance it was thought safe to throw upon it; as the +Satire was chiefly employ'd on the Enemies of the Government, they were +not so hardy as to own themselves such by any higher Disapprobation or +Resentment. But as it was then probable I might write again, they knew +it would not be long before they might with more Security give a Loose +to their Spleen, and make up Accounts with me. And to do them Justice, +in every Play I afterwards produced they paid me the Balance to a +Tittle.[143] But to none was I more beholden than that celebrated Author +Mr. _Mist_, whose _Weekly Journal_,[144] for about fifteen Years +following, scarce ever fail'd of passing some of his Party Compliments +upon me: The State and the Stage were his frequent Parallels, and the +Minister and _Minheer Keiber_ the Menager were as constantly droll'd +upon: Now, for my own Part, though I could never persuade my Wit to have +an open Account with him (for as he had no Effects of his own, I did not +think myself oblig'd to answer his Bills;) notwithstanding, I will be so +charitable to his real _Manes_, and to the Ashes of his Paper, as to +mention one particular Civility he paid to my Memory, after he thought +he had ingeniously kill'd me. Soon after the _Nonjuror_ had receiv'd +the Favour of the Town, I read in one of his Journals the following +short Paragraph, _viz._ _Yesterday died Mr._ Colley Cibber, _late +Comedian of the Theatre-Royal, notorious for writing the_ Nonjuror. The +Compliment in the latter part I confess I did not dislike, because it +came from so impartial a Judge; and it really so happen'd that the +former part of it was very near being true; for I had that very Day just +crawled out, after having been some Weeks laid up by a Fever: However, I +saw no use in being thought to be thoroughly dead before my Time, and +therefore had a mind to see whether the Town cared to have me alive +again: So the Play of the _Orphan_ being to be acted that Day, I quietly +stole myself into the Part of the _Chaplain_, which I had not been seen +in for many Years before. The Surprize of the Audience at my unexpected +Appearance on the very Day I had been dead in the News, and the Paleness +of my Looks, seem'd to make it a Doubt whether I was not the Ghost of my +real Self departed: But when I spoke, their Wonder eas'd itself by an +Applause; which convinc'd me they were then satisfied that my Friend +_Mist_ had told a _Fib_ of me. Now, if simply to have shown myself in +broad Life, and about my Business, after he had _notoriously_ reported +me dead, can be called a Reply, it was the only one which his Paper +while alive ever drew from me. How far I may be vain, then, in supposing +that this Play brought me into the Disfavour of so many Wits[145] and +valiant Auditors as afterwards appear'd against me, let those who may +think it worth their Notice judge. In the mean time, 'till I can find a +better Excuse for their sometimes particular Treatment of me, I cannot +easily give up my Suspicion: And if I add a more remarkable Fact, that +afterwards confirm'd me in it, perhaps it may incline others to join +in my Opinion. + +On the first Day of the _Provok'd Husband_, ten Years after the _Nonjuror_ +had appear'd,[146] a powerful Party, not having the Fear of publick +Offence or private Injury before their Eyes, appear'd most impetuously +concern'd for the Demolition of it; in which they so far succeeded, that +for some Time I gave it up for lost; and to follow their Blows, in the +publick Papers of the next Day it was attack'd and triumph'd over as a +dead and damn'd Piece; a swinging Criticism was made upon it in general +invective Terms, for they disdain'd to trouble the World with Particulars; +their Sentence, it seems, was Proof enough of its deserving the Fate it +had met with. But this damn'd Play was, notwithstanding, acted +twenty-eight Nights together, and left off at a Receipt of upwards of a +hundred and forty Pounds; which happen'd to be more than in fifty Years +before could be then said of any one Play whatsoever. + +Now, if such notable Behaviour could break out upon so successful a Play +(which too, upon the Share Sir _John Vanbrugh_ had in it, I will venture +to call a good one) what shall we impute it to? Why may not I plainly +say, it was not the Play, but Me, who had a Hand in it, they did not +like? And for what Reason? if they were not asham'd of it, why did not +they publish it? No! the Reason had publish'd itself, I was the Author +of the _Nonjuror_! But, perhaps, of all Authors, I ought not to make +this sort of Complaint, because I have Reason to think that that +particular Offence has made me more honourable Friends than Enemies; the +latter of which I am not unwilling should know (however unequal the +Merit may be to the Reward) that Part of the Bread I now eat was given +me for having writ the _Nonjuror_.[147] + +And yet I cannot but lament, with many quiet Spectators, the helpless +Misfortune that has so many Years attended the Stage! That no Law has had +Force enough to give it absolute Protection! for 'till we can civilize its +Auditors, the Authors that write for it will seldom have a greater Call to +it than Necessity; and how unlikely is the Imagination of the Needy to +inform or delight the Many in Affluence? or how often does Necessity make +many unhappy Gentlemen turn Authors in spite of Nature? + +What a Blessing, therefore, is it! what an enjoy'd Deliverance! after a +Wretch has been driven by Fortune to stand so many wanton Buffets of +unmanly Fierceness, to find himself at last quietly lifted above the +Reach of them! + +But let not this Reflection fall upon my Auditors without Distinction; +for though Candour and Benevolence are silent Virtues, they are as +visible as the most vociferous Ill-nature; and I confess the Publick has +given me more frequently Reason to be thankful than to complain. + + + + +CHAPTER XVI. + + +[Illustration: Ad Lalauze, sc] + + _The Author steps out of his Way. Pleads his Theatrical Cause + in Chancery. Carries it. Plays acted at_ Hampton-Court. + _Theatrical Anecdotes in former Reigns. Ministers and Menagers + always censur'd. The Difficulty of supplying the Stage with + good Actors consider'd. Courtiers and Comedians govern'd by + the same Passions. Examples of both. The Author quits the + Stage. Why._ + +Having brought the Government of the Stage through such various Changes +and Revolutions, to this settled State in which it continued to almost +the Time of my leaving it;[148] it cannot be suppos'd that a Period of +so much Quiet and so long a Train of Success (though happy for those who +enjoy'd it) can afford such Matter of Surprize or Amusement, as might +arise from Times of more Distress and Disorder. A quiet Time in History, +like a Calm in a Voyage, leaves us but in an indolent Station: To talk +of our Affairs when they were no longer ruffled by Misfortunes, would be +a Picture without Shade, a flat Performance at best. As I might, +therefore, throw all that tedious Time of our Tranquillity into one +Chasm in my History, and cut my Way short at once to my last Exit from +the Stage, I shall at least fill it up with such Matter only as I have a +mind should be known,[149] how few soever may have Patience to read it: +Yet, as I despair not of some Readers who may be most awake when they +think others have most occasion to sleep; who may be more pleas'd to +find me languid than lively, or in the wrong than in the right; why +should I scruple (when it is so easy a Matter too) to gratify their +particular Taste by venturing upon any Error that I like, or the +Weakness of my Judgment misleads me to commit? I think, too, I have a +very good Chance for my Success in this passive Ambition, by shewing +myself in a Light I have not been seen in. + +By your Leave then, Gentlemen! let the Scene open, and at once discover +your Comedian at the Bar! There you will find him a Defendant, and +pleading his own Theatrical Cause in a Court of _Chancery_: But, as I +chuse to have a Chance of pleasing others as well as of indulging you, +Gentlemen; I must first beg leave to open my Case to them; after which +my whole Speech upon that Occasion shall be at your Mercy. + +In all the Transactions of Life, there cannot be a more painful +Circumstance, than a Dispute at Law with a Man with whom we have long +liv'd in an agreeable Amity: But when Sir _Richard Steele_, to get +himself out of Difficulties, was oblig'd to throw his Affairs into the +Hands of Lawyers and Trustees, that Consideration, then, could be of no +weight: The Friend, or the Gentleman, had no more to do in the Matter! +Thus, while Sir _Richard_ no longer acted from himself, it may be no +Wonder if a Flaw was found in our Conduct for the Law to make Work with. +It must be observed, then, that about two or three Years before this +Suit was commenc'd, upon Sir _Richard_'s totally absenting himself from +all Care and Menagement of the Stage (which by our Articles of +Partnership he was equally and jointly oblig'd with us to attend) we +were reduc'd to let him know that we could not go on at that Rate; but +that if he expected to make the Business a _sine-Cure_, we had as much +Reason to expect a Consideration for our extraordinary Care of it; and +that during his Absence we therefore intended to charge our selves at a +Sallary of 1_l._ 13_s._ 4_d._ every acting Day (unless he could shew us +Cause to the contrary) for our Menagement: To which, in his compos'd +manner, he only answer'd; That to be sure we knew what was fitter to be +done than he did; that he had always taken a Delight in making us easy, +and had no Reason to doubt of our doing him Justice. Now whether, under +this easy Stile of Approbation, he conceal'd any Dislike of our +Resolution, I cannot say. But, if I may speak my private Opinion, I +really believe, from his natural Negligence of his Affairs, he was glad, +at any rate, to be excus'd an Attendance which he was now grown weary +of. But, whether I am deceiv'd or right in my Opinion, the Fact was +truly this, that he never once, directly nor indirectly, complain'd or +objected to our being paid the above-mention'd daily Sum in near three +Years together; and yet still continued to absent himself from us and +our Affairs. But notwithstanding he had seen and done all this with his +Eyes open; his Lawyer thought here was still a fair Field for a Battle +in Chancery, in which, though his Client might be beaten, he was sure +his Bill must be paid for it: Accordingly, to work with us he went. +But, not to be so long as the Lawyers were in bringing this Cause to an +Issue, I shall at once let you know, that it came to a Hearing before +the late Sir _Joseph Jekyll_, then Master of the Rolls, in the Year +1726.[150] Now, as the chief Point in dispute was, of what Kind or +Importance the Business of a Menager was, or in what it principally +consisted; it could not be suppos'd that the most learned Council could +be so well appriz'd of the Nature of it, as one who had himself gone +through the Care and Fatigue of it. I was therefore encourag'd by our +Council to speak to that particular Head myself; which I confess I was +glad he suffer'd me to undertake; but when I tell you that two of the +learned Council against us came afterwards to be successively +Lord-Chancellors, it sets my Presumption in a Light that I still tremble +to shew it in: But however, not to assume more Merit from its Success +than was really its Due, I ought fairly to let you know, that I was not +so hardy as to deliver my Pleading without Notes, in my Hand, of the +Heads I intended to enlarge upon; for though I thought I could conquer +my Fear, I could not be so sure of my Memory: But when it came to the +critical Moment, the Dread and Apprehension of what I had undertaken so +disconcerted my Courage, that though I had been us'd to talk to above +Fifty Thousand different People every Winter, for upwards of Thirty +Years together; an involuntary and unaffected Proof of my Confusion fell +from my Eyes; and, as I found myself quite out of my Element, I seem'd +rather gasping for Life than in a condition to cope with the eminent +Orators against me. But, however, I soon found, from the favourable +Attention of my Hearers, that my Diffidence had done me no Disservice: +And as the Truth I was to speak to needed no Ornament of Words, I +delivered it in the plain manner following, _viz._ + +In this Cause, Sir, I humbly conceive there are but two Points that +admit of any material Dispute. The first is, Whether Sir _Richard +Steele_ is as much obliged to do the Duty and Business of a Menager as +either _Wilks_, _Booth_, or _Cibber_: And the second is, Whether by Sir +_Richard_'s totally withdrawing himself from the Business of a Menager, +the Defendants are justifiable in charging to each of themselves the +1_l._ 13_s._ 4_d._ _per Diem_ for their particular Pains and Care in +carrying on the whole Affairs of the Stage without any Assistance from +Sir _Richard Steele_. + +As to the First, if I don't mistake the Words of the Assignment, there +is a Clause in it that says, All Matters relating to the Government or +Menagement of the Theatre shall be concluded by a Majority of Voices. +Now I presume, Sir, there is no room left to alledge that Sir _Richard_ +was ever refused his Voice, though in above three Years he never desir'd +to give it: And I believe there will be as little room to say, that he +could have a Voice if he were not a Menager. But, Sir, his being a +Menager is so self-evident, that it is amazing how he could conceive +that he was to take the Profits and Advantages of a Menager without +doing the Duty of it. And I will be bold to say, Sir, that his +Assignment of the Patent to _Wilks_, _Booth_, and _Cibber_, in no one +Part of it, by the severest Construction in the World, can be wrested to +throw the heavy Burthen of the Menagement only upon their Shoulders. Nor +does it appear, Sir, that either in his Bill, or in his Answer to our +Cross-Bill, he has offer'd any Hint, or Glimpse of a Reason, for his +withdrawing from the Menagement at all; or so much as pretend, from the +time complained of, that he ever took the least Part of his Share of it. +Now, Sir, however unaccountable this Conduct of Sir _Richard_ may seem, +we will still allow that he had some Cause for it; but whether or no +that Cause was a reasonable one your Honour will the better judge, if I +may be indulged in the Liberty of explaining it. + +Sir, the Case, in plain Truth and Reality, stands thus: Sir _Richard_, +though no Man alive can write better of Oeconomy than himself, yet, +perhaps, he is above the Drudgery of practising it: Sir _Richard_, then, +was often in want of Money; and while we were in Friendship with him, we +often assisted his Occasions: But those Compliances had so unfortunate +an Effect, that they only heightened his Importunity to borrow more, and +the more we lent, the less he minded us, or shew'd any Concern for our +Welfare. Upon this, Sir, we stopt our Hands at once, and peremptorily +refus'd to advance another Shilling 'till by the Balance of our Accounts +it became due to him. And this Treatment (though, we hope, not in the +least unjustifiable) we have Reason to believe so ruffled his Temper, +that he at once was as short with us as we had been with him; for, from +that Day, he never more came near us: Nay, Sir, he not only continued to +neglect what he _should_ have done, but actually did what he ought _not_ +to have done: He made an Assignment of his Share without our Consent, in +a manifest Breach of our Agreement: For, Sir, we did not lay that +Restriction upon ourselves for no Reason: We knew, before-hand, what +Trouble and Inconvenience it would be to unravel and expose our Accounts +to Strangers, who, if they were to do us no hurt by divulging our +Secrets, we were sure could do us no good by keeping them. If Sir +_Richard_ had had our common Interest at heart, he would have been as +warm in it as we were, and as tender of hurting it: But supposing his +assigning his Share to others may have done us no great Injury, it is, +at least, a shrewd Proof that he did not care whether it did us any or +no. And if the Clause was not strong enough to restrain him from it in +Law, there was enough in it to have restrain'd him in Honour from +breaking it. But take it in its best Light, it shews him as remiss a +Menager in our Affairs as he naturally was in his own. Suppose, Sir, we +had all been as careless as himself, which I can't find he has any more +Right to be than we have, must not our whole Affair have fallen to Ruin? +And may we not, by a parity of Reason, suppose, that by his Neglect a +fourth Part of it _does_ fall to Ruin? But, Sir, there is a particular +Reason to believe, that, from our want of Sir _Richard_, more than a +fourth Part _does_ suffer by it: His Rank and Figure in the World, while +he gave us the Assistance of them, were of extraordinary Service to us: +He had an easier Access, and a more regarded Audience at Court, than our +low Station of Life could pretend to, when our Interest wanted (as +it often did) a particular Solicitation there. But since we have been +deprived of him, the very End, the very Consideration of his Share +in our Profits is not perform'd on his Part. And will Sir _Richard_, +then, make us no Compensation for so valuable a Loss in our Interests, +and so palpable an Addition to our Labour? I am afraid, Sir, if we were +all to be as indolent in the Menaging-Part as Sir _Richard_ presumes he +has a Right to be; our Patent would soon run us as many Hundreds in +Debt, as he had (and still seems willing to have) his Share of, for +doing of nothing. + +Sir, our next Point in question is whether _Wilks_, _Booth_, and +_Cibber_ are justifiable in charging the 1_l._ 13_s._ 4_d._ _per diem_ +for their extraordinary Menagement in the Absence of Sir _Richard +Steele_. I doubt, Sir, it will be hard to come to the Solution of this +Point, unless we may be a little indulg'd in setting forth what is the +daily and necessary Business and Duty of a Menager. But, Sir, we will +endeavour to be as short as the Circumstances will admit of. + +Sir, by our Books it is apparent that the Menagers have under their Care +no less than One Hundred and Forty Persons in constant daily Pay: And +among such Numbers, it will be no wonder if a great many of them are +unskilful, idle, and sometimes untractable; all which Tempers are to be +led, or driven, watch'd, and restrain'd by the continual Skill, Care, +and Patience of the Menagers. Every Menager is oblig'd, in his turn, to +attend two or three Hours every Morning at the Rehearsal of Plays and +other Entertainments for the Stage, or else every Rehearsal would be but +a rude Meeting of Mirth and Jollity. The same Attendance is as necessary +at every Play during the time of its publick Action, in which one or +more of us have constantly been punctual, whether we have had any part +in the Play then acted or not. A Menager ought to be at the Reading of +every new Play when it is first offer'd to the Stage, though there are +seldom one of those Plays in twenty which, upon hearing, proves to be +fit for it; and upon such Occasions the Attendance must be allow'd to be +as painfully tedious as the getting rid of the Authors of such Plays +must be disagreeable and difficult. Besides this, Sir, a Menager is to +order all new Cloaths, to assist in the Fancy and Propriety of them, to +limit the Expence, and to withstand the unreasonable Importunities of +some that are apt to think themselves injur'd if they are not finer than +their Fellows. A Menager is to direct and oversee the Painters, +Machinists, Musicians, Singers, and Dancers; to have an Eye upon the +Door-keepers, Under-Servants, and Officers that, without such Care, are +too often apt to defraud us, or neglect their Duty. + +And all this, Sir, and more, much more, which we hope will be needless +to trouble you with, have we done every Day, without the least +Assistance from Sir _Richard_, even at times when the Concern and Labour +of our Parts upon the Stage have made it very difficult and irksome to +go through with it. + +In this Place, Sir, it may be worth observing that Sir _Richard_, in his +Answer to our Cross-Bill, seems to value himself upon _Cibber_'s +confessing, in the Dedication of a Play which he made to Sir _Richard_, +that he (Sir _Richard_) had done the Stage very considerable Service by +leading the Town to our Plays, and filling our Houses by the Force and +Influence of his _Tatlers_.[151] But Sir _Richard_ forgets that those +_Tatlers_ were written in the late Queen's Reign, long before he was +admitted to a Share in the Play-house: And in truth, Sir, it was our +real Sense of those Obligations, and Sir _Richard_'s assuring us they +should be continued, that first and chiefly inclin'd us to invite him to +share the Profits of our Labours, upon such farther Conditions as in his +Assignment of the Patent to us are specified. And, Sir, as _Cibber_'s +publick Acknowledgment of those Favours is at the same time an equal +Proof of Sir _Richard_'s _Power_ to continue them; so, Sir, we hope it +carries an equal Probability that, without his Promise to _use_ that +Power, he would never have been thought on, much less have been invited +by us into a Joint-Menagement of the Stage, and into a Share of the +Profits: And, indeed, what Pretence could he have form'd for asking a +Patent from the Crown, had he been possess'd of no eminent Qualities but +in common with other Men? But, Sir, all these Advantages, all these +Hopes, nay, Certainties of greater Profits from those great Qualities, +have we been utterly depriv'd of by the wilful and unexpected Neglect of +Sir _Richard_. But we find, Sir, it is a common thing in the Practice of +Mankind to justify one Error by committing another: For Sir _Richard_ +has not only refused us the extraordinary Assistance which he is able +and bound to give us; but, on the contrary, to our great Expence and +Loss of Time, now calls us to account, in this honourable Court, for the +Wrong we have done him, in not doing his Business of a Menager for +nothing. But, Sir, Sir _Richard_ has not met with such Treatment from +us: He has not writ Plays for us for _Nothing_, we paid him very well, +and in an extraordinary manner, for his late Comedy of the _Conscious +Lovers_: And though, in writing that Play, he had more Assistance from +one of the Menagers[152] than becomes me to enlarge upon, of which +Evidence has been given upon Oath by several of our Actors; yet, Sir, he +was allow'd the full and particular Profits of that Play as an Author, +which amounted to Three Hundred Pounds, besides about Three Hundred more +which he received as a Joint-Sharer of the general Profits that arose +from it. Now, Sir, though the Menagers are not all of them able to write +Plays, yet they have all of them been able to do (I won't say as good, +but at least) as profitable a thing. They have invented and adorn'd a +Spectacle that for Forty Days together has brought more Money to the +House than the best Play that ever was writ. The Spectacle I mean, Sir, +is that of the Coronation-Ceremony of _Anna Bullen_:[153] And though we +allow a good Play to be the more laudable Performance, yet, Sir, in the +profitable Part of it there is no Comparison. If, therefore, our +Spectacle brought in as much, or more Money than Sir _Richard_'s Comedy, +what is there on his Side but Usage that intitles him to be paid for +one, more than we are for t'other? But then, Sir, if he is so profitably +distinguish'd for his Play, if we yield him up the Preference, and pay +him for his extraordinary Composition, and take nothing for our own, +though it turn'd out more to our common Profit; sure, Sir, while we do +such extraordinary Duty as Menagers, and while he neglects his Share of +that Duty, he cannot grudge us the moderate Demand we make for our +separate Labour? + +[Illustration: BARTON BOOTH.] + +To conclude, Sir, if by our constant Attendance, our Care, our Anxiety +(not to mention the disagreeable Contests we sometimes meet with, both +within and without Doors, in the Menagement of our Theatre) we have not +only saved the whole from Ruin, which, if we had all follow'd Sir +_Richard_'s Example, could not have been avoided; I say, Sir, if we have +still made it so valuable an Income to him, without his giving us the +least Assistance for several Years past; we hope, Sir, that the poor +Labourers that have done all this for Sir _Richard_ will not be thought +unworthy of their Hire. + +How far our Affairs, being set in this particular Light, might assist +our Cause, may be of no great Importance to guess; but the Issue +of it was this: That Sir _Richard_ not having made any Objection to +what we had charged for Menagement for three Years together; and as +our Proceedings had been all transacted in open Day, without any +clandestine Intention of Fraud; we were allow'd the Sums in dispute +above-mention'd; and Sir _Richard_ not being advised to appeal to the +Lord-Chancellor, both Parties paid their own Costs, and thought it their +mutual Interest to let this be the last of their Law-suits. + +And now, gentle Reader, I ask Pardon for so long an Imposition on your +Patience: For tho' I may have no ill Opinion of this Matter myself; yet +to you I can very easily conceive it may have been tedious. You are, +therefore, at your own Liberty of charging the whole Impertinence of it, +either to the Weakness of my Judgment, or the Strength of my Vanity; and +I will so far join in your Censure, that I farther confess I have been +so impatient to give it you, that you have had it out of its Turn: For, +some Years before this Suit was commenced, there were other Facts that +ought to have had a Precedence in my History: But that, I dare say, is +an Oversight you will easily excuse, provided you afterwards find them +worth reading. However, as to that Point I must take my Chance, and +shall therefore proceed to speak of the Theatre which was order'd by his +late Majesty to be erected in the Great old Hall at _Hampton-Court_; +where Plays were intended to have been acted twice a Week during the +Summer-Season. But before the Theatre could be finish'd, above half the +Month of _September_ being elapsed, there were but seven Plays acted +before the Court returned to _London_.[154] This throwing open a Theatre +in a Royal Palace seem'd to be reviving the Old _English_ hospitable +Grandeur, where the lowest Rank of neighbouring Subjects might make +themselves merry at Court without being laugh'd at themselves. In former +Reigns, Theatrical Entertainments at the Royal Palaces had been +perform'd at vast Expence, as appears by the Description of the +Decorations in several of _Ben. Johnson_'s Masques in King _James_ and +_Charles the First_'s Time;[155] many curious and original Draughts of +which, by Sir _Inigo Jones_, I have seen in the _Musæum_ of our greatest +Master and Patron of Arts and Architecture, whom it would be a needless +Liberty to name.[156] But when our Civil Wars ended in the Decadence of +Monarchy, it was then an Honour to the Stage to have fallen with it: +Yet, after the Restoration of _Charles_ II. some faint Attempts were +made to revive these Theatrical Spectacles at Court; but I have met with +no Account of above one Masque acted there by the Nobility; which was +that of _Calisto_, written by _Crown_, the Author of Sir _Courtly Nice_. +For what Reason _Crown_ was chosen to that Honour rather than _Dryden_, +who was then Poet-Laureat and out of all Comparison his Superior in +Poetry, may seem surprizing: But if we consider the Offence which the +then Duke of _Buckingham_ took at the Character of _Zimri_ in +_Dryden_'s _Absalom_, &c. (which might probably be a Return to his +Grace's _Drawcansir_ in the _Rehearsal_) we may suppose the Prejudice +and Recommendation of so illustrious a Pretender to Poetry might prevail +at Court to give Crown this Preference.[157] In the same Reign the King +had his Comedians at _Windsor_, but upon a particular Establishment; for +tho' they acted in St. _George_'s Hall, within the Royal Palace, yet (as +I have been inform'd by an Eye-witness) they were permitted to take +Money at the Door of every Spectator; whether this was an Indulgence, in +Conscience I cannot say; but it was a common Report among the principal +Actors, when I first came into the _Theatre-Royal_, in 1690, that there +was then due to the Company from that Court about One Thousand Five +Hundred Pounds for Plays commanded, _&c._ and yet it was the general +Complaint, in that Prince's Reign, that he paid too much Ready-money for +his Pleasures: But these Assertions I only give as I received them, +without being answerable for their Reality. This Theatrical Anecdote, +however, puts me in mind of one of a more private nature, which I had +from old solemn _Boman_, the late Actor of venerable Memory.[158] +_Boman_, then a Youth, and fam'd for his Voice, was appointed to sing +some Part in a Concert of Musick at the private Lodgings of Mrs. _Gwin_; +at which were only present the King, the Duke of _York_, and one or two +more who were usually admitted upon those detach'd Parties of Pleasure. +When the Performance was ended, the King express'd himself highly +pleased, and gave it extraordinary Commendations: Then, Sir, said the +Lady, to shew you don't speak like a Courtier, I hope you will make the +Performers a handsome Present: The King said he had no Money about him, +and ask'd the Duke if he had any? To which the Duke reply'd, I believe, +Sir, not above a Guinea or two. Upon which the laughing Lady, turning to +the People about her, and making bold with the King's common Expression, +cry'd, _Od's Fish! what Company am I got into!_ + +Whether the reverend Historian of his _Own Time_,[159] among the many +other Reasons of the same Kind he might have for stiling this Fair One +the _indiscreetest and wildest Creature that ever was in a Court_, might +know this to be one of them, I can't say: But if we consider her in all +the Disadvantages of her Rank and Education, she does not appear to have +had any criminal Errors more remarkable than her Sex's Frailty to answer +for: And if the same Author, in his latter End of that Prince's Life, +seems to reproach his Memory with too kind a Concern for her Support, we +may allow that it becomes a Bishop to have had no Eyes or Taste for the +frivolous Charms or playful _Badinage_ of a King's Mistress: Yet, if the +common Fame of her may be believ'd, which in my Memory was not doubted, +she had less to be laid to her Charge than any other of those Ladies +who were in the same State of Preferment: She never meddled in Matters +of serious Moment, or was the Tool of working Politicians: Never broke +into those amorous Infidelities which others in that grave Author are +accus'd of; but was as visibly distinguish'd by her particular Personal +Inclination to the King, as her Rivals were by their Titles and +Grandeur. Give me leave to carry (perhaps the Partiality of) my +Observation a little farther. The same Author, in the same Page, +263,[160] tells us, That "Another of the King's Mistresses, the Daughter +of a Clergyman, Mrs. _Roberts_, in whom her first Education had so deep +a Root, that though she fell into many scandalous Disorders, with very +dismal Adventures in them all, yet a Principle of Religion was so deep +laid in her, that tho' it did not restrain her, yet it kept alive in +her such a constant Horror of Sin, that she was never easy in an ill +course, and died with a great Sense of her former ill Life." + +To all this let us give an implicit Credit: Here is the Account of a frail +Sinner made up with a Reverend Witness! Yet I cannot but lament that this +Mitred Historian, who seems to know more Personal Secrets than any that +ever writ before him, should not have been as inquisitive after the last +Hours of our other Fair Offender, whose Repentance I have been +unquestionably inform'd, appear'd in all the contrite Symptoms of a +Christian Sincerity. If therefore you find I am so much concern'd to make +this favourable mention of the one, because she was a Sister of the +_Theatre_, why may not--But I dare not be so presumptuous, so uncharitably +bold, as to suppose the other was spoken better of merely because she was +the Daughter of a _Clergyman_. Well, and what then? What's all this idle +Prate, you may say, to the matter in hand? Why, I say your Question is a +little too critical; and if you won't give an Author leave, now and then, +to embellish his Work by a natural Reflexion, you are an ungentle Reader. +But I have done with my Digression, and return to our Theatre at +_Hampton-Court_, where I am not sure the Reader, be he ever so wise, will +meet with any thing more worth his notice: However, if he happens to read, +as I write, for want of something better to do, he will go on; and perhaps +wonder when I tell him that: + +A Play presented at Court, or acted on a publick Stage, seem to their +different Auditors a different Entertainment. Now hear my Reason for it. +In the common Theatre the Guests are at home, where the politer Forms of +Good-breeding are not so nicely regarded: Every one there falls to, and +likes or finds fault according to his natural Taste or Appetite. At +Court, where the Prince gives the Treat, and honours the Table with his +own Presence, the Audience is under the Restraint of a Circle, where +Laughter or Applause rais'd higher than a Whisper would be star'd at. At +a publick Play they are both let loose, even 'till the Actor is +sometimes pleas'd with his not being able to be heard for the Clamour of +them. But this Coldness or Decency of Attention at Court I observ'd had +but a melancholy Effect upon the impatient Vanity of some of our Actors, +who seem'd inconsolable when their flashy Endeavours to please had +pass'd unheeded: Their not considering where they were quite +disconcerted them; nor could they recover their Spirits 'till from the +lowest Rank of the Audience some gaping _John_ or _Joan_, in the +fullness of their Hearts, roar'd out their Approbation: And, indeed, +such a natural Instance of honest Simplicity a Prince himself, whose +Indulgence knows where to make Allowances, might reasonably smile at, +and perhaps not think it the worst part of his Entertainment. Yet it +must be own'd, that an Audience may be as well too much reserv'd, as +too profuse of their Applause: For though it is possible a _Betterton_ +would not have been discourag'd from throwing out an Excellence, or +elated into an Error, by his Auditors being too little or too much +pleas'd, yet, as Actors of his Judgment are Rarities, those of less +Judgment may sink into a Flatness in their Performance for want of that +Applause, which from the generality of Judges they might perhaps have +some Pretence to: And the Auditor, when not seeming to feel what ought +to affect him, may rob himself of something more that he might have had +by giving the Actor his Due, who measures out his Power to please +according to the Value he sets upon his Hearer's Taste or Capacity. But, +however, as we were not here itinerant Adventurers, and had properly but +one Royal Auditor to please; after that Honour was attain'd to, the rest +of our Ambition had little to look after: And that the King was often +pleas'd, we were not only assur'd by those who had the Honour to be near +him; but could see it, from the frequent Satisfaction in his Looks at +particular Scenes and Passages: One Instance of which I am tempted to +relate, because it was at a Speech that might more naturally affect a +Sovereign Prince than any private Spectator. In _Shakespear_'s _Harry +the Eighth_, that King commands the Cardinal to write circular Letters +of Indemnity into every County where the Payment of certain heavy Taxes +had been disputed: Upon which the Cardinal whispers the following +Directions to his Secretary _Cromwell_: + + _----A Word with you: + Let there be Letters writ to every Shire + Of the King's Grace and Pardon: The griev'd Commons + Hardly conceive of me. Let it be nois'd + That through our Intercession this Revokement + And Pardon comes.--I shall anon advise you + Farther in the Proceeding----_ + +The Solicitude of this Spiritual Minister, in filching from his Master +the Grace and Merit of a good Action, and dressing up himself in it, +while himself had been Author of the Evil complain'd of, was so easy a +Stroke of his Temporal Conscience, that it seem'd to raise the King into +something more than a Smile whenever that Play came before him: And I +had a more distinct Occasion to observe this Effect; because my proper +Stand on the Stage when I spoke the Lines required me to be near the Box +where the King usually sate:[161] In a Word, this Play is so true a +Dramatick Chronicle of an old _English_ Court, and where the Character +of _Harry the Eighth_ is so exactly drawn, even to a humourous Likeness, +that it may be no wonder why his Majesty's particular Taste for it +should have commanded it three several times in one Winter. + +This, too, calls to my Memory an extravagant Pleasantry of Sir _Richard +Steele_, who being ask'd by a grave Nobleman, after the same Play had +been presented at _Hampton-Court_, how the King lik'd it, reply'd, _So +terribly well, my Lord, that I was afraid I should have lost all my +Actors_! _For I was not sure the King would not keep them to fill the +Posts at Court that he saw them so fit for in the Play._ + +It may be imagin'd that giving Plays to the People at such a distance +from _London_ could not but be attended with an extraordinary Expence; +and it was some Difficulty, when they were first talk'd of, to bring +them under a moderate Sum; I shall therefore, in as few Words as +possible, give a Particular of what Establishment they were then brought +to, that in case the same Entertainments should at any time hereafter be +call'd to the same Place, future Courts may judge how far the Precedent +may stand good, or need an Alteration. + +Though the stated Fee for a Play acted at _Whitehall_ had been formerly +but Twenty Pounds;[162] yet, as that hinder'd not the Company's acting on +the same Day at the Publick Theatre, that Sum was almost all clear Profits +to them: But this Circumstance not being practicable when they were +commanded to _Hampton-Court_, a new and extraordinary Charge was +unavoidable: The Menagers, therefore, not to inflame it, desired no +Consideration for their own Labour, farther than the Honour of being +employ'd in his Majesty's Commands; and, if the other Actors might be +allow'd each their Day's Pay and travelling Charges, they should hold +themselves ready to act any Play there at a Day's Warning: And that the +Trouble might be less by being divided, the Lord-Chamberlain was pleas'd +to let us know that the Houshold-Musick, the Wax Lights, and a +_Chaise-Marine_ to carry our moving Wardrobe to every different Play, +should be under the Charge of the proper Officers. Notwithstanding these +Assistances, the Expence of every Play amounted to Fifty Pounds: Which +Account, when all was over, was not only allow'd us, but his Majesty was +graciously pleas'd to give the Menagers Two Hundred Pounds more for their +particular Performance and Trouble in only seven times acting.[163] Which +last Sum, though it might not be too much for a Sovereign Prince to give, +it was certainly more than our utmost Merit ought to have hop'd for: And I +confess, when I receiv'd the Order for the Money from his Grace the Duke +of _Newcastle_, then Lord-Chamberlain, I was so surpris'd, that I imagin'd +his Grace's Favour, or Recommendation of our Readiness or Diligence, must +have contributed to so high a Consideration of it, and was offering my +Acknowledgments as I thought them due; but was soon stopt short by his +Grace's Declaration, That we had no Obligations for it but to the King +himself, who had given it from no other Motive than his own Bounty. Now +whether we may suppose that Cardinal _Wolsey_ (as you see _Shakespear_ has +drawn him) would silently have taken such low Acknowledgments to himself, +perhaps may be as little worth consideration as my mentioning this +Circumstance has been necessary: But if it is due to the Honour and +Integrity of the (then) Lord-Chamberlain, I cannot think it wholly +impertinent. + +Since that time there has been but one Play given at _Hampton-Court_, +which was for the Entertainment of the Duke of _Lorrain_; and for which +his present Majesty was pleased to order us a Hundred Pounds. + +The Reader may now plainly see that I am ransacking my Memory for such +remaining Scraps of Theatrical History as may not perhaps be worth his +Notice: But if they are such as tempt me to write them, why may I not +hope that in this wide World there may be many an idle Soul, no wiser +than my self, who may be equally tempted to read them? + +I have so often had occasion to compare the State of the Stage to the +State of a Nation, that I yet feel a Reluctancy to drop the Comparison, +or speak of the one without some Application to the other. How many +Reigns, then, do I remember, from that of _Charles_ the Second, through +all which there has been, from one half of the People or the other, a +Succession of Clamour against every different Ministry for the time +being? And yet, let the Cause of this Clamour have been never so well +grounded, it is impossible but that some of those Ministers must have +been wiser and honester Men than others: If this be true, as true I +believe it is, why may I not then say, as some Fool in a _French_ Play +does upon a like Occasion--_Justement, comme chez nous!_ 'Twas exactly +the same with our Menagement! let us have done never so well, we could +not please every body: All I can say in our Defence is, that though many +good Judges might possibly conceive how the State of the Stage might +have been mended, yet the best of them never pretended to remember the +Time when it was better! or could shew us the way to make their +imaginary Amendments practicable. + +For though I have often allow'd that our best Merit as Actors was never +equal to that of our Predecessors, yet I will venture to say, that in +all its Branches the Stage had never been under so just, so prosperous, +and so settled a Regulation, for forty Years before, as it was at +the Time I am speaking of. The most plausible Objection to our +Administration seemed to be, that we took no Care to breed up young +Actors to succeed us;[164] and this was imputed as the greater Fault, +because it was taken for granted that it was a Matter as easy as +planting so many Cabbages: Now, might not a Court as well be reproached +for not breeding up a Succession of complete Ministers? And yet it is +evident, that if Providence or Nature don't supply us with both, the +State and the Stage will be but poorly supported. If a Man of an ample +Fortune should take it into his Head to give a younger Son an +extraordinary Allowance in order to breed him a great Poet, what might +we suppose would be the Odds that his Trouble and Money would be all +thrown away? Not more than it would be against the Master of a Theatre +who should say, this or that young Man I will take care shall be an +excellent Actor! Let it be our Excuse, then, for that mistaken Charge +against us; that since there was no Garden or Market where accomplished +Actors grew or were to be sold, we could only pick them up, as we do +Pebbles of Value, by Chance: We may polish a thousand before we can +find one fit to make a Figure in the Lid of a Snuff-Box. And how few +soever we were able to produce, it is no Proof that we were not always +in search of them: Yet, at worst, it was allow'd that our Deficiency of +Men Actors was not so visible as our Scarcity of tolerable Women: But +when it is consider'd, that the Life of Youth and Beauty is too short +for the bringing an Actress to her Perfection; were I to mention, too, +the many frail fair Ones I remember who, before they could arrive to +their Theatrical Maturity, were feloniously stolen from the Tree, it +would rather be thought our Misfortune than our Fault that we were not +better provided.[165] + +Even the Laws of a Nunnery, we find, are thought no sufficient Security +against Temptations without Iron Grates and high Walls to inforce them; +which the Architecture of a Theatre will not so properly admit of: And +yet, methinks, Beauty that has not those artificial Fortresses about it, +that has no Defence but its natural Virtue (which upon the Stage has +more than once been met with) makes a much more meritorious Figure in +Life than that immur'd Virtue which could never be try'd. But alas! as +the poor Stage is but the Show-glass to a Toy-shop, we must not +wonder if now and then some of the Bawbles should find a Purchaser. + +[Illustration: SUSANNA MARIA CIBBER.] + +However, as to say more or less than Truth are equally unfaithful in an +Historian, I cannot but own that, in the Government of the Theatre, I have +known many Instances where the Merit of promising Actors has not always +been brought forward, with the Regard or Favour it had a Claim to: And if +I put my Reader in mind, that in the early Part of this Work I have shewn +thro' what continued Difficulties and Discouragements I myself made my way +up the Hill of Preferment, he may justly call it too strong a Glare of my +Vanity: I am afraid he is in the right; but I pretend not to be one of +those chaste Authors that know how to write without it: When Truth is to +be told, it may be as much Chance as Choice if it happens to turn out in +my Favour: But to shew that this was true of others as well as myself, +_Booth_ shall be another Instance. In 1707, when _Swiney_ was the only +Master of the Company in the _Hay-Market_; _Wilks_, tho' he was then but +an hired Actor himself, rather chose to govern and give Orders than to +receive them; and was so jealous of _Booth_'s rising, that with a high +Hand he gave the Part of _Pierre_, in _Venice Preserv'd_, to _Mills_ the +elder, who (not to undervalue him) was out of Sight in the Pretensions +that _Booth_, then young as he was, had to the same Part:[166] and this +very Discouragement so strongly affected him, that not long after, when +several of us became Sharers with _Swiney_, _Booth_ rather chose to +risque his Fortune with the old Patentee in _Drury-Lane_, than come into +our Interest, where he saw he was like to meet with more of those +Partialities.[167] And yet, again, _Booth_ himself, when he came to be a +Menager, would sometimes suffer his Judgment to be blinded by his +Inclination to Actors whom the Town seem'd to have but an indifferent +Opinion of. This again inclines me to ask another of my odd Questions, +_viz._ Have we never seen the same passions govern a Court! How many white +Staffs and great Places do we find, in our Histories, have been laid at +the Feet of a Monarch, because they chose not to give way to a Rival in +Power, or hold a second Place in his Favour? How many _Whigs_ and _Tories_ +have chang'd their Parties, when their good or bad Pretensions have met +with a Check to their higher Preferment? + +Thus we see, let the Degrees and Rank of Men be ever so unequal, Nature +throws out their Passions from the same Motives; 'tis not the Eminence +or Lowliness of either that makes the one, when provok'd, more or less +a reasonable Creature than the other: The Courtier and the Comedian, +when their Ambition is out of Humour, take just the same Measures to +right themselves. + +If this familiar Stile of talking should, in the Nostrils of Gravity and +Wisdom, smell a little too much of the Presumptuous or the Pragmatical, +I will at least descend lower in my Apology for it, by calling to my +Assistance the old, humble Proverb, _viz._ _'Tis an ill Bird that, &c._ +Why then should I debase my Profession by setting it in vulgar Lights, +when I may shew it to more favourable Advantages? And when I speak of +our Errors, why may I not extenuate them by illustrious Examples? or by +not allowing them greater than the greatest Men have been subject to? Or +why, indeed, may I not suppose that a sensible Reader will rather laugh +than look grave at the Pomp of my Parallels? + +Now, as I am tied down to the Veracity of an Historian whose Facts +cannot be supposed, like those in a Romance, to be in the Choice of the +Author to make them more marvellous by Invention; if I should happen to +sink into a little farther Insignificancy, let the simple Truth of what +I have farther to say, be my Excuse for it. I am obliged, therefore, to +make the Experiment, by shewing you the Conduct of our Theatrical +Ministry in such Lights as on various Occasions it appear'd in. + +Though _Wilks_ had more Industry and Application than any Actor I had +ever known, yet we found it possible that those necessary Qualities +might sometimes be so misconducted as not only to make them useless, but +hurtful to our Common-wealth;[168] for while he was impatient to be +foremost in every thing, he frequently shock'd the honest Ambition of +others, whose Measures might have been more serviceable, could his +Jealousy have given way to them. His own Regards for himself, therefore, +were, to avoid a disagreeable Dispute with him, too often complied with: +But this leaving his Diligence to his own Conduct, made us, in some +Instances, pay dearly for it: For Example; he would take as much, or +more Pains, in forwarding to the Stage the Water-gruel Work of some +insipid Author that happen'd rightly to make his Court to him,[169] than +he would for the best Play wherein it was not his Fortune to be chosen +for the best Character. So great was his Impatience to be employ'd, that +I scarce remember, in twenty Years, above one profitable Play we could +get to be reviv'd, wherein he found he was to make no considerable +Figure, independent of him: But the _Tempest_ having done Wonders +formerly, he could not form any Pretensions to let it lie longer +dormant: However, his Coldness to it was so visible, that he took all +Occasions to postpone and discourage its Progress, by frequently taking +up the morning-Stage with something more to his Mind. Having been myself +particularly solicitous for the reviving this Play, _Dogget_ (for this +was before Booth came into the Menagement) consented that the +extraordinary Decorations and Habits should be left to my Care and +Direction, as the fittest Person whose Temper could jossle through the +petulant Opposition that he knew _Wilks_ would be always offering to it, +because he had but a middling Part in it, that of _Ferdinand_: +Notwithstanding which, so it happen'd, that the Success of it shew'd +(not to take from the Merit of _Wilks_) that it was possible to have +good Audiences without his extraordinary Assistance. In the first six +Days of acting it we paid all our constant and incidental Expence, and +shar'd each of us a hundred Pounds: The greatest Profit that in so +little a Time had yet been known within my Memory! But, alas! what was +paltry Pelf to Glory? That was the darling Passion of _Wilks_'s Heart! +and not to advance in it was, to so jealous an Ambition, a painful +Retreat, a mere Shade to his Laurels! and the common Benefit was but a +poor Equivalent to his want of particular Applause! To conclude, not +Prince _Lewis_ of _Baden_, though a Confederate General with the Duke +of _Marlborough_, was more inconsolable upon the memorable Victory +at _Blenheim_, at which he was not present, than our Theatrical Hero +was to see any Action prosperous that he was not himself at the Head of. +If this, then, was an Infirmity in _Wilks_, why may not my shewing the +same Weakness in so great a Man mollify the Imputation, and keep his +Memory in Countenance. + +This laudable Appetite for Fame in _Wilks_ was not, however, to be fed +without that constant Labour which only himself was able to come up to: +He therefore bethought him of the means to lessen the Fatigue, and at +the same time to heighten his Reputation; which was, by giving up now +and then a Part to some raw Actor who he was sure would disgrace it, and +consequently put the Audience in mind of his superior Performance: Among +this sort of Indulgences to young Actors he happen'd once to make a +Mistake that set his Views in a clear Light. The best Criticks, I +believe, will allow that in _Shakespear_'s _Macbeth_ there are, in the +Part of _Macduff_, two Scenes, the one of Terror, in the second Act, and +the other of Compassion, in the fourth, equal to any that dramatick +Poetry has produc'd: These Scenes _Wilks_ had acted with Success, tho' +far short of that happier Skill and Grace which _Monfort_ had formerly +shewn in them.[170] Such a Part, however, one might imagine would be one +of the last a good Actor would chuse to part with: But _Wilks_ was of a +different Opinion; for _Macbeth_ was thrice as long, had more great +Scenes of Action, and bore the Name of the Play: Now, to be a second in +any Play was what he did not much care for, and had been seldom us'd to: +This Part of _Macduff_, therefore, he had given to one _Williams_, as +yet no extraordinary, though a promising Actor.[171] _Williams_, in the +Simplicity of his Heart, immediately told _Booth_ what a Favour _Wilks_ +had done him. _Booth_, as he had Reason, thought _Wilks_ had here +carried his Indulgence and his Authority a little too far; for as +_Booth_ had no better a Part in the same Play than that of _Banquo_, he +found himself too much disregarded in letting so young an Actor take +Place of him: _Booth_, therefore, who knew the Value of _Macduff_, +proposed to do it himself, and to give _Banquo_ to _Williams_; and to +make him farther amends, offer'd him any other of his Parts that he +thought might be of Service to him. _Williams_ was content with the +Exchange, and thankful for the Promise. This Scheme, indeed, (had it +taken Effect) might have been an Ease to _Wilks_, and possibly no +Disadvantage to the Play; but softly----That was not quite what we had a +Mind to! No sooner, then, came this Proposal to _Wilks_, but off went +the Masque and out came the Secret! For though _Wilks_ wanted to be +eas'd of the Part, he did not desire to be _excell'd_ in it; and as he +was not sure but that might be the case if _Booth_ were to act it,[172] +he wisely retracted his own Project, took _Macduff_ again to himself, +and while he liv'd never had a Thought of running the same Hazard by any +farther Offer to resign it. + +Here I confess I am at a Loss for a Fact in History to which this can be +a Parallel! To be weary of a Post, even to a real Desire of resigning +it; and yet to chuse rather to drudge on in it than suffer it to be well +supplied (though to share in that Advantage) is a Delicacy of Ambition +that _Machiavil_ himself has made no mention of: Or if in old _Rome_, +the Jealousy of any pretended Patriot equally inclin'd to abdicate his +Office may have come up to it, 'tis more than my reading remembers. + +As nothing can be more impertinent than shewing too frequent a Fear to +be thought so, I will, without farther Apology, rather risque that +Imputation than not tell you another Story much to the same purpose, and +of no more consequence than my last. To make you understand it, however, +a little Preface will be necessary. + +If the Merit of an Actor (as it certainly does) consists more in the +Quality than the Quantity of his Labour; the other Menagers had no +visible Reason to think this needless Ambition of _Wilks_, in being so +often and sometimes so unnecessarily employ'd, gave him any Title to a +Superiority; especially when our Articles of Agreement had allow'd us +all to be equal. But what are narrow Contracts to great Souls with +growing Desires? _Wilks_, therefore, who thought himself lessen'd in +appealing to any Judgment but his own, plainly discovered by his +restless Behaviour (though he did not care to speak out) that he thought +he had a Right to some higher Consideration for his Performance: This +was often _Booth_'s Opinion, as well as my own. It must be farther +observ'd, that he actually had a separate Allowance of Fifty Pounds a +Year for writing our daily Play-Bills for the Printer: Which Province, +to say the Truth, was the only one we car'd to trust to his particular +Intendance, or could find out for a Pretence to distinguish him. But, to +speak a plainer Truth, this Pension, which was no part of our original +Agreement, was merely paid to keep him quiet, and not that we thought it +due to so insignificant a Charge as what a Prompter had formerly +executed. This being really the Case, his frequent Complaints of being a +Drudge to the Company grew something more than disagreeable to us: For +we could not digest the Imposition of a Man's setting himself to work, +and then bringing in his own Bill for it. _Booth_, therefore, who was +less easy than I was to see him so often setting a Merit upon this +Quantity of his Labour, which neither could be our Interest or his own +to lay upon him, proposed to me that we might remove this pretended +Grievance by reviving some Play that might be likely to live, and be +easily acted, without _Wilks_'s having any Part in it. About this time +an unexpected Occasion offer'd itself to put our Project in practice: +What follow'd our Attempt will be all (if any thing be) worth +Observation in my Story. + +In 1725 we were call'd upon, in a manner that could not be resisted, to +revive the _Provok'd Wife_,[173] a Comedy which, while we found our +Account in keeping the Stage clear of those loose Liberties it had +formerly too justly been charg'd with, we had laid aside for some +Years.[174] The Author, Sir _John Vanbrugh_, who was conscious of what +it had too much of, was prevail'd upon[175] to substitute a new-written +Scene in the Place of one in the fourth Act, where the Wantonness of his +Wit and Humour had (originally) made a Rake[176] talk like a Rake in the +borrow'd Habit of a Clergyman: To avoid which Offence, he clapt the same +Debauchee into the Undress of a Woman of Quality: Now the Character and +Profession of a Fine Lady not being so indelibly sacred as that of a +Churchman, whatever Follies he expos'd in the Petticoat kept him at +least clear of his former Prophaneness, and were now innocently +ridiculous to the Spectator. + +This Play being thus refitted for the Stage, was, as I have observ'd, +call'd for from Court and by many of the Nobility.[177] Now, then, we +thought, was a proper time to come to an Explanation with _Wilks_: +Accordingly, when the Actors were summon'd to hear the Play read and +receive their Parts, I address'd myself to _Wilks_, before them all, and +told him, That as the Part of _Constant_, which he seem'd to chuse, was +a Character of less Action than he generally appear'd in, we thought +this might be a good Occasion to ease himself by giving it to +another.--Here he look'd grave.--That the Love-Scenes of it were rather +serious than gay or humourous, and therefore might sit very well upon +_Booth_.----Down dropt his Brow, and furl'd were his Features.--That if +we were never to revive a tolerable Play without him, what would become +of us in case of his Indisposition?----Here he pretended to stir the +Fire.--That as he could have no farther Advantage or Advancement in his +Station to hope for, his acting in this Play was but giving himself an +unprofitable Trouble, which neither _Booth_ or I desired to impose upon +him.--Softly.--Now the Pill began to gripe him.----In a Word, this +provoking Civility plung'd him into a Passion which he was no longer +able to contain; out it came, with all the Equipage of unlimited +Language that on such Occasions his Displeasure usually set out with; +but when his Reply was stript of those Ornaments, it was plainly this: +That he look'd upon all I had said as a concerted Design, not only to +signalize our selves by laying him aside, but a Contrivance to draw him +into the Disfavour of the Nobility, by making it suppos'd his own Choice +that he did not act in a Play so particularly ask'd for; but we should +find he could stand upon his own Bottom, and it was not all our little +caballing should get our Ends of him: To which I answer'd with some +Warmth, That he was mistaken in our Ends; for Those, Sir, said I, you +have answer'd already by shewing the Company you cannot bear to be left +out of any Play. Are not you every Day complaining of your being +over-labour'd? And now, upon our first offering to ease you, you fly +into a Passion, and pretend to make that a greater Grievance than +t'other: But, Sir, if your being In or Out of the Play is a Hardship, +you shall impose it upon yourself: The Part is in your Hand, and to us +it is a Matter of Indifference now whether you take it or leave it. Upon +this he threw down the Part upon the Table, cross'd his Arms, and sate +knocking his Heel upon the Floor, as seeming to threaten most when he +said least; but when no body persuaded him to take it up again, _Booth_, +not chusing to push the matter too far, but rather to split the +difference of our Dispute, said, That, for his Part, he saw no such +great matter in acting every Day; for he believed it the wholsomest +Exercise in the World; it kept the Spirits in motion, and always gave +him a good Stomach. Though this was, in a manner, giving up the Part to +_Wilks_, yet it did not allow he did us any Favour in receiving it. Here +I observ'd Mrs. _Oldfield_ began to titter behind her Fan: But _Wilks_ +being more intent upon what _Booth_ had said, reply'd, Every one could +best feel for himself, but he did not pretend to the Strength of a +Pack-horse; therefore if Mrs. _Oldfield_ would chuse any body else to +play with her,[178] he should be very glad to be excus'd: This throwing +the Negative upon Mrs. _Oldfield_ was, indeed, a sure way to save +himself; which I could not help taking notice of, by saying, It was +making but an ill Compliment to the Company to suppose there was but one +Man in it fit to play an ordinary Part with her. Here Mrs. _Oldfield_ +got up, and turning me half round to come forward, said with her usual +Frankness, Pooh! you are all a Parcel of Fools, to make such a rout +about nothing! Rightly judging that the Person most out of humour would +not be more displeas'd at her calling us all by the same Name. As she +knew, too, the best way of ending the Debate would be to help the Weak; +she said, she hop'd Mr. _Wilks_ would not so far mind what had past as +to refuse his acting the Part with her; for tho' it might not be so good +as he had been us'd to, yet she believed those who had bespoke the Play +would expect to have it done to the best Advantage, and it would make +but an odd Story abroad if it were known there had been any Difficulty +in that point among ourselves. To conclude, _Wilks_ had the Part, and we +had all we wanted; which was an Occasion to let him see, that the +Accident or Choice of one Menager's being more employ'd than another +would never be allow'd a Pretence for altering our Indentures, or his +having an extraordinary Consideration for it.[179] + +However disagreeable it might be to have this unsociable Temper daily to +deal with; yet I cannot but say, that from the same impatient Spirit +that had so often hurt us, we still drew valuable Advantages: For as +_Wilks_ seem'd to have no Joy in Life beyond his being distinguish'd on +the Stage, we were not only sure of his always doing his best there +himself, but of making others more careful than without the Rod of so +irascible a Temper over them they would have been. And I much question +if a more temperate or better Usage of the hired Actors could have so +effectually kept them to Order. Not even _Betterton_ (as we have seen) +with all his good Sense, his great Fame and Experience, could, by being +only a quiet Example of Industry himself, save his Company from falling, +while neither Gentleness could govern or the Consideration of their +common Interest reform them.[180] Diligence, with much the inferior +Skill or Capacity, will beat the best negligent Company that ever came +upon a Stage. But when a certain dreaming Idleness or jolly Negligence +of Rehearsals gets into a Body of the Ignorant and Incapable (which +before _Wilks_ came into _Drury-Lane_, when _Powel_ was at the Head of +them, was the Case of that Company) then, I say, a sensible Spectator +might have look'd upon the fallen Stage as _Portius_ in the Play of +_Cato_ does upon his ruin'd Country, and have lamented it in (something +near) the same Exclamation, _viz._ + + _--O ye Immortal Bards! + What Havock do these Blockheads make among your Works! + How are the boasted Labours of an Age + Defac'd and tortured by Ungracious Action?_[181] + +Of this wicked Doings _Dryden_, too, complains in one of his Prologues +at that time, where, speaking of such lewd Actors, he closes a Couplet +with the following Line, _viz._ + + _And murder Plays, which they miscall Reviving._[182] + +The great Share, therefore, that _Wilks_, by his exemplary Diligence and +Impatience of Neglect in others, had in the Reformation of this Evil, +ought in Justice to be remember'd; and let my own Vanity here take Shame +to itself when I confess, That had I had half his Application, I still +think I might have shewn myself twice the Actor that in my highest State +of Favour I appear'd to be. But if I have any Excuse for that Neglect (a +Fault which, if I loved not Truth, I need not have mentioned) it is that +so much of my Attention was taken up in an incessant Labour to guard +against our private Animosities, and preserve a Harmony in our Menagement, +that I hope and believe it made ample Amends for whatever Omission my +Auditors might sometimes know it cost me some pains to conceal. But Nature +takes care to bestow her Blessings with a more equal Hand than Fortune +does, and is seldom known to heap too many upon one Man: One tolerable +Talent in an Individual is enough to preserve him from being good for +nothing; and, if that was not laid to my Charge as an Actor, I have in +this Light too, less to complain of than to be thankful for. + +Before I conclude my History, it may be expected I should give some +further View of these my last Cotemporaries of the Theatre, _Wilks_ and +_Booth_, in their different acting Capacities. If I were to paint them in +the Colours they laid upon one another, their Talents would not be shewn +with half the Commendation I am inclined to bestow upon them, when they +are left to my own Opinion. But People of the same Profession are apt to +see themselves in their own clear Glass of Partiality, and look upon their +Equals through a Mist of Prejudice. It might be imagin'd, too, from the +difference of their natural Tempers, that _Wilks_ should have been more +blind to the Excellencies of _Booth_ than _Booth_ was to those of _Wilks_; +but it was not so: _Wilks_ would sometimes commend _Booth_ to me; but when +_Wilks_ excell'd, the other was silent:[183] _Booth_ seem'd to think +nothing valuable that was not tragically Great or Marvellous: Let that be +as true as it may; yet I have often thought that, from his having no Taste +of Humour himself,[184] he might be too much inclin'd to depreciate the +Acting of it in others. The very slight Opinion which in private +Conversation with me he had of _Wilks_'s acting Sir _Harry Wildair_, was +certainly more than could be justified; not only from the general Applause +that was against that Opinion (tho' Applause is not always infallible) +but from the visible Capacity which must be allow'd to an Actor, that +could carry such slight Materials to such a height of Approbation: For, +though the Character of _Wildair_ scarce in any one Scene will stand +against a just Criticism; yet in the Whole there are so many gay and false +Colours of the fine Gentleman, that nothing but a Vivacity in the +Performance proportionably extravagant could have made them so happily +glare upon a common Audience. + +_Wilks_, from his first setting out, certainly form'd his manner of +Acting upon the Model of _Monfort_;[185] as _Booth_ did his on that of +_Betterton_. But----_Haud passibus æquis_: I cannot say either of them +came up to their Original. _Wilks_ had not that easy regulated Behaviour, +or the harmonious Elocution of the One, nor _Booth_ that Conscious Aspect +of Intelligence nor requisite Variation of Voice that made every Line the +Other spoke seem his own natural self-deliver'd Sentiment: Yet there is +still room for great Commendation of Both the first mentioned; which will +not be so much diminish'd in my having said they were only excell'd by +such Predecessors, as it will be rais'd in venturing to affirm it will be +a longer time before any Successors will come near them. Thus one of the +greatest Praises given to _Virgil_ is, that no Successor in Poetry came +so near _Him_ as _He_ himself did to _Homer_. + +Though the Majority of Publick Auditors are but bad judges of Theatrical +Action, and are often deceiv'd into their Approbation of what has no solid +Pretence to it; yet, as there are no other appointed Judges to appeal to, +and as every single Spectator has a Right to be one of them, their +Sentence will be definitive, and the Merit of an Actor must, in some +degree, be weigh'd by it: By this Law, then, _Wilks_ was pronounced an +Excellent Actor; which, if the few true Judges did not allow him to be, +they were at least too candid to slight or discourage him. _Booth_ and he +were Actors so directly opposite in their Manner, that if either of them +could have borrowed a little of the other's Fault, they would Both have +been improv'd by it: If _Wilks_ had sometimes too violent a Vivacity; +_Booth_ as often contented himself with too grave a Dignity: The Latter +seem'd too much to heave up his Words, as the other to dart them to the +Ear with too quick and sharp a Vehemence: Thus _Wilks_ would too +frequently break into the Time and Measure of the Harmony by too many +spirited Accents in one Line; and _Booth_, by too solemn a Regard to +Harmony, would as often lose the necessary Spirit of it: So that (as I +have observ'd) could we have sometimes rais'd the one and sunk the other, +they had both been nearer to the mark. Yet this could not be always +objected to them: They had their Intervals of unexceptionable Excellence, +that more than balanc'd their Errors. The Master-piece of _Booth_ was +_Othello_: There he was most in Character, and seemed not more to animate +or please himself in it than his Spectators. 'Tis true he owed his last +and highest Advancement to his acting _Cato_: But it was the Novelty and +critical Appearance of that Character that chiefly swell'd the Torrent of +his Applause: For let the Sentiments of a declaiming Patriot have all the +Sublimity that Poetry can raise them to; let them be deliver'd, too, with +the utmost Grace and Dignity of Elocution that can recommend them to the +Auditor: Yet this is but one Light wherein the Excellence of an Actor can +shine: But in _Othello_ we may see him in the Variety of Nature: There the +Actor is carried through the different Accidents of domestick Happiness +and Misery, occasionally torn and tortur'd by the most distracting Passion +that can raise Terror or Compassion in the Spectator. Such are the +Characters that a Master Actor would delight in; and therefore in +_Othello_ I may safely aver that _Booth_ shew'd himself thrice the Actor +that he could in _Cato_. And yet his Merit in acting _Cato_ need not be +diminish'd by this Comparison. + +_Wilks_ often regretted that in Tragedy he had not the full and strong +Voice of _Booth_ to command and grace his Periods with: But _Booth_ us'd +to say, That if his Ear had been equal to it, _Wilks_ had Voice enough to +have shewn himself a much better Tragedian. Now, though there might be +some Truth in this; yet these two Actors were of so mixt a Merit, that +even in Tragedy the Superiority was not always on the same side: In +Sorrow, Tenderness, or Resignation, _Wilks_ plainly had the Advantage, +and seem'd more pathetically to feel, look, and express his Calamity: +But in the more turbulent Transports of the Heart, _Booth_ again bore +the Palm, and left all Competitors behind him. A Fact perhaps will set +this Difference in a clearer Light. I have formerly seen _Wilks_ act +_Othello_,[186] and _Booth_ the _Earl of Essex_,[187] in which they both +miscarried: Neither the exclamatory Rage or Jealousy of the one, or the +plaintive Distresses of the other, were happily executed, or became either +of them; though in the contrary Characters they were both excellent. + +When an Actor becomes and naturally Looks the Character he stands in, I +have often observ'd it to have had as fortunate an Effect, and as much +recommended him to the Approbation of the common Auditors, as the most +correct or judicious Utterance of the Sentiments: This was strongly +visible in the favourable Reception _Wilks_ met with in _Hamlet_, where +I own the Half of what he spoke was as painful to my Ear as every Line +that came from _Betterton_ was charming;[188] and yet it is not +impossible, could they have come to a Poll, but _Wilks_ might have had a +Majority of Admirers: However, such a Division had been no Proof that +the Præeminence had not still remain'd in _Betterton_; and if I should +add that _Booth_, too, was behind _Betterton_ in _Othello_, it would be +saying no more than _Booth_ himself had Judgment and Candour enough to +know and confess. And if both he and _Wilks_ are allow'd, in the two +above-mention'd Characters, a second Place to so great a Master as +_Betterton_, it will be a Rank of Praise that the best Actors since my +Time might have been proud of. + +I am now come towards the End of that Time through which our Affairs had +long gone forward in a settled Course of Prosperity. From the Visible +Errors of former Menagements we had at last found the necessary Means to +bring our private Laws and Orders into the general Observance and +Approbation of our Society: Diligence and Neglect were under an equal +Eye; the one never fail'd of its Reward, and the other, by being very +rarely excus'd, was less frequently committed. You are now to consider +us in our height of Favour, and so much in fashion with the politer Part +of the Town, that our House every _Saturday_ seem'd to be the appointed +Assembly of the First Ladies of Quality: Of this, too, the common +Spectators were so well appriz'd, that for twenty Years successively, on +that Day, we scarce ever fail'd of a crowded Audience; for which +Occasion we particularly reserv'd our best Plays, acted in the best +Manner we could give them.[189] + +Among our many necessary Reformations; what not a little preserv'd to us +the Regard of our Auditors, was the Decency of our clear Stage;[190] +from whence we had now, for many Years, shut out those idle Gentlemen, +who seem'd more delighted to be pretty Objects themselves, than capable +of any Pleasure from the Play: Who took their daily Stands where they +might best elbow the Actor, and come in for their Share of the Auditor's +Attention. In many a labour'd Scene of the warmest Humour and of the +most affecting Passion have I seen the best Actors disconcerted, while +these buzzing Muscatos have been fluttering round their Eyes and Ears. +How was it possible an Actor, so embarrass'd, should keep his Impatience +from entering into that different Temper which his personated Character +might require him to be Master of? + +Future Actors may perhaps wish I would set this Grievance in a stronger +Light; and, to say the Truth, where Auditors are ill-bred, it cannot +well be expected that Actors should be polite. Let me therefore shew how +far an Artist in any Science is apt to be hurt by any sort of +Inattention to his Performance. + +While the famous _Corelli_,[191] at _Rome_, was playing some Musical +Composition of his own to a select Company in the private Apartment of +his Patron-Cardinal, he observed, in the height of his Harmony, his +Eminence was engaging in a detach'd Conversation; upon which he suddenly +stopt short, and gently laid down his Instrument: The Cardinal, +surpriz'd at the unexpected Cessation, ask'd him if a String was broke? +To which _Corelli_, in an honest Conscience of what was due to his +Musick, reply'd, No, Sir, I was only afraid I interrupted Business. His +Eminence, who knew that a Genius could never shew itself to Advantage +where it had not its proper Regards, took this Reproof in good Part, and +broke off his Conversation to hear the whole _Concerto_ play'd over +again. + +Another Story will let us see what Effect a mistaken Offence of this +kind had upon the _French_ Theatre; which was told me by a Gentleman of +the long Robe, then at _Paris_, and who was himself the innocent Author +of it. At the Tragedy of _Zaire_, while the celebrated Mademoiselle +_Gossin_[192] was delivering a Soliloquy, this Gentleman was seiz'd +with a sudden Fit of Coughing, which gave the Actress some Surprize and +Interruption; and his Fit increasing, she was forced to stand silent so +long, that it drew the Eyes of the uneasy Audience upon him; when a +_French_ Gentleman, leaning forward to him, ask'd him, If this Actress +had given him any particular Offence, that he took so publick an +Occasion to resent it? The _English_ Gentleman, in the utmost Surprize, +assured him, So far from it, that he was a particular Admirer of her +Performance; that his Malady was his real Misfortune, and if he +apprehended any Return of it, he would rather quit his Seat than +disoblige either the Actress or the Audience. + +This publick Decency in their Theatre I have myself seen carried so far, +that a Gentleman in their _second Loge_, or Middle-Gallery, being +observ'd to sit forward himself while a Lady sate behind him, a loud +Number of Voices call'd out to him from the Pit, _Place à la Dame!_ +_Place à la Dame!_ When the Person so offending, either not apprehending +the Meaning of the Clamour, or possibly being some _John Trott_ who +fear'd no Man alive; the Noise was continued for several Minutes; nor +were the Actors, though ready on the Stage, suffer'd to begin the Play +'till this unbred Person was laugh'd out of his Seat, and had placed the +Lady before him. + +Whether this Politeness observ'd at Plays may be owing to their Clime, +their Complexion, or their Government, is of no great Consequence; but +if it is to be acquired, methinks it is pity our accomplish'd +Countrymen, who every Year import so much of this Nation's gawdy +Garniture, should not, in this long Course of our Commerce with them, +have brought over a little of their Theatrical Good-breeding too. + +I have been the more copious upon this Head, that it might be judg'd how +much it stood us upon to have got rid of those improper Spectators I +have been speaking of: For whatever Regard we might draw by keeping them +at a Distance from our Stage, I had observed, while they were admitted +behind our Scenes, we but too often shew'd them the wrong Side of our +Tapestry; and that many a tolerable Actor was the less valued when it +was known what ordinary Stuff he was made of. + +Among the many more disagreeable Distresses that are almost unavoidable in +the Government of a Theatre, those we so often met with from the +Persecution of bad Authors were what we could never intirely get rid of. +But let us state both our Cases, and then see where the Justice of the +Complaint lies. 'Tis true, when an ingenious Indigent had taken perhaps a +whole Summer's Pains, _invitâ Minervâ_, to heap up a Pile of Poetry into +the Likeness of a Play, and found, at last, the gay Promise of his +Winter's Support was rejected and abortive, a Man almost ought to be a +Poet himself to be justly sensible of his Distress! Then, indeed, great +Allowances ought to be made for the severe Reflections he might naturally +throw upon those pragmatical Actors, who had no Sense or Taste of good +Writing. And yet, if his Relief was only to be had by his imposing a bad +Play upon a good Set of Actors, methinks the Charity that first looks at +home has as good an Excuse for its Coldness as the unhappy Object of it +had a Plea for his being reliev'd at their Expence. But immediate Want was +not always confess'd their Motive for Writing; Fame, Honour, and +_Parnassian_ Glory had sometimes taken a romantick Turn in their Heads; +and then they gave themselves the Air of talking to us in a higher +Strain--Gentlemen were not to be so treated! the Stage was like to be +finely govern'd when Actors pretended to be Judges of Authors, &_c._ But, +dear Gentlemen! if they were good Actors, why not? How should they have +been able to act, or rise to any Excellence, if you supposed them not to +feel or understand what you offer'd them? Would you have reduc'd them to +the meer Mimickry of Parrots and Monkies, that can only prate, and play a +great many pretty Tricks, without Reflection? Or how are you sure your +Friend, the infallible Judge to whom you read your fine Piece, might be +sincere in the Praises he gave it? Or, indeed, might not you have thought +the best Judge a bad one if he had disliked it? Consider, too, how +possible it might be that a Man of Sense would not care to tell you a +Truth he was sure you would not believe! And if neither _Dryden_, +_Congreve_, _Steele_, _Addison_, nor _Farquhar_, (if you please) ever made +any Complaint of their Incapacity to judge, why is the World to believe +the Slights you have met with from them are either undeserved or +particular? Indeed! indeed, I am not conscious that we ever did you or any +of your Fraternity the least Injustice![193] Yet this was not all we had +to struggle with; to supersede our Right of rejecting, the Recommendation, +or rather Imposition, of some great Persons (whom it was not Prudence to +disoblige) sometimes came in with a high Hand to support their +Pretensions; and then, _cout que cout_, acted it must be! So when the +short Life of this wonderful Nothing was over, the Actors were perhaps +abus'd in a Preface for obstructing the Success of it, and the Town +publickly damn'd us for our private Civility.[194] + +I cannot part with these fine Gentlemen Authors without mentioning a +ridiculous _Disgraccia_ that befel one of them many Years ago: This +solemn Bard, who, like _Bays_, only writ for Fame and Reputation; on the +second Day's publick Triumph of his Muse, marching in a stately +full-bottom'd Perriwig into the Lobby of the House, with a Lady of +Condition in his Hand, when raising his Voice to the Sir _Fopling_ +Sound, that _became the Mouth of a Man of Quality_, and calling +out--Hey! Box-keeper, where is my Lady such-a-one's Servant, was +unfortunately answer'd by honest _John Trott_, (which then happen'd to +be the Box-keeper's real Name) Sir, we have dismiss'd, there was not +Company enough to pay Candles. In which mortal Astonishment it may be +sufficient to leave him. And yet had the Actors refus'd this Play, what +Resentment might have been thought too severe for them? + +Thus was our Administration often censured for Accidents which were not +in our Power to prevent: A possible Case in the wisest Governments. If, +therefore, some Plays have been preferr'd to the Stage that were never +fit to have been seen there, let this be our best Excuse for it. And +yet, if the Merit of our rejecting the many bad Plays that press'd hard +upon us were weigh'd against the few that were thus imposed upon us, our +Conduct in general might have more Amendments of the Stage to boast of +than Errors to answer for. But it is now Time to drop the Curtain. + +During our four last Years there happen'd so very little unlike what +has been said before, that I shall conclude with barely mentioning +those unavoidable Accidents that drew on our Dissolution. The first, +that for some Years had led the way to greater, was the continued ill +State of Health that render'd _Booth_[195] incapable of appearing on +the Stage. The next was the Death of Mrs. _Oldfield_,[196] which +happen'd on the 23d of _October_, 1730. About the same Time, too, +Mrs. _Porter_, then in her highest Reputation for Tragedy, was lost +to us by the Misfortune of a dislocated Limb from the overturning of +a _Chaise_.[197] And our last Stroke was the Death of _Wilks_, in +_September_ the Year following, 1731.[198] + +[Illustration: CHARLES FLEETWOOD.] + +Notwithstanding such irreparable Losses; whether, when these favourite +Actors were no more to be had, their Successors might not be better born +with than they could possibly have hop'd while the former were in +being; or that the generality of Spectators, from their want of Taste, +were easier to be pleas'd than the few that knew better: Or that, at +worst, our Actors were still preferable to any other Company of the +several then subsisting: Or to whatever Cause it might be imputed, our +Audiences were far less abated than our Apprehensions had suggested. So +that, though it began to grow late in Life with me; having still Health +and Strength enough to have been as useful on the Stage as ever, I was +under no visible Necessity of quitting it: But so it happen'd that our +surviving Fraternity having got some chimærical, and, as I thought, +unjust Notions into their Heads, which, though I knew they were without +much Difficulty to be surmounted; I chose not, at my time of Day, to +enter into new Contentions; and as I found an Inclination in some of +them to purchase the whole Power of the Patent into their own Hands; I +did my best while I staid with them to make it worth their while to come +up to my Price; and then patiently sold out my Share to the first +Bidder, wishing the Crew I had left in the Vessel a good Voyage.[199] + +What Commotions the Stage fell into the Year following, or from what +Provocations the greatest Part of the Actors revolted, and set up for +themselves in the little House in the _Hay-Market_, lies not within the +Promise of my Title Page to relate: Or, as it might set some Persons +living in a Light they possibly might not chuse to be seen in, I will +rather be thankful for the involuntary Favour they have done me, than +trouble the Publick with private Complaints of fancied or real Injuries. + + +_FINIS_. + + + + +SUPPLEMENTARY CHAPTER. + +BY ROBERT W. LOWE. + + +[Illustration: Ad Lalauze, sc] + +The transaction to which Cibber alludes in his last paragraph is one +with regard to which he probably felt that his conduct required some +explanation. After the death of Steele, a Patent was granted to Cibber, +Wilks, and Booth, empowering them to give plays at Drury Lane, or +elsewhere, for a period of twenty-one years from 1st September, +1732.[200] Just after it came into operation Wilks died, and his share +in the Patent became the property of his wife. Booth, shortly before his +death, which occurred in May, 1733, sold half of his share for £2,500, +to John Highmore, a gentleman who seems to have been a typical amateur +manager, being possessed of some money, no judgment, and unbounded +vanity. In making this purchase Highmore stipulated that, with half of +Booth's share, he should receive the whole of his authority; and he +accordingly exercised the same power of control as had belonged to +Booth. Mrs. Wilks deputed Mr. John Ellys, the painter, to be her +representative, so that Cibber had to manage the affairs of the theatre +in conjunction with a couple of amateurs, both ignorant, and one +certainly presumptuous also. He delegated his authority for a time to +his scapegrace son, Theophilus, who probably made himself so +objectionable that Highmore was glad to buy the father's share in the +Patent also.[201] He paid three thousand guineas for it, thus purchasing +a whole share for a sum not much exceeding that which he had paid for +one-half. Highmore's first purchase took place in the autumn of 1732, +his second somewhere about May, 1733; so that, when Drury Lane opened +for the season 1733-34, he possessed one-half of the three shares into +which the Patent was divided. Mrs. Wilks retained her share, but Mrs. +Booth had sold her remaining half-share to Henry Giffard,[202] the +manager of Goodman's Fields Theatre, at which, eight years later, +Garrick made his first appearance. Highmore had scarcely entered upon +his fuller authority when a revolt was spirited up among his actors, the +chief of whom left him in a body to open the little theatre in the +Haymarket. Shameful to relate, the ringleader in this mutiny was +Theophilus Cibber; and, what is still more disgraceful, Colley Cibber +lent them his active countenance. Benjamin Victor, though a devoted +friend of Colley Cibber, characterizes the transaction as most +dishonest,[203] and there is no reason to doubt the accuracy of his +information or the soundness of his judgment. Davies ("Life of Garrick," +i. 76) states that Colley Cibber applied to the Duke of Grafton, then +Lord Chamberlain, for a new License or Patent in favour of his son; but +the Duke, on inquiring into the matter, was so disgusted at Cibber's +conduct that he refused the application with strong expressions of +disapprobation. The seceders had of course no Patent or License under +which to act; but, from the circumstance that they took the name of +Comedians of His Majesty's Revels, it is probable that they received a +License from the Master of the Revels, Charles Henry Lee. Highmore, +deserted by every actor of any importance except Miss Raftor (Mrs. +Clive), Mrs. Horton, and Bridgwater, was at his wits' end. He summoned +the seceders for an infringement of his Patent, but his case, tried on +5th November, 1733, was dismissed, apparently on some technical plea. He +could not prevail upon the Lord Chamberlain to exert his authority to +close the Haymarket, so he determined to try the efficacy of the Vagrant +Act (12 Queen Anne) against the irregular performers. John Harper +accordingly was arrested on 12th November, 1733, and committed to +Bridewell. On the 20th of the same month he was tried before the Court +of King's Bench as a rogue and vagabond; but, whether from the +circumstance that Harper was a householder, or from a decision that +playing at the Haymarket was not an act of vagrancy,[204] he was +discharged upon his own recognizance, and the manager's action failed. +He had therefore to bring actors from the country to make up his +company; but of these Macklin was the only one who proved of any +assistance, and the unfortunate Highmore, after meeting deficiencies of +fifty or sixty pounds each week for some months, was forced to give up +the struggle.[205] Another amateur then stepped into the breach--Charles +Fleetwood, who purchased the shares of Highmore and Mrs. Wilks for +little more than the former had paid for his own portion. Giffard seems +to have retained his sixth of the Patent. Fleetwood first set about +regaining the services of the seceders, and, as the majority of them +were probably ashamed of following the leadership of Theophilus Cibber, +he succeeded at once. The last performance at the Haymarket took place +on 9th March, 1734, and on the 12th the deserters reappeared on Drury +Lane stage. This transaction ended Colley Cibber's direct interference +in the affairs of the theatre, and his only subsequent connection with +the stage was as an actor. His first appearance after his retirement was +on 31st October, 1734, when he played his great character of Bayes. +During the season he acted Lord Foppington, Sir John Brute, Sir Courtly +Nice, and Sir Fopling Flutter; and on 26th February, 1735, he appeared +as Fondlewife for the benefit of his old friend and partner, Owen +Swiney.[206] At the end of the season 1734-5, an arrangement was under +consideration by which a committee of actors, including Mills, Johnson, +Miller, Theo. Cibber, Mrs. Heron, Mrs. Butler, and others, were to rent +Drury Lane from Fleetwood, for fifteen years, at £920 per annum; but the +arrangement does not appear to have been carried out, and Fleetwood +continued Patentee of Drury Lane until 1744-5. + +The rival company, under the control of John Rich, acted at Lincoln's Inn +Fields from 18th December, 1714, to 5th December, 1732; then they removed +to the new Covent Garden Theatre, which was opened on 7th December with +"The Way of the World." For several seasons both companies dragged along +very uneventfully, so far as the artistic advancement of the stage was +concerned, although the passing of the Licensing Act of 1737, already +fully commented on, was an event of great historical importance. +Artistically the period was one of rest, if not of retrogression; the +methods of the older time were losing their meaning and vitality, and were +becoming mere dry bones of tradition. The high priest of the stage was +James Quin, a great actor, though not of the first order; and among the +younger players perhaps the most notable was Charles Macklin, rough in +manner as in person, but full of genius and a thorough reformer. Garrick +was the direct means of revolutionizing the methods of the theatre, and it +was his genius that swept away the formality and dulness of the old +school; but it ought to be remembered that the way was prepared for him by +Charles Macklin, whose rescue of Shylock from low comedy was an +achievement scarcely inferior to Garrick's greatest. During this dull +period Cibber's appearances must have had an importance and interest, +which, after Garrick's advent, they lacked. + +In the season 1735-6 he acted Sir Courtly Nice and Bayes, and in the +next season his play of "Papal Tyranny in the Reign of King John," a +miserable mutilation of Shakespeare's "King John," was put in rehearsal +at Drury Lane. But such a storm of ridicule and abuse arose when this +play was announced, that Cibber withdrew it,[207] and it was not seen +till 1745, when, the nation being in fear of a Popish Pretender, it was +produced at Covent Garden from patriotic motives. + +Cibber's implacable foe, Fielding, was one of the ringleaders in the +attack on him for mutilating Shakespeare; and in his "Historical Register +for 1736,"[208] in which Colley is introduced as "Ground-Ivy,"[209] gives +him the following excellent rebuke:-- + +"_Medley._ As _Shakspear_ is already good enough for People of Taste, +he must be alter'd to the Palates of those who have none; and if you +will grant that, who can be properer to alter him for the worse?" + +In 1738, having, as Victor says ("History," ii. 48), "Health and +Strength enough to be as useful as ever," he agreed with Fleetwood to +perform a round of his favourite characters. He was successful in +comedy, but in tragedy he felt that his strength was no longer +sufficient; and Victor relates that, going behind the scenes while the +third act of "Richard III." was on, he was told in a whisper by the old +man, "That he would give fifty Guineas to be then sitting in his easy +Chair by his own Fire-side." Probably he never played in tragedy again +until the production of his own "Papal Tyranny"--at least I cannot +discover that he did. In 1740-1 he acted Fondlewife for the benefit of +Chetwood, late prompter at Drury Lane, who was then imprisoned in the +King's Bench for debt; and his reception was so favourable that he +repeated the character a second and third time for his own profit.[210] +Upon these occasions he spoke an "Epilogue upon Himself," which is given +in "The Egotist" (p. 57 _et seq._), and forms so good an epitome of +Cibber's philosophy, besides giving an excellent specimen of his style, +that I quote it at length:-- + + "Now worn with Years, and yet in Folly strong, + Now to act Parts, your Grandsires saw when Young! + What could provoke me!--I was always wrong. + To hope, with Age, I could advance in Merit! + Even Age well acted, asks a youthful Spirit: + To feel my Wants, yet shew 'em thus detected, + Is living to the Dotage, I have acted! + T' have acted only Once excus'd might be, + When I but play'd the Fool for Charity! + But fondly to repeat it!--Senseless Ninny! + --No--now--as Doctors do--I touch the Guinea! + And while I find my Doses can affect you, + 'Twere greater Folly still, should I neglect you. + Though this Excuse, at _White'_s they'll not allow me; + The Ralliers There, in Diff'rent Lights will shew me. + They'll tell you There: I only act--sly Rogue! + To play with _Cocky_![211]--O! the doting Dog! + And howsoe'er an Audience might regard me, + One--_tiss ye Nykin_,[212] amply might reward me! + Let them enjoy the Jest, with Laugh incessant! + For True, or False, or Right, or Wrong, 'tis pleasant! + Mixt, in the wisest Heads, we find some Folly; + Yet I find few such happy Fools--as _Colley_! + So long t'have liv'd the daily Satire's Stroke, } + Unmov'd by Blows, that might have fell'd an Oak, } + And yet have laugh'd the labour'd Libel to a Joke. } + Suppose such want of Feeling prove me dull! + What's my Aggressor then--a peevish Fool! + The strongest Satire's on a Blockhead lost; + For none but Fools or Madmen strike a Post. + If for my Folly's larger List you call, + My Life has lump'd 'em! There you'll read 'em all. + There you'll find Vanity, wild Hopes pursuing; + A wide Attempt: to save the Stage from Ruin! + There I confess, I have _out-done_ my _own out-doing_![213] + As for what's left of Life, if still 'twill do; + 'Tis at your Service, pleas'd while pleasing you: + But then, mistake me not! when you've enough; + One slender House declares both Parties off: + Or Truth in homely Proverb to advance, + I pipe no longer than you care to dance." + +The representative of Lætitia (or _Cocky_) alluded to in this Epilogue +was Mrs. Woffington, with whom stage-history has identified the +"Susannah" of the following well-known anecdote, which I quote from an +attack upon Cibber, published in 1742, entitled "A Blast upon _Bays_; +or, A New Lick at the Laureat." The author writes: "No longer ago than +when the _Bedford Coffee house_ was in Vogue, and Mr. _Cibber_ was +writing _An Apology for his own Life_, there was one Mr. S---- (the +Importer of an expensive _Haymarket_ Comedy) an old Acquaintance of Mr. +_Cibber_, who, as well as he, retain'd a Smack of his antient Taste. In +those Days there was also a fair smirking Damsel, whose name was +_Susannah-Maria_ * * *, who happen'd to have Charms sufficient to revive +the decay'd Vigour of these two Friends. They equally pursued her, even +to the _Hazard of their Health_, and were frequently seen dangling after +her, with tottering Knees, at one and the same Time. You have heard, +Sir, what a witty Friend of your own said once on this Occasion: _Lo! +yonder goes_ Susannah _and the two Elders._" Even Genest has applied +this anecdote to Mrs. Woffington, but the only circumstance that lends +confirmation to this view is the fact that Swiney (who is Mr. S----) +left her his estate. Against this must be set the important points that +Susannah Maria was not Mrs. Woffington's name, and that the joke +depended for its neatness and applicability on the name Susannah. The +narrator of the story, also, gives no hint that the damsel was the +famous actress, as he certainly would have done; and, most important of +all, it must be pointed out that at the period mentioned, that is, while +Cibber was writing his "Apology," Mrs. Woffington had not appeared in +London. The "Apology" was published in April, 1740, and had probably +been completed in the preceding November; while Mrs. Woffington made her +London _débût_ on 6th November, 1740.[214] + +During the season 1741-2, "At the particular desire of several persons +of Quality," Cibber made a few appearances at Covent Garden; the +purpose being, in all probability, to oppose the extraordinary +attraction of Garrick at Goodman's Fields. In 1743-4 he played at the +same theatre as Garrick, being engaged at Drury Lane for a round of his +famous characters; but there is no record that Garrick and he appeared +in the same play. For the new actor Cibber had, naturally enough, no +great admiration. He must have resented deeply the alteration in the +method of acting tragedy which Garrick introduced, and is always +reported as having lost no opportunity of expressing his low opinion of +the new school.[215] + +His last appearances on the stage were in direct rivalry with his young +opponent. As has been related, Cibber's alteration of "King John," which +had been "burked" in 1736-7, was produced, from patriotic motives, in +1745. As the principal purpose of the alteration was to make King John +resent the insolence of the Pope's Nuncio in a much more emphatic manner +than he does in Shakespeare, it may easily be imagined how wretched a +production Cibber's play is. Genest's criticism is not too strong when +he says (iv. 161): "In a word, Cibber has on this occasion shown himself +utterly void of taste, judgment and modesty--well might Fielding call +him Ground-Ivy, and say that no man was better calculated to alter +Shakspeare for the worse ... in the Epilogue (which was spoken by Mrs. +Clive) Cibber speaks of himself with modesty, but in the dedication, +being emboldened by the favourable reception of his Tragedy, he has the +insolence to say '_I have endeavoured to make it more like a play than I +found it in Shakspeare._'" "Papal Tyranny" was produced at Covent Garden +on 15th February, 1745,[216] and, in opposition to it, Shakespeare's +play was put up at Drury Lane, with Garrick as King John, Macklin as +Pandulph, and Mrs. Cibber (the great Mrs. Cibber, wife of Theophilus) as +Constance. Cibber's play was, nevertheless, successful; the profit +resulting to the author being, according to Victor, four hundred pounds, +which he wisely laid out in a profitable annuity with Lord Mountford. In +this play Cibber made his last appearance on the stage, on 26th +February, 1745, on which day "Papal Tyranny" was played for the tenth +time. "After which," says Victor ("History," ii. 49) "he retired to his +easy Chair and his Chariot, to waste the Remains of Life with a +chearful, contented Mind, without the least bodily Complaint, but that +of a slow, unavoidable Decay." + +His state of mind was probably the more "chearful and contented" because +of his unquestionable success in his tilt with the formidable author of +"The Dunciad;" a success none the less certain at the time, that the +enduring fame of Pope has caused Cibber's triumph over him to be lost +sight of now. The progress of the quarrel between these enemies has +already been related up to the publication of Cibber's "Apology" (see +vol. i. p. 36), and on pages 21, 35, and 36 of the first volume of this +edition will be found Cibber's perfectly good-natured and proper remarks +on Pope's attacks on him. Whether the very fact that Cibber did not show +temper irritated his opponent, I do not know; but it probably did so, +for in the fourth book of "The Dunciad," published in 1742, Pope had +another fling at his opponent (line 17):-- + + "She mounts the throne: her head a cloud conceal'd, + In broad effulgence all below reveal'd; + ('Tis thus aspiring Dulness ever shines:) + Soft on her lap her laureate son reclines." + +And in line 532 he talks of "Cibberian forehead" as typical of +unblushing impudence. + +It is not surprising that this last attack exhausted Cibber's patience. +He had hitherto received his punishment with good temper and good +humour; but his powerful enemy had not therefore held his hand. He now +determined to retaliate. Conscious of the diseased susceptibility of +Pope to ridicule, he felt himself quite capable of replying, not with +equal literary power, but with much superior practical effect. +Accordingly in 1742 there appeared a pamphlet entitled "A Letter from +Mr. Cibber, to Mr. Pope, inquiring into the motives that might induce +him in his Satyrical Works, to be so frequently fond of Mr. Cibber's +name." To it was prefixed the motto: "_Out of thy own Mouth will I judge +thee._ Pref. to the _Dunciad_." + +Cibber commences by stating that he had been persuaded to reply to Pope +by his friends; who insisted that for him to treat his attacker any +longer with silent disdain might be thought a confession of Dulness +indeed. This is a highly probable statement; for an encounter between +the vivacious Cibber and the thin-skinned Pope promised a wealth of +amusement for those who looked on--a promise which was amply fulfilled. +Cibber proceeds to assure Pope that, having entered the lists, he will +not in future avoid the fray, but reply to every attack made on +him.[217] He confesses his vast inferiority to Pope, but adds: "I own +myself so contented a Dunce, that I would not have even your merited +Fame in Poetry, if it were to be attended with half the fretful +Solicitude you seem to have lain under to maintain it; of which the +laborious Rout you make about it, in those Loads of Prose Rubbish, +wherewith you have almost smother'd your _Dunciad_, is so sore a Proof." +On page 17 of his "Letter" Cibber gives an interesting account of a +quarrel between Pope and himself, to which he, with sufficient +probability, attributes much of Pope's enmity. The passage is curious +and important, so I quote it in full:-- + +[Illustration: ALEXANDER POPE.] + +"The Play of the _Rehearsal_, which had lain some few Years dormant, +being by his present Majesty (then Prince of _Wales_) commanded to be +revived, the Part of _Bays_ fell to my share. To this Character there +had always been allow'd such ludicrous Liberties of Observation, upon +any thing new, or remarkable, in the state of the Stage, as Mr. _Bays_ +might think proper to take. Much about this time, then, _The Three Hours +after Marriage_ had been acted without Success;[218] when Mr. _Bays_, as +usual, had a fling at it, which, in itself, was no Jest, unless the +Audience would please to make it one: But however, flat as it was, Mr. +_Pope_ was mortally sore upon it. This was the Offence. In this Play, +two Coxcombs, being in love with a learned Virtuoso's Wife, to get +unsuspected Access to her, ingeniously send themselves, as two presented +Rarities, to the Husband, the one curiously swath'd up like an +_Egyptian_ Mummy, and the other slily cover'd in the Pasteboard Skin of +a Crocodile: upon which poetical Expedient, I, Mr. _Bays_, when the two +Kings of _Brentford_ came from the Clouds into the Throne again, instead +of what my Part directed me to say, made use of these Words, viz. 'Now, +Sir, this Revolution, I had some Thoughts of introducing, by a quite +different Contrivance; but my Design taking air, some of your sharp +Wits, I found, had made use of it before me; otherwise I intended to +have stolen one of them in, in the Shape of a _Mummy_, and t'other, in +that of a _Crocodile_.' Upon which, I doubt, the Audience by the Roar of +their Applause shew'd their proportionable Contempt of the Play they +belong'd to. But why am I answerable for that? I did not lead them, by +any Reflection of my own, into that Contempt: Surely to have used the +bare Word _Mummy_, and _Crocodile_, was neither unjust, or unmannerly; +Where then was the Crime of simply saying there had been two such +things in a former Play? But this, it seems, was so heinously taken by +Mr. _Pope_, that, in the swelling of his Heart, after the Play was over, +he came behind the Scenes, with his Lips pale and his Voice trembling, +to call me to account for the Insult: And accordingly fell upon me with +all the foul Language, that a Wit out of his Senses could be capable +of----How durst I have the Impudence to treat any Gentleman in that +manner? _&c. &c. &c._ Now let the Reader judge by this Concern, who +was the true Mother of the Child! When he was almost choked with the +foam of his Passion, I was enough recover'd from my Amazement to make +him (as near as I can remember) this Reply, _viz._ 'Mr. _Pope_----You +are so particular a Man, that I must be asham'd to return your Language +as I ought to do: but since you have attacked me in so monstrous a +Manner; This you may depend upon, that so long as the Play continues to +be acted, I will never fail to repeat the same Words over and over +again.' Now, as he accordingly found I kept my Word, for several Days +following, I am afraid he has since thought, that his Pen was a sharper +Weapon than his Tongue to trust his Revenge with. And however just Cause +this may be for his so doing, it is, at least, the only Cause my +Conscience can charge me with. Now, as I might have concealed this Fact +if my Conscience would have suffered me, may we not suppose, Mr. _Pope_ +would certainly have mention'd it in his _Dunciad_, had he thought it +could have been of service to him?" + +Cibber afterwards proceeds to criticise and reply to allusions to +himself in Pope's works, some of which are in conspicuously bad taste. +Cibber, of course, does not miss the obvious point that to attack his +successful plays was a foolish proceeding on Pope's part, whose own +endeavours as a dramatist had been completely unsuccessful, and who thus +laid himself open to the charge of envy. Nor is this accusation so +ridiculous as it may seem to readers of to-day, for a successful +playwright was a notable public figure, and the delicious applause of +the crowded theatre was eagerly sought by even the most eminent men. And +again, it must be remembered that Pope's fame was not then the perfectly +assured matter that it is now. + +But Cibber's great point, which made his opponent writhe with fury, was +a little anecdote--Dr. Johnson terms it "an idle story of Pope's +behaviour at a tavern"--which raised a universal shout of merriment at +Pope's expense. The excuse for its introduction was found in these lines +from the "Epistle to Dr. Arbuthnot":-- + + "Whom have I hurt? has poet yet or peer + Lost the arch'd eyebrow or Parnassian sneer? + And has not Colley still his lord and whore? + His butchers Henley? his freemasons Moore?" + +Cibber's anecdote cannot be defended on the ground of decency, but it is +extremely ludicrous, and in the state of society then existing it must +have been a knock-down blow to the unhappy subject of it. There can be +little doubt that it was this pamphlet which Pope received on the +occasion when the Richardsons visited him, as related by Johnson in his +Life of the poet: "I have heard Mr. Richardson relate that he attended +his father the painter on a visit, when one of Cibber's pamphlets came +into the hands of Pope, who said, 'These things are my diversion.' They +sat by him while he perused it, and saw his features writhing with +anguish: and young Richardson said to his father, when they returned, +that he hoped to be preserved from such diversion as had been that day +the lot of Pope." How deeply Pope was galled by Cibber's ludicrous +picture of him is manifested by the extraordinary revenge he took. And +even now we can realize the bitterness of the provocation when we read +the maliciously comic story of the vivacious Colley:-- + +"As to the first Part of the Charge, the _Lord_; Why--we have both had +him, and sometimes the _same_ Lord; but as there is neither Vice nor +Folly in keeping our Betters Company; the Wit or Satyr of the Verse! can +only point at my Lord for keeping such _ordinary_ Company. Well, but if +so! then _why_ so, good Mr. _Pope_? If either of us could be _good_ +Company, our being professed Poets, I hope would be no Objection to my +Lord's sometimes making one with us? and though I don't pretend to write +like you, yet all the Requisites to make a good Companion are not +confined to Poetry! No, Sir, even a Man's inoffensive Follies and +Blunders may sometimes have their Merits at the best Table; and in +those, I am sure, you won't pretend to vie with me: Why then may not my +Lord be as much in the Right, in his sometimes choosing _Colley_ to +laugh at, as at other times in his picking up _Sawney_, whom he can only +admire? + +"Thus far, then, I hope we are upon a par; for the Lord, you see, will +fit either of us. + +"As to the latter Charge, the _Whore_, there indeed, I doubt you will +have the better of me; for I must own, that I believe I know more of +_your_ whoring than you do of _mine_; because I don't recollect that +ever I made you the least Confidence of _my_ Amours, though I have been +very near an Eye-Witness of _Yours_----By the way, gentle Reader, don't +you think, to say only, _a Man has his Whore_, without some particular +Circumstances to aggravate the Vice, is the flattest Piece of Satyr that +ever fell from the formidable Pen of Mr. _Pope_? because (_defendit +numerus_) take the first ten thousand Men you meet, and I believe, you +would be no Loser, if you betted ten to one that every single Sinner of +them, one with another, had been guilty of the same Frailty. But as Mr. +_Pope_ has so particularly picked me out of the Number to make an +Example of: Why may I not take the same Liberty, and even single him out +for another to keep me in Countenance? He must excuse me, then, if in +what I am going to relate, I am reduced to make bold with a little +private Conversation: But as he has shewn no Mercy to _Colley_, why +should so unprovok'd an Aggressor expect any for himself? And if Truth +hurts him, I can't help it. He may remember, then (or if he won't I +will) when _Button_'s Coffee-house was in vogue, and so long ago, as +when he had not translated above two or three Books of _Homer_; there +was a late young Nobleman (as much his _Lord_ as mine) who had a good +deal of wicked Humour, and who, though he was fond of having Wits in his +Company, was not so restrained by his Conscience, but that he lov'd to +laugh at any merry Mischief he could do them: This noble Wag, I say, in +his usual _Gayetè de Coeur_, with another Gentleman still in +Being,[219] one Evening slily seduced the celebrated Mr. _Pope_ as a +Wit, and myself as a Laugher, to a certain House of Carnal Recreation, +near the _Hay-Market_; where his Lordship's Frolick propos'd was to slip +his little _Homer_, as he call'd him, at a Girl of the Game, that he +might see what sort of Figure a Man of his Size, Sobriety, and Vigour +(in Verse) would make, when the frail Fit of Love had got into him; in +which he so far succeeded, that the smirking Damsel, who serv'd us with +Tea, happen'd to have Charms sufficient to tempt the little-tiny Manhood +of Mr. _Pope_ into the next Room with her: at which you may imagine, his +Lordship was in as much Joy, at what might happen within, as our small +Friend could probably be in Possession of it: But I (forgive me all ye +mortified Mortals whom his fell Satyr has since fallen upon) observing +he had staid as long as without hazard of his Health he might, I, + + _Prick'd to it by foolish Honesty and Love,_ + +As _Shakespear_ says, without Ceremony, threw open the Door upon him, +where I found this little hasty Hero, like a terrible _Tom Tit_, pertly +perching upon the Mount of Love! But such was my Surprize, that I fairly +laid hold of his Heels, and actually drew him down safe and sound from +his Danger. My Lord, who staid tittering without, in hopes the sweet +Mischief he came for would have been compleated, upon my giving an +Account of the Action within, began to curse, and call me an hundred +silly Puppies, for my impertinently spoiling the Sport; to which with +great Gravity I reply'd; pray, my Lord, consider what I have done was, +in regard to the Honour of our Nation! For would you have had so +glorious a Work as that of making _Homer_ speak elegant _English_, cut +short by laying up our little Gentleman of a Malady, which his thin Body +might never have been cured of? No, my Lord! _Homer_ would have been too +serious a Sacrifice to our Evening Merriment. Now as his _Homer_ has +since been so happily compleated, who can say, that the World may not +have been obliged to the kindly Care of _Colley_ that so great a Work +ever came to Perfection? + +"And now again, gentle Reader, let it be judged, whether the _Lord_ and +the _Whore_ above-mentioned might not, with equal Justice, have been +apply'd to sober _Sawney_ the Satyrist, as to _Colley_ the Criminal? + +"Though I confess Recrimination to be but a poor Defence for one's own +Faults; yet when the Guilty are Accusers, it seems but just, to make use +of any Truth, that may invalidate their Evidence: I therefore hope, +whatever the serious Reader may think amiss in this Story, will be +excused, by my being so hardly driven to tell it." + +In the remainder of Cibber's pamphlet there is not much that is of any +importance, though an allusion to one of Pope's victims having hung up a +birch in Button's Coffee House, wherewith to chastise his satirist, was +skilfully calculated to rouse Pope's temper. Cibber thoroughly succeeded +in this object,[220] perhaps to a degree that he rather regretted. Pope +made no direct reply to his banter, but in the following year (1743) a +new edition of "The Dunciad" appeared, in which Theobald was deposed +from the throne of Dulness, and Cibber elevated in his place. By doing +this Pope gratified his vengeance, but injured his poem, for the +carefully painted peculiarities of Theobald, a slow and pedantic +scholar, sat ill on the pert and vivacious Colley.[221] To this +retaliation Cibber, as he had promised,[222] replied with another +pamphlet, entitled "Another Occasional Letter from Mr. Cibber to Mr. +Pope. Wherein the New Hero's Preferment to his Throne, in the _Dunciad_, +seems not to be Accepted. And the Author of that Poem His more rightful +Claim to it, is Asserted. With An Expostulatory Address to the Reverend +Mr. _W. W----n_, Author of the new Preface, and Adviser in the curious +Improvements of that Satire." The motto on the title-page was:-- + + "----_Remember_ Sauney's _Fate!_ + _Bang'd by the Blockhead, whom he strove to beat._ + Parodie on Lord _Roscommon_." + + +There is little that is of any note in this production, which is +characterized by the same real or affected good-nature as marked the +former pamphlet. The most interesting passages to us are those alluding +to the effect of Cibber's previous attack, and exulting over Pope's +distress at it. For instance (on page 7):-- + +"And now, Sir, give me leave to be a little surpriz'd at the +impenetrable Skull of your Courage, that (after I had in my first +Letter) so heartily teiz'd, and toss'd, and tumbled you through all the +Mire, and Dirt, the madness of your Muse had been throwing at other +People, it could still, so Vixen like, sprawl out the same feeble Paw of +its Satyr, to have t'other Scratch at my Nose: But as I know the Vulgar +(with whose Applause I humbly content my self) are apt to laugh when +they see a curst Cat in a Kennel; so whenever I observe your _Grimalkin_ +Spirit shew but the least grinning Gasp of Life, I shall take the honest +liberty of old _Towser_ the House-dog, and merrily lift up my Leg to +have a little more Game with you. + +"Well Sir, in plainer Terms, I am now, you see, once more willing to +bring Matters to an Issue, or (as the Boxers say) to answer your +Challenge, and come to a Trial of Manhood with you; though by our slow +Proceedings, we seem rather to be at _Law_, than at _Loggerheads_ with +one another; and if you had not been a blinder Booby, than my self, you +would have sate down quietly, with the last black Eye I gave you: For so +loath was I to squabble with you, that though you had been snapping, and +snarling at me for twenty Years together, you saw, I never so much as +gave you a single Growl, or took any notice of you. At last, 'tis true, +in meer Sport for others, rather than from the least Tincture of Concern +for my self, I was inticed to be a little wanton, not to say waggish, +with your Character; by which having (you know) got the strong Laugh on +my Side, I doubt I have so offended the Gravity, and Greatness of your +Soul, that to secure your more ample Revenge, you have prudently taken +the full Term of thirteen Months Consideration, before you would pour +it, upon me! But at last, it seems, we have it, and now Souse! out comes +your old _Dunciad_, in a new Dress, like fresh Gold, upon stale +Gingerbread, sold out in Penny-worth's of shining King _Colley_, crown'd +the Hero of Immortal Stupidity!" + +And again (on page 15): "At your Peril be it, little Gentleman, for I +shall have t'other Frisk with you, and don't despair that the very +Notice I am now taking of you, will once more make your Fame fly, like a +yelping Cur with a Bottle at his Tail, the Jest and Joy of every +Bookseller's Prentice between _Wapping_ and _Westminster_!" + +To this pamphlet Pope, whose infirmities were very great, made no reply, +and Cibber had, as he had vowed, the last word. Round the central +articles of this quarrel a crowd of supplementary productions had +gathered, a list of which will be found in the Bibliography of Cibber a +few pages on. + +Cibber's position of Poet Laureate furnished him with a steady income +during his declining years, and his Odes were turned out as required, +with mechanical precision and most unpoetic spirit. They were the +standing joke of the pamphleteers and news-sheet writers, and were +always accompanied with a running fire of banter and parody. Those +curious in the matter will find excellent specimens, both of the Odes +and the burlesques, in the early volumes of the "Gentleman's Magazine." + +After the termination of his quarrel with Pope, Cibber's life was very +uneventful; and, although it extended far beyond the allotted span, he +continued to enjoy it to the very end. Horace Walpole greeted him one +day, saying, "I am glad, Sir, to see you looking so well." "Egad, Sir," +replied the old man, "at eighty-four it is well for a man that he can +look at all." On 11th December, 1757, he died, having attained the great +age of eighty-six.[223] Dr. Doran "Their Majesties' Servants," (1888 +edition, ii. 235) says: "I read in contemporary publications that there +'died at his house in Berkeley Square, Colley Cibber, Esq., Poet +Laureate;'" and although it has been stated that he died at Islington, I +see no reason to doubt Dr. Doran's explicit statement. Cibber was buried +in the Danish Church, Wellclose Square.[224] + +So far as we know, only two of Cibber's children survived him, his +ne'er-do-well son Theophilus, and his equally scapegrace daughter +Charlotte, who married Charke the musician. The former was born in 1703, +and was drowned in the winter of 1758, while crossing to Ireland to +fulfil an engagement in Dublin. As an actor he was chiefly famous for +playing Ancient Pistol, but he was also excellent in some of his +father's characters, such as Lord Foppington, Bayes, and Sir Francis +Wronghead. His private life was in the last degree disreputable, and +especially so in his relations with his second wife, Susanna Maria +Arne--the great Mrs. Cibber. The literature regarding Theophilus Cibber +is considerable in quantity and curious in quality. Some account of it +will be found in my "Bibliographical Account of English Theatrical +Literature," pp. 52-55. Charlotte Charke, who was born about 1710, and +died in April, 1760, was of no note as an actress. Her private life, +however, was madly eccentric, and her autobiography, published in 1755, +is a curious and scarce work. + +Cibber's principal plays have been noted in the course of his "Apology;" +but, for the sake of convenience, I give here a complete list of his +regular dramatic productions:-- + +Love's Last Shift--Comedy--Produced at Drury Lane, 1696. + +Woman's Wit--Comedy--Drury Lane, 1697. + +Xerxes--Tragedy--Lincoln's Inn Fields, 1699. + +Richard III.--Tragedy (alteration of Shakespeare's play)--Drury Lane, +1700. + +Love Makes a Man--Comedy--Drury Lane, 1701. + +The School Boy--Comedy--Drury Lane, 26th October, 1702. + +She Would and She Would Not--Comedy--Drury Lane, 26th November, 1702. + +The Careless Husband--Comedy--Drury Lane, 7th December, 1704. + +Perolla and Izadora--Tragedy--Drury Lane, 3rd December, 1705. + +The Comical Lovers--Comedy--Haymarket, 4th February, 1707. + +The Double Gallant--Comedy--Haymarket, 1st November, 1707. + +The Lady's Last Stake--Comedy--Haymarket, 13th December, 1707. + +The Rival Fools--Comedy--Drury Lane, 11th January, 1709. + +The Rival Queans--Comical-Tragedy--Haymarket, 29th June, 1710. + +Ximena--Tragedy--Drury Lane, 28th November, 1712. + +Venus and Adonis--Masque--Drury Lane, 1715. + +Bulls and Bears--Farce--Drury Lane, 1st December, 1715. + +Myrtillo--Pastoral Interlude--Drury Lane, 1716. + +The Nonjuror--Comedy--Drury Lane, 6th December, 1717. + +The Refusal--Comedy--Drury Lane, 14th February, 1721. + +Cæsar in Egypt--Tragedy--Drury Lane, 9th December, 1724. + +The Provoked Husband--Comedy (in conjunction with Vanbrugh)--Drury Lane, +10th January, 1728. + +Love in a Riddle--Pastoral--Drury Lane, 7th January, 1729. + +Damon and Phillida--Pastoral Farce--Haymarket, 1729. + +Papal Tyranny in the Reign of King John--Tragedy (alteration of +Shakespeare's "King John")--Covent Garden, 15th February, 1745. + +Of these, his alteration of "Richard III." had practically undisputed +possession of the stage, until the taste and judgment of Mr. Henry +Irving gave us back the original play.[225] But in the provinces, when +stars of the old school play a round of legitimate parts, the +adulterated version still reigns triumphant, and the great effect of the +night is got in Cibber's famous line:-- + + "Off with his head! So much for Buckingham!" + +In "The Hypocrite," a comedy still played at intervals, Cibber's +"Nonjuror" survives. Bickerstaffe, who was the author of the alteration, +retained a very large portion of the original play, his chief change +being the addition of the inimitable Mawworm. + +That another of Cibber's plays survives is owing to the taste of an +American manager and to the genius of an American company of comedians. +Mr. Augustin Daly's company includes among its repertory Cibber's +comedy of "She Would and She Would Not," and has shown in London as well +as in New York how admirable a comedy it is. It goes without saying to +those who have seen this company, that much of the success was due to +Miss Ada Rehan, who showed in Hypolita, as she has done in Katharine +("Taming of the Shrew"), that she is mistress of classical comedy as of +modern touch-and-go farce.[226] + +[Illustration: SUSANNA MARIA CIBBER AS CORDELIA.] + +Cibber was the cause of quite a considerable literature, mostly abusive. +The following list, taken from my "Bibliographical Account of English +Theatrical Literature" (1888), is, I believe, a complete catalogue of +all separate publications by, or relating to, Colley Cibber:-- + +A clue to the comedy of the Non-Juror. With some hints of consequence +relating to that play. In a letter to N. Rowe, Esq; Poet Laureat to His +Majesty. London (Curll): 1718. 8vo. 6d. + + Cibber's "Non-Juror," produced at Drury-Lane, December 6, + 1717, was written in favour of the Hanoverian succession. Rowe + wrote the prologue, which was very abusive of Nonjurors. This + tract is not an attack on the play, but a satire on, it is + said, Bishop Hoadly. + +A lash for the Laureat: or an address by way of Satyr; most humbly +inscrib'd to the unparallel'd Mr. Rowe, on occasion of a late insolent +Prologue to the Non-Juror. London (J. Morphew): 1718. folio. Title, 1 +leaf: Pref. 1 leaf. pp. 8. 6d. + + A furious attack on Rowe on account of his Prologue. A tract + of extreme rarity. + +A compleat key to the Non-Juror. Explaining the characters in that play, +with observations thereon. By Mr. Joseph Gay. The second edioion +(_sic_). London (Curll): 1718. 8vo. pp. 24 including title and +half-title. + + 3rd edition: 1718. Joseph Gay is a pseudonym. Pope is said to + be the author of the pamphlet, which is very unfriendly to + Cibber. + +The Theatre-Royal turn'd into a mountebank's stage. In some remarks upon +Mr. Cibber's quack-dramatical performance, called the Non-Juror. By a +Non-Juror. London (Morphew): 1718. 8vo. Title 1 leaf. pp. 38. 6d. + +The Comedy call'd the Non-Juror. Shewing the particular scenes wherein +that hypocrite is concern'd. With remarks, and a key, explaining the +characters of that excellent play. London (printed for J. L.): 1718. +8vo. pp. 24, including title. 2d. + +Some cursory remarks on the play call'd the Non-Juror, written by Mr. +Cibber. In a letter to a friend. London (Chetwood): 1718. 8vo. + + Dated from Button's Coffee-House and signed "H. S." Very + laudatory. + +A journey to London. Being part of a comedy written by the late Sir John +Vanbrugh, Knt. and printed after his own copy: which (since his +decease) has been made an intire play, by Mr. Cibber, and call'd The +provok'd husband, &c. London (Watts): 1728. 8vo. pp. 51, including +title. + + "The Provok'd Husband," by Vanbrugh and Cibber, was produced + at Drury Lane, January 10, 1728; and though Cibber's Nonjuror + enemies tried to condemn it, was very successful. This tract + shows how much of the play was written by Vanbrugh. + +Reflections on the principal characters in the Provoked Husband. London: +1728. 8vo. + +An apology for the life of Mr. Colley Cibber, comedian, and late +patentee of the Theatre-Royal. With an historical view of the stage +during his own time. Written by himself. London (Printed by John Watts +for the author): 1740. 4to. Port. + + Second edition, London, 1740, 8vo., no portrait; third + edition, London, 1750, 8vo., portrait; fourth edition, 1756, 2 + vols. 12mo., portrait. A good edition was published, London, + 1822, 8vo., with notes by E. Bellchambers and a portrait. The + "Apology" forms one of Hunt's series of autobiographies, + London, 1826. One of the most famous and valuable of + theatrical books. + +An apology for the life of Mr. T---- C----, comedian. Being a proper +sequel to the Apology for the life of Mr. Colley Cibber, comedian. With +an historical view of the stage to the present year. Supposed to be +written by himself. In the stile and manner of the Poet Laureat. London +(Mechell): 1740. 8vo. 2s. + + The object of this pamphlet, ascribed to Fielding, is chiefly + to ridicule Colley Cibber's "Apology." Herman, 22s. + +A brief supplement to Colley Cibber, Esq; his lives of the late famous +Actors and Actresses. _Si tu scis, melior ego._ By Anthony, Vulgò Tony +Aston. Printed for the Author, N.P. (London): N.D. (1747-8). 8vo. pp. 24 +including title. + + A pamphlet of extreme rarity. Isaac Reed purchased a copy in + 1769; and in 1795 he notes on it that, though he has had it + twenty-six years, he has never seen another copy. Reed's copy + was bought by Field for 65s., at whose sale, in 1827, Genest + bought it for 36s. + +The tryal of Colley Cibber, comedian, &c. for writing a book intitled An +apology for his life, &c. Being a thorough examination thereof; wherein +he is proved guilty of High Crimes and Misdemeanors against the English +language, and in characterising many persons of distinction.... Together +with an indictment exhibited against Alexander Pope of Twickenham, Esq; +for not exerting his talents at this juncture: and the arraignment of +George Cheyne, Physician at Bath, for the Philosophical, Physical, and +Theological heresies, uttered in his last book on Regimen. London (for +the author): 1740. 8vo. pp. vii. 40. 1s. + + With motto--"Lo! He hath written a Book!" The Dedication is + signed "T. Johnson." + +The Laureat: or, the right side of Colley Cibber, Esq; containing +explanations, amendments, and observations, on a book intituled, An +apology for the life, and writings of Mr. Colley Cibber. Not written by +himself. With some anecdotes of the Laureat, which he (thro' an excess +of modesty) omitted. To which is added, The history of the life, +manners and writings of Æsopus the tragedian, from a fragment of a Greek +manuscript found in the Library of the Vatican; interspers'd with +observations of the translator. London (Roberts): 1740. 8vo. 1s. 6d. + + A furious attack on Cibber. The Life of Æsopus is a burlesque + Life of Cibber. Daniel. 7s. 6d. + +The history of the stage. In which is included, the theatrical +characters of the most celebrated actors who have adorn'd the theatre. +Among many others are the following, _viz._ Mr. Betterton, Mr. Montfort, +Mr. Dogget, Mr. Booth, Mr. Wilks, Mr. Nokes. Mrs. Barry, Mrs. Montfort, +Mrs. Gwin, Mrs. Bracegirdle, Mrs. Porter, Mrs. Oldfield. Together with, +the theatrical life of Mr. Colly Cibber. London (Miller): 1742. 8vo. + + A "boil-down" of Cibber's Apology. + +A letter from Mr. Cibber, to Mr. Pope, inquiring into the motives that +might induce him in his satyrical works, to be so frequently fond of Mr. +Cibber's name. London (Lewis): 1742. 8vo. 1s. + + Second edition, London, 1744, 8vo.; reprinted, London, 1777, + 8vo. The sting of this pamphlet lies in an anecdote told of + Pope at a house of ill-fame, in retaliation for his line: + + "And has not Colley still his lord and whore?" + +A letter to Mr. C--b--r, on his letter to Mr. P---- London (Roberts): +1742. 8vo. 26 pp. 6d. + + Very scarce. Abusive of Pope--laudatory towards Cibber. + +Difference between verbal and practical virtue. With a prefatory epistle +from Mr. C--b--r to Mr. P. London (Roberts): 1742. Folio. Title 1 +leaf: Epistle 1 leaf: pp. 7. + + Very rare. A rhymed attack on Pope. + +A blast upon Bays; or, a new lick at the Laureat. Containing, remarks +upon a late tatling performance, entitled, A letter from Mr. Cibber to +Mr. Pope, &c. _And lo there appeared an old woman!_ Vide the Letter +throughout. London (Robbins): 1742. 8vo. pp. 26. 6d. + + A bitter attack on Cibber. + +Sawney and Colley, a poetical dialogue: occasioned by a late letter from +the Laureat of St. James's, to the Homer of Twickenham. Something in the +manner of Dr. Swift. London (for J. H.): n.d. (1742). Folio. Title 1 +leaf: pp. 21. 1s. + + Very scarce. A coarse and ferocious attack on Pope in rhyme. + +The egotist: or, Colley upon Cibber. Being his own picture retouch'd, to +so _plain_ a likeness, that no one, _now_, would have the face to own +it, but himself. London (Lewis): 1743. 8vo. pp. 78 including title. 1s. + + Anonymous, but undoubtedly by Cibber himself. + +Another occasional letter from Mr. Cibber to Mr. Pope. Wherein the new +hero's preferment to his throne, in the Dunciad, seems not to be +accepted. And the author of that poem his more rightful claim to it, is +asserted. With an expostulatory address to the Reverend Mr. W. W----n, +author of the new preface, and adviser in the curious improvements of +that satire. By Mr. Colley Cibber. London (Lewis): 1744. 8vo. 1s. + + The Rev. W. W----n is Warburton. This tract was reprinted, + Glasgow, n. d., 8vo. The two "Letters" were reprinted, London, + 1777, with, I believe, a curious frontispiece representing + the adventure related by Cibber at Pope's expense in the + first "Letter." I am not certain whether the frontispiece was + issued with the London or Glasgow reprint, having seen it in + copies of both. In Bonn's "Lowndes" (1865) is mentioned a + parody on this first "Letter," with the same title, except that + "Mrs. Cibber's name" is substituted for "Mr. Cibber's name." + Lowndes says: "A copy is described in Mr. Thorpe's catalogue, + p. iv, 1832, 'with the frontispiece of Pope surprized with Mrs. + Cibber.'" I gravely doubt the existence of any such work, and + fancy that this frontispiece is the one just mentioned, but + wrongly described. Herman (two Letters, with scarce front.), 40s. + +A letter to Colley Cibber, Esq; on his transformation of King John. +London. 1745. 8vo. + + Cibber's mangling of "King John," entitled "Papal Tyranny in + the Reign of King John," was produced at Covent Garden, + February 15, 1745. + +A new book of the Dunciad: occasion'd by Mr. Warburton's new edition of +the Dunciad complete. By a gentleman of one of the Inns of Court. With +several of Mr. Warburton's own notes, and likewise Notes _Variorum_. +London (J. Payne & J. Bouquet): 1750. 4to. 1s. + + Cibber dethroned and Warburton elevated to the throne of + Dulness. + +Shakspere's tragedy of Richard III., considered dramatically and +historically; and in comparison with Cibber's alteration as at present +in use on the stage, in a lecture delivered to the members of the +Liverpool Literary, Scientific and Commercial Institution, by Thos. +Stuart, of the Theatre Royal. (Liverpool): n. d. (about 1850). 12mo. + + Cibber published in 1747 a work entitled "The Character and + Conduct of Cicero, considered from the history of his life by + Dr. Middleton;" but it is of little value or interest. + + + + + A BRIEF + + SUPPLEMENT + + TO + + _Colley Cibber_, Esq; + + HIS + + LIVES + + Of the late FAMOUS + + ACTORS and ACTRESSES. + + + _Si tu scis, melior ego._ + + By _ANTHONY_, } + Vulgò _TONY_} _ASTON_. + + + [Illustration] + + Printed for the AUTHOR. + + + + + * * * * * + + Mr. Cibber _is guilty of Omission, + that he hath not given us any Description + of the several Personages' + Beauties, or Faults----Faults (I say) of the + several_ ACTORS, &c. _for_ + + + Nemo sine crimine vivit. + + _Or, as the late Duke of_ Buckingham _says of_ + Characters, _that, to shew a Man not defective,_ + ------------------------------------were to draw + A faultless Monster, that the World ne'er saw. + + + * * * * * + + + + +A BRIEF SUPPLEMENT TO COLLEY CIBBER, ESQ; HIS LIVES OF THE LATE FAMOUS +ACTORS AND ACTRESSES. + + +[Illustration] + +Mr. _Betterton_ (although a superlative good Actor) labour'd under ill +Figure, being clumsily made, having a great Head, a short thick Neck, +stoop'd in the Shoulders, and had fat short Arms, which he rarely lifted +higher than his Stomach.--His Left Hand frequently lodg'd in his Breast, +between his Coat and Waist-coat, while, with his Right, he prepar'd his +Speech.--His Actions were few, but just.--He had little Eyes, and a +broad Face, a little Pock-fretten, a corpulent Body, and thick Legs, +with large Feet.--He was better to meet, than to follow; for his Aspect +was serious, venerable, and majestic; in his latter Time a little +paralytic.--His Voice was low and grumbling; yet he could Tune it by an +artful _Climax_, which enforc'd universal Attention, even from the +_Fops_ and _Orange-Girls_.--He was incapable of dancing, even in a +Country-Dance; as was Mrs. _BARRY_: But their good Qualities were more +than equal to their Deficiencies.--While Mrs. _BRACEGIRDLE_ sung very +agreeably in the LOVES of _Mars_ and _Venus_, and danced in a +Country-Dance, as well as Mr. _WILKS_, though not with so much Art and +Foppery, but like a well-bred Gentlewoman.--Mr. _Betterton_ was the most +extensive Actor, from _Alexander_ to Sir _John Falstaff_; but, in _that_ +last Character, he wanted the Waggery of _ESTCOURT_, the Drollery of +_HARPER_, the Sallaciousness of _JACK EVANS_.--But, then, _Estcourt_ was +too trifling; _Harper_ had too much of the _Bartholomew-Fair_; and +_Evans_ misplac'd his Humour.--Thus, you see what _Flaws_ are in _bright +Diamonds_:--And I have often wish'd that Mr. _Betterton_ would have +resign'd the Part of HAMLET to some young Actor, (who might have +Personated, though not have Acted, it better) for, when he threw himself +at _Ophelia's_ Feet, he appear'd a little too grave for a young Student, +lately come from the University of _Wirtemberg_; and his _Repartees_ +seem'd rather as _Apopthegms_ from a _sage Philosopher_, than the +_sporting Flashes_ of a Young HAMLET; and no one else could have pleas'd +the Town, he was so rooted in their Opinion.--His younger Cotemporary, +(_Betterton_ 63, _Powel_ 40, Years old) _POWEL_, attempted several of +_Betterton's_ Parts, as _Alexander_, _Jaffier_, &c. but lost his Credit; +as, in _Alexander_, he maintain'd not the Dignity of a King, but +_Out-Heroded_ HEROD; and in his poison'd, mad Scene, _out-rav'd all +Probability_; while _Betterton_ kept his Passion under, and shew'd it +most (as Fume smoaks most, when stifled). _Betterton_, from the Time he +was dress'd, to the End of the Play, kept his Mind in the same +Temperament and Adaptness, as the present Character required.--If I was +to write of him all Day, I should still remember fresh Matter in his +Behalf; and, before I part with him, suffer this facetious Story of him, +and a Country Tenant of his. + +Mr. _Betterton_ had a small Farm near _Reading_, in the County of _Berks_; +and the Countryman came, in the Time of _Bartholomew-Fair_, to pay his +Rent.--Mr. _Betterton_ took him to the Fair, and going to one _Crawley's_ +Puppet-Shew, offer'd _Two Shillings_ for himself and _Roger_, his +Tenant.--_No, no, Sir_, said _Crawley_; _we never take Money of one +another_. This affronted Mr. _Betterton_ who threw down the Money, and +they enter'd.--_Roger_ was hugeously diverted with _Punch_, and bred a +great Noise, saying, that he would drink with him, for he was a merry +Fellow.--Mr. _Betterton_ told him, he was only a Puppet, made up of +_Sticks and Rags_: However, _Roger_ still cried out, that he would go and +drink with _Punch_.--When Master took him behind, where the Puppets hung +up, he swore, he thought _Punch_ had been alive.--_However_, said he, +_though he be but_ Sticks and Rags, _I'll give him Six-pence to drink my +Health_.--At Night, Mr. _Betterton_ went to the _Theatre_, when was +play'd the ORPHAN; Mr. _Betterton_ acting _Castalio_; Mrs. _Barry_, +_Monimia_.----_Well_ (said Master) _how dost like this Play_, Roger? _Why, +I don't knows_, (says _Roger_) _its well enought for_ Sticks and Rags. + +To end with this _Phoenix_ of the Stage, I must say of him, as +_Hamlet_ does of his Father: "He was a Man (take him for all in all) I +cannot look upon his Like again." + +His Favourite, Mrs. _BARRY_, claims the next in Æstimation. They were +both never better pleas'd, than in Playing together.--Mrs. _Barry_ +outshin'd Mrs. _Bracegirdle_ in the Character of ZARA in the _Mourning +Bride_, altho' Mr. _Congreve_ design'd Almeria for that Favour.--And +yet, this fine Creature was not handsome, her Mouth op'ning most on the +Right Side, which she strove to draw t'other Way, and, at Times, +composing her Face, as if sitting to have her Picture drawn.--Mrs. +_Barry_ was middle-siz'd, and had darkish Hair, light Eyes, dark +Eye-brows, and was indifferently plump:--Her Face somewhat preceded her +Action, as the latter did her Words, her Face ever expressing the +Passions; not like the Actresses of late Times, who are afraid of +putting their Faces out of the Form of Non-meaning, lest they should +crack the Cerum, White-Wash, or other Cosmetic, trowel'd on. Mrs. +_Barry_ had a Manner of drawing out her Words, which became her, but not +Mrs. _Braidshaw_, and Mrs. _Porter_, (Successors.)----To hear her speak +the following Speech in the ORPHAN, was a Charm: + + _I'm ne'er so well pleas'd, as when I hear thee speak, + And listen to the Music of thy Voice._ + +And again: + + _Who's he that speaks with a Voice so sweet, + As the Shepherd pipes upon the Mountain, + When all his little Flock are gath'ring round him?_ + +Neither she, nor any of the Actors of those Times, had any Tone in their +speaking, (too much, lately, in Use.)--In _Tragedy_ she was solemn and +august--in _Free Comedy_ alert, easy, and genteel--pleasant in her Face +and Action; filling the Stage with Variety of Gesture.--She was Woman to +Lady _Shelton_, of _Norfolk_, (my Godmother)--when Lord _Rochester_ took +her on the Stage; where for some Time, they could make nothing of +her.--She could neither sing, nor dance, no, not in a Country-Dance. + + * * * * * + +Mrs. _BRACEGIRDLE_, that _Diana_ of the Stage, hath many Places +contending for her Birth--The most received Opinion is, that she was the +Daughter of a Coachman, Coachmaker, or Letter-out of Coaches, in the +Town of _Northampton_.--But I am inclinable to my Father's Opinion, (who +had a great Value for her reported Virtue) that she was a distant +Relation, and came out of _Staffordshire_, from about _Walsal_ or +_Wolverhampton_.--She had many Assailants on her Virtue, as Lord +_Lovelace_, Mr. _Congreve_, the last of which had her Company most; but +she ever resisted his vicious Attacks, and, yet, was always uneasy at +his leaving her; on which Observation he made the following Song: + + PIOUS Celinda _goes to Pray'rs, + Whene'er I ask the Favour; + Yet, the tender Fool's in Tears, + When she believes I'll leave her. + Wou'd I were free from this Restraint, + Or else had Power to win her! + Wou'd she cou'd make of me a Saint, + Or I of her a Sinner!_ + +And, as Mr. _Durfey_ alludes to it in his Puppet Song--in _Don Quixot_, + + _Since that our Fate intends + Our Amity shall be no dearer, + Still let us kiss and be Friends, + And sigh we shall never come nearer._ + +She was very shy of Lord _Lovelace's_ Company, as being an engaging Man, +who drest well: And as, every Day, his Servant came to her, to ask her +how she did, she always return'd her Answer in the most obeisant Words +and Behaviour, _That she was indifferent well, she humbly thank'd his +Lordship_.--She was of a lovely Height, with dark-brown Hair and +Eye-brows, black sparkling Eyes, and a fresh blushy Complexion; and, +whenever she exerted herself, had an involuntary Flushing in her Breast, +Neck and Face, having continually a chearful Aspect, and a fine Set of +even white Teeth; never making an _Exit_, but that she left the Audience +in an Imitation of her pleasant Countenance. Genteel Comedy was her +chief Essay, and that too when in Men's Cloaths, in which she far +surmounted all the Actresses of that and this Age.--Yet she had a Defect +scarce perceptible, _viz._ her Right Shoulder a little protended, which, +when in Men's Cloaths, was cover'd by a long or Campaign Peruke.--She +was finely shap'd, and had very handsome Legs and Feet; and her Gait, or +Walk, was free, manlike, and modest, when in Breeches.--Her Virtue had +its Reward, both in Applause and _Specie_; for it happen'd, that as the +Dukes of _Dorset_ and _Devonshire_, Lord _Hallifax_, and other Nobles, +over a Bottle, were all extolling Mrs. _Bracegirdle's_ virtuous +Behaviour, Come, says Lord _Hallifax_--_You all commend her Virtue, &c. +but why do we not present this incomparable Woman with something worthy +her Acceptance?_ His Lordship deposited 200 Guineas, which the rest made +up 800, and sent to her, with Encomiums on her Virtue.--She was, when on +the _Stage_, diurnally Charitable, going often into _Clare-Market_, and +giving Money to the poor unemploy'd Basket-women, insomuch that she +could not pass that Neighbourhood without the thankful Acclamations of +People of all Degrees; so that, if any Person had affronted her, they +would have been in Danger of being kill'd directly; and yet this good +Woman was an Actress.--She has been off the Stage these 26 Years or +more, but was alive _July 20, 1747_; for I saw her in the _Strand, +London_, then--with the Remains of charming _Bracegirdle_. + + * * * * * + +Mr. _SANDFORD_, although not usually deem'd an Actor of the first Rank, +yet the Characters allotted him were such, that none besides, then, or +since, ever topp'd; for his Figure, which was diminutive and mean, (being +Round-shoulder'd, Meagre-fac'd, Spindle-shank'd, Splay-footed, with a sour +Countenance, and long lean Arms) render'd him a proper Person to discharge +_Jago_, _Foresight_, and _Ma'lignij_, in the VILLAIN. But he fail'd in +succeeding in a fine Description of a triumphant Cavalcade, in _Alonzo_, +in the MOURNING BRIDE, because his Figure was despicable, (although his +Energy was, by his Voice and Action, enforc'd with great Soundness of Art, +and Justice.)--This Person acted strongly with his Face,--and (as King +_Charles_ said) was the best Villain in the World.--He proceeded from the +_Sandfords_ of _Sandford_, that lies between _Whitchurch_ and _Newport_, +in Shropshire.--He would not be concern'd with Mr. _Betterton_, Mrs. +_Barry_, _&c._ as a Sharer in the Revolt from _Drury-Lane_ to +_Lincoln's-Inn-Fields_; but said, _This is my Agreement_.--_To_ Samuel +Sandford, _Gentleman_, Threescore Shillings a Week.----Pho! pho! _said +Mr._ Betterton, _Three Pounds a Week_.----_No, no, said_ Sandford;--_To_ +Samuel Sandford, _Gentleman_, Threescore Shillings a Week. For which _Cave +Underhill_, who was a 3/4 Sharer, would often jeer _Sandford_; saying, +_Samuel Sandford, Gent, my Man._----Go, you Sot, said _Sandford_.--To +which t'other ever replied, _Samuel Sandford, my Man_ Samuel. + +[Illustration: CAVE UNDERHILL.] + +_CAVE UNDERHILL_, and Mr. _DOGGET_, will be the next treated of. + + * * * * * + +_CAVE UNDERHILL_, though not the best Actor in the Course of Precedency, +was more admired by the Actors than the Audience--there being then no +Rivals in his dry, heavy, downright Way in Low Comedy.--His few Parts +were, The first Grave-digger in HAMLET,--_Sancho Pancha_, in the first +Part of DON QUIXOT,--_Ned Blunt_, in the ROVER,--_Jacomo_, in the +LIBERTINE, and the _Host_, in the VILLAIN:--All which were dry, heavy +Characters, except in _Jacomo_; in which, when he aim'd at any Archness, +he fell into downright Insignificance.--He was about 50 Years of Age the +latter End of King _William's_ Reign, about six Foot high, long and +broad-fac'd, and something more corpulent than this Author; his Face +very like the _Homo Sylvestris_, or _Champanza_; for his Nose was +flattish and short, and his Upper Lip very long and thick, with a wide +Mouth and short Chin, a churlish Voice, and awkward Action, (leaping +often up with both Legs at a Time, when he conceived any Thing waggish, +and afterwards hugging himself at the Thought.)----He could not enter +into any serious Character, much more Tragedy; and was the most confin'd +Actor I ever saw: And could scarce be brought to speak a short _Latin_ +Speech in DON QUIXOT, when _Sancho_ is made to say, _Sit bonus Populus, +bonus ero Gubernator_; which he pronounced thus: + + _Shit bones and bobble arse, + Bones, and ears Goble Nature._ + +He was obliged to Mr. _Betterton_ for thrusting him into the Character +of _Merryman_ in his _Wanton Wife_, or _Amorous Widow_; but _Westheart +Cave_ was too much of a Dullman.--His chief Atchievement was in +_Lolpoop_, in the _'Squire of Alsatia_; where it was almost impossible +for him to deviate from himself: But he did great Injustice to Sir +_Sampson Legend_ in _Love for Love_, unless it had been true, that the +Knight had been bred a Hog-driver.--In short, _Underhill_ was far from +being a good Actor--as appear'd by the late _Ben. Johnson's_ assuming +his Parts of _Jacomo_--the Grave-digger in _Hamlet_--and Judge _Grypus_ +in _Amphytrion_.--I know, Mr. _Underhill_ was much cry'd up in his Time; +but I am so stupid as not to know why. + + * * * * * + +Mr. _DOGGET_, indeed, cannot reasonably be so censur'd; for whoever +decry'd him, must inevitably have laugh'd much, whenever he saw +him act. + +Mr. _Dogget_ was but little regarded, 'till he chopp'd on the Character +of _Solon_ in the _Marriage-Hater Match'd_; and from that he vegetated +fast in the Parts of _Fondlewife_ in the _Old Batchelor_--_Colignii_, in +the _Villain_--_Hob_, in the _Country Wake_--and _Ben_ the Sailor, in +_Love for Love_.--But, on a Time, he suffer'd himself to be expos'd, by +attempting the serious Character of _Phorbas_ in _Oedipus_, than which +nothing cou'd be more ridiculous--for when he came to these Words--(_But, +oh! I wish_ Phorbas _had perish'd in that very Moment_)--the Audience +conceived that it was spoke like _Hob_ in his Dying-Speech.--They burst +out into a loud Laughter; which sunk _Tom Dogget's_ Progress in Tragedy +from that Time. + + _Fælix quem faciunt aliena pericula cautum._ + +But our present LAUREAT had a better Opinion of himself;--for, in a few +Nights afterwards, _COLLEY_, at the old Theatre, attempted the same +Character; but was hiss'd,--his Voice sounding like _Lord +Foppington's_--_Ne Sutor ultra Crepidam._ + +Mr. _Dogget_ was a little, lively, spract Man, about the Stature of Mr. +L----, Sen. Bookseller in B--h, but better built.--His Behaviour modest, +chearful, and complaisant.--He sung in Company very agreeably, and in +Public very comically.--He danc'd the _Cheshire Round_ full as well as +the fam'd Capt. _George_, but with much more Nature and Nimbleness.--I +have had the Pleasure of his Conversation for one Year, when I +travell'd with him in his strolling Company, and found him a Man of very +good Sense, but illiterate; for he wrote me Word thus--_Sir, I will give +you a_ hole instead of (_whole_) _Share_.--He dress'd neat, and +something fine--in a plain Cloth Coat, and a brocaded Waistcoat:--But he +is so recent, having been so often at _Bath_,--_satis est_.--He gave his +Yearly Water-Badge, out of a warm Principle, (being a _staunch +Revolution-Whig_.)----I cannot part with this _Nonpareil_, without +saying, that he was the most faithful, pleasant Actor that ever was--for +he never deceiv'd his Audience--because, while they gaz'd at him, he was +working up the Joke, which broke out suddenly in involuntary +Acclamations and Laughter.--Whereas our modern Actors are fumbling the +dull Minutes, keeping the gaping Pit in Suspence of something delightful +a coming,--_Et parturiunt Montes, nascitur ridiculus Mus_. + +He was the best Face-player and Gesticulator, and a thorough Master of +the several Dialects, except the _Scots_, (for he never was in +_Scotland_) but was, for all that, a most excellent _Sawney_. Whoever +would see him pictur'd, may view his Picture, in the Character of +_Sawney_, at the _Duke's Head_ in _Lynn-Regis_, in _Norfolk_.----While I +travell'd with him, each Sharer kept his Horse, and was every where +respected as a Gentleman. + +_Jack Verbruggen_, in Point of Merit, will salute you next. + +_JACK VERBRUGGEN_, that rough Diamond, shone more bright than all the +artful, polish'd Brillants that ever sparkled on our Stage.--(_JACK bore +the BELL away._)--He had the Words perfect at one View, and Nature +directed 'em into Voice and Action, in which last he was always +pleasing--his Person being tall, well-built and clean; only he was a +little In-kneed, which gave him a shambling Gate, which was a +Carelessness, and became him.--His chief Parts were _Bajazet_, +_Oroonoko_, _Edgar_ in King _Lear_, _Wilmore_ in the _Rover_, and +_Cassius_, when Mr. _Betterton_ play'd _Brutus_ with him.--Then you +might behold the grand Contest, _viz._ whether Nature or Art +excell'd--_Verbruggen_ wild and untaught, or _Betterton_ in the Trammels +of Instruction.---In _Edgar_, in King _Lear_, _Jack_ shew'd his Judgment +most; for his Madness was unlimited: Whereas he sensibly felt a +Tenderness for _Cordelia_, in these Words, (speaking to her)--_As you +did once know_ Edgar!--And you may best conceive his manly, wild Starts, +by these Words in _Oroonoko_,--_Ha! thou hast rous'd the Lyon [in] his +Den; he stalks abroad, and the wild Forest trembles at his Roar:_--Which +was spoke, like a Lyon, by _Oroonoko_, and _Jack Verbruggen_; for Nature +was so predominant, that his second Thoughts never alter'd his prime +Performance.--The late Marquess of _Hallifax_ order'd Oroonoko to be +taken from _George Powel_, saying to Mr. _Southern_, the Author,--That +_Jack_ was the unpolish'd Hero, and wou'd do it best.--In the _Rover_ +(_Wilmore_) never were more beautiful Scenes than between him, and +Mrs. _Bracegirdle_, in the Character of _Helena_; for, what with +_Verbruggen's_ untaught Airs, and her smiling Repartees, the Audience +were afraid they were going off the Stage every Moment.--_Verbruggen_ +was Nature, without Extravagance--Freedom, without Licentiousness--and +vociferous, without bellowing.----He was most indulgently soft, when he +says to _Imoinda_,--_I cannot, as I wou'd, bestow thee; and, as I ought, +I dare not._--Yet, with all these Perfections, _Jack_ did, and said, +more silly Things than all the Actors besides; for he was drawn in at +the common Cheat of Pricking at the Girdle, Cups and Balls, _&c._ and +told his Wife one Day that he had found out a Way to raise a great +Benefit.--_I hope_, said she, _you'll have your_ Bills _printed in_ Gold +Letters.--_No, no, better than that_, said he; _for I'll have the +King's-Arms all in Gold Letters_.--As Mr. _Verbruggen_ had Nature for +his Directress in Acting, so had a known Singer, _Jemmy Bowen_, the same +in Music:--He, when practising a Song set by Mr. PURCELL, some of the +Music told him to grace and run a Division in such a Place. _O let him +alone_, said Mr. _Purcell_; _he will grace it more naturally than you, +or I, can teach him_.--In short, an Actor, like a Poet, + + _Nascitur, non fit._ + +And this Author prizes himself on that Attempt, as he hath had the +Judgment of all the best Critics in the Character of _Fondlewife_ in the +_Old Batchelor_.--_If you wou'd see Nature_, say they, _see_ Tony +Aston--_if Art_, Colley Cibber;--and, indeed, I have shed mock Tears in +that Part often involuntarily. + + * * * * * + +Mrs. _VERBRUGGEN_ claims a Place next. She was all Art, and her Acting +all acquir'd, but dress'd so nice, it look'd like Nature. There was not +a Look, a Motion, but what were all design'd; and these at the same +Word, Period, Occasion, Incident, were every Night, in the same +Character, alike; and yet all sat charmingly easy on her.--Her Face, +Motion, _&c._ chang'd at once: But the greatest, and usual, Position was +Laughing, Flirting her Fan, and _je ne scay quois_,--with a Kind of +affected Twitter.--She was very loath to accept of the Part of _Weldon_ +in _Oroonoko_, and that with just Reason, as being obliged to put on +Men's Cloaths--having thick Legs and Thighs, corpulent and large +Posteriours;--but yet the Town (that respected her) compounded, and +receiv'd her with Applause; for she was the most pleasant Creature that +ever appear'd: Adding to these, that she was a fine, fair Woman, plump, +full-featur'd; her Face of a fine, smooth Oval, full of beautiful, +well-dispos'd Moles on it, and on her Neck and Breast--Whatever she did +was not to be call'd Acting; no, no, it was what she represented: She +was neither more nor less, and was the most easy Actress in the World. +The late Mrs. OLDFIELD borrow'd something of her Manner in free +Comedy;--as for Tragedy, Mrs. _Verbruggen_ never attempted it. +_Melanthe_ was her Master-piece; and the Part of _Hillaria_ in +_Tunbridge-Walks_ cou'd not be said to be Acted by any one but her.--Her +Maiden-Name was _Percival_; and she was the Widow of Mr. _Mountford_, +(who was kill'd by Lord _Mohun_) when Mr. _Verbruggen_ married her.--She +was the best Conversation possible; never captious, or displeas'd at any +Thing but what was gross or indecent; for she was cautious, lest fiery +_Jack_ shou'd so resent it as to breed a Quarrel;--for he wou'd often +say,--_Dammee! tho' I don't much value my Wife, yet no Body shall +affront her, by G--d_; and his Sword was drawn on the least Occasion, +which was much in Fashion at the latter End of King _William's_ +Reign;--at which Time I came on the Stage, when Mr. _Dogget_ left it; +and then the facetious _Joe Haines_ was declining in Years and +Reputation, tho' a good Actor and Poet, his Prologues exceeding all ever +wrote.--[_Vide_ Love and a Bottle.] + + * * * * * + +_JOE HAINES_ is more remarkable for the witty, tho' wicked, Pranks he +play'd, and for his Prologues and Epilogues, than for Acting.--He was, +at first, a Dancer.--After he had made his Tour of _France_, he narrowly +escaped being seiz'd, and sent to the _Bastile_, for personating an +_English_ Peer, and running 3000 Livres in Debt in _Paris_; but, happily +landing at Dover, he went to _London_, where in _Bartholomew-Fair_, he +set up a Droll-Booth, and acted a new Droll, call'd, _The Whore of +Babylon, the Devil, and the Pope_. This was in the first Year of King +_James_ II. when _Joe_ was sent for, and roundly admonish'd, by Judge +_Pollixfen_ for it. _Joe_ reply'd, _That he did it in Respect to his_ +Holiness; _for, whereas many ignorant People believed the_ Pope _to be +a_ Beast, _he shew'd him to be a fine, comely old Gentleman, as he was; +not with Seven Heads, and Ten Horns, as the_ Scotch _Parsons describe +him_. However, this Affair spoil'd _Joe's_ expiring Credit; for next +Morning, a Couple of Bailiffs seiz'd him in an Action of 20_l._ as the +Bishop of _Ely_ was passing by in his Coach.--Quoth _Joe_ to the +Bailiffs,--_Gentlemen, here's my Cousin, the Bishop of_ Ely, _going into +his House; let me but speak to him, and he'll pay the Debt and Charges_. +The Bailiffs thought they might venture that, as they were within three +or four Yards of him. So, up goes _Joe_ to the Coach, pulling off his +Hat, and got close to it. The Bishop order'd the Coach to stop, whilst +_Joe_ (close to his Ear) said softly, _My Lord, here are two poor Men, +who have such great Scruples of Conscience, that, I fear, they'll hang +themselves._--Very well, _said the Bishop_. So, calling to the Bailiffs, +he said, _You two Men, come to me To-morrow Morning, and I'll satisfy +you_. The Men bow'd, and went away. _Joe_ (hugging himself with his +fallacious Device) went also his Way. In the Morning, the Bailiffs +(expecting the Debt and Charges) repair'd to the Bishop's; where being +introduced,--_Well_, said the Bishop, _what are your Scruples of +Conscience?_--_Scruples!_ (said the Bailiffs) _we have no Scruples: We +are Bailiffs, my Lord, who, Yesterday, arrested your Cousin_, Joe +Haines, _for 20l. Your Lordship promised to satisfy us To-day, and we +hope your Lordship will be as good as your Word._--The Bishop, +reflecting that his Honour and Name would be expos'd, (if he complied +not) paid the Debt and Charges.--There were two Parts of Plays (_Nol +Bluff_ in the _Old Batchelor_, and _Roger_ in _Æsop_) which none ever +touch'd but _Joe Haines_.--I own, I have copied him in _Roger_, as I did +Mr. _Dogget_ in _Fondlewife_.--But, now, for another Story of him. + +In the long Vacation, when Harlots, Poets, and Players, are all +poor,--_Joe_ walking in _Cross-Street_, by _Hatton-Garden_, sees a fine +Venison-Pasty come out of _Glassop's_, a Pastry-Cook's Shop, which a Boy +carried to a Gentleman's House thereby.--_Joe_ watch'd it; and seeing a +Gentleman knock at the Door, he goes to the Door, and ask'd him if he +had knock'd at it: _Yes_, said the Gentleman; _the Door is open'd_.--In +goes the Gentleman, and _Joe_ after him, to the Dining-Room.--Chairs +were set, and all ready for the Pasty. The Master of the House took +_Joe_ for the Gentleman's Friend, whom he had invited to Dinner; which +being over, the Gentleman departed. _Joe_ sat still.--Says the Master of +the House to _Joe_, _Sir, I thought you would have gone with your +Friend_!--_My Friend_, said _Joe_; _alas! I never saw him before in my +Life_.--_No, Sir_, replied the other: _Pray, Sir, then how came you to +Dinner here?_--_Sir_, said _Joe_, _I saw a Venison-Pasty carried in +here; and, by this Means, have din'd very heartily of it_. _My Name is_ +Joe Haines, (said he) _I belong to the_ Theatre.--_Oh, Mr._ Haines, +(continued the Gentleman) _you are very welcome; you are a Man of Wit: +Come, bring t'other bottle_; which being finish'd, _Joe_, with good +Manners, departed, and purposely left his Cane behind him, which he +design'd to be an Introduction to another Dinner there: For, next Day, +when they were gone to Dinner, _Joe_ knock'd briskly at the Door, to +call for his Cane, when the Gentleman of the House was telling a Friend +of his the Trick he play'd the Day before.--_Pray call Mr._ Haines +_in_.--_So, Mr._ Haines, said he; _sit down, and partake of another +Dinner_.--_To tell you the Truth_, said _Joe_, _I left my Cane Yesterday +on purpose_: At which they all laugh'd.--Now _Joe_ (altho' while +greedily eating) was very attentive to a Discourse on Humanity begun, +and continued, by the Stranger Gentleman; wherein he advanced, that +every Man's Duty was to assist another, whether with Advice, Money, +Cloaths, Food, or whatever else. This Sort of Principle suited _Joe's_ +End, as by the Sequel will appear. The Company broke up, and _Joe_, and +the Gentleman, walk'd away, (_Joe_ sighing as he went along.) The +Gentleman said to him, _What do you sigh for?_--_Dear Sir_, (quoth +_Joe_) _I fear my Landlord will, this Day, seize my Goods for only a +Quarter's Rent, due last Week_.--_How much is the Money?_ said the +Gentleman.--_Fifty Shillings_, said _Joe_, _and the Patentees owe me +Ten Pounds, which will be paid next Week._--_Come_, said the Gentleman, +_I'll lend thee Fifty Shillings on your Note, to pay me faithfully in +three Weeks_. Which _Joe_, with many Promises and Imprecations, +sign'd.--But _Joe_, thereafter, had his Eyes looking out before him; +and, whenever he saw the Gentleman, would carefully avoid him; which the +Gentleman one Day perceiv'd, and going a-cross _Smithfield_, met _Joe_ +full in the Face, and, in the Middle of the _Rounds_, stopp'd him. +Taking him by the Collar, _Sirrah_, said he, _pray pay me now, you +impudent, cheating Dog, or I'll beat you into a Jelly_.--_Joe_ fell down +on his Knees, making a dismal Outcry, which drew a Mob about them, who +enquir'd into the Occasion, which was told them; and they, upon hearing +it, said to the Gentleman, _That the poor Man could not pay it, if he +had it not_.--_Well_, said he, _let him kneel down, and eat up that thin +Sirreverence, and I'll forgive him, and give up his Note_.--_Joe_ +promis'd he would, and presently eat it all up, smearing his Lips and +Nose with the human Conserve. The Gentleman gave him his Note; when +_Joe_ ran and embrac'd him, kissing him, and bedaubing his Face, and +setting the Mob a hollowing. + + * * * * * + +_The_ SECOND PART _of their_ LIVES, _with the Continuation of_ JOE +HAINES'_s Pranks, the Author hopes a fresh Advance for.----In the_ +Interim, _he thanks his Friends._ + +_FINIS._ + + + + +MEMOIRS OF THE ACTORS AND ACTRESSES MENTIONED BY CIBBER, + +TAKEN FROM EDMUND BELLCHAMBERS'S EDITION OF THE "APOLOGY," 1822. + + +WILLIAM SMITH. + +This judicious actor, who is said to have been originally a barrister, +came into the Duke's Company, when acting under Sir William D'Avenant, +in Lincoln's Inn Fields, about the year 1663. He rose soon after to the +duties of _Buckingham_, in "King Henry the Eighth," and subsequently +filled a range of characters distinguished by their variety and +importance. _Sir William Stanley_, in Caryl's wretched play of the +"English Princess," procured him additional estimation and applause, +which were still farther enlarged by his performance of _Stanford_ in +Shadwell's "Sullen Lovers." Mr. Smith was the original _Chamont_ in +Otway's "Orphan," and played many parts of as much local consequence in +pieces that are now forgotten. + + NOTE.--All passages enclosed in square brackets are by the present + editor, who is also responsible for the notes marked (L.). + +Chetwood informs us that Mr. Smith was zealously attached to the +interests of King James the Second, in whose army, attended by two +servants, he entered as a volunteer. Upon the abdication of that +monarch, he returned to the stage, by the persuasions of many friends, +who admired his performances, and resumed his original part of +_Wilmore_ in the "Rover;" but having been received with considerable +disapprobation, on account of his party principles, the audience was +dismissed, and he departed from public life in the manner already +mentioned. It is difficult to reconcile these discrepancies. Chetwood's +minuteness looks like credibility, and Cibber has committed a mistake in +stating that Mr. Smith "entirely quitted" the stage at this secession, +he having returned in 1695, when at the earnest solicitations of his +sincere friends Mr. Betterton and Mrs. Barry, strengthened by the +influence of Congreve over many of his connections in high life, he +consented to sustain the part of _Scandal_ in that author's comedy of +"Love for Love," upon its production at the new theatre in Little +Lincoln's Inn Fields, when his inimitable performance imparted an extra +charm to that admirable play. Continued peals of applause attested the +satisfaction which his auditors felt at the return of their old +favourite, and it seems singular that Congreve should have wholly +overlooked this memorable event, in the "prologue" at least, where the +defection of Williams and Mrs. Mountfort is thus obscurely stated: + + Forbear your wonder, and the fault forgive + If in our larger family we grieve + One falling Adam, and one tempted Eve. + +Mr. Smith continued on the stage till about twelve months after this +period, when, according to Downes, having a long part in Banks's tragedy +of "Cyrus," 1696, he fell sick on the fourth day of performance, and +died from a cold, as Chetwood relates, occasioned by cramp, which having +seized him while in bed, he rose to get rid of it, and remained so long +in his naked condition, that a fever ensued from disordered lungs, and, +in three days, put an end to his existence. + +We have but a slender clue to the stage-management of Mr. Smith, which +was exercised over the Duke's Company in Dorset-garden, conjointly with +Betterton and Dr. D'Avenant, when the famous agreement which bears their +signatures was concluded with Hart and Kynaston, for an union of the +theatres. It has been said that Booth [who wrote an epitaph on Smith] +applied to him for an engagement, which was refused from a fear of +offending his relatives, but with that kindness of expression and +deportment so warmly distinguished in his epitaph. This assertion, +however, is unfounded, for when Mr. Smith died, Barton Booth was a +Westminster scholar, and in the fourteenth year of his age; the +character of this eminent comedian must, accordingly, have been drawn up +from such intelligence as the writer acquired at a subsequent period. + +It only remains to be remarked, that Chetwood has placed Mr. Smith's +original return to the stage in the year 1692; but, not to insist upon +the known looseness of this writer's information, let us ask if a +political offence would be so vehemently remembered, after the lapse of +four years, as to drive an estimable actor from the harmless pursuance +of his ordinary duties? Cibber is doubtless correct in the floating date +of this fact, which must have happened _previous_ to the revolution. Mr. +Smith was a principal actor in Lee's later tragedies, but in the +"Princess of Cleve," 4to, 1689, we find the part he would naturally have +played to Betterton's _Nemours_, supported by Mr. Williams. + +Smith's value as an actor, may be immediately felt by a reference to +the parts he enjoyed under Betterton, with whom he lived till death in +the most cordial manner, enhancing his fame by honourable emulation, +and promoting his interests by unbroken amity. No instance has been +recorded of their dissention or dispute, and from the notice which +Betterton extended to Booth, he very possibly communicated that high +account of his departed friend, which the latter has recorded with such +spirit and fidelity. + +From Cibber's admission, it appears, that Smith's moral qualities and +professional excellence, procured him an extensive reception among +people of rank, a patronage which his polished manners continued to +exact, till society, by his death, sustained one of its deepest +deprivations. (B.) Chetwood's story is now incapable either of proof or +disproof. The known facts about Smith's retirement are, that his name +appears to Constantine the Great, to Courtine in Otway's "Atheist," and +to Lorenzo in Southerne's "Disappointment," in 1684; that it then +disappears, and does not again occur till 1695. It is probable that he +retired in 1684, as it is unlikely that his name should not appear in +one or other of the 1685 bills. (L.) + + +CHARLES HART. + +Charles Hart was the great nephew of Shakspeare, his father, William, +being the eldest son of our poet's sister Joan. Brought up as an +apprentice under Robinson, a celebrated actor, he commenced his career, +conformably to the practice of that time, by playing female parts, among +which the _Duchess_, in Shirley's tragedy of the "Cardinal," was the +first that exhibited his talents, or enhanced his reputation. + +Puritanism having gathered great strength, opposed theatrical amusements +as vicious and profane institutions, which it was at length enabled to +abolish and suppress. On the 11th day of February, 1647,[227] and the +subsequent 22d of October, two ordinances were issued by the Long +Parliament, whereby all stage-players were made liable to punishment for +following their usual occupation. Before the appearance of this severe +edict, most of the actors had gone into the army, and fought with +distinguished spirit for their unfortunate master; when, however, his +fate was determined, the surviving dependants on the drama were +compelled to renew their former efforts, in pursuance of which they +returned, just before the death of Charles, to act a few plays at the +"Cockpit" theatre, where, while performing the tragedy of "Rollo," they +were taken into custody by soldiers, and committed to prison.[228] Upon +this occasion, Hart, who had been a lieutenant of horse, under Sir +Thomas Dallison, in Prince Rupert's own regiment, sustained the +character of _Otto_, a part which he afterwards relinquished to +Kynaston, in exchange for the fierce energies of his ambitious brother. + +At the Restoration, Hart was enrolled among the company constituting his +Majesty's Servants, by whom the new Theatre Royal, Drury-lane, was +opened on the 8th of April, 1663, with Beaumont and Fletcher's play of +the "Humourous Lieutenant," in which he sustained a principal character +for twelve days of successive representation. + +About the year 1667,[229] Hart introduced Mrs. Gwyn upon the dramatic +boards, and has acquired the distinction of being ranked among that +lady's first felicitous lovers, by having succeeded to Lacy, in the +possession of her charms. Nell had been tutored for the stage by these +admirers in conjunction, and after testifying her gratitude to both, +passed into the hands of Lord Buckhurst, by whom she was transferred to +the custody of King Charles the Second. + +The principal parts, according to Downes, sustained by Mr. Hart, +were _Arbaces_, in "King and No King;" _Amintor_, in the "Maid's +Tragedy;" _Othello_, _Rolla_, _Brutus_, and _Alexander the Great_. +Such was his attraction in all these characters, that, to use the +language of that honest prompter, "if he acted in any one of these +but once in a fortnight, the house was filled as at a new play; +especially _Alexander_, he acting that with such grandeur and agreeable +majesty, that one of the court was pleased to honour him with this +commendation--'that Hart might teach any king on earth how to comport +himself.'" His merit has also been specified as _Mosca_, in the "Fox," +_Don John_, in the "Chances," and _Wildblood_, in an "Evening's Love;" +which, however, according to the same authority, merely harmonised +with his general efforts, in commanding a vast superiority over the +best of his successors. + +Rymer has said that Hart's action could throw a lustre round the meanest +characters, and, by dazzling the eyes of the spectator, protect the +poet's deformities from discernment. He was taller, and more genteelly +shaped than Mohun, on which account he probably claimed the choice of +parts, and was prescriptively invested with the attributes of youth and +agility. He possessed a considerable share in the profits and direction +of the theatre, which were divided among the principal performers; and +besides his salary of £3 a week, and an allowance as a proprietor, +amounting to six shillings and three-pence a day, is supposed to have +occasionally cleared about £1000 per annum. + +[On the 14th of October, 1681, a memorandum was signed between Dr. +Charles Davenant, Betterton, and Smith, of the one part, and Hart +and Kynaston, of the other, by which the two last mentioned, in +consideration of five shillings each for every day on which there shall +be a play at the Duke's Theatre, undertake to do all they can to break +up the King's Company. The result of this agreement was the Union of +1682. This agreement is given in Gildon's "Life of Betterton" (p. 8), +and in Genest (i. 369). I suppose it is a genuine document, but I +confess to some doubts, based chiefly on my belief that Betterton was +too honest to enter into so shabby an intrigue.] + +Declining age had rendered Hart less fit for exertion than in the vigour +of life, and certain of the young actors, such as Goodman and Clark, +became impatient to get possession of his and Mohun's characters. A +violent affliction, however, of the stone and gravel, compelled him to +relinquish his professional efforts, and having stipulated for the +payment of five shillings a-day, during the season,[230] he retired from +the stage, and died a short time after. + +Hart was always esteemed a constant observer of decency in manners, and +the following anecdote will evince his respect for the clergy. That +witty, but abandoned fellow, Jo Haynes, had persuaded a silly divine, +into whose company he had unaccountably fallen, that the players were a +set of people, who wished to be reformed, and wanted a Chaplain to the +Theatre, an appointment for which, with a handsome yearly income, he +could undertake to recommend him. He then directed the clergyman to +summon his hearers, by tolling a bell to prayers every morning, a +scheme, in pursuance of which Haynes introduced his companion, with a +bell in his hand, behind the scenes, which he frequently rang, and cried +out, audibly, "Players! players! come to prayers!" While Jo and some +others were enjoying this happy contrivance, Hart came into the theatre, +and, on discovering the imposition, was extremely angry with Haynes, +whom he smartly reprehended, and having invited the clergyman to dinner, +convinced him that this buffoon was an improper associate for a man of +his function.[231] + + +MICHAEL MOHUN. + +The life of Michael Mohun, though passed in its early stages beneath a +different teacher, was chequered by the very shades which distinguished +that of Hart, with whom he acquired his military distinctions, and +reverted to a theatrical life. He was brought up with Shatterel, under +Beeston, at the "Cock-pit," in Drury-lane, where, in Shirley's play of +"Love's Cruelty," he sustained the part of _Bellamente_, among other +female characters,[232] and held it even after the Restoration. + +Having attained the rank of captain in the royal forces, Mohun went to +Flanders upon the termination of the civil war, where he received pay as +a major, and acquitted himself with distinguished credit. At the +Restoration, he resumed his pristine duties, and became an able second +to Hart, with whom he was equally admired for superlative knowledge of +his arduous profession. + +He is celebrated by Lord Rochester, as the great Æsopus of the stage; +praise, which, though coming from one of so capricious a temper, may be +relied on, since it is confirmed by more respectable testimony. He was +particularly remarkable for the dignity of his deportment, and the +elegance of his step, which mimics, said his lordship, attempted to +imitate, though they could not reach the sublimity of his elocution. The +Duke's comedians, it would seem, endeavoured to emulate his manner, when +reduced by age and infirmity, a baseness which the same noble observer +has thus warmly reprehended:-- + + Yet these are they, who durst expose the Age + Of the great Wonder of the English Stage. + Whom Nature seem'd to form for your delight, + And bid him speak, as she bid Shakespeare write. + These Blades indeed are Cripples in their Art, + Mimick his Foot, but not his speaking part. + Let them the _Traytor_ or _Volpone_ try, + Could they + Rage like _Cethegus_, or like _Cassius_ die? + (Epilogue to Fane's "Love in the Dark.") + +Mohun, from his inferior height and muscular form, generally acted +grave, solemn, austere parts, though upon more than one occasion, +as in _Valentine_, in "Wit without Money," and _Face_, in the +"Alchemist,"--one of his most capital characters,--he was frequently +seen in gay and buoyant assumptions to great advantage. He was +singularly eminent as _Melantius_, in the "Maid's Tragedy;" _Mardonius_, +in "King and No King;" _Clytus_, _Mithridates_, and the parts alluded to +by Lord Rochester. No man had more skill in putting spirit and passion +into the dullest poetry than Mohun, an excellence with which Lee was so +delighted, that on seeing him act his own King of Pontus, he suddenly +exclaimed, "O, Mohun, Mohun, thou little man of mettle, if I should +write a hundred plays, I'd write a part for thy mouth!" And yet Lee +himself was so exquisite a reader, that Mohun once threw down a part in +despair of approaching the force of the author's expression. The +"Tatler" has adverted to his singular science;[233] "in all his parts, +too," says Downes, "he was most accurate and correct;" and perhaps no +encomium can transcend the honours of unbroken propriety. + +About the year 1681, there are some reasons to suspect that the king's +company was divided by feuds and animosities, which their adversaries in +Dorset-garden so well improved, as to produce an union of the separate +patents. Hart and Kynaston were dexterously detached from their old +associates, by the management of Betterton, whose conduct, though +grounded upon maxims of policy, can derive no advantage from so unfair +an expedient. Upon the completion of this nefarious treaty, Mohun, who +found means to retain the services of Kynaston, with the remnant of the +royal company, continued to act in defiance of the junction just +concluded, as an independent body. Downes, in his "Roscius Anglicanus," +so far as the imperfect structure of its sentences can be relied on, +expressly asserts this; and yet if "the patentees of each company united +patents, and, by so incorporating, the duke's company were made the +king's, and immediately removed to the Theatre Royal in Drury-lane," +what field did Mohun and his followers select for their operations, to +pitch their tents, and hoist their standard? Till some period, at least, +of the year 1682, this party were in possession of their antient +domicile, as Mohun at that time, acted _Burleigh_, in Banks's "Unhappy +Favourite," and sustained a principal character in Southern's "Loyal +Brother," with, for his heroine, in both pieces, the famous Nell +Gwyn.[234] + +[Bellchambers is here very inaccurate. The union of 1682 was, no doubt, +opposed by some of the King's Company, from November, 1681, when the +memorandum between Davenant, Betterton, Hart, and others, was executed, +and the date of the actual conclusion of the union. This is clearly +indicated in Dryden's Prologue on the opening of Drury Lane by the +united company on 16th November, 1682. But, whatever the opposition had +been, it had ceased then, because in the cast of the "Duke of Guise," +produced less than three weeks later, appear the names of Kynaston and +Wiltshire, whom Bellchambers represents as supporting Mohun in his +supposed opposition theatre. (L.)] + + +CARDELL GOODMAN. + +Cardell Goodman, according to his own admissions, as detailed by Cibber +elsewhere, was expelled the university of Cambridge, for certain +political reasons, a disgrace, however, which did not disqualify him for +the stage. He came upon it, accordingly, by repairing to Drury-lane +theatre, where Downes has recorded [what was probably] his first +appearance, as _Polyperchon_, in the "Rival Queens," 4to. 1677. Here, +although we cannot trace his success in any character of importance, Mr. +Cibber has adverted to his rapid advances in reputation. He followed the +fortunes of Mohun in opposing the united actors, but, about three years +afterwards, resorted to them, (in 1685,) and sustained the hero of Lord +Rochester's "Valentinian." It is about this period that his excellence +must have blazed out as _Alexander the Great_, since Cibber, who went +upon the stage in 1690, says Goodman had retired before the time of his +appearance. + +The highest salary enjoyed at that period we are now treating of, was +six shillings and three pence per diem, a stipend that was by no means +equal to the strong passions and large appetites of a gay, handsome, +inconsiderate young fellow. He was consequently induced to commit a +robbery on the highway, and sentenced upon detection, to make a summary +atonement for his fatal error; but this being the first exploit of that +kind to which the scantiness of his income had urged him, King James was +persuaded to pardon him, a favour for which Goodman was so grateful, +that, in the year 1696, he shared with Sir John Fenwick in a design to +assassinate King William, who spared his life in consideration of the +testimony he was to render against his accomplice. This condition, +however, Goodman did not fulfil, as he withdrew clandestinely to the +continent, to avoid giving evidence, and died in exile. + +Having been selected as a fit instrument for her abandoned pleasures by +the Duchess of Cleveland, Goodman, long before his death, became so +happy in his circumstances, that he acted only at intervals, when his +titled mistress most probably desired to see him; for he used to say, he +would not even act _Alexander_, unless his Duchess were in front to +witness the performance. + + +RICHARD ESTCOURT. + +Richard Estcourt, according to the biographical notice of Chetwood, was +born at Tewksbury, in Glostershire, in the year 1668, and received a +competent education at the Latin grammar-school of his native town. +Influenced by an early attachment to the stage, he left his father's +house, in the fifteenth year of his age, with an itinerant company, and on +reaching Worcester, to elude the possibility of detection, made his first +appearance as _Roxana_, in the "Rival Queens." Having received a correct +intimation of this theatrical purpose, his father sent to secure the +fugitive, who slipped away in a suit of woman's clothes, borrowed from one +of his kind-hearted companions, and travelled to Chipping-Norton, a +distance of five-and-twenty miles, in the course of the day. + +To prevent such excursions for the future, he was quickly carried up to +London, and apprenticed to an apothecary in Hatton-garden, with whom, +according to some authorities, he continued till the expiration of his +indentures, and duly entered into business; which, either from want of +liking or success he soon afterwards renounced, and returned to his +favourite avocation.[235] Chetwood, on the contrary, asserts that he +broke away from his master's authority, and after strolling about +England for two years, went over to Dublin, where his performances were +sanctioned by ardent and universal applause. + +About the opening of the eighteenth century [that is, 18th October, +1704], Mr. Estcourt was engaged at Drury-lane Theatre, where he made his +débût as _Dominic_, in the "Spanish Friar," and established his efforts, +it is said, by a close imitation of Leigh, the original possessor of +that part. In the year 1705 [should be 1706], such was his merit or +reputation, that Farquhar selected him for _Sergeant Kite_, in the +"Recruiting Officer," a character to which Downes has alluded in terms +of unqualified praise. It is asserted in the "Biographia Dramatica," +that Mr. Estcourt was "mostly indebted for his applause to his powers of +mimicry, in which he was inimitable; and which not only at times +afforded him opportunities of appearing a much better actor than he +really was,--by enabling him to copy very exactly several performers of +capital merit, whose manner he remembered and assumed,--but also, by +recommending him to a very numerous acquaintance in private life, +secured him an indulgence for faults in his public profession, that he +might otherwise, perhaps, never have been pardoned." As if an actor, in +defiance of peculiar incapacity, associated emulation, and public +disgust, could maintain, for twelve successive years, the very highest +station in the Drury-lane company, attainable by talents, such as he was +only flattered with possessing! + +That Estcourt was happy in a "very numerous acquaintance," there is no +reason to conceal or deny. He was remarkable for the promptitude of his +wit, and the permanence of his pleasantry, qualifications that +recommended him to the most cordial intercourse with Addison, Steele, +Parnell, who has honoured him in a Bacchanalian poem, by the name of +Jocus, and other choice spirits of the age, who enjoyed the variety of +his talents, and acknowledged the goodness of his heart. He was highly +in favour with the great Duke of Marlborough, but those who know his +grace's character, will hardly be surprised to learn that he did not +improve his fortune by that dazzling distinction. Estcourt's honours, +indeed, were strictly nominal, for though constituted providore of the +Beef-steak Club,--an assemblage comprising the chief wits and greatest +men of the nation,--he gained nothing by the office but their badge of +employment,--a small golden gridiron, suspended from his neck by a bit +of green riband. + +If the foregoing remarks should be held sufficient to redeem his +dramatic character from the obloquy with which it has so long been +attended, the following anecdote will perhaps be accepted as ample +evidence of his great talent for private mimicry. + +Secretary Craggs, when very young, in company with some of his friends, +went, with Estcourt, to Sir Godfrey Kneller's, and whispered to him that +a gentleman present was able to give such a representation of many among +his most powerful patrons, as would occasion the greatest surprise. +Estcourt accordingly, at the artist's earnest desire, mimicked Lords +Somers, Halifax, Godolphin, and others, so exactly, that Kneller was +delighted, and laughed heartily at the imitations. Craggs gave a signal, +as concerted, and Estcourt immediately mimicked Sir Godfrey himself, who +cried out in a transport of ungovernable conviction, "Nay, there you are +out, man! By G--, that's not me!" + +About a twelvemonth before his death, having retired from the stage, +Estcourt opened the Bumper tavern, in Covent-garden, and by enlarging +his acquaintance, most probably shortened his days. He died in the year +1713 [should be 1712], and was buried near his brother comedian, Jo +Haynes, in the church-yard of St. Paul's, Covent-garden. + + +THOMAS BETTERTON. + +Thomas Betterton was born in Tothill-street, Westminster, in the year +1635 [baptized 11th August, 1635], his father at that time being +under-cook to King Charles the First. He received the rudiments of a +genteel education, and testified such a propensity to literature, that +it was the steadfast intention of his family to have had him qualified +for some congenial employment. This design, the confusion and violence +of the times most probably prevented, though a fondness for reading +induced them to consult his inclinations, and he was accordingly +apprenticed to Mr. Rhodes, a respectable bookseller, residing at the +Bible, in Charing-cross. + +This person, who had been wardrobe-keeper to the theatre in Blackfriars, +before the suppression of dramatic amusements, on General Monk's +approach to London, in the year 1659, obtained a license from +the [governing powers] to collect a company of actors, and employ +them at the "Cockpit," in Drury-lane. Here, while Kynaston, his +fellow-apprentice, sustained the principal female parts, Betterton was +distinguished by the vigour and elegance of his manly personations. The +fame of Beaumont and Fletcher was then at its zenith, and in their plays +of the "Loyal Subject," and the "Mad Lover," added to "Pericles," the +"Bondman," and the "Changeling," Mr. Betterton established the +groundwork of his great reputation. + +Sir William D'Avenant having been favoured with a patent before the +civil wars broke out, obtained a renewal of that royal grant upon the +Restoration, and in the spring of 1662 [should be June, 1661], after +rehearsing various plays at Apothecaries'-hall, he opened a new theatre +in Lincoln's-inn-fields, where Rhodes's comedians, with the addition of +Harris, and three others, were sworn before the Lord Chamberlain, as +servants of the crown, and honoured by the sanction of the Duke of York. + +Here Sir William D'Avenant produced his "Siege of Rhodes," a play in two +parts, embellished with such scenery and decorations as had never been +before exhibited on the boards of a British theatre. The parts were +strongly cast, and this drama, assisted by its splendid appendages, was +represented for twelve days, successively, with unbounded approbation. + +At this period Mr. Betterton first assumed the part of _Hamlet_, +deriving considerable advantage from the hints of Sir William D'Avenant, +to whom the acting of Taylor [who had been instructed by Shakespeare] +had been formerly familiar. Downes expressly declares that this +character enhanced Mr. Betterton's reputation to the utmost, and there +is much collateral evidence to substantiate its brilliant +superiority.[236] + +Mr. Betterton was so favourably considered by Charles the Second, that, +upon his performance of _Alvaro_, in "Love and Honour," he received that +monarch's coronation-suit for the character, as a token of esteem. +Public opinion kept pace with his efforts to secure it, and by evincing +unparalleled talent in such diversified parts as _Mercutio_, _Sir Toby +Belch_, and _Henry the Eighth_, (the last of which was adopted from his +manager's remembrance of Lowin) he speedily attained to that eminence in +his art, above which no human exertion can probably ascend. + +At the king's especial command, it has been asserted by some of his +biographers that Mr. Betterton went over to Paris to take a view of the +French stage, and suggest such means as might ensure a corresponding +improvement upon our own. They even go so far as to term him the first +who publicly introduced our moving scenes, though Sir William D'Avenant, +to whom that honour decidedly belongs, had attached them, less +perfectly, perhaps, in 1658, to his "Cruelty of the Spaniards in Peru." + + +By or before 1663, Mr. Betterton had married Mrs. Saunderson, a +performer in the same company, of matchless merit and unsullied virtue, +though that event, by the "Biographia Dramatica," and other incautious +compilations, is referred to the year 1670. This lady, it may be +remarked, was single, while denominated mistress; the appellation of +miss not being made familiar to the middle classes, till after the +commencement of the ensuing century. + +The duke's company, notwithstanding the favour and excellence to which +Betterton, Harris, Smith, and other members were admitted, began to +feel its want of attraction so forcibly, that Sir William D'Avenant was +induced to try the effects of a new theatre, which was accordingly opened, +with unparalleled magnificence, in Dorset-garden, Salisbury-court, +notwithstanding an earnest opposition by the city of London, in November, +1671. Opinion, however, still inclining to their antagonists, dramatic +operas were invented, and soon enabled the players at this place to +achieve a triumph over merit unassisted by such expensive frivolity. + +At the death of D'Avenant, on the 17th of April, 1668, Mr. Betterton +succeeded to a portion of the management, and so great was the +estimation in which both he and his lady were held, that in the year +1675, when a pastoral, called "Calisto; or, the Chaste Nymph," written +by Mr. Crown, at the request of King Charles's consort, was to be +performed at court by persons of the greatest distinction, they were +appointed to instruct them in their respective parts. In 1682, an union +was effected with the rival company, which Mr. Betterton continued to +direct, till Rich, in 1690, obtained possession of the patent, and +dispossessed him of importance and authority. + +Exasperated by ill treatment, Mr. Betterton confederated with the +principal performers to procure an independent license, which being +granted by King William, they built a new theatre in Lincoln's-inn-fields, +by subscription, and opened it on the 30th of April, 1695, with +Congreve's comedy of "Love for Love." + +In 1705, enfeebled by age and infirmity, this distinguished veteran +transferred his license to Sir John Vanbrugh, who erected a handsome +theatre in the Haymarket, at which, divested of influence or control, he +accepted an engagement as an actor. + +Mr. Betterton's salary never exceeded eighty shillings a-week, and +having sustained the loss of more than £2,000, by a commercial venture +to the East Indies, in 1692, necessity compelled him to pursue his +professional avocations. On Thursday, April the 13th, 1709,[237] the +play of "Love for Love" was performed for his benefit, an occasion which +summoned Mrs. Barry and Mrs. Bracegirdle from their retirement, to aid +this antient coadjutor by the resumption of those parts they had +originally sustained. Congreve is said to have furnished a prologue, +though withdrawn and never submitted to print, which was delivered by +the latter lady, the former reciting an epilogue from the pen of Rowe, +which remains in lasting testimony of his affectionate regard. From this +address the following lines are worthy of transcription: + + But since, like friends to wit, thus throng'd you meet, + Go on, and make the generous work complete; + Be true to merit, and still own his cause, + Find something for him more than bare applause. + In just remembrance of your pleasures past, + Be kind and give him a discharge at last; + In peace and ease life's remnant let him wear, + And hang his consecrated buskin here. + +This hint, however, proved unavailing, and "Old Thomas" still continued +to labour, when permitted by intermissions of disease, for that +subsistence his age and his services should long before have secured. + +Mr. Betterton accordingly performed at intervals in the course of the +ensuing winter, and on the 25th of April, 1710 [should be 13th April], +was admitted to another benefit, which, with the patronage bestowed upon +its predecessor, is supposed to have netted nearly £1000. Upon this +occasion, he was announced for his celebrated part of _Melantius_, in +the "Maid's Tragedy," from the performance of which he ought, however, +upon strict consideration, to have been deterred; for having been +suddenly seized with the gout, a determination not to disappoint the +expectancy of his friends, induced him to employ a repellatory medicine, +which lessened the swelling of his feet, and permitted him to walk in +slippers. He acted, accordingly, with peculiar spirit, and was received +with universal applause; but such were the fatal effects of his laudable +anxiety, that the distemper returned with unusual violence, ascended to +his head, and terminated his existence, in three days from the date of +this fatal assumption. On the 2nd of May his remains were deposited with +much form in the cloisters of Westminster-abbey. + +Mr. Betterton was celebrated for polite behaviour to the dramatic +writers of his time, and distinguished by singular modesty, in not +presuming to understand the chief points of any character they offered +him, till their ideas had been asked, and, if possible, adopted. He is +also praised in some verses published with the "State Poems," for +extending pecuniary assistance to embarrassed writers, till the success +of a doubtful production might enable them to remunerate their generous +creditor. Indeed, Mr. Betterton's benevolence was coupled with such +magnanimity, that upon the death of that unhappy friend to whose +counsels his little fortune had been sacrificed, he took charge of a +surviving daughter, educated her at considerable expense, and not only +made her an accomplished actress, but a valuable woman.[238] + +Among many testimonies of deference to his judgment, and regard for his +zeal, the tributes of Dryden and Rowe have been brilliantly recorded. He +was naturally of a cheerful temper, with a pious reliance upon the +dispensations of providence, and nothing can yield a higher idea of his +great affability, than the effect his behaviour produced upon Pope, who +must have been a mere boy, when first admitted to his society. He sat to +the poet for his picture, which Pope painted in oil,[239] and so eager +was the bard to perpetuate his memory, that he published a modernization +of Chaucer's "Prologues," in this venerable favourite's name, though +palpably the produce of his own elegant pen.[240] As an author, Mr. +Betterton's labours were confined to the drama, and if his original +pieces are not entitled to much praise, his alterations exhibit some +judicious amendments. + + +EDWARD KYNASTON. + +Edward Kynaston made his first appearance in 1659, at the "Cockpit" in +Drury-lane, under the management of Rhodes, to whom, in his trade of +bookselling, he had previously been apprenticed. Here he took the lead +in personating female parts, among which he sustained _Calis_, in the +"Mad Lover;" _Ismenia_, in the "Maid in the Mill;" the heroine of Sir +John Suckling's "Aglaura;" _Arthiope_, in the "Unfortunate Lovers;" and +_Evadne_, in the "Maid's Tragedy." The three last of these parts have +been distinguished by Downes and our author as the best of his efforts, +and being then but a "mannish youth," he made a suitable representative +of feminine beauty. Kynaston's _forte_, at this period, appears to have +consisted in moving compassion and pity, "in which," says old Downes, +"it has since been disputable among the judicious, whether any woman +that succeeded him so sensibly touched the audience as he." + +At the Restoration, when his majesty's servants re-opened the "Red Bull" +playhouse, in St. John-street, next shifted to Gibbons's tennis-court, +in Clare-market, and finally settled, in 1663, at their new theatre in +Drury-lane, Kynaston was admitted to their ranks, and played +_Peregrine_, in Jonson's comedy of the "Fox." He also held _Sir +Dauphine_, a minor personage, in the same author's "Silent Woman," and +soon after succeeded to _Otto_, in the "Duke of Normandy," a part which +was followed by others of variety and importance. + +In derogation of Cibber's panegyric, we are assured by Davies, upon the +authority of some old comedians, that, from his juvenile familiarity +with female characters, Kynaston contracted some disagreeable tones in +speaking, which resembled the whine or cant that genuine taste has at +all times been impelled to explode. When George Powel was once +discharging the intemperance of a recent debauch from his stomach, +Kynaston asked him if he still felt sick. "How is it possible to be +otherwise," said Powel, "when I hear you speak?" Much as Kynaston, +however, might have been affected by the peculiarities of early +practice, we cannot consent, upon evidence such as this, to rob him of +the laurels that have sprung from respectable testimony. + +In 1695 he followed the fortunes of Betterton to Lincoln's-inn-fields, +and supported a considerable character in John Banks's "Cyrus the +Great," produced the year after this removal. The time of his retirement +is not known, but it appears from our author that he continued upon the +stage till his memory and spirit both began to fail him. He had left it, +however, before 1706, when Betterton and Underhill have been specified +by Downes, as "being the only remains of the Duke of York's servants," +at that time before the public. Kynaston died wealthy, and was buried in +the church-yard of St. Paul's, Covent-garden. + +Kynaston bore a great resemblance to the noted Sir Charles Sidley, a +similitude of which he was so proud, that he endeavoured to display it +by the most particular expedients. On one occasion, he got a suit of +laced clothes made in imitation of the baronet's, and appearing publicly +in it, Sir Charles, whose wit very seldom atoned for his ill-nature, +punished this vain propensity in his usual mischievous manner. He hired +a bravo to accost Kynaston in the Park, one day when he wore his finery, +pick a quarrel with him on account of a pretended affront from his +prototype, and beat him unmercifully. This scheme was duly put in +practice, and though Kynaston protested that he was not the person his +antagonist took him for, the ruffian redoubled his blows, on account of +what he affected to consider his scandalous falsehood. When Sir Charles +Sidley was remonstrated with upon the cruelty of this transaction, he +told the actor's friends that their pity was misplaced, for that +Kynaston had not suffered so much in his bones as _he_ had in his +character, the whole town believing that it was he who had undergone the +disgrace of this chastisement. + + +WILLIAM MOUNTFORT. + +William Mountfort, according to Cibber's estimate, was born in 1660, and +having, I suppose, joined the king's company at a very early age, about +the year 1682, "grew," in the words of old Downes, "to the maturity of a +good actor." At Drury-lane theatre, he sustained _Alfonso Corso_, in the +"Duke of Guise," in 1682. His rise was so rapid, that in 1685 we find +him selected for the hero of Crowne's "Sir Courtly Nice," "which," says +Downes, "was so _nicely_ performed," that none of his successors, but +Colley Cibber, could equal him. Perhaps the last new character assumed +by Mountfort was _Cleanthes_, in Dryden's "Cleomenes," a play to which +he spoke the prologue. + +I here present the reader with a narrative of those circumstances +attending the death of Mountfort, which have so long been misunderstood +and misrepresented. + +A Captain Richard Hill had made proposals of marriage to Mrs. +Bracegirdle, which were declined from what Hill appeared to consider an +injurious preference for Mountfort, between whom, though a married man, +and the lady, at least a platonic attachment was often thought to +subsist. Enraged at Mountfort's superior success, and affecting to treat +him as the only obstacle to his wishes, Hill expressed a determination +at various times, and before several persons, to be revenged upon him, +and as it was proved upon the trial, coupled this threat with some of +the bitterest invectives that could spring from brutal animosity. +Among Hill's associates was Lord Mohun, a peer of very dissolute +manners, whose extreme youth afforded but a faint palliative for his +participation in the act of violence and debauchery to which Hill +resorted. This nobleman, however, who seems to have felt a chivalric +devotion to the interests of his friend, engaged with Hill in a cruel +and perfidious scheme for the abduction of Mrs. Bracegirdle, whom Hill +proposed to carry off, violate, and afterwards marry. They arranged with +one Dixon, an owner of hackney carriages, to provide a coach and six +horses to take them to Totteridge, and appointed him to wait with this +conveyance over against the Horse-shoe tavern in Drury-lane. A small +party of soldiers was also hired to assist in this notable exploit, and +as Mrs. Bracegirdle, who had been supping at a Mr. Page's in +Prince's-street, was going down Drury-lane towards her lodgings in +Howard-street, Strand, about ten o'clock at night, on Friday the 9th of +December, 1692, two of these soldiers pulled her away from Mr. Page, who +was attending her home, nearly knocked her mother down, and tried to +lift her into the vehicle. Her mother, upon whom the blow given by these +ruffians had providentially made but a short impression, hung very +obstinately about her neck, and prevented the success of their +endeavours. While Mr. Page was calling loudly for assistance, Hill ran +at him with his sword drawn, and again endeavoured to get Mrs. +Bracegirdle into the coach, a task he was hindered from accomplishing, +by the alarm that Page had successfully given. Company came up, on which +Hill insisted on seeing Mrs. Bracegirdle home, and actually led her by +the hand to the house in which she resided. Lord Mohun, who during this +scuffle was seated quietly in the coach, joined Hill in Howard-street, +the soldiers having been previously dismissed, and there they paraded, +with their swords drawn, for about an hour and a half, before Mrs. +Bracegirdle's door. Hill's scabbard, it ought to be remarked, was +clearly proved to have been lost during the scuffle in Drury-lane, and +Lord Mohun, when challenged by the watch, not only sheathed his weapon, +but offered to surrender it. These were strong points at least in his +lordship's favour, and deserve to be noted, because the prescriptive +assertion that Mountfort was treacherously killed, is weakened by the +establishment of those facts. Mrs. Brown, the mistress of the house +where Mrs. Bracegirdle lodged, went out on her arrival, to expostulate +with Lord Mohun and his confederate, and after exchanging a few words of +no particular importance, dispatched her maid servant to Mountfort's +house,[241] hard by in Norfolk-street, to apprise Mrs. Mountfort of the +danger to which, in case of coming home, he would be subjected. Mrs. +Mountfort sent in search of her husband, but without success, and the +watch on going their round, between eleven and twelve o'clock, found +Lord Mohun and Hill drinking wine in the street, a drawer having brought +it from an adjacent tavern. At this juncture Mrs. Brown, the landlady, +hearing the voices of the watch, went to the door with a design of +directing them to secure both Lord Mohun and Hill, and some conversation +passed upon that subject, although her directions were not obeyed. +Seeing Mountfort, just as he had turned the corner into Howard-street, +and was apparently coming towards her house, Mrs. Brown hurried out to +meet him, and mention his danger, but he would not stop, so as to allow +her time for the slightest communication. On gaining the spot where Lord +Mohun stood, Hill being a little farther off, he saluted his lordship +with great respect, and was received by him with unequivocal kindness. +Lord Mohun hinted to Mountfort that he had been sent for by Mrs. +Bracegirdle, in consequence of her projected seizure, a charge which +Mountfort immediately denied. Lord Mohun then touched upon the affair, +and Mountfort expressed a hope, with some warmth, that he would not +vindicate Hill's share in the business, against which, while disclaiming +any tenderness for Mrs. Bracegirdle, he protested with much asperity. +Hill approached in time to catch the substance of Mountfort's remark, +and having hastily said that he could vindicate himself, gave him a blow +on the ear, and at the same moment a challenge to fight. They both went +from the pavement into the middle of the road, and after making two or +three passes at each other, Mountfort was mortally wounded. He threw +down his sword, which broke by the fall, and staggered to his own house, +where Mrs. Page, who had gone to concert with Mrs. Mountfort for her +husband's safety, hearing a cry of "murder" in the street, threw open +the door, and received him pale, bleeding, and exhausted, in her arms. +Hill fled and escaped, but Lord Mohun, having surrendered himself, was +arraigned before parliament as an accomplice, on the 31st of January, +1693, and, after a laborious, patient, protracted, and impartial trial, +acquitted of the crime, in which he certainly bore no conspicuous part. +Mountfort languished till noon the next day, and solemnly declared, at +the very point of death, that Hill stabbed him with one hand while he +struck him with the other, Lord Mohun holding him in conversation when +the murder was committed. From the fact, however, of Mountfort's sword +being taken up unsheathed and broken, there is no doubt, without +insisting upon the testimony to that effect, that he used it; and that +he could have used it after receiving the desperate wound of which he +died, does not appear, by his flight and exhaustion, to have been +possible. Some of his fellow-players, it seems, had sifted the evidence +of a material witness, the day after his death, and at this evidence +they openly expressed their dissatisfaction. Mountfort, it was +indisputably shown, too, _went out of the way to his own house_, in +going down Howard-street at all, as he ought to have crossed it, his +door being the second from the south-west corner. These circumstances +will perhaps support a conjecture that some part of the odium heaped +upon Lord Mohun and Hill has proceeded from the cowardice and +exasperation of a timid and vindictive fraternity, coupled with the +individual artifices of Mrs. Bracegirdle, to redeem a character which +the real circumstances of Mountfort's death, dying as her champion, +severely affected. Cibber's assurance of her purity, may merely prove +the extent of his dulness or dissimulation, for on calmly reviewing this +case in all its aspects, chequered as it is by Hill's impetuosity, Mrs. +Bracegirdle's lewdness, and Mountfort's presumption, I cannot help +inferring that he fell a victim, not unfairly, to one of those casual +encounters which mark the general violence of the times. The record of +his murder is therefore erroneous, and we may hope to see it amended in +every future collection of theatrical lives.[242] + + +SAMUEL SANDFORD. + +Samuel Sandford made his first appearance upon the stage, under +D'Avenant's authority, in the year 1663,[243] at the time when that +company was strengthened by the accession of Smith and Matthew Medbourn. +The first part for which he has been mentioned by Downes, is _Sampson_, +in "Romeo and Juliet;" he soon after sustained a minor part in the +"Adventures of Five Hours," fol. 1663; and when D'Avenant produced his +comedy of the "Man's the Master," he and Harris sung an eccentric +epilogue in the character of two street ballad-singers. Sandford was the +original _Foresight_, in "Love for Love," and though Mr. Cibber has +exclusively insisted upon his tragic excellence, he must have been a +comedian of strong and diversified humour. When Betterton and his +associates seceded to the new theatre in Lincoln's-inn-fields, he +refused to join them as a sharer, but was engaged at a salary of three +pounds per week. As Sandford is not enumerated by Downes among the +actors transferred to Swiney, in the latter end of 1706, when Betterton +and Underhill, indeed, are mentioned as "the only remains" of the duke's +company, it is clear he must have died during the previous six years, +having been referred to by Cibber, as exercising his profession in 1700. +His ancestors were long and respectably settled at Sandford, a village +in Shropshire; and he seems to have prided himself, absurdly, upon the +superiority of his birth. + + +JAMES NOKES. + +James Nokes formed part of the company collected at the "Cockpit," in +1659, and is first mentioned by Downes for _Norfolk_, in "King Henry the +Eighth," some time after D'Avenant's opening in Lincoln's-inn-fields. +Upon this assumption Mr. Davies has expressed a very reasonable doubt, +and conjectured, with much plausibility, that it was sustained by +Robert Nokes. + +In Cowley's "Cutter of Coleman-street" [1661], the part of _Puny_ was +allotted to Nokes, whose reputation at that period appears to have been +but feebly established, as the more important comic characters were +intrusted to Lovel and Underhill. We find the name of Nokes affixed to +_Lovis_, in Etherege's "Comical Revenge," 1664, but his performance of +that part, whatever merit it might have evinced, acquired no +distinction. [This is wrong; Nokes played Sir Nicholas Cully: the part +of Lovis was acted by Norris.] The plague then beginning to rage, +theatrical exhibitions were suspended, in May, 1665, and the company +ceased to act, on account of the great fire, till [about] Christmas, +1666, when their occupation was resumed in Lincoln's-inn-fields, and +Lord Orrery produced his play of "Mr. Anthony." In this piece there was +an odd sort of duel between Nokes and Angel, in which one was armed with +a blunderbuss, and the other with a bow and arrow. Though this frivolous +incident procured Nokes some accession of public notice, it was Dryden's +"Sir Martin Mar-all," [1667,] which developed his powers to their +fullest extent, and raised him to the highest pitch of popularity. + +According to Downes, the Duke of Newcastle gave a literal translation of +Molière's "Etourdi" to Dryden, who adapted the part of _Sir Martin +Mar-all_ "purposely for the mouth of Mr. Nokes;" and the old prompter +has corroborated Mr. Cibber's assertion of his success. Nokes added +largely to his reputation, in [1668], by performing _Sir Oliver_, in +"She would if she could;" and strengthened Shadwell's "Sullen Lovers," +by accepting the part of _Poet Ninny_. + +Nokes acted _Barnaby Brittle_ at the original appearance--about 1670--of +Betterton's "Amorous Widow," and [in 1671] performed _Old Jorden_, in +Ravenscroft's "Citizen turned Gentleman," a part which the king and +court were said to have been more delighted with than any other, except +_Sir Martin Mar-all_. His _Nurse_, in "Caius Marius," 1680, excited +such uncommon merriment, that he carried the name of Nurse Nokes to his +grave. In 1688, he supported the hero of Shadwell's "'Squire of +Alsatia," a play which was acted in every part with remarkable +excellence, and enjoyed the greatest popularity. We find no farther +mention of him, subsequent to this period, though included by Cibber +among those who were performing under the united patents, in 1690, when +he first came into the company. According to Brown, who has peculiarly +marked out his "gaiety and openness" upon the stage, he kept a +"nicknackatory, or toy-shop," opposite the spot which has since received +the denomination of Exeter Change. The date of his death is uncertain, +but there is some reason to presume that it happened about the year +1692.[244] + + +WILLIAM PINKETHMAN. + +The first mention of Pinkethman, by Downes, is for the part of _Ralph_, +in "Sir Salomon," when commanded at court, in the beginning of [1704], +but he had been alluded to, two years before, in Gildon's "Comparison +between the Two Stages," as the "flower of Bartholomew-fair, and the +idol of the rabble. A fellow that overdoes every thing, and spoils many +a part with his own stuff." [He was on the stage as early as 1692.] He +is again mentioned in the "Roscius Anglicanus" for _Dr. Caius_, in the +"Merry Wives of Windsor," and continued to act in the Drury-lane company +till his death, about the year 1725. + +Pinkethman was a serviceable actor, notwithstanding his irregularities, +and performed many characters of great importance. He was the original +_Don Lewis_, in "Love makes a Man," 1701, a proof that his talents were +soon and greatly appreciated. His eccentric turn led him, in too many +instances, from the sphere of respectability, and we find him in the +constant habit of frequenting fairs, for the low purpose of theatrical +exhibition. His stage talents were marred, it is true, by an extravagant +habit of saying more than had been "set down" for him; and though this +abominable blemish is fully admitted, still its toleration proves that +Pinkethman must have been an actor of uncommon value. His son was a +comedian of merit, who played _Waitwell_, in the "Way of the World," at +the opening of Covent-garden theatre, in December, 1732, and died in +May, 1740. + + +ANTHONY LEIGH. + +The "famous Mr. Anthony Leigh," as Downes denominates him, came into the +duke's company, about the year [1672], upon the deaths of several +eminent actors, whose places he and others were admitted to supply. He +played _Bellair_, _sen_., in Etherege's "Man of Mode," at its production +in 1676. In 1681, Leigh supported _Father Dominic_, in Dryden's "Spanish +Friar;" a piece, which, according to the "Roscius Anglicanus," was +"admirably acted, and produced vast profit to the company." Leigh's +success was so great in this character, that a full-length portrait was +taken of him in his clerical habit, by Sir Godfrey Kneller, for the Earl +of Dorset, from which a good mezzotinto engraving is now in the hands of +theatrical collectors. In 1685, we find him allotted to _Sir Nicholas +Calico_, in "Sir Courtly Nice;" in 1688 he supported _Sir William +Belfond_, in Shadwell's "Squire of Alsatia," and these parts, with a few +others, appear to have constituted his peculiar excellence. + +The satirical allusions of such a random genius as Brown, are rarely to +be relied upon, or we might suspect Leigh, from the following extract, +to have been distinguished by pious hypocrisy:-- + +"At last, my friend Nokes, pointing to a little edifice, which exactly +resembles Dr. Burgess's conventicle in Russel-court, says he, 'your +old acquaintance Tony Leigh, who turned presbyterian parson upon his +coming into these quarters, holds forth most notably here every +Sunday.'"--"Letters from the Dead to the Living" [1744, ii. 77]. + + +CAVE UNDERHILL. + +Cave Underhill was a member of the company collected by Rhodes, and +which, soon afterwards, submitted to the authority of Sir William +D'Avenant. He is first mentioned by Downes, for his performance of _Sir +Morglay Thwack_, in the "Wits," after which he sustained the +_Grave-digger_, in "Hamlet," and soon testified such ability, that the +manager publicly termed him "the truest comedian" at that time upon his +stage.[245] Underhill, about this time, strengthened the cast of "Romeo +and Juliet," by playing _Gregory_, and though the custom of devoting the +best talent which the theatres afford, to parts of minor importance, has +ceased, it is a practice to which the managers, were public amusement +consulted, might safely recur. In Shakspeare's "Twelfth Night," which, +says Downes, "had mighty success by its well performance," Underhill +soon after supported the _Clown_, a character in which the latter +attributes delineated by Cibber, could alone have been employed. +Underhill's reputation appears to have been speedily established, as we +find him intrusted by Cowley, in [1661], with the hero of his "Cutter of +Coleman-street;" and he is mentioned by Downes for especial excellence +in performing _Jodelet_, in D'Avenant's "Man's the Master." His first +new part after the accession of James, was _Hothead_, in "Sir Courtly +Nice;" on the 30th of April, 1695, he distinguished himself by his +chaste and spirited performance of _Sir Sampson Legend_, in Congreve's +"Love for Love," and in 1700, closed a long, arduous, and popular +career of original parts, by playing _Sir Wilful Witwou'd_, in the "Way +of the World." [He continued on the stage till 1710.] + +A brief account of this valuable comedian has been furnished by Mr. +Davies, which, for the satisfaction of our readers, we shall proceed to +transcribe. + +"Underhill was a jolly and droll companion, who, if we may believe such +historians as Tom Brown, divided his gay hours between Bacchus and +Venus, with no little ardour. Tom, I think, makes Underhill one of the +gill-drinkers of his time; men who resorted to taverns, in the middle of +the day, under pretence of drinking Bristol milk, (for so good sherry +was then called) to whet their appetites, where they indulged themselves +too often in ebriety. Underhill acted till he was past eighty. He was so +excellent in the part of Trinculo, in the Tempest, that he was called +Prince Trinculo.[246] He had an admirable vein of pleasantry, and told +his lively stories, says Brown, with a bewitching smile. The same author +says, he was so afflicted with the gout, that he prayed one minute and +cursed the other. His shambling gait, in his old age, was no hindrance +to his acting particular parts. He retired from the theatre in +1703."--"Dram. Misc.," iii. 138. + +On the 31st of May, 1709, Underhill applied for a benefit, and +procured it, upon which occasion he played his favourite part of the +_Grave-digger_, and received the following cordial recommendation from +Sir Richard Steele:-- + +"My chief business here [Will's Coffee House] this evening, was to speak +to my friends in behalf of honest Cave Underhill, who has been a comic +for three generations; my father admired him extremely when he was a +boy. There is certainly nature excellently represented in his manner of +action; in which he ever avoided that general fault in players, of doing +too much. It must be confessed, he has not the merit of some ingenious +persons now on the stage, of adding to his authors; for the actors were +so dull in the last age, that many of them have gone out of the world, +without having ever spoken one word of their own in the theatre. Poor +Cave is so mortified, that he quibbles and tells you, he pretends only +to act a part fit for a man who has one foot in the grave; _viz._ a +_Grave-digger_. All admirers of true comedy, it is hoped, will have the +gratitude to be present on the last day of his acting, who, if he does +not happen to please them, will have it then to say, that it is the +first time."--"Tatler," No. 22. + + +GEORGE POWELL. + +The father of George Powell was an actor in the king's company at the +time of its junction, in 1682, with the duke's. Powell's access to the +theatre was, therefore, easy; and we are intitled to suspect, though the +time is not to be ascertained, that he began to act at a very early +period. + +Even, according to Cibber's allowance, when Powell was appointed to the +principal parts abandoned by Betterton and his revolters, they were +parts for which, whether serious or comic, he had both elocution and +humour. It is remarked by Davies,[247] that Cibber "seems to have hated +Powell," and if so, we have a ready clue to the neglect and asperity +with which he has treated him. + +Powell succeeded Betterton, it is supposed, in the part of _Hotspur_, +when that excellent comedian exchanged its choleric attributes, in his +declining years, for the gaiety and humour of _Falstaff_. _Edgar_, in +"King Lear," was also one of his most successful characters, but of +this, owing to his irregularities, he was dispossessed by Wilks. To such +a height, indeed, was the intemperance of this actor carried, that Sir +John Vanbrugh, in his preface to the "Relapse," 4to, 1697, speaking of +Powell's _Worthy_, has exposed it in following manner: + + One word more about the bawdy, and I have done. I own the + first night this thing was acted, some indecencies had like to + have happened; but it was not my fault. The fine gentleman of + the play, drinking his mistress's health in Nantes brandy, + from six in the morning to the time he waddled on upon the + stage in the evening, had toasted himself up to such a pitch + of vigour, I confess I once gave up _Amanda_ for gone, and am + since, with all due respect to Mrs. Rogers, very sorry she + escaped: for I am confident a certain lady, (let no one take + it to herself that is handsome) who highly blames the play, + for the barrenness of the conclusion, would then have allowed + it a very natural close. + +To the folly of intoxication he added the horrors of debt, and was so +hunted by the Sheriffs' officers, that he usually walked the streets +with a sword (sheathed) in his hand, and if he saw any of them at a +distance, he would roar out, "Get on the other side of the way, you +dog!" The bailiff, who knew his old customer, would obligingly answer, +"We do not want you _now_, Master Powell." Harassed by his distresses, +and unnerved by drink, it is hardly to be wondered at if his reputation +decreased, and his ability slackened; but that his efforts were still +marked by a possession of the very highest qualities that criticism can +attest, is proved by the following extract from the "Spectator:" + + Having spoken of Mr. Powell as sometimes raising himself + applause from the ill taste of an audience, I must do him the + justice to own, that he is excellently formed for a tragedian, + and, when he pleases, deserves the admiration of the best + judges.--No. 40. + +Addison and Steele continued their regard for this unhappy man as long +as they could render him any service, and that he acted _Portius_, in +"Cato," on its appearance in 1713, must have been with the author's +approbation. The last trace we have of Powell is confined to a playbill, +for his benefit, in the year 1717, since when no vestige has been found +of his career. He lies buried, it has been said, in the vault of St. +Clement-Danes; but though the period of his death may be fixed not far +from the date of this document, it cannot be minutely ascertained. +[Genest says Powell died 14th December, 1714.] + +In the intervals of excess Powell found time for repeated literary +labour, having written four plays, and superintended the publication of +three more. His fault was too great a passion for social pleasure, but +though the irregularities this passion produced, disabled him from +exerting the talents he was allowed to possess, still his excellence on +the stage is not to be disputed. He was esteemed at one period of his +life a rival to Betterton, and had the prudence of his conduct been +equal to the vigour of his genius, he would have held, as well as +reached, that lofty station for which nature had designed him. + +If the testimony of Aston can be relied on, Powell was born in the year +1658, being incidentally mentioned by that facetious writer, as +Betterton's junior by three and twenty years. + + +JOHN VERBRUGGEN. + +John Verbruggen, it appears from the assertion of Mr. Davies, was a +dissipated young fellow, who determined, in opposition to the advice of +his friends, to be an actor, and accordingly loitered about Drury-lane +theatre, at the very time when Cibber was also endeavouring to get +admittance, in expectation of employment. On the death of Mountfort, +whose widow he married, Verbruggen was intrusted, I have no doubt, with +the part of _Alexander_, his fondness for which was such, that he +suffered the players and the public, for many years, to call him by no +other name. [He seems to have been called Alexander from his first +appearing on the stage, till 1694.] It is mentioned in more than one +pamphlet, that Cibber and Verbruggen were at variance, and hence the +animosity and unfairness with which the latter has been treated.[248] + +The first part to which Verbruggen can be traced, is _Aurelius_, in +"King Arthur," 4to, 1691 [he played _Termagant_ ("Squire of Alsatia") in +1688]: in the year 1696, Mr. Southern assigned him the character of +_Oroonoko_, by the special advice of William Cavendish, the first Duke +of Devonshire; and as the author informs us in his preface, "it was +Verbruggen's endeavour, in the performance of that part, to merit the +duke's recommendation." A further proof of Mr. Cibber's partiality, is +the constant respect paid to Verbruggen by such judges of ability as +Rowe and Congreve, for whose pieces he was uniformly selected. His +_Mirabel_, in the "Way of the World," and _Bajazet_, in "Tamerlane," +were parts of the highest importance, and it will be difficult to show +that an ordinary actor could have been intrusted, by writers of equal +power and fastidity, with duties of which he was not thoroughly +deserving. When Verbruggen died it is impossible to ascertain. He +played _Sullen_, in the "Beaux' Stratagem," at its production in 1707, +and as Elrington made his appearance in _Bajazet_, in 1711, there is +some reason to conclude that Verbruggen's death occurred during that +interval. [He died before April, 1708.] + +Though Gildon, a scribbler whose venality was only exceeded by his +dulness, has mentioned Verbruggen in the most derogatory terms,[249] +there is ample evidence in the bare record of his business, to justify +the most unqualified merit we may incline to ascribe. Chetwood alludes +to him, in pointing out Elrington's imitation of his excellencies, as "a +very great actor in tragedy, and polite parts in comedy,"[250] and the +author of the "Laureat" enumerates a variety of important characters, in +which he commanded universal applause. + + +JOSEPH WILLIAMS. + +Joseph Williams,[251] who was bred a seal-cutter, came into the duke's +company, about the year 1673, when but a boy, and according to the +practice of that period, being apprenticed to an eminent actor, "served +Mr. Harris." I find him first mentioned by Downes, for _Pylades_, in the +serious opera of "Circe;" his next character of importance being +_Polydore_, in the "Orphan," 1680; and, same year, _Theodosius_, in Lee's +tragedy of that name. The Union in 1682, without diminishing his merit, +appears to have lessened his value, by the introduction of Kynaston and +others, who had more established pretensions to parts of importance. + +The secession of Williams from Betterton's company, just before the +opening in 1695, has been noticed and explained by Mr. Cibber, in a +subsequent passage. Greatly, as I have no doubt, he has depreciated the +merit of this actor, no materials remain of a more recent date than +those already quoted, by which we may conjecture his talents, or enforce +his estimation. Williams is not to be confounded with an actor of the +same appellation, who was at Drury-lane theatre in the year 1730, and +relieved Cibber of _Scipio_, in Thomson's "Sophonisba," a curious +account of which is given in the "Dramatic Miscellanies." + + +ELIZABETH BARRY. + +Elizabeth Barry, it is said, was the daughter of Edward Barry, Esq., a +barrister, who was afterwards called Colonel Barry, from his having +raised a regiment for the service of Charles the First, in the course of +the civil wars. The misfortunes arising from this engagement, involved +him in such distress, that his children were obliged to provide for +their own maintenance. Lady D'Avenant, a relation of the noted laureat, +from her friendship to Colonel Barry, gave this daughter a genteel +education, and made her a constant associate in the circle of polite +intercourse. These opportunities gave an ease and grace to Mrs. Barry's +behaviour, which were of essential benefit, when her patroness procured +her an introduction to the stage. This happened in the year 1673, when +Mrs. Barry's efforts were so extremely unpropitious, that the directors +of the duke's company pronounced her incapable of making any progress in +the histrionic art. Three times, according to Curll's "History of the +Stage," she was dismissed, and by the interest of her benefactor, +re-instated. When Otway, however, produced his "Alcibiades," in 1675, +her merit was such, as not only to excite the public attention, but to +command the author's praise, which has been glowingly bestowed upon her +in the preface to that production. We find her, next season, filling +the lively character of _Mrs. Lovit_, in Etherege's "Man of Mode;" and +in 1680, her performance of _Monimia_, in the "Orphan," seems to have +raised that reputation to its greatest height, which had been gradually +increasing. The part of _Belvidera_, two years afterwards, and the +heroine of Southern's "Fatal Marriage," in 1694, elicited unrivalled +talent, and procured her universal distinction. + +When Mrs. Barry first resorted to the theatre, her pretensions to notice +were a good air and manner, and a very powerful and pleasing voice. Her +ear, however, was so extremely defective, that several eminent judges, +on seeing her attempt a character of some importance, gave their opinion +that she never could be an actress. Upon the authority of Curll's +historian, Mr. Davies[252] has compiled what appears to me an apocryphal +tale of her sudden rise to the pinnacle of excellence, though there is +no reason to dispute her criminal intimacy with the Earl of Rochester. I +am not inclined, while doubting the precise anecdote of his assistance, +to deny that much advantage might have been derived from his general +instructions. + +Mrs. Barry was not only remarkable for the brilliancy of her talent, but +the earnestness of her zeal, and the ardour of her assiduity. Betterton, +that kind, candid, and judicious observer, bore this testimony to her +eminent abilities, and unyielding good-nature, that she often exerted +herself so greatly in a pitiful character, that her acting has given +success to plays which would disgust the most patient reader.[253] When +she accepted a part, it was her uniform practice to consult the author's +intention. Her last new character was the heroine of Smith's "Phædra and +Hippolytus," and though Mrs. Oldfield and the poet fell out concerning a +few lines in the part of _Ismena_, Mrs. Barry and he were in perfect +harmony. [_Valide_, in Goring's "Irene," 1708, was her last new part.] + +Mrs. Barry must have closed her career with this performance, being +mentioned by Steele, in the "Tatler," when assisting at Betterton's +benefit, on Thursday, April 7th, 1709, as "not at present concerned in +the house." She died on the 7th of November, 1713, aged fifty-five +years, and was buried in Acton church-yard. Mr. Davies ascribes her +death to the bite of a favourite lap-dog, who, unknown to her, had been +seized with madness, and there seems to be no grounds for disturbing his +supposition. + + +MRS. BETTERTON. + +When Sir William D'Avenant undertook the management of the duke's +company, he lodged and boarded four principal actresses in his house, +among whom was Mrs. Saunderson, the subject of this article. + +Mrs. Saunderson's first appearance in D'Avenant's company, was made as +_Ianthe_, in the "Siege of Rhodes," on the opening of his new theatre in +Lincoln's-inn-fields, in April, 1662 [should be June, 1661]. She played +_Ophelia_ soon afterwards, and that part being followed by Shakspeare's +_Juliet_, evinces the consideration in which her services were held. +[About] 1663, she married Mr. Betterton, and not in 1670, as it is +erroneously mentioned in the "Biographia Dramatica," and other worthless +compilations.[254] + +The principal characters sustained by Mrs. Betterton, were _Queen +Catharine_, in "Henry the Eighth;" the _Duchess of Malfy_; the _Amorous +Widow_; those enumerated in the text, and many others, not less +remarkable for their importance than their variety. On the death of her +husband, in April, 1710, she was so strongly affected by that event, as +to lose her senses, which were recovered, however, a short time previous +to her own decease. Mr. Cibber may be right in stating that she only +enjoyed the bounty of her royal mistress for about half a year; but, in +that case, the pension could not have been granted directly he died, as +we find that Mrs. Betterton was alive on the 4th of June, 1711, more +than thirteen months after, and had the play of "Sir Fopling Flutter," +performed at Drury-lane for her benefit. Mrs. Betterton, though +prevented from performing, by age and infirmity, enjoyed a sinecure +situation in Drury-lane theatre, till she withdrew from it, in 1709, and +was paid at the rate of [one pound] a-week. The "Biographia Britannica" +says she survived her husband eighteen months, but the precise date of +her decease has never been discovered. [Mrs. Betterton made a will on +10th March, 1712. In all probability Bellchambers is right in supposing +that the annuity was not granted till some time after her husband's +death.] + + +BENJAMIN JOHNSON. + +This excellent actor, who was familiarly known by the appellation of his +great namesake, Ben Jonson, came into the Theatre Royal, from an +itinerant company, as Mr. Cibber relates, about the year 1695. He was +bred a sign painter, but took more pleasure in hearing the actors, than +in handling his pencil or spreading his colours, and, as he used to say +in his merry mood, left the saint's occupation at last to take that of +the sinner. + +Johnson's merit was evinced as _Sir William Wisewould_, in Cibber's +comedy of "Love's Last Shift," 4to, 1696; but I find him first mentioned +by Downes, for _Justice Wary_, in Caryl's "Sir Salomon" [about 1704 or +1705]; the old prompter, in a species of postscript to his valuable +tract, then terms him "a true copy of Mr. Underhill," and instances his +_Morose_, _Corbaccio_, and _Hothead_, as very admirable efforts. Johnson +passed over to the management of old Swiney, in 1706, with other members +of Betterton's company, and established a very high reputation by his +chaste and studied manner of acting. When Rich, in 1714, opened his new +theatre in Lincoln's-inn-fields, Booth, Wilks, and Cibber, the managers +of Drury-lane, solicitous to retain in their service comedians of merit, +paid a particular respect to Johnson, by investing him with such parts +of Dogget, who had taken leave of them, as were adapted to his powers. +Here he continued with fame and profit, till August, 1742, when he +expired in the seventy-seventh year of his age. Mr. Davies, who appears +to have been familiar with his excellencies, has given a description of +Johnson, which, for its evident taste and candour, I shall do myself the +pleasure to transcribe. + +"That chaste copier of nature, Ben Johnson, the comedian, for above +forty years, gave a true picture of an arch clown in the _Grave-digger_. +His jokes and repartees had a strong effect from his seeming +insensibility of their force. His large, speaking, blue eyes he fixed +steadily on the person to whom he spoke, and was never known to have +wandered from the stage to any part of the theatre."--"Dram. Misc.," +iii. 140. + + +WILLIAM BULLOCK. + +This excellent actor came to London, as we see, about 1695, deriving his +engagement from the distress in which Drury-lane theatre was involved by +the desertion of Betterton, and other principal performers. He quitted +this establishment in 1714, owing, as Mr. Cibber insinuates, to the +ungovernable temper of Wilks; and passed over to John Rich, at the +opening of Lincoln's-inn-fields. He is first mentioned by Downes, for +the _Host_, in Shakspeare's "Merry Wives of Windsor" [about 1704 or +1705], and appears to be pointed at in Dennis's "Epistle Dedicatory" to +the "Comical Gallant," where the irascible writer thus addresses the +Hon. George Granville:-- + +"Falstaff's part, which you know to be the principal one of the play, +and that which on all the rest depends, was by no means acted to the +satisfaction of the audience, upon which several fell from disliking the +action, to disapproving the play." [As noted before, p. 252, Bullock was +probably not the actor aimed at.] + +This piece was printed in 1702, as acted "at the Theatre Royal in +Drury-lane;" with a list of the _dramatis personæ_, but the names of the +actors not annexed. Bullock, however, sustained the part of _Sir +Tunbelly Clumsy_, in Vanbrugh's "Relapse," which had been previously +performed under the same auspices, and from its nature, most probably by +the same actor. + +William Bullock was a comedian of great glee and much vivacity, and in +his person large, with a lively countenance, full of humourous +information. Steele, in the "Tatler," with his usual kind sensibility, +very often adverts to Bullock's faculty of exciting amusement, but +sometimes censures his habit of interpolation.[255] In Gildon's +"Comparison between the Two Stages," 1702 [p. 199], he is termed the +"best comedian since Nokes and Leigh, and a fellow that has a very +humble opinion of himself." Bullock's abilities have been ratified by +the sanction of Macklin, who denominated him a true theatrical genius; +and Mr. Davies saw him act several parts with great applause, and +particularly the _Spanish Friar_, when beyond the age of eighty. He died +on the 18th of June, 1733. [Genest, iii. 593, points out that Bullock +was acting in 1739.] + + +JOHN MILLS. + +Our first notice of this actor is found in the "Roscius Anglicanus," +where Downes, who seems anxious to dispatch his subject, says summarily +that "he excels in tragedy," but without making the remotest allusion to +any characters in which his talent had been displayed. + +John Mills the elder was, in person, inclined to the athletic size; his +features were large, though not expressive; his voice was full, but not +flexible; and his deportment was manly, without being graceful or +majestic. He was considered one of the most useful actors that ever +served in a theatre, but though invested by the patronage of Wilks with +many parts of the highest order, he had no pretensions to quit the +secondary line in which he ought to have been placed. Steele[256] taxes +him very broadly with a want of "sentiment," and insinuates that by +making gesture too much his study, he neglected the better attributes of +his art. + +On the death of Betterton, or soon after, Wilks, who took upon himself +to regulate the theatrical cast, gave _Macbeth_, with great partiality, +to Mills, while Booth and Powell were condemned to represent the +inferior parts of _Banquo_ and _Lenox_. Mills, though he spoke the +celebrated soliloquy on time,-- + + To-morrow, and to-morrow, etc., + +with propriety, feeling, and effect, wanted genius to realise the +turbulent scenes in which this character abounds. So much, indeed, was +his deficiency perceived, that the indignation of a country gentleman +broke out one night, during the performance of this play, in a very odd +manner. The 'squire, after having been heartily tired with Mills, on the +appearance of his old companion, Powell, in the fourth act, exclaimed, +loud enough to be heard by the audience, "For God's sake, George, give +us a speech, and let me go home."[257] + +I recollect an incident of the same sort occurring at Bristol, where a +very indifferent actor, declaimed so long and to such little purpose, +that an honest farmer, who sat in the pit, started up with evident +signs of disgust, and waving his hand, to motion the speaker off, cried +out, "Tak' un away, tak' un away, and let's have another." + +One of the best parts sustained by Mills, was that of _Pierre_, which he +acted so much to the taste of the public, that the applause it produced +him exceeded all that was bestowed upon his best efforts in every thing +else. He also acted _Ventidius_ with the true spirit of a rough and +generous old soldier, and in _Bajazet_, by the aid of his strong, deep, +melodious voice, he displayed more than ordinary power. + +It is supposed that Mills died in [December], 1736, respected by the +public as a decent actor, and beloved by his friends as a worthy man. + + +THEOPHILUS KEEN. + +Theophilus Keen received his first instructions in acting from Mr. +Ashbury, of the Dublin theatre, in which he made his appearance about +the year 1695. He most probably came into the Drury-lane company with +Johnson and others, when Rich had beaten up for recruits. On the opening +of the new house in Lincoln's Inn Fields, he went over to it, and, +according to Chetwood, had a share not only of the management, but in +the profit and loss, which latter speculation proved so disastrous to +him, that he died in the year 1719, of a broken heart. He was buried in +the church of St. Clement-Danes, and so much does he seem to have been +respected, that more than two hundred persons in deep mourning, attended +his funeral. + +The influence he possessed in the theatre sometimes led him to assume +such parts as _Edgar_, _Oroonoko_, and _Essex_, while his excellence lay +in _Clytus_, and characters of a similar cast. His figure and voice, +though neither elegant nor soft, were good, and his action was so +complete, that it obtained for him the epithet of majestic, and when he +spoke those lines of the _King_, in "Hamlet," where he descants upon the +dignity that "doth hedge" a monarch, his look and whole deportment were +so commanding, that the audience accompanied them always with the +loudest applause. + + +MRS. MARY PORTER. + +This valuable and respected actress, who was not only an honour to the +stage, but an ornament to human nature, obtained the notice of Betterton +by performing, when a child, the _Genius of Britain_, in a Lord Mayor's +pageant, during the reign of Charles or James the Second. It was the +custom for fruit-women in the theatre formerly to stand fronting the +pit, with their backs to the stage, and their oranges, &c. covered with +vine leaves, under one of which Betterton threatened to put his little +pupil, who was extremely diminutive, if she did not speak and act as he +would have her. + +Mrs. Porter was the genuine successor of Mrs. Barry, and had an elevated +consequence in her manner, which has seldom been equalled. One of her +greatest parts was Shakspeare's _Queen Catherine_, in which her +sensibility and intelligence, her graceful elocution and dignified +behaviour, commanded applause and attention in passages of little +importance. When the scene was not agitated by passion, to the general +spectator she failed in communicating equal pleasure; her recitation of +fact or sentiment being so modulated as to resemble musical cadence +rather than speaking. Where passion, however, predominated, she exerted +her powers to a supreme degree, and exhibited that enthusiastic ardour +which filled her audience with animation, astonishment, and delight. + +The dislocation of her thigh-bone, in the summer of 1731, was attended +with a circumstance that deserves to be recorded. She lived at +Heywood-hill, near Hendon, and, after the play, went home every night +in a one-horse chaise, prepared to defend herself against robbery, with +a brace of pistols. She was stopped on one of those occasions by a +highwayman, who demanded her money, and having the courage to level one +of her pistols at him, the assailant, who was probably unfurnished with +a similar weapon, assured her that he was no common thief, and had been +driven to his present course by the wants of a starving family. He told +her, at the same time, where he lived, and urged his distresses with +such earnestness, that she spared him all the money in her purse, which +was about ten guineas. The man left her, on which she gave a lash to the +horse, who suddenly started out of the track, overturned her vehicle, +and caused the accident already related. Let it be remembered to this +good woman's credit, that notwithstanding the pain and loss to which he +had, innocently, subjected her, she made strict inquiry into the +highwayman's character, and finding that he had told the truth, she +raised about sixty pounds among her acquaintance, and sent it, without +delay, to the relief of his wretched family. There is a romantic +generosity in this deed that captivates me more than its absolute +justice. + +About the year 1738, Mrs. Porter returned to the stage, and acted many +of her principal characters, with much vigour and great applause, though +labouring under advanced age and unconquerable infirmity. She had the +misfortune to outlive an annuity upon which she depended, and died in +narrow circumstances, about the year 1762. [She published Lord +Cornbury's comedy of "The Mistakes," in 1758, by which she realized a +large sum of money.] + +Though her voice was harsh and unpleasing, she surmounted its defects by +her exquisite judgment. In person she was tall and well shaped; her +complexion was fair; and her features, though not handsome, were made +susceptible of all that strong feeling could desire to convey. Her +deportment was easy, and her action unaffected; and the testimony upon +which the merits of Mrs. Porter are placed, entitles us to rank her in +the very first class of theatrical performers. + + +MRS. ANNE OLDFIELD. + +Anne Oldfield was born in the year 1683, and would have possessed a +tolerable fortune, had not her father, a captain in the army, expended +it at a very early period. In consequence of this deprivation, she +went to reside with her aunt, who kept the Mitre tavern, in St. +James's-market, where Farquhar, the dramatist, one day heard her reading +a few passages from Beaumont and Fletcher's "Scornful Lady," in which +she manifested such spirit, ease, and humour, that being struck by her +evident advantages for the stage, he framed an excuse to enter the room, +a little parlour behind the bar, in which Miss Nancy was sitting. + +Vanbrugh, who frequented the house, and was known to Mrs. Oldfield's +mother, received a communication from that lady of the very great warmth +with which his friend Farquhar had extolled her daughter's abilities. +Vanbrugh, who seems to have been a zealous and sincere friend to all by +whom his assistance was courted, immediately addressed himself to our +heroine, and having ascertained that her fancy tended to parts of a +sprightly nature, he recommended her to Rich, the manager of Drury-lane, +by whom she was immediately engaged, at a salary of fifteen shillings +_per_ week. Her qualifications soon rendered her conspicuous among the +young actresses of that time, and a man of rank being pleased to express +himself in her favour, Mr. Rich increased her weekly terms to the sum of +twenty shillings. + +The rise of Mrs. Oldfield was gradual but secure, and soon after the +death of Mrs. Verbruggen she succeeded to the line of comic parts so +happily held by that popular actress. Her _Lady Betty Modish_, in 1704, +before which she was little known, and barely suffered, discovered +accomplishments the public were not apprised of, and rendered her one +of the greatest favourites upon whom their sanction had ever been +bestowed. She was tall, genteel, and well shaped; her pleasing and +expressive features were enlivened by large speaking eyes, which, in +some particular comic situations, were kept half shut, especially when +she intended to realise some brilliant idea; in sprightliness of air, +and elegance of manner, she excelled all actresses; and was greatly +superior in the strength, compass, and harmony of her voice. + +Though highly appreciated as a tragic performer, Mrs. Oldfield, in the +full round of glory, used to slight her best personations of that sort, +and would often say, "I hate to have a page dragging my train about. Why +don't they give Porter those parts? She can put on a better tragedy face +than I can." The constant applause by which she was followed in +characters of this description, so far reconciled her to Melpomene, that +the last new one in which she appeared was Thomson's _Sophonisba_. Upon +her action and deportment the author has expressed himself with great +ardour in the following lines: + + Mrs. Oldfield, in the character of _Sophonisba_, has excelled + what, even in the fondness of an author, I could either wish + or imagine. The grace, dignity, and happy variety, of her + action have been universally applauded, and are truly + admirable. + +Thomson's praise, indeed, is not more liberal than just, for we learn, +that in reply to some degrading expression of _Massinissa_, relating to +Carthage, she uttered the following line,-- + + Not one base word of Carthage, for thy soul!-- + +with such grandeur of port, a look so tremendous, and in a voice so +powerful, that it is said she even astonished Wilks, her _Massinissa_; +it is certain the audience were struck, and expressed their feelings by +the most uncommon applause.[258] Testimony like this is sufficient to +protect her claim to tragic excellence, eclipsed as it certainly is by +the superiority of her comic reputation. + +_Lady Townly_ has been universally adduced as her _ne plus ultra_ in +acting. She slided so gracefully into the foibles, and displayed so +humourously the excesses, of a fine woman too sensible of her charms, +too confident in her strength, and led away by her pleasures, that no +succeeding _Lady Townly_ arrived at her many distinguished excellencies +in the character. By being a welcome and constant visitor to families of +distinction, Mrs. Oldfield acquired a graceful carriage in representing +women of high rank, and expressed their sentiments in a manner so easy, +natural, and flowing, that they appeared to be of her own genuine +utterance. Notwithstanding her amorous connexions[259] were publicly +known, she was invited to the houses of women of fashion, as conspicuous +for unblemished character as elevated rank. Even the royal family did +not disdain to see Mrs. Oldfield at their levees. George the Second and +Queen Caroline, when Prince and Princess of Wales, often condescended to +converse with her. One day the Princess told Mrs. Oldfield, she had +heard that General Churchill and she were married: "So it is said, may +it please your royal highness," replied Mrs. Oldfield, "but we have not +owned it yet." + +In private, Mrs. Oldfield was generous, humane, witty, and well-bred. +Though she disliked the man, and disapproved of his conduct, yet the +misfortunes of Savage recommended him to her pity, and she often relieved +him by a handsome donation. Her influence with Walpole contributed to +procure his pardon when convicted, on false evidence, of murder, and +adjudged to death, a fate which his most unnatural mother did her utmost +to enforce. It is not true that she either allowed this poet an annuity, +or admitted his conversation,[260] but still the benefits she did confer +upon him were quite numerous enough to warrant his celebration of her +memory. The goodness of her heart, and the splendour of her talents, were +topics upon which Savage might have ventured to insist, without +endangering his piety or wounding his pride. Dr. Johnson has sanctioned +the silence of this author,[261] on the grounds of Mrs. Oldfield's +condition; but that dogmatic man would have shown a truer taste for +benevolence, had he recommended the most ardent devotion to individuals +of any stamp, who were actuated by so glorious a principle. + +Pope, who seems to have persecuted the name of player with a malignancy +unworthy of his genius, has stigmatised the conversation of Mrs. +Oldfield by the word "_Oldfieldismos_," which he printed in Greek +characters; nor can there be a doubt that he meant her by the dying +coquette, in one of his epistles. That Mrs. Oldfield was touched by the +vanity of weak minds, and drew an absurd importance from the popularity +of her low station, may be fairly inferred, and might have been fairly +derided;[262] but Pope, with his usual want of candour, has appealed to +less tangible failings, and tried, as in most cases, much more to +ridicule the person than correct the fault. I do not dispute the +brilliancy of his sarcasm, but I would rather hail the rigour of his +justice.[263] + +Mrs. Oldfield died on the 23d of October, 1730, most sincerely lamented +by those to whom her general value was not unknown. + + + + +INDEX. + + + Abbé, Monsieur L', a French dancer, i. xxvii., i. 316. + + Acting, excellence of, about, 1631, i. xlviii.; + Cibber's views on versatility in, i. 209. + + Actors, their names not given in old plays, i. xxv.; + join Charles I.'s army, i. xxix.; + the prejudice against, i. 74-84; + taken into society, i. 83; + their delight in applause, i. 85; + entitled Gentlemen of the Great Chamber, i. 88; + must be born, not made, i. 89; + their private characters influence audiences, i. 243-251; + their arrangement with Swiney in 1706, ii. 9; + refused Christian burial by the Romish Church, ii. 29; + badly paid, ii. 64; + dearth of young, ii. 221. + + ---- the old, played secretly during the Commonwealth, i. xxx.; + arrested for playing, i. xxx.; + bribed officers of guard to let them play, i. xxx. + + Actress (Miss Santlow), insulted, i. 76. + + Actresses, first English, i. 87, _note_ 1, i. 90, i. 119; + who were Charles II.'s mistresses, i. 91; + difficulty of getting good, ii. 222. + + Addison, Joseph, i. 245, ii. 36, _note_ 1, ii. 151, ii. 163, _note_ 1, + ii. 251; + Pope's attack on, i. 38; + his opinion of Wilks's Hamlet, i. 100; + his view regarding humour in tragedy, i. 123; + his play of "Cato," ii. 120; + its great success, ii. 127-133; + presents the profits of "Cato" to the managers, ii. 129; + its success at Oxford, ii. 137; + his "Cato" quoted, ii. 238, _note_ 2. + + Admission to theatres, cheap, before 1642, i. xxvii. + + Adventurers--subscribers to the building of Dorset Garden Theatre, + i. 97, _note_ 1; + their interest in the Drury Lane Patent, ii. 32, _note_ 1; + Rich uses them against Brett, ii. 57; + names of the principal, ii. 57, _note_ 1. + + Agreement preliminary to the Union of 1682, ii. 324, ii. 328. + + "Albion Queens, The," ii. 14, _note_ 1. + + "Alexander the Great," by Lee, i. 105. + + Allen, William, an eminent actor, i. xxvi.; + a major in Charles I.'s army, i. xxix. + + Alleyn, Edward, caused the Fortune Theatre to be built for his company, + i. xxviii.; + endowed Dulwich College, i. xxviii.; + Ben Jonson's eulogium of, i. xxviii. + + "Amphytrion," by Dryden, i. 113. + + Angel, a comedian, ii. 347. + + Anne, Queen (while Princess of Denmark), deserts her father, James II., + i. 67, i. 70; + pensions Mrs. Betterton, i. 162; + at the play, i. 185; + forbids audience on the stage, i. 234, _note_ 2; + her death, ii. 161. + + Applause, i. 221; + the pleasure of, i. 85. + + Archer, William, his investigations regarding the truth of Diderot's + "Paradoxe sur le Comédien," i. 103, _note_ 1; + his "About the Theatre," i. 278, _note_ 1. + + Aristophanes, referred to, i. 39. + + Arlington, Earl of, his death, i. 31, _note_ 1. + + Arthur, son of Henry VII., pageants at his marriage, i. xliii. + + Ashbury, Joseph, the Dublin Patentee, i. 236, ii. 364; + engages Mrs. Charlotte Butler, i. 165; + memoir of, i. 165, _note_ 1. + + Aston, Anthony, quoted, i. 109, _note_ 1, + i. 110, _note_ 1, i. 116, _note_ 1, i. 167, _note_ 1, i. 167, + _note_ 2, ii. 354; + on his own acting of Fondlewife, ii. 312; + his "Brief Supplement" to Cibber's Lives of his Contemporaries, + reprint of, ii. 297; + his description of Mrs. Barry, ii. 302; + Betterton, ii. 299; + Mrs. Bracegirdle, ii. 303; + Dogget, ii. 308; + Haines, ii. 314; + Mrs. Mountfort, ii. 313; + Sandford, ii. 306; + Underhill, ii. 307; + Verbruggen, ii. 311. + + Audience on the stage, i. 234, ii. 246. + + Audiences rule the stage for good or evil, i. 112; + authors discouraged by their severity, i. 176. + + Authors abusing managers and actors, ii. 249; + managers' troubles with, ii. 249; + Cibber censured for his treatment of, ii. 251, _note_ 1. + + + Bacon, Lord, quoted, i. xlv. + + Baddeley, Robert, the last actor who wore the uniform of their + Majesties' servants, i. 88, _note_ 3. + + Balon, Mons., a French dancer, i. 316. + + Banks, John, the excellence of his plots, ii. 15; + his "Unhappy Favourite," ii. 244. + + Baron, Michael (French actor), i. 175. + + Barry, Mrs. Elizabeth, i. 98, i. 110, _note_ 1, i. 185, i. 188, + i. 192, _note_ 1, i. 251, _note_ 1, ii. 300, ii. 302, ii. 306, + ii. 320, ii. 337, ii. 365; + Cibber's account of, i. 158-161; + her great genius, i. 158; + Dryden's compliment to, i. 158; + her unpromising commencement as an actress, i. 159; + her power of exciting pity, i. 160; + her dignity and fire, i. 160; + the first performer who had a benefit, i. 161; + her death, i. 161; + her retirement, ii. 69; + Anthony Aston's description of, ii. 302; + Bellchambers's memoir of, ii. 357. + + Beaumont and Fletcher's "Wild-Goose Chase," published for Lowin and + Taylor's benefit, i. xxxi. + + Beeston, Christopher, ii. 326. + + "Beggar's Opera," i. 243, i. 318. + + Behn, Mrs. Aphra, i. 195. + + Bellchambers, Edmund, his edition of Cibber's "Apology" quoted, + i. 5, _note_ 1, i. 14, _note_ 1, i. 35, _note_ 2, i. 41, _note_ 2, + i. 58, _note_ 1, i. 71, _note_ 1, i. 106, _note_ 1, i. 123, + _note_ 2, i. 133, _note_ 1, i. 141, _note_ 1, i. 146, _note_ 1, + i. 152, _note_ 1, i. 161, _note_ 2, i. 163, _note_ 1, i. 170, + _note_ 1, i. 179, _note_ 2, i. 183, _note_ 1, i. 197, _note_ 3, + i. 202, _note_ 1, i. 251, _note_ 1, i. 278, _note_ 1, ii. 17, + _note_ 1, ii. 51, _note_ 1, ii. 88, _note_ 1, ii. 185, _note_ 1, + ii. 252, _note_ 1, ii. 254, _note_ 1; + his memoir of Mrs. Barry, ii. 357; + Betterton, ii. 333; + Mrs. Betterton, ii. 359; + W. Bullock, ii. 361; + Estcourt, ii. 331; + Goodman, ii. 329; + Hart, ii. 322; + B. Johnson, ii. 360; + Keen, ii. 364; + Kynaston, ii. 339; + Anthony Leigh, ii. 349; + John Mills, ii. 362; + Mohun, ii. 326; + Mountfort, ii. 341; + James Nokes, ii. 346; + Mrs. Oldfield, ii. 367; + Pinkethman, ii. 348; + Mrs. Porter, ii. 365; + Powell, ii. 352; + Sandford, ii. 346: Smith, ii. 319; + Underhill, ii. 350; + Verbruggen, ii. 354; + Joseph Williams, ii. 356. + + Benefits, their origin, i. 161; + Mrs. Elizabeth Barry the first performer to whom granted, i. 161, + ii. 67; + part confiscated by Rich, ii. 66; + Rich ordered to refund the part confiscated, ii. 68; + amounts realized by principal actors, ii. 78, _note_ 1. + + Betterton, Mrs. Mary, i. 98, i. 327, ii. 336; + said to be the first English actress, i. 90, _note_ 1; + Cibber's account of, i. 161-162; + without a rival in Shakespeare's plays, i. 162; + her unblemished character, i. 162; + pensioned by Queen Anne, i. 162; + her death, i. 162; + Bellchambers's memoir of, ii. 359. + + ---- Thomas, i. 98, i. 162, i. 175, i. 181, _note_ 2, i. 187, + _note_ 1, i. 188, ii. 64, _note_ 2, ii. 128, ii. 211, _note_ 1, + ii. 215, ii. 237, ii. 244, _note_ 1, ii. 306, ii. 308, ii. 311, + ii. 320, ii. 324, ii. 346, ii. 352, ii. 358. ii. 359, ii. 363, + ii. 365; + improves scenery, i. xxii.; + taken into good society, i. 83; + famous for Hamlet, i. 91; + Cibber's eulogium of, i. 99-118; + his supreme excellence, i. 100; + description of his Hamlet, i. 100; + Booth's veneration for, i. 101, _note_ 1; + his Hotspur, i. 103; + his Brutus, i. 103; + the grace and harmony of his elocution, i. 106; + his success in "Alexander the Great," i. 106, i. 108; + his just estimate of applause, i. 109; + his perfect elocution, i. 111; + description of his voice and person, i. 116; + Kneller's portrait of, i. 117; + his last appearance, i. 117; + his death, i. 118; + the "Tatler's" eulogium of, i. 118, _note_ 1; + Gildon's Life of, i. 118, _note_ 2, ii. 324, ii. 337, _note_ 1, + ii. 358; + Mrs. Bracegirdle returns to play for his benefit, i. 174; + ill-treated by the Patentees, i. 188; + makes a party against them, i. 189; + obtains a licence in 1695, i. 192, _note_ 1, i. 194; + mimicked by Powell, i. 205, i. 207, _note_ 1; + his versatility, i. 211; + his difficulty in managing at Lincoln's Inn Fields, i. 228; + as a prologue-speaker, i. 271; + inability to keep order in his Company, i. 315; + said to be specially favoured by the Lord Chamberlain, ii. 18; + declines management in, 1709, ii. 69; + advertisement regarding his salary (1709), ii. 78, _note_ 1; + his superiority to Wilks and Booth, ii. 245; + Anthony Aston's description of, ii. 299; + and the puppet-show keeper, ii. 301; + Bellchambers's memoir of, ii. 333. + + Betterton's Company (1695 to, 1704), their decline, i. 314; + disorders in, i. 315. + + Biblical narratives dramatized in the "Ludus Coventriæ," i. xxxvii. + _et seq._ + + Bibliography of Colley Cibber, ii. 289-296. + + Bickerstaffe, Isaac (author), ii. 288. + + Bickerstaffe, John (actor), ii. 77, _note_ 1, ii. 94, _note_ 1; + threatens Cibber for reducing his salary, i. 71, _note_ 1. + + Bignell, Mrs., ii. 77, _note_ 1, ii. 129, _note_ 2. + + "Biographia Britannica," ii. 360. + + "Biographia Dramatica," i. 184, _note_ 1, i. 278, _note_ 1, i. 330, + _note_ 1, ii. 14, _note_ 1, ii. 332, ii. 336, ii. 337, _note_ 1, + ii. 359, _note_ 1. + + Bird, Theophilus, an eminent actor, i. xxvi. + + Blackfriar's Company, "men of grave and sober behaviour," i. xxvii. + + ---- Theatre, i. xxv., i. xxvi., i. xxviii., i. xlix.; + its excellent company, i. xxiv., i. xxvi. + + Blanc, Abbé Le, his account of a theatre riot, i. 278, _note_ 1. + + "Blast upon Bays, A," ii. 266. + + "Bloody Brother, The," actors arrested while playing, i. xxx. + + Booth, Barton, i. 157, ii. 36, _note_ 1, ii. 77, _note_ 1, ii. 94, + _note_ 1, ii. 95, _note_ 1, ii. 110, ii. 128, ii. 129, _note_ 2, + ii. 167, ii. 230, ii. 232, ii. 320, ii. 361, ii. 363; + Memoirs of, published immediately after his death, i. 5; + story told by him of Cibber, i. 63, _note_ 1; + his veneration for Betterton, i. 101, _note_ 1; + his indolence alluded to by Cibber, i. 103; + his reverence for tragedy, i. 121; + his Morat, i. 122; + his Life, by Theo. Cibber, quoted, i. 122, _note_ 1, i. 123, _note_ 2, + ii. 130, _note_ 2, ii. 140, _note_ 1; + his Henry VIII., i. 123, _note_ 2; + is warned by Powell's excesses to avoid drinking, i. 260; + as a prologue-speaker, i. 271; + elects to continue at Drury Lane in 1709, ii. 70; + his marriage, ii. 96, _note_ 1; + the reason of the delay in making him a manager, ii. 114; + his success as Cato, ii. 130-133; + his claim to be made a manager on account of his success, ii. 130; + supported by Lord Bolingbroke, ii. 130, _note_ 2; + his name added to the Licence, ii. 140; + the terms of his admission as sharer, ii. 144; + his suffering from Wilks's temper, ii. 155; + his connection with Steele during the dispute about Steele's patent, + ii. 193, _note_ 1; + Wilks's jealousy of, ii. 223; + a scene with Wilks, ii. 234-237; + and Wilks, their opinion of each other, ii. 240; + his deficiency in humour, ii. 240; + formed his style on Betterton, ii. 241; + Cibber's comparison of Wilks and Booth, ii. 239-245; + his Othello and Cato, ii. 243; + memoir of, ii. 254, _note_ 1; + Patent granted to him, Wilks, and Cibber, after Steele's death, + ii. 257; + sells half of his share of the Patent to Highmore, ii. 258. + + Booth, Mrs. Barton (see also Santlow, Hester), insulted by Capt. + Montague, i. 76-78; + sells the remainder of Booth's share to Giffard, ii. 259. + + Boswell, James, his "Life of Dr. Johnson," quoted, i. 36, _note_ 2, + i. 46, _note_ 1, i. 215, _note_ 1, ii. 41, _note_ 2, ii. 163, + _note_ 1. + + Bourgogne, Hotel de, a theatre originally used for religious plays, + i. xxxv. + + Boutell, Mrs., mentioned, i. 161, _note_ 1, i. 167, _note_ 2. + + Bowen, James (singer), ii. 312. + + Bowman (actor), memoir of, ii. 211, _note_ 1; + sings before Charles II., ii. 211. + + ---- Mrs., ii. 211, _note_ 1. + + Bowyer, Michael, an eminent actor, i. xxvi. + + Boy-actresses, i. 90; + still played after the appearance of women, i. 119. + + Bracegirdle, Mrs. Anne, i. 98, i. 182, i. 188, i. 192, _note_ 1, + ii. 300, ii. 302, ii. 312, ii. 337; + admitted into good society, i. 83; + Cibber's account of, i. 170-174; + her good character, i. 170-172; + her character attacked by Bellchambers, i. 170, _note_ 1; + Tom Brown's scandal about her, i. 170, _note_ 1; + attacked in "Poems on Affairs of State," i. 170, _note_ 1; + her best parts, i. 173; + her retirement, i. 174; + memoir of her, i. 174, _note_ 2; + her rivalry with Mrs. Oldfield, i. 174, _note_ 2; + declines to play some of Mrs. Barry's parts, i. 188-9; + her retirement, ii. 69; + Anthony Aston's description of, ii. 303; + her attempted abduction by Capt. Hill, ii. 342. + + Bradshaw, Mrs., ii. 77, _note_ 1, ii. 94, _note_ 1, ii. 303. + + Brett, Colonel Henry, a share in the Drury Lane Patent presented + to him by Skipwith, ii. 32; + his acquaintance with Cibber, ii. 33; + Cibber's account of, ii. 34-42; + admires Cibber's perriwig, ii. 35; + and the Countess of Macclesfield, ii. 39-41; + his dealings with Rich, ii. 42-49, ii. 56-60; + makes Wilks, Estcourt, and Cibber his deputies in management, + ii. 56, _note_ 1; + gives up his share to Skipwith, ii. 59. + + ---- Mrs. (see also Miss Mason, and Countess of Macclesfield), + Cibber's high opinion of her taste, ii. 41, _note_ 2; + his "Careless Husband" submitted to her, ii. 41, _note_ 2; + her judicious treatment of her husband, ii. 41, _note_ 2. + + Bridgwater (actor), ii. 260. + + Brown, Tom, ii. 348, ii. 350; + his scandal on Mrs. Bracegirdle, i. 170, _note_ 1. + + Buck, Sir George, his "Third University of England," quoted, i. xlviii. + + Buckingham, Duke of, ii. 210. + + "Buffoon, The," an epigram on Cibber's admission into society, i. + 29, _note_ 1. + + Bullen, A. H., his "Lyrics from Elizabethan Song-books," i. 21, + _note_ 1. + + Bullock, Christopher, ii. 169, _note_ 2. + + ---- Mrs. Christopher, i. 136, _note_ 2. + + ---- William, i. 194, i. 313, i. 332, ii. 169, _note_ 2, ii. 252, + _note_ 1; + Bellchambers's memoir of, ii. 361. + + Burbage, Richard, i. xxvi. + + Burgess, Colonel, killed Horden, an actor, i. 303; + his punishment, i. 302, _note_ 2. + + Burlington, Earl of, ii. 209. + + Burnet, Bishop, his observations on Nell Gwynne, ii. 212; + on Mrs. Roberts, ii. 212. + + Burney, Dr., his "History of Music," ii. 55, _note_ 1, ii. 89, + _note_ 1; + his MSS. in the British Museum, i. 174, _note_ 2, ii. 198, + _note_ 1, ii. 224, _note_ 1. + + Burt (actor), superior to his successors, i. xxiv.; + apprenticed to Shank, i. xxv.; + and to Beeston, i. xxv.; + a "boy-actress," i. xxv.; + a cornet in Charles I.'s army, i. xxix.; + arrested for acting, i. xxx. + + Butler, Mrs. Charlotte, i. 98, i. 237, ii. 262; + Cibber's account of, i. 163-165; + patronized by Charles II., i. 163; + a good singer and dancer, i. 163; + a pleasant and clever actress, i. 164; + compared with Mrs. Oldfield, i. 164; + goes to the Dublin theatre, i. 164; + note regarding her, i. 164, _note_ 1. + + Byrd, William, his "Psalmes, Sonets, etc.," i. 21, _note_ 1. + + Byron, Lord, a practical joke erroneously attributed to him while at + Cambridge, i. 59, _note_ 1. + + + Cambridge. See Trinity College, Cambridge. + + "Careless Husband," cast of, i. 308, _note_ 1. + + Carey, Henry, deprived of the freedom of the theatre for bantering + Cibber, ii. 226, _note_ 2. + + Carlile, James, memoir of, i. 84, _note_ 1; + is killed at Aughrim, i. 84, _note_ 1, i. 85. + + Cartwright (actor), belonged to the Salisbury Court Theatre, i. xxiv. + + Castil-Blaze, Mons., his "La Danse et les Ballets" quoted, i. 316, + _note_ 1. + + Catherine of Arragon, pageants at her marriage with Prince Arthur, + i. xliii. + + "Cato," by Addison, cast of, ii. 120, _note_ 1; + its success, ii. 127-133; + at Oxford, ii. 137; + its influence, ii. 26; + Cibber's Syphax in, i. 122. + + Chalmers, George, his "Apology for the Shakspeare-Believers," i. 276, + _note_ 1, i. 277, _note_ 1. + + "Champion" (by Henry Fielding), quoted, i. 1, _note_ 1, i. 38, + _note_ 1, i. 50, _note_ 2, i. 63, _note_ 1, i. 69, _note_ 1, + i. 93, _note_ 2, i. 288, _note_ 1, ii. 54, _note_ 2. + + Charke, Charlotte, ii. 285. + + ---- (musician), husband of Cibber's daughter, ii. 285. + + Charles II. mentioned, i. 120, i. 133; + his escape from Presbyterian tyranny, i. 22; + Cibber sees him at Whitehall, i. 30; + writes a funeral oration on his death while still at school, i. 31; + Patents granted by him to Davenant and Killigrew, i. 87; + wittily reproved by Killigrew, i. 87, _note_ 2; + called Anthony Leigh "his actor," i. 154; + his Court theatricals, ii. 209; + and Bowman the actor, ii. 211; + his opinion of Sandford's acting, ii. 306. + + Chesterfield, Lord, his powers of raillery, i. 13, i. 14; + refers ironically to Cibber in "Common Sense," i. 71, _note_ 1; + opposes the Licensing Act of 1737, i. 289. + + Chetwood, William Rufus, Cibber acts for his benefit, ii. 265; + his "History of the Stage," i. 165, _note_ 1, i. 207, _note_ 1, + i. 244, _note_ 1, ii. 140, _note_ 1, ii. 169, _note_ 3, ii. + 319-320, ii. 331, ii. 356, ii. 364. + + "Children of her Majesty's Chapel," i. xxxvi. + + "Children of Paul's," i. xxxvi. + + Churchill, General, ii. 369, _note_ 2. + + ---- Lady (Duchess of Marlborough), i. 67; + Cibber attends her at table, i. 68; + his admiration of her, i. 68; + her beauty and good fortune, i. 69. + + Cibber, Caius Gabriel, father of Colley Cibber, i. 7, _note_ 2; + his statues and other works, i. 8; + his marriage, i. 8, _note_ 1; + his death, i. 8, _note_ 1; + presents a statue to Winchester College, i. 56; + employed at Chatsworth, i. 58; + statues carved by him for Trinity College Library, Cambridge, i. 59. + + Cibber, Colley, Account of his Life:-- + His Apology written at Bath, i. 1, _note_ 1; + his reasons for writing his own Life, i. 5, i. 6; + his birth, i. 7; + his baptism recorded, i. 7, _note_ 2; + sent to school at Grantham, i. 9; + his character at school, i. 9; + writes an ode at school on Charles II.'s death, i. 31; + and on James II.'s coronation, i. 33; + his prospects in life, i. 55; + his first taste for the stage, i. 58; + stifles his love for the stage and desires to go to the University, + i. 58; + serves against James II. in 1688, i. 61; + attends Lady Churchill at table, i. 68; + his admiration of her, i. 68; + disappointed in his expectation of receiving a commission in the + army, i. 71; + petitions the Duke of Devonshire for preferment, i. 73; + determines to be an actor, i. 73; + hangs about Downes the prompter, i. 74, _note_ 1; + his account of his own first appearances, i. 180; + his first salary, i. 181; + description of his personal appearance, i. 182; + his first success, i. 183; + his marriage, i. 184; + plays Kynaston's part in "The Double Dealer," i. 185; + remains with Patentees in, 1695, i. 193; + writes his first Prologue, i. 195; + not allowed to speak it, i. 196; + forced to play Fondlewife, i. 206; + plays it in imitation of Dogget, i. 208; + his slow advancement as an actor, i. 209, i. 215; + writes his first play, "Love's Last Shift," i. 212; + as Sir Novelty Fashion, i. 213; + encouraged and helped by Vanbrugh, i. 215; + begins to advance as an actor, i. 218; + better in comedy than tragedy, i. 221; + tragic parts played by him, i. 222; + his Iago abused, i. 222, _note_ 1; + description of his Justice Shallow, i. 224, _note_ 2; + leaves Drury Lane for Lincoln's Inn Fields, i. 232, _note_ 1; + returns to Drury Lane, i. 232, _note_ 1; + his "Love in a Riddle" condemned, i. 244-250; + accused of having Gay's "Polly" vetoed, i. 247; + his Damon and Phillida, i. 249, _note_ 1; + consulted by Rich on matters of management, i. 253; + his disputes with Wilks, i. 258; + his "Woman's Wit" a failure, i. 264; + distinguished by Dryden, i. 269; + attacked by Jeremy Collier, i. 274; + his adaptation of "Richard III.," i. 139; + his "Richard III." mutilated by the Master of the Revels, i. 275; + attacked by George Chalmers, i. 276, _note_ 1, i. 277, _note_ 1; + declines to pay fees to Killigrew, Master of Revels, i. 277; + his surprise at Mrs. Oldfield's excellence, i. 307; + writes "The Careless Husband" chiefly for Mrs. Oldfield, i. 308; + finishes "The Provoked Husband," begun by Vanbrugh, i. 311, _note_ 1; + invited to join Swiney at the Haymarket, i. 333; + leaves Rich and goes to Swiney, i. 337; + his "Lady's Last Stake," ii. 2; + his "Double Gallant," ii. 3; + his "Marriage à la Mode," ii. 5; + declines to act on the same stage as rope-dancers, ii. 7; + advises Col. Brett regarding the Patent, ii. 33, ii. 42; + his first introduction to him, ii. 33; + his account of Brett, 34-42; + as Young Reveller in "Greenwich Park," ii. 41; + made Deputy-manager by Brett, ii. 56, _note_ 1; + advertisement regarding his salary, 1709, ii. 78, _note_ 1; + made joint manager with Swiney and others in 1709, ii. 69; + and his fellow-managers, Wilks and Dogget, ii. 110, ii. 117, ii. + 121, ii. 127; + mediates between Wilks and Dogget, ii. 122; + his troubles with Wilks, ii. 124; + his views and conduct on Booth's claiming to become a manager, ii. + 131-133, ii. 140-143; + his meetings with Dogget after their law-suit, ii. 150; + his "Nonjuror," i. 177, _note_ 1, ii. 185-190; + accused of stealing his "Nonjuror," ii. 186, _note_ 1; + makes the Jacobites his enemies, ii. 185-187; + reported dead by "Mist's Weekly Journal," ii. 188; + his "Provoked Husband" hissed by his Jacobite enemies, ii. 189; + his appointment as Poet Laureate in 1730, i. 32, _note_ 1; + the reason of his being made Laureate, ii. 190; + his "Ximena," ii. 163, _note_ 1; + his suspension by the Duke of Newcastle, ii. 193, _note_ 1; + his connection with Steele during the dispute about Steele's Patent, + ii. 193, _note_ 1; + his account of a suit brought by Steele against his partners, ii. + 196-208; + his pleading in person in the suit brought by Steele, ii. 199-207; + his success in pleading, ii. 198, _note_ 1, ii. 207; + assisted Steele in his "Conscious Lovers," ii. 206; + his playing of Wolsey before George I., ii. 216; + admitted into good society, i. 29; + elected a member of White's, i. 29, _note_ 1; + an epigram on his admission into good society, i. 29, _note_ 1; + Patent granted to Cibber, Wilks, and Booth after Steele's death, + ii. 257; + sells his share of the Patent to Highmore, ii. 258; + his sale of his share in the Patent, i. 297; + his shameful treatment of Highmore, ii. 259; + his retirement, ii. 255; + gives a reason for retiring from the stage, i. 178, i. 179, + _note_ 1; + his appearances after his retirement, ii. 261, ii. 263, ii. + 264, ii. 268; + his remarks on his successful reappearances, i. 179; + his last appearances, i. 6, _note_ 1; + his adaptation of "King John," i. 6, _note_ 1; + his "Papal Tyranny in the Reign of King John" withdrawn from + rehearsal, ii. 263; + his "Papal Tyranny" produced, ii. 268; + its success, ii. 270; + his quarrel with Pope, ii. 270-283; + and Horace Walpole, ii. 284; + his death and burial, ii. 284; + list of his plays, ii. 286-287; + bibliography of, ii. 289-296; + Anthony Aston's "Supplement" to, ii. 297. + + Cibber, Colley, Attacks on him:-- + Commonly accused of cowardice, i. 71, _note_ 1; + threatened by John Bickerstaffe, for reducing his salary, i. 71, + _note_ 1; + accused of "venom" towards Booth, i. 123, _note_ 2; + abused by Dennis, i. 66, _note_ 1, ii. 168, _note_ 1; + his offer of a reward for discovery of Dennis, i. 41, _note_ 1, ii. + 168, _note_ 1; + charged with envy of Estcourt, i. 115, _note_ 2; + Fielding's attacks upon, quoted (see under Fielding, Hy.); + his galling retaliation on Fielding, i. 286; + said to have been thrashed by Gay, i. 71, _note_ 1; + "The Laureat's" attacks upon (see "Laureat"); + satirized on his appointment as Laureate, i. 46; + epigrams on his appointment quoted, i. 46, _note_ 1; + writes verses in his own dispraise, i. 47; + his Odes attacked by Fielding, i. 36, _note_ 2; + and by Johnson, i. 36, _note_ 2; + charges against him of levity and impiety, i. 58, _note_ 1; + accused of negligence in acting, i. 241, _note_ 1; + attacked by the daily papers, i. 41; + his disregard of them, i. 41, i. 44, _note_ 1; + on newspaper attacks, ii. 167; + on principle never answered newspaper attacks, ii. 168; + his famous quarrel with Pope, ii. 270; + "The Nonjuror" a cause of Pope's enmity to Cibber, ii. 189, _note_ 1; + attacked by Pope for countenancing pantomimes, ii. 182, _note_ 1; + his reply, ii. 182, _note_ 1; + his first allusion to Pope's enmity, i. 21; + his opinion of Pope's attacks, i. 35; + his Odes, i. 36, _note_ 2; + supposed to be referred to in Preface to Shadwell's "Fair Quaker of + Deal," ii. 95, _note_ 1; + attacked for mutilating Shakespeare, ii. 263; + accused of stealing "Love's Last Shift," i. 214, and "The Careless + Husband," i. 215, _note_ 1; + satirized by Swift, i. 52, _note_ 2; + his defence of his follies, i. 2, i. 19. + + Cibber, Colley, Criticisms of Contemporaries:-- + On the production of Addison's "Cato," ii. 120, ii. 127-133; + his description of Mrs. Barry, i. 158-161; + on the excellence of Betterton and his contemporaries, i. 175; + his eulogium of Betterton, i. 99-118; + his description of Mrs. Betterton, i. 161-162; + his account of Booth and Wilks as actors, ii. 239-245; + his description of Mrs. Bracegirdle, i. 170-174; + his description of Mrs. Butler, i. 163-165; + his high opinion of Mrs. Brett's taste, ii. 41, _note_ 2; + submits every scene of his "Careless Husband" to Mrs. Brett, ii. + 41, _note_ 2; + on his own acting, i. 220-226; + his "Epilogue upon Himself," ii. 265; + on Dogget's acting, ii. 158; + his low opinion of Garrick, ii. 268; + his description of Kynaston, i. 120-127; + his description of Leigh, i. 145-154; + his description of Mrs. Leigh, i. 162-3; + his description of Mountfort, i. 127-130; + his description of Mrs. Mountfort, i. 165-169; + his praise of Nicolini, ii. 51; + his description of Nokes, i. 141-145; + his hyperbolical praise of Mrs. Oldfield's Lady Townly, i. 51, i. + 312, _note_ 3; + on Rich's misconduct, ii. 46; + his description of Sandford, i. 130; + his description of Cave Underhill, i. 154-156; + his unfairness to Verbruggen, i. 157, _note_ 2; + his account of Wilks and Booth as actors, ii. 239-245; + on Wilks's Hamlet, i. 100; + praises Wilks's diligence, ii. 160, ii. 239; + on Wilks's love of acting, ii. 225; + on Wilks's temper, ii. 155, ii. 171; + a scene with Wilks, 234-237. + + Cibber, Colley, Reflections and Opinions:-- + On acting, i. 209, i. 221; + on acting villains, i. 131-135, i. 222; + on the prejudice against actors, i. 74-84; + his advice to dramatists, ii. 14; + on applause, i. 221, ii. 214; + on the severity of audiences, i. 175; + on politeness in audiences, ii. 247; + on troubles with authors, ii. 249; + on the effect of comedy-acting, i. 140; + on Court influence, ii. 103; + on criticism, i. 52; + on his critics, ii. 220; + on humour in tragedy, i. 121; + on the Italian Opera, ii. 50-55; + on the difficulty of managing Italian singers, ii. 88; + on laughter, i. 23; + on the liberty of the stage, i. 289; + on the validity of the Licence, i. 284; + on the power of the Lord Chamberlain, ii. 10-23; + his principles as manager, i. 190; + on management, ii. 60; + on judicious management, ii. 74; + on the duties and responsibilities of management, ii. 199-207; + on the success of his management, ii. 245; + on morality in plays, i. 265, i. 272; + on the power of music, i. 112; + on Oxford theatricals, ii. 133-139; + on pantomimes, i. 93, ii. 180; + on prologue-speaking, i. 270; + on the difficulties of promotion in the theatre, ii. 223; + on the Queen's Theatre in the Haymarket, i. 322; + on raillery, i. 11; + on the Revolution of 1688, i. 60-63; + on satire, i. 37; + on the reformation of the + on making the stage useful, ii. 24-31; + on the benefit of only one theatre, i. 92, ii. 139, ii. 178-185; + on the shape of the theatre, ii. 84; + on his own vanity, ii. 182. + + ---- Miscellaneous:-- + Profit arising from his works, i. 3, _note_ 2; + frequently the object of envy, i. 33; + his obtrusive loyalty, i. 33, _note_ 1, i. 66; + banters his critics by allowing his "Apology" to be impudent and + ill-written, i. 43; + his easy temper under criticism and abuse, i. 50; + confesses the faults of his writing, i. 50; + his "quavering tragedy tones," i. 110, _note_ 1; + his playing of Richard III. an imitation of Sandford, i. 139; + his "Careless Husband" quoted, i. 148, _note_ 1; + his wigs, ii. 36, _note_ 1; + his treatment of authors, ii. 37, _note_ 1; + reproved by Col. Brett for his treatment of authors, ii. 37, + _note_ 1; + his dedication of the "Wife's Resentment" to the Duke of Kent, + ii. 46; + censured for his treatment of authors, ii. 251, _note_ 1; + his satisfaction in looking back on his career, ii. 115; + his acknowledgment of Steele's services to the theatre, ii. 162; + his dedication of "Ximena" to Steele, ii. 163, _note_ 1; + his omission of many material circumstances in the history of the + stage, ii. 193, _note_ 1; + Wilks his constant supporter and admirer, ii. 226, _note_ 1; + his "Odes," ii. 283; + hissed as Phorbas, ii. 309; + Aston on Cibber's acting, ii. 312. + + Cibber, Mrs. Colley, her marriage, i. 184; + her character, i. 184, _note_ 1; + her father's objection to her marriage, i. 184, _note_ 1. + + ---- Lewis (brother of Colley), admitted to Winchester College, i. 56; + Cibber's affection for, i. 57; + his great abilities, i. 57; + his death, i. 57. + + ---- Susanna Maria (wife of Theophilus), ii. 267, _note_ 1, ii. 270, + ii. 285; + her speaking described, i. 110, _note_ 1. + + ---- Theophilus, ii. 187, _note_ 1, ii. 262; + mentioned ironically by Lord Chesterfield, i. 71, _note_ 1; + in "Art and Nature," i. 152, _note_ 1; + acts as his father's deputy in heads a mutiny against Highmore, + ii. 259; + account of him, ii. 285; + his "Life of Booth" quoted, i. 122, _note_ 1, i. 123, _note_ 2, + ii. 130, _note_ 2, ii. 140, _note_ 1. + + "Circe," an opera, i. 94. + + Civil War, the, closing of theatres during, i. 89. + + Clark, actor, memoir of, i. 96, _note_ 3. + + Cleveland, Duchess of, and Goodman, ii. 330. + + Clive, Mrs. Catherine, ii. 260, ii. 268, _note_ 1, ii. 269; + her acting in "Love in a Riddle," i. 244, _note_ 1. + + Clun, a "boy-actress," i. xxiv. + + Cock-fighting prohibited in, 1654, i. lii. + + Cockpit, The (or Phoenix), i. xxv.; + its company, i. xxvi., i. xxviii., i. xlix.; + Rhodes's Company at, i. xxviii.; + secret performances at, during the Commonwealth, i. xxx. + + Coke, Rt. Hon. Thomas, Vice-Chamberlain, his interference in Dogget's + dispute with his partners, ii. 146. + + Coleman, Mrs., the first English actress, i. 90, _note_ 1. + + Colley, the family of, i. 8, i. 9. + + ---- Jane, mother of Colley Cibber, i. 8, _note_ 1. + + Collier, Jeremy, i. 170, _note_ 1, i. 268, _note_ 2, i. 273, i. 274, + ii. 233, _note_ 2; + his "Short View of the Profaneness, &c., of the English Stage," i. + xxi., i. xxxiii., i. 272, i. 289; + his arguments confuted, i. xxxiii. + + Collier, William, M.P., i. 97, _note_ 2, ii. 172, ii. 175; + procures a licence for Drury Lane, ii. 91; + evicts Rich, ii. 92; + appoints Aaron Hill his manager, ii. 94, _note_ 1; + his unjust treatment of Swiney, ii. 101, ii. 107; + takes the control of the opera from Swiney, ii. 102; + farms the opera to Aaron Hill, ii. 105; + forces Swiney to resume the opera, ii. 107; + made partner with Cibber, Wilks, and Dogget at Drury Lane, ii. 107; + his shabby treatment of his partners, ii. 108, ii. 141; + his downfall, ii. 109; + replaced by Steele in the Licence, ii. 164. + + Comedy-acting, the effect of, i. 140. + + "Common Sense," a paper by Lord Chesterfield, quoted, i. 71, _note_ 1. + + "Comparison between the two Stages," by Gildon, i. 189, _note_ 1, + i. 194, _note_ 1, i. 194, _note_ 5, i. 214, _note_ 1, i. 216, + _note_ 1, i. 218, _note_ 2, i. 231, _note_ 2, i. 232, _note_ 2, + i. 233, _note_ 1, i. 254, _note_ 1, i. 303, _note_ 1, i. 306, + _note_ 1, i. 316, _note_ 2, ii. 328, _note_ 2, ii. 348, ii. 356, + _note_ 1, ii. 362. + + Complexion, black, of evil characters on the stage, i. 133. + + Congreve, William, i. 185, i. 274, i. 284, ii. 36, _note_ 1, ii. 110, + ii. 159, ii. 251, ii. 302; + Memoir of, mentioned, i. 5, _note_ 1; + his "Love for Love," i. 155, i. 197; + scandal about him and Mrs. Bracegirdle, i. 170, _note_ 1; + a sharer with Betterton in his Licence in 1695, i. 192, _note_ 1, + i. 197; + his "Mourning Bride," i. 199; + his "Way of the World," i. 200; + his opinion of "Love's Last Shift," i. 220; + and Vanbrugh manage the Queen's Theatre, i. 320, i. 325; + gives up his share in the Queen's Theatre, i. 326; + and Mrs. Bracegirdle, ii. 304. + + Cooper, Lord Chancellor, ii. 149, ii. 174. + + Coquelin, Constant, his controversy with Henry Irving regarding + Diderot's "Paradoxe sur le Comédien," i. 103, _note_ 1. + + Corelli, Arcangelo, ii. 247. + + Cory (actor), ii. 169, _note_ 2. + + Court, theatrical performances at, see Royal Theatricals; + interference of the, in the management of the stage, i. 89. + + Covent Garden, Drury Lane theatre sometimes described as the theatre + in, i. 88, _note_ 1. + + Covent Garden Theatre, i. 92, _note_ 1. + + Coventry, the old Leet Book of, i. xl. + + Craggs, Mr. Secretary, ii. 96, _note_ 1, ii. 165, ii. 333; + chastises Captain Montague for insulting Miss Santlow, i. 77. + + Craufurd, David, his account of the disorders in Betterton's company, + i. 315, _note_ 2. + + Crawley, keeper of a puppet-show, ii. 301. + + Creation, the, dramatized in the "Ludus Coventriæ," i. xxxviii. + + Cromwell, Lady Mary, i. 267, _note_ 1. + + Cross, Mrs., i. 334, _note_ 1. + + ---- Richard, prompter of Drury Lane, i. 181, _note_ 2. + + Crowne, John, his masque of "Calisto," ii. 209. + + Cumberland, Richard, his description of Mrs. Cibber's speaking, i. + 110, _note_ 1. + + Cunningham, Lieut.-Col. F., doubts if Ben Jonson was an unsuccessful + actor, i. 85, _note_ 1. + + Curll, Edmund, his "History of the Stage," i. 96, _note_ 4, i. 174, + _note_ 2, ii. 357; + his "Life of Mrs. Oldfield," i. 305, _note_ 2; + his memoirs of Wilks, i. 5, _note_ 1. + + Curtain Theatre, the, mentioned by Stow as recently erected, i. xlviii. + + Cuzzoni, Francesca, her rivalry with Faustina, ii. 89. + + "Cynthia's Revels," played by the Children of her Majesty's Chapel, + i. xxxvi. + + + "Daily Courant," quoted, ii. 175, _note_ 1. + + Daly, Augustin, his Company of Comedians, ii. 289. + + Dancers and singers introduced by Davenant, i. 94. + + Davenant, Alexander, ii. 32, _note_ 1; + his share in the Patent, i. 181, _note_ 1. + + ---- Dr. Charles, ii. 324. + + ---- Sir William, i. 181, _note_ 1, i. 197, _note_ 3, ii. 179, + _note_ 1, ii. 334; + first introduces scenery, i. xxxii.; + copy of his patent, i. liii.; + Memoir of, i. 87, _note_ 1; + Poet Laureate, i. 87, _note_ 1; + receives a patent from Charles I., i. 87, _note_ 1; + from Charles II., i. 87; + his company worse than Killigrew's, i. 93; + he introduces spectacle and opera to attract audiences, i. 94; + unites with Killigrew's, i. 96; + his "Macbeth," ii. 229, _note_ 1. + + Davies, Thomas, his "Dramatic Miscellanies," i. 3, _note_ 2, i. 41, + _note_ 1, i. 58, _note_ 1, i. 71, _note_ 1, i. 74, _note_ 1, i. + 90, _note_ 1, i. 101, _note_ 1, i. 153, _note_ 1, i. 166, _note_ 1, + i. 179, _note_ 1, i. 181, _note_ 2, i. 192, _note_ 1, i. 214, + _note_ 2, i. 222, _note_ 1, i. 224, _note_ 2, i. 241, _note_ 1, i. + 273, _note_ 1, i. 274, _note_ 1, i. 302, _note_ 2, i. 330, _note_ + 1, ii. 36, _note_ 1, ii. 211, _note_ 1, ii. 216, _note_ 1, ii. 226, + _note_ 1, ii. 230, _note_ 1, ii. 233, _note_ 3, ii. 240, _note_ 1, + ii. 263, _note_ 1, ii. 268, _note_ 1, ii. 325, _note_ 1, ii. 335. + _note_ 1, ii. 351, ii. 352, ii. 354, ii. 355, _note_ 1. ii. 358, + ii. 361, ii. 363, ii. 369; + his "Life of Garrick," i. lv., _note_ 1, i. 283, _note_ 2, ii. 259. + + Davis, Mary (Moll), i. 91, _note_ 1. + + Denmark, Prince of, his support of William of Orange, i. 67, i. 70. + + Dennis, John, i. 41, _note_ 2, ii. 361; + abuses Cibber for his loyalty, i. 66, _note_ 1; + accuses Cibber of stealing his "Love's Last Shift," i. 215; + his attacks on Steele and Cibber, ii. 168, _note_ 1, ii. 176, + _note_ 1; + attacks Wilks, ii. 226, _note_ 2; + abuses one of the actors of his "Comic Gallant," ii. 252, _note_ 1. + + "Deserving Favourite, The," i. xxv. + + Devonshire, Duke of, ii. 305; + his quarrel with James II., i. 72; + Cibber presents a petition to, i. 73. + + Diderot, Denis, his "Paradoxe sur le Comédien," i. 103, _note_ 1. + + Dillworth, W. H., his "Life of Pope," ii. 278, _note_ 1. + + Dixon, a member of Rhodes's company, i. 163, _note_ 1. + + Dobson, Austin, his "Fielding" quoted, i. 286, _note_ 1, i. 287, + _note_ 3, i. 288, _note_ 1. + + Dodington, Bubb, mentioned by Bellchambers, i. 14, _note_ 1. + + Dodsley, Robert, purchased the copyright of Cibber's "Apology," i. 3, + _note_ 2. + + Dogget, Thomas, i. 157, ii. 110, ii. 227, ii. 314, ii. 361; + his excellence in Fondlewife, i. 206; + Cibber plays Fondlewife in imitation of, i. 208; + his intractability in Betterton's Company, i. 229; + deserts Betterton at Lincoln's Inn Fields, and comes to Drury Lane, + i. 229; + arrested for deserting Drury Lane, ii. 21; + defies the Lord Chamberlain, ii. 21; + wins his case, ii. 22; + made joint manager with Swiney and others in 1709, ii. 69; + his characteristics as a manager, ii. 111, ii. 117; + his behaviour on Booth's claiming to become a manager, ii. 131, + ii. 141; + retires because of Booth's being made a manager, ii. 143; + his refusal to come to any terms after Booth's admission, ii. 145; + goes to law for his rights, ii. 149; + the result, ii. 150; + Wilks's temper, the real reason of his retirement, ii. 150-155; + shows a desire to return to the stage, ii. 157; + his final appearances, ii. 158; + Cibber's account of his excellence, ii. 158; + Anthony Aston's description of, ii. 308. + + Doran, Dr. John, his "Annals of the Stage," i. 88, _note_ 3, i. 130, + _note_ 1, i. 161, _note_ 3, ii. 62, _note_ 1, ii. 284. + + Dorset, Earl of, ii. 305; + has Leigh's portrait painted in "The Spanish Friar," i. 146; + when Lord Chamberlain, supports Betterton in 1694-1695, i. 192; + compliments Cibber on his first play, i. 214. + + Dorset Garden, Duke's Theatre, i. xxxii. + + ---- Theatre, built for Davenant's Company, i. 88, _note_ 2; + the subscribers to, called Adventurers, i. 97, _note_ 1. + + "Double Dealer, The," i. 185, _note_ 1. + + "Double Gallant," cast of, ii. 3, _note_ 2. + + Downes, John, his "Roscius Anglicanus," i. 83, _note_ 1, i. 84, + _note_ 1, i. 96, _note_ 3, i. 114, _note_ 1, i. 127, _note_ 2, + i. 130, _note_ 1, i. 141, _note_ 1, i. 146, _note_ 1, i. 163, + _note_ 1, i. 181, _note_ 2, i. 187, _note_ 2, i. 192, _note_ 1, + i. 197, _note_ 1, i. 197, _note_ 2, i. 316, _note_ 2, i. 320, + _note_ 2, i. 333, _note_ 1, ii. 158, _note_ 3, ii. 320, ii. 323, + ii. 328, ii. 330, ii. 332, ii. 334, ii. 340, ii. 341, ii. 342, + ii. 346, ii. 347, ii. 348, ii. 349, ii. 350, ii. 356, ii. 359, + ii. 360, ii. 361, ii. 362; + attended constantly by Cibber and Verbruggen in hope of employment + on the stage, i. 74, _note_ 1; + the "Tatler" publishes a supposed letter from, ii. 75. + + "Dramatic Censor," 1811, ii. 57, _note_ 1, ii. 79, _note_ 2. + + Dramatists, Cibber's advice to, ii. 14. + + Drury Lane Theatre, i. 92, _note_ 1; + opened by King's Company, i. xxxii.; + built for Killigrew's Company, i. 88; + sometimes called "the theatre in Covent Garden," i. 88, _note_ 1; + desertion from in 1733, i. 283; + Company (1695), their improvement, i. 314; + its Patent, ii. 31; + its original construction, ii. 81; + why altered, ii. 81; + under W. Collier's management, 1709, ii. 91; + report on its stability, ii. 176-177. + + Dryden, John, ii. 163, _note_ 1, ii. 210, ii. 251; + his prologue on opening Drury Lane, 1674, i. 94, _note_ 2, i. + 322, _note_ 1; + a bad elocutionist, i. 113; + his Morat("Aurenge-Zebe"), i. 124; + his high praise of Mrs. Elizabeth Barry, i. 158; + his prologue to "The Prophetess," i. 187, _note_ 1; + his "King Arthur," i. 187, _note_ 2; + a sharer in the King's Company, i. 197; + his address to the author of "Heroic Love" quoted, i. 231, _note_ 1, + ii. 238, _note_ 3; + his indecent plays, i. 267; + his epilogue to "The Pilgrim," i. 268; + his "Secular Masque," i. 268, _note_ 1; + his prologue to "The Prophetess" vetoed, ii. 13; + his prologues at Oxford, ii. 134, ii. 136, _note_ 1, ii. 137, + _note_ 1; + expensive revival of his "All for Love," ii. 175. + + Dublin, Wilks's success in, i. 235. + + "Duchess of Malfy," i. xxv. + + Dugdale, Sir William, his "Antiquities of Warwickshire" quoted, + i. xxxvi.; + mentions the "Ludus Coventriæ," i. xxxviii. + + Duke's Servants, The, i. 87, _note_ 1, i. 88. + + Duke's Theatre, ii. 336; + first theatre to introduce scenery, i. xxxii. + + Dulwich College, built and endowed by Edward Alleyn, i. xxviii. + + "Dunciad, The," i. 36, _note_ 1, ii. 181, _note_ 1, ii. 182, _note_ 1, + ii. 270; + on Italian opera, i. 324, _note_ 1. + + Dyer, Mrs., actress, i. 136, _note_ 2. + + + Edicts to suppress plays, 1647-1648, ii. 322. + + Edward, son of Henry VI., pageant played before, i. xl. + + ---- son of Edward IV., pageant played before, i. xlii. + + Edwin, John, his "Eccentricities" quoted, ii. 78, _note_ 1. + + E----e, Mr. [probably Erskine], his powers of raillery, i. 13, i. 14, + _note_ 1, i. 16. + + Egerton, William, his memoirs of Mrs. Oldfield, i. 5, _note_ 1. + + "Egotist, The," i. lv., _note_ 1, i. 36, _note_ 2, i. 41, _note_ 2, + i. 43, _note_ 1, i. 45, _note_ 1, i. 46, _note_ 1, i. 53, _note_ 1, + ii. 265. + + Elephants on the stage, ii. 7, _note_ 1. + + Elizabeth, Queen, and the Spanish Armada, allusion to, i. 64; + her rule of government, i. 65. + + Elocution, importance of, i. 110. + + Elrington, Thomas, his visit to Drury Lane in 1714, ii. 121, _note_ 1; + Cibber said to have refused to let him play a certain character, ii. + 193, _note_ 1. + + Ely, Bishop of, and Joe Haines, ii. 315. + + Erskine, Mr., probably the person mentioned by Cibber, i. 13, i. 14, + _note_ 1, i. 16. + + Estcourt, Richard, i. 166, i. 237. i. 332. i. 334, _note_ 1; + a marvellous mimic, i. 114; + yet not a good actor, i. 115; + said to be unfairly treated by Cibber, i. 115, _note_ 2; + could not mimic Nokes, i. 142; + his "gag" on the Union of the Companies in, 1708, i. 301; + his first coming to London, i. 304; + made Deputy-manager by Brett, ii. 56, _note_ 1; + advertisement regarding his salary, 1709, ii. 78, _note_ 1; + his Falstaff, ii. 300; + Bellchambers's memoir of, ii. 331. + + Eusden, Laurence, poet laureate, his death, i. 32, _note_ 1. + + Evans, John, his visit to Drury Lane in 1714, ii. 121, _note_ 1; + his Falstaff, ii. 300. + + + "Faction Display'd," ii. 233, _note_ 2. + + "Fair Maid of the West, The," i. xxv. + + Fairplay, Francis, a name assumed by Cibber on one occasion, i. 48. + + "Fairy Queen," preface to, quoted, i. 110, _note_ 1. + + Farinelli (singer), ii. 88. + + Farquhar, George, ii. 251, ii. 367, ii. 369. + + Fashionable nights, ii. 246. + + Faustina (Faustina Bordoni Hasse), her rivalry with Cuzzoni, ii. 89. + + Fees for performances at Court, ii. 218. + + Fenwick, Sir John, ii. 62. + + Fideli, Signor, i. xxvii. + + Field, Nathaniel, originally a "Chapel boy," i. xxxvii. + + Fielding, Henry, i. 202, _note_ 1, i. 287, _note_ 4, i. 288, _note_ 1, + ii. 269; attacks Cibber in "The Champion," i. 1, _note_ 1, i. 38, + _note_ 1, i. 50, _note_ 2, i. 63, _note_ 1, i. 69, _note_ 1, i. + 93, _note_ 2, i. 288, _note_ 1, ii. 54, _note_ 2; + in "Joseph Andrews," i. 10, _note_ 1, i. 50, _note_ 2, i. 61, + _note_ 1; + in "Pasquin," i. 36, _note_ 2; + attacks Cibber for mutilating Shakespeare, ii. 263; + manager of a company at the Haymarket, i. 92, _note_ 1; + Cibber's retaliation on, i. 286; + Austin Dobson's memoir of, quoted, i. 286, _note_ 1, i. 287, + _note_ 3, i. 288, _note_ 1; + said to have caused the Licensing Act of 1737, i. 286. + + Fitzgerald, Percy, his "New History of the English Stage," i. 90, + _note_ 1, i. 320, _note_ 1, ii. 11, _note_ 1, ii. 32, _note_ 1, + ii. 49, _note_ 1, ii. 56, _note_ 1, ii. 79, _note_ 2; + ii. 94, _note_ 1, ii. 148, _note_ 1. + + Fitzharding, Lady, i. 68. + + Fitzstephen, William, his "Description of the City of London," + i. xxxvii. + + Fleetwood, Charles, ii. 264; + purchases from Highmore and Mrs. Wilks their shares of the Patent, + i. 285, ii. 261; + the deserters return to him, ii. 261. + + Fletcher, John, his plays, i. xxv. + + Footmen, admitted gratis to Drury Lane, i. 233; + this privilege abolished, i. 234, _note_ 1. + + Fortune Theatre, i. xxvi., i. xxix. + + Fox, Bishop, had charge of pageants in which sacred persons were + introduced, i. xlv. + + French actors at Lincoln's Inn Fields, ii. 180, _note_ 1. + + ---- audience, conduct of, ii. 247. + + "Funeral, The," i. 263. + + + Gaedertz, Herr, his "Zur Kenntniss der altenglischen Bühne," ii. 84, + _note_ 1. + + "Gammer Gurton's Needle," one of the earliest regular comedies, i. + xlvii. + + Garrick, David, i. 110, _note_ 1, i. 278, _note_ 1, ii. 259, ii. 270; + his influence in reforming the stage, ii. 263; + Cibber plays against, ii. 268; + Cibber's low opinion of, ii. 268; + Davies's Life of, i. lv., _note_ 1, i. 283, _note_ 2, ii. 259. + + Gaussin, Jeanne Catherine, ii. 248. + + Gay, John, said to have thrashed Cibber, i. 71, _note_ 1; + his "Beggar's Opera," i. 243; + his "Polly" forbidden to be played, i. 246, i. 278, _note_ 1. + + Genest, Rev. John, his "Account of the English Stage," i. 83, _note_ 1, + i. 88, _note_ 3, i. 91, _note_ 2, i. 91, _note_ 4, i. 97, + _note_ 1, i. 110, _note_ 1, i. 149, _note_ 2, i. 156, _note_ 2, + i. 174, _note_ 2, i. 203, _note_ 1, i. 220, _note_ 1, i. 230, + _note_ 1, i. 267, _note_ 2, i. 268, _note_ 1, i. 269, _note_ 1, + i. 296, _note_ 1, i. 326, _note_ 3, ii. 5, _note_ 1, ii. 7, + _note_ 1, ii. 56, _note_ 1, ii. 79, _note_ 2, ii. 96, _note_ 1, + ii. 98, _note_ 1, ii. 123, _note_ 1, ii. 165, _note_ 1, ii. + 169, _note_ 3, ii. 171, _note_ 1, ii. 186, _note_ 1, ii. 186, + _note_ 2, ii. 187, _note_ 1, ii. 198, _note_ 1, ii. 210, + _note_ 1, ii. 251, _note_ 1, ii. 267, ii. 269, ii. 324; + his opinion of Cibber's Richard III., i. 139, _note_ 2. + + "Gentleman's Magazine," ii. 284. + + Gentlemen of the Great Chamber, actors entitled, i. 88. + + George I. has theatrical performances at Hampton Court, ii. 208; + his amusement at a scene of "Henry VIII.," ii. 216; + his present to the actors for playing at Court, ii. 218. + + ---- II., i. 32, ii. 219. + + Giffard, Henry, i. 92, _note_ 1, i. 283, _note_ 1; + his theatre in Goodman's Fields, i. 282, _note_ 2; + purchases half of Booth's share of the Patent, ii. 259. + + Gifford, William, doubts if Ben Jonson was an unsuccessful actor, i. + 85, _note_ 1. + + Gildon, Charles, his Life of Betterton, i. 118, _note_ 2, ii. 324, + ii. 337, _note_ 1, ii. 358. + + Globe Theatre, i. xxvi., i. xxix. + + Goffe, Alexander, a "boy-actress," i. xxx.; + employed to give notice of secret performances during the + Commonwealth, i. xxx. + + "Golden Rump, The," a scurrilous play, i. 278, _note_ 1. + + Goodman, Cardell, mentioned, i. 83, _note_ 1, i. 96; + prophesies Cibber's success as an actor, i. 183; + a highway robber, ii. 61, ii. 63; + his connection with the Fenwick and Charnock Plot, ii. 62; + he and Captain Griffin have one shirt between them, ii. 63; + Bellchambers's memoir of, ii. 329. + + Goodman's Fields, unlicensed theatre in, i. 281; + attempt to suppress it, i. 282; + Odell's theatre, i. 282, _note_ 1; + Giffard's theatre, i. 282, _note_ 2. + + ---- Theatre, i. 92, _note_ 1; + closed by Licensing Act (1737), i. 92, _note_ 1. + + Grafton, Duke of, ii. 260; + blamed for making Cibber Laureate, i. 46, _note_ 1. + + Grantham, Cibber sent to school at, i. 9. + + Griffin, Captain (actor), i. 334, _note_ 1; + admitted into good society, i. 83; + memoir of, i. 83, _note_ 1; + and Goodman have one shirt between them, ii. 63. + + Griffith, Thomas, his visit to Drury Lane in 1714, ii. 121, _note_ 1. + + "Grub Street Journal," ii. 258, _note_ 1. + + Guiscard, his attack on Lord Oxford referred to, i. 291. + + Gwyn, Nell, i. 91, _note_ 1, i. 182, _note_ 1, ii. 323; + and Charles II., ii. 211; + Bishop Burnet's opinion of, ii. 212. + + + Haines, Joseph, ii. 252, _note_ 1; + his _bon mot_ on Jeremy Collier, i. 273; + account of his career, i. 273, _note_ 1; + Aston's description of, ii. 314; + his pranks, ii. 315, ii. 325; + Life of, ii. 325, _note_ 1. + + Halifax, Lord, i. 217, ii. 311; + a patron of the theatre, ii. 4; + his testimonial to Mrs. Bracegirdle, ii. 305. + + Hamlet, incomparably acted by Taylor, i. xxvi.; + Betterton as, i. 100; + Wilks's mistakes in, i. 100. + + Hammerton, Stephen, a famous "boy-actress," i. xxvi.; + played Amyntor, i. xxvi. + + Hampton Court, theatrical performances at, ii. 208, ii. 214, ii. 219. + + "Hannibal and Scipio," i. xxv. + + Harlequin, Cibber's low opinion of the character, i. 150-152; + played without a mask by Pinkethman, i. 151. + + "Harlequin Sorcerer," a noted pantomime, ii. 181, _note_ 1. + + Harper, John, arrested as a rogue and vagabond, i. 283; + trial, ii. 260; + the result of his trial, i. 284; + his Falstaff, ii. 300. + + Harris, ii. 334, ii. 346. + + Harrison, General, murders W. Robinson the actor, i. xxix. + + Hart, Charles, i. 125, _note_ 2, ii. 134, ii. 137, _note_ 1; + superior to his successors, i. xxiv.; + apprenticed to Robinson, i. xxiv.; + A "boy-actress," i. xxiv.; + a lieutenant in Charles I.'s army, i. xxix.; + arrested for acting, i. xxx.; + grows old and wishes to retire, i. xxxii.; + his acting of the Plain Dealer, i. 83, _note_ 1; + famous for Othello, i. 91; + his retirement, i. 96; + Bellchambers's memoir of, ii. 322. + + Haymarket, Little Theatre in the, i. 92, _note_ 1; + opened by the mutineers from Highmore in 1733, ii. 259; + closed by Licensing Act (1737), i. 92, _note_ 1. + + ---- the Queen's Theatre in the (now Her Majesty's), i. 319; + its history, i. 319, _note_ 1; + opened for Betterton's Company, i. 320; + defects in its construction, i. 320, i. 326; + inconvenience of its situation, i. 322. + + Hemming, John, i. xxvi. + + "Henry VIII.," ii. 215. + + Heron, Mrs., ii. 262. + + Hewett, Sir Thomas, his report on the stability of Drury Lane, ii. 177. + + Highmore, John, at variance with his actors, i. 283; + his purchase of the Patent, i. 283, _note_ 1; + the price he paid for the Patent, i. 297, _note_ 1; + purchases half of Booth's share of the Patent, ii. 258; + purchases Cibber's share, ii. 258: his actors mutiny, ii. 259; + he summons Harper as a rogue and vagabond, ii. 260; + sells his share in the Patent, ii. 261. + + Hill, Aaron, on "tone" in speaking, i. 110, _note_ 1; + appointed by W. Collier to manage Drury Lane, ii. 94, _note_ 1; + defied and beaten by his actors, ii. 94, _note_ 1; + farms the opera from Collier, ii. 105; + on Booth's lack of humour, ii. 240, _note_ 2. + + ---- Captain Richard, his murder of Mountfort, i. 130, _note_ 1, + ii. 342. + + "Historia Histrionica," reprint of, i. xix.; + preface to, i. xxi. + + "Historical Register for 1736," ii. 263. + + Hitchcock, Robert, his "Historical View of the Irish Stage," i. 165, + _note_ 1. + + "Holland's Leaguer," i. xxv. + + Holt, Lord Chief Justice, ii. 22. + + Horden, Hildebrand, a promising actor, killed in a brawl, i. 302. + + Horton, Mrs., ii. 260. + + Howard, J. B., plays Iago in English to Salvini's Othello, i. 325, + _note_ 1. + + ---- Sir Robert, i. 192, _note_ 1. + + Hughes, Margaret, said to be the first English actress, i. 90, + _note_ 1. + + Hutton, Laurence, his "Literary Landmarks of London" quoted, i. 7, + _note_ 3, ii. 284, _note_ 1. + + + Irving, Henry, his controversy with Constant Coquelin regarding + Diderot's "Paradoxe sur le Comédien," i. 103, _note_ 1; + restores Shakespeare's "Richard III." to the stage, ii. 287. + + Italian Opera, introduced into England, i. 324; + "The Dunciad" on, i. 324, _note_ 1. + + + Jackson, John, his "History of the Scottish Stage" referred to, ii. + 181, _note_ 1. + + Jacobites attacked in Cibber's "Nonjuror," ii. 185; + repay Cibber for his attack by hissing his plays, ii. 187; + hiss his "Nonjuror," ii. 189. + + James II., ii. 134; + Cibber, at school, writes an Ode on his coronation, i. 33; + Cibber serves against, at the Revolution, i. 60; + his flight to France, i. 70; + his quarrel with the Duke of Devonshire, i. 72. + + Jekyll, Sir Joseph, ii. 198. + + Jevon, Thomas, i. 151, _note_ 1. + + Johnson, Benjamin (actor), i. 99, _note_ 1, i. 194, i. 313, i. 332, + ii. 129, _note_ 2, ii. 252, _note_ 1, ii. 262, ii. 308; + Bellchambers's memoir of, ii. 360. + + Johnson, Dr. Samuel, i. 215, _note_ 1, ii. 163, _note_ 1; + his opinion of Cibber's Odes, i. 36, _note_ 2; + his epigram on Cibber's Laureateship quoted, i. 46, _note_ 1; + his "Life of Pope," ii. 275, ii. 276, ii. 280, _note_ 1, ii. 281, + _note_ 1; + his "Lives of the Poets," ii. 27, _note_ 1, ii. 128, _note_ 1, ii. + 370; + his famous Prologue (1747) quoted, i. 113, _note_ 1. + + Jones, Inigo, ii. 209. + + Jonson, Ben, i. 245; + out of fashion in 1699, i. xxiii.; + no actors in 1699 who could rightly play his characters, i. xxiv.; + his plays, i. xxv.; + his epigram on Alleyn, i. xxviii.; + on Sal Pavy, i. xxxvi.; + said by Cibber to have been an unsuccessful actor, i. 85; + this denied by Gifford and Cunningham, his editors, i. 85, _note_ 1; + his Masques, ii. 209. + + Jordan, Thomas, his "Prologue to introduce the first woman that came + to act on the stage," 1660, i. 90, _note_ 1, i. 119, _note_ 1. + + "Joseph Andrews" quoted, i. 10, _note_ 1, i. 50, _note_ 2, i. 61, + _note_ 1. + + "Julius Cæsar," special revival of, in 1707, ii. 5. + + + Keen, Theophilus, i. 332, ii. 77, _note_ 1, ii. 94, _note_ 1, ii. + 129, _note_ 2, ii. 169, _note_ 2; + Bellchambers's memoir of, ii. 364. + + Kemble, John P., mentioned, i. lv., _note_ 1. + + Kent, Duke of, ii. 46. + + ---- Mrs., ii. 169, _note_ 2. + + Killigrew, Charles, ii. 32, _note_ 1; + his share in the Patent, i. 181, _note_ 1. + + ---- Thomas, i. 181, _note_ 1, i. 197, _note_ 3; + granted a Patent similar to Davenant's, i. liii., i. 87; + memoir of, i. 87, _note_ 2; + his witty reproof of Charles II., i. 87, _note_ 2; + his Company better than Davenant's, i. 93; + unites with Davenant's, i. 96. + + "King and no King," special revival of, in 1707, ii. 5. + + "King Arthur," i. 187. + + "King John" mutilated by Colley Cibber, ii. 268. + + "King John and Matilda," i. xxv. + + King's Servants, The, i. 87, _note_ 2, i. 88; + before 1642, i. xxvi.; + after the Restoration, i. xxxi. + + Kirkman, Francis, his "Wits," ii. 84, _note_ 1. + + Knap, ii. 169, _note_ 2. + + Kneller, Sir Godfrey, his portrait of Betterton, i. 117; + his portrait of Anthony Leigh, i. 146, ii. 349; + imitated by Estcourt, ii. 333. + + Knight, Mrs. Frances, ii. 77, _note_ 1, ii. 94, _note_ 1, ii. 169, + _note_ 2. + + ---- Joseph, his edition of the "Roscius Anglicanus" referred to, + i. 87, _note_ 1, i. 90, _note_ 1. + + Knip, Mrs., i. 182, _note_ 1. + + Kynaston, Edward, i. 98, i. 119, ii. 324, ii. 334, i. 185, i. 327; + petted by ladies of quality, i. 120; + the beauty of his person, i. 121; + his voice and appearance, i. 121; + his bold acting in inflated passages, i. 124; + his majesty and dignity, i. 125-6; + lingered too long on the stage, i. 126; + Bellchambers's memoir of, ii. 339. + + + Lacy, John, superior to his successors, i. xxiv. + + Lady of title, prevented by relatives from becoming an actress, i. 75. + + "Lady's Last Stake," cast of, ii. 3, _note_ 1. + + Langbaine, Gerard, his "Account of the English Poets," ii. 13, _note_ 1. + + Laughter, reflections on, i. 23. + + "Laureat, The" (a furious attack on Cibber), i. 3, _note_ 2, i. 14, + _note_ 1, i. 35, _note_ 2, i. 48, _note_ 1, i. 78, _note_ + 1, i. 101, _note_ 2, i. 122, _note_ 1, i. 123, _note_ 1, i. 140, + _note_ 1, i. 157, _note_ 2, i. 174, _note_ 2, i. 182, _note_ 2, + i. 191, _note_ 2, i. 222, _note_ 1, i. 224, _note_ 1, i. 238, + _note_ 1, i. 239, _note_ 1, i. 242, _note_ 1, i. 256, _note_ 1, + i. 258, _note_ 2, i. 264, _note_ 1, i. 273, _note_ 2, i. 300, + _note_ 1, i. 312, _note_ 2, ii. 30, _note_ 1, ii. 37, _note_ 1, + ii. 121, _note_ 1, ii. 148, _note_ 1, ii. 160, _note_ 1, ii. + 163, _note_ 1, ii. 251, _note_ 1, ii. 256, _note_ 1, ii. 335, + _note_ 1, ii. 356. + + Lebrun, Charles, painter, alluded to, i. 106. + + Lee, Charles Henry, Master of the Revels, ii. 260. + + ---- Mrs. Mary, i. 163, _note_ 1. + + ---- Nathaniel, ii. 327; + his "Alexander the Great," i. 105; + a perfect reader of his own works, i. 113; + Mohun's compliment to him, i. 114; + failed as an actor, i. 114. + + Leigh, Anthony, i. 98, i. 142, i. 304, i. 327; + Cibber's account of, i. 145-154; + his exuberant humour, i. 145; + in "The Spanish Friar," i. 145; + painted in the character of the Spanish Friar, i. 146; + his best characters, i. 146, i. 149; + and Nokes, their combined excellence, i. 147, his superiority to + Pinkethman, i. 149; + the favourite actor of Charles II., i. 154; + compared with Nokes, i. 154; + his death, i. 154, i. 188; + his "gag" regarding Obadiah Walker's change of religion, ii. 134; + Bellchambers's memoir of, ii. 349. + + Leigh, Mrs. Elizabeth, i. 98; + Cibber's account of, i. 162-163; + her peculiar comedy powers, i. 162; + note regarding her, i. 163, _note_ 1. + + ---- Francis, ii. 77, _note_ 1, ii. 94, _note_ 1, ii. 169, _note_ 2, + ii. 170, _note_ 1. + + Leveridge, Richard, ii. 169, _note_ 3. + + Licence granted by King William in 1695, i. 98. + + Licensing Act of 1737, i. 278, _note_ 1, i. 286, i. 287, _note_ 4, + ii. 262. + + "Lick at the Laureat," said to be the title of a pamphlet, i. 35, + _note_ 2. + + Lincoln's Inn Fields, Duke's old Theatre in, i. xxxii., i. 88, + _note_ 2. + + ---- Betterton's theatre in, i. 194; + its opening, i. 196; + its success at first, i. 227; + its speedy disintegration, i. 228. + + ---- Rich's theatre in, ii. 79, ii. 100; + its exact situation, ii. 101, _note_ 1; + Rich's Patent revived at, ii. 165; + its opening, ii. 166, _note_ 1, ii. 171, _note_ 1; + actors desert Drury Lane to join, ii. 169. + + "London Cuckolds," i. 267. + + "London News-Letter," i. 302, _note_ 2. + + Lord Chamberlain, Cibber on the power of the, ii. 10-23, ii. 74; + his name not mentioned in the Patents, ii. 10; + Sir Spencer Ponsonby-Fane on the power of, ii. 11, _note_ 1; + his power of licensing plays, ii. 11; + plays vetoed by him, ii. 12-14; + actors arrested by his orders, ii. 17-22; + his edicts against desertions, ii. 17, _note_ 1, ii. 18, + _note_ 1; + said to favour Betterton at the expense of rival managers, ii. 18; + various edicts regarding Powell, ii. 19, _note_ 1, ii. 20, _note_ 1, + ii. 94, _note_ 1; + warrant to arrest Dogget, ii. 21, _note_ 1; + his edict separating plays and operas in 1707, ii. 49, _note_ 1; + interferes on behalf of actors in their dispute with the Patentees + in 1709, ii. 68; + silences Patentees for contumacy, ii. 72; + his order for silence, 1709, quoted, ii. 73, _note_ 1. + + Lord Chamberlain's Records, i. 229, _note_ 1, i. 315, _note_ 2, ii. + 17, _note_ 1, ii. 18, _note_ 1, ii. 19, _note_ 1, ii. 20, + _note_ 1, ii. 21, _note_ 1, ii. 49, _note_ 1, ii. 50, _note_ 1, + ii. 69, _note_ 1, ii. 73, _note_ 1, ii. 79, _note_ 2, ii. 94, + _note_ 1, ii. 102, _note_ 1, ii. 108, _note_ 2, ii. 171, + _note_ 1, ii. 193, _note_ 1, ii. 218, _note_ 1, ii. 219, _note_ 1, + ii. 257, _note_ 1. + + Lorraine, Duke of, ii. 219. + + Louis XIV., mentioned, i. 6. + + ---- Prince, of Baden, ii. 228. + + "Love in a Riddle," cast of, i. 244, _note_ 1. + + Lovel (actor), ii. 347. + + Lovelace, Lord, ii. 304. + + "Love's Last Shift," cast of, i. 213, _note_ 1. + + Lowin, John, ii. 335; + arrested for acting, i. xxx.; + superior to Hart, i. xxiv.; + his chief characters, i. xxvi.; + too old to go into Charles I.'s army, i. xxix.; + becomes an inn-keeper, and dies very poor, i. xxxi. + + "Lucius Junius Brutus," by Lee, vetoed, ii. 13. + + "Ludus Coventriæ," i. xxxviii.; + these plays acted at other towns besides Coventry, i. xxxviii.; + a description of them, i. xxxviii. _et seq._ + + "Lunatick, The," ii. 252, _note_ 1. + + Luttrell's Diary quoted, i. 302, _note_ 2. + + + Macaulay, Lord, his "History of England" referred to, ii. 134, + _note_ 3. + + "Macbeth" _in the nature of an opera_, i. 94, _note_ 1; + ii. 228, ii. 229, _note_ 1. + + Macclesfield, Countess of, ii. 39. See also Mrs. Brett. + + Macklin, Charles, ii. 270, ii. 362; + his first coming to London, ii. 261; + a great reformer, ii. 262. + + Macready, William C, mentioned, i. 135, _note_ 1. + + MacSwiney, Owen. See Swiney, Owen. + + "Maid's Tragedy" vetoed in Charles II.'s time, ii. 12; + played with altered catastrophe, ii. 12. + + Mainwaring, Arthur, ii. 369, _note_ 2. + + Malone, Edmond, i. 185, _note_ 1, i. 197, _note_ 3, ii. 32, _note_ 1, + ii. 138, _note_ 1. + + Management, Cibber on the duties and responsibilities of, ii. 199-207. + + Margaret, Queen of Henry VI., pageant played before her, i. xl. + + Marlborough, Duchess of. See Churchill, Lady. + + ---- Duke of, ii. 96, _note_ 1, ii. 130, ii. 164, ii. 228. + + "Marriage à la Mode," by Cibber, cast of, ii. 5, _note_ 1. + + Marshall, Anne, i. 161, _note_ 1; + said to be the first English actress, i. 90, _note_ 1. + + ---- Julian, his "Annals of Tennis" quoted, i. 315, _note_ 1. + + Mary, the Virgin, and Joseph, characters in the "Ludus Coventriæ," + i. xxxix. + + ---- Queen, her death, i. 193. + + "Mary, Queen of Scotland," by Banks, vetoed, ii. 14. + + Masculus, a comedian, who was a Christian martyr, i. xxii. + + Masks, Ladies wearing, at the theatre, i. 266; + ultimately the mark of a prostitute, i. 267, _note_ 1. + + Mason, Miss. See Countess of Macclesfield, and Mrs. Brett. + + Masques, enormous expense of, ii. 209. + + Master of the Revels. See Revels. + + Mathews, Charles (the elder), his powers of imitation referred to, + i. 115, _note_ 1. + + Mathias, St., the choosing of, as an apostle, dramatized in the + "Ludus Coventriæ," i. xxxviii. + + Matthews, Brander, ii. 289, _note_ 1. + + Maynard, Serjeant, a Whig lawyer, satirized, i. 149, _note_ 2. + + Medbourn, Matthew, ii. 346. + + Melcombe, Lord, mentioned, i. 14, _note_ 1. + + "Mery Play between the Pardoner and the Frere, the Curate and + Neybour Pratte, A," described, i. xlv. + + Miller, James, his "Art and Nature" failed, i. 152, _note_ 1. + + ---- Josias (actor), ii. 262. + + Mills, John, i. 332, ii. 70, _note_ 2, ii. 129, _note_ 2, ii. 259, + _note_ 1, ii. 262; + his friendship with Wilks, i. 259, ii. 223; + his honesty and diligence, i. 260; + his large salary, i. 260; + advertisement regarding his salary, 1709, ii. 78, _note_ 1; + Bellchambers's memoir of, ii. 362; + and the country squire, ii. 363. + + Milward, William, i. 224, _note_ 2. + + Mist, Nathaniel. See "Mist's Weekly Journal." + + "Mist's Weekly Journal," ii. 163, _note_ 1, ii. 167, ii. 187. + + Mohun, Lord, ii. 314; + implicated in Mountfort's death, i. 130, _note_ 1, ii. 342. + + ---- Michael, superior to his successors, i. xxiv.; + apprentice to Beeston, i. xxv.; + acted Bellamente, i. xxv.; + a captain in Charles I.'s army, i. xxix.; + his death, i. 96; + his admiration of Nat. Lee's elocution, i. 114; + Bellchambers's memoir of, ii. 326. + + Montague, Captain, insults Miss Santlow, i. 76; + chastised by Mr. Craggs, i. 77. + + Moore, Mrs., ii. 77, _note_ 1, ii. 94, _note_ 1. + + Morley, Professor Henry, his edition of the "Spectator," ii. 54, + _note_ 1. + + Mountfort, William, i. 98, i. 108, i. 170, _note_ 1, i. 237, ii. 314; + taken into good society, i. 83; + Cibber's account of, i. 127-130; + his voice and appearance, i. 127; + his Alexander the Great, i. 127; + his excellent acting of fine gentlemen, i. 127; + his delivery of witty passages, i. 128; + his Rover, i. 128; + his versatility, i. 128, i. 210; + his Sparkish ("Country Wife") and his Sir Courtly Nice, i. 129; + copied by Cibber in Sir Courtly Nice, i. 129; + his tragic death, i. 130, i. 188; + memoir of him, i. 130, _note_ 1; + Tom Brown on his connection with Mrs. Bracegirdle, i. 170, _note_ 1; + his comedy of "Greenwich Park," ii. 41; + copied by Wilks, ii. 241; + Bellchambers's memoir of, ii. 341; + full account of his death by the hands of Capt. Hill, ii. 342-345. + + ---- Mrs., i. 98, i. 237, ii. 343, ii. 367; + Cibber's account of, i. 165-169; + her variety of humour, i. 165; + her artistic feeling, i. 166; + her acting of the Western Lass, i. 166; + in male parts, i. 167; + plays Bayes with success, i. 167; + the excellence of her Melantha, i. 167; + memoir of, i. 169, _note_ 1; + leaves Betterton's company in 1695, i. 200; + her death, ii. 306; + Anthony Aston's description of, ii. 313. + + Mountfort, Susanna, i. 334, _note_ 1. + + Music in the theatre, i. xxxii. + + + Newcastle, Duke of, ii. 219; + (Lord Chamberlain), his persecution of Steele, ii. 193, _note_ 1. + + Newington Butts, i. xlix. + + Newman, Thomas, actor, one of their Majesties' servants, i. 88, + _note_ 3. + + Nichols, John, his "Theatre, Anti-Theatre, &c.," ii. 66, _note_ 2, + ii. 168, _note_ 1, ii. 174, _note_ 2, ii. 176, _note_ 1, ii. 177, + _note_ 1, ii. 193, _note_ 1. + + Nicolini (Nicolo Grimaldi), singer, ii. 48, ii. 51; + Cibber's high praise of, ii. 51; + praised by the "Tatler," ii. 52. + + Noblemen's companies of players, i. xlvii. + + Nokes, James, i. 98; + Cibber's description of, i. 141-145; + his natural simplicity, i. 141; + could not be imitated, i. 142; + his best characters, i. 142; + his ludicrous distress, i. 143; + his voice and person, i. 145; + and Leigh, their combined excellence, i. 147; + compared with Leigh, i. 154; + his death, i. 188; + Bellchambers's memoir of, ii. 346; + why called "Nurse Nokes," ii. 348. + + Nokes, Robert, i. 141, _note_ 1, i. 143, _note_ 2, ii. 346. + + "Nonjuror, The," a line in the epilogue quoted, i. 49; + cast of, ii. 185, _note_ 2. + + Norris, Henry, ii. 77, _note_ 1, ii. 94, _note_ 1. + + ---- Mrs., said to be the first English actress, i. 90, _note_ 1. + + Northey, Sir Edward, his "opinion" on the Patent, ii. 32, _note_ 1. + + + Oates, Titus, i. 133. + + Odell, Thomas, his theatre in Goodman's Fields, i. 282, _note_ 1. + + "Old and New London," referred to, ii. 104, _note_ 1. + + Oldfield, Mrs. Anne, i. 157, i. 251, _note_ 1, i. 332, ii. 69, ii. + 129, _note_ 2, ii. 358; + memoirs of, published immediately after her death, i. 5; + her acting of Lady Townly praised in high-flown terms by Cibber, + i. 51, i. 312, _note_ 3; + admitted into good society, i. 83; + her unpromising commencement as an actress, i. 159, i. 305; + compared with Mrs. Butler, i. 164; + her rivalry with Mrs. Bracegirdle, i. 174, _note_ 2; + Cibber's account of, i. 305-312; + her good sense, i. 310; + her unexpected excellence, i. 306; + Cibber writes "The Careless Husband" chiefly for her, i. 308; + her perfect acting in it, i. 309; + and Wilks playing in same pieces, i. 314; + proposed to be made a manager, ii. 69; + gets increased salary instead, ii. 71; + advertisement regarding her salary, 1709, ii. 78, _note_ 1; + riot directed against, ii. 166; + settles a dispute between Wilks, Cibber, and Booth, ii. 236; + her death, ii. 254; + copied Mrs. Mountfort in comedy, ii. 313; + Bellchambers's memoir of, ii. 367; + and Richard Savage, ii. 369. + + Opera, i. 111; + control of, given to Swiney, ii. 48. + + ---- Italian, account of its first separate establishment, ii. 50-55; + decline of Italian, ii. 87-91. + + Otway, Thomas, his failure as an actor, i. 114, _note_ 1; + his "Orphan," i. 116, _note_ 2. + + Oxford, visited by the actors in 1713, ii. 133, ii. 135; + Dryden's Prologues at, ii. 134, ii. 136, _note_ 1; + its critical discernment, ii. 136. + + ---- Lord, Guiscard's attack on, referred to, i. 291. + + + Pack, George, ii. 77, _note_ 1, ii. 94, _note_ 1; + account of, ii. 169, _note_ 3. + + Pageants formed part in receptions of princes, &c., i. xl. _et seq._ + + Painting the face on the stage, i. 182, _note_ 1. + + Pantomimes, the origin of, ii. 180; + Cibber's opinion of, ii. 180; + "The Dunciad" on, ii. 181, _note_ 1. + + "Papal Tyranny in the Reign of King John," cast of, ii. 269, _note_ 1. + + Parish-clerks, play acted by, in 1391, i. xxxv. + + Parliamentary reports on the theatres, i. 278, _note_ 1. + + "Parson's Wedding, The," played entirely by women, i. xxxii. + + "Pasquin" quoted, i. 36, _note_ 2. + + Patent, copy of, granted to Sir William Davenant in 1663, i. liii.; + Steele's, ii. 174. + + Patentees, the, their foolish parsimony, i. 164; + their ill-treatment of Betterton and other actors, i. 187; + the actors combine against them, i. 189; + their deserted condition, i. 194. (For transactions of the Patentees, + see also Rich, C.) + + Pavy, Sal, a famous child-actor, i. xxxvi.; + Ben Jonson's epigram on, i. xxxvi. + + Pelham, Hon. Henry, Cibber's "Apology" dedicated to, i. lv., _note_ 1. + + Pembroke, Earl of, ii. 105, _note_ 1. + + Pepys, Samuel, his "Diary," i. 119, _note_ 1, i. 161, _note_ 2, i. + 182, _note_ 1, i. 267, _note_ 1, i. 303, _note_ 1. + + Percival (actor), i. 183, _note_ 1. + + Perkins, an eminent actor, i. xxvi.; + his death, i. xxxi. + + Perrin, Mons. (of the Théâtre Français), ii. 221, _note_ 1, ii. 246, + _note_ 1. + + Perriwigs, enormous, worn by actors, ii. 36, _note_ 1. + + Phoenix, the, or Cockpit, i. xxvi. + + "Picture, The," i. xxv. + + Pinkethman, William, i. 313, i. 334, _note_ 1, ii. 129, _note_ 2, ii. + 252, _note_ 1; + his inferiority to Anthony Leigh, i. 149; + his liberties with the audience, i. 152; + hissed for them, i. 153, _note_ 1; + his lack of judgment, i. 150; + plays Harlequin without the mask, i. 151; + his success as Lory in "The Relapse," i. 230; + Bellchambers's memoir of, ii. 348. + + ---- the younger, ii. 349. + + Plays, value of old, for information on manners, i. xxi.; + old, no actors' names given, i. xxv.; + originally used for religious purposes, i. xxxiv., i. xxxv.; + their early introduction, i. xxxvii.; + began to alter in form about the time of Henry VIII., i. xlv.; + origin of, in Greece and England, i. xlviii.; + the alteration in their subjects noticed by Stow in 1598, i. xlviii.; + temporarily suspended, i. xlix.; + arranged to be divided between Davenant's and Killigrew's companies, + i. 91; + expenses of, i. 197, _note_ 3. + + Players defended regarding character, i. xxii.; + not to be described as rogues and vagabonds, i. xlix.; + entirely suppressed by ordinances of the Long Parliament, i. li. + + Playhouses, large number of, in 1629, i. xlix. + + "Poems on Affairs of State," quoted, i. 170, _note_ 1. + + "Poetaster, The," played by the Children of her Majesty's Chapel, i. + xxxvi. + + Poet Laureate, Cibber appointed, 1730, i. 32, _note_ 1. + + Pollard, Thomas, a comedian, i. xxvi.; + superior to Hart, i. xxiv.; + too old to go into Charles I.'s army, i. xxix.; + arrested for acting, i. xxx.; + his retirement and death, i. xxxi. + + Pollixfen, Judge, ii. 315. + + Ponsonby-Fane, Sir Spencer, his memorandum on the power of the Lord + Chamberlain, ii. 11, _note_ 1. + + Pope, Alexander, ii. 151; + Cibber's "Letter" to, quoted, i. 3, _note_ 1; + Cibber's first allusion to Pope's enmity, i. 21; + an epigram comparing Pope and Cibber in society, i. 29, _note_ 1; + Cibber's opinion of Pope's attacks, i. 35; + some of Pope's attacks quoted, i. 36, _note_ 1; + his attack on Atticus (Addison), i. 38; + Cibber's "Letter" to, quoted, i. 44, _note_ 1, i. 45, _note_ 2; + epigram attributed to him, on Cibber's Laureateship, i. 46, _note_ 1; + his "Moral Essays," quoted, i. 307, _note_ 3; + attacks Cibber for countenancing pantomimes, ii. 182, _note_ 1; + "The Nonjuror" a cause of his enmity to Cibber, ii. 189, _note_ 1; + his "Epistle to Dr. Arbuthnot," ii. 189, _note_ 1; + his quarrel with Cibber, ii. 270-283; + Cibber's "Letter" to him, ii. 271; + his famous adventure, ii. 278; + Cibber's second "Letter" to, ii. 281; + his portrait of Betterton, ii. 339; + his attacks on Mrs. Oldfield, ii. 370. (See also "Dunciad.") + + Porter, Mrs. Mary, ii. 129, _note_ 2, ii. 303, ii. 368; + Dogget plays for her benefit after his retirement, ii. 158; + accident to, ii. 254, ii. 365; + Bellchambers's memoir of, ii. 365. + + Portuguese, the, and religious plays, i. xxxv. + + "Post-Boy Rob'd of his Mail," i. 328, _note_ 1, i. 329, _note_ 1. + + Powell, George, i. 157, i. 193, i. 203, _note_ 1, i. 228, i. 259, i. + 334. _note_ 1, ii. 77, _note_ 1, ii. 94, _note_ 1, ii. 129, + _note_ 2, ii. 238, ii. 301, ii. 311, ii. 363; + offered some of Betterton's parts, i. 188; + his indiscretion as a manager, i. 204; + mimics Betterton, i. 205, i. 207, _note_ 1; + the contest between him and Wilks for supremacy at Drury Lane, i. + 237-243, i. 251-256; + his carelessness, i. 240, i. 243; + deserts Drury Lane, i. 239; + returns to Drury Lane, i. 239; + arrested for deserting his manager, ii. 18; + arrested for striking young Davenant, ii. 19; + discharged for assaulting Aaron Hill in 1710, ii. 94, _note_ 1; + Bellchambers's memoir of, ii. 352. + + Price, Joseph, account of him by Bellchambers, i. 146, _note_ 1. + + Prince's Servants, The, before, 1642, i. xxvi. + + Pritchard, Mrs., ii. 268, _note_ 1. + + Profits made by the old actors, i. xxxii.; + of the theatre, how divided in 1682, i. 97. + + Prologue-speaking, the art of, i. 271. + + "Prophetess, The," i. 187. + + "Provoked Husband," cast of, i. 311, _note_ 1. + + "Provoked Wife," altered, ii. 233. + + "Psyche," an opera, i. 94. + + Puppet-show in Salisbury Change, i. 95. + + Purcell, Henry, i. 187, _note_ 1, ii. 312. + + + Quantz, Mons., ii. 89, _note_ 1. + + Queen's Servants, The, before 1642, i. xxvi. + + ---- Theatre in the Haymarket, success of Swiney's company in, ii. 1; + set aside for operas only, ii. 48; + its interior altered, ii. 79; + opened by the seceders from Drury Lane in 1709, ii. 87. + + Quin, James, i. 224, _note_ 2, ii. 259, _note_ 1; + the chief actor at Garrick's appearance, ii. 262. + + + Raftor, Catherine. See Clive. + + ---- James, i. 330, _note_ 1. + + Raillery, reflections on, i. 11. + + Raymond, his "opinion" on the Patent, ii. 32, _note_ 1. + + Red Bull Theatre, i. xxvi., i. xxix.; + used by King's Company after the Restoration, i. xxxi.; + drawing of the stage of the, ii. 84, _note_ 1. + + Reformation of the stage, Cibber on, i. 81. + + Rehan, Ada, a great comedian, ii. 289. + + Religion and the stage, i. xxi., i. xxxiii. + + "Renegado, The," i. xxv. + + Revels, Master of the, his unreasonableness to Cibber, i. 275; + his fees refused to be paid, i. 277. + + Rhodes, the prompter, ii. 333, ii. 339; + his company, at the Cockpit, i. xxviii.; + his company of actors engaged by Davenant, i. 87, _note_ 1. + + Rich, Christopher, Patentee of Drury Lane, i. 181, _note_ 1, ii. + 336, ii. 361, ii. 367; + description of, i. 233, _note_ 1; + admits servants to theatre gratis, i. 233; + his treatment of his actors, i. 252; + consults Cibber on matters of management, i. 253; + his principles of management, i. 262, ii. 6-8; + his tactics to avoid settling with his partners, i. 328; + his objections to an union of the two companies, i. 329; + permits Swiney to rent the Queen's Theatre, i. 331; + his foolish neglect of his actors, i. 334; + declines to execute his agreement with Swiney, i. 336; + wishes to bring an elephant on the stage, ii. 6; + introduces rope-dancers at Drury Lane, ii. 7; + silenced for receiving Powell, ii. 19, _note_ 1; + his share in the Patent, ii. 32, _note_ 1, ii. 98; + his dealings with Col. Brett, ii. 42-49, ii. 56-60; + Cibber on his misconduct, ii. 46; + his foolish mismanagement, ii. 60, ii. 65; + confiscates part of his actors' benefits, ii. 66; + ordered to refund this, ii. 68; + silenced by the Lord Chamberlain (1709), ii. 72; + his proceedings after being silenced, ii. 77, ii. 79, _note_ 2; + an advertisement issued by him regarding actors' salaries in 1709, + ii. 78, _note_ 1; + evicted by Collier from Drury Lane (1709), ii. 92; + his Patent revived in 1714, ii. 79, ii. 165; + his extraordinary behaviour to the Lord Chamberlain, ii. 98; + Genest's character of him, ii. 98, _note_ 1; + rebuilds Lincoln's Inn Fields Theatre, ii. 100; + his death, ii. 166, _note_ 1. + + Rich, John, ii. 79, ii. 98, _note_ 2; + opens Lincoln's Inn Fields Theatre, ii. 166, _note_ 1; + an excellent Harlequin, ii. 181, _note_ 1; + manages the Lincoln's Inn Fields company, ii. 262; + opens Covent Garden, ii. 262. + + "Richard III.," Cibber's adaptation of, i. 139; + his playing in, i. 139, i. 275; + cast of, ii. 288, _note_ 1. + + Richardson, Jonathan, ii. 276. + + Roberts, Mrs., one of Charles II.'s mistresses, ii. 212. + + Robins, a comedian, i. xxvi. + + Robinson, William, ii. 322; + Hart apprenticed to, i. xxiv.; + a comedian, i. xxvi.; + murdered by Harrison, i. xxix. + + Rochester, Lord, ii. 138, _note_ 1, ii. 303. + + Rogers, Mrs., i. 332, ii. 129, _note_ 2, ii. 169, _note_ 2, ii. 353; + her affectation of prudery, i. 135; + becomes Wilks's mistress, i. 136; + her eldest daughter, i. 136; + riot caused by, ii. 166. + + Rogues and vagabonds, players not to be described as, i. xlix., i. 1. + + "Roman Actor, The," i. xxv. + + Roman Catholic religion, attacked by Cibber, i. 80. + + Rope-dancers on the stage, ii. 7. + + "Roscius Anglicanus." See Downes, John. + + Rose Tavern, the, i. 303, _note_ 1. + + Rowe, Nicholas, in love with Mrs. Bracegirdle, i. 172; + complains of French dancers, i. 317. + + Royal Theatricals during George I.'s reign, ii. 208; + during previous reigns, ii. 209; + effect of audience on actors, ii. 214; + fees for, ii. 218. + + Rymer, Thomas, ii. 324. + + + Sacheverel, Doctor, his trial hurtful to the theatres, ii. 91. + + St. Giles's-in-the-Fields, Colley Cibber christened at, i. 7, + _note_ 2. + + "St. James's Evening Post," ii. 198, _note_ 1. + + St. Paul's Singing School, i. xlix. + + Salisbury Court, the private theatre in, i. xxiv., i. xxvi., i. + xxviii. + + Salvini, Tommaso, the great Italian tragedian, plays in Italian, + while his company plays in English, i. 325, _note_ 1. + + Sandford, Samuel, i. 98, i. 327, ii. 244, _note_ 1; + the "Spagnolet" of the theatre, i. 130; + Cibber's account of him, i. 130-1; + his personal appearance, i. 131; + an actor of villains, i. 131, i. 137; + his Creon ("OEdipus"), i. 131; + the "Tatler" on his acting, i. 132, _note_ 1; + anecdote of his playing an honest character, i. 132; + "a theatrical martyr to poetical justice," i. 137; + his voice and manner of speaking, i. 138; + would have been a perfect Richard III., i. 138; + Cibber plays Richard III. in imitation of, i. 139; + Anthony Aston's description of, ii. 306; + Bellchambers's memoir of, ii. 346. + + Santlow, Hester, her first appearance as an actress, ii. 95; + her manner and appearance, ii. 95; + her character, ii. 96, _note_ 1; + her marriage with Booth, ii. 96, _note_ 1. + (See also Booth, Mrs. Barton.) + + Satire, reflections on, i. 37; + Cibber's opinion regarding a printed and an acted, i. 289. + + Saunderson, Mrs. See Betterton, Mrs. + + Savage, Richard, ii. 39, _note_ 1; + and Mrs. Oldfield, ii. 369. + + Scenes, first introduced by Sir William Davenant, i. xxxii., i. 87, + _note_ 1. + + "Secular Masque, The," i. 268, _note_ 1. + + Sedley, Sir Charles, Kynaston's resemblance to, ii. 341. + + Senesino (singer), ii. 53. + + Sewell, Dr. George, his "Sir Walter Raleigh," ii. 186, _note_ 1. + + Shadwell, Charles, his "Fair Quaker of Deal," ii. 95. + + ---- Thomas, his comedy of "The Squire of Alsatia," i. 148. + + Shaftesbury, first Earl of, i. 134, _note_ 1. + + Shakespeare, William (see also names of his plays), a better author + than actor, i. xxv., i. 89; + his plays, i. xxv.; + his plays depend less on women than on men, i. 90; + expenses of plays in his time, i. 197. + + "Sham Lawyer, The," ii. 252, _note_ 1. + + Shank, John, a comedian, i. xxvi.; + played Sir Roger ("Scornful Lady"), i. xxvi. + + Shatterel, ii. 326; + superior to his successors, i. xxiv.; + apprentice to Beeston, i. xxv.; + a quartermaster in Charles I.'s army, i. xxix. + + Shelton, Lady, ii. 303. + + Shore, John, brother-in-law of Colley Cibber, i. 184, _note_ 1. + + ---- Miss. See Cibber, Mrs. Colley, i. 184, _note_ 1. + + "Shore's Folly," i. 184, _note_ 1. + + "Silent Woman," i. xxiv. + + Singers and dancers introduced by Davenant, i. 94; + difficulty in managing, ii. 88. + + Skipwith, Sir George, ii. 60. + + ---- Sir Thomas (one of the Patentees of Drury Lane), ii. 109; + does Vanbrugh a service, i. 217; + receives "The Relapse" in return, i. 217; + a sharer in the Drury Lane Patent, ii. 31; + assigns his share to Colonel Brett, ii. 32; + his friendship for Brett, ii. 39; + claims his share from Brett, ii. 59. + + Smith, William, i. 327, ii. 324, ii. 346; + insulted by one of the audience, i. 79; + defended by the King, i. 79; + driven from the stage because of the King's support of him, i. 79; + taken into good society, i. 83; + Bellchambers's memoir of, ii. 319. + + Sophocles, his tragedies, ii. 29. + + Southampton House, Bloomsbury, i. 7, _note_ 3. + + Southerne, Thomas, ii. 311; + prophesies the success of Cibber's first play, i. 212; + his "Oroonoko," i. 216, _note_ 1. + + Spaniards, the, and religious plays, i. xxxv. + + "Spectator," ii. 353. + + Spiller, James, ii. 169, _note_ 2. + + Stage, and religion, i. xxi., i. xxxiii.; + the, Cibber on the reformation of, i. 81; + audience on, forbidden, i. 234; + Cibber on the influence of, ii. 24-31; + shape of the, described, ii. 84; + doors, ii. 84, _note_ 1. + + Statute regarding rogues and vagabonds, i. 1.; + against profanity on the stage, i. 1.; + against persons meeting out of their own parishes on Sundays for + sports, etc., i. 1.; + entirely suppressing players, i. li. + + Steele, Sir Richard, i. 97, _note_ 2, i. 276, ii. 36, _note_ 1, ii. + 109, ii. 128, ii. 151, ii. 217, ii. 251, ii. 257; + substituted for Collier in the Licence, ii. 162; + the benefits he had conferred on Cibber and his partners, ii. 162; + Dennis's attacks on, ii. 168, _note_ 1; + receives a Patent, ii. 173; + assigns equal shares in the Patent to his partners, ii. 174; + account of his transactions in connection with the theatre which + are ignored by Cibber, ii. 193, _note_ 1; + persecuted by the Duke of Newcastle, then Lord Chamberlain, ii. + 193, _note_ 1; + his Licence revoked, ii. 193, _note_ 1; + restored to his position, ii. 193, _note_ 1; + the expiry of his Patent, ii. 193, _note_ 1; + assigns his share of the Patent, ii. 196; + brings an action against his partners, ii. 196; + account of the pleadings, ii. 196-208; + his recommendation of Underhill's benefit, ii. 351. + + Stow, John, his "Survey of London" quoted, i. xxxv., i. xlviii. + + Strolling players, i. xl., i. xlvii., i. 1. + + Subligny, Madlle., a French dancer, i. 316. + + "Summer Miscellany, The," ii. 272, _note_ 1. + + Sumner, an eminent actor, i. xxvi.; + his death, i. xxxi. + + Sunderland, Lady (the Little Whig), i. 320. + + Swan Theatre, drawing of the stage of the, ii. 84, _note_ 1. + + Swanston, Eliard, acted Othello, i. xxvi.; + the only actor that took the Presbyterian side in the Civil War, + i. xxix. + + Swift, Jonathan, an attack on Cibber by him in his "Rhapsody on + Poetry" quoted, i. 52, _note_ 2. + + Swiney, Owen, i. 97, _note_ 2, ii. 43, ii. 223, ii. 267; + his "Quacks," i. 247, _note_ 1; + account of his character, i. 329; + memoir of, i. 330, _note_ 1; + rents the Queen's Theatre from Vanbrugh, i. 330. i. 333. _note_ 1; + his agreement with Rich about renting the Queen's Theatre, i. 331; + Rich declines to execute it, i. 336; + his success at the Queen's Theatre in 1706-7, ii. 1; + his arrangement with his actors in 1706, ii. 9; + control of the opera given to, ii. 48; + his gain by the opera in 1708, ii. 55; + has joint control of plays and operas (1709), ii. 69; + forced to hand over the opera to Collier, ii. 102; + forced to resume the opera, ii. 107; + goes abroad on account of debt, ii. 108; + his return to England, ii. 108; + Cibber plays for his benefit, ii. 262. + + + "Tatler," the, i. 38, i. 132, _note_ 1, ii. 75, ii. 93, ii. 229, + _note_ 1, ii. 244, _note_ 1, ii. 244, _note_ 2, ii. 328, ii. + 362, ii. 363; + its eulogium of Betterton, i. 118, _note_ 1; + recommends Cave Underhill's benefit, i. 155; + praises Nicolini, ii. 52; + its influence on audiences, ii. 162. + + Taylor, John, his "Records of my Life" quoted, i. lxv., _note_ 1. + + ---- Joseph, ii. 334; + superior to Hart, i. xxiv.; + his chief characters, i. xxvi.; + too old to go into Charles I.'s army, i. xxix.; + arrested for acting, i. xxx.; + his death, i. xxxi. + + "Tempest, The," as an opera, i. 94; + revival of, ii. 227. + + Theatre, the, mentioned by Stow as recently erected, i. xlviii. + + Théâtre Français, ii. 221, _note_ 1, ii. 246, _note_ 1. + + Theatres, number of, before 1642, i. xxvi.; + more reputable before 1642, i. xxvii.; + less reputable after the Restoration, i. xxvii.; + evil, artistically, of multiplying, i. 92. + + Theobald, Lewis, deposed from the Throne of Dulness, ii. 280. + + Thomson, James, his "Sophonisba," ii. 368. + + Tofts, Mrs. Katherine, i. 334, _note_ 1, ii. 51; + Cibber's account of, ii. 54. + + "Tone" in speaking, i. 110, _note_ 1. + + Trinity College, Cambridge, Caius Cibber's statues on the Library, + i. 59; + particulars regarding these, i. 59, _note_ 1. + + + Underhill, Cave, i. 98, i. 142, i. 327, ii. 307, ii. 346, ii. 347, + ii. 361; + his chief parts, i. 154-155; + Cibber's account of, i. 154-156; + his particular excellence in stupid characters, i. 154; + the peculiarity of his facial expression, i. 155; + his retirement and last appearances, i. 155, _note_ 2; + his death, i. 156; + Anthony Aston's description of, ii. 307; + Bellchambers's memoir of, ii. 350. + + Underwood, John, originally a "chapel boy," i. xxxvii. + + Union of Companies in 1682, i. xxxii., i. 96; + in 1708, i. 301; + causes that led up to, ii. 45, ii. 48. + + + Valentini (Valentini Urbani), singer, i. 325, ii. 51, ii. 55. + + Vanbrugh, Sir John, i. 269, i. 274, i. 284, ii. 107, ii. 110, ii. + 190, ii. 337, ii. 353, ii. 367; + his opinion of Cibber's acting of Richard III., i. 139; + his "Relapse," i. 216, i. 218; + his high opinion of Cibber's acting, i. 216; + his "Provoked Wife," i. 216-217; + in gratitude to Sir Thomas Skipwith presents him with "The Relapse," + i. 217; + his "Æsop," i. 216, i. 218; + his great ability, i. 219; + alters his "Provoked Wife," ii. 233; + his share in the "Provoked Husband," i. 311, _note_ 1; + builds the Queen's Theatre, i. 319; + and Congreve manage the Queen's Theatre, i. 320, i. 325; + his "Confederacy," i. 325; + "The Cuckold in Conceit" (attributed to him), i. 326; + his "Squire Trelooby," i. 326; + his "Mistake," i. 327; + sole proprietor of the Queen's Theatre, i. 326; + lets it to Swiney, i. 330, i. 333, _note_ 1. + + Vaughan, Commissioner, ii. 278, _note_ 1. + + "Venice Preserved," ii. 224, _note_ 1. + + Verbruggen, John, i. 108, _note_ 2; + mentioned, i. 157, i. 193; + hangs about Downes, the prompter, i. 74, _note_ 1; + note regarding, i. 157, _note_ 2; + Anthony Aston's description of, ii. 311; + Bellchambers's memoir of, ii. 354. + + ---- Mrs. See Mrs. Mountfort. + + Vere Street, Clare Market, theatre in, i. xxxii. + + Versatility, Cibber's views on, i. 209. + + Victor, Benjamin, ii. 259; + a story told by him of Cibber's cowardice, i. 71, _note_ 1; + his "History of the Theatres," i. 110, _note_ 1, i. 297, + _note_ 1, ii. 259, _note_ 2, ii. 260, _note_ 1, ii. 261, + _note_ 1, ii. 264, ii. 270; + his "Letters" quoted, i. 58, _note_ 1; + his "Life of Booth," i. 5, _note_ 1, ii. 240, _note_ 2. + + Villains, Cibber's views on, i. 131; + Macready's views on, referred to, i. 135, _note_ 1; + E. S. Willard mentioned as famous for representing, i. 135, + _note_ 1; + on the acting of, i. 222. + + Vizard-masks (women of the town), i. xxvii. See also Masks. + + Voltaire, his "Zaïre," ii. 248. + + + Walker, Obadiah, his change of religion, ii. 134. + + Waller, Edmund, altered the last act of the "Maid's Tragedy," ii. 12. + + Walpole, Horace, and Cibber, ii. 284. + + Warburton, Bishop, mentioned, i. 106, _note_ 1, ii. 281. + + Ward, Professor A. W., his "English Dramatic Literature," i. 187, + _note_ 1. + + Warwick, Earl of, his frolic with Pope and Cibber, ii. 278. + + Weaver, John, his "Loves of Mars and Venus," ii. 180, _note_ 2. + + Webster, Benjamin, i. 88, _note_ 3. + + "Wedding, The," i. xxv. + + "Weekly Packet" quoted, ii. 171, _note_ 1. + + Welsted, Leonard, satirically mentioned by Swift, i. 52, _note_ 2. + + Westminster Bridge, difficulties in getting permission to build, + ii. 104. + + Whig, the Little (Lady Sunderland), i. 320. + + White's Club, Cibber a member, i. 29, _note_ 1. + + Whitefriars, i. xlix. + + "Whitehall Evening Post," Cibber sends verses to, regarding himself, + i. 47. + + Whitelocke's "Memorials," ii. 209, _note_ 2. + + Wigs. See Perriwigs. + + Wildair, Sir Harry, i. 318. + + "Wild-Goose Chase, The," i. xxv. + + Wilks, Robert, i. 108, _note_ 2, i. 157, i. 270, i. 332, ii. 36, + _note_ 1, ii. 167, ii. 176, ii. 300, ii. 352, ii. 361, ii. 363, + ii. 368; + memoirs published immediately after his death, i. 5; + mistakes in his Hamlet, i. 100, _note_ 1; + lives with Mrs. Rogers, i. 136; + distressed by Pinkethman's "gagging," i. 153, _note_ 1; + his impetuous temper, i. 190, i. 191, _note_ 1, i. 191, _note_ 2, + ii. 127, ii. 150-155, ii. 171; + his return to Drury Lane from Dublin, i. 235; + his commencing as actor, i. 235; + the contest between him and Powell for supremacy at Drury Lane, + i. 237-243, i. 251-256; + his wonderful memory, i. 240, i. 242; + his diligence and care, i. 240, ii. 160; + his good character, i. 243; + made chief actor at Drury Lane, under Rich, i. 256; + his energy in managing, i. 257; + his disputes with Cibber, i. 258; + his friendship with Mills, i. 259; + as a prologue-speaker, i. 271; + the occasion of his coming to London, i. 304; + and Mrs. Oldfield playing in same pieces, i. 314; + made Deputy-manager by Brett, ii. 56, _note_ 1; + made joint-manager with Swiney and others in 1709, ii. 69; + advertisement regarding his salary, 1709, ii. 78, _note_ 1; + his characteristics as a manager, ii. 111, ii. 117; + his patronage of his friends, ii. 121; + his behaviour on Booth's claiming to become a manager, ii. 131, + ii. 141; + his favour for Mills, ii. 223; + his connection with Steele during the dispute about Steele's Patent, + ii. 193, _note_ 1; + his love of acting, ii. 225; + a genuine admirer of Cibber, ii. 226, _note_ 1; + attacked by Dennis, ii. 226, _note_ 2; + his excellence as Macduff, ii. 228; + gives the part to Williams, ii. 229; + but withdraws it, ii. 230; + complains of acting so much, ii. 232; + a scene between him and his partners, ii. 234-237; + benefits arising from his enthusiasm for acting, ii. 237; + and Booth, their opinion of each other, ii. 240; + formed his style on Mountfort's, ii. 241; + Cibber's comparison of Booth and Wilks, ii. 239-245; + his Othello, ii. 244; + death of, ii. 254; + memoir of, ii. 254, _note_ 4; + Patent granted to him, Cibber, and Booth, after Steele's death, + ii. 257. + + Wilks, Mrs., inherits Wilks's share in the Patent, ii. 258; + delegates her authority to John Ellys, ii. 258; + her share sold to Fleetwood, ii. 261. + + Willard, E. S., mentioned, i. 135, _note_ 1. + + William of Orange, Cibber a supporter of, at the Revolution, i. 60; + made king, i. 70; + gives a Licence to Betterton, i. 192, _note_ 1. + + Williams, Charles, Wilks gives him the part of Macduff, ii. 229; + but withdraws it, ii. 230; + hissed in mistake for Cibber, i. 179, _note_ 1. + + ---- Joseph, mentioned, i. 157, i. 200; + Bellchambers's memoir of, ii. 356. + + Wiltshire (actor), leaves the stage for the army, i. 84; + killed in Flanders, i. 85. + + Winchester College, Cibber stands for election to, and is + unsuccessful, i. 56; + his brother, Lewis Cibber, is afterwards successful, i. 56; + his father presents a statue to, i. 56; + communication from the Head Master of, i. 56, _note_ 2. + + Wintershal (actor), belonged to the Salisbury Court Theatre, i. xxiv. + + Woffington, Margaret, her artistic feeling, i. 166, _note_ 1; + an anecdote wrongly connected with her, ii. 266. + + "Woman's Wit," cast of, i. 264, _note_ 1. + + Women, their first introduction on the stage, i. xxxii., i. 89, + _note_ 1, i. 90. + + Wren, Sir Christopher, the designer of Drury Lane Theatre, ii. 82. + + Wright, James, his "History of Rutlandshire," i. 8; + quoted, i. 9, _note_ 1; + his "Historia Histrionica," i. xix. + + Wykeham, William of, Cibber connected with by descent, i. 56. + + + "Ximena," cast of, ii. 163, _note_ 1. + + + York, Duke of (James II.), at Whitehall, i. 30. + + Young, Dr. Edward, his "Epistle to Mr. Pope" quoted, i. 54, _note_ 1. + + Young actors, dearth of, ii. 221. + + + END OF VOL. II. + + + + +[Illustration] + + + + + CHISWICK PRESS:--C. WHITTINGHAM AND CO., TOOKS COURT, + CHANCERY LANE. + + + + +FOOTNOTES + + +[Footnote 1: That is, "The Beaux' Stratagem," by Farquhar, produced 8th +March, 1707. Cibber played the part of Gibbet.] + + +[Footnote 2: "Lady's Last Stake; or, the Wife's Resentment," a comedy by +Cibber, produced 13th December, 1707. + + LORD WRONGLOVE Mr. Wilks. + SIR GEORGE BRILLANT Mr. Cibber. + SIR FRIENDLY MORAL Mr. Keene. + LADY WRONGLOVE Mrs. Barry. + LADY GENTLE Mrs. Rogers. + MRS. CONQUEST Mrs. Oldfield. + MISS NOTABLE Mrs. Cross.] + + +[Footnote 3: "The Double Gallant; or, the Sick Lady's Cure," a comedy by +Cibber, produced 1st November, 1707. + + SIR SOLOMON SADLIFE Mr. Johnson. + CLERIMONT Mr. Booth. + CARELESS Mr. Wilks. + ATALL Mr. Cibber. + CAPTAIN STRUT Mr. Bowen. + SIR SQUABBLE SPLITHAIR Mr. Norris. + SAUNTER Mr. Pack. + OLD MR. WILFUL Mr. Bullock. + SIR HARRY ATALL Mr. Cross. + SUPPLE Mr. Fairbank. + LADY DAINTY Mrs. Oldfield. + LADY SADLIFE Mrs. Crosse. + CLARINDA Mrs. Rogers. + SYLVIA Mrs. Bradshaw. + WISHWELL Mrs. Saunders. + SITUP Mrs. Brown.] + + +[Footnote 4: The plays from which Cibber compiled "The Double Gallant" +are "Love at a Venture," "The Lady's Visiting Day," and "The Reformed +Wife" (Genest, ii. 389).] + + +[Footnote 5: Eighteenpence was for many years the recognized price of +plays when published.] + + +[Footnote 6: These were played on 14th January, 21st January, and 4th +February, 1707, in the order Cibber gives them. The alteration of +Dryden's plays was done by Cibber, and was called "Marriage à la Mode; +or, the Comical Lovers." + + CELADON Mr. Cibber. + PALAMEDE Mr. Wilks. + RHODOPHIL Mr. Booth. + MELANTHA Mrs. Bracegirdle. + FLORIMEL Mrs. Oldfield. + DORALICE Mrs. Porter. + +I have not seen a copy of this, so take the cast from Genest.] + + +[Footnote 7: An elephant was introduced into the pantomime of "Harlequin +and Padmanaba," at Covent Garden, 26th December, 1811. Genest points out +that one had appeared at Smock Alley Theatre, Dublin, in 1771-2.] + + +[Footnote 8: In Mr. Percy Fitzgerald's "New History of the English +Stage" (ii. 436) he gives an interesting memorandum by the Hon. Sir +Spencer Ponsonby-Fane regarding this point. It begins: "That the +Chamberlain's authority proceeded from the Sovereign alone is clear, +from the fact that no Act of Parliament, previous to the 10 Geo. II., c. +28 (passed in 1737), alludes to his licensing powers, though he was +constantly exercising them."] + + +[Footnote 9: Langbaine, in his "Account of the English Dramatick Poets," +1691, says (p. 212): "_Maids Tragedy_, a Play which has always been +acted with great Applause at the King's Theatre; and which had still +continu'd on the English Stage, had not King _Charles_ the _Second_], +for some particular Reasons forbid its further Appearance during his +Reign. It has since been reviv'd by Mr. _Waller_, the last Act having +been wholly alter'd to please the Court." + +I think there can be little doubt that the last reason suggested by +Cibber was the real cause of the prohibition.] + + +[Footnote 10: Produced at Dorset Garden, 1681.] + + +[Footnote 11: Produced at Dorset Garden, 1690. See _ante_, vol. i. p. +187. I presume that the lines alluded to by Cibber are:-- + + "Never content with what you had before, + But true to change, and Englishmen all o'er."] + + +[Footnote 12: In the "Biographia Dramatica" (iii. 24) the following note +appears: "Mary Queen of Scotland. A play under this title was +advertised, among others, as sold by Wellington, in St. Paul's +Churchyard, in 1703." But the work Cibber refers to is "The Island +Queens; or, the Death of Mary Queen of Scots," a tragedy by John Banks, +printed in 1684, but not produced till 6th March, 1704, when it was +played at Drury Lane as "The Albion Queens."] + + +[Footnote 13: "The Unhappy Favourite; or, the Earl of Essex," produced +at the Theatre Royal, 1682.] + + +[Footnote 14: "Virtue Betrayed; or, Anna Bullen," first acted at Dorset +Garden, 1682.] + + +[Footnote 15: Bellchambers notes here that this order was superfluous, +because the prohibition was inserted in the Patents given to Davenant +and Killigrew. But, whether superfluous or not, I find from the Records +of the Lord Chamberlain's Office that this order was frequently made. On +16th April, 1695, an edict was issued forbidding actors to desert from +Betterton's company; on 25th July, 1695, desertions from either company +were forbidden; and this latter order was reiterated on 27th May, 1697.] + + +[Footnote 16: I do not know whether it is merely a coincidence, but it +is curious that, after Betterton got his License (on 25th March, 1695), +an edict was issued that no one was to desert from his company to that +of the Theatre Royal; while a general order against any desertion from +either company to the other was not issued for more than three months +after the first edict. The dates, as given in the Records of the Lord +Chamberlain's Office, are 16th April and 25th July respectively. If this +were intentional, it would form a curious commentary on Cibber's +statement.] + + +[Footnote 17: Genest supposes that this incident occurred about June, +1704. But the Lord Chamberlain's Records of that time contain no note of +it, and Cibber's language scarcely bears the interpretation that three +years elapsed between Powell's leaving Drury Lane and returning to it, +as was the case at that time; for he was at Lincoln's Inn Fields for +three seasons, 1702 to 1704. I find, however, a warrant, dated 14th +November, 1705, to apprehend Powell for refusing to act his part at the +Haymarket, so that the audience had to be dismissed, and for trying to +raise a mutiny in the company. He was ordered to be confined in the +Porter's Lodge until further notice. On the 24th November Rich was +informed that Powell had deserted the Haymarket, and was warned not to +engage him. Now these desertions must have followed each other pretty +closely, for he was at Drury Lane in the beginning of 1705; at the +Haymarket in April of the same year; and about six months later had +deserted the latter. The sequel to this difficulty seems to be the +silencing of Rich for receiving Powell, on 5th March in the fifth year +of Queen Anne's reign, that is, 1707. Unless the transcriber of the +Records has made a mistake in the year, Powell was thus suspended for +about eighteen months. It will be noticed that Cibber does not say that +he was acting the night after his release, but merely that he was behind +the scenes.] + + +[Footnote 18: Among the Lord Chamberlain's Records is a copy of a decree +suspending all performances at Drury Lane because Powell had been +allowed to play. This is dated 3rd May, 1698. His offence was that he +had drawn his sword on Colonel Stanhope and young Davenant. The +suspension was removed the following day; but on the 19th of the same +month Powell was forbidden to be received at either Drury Lane or Dorset +Garden.] + + +[Footnote 19: A warrant was issued to apprehend Dogget and take him to +the Knight Marshall's Prison, on 23rd November, 1697, his offence being +desertion of the company of Drury Lane and Dorset Garden. The Records +contain no note as to the termination of the matter; but this is, beyond +doubt, the occasion referred to by Cibber.] + + +[Footnote 20: Horace, _Epis._, i. 6, 68.] + + +[Footnote 21: At Drury Lane, 14th April, 1713.] + + +[Footnote 22: This is a pretty way of putting what Johnson, in his Life +of Addison, afterwards stated in the well-known words: "The Whigs +applauded every line in which Liberty was mentioned, as a satire on the +Tories; and the Tories echoed every clap to show that the satire was +unfelt." In the next paragraph Johnson describes the play as "supported +by the emulation of factious praise."] + + +[Footnote 23: I confess I do not know Cibber's authority for this +statement.] + + +[Footnote 24: "The Laureat" abuses Cibber for this sentence, declaring +that he evidently considered "Sophocles" to be the name of a tragedy. +But Cibber's method of expression, though curious, does not justify this +attack.] + + +[Footnote 25: "Caviare to the general."--"Hamlet," act ii. sc. 2.] + + +[Footnote 26: Malone supposes that Skipwith acquired his shares from the +Killigrew family, but in the indenture by which he transferred his +interest to Brett, it seems as if he had acquired part of it from +Alexander Davenant, and the remainder by buying up shares of the +original Adventurers. The indenture will be found at length in Mr. Percy +Fitzgerald's "New History of the English Stage," i. 252. Skipwith is +described in the "Biog. Dram." (i. 487) as "a weak, vain, conceited +coxcomb." The proportion in which the shares were divided among the +various holders is shown by the "Opinion" of Northey and Raymond, in +1711, to have been this: Three-twentieths belonged to Charles Killigrew. +The remainder was divided into tenths, of which two-tenths belonged to +Rich; the other eight parts were owned by the Mortgagees or Adventurers. +If Cibber's supposition is correct, two of these parts belonged to +Shipwith.] + + +[Footnote 27: It is dated 6th October, 1707.] + + +[Footnote 28: As noted vol. i. p. 213, January, 1695, Old Style; that +is, January, 1696.] + + +[Footnote 29: Davies ("Dram. Misc.," iii. 84) says: "The heads of the +English actors were, for a long time, covered with large full-bottomed +perriwigs, a fashion introduced in the reign of Charles II., which was +not entirely disused in public till about the year 1720. Addison, +Congreve, and Steele, met at Button's coffee-house, in large, flowing, +flaxen wigs; Booth, Wilks, and Cibber, when full-dressed, wore the same. +Till within these twenty-five years, our Tamerlanes and Catos had as +much hair on their heads as our judges on the bench.... I have been +told, that he [Booth] and Wilks bestowed forty guineas each on the +exorbitant thatching of their heads."] + + +[Footnote 30: "The Laureat," p. 66, relates with great acrimony an +anecdote of Colonel Brett's reproving Cibber harshly for his treatment +of an author who had submitted a play to him. Cibber is said to have +opened the author's M.S., and, having read two lines only, to have +returned it to him saying, "Sir, it will not do." Going to Button's, he +related his exploit with great glee, but was rebuked in the strongest +terms by Colonel Brett, who is said to have put him to shame before the +whole company. This is related as having occurred many years after the +time Cibber now writes of; the suggestion being that Brett did not +consider Cibber as a friend.] + + +[Footnote 31: This was the Countess of Macclesfield, the supposed mother +of Richard Savage, who had a large fortune in her own right, of which +she was not deprived on her divorce from the Earl of Macclesfield. +Shortly after her divorce, probably about 1698, she married Brett. She +lived to be eighty, or over it, dying 11th October, 1753.] + + +[Footnote 32: A comedy by Mountfort the actor, originally played at the +Theatre Royal, 1691. The part of Young Reveller was then taken by the +author, and we have no record of Cibber's playing it before 1708; but +from this anecdote he must have done so ten years earlier.] + + +[Footnote 33: In Boswell's Life of Johnson (i. 174) there is a note by +Boswell himself:-- + +"Miss Mason, after having forfeited the title of Lady Macclesfield by +divorce, was married to Colonel Brett, and, it is said, was well known +in all the polite circles. Colley Cibber, I am informed, had so high an +opinion of her taste and judgement as to genteel life, and manners, that +he submitted every scene of his _Careless Husband_ to Mrs. Brett's +revisal and correction. Colonel Brett was reported to be too free in his +gallantry with his Lady's maid. Mrs. Brett came into a room one day in +her own house, and found the Colonel and her maid both fast asleep in +two chairs. She tied a white handkerchief round her husband's neck, +which was a sufficient proof that she had discovered his intrigue; but +she never at any time took notice of it to him. This incident, as I am +told, gave occasion to the well-wrought scene of Sir Charles and Lady +Easy and Edging."] + + +[Footnote 34: See note, vol. i. p. 301.] + + +[Footnote 35: 1707. See note on page 3 of this vol.] + + +[Footnote 36: The edict which ordered this division of plays and operas +is dated 31st December, 1707. Each theatre is ordered to confine itself +to its own sphere on pain of being silenced; and no other theatre is +permitted to be built. A copy of the edict is given by Mr. Percy +Fitzgerald ("New History," i. 258), but it is not a _verbatim_ copy of +the original in the Lord Chamberlain's Office, though it contains all +that is of importance in it.] + + +[Footnote 37: At the Union, 1707-8, the Lord Chamberlain took measures +to assert his supremacy. Under date 6th January, 1708, he orders that no +actors are to be engaged at Drury-Lane who are not Her Majesty's +servants, and he therefore directs the managers to send a list of all +actors to be sworn in.] + + +[Footnote 38: Bellchambers notes that Mrs. Tofts "sang in English, while +her associates responded in Italian."] + + +[Footnote 39: The whole passage regarding Nicolini is:-- + +"I went on _Friday_ last to the Opera, and was surprised to find a thin +House at so noble an Entertainment, till I heard that the Tumbler was +not to make his Appearance that Night. For my own Part, I was fully +satisfied with the Sight of an Actor, who, by the Grace and Propriety of +his Action and Gesture, does Honour to an human Figure, as much as the +other vilifies and degrades it. Every one will easily imagine I mean +Signior _Nicolini_, who sets off the Character he bears in an Opera by +his Action, as much as he does the Words of it by his Voice. Every Limb, +and every Finger, contributes to the Part he acts, insomuch that a deaf +Man might go along with him in the Sense of it. There is scarce a +beautiful Posture in an old Statue which he does not plant himself in, +as the different Circumstances of the Story give Occasion for it. He +performs the most ordinary Action in a Manner suitable to the Greatness +of his Character, and shows the Prince even in the giving of a Letter, +or the dispatching of a Message. Our best Actors are somewhat at a Loss +to support themselves with proper Gesture, as they move from any +considerable Distance to the Front of the Stage; but I have seen the +Person of whom I am now speaking, enter alone at the remotest Part of +it, and advance from it with such Greatness of Air and Mien, as seemed +to fill the Stage, and at the same Time commanded the Attention of the +Audience with the Majesty of his Appearance."--"Tatler," No. 115, +January 3rd, 1710.] + + +[Footnote 40: An excellent account of Mrs. Tofts is given by Mr. Henry +Morley in a note on page 38 of his valuable edition of the "Spectator." +She was the daughter of one of Bishop Burnet's household, and had great +natural gifts. In 1709 she was obliged to quit the stage, her mental +faculties having failed; but she afterwards recovered, and married Mr. +Joseph Smith, a noted art patron, who was appointed English Consul at +Venice. Her intellect again became disordered, and she died about the +year 1760.] + + +[Footnote 41: Cibber's most notorious blunder in language was made in +this sentence. In his first edition he wrote "was then _but_ an Adept in +it," completely reversing the meaning of the word "Adept." Fielding +("Champion," 22nd April, 1740) declares Cibber to be a most absolute +Master of English, "for surely he must be absolute Master of that whose +Laws he can trample under Feet, and which he can use as he pleases. This +Power he hath exerted, of which I shall give a _barbarous_ Instance in +the Case of the poor Word _Adept_.... This Word our great _Master_ hath +tortured and wrested to signify a _Tyro_ or _Novice_, being directly +contrary to the Sense in which it hath been hitherto used." It is of +course conceivable that the error was a printer's error not corrected in +reading the proof.] + + +[Footnote 42: Nicolini was the stage name of the Cavalier Nicolo +Grimaldi. Dr. Burney says: "This great singer, and still greater actor, +was a Neapolitan; his voice was at first a _soprano_, but afterwards +descended into a fine _contralto_." He first appeared, about 1694, in +Rome, and paid his first visit to England in 1708. Valentini Urbani was +a _castrato_, his voice was not so strong as Nicolini's, but his action +was so excellent that his vocal defects were not noticed.--"General +History of Music," 1789, iv. 207, 205.] + + +[Footnote 43: Colonel Brett, by an indenture dated 31st March, 1708, +made Wilks, Estcourt, and Cibber, his deputies in the management of the +theatre. Genest (ii. 405) says this was probably "31st March, 1708, Old +Style," by which I suppose he means March, 1709. But I cannot see why he +should think this. Brett entered into management in January, 1708, and +was probably out of it by March, 1709. It may be that Genest supposes +that this indenture marks the end of Brett's connection with the +theatre; whereas it was probably one of his first actions. It will be +remembered that he stated his intention of benefitting Cibber by taking +the Patent (see _ante_, p. 42). A copy of the indenture is given by Mr. +Percy Fitzgerald ("New History," ii. 443). It is dated 31st March in the +seventh year of Queen Anne's reign, that is, 1708.] + + +[Footnote 44: On p. 328 of vol. i. Cibber says that Rich (about 1705) +had led the Adventurers "a Chace in Chancery several years." From the +petition presented in 1709 against the order silencing Rich, we learn +that the principal Adventurers were: Lord Guilford, Lord John Harvey, +Dame Alice Brownlow, Mrs. Shadwell, Sir Edward Smith, Bart., Sir Thomas +Skipwith, Bart., George Sayer, Charles Killegrew, Christopher Rich, +Charles Davenant, John Metcalf, Thomas Goodall, Ashburnham Toll, +Ashburnham Frowd, William East, Richard Middlemore, Robert Gower, and +William Collier. It is curious that everyone who has reproduced this +list has, as far as I know, mistaken the name "Frowd," calling it +"Trowd." The earliest reproduction of the list of names which I know is +in the "Dramatic Censor," 1811, col. III.] + + +[Footnote 45: I do not know when Sir Thomas Skipwith died; but in 1709 +the petition of the Adventurers, &c., is signed by, among others, Sir +Thomas Skipwith.] + + +[Footnote 46: This anecdote shows that Rich had some sort of Committee +of Shareholders to aid (or hinder) him. Subsequent experience has shown, +as witness the Drury Lane Committee at the beginning of this century, +how disastrous such form of management is.] + +[Footnote 47: Dr. Doran ("Their Majesties' Servants," 1888 edition, i. +103) gives the following account of Goodman's connection with this +plot:-- + +"King James having saved Cardell's neck, Goodman, out of pure gratitude, +perhaps, became a Tory, and something more, when William sat in the seat +of his father-in-law. After Queen Mary's death, Scum was in the Fenwick +and Charnock plot to kill the King. When the plot was discovered, Scum +was ready to peach. As Fenwick's life was thought by his friends to be +safe if Goodman could be bought off and got out of the way, the rogue +was looked for, at the _Fleece_, in Covent Garden, famous for homicides, +and at the robbers' and the revellers' den, the _Dog_, in Drury Lane. +Fenwick's agent, O'Bryan, erst soldier and highwayman, now a Jacobite +agent, found Scum at the _Dog_, and would then and there have cut his +throat, had not Scum consented to the pleasant alternative of accepting +£500 a year, and a residence abroad.... Scum suddenly disappeared, and +Lord Manchester, our Ambassador in Paris, inquired after him in vain. It +is impossible to say whether the rogue died by an avenging hand, or +starvation."] + + +[Footnote 48: This anecdote is valuable as establishing the identity of +_Captain_ Griffin with the Griffin who retired (temporarily) from the +stage about 1688. See note on page 83 of vol. i.] + + +[Footnote 49: When Betterton and his associates left the Theatre Royal +and opened Lincoln's Inn Fields Theatre. See Chapter VI.] + + +[Footnote 50: Indulto--In Spain, a duty, tax, or custom, paid to the +King for all goods imported.] + + +[Footnote 51: In the "Answer to Steele's State of the Case," 1720 +(Nichols's ed. p. 527), it is said: "After Mr. Rich was again restored +to the management of the Play-house, he made an order to stop a certain +proportion of the clear profits of every Benefit-play without exception; +which being done, and reaching the chief Players as well as the +underlings, zealous application was made to the Lord Chamberlain, to +oblige Mr. Rich to return the money stopped to each particular. The +dispute lasted some time, and Mr. Rich, not giving full satisfaction +upon that head, was silenced; during the time of which silence, the +chief Players, either by a new License, or by some former (which I +cannot absolutely determine, my Memoirs being not at this time by me) +set up for themselves, and got into the possession of the Play-house in +Drury-lane."] + + +[Footnote 52: See _ante_, vol. i. p. 161.] + + +[Footnote 53: This warning is dated 30th April, 1709, and is a very +peremptory document. Rich's treasurer is ordered to pay the actors the +full receipts of their benefits, under deduction only of £40 for the +charges of the house. See the Order for Silence quoted _post_, page 73.] + + +[Footnote 54: Mrs. Bracegirdle retired in February, 1707. Mrs. Barry +played up to the end of the season, 1708, that is, up to June, 1708. She +does not seem to have been engaged in 1708-9, but she was a member of +the Haymarket Company in 1709-10.] + + +[Footnote 55: From Chapter XVI. it will be seen that Wilks's unfair +partiality for John Mills, whom he forced into prominence at Booth's +expense, was the leading reason for Booth's remaining with Rich.] + + +[Footnote 56: The Order for Silence has never, I believe, been quoted. I +therefore give it in full. The theatre closed on the 4th of June, 1709, +which was Saturday, and did not open again under Rich's management, the +Order for Silence being issued on the next Monday. + +"_Play House in Covent Garden silenc'd._ Whereas by an Order dated the +30^{th} day of Apr^{ll} last upon the peti{c~o}n of sev^{ll} Players &c: +I did then direct and require you to pay to the respective Comedians who +had benfit plays last winter the full receip^{ts} of such plays +deducting only from each the sume of 40l. for the Charges of the House +pursuant to the Articles made w^{th} y^m at y^e theatre in the +Haymarkett and w^{ch} were promis^d to be made good upon their removall +to the Theatre in Covent Garden. + +"And whereas I am inform^d y^t in Contempt of the said Ord^r y^u still +refuse to pay and detain from the s^d Comedians y^e profits of y^e s^d +benefit plays I do therefore for the s^d Contempt hereby silence you +from further acting & require you not to perform any Plays or other +Theatricall entertainm^{ts} till further Ord^r; And all her Maj^{ts} +Sworn Comedians are hereby forbid to act any Plays at y^e Theatre in +Covent Gard^n or else where w^{th}out my leave as they shall answer the +contrary at their perill And &c: Given &c: this 6^{th} day of June 1709 +in the Eighth Year of her Majesty's Reign. + + "(Signed) KENT. + + "To the Manager or Manag^{rs} } + of her Maj^{ts} Company of Comedi^{ns} } + for their Patentees." } + + I have copied this from the Lord Chamberlain's Records.] + + +[Footnote 57: + + "_Honoured Sir_, + _July_ 1. 1710. + +"Finding by divers of your late Papers, that you are a Friend to the +Profession of which I was many Years an unworthy Member, I the rather +make bold to crave your Advice, touching a Proposal that has been lately +made me of coming into Business, and the Sub-Administration of Stage +Affairs. I have, from my Youth, been bred up behind the Curtain, and +been a Prompter from the Time of the Restoration. I have seen many +Changes, as well of Scenes as of Actors, and have known Men within my +Remembrance arrive to the highest Dignities of the Theatre, who made +their Entrance in the Quality of Mutes, Joynt-stools, Flower-pots, and +Tapestry Hangings. It cannot be unknown to the Nobility and Gentry, That +a Gentleman of the Inns of Court, and a deep Intriguer, had some Time +since worked himself into the sole Management and Direction of the +Theatre. Nor is it less notorious, That his restless Ambition, and +subtle Machinations, did manifestly tend to the Extirpation of the good +old _British_ Actors, and the Introduction of foreign Pretenders; such +as Harlequins, _French_ Dancers, and _Roman_ Singers; which, tho' they +impoverish'd the Proprietors, and imposed on the Audience, were for some +Time tolerated, by Reason of his dextrous Insinuations, which prevailed +upon a few deluded Women, especially the Vizard Masks, to believe, that +the Stage was in Danger. But his Schemes were soon exposed, and the +Great Ones that supported him withdrawing their Favour, he made his +_Exit_, and remained for a Season in Obscurity. During this Retreat the +Machiavilian was not idle, but secretly fomented Divisions, and wrought +over to his Side some of the inferior Actors, reserving a Trap Door to +himself, to which only he had a Key. This Entrance secured, this cunning +Person, to compleat his Company, bethought himself of calling in the +most eminent of Strollers from all Parts of the Kingdom. I have seen +them all ranged together behind the Scenes; but they are many of them +Persons that never trod the Stage before, and so very aukward and +ungainly, that it is impossible to believe the Audience will bear them. +He was looking over his Catalogue of Plays, and indeed picked up a good +tolerable Set of grave Faces for Counsellors, to appear in the famous +Scene of _Venice Preserved_, when the Danger is over; but they being but +meer Outsides, and the Actors having a great Mind to play the _Tempest_, +there is not a Man of them when he is to perform any Thing above Dumb +Show is capable of acting with a good Grace so much as the Part of +_Trincalo_. However, the Master persists in his Design, and is fitting +up the old Storm; but I am afraid he will not be able to procure able +Sailors or experienced Officers for Love or Money. + +"Besides all this, when he comes to cast the Parts there is so great a +Confusion amongst them for Want of proper Actors, that for my Part I am +wholly discouraged. The Play with which they design to open is, _The +Duke and no Duke_; and they are so put to it, That the master himself is +to act the Conjurer, and they have no one for the General but honest +_George Powell_. + +"Now, Sir, they being so much at a Loss for the _Dramatis Personæ_, +_viz._ the Persons to enact, and the whole Frame of the House being +designed to be altered, I desire your Opinion, whether you think it +advisable for me to undertake to prompt 'em: For tho' I can clash Swords +when they represent a Battel, and have yet Lungs enough to huzza their +Victories, I question, if I should prompt 'em right, whether they would +act accordingly.--I am + + Your Honour's most humble Servant, + "J. DOWNES. + +"_P.S._ Sir, Since I writ this, I am credibly informed, That they design +a New House in _Lincoln's-Inn-fields_, near the Popish Chapel, to be +ready by _Michaelmas_ next; which indeed is but repairing an Old one +that has already failed. You know the honest Man who kept the Office is +gone already."] + + +[Footnote 58: The chief actor who remained with Rich was Booth. Among +the others were Powell, Bickerstaffe, Pack, Keene, Francis Leigh, +Norris, Mrs. Bignell, Mrs. Moor, Mrs. Bradshaw, and Mrs. Knight.] + + +[Footnote 59: An interesting advertisement was published on Rich's +behalf in July, 1709, which gives curious particulars regarding the +actors' salaries. I quote it from "Edwin's Eccentricities," i. 219-224, +without altering the figures, which, as regards the pence, are rather +eccentric:-- + +"ADVERTISEMENT CONCERNING THE POOR ACTORS, WHO, UNDER PRETENCE OF HARD +USAGE FROM THE PATENTEES, ARE ABOUT TO DESERT THEIR SERVICE. + +"Some persons having industriously spread about amongst the Quality and +others, what small allowances the chief Actors have had this last Winter +from the Patentees of Drury Lane Play-house, as if they had received no +more than so many poor palatines; it was thought necessary to print the +following Account. + +"The whole company began to act on the 12th of October, 1708, and left +off on the 26th of the same month, by reason of Prince George's illness +and death; and began again the 14th of December following, and left off +upon the Lord Chamberlain's order, on the 4th of June last, 1709. So +acted, during that time, in all 135 days, which is 22 weeks and three +days, accounting six acting days to a week. + + In that time £ s. d. + + To Mr. Wilkes, by salary, for acting, and taking + care of the rehearsals; paid 168 6 8 + + By his Benefit play; 90 14 9 + + Total 259 1 5 + ------------- + To Mr. Betterton by salary, for acting, 4_l._ a week + for himself, and 1_l._ week for his wife, although + she does not act; paid 112 10 0 + + By a benefit play at common prices, besides what + he got by high prices, and Guineas; paid 76 4 5 + ------------- + 188 14 5 + ------------- + To Mr. Eastcourt, at 5_l._ a week salary; paid 112 10 0 + + By a benefit play; paid 51 8 6 + ------------- + 163 18 6 + ------------- + To Mr. Cibber, at 5_l._ a week salary; paid 111 10 0 + + By a benefit play; paid 51 0 10 + ------------- + 162 10 10 + ------------- + + To Mr. Mills, at 4_l._ a week for himself, and 1_l._ + a week for his wife, for little or nothing 112 10 0 + + By a benefit play paid to him (not including therein + what she got by a benefit play) 58 1 4 + ------------- + 170 11 4 + ------------- + + To Mrs. Oldfield, at 4_l._ a week salary, which for 14 + weeks and one day; she leaving off acting presently + after her benefit (viz.) on the 17th of March last, + 1708, though the benefit was intended for her whole + nine months acting, and she refused to assist others + in their benefits; her salary for these 14 weeks and + one day came to, and she was paid, 56 13 4 + + In January she required, and was paid ten guineas, to + wear on the stage in some plays, during the whole + season, a mantua petticoat that was given her for + the stage, and though she left off three months + before she should, yet she hath not returned any + part of the ten guineas 10 15 0 + + And she had for wearing in some plays a suit of + boys cloaths on the stage; paid 2 10 9 + + By a benefit play; paid 62 7 8 + ------------- + 132 6 7 + ------------- + Certainties in all 1077 3 8 + ------------- + +"Besides which certain sums above-mentioned, the same actors got by their +benefit plays, as follows: + + £ s. d. + + Note, that Mr. Betterton having had 76_l._ 4_s._ 5_d._ + as above mentioned, for two-thirds of the profits by + a benefit play, reckoning his tickets for the boxes + at 5_s._ a piece, the pit at 3_s._ the first gallery + at 2_s._ and the upper gallery at 1_s._----But the + boxes, pit, and stage, laid together on his day, and + no person admitted but by his tickets, the lowest + at half a guinea a ticket; nay he had much more, for + one lady gave him ten guineas, some five guineas, + some two guineas, and most one guinea, supposing that + he designed not to act any more, and he delivered + tickets out for more persons, than the boxes, pit, + and stage could hold; it is thought he cleared at + least 450_l._ over and besides the 76_l._ 4_s._ 5_d._ 450 0 0 + + 'Tis thought Mr. Estcourt cleared 200_l._ besides the + said 51_l._ 8_s._ 6_d._ 200 0 0 + + That Mr. Wilkes cleared by Guineas, as it is thought, + about 40_l._ besides the said 90_l._ 14_s._ 9_d._ 40 0 0 + + That Mr. Cibber got by Guineas, as it is thought, + about 50_l._ besides the said 51_l._ 0_s._ 10_d._ 50 0 0 + + That Mr. Mills got by guineas about 20_l._ as it is + thought, besides the said 58_l._ 1_s._ 4_d._ 20 0 0 + + That Mrs. Oldfield, it is thought, got 120_l._ by + guineas over and above the said 62_l._ 7_s._ 8_d._ 120 0 0 + ------------- + In all 880 0 0 + ------------- + +"So that these six comedians, who are the unsatisfied people, have +between the 12th of October and the 4th of June last, cleared in all the +following sums: + + £ s. d. + + Acted 100 times, Mr. Wilkes certain 259 1 5 + and more by computation 40 0 0 + ------------- + Both 299 1 5 + ------------- + Acted 16 times, Mr. Betterton certain 188 14 5 + and more by computation 450 0 0 + ------------- + 638 14 5 + ------------- + Acted 52 times, Mr. Estcourt certain 163 18 6 + and more by computation 200 0 0 + ------------- + 363 18 6 + ------------- + Acted 71 times, Mr. Cibber certain 162 10 10 + and more by computation 50 0 0 + ------------- + 212 10 10 + ------------- + Acted -- times, Mr. Mills certain 170 11 4 + and more by computation 20 0 0 + ------------- + 190 11 4 + ------------- + Acted 39 times, Mrs. Oldfield certain 132 6 7 + and more by computation 120 0 3 + ------------- + 252 6 7 + ------------- + In all 1957 3 2 + ------------- + +"Had not acting been forbid seven weeks on the occasion of Prince George's +death, and my Lord Chamberlain forbad acting about five weeks before the +tenth of July instant; each of these actors would have had twelve weeks +salary more than is above-mentioned. + +"As to the certainties expressed in this paper, to be paid to the six +Actors, the same are positively true: and as to the sums they got over +and above such certainties, I believe the same to be true, according to +the best of my computation. + +"Witness my hand, who am Receiver and Treasurer at the Theatre Royal, +Drury Lane, + + "July 8th, 1709. + "ZACHARY BAGGS."] + + +[Footnote 60: It was opened 18th December, 1714.] + + +[Footnote 61: The Lord Chamberlain's Records enable an exact account to +be given of the transactions which led to the formation of this +Haymarket Company. After Rich was silenced, his actors petitioned the +Lord Chamberlain on three separate occasions, namely, 10th June, 20th +June, and 5th July, 1709, and in answer to their petitions, the +Haymarket, which was then devoted solely to Opera, was permitted to be +used for Plays also. In an Answer to the actors' petitions, the Lord +Chamberlain permits the manager of the Haymarket to engage such of them +as he wished, and to act Plays four times a week, the other days being +devoted to Operas. This License is dated 8th July, 1709. This is, of +course, only a formal sanction of the private arrangement mentioned by +Cibber _ante_ p. 69; and was resented by Booth and others who were in +Rich's favour. They therefore petitioned the Queen direct, in despite of +the Lord Chamberlain (see "Dramatic Censor," 1811, col. 112; Genest, ii. +426; Mr. Fitzgerald's "New History," i. 273), but no result followed, +until Collier's advent, as is related further on.] + + +[Footnote 62: The description of the shape of the stage which follows is +interesting and valuable. In early times the stage was a platform +surrounded by the audience, not, as now, a picture framed by the +proscenium. This is evident, not only from descriptive allusions, but +from the two drawings which have come down to us of the interior of +pre-Restoration theatres--De Witt's drawing of the Swan Theatre in 1596, +reproduced in Herr Gaedertz's "Zur Kenntniss der altenglischen Bühne" +(Bremen, 1888), and the well-known print of the Red Bull Theatre during +the Commonwealth, which forms the frontispiece to Kirkman's "The Wits, +or Sport upon Sport" (1672). In both of them the pit entirely surrounds +the stage on three sides, while the fourth side also contains spectators +in boxes placed above the entrance-doors. By gradual modifications the +shape of the stage has changed, till now the audience is confined to one +side. The doors used for entrances and exits, to which Cibber alludes, +have disappeared comparatively recently. They may be seen, for instance, +in Cruikshank's plates to Dickens's "Grimaldi."] + + +[Footnote 63: The Haymarket opened on 15th September, 1709, and there +was no rival theatre till 23rd November, when Drury Lane opened; but +from this latter date till the end of the season both theatres were +open.] + + +[Footnote 64: Bellchambers has here the following note:--"The monarch +alluded to, I suppose, was Victor Amadeus, King of Sardinia. Carlo +Broschi, better known by the name of Farinelli, was born in the dukedom +of Modena, in 1705, and suffered emasculation, from an accident, when +young. The Spanish king Ferdinand created him a knight of Calatrava, +honoured him with his friendship, and added to his fortune. He returned +to Italy on his patron's death, and died in 1782."] + + +[Footnote 65: Francesca Cuzzoni and Faustina Bordoni Hasse, whose famous +rivalry in 1726 and 1727 is here referred to, were singers of remarkable +powers. Cuzzoni's voice was a _soprano_, her rival's a _mezzo-soprano_, +and while the latter excelled in brilliant execution, the former was +supreme in pathetic expression. Dr. Burney ("History of Music," iv. 319) +quotes from M. Quantz the statement that so keen was their supporters' +party spirit, that when one party began to applaud their favourite, the +other party hissed!] + + +[Footnote 66: Horace, _Epod._ xvi. 2.] + + +[Footnote 67: See note on page 87.] + + +[Footnote 68: The trial opened on 27th February, 1710, and lasted for +more than three weeks. The political excitement it caused must have +done great harm to theatricals. Shadwell, in the Preface to "The Fair +Quaker of Deal," mentioned _post_, page 95, says it was a success, +"Notwithstanding the trial in Westminster-Hall, and the rehearsal of +the new opera."] + + +[Footnote 69: In the British Museum will be found a copy of the report +by the Attorney-General and Solicitor-General, who were ordered by Queen +Anne to inquire into this business. Rich declared that Collier broke +into the theatre with an armed mob of soldiers, &c., but Collier denied +the soldiers, though he admitted the breaking in. He gave as his +authority for taking possession a letter signed by Sir James Stanley, +dated 19th November, 1709, by which the Queen gave him authority to act, +and required him not to allow Rich to have any concern in the theatre. +His authority was appointed to run from 23rd November, 1709.] + + +[Footnote 70: "Tatler," No. 99, 26th November, 1709: "_Divito_ [Rich] +was too modest to know when to resign it, till he had the Opinion and +Sentence of the Law for his Removal.... The lawful Ruler [of Drury Lane] +sets up an Attorney to expel an Attorney, and chose a Name dreadful to +the Stage [that is Collier], who only seemed able to beat _Divito_ out +of his Intrenchments. + +"On the 22d Instant, a Night of public Rejoycing, the Enemies of +_Divito_ made a Largess to the People of Faggots, Tubs, and other +combustible Matter, which was erected into a Bonfire before the Palace. +Plentiful Cans were at the same time distributed among the Dependences +of that Principality; and the artful Rival of _Divito_ observing them +prepared for Enterprize, presented the lawful Owner of the neighbouring +Edifice, and showed his Deputation under him. War immediately ensued +upon the peaceful Empire of Wit and the Muses; _The Goths_ and _Vandals_ +sacking _Rome_ did not threaten a more barbarous Devastation of Arts and +Sciences. But when they had forced their Entrance, the experienced +_Divito_ had detached all his Subjects, and evacuated all his Stores. +The neighbouring Inhabitants report, That the Refuse of _Divito_'s +Followers marched off the Night before disguised in Magnificence; +Door-Keepers came out clad like Cardinals, and Scene-Drawers like +Heathen Gods. _Divito_ himself was wrapped up in one of his black +Clouds, and left to the Enemy nothing but an empty Stage, full of +Trap-Doors, known only to himself and his Adherents."] + + +[Footnote 71: Barton Booth, Theophilus Keen, Norris, John Bickerstaffe, +George Powell, Francis Leigh, George Pack, Mrs. Knight, Mrs. Bradshaw, +and Mrs. Moore were Collier's chief performers. As most of them had +signed the petition in Rich's favour which I mentioned in a note on page +79, it is not wonderful that disturbances soon arose. Collier appointed +Aaron Hill to manage the company, and his post seems to have been a +somewhat lively one. On 14th June, 1710, the Lord Chamberlain's Records +contain an entry which proves how rebellious the company were. Powell, +Booth, Bickerstaffe, Keen, and Leigh, are stated to have defied and +beaten Aaron Hill, to have broken open the doors of the theatre, and +made a riot generally. For this Powell is discharged, and the others +suspended. Mr. Fitzgerald ("New History," i. 308 _et seq._) quotes a +letter from Hill, in which some account of this matter is given.] + + +[Footnote 72: Charles Shadwell's "Fair Quaker of Deal" was produced at +Drury Lane on 25th February, 1710. In the Preface the author says, "This +play was written about three years since, and put into the hands of a +famous Comedian belonging to the Haymarket Playhouse, who took care to +beat down the value of it so much, as to offer the author to alter it +fit to appear on the stage, on condition he might have half the profits +of the third day, and the dedication entire; that is as much as to say, +that it may pass for one of his, according to custom. The author not +agreeing to this reasonable proposal, it lay in his hands till the +beginning of this winter, when Mr. Booth read it, and liked it, and +persuaded the author, that, with a little alteration, it would please +the town" (Bell's edition). If, as is likely, Cibber is the actor +referred to, his abuse of the play and the actors is not +unintelligible.] + + +[Footnote 73: Hester Santlow, the "Santlow, fam'd for dance" of Gay, +married Barton Booth. She appears to have retired from the stage about +1733. Genest (iii. 375) says, "she seems to have been a pleasing actress +with no great powers." Her reputation was none of the best before her +marriage, for she was said to have been the mistress of the Duke of +Marlborough and of Secretary Craggs. See memoir of Booth.] + + +[Footnote 74: Genest (ii. 430) has the following outspoken character of +Rich: "He seems in his public capacity of Patentee and Manager to have +been a despicable character--without spirit to bring the power of the +Lord Chamberlain to a legal test--without honesty to account to the +other proprietors for the receipts of the theatre--without any feeling +for his actors--and without the least judgment as to players and +plays."] + + +[Footnote 75: Rich's Patent was revived, as Cibber states (p. 78), in +1714, when it was the property of his son, John Rich.] + + +[Footnote 76: There is no more curious transaction in theatrical history +than the acquisition of the entire right in the Patent by Rich and his +son. Christopher Rich's share (see note on p. 32) was seventeen +one-hundredths, or about one-sixth; yet, by obstinate dishonesty, he +succeeded in annexing the remainder.] + + +[Footnote 77: In March, 1705.] + + +[Footnote 78: There has been some doubt as to the locality of the +theatre in Little Lincoln's Inn Fields, in which Betterton acted, one +authority at least holding that he played in Gibbons' Tennis Court in +Vere Street, Clare Market. But Cibber distinctly states that Rich rented +the building which Betterton left in 1705, and old maps of London show +clearly that Rich's theatre was in Portugal Street, just opposite the +end of the then unnamed street, now called Carey Street. In "A New and +Exact Plan of the Cities of London and Westminster," published 30th +August, 1738, by George Foster, "The New Play House" is given as the +name of this building, and it is worthy of notice that Cibber, a few +lines above, writes of "the New Theatre in Lincoln's Inn Fields." See +also vol. i. p. 192, note 1, where I quote Downes, who calls Betterton's +theatre the New Theatre in Lincoln's Inn Fields. About 1756 this house +was made a barrack; it was afterwards an auction room; then the China +Repository of Messrs. Spode and Copeland, and was ultimately pulled down +about 1848 to make room for the extension of the Museum of the Royal +College of Surgeons.] + + +[Footnote 79: The Licence to Swiney, Wilks, Cibber, and Dogget, for +Drury Lane, is dated 6th November, 1710. In it Swiney's name is spelled +"Swyny," and Cibber's "Cybber."] + + +[Footnote 80: Westminster Bridge was authorized to be built in the face +of virulent opposition from the Corporation of London, who feared that +its existence would damage the trade of the City. Dr. Potter, Archbishop +of Canterbury, and others interested, applied for an Act of Parliament +in 1736; the bridge was begun in 1738, and not finished till 1750, the +opening ceremony being held on 17th November of that year. Until this time +the only bridge was London Bridge. See "Old and New London," iii. 297.] + + +[Footnote 81: I presume the Noble Commissioner is the Earl of Pembroke, +who laid the first stone of the bridge on 29th January, 1739.] + + +[Footnote 82: Collier seems to have relied on Aaron Hill in all his +theatrical enterprises, for, as previously noted, Hill had been manager +for him at Drury Lane.] + + +[Footnote 83: At the end of the season 1708-9. See _ante_, p. 69.] + + +[Footnote 84: Collier's treatment of Swiney was so discreditable, that +when he in his turn was evicted from Drury Lane (1714) we cannot help +feeling gratified at his downfall.] + + +[Footnote 85: Swiney's Licence for the Opera is dated 17th April, 1712.] + + +[Footnote 86: For a further account of Steele's being given a share of +the Patent, which he got through Marlborough's influence, see the +beginning of Chapter XV.] + + +[Footnote 87: See vol. i. 284-285.] + + +[Footnote 88: That is, he had been the chief of Collier's Company at +Drury Lane at his opening in November, 1709. See _ante_, p. 94.] + + +[Footnote 89: Martial, x. 23, 7.] + + +[Footnote 90: This is a blunder, which, by the way, Bellchambers does +not correct. "Cato" was produced at Drury Lane on 14th April, 1713. The +cast was:-- + + CATO Mr. Booth. + LUCIUS Mr. Keen. + SEMPRONIUS Mr. Mills. + JUBA Mr. Wilks. + SYPHAX Mr. Cibber. + PORTIUS Mr. Powell. + MARCUS Mr. Ryan. + DECIUS Mr. Bowman. + MARCIA Mrs. Oldfield. + LUCIA Mrs. Porter.] + + +[Footnote 91: "The Laureat" says these Irish actors were Elrington and +Griffith, but I venture to think that Evans's name should be substituted +for that of Griffith. All three came from Ireland to Drury Lane in 1714; +but, while Elrington and Evans played many important characters, +Griffith did very little. Again, I can find no record of the latter's +benefit, but the others had benefits in the best part of the season. The +fact that they had _separate_ benefits makes my theory contradict Cibber +on this one point; but what he says may have occurred in connection with +one of the two benefits. Cibber's memory is not infallible.] + + +[Footnote 92: Genest's record gives Wilks about one hundred and fifty +different characters, Dogget only about sixty.] + + +[Footnote 93: Horace, _Ars Poetica_, 121.] + + +[Footnote 94: See note on page 120.] + + +[Footnote 95: Johnson (Life of Addison) terms this "the despicable cant +of literary modesty."] + + +[Footnote 96: 14th April, 1713. See note on page 120.] + + +[Footnote 97: Mrs. Oldfield, Powell, Mills, Booth, Pinkethman, and Mrs. +Porter, had their benefits before "Cato" was produced. "Cato" was then +acted twenty times--April 14th to May 9th--that is, every evening except +Monday in each week, as Cibber states. On Monday nights the benefits +continued--being one night in the week instead of three. Johnson, Keen, +and Mrs. Bicknell had their benefits during the run of "Cato," and on +May 11th the regular benefit performances recommenced, Mrs. Rogers +taking her benefit on that night.] + + +[Footnote 98: The Duke of Marlborough is the person pointed at.] + + +[Footnote 99: Theo. Cibber ("Life of Booth," p. 6) says that Booth in +his early days as an actor became intimate with Lord Bolingbroke, and +that this "was of eminent advantage to Mr. _Booth_,--when, on his great +Success in the Part of CATO (of which he was the original Actor) my +Lord's Interest (then Secretary of State) established him as a Manager +of the Theatre."] + + +[Footnote 100: There are five Prologues by Dryden spoken at Oxford; one +in 1674, and the others probably about 1681.] + + +[Footnote 101: James II.] + + +[Footnote 102: Obadiah Walker, born 1616, died 1699, is famous only for +the change of religion to which Cibber's anecdote refers. Macaulay +("History," 1858, ii. 85-86) relates the story of his perversion, and in +the same volume, page 283, refers to the incident here told by Cibber.] + + +[Footnote 103: 1713. The performance on 23rd June, 1713, was announced +as the last that season, as the company were obliged to go immediately +to Oxford.] + + +[Footnote 104: Dryden writes, in one of his Prologues (about 1681), to +the University of Oxford:-- + + "When our fop gallants, or our city folly, + Clap over-loud, it makes us melancholy: + We doubt that scene which does their wonder raise, + And, for their ignorance, contemn their praise. + Judge, then, if we who act, and they who write, + Should not be proud of giving you delight. + London likes grossly; but this nicer pit + Examines, fathoms, all the depths of wit; + The ready finger lays on every blot; + Knows what should justly please, and what should not."] + + +[Footnote 105: In a Prologue by Dryden, spoken by Hart in 1674, at +Oxford, the poet says:-- + + "None of our living poets dare appear; + For Muses so severe are worshipped here, + That, conscious of their faults, they shun the eye, + And, as profane, from sacred places fly, + Rather than see the offended God, and die." + +Malone (Dryden's Prose Works, vol. i. part ii. p. 13) gives a letter +from Dryden to Lord Rochester, in which he says: "Your Lordship will +judge [from the success of these Prologues, &c.] how easy 'tis to pass +anything upon an University, and how gross flattery the learned will +endure."] + +[Footnote 106: Theo. Cibber ("Life of Booth," p. 7) says that Colley +Cibber and Booth "used frequently to set out, after Play (in the Month +of _May_) to _Windsor_, where the _Court_ then was, to push their +different Interests." Chetwood ("History," p. 93) states that the other +Patentees "to prevent his solliciting his Patrons at Court, then at +_Windsor_, gave out Plays every Night, where Mr. _Booth_ had a principal +Part. Notwithstanding this Step, he had a Chariot and Six of a +Nobleman's waiting for him at the End of every Play, that whipt him the +twenty Miles in three Hours, and brought him back to the Business of the +Theatre the next Night."] + + +[Footnote 107: The new Licence was dated 11th November, 1713. Dogget's +name was of course included as well as Booth's.] + + +[Footnote 108: This must have been in November, 1713.] + + +[Footnote 109: The Right Hon. Thomas Coke.] + + +[Footnote 110: The dates regarding this quarrel with Dogget are very +difficult to fix satisfactorily. In the collection of Mr. Francis Harvey +of St. James's Street are some valuable letters by Dogget in connection +with this matter. From these, and from Mr. Percy Fitzgerald's "New +History" (i. 352-358), I have made up a list of dates, which, however, I +give with all reserve. We know from "The Laureat" that Dogget had some +funds of the theatre in his hands when he ceased acting, and this fact +makes a Petition by Cibber and Wilks, that he should account with them +for money, intelligible. This is dated 16th January, 1714--it cannot be +1713, as Mr. Fitzgerald says, for Booth was not admitted then, and the +quarrel had not arisen. Then follows a Petition from Cibber, Booth, and +Wilks, dated 5th February, 1714, praying the Chamberlain to settle the +dispute. Petitions by Dogget bear date 17th April, 1714; and, I think, +14th June, 1714. Mr. Fitzgerald gives this latter date as 14th January, +1714, and certainly the date on the document itself is more like "Jan" +than "June;" but in the course of the Petition Dogget says that the +season will end in a few days, which seems to fix June as the correct +month. The season 1713-14 ended 18th June, 1714. Next comes a Petition +that Dogget should be compelled to act if he was to draw his share of +the profits, which is dated 3rd November, 1714. In this case we are on +sure ground, for the Petition is preserved among the Lord Chamberlain's +Papers. Another Petition by Dogget, in which he talks of his being +forced into Westminster Hall to obtain his rights, is dated "Jan. ye 6 +1714," that is, 1715. After this, legal action was no doubt commenced, +as related by Cibber.] + + +[Footnote 111: So full an account of Dogget is given by Cibber and by +Aston, that I need only add, that he first appeared about 1691; and that +he died in 1721.] + + +[Footnote 112: See memoir of Mrs. Porter at the end of this volume.] + + +[Footnote 113: On March 18th, 1717. Cibber is wrong in stating that this +was Dogget's last appearance; for a week after he played Ben in "Love +for Love" (March 25th, 1717), and made his last appearance, after the +lapse of another week (April 1st, 1717), when he acted Hob in "The +Country Wake."] + + +[Footnote 114: Downes ("Rosc. Ang.," p. 52) gives a quaint description +of Dogget: "Mr. _Dogget_, On the Stage, he's very Aspectabund, wearing a +Farce in his Face; his Thoughts deliberately framing his Utterance +Congruous to his Looks: He is the only Comick Original now Extant: +Witness, _Ben. Solon_, _Nikin_, The _Jew_ of _Venice_, &c."] + + +[Footnote 115: "The Laureat," p. 83: "Thy Partiality is so notorious, +with Relation to _Wilks_, that every one sees you never praise him, but +to rail at him; and only oil your Hone, to whet your Razor."] + + +[Footnote 116: 1714.] + + +[Footnote 117: In the Dedication to Steele of "Ximena" (1719) Cibber +warmly acknowledges the great service Steele had done to the theatre, +not only in improving the tone of its performances, but also in the mere +attracting of public attention to it. "How many a time," he says, "have +we known the most elegant Audiences drawn together at a Day's Warning, +by the Influence or Warrant of a single _Tatler_, when our best +Endeavours without it, could not defray the Charge of the Performance." +In the same Dedication Cibber's gratitude overstepped his judgment, in +applying to Steele's generous acknowledgment of his indebtedness to +Addison's help in his "Spectator," &c., Dryden's lines:-- + + "Fool that I was! upon my Eagle's Wings + I bore this Wren, 'till I was tir'd with soaring, + And now, he mounts above me----" + +The following Epigram is quoted in "The Laureat," p. 76. It originally +appeared in "Mist's Journal," 31st October, 1719:-- + + "_Thus_ Colley Cibber _to his Partner_ Steele, + _See here, Sir Knight, how I've outdone_ Corneille; + _See here, how I, my Patron to inveigle, + Make_ Addison _a_ Wren, _and you an_ Eagle. + _Safe to the silent Shades, we bid Defiance; + For living Dogs are better than dead Lions_." + +In one of his Odes, at which Johnson laughed (Boswell, i. 402) Cibber +had the couplet:-- + + "Perch'd on the eagle's soaring wing, + The lowly linnet loves to sing." + +"Ximena; or, the Heroic Daughter," produced on 28th November, 1712, was +an adaptation of Corneille's "Cid." We do not know the cast of 1712, but +that of 1718 (Drury Lane, 1st November) was the following:-- + + DON FERDINAND Mr. Mills. + DON ALVAREZ Mr. Cibber. + DON GORMAZ Mr. Booth. + DON CARLOS Mr. Wilks. + DON SANCHEZ Mr. Elrington. + DON ALONZO Mr. Thurmond. + DON GARCIA Mr. Boman. + XIMENA Mrs. Oldfield. + BELZARA Mrs. Porter.] + + +[Footnote 118: A Royal Licence was granted on 18th October, 1714, to +Steele, Wilks, Cibber, Dogget, and Booth. The theatre opened before the +Licence was granted. The first bill given by Genest is for 21st +September, 1714.] + + +[Footnote 119: Christopher Rich died before the theatre was opened, and +it was under the management of John Rich, his son, that Lincoln's Inn +Fields opened on 18th December, 1714, with "The Recruiting Officer." The +company was announced as playing under Letters Patent granted by King +Charles the Second.] + + +[Footnote 120: This refers to a riot raised by the supporters of Mrs. +Rogers, on Mrs. Oldfield's being cast for the character of Andromache in +Philips's tragedy of "The Distressed Mother," produced at Drury Lane on +17th March, 1712.] + + +[Footnote 121: Cibber on one occasion manifested temper to a rather +unexpected degree. In 1720, when Dennis published his attacks on Steele, +in connection with his being deprived of the Patent, he accused Cibber +of impiety and various other crimes and misdemeanours; and Cibber is +said in the "Answer to the Character of Sir John Edgar" to have inserted +the following advertisement in the "Daily Post": "Ten Pounds will be +paid by Mr. CIBBER, of the Theatre Royal, to any person who shall (by a +legal proof) discover the Author of a Pamphlet, intituled, 'The +Characters and Conduct of Sir JOHN EDGAR, &c.'" (Nichols, p. 401.)] + + +[Footnote 122: Cibber refers to his remarks (see vol. i. p. 191) on the +conduct of the Patentees which caused Betterton's secession in 1694-5.] + + +[Footnote 123: In addition to Keen, Bullock (William), Pack, and Leigh, +whom Cibber mentions a few lines after, Spiller and Christopher Bullock +were among the deserters; and probably Cory and Knap. Mrs. Rogers, Mrs. +Knight, and Mrs. Kent also deserted.] + + +[Footnote 124: George Pack is an actor of whom Chetwood ("History," p. +210) gives some account. He first came on the stage as a singer, +performing the female parts in duets with Leveridge. His first +appearance chronicled by Genest was at Lincoln's Inn Fields in 1700, as +Westmoreland in the first part of "Henry IV." Chetwood says he was +excellent as Marplot in "The Busy Body," Beau Maiden in "Tunbridge +Walks," Beau Mizen in "The Fair Quaker of Deal," &c.: "_indeed Nature +seem'd to mean him for those Sort of Characters_." On 10th March, 1722, +he announced his last appearance on any stage; but he returned on 21st +April and 7th May, 1724, on which latter date he had a benefit. Chetwood +says that on his retirement he opened the Globe Tavern, near +Charing-Cross, over against the Hay-Market. When Chetwood wrote (1749) +Pack was no longer alive.] + + +[Footnote 125: Francis Leigh. There were several actors of the name of +Leigh, and it is sometimes difficult to distinguish them. This +particular actor died about 1719.] + + +[Footnote 126: In the "Weekly Packet," 18th December, 1714, the +following appears:-- + +"This Day the New Play-House in Lincolns-Inn Fields, is to be open'd and +a Comedy acted there, call'd, The Recruiting Officer, by the Company +that act under the Patent; tho' it is said, that some of the Gentlemen +who have left the House in Drury-Lane for that Service, are order'd to +return to their Colours, upon Pain of not exercising their Lungs +elsewhere; which may in Time prove of ill Service to the Patentee, that +has been at vast Expence to make his Theatre as convenient for the +Reception of an Audience as any one can possibly be." + +Genest remarks that this seems to show that the Lord Chamberlain +threatened to interfere in the interests of Drury Lane. He adds: +"Cibber's silence proves nothing to the contrary, as in more than one +instance he does not tell the whole truth" (ii. 565). In defence of +Cibber I may say that the Chamberlain's Records contain no hint that he +threatened to interfere with the Lincoln's Inn Fields Theatre or its +actors.] + + +[Footnote 127: In both the first and second editions Cibber writes 1718, +but this is so obviously a misprint that I correct the text. Steele was +elected for Boroughbridge in the first Parliament of George I., which +met 15th March, 1715.] + + +[Footnote 128: "The very night I received it, I participated the power +and use of it, with relation to the profits that should arise from it, +between the gentlemen who invited me into the Licence."--Steele, in "The +Theatre," No. 8 [Nichols, p. 64].] + + +[Footnote 129: The managers also expended money on the decoration of the +theatre before the beginning of the next season after the Patent was +granted. In the "Daily Courant," 6th October, 1715, they advertise: "His +Majesty's Company of Comedians give Notice, That the Middle of next Week +they will begin to act Plays, every day, as usual; they being oblig'd to +lye still so long, to finish the New Decorations of the House."] + + +[Footnote 130: This revival was on 2nd December, 1718. Dennis, whose +"Invader of his Country" was, as he considered, unfairly postponed on +account of this production, wrote to Steele:-- + +"Well, Sir, when the winter came on, what was done by your Deputies? +Why, instead of keeping their word with me, they spent above two months +of the season in getting up "All for Love, or, the World well Lost," a +Play which has indeed a noble first act, an act which ends with a scene +becoming of the dignity of the Tragic Stage. But if HORACE had been now +alive, and been either a reader or spectator of that entertainment, he +would have passed his old sentence upon the Author. + + "'_Infelix operis summâ, quia ponere totum + Nesciet._'" [_Ars Poetica, 34._] + Nichols' "Theatre," p. 544.] + + +[Footnote 131: Cibber here skips a few years, for the report by Sir +Thomas Hewitt is dated some years after the granting of the Patent. The +text of it will be found in Nichols's "Theatre," p. 470:-- + + "MY LORD, _Scotland-yard, Jan. 21, 1721_. + + "In obedience to his Majesty's commands signified to me by + your Grace the 18th instant, I have surveyed the Play-house + in Drury-lane; and took with me Mr. RIPLEY, Commissioner + of his Majesty's Board of Works, the Master Bricklayer, + and Carpenter: We examined all its parts with the greatest + exactness we could; and found the Walls, Roofing, Stage, Pit, + Boxes, Galleries, Machinery, Scenes, &c. sound, and almost as + good as when first built; neither decayed, nor in the least + danger of falling; and when some small repairs are made, and + an useless Stack of Chimnies (built by the late Mr. RICH) + taken down, the Building may continue for a long time, being + firm, the Materials and Joints good, and no part giving way; + and capable to bear much greater weight than is put on them. + + "MY LORD DUKE, + "Your GRACE's Most humble and obedient servant, + "THOMAS HEWETT. + + "N.B. The Stack of Chimnies mentioned in this Report (which + were placed over the Stone Passage leading to the Boxes) are + actually taken down."] + + +[Footnote 132: See _ante_, vol. i. p. 234.] + + +[Footnote 133: Cibber, vol. i. p. 94, relates how, when the King's +Company proved too strong for their rivals, Davenant, "to make head +against their Success, was forced to add Spectacle and Music to +Action."] + + +[Footnote 134: In the season 1718-19, Rich at Lincoln's Inn Fields +frequently produced French pieces and operas. He must have had a company +of French players engaged.] + + +[Footnote 135: This is, no doubt, John Weaver's dramatic entertainment +called "The Loves of Mars and Venus," which was published, as acted at +Drury Lane, in 1717.] + + +[Footnote 136: The following lines ("Dunciad," iii. verses 229-244) are +descriptive of such pantomimes as Cibber refers to:-- + + "He look'd, and saw a sable Sorc'rer rise, + Swift to whose hand a winged volume flies: + All sudden, Gorgons hiss, and dragons glare, + And ten-horn'd fiends and giants rush to war. + Hell rises, Heav'n descends, and dance on Earth, + Gods, imps, and monsters, music, rage, and mirth, + A fire, a jig, a battle, and a ball, + Till one wide conflagration swallows all. + Thence a new world, to nature's laws unknown, + Breaks out refulgent, with a heav'n its own: + Another Cynthia her new journey runs, + And other planets circle other suns: + The forests dance, the rivers upward rise, + Whales sport in woods, and dolphins in the skies, + And last, to give the whole creation grace, + Lo! one vast Egg produces human race." + +The allusion in the last line is to "Harlequin Sorcerer," in which +Harlequin is hatched from a large egg on the stage. See Jackson's +"History of the Scottish Stage," pages 367-368, for description of John +Rich's excellence in this scene.] + + +[Footnote 137: In the "Dunciad" (book iii. verses 261-264) Pope writes:-- + + "But lo! to dark encounter in mid air + New wizards rise: here Booth, and Cibber there: + Booth in his cloudy tabernacle shrin'd, + On grinning Dragons Cibber mounts the wind." + +On these lines Cibber remarks, in his "Letter to Mr. Pope," 1742 (page +37): "If you, figuratively, mean by this, that I was an Encourager of +those Fooleries, you are mistaken; for it is not true: If you intend it +literally, that I was Dunce enough to mount a Machine, there is as +little Truth in that too."] + + +[Footnote 138: Henry of Navarre, of whom it has been said that he +regarded religion mainly as a diplomatic instrument.] + + +[Footnote 139: It is hardly necessary to note that this was the Scottish +Rebellion of 1715; yet Bellchambers indicates the period as 1718.] + + +[Footnote 140: Cibber's most notorious play, "The Nonjuror," was +produced at Drury Lane on 6th December, 1717. The cast was:-- + + SIR JOHN WOODVIL Mr. Mills. + COLONEL WOODVIL Mr. Booth. + MR. HEARTLY Mr. Wilks. + DOCTOR WOLF Mr. Cibber. + CHARLES Mr. Walker. + LADY WOODVIL Mrs. Porter. + MARIA Mrs. Oldfield.] + + +[Footnote 141: Genest (ii. 615) quotes the Epilogue to Sewell's "Sir +Walter Raleigh," produced at Lincoln's Inn Fields 16th January, 1719:-- + + "Yet to write plays is easy, faith, enough, + As you have seen by--Cibber--in Tartuffe. + With how much wit he did your hearts engage! + He only stole the _play_;--he writ the _title-page_."] + + +[Footnote 142: Genest says it was acted twenty-three times.] + + +[Footnote 143: Genest remarks (ii. 616) that "Cibber deserved all the +abuse and enmity that he met with--the Stage and the Pulpit ought NEVER +to dabble in politics." + +Theo. Cibber, in a Petition to the King, given in his "Dissertations" +(Letter to Garrick, p. 29), says that his father's "Writings, and public +Professions of Loyalty, created him many Enemies, among the +Disaffected."] + + +[Footnote 144: "Mist's Weekly Journal" was an anti-Hanoverian sheet, +which was prominent in opposition to the Protestant Succession. +Nathaniel Mist, the proprietor, and, I suppose, editor, suffered sundry +pains and penalties for his Jacobitism. In his Preface to the second +volume of "Letters" selected from his paper, he relates how he had, +among other things, suffered imprisonment and stood in the pillory.] + + +[Footnote 145: There can be little doubt that the "Nonjuror" was one of +the causes of Pope's enmity to Cibber. Pope's father was a Nonjuror. See +"Epistle to Dr. Arbuthnot," where the poet says of his father:-- + + "No courts he saw, no suits would ever try, + Nor dar'd an oath, nor hazarded a lie."] + + +[Footnote 146: Produced 10th January, 1728. See vol. i. p. 311, for list +of characters, &c.] + + +[Footnote 147: Meaning, no doubt, that the post of Poet Laureate was +given to him as a reward for his services to the Government.] + + +[Footnote 148: 1733.] + + +[Footnote 149: In leaping from 1717 to 1728, as Cibber does here, he +omits to notice much that is of the greatest interest in stage history. +Steele's connection with the theatre was of a chequered complexion, and +it is curious as well as regrettable that an interested observer like +Cibber should have simply ignored the great points which were at issue +while Steele was a sharer in the Patent. In order to bridge over the +chasm I give a bare record of Steele's transactions in connection with +the Patent. + +His first authority was a Licence granted to him and his partners, +Wilks, Cibber, Dogget, and Booth, and dated October 18th, 1714. This was +followed by a Patent, in Steele's name alone, for the term of his life, +and three years after his death, which bore date January 19th, 1715. +Cibber (p. 174) relates that Steele assigned to Wilks, Booth, and +himself, equal shares in this Patent. All went smoothly for more than +two years, until the appointment of the Duke of Newcastle (April 13th, +1717) as Lord Chamberlain. He seems soon to have begun to interfere in +the affairs of the theatre. Steele, in the eighth number of "The +Theatre," states that shortly after his appointment the Duke demanded +that he should resign his Patent and accept a Licence in its place. This +Steele naturally and rightly declined to do, and here the matter rested +for many months. With reference to this it is interesting to note that +among the Lord Chamberlain's Papers is the record of a consultation of +the Attorney-General whether Steele's Patent made him independent of the +Lord Chamberlain's authority. Unfortunately it is impossible to decide, +from the terms of the queries put to the Attorney-General, whether these +were caused by aggressive action on Steele's part, or merely by his +defence of his rights. + +The next molestation was an order, dated December 19th, 1719, addressed +to Steele, Wilks, and Booth, ordering them to dismiss Cibber; which they +did. His suspension, for it was nothing more, lasted till January 28th, +1720. Steele, in the seventh number of "The Theatre," January 23rd, +1720, alludes to his suspension as then existing, and in No. 12 talks of +Cibber's being just restored to the "Begging Bridge," that is, the +theatre. The allusion is to an Apologue by Steele ("Reader," No. II.) +which Cibber quotes, and applies to Steele, in his Dedication of +"Ximena" to him. A peasant had succeeded in barricading, with his whole +belongings, a bridge over which an enemy attempted to invade his native +country. He kept them back till his countrymen were roused; but when the +forces of his friends attacked the enemy, the peasant's property was +destroyed in the fray and he was left destitute. He received no +compensation, but it was enacted that he and his descendants were alone +to have the privilege of _begging_ on this bridge. Cibber applies this +fable to the treatment of Steele by the Lord Chamberlain, and there can +be no doubt that this Dedication must have caused great offence to that +official, and contributed materially to Cibber's suspension, though +Steele declared that the attack upon his partner was merely intended as +an oblique attack on himself. The author of the "Answer to the Case of +Sir Richard Steele," 1720 (Nichols's ed., p. 532), says that Cibber had +offended the Duke by an attack on the King and the Ministry in the +Dedication of his "Ximena" to Steele. He also says that when the +Chamberlain wanted a certain actor to play a part which belonged to one +of the managers, Cibber flatly refused to allow him, and was thereupon +silenced. (The actor is said to have been Elrington, and the part +Torrismond; but I doubt if Elrington was at Drury Lane in 1719-20.) A +recent stage historian curiously says that the play which gave offence +was "The Nonjuror," which is about as likely as that a man should be +accused of high treason because he sang "God Save the Queen!" + +Steele then, being made to understand that the attack on Cibber was the +beginning of evil directed against himself, wrote to two great Ministers +of State, and presented a Petition to the King on January 22nd, 1720, +praying to be protected from molestation by the Lord Chamberlain. The +result of this action was a revocation of Steele's Licence (_not_ his +Patent specially, which is curious) dated January 23rd, 1720; and on the +next Monday, the 25th, an Order for Silence was sent to the managers and +actors at Drury Lane. The theatre accordingly remained closed Monday, +Tuesday, and Wednesday, January 25th to 27th, 1720, and on the 28th +re-opened, Wilks, Cibber, and Booth having made their submission and +received a Licence dated the previous day. + +On the 4th of March following the actors of Drury Lane were sworn at +the Lord Chamberlain's office, "pursuant to an Order occasioned by +their acting in obedience to his Majesty's Licence, lately granted, +exclusive of a Patent formerly obtained by Sir Richard Steele, Knight." +The tenor of the Oath was, that as his Majesty's Servants they should +act subservient to the Lord Chamberlain, Vice-Chamberlain, and +Gentleman-Usher in Waiting. Whether Steele took any steps to test the +legality of this treatment is doubtful; but, on the accession of his +friend Walpole to office, he was restored to his position at the head of +the theatre. On May 2nd, 1721, Cibber and his partners were ordered to +account with Steele for his past and present share of the profits of the +theatre, as if all the regulations from which his name had been excluded +had never been made. This edict is signed by the Duke of Newcastle, and +must, I fancy, have been rather a bitter pill for that nobleman. How +Steele subsequently conducted himself, and how much interest he took in +the theatre, Cibber very fully relates in the next few pages. After +Steele's death a new Patent was granted to Cibber, Wilks, and Booth, as +will be related further on. It may be noted here, however, that the date +of the new Patent proves conclusively that Steele's grant was never +superseded. The new power was dated July 3rd, 1731, but it did not take +effect till September 1st, 1732, exactly three years after Steele's +death, according to the terms of his original Patent.] + + +[Footnote 150: This is one of Cibber's bad blunders. The Case was heard +in 1728. Genest (iii. 208) refers to the _St. James's Evening Post's_ +mention of the hearing; and, in the Burney MSS. in the British Museum, a +copy of the paragraph is given. It is not, however, a cutting, but a +manuscript copy. "Saty. Feb. 17. There was an hearing in the Rolls +Chapel in a Cause between Sir Richard Steele, Mr. Cibber, Mr. Wilks, and +others belonging to Drury-Lane Theatre, which held five hours--one of +which was taken up by a speech of Mr. Wilks, which had so good an +effect, that the Cause went against Sir Richard Steele."--St. James's +Evening Post, Feb. 17 to Feb. 20, 1728. In its next issue, Feb. 20 to +Feb. 22, it corrects the blunder which it had made in attributing +Cibber's speech to Wilks.] + + +[Footnote 151: This was in the Dedication to "Ximena." The passage will +be found quoted by me in a note on page 163 of this volume.] + + +[Footnote 152: Cibber himself, of course.] + + +[Footnote 153: This Coronation was tacked to the play of "Henry VIII.," +which was revived at Drury Lane on 26th October, 1727. Special interest +attached to it on account of the recent Coronation of George II.] + + +[Footnote 154: This was in 1718. On 24th September, 1718, the bills +announce "the same Entertainments that were performed yesterday before +his Majesty at Hampton Court."] + + +[Footnote 155: In Whitelocke's "Memorials" there is an account of a +Masque played in 1633, before Charles I. and his Queen, by the gentlemen +of the Temple, which cost £21,000.] + + +[Footnote 156: The Earl of Burlington.] + + +[Footnote 157: "Calisto" was published in 1675. Genest (i. 181) says: +"Cibber, with his usual accuracy as to dates, supposes that Crowne was +selected to write a mask for the Court in preference to Dryden, through +the influence of the Duke of Buckingham, who was offended at what Dryden +had said of him in Absalom and Achitophel--Dryden's poem was not written +till 1681--Lord Rochester was the person who recommended Crowne." I may +add that Dryden furnished an Epilogue to "Calisto," which was not +spoken.] + + +[Footnote 158: Boman, or Bowman, was born about 1651, and lived till +23rd March, 1739. He made his first appearance about 1673, and acted to +within a few months of his death, having thus been on the stage for the +extraordinary period of sixty-five years. He was very sensitive on the +subject of his age, and, if asked how old he was, only replied, that he +was very well. Davies speaks highly of Boman's acting in his extreme old +age ("Dram. Misc.," i. 286 and ii. 100). Mrs. Boman was the adopted +daughter of Betterton.] + + +[Footnote 159: Bishop Burnet.] + + +[Footnote 160: First edition, vol. i.] + + +[Footnote 161: Davies ("Dram. Misc.," i. 365) says: "Wolsey's filching +from his royal master the honour of bestowing grace and pardon on the +subject, appeared so gross and impudent a prevarication, that, when this +play was acted before George I. at Hampton-Court, about the year 1717, +the courtiers laughed so loudly at this ministerial craft, that his +majesty, who was unacquainted with the English language, asked the +lord-chamberlain the meaning of their mirth; upon being informed of it, +the king joined in a laugh of approbation." Davies adds that this scene +"was not unsuitably represented by Colley Cibber;" but, in scenes +requiring dignity or passion, he expresses an unfavourable opinion of +Cibber's playing.] + + +[Footnote 162: From the Lord Chamberlain's Records it is clear that £10 +was the fee for a play at Whitehall during the time of Charles I. If the +performance was at Hampton Court, or if it took place at such a time of +day as to prevent the ordinary playing at the theatre, £20 was allowed.] + + +[Footnote 163: The warrant for the payment of these performances is +dated 15th November, 1718. The expenses incurred by the actors amounted +to £374 1_s._ 8_d._, and the present given by the King, as Cibber +states, was £200; the total payment being thus £574 1_s._ 8_d._] + + +[Footnote 164: M. Perrin, the late manager of the Theatre Français, was +virulently attacked for giving _la jeune troupe_ no opportunities, and +so doing nothing to provide successors to the great actors of his time.] + + +[Footnote 165: After the death of Wilks and Booth, and the retirement of +Cibber, the stage experienced a period of dulness, which was the natural +result of the want of good young talent in the lifetime of the old +actors. Such periods seem to recur at stated intervals in the history of +the stage.] + + +[Footnote 166: "Venice Preserved" was acted at the Haymarket on 22nd +February, 1707, but Dr. Burney's MSS. do not give the cast. On 15th +November, 1707, Pierre was played by Mills.] + + +[Footnote 167: For an account of this matter, see _ante_, page 70.] + + +[Footnote 168: Davies ("Dram. Misc.," iii. 255) has the following +interesting statement regarding Cibber and Wilks, which he gives on +Victor's authority:-- + +"However Colley may complain, in his Apology, of Wilks's fire and +impetuosity, he in general was Cibber's great admirer; he supported him +on all occasions, where his own passion or interest did not interpose; +nay, he deprived the inoffensive Harry Carey of the liberty of the +scenes, because he had, in common with others, made merry with Cibber in +a song, on his being appointed poet laureat; saying at the same time, he +was surprised at his impertinence, in behaving so improperly _to a man +of such great merit_."] + + +[Footnote 169: John Dennis, in an advertisement to the "Invader of his +Country," remarks on this foible. He says:-- + +"I am perfectly satisfied that any Author who brings a Play to +_Drury-Lane_, must, if 'tis a good one, be sacrificed to the Jealousie +of this fine Writer, unless he has either a powerful Cabal, or unless he +will flatter Mr. _Robert Wilks_, and make him believe that he is an +excellent Tragedian." The "fine Writer" is, of course, Cibber.] + + +[Footnote 170: "In the trajedy of _Mackbeth_, where _Wilks_ acts the +Part of a Man whose Family has been murder'd in his Absence, the +Wildness of his Passion, which is run over in a Torrent of calamitous +Circumstances, does but raise my Spirits and give me the Alarm; but when +he skilfully seems to be out of Breath, and is brought too low to say +more; and upon a second Reflection, cry, only wiping his Eyes, What, +both my Children! Both, both my Children gone--There is no resisting a +Sorrow which seems to have cast about for all the Reasons possible for +its Consolation, but has no Recource. There is not one left, but both, +both are murdered! Such sudden Starts from the Thread of the Discourse, +and a plain Sentiment express'd in an artless Way, are the irresistible +Strokes of Eloquence and Poetry."--"Tatler," No. 68, September 15th, +1709. + +The extraordinary language of Macduff is quoted from Davenant's +mutilation of Shakespeare's play. Obviously it is not Shakespeare's +language.] + + +[Footnote 171: Charles Williams was a young actor of great promise, who +died in 1731. On the production of Thomson's "Sophonisba" at Drury Lane, +on February 28th, 1730, Cibber played Scipio, but was so hissed by a +public that would not suffer him in tragic parts, that he resigned the +character to Williams. (See Footnote 201, vol. i. anchored on page 179.) +This would seem to indicate that Williams was an actor of some position, +for Scipio is a good part.] + + +[Footnote 172: "In the strong expression of horror on the murder of the +King, and the loud exclamations of surprize and terror, Booth might have +exceeded the utmost efforts of Wilks. But, in the touches of domestic +woe, which require the feelings of the tender father and the +affectionate husband, Wilks had no equal. His skill, in exhibiting the +emotions of the overflowing heart with corresponding look and action, +was universally admired and felt. His rising, after the suppression of +his anguish, into ardent and manly resentment, was highly expressive of +noble and generous anger."--"Dram. Misc.," ii. 183.] + + +[Footnote 173: This revival took place 11th January, 1726. The play was +acted eleven times.] + + +[Footnote 174: Jeremy Collier specially attacked Vanbrugh and his +comedies for their immorality and profanity, and for their abuse of the +clergy. Even less strict critics than Collier considered Vanbrugh's +pieces as more indecent than the average play. Thus the author of +"Faction Display'd," 1704, writes:-- + + "_Van_'s Baudy, Plotless Plays were once our boast, + But now the Poet's in the Builder lost."] + + +[Footnote 175: Davies ("Dram. Misc.," iii. 455) says that he supposes +Cibber prevailed upon Vanbrugh to alter the disguise which Sir John +Brute assumes from a clergyman's habit to that of a woman of fashion.] + + +[Footnote 176: Sir John Brute.] + + +[Footnote 177: Cibber's meaning is not very clear, but if he intends to +convey the idea that it was for this revival that Vanbrugh made these +alterations, he is probably wrong, for when the play was revived at the +Haymarket, on 19th January, 1706, it was announced as "with +alterations."] + + +[Footnote 178: Mrs. Oldfield played Lady Brute, whose lover Constant +is.] + + +[Footnote 179: Wilks played Constant; Booth, Heartfree; and Cibber, Sir +John Brute.] + + +[Footnote 180: Cibber begins the seventh chapter of this work with an +account of Betterton's troubles as a manager. See vol. i. p. 227. See +also vol. i. p. 315.] + + +[Footnote 181: + + "Ye Gods, what Havock does Ambition make + Among your Works!"--"Cato," act i. sc. 1.] + + +[Footnote 182: + + "And, in despair their empty pit to fill, + Set up some Foreign monster in a bill. + Thus they jog on, still tricking, never thriving, + And murdering plays, which they miscall reviving." + + "Address to Granville, on his Tragedy, _Heroic Love_."] + + +[Footnote 183: "During Booth's inability to act, ... Wilks was called +upon to play two of his parts--Jaffier, and Lord Hastings in Jane Shore. +Booth was, at times, in all other respects except his power to go on the +stage, in good health, and went among the players for his amusement His +curiosity drew him to the playhouse on the nights when Wilks acted these +characters, in which himself had appeared with uncommon lustre. All the +world admired Wilks, except his brother-manager: amidst the repeated +bursts of applause which he extorted, Booth alone continued +silent."--Davies ("Dram. Misc.," iii. 256).] + + +[Footnote 184: Aaron Hill, quoted by Victor in his "Life of Barton +Booth," page 32, says: "The Passions which he found in Comedy were not +strong enough to excite his Fire; and what seem'd Want of Qualification, +was only Absence of Impression."] + + +[Footnote 185: Wilks can have seen Mountfort only in his early career, +for he did not leave Ireland till, at least, 1692; and in that year +Mountfort was killed.] + + +[Footnote 186: Wilks first played Othello in this country on June 22nd, +1710, for Cibber's benefit. Steele draws attention to the event in +"Tatler," No. 187, and in No. 188 states his intention of stealing out +to see it, "out of Curiosity to observe how _Wilks_ and _Cibber_ touch +those Places where _Betterton_ and _Sandford_ so very highly excelled." +Cibber was the Iago on this occasion. Steele probably found little to +praise in either.] + + +[Footnote 187: The Earl of Essex, in Banks's "Unhappy Favourite," was +one of Wilks's good parts, in which Steele ("Tatler," No. 14) specially +praises him. Booth acted the part at Drury Lane on November 25th, 1709.] + + +[Footnote 188: See Cibber on Betterton's Hamlet and on Wilks's mistakes +in the part, vol. i. page 100.] + + +[Footnote 189: In the Theatre Français a similar arrangement holds to +this day, Tuesday being now the fashionable night. M. Perrin, the late +manager, was accused of a too great attention to his _Abonnés du Mardi_, +to the detriment of the theatre and of the general public.] + + +[Footnote 190: See _ante,_ vol. i. page 234.] + + +[Footnote 191: Arcangelo Corelli, a famous Italian musician, born 1653, +died 1713, who has been called the father of modern instrumental music.] + + +[Footnote 192: Jeanne Catherine Gaussin, a very celebrated actress of +the Comédie Française, was the original representative of Zaïre, in +Voltaire's tragedy, to which Cibber refers. She made her first Parisian +appearance in 1731; she retired in 1763, and died on 9th June, 1767. +Voltaire's "Zaïre" owed much of its success to her extraordinary +ability.] + + +[Footnote 193: Cibber has been strongly censured for his treatment of +authors. "The Laureat" gives the following account of an author's +experiences: "_The Court sitting, Chancellor Cibber_ (for the other two, +like M----rs in _Chancery_, sat only for Form sake, and did not presume +to judge) nodded to the Author to open his Manuscript. The Author begins +to read, in which if he failed to please the _Corrector_, he wou'd +condescend sometimes to read it for him: When, if the play strook him +very warmly, as it wou'd if he found any Thing new in it, in which he +conceived he cou'd particularly shine as an Actor, he would lay down his +Pipe, (for the _Chancellor_ always smoaked when he made a Decree) and +cry, _By G--d there is something in this: I do not know but it may do; +but I will play such a Part_. Well, when the Reading was finished, he +made his proper Corrections and sometimes without any Propriety; nay, +frequently he very much and very hastily maimed what he pretended to +mend" (p. 95). The author also accuses Cibber of delighting in repulsing +dramatic writers, which he called "Choaking of Singing birds." However, +in Cibber's defence, Genest's opinion may be quoted (iii. 346): "After +all that has been said against Chancellor Cibber, it does not appear +that he often made a wrong decree: most of the good plays came out at +Drury Lane--nor am I aware that Cibber is much to be blamed for +rejecting any play, except the Siege of Damascus in the first +instance."] + + +[Footnote 194: In the preface to "The Lunatick" (1705) the actors are +roundly abused; but the most amusing attack on actors is in the +following title-page: "The Sham Lawyer: or the Lucky Extravagant. As it +was _Damnably_ Acted at the Theatre-Royal in Drury Lane." This play, by +Drake, was played in 1697, and among the cast were Cibber, Bullock, +Johnson, Haines, and Pinkethman. + +Bellchambers notes: "Such was the case in Dennis's 'Comic Gallant,' +where one of the actors, whom I believe to be Bullock, is most severely +handled." I think he is wrong in imagining Bullock to be the actor +criticised. Dennis says that Falstaffe was the character that was badly +sustained, and I cannot believe Bullock's position would entitle him to +play that part in 1702. Genest (ii. 250) suggests Powell as the +delinquent.] + + +[Footnote 195: Cibber's account of Booth is so complete that there is +little to be added to it. Booth was born in 1681, and was of a good +English family. He first appeared in Dublin in 1698, under Ashbury, but +returned to England in 1700, and joined the Lincoln's Inn Fields +Company. He followed the fortunes of Betterton until, as related by +Cibber in Chapter XII., the secession of 1709 occurred. From that point +to his retirement the only event demanding special notice is his +marriage with Hester Santlow (see p. 96 of this volume). This took place +in 1719, and was the cause of much criticism and slander, some of which +Bellchambers reproduces with evident gusto. I do not repeat his +statements, because I consider them wildly extravagant. They are fully +refuted by Booth's will, from the terms of which it is clear that his +marriage was a happy one, and that he esteemed his wife as well as loved +her. Booth's illness, to which Cibber refers above, seized him early in +the season of 1726-27, and though after it he was able to play +occasionally, he was never restored to health. His last appearance was +on 9th January, 1728, but he lived till 10th May, 1733.] + + +[Footnote 196: See memoir of Mrs. Oldfield at end of volume.] + + +[Footnote 197: Mrs. Porter met with the accident referred to in the +summer of 1731. See Davies, "Dram. Misc.," iii. 495. She returned to the +stage in January, 1733.] + + +[Footnote 198: Wilks died 27th September, 1732. He was of English +parentage, and was born near Dublin, whither his father had removed, +about 1665. He was in a Government office, but about 1691 he gave this +up, and went on the stage. After a short probation in Dublin he came +over to London, and was engaged by Rich, with whom he remained till +about 1695. He returned to Dublin, and became so great a favourite +there, that it is said that the Lord Lieutenant issued a warrant to +prevent his leaving again for London. However, he came to Drury Lane +about 1698, and from that time his fortunes are closely interwoven with +Cibber's, and are fully related by him.] + + +[Footnote 199: "The Laureat," p. 96: "As to the Occasion of your parting +with your Share of the Patent, I cannot think you give us the true +Reason; for I have been very well inform'd, it was the Intention, not +only of you, but of your Brother Menagers, as soon as you could get the +great Seal to your Patent, (which stuck for some Time, the then Lord +_Chancellor_ not being satisfied in the Legality of the Grant) to +dispose it to the best Bidder. This was at first kept as a Secret among +you; but as soon as the Grant was compleated, you sold to the first who +wou'd come up to your Price."] + + +[Footnote 200: Among the Lord Chamberlain's Papers is a copy of a +warrant to prepare this Patent. It is dated 15th May, 1731, and the +Patent itself is dated 3rd July, 1731, though it did not take effect +till 1st September, 1732. The reason for this is noted on page 196.] + + +[Footnote 201: "The Grub-Street Journal," 7th June, 1733, says: "One +little Creature, only the Deputy and Representative of his Father, was +turbulent enough to balk their Measures, and counterbalance all the +Civility and Decency in the other scale.... To remedy this, the +Gentleman who bought into the Patent first, purchased his Father's +Share, and set him down in the same obscure Place from whence he rose."] + + +[Footnote 202: In "The Case of John Mills, James Quin," &c., given in +Theo. Cibber's "Dissertations" (Appendix, p. 48), it is stated that +"such has been the Inveteracy of some of the late Patentees to the +Actors, that when Mrs. _Booth_, Executrix of her late Husband, _Barton +Booth_, Esq; sold her sixth part of the Patent to Mr. _Giffard_, she +made him covenant, not to sell or assign it to Actors."] + + +[Footnote 203: "I must own, I was heartily disgusted with the Conduct +of the Family of the _Cibbers_ on this Occasion, and had frequent and +violent Disputes with Father and Son, whenever we met! It appeared to +me something shocking that the Son should immediately render void, and +worthless, what the Father had just received Thirty-one Hundred and Fifty +Pounds for, as a valuable Consideration."--Victor's "History," i. 14.] + + +[Footnote 204: Cibber, in Chapter VIII. (vol. i. p. 283), alludes to +this trial, and gives the first of these two suppositions as the reason +of Harper's acquittal, but Victor ("History," i. 24) says that he has +been informed that this is an error.] + + +[Footnote 205: "He was a Man of Humanity and strict Honour; many +Instances fatally proved, that his Word, when solemnly given, (which was +his Custom) was sufficient for the Performance, though ever so injurious +to himself."--Victor's "History," i. 25.] + + +[Footnote 206: See _ante_, Chapter IX. (vol. i. Footnote 367 anchored on +page 330)] + + +[Footnote 207: "The clamour against the author, whose presumption was +highly censured for daring to alter Shakspeare, increased to such a +height, that Colley, who had smarted more than once for dabbling in +tragedy, went to the playhouse, and, without saying a word to any body, +took the play from the prompter's desk, and marched off with it in his +pocket."--"Dram. Misc.," i. 5.] + + +[Footnote 208: Produced at the Haymarket, 1737.] + + +[Footnote 209: + + "Enter Ground-Ivy. + +_Ground._ What are you doing here? + +_Apollo._ I am casting the Parts in the Tragedy of King _John_. + +_Ground._ Then you are casting the Parts in a Tragedy that won't do. + +_Apollo._ How, Sir! Was it not written by _Shakespear_, and was +not _Shakespear_ one of the greatest Genius's that ever lived? + +_Ground._ No, Sir, _Shakespear_ was a pretty Fellow, and said some +things that only want a little of my licking to do well enough; King +_John_, as now writ, will not do----But a Word in your Ear, I will make +him do. + +_Apollo._ How? + +_Ground._ By Alteration, Sir; it was a Maxim of mine when I was at the +Head of Theatrical Affairs, that no Play, tho' ever so good, would do +without Alteration."--"Historical Register," act iii. sc. 1.] + + +[Footnote 210: These appearances took place on January 12th, 13th, and +14th, 1741.] + + +[Footnote 211: Fondlewife's pet name for his wife Lætitia.] + + +[Footnote 212: Lætitia's pet name for Fondlewife. See vol. i. page 206.] + +[Footnote 213: An allusion to his own phrase in the Preface to "The +Provoked Husband." See vol. i. page 51.] + + +[Footnote 214: The name "Susannah Maria" naturally suggests Susanna +Maria Arne, the wife of Theo. Cibber; but the anecdote cannot refer +to her, because she was married in 1734, some years before Cibber +began his "Apology."] + + +[Footnote 215: Davies ("Dram. Misc.," iii. 501) says: "Mr. Garrick asked +him [Cibber] if he had not in his possession, a comedy or two of his own +writing.--'What then?' said Cibber.--'I should be glad to have the +honour of bringing it into the world.'--'Who have you to act it?'--'Why, +there are (said Garrick) Clive and Pritchard, myself, and some others,' +whom he named.--'No! (said the old man, taking a pinch of snuff, with +great nonchalance) it won't do.'" Davies (iii. 502) relates how Garrick +drew on himself a rebuke from Cibber. Discussing in company the old +school, "Garrick observed that the old style of acting was banishing the +stage, and would not go down. 'How do you know? (said Cibber); you never +tried it.'"] + + +[Footnote 216: "Papal Tyranny in the Reign of King John." + + KING JOHN Mr. Quin. + ARTHUR, his Nephew Miss J. Cibber. + SALISBURY Mr. Ridout. + PEMBROKE Mr. Rosco. + ARUNDEL Mr. Anderson. + FALCONBRIDGE Mr. Ryan. + HUBERT Mr. Bridgewater. + KING PHILIP } { Mr. Hale. + LEWIS the Dauphin } of France { Mr. Cibber, Jun. + MELUN, a Nobleman } { Mr. Cashell. + PANDULPH, Legate from Pope Innocent Mr. Cibber, Sen. + ABBOT } of Angiers { Mr. Gibson. + GOVERNOR } { Mr. Carr. + LADY CONSTANCE Mrs. Pritchard. + BLANCH, Niece to King John Mrs. Bellamy.] + +[Footnote 217: "_On_ CIBBER'S _Declaration that he will have the last +Word with Mr. POPE._ + + QUOTH _Cibber_ to _Pope_, tho' in Verse you foreclose, + I'll have the last Word, for by G--d I'll write Prose. + Poor _Colley_, thy reas'ning is none of the strongest, + For know, the last Word is the Word that lasts longest." + "The Summer Miscellany," 1742.] + + +[Footnote 218: This play was produced at Drury Lane, 16th January, 1717; +and the performance of "The Rehearsal" referred to took place on the 7th +February.] + + +[Footnote 219: The Earl of Warwick was the young nobleman, and it is +said in Dillworth's "Life of Pope" that "the late Commissioner Vaughan" +was the other gentleman.] + + +[Footnote 220: "But Pope's irascibility prevailed, and he resolved to +tell the whole English world that he was at war with Cibber; and, to +show that he thought him no common adversary, he prepared no common +vengeance; he published a new edition of the 'Dunciad,' in which he +degraded Theobald from his painful pre-eminence, and enthroned Cibber in +his stead."--Johnson's "Life of Pope."] + + +[Footnote 221: "Unhappily the two heroes were of opposite characters, +and Pope was unwilling to lose what he had already written; he has +therefore depraved his poem by giving to Cibber the old books, the old +pedantry, and the sluggish pertinacity of Theobald."--Johnson's "Life of +Pope."] + + +[Footnote 222: See _ante_, p. 272.] + + +[Footnote 223: It has been generally stated that Cibber died on 12th +December, 1757, but "The Public Advertiser" of Monday, 12th December, +announces his death as having occurred "Yesterday morning." The +"Gentleman's Magazine" and the "London Magazine," in their issues for +December, 1757, give the 11th as the date.] + + +[Footnote 224: Mr. Laurence Hutton, in his "Literary Landmarks of +London" (p. 54), gives the following interesting particulars regarding +Cibber's last resting-place: "Cibber was buried by the side of his +father and mother, in a vault under the Danish Church, situated in +Wellclose Square, Ratcliff Highway (since named St. George Street). This +church, according to an inscription placed over the doorway, was built +in 1696 by Caius Gabriel Cibber himself, by order of the King of +Denmark, for the use of such of his Majesty's subjects as might visit +the port of London. The church was taken down some years ago (1868-70), +and St. Paul's Schools were erected on its foundation, which was left +intact. Rev. Dan. Greatorex, Vicar of the Parish of St. Paul, Dock +Street, in a private note written in the summer of 1883, says:-- + +"'Colley Cibber and his father and mother were buried in the vault of +the old Danish Church. When the church was removed, the coffins were all +removed carefully into the crypt under the apse, and then bricked up. So +the bodies are still there. The Danish Consul was with me when I moved +the bodies. The coffins had perished except the bottoms. I carefully +removed them myself personally, and laid them side by side at the back +of the crypt, and covered them with earth.'"] + + +[Footnote 225: Shakespeare's "Richard III." was produced at the Lyceum +Theatre on 29th January, 1877. It was announced as "strictly the +original text, without interpolations, but simply with such omissions +and transpositions as have been found essential for dramatic +representation." In Richard Mr. Irving's great powers are seen to +special advantage. + +The cast of Cibber's play in 1700 was-- + + KING HENRY VI., _designed for_ Mr. Wilks. + EDWARD, PRINCE OF WALES Mrs. Allison. + RICHARD, DUKE OF YORK Miss Chock. + RICHARD, DUKE OF GLOUCESTER Mr. Cibber. + DUKE OF BUCKINGHAM Mr. Powel. + LORD STANLEY Mr. Mills. + DUKE OF NORFOLK Mr. Simpson. + RATCLIFF Mr. Kent. + CATESBY Mr. Thomas. + HENRY, EARL OF RICHMOND Mr. Evans. + OXFORD Mr. Fairbank. + QUEEN ELIZABETH Mrs. Knight. + LADY ANN Mrs. Rogers. + CICELY Mrs. Powel.] + + +[Footnote 226: A beautiful Portfolio of Sketches of Mr. Daly's Company +has been published, in which is a portrait of Miss Rehan as Hypolita, +with a critical note by Mr. Brander Matthews.] + + +[Footnote 227: This is a specimen of that commonest of blunders, the +confusing of the dates of the first month or two of the year. The edict +was issued February, 1647-8, that is, 1648. What Bellchambers calls the +"subsequent" October was therefore the preceding October. (L.)] + + +[Footnote 228: See "Historia Histrionica."] + + +[Footnote 229: Nell Gwyn made her first appearance not later than 1665. +Pepys, on the 3rd of April, 1665, mentions "Pretty, witty Nell, at the +King's House." (L.)] + + +[Footnote 230: Should be for the remainder of his life. (L.)] + + +[Footnote 231: Vide Davies's "Dramatic Miscellanies," vol. iii. p. 264. + + +Another anecdote of the same kind is found in a "Life of the late famous +comedian, J. Haynes," 8vo. 1701, which, as it preserves a characteristic +trait of this valuable actor, is worth repeating. + +"About this time [1673] there happened a small pick between Mr. Hart and +Jo, upon the account of his late negotiation in France,{A} and there +spending so much money to so little purpose, or, as I may more properly +say, to no purpose at all. + + {A} Soon after the theatre in Drury-lane was burnt down, Jan. + 1671-2, Haynes had been sent to Paris by Mr. Hart and Mr. + Killegrew, to examine the machinery employed in the French + Operas.--_Malone._ + +"There happened to be one night a play acted, called 'Cataline's +Conspiracy,' wherein there was wanting a great number of senators. Now +Mr. Hart being chief of the house, would oblige Jo to dress for one of +these senators, although his salary, being 50_s._ per week, freed him +from any such obligation. But Mr. Hart, as I said before, being sole +governor of the playhouse, and at a small variance with Jo, commands it, +and the other must obey. + +"Jo being vexed at the slight Mr. Hart had put upon him, found out this +method of being revenged on him. He gets a Scaramouch dress, a large +full ruff, makes himself whiskers from ear to ear, puts on his head a +long Merry-Andrew's cap, a short pipe in his mouth, a little +three-legged stool in his hand; and in this manner follows Mr. Hart on +the stage, sets himself down behind him, and begins to smoke his pipe, +laugh, and point at him, which comical figure put all the house in an +uproar, some laughing, some clapping, and some hollaing. Now Mr. Hart, +as those who knew him can aver, was a man of that exactness and grandeur +on the stage, that let what would happen, he'd never discompose himself, +or mind any thing but what he then represented; and had a scene fallen +behind him, he would not at that time look back, to have seen what was +the matter; which Jo knowing, remained still smoking. The audience +continued laughing, Mr. Hart acting, and wondering at this unusual +occasion of their mirth; sometimes thinking it some disturbance in the +house, again that it might be something amiss in his dress: at last +turning himself toward the scenes, he discovered Jo in the aforesaid +posture; whereupon he immediately goes off the stage, swearing he would +never set foot on it again, unless Jo was immediately turned out of +doors, which was no sooner spoke, but put in practice."] + + +[Footnote 232: Bellamente is not a female, but a male character. By +referring to the mention of this matter in the "Historia Histrionica," +it will at once be seen how Bellchambers's blunder was caused. (L.)] + + +[Footnote 233: "My old friends Hart and Mohun, the one by his natural +and proper force, the other _by his great skill and art_, never +failed to send me home full of such ideas as affected my behaviour, +and made me insensibly more courteous and human to my friends and +acquaintance."--"Tatler," No. 99.] + + +[Footnote 234: The following extract from a pamphlet, called "A +Comparison between the Two Stages," will amply evince the popular +estimation in which Hart and Mohun were held:-- + +"The late Duke of Monmouth was a good judge of dancing, and a good +dancer himself; when he returned from France, he brought with him St +André, then the best master in France. The duke presented him to the +stage, the stage to gratify the duke admitted him, and the duke himself +thought he would prove a mighty advantage to them, though he had nobody +else of his opinion. A day was published in the bills for him to dance, +but not one more, besides the duke and his friends came to see him; the +reason was, the plays were then so good, and Hart and Mohun acted them +so well, that the audience would not be interrupted, for so short a +time, though 'twas to see the best master in Europe." + +I suspect that Mohun was born about the year 1625, from the circumstance +of his acting _Bellamente_, the heroine of Shirley's "Love's Cruelty," +in 1640, when he had probably reached, and could hardly have exceeded, +the age of fifteen years. (B.) + +As has been before pointed out, Bellamente is not a female character. He +is the husband of Clariana, and could scarcely be played by a boy. If +Mohun represented the character in 1640, he must have been considerably +older than Bellchambers imagines. (L.)] + + +[Footnote 235: This account, though generally rejected, appears to me +more deserving of credit than Chetwood's notoriously neglectful habits, +in gleaning intelligence, or making assertion.] + + +[Footnote 236: "I have lately been told by a Gentleman who has +frequently seen Mr. _Betterton_ perform this Part of _Hamlet_, that he +has observ'd his Countenance (which was naturally ruddy and sanguin) in +this Scene of the fourth Act where his Father's Ghost appears, thro' the +violent and sudden Emotions of Amazement and Horror, turn instantly on +the Sight of his Father's Spirit, as pale as his Neckcloath, when every +Article of his Body seem'd to be affected with a Tremor inexpressible; +so that, had his Father's Ghost actually risen before him; he could not +have been seized with more real Agonies; and this was felt so strongly +by the Audience, that the Blood seemed to shudder in their Veins +likewise, and they in some Measure partook of the Astonishment and +Horror, with which they saw this excellent Actor affected."--"Laureat," +1740, p. 31. + +----"I have seen a pamphlet, written above forty years ago, by an +intelligent man, who greatly extols the performance of Betterton in this +last scene, commonly called the closet scene."--Davies's "Dramatic +Miscellanies," vol. iii. p. 112, ed. 1784.] + + +[Footnote 237: In Gildon's "Life," &c., 1710, there is a copy of Rowe's +"Epilogue," stated to have been spoken by Mrs. Barry "at the Theatre +Royal, in Drury-lane, April the 7th," and this mistaken date has been +perpetuated by the "Biographia Dramatica." [In spite of this +contradiction of Gildon and the "Biographia Dramatica," they are right, +and Bellchambers is wrong. The date was 7th April, 1709.]] + + +[Footnote 238: This lady, who was remarkably handsome, married Boman, +the actor.] + + +[Footnote 239: This curiosity, I believe, is still preserved in the Earl +of Mansfield's mansion, at Caen-wood.] + + +[Footnote 240: Pope, in the postscript of a letter to Cromwell, writes +thus:-- + +"----This letter of death puts me in mind of poor Betterton's, over whom +I would have this sentence of Tully for an epitaph, which will serve for +his moral as well as his theatrical capacity: + + '_Vitæ bene actæ jucundissima est recordatio._'" + +In another part of his correspondence, he intimates that Betterton's +"remains" had been taken care of, alluding, I suppose, to this +post-humous forgery.] + + +[Footnote 241: Mrs. Brown swore she went herself, but appears to have +been mistaken.] + + +[Footnote 242: Bellchambers seems to have had a craze on the subject of +Mrs. Bracegirdle's character, which he vilifies on every possible +opportunity. His opinion here appears to me very questionable.] + + +[Footnote 243: Sandford played Worm in "The Cutter of Coleman Street" as +early as 1661. (L.)] + + +[Footnote 244: Cibber says that Nokes, Mountfort, and Leigh, "died about +the same year," _viz._ 1692.] + + +[Footnote 245: "Roscius Anglicanus."] + + +[Footnote 246: I find, on looking over the "Roscius Anglicanus," +that _Trinculo_ is termed _Duke Trinculo_, in a short reference +to the "Tempest."] + + +[Footnote 247: "Dramatic Miscellanies," vol. ii. p. 323.] + + +[Footnote 248: "That Verbruggen and Cibber did not accord, is plainly +insinuated by the author of the Laureat. It was known that the former +would resent an injury, and that the latter's valour was entirely +passive. The temper of Verbruggen may be known, from a story which I +have often been told by the old comedians as a certain fact, and which +found its way into some temporary publication. + +"Verbruggen, in a dispute with one of King Charles's illegitimate sons, +was so far transported by sudden anger, as to strike him, and call him a +son of a whore. The affront was given, it seems, behind the scenes of +Drury-lane. Complaint was made of this daring insult on a nobleman, and +Verbruggen was told, he must either not act in London, or submit +publicly to ask the nobleman's pardon. During the time of his being +interdicted acting, he had engaged himself to Betterton's theatre. He +consented to ask pardon, on liberty granted to express his submission in +his own terms. He came on the stage dressed for the part of _Oroonoko_, +and, after the usual preface, owned that he had called the Duke of St. +A. a son of a whore. 'It is true,' said Verbruggen, 'and I am sorry for +it.' On saying this, he invited the company present to see him act the +part of _Oroonoko_, at the theatre in Lincoln's-inn-fields."--"Dramatic +Miscellanies," vol. iii. p. 447.] + + +[Footnote 249: "A fellow with a crackt voice: he clangs his words as if +he spoke out of a broken drum."--"Comparison, &c.," 1702.] + + +[Footnote 250: "History of the Stage," p. 136.] + +[Footnote 251: There was also a David Williams; perhaps the person who +played the _2d Grave-digger_, in "Hamlet." (B.) [Genest gives this part +to Joseph Williams.]] + + +[Footnote 252: "Dramatic Miscellanies," vol. iii. p. 209.] + + +[Footnote 253: "Life of Betterton," p. 16.] + + +[Footnote 254: Downes expressly mentions her as Mrs. Betterton for +_Camilla_ [should be _Portia_], in the "Adventures of Five Hours," 1663; +and she also acted by that name, a few months after, in the "Slighted +Maid." This error originated with the "Biographia Britannica," but Mr. +Jones, the late slovenly editor of the book alluded to, had ample means +to correct it. (B.)] + + +[Footnote 255: "You'll have Pinkethman and Bullock helping out Beaumont +and Fletcher."--Tatler, No. 89.] + + +[Footnote 256: "Tatler," No. 201.] + + +[Footnote 257: "Dramatic Miscellanies," vol. ii. p. 133.] + + +[Footnote 258: "Dramatic Miscellanies," vol. iii. p. 465.] + + +[Footnote 259: It is supposed that she was engaged in a tender +intercourse with Farquhar, and was the "Penelope" of his amatory +correspondence. She lived successively with Arthur Mainwaring, one of +the most accomplished characters of his age, and General Churchill; by +each of whom she had a son.] + + +[Footnote 260: This fact is firmly denied in Cibber's "Lives of +the Poets," and with a pointed reference to Johnson's admission of +it.--Vol. v. p. 33.] + + +[Footnote 261: Savage, however, was _not_ silent; though he abstained +from putting his name to the poem, he indisputably wrote upon Mrs. +Oldfield's death. It is preserved in Chetwood's "History."] + + +[Footnote 262: What can be more ridiculous than the following anecdote? + +Mrs. Oldfield happened to be in some danger in a Gravesend boat, and +when the rest of the passengers lamented their imagined approaching +fate, she, with a conscious dignity, told them their deaths would be +only a private loss;--"But I am a public concern."--"Dramatic +Miscellanies," vol. i. p. 227.] + + +[Footnote 263: The bitterness of Pope's muse subsided upon no occasion, +where the name of Mrs. Oldfield might be aptly introduced. Thus in the +"Sober Advice from Horace," one of his inedited poems: + + Engaging Oldfield! who, with grace and ease, + Could join the arts to ruin and to please.] + + + + + * * * * * * + + + + +Transcription note: + +The original spelling and grammar have been retained. Footnotes have been +moved to the end of this work. Minor adjustments to hyphenation and other +punctuation have been made without annotation. + +Typographical Changes to this volume: + + pg 44 Sir Thomas Shipwith[Skipwith], had trusted + pg 103 of so grave and stanch[staunch] a Senator + pg 113 have been in our Power so throughly[thoroughly] to + pg 159 he expresly[expressly] wrote for him + pg 241 upon the Model of Monfort[Mountfort not corrected] + pg 349 The "famous Mr. Antony[Anthony] Leigh," + pg 370 nor can their[there] be a doubt + pg 289 Added heading [Bibliography of Colley Cibber] + fn 26 two of these parts belonged to Skipwith[Shipwith] + +*** END OF THE PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK 44065 *** |