DUKE UNIVERSITY LIBRARY Treasure %oom APOLOGY For the L, I F E of Mf.T C , Comedian* BEING A Proper Sequel T O T H E APOLOGY For the L I F E of Mr. CoUey Gibber, Comedian. WITH An Hiftorical View of the Stage to the Prefent Year. Suppofcd to be written by Himself. In the Stile and Manner of the Poet Laureat. ' Of all the yifttra?iccs lavas ever guilty of, this of writing my ozvH Life is the moft hardy ; impudent is what I Jhould have [aid: 'Fhrcugh every Page there runs a Fein of Vanity and Im- pertificnce, which no French Enfign's Memoirs ever came up to : My Stile u/:rqual, pert, and frothy j /ozi; and pompous ; (ram'd with Epithets ; ftreivd with Scraps of Jecond-hand Latin ; aiming at Wit withcut hitting the Mark : My SuhjeSt bekzo all Pens but my ozcn, which, whcnezxr I keep to, is flat h aawU'd i>y one eternal 'Egotism. CoLLEY Gibber's Life, p. 26, 27- Sequiturque Pair em non pajffbus JEquis. LONDON: Printed for J. Mechell at the Kinfs-Arms in Fkit-Street. 1740. (Pnce Two Shillings. J Tr.R] A ^^ 6' 0^3^.2. T O A Certain Gentleman. SIR, ECAUSE I know You do not love to fee your Name in Print, imagining it is us'd in fomc im- pertinent Satire, though I was now writing the daintieft Dedi' caiwn of any modern Author, yet I would xhule to conceal it. Let me talk then juft as it comes into my Head about You and to You this Way ; let me tell You of what I will, or how I will, You are under no Necefilty of talcing it to Yourlelf : Nor when I boaft of your Excel- lencies and Tranlactions, need You blulh that I have pcrform'd them in fuch a Manner as to claim the complimental Homage of my Pen Or I mav now G;ive You all the Attri- butes that raifc a cunning, intriguing Man to the higheft Offices and Employments, and not be cenfar'd as one of your hirel'mg Adroo- cates, either bv my own or your Enemies. — I place my own hrft, not bccaule they are the greater Number, but as in the Ccre?nnn}alia of licralch-Vj-tlic moll infignihcant Perlbnages begin the Pomp, to introduce thole of more elevated Conlequence, I' mention'd my Ene- mies lirft, to introduce the Mention of yours, a 2 — Yours ie DED TC^TION. " — Yours (and fuch you have) for they arc not ib well-bred as not to declare them- felves) have carried on long, though iiiccefs- Icfs, Attacks againft You : And, 6Vr, give me Leave to compare my little Self to your great Honour, as there is no Hazard or vifible Ter- ror in an Attack upon my defencelefs Station, my Cenfurers, like Yours, have been Perfons pf an intrepid Sincerity : But I fhut the Door againft them all, v/hile i am thus privately talking to You, and have little to apprehend from either of them. Under this Shelter then, I may fafely tell You that the greateft Reafon I have had to publifh this Work, has arifen from the levenal Performances which I publifh'd laft Summer, and which you had Goodnels enough to pa- tronize : How far indeed your good Nature to 2iyoimg Tolit'ic'ian^ or your Reluctance to put the Vanity of one of your 7iew Authors out of Countenance niay have carried you, I can- not be fure : And yet Appearances give me fcronger Hopes. For was not the Compiai- fance of a whole Summer's Sufferance, to im- ploy my Talents in your Service, as much as an Author of more Importance ought to have expeclcd : — Why then was he defir'd by Mr. T'-xt'-n to write fecond Gazeteers ? Or, why was I kept in the Service, to tell more of the fime Stories ? — If thefe Employ- ments have made me vain, fr.ail I fay, 6;r, you are accountable for them? — No, 6//, I Will rather fay that my own Forwardnefs, and dafnirg DEDICATION. V dafhlng through thick and thin, recommended me to the Notice of your Supervifor-Gencral^ for Gazetee/mg and Pamphleteering : Or ra- ther lb far flatter myfelf, as to fuppofe it pof^ fible, that You having been a Patron and Lover of Mafter Walfingham and Dame Of- born Cand one of thofe good Judges, who know the Ule and Vahie of fuch Writers, un- der a right Regulation) might incline You to think my Labours and Lucubrations of more Confequence than they may naturally be to others of different Senfe, who may have lels Concern or Tafte for them. But bo all this as it may, As for this Apology for my Life, I have written it not only to fliew my ovvii Parts, and illuftrate my own Story, but I have decorated it, with ieveral Remarks, Poli- tical, as well as Theatrical, and explained the Meaning of lome of my Writings, which were dedicated to your Service. Now, tS/r, as my apologetical Brat is born, rather than lee it liarve on bare Pariih-Provifion, I chufe clan- deftinely to drop it at your Door, that it may exercifc one of your many Virtues, your Cha- rity, in fupporting a very dull Dog of an Au- thor. Now, iS'/r, were the World to know into what Right Honourable Hands I have thrown t{\Q following Hiftory, their Regard to its Pa- tron m.ight incline them to treat it as one of his own Family, — They might fay fuch Things of it, as may be improper for me to mention. -~ For this Rcafon I conceal your Name, as that mud: vi BED IC ATIOK mull neceflariiy lead me to delcant on a Subject which mij2;ht be ungrateful to your Ears ^ for I am at characterifing Friend or Foe, a very- Devil at my Pen. — In confcioufnefs there- fore of what I am^ I chufe not to fay what You are. — I leave that for other Hiftori- ans, and for Pofterity to relate. — However, as your Equals in Rank have done publick Juflice to your Character, the Concealment of your Name may be an unnecelTary Diffidence. Eut am I, Sir, of Confoquence enough, in any Guife, to do Honour to Sir ? Were I to let You, Sir, in the moft true Lights that your Actions deferve, or your own Likenels requires, yet my officious Mite would be loft in that general Character and Regard which JPeople of the firft Confequence, even fome of all Parties, even fome of your own Defendants^ have a Pleafure of fpeaking of in Private. En- comiums to Perfons in your high Station, are liable to the Sufpicion of Flattery^ and can add little Luftre to what before was vifible tq the Publick. You are cloy'd, without Doubt, by fuch Offerings : You have them almoft daily offer'd up to You in publick and in pri- vate ; at your Levee ^ at the T- — -y ^ at the Draw'mg-Room^ and Lobby of the Sen at e- Houjie ; befides the zealous Ejaculations whjch are offer'd for your Service in an inimitable Pa-, per which is diftributed throughout the King- dom gratis. But thefe Offerings, like 'Tagan Incenle, evaporate on the Altar, and yather gratify tiie Tricft than the Dc'ity. But DEDICAT ION. vil But You, Sir, are approach'd frequently and oft in Terms o^ Common Senje-^ The honcilO- blation of Hearts which havejuftSenfe enough to mix Reafon with Acculation. How really true, or whether the Zeal of luch Devotees of Common Se^/fi are falfe, I fhall not here exa- mine : But, Sir, was I admitted, with ail my laughing Spirits about me, to be my idle Seli^ and to write what T could write on that Sub- ject, I fhould furely be diftinguifh'd by You from a Parcel of ^^iill Set of Rogues^ whom your good Nature and Charity induce You to believe are Wits. This Nakedncls of Temper the World may place in what Rank of Vanity they pleale • but till Wifdom fhall point out a Way to make me more heartily happy than your Favours, I am content to be gaz'd at as your Creature, as I am, without IcfTening my Refpect for You, and laugh at thofe whole Intelledts may be more foberly cover'd. Yet, Sir, I will not deceive You ; it is not the Luftre of the Power You poflels, the im- menlenels of your Fortune, yourFigure in Life, and the _;///? lieisjards for your Services, which you had rather deferve than be told of, that have made my plain honeft Heart hang after You ; thele are but incidental Ornaments that may be of Service to You ; but my particular Efteem has rilcn from a mere natural and more engaging Charm — The agreeable Rcujards which You confer on your Creatures. — Nor 13 my Vanity io much gratify 'd in the Honour^ as my CQirj^n'tence in the Delight oi fuch pe- cuniary via DEDICATION cuniary Felicities. To fee You lay afide your Superiority, and confer with a mean Author] give him InftruBkns^ and Gold^ *" 'its then I t'^.jte Ton ! then Life runs high! 1 defive I I pjlJefs Ton ! Yet, Sir, it mufl: be a farther Share of Plea-f lure to look on You with the publick Eye, and view your Intregrity. — This, Sir, is a Theme St mih'tfint centum Lhigii£^ fint oraq-^ centanii Had I an hundred Tongues this Theme to ratfe. Had I an hundred Mouths, --to mouth thy Praifci, Thoje Tongues, the fe Mouths, that Praife coud never tell^ How Tou can All, and e'en Yourfelf excel/ , ^ None but Yourself can be your Parallel. J' When I confider You in this Vievv^, and iri the Height of Power, I could rejoice mightily for You and Myfelf, to lee Tou in this particu- lar Light of Glory, and il:^;^^ admitted to re- fled the Beams of it throughout Great Britain. If this Apology for my Life dilcourages Yoii not to prevent my Defign, I have lb me Thought of writing an Apology for lours : I think myfelf equal to the Subjed, and ihould be proud if You would, by this Exercitation of my Genius, Hiffer me to approve myfelf > SIR, ' :: July 1, Tour -mofl obedient^ . fi ^740- Tiiofl oblig'd, and fnoft humble Servanty T. C Vid. C CiiSer's Dedication. A N APOLOGY Por the LIFE of Mr. r. C™.., &c. CHAP. I. TJje Introdu^ton. — Reafon for 'Writing an Apo- logy, — 'The Author'' s Birth and Family. — Afro- 7nifing Geniui. — Sent to Winchefter School. — An Occurrence there. — A DigreJJion on Vanity mid Ambition. — Of Syjlems of Philofophy, &c. MON G all the Foibles incident to hu- man Nature, none take a ftronger Pof- lefTion of the Soul of Man than Ambi' tion. There are indeed lundry Ways and Arts to gratify this lofty Paflion, which though it may divide itfelf into different Chanels, yet from the lame Source various Streams take their Rile. — My Readers may be furpriied at my letting out with fo philolbphical an Apothegm j but it is a very proper Introduction to the following Apology.^ as it was from an innate Thirft of Ambition that 1 undertook to publiih thefe Memoirs B ©f of my oivff Life : Some witty fmart Gentlemen may call it Vanity : With all my Heart ^ and to deal ingenu- oufly with them, I frankly confefs it was that Species of Ambition which by hereditary Happinels defcends to me, call'd Vanity. ---A Vanity ! for what ? cries a more grave Annotator; To ihew there are two Coxcombs in a Fa- mily ? —Muft there be two Apologies for the Lives of two Fellows no one car'd a Halfpenny for ? — Why, perhaps merely to fignalize myfelf, or perhaps to imitate the laudable Steps of my worthy Parent, or perhaps to defend my Conduct from fome publick Reproaches 5 I have thought proper to make an Apology for my Life j and_ furely. among the Majority of the World this At- tempt will Hand uncenfur'd, as they will be ready enough to allow the Life of no Man flood more in Need of an Apology than mine. And to fhew my Readers what a candid impartial Perfon I am, I will, in this Dilquiiition of myfelf, bring my own Heart to the Bar^ and try it without Favour or Affection : I iliall confequentfy be- tray much Folly, and talk much of myfelf, but 1 have very great Examples to authorize fuch a Liberty. Old J\Iich. Momaign it feems in his Effays tatled more about his own queer Body and Mind, his Cat, and an old W^o- man, than all the \Yorld befide 5 fo much had he fet his Heart upon bimfelf. The ingenious and modeft Mr. Collev Obber has outdone Montaign^ and not only talk'd a great deal of himfelj\ but has fet fo great a Value on laimjelf., that after being fo long known, he will not let any one know what he really is, under a \tk Confidera- tion than a Guinea. * But in thefe Memoirs of my hum- ble Selj\ I ihall, at a cheaper Rate, take the Liberty to illuflrate my Way of Thinking, Writing and A6ling, both as to my theatrical and private Life, by the Apolo- gy which he has made for his own ; nor can I think the Publick will be difpleas'd to fee what Kind of a Parallel will be drawn between a Tather and Son^ who have on many Occafions fo remarkably diflinguifhed them- felves. J^^am- vitiis nemo fine nafcitu)\ optimus ille I ^i minimis urgetur. * Since this was wrote, the Apology is fold for 5 /. [3] . I iliail fherefore doncludfe this Introduftioh th my Story in his Words J " Upon an honeil Examination of 1^' my Heart, I am afraid the fame Vanity which makes " even homely People employ Painters to preferve a " flattering Record of their Perfons, has feduced me to " print off this C/jiafo Ofcuro of myr Mind."— But as he hopes immediately aftef, that no one will fexpeft ^ Man ot his ha^y Head ihould confine himfelf to any re- gular Method, 1 am in equal Hope that no Method op Connexion, or Regularity will be expeded from mine • lihallalfo make 'Digreffions in my Memoirs, when I think they begin to grow too heavy for the Readers 2)1- geftton ♦ : for 'Digrefjions it feems are in this Kind of writing what Eggs are in a Pudding, thty lighten thd' Compolition, and render it more palatable and dioeftive Ihis is my Apology, and the beft Apology 1 can make tor becoming my own 'Biographer. I come to that cuftomary and important Point in all' Miltones oi Great Men, their 'Birth, ^Parenta^e and /u1ucmo?j. So great a Cunoiiry is there in Mankind to be informed ot thele Particulars, that almolt every re- volving Moon produces ill ulhious Memoirs of HeroeS And Hcroi ties i whom dire Deltmy has alloted to a fafal' ^nd. As thefe Records are to prelbrve their Memories trom more than Lcth^ean Oblivion, every minute Cir- cumltance ot their entering into the ?ix^ Scenes of Life^ are related ■ the Name of the Parents, their -frade, and C^?///«- and whether they fent them to .SJV^cjc/, and had them mltruacd in Reading and Writing, are told with great fidelity. Thele Thmgs, on mature Deliberation may leem very irit^ing, and of no Signification to the VVoiJd, whether they were known or not. — Very true — But yet there is luch an Avidity in human Nature tor trifling, that thele Tyburnian Memoirs are read by the Great, J^uglar, and the Snail, with no little Delcda- tion. Was there no other Excule than this Humour of Mankind, 1 know not how I could letray Birth be pafs'd over in Silence 5 but the Hxcule my Father has made be- fore me muftftand for mine, which is what my Brother Bayes makes Prince P rettyman fay -in the Rehearfal, * Vide C. Cider's Life, p. 4. B 2 [4] •y/s. lonly do it for fear I foould he thought Kohodyi Son at ail. — Though I cannot think I ufe this T'heatri- cal Wit with a Force equal to that which he quoted it ; for the Publick having long known my Father, they have unanimoufly paid him a Compliment which all Fathers have not paid them, viz. — That I am my Father* s own Son. — But whole Sons Son I was, gucfs from the follow- ing Extra^ fi-om the Apologiji I imitate. — His Para- graph of Lineage runs thus : " I was born m London, on the 5th November KJ71, " in Southampton Street, facing Southampton- Houfe. My " Father Caius Gabriel Cibber^ was a Native of Holjfein, " who came into England fometime before the Refto- *' ration of King Charles the Second, to follow his Pro- " feifion which was that of a Statuary, ^c. The ^djfo " Relievo in the Pedeftal of the great Column in the Ci- ** ty, and the two Figures of the Lunaticks^thc/i^j'y/w^ " and the Melaficholy, over th« Gates oi Sethkhem Hoj- ** pital are no ill Monuments of his Fame as an Artift. *' My Mother was the Daughter of JVilliam Colley, Efq j *' of a very ancient Family of Glaijlon, in Rutlandjhirei ** where fhe was born. My Mother's Brother Edward " CoJkv^ Efq 5 (who gave my Chriftian Name) being *• the [aft Heir-male of if, the Family is now cxtin£l. " I /hall only add, that in H'right's Hiftory of Rutland- " jhire publilli'd 1684, the Colleys are recorded as Shc- " riS^s and Members of 'Parliament from the R^ign of ** Henry VII, to the latter End of Charles l, in whofe *' Caule chiefly Sir jlnthony Colley, my Mother's Grand- " father funk his Eftate from three thoufand to about " three Hundred Pounds per Annum. Although I am very far from laying any Strefs on the Pomp of Heraldry, and a long Scroll oi Family Defcents^ for well I know, my Pedigree, though traced, (as \ doubt not but it mignt be) to William the Conqueror x will confer no intrmlic Value on me 5 for confcious I am, that any Regard to my Being, muft be beam'd only by the Rays of Virtue j yet, injimple 7r«/*/j, Imuftcon- iefs, that I think I owe Ibniethmg to \iZ.\\f\ggood Blood in my Feins. — For a Latin Poet juftly faysj " &ui viret infoliis venit a Radicllus humor, " Et 'Fatrum in natos abcttnt cumjemine tnores. WhicK [5] Which I thus venture to tranflate. Ihe Leaves their Verdure from the Roots receive, And Souls their Children have the harems give. Every one who has read Horace knows, Fortes creantur Fortibus^ &c. — Still from the Valiant are the Valiant fprung.-' I need make no Application j but if Valiant^ why not Witty '^ Thcfe Scraps of Latin may feem very unneceflary iorfome j they might ftilj leem more unneceflary, had not I tranflated them, for others. However, I cannot think them in the lealt bagatelle : They introduce very properly, the next Thing 1 was to mention, which was my Education : Nay, when I have given fuch a Proof of it, 4S to quote Latin and tranflate it, I thmk no far- ther need be given: But however, as in my Apology I would be like another Apologijt^ — Longo fed Proximus Intervallo^ — I fhall follow his Manner. About the Year i7i(J, or 171 7, I was fent by my Fa- ther to JVinchcJler School^ in order to be ele^ed into Winchejier CoUsgc 5 for it leems, by my Father's Mo- ther's Side, I was defcended from William of Wickham the Founder. In what Branch, I am ingenious e- nough to lay I know not, yet from my Soul I con- temn that vile Infinuation which a certain Counfellor^ at a certain "Trial, made, that it was by fome collateral Branch, as William of Wickham was a Churchman at a Time when Matrimony was not allow'd of The Inference is evident. But I will be bold to fay, that glittering, glaring, gliftering - - - /FZ/wr- W K?/&, is as unjujl 2LS unmannerly. It equally atil^is all thole educated in Wincbefter College (as well as he - -.- who was intended ro be educated there 5) as L^fcendants from the Founder. But to return. - - - In t.; s School I rcceiv'd the firft and laft Rudiments of Leai 'n!», s^y my Father did his at Grantham in Lincolnpire ^ mt if he has more Learning than me, it is to be obxvrved B 3 hk [6] he went from the loweft Forin to the higheft, and I did po: proceed above half the Way : Yet this Analogy ap- pears between us; He lays, * " Even there I re- " member I was the lame inconfiftent Creature I have " been ever fince, always in full Spirits, in fome fmall " Capacity to do Right, but in a more frequent Alacrity " to do "Wrong." - - Juft fuch a Creature was, have been, and am am I. He gives us as the firll remarkable Error of his Life, f jefting, and jeering, and joking on a School-fellow. I have alfo been thrafh'd unpity'd for the lame Thing ; but fuch Circumftances, even tho* my Father s Pen was to relatet hem, may be thought damn'd ifidiculous. Be it enough that I was always eager of Fame and Glory, and making an Ecdarifement about the Town : I lov'd to make an Appearance, and re- member in fome extraordinary Adventure, the taking another Boy's lac^d Hat to wear, occafioned me much pojlerior Anxiety. But Vive I/odie was my Motto. - - -, Some immediate Satisfe6lion of my Paltions, which were always varying, fometimes to2)refSy Ibmetimesto Eating or 1)rinkingy ^c. was my Defire from an In- fant j and I am afraid fome charitable Folk may lay, 1- retain too much of. the fame Temper now \ am a Man, — I very well remernber, when I was a Child, I took an ambitious Liking to zfcarlet Cloak with Gold T'rim- mi>]gs, and wept moft refolutely for the fame, which was the only Means I could think of for coming at my Ends - but my Mother counterplotted me, and brib'd away my Pride with a crooked Sixpence : And indeed in thofe Days I would have drop a my raoft towering. Aims for a Lump o^ gilded Ginger-bread, or a Cujiard. Sometimes a Gopsherry-'Tart would cure a furious Fit of jlinbJtion. Once, I remember, when I had thrown mylelf on the Ground with a Refolution to die, be- caufe my Father would not give me a Horfe to ride, and manage as I thiought proper, being then full five Years old 3 but my Motijer cur'd this j4mi^ition by » C. Gbker'i Life, /. 5. * Vid. /. 6. fliewing CH ihewing me a Pair oi nezv ithire Gloves^ and a Handful of Cherries. I cannot pafs by without throwing out forae farther RefleSions on thele boyip 'Tricks, " * whether flat or " fpirited, new or common, falle or true, right or " wrong, they will be flill my own, and confequently " like me ^ I therefore go on to fliew as well the Weak- *' nefs as the Strength of my Underftanding." By a ^igreffion, therefore, to make this Tittle Tattle fit ligJot on a Reader's Tiigejlion, I draw a Moral from it. Ambition, or Vanity, when uppermod, is bad for either Man or Child ; and as it makes Children naughty, it makes Men Children. I have often thought my childifli Ambition for 2. fear- let Clonk, of the fame Stamp as we often meet with in higher Life : It is the lame Principle which fwells the Hearts of the Great, as pufT'd up mine, and it a due Regard to Nature be oblerved, it will be allow'd fo. For Inftance, If a Man of the lirfl Qijaliry, as the Duke of I had almofl nam'd his Title But I lay, ihp- Eofe a Man of the firlt Qiiality, who had liv'd to about is thirtieth Year, defpiling to be diltmguiih'd by any publick Gewgaw, oppofing a Minifter, from a Suppofi- tion of his being an evil one, Ihould all of a luddert run bowing to that Miniiter's Levce^ defcrt his Party, break with his Relations, and turn as great a Slave as any he defpis'd Would not any one think there muft be fome great Power of Realon to caule i'o furprifing a Change? But what if it ihould be Ambition? Would they not think fomething very dugiift was the Obje^^ ot his Soul ? But if, after all, it was only a Ked Ccra^ would not his Caprice of Ambition prove as ridich-us as mine for a Red Clonk ? I could ilhiflrate my o- ther childiih Appetites by more Examples, were I not afraid the Partiality might give Offence to my Court- Friends j for however like my Paffions and fome great Mens may, in fad:, be, it is not my Intcrcft nor Duty to make the Compariibns i'.v 'Pede lierrulem. However, I may obfcrve that the Variety of my De- C, Cll>i>er's Life, p. 6. B ^ iires [8] iires in my Childbood (for there was a Time 'when I 'Was a Child) are fuch as are to be obferv'd daily among . Mankind : I have known.a young Gentleman of Fort ne let out with all the hey-day Expences of the Mode 5 yet when he found \\\)xS.t\{ over-iioeigh^ -ixith Ap-petites^ he greiv refrlefs, kick'd up in the Middle of the Courfe^ aud turnd his Sack upon his Frolicks : I have alfo known a very witty young Fellow become a very grave Man, and yet, -ivhefi he ivas in Company, and zvas called to it, could f till make himfelf the Fiddle of it. If I were capable of Envy, this laft Gentleman's Chara£ler would incline me to it j for to be wile, and at the fame Time merry, is a State of Happinefs in Perfection. ** * When I fpeak of Happinefs, I go no '• higher than that which is contain'd in the World we " now tread upon 5 and when I fpeak of being merry, " I don't limply mean what every Oaf is capable of, " but that Kind of Mirth which is not more limited '* than recommended by that indulgent Philofophy " Cum Ratione infanireV Thefe Sentiments of my Philofophy I have exprefs'd in the Words of that great Author whom I imitate, and of whofe Se£l I confefs myfelf a Difciple : And I will here obferve to the Reader, that through the whole Gourie of thefe rhapfodical Memoirs, I rtiall quote from that incomparable Apologift whatever may equally al- lude to myjelfj not only as my mean Stile cannot reach his iDaintinefs of Expreflion, but as this Method will the better fhew what an Analogy there is between us. The Readers who are candid will fay, jfuxta pofiti magis elucefcunt. But as to my Philofophy 5 for this is making a Di- greluon in a DigrefTiOn. I remember a merry, laugh- inf;, witty, romplaifant Fellow, who was always the moft obfequious humble Servant of fome Man of For- tune or other, compar'd himfelf once to a Philofopher, jind the Founder of a new Se^: It was honefKi/;,'2;r7jo » C.Cibber'iUk, p. iz, it) [9] it}, one of Terences Plays, who faid all the Followers ot hjs Syftem /hould be call'd Gnathonici. I know not but from my Father's Apology Ibme new Philolbphers may arife, and Pofterity not give a proper Title to their Se(ft, therefore I here mention that all who are of our Opinion may diftinguilh thcmielves by the Name of CiBBERiANi To be a reafonable Madman is what I always would be, tho' I have too often been faid, in- fanire fine Rationc. — Some may lay that I had better not be mad at all : But as my Father charmingly fays, h this a ^time of ^ay for me to kn.ve off my Fooleries, and fet up for a ne-iv Character ? Can it be 'worth my ivhile to ivafte my Spirits^ to bake my 'Blood nvith fcrioui' Contemplations^ and perhaps impair my Health in the fruitkfs Study of advancing myf elf into the better Opinion of thofc very — 'veryj'e-iv ivffe Men^ ivho may think different from me. No ; the Parr I have a^ied in re/il Life pall be all of a 'Ticcc. ------ Servetur ad imum Qualis ab incepto proceflerit I can no more put off my Follies than my Sktn ; i have tryd, but they (lick too clofe to mc ^ and ivhen I have fecn others^ -luhofe Rank and Fortune have laid a fort of Rejlraint upon their Liberty — I have foftly faid to my (elf Welly there is fomc Advantage in having neither Rank nor Fortune ! — Give me the Joy I al- IV ays took in the End of an old Song : My Mind, my Mind is a K ingdcm to me. L,et the JVorld call mc any Fool bur an unchcarful one i I live as I -ivrite ; ivhile my Way arnufcs me, it is as \vell as 1 iviflj it. '■J'he Alan ix'bo(e becahnd 'Paffions knoiv no Motion feems to be in the quiet State of a green Tree ; he vegetates ''tis truc^ but pali iv6 fay he lives ? O expreiGve Delcription ! This is the ratione infa- nire in the very Stile ; incomprehenfibly lublime. O dainty Simile / A Tree, when it is gr<'en, and vege- tates, and fl] His 'Thoughts and Behaviour zuhenfatiriz'd, &c. S my Pen is running over the Paper to form this Sentence, I am fmiling, Sir Reader, to think what an odly contented Coxcomb I am to fct myfeU down to write this y^pologv for my Life : But you Jcnow nothing gives a Coxcomb lb much Pleafiire as to talk of hlnilelf, which fweet Liberty I am now enjoying. This Pleafure none but Authors as vain as mylelf can conceive. But to my Stor}'. However little worth Notice the A(5tions of a School- boy may feem, yet as tliey aft on the fame Motives as Men, their Coniequences are worth ohferving, becaufe it is fbme Kind of Satisfaftion to behold in what Degree the Dawn of a Genius firfl appear 'd. For this Reaibn Mr. CoUey Ciblcr * tells yoo, that at School be made an Oration on King Charles the \Vs 'Death., '•Ji-hcn aU the 'Boys in his Form, out of Afodefy, thought fuch a 'Per- formance above his Capacity, atid ivas laugh'd at, and ieerd, and hated as a pragmatical Ballard : For this Rea- ibn he acquaints you, that with tJie leaft Reftraint to Modefly, ne did what would have frighten'd a Boy of a meek Spirit from attempting, He made an Englip Ode on King Jamcs\ Coronation, and made it in half an Hour. — " The very Word Ode, then adds he, makes * Vide Applogj', p. 20. yovs C ^2 ] ^* you fmilc, and fo it does me, not only becaufe it ftill *' makes i'o many poor Devils turn Wits upon it, but *' from a more agreeable Motive 5 from a Refleflion '' that for half a Century afterwards I /liould be call'd " upon twice a Year, by my Poft, to make the fame " Kind of Oblations." Here the Reader Ctes, in the 'Puris Naturalibus^ that Dawn of Genius which bapfttf Modejly could never reftrain from writing, and who ilill makes fuch Odes which all the poor 2)e't;i>(r's Ufe, p. 39. f Fide C. Cii>kr's Life. Re- 1^9] Refolution, being a forward Youth, 1 wanted to" know fomething of the World, which Knowledge I foon at- tain'd, and began to run into the Hey-day Gallantries of a Man of Mode : In fhort, I thought mylelf a vtry pret- ty Fellow. The clear Emanations of lieauty ftruck me into a Regard for the fair Sex, that had fomething fbfter than profound Refpedf. I could not refifl its Power, which is efficacious on all 5 for 'Beauty^ like the Sun^ flnnci into eqwil Warmth, the ^Peafant and the Cour- tier : So good a Tafte my firft hopeful Entrance intoMan- hood fet out with. * My Father had the lame Kind of Heart which was ready to he^jone into IVeinnthy and he handfomly f apologizes, thst, as he was wait- ing at Table on the prefent ^uchefs 'X)o-zva^er o^ Marl- borough, in the Year of the Revolution, thele two Words, li Some IVine and Water ^ - - Thefe tivo Words only, that very /Ingle Sound, ftnir.k upon his Senles,!which were collected into his Eyes, by the clear Emanation of her 'Beauty. — This gay Spirit of mine gave fome Uneafinel^ to my good Mother,but my Father laughed at it as a pleaf; ingRecordation of himfclf : To hear of lome of my youth- ful Sallies, which were the Effects of great Spirits, and in- to which none but your great Genii run ; to fee an honefl Boldnefs, or modell Aflurance in Countenance, and Speech, which none but Men confcious of Merit have. This mufl; give him a pleafing Recordation of Mind j then he might truly cry out with E>;tafv. - - - , ' * ^ < -- " Hoc cfi " Vivcrc bis, vita pijj'e priorefrui. Which he iince tranflates thus ; " When Tears no more cf aflive Life retain., " '7/'j Tvuth renc-zvd to laugh 'em o'er again. But which I tranflate, for I cantranfiatc as well as he, thus : * Fif/c Apology, p. 42. •f- The fame Page. II Di(fo, for this Relation, and thefe Phrafes. § Mot to to C. Citki-'i Life. 'lis I C *6 ] " '7r'i to live twice^ to fee the Life you lei " Jigain Uvd over^ by the Sou you bred. Or thus. 'T'ivas to live twice^ 7h}ioe the fame Jlcts enjoy^ ^ofee the fame Jlill practised by his Soy. After this Interval of Idlencls, fome Views of Life were fet before my Eyes, as the Army or the City. The Army I lik'd tolerably, nay fo well, that I partly took upon myfelf, and was partly complimented by my Com- panjipns, with the News of Captain. And it is with fome Pleafure I hear myfelf call'd the young Cap- tain to this Day. But a fmall Commiflion, however more honourable it might feem, I began to know was hot fo profitable as the Profeflion of an After; And though my Father, at the Revolution, had Thoughts of being a General-Oflicer, Things were now chang'd. And I have often bleflcd my Stars for my prefering the The- atre to the Camp j on that I have been a Heroe, ftrutted with a golden Truncheon^ nodded Command to Roman Legions, and old Sritip Bands. In the Army I might hare Itill trail'd a Lieutenant's Half-pike, and in fome Country Quarters liv'd inglorious } for Years pacific roll'd revolving round; the Spirit-ftirring Drum, the Ear piercing Fife, all Pride, Pomp, Circumftance of glori- ous War have long been loft in Peace, which long Fare- wel, have told the Soldier's Occupation loft. 'Twas on the Stage alone I promis'd myfelf much Pleafure, much Income, and much Reputation. Nor is a theatric Profeflion fo contemptible as fome affed to think. ** Was a little foolifh Prejudice laid afide *, Mr. " C- Cibber^ truly fays, that many a well-born younger " Brother, and many a Beauty of low Fortune would *' gladly have adorn d the Theatre, who, by their not *' being able to brook fuch Di/honour to their Birth, have " pafs'd away Lives decently unheeded and forgotten." In ihort it is better to be this or that on the Stage, fo you get handfomly by it, than live in any Degree of Igno- C. Ciiier's Life, p. 46. mmy *^ [ *7 ] miny or not Ignominy off from it j that is, there is no Ignoniiny on the Stage, or, if you will,' the Stage is a- bove Ignominy. See this Period: " I remember (fays Mr. CV^^^r *) " a Lady with a real Title, whofe female Indifcretions *' had occafion'd her Family to abandon her, being wil- " ling to make an honeft Penny of what Beauty (he had " left, defir'd to be admitted an Aftrefs : Her Relations " oppos'd it, for Realbns eafy to be guels'd at : It was not " our Intereft to make an honourable Family our Ene- ** mies, and fhe was refus'd. Here you find her honeft " Endeavour to get Bread from the Stage, (/*. e. to make " an honeft Penny of her Beauty) was look'd as an ad- " ditional Scandal to her former Difhonour j fo that I am " afraid) had the Lady fold Patches and Pomatum in a " Band-box from Door to Door, /he might have ftarv'd " with lefs Infamy, than reliev'd her Neceffity by be- " ing famous on the Stage. " In fliort, 'tis no Igno- miny to be la 2)amoi/€ile de Tlajir on a Theatre. But notwithftanding all I have faid, and my Father before me, the Profeffion of a Player ftill continues, as by his Memoirs I find it has always done, to be held by ma- ny Gentlemen and People of Quality in no great E- fteem j and many outragious InfuJts have been commit- ted by Perfons who would be thought Gentlemen, or A6lors, whom they dar'd not have us'd fo in any other Place but a Theatre. But thele Infulters of AudienceSt as well as 'Players, are not to be rul'd j there is no contending witn them j they are all Patriots, Liberty and Property j Men who roar out to defend their Mag' na Charta, of doing what they will in a Theatre. This Uiage of Players Mr. Cibber lays, " keeps young Peo- " pie of Senfe from coming on the Stage 5 they fear " entering into a Society, whofe Inftitution, if not a- bus'd, is an excellent School of Morality : But alas ! " sisShakefpeari^ys'. " IVhere's that Palace where into fometimes " Foul "Things intrude not ? C, Cibkcr'i Life, p. 46. Ana i ^o And really the Abufe of the Stage by the A(Sor<, be it as great as it will, by afting indifcreetly in their private Lives, it is not greater than the Abufe that thole noily Rioters make of it by their publick Difturbances ; 1 cannot apprehend what rational Authority this Society for the Reformation of T'heatrical Manners can plead, to call an Aftor to an Account on the Stage for what he has done off it : Would any Judge pay lefs Regard to a Counfellor's Argument at the Bar, becaule he may be an indifcreet, or even a bad Man at home ? But it is otherwife at our Theatric Bar of Judgment 5 our fudges are alfo jfury\ and likewife Executioners 5 and though you appear there not as your own Perfbn, they make you the Culprit^ put you immediately on your I'rialy — and G—d fend you a good Deliver aiice. -- But I may fay what I will againfl: thefe unjuif, unlimited Infuks, yet the Player who falls under luch a Caprice of publick Difplealiire, muft be left adrift^ and ride cut the Storm as 'xcll as he is able. I would here fpeak of fbme Storms which poor I have been adrift in, and which I have out-rode by that admirable Stage Apothegm, ''Sbhod rUfiandyou all. But that Anecdote will fall under my Pen in a fubfe-« quent Chapter : To conclude this 5 the View of rifing Ibme Time or other to live in that modiili Affluence, jovial Gaiety, and feeming Importance, in which my Pather and fome others I faw iiv'd, was the flattering Light by which I lleer'd my Courfe ; Such Temprations were too Itrong for fo warm a Vanity as mine to refift ; on the Stage I came, being enter'd, according to my Merit, at a very low Salary 3 and now, gentle and molt candid Reader, your Curioiity is from thence to expefl: a father Account of me. CHAP. £3i] C H A p. IV. The Author follows Mr, Colley Cibber'j Method of Hiftory • A fhort Hijlory of the Stage and Ahors, from the Reftoration to the Revolution. . TJjeir Characters. Why given ^ &c. S I have profefs'd myfelf an humble Imitator of Mr. C. Gibbers peculiar Manner of hijlori- cal Narrations, I hope the Reader will not think frequent 2)igreJfions from my own Adtions and Life, any Way inconfilient 5 for though I have only promis'd an Account of the material Occur- rences of the Theatre during my o-zim T'ime, yet a ihorc Hiftory of the Theatre, from the Reftoration to the Kevolution, and from thence to the prefent Year 1 74.C, may be worth more Notice than givmg the Publick an Account of my youthful Adventures, for which little Apology, I am afraid, can be made. As in an Account of this Nature I cannot make ufe of my own Know- ledge and Judgment, I muft claim the Privilege of all Hiftorians, of having Recourle to thofe Authors who have treated on the Subjeft before : Nor ihall I omit that Part, which modern Hiftory is much founded on, Oral 'Tradition : To thefe I fliall add fuch Intelligence as I could collate from fuch ancient Records as ftill remain in the Archives of the Theatre. But though! may feverally uie all thefe Aids, the chief Support which I ihall rely on, will be the Memoirs which Mr. C. Gibber has, with great Autbenticitv and Judgment, colledled 5 and 1 fliall alio give a faithful Abftrail: of Ins Theatrical Cbafa&ers, becaiife they will lead you into a clearer View of fome modern ones, which I myfelf, at a due Time and Place, fliall venture tq pourtray ; [3»] pouf tray :--- Before I enter on this Undertaking, I niuft premife, that many are the inimitable Beauties in Stile, in Thought, and Manner of the great ^/)o/oggriV^/ Original^ which my Compendium will not allow me to introduce ; however the Reader may depend, my Ab- ftraft from it fhall be io connefted, that I will give him the ^ineaparsfui Ne^aris. The very ^intejfence 0/ ^/V Nectar. And this Chapter ihall be, as it were, Ilias in Nuce. - - The Iliad in a Nutjhell. - - Without farther Preface or Apology. The Civil War which was begun between King Charles the Firft, in Defence of his Prerogative, and his People, in Defence of their Freedom, introduced, at Length, all the EfFefts of Anarchy : Every Thing that was truly good and virtuous was no longer in Efteern : Thofe pious Schools of Morality, the TlayhoufeSt ^ere no longer fuffer'd j the Stage fell with Monarchy, and the Peers of the Land with the Aftors of the Theatre : But as it fell with Monarchy, it was with Monarchy reftor'd 5 for at King Charles the id's Reftoration, two Patents were granted, one to Sir William jD'avefiatUy and the other to Henry Killegrezi\ Efq; according to Mr. Gibbers Account, or to Mr. 1'homas Killegreii\ ac- cording to the Relation of that 'theatric ^nnalijl^ John ^oivneSt the old Trompter. The Company under Sir /f7/- liam tD'avenanfy i^ys Mr. Cibber^ were cali'd the Xif^g-'^ Servants^ and afted at the theatre Royal in Drury- Lane 5 the other the Duke's Company^ who a(5led at the jDnke^s theatre in Dorfet Garden :--Bnt Mr. * Doivns lays, " that on the Reftoration, the fcattered ** Kemmnt'oi fix ^layhoufes^ which fubfifted in King " Charles the Firji^s Time, upon the Reftoration fram'd *' a Company, and afted again at the Sull 'Playhoufe, " built them a new Theatre in Gibbons tennis-Cowt *' in Clare-Markety in which two Places they continued * DoKTies wrote an Account of the Stage during his own Time, caJl'd, RofctMs Angluanus. " afting ,' C 3? ] " a6ling all 1660.^ 1661, i6rSi, and Part of i66^. In this *^ Time ttey built them a »eiv 'Theatre in 'Drury-La7ie^ " Mr. Thomas Killegreic gaining a Patent from the " King^ in order to create them the Kings Servants, *' and from that Time they call'd themfeJves, his " Afajejly's Company of Comedians inDrury-Lfnc. As to the Company acting under Sir f Fill' am 2)'az'e- ytant, jDo'ivnes gives this particular Account of its £rll Kile and going to ^orfet-Gr.rdcn. *' In the Year one thoufand fi% hundred and fifty- ** nine General Monk marching then his Army out of *' Scotland to Zondon, Mr. Rhodes^ a Bookreller, being *' Wardrobe Keeper formerly, as I am intorm'd, to King " Charles the Firffs Company of Comedians in Slack- " Fryaj'Sy geting a Licenfe tVom the then governing " State, fitted up a Houfe for at^ing, cali'd the Cvck- * fit, in 2)rury-Zane, and in a Ihort Time compleat- " ed his Company. *| In this Interim, Sir tJfiUiam 2)'avenant gain'd a " Patent from the King, and opened a Houfe in " Lincolns-Inn-Ficlds, with new Slccncs and Decora- *' tions, being the firft that were ever introduced into *' England y where they continued ro aft till tiiC Year *' i(J7i> when they open'd a new Theatre in U^orfct- " Garden-, and remov'd from Lincolns- Inn-Fields thi- " ther." The Reader cannot but obfcrve fbme DifTerence in thefe two threat Hiftorians | to fhew my faithful Attachment to Truth I have given both Accounts j and, gentle Reader, Utrum Horum Ma^jis Recipe. , Of the Kind's Company, about ten were put on the Royal Houflioid Eftablilhment, having each ten Yards of icarlet Cloth, with a proper Qiiantity of Lace al- low'd them for Liveries j and in the Warrants from tiie Lord Chamberlain they were ftil'd, Gentlemen of the Great Chamber, . Both thefe Companies were in high Eftimation ; the Jong Interdidion of Plays had give, frclh Appetue ro fuch Reprefentations j belidcs, before nou no Adt; eifrs had been feen on the $tage. The Charaders of W omen, D in [34] in Theatres, were perform'd by Boys, or young Men of the moft efFeminate Al'pec^l : And what Grace, or Mafter-Strokes of Aftion can we conceive fuch un- giiin Hoydens to have been capable of? Thefe two' Theatres had another advantageous Rule, made by fhemielves, which was, tiiat no Play afted at one Houle fliould ever be attempted at the other : This prevented a Satiety of the fame Plays, and kept up the Pleafure which might otherwife grow languid. - - For what Plea- fure is not languid to Satiety ? - - The Negle^l which has been had, for feveral Years pafl, to this Ma ?i age me nty Mr. C. Cibber thinks is the Occafion of the Degradation of the ptefent Theatres, by the Entertainments they exhibit 5 " * for when Plays are hackney'd out to the " common People indifferently at any Theatre, the " befl A(5lors will foon feel the Town has enough of ** them : Hence he proves a Plurality of Playhoules *' detrimental to the Stage, unlefs a proportionable ** Number of good Authors could rife to give them all " different Employments : But while good Writers are *' fo fcarce, and ttndaumed Crlricks io plenty, I am *' afraid a good Play and a blazing Star will be equal *' Rarities : This indulging the Tafte with feveral " Theatres, will amount to the fame Variety as an *' Oeconomift would fliow, who would have fwo 'Pud- *' dings and t'jDO Legs of Mutton for the fame Dinner." Though this Simile has been inferted in many a Twopenny Jell Book, yet, as it is admirably introduced, I have again ventur'd to quote it. But to refume the Thread of this Hillory. " Thefe two excellent Companies were both prof- *' perous for fome Time, till their Variety of Plays *' began to be exhaufted j then of Courfe the better *' Aftors, which the King's feem to have been allow'd, *' could not fail of drawing the greater Audiences. Sir " JFUlifl^m 2)'a'-jenant, therefore, Mafter of the 'Ditke's *' Company, introduced Mufick to Atlion, and a new " Species of Plays, call'd, 2)ramatick Opera's." - - 1 mull here obferve Mr. Cihber fays Sir WilJiam was * C, Cii'l'frs Life, p. 56, M^fe .' lS5l Mafter of the Tiukes Company^ though in a Page be- fore he faid they were the King's : This Tnadvcrtanc^ arifcs from his not rightly counting one, two : But he has too boldd Regard for CorreBnefs^ ivhkh others fet a Value on : It is with a little Compundion that I made this Remark, yet, Amicus Socrates, Amcus Plato, fed magh a-^ mlcci Vemt AS. " * This fenfual Supply of Sight and Sound, coming " into the weaker Party, they grew too hard tor Senie " and (imple Nature 5 for more People can fee and hear '* than think and judge : This Change of Talle fell " heavy on the King's Company ^ they had Truth on " their Side, and Praife for their Aftion j bur 'tis re! J *' Comfort - - Laudatifrs. Sutler^ and pthers, Thou<^h 1 may feem impertinently prolix, yet, by fome, this 7'heatric Chronology wiJi be thougbt not unneceflary ; and it is, in fad, a proper Introduflion to that Part of Theatrical Hiftory, which Mr. C. Cibber has very copioufly related, and of which I ihall here give a Sort of an Abftraft i for this, wnth^niy own Ac- count, will make a pcrfed Compendium of Stage llij- tO/'V. - - Thus he writes - - " In the Year 1670, when I firit came into this Com- pany, the principal Adors then at the Head of it were, Of MEN. Mr. Better ton J Mr. Mountford, Mr. Kynajion^ Mr. Sandfordy Mr. Nokes, Mr. Underbill, and Mr. Leigh. Of WOMEN. Mrs. Bcttertony Mrs. Barry, Mrs, Leigh, Mrs. Butler, Mrs. Mount ford, and Mrs. Bracegirdle. *' 'Bctterton was an Adlor as Sbakefpear was an Au- *' thor, both without Competitors, form'd for the mu- *• tual Afliftance, and Ilhiftration of each other's Genius : " The one was born only to fpeak what the other only *' knew to write : But to give a more clear Idea of him : *' You have feen a Hsimlet^ perhaps, who, on the Hrft *' Appearance of his Father's Spirit, has thrown himfelf *' into all the draining Vociferations requifite to exprels " Rage and Fury, and the Houle has thunder'd with *' Applaule, though the milguided Ador was tearing " a 'Pajjion into Rngs. Now Betterton threw this *' Scene into another Light : He open'd it with a Paule *' of mute Amufemcnt, then rifing flowly to a Iblenm " trembling Voice, he made the Ghofl equally terrible " to the Speftator as to himfelf 5 and in the dcfcriptive *' Part of the natural Emotions which the ghaftly Vifion " gave, the Boldnefs of his Expollulations were ftill " govern'd by .Decency; manly, but not braving, his " Voice never riling into that feeming Outrage, or *' wild Defiance of what he naturally revcr'd. D 4 "A [40] " A' farther 'ExctWence Settenofi had was, that he ^'- could vary his Spirit to the different Charafters he ** -icted : Thofe wild impatient Starts, that fierce " and flafhing Fire which he threw into Hot f pur *' never came from the unruffled Temper of Srittus, " (for I have feen, more than once, a SruTus as warm j " as Uotjpur.) When the Setterton Srurus was pro- ** vok'd in his Difpute with CaffiuSy his Spirit new " only to his Eyej his fleady Look alone fupply'd *' that Terror which he difdain'd an Intemperance of '* Voice fhould rile to. Thus with a fettled Dignity " of Contempt, like an unheeding Rock he repell a *' upon himielf the Foam of Caffiui : Perhaps "the *' Words of Shakefpear will better let you into my " Meaning. Mufi I give Way and Room to your rcifo. Choler ? ^hall i be frighted hx^f^tfi a Madman ftarei ? '* And a little after : ^here is no Terrer Caflius in your Looks^ Sec. *' But with whatever Strength of Nature we fee the *' Poet fhow, at once the Philofophcr and the Hero *' yet the Image of the Ador 'Is Excellence, unlefs Lau- *' guage could pat Colours into our Words to paint the " Voice with, Biji vis Similem pingere-, pinge Sonumy ^ is an ImpoiTibility. " Befides thefe Characters, he fhewed an extncrdi- " nary \pG\ver in ^/o:n;jg Alexanper i;ito a Slaze "' of ^^dmiration, yet the furious Fullian, and turged " Ranrs m that Chara«^er he was feniible gain'd a fallc " Applaufe only 5 for he thought no Applaufe equal to " an attentive Silence j that there were many Ways of " deceving an Audience into a loud one, but to kte^ " rhem hufh'd and quiet was an Applaufe which only " Truth and Merit could arrive at. But if Truth and " Merit were only applauded, how many noify Actors " would fhake their Plumes with Shame, who, from *' an in'i'Klicious Approbation ot the ?Vlultitude, \izvc. '■'■ itf itfted and bawl'd in the Place of Merit. 'Betterton ' • • had [41 ] Kad a Voice of that Kind which gave more Spirit to ** Terror than to the fofter Paflions, of more Strength *' than Melody : The Rage and Jealouly of Othello *' became him better than the Sighs and Tendernefs oi *' Cajlallo ', for though in Cnjlnlio he only excell'd *' others, in Othello he excell'd himfelf. The Perfon " of this excellent Aftor was fuitable to his Voice 5 " more manly than fweet j not exceeding the middle *' Stature 5 inclining to the Corpulent 5 of a ferious, " penetrating Alpeft ; his Limbs nearer the athletick *' than the. delicate Proportion 5 yer, however form'd, *' there role, from the Harmony of the Whole, a com- *' manding Mein of Majefty, which the fairer-fac'd *' Darlings of his Time ever wanted fomething to b« *' Mailers of. The lait Part he ailed was Melanriui in *' the Afaid's Tragedy^ for his own Benefit, when being *' fuddenly leiz'd with the Gout, he fubmitted, by ex- *' traordinary Applic:Kions, to have his Foot fo far re- ** liev'd that he might be able to walk on the Stage '* in a Slipper, rather than wholly difappoint his Au- " dience : He was oblerv'd that Day to have exerted a '* more than ordinary Spirit, and met with a fuitable *' Appldufe : but the unhappy Confcquence of tamper- " ing with nis Diltemper was, that it fle.v into hi^ *' Head and kill'd him in three Days, in the 74th Year " of his Age." This is the chief Account which yir.Cibber gives of Setterton; jie has indeed interfpers'd ieveral Theatric Obfervations, which amount to no more than they who iii'ite can't rec.d^ and they who read can't aci : Mr. tDryden could not read nis own ^mphitrion-^ yet JsT^r. Lee^ read his Scenes fo well, that Mohun cry'd out, Unlefi 1 ivere able to play my ^Part as 'Well as you read /a, to ivJjat Purpoje pould Irake it? - - Yet Nat. Lee attempted to be an AiW, but foon left the Stage in defpair of making a profitable Figure there. I could, on this Head, add leveral curious Anecdote:^ of my o-7t7;, and from Experience in tTie Stage Afiair^ prove, that as Ibme who -ivrite can't read^ fo there arc others who read that can't -ivrits ; and yet Ibme who f Jjn both read, atl^ and rMrlte- - - How far indeed thele "* * readini^ C40 reading, lUi'ldng, acting ^alificatiom may be con*' join'd m one and the lame Perfon, this apologetic J Hiftory, as well as that of Mr. Colley Gibber, will be feme humble Kind of Demonftration of: Some in- deed may think, that by thele Memoirs wc may blaze to 'Pojlerity in a ludicrous Lujlre, and that our Obferva- tioDs and Di^refrpnsy?^«//3', roufidlyy Nothing -^ yet to the Drum of their Ear would I as roundly rattle, ^ 'Pi CO for thy Criticifm, vile Wight y . OToufay 'we Trim indeed^ yet cannot Writ^. Jy tnyjelf /, and Father print indeed, jBut '-what 'we print 'we wj'ote ; and 'what we 'wroe^ you read. But halt a little. I had fomething to fay on the above Defcription of Setterton : It may be in the greateft Part, or even in the whole, juft j yet is it not carrying the Elogium too far, to thmk, nor Hart, nor Mohun, nor any in their Company, nor Ibme before them equal'd him, perhaps furpafs'd him ? Mr. Gibber lays none has fince arriva at his Perfeftions; this very poffibly may be, yet very likely every fucceeding Age will think in the lame Manner of other Aftors : As Mr. Hart and Mohuns Excellencies were forgot by Degrees, M.v.Settertons arofe ; when his fail'd by his Death, Mr. 'Booth was thought to be a very great Succeflbr : In fhort, they who remember 'Betterton, lliake their Heads at 'Booth -^ they that are in full Memory o{ 'Booth, with pitiful Scorn lee fome modern 'PcrformerSy who, half a Century hence, may be highly admir'd in their Turn, in Prejudice to * Ne-W Adepts in the Profeffion : This, jfay what you will, is a Prejudice of Nature ; the Im- preflions we firft receive are fo deeply affecting, that even having Judgment afterwards, it impofes on it : Prejudices in theatrical Jlffairs are as imperceptibly got, and as obftinately maintain'd as thofe in Religion j and we may lay of thefirlfc Reprelentations we fee, what ^ryden lays of our firft Education. * Vide C. caper's Apology. [43] $y Education mofi Men are mijledi Wefo believe becaufe ivefo ivere bred ^ 'The 'Priejl continues -ixhat the Nurfe began^ ^nd thus the Child impofes on the Man. But really ^Betterton, befides his Excellencies of Ka^ ture and judgment, had other great Advantages, for though he is call'd an Original^ he had feen all the old ^Players, who were very excellent, and thofe were re- niembred who were Originals of Shakefpear "What Aid luch Remembrance might be, take from the follow- ing yjncedotes. * ♦* In the Tragedy of Hamlet, fays old !DowneSy the " Part of /^^w/f^ was perform'd by Mv. Setterton :, Sir *' IVilliam Ifavenant having iit^n Mr. 'Taylor of the " 'Black Fryars Company ad it, who was inftruded by '* the Author Mr. Shakefpear^ taught Mr. 'Setterton ia !' every Article of it, which, by his exa£l Performance *' of it, gain'd him Efteem and Reputation fuperlativc '' to all other Plays. Thus again this ancient, but faithful Mcmoirift deli- vers himielf concerning the Play of Henry the Eighth. " The Part of the King was all new cloath'd in a pro- *' per Habit, and fo right and juftly done by Mr. "Better^ *' ton^ he being inftru^led in it by Sir William tD^ave-- *' fianty who had it from old Mr, Lcxeny that had hie; " Inltrudlions from Mr. Shakefpear bitnfelf that I darr, ** and will aver, none can or will come near him in this " Age, in the Performance of that Part. w The Reader will obferve, that in theatrical Metnoi- riJlSy a Simplicity of Style in plain Narration too often occurs j but he will pardon this bold Difregard for gram- matical Correftnefs, if, through onr Rapidity of Thought, he inveliigates the Meaning: He will fee then how in Hdmlet'^h'. Better ton came by that Judgment, which Mf. Cibber takes up fome Pages in extolling.; he will find thole Aftors who have been Originals in Parts, are thought to have excell'd to the higheft Degree : And Mr. Setterton might have been as excellent in thofe * Dewns's Account of the Stage. 3 part| [ 44 ] Vitts in which he was an Original^ as any other A£lor before himj yet an Aftor after him, who has an original Part, and confeq uently thereby becomes an Ori- ginal^ may be thought fo far to excel, that few Aftors, while he is remembef'd, /hall, with any equal, ju- dicious j4pprobation^ fucceed in that Part. On the whole, original 'Parts make an ^Bor, and they who have feen a perfe£l fet of Aftors, can only judge o.f fucceed ing ones by them : The Laudator temporis a5ii Is not merely confin'd to old Men ; by natural Preju* dice we catch thisApurtenance to old Age, when we have Icarce pafsM the Verge of Youth. But to conclude of Mr. SettertOftf with a greater Compliment than any other paid him, though the Epilogue to his laft Benefit, wrote by Mr. Roivej was a very good one, take this Delcription of hirafroma Prologue of2)rjyde», Hcy like thefetting Sm, ftilljboots a gHmm*ry Ray Jjtke ancient Rome, majejiic in 2)ecay. Mr. C. Gibber's long Digreffion has led me into this ; but as, in his Account otSetterton, his Sentiments on theatrical Action are chiefly exprcis'd ; I have ventur^ to fubjoin thefe Sentiments of mine to his Account, that I may not be fb tedious on this Subjefl in another Place. I fhall now introduce his other drawn Charafters, and * make ufe of the fame Vehicles^ -zvhich you nvill find ■** waiting in the next Chapter^ to carry you through the " ysfl of your Journey at LeifurCy — for all know, that, 'Placida narratiopro Vehiculo eft. * VidcC, Cihisr'i Apology, p. 71. CHAP. [45 ] CHAP. V. theatrical Charci^ers, Rotations, Dijfertatidns^ Annotations^ Digrejjions^ Exprejftons, Allufmn collated^ imitated^ and related^ with A few Words to critical Auditors. T was before obferv'd, %Yomen were not admitted on the Stage till after the Refto- rarion, yet, by the Lifts I have given, you will find they were not lb very eafily liip- ply'd J for in the Company where 'Bettef^ ton was engag a, they were forc'd ftill to put young Men into female Characters j and Mr. Kynaflon ftands firft in that motley Cart j nor indeed had they any till Sir Wil- liam IXavenant brought them to that Company : On the contrary, the 0/J, or the Kin^^ Company under Kille- gren\ had at firft fetting out lome Women, who in the Summer of King Charles the Second's Keign, eren when the Companies were in their higheft Profperity, tvere thought inimitable : How hard then is it to rix un- limited Excellence to particular Pcrfons ! ... But of thefc Male Wotnen^ Kynajlon was efteem'd, being very young and handlbmej and, according to 2)oivnes^s Phrafe*, <7 compleat Female St a^^e-'Beaury .performing his ^arts fo '•jcell^ efpecially Artluope and Aglaura, ^arts greatly moving Compajfwn and 'Pity, that it is doubted *iiehetber atiy Woman that fur.ceeded him, fo fenfibly touched the .{4udicnce. . . . Behold the Doatage o( fervfle 'Partiality '. .... Mr. Cibber fpeaks of his Beauty, and his performing Evadne in the Afaid's 'Tragedy, to which he fubjoms a facetious Incident, r, hic!i rhofe Shifts once occafion'd. . . f King Charles coming to a Tragedy f<)oner than ufual, and was impatient to have the Per^ * Dozvnes'i Rofcius jlnglicnnus. •\ Vidt C. C/^^^r's Apology, p. yz. formance r4«] formance begin, and fent to know the Meaning of their Delay j The Mafter of the Company came to the Box, ana thinking the beft Excufe would be the Truth, fairly told his Majefty, the Queen was not yet fliav'd. The Xing laugh'd, and ftaid till her Majefty could be effemi- nated. . . . Bift as for Kynajion he was fo beautiful, that the Ladies of Qiiality prided themfelves in taking him with them, in their Coaches in this theatrical Habir, after the Play, which in thole Days began at four o' Clock ^ . . . Such a Cuftom of the Ladies, of carrying fuch a handfome young Fellow, though in Petticoats, in their Coaches with them, without any Apprehenfion of Cen- iure, is as ftrong an Inftance as pofTible, to what a Height, the modifli Gallantry of that Time was carried ! But even on Mr, Ky»a/lo» changing Sexes, that is, his Petticoats to the Buskin, and his Stays to the Trun- cheon, he flill remain'd famous: He had it feenis a fotr? mal Gravity in his Mien, which in fome Characters be- came him. His Eye was piercing, and in Charaders of heroick Life, led, in his Tone of Voice, an imperious Vivacity that truly depided the Tyrant. In thefe two Parts Morat'm uiurengzebe, and Aluley Moloch in SehaJ- tian, he had a fierce Lyon-Uke Maje/ly, in his Utterance, that gave the Speftator a Kind of trembling Admira- tion. ... In Henry the Fourth he was a Mafter of a dif- ferent Majefty, but of fo true a Kind, that when h« whilper'd the following Line to Horfpur., Send us your 'Prifonery or you II hear of it., He convey'd more Menace than the loudeft Intempe- rance of Voice could fwell to : Ky7inJion. like 'Betterton^ llriftly followed the Rules of Truth and Nature, yet what leem'd furprifing, they were as different in their Manner of a^fling as in their perfonal Form and Features. .He ftay'd too long on the Stage, till his Memory and Spirits fail'd him 5 his latter Imperfe^lions were not his own, but thofe of decaying Nature. * Mounjord-w^s a younger Man, tall, well-made, of a- greeable Afpeft, fair, his Voice clear, full and melo- dious : In Tragedy a molt affeding Lover 5 his Words had that Softnefs, that * Vide C. CiUfr's Apology, p. 76. C 47 !• Like Flakes of feather' d S^O'u^ ^hey melted as they fell. In Comedy he gave the trueft Life to what we call the fine Gentleman : In Scenes of Gaiety he never broke into the Regard that was due to the Prefence of equal or fuperior Characters, though inferior A his Voice, Mien and Geiture, was no longer Alounford but another Perlbn j there the infipid loft Civility, the elegant and formal Mien, the drawling Delicacy of Voice 3 the ftately Flatnels of his Addrels, and the empty Emiiience of his Attitudes, were io nicely ob- ferv'd and guarded, that had he not been an entire Mailer of Nature, had he not kept his Judgment, as it were, 3 Centinel upon himlelfj not to admit the leaft Likenefs of what he us'd to be, to enter into any Part of his Per- formance, he could not poffibly have lb compleatly fi- ni/li'd it. He was kill'd in the thirty-third Year of his Age 5 the Accidents that more particularly attended his Fall, are to be found at large, in the Trial of tlie Lord Alohmt^ printed among tbofe of the Stdte^ in Folio. * Samlford was what MwCibberfen. calls the Spugnokt of the Theatre: An excellent Aifor in difagrccable Charailers 3 that is, he was the Stage Villain j but this happen'd not fo much by his own Choice as Neceffi- ty 3 for having a low, crooked Perlbn, liich bodily Dc* feds were too Itrong to be admitted into great and ami- able Characters 3 fo that in any new or reviv'd Play, if there was a hateful or mifchievous one, Sandford had no Competitor for it. This personating of bad Characters rcquir'd as much Art and Judgment, as to \\2iScjJ3one into x^^Applaiife of the SpeClators.hy all tXiefhroKics amlSwel- lings of Ambition, yet it was attended with this Dilem- ma, that an Audience never expeded to lee him in any " III > I I I T -■ * Fise C. C;^^rr '3 Apology, p. 78, Other ; [48] otTier : Nay, To far was this Prejudice carried whicli Mr. Cibber has heard was Fa6l : A new Play came on the Sta?e, in which Sandford play'd an honelt ^tatefinarij tht Pit fat out three or four Aas in a quiet Expeftadon, that the Honefty o{ Sandford ihovA^^ from his diflem- b'ling it, (for they thought him a Rogue at the Bottom) animate the Scenes to come ivith Confufion .-But finding him in Truth an honejt State/many they fairly damn'd the PUy, as if the Author had imposW en them a mofi fruitlefs Abfurdity. — This oral Ti-adition has in it a Proof (zs all ofal Traditions have^ that much Faith is reqtjir'd in the Reader : Might not the laft A&. in this Play have fome other Cataftrophe in it than Sandjord'^ proving an honeft Statefman? — No, ia the Story was heard, and fo it muft be believ'd. — Credat Judtcus Apella Non ego. Tram Safidford's being fo fuccefsful a Stage Villian, the inferior A&ots thought his Succels owing to the De- feds of his Perfon, and from thence, when they appear'd as Sravo\ and Murderers, made themlelves as fright- ful and inhuman Figures as poflible. — In King Charles's Time, lays our anecdoting Apologifl^ this low Skill was carried to fuch Extravagance, that the King, who wai black brow'd, and of a fwarthy Complexion, pafs'd a pleafant Remark on obferving the grim Murderers in Macbeth^ when turning to his People in the Box, he faid, Tray lehat is the Meatiing that ive jiever fee a Rogue in a 'Play, but,^ God'sfifh, they clap him on a black *Perizvig ? tVhen it is ivell knoivn one of the greatejt Hogues in the Kingdom akvays ivear a fair One. — The King's Obfervation, lays Mr. C. Cibber, was jufl:, tho' the King had been as fair as Adonis. — ^Vhat Complexion that pretty Fellow Adonis had, I will not determine j yet I know not how it is, or what Ideas People conceive of Slack j but it certainly has a very Horror-moving Afpe6l : It may be a l^rick of the Stage, and as fuch laugh'd at, for I allow very great Ralcala may have very black Hearts, who wear very fair Pe- rukes; Mr. C. Cibber thinks his Iwarthy Majelty alluded to V [ 49 ] to fome gfeat Man out of Power, and leave them togue/s dt him, who remember the changing Complexion of hh Minifters. — This charming Oblervation /liows the FoJly of AHiifionj for fuppole .S'owc-Z'oJv now living, 1 740, had laid the faid Sentence, who among the pre- lentMiniftry would dare fix on .i Man who wore a light "^Vig : Their E}es indeed might naturally be converted to that great Man who wore the greateft light-colour'd. Wig, and fo might guefs at him who — was a very hg- neft Man- — But tho' political, viinijlerial Jnuendos may be very juftly prov'd to mean fbmething, yet thea- trical Inuendos are a meer Inanity of Thcugbt. -~ But to digrefs from this Digreffion, — - and to enter into a- norher. --- Many Adors and A^trefies have maJc it a Point to play a Charadl:er flitly written, becaule they Jiood in the favourable Light of Honour and Virtue. - -'- A I.ady, Mr. Cibbsr., fen. fays, who was a Tiamoifih de 'Tlaijir on the Stage, afled a Part of impregnable Challity, and bid the Ladies S!u.]y to live the Chc.ra^er IpU.y. Yet this good Creature made Faut ^Paim 5 flie had ■f(>mc illegitimate Huie, and her Challity oirthe Stage was not impregnable. Ahmy are the fame Kind of thea- tric Prudes now living, who are like enough to thir.k thit to lecm virtuov'sis Uifficieat lor au Ai;dience, and would make it a Point to l>e for HaU an Hour motl pure Virgins on the Stage, whatever kind, coming, dear conlcntirig "Creatures they might prcv-e, after the Curtain haddrop'xi. • —- 1 could enumerate ibme Jainy modern Proofs of this theatric Prudery 5 but give me Leave to change an old Apothegm. 2)e vivis 7iil niji honum. To return to C. Gibbers Defcription o'c Sand ford'., his * Manner of fpeaking vary'd from thofe before defjrib'd : * His Voice was acute, and had a piercing Tone, vs'hich * ftruck every Sylk'.ble dirtinftly upon ths Ear, and in h;s * Look he mark'd to an Audience, what he thought worth ,"* more than their ordinary Notice : Had he liv'd m Skdhe- [^fpearsTime, I am confident his Judgment mull have .t cbofe tohaveplay'dR'V/:/r"JlII, for without confideririg * f^veak enough, or the Tafte of the Publick was fo weak, as [58] as to foTct them to it, td exhibit Spei^acle ; and th^ flxpertces they were at m Dioctefsan and King Arthur (though fetfmingly fuccefsfulj were fo great that they run into Debt, which found Work for the Court of Chancery twenty Ye^rs following : Thefe Exhibitions ef Sfieftacle made Plays of Courfe negle, Father of the prefent Mailer of C Gjr/^-,- Theaue. About [ 6o ] About this Time Mr. TFUks came from tlie Dublin Cornpany to Drury-Lane Theatre: He firft commenced an Ador by performing in a private Play at Duklin^ of which • Country he was a Native : He had been on Drury-Lane Stage before, but quitted it to go to Ireland, not- rifing in Parts there according to his Ambition : On his Re- turn, in 1696, Montford v/as dead, and Poiuell in his chief Parts, and the only Ador that flood in Wilki\ Way : They foon became avowed Rivals, and without quoting their every Quarrel for Parts, be it fufficient to fay, that IVilks by Induftry, Care, and Sobriety gain'd the Favour of the Publick, which Powell, with more Merit, by his Neglect: and Intemperance forfeited. On this Narration the Apologift obferves, that an A6lor is difefteemed or favoured on the Stage, more or lefs, according as he has or has not a due Regard to his private Life and Reputation : Nay, falje Reports Ihall afFe6l him, and become the Caufe or Pretence of ufmg him injurioufly : He gives this Inftance in Regard to himfelf. *' * After the Succefs of the Beggars Opera, I was " fo flupid to attempt, the following Year, fomething *' of the fame Kind, on a quite different Foundation, " to recommend Virtue and Innocence : My new- " fangled Performance was call'd. Love in, a Riddle, *' and was as vilely damn'd and hooted at, as fo vain a '■^ Prefumption in the idle Caufe of Virtue cou'd deferve : *' I will grant the Beggars Opera had more skillfully ** gratify'd the publick Tafte than all the brighteft Au- " thors before him. The fame Author wrote a Second. *' Part to his Beggars Opera, and tranfported his Heroe " beyond Sea j but this was forbid to come on. the, " Stage. Soon after this Prohibition my Performance. " was to come on the Stage : Great Umbrage was takea *' that I was permitted to have the whole Town to *' myfelf, by this ahfolute Forbiddance of what they, " had more Mind to be entertain'd with And fome " Days before my Bawble was ailed, I was inform'd a C Cihber\ Apology, p. 141, flrong [ 6i ] *^ firong Party would be made againfl it : A Report it *' feems had ran agaiiill: me, that to make Succefs.for *' my own Play, I had privately found Means or Intereft ** that the Second Part of the Beggars Opera fliould be ** fupprefs'd ; as if I, a Comedian, hud been of Confe- *' quence enough to influence a great Officer State to *' rob the Publick of an innocent Diverfion (if it were ' ^^ futh) that none but that cunning Comedian might *' entertain them : But againft blind Malice, and *' y?^r/«^ Inhumanity, whatever is upon the Sti';-',e has ** no Defence ! There tliey knew I flood helplefs and " expos'd, — I had not confider'd, poor Devil, that from *' the Security of a full Pit Dunces might become Wits, ** Cowards valiant, and Prentices Gentlemen. Whe- *' ther fuch were concern'd in the Murder of my Play *' I am not certain ; I never endcavour'd to difcover any " of my Aflaffins ; I cannot afF.^rd them a better Name, ** from their unmanly Manner of deffroying it : It *' faintly held up its wounded Head till the fecond *' Day, and would have fpoke for Mercy, but was not *' fuiFered : The Prcfence of the Royal Heir appa- *' rent could not protev5t it. I therefore, to ftop their *' Clamour, quitted the Ador for the Author, and told *' them, That fince they were not inclined this Play *' J})ould go farther^ J gave them my Word that after ' ** this Night it /hjuld never be ailed again j but that in *' the tnedn Time 1 hoped they would conftder in whofe ** Prefenc/e th'ey were^ and for that Reafon at Icaji ■ *' would fufpend luhat farther Alarks of Difplcafure *' they might think 1 had dcferved. After a dead ** Silence and fome little Paufe, feme few Hands iigni- ■ *' fy'd there Approbation. - - - When the Play went oa ■** I obferv'd about a dozen Perfons, of no extraordinary " Appearance, fullenly walk'd out of the Pit, after *' which every Scene of it met with Applaufe *' But it came too late ; Peace to its Alanes. Now tho' *' this was the only Tumult that I had known to Ijave ' *' been fo effeiStually apptas'd, in fifty Years, "by any ' *'• Thing that could be faid to an Audience in th^ fam.,; ■ *' Humoir i yec it \va"s no Merit in mc, bscaufe, when tc iiki £6.] ** tike me yotx fubmit to their doing .you all the Mifchief *' they can, they will at any Time be fatisfied. " I have been more particular in the Length of this Quc- flion, as it contains a curious Anecdote on damning Lo2i^ in a Riddle, and carries this Moral, that a Sufpicion of an A6lor*s doing a bafe Jifion^ may lay him open to very fevere and unjufl Puniihments from an Audience : This unjuft Treatment, not three Seafons ago, became a cer- tain Aftor's Fortune to meet : The Affair was of a pri- vate Nature y and therefore was thought a p^blick Judi- ence had no Right to take it under their Cognizance: The AfFair was this. There was a certain Lady^ a Very fine Lady, -~ to whom an Adtor was once fo fatally ally'd that the Law gave her a Privilege to call him Husband. — Huf- band I — O fatal Name ! This Lady was young, beauti- ful, fenfible, and virtuous when this A6lor fell in Love with her : She had appear'd on the Stage as a Singer y and wasefteem'd an admirable one. This A6lor, who was at that Time at the Head of the theatric Revolution, which brought back the old Drury-Lane A&ors to their old Houfe at Drury-Laneythought this young Woman had fo much of the amiable and virtuous in her, that without any other Confideration, made her his Wife. What connubial Love and Harmony fubfifted fometime between them, thofe only can judge of whofeHearts have felt the inexpref- fible Delights of a fmcere and mutual Union. But alas, how ihort is all human Happinefs ! The Lady began to grow more cool in her Affedions to her Huf- band than her Duty, her Honour, or her Intereft, ought to have fufFer'd her. Her Heart was eftrang'd, and foreign Inclinations contaminated her Spul. What can be faid, when fo much Innocence flipuld plunge fud- denly anjd ralhly into Vice f - - - But alas ! Frailty y thy Natne is TFoman f This domeftic Unhapplnefs pf the Ars for my Exemplar^ be- fore my Eyes, I had Ambition enough to attempt their Parts, and fay to Pofterity, Exegi monumerAum after hearing fomething re- lating to Dniry-Lane^ of which you may hear more here- after. But to the Patentee-Adtors let us turn our View : ''J'hey had now gain'd all they wiflied for, as to their Power and Management at Drury-Lane : But at the fame Time the prefent Mr. Rich's Houfc in Lin- coln s-Inn-Flelds was opened, which not only terrified the Managers at Drury-Lane, but was in fa<3:, for a great Time, a Draw-back to their Profits ; however, both Patents have fince fubfifted a Company with va- rious Fortune : I find nothing after of any Confequcnce in the theatric Hiftory worthy of Notice during the Triumvirate : They long went forward in a fettled Courfe of Profperity, which Mr. Cibber attributes to their " * vifible Errors of former Managements ; from " them they at lad found the nccellary Means to bring *' our private Laws and Orders into a general Obfer- *' vance and Approbation of our Society Diligence and *' Negledl were under an equal Eye, the one never " fail'd of its Reward, and the other, by being rarely " excufed, was lefs frequently committed." Yet fure there muft be fome Partiality in thefe Me- nagers, and fome Jealoufy of young Acflors ; for feveral "whom they flighted became at the other Stage good Adlors, and were in high Efteem with a great Part of Town ; and feveral in their own Houfe have fince ozen thou-^ht excellent, who in their Menagement feldom or ever appear'd. But Appearance, as well as Applaufe, is the wartn Weather of a Theatrical Plant. This Ob- fervation, and feveral others, will fliow that I write as an Hiftorian ought, without Favour or Aftedion. One Reformation which the Apologiji and his Co- Rulers introduced deferves Attention, as the prefent Stages ftand in need of fuch another. " f Among other necelTary Reformations, fays he, *' v^hat not a little preferv'd to us the Regard of our *' Auditors was the Decency of our clear Stage, from ** whence we had many Years fhut out thofe idle Gen- "fj"** C. G/^//'s Apology. f mto. '' "' tlemenj [69] ^' tlemen, who feem'd more delighted to be pretty Ob- *' je£ts themfelves, thaa capable of any Plcafure from *' the Play : Who took their daily Stands where they *' rnight beft Elbow the Ailor, and come in for thdr *' Share of the Auditor's Attention. In many a la- *' bour'd Scene of the warmed: Humour, and of the *' moft afFecling Paffion, have I feen the beft A<5lors *' difconceited, while thefe buzzing Mufcatoes have *' been fluttering round their Eyes and Ears, How was *' it poffible an A£lor fo embarrafs'd fhould keep his Im- *' patience from entering into that different Temper, *' which his perfonated Charadtcr might require him to " beMafterof." This Nufance of having Crouds behind our Scenes is now as intolerable as ever, both to the judicious Spec- tator and careful Player ; and nothing but the Juri Sacra Fames of the Managers would induce them to indulge fuch an Abufe of the Stage : They may fay indeed it has been fo long a Cuftom that young Gentlemen of DillincStion will not be denied, nor is it their Intereffc to deny them. - - Pray good Mafter Manager let me ask you a Q^ieilion : - - Will a (/ozen Croiuns compenfate the Affront given to a whole Audience of a hundred or a hundred and fifty Pounds ? Will or can a few young Men of Quality fupport your Intcrefl like the Ladies in the Boxes, the Gentlemen of the Inns of Court in the Pit, or the more grave Citizens in tlie firft Gallery ? Well, but you anfwer, if fuch a Cuflom was now de- nied, there would be Uproars in the Houfe, which of late have been of fuch fatal Confequence, that it would be dangerous to hazard them again. - - That might be, Sirs, as your Conduft prov'd : It has been experierc'd, if you give proper Notice to the Town, None will he admitted behind the Scenes, and your Servants execute thofe Orders with the greateft Complaifance, yet deter- mined Refolution, the Evil might be foon remedied, as it is an Evil which rio Pretence can defend, and all the Town will fupport an Alteration of: The Spectators would think themfelves injured as well as you ; and the Town very lately fupported a Manager in flippref- fmg another Nufance, the noify Infolence and Imper- tinence of the Footmen : In fliort, were they rcfolved F 3 to [70] to give up a few pecuniary Pittances, they might, In a Week, keep the Scenes as clear from thefe Squirts and PufFs of Foplings as ever. Befides, as Jrs eft Celare artem, it would be politick not to let them fee xhtBackfide cf our TapeJJry ; for many an A6lor and Adrefs may feem but ordinary Stuff on ftridt Examination, who from a front Profpe(St on the Stage may feem very well : Mr. Rich, indeed, when his own important Adlion is depending, has fome Regard to this Rule, and the Scenes are kept clear becaufe Perfons then admitted might im- pede the Scenery ; and the Beaus and Impertinents are Satisfied with this Reafon. - - Is not then the Reafon the fame in Relation to the A - jX-Ir. Rich is more laconic ftill ; for he only fays, or writes, ' - It will not do. - - Mr. Fleteivood took a different Way from them all ; he being a Gentleman of Rank by Birth, piqu'd himfelf on treating Authors as Gentle- men : He would fee them, excufe his not having had 'Lime to perufc their Pieces, treat them with great De- ference, and defire them to call again : - - Though this ivas a wrong ]\Iethod, and gave him much unnccef- fa y Trouble, yet, Courticr-like; he was pleafed w th » great Number of Dependants, to al! of whom he gave as much Favour as he could, and whca he had l F 4 kept [70 ^ept them In ^ufpence fometimes too long, he di'f- tTiifs'd them with much Complaifance and good Nature. - - As for myfelf, on fuch Occafions, I followed my Father's Track ; if I read a Piece and found it was not Theatrical^ I returned it to the Author, and told hint fo roundly. ' Perhaps the Spark, v/ith a mifty Jir^ walk'd ofF and wrote againft me : But what car'd I. - - - Demens Judiclo Vulgi^ Sar.us Meo. But the moft pleafant Way of returning an Author a refus'd Play, was that of ^lin's : This Anecdote is worth relating. When Mr. "James ^uin was a managing Adlor under Mr, Rich, 7^1 Line olns- Inn-Fields , he had a whole Heap of Plays brought him, which he put in a Drawer in his Beauroe : An Author had given him a Play behind the Scenes, which I fuppofe he might lofe, or miflay, not troubling his Head about it. Two or three Days after Mr. Bayes waited on him to know how he lik'dhis Play : ^in told him fome Excufe for its not being receiv'd, and the Author defir'd to have it returned. --" There, fays ^a/«, there it lies on that Table." - - The A-uthor took up a Play that was lying on a Table, but on opening found it was a Comedy., and his was a Tragedy.^ and told ^in the Miftake: - - *' Faith ♦' then, Sir,' faid he, I have loft your Play" - - Lojl my Play ! cries the Bird - - " Yes by G— d I have, an- ** fwer'd the Tragedian, but here is a Drawer full of *' both Comedies and Tragedies., take any two you will *' in the Room of it." --The Poet left him in high Dudgeon., and the Heroe flalk'd acrofs the Room to his Spau) Water and Rhenip with a negligent Felicity. But to drop the Cutrain of this Chapter, which fhall clofe with Mr. Gibber & laft Speech. " * During our Lift four Yci^rs, there happen'd fo *'■ very little like what has been faid before, that I fhall *' conclude with barely mentioning thofe unavoidable *' Accidents that drev/ on our Difiblution : The firfl: ^'' that for fome Years had led me the Way to * C. tjilVs Apology, p. 545. f' greater [73 ] greater, was the continued ill State'of Health whlc^ render'd Booth incapable of appearing on the Sta^^e. The next was the Death of Mrs. Oldfield^ which happen'd on the 23d of OSfober^ 1730- About the fame Time Mrs. Porter, then in her higheft Repu- tation for Tragedy, was "loft to us by the Misfortune of a diflocated Limb, from the overturning of a Chaife ; and our laft Stroke was the Death of fFilks^ in September the Year following, 173 1. " Notwithflanding fuch irreparable Lofles, whether, when thefe favourite AcStors were no more to be had, their Succeflbrs might not be better born with than they could poffibly have been while the other were in Being t or that the Generality of Spectators, from their V/ant of Tulle, were eafier to be pleafed than the Few tiiat knew better ; or that at worft our Aflors were fliil preferable to any other Company of the fcveral then fubfilling ; or to whatever Caufe it might be imputed, our Audiences were far lefs abated than our Apprehenfions had fuggefted ; fo that tho* it began to grow late in Life with me, having ftill Health and Strength enough to have been as ufeful on the Stage as ever, I was under no vilible Neccflity of quirting it : But fo it happen'd, that our furviving Fraternity having got fome chimnsrical, and, as I thought, unjuft Notions into their Heads, which, though I knew they were without much Difficulty to be furmounted, I chofe not, at my Time of Day, to enter into new Contentions ; and as I found an Incli- nation in fome of them to purchafe the whole Power of the Patent into their own Hands, I did my bcft', while I flay'd with them, to make it worth their while to come up to my Price, and then patiently fold out my Share to the firft Bidder, wifhing the Crev/ I had left in the VefTel a good Voyage. *' What Commotions the Stage fell into the Year following, or f^om what Provocations, the greatell Part of the Ailors revolted, and (et up for themfelves in the Little Theatre in the Hay-Market, lies not within the Province of my Title Page to relate : Or as it might icl fome Perfons living in a Light they "' might In] ** might pofllbly'not chufe to be feen in, I will be rathef " thankful for the involuntary Favour they have done *^ me, than trouble the Publick u'ith private Complaints " of fancied or real Injuries." Thus ends Mr. Col/ey Cibber^s Hiftory of his own Times, and from this /Era I {hall, as a Supplement to Iiis Apologyy continue mine. Tlie View of the Stage for Nine Years paft, in which I have had a large Share of Ailion, may feem a proper Appendix to his more copious and laborious Hiftory. But before I conclude this Chapter, I muft do Ju'lice to another compendiary Hiftorian, old Dcivnes, the Prompter, who has given the Charafters of the A£lors in 1706, the Year of the Union. There is a Particu- larity in his Stile and Manner, and a turgid Pompoufnefs in his Epithets ; yet it is not to be wondered at, having been fo many Years converfant with theatric Phrafes, and elevated Elocution : His Stile nor Manner are not copious and digreflive as that o; Mr. Colley Cibber, yet there is a Ssmething jn it, by which the judicious Reader will difcern fome AfBnity of Genius. Take his Cha- raders in their own Order and Orthography, Mr. IVil/is, proper and comely in Perfon ; of grace- ful Port, Mein, and Air ; void of AfFedation ; his Elevations and Cadences juft ; congruent to Elocution, cfpecially in genteel Comedy ; not inferior in Tragedy j the Emiilion of his Words free, eafy, and natural, at- tracting attentive Silence in his Audience (I mean the Judicious) except were there are unnatural Parts, as ----- I'll mount the Skyy And kick the Gods like Footbals, as I fy ; As Poet Durfey has it. Which puts the Voice tofuch ohftreperous Stretch, Requires the Lungs of a^xmtWs Bellows to reach. ' He is indeed the finifh'd Copy of his famous PredeceC for Mr. Hart. Mr. Cibber, a Gentleman of his Time, has arriv'd to to an exceeding Perfedion in hitting juftly the Humou^ of a ftarcli'd Beau or Fop to the Lord Foppington, Sir Foptitig^ [75] Topling and Sir Courtly^ equaling in the laft, the lat?r eminent Mr. Mounford^ not much inferior in Tragedy^ had Nature given him Lungs ftrenuous to his finifh'd Judgment. Mr. Ejiccurt, Hi/hio natus ; he has the Honour (Na- ture endowing him with an eafy, free, unaffected Mjde of Elocution) in Comedy always to latificate his Audi- ence, efpecially Q^'ality (Witnefs Serjeant Z^/i? :) He's not excellent only in that, but a fuperlative Mimiclc. ' Mr. Booth, a Gentleman of liberal Education, of Form venuft, of mellifluent Pronunciation, having proper Gcfticulations, which are graceful AttenJar.tb to true Elocution, of his Time a moft complcat Tragedian. Mr. Johnfon. Ffe's skilful in the Art of Painting, which is a great Adjumept very promovent to the Art of true Elocution, which is all requirable in i>im that bears the Name of an Adtor : He has the Happlnefs to gain Applaufe from Court and City, witnefs Morofe^ Corbac^ chio, Mr. Hothead, and feveral otheis : He is a true Copy of Mr. Unierhill, whom Sir William D'avenant judg'd 40 Years ago in Lincoln\-Inn~Fields, the trueft Come- dian in his Company. Mr. Dog^et. On theStage he is very afpe£fabund,v:c2^v-' ing a Farce in his Face ; his Thoughts deliberately fram- ing, his Utterance congruous to his JL^ooks : He is the on-^ \y comic Original now extant. hU. Pinkcthinatr, he is the Darling qf Fortunatus, has gain'd more at the Theatres and Fairs in t\velve Years, than thofe that has tug'd at the Oar of ading thefe 50. Next Mr. Mills, Mr. Powel^ Mr. Bullock j the two ^rft excel in Tragedy, the other in Comedy. I muft not omit Praifes due to Mr. Bettertcn, the firft-, and now only Remain of the old Stock of the Company, of Sir William D'avcnant in Lincoln s- Inn- Fields : He, like an old ftately fpreading Oak, now {lands fix'd en- viron'd round with brave, young, growing, flourifhing jPlants. Mr. Drydcny a little before his Death, rcnd'ring him this Praifc ; " Hejike the fetting Sun,Jiill Jhoots a glimmering Ray^ *■' Like ancient Rome, majcjlic i;t Decay, Having [76] Raving thro' this hifloric Narrative rather made ufe of Hiftory already compiled than wrote my own, the next Scenes will open with great Events, in which I was a principal Ador ; what a Kind of a Part I play,* or how well I perform'd it, I muft fubmit, as I ever fhah all my other theatrical Adions> to the Cenfurc or Approbation of the Publick. CHAP. VII. T'lie Author's jlmbirloti in the remarkable Tear 1720. — His eommencing Author. The Reafonsfor it. '/he Author a7td Alexander (Compared. Mr. Colley Gibber privately takes a'way King John from Driiry-Lane 'Theatre. — The Author s Speech as a theatrical Pa- triot. — The Drtiry-Lane Company revolt from High- more, and go to the Hay-marJcet. /ho jiu cf Par- liament for liceniinr; the Stage confidered by the Au- tlior and Mr. Coiiey Gibber, Reflexions on the Author o/Palcjuin. A theatrical State Secret. ^gl^^j H E Theatre has, with Humour and Pro- ■i# ■''■ ""^/Ij priety been compared to a Political State, but ^ T ft'l) the Nature of its Government has never been, ^^^5?^] fixed : Some af&rm the natural Conftitution of a Theatre is a Republick ; fome fay it is a limited, others an unlim.ited Monarchy: What is the beft, or v.'hat the original Eorm of Government was, or Tvhat future Kind of Government it may have, the moft fhrewd tlieatric Politician cannot affirm. Whatever my Notions may be as to national Government, yet, as to a Theatrical State, I muft ingcnuoufly confefs myfclf Anti-monarchical : I am for a Government by a few ; a Triumvirate ; and Twill tell you roundly. Reader, mv Reafon. The Stage never fucceded better than un- der the Triumvirate ; and as I can never be a fole Monarch, this is the beft Form I can think of, wiiich *^-culd give me Power equal to a Monarch, though not the titular Honour ; for my Co-partners in Empire fiiould 1)6 little more than Cyphers, lignifying, roundly. Nothing. [ I'J ] KTothlng. They might indeed be Triumvirs^- but then, like Duke Trincalo in the Play, I would Triumvir over them. This may feem too vain a Conjedlure of my own Parts, and too vain a Contempt of the Underftand- ing of others j but in the Sequel of this Story you will find, that as I was the Buftle-mafter General, I was alfo the Commander-General, and Treaty-mafter Ge- neral J if with all thcfe CommiiTions I could not fccure to myfelf as much or more Power than moft Monarchs in fact l.ave, I ought to be ftlgmatiz'd for the errantcft Dolt that e\er pretended to Machiaucliftn. But after this Pro-ainium let me introduce Matters of Fa6t, for Vv^hich it will be neceflary to premife fome few Things regarding myfelf before the Triumvirate was diflblv'd, and Mr. Collcy C'lbber fold his Share in the Patent, as they will the better connc6l what Relations, Obfervations, Contemplations, Ruminations, Qiiotations, and Argumentations which may enfue. PVom the little hopes which the Publick conceived of me as an A6tor who would make any P'igurc, by In- duflry. Application, and what join'd to them is To Yldv^ the All in All, Genius, I rofe into a gradual Efteem of the Town : But lefl my Significance as an Ai5lor fhould not be glaring enough, I was refolved, young as I was, at a Time when the whole Nation was in a Buftle, to make my Share in it. In the Year 1720, when alj Men thought of raifing Eflates, and bubblinii; the World out of what A^oney they could, I had a vivdcnt Ambi* tion of getting much Money, and making much Noife* Would you think it, but I will confcfs th-:; Simplicity of my Heart : I thought then that were I a South-Sea Di- re<5tor. That I vjou'd do - - Te Gods ! - - What I ivou'd do ! ' But as I was, refolv'd I was to zSt fomething adveiitrous within my Sphere ; and, unlike the other Projectors, I built my Scheme on a valuable Foundation ; and, ac- cording to City Phrafe, I had the Credit of the bcfl Man in England to make u^q of: In fliort, as all were commencing great Men, I was refolv'd to commence j^uthor, and accordingly alter'd a Play of Shahf^ear'% anJ [^8] aftd had It brought on the Stage ; not" was the Sud- cefs of it much unequal to my Hopes. This indeed was thought ft ri king a bold Stroke j to alter Shake fpear was a Task that fome Perfons, merely bigotted to Antiquity, fhudder'd at the Name, they calling it facrificing, violating, affronting, and I don't know what, the Manes of that Bard : But fure all unprejudic'd Perfons will not deny, that fome hiftorical Plays of Sbakefpear want what we hotv call Jeau de Theatre^ that is, a — , a --- fomething heceflary lo make Shake/pear be . . . . more . . . more, in bnef more Jeu de Theatre. My parental Exemplar had alter'd Richard the Hid before, that is, he had cuU'd the Flowers of two or three Plays, and had bunch'd them up into a Nofegay, for the Devil a Line did he write him- felf ; fome indeed he alt rd', but feme fay for the worfe: In this Manner I alter'd Henry the Sixth ; and that the prefent and future Age might know that I had alter'd it, I printed it with my own Name, m capital Letters, in the Title-Page. This is mention'd to fhew that I ^\d patrajfare in my firft fetting out in a Theatre ; but here I allow non paffibus esquis. From this Inftance, however, the Publick faw there was fome Spirit of Au- dacity, and the Dawn of Genius in me. From this no- table i^ra I became more fingularly remarkable both ofi and ofF the Stage : I had fome few fmail Parts given me", in which I fucceeded beyond Expectation ; but as by this Time I knew fo much of a Theatre, that I was fenfible Original Parts made the ftrongefl Influence in the Au- dience. I endeavour'd to get all the little, fprightly, c'r humourous Parts which I thought I could hit ; the firft in which I was more particularly taken Notice of, was the Country Foot-Boy in the Confcious Lovers. The Par't was but a few Lines, yet Ij without Affectation fay, that I firuck in to the aukwardly-pert, cunning of fuch an unlick'd Cub, fo naturally, that I had as many Claps as Speeches. I valued not the Length of a Part fo much as its Humour, and if I had Applaufe when I was on the Stage, I was better fatisfied than being on the Stage long- er, and having no Applaufe at ail : Other young Ailors of the Houfe thought in regard to me, what JVilks and Powd dii [79 1 did as to Mr. Gibber, fen, -- * *' They generally ** meafuredj fays he, tlie Goodnefs of a Part by the *' Length of it: I thought none bad by being fhort, that ** were clofely natural, nor any the better for being ** long, without that QuaHty. But in this I doubt as to *' their Intereft they judg'd better than myfelf, for I ** have generally obferv'd, that thofe who do a great deal *' not ill, have been preferr'd to thofe who do but little^ " though never {o mafterly. " As to the latter Part of the Sentence, Experience has prov'd equally, that to aft much tolerably, and not fo much mafterly, are the Ways to rife to the Top of a Theatre : Mr. Gibber was himfcif a Mafter of a Company, and it is no very great odds, but Mr. T. C. may fucceed to the fame Pcft of ho- nourable Profit. As I rofe into fome Degree of Approbation, I fucceed- ed Air. Norris, commonly czWd Dicky Norris in feveral of his Parts ; which, with feveral others, which I was well receiv'd in, put me a little upon my Mettle ; and I began to think, as I had heard my Father fay, he was taken Notice of moft for being an Author as well as aa Adtor, that I wojld purfue the fame Meafures. I foon came to a Refolution, for Ambition in great Souls a«t's Apology, p. 12; YcK [ 8o] » - - Yet I waited till he awoke, and repeated to him my Defign of writing a Comedy. " yf Comedy , *' Boy ! Thou write a Co?nedy / " Yes, Sir, fays I, why not ? You wrote a Comedy before you was my Age, " True^ Child -^ but^ 7ny Dear, I hope you " dont think of this Jffair ferioiijly . " Yes, Sir, I have thought on it, and have begun it, and half wrote it. *' JVell^ but harkye. Sir, IFhat has put you on ** this Exploit? Fame, Fame, I fuppofe, <2«^ Parnaffian *' Glory: Prythe Jlick to thy Biijinejs as an ASlor, and dont JJjew youj'felf in a double Capacity a Coxcomb. " Saying this, he took a Pinch of Snuff, and walk'd off. - - Reader, you may believe I was not in a little Confu- iion, and you may equally credit me, when I tell you I thought my Father as errant a cci::ceited pragmatical felf-fufficient Coxcomb as ever he rcprefented. Hov/ever, on I went with my Play, and when I had finiih'd three A6iS, I accidentally happen'd to be with him alone, when lie furpriz'd me, by faying, " Well, Boy, What is become *' of this Comedy of thine? Haji thou wrote a favourite Scene yet ? " I told him what Progrefs I had made, when, taking a Pinch, and fmiling, " Pr'yihe, fays, he, what *' do/i thou mean ? What a Gad^s Name, IT he' infpires *^ you in this Attempt?" -'-- That Principle, Sir,, faid I, that moft of the World adt upon, Interejl. You know. Sir, I have not been the moft frugal Oeconomift ; my Finances low, my Debts high, and my Creditors impatient ; a Comedy, Sir, from me would fct all right : j am fare it will do ; my writing it would make it run : The Name would raife a Curiofiiy " ll^es, Sir^ *' anfwer'd he, thy Name, for my Name fake would fe- *' cure your being datnn'd. . , . However, as this is the *' State of the Cafe, let 7ne fee your Play when you have *' pnijh'd it, and I will let you know more of ?ny Mind. " I like t})£ Re a f on you give for writing, and therefore •* /7;a// not oppofe it. " .... Now my Heart bounded with Joy, and what v^ill not the Gratification of our De- fires Work upon our Heart ? I began to Icve my Father ; I look'd on him in another Light, and inftead of think- ing him a Coxcomb, thought he talk'd like a very fenfible j^lan. Iji a Fortnight my Flay was iinifii'd, and I brought C 8i ] brought it Mm, and read it ; He told me it "was a rough Pebble, yet might do with a little poJifhing ; for it was a tolerable good firftPlay: In brief, it pleas'd him fo much, that he lick'd the rude Poetic Cub into that Form in which it afterwards appear'd. On his Confent it fhould be brought on the Stage immediately, ,1 could not help ruminating on the Happinefs of my Cafe as an Author ; for there was not one Author then living could have brought a Performance on the Stage without infinite Trouble, Vexation, Charge and Intereft, I took Care it fhould get into Rehear fal at the Time the Managers had appointed, who were fo civil as to compliment me with the prime Part of the Seafon. It may fmell pragma- tical in the Nojlrils of- Gravity^ yet I cannot here help remarking what Ideas the Thirfl: of Fame and Intereji will raife in a generous Mind. 'The Reader will think, Alexander the Grsat and I, can have no Analogy on this Occafion : But though my Character is not parallel to him, my Soul may. The A'linds of two Men, though they are plac'd at fome Diftance, if they think in a rigiit Way, will and muft meet in one and the fame Thought ; fo every one knows two parallel Lines, the Icaft inclining to one another in the Progreffion, muft and will meet in one and the fame Point ; as then an Analogy between Me and Alexander may be mathematically prov.'d, I'll fhow it alfo by Example. The Macedonian when he had meditated in Youth high Exploits, and noble Feats of Arms, his Breaft all fwelling with the Heaves and Throws of Ambition, he fet before his Eyes the A<5fsof Achilles ; infpired by thefe he (hook his brandifh'd P'aJchi- on ; on Conquell he refolv'd ; . . . refolv'd and conquer'd : fo I ruminating on dramatic Fame, Parnajftan Glory, and three third crowded Nights, fet before my Eyes the Writings of Colley Gibber ; infpir'd by thofe, I brandifh'd high my Pen, hurling Defiance in vile Critick's Teeth. On Triumph I refolv'd. , . . refolv'd and triumph'd. . . Now fome fmart theatrical IVouWbe will fay this Compa- rifon proves me no more like Alexander the Greats than that oi Fluellins i i Henry the Fifth does him like Alexan- der tiie Pig : This would give me no Pain. G . Vidi [ 8^1 Cdl profanum vulgus i^ arceo. But as to my Play : When it began to mellow in Re- hearfal, and was almoft ripe enough for the Stage ; a peftilential Blaft of Envy had like to have deftroy'd it, and with it all my fair Hopes : A Rumour had gone a- broad, that truly this Comedy was none of mine, but my Father's; and that he, not willing to ftand the Bears any more, brought it out under my Name. As ridicu- lous as this was, it gain'd Belief among many, therefore it was thought necelFary that I ftiould make a previous Apology to the Town to let Matters in a true Light, and to take oft Prejudice : Accordingly I wrote a Letter to the Tczvn^ and printed it in one or more of the pub- lick Papers, in which I told them that, upon my Word and Credit, it was all my own Doings^ and that my Fa- ther never wrote a Line of it, or faw it. Notwithftand- ing this Letter, and the intrinfic Value of the Comedy, there was great Oppofition made to the Play, and damn'd it had furely been, if the Epilogue fpoke by my firft Wife ■ 'Jenny Gibber and me had not fav'd it ; for my Father knowing how it would be, wrote an Epilogue as a Dia- logue^ between me and Jenny, in which flie told me I was a Blockhead to write, and that I was my Father's own Son ; all which were ftrong Jokes with the Audi- ence. I put on a pitiful Face, told her I wrote to pay my Debts, and that I would, for the future, prove a gocd and loving Husband, if {he would fave my Play : The Audience being won by her Entreaty, to *' Give us, at IcaJI, an honejl Chance to live. The Play liv'd nine Nights. This being the chief Incident of my Life as an Jiithor, I have been fome- what prolix in the Account of it ; and have yet fome more Obfervations to make. I mention'd that I wrote a Letter to the Town previous to the Performance of my Play : Now there is a Parallel to this in the Conduit of Mr. Colley Cibbcr, which is not mention'd in his Apo- logy, his /ipology not reaching to that Time. Every one muft rt member that three Years ago Mr. Colley Cihber brought to Drury-Lane Theatre' hii Play, alter'd from Shake^ [•83 ] Shake/pear, call'd King John : It was no fooner In Re- hearfal, but flap the Criticks were at him dire6tly ; Let- ters, Epigrams, Odes, Jokes, and all the Ribaldry of Grubjirect flew about in the Papers, and it was laid the Templars, and their Pojfe Legi/latus, were engag'd to damn it. On this Mr. Cibbcr wrote a Letter, direded. To the Students of the Inns of Courts and very handfomly and mighty civilly defired them to do no fuch Thing. This Letter was new Fuel to the Flame ; they fell foul of the Letter immediately, from whence he might eaflly conjedlure how they would ufe his Play ; But what could he do ; the Play was juft ready to be perform'd, the Adlors perfe(Sl, Scenes painted, and much Time had been fpent which the Mafter of the Houfe, would other- wife have been ufing to his Litereft, therefore he could not fairly withdraw it: However, h,e was refolv'd it Ihould not be damn'd ; and fearing the Mafl:er might in- fifl: on its being play'd, what does he, but at a Rehearfal, feeing his Play lying on the Prompter's Table, he takes up the Copy, and puts it up into his Pocket fnug^ and decently walk'd off with it, refolving he would not run the Ri{(iueof fo precarious a Fortune. I (hall here, while I think of it, fpeak of a Theatri- cal Conduct lately pradlifed, nor can I fpeak of it in any Place more proper than in this : I mean that of Perfons belonging to a Theatre addrefling the Town by Letters. I muft confefs, that I and my Father firfl: pradlifed this Art, with the fame Succefs : It laid us open to the Criticifm of Coffee houfe Wits, who thought foberly on what we wrote haftily : There was fuch canvafling the Stile ; this was not Grammar^ and that was not Scnfe ; one Thing vizs falje Englijh, another a Cibbcrijm : But befides the Jokes, which if nothing elfe are nothing at all, they debated the Point over, and form'd them- ielves into Parties, which we experienc'd were not to our Advantage. I have, indeed, fince the Time of my Plav, addrefs'd the Town, and with the fame Succefs ; for I find by our Theatric Squabbles and Akcicuiuns we make as much Amufement to the Town in a Alorning, 2Li by our Performance in an Evening. The Contentions G 2 [ 84] for the Part o^ Polly between Mr . Clive and my late --- I was going to fay Wife ;— -but a htelFoman who was call'd by my Name : That Conteft, I remark, furnifli'd a co- pious Topic for Converfation, Argument, and Pubhcation, and ended with Noife and Uproars in the Play-houfe : There has been the fame Thing praftifed by Monfimr Denoyer and Madamoifelle Roland^ and before by Mori' Jieur Poitier and Madayncifelle Roland^ verfus Meffieurs ^in and Fleetwood, and yet another, which made not ' a little Noife, between the two Harlequins, Meffieurs Philips and Woodward. The Confeqi-ience of all thefe Addrefles has been this ; the Town is call'd into the Playhoufe, as the dernier Refort, to judge of Things which the Majler of the Houle is only Judge of: When the Judges come to this mixt Court of Judicature, where all prefcnt may pafs Sentence, they are divided in Opi- nion, and then the Qiieftion muft be decided by Noife and Tumult, and they who are the greateft Rioters carry it. 1 do not find that any of thefe epiftolary Ad- drefles to the Town from theatric Performers have done them any Service, nor would I advife, on any Occafion, to have Recourfe to fuch Expedients : How- ever, there is no Rule without Exception. Mr. Rich, who has never fufFered his People to make Appeals, nor ever made them himfelf, was at laft drawn in by meer Neceffity. A little, trifling, pragmatical, obfcure 'Pothecary, that lives in fome bye Street or Alley about Covent-Garden, one J— H--ll^ publiflies a Thing call'd the Opera of Orpheus, and in a fcurrilous Preface to it, abufes Mr. Rich for having ftole his Entertainment of Orpheus and Eiirydice from his Orpheus, and inftigated the Publick to do Juftice for fo notorious a Fraud j nor was this Pamphlet his only Attack : He run about the Town, made Parties, and People from his Reprefenta- tions, thought him really injured : Now it became ne- cefiary for Mr. Rich likewile to appeal to the Town, and to fet the Afi^air in a true Light, and plainly narrate downright A^Iatters of Fad : To this H—ll replied, with ail the fcoundrel Scurrility his httle Wit could afford ; and I alfo became an Ob)e<5l of his Malice. There was a candid Anfwer printed to his Pamphlet the Night be- fore 1 85 ] fore the Entertainment came out : This Addrefs to the Publick, from Mr. Rich, was necefiary, and had the defired Effects: The firft Night tht Entertainment was crouded, and was received with general Apphiufe ; and the World has never fmce hear'd of that J— H—ll, who funk intotliat Obfcurity from whence he emerg'd. But to return, Reader, to that Station in the Theatre from whence Idigrefs'd. Afcer having wrote my Playcall'd the Lover, I began to think my felf every Day of more and more Confequence ; and having got an Infight into the Manner of A4anaging, I began to think I was Equal to the Management of a young Company to play in the Sum- mer Seafon. Accordingly I got Leave from Mr. JVilks^. and the other Mafters to form a young Company, and, to play during the Vacation : This was no bad Thinly for the Mafters, nor the inferior Players ; for the firft receiv'd a fettled Payment for the Ufe of a few old Scenes and Cloaths, and the latter generally five or fix Pays pAy per Week for two Days Performance, Befides, I generally brought out fome new Pieces and Farces, which not only turned to our immediate Account, but to the Good of the Aciors, as A£iors, and to the Majlers^ by becoming very gainful Performances the Winter or two following. To Inftance tliis, I need fay no more than that George Barnwell, the Devil to pay^ the M:ck Doctor, and the Beggars Opera, the Part of Polly by Mrs. Clive, were firft perform'd under my Alanao-e- ment of Summer Companies : From thefc young Com- panies fee what Performers have been chiefly fprun^ ; Mrs Clive, Mrs. Buttler, and, though laft, not Icaftin Love — MYSELF. This Cuftom I continued till the Re- volution of the whole Company under my Conduct, of which more hereafter. This Management of mine was an undoubted Proof of my Abilities, and I did imaHne I might become a Manager in my own Right : Bat, alas ! how frail are all human Hones ! On the Death of Mr. Wilks, Mr. Gibber, fen. fold out, at a proper Oppor- tunity, his Share of the Patent to Mr. Hiyhmore, a Gentleman who had a great liking to theairical Affairs and who had play'd fome Patts on the Stage, meerly, I fuppofe^ to (hew what a Judge he was of ading, a'nd 3 confe- [ 86] confequently of Adors. The Parts he play'd were Hotfpur and Lothario. This Gentleman, befides his Liking to theatrical Affairs, had chiefly a Liking to theatrical Gain : He had heard, and partly feen %yhat Profits the Managers had made for a long Courfe of Years, and had a Mind to purchafe what he thought would prove fo fine an Income : How his Expedlations were anfwered, you will find related. Here I muft difclofe a Secret ; When Mr. Gibber^ fen. fold out his Share in the Patent, I was defperately alarm'd, and look'd on it as a Piece of Injuftice done to myfelf : For I thought his Share, or at leaft the major Part of his Share, would have devolved upon me as an Inheritance ; therefore I looked on myfelf as a dlfinherited Son, and that Higbmore had bought, clandeftinely, my Birth- Right, or rather by finifrer Means deprived me of it. This may ferve for a Reafon why I fo heartily enter'd into the Meafures I afterwards profecuted : On Mr. Booth's Death the Patent became inverted to the Property of Mr. Highmore, the Widow Booth, and the Widow IVilks, The whole Company began to murmur at being rul'd by fo motley a Kind of Government as they were now falling under, vi%. A Man who knew nothing of the Bufinefs, and two Women unfit for fuch a Province ; Mr. Ellis was indeed deputed to adl for Mrs. Wilks, but I believe that did not much better the Affairs : Mr, Ellis, however, became not only a Deputv to Mrs. Wilks, but Prime-Minifter and Fac-Totum to High?nore. This could be no pleafant Situation for the other A6lors, who had been fo many Years labouring in the Theatre, and bore the Burthen of the Day ; fuch as the elder Mills, Mr. Jcbnfon, Miller, Griffin, and fome others, wlio, though younger, had fome Claim ; as Mills, jun. and myfelf : I found this an admirable Time to put in Execution a Defign I had p'an'd, which was, at a pro- per Opportunity, to fling off the Yoke, and fet up for Maflers and Managers ourfelves : At one of our private Meetings ;di were complaining, yet no one propofed a Method of Redrefs,. when I got up from my Chair and thus delivered va^itli^ ij'entlemen^ [ 87] Gefttlemen, •< "1% /I" Y Heart never beats with a Wronger Joy, than c< 1\X when I have a Power of thinking and aifing *' right : I think the Glow that now warms my Bofom *' is raifed by Truth and cherifhed by Sobritty. Long *' have you complained of the Tyranny ycu groan *' under, and long have looked with Indignation en your *' Chains: But what, O ye Gods ! can availlugubrious *' Lamentations ? Of what Force is fuch female Rhe- *' torick ? -— If you think you receive Injuries, deliver *' yourfelves from them : If you would not be Slaves, *' be free : If you have a IFi// to be i'o, you have *' Power. Under what Bonds arc you confined ? By ** what Allegiance are you reftrained ? You have a glo- *' rious Caiife : You may be the Aflerters of the Caufe *' of Liberty. What though your Enemies have got *' the Patent^ you [have your czvn Talents^ your own " Endowments of Nature^ and Acquifitions of Art. *' What is the Great Seal to you ? You may fay of *' that^ as was faid by a great and bold Man of Magna *' Charta, it is a Adagna Farta. If you have Spirits, *' Refolution, and Condu£l, a fair Road invites to " Wealth, p'ame, and Freedom. You may take their *' Houfe of fome of the Renters, and get Pofieffion ot *' it by Artifice, and fet up yourfelves: A Stratagem in " War is no Crime: Or, failing in that, you may, '* pro tempore^ take the little Hay-market Houfe : Yout " Company will be better than theirs, and Novelty of *' Places will be changing the Scene, and give Succefsl *' Perhaps it may be objeded we have no Exchequer., no " Scenes, no Cloaths, with a long Et cetera. What " then ? You may have Credit enough. Though *' fome among you have not much Credit in a private " Capacity., yet in a piiblick Capacity., as a Body cor- *' porate, as it were, much Credit will be given : There *' are monied Men who will adventure Sums on fuch a " Proceeding : Therefore, Sirs, no longer fliov/ this Ina- *' nity of Cojnplaint ; the Means of Freedom are in your " own PofTeflionj which, if you refufe, may you be G 4 *' perpetual [ ss] *' perpetual Slaves, and be fold like a Herd of Sheep '* from one Purchafer to another : If you dare be other- ** wife, by this honeji Heart I will rifque my Life and *' Fortune with you, and prove to you, that I cannot *' only, Fart qua fentio fed Jgere ques SeKtio, /peak ** what I think, but a£f accordingly." This Harangue had all the Succefs that I could wifh ; They refolved no longer to bear the galling Yoke of Tyranny, but afTert that Liberty and Property which all true Britons are fo tenacious of. When the Seafon ' was quite over, v/e thought it a proper Time, having gain'd fome of the Renters to our Side, to endeavour to gain Poffeffion of the Theatre ; but in this we fail'd, though we attacked it, Fi & Jrmis. On this Difap- pointment, we all agreed, that the only Place we could pitch our Tents at, and open our theatrical Campaign, inuft be at the little Houfe in the Hay-market. Several Objections were made to the Situation of the Place, and the Smallnefs of the Theatre ; but, as I had the Revo- lution ftrongly at Heart, I talked them and pcrfuaded them out of a!l their Objections. At Length it was refolved, in a. full Council of War, that we would en- camp at the Hay-market ; we accordingly took the Houfe of one Potter, a Carpenter, who was the Land- lord, befpoke all our dramatick Equipages and Furni- ture, and held frequent Councils to fettle the Operations of the enfuing Campaign. At the Fair of Bartholomew we gain'd fome Recruits ; but befides thofe Advantages over the Enemy, I myfelf went there in Perfon, and publickiy ^x^c/I^isf myfelf : This' was done to fling De- fiance in the Patentees Teeth ; for on the Booth where I exhibited, I hung out the Stage -Mutiny^ with Pijlol .Sit the Head of his Troop, our Standard bearing this Motto, - - IVe Eat. - - In a few Days after, the Patentees opened with /Efop, to vyhich they added an occafional Scene, written formerly by Sir John Vanbrugh, on a prior De.ertion of Adlcrs, wherein they thought they did great Service to the Patentees, and caft a fevere Re- fieilion on us : They next attack'd us by another old, worn-out, rhapfodical Affair of one Feildings, call'd the [89] ■flie Juthors Farce, in which I and my Father were dai- ly ridicul'd: Bi;r all this I laugh 'dar in my Sleeve, well confidering, that joking on the Clbbers could nor hurt us, Gn theconnary, we open'd with Love for Love^ and got up all the ftrongeit Plays with a diligent Expedition. Our Company coniilted of the o\{\.F'cternni, who were al- low'd by the Town to be grcarly Ihperior to our An- tagoniflsj for excepting Mrs. Clive and Mrs. Hortcn^ there was not one in their Company hut was the con- temotible Refule of the Theatre.' We had alio re- ceiv d an additional Force, by receiving Mr. Mil- ivard, who having left Mr. Rich on fome Difgufl:, join'd our Forces. The Patentees imagin'd that much depended on the Number of their Troops, and they had try'd conliderable Reinforcements from ftrol' ling Companies- but being all aukward and undifci- plin'd, they were no more to compare to us than the County Militia to the King's Body-Guards *. " What rude, riotous Havock was made of all the late " dramatic Honours ot our Theatre ! All became at *' once the Spoil of Ignorance and Self-Conceit ! Stnke- *' fpear was tortur'd and defac'd in every iingal Cha- " raifcr. HsiJulct and OthcUo loft in one Hour all their ** good Senle, their Dignity and Fame. Brutus and *' C^y^«j became noify Bluitcrcrs, with bold unmeaning " Eyes, miibken Sentiments, and turgid Elocution: " Kot young Lawyers in hir'd Robes and Plumes at a " Maiquerade, could be lels what they could feem, or *' more aukwsrdly perfonate the Charafter they belonged " to." This excjaniatory Inve^flive of Mr. tclley Cib- he)\ on the Revolution which Settenon made, is fo apropos to my Revolution, I could not forbear quoting it. As we met with much Succefs, and the Patentees with none: at all, they thought to effeil by Policy what they could not obtain by Force : They endeavoured therefore to (ilence us, not by the Authoriry of the Lord Chamberlain, but that of an Act of Parliament, by which they would prove us Vagabonds. To efifecf this, Mr. Harper was taken up as a Vagabond, and was com- * nde C. Cibber'% Apology, p. 1 1 6, mitted [90] iTjitted to Srldc-well : But on the Trial of the Legality of his Commitment, it appear'd that he was not within the Defcription of the A61: of the Twelfth of Qiieen ^;;;;, againll Vagabonds, he being a Houfe-keeper, and having a Vote for the Members of Parliament for JFefi- minjler : He was therefore difcharg'd, and condu6led through the Hall, amidft the triumphant Acclamations of his theatric Friends. Having carried this important Point, we had nothing to fear from the Patentees, knowing now that our Succeis depended lolely on our own good Conduft, and the Favour of the Publick. I cannot but confefs that we had difmal Apprehenfions of the Force of the Aft, which would have fo fix'd the Power of the Patent, that we muft invltis animis have return'd to the Dominions of our former Mafters: We had indeed got a fpecious Colour of a Licence, and put at the Top of our Bill, 'By Licence of the Mafter of the Revels 5 for which titular Honour we paid him handfomely 3 yet we did this rather to induce the Pub- lick to think we play'd by a legal Authority, and under the Sanftion of the Court, than lor any Right which we thought it cor.ferr'd on us. We could not be ignorant that Mr. Grflard's Company at Goodmans Fields was then playing againft all the Oppolition that could be made to it, againft the Power of the City of London, and even their Remonftrances to the Court that it was a Nulance. In fliort, it was not then thought in the Pow- er of the Crown to fupprei's a Playhoufe, though afting without Royal Licence and Permiffion, becaule it was not evidently an illegal Thing. But the Cafe is now alter'd by a late Afl of Parliament, which has fix'd all Power in regard to Theatres and theatrical Affairs in the Lord Chamberlain for the Time being : As this KSt is of fuch Importance to the Theatres, and the paffing it caus'd great Debates in both Houfes, it may be proper to confider the Caufe and Realbns given for having it enafted 3 in relating which, I may give fome curious Anecdotes, and State-Secrets, which Mr. C. Cihher has omitted 5 yet I iliall open my Narrative in his Words, as they are an Inveftive againft a certain Peiibn, for whom alio I have a Word or two in ^etto. ■ « Thefe [ 91 ] *' * Thefe tolerated Companies gave Encouragement " to a broken Wit to colled a fourth Conlpany, who for " fometime aiSed Plays in the Hay-Market, which " Houlethe united 1)rury-Lane Comedians had quited. " This enterprifing Perlbn, I fay, (whom I do not chufe " to name, unlels it could be to his Advantage, or that " it was of Importance) had Senfe enough to know, *' that the beffc of Plays with bad Aftors would turn *' but to a very poor Account, and therefore found itne- " ceflary to give the Pubhck fome Pieces of an extraor- " dinary Kind, the Poetry of which he conceiv'd ought " to be fo Ilrong, that the greatell Dunce of an Ador, " could not fpoil it. He knew too, that as he was in " hade to get Money, it would take up lefs Time to be " intrepidly abufive, than decently entertaining, that to " draw the Mob after him, he mull rake the Chanel, " and pek their Superiors j that to Ihew himfclfSome- " body, he mud come up to Juvenal\ Advice, and t' ftand the Confequcnce. " Aiiie allquid brevibui gyaris ^ carcere dignum *' Si vis e/fc allquis. Juv. " Such then was the mettlefome Modefty he fet out " with j upon this Principle he produc'd leveral frank " and free Farces that leem'd to knock all Diftinftions " of Mankind on the Head. Religion, Laws, Govern- " ment, Priefts, Judges, and Minilters were all laid flat " at the Feet of this | Herculean Satyrijl. This " Drawcanfir in Wit, that fpar'd neither Friend nor " Foe: Who, to make his Fame immortal, like ano- *' thev Eroftratus, fet Fire to his Stage by w-riring up " to an At\ of Parliament to demolifh it. 1 ihall not *' give the particular Strokes of his Ingenuity a Chance " to be remember'd, by reciting them ; it may be *' enough to lay, in general Terms, they were fb open^ * Vide C. C/3^tT's Apology, p. 164. f This is to be taken in a double Senfe, the Perfon flruck at having fince called \\\mk\i Hercules Vitifgar, and is the no- Jorious Author of the Champion, [ pi ] " ly flagrant, that the Wifdom of the Lcgiflature " thought it high Time to take Notice of them. " The Perfon of whom Mr. Cibber only gives the Out- fide Lines of his Pourtrair, Is at prefent well known by thofe only : but that Pofterity may know this iniquitous Son of Wit, who has fell under this heavy Cenfure of the Laureat for fatirizing the jnftMeafures of the pre- lent all-juft, all-wife, and all-powerful Miniller 5 I will fubfcribe the Nam.e of K—y F—d-g, Efqj Author of Vufqitin, the bljlorical Regiftcr, Eurydice hif'sd^ and others of the fame political Caft. To rhei'e Farcesj which were allegorical Satires on the Adminiftration, the Town run with the utmoft Avidity ofDefamation and Scandal : He drew the Mob after him from GroveC- nor, Cavend'rp, Hanover, and all the other fafhionable Squares, as alfo from l^all Mall, and the Inm of Court : I call them as the Apologift I quoted calls them, Mob 5 for there may be your Mobs of Quality as well as Mobs of Raggimuffins 3 your Magvum vulgus ^ imum Your great Vulgar and the fmall. Well -: - - Thefe Mobs or Multitudes, or Concourfe, or Audiences, call them what you will, reforted nightly to hear thefe Parces. and were dull enough not only to think they coa- tain'd Wit and Humour, but Truth alfb. It could not but regret me to fee fome noble Peers and Gentlemen I had entertain'd a very good Opinion of, as to their Parts and Capacities, fitting in the Side-boxes, and feera- ingly delighted with the Performance : But I have Cha- rity enough for thefe Gentlemen to think they did all this more outof Party-Z:;al, and to byafi the Mob, than from any Conviction, there was, in thofe Farces, either Senfe, Humour, or Truth. But what will not: Men proltitute in a Party-Caufe ! - - - The Succefles of iheie dramatic Peices made the M - - - r not a little uneafy, nor could the merry droll Mortal his Brother keep his Temper 3 for let lome Men be as facetious as they pleafe, and love a Lau;;h as much as they will,they don't like the Laugh to be always on rhem. I and my Father, who can bear as much laughing at, and have had as much laughing at as any two Perlons in the Kingdom, not ex- cepting the two honourable Gentlemen I juft now men- tion'd3 yet though we carry it off in Company, it ftings, It [ 93] it hurts our Hearts to be the ftanding Objefls of Rail- lery 3 and I will not l.iy, but it we could as well avenge the Infults on us, as the M r could againft him, but We might perform it. But to the Point. From thefe farcical Satires, a dainty Opportunity ofJer'd itielf to the great Man, not only to lupprels thole, but to bring all Stages, and all Stage-writings under fuch a Re- Ihiftion, that nothing Hiould be exhibited for the future that fhould give him the leaf!: Unealinels. Here was an admirable Proof of deep Policy and Sagacity, to make the Satire of his Enemies be the Tools of his Intereft : A Scheme was laid to accomplilh his Defign, it was put in Execution, and it fucceeded. I mull here enter the Verge of private Hiftory, and by the following Anecdote fliow, that I have that great Talent of an Hiflorian, not to dare to fpeak talle, and not afraid to ipeak Truth. Mr. Giffard had remov'd about this Time from Good- mans Fields to Li ncolns-Ifin- Fields Houfe, which he had hir'd o^'^U. Rich : His Removal had not anfwer'd his End, and his Affairs began to grow defpcrate. He had never as yet given any prejudicial Offence to the Court, yet was fuppos'd not to have luch Obligations to it, as to deny, at this Juncture, the performing a Earce which might bring him a large Sum of Money. At this lame Time, in a moft vile Paper, call'd Common Senfe^ there was a libellous Production calPd the Gchlen Rump^ which the Town and the Mob were Fools enough to think ^Yit and Humour : Now as the hitting in with the Humour of the multitudinous Mob is very advanta- geous to a Theatre, a Dramatick Piece was wrote on this Gdden Rump Subjetfl-, and call'd the Golden Rumpy which was gaen ^h. Giffard to be perform'd ; but before it was rehears 'd it To happen'd, no Matter how or why, but fo it happen'd, that Mr. Giffard went to 'Do-ivning'Street with this Satirical Farce in his Pocket, which was delivered to a great Alan for his Perufal j and it was found to be a Icurrilous, ignomi- nious, traiterous, fcandalous, ^c. ^c. i5c. Libel a- gainlt Majefty itlelf It was immediately carried to, fhown to, explain'd to, and remonflrated to, that if there was not an immediate Acl of Parliament to [94] to flop fucK Abufes, not Regal Dignity was fafe from them. - - - J5lt(in eft. Twas done - - - The Point gain'd in a Moment, and a proper A61 order'd to be got. Well, now, fays fome impatient Reader, What of all this ? What Secret is this ? Sy -what hifcrefice or Imiendo does this po-w the AI 's Tolicy or Finejfe ? Prithee don't be fo mifty, and let me a^k you a Queftion by Way of a Suppofe. Suppole, Sir, this fame Golden Rump Farce was wrote by a cer- tain great Man's own Direction, and as much Scurrility and Treafon larded in it as poffible. Suppofe Giffhrd had i. private Hint how to ad" in this Affair, and was promis'd great Things to play a particular Part in this Parce. Suppofe he was promifed a.feparate LicencCy or an Equivalent : You may then fuppofe the M a thorough Politician, who knew to ma- nage bad Things to the bell Advantage. 1 but^ lay you, I-zvill Jict found my Selief oh Suppofe s Truth may be fuppofed : Suppofe this Truth and vou may be right. If you are lb ungenteel to require Proof de- monftrative I have done with you, and can only refer you to the Author and Negociators of the Golden Rump. This, however, is notorioully certain, that the Farce of the Golden Rump was carried to a great Man, and the Mailer of the Playhoule, who carried it, was promifed fomething, which he has been I'ome Time in a vain Expedacion of, but will now, in all Probability^ end in nothing at all. But, laying afide private Anecdotes of the obtaining the late Piayhoufe A61, 1 niuil mention what was known to all : The Mailers of the two Houies acting under the Patent made no Oppolition to this Bill ; they did all in their Power to promote it, becaule it would fup- preis, for the prelent, all Theatres but their own : They were fo full of this Profpecl, that they did not perceive they were at the fame Time becoming ab- folute Dependants on a M r 5 for the Bill contain'd a Claufe, that the Lord Chamberlain fliould have a Power of liceniing other Theatres, if he lb thought proper, within the City and Liberties of Weftminjfer. The Aclors were indeed alarm'd, and imagin'd this Ad would lay them under Opprcilions, from which they could [95] could gain no proper Redrefs ; for the conftant Imme- morial Way of redieffing Grievances, in the Govern- ment of a Theatre, is to raife a Revolt, and bring about a Revolution : But the Security of the Mailers of the Playhoufes, and the Alarm of the Allots were both ill- founded, as I ihall, in the fublequent Narration, make appear. If the Lord Chamberlain can grant another Licence, why then ihould not the A£lors, who may be aggriev'd by the prefent Mafters, endeavour to gain one ? I only ask that Q«eftion here 5 I may explain it in ano- ther Place. * Mr. C. Cibbe)' has made a copious and florid Difler- tation, as well political as theatrical, on this Law : He proves Satire on a Minifter, when reprefented on the Stage, is ftronger than any Satire can be that is read in the Clolct, therefore to licence the Stage could bear no Analogy with licenfinj^ the Prefs : He lays it down alio, " that a theatrical Infult to a prefent Minifter, is equal *' to the llab Gmfcard gave the late Lord Oxford : " Then adds, " Was it not high Time to take this dan- " gerous Weapon of mimical Infolencc and Defamation " out of the Plands of a mad Poet, as to wreft the " Knife from the lifted Hand of a Murderer ? " In iliort, the Laurcat has (hewn himfelf a profound Politi- cian, by becoming a voluntary Champion for that Law : H« fiiys, he writes on this Subjeci to fliew the true ^P our trait of his, Mnd^ and to pc'v hov) far he is or is not a 'Blockhead : Perhaps this was not his only Motive j if he had another Defign than merely to give \-\\?,fjal- low Reafons a little Exerrife, and if it fliould lucceed, the World mull admire at the Depth of his Speculations. I Ihall illuftrate this Remark when I come to dcfcanc on fome Tranfaclions of a very late Date, thinking it now Time to return to that Part of my Hillory, from whence I digrefs'd. By the Releafe of Ilarpcr.^ we gained a compleat Conijuell over the Patentees 5 they mdecd carried on the Campaign, but with I'uch Ier''iA^Q\o'gY, p. 165. gan [ 96] gan to til ink it the mofi: prudent Method to make the bert Retreat he could : Upon my Soul, though as an Enemy in the Field I could nor be dilpleas'd with his Diftrefs 5 yet, as he paid fo many thoufand Pounds to my Father, my honell Heart could not but feel for his beinci plung'd in an Affair he knew nothing of. 1 cannot blame my Father for fo advantageoufly felling out 3 and, was my hereditary Claim laid afide, he a6ted prudently, and confequently honeftly. But let that go : He made me iome amends by giving High- more no affixing Advice how to conduct his Theatre, which, if he had, mull: have greatly injured usj for no one knows that Province but myfeif and him. The new Purchafer therefore being left to himfelf, and his Prime Mimfter Mr. E-!l-s, Singers, Dancers, Tumblers, and other exotic Performers were hir'd at extroaordinary Rates. This was but of very little Service, and the Pofture of his Atfairs grew daily into a worfe and worie Situation. i cannot but here obferve to the Reader how different ■our Condu(J'l: was at the Hay-market : I muft ingenuoufly confels, though we kept our fimple heads above VVater,we had got out of our Depth j for after our firft Run of Novelty and Interefi: was over, our Audiences grew thin, which Deficiency we fupplied by Orders of our own 5 for in the Theatres, as in Shops, the Appearance of Bufinefs brings Cuftoiners. Keverthelefs, we found large Deficiences in the Office 5 and by the Accounts in our Books we had contrafted a very confiderable Debt 5 yet we conceal'd the State of our (jale as much as pof- fible, refolving to beat our Antagonifts out of the Field, and by fuch a Conqueft fet every Thing right. If the Patentees at 'X}rury-Lane had either known our Con- dition, or had Prudence and Courage enough to bear •with their own for another Sealon, I know not what the Confequences might have been : I may fay it now, 1 believe we fhould have been forc'd to a Cef(ation ot Arms, and capitulated on the bell Terms we cou'd have got. Mr. K-ich had either gain'd better Intelligence of the State of our Affairs, or from the State of thofe at tDrnry-Lane, had found the Patentees were heartily tir'd [ 97 ] tir'd of their expenfixc inflead of lucrative OiKces : From one of thele Keafons, or both, lie had tormed a Schfeme, which, had it been carried into Execution, mufthave proved very g.iinfu] to the Patentees, and very agreeable to the 1 own, as it would have given them the befl Plays, play'd by the bell Performers in Er.gkind : But as well concerted as it was for ihefe In- tentions, it Vv^^as dcftruc}ive of the natural and legal Li- berty of the A6lors : They would have become mere Servants to two co-join'd Patentees 3 nor could have had, on any Difguft or Aiitronf, any Power to revolt. The Scheme was for to have 'Drury-Lane Parent pur- chafed of the Patentees wl^o were tired of itj at a cheap Rate, and then the Patentees o'i Covcnt -Garden and 'Drury-Laneto enter- into a joint Partnerlhip, antl engage the beft Aclors, who Ihould ail occafioaally at both Houfes, performing always a Comedy at one Houfe and a Tragedy at the other. There wer^ leveral otiier Conditions which would have prov'd beneiicial to the Mafters, which are needle Is to enuirieraic. This Plan, though Jt has been lon^ thought a new •Fiheire in theatric Policy, ^'ail, i'oirxtiimes, IVbat is that to YOU. To illuitiare what a Propriety there is in curbing fuch Kind of Impertinence by a Laconic Sen- tence, I will tell you a ihort Story. A great Lawyer, who now makes one of the moil illuitrious Figures in Wejlminjler-Hall^ was as re- markable for "his Amours as his Pleadjngs : What was his [ I°I ] his Galhmtry to any EaJy ? Yet was lie oficn ccnfured and made the Objcci; of Wit for this Foib'e. It hap- psn'd his Lady, his C/jaml^rrma'J, and Cufin all lay-in at the fame Time : A Friend of his took an Occifion to fpeak to him on this £ubjf(5]: by Way of Rail levy, in this Manner: Tl~rey fay, my L--d, your Z.'T.'/fis broi!;7ht to Bed, - -She ij Jo. - - They f^iy your Qufuj and CZ-iw- ber-ivaid are alfo brought to Bed. - - H7'a/\< thrt ro-ME,. - - But they fay you are the Fatlier. - - fl'bat'i that to YOU.- -Upon which, tur;ii:ig on his HccI, mvL-- i-\"n-. /?..„^ Interell : Bender, our Ni^gociaticns have been fon-c il ^...^.^ — . — , ..... - ■ .-I w^.... .....^ i^^v-jj jvniii.- vvhat alike ; for mine, in facl:, was a patch'd un Aitair and I did not ti much confuU the Intereil of my Maf:cj- as [ ir- ] to ferve a Turn for that Time : I botched up a Peace, but I knew it would not lad many Years : If there is any Pre-eminence in our Talents, I hope I fhall not fecm immodefl, u hen I frankly own I think the Ballance turns in my Favour ; for I am now more for War than Peace. " * Thus we fee, as Mr. C. Cibbey truly obferves, let " the Degrees and Ranks of Men be ever fo unequal, *' Nature throws out their Paffions from the fame Mo- " tivesj 'tis not the Eminence orLowlinefs of either *' that makes us the Difference. If this familiar Stile " of talking /hould, in the Noftrils of Gravity and *' Wifdora, fmell a little too much of the Prefump- *' tuous or the Pragmatical, I will at leaftdefcend lower " in my Apology tor it, by calling to my Affiftance the " old humble Proverb, viz. ^'Tis an ill'Birdthat^ Sec. *' Why then fliould I debafe my Profeiiion by fetting it in " vulgar Lights, when 1 may ihow it to more favoilrable " Advantages? Or why, indeed, may I not fuppole *' that a feniible Reader will rather laugh than look " grave at the Pomp of my Parallels." When I had concluded this Treaty with Mr. Fl--t — d^ fo advantageous ibr the Company, and more particular- ly in a private Manner to myfelf, we remov'd Bag and Bagage from the Hny-Market and return'd to our old Camp at ^rvy-Lane : Our Government was then thought to be fixed in a peaceable Manner ^ every Thing went on wii'.> great Succefs, and I took Care to be fo much in the Mailer's Favour, that in the Direction of the Theatre I was a kind of Prime Minifter : I fay a kind of PrimiC Minifter, for even tKea there was another Perfon Ihared amply in his Confidence, and by whom he \v.:s chiefly advifed. When I found out this, 1 w-as not a little nettled 5 a Jealoufy railed various Sentim.ents m my Brcaft : for, like 'Pmvpey the Grear, mv Soul diidain'd the Thought of an Equal. Glory and Power are the darling Paffions of my Heart 5 and not to enjoy either of them was, to ^0 jealous an Am- bition, a meer Shade to my Laurels. My Competitor * C. CiHcr% Apology p. 326, wa3 [ 105 ] \vjs the Perfon who had been concern 'd for Mrs. JVdks* and who thought himfeJf to have an admirable Talent for theatric Affairs. This Talent was to compofe 'Pan- tom''m''S, furbifh up old Tricks, and make what he call'd Entertainment? : As a Specimen of what Notion he had of the Djgnity of the Stage, I muft oblerve, that his Genius turn'd to the monllrous and the mar- vellous 5 for which Reafon nothing could be brought to Town to be exhibited to the Vulgar, but he was for having it exhibited on the Stage : There was a Fellow of an enormous Height came from Germany to be fhewn for a Sight, call'd Mynl.h^e)' C^jaf/us : Such a Spcdacle, proper enough tor a Sm'rhvjld or Afoor/ields Booth, was thought a proper Peifonage to grace the Theatre Royal. Accordingly Ncgoclations were begun 5 but to my Honou • be it fpoke, 1 had no Concern in them : I was kept out of the Secret, nor wis I much aff'ded that I was fo. I and his G;ace the Duke of J '0, in this Rcfped, may be laid to have the fame Notion of Things : His late Speech on the State of the Nation fliows that he was out of the Secret, in Regard to the Condu£l: of Affairs, and, as he tliinks them \yrong, was proud that none of them could be laid to his Charge : though I and that illuflrious Perfon differ in other Sen- timents in Regard to the prelent Miniftry, yet I am -proud that in this Point he agrees with me. — But to the Hiltory ; A/vfi/jeer i'oon agreed to fome very advan- tageous Terms propofed to him j was with all Secrecy convcy'd into 2)r«;-v-Z<^//(? I'heatre, and was foon fhown arifing from a Trap-Door, fo the no iinall Admiration of the Spectators, and the no fmall Jov of my Co-Rival. Nothing could give me and my Brctfircn, both of the Buskin and the Sock, who had any Regard for that School of Honour and Virtue, the Stage, niore fecret Indignation than to fee it proftituted in ib ignominious a Manner: And what ftill added to our Refenrment was the confummatc Folly of the Tov^'n, who crouded to the Houfe a great Number of Nights to fee the T(tU J/'?;;. But 1 had yet other Reafons to be no Friend to this '/all Mn/i. It regretted my Soul, frequently and oft, when on Buskins a Foot and a halt high I was to perforate a great Hcroe, and had my wavy Plume high o'er my H 4 Brow, [ 104 ] El'ovv, Kot'i ever and anon with tragic Grace 5 yet was I thought diminutively great, and rais'd the Audience to a mock Laugh, while he thcit Orio^^ thd.t 'Pole- fhemus of a Man, with an Inanity oi: Voice and Gelture, excited Wonder and Applaufe. — • 'ViiAet h(Cc cpprobria Nobis ■ jEt did pomijje o njn potulJJ'e rffelli After this tiiH Afan was gone, we had a tall lVcmd», and after that Sadler's IVcUs ^fnmhlbig. It is true, this pleas'd the Mob, and bronglit Money, nor w:is this Cuitom nevv. Did not the late Mr. K—h aft m the fame Manner by this Humour : " * In this Notion, " fays Mr. Cibber^ he kept no Medium, for in my *' Memofy he carried it lb var, tliat he was fome Y'ears " before this Time, achiaUy dealing for an extraordinary " large Elephanr, at a certain 8um, for every Day he *' might think fit to ihow the rraclable Creatuve's Genius " of that vafl: quiet (yrearure, in any Play or Farce in " the Theatre (then fcandingj in ^c'rfet Garden : But " from the Jealoufy lb formidable a Rival had railed " in the Dancers, and by his Brickla\cr's alTuring *' him, that if the Walls were open'd wide enough for " his Enterance, it might endanger the Fall of the " Houfe, he gave up his Proje*^ : Bi.t ar the fame " I'ime of being under tliis Dilappohvcmcnt, he pur " in Practice another Prrjcct of as nev/, though not of " lb bold a Nature, which was introducing a Set of " Rope Dancers into the lame Theatre 5 lor the lirll " Day of whofe Performance he had given out tcme " Plav in which I had a material Part : But I v.-as hardy " enough to go into the Pit and acquaint the Spedators " near me, tliat I hop'd they would not think it a Dil- " refpcdi to them if 1 decjin'd ai^Hing upon any Stage *' that was brought to fo low a Dif^race as ours was like " to be by that Day's Entertainment. My Excuie v\'as " fo well taken that I never after found any ill Conle- " fequences, or heard the lead Diiappr.obation of it : " And the whole Body of Adors prcteflmg againft C. Cibbir\ Apology, p, 195 fuch '[ i°5 ] *' fuch an Abufe of there Prore{{ion, our cautious *' Mailer was too much intimidated to repeat it." Now I was not hardy enou,q!v to. make any publick Remonflrances on this Occafion j for I had a Point to carry, which was to fix my Wife's Chara^rcr as an TVftrefs, who(e fiid Peribrmance was to be i.ioled with 'ihele S^^iikr's Jl'clh ^iniiblers, : On this A'::re Inifmces in the Sequel of my Story, but fhall now rerurn where this Digredlon began. The Company went on un- der Mr. F—d with very great Succels, equal to the greatell under Gibber, Jl'ilks, and 7icotb : As for me, 1 was occafionally more or lels in his Favour and Inte- rell as it I'uited ray own Convenience ; for he fhowM me many Inllances of his Rcadinefs to ferve me, and was on all Occallons prompt and ready to do Adls of Fricudfiips^n^ good 'Nature. The Stage wa.^ then as well .ruTd by my ^{jlCianrc, as a Gentleman not brought up to it, cou'd rule it ; yet as it was my Opinion, and fcveial other Players, that no Gentleman is proper for the Af/iflcr of a7beatre,'we were not ablbkuely contented, and wc did not T^'ant for Grz/wr/f/c;;/^;;; in a theatric Govern- . ment. We knew indeed that our Mailer had redeem'd us trom a thoufand Inconveniencics we had laboured un- der, gave us our own Terms, but yet we did not look upon hjin with an equal Eye, and thought that A61ors were the only proper and fit Perlonsto rule over Actors, and receive all the Profits of a Theatre. Thefe, i fay, were Maxims that the chicfcft A^lors embrac'd, and in- culcated into others, as the ftmdanienfal Ri^^hts of our Conftitution : On this the Con)pany became uneafv, and form'd thcmiclvcs into iutie la3;:ons,and Cabals, but which could not then have been attended with any ill Confequenccs to the Patentee, But thefe little Murmur- in gs [ io8 J ings were greatly heighten'ci by the following Event. On the late Aic' for licenfing the Number of iitagesi taking Place, Mr. Gijfaras Company aflmg then at Lificolns'lfin-Fields, to whom Mr. Rich had let it, -were oblig'd to break up, and provide for themfelves in the a6ling Companies as well as they could ; Mr. F—d on this Occafion took fevcral into 'Drury-LoJie^ and to make Way for them, difmiii'J leveral, who had long been appertaining to that Theatre. Mrs. Giffarcl and Mr. GlffarA were themlclves likewiie afterwards en- gag'd. This gave new Uneafinefs to the old Stock, for we look'd on them.in a contemptible Light j and when the Seafon came on, and Partji were caft to thcfe exotic i\clors, fljll more and more murmuring Taunts and Jea- loufies arofe. TheMaflcr fivour'd fcveral of thefe ad- ditional Recruits in a particular M^.nner, and ieen"i'd to make them his Confidents and Favourites. This ilili made more I'aftion in our State, tiil at laft it was divided into two Parties, the Riff-R."-jJ'i^ and the Scabs. The firil: were the Mailer's Party, the latter rains j his were as the p-efent Coui-tiers, and mine as the '\Patrloti. The Titles may leem coarie to the Ears of Delicacy, but why not as good and ilgnificant *s the prefentKames of lUi- flindion m Siveden, the Hats and the Night-Caps, or indeed as our own Whig and 'Tory. Another notable Mark of Diftinftion v, a>, the Mailer's Party inilituted a famous Club of Rif-Rafs.czWd the O x- Cheek- Club ; andtliiswas erected on the Ruins of a Club, which the old 'Drury-Lane Company had forn-icrly eretled. Thcfe Parrv-Divif.ons are in a tlieatricai Governnaent as prejudicial to the publick Good, as in a political one. The Euiinefs of the Stage was notfcllow'd with that Soirit and Alacrity as when Unanimity reigns in the Hearts of the People, i did, I frankly con tels, what a theatrical Patriot Ihould do^ fcmcnt all the Diicord, raiie ail the Jealoufies, in order, at a proper Time and Scalbn, to raife a Rebellion, and bring about a new Revoluticjn; and thefe Sentiments of '■Pntriotifin have been fince very fcrviceable to ine in another ReipcCt, ior in my political Effays, which I had the Honour to write in Defence of the prefent jldmimjlration, \ hare charg'dall thefe Maxims home upon the Gentlemen in the [ 109 ] the Country-Party, for my Father has prov'd the Rules for the StdT? and State are the fame in Parallel, fo alio mufl be thofe of 'Patriotifm. About this Time alio I found .hi Wingsof my Power clip'd in Relation of pre- iiding over Rchearfals, and brought on one Morning a round Quarrel between if>— » and J/g; for I had long look'd on him as a proud imperious Blockhead, and he on me as a vain impertinent Coxcomb ^ and perhaps we mi^^ht both be fomewhat right in cur Conje^lures. In this Contcil: I valued nothing ^o much avS his Contempt of Me\ for on irjy fmart cutting Repartees on him, he cry'd, with a Laugb, ^(arrelVn;^-iv!.rb fufh a Fellc^jr^ is likep-t—^ on a T'—d, walking off as cool as a Cucum- ber. And that was the Sn-c of the Rencounter we afterwards had at the 'Beilfoyd CoiJee-Houie. All thefe Affairs happening, and my Trial not turning out to my Tavour, my Soul became chagrin'd both with the Place and my Mailer : I was tlierefore relolvcd to leave that .Stage, and for iuch Reafcns as you will meet with irj the Sequel of my Story. Therefore as fbon as my Be- nefit was over, 1 determin'd, according to an old'Prac- tice I had got, of being of no more Service to the Mailer that Seafon, to appear no more that Year, and indeed no more at all, while he was concern 'd there. - - Retiring therefore from Covent-Gardcn into the more a- grceable and convenient Air of Charing-Crojs^ I flung ope^ or ray Father were to write any Thing without fetting our Karnes to it, we ihould be difcov r'd in lix Lines reading 5 the Stile, the Manner, the Thoughts would all glare out Perfection, and the inimi- table [ III ] table ^fa m [cat quoy would diltingui/li the Author. On my publifhing theCoi(/it'fyCon'efpo;tJe/>r^ar\d being known for Its Sire, many were the Criricifms upon it : Some called me a Coxcomb for writing fo much upon myjelf: Some called me a bafe impudent Fel/o-w for publiihing fuch InvecS^ivesagainrt Mr. P/--r— (/, who had been my FrieJid: Others fell foul on me becaufe I had openly, boldly, and ftrenuoufly efpouled the Cau(e of the Ali' nijier. As for being called a Coxcomb^ I had been fb long us'd to it that it leemM as natural to me as my own Name j nor did the Acculations againft me for libelling Mr, Fl'-t'-'d give me any Pain : They who had odd Notions of Honour and J-Jonefly faid that I was an un- grateful Rafcal, and this and that and t'other 5 but they might as well have fung Plalms to a Cow, for my 'Pf.ii- lofopby could aivay ivlrb it. What I did was conveni- ently neceflary, and if h-om being an obliged Friend I became a mortal Enemy, what more is it than what frequently happens among Minijlsrs oi' State and Rulers of Empires. .Aigtiffus and Antony had their fierce Conteft for the World ^ and what was the Caufe of the Qiiarrel between Sir R — t W- — —e and Mr. '? -j, but Ambition m the one, and a Difregard of his Claims in the other. In all theatrical as well as political Divihons, to fucceed in your Defign ycu mult go through thick and thin -J the Sword ot 'Defiance is drawn, and the Scab- bard muft be thrown away : Every one who has read Mdf.hiavel knows thefe Tenets are jnllifiable : t'lcre- fore whatever Falffjood^ Scandal, Infamy^ and Ingrati- tude my Country Corrcfpondent might have containM a- gainft Mr. Fl—t---d, yet it being confident with my pri- 'vate Views, no one who knows Men and Things can blame me ^ for I ihall explain myfelf by giving iome Reafons which were then in Embrio, why I fo acled, I had determined to be as well with the Al—fi—y as poAible, and to merit fomethmg from them, I undertook firft to be a Kind of an Informer of what they call'd the- atrical Secrets. Our Mailer h;Vvl publickly efpous'd the Party in Oppofition to the M—jl-'r, and was firmly attach *d to the Intereft of the P of JV—- : This Condu6l I heard was refented by the AI—Jl — r, with whom he had once been on very good Terms : I thought therefore [ill ] therefore any privat3"lntellij;ence againft the Mafler, .if I could poffibly make it zpdirical Concei-n, would be an Inrrodu6lion to his Favour, and affiil my future Scheme. An Incident happen'd as lavourable as I could wifh: A" certain Trip Author was writing a T'ragech', which wasj by his Friends, who were reckon'd the tiptop Criticks in Town, laid to be a Performance of fuch extraordinary .Merit, that no Tragedy nnoe Shake fps<^rr'^ Tinie could •equal it, either for the Sublimity o£ t\\e: J.leas, the •2>;>;;^rr of the Srile, the Noblencfi of the Subjeci^ and •tlie Conduci of the Scei^e : That it was wro:e in the ; Defence of Freedom, and had fuch Speeches that at that ■ Crifis ot Time it would run as long as Cato had at a- •nother particular Crijis. This daifify 'Tragedy was the much nois'd, much fn^fcrib'd for Gustavus Vasa, -written by Henp. y Bp. coke, Efq; Tlie Mailer had •great Expe<5}arion5 from it j ^nd though it had been often -read ni private Compariy before ic was. brought to thfe Houfe 5 yet I knew litfle of it till then, as E was look'd Upon as a Matecontent to the Mailer, and conlequeutly • out of the .jecrets of the Miniftry. But as fijon as it hafl ■ been read in the Grcen-:Room, and the Parts delivertl , cut to the Actors, and I wa=? acqualned perfectly 'with the Pla)', I was determined 1 v^ould take Inch Mea- .fiares that it Ihould not be acted ; which would • ikew to the Miriiicer wnlt Zeal I had for his Ser- vice, and at the fame Time indulge that Spirit of -Revenge which I had againft the Mafter.-^ N6\V -what docs -I,- but rcprefenrcd to Mr. no Mat- ■ter for his Name but it was the proper Perfon to ■make fuch an Informaticn to, that this fame Tragedy of Gufravui Viifa was a fcandalous Libel agajnft the Go- : vernment, and fome Lines m the Praite ot Libercy were 'fo introduc'd as to make Itrong Taucndoes that the i/:b:r- ty oi En^Ja^id was in Danger : This I reprefcnred with iucha Vehemence of Words and Action, that it gain'd. ; Credit, and before it was ready to be perform'd, it was • prohibited b-. my Lord Cbs.mherlain. The Prohibiticm' ropcn'd the Mouths and Hearts of the Admirers of this " Tragedy, a-jd they taik'd roundly about the Injuftice and Oppreflion the Author and the Mailer of the Play- hoafe met with, which they attribi'.ted to the Fear the Muiii'try [ "3 J Miniflry had of its being perform'd on the Stage. Now to give my own impartial Thoughts on this AflPair, 1 avow that i believe there was n(; Harm in the Play, nor do I think it would have met with that great Succefs as was expefted from it ^ for on the Publication it was not judg'd near equal to the Charac?;er that had been given it. However 1 cannot but make this Oblervation, that from the Action on the Stage, and the AiTiftance of the Scenes Ind Aflors, it might have received fuch addi- tional Strength, that it might, by the further Aid of a !Parry, have had a Run of ten Nights. And here I mult oblerve again, that it was with great Policy and Pru- dence, that the Miniller ohtiund the Lirenjins; ^i'^, for tho.igh the TJ-bcrry ot the 'Prcj) allows a refusVl Play to be printed, yet the Readitig of it in the Clolet will not convey an adequate Idea to the Reprefentation on a Theatre : Mr. Coiley Cihier^ who is a mo(t itrenuous r.lh'.mpion for the fjr'enjinn^ Aci, has fully confider'd this Difference between .t Performance /r^Vz/^J only, and when it is ai^ed. Thus he argues * " It was " laid that this Redraint lipon the Stage would not rc- ' medv the Evil complain d of; That a Play retus'd to '* be licens'd would Ibii be printed vvirii double Advan- " tage, when it I'liould be inUnuated that it was refus'd " for lomc Strokes of \Yir, and would be rhore likely " then to hiive its Efleft ariiong the People ; Jlowevcr " natural this Confequence may feerii, I doubt it will be '* very dilficult to give a printed Satire, or L;bel, half the " r( rce or C.'redit of an a^.cd one. The moll aithd or " notorious Eye, or ibain'd Allulion that ever llander'd '.' a great Man, may be read by lome People with a " Smile of Cdnteiiipt, or at woril it can but impofe on '' one Perl^:)n at once. Bur when the Words of the " fame plaufible Stuff Ihall be repeated On a Tlieatre, " the \\ it of It among a Crowd of Hearers is liable to be " ovcrvaluet], ar^d may unite and warm a whole Jlody of '■' the Malicious and Ignorant in^o a Pbiu-iit: Nay, the, " partial Claps of only twcnrv illnnnckd Perlbns '-'■ among fcveral haadred oi iilcnt Hearers, ihall, and C. (litbin\ .Apology, p. 169- 1 ■'' ofren [114] " often have been miilaken for a general Approbatioi>? " and frequently draw into their Party the Indifferent " or the Inapprehenlive, who rather than not be *' thought to underfland the Conceit, will laugh with " the Laughers, and join in the Triumph ! But alas ! *' the quiet Reader of the fame ingenious Matter, can " only like for himfelf^ and the Poifon has a much flower " Operation upon the Body of a People, when it is 1(> " retail'd out, than when told to a full Audience by " Wholefale : The fingle Reader too may happen to " be a fenfible, unpreiudic'd Perfon, and then the merry " Dofe, meeting with the Antidote of a found Judg- " ment, perhaps may have no Operation at all; With " fuch a one the Wit of the moll ingenious Satire will " only, by its intrinfic Truth or Value, gain upon his Ap- " probarion, or, if it be worth an Anfwer, a printed " Falihood may pofitively be confounded by printed " Proofs againft it. But againfl Contempt and Scandal " hcighten'd by the Skill of an A<5ior, ludicroufly in- *' fuiing it into a Multitude, there is no immediate De- " fence to be made, or equal Reparation to be had, for *' it wou]d be bnt a poor Satisfaction at lart, after lying ** long patient under the Injury that Time only is to " fhew which would probably be the Cafe, that the *' Author of it was a defperate Indigent, that did it for " Bread : How much lels dangerous and oftenfive then, " is the -ivritten than the acted Scandal ? The Impreffion " the Comedian gives it, is a Kind of double Stamp in " the Poet's Paper, that raifes it ten Times to the in- " trjnfic Value. " Upon the whole 5 if the Stage ought ever to have " been reform'd 5 if to place a Power Ibmewhere of " rcllraining its Immoralities was not inconfiftent with " the Liberties of a civiliz'd People, (neither of which *' any moral Man of Senfe can diipute) might it not " have ihewn a Spirit too poorly prejudic'd to have re- " jected fo rational a I:aw, only bccaufe the Honour " and Of?ice of a Minirter might happen, in fome fmall " Meafure, tobe protefled by it." I mult annotate, that all that is faid here in Refe- rence to comic Satire, and the Comedian, is, vkevcrfa^ equally applicable to the Tragedy and Tragedian : For when ^'hen a mad braln'd tragic Author has ftream'd into a ■^^atriotic Stile, pompoufly rolling into vilifying Periods, fignifying roundly nothinfj, but Invedtives againft a Mi- nifter, the pompous Buskins and Plumes of Tragedy, together with the Afpe6t and Elocution of the Trage- dian, ib fpcak and play with the Imagination, that they deceive the Judgment, and win over many Spectators who might have thought them icandalous Bomoaft, had they been read foberly in the Clofet. This, as I ob- ferv'd, was the Fate of Guftfl.vus Vafc.^ JKfq 5 for afier the Prohibition, the Author publi/li'd Advcrtilements for a Sublcription, aad in thole Advertifements made his Caufe the Caufe of the Publick, infinuating it was refus'd for fome Strokes of Liberty, which were dil- agre.eable to People in Power: This indeed anlwer'd his Ends in point of Profit, for being the firlt Play re- fus'd fince the Commencement of the Aft, People's Cu- riofity were rais'd not only by wanting to lee the prohi- bited Play, out of political Realons, but becaufe it was faid by common Rumour to be a molt excellent Tra- gedy : The Profit of the Subfcription was equal to what his moll fan guine Hopes might have promis'd him from the Stage. As this may be the molt proper Place for it, I mjft infert another Remark on ■ refus'd Plays. After this Succels of the Sublcription of Giiftavus Vafa^ all the tragic Bards who were under the Influence of Mr. L--tt--t--n^ Prime jMinifter at N—rf-k Houie, threw into bombali Scenes all the Patriot-Liberty Flights their own little Geniufcs could fuggell, or their Patron and Court of Affiflants could muiicr up : Some indeed lay they did not, on this C^ccafion, inlert any Thing new, but that they had all from the firlt, wrote according to their Inftruflions, and had fili'd their Scenes with rhe worn-out, unfafhionable Notions ot Liberty and publick Spirit : The next refus'd Plays were the Ed-uujrd and Bkotmra^ of Mr. 7hompfon at Cvcnt-Gcit'den^ and a 'IVagedy wrote by Mr. '^Pattijoa at ^rwy-Lane-t borti of which were publiih'd by Subfcription, and adver- tis'd that the\ fell the Martyrs 10 Freedom, publick Spi- rit, and the Devil and all : But, as the homely PVoverb lays, Enough is as good as a Feaft : The Publick had been cram'd by Efq; Giijldvus to Satiety 5 and Satietv, 1 i from [ Ii6 ] from a natural Effe£l it has on the GeneraKty of Sta- machsof Mankind, will not al ow an Avidity for more ; for, as Mr. Cclley Gibber philofophically and beautifully obferves *, iVhat PUafure is not languid to Satiety f Satiety puts an End to all Tajle that the Mind of Man can delight in : Therefore their Subfcriptions fell fhort of Mr. Brooks'^ confiderably ; and I believe the Patriot- Poets begin novir to feel the ill Confequences of an Oppo- fition to a certain great Man as much as the Merchants : The Merchants would haveaW2r,and they have had their Hearts full of it : The Poets would write up to a Re- fufal, and I believe they begin heartily to repent it : We of the Court have, I gad, given them their Bellies full : land Sir i^.-.j' play all the Game, and let us fhuffle the Cards theatrically, or patriotically, we ftill turn up Knave. ... But halt a little, moft gracious Reader, in the Fulnefs of my Heart I have digrefs'd fo long, that I don't know where I digrefs'd from : But that is juft my Fa- ther's Way, for as we write, fo we do but write on, 'tis fiifficient J as for Method and Connexion, we leave them to your little Geniufes ; our Irregularity in writ- ing, like our Irregularity in living, is more beautiful from its Deformity : Were we not Angularly eminent, we might die unnoted by Fame j but it is our Extrava- ganzas in Life which mark us out to the Gaxe and Won- der oixho. prefent Age; and the inexprejjible Somewhat in. our Apologies will record us the mofl notable Par nobile of the Year 1740, excepting, with due Submiflion, that gresit Par fiobile Fratrum, who in A.....Jir n and Negociation have fo eminently diftinguifh'd them- felves to all Europe. But ferioufly to recover the Clue of my Hiftory ; from having given Reafons why I abus'd Mr. F....d in my minifterial EfTays, I digrefs'd to my turning Infor- ?/7^r about Gujlavus Vafa^ and fo deduc'd fome hiftorical Anecdotes concerning that dainty Piece, and added fome political Remarks from Gibber's Apology, in De- fence of the lianfing ASl. , . . Let me fee . . . Ay, it C, Cihlir''s A[oIogy, p. 79. f Ditto, p. 171. was [ "7] was fo. - - I will now draw the Back Scene of mj' Pro- ceedings, and 11:111 enlarL;.e rhe Profpeft : Ir was in the Vacanon ot lafl Suminer, when hav.'Dg lerreated from Covent'Gardo!, I renr'd ro Charing-Crofs.. My tnemics gave our, that I went there h-r Ibnie trifling Sums I h:id run in Debt for at Mrs. Si—iv—d^i^ and lome other fa- fliionable reputable i3avvdy-Hou(es in Covenf-Gdrdcn Piazzas. . . . Vile Jniinuation ! How weak the Under- flandirg of Man to account forC';ndu^l: of great .\jcn, when rhey are ignorant uj^on what Principles they move. What refledtive Wirticilnis and Inuendt;cs have been flung at Sir about this lecrcr lixpedition, which has been fo long fitting out: What Things have been fiid about a Sufpenlion, or Ceflation of Arn]s,and I don't know whar, when, at the fame Time, the great Man atfis upon other Me.'iiurcs than tlicy gucfs, and m- tends to proceed on other Motives than rhcy imagine. --- 1 was us'd in the lame Manner as to my fccret Espcdi- tion to O.Uirinz^-Crofi : And as it is now over, and to put liich fruitlefs Revilers to the Blulh, I will tell them my Motives to it; Imprimis, as I was going to commence M al Wnier, it was proper 1 iliould live near the M - - - - r r, not only ior more e.-.hly attending his Levees, but to be more readily lent tor to attenti a pri- vate Conference, and recei\e InllrLii^ions whom I was to Jafli, what I was to defend, whar gainfay, when to give the evalive, and when the downright J.ie: All which Things are necefl'ary for a Writer to know, who has iuch a Patron to defend. As for rhe Frequency of my private Conferences, and the Nature of my luilVuc- tion, I Ihall prudent ly be lilent jlnflruclions given to Am- bafladors,tho'riiov'd tor by Membcrsottiie HoufewtC — s to be laid before them, are not to be revealed in fucli 2 Manner : But as to my frequenting a I.cvce in 'JJo~xn- ing flrcet, that is notorioufly known ^ and 1 can lay, with Ibme Elevation of Heart, few in his Circle were more diftinguilh'd for their Senfe, Learning, Virtue, Honour, Policy, Ability, and PUoquence, than your little humble Servanr 7^ C. But belxles rhcle llea- lons, my Printer and Publiflier lived at that Place, and it is belt tor an Author to confer with his Printer very often ; as how the Sale goes x)n, and whether any Cai!t 1 X is [ "8 ] is become due, without mentioning the Neceflity of correding the Sheers from the Prefs j for what a fad Figure an Author makes in Print who don't know how to make his Stops ; I therefore always flop my Works myfelf ; though as for the Spelhng I leave that to the Printer's Boy. Sure then thefe are fufficient Reafons ro take off the Obloquy uhat was call on me, that vile Catchpoles drove me to a Place which I out of mere Policy retired to, Well, there it was I compofed my Country Correfpondents^ in all which I continued my Attack on Mr. Fl—t — d j and in a mifcellaneous rhapfo- dical Way defended the P — M r Tooth and Nail : In Taverns I eat for him, drank tor him, taik'd f -r him, and when I went hom.e about Four o'Clock in the Morning I wrote for him. u4uYora Mufn Jlmica. Then wqu'd I write about it and about it. I continued this zealous and fatirica) Fury for the whole Summer, nor did I wrire Ccuntry Correfpo?tdems only, but fometimes occafional Gazetteers^ in both which Kinds of V» riting I equally fucceeded. This frrenuous Attachment of mine to rhe y4dmim- ^ration^ drew on me the Abufe of the Country ^Perty j and I was libell'd under the Cha;-a6ler of ^ijiol in a fcandalous Paper call'd Ccmmon Senfe. The Author of that Journal is a profligate forging Fellow ; for he in- fcrted Letters from Tijlol^ with an Infinuation fas I go by the Name of 'Pijlol) that they came from me, which was as notorious a Filp as his Prcdece0or Jlfift told of Collcj Cibber j and I take this Opportunity to avow to rhe whole World that I never had any thing to do with Common Senfe^ nor ever w;]l : From my Soul I heartily dcfpife it 5 and from this Moment, till ^tropos with fatal Shears Ihall fnip the fpinning Thread of vital life. Common Senfe and I are Enemies, and fo, Mr. Corr.mcn Senfe^ your humble Servanr. But it leenis my great Apologift himlelf was droll'd upon for his State-writings : 1 mean the Comedy of the lion-Juror^ and Mvheer Keyber ^}J^^ ^ flanding Joke till at lait Mift f*{irJy kill'd bini. ——Take the Story in his own Words. " Soon [^'9 1 *' Soon after the No/i-^uror had receiv'd the Favour of *■ the Town, I read, in one of AfilVs Journils, the fol- " lowing Ihort Paragraph : TefienUy died Mr. ColJey *' Cibbcr, lare Comedian of the I'loeo.tre RoyaU noto- " riom for •-vritin'r the Non-Juror. The Compliment " in the latter Part I confels I did not diilike, becaide " it came^)m fb impartial a Judge j and it really io *' happen'd that the former Part was very near true 5 " for 1 had jufl that verv Day crawl'd oat, after having *' been fome Weeks laid up with a Fev$r';j> However I " law no Ufe m being thought to be thoroughly dead *' before my Time, and therefore had a Mind to ice " v^hether the Town cared to have me alive again. " So the Play of the Orphan being to be aiVed that •' Day, I quickly itole mylclf into the Part of the " Chciplain, which 1 had not been leen in for many *' Years before. The Surprize of the Audience at my " unexpeded Appearance on tlie very Day 1 had been " dead in the News, and the Palenels of my Looks *' I'ecm'd to m.^ke it a Djubt whether I was not the " Ghoil of my real Self departed : But when 1 fpoke •' their Wonder eas'd itlclf by Applaule, which con- " vinc'd me they were then latisfy'd that my Friend *' Mift had told a Fih of me. Kow if fimply to have " /liewn mylelf in broad Life, and about my Bufincls, " after he had notoriouily reported me dead, can be " called a Reply, ii was the only one which his Paper, " while alive, ever drew froni me : But my particuhir, " Olience of writing the 2 Jm- juror has made me more ". honourable Friends than Fn^nues j the latter ol which " I am not unwilling Hiould know that thai Part ot the *' Bread I now eat was given me for having writ the "' N)n-Jurcry Tins Ihows that though we State Writers are jok'J upon, yet Reward makes up for rheic Sx]uib3 of Dri^l- lery. I may be ask'd why 1 was io voluntary a Cham- pion for the M-- r, and why 1 relate this Account of State Writing, and interfperie political Memoirs aiid Remarks in this Apology, as they do not immediately relate to the Hiftory of the Stage. Some y.)lyrl rot may lagely reply, that I write in tiiis Manner merely to imitate the Manner of CoUf^y Cibber. '^jx^ Mr. i 4 'I'y^i [ 120 J Trof, you are miftaken 5 Colley Clbbcr interfpejs'd Tier fences of Lord Chamberlains ^Po-zver, and Lireiiji:\^ A:iy for the lame Reafon that I wrote Country CorreJ- ■poiidents and Gazetteers^ to create Merit with the M y, which we, at a proper Time, mioht ni^k'e ufe ot : The private Reafon of writing rhefe, and a- biifing Mr, Fl--t — d all tended to the lame Point : I liave often promis'd to tell them to the Reader, and rhe Secret ]hall lie no longer a Burden to mc, but out it /hall. Mr. Colkv Cibbcr retired from the Stage, having pa- tkntly fold his Share of the Patent to Mr. Hlwjjmore^ when he had managed him {o that he had got his o'-xn "J^rice, and then he -zvif/d the Cre-iv he left in the l^ejfel a Q;ood Vcyage 3 yet, fays he, " though it began to grow *' late in Lite with me, having He.ilth and Strengtli " enough to have been as ufetul on the Stage as ever, [ " I was under no vifible Neceility of quitting of it." As an undoubted Proof of that, he has feveralSeafons fince, on very valuable Considerations from Mr.F—d, pei-form'd occaltonally on the Stage. But though he had quitted the Theatre, and fold his Share in it, when he hadllaid With new Patentees, and made them think it worth their while to come up to his Price 3 yet the I'weet Profits of the Management of a Theatre remain'd ftrongly in his Mind 3 and notwithftandmg al! his Pro- feinons of the Love of Retirement, he would gladly have been reinftated in the Government of a Theatre, could he have obtain'd fuch an Office, and not to have colt him any Thing. Now as he knew that I was a Ikong Malecontent at 2)rury-Lane-, and was fenfible what Torrents of Ambitioh rolfd tumultuoufly o'er my Soul, having deriv'd their Source from his own Spring, he was ailured that I would come into any Scheme that would foorh my Ambition, and put me at the Head of a Company over which I was to have any profitable Share of the Management 3 for Ambition will be but an inglorious Paffion if not founded upon Interejl : It is rhe Utile Dulci fhould govern the Thoughts and A^lions of the rational Part of Mankind. Acquainted with my Principles, and having leen what an Ahitophel J A-as in theatric Policy 3 how adroit in laifing Common tion* [ I^-^ ] tions, ftirring up Revolts, heading ' Rebellions, and bringing about Revolutions, he thought proper to com- numicate to me a Defign ot gaining over to his Interell fome principal Players ot 'Drury-Lane Company, and then ferting up a new Company under a Licenie, which he did not doubt, for his gieat jMerit and Services, he could eafily obrain. ■ This Scheme jump'd with my own \\ay of Thinking, and I came mto it with Hcirt and Hand j nor did he omit hinting to me that his only Motive to iuch a Defign, 'vcben it be^^an to gro\v late in Life --viib hlm^ was purely to retrieve the Honour of the 'Bririp ^rbeatre^ and leave me handlbmely pro- vided for. Now tho'jgh I knew he did not caie a Rufh for me, nor would, out ot pure Love, giv* me a Fai- rhing lo keep me from the Gallows, yet I had learn'd Art enough to dilguife my real Opinion, and give hu Propolal the Turn he would have it take. Having rc- folved on this Deiign, we did iecretly all we cculd to bring it about j for your important Schemes cannot be. executed as loon as plan'd, and therefore we were o- blig'd to wait a proper Opportunity, which was, while the Articles ot ibme ot the principal A«Slors under Mr. Tl--t — d wete expired. In the mean Time, lail Summer, to delerve Ibmcthing from the M v when 1 Ihould petition for any Favour, more 'Fatertio^ I took up my Pen, wrote Country Correfpondenti and. Gazetteers in Defiance of Common Sefijc and ail its Ad-^ herents. So, Mr. Keader^ you now know ibr what Realbn I commenc'd '/*c>//>/V;/^/; ; • Well, mcthinks I hear ibme ''fohn 'frot objciSt and lay, • Is writing Country Correjpondents^ and Gazetteers of Iuch Cun- lequencePr Yes, Sir, to write as I did, and lay a- bout me like d Tfra-ztca/ifiry and all that. Sir, is look'tl on as meritorious 5 and Merit is to be rewarded. All that Summer was chic|ly fpent in 'Politicks and jlmours ; for I, as well as Sir - , or , muft have my Relaxations and Divertilements after the Concerns of a Nation have been pothering in my Brain: I re- r.iember the old Maxim : Inter pone tuis intcrdum gaud! a Cur is. Which [ 122 ] Which I thus render : Sometimes the Cares of Empire to remove^ Retreating to your Mifs^ indulge your Love. A Maxim I always: follow, when fatigued either with the Affairs of the S.ate, or the Stage, and the Example of my Betters keep me in Countenance, when I make this publick Confeflion of it. — To returii : — That my Politicks would not lupport me, I foon found out, though had a particular Right Homurable Gentleman taken me more particularly under his Patronage, it might have been worth his While, as well as ml/ie ; I might have been of great Service to him, for I could have made as good a Sufile-AIafter-Gensral in Si.St—s's Chapelt as behind the Scenes : Of this I gave him a Hint in one of my Pamphlets, and told him with what an Air the young Captain could loll in his Chariot, while it roll'd down to the Houfe, and that he could make Speeches to a Senate, as well as to an Audience. --- But if People can't take a Hint, whofe Fault is that ? Perhaps he wanted more explicit Explanation, but my conji'.mmate Modejiy not fuffering me to make fuch an Attempt, it may have been my Difappointmenr. However I have this Confolation, I am not the firll Man of Merit who have fhffer'd by that funple Virtue A^ I was not taken fuch Notice of as my Vanity had fug- p,efted I deferv'd, I retreated from the Service. The Practice of a'l great Men on fuch Occasions, ScipiOy and others have done it. As I was refolvM not to aft with Mr. jF- — J again, and he equally refoKM not to let me, 1 engaged with Mr. Rich 5 and appear'd on CovctJt-Garden 'Theatre. I fo manag'd Matters, that I foon became Sujlle-Jllafter-Gencral there, and made the Under- Aftors and Under-Servants of the Theatre know who they had got among them. As my Enemies will allow I am a clever lejlow in my Way, I mult here mention the Succefs I met with in my thea- trical Way 5 I had long flghed to perform the Character of Saves in the Rehearfal, but my own Fears, and my Father's inimitable Aflion, ilill fo fre(h in every Me- mory, clip'd tlie Wings of my Ambition : However I was rei'olv'd to make a Pu'h at it, and propos'd to my new [ '^3 ] new Mailer tlie getting of the Rchearfal. - - Reliearfal, Ikid he, -- umph! And who can do Sdyes? O! Sir, fays I, you need not have ask'd thatQueftion, when you have taken me into your Companv. - - Umph ! fays he, - - and took a Pinch of Snuff, and remain'd illent. - - 1 iirg'd the Thing, and what Houfes it would bring, if 1 had the Management of getting it up. . . . His Anfwer came from him by half Sentences, and Inuendoes, and Pinches of Snuff, as, . . . iVb, . . . '''T'-wont do. . . , [Snuff J ^//je Cb^.raEter. ... "Jtbe CharaBer of Sayes Jupporred it. . . . ^-T-Jcas a Hazard. . . . 'iPivoud be nn Expcnce. . . . Woud advlfe mc not to think of it. . . . [Snuffl My Fr.tber indeed to have phyd it might do jomething. . . . "The 7o:t7; 'tvou'd make Comparifons. . . %■ 'Perhaps not for my Alvantasrc. . . . "The Expences^ in porty -'dixud be too coufiderable. . . . (Here it was eaiy to undeilhind him) I therefore propos'd to him to add f ich a ludicrous Spectacle, as, by his Advice and Af- iiltance, might bring great Audiences, though a Thing of a trivial Nature. . . . Here I knew I ihould tickle him : In ihort, I propos'd to reinforce Sayes's I'roopSy and, with a new Set of Hobby Horfes^ raile two new Regiments, who Ihould Exerciic in martial Order upon the Stage, and by their capering and prancing like mc- nag'd VYar-Horles, divert the Multitude 5 and that riie Captandiun vulgui he knew was the^yj;;^ qua tun in the Tiiearre. . . . This did all I wanted 5 he came into my Scheme, and was io very full of the additional Troops, that he undertook to raife(\\Q-iXi himfelft^\nc\\ he not on- ly did, but attended :it all then: Exercijci and J\IuJlers^-.ind Revie-zi'S, was Riding-Afc/fer^ Adjurant-Gefjeral, and General'ijjimo. ... Y\hpn it was perform'd I met with an Applaufe might latisfy the grcatcft Vanity ; and my Hobby-Horfe Re^iraenfs had as great Applaule as my- felf : The remaining Part of the Sealbn went on with great Succefs to the Maiter, by my Rehearfal, and my additional Troops had as many Speftators at Cove?7t~. Garden as his M 'sHoudiold Troops at a Review in Hyde-Park : This continu'd till the Mafter brought his Orpheus and Eurydire on the Stage, after which there was no Occaiion for Mr. "Bayei :, the "Twinkv.m '/ivf^nkuni of Mr. Orpheus, and the J]j'etamorpho/e< of [ 1*4 J Monjieur Harlequin, put my Troops to the Rout. How- ever at the Cloi'e ot the Seafon, i made a Rally, and brought mylelf and my Army tor one Night more into the Field. . . . To explain \ I prevaii'J with Mr. Rich to let me have another benefit the laft Night bur one of performing on the Theatre for this laft Seafcm : 1 lay another having had -ahonx four others within the Vear. The Frequency ot my having ijenefirs deinar.ns iome Confideration in this Apology, as fome Pcrions h;ne given themlelves Airs to ceniure me tor it, and betides it may bring out Ibme theatrical Anecdotes and Kules^ necetlary for future and lets experienc'd Actors. As the having Benefits is luopos'd to raifea Sum of Money »to reward an Actor, and as it is raiting it m an honeft Way, what Crime is it if an Actor could get a Benefi:- Play every Week? ... O, but cries Mr. Oecorwmifty who will buy but one Pit-Ticket in a Sealbn ? '/hii is an Jmpofition on the T'ublick^ and fevere 'J'ax en your "Trade fmen^ your Acquaintance^ and your j^cquainrancei Acquaintance'^ Ay, it might feem lb indeed, if they were all, as tor myfelf, but I have more Modefty to make unreafcnable Requefts. . . In iliorr, Sir Wijacre^ there is an Arr :o conduct fuch Things with aGiols, and an Art of winch I am the original Inventor: I iTiall il- luiirate this by Matters of Faft, as 1 pra^^tis'd them. . . . When I engag'd in that notorious Trial of mv Cuckol- dom, I Hood in Need of the Eflence of Law, for Money is the Sinews of Law, as well as War j and to raiie it, the ealieft and only Way was by having a Benefit. I ask'd Mr. F . . . d this as a Favour, and a good natur'ci Office, to enable me to obtain J uftice for my Heart- wracking Injuries : Though this was at a very good Part of the Seafon, he, compaflionating my Necefllties, complv'd : Now comes the Thing j 1 thought at that Crifis, having a Benefit in my own Name might be not fo proper, and without it, you'll lay, how could you get a full Houle ? .... Why, I found out a Way to have a Benefit, and a full Houfe, and Nobody know it : Nor to keep you in Sulpence, I got my Father to play for me, and Mr. J"' ... d to let me have the Houfe, fo it was done at once, . . . You'll lay this was very friendly of the Matter, . . . but that is all ever. . . . Two Months afier I h.id 2 Bcnefii: in my owa Name [ 1^5 ] Kame^ that was mine by right, and I need lay no more on It. ... But about three Months after I wanted another Benefit, which was in the Summer-Seafbn. ... Then i was engng'd to iMr. Rich, and got Leave for the Houie, and iome Brother- Aftors. to p]ay gratis. . . . But I did not tell the Publick it was my Benefit"; No, I Jcnew better f I touch'd them in a tender Point, and told them it was to lupport my dear Infant Children which I had left by my firft Wife JeJiny . . . And {o put at the Top of the Bills, For the 'Benefit of Mifs Betty and ]\Jifs Molly, SSV. . . . Some indeed faw through this Artifice, but it pals'd current enough with the Majo- rity. ... At Cbrifimafi I was to have had another, but riie Weather prevented it: I have had j/76//^(?r in my (]ourl"e among theA*ilors, ann Epilogue o^ iifo. j¥^r«f-<'s riding on an ^/j; and to fhcw how I can laugh at Perlbns calling me bv Mock- Names, I advertis'd it, to be [poke by the young Capt at k in bis Regimentals^ riding on an ^J's. . . . This mav item a trifling Story to the untheatrical Reader:, but I write this to inftruct Pofterity, who are engag'd in a Theatre, by what Means theym.ay manage their Affairs; and I hope from thcfe Hints Ibme future Genius may find much Profit and bmolument. The Seafon being clcs'd, I again retir'd to Ckarir.-^-- Crcfs^ but not to write Politicks, if the Reader has any Curiofity to know what important Afiair I went thither for, that I might fafely negociatc it, let him perufe the Beginning of the fubleque'nt Chapter, C H A P, [ 126 ] CHAP. X. 7'h^ Situation of Affairs at Drury-Lane 'Theatre i The Scheme to get a new Uxence explain'' d. ~ The Rcafonfor the Publication of Mr. C. Gibber' j" Apology given. — The Scheme mifcarries. • A viojl heroick Rhapfody. 'A Differtation on Property. An Apology for writing another Chapter, Am now entering on a Theme which will furprize the Publick, becaufe it is fiich i Piece of lecret Hiftory, as will be a Key to _ feverai elaborate Tiigreffions in the Apology oi~]\\:.ColleyCiL^ber: I mull: previouOy oblerve, that in his hiftorical Part of the Stage he was very well vers'd in the Rebcllicu:^^ Revolts and Revolutions of his Time, till he had fix'd the Government of the Stage under a Triumvirate, of which he himfelf was one j and from the Time of his quiting his Share in the Pa- rent, no one is better vers'd in Rebellions^ RevokSy RevohitionSy FaBioKS, Oppcjitions, &c. (Sec. than myfelf: Two Perfons of fuch Experience might bring about great Things in a theatrical State, more elpeciaily if the People were divided, and Hears and Annnoiities ■were fomented among them. I have acquainted the Keader of fome great Defign which Vv^as in Embrio, and which we only wanted an Opportunity to execute ; This was for my Father, after having rais'd Uneafi- nefles and Jealoufics among Mr. F J's Company, to obtr.in a Licence for a new Company. -- Some private Affairs of Mr. F i's gave us the Opportunity we fo much defir'd. - - For as through the Confuiion Things were [ J=7 ] were at ^rury-Lane Theatre, ?and through a vio- lent Diftemper, he could not appear himlelf 3 and a Report prevailing, which we induflrioufly rumour'd as Truth, that he would never return to the Management of his Theatre again, we could not only the better fo- licit the A^ors, but even the Chamberlain^ and with lefs Oppofition : To work we went, and indeed we at firft met with fuch hopeful Succels, that I was not a little elate, and form'd much imaginary Triumph in my Heart. However, Mr. F- - - d took fuch Meafures as to the Adlors, that he thought, maugre all our Projeds, he fhould be able to retain a good Company at iDrury- Zane : To traverfe this Delign, and with a fpccious View of afMngjuftly, Mr. C . . .y C ...r reprefented to the IL . .ACh . . . . n, that there was an ablolute Necef- firy tor havmg another Company form'd, as Mr. F . . d had very injurioully treated his chief Aftors, and that there were very large Arrears due to them : To impofe ffill the more on the Cb . . . ;;, there were fbme Ad-ors waited on the L . . d C/'' . . . ;;, introduced by Mr. C. C. and made fuch Remonltrances as were thought proper : Thus we carried on the Sollicitation, which occafioned an Order to be lent to Mr. C dy Prompter of the Theatre, that none of the Company fhould engage in any other Companv, or elfewheie, without his Know- ledge and Permiliion. This we look'd, in a Point, gain'd in our Favour, to prevent any Aftors making frefh Agreements, which Mr. F d thought Ibme Perfons view'd it in another Light, and imagin'd it was to prevent any Affors g&iv\gfrom bim. When thefe Ne- gociations were thus CcUryjng on, we had, we thought, another favourable Incident: Mr. P--J was taken ex- tremely ill of the Gout, and he was in fuch Danger that his Lite was dcfpair'd of: Nay, it was reported one Night that he was dead^ and it was inferred as Truth in the jjublick -Papers of next Day. I firft heard it at the *jr(ivern, and that was the Occalion oi my Sacchin.ilian [tranj ports ^0 me Sacche rapis^ occ. in a prior Chapter. But though this Report was falle, yet ib dangerous an Illnels prevented bis bultling about as t 1^8] as he might otherwife have clone ; 3'et he martaged fl well, that our Reprefentation of the Affairs of Drury- Lane Theatre loft confiderably of their Weight, as great Part was , on Examination, found not to be ftridtly true, and that Mr. C. C had notorloufly utter'd feveral Fibt both of the State of Drury-Lane, and the Menager of it. It may be objeded that Mr. C. C. and ttiyfelfy and ethers, were very great Scoundrels to take fuch an Ad- vantage of a Gentleman, being in a defpetate lilnefs, and who had, at a vaft Expence,purchas'd the Patent, an if had redeem'd the Hay-market Company from the defperate State they labour'd under : Some added, that, not only taking fuch an Advantage was unjuft, but that telling Fibs were more fo. - - But pray let me anfv/er all Obie<5lors. Is not in the tranfacling all State Affairs between Kings and Potentates all advantageous Opportu- nities to be taken ? Does not Policy require, When any Thing offers which may prove beneficial, that without any Qualm of Confcicnce, the Prime M . . . r of any Kingdom is to make Ufe of it, be it never fo unjuji or detrimental to z Rival Poiuer ? Suppofe the taking of Carthagena, or even the Ifland of Cuba would break the haughty Heart of the ^leen of Spain, Is our Mini- ftry todefift gaining Part of her Dominions for Fear of being the Death of her ? . . . Not many People would think fo : ... Though perhaps that tender-heartedncjs of the M . . . r may be the Reafon why Admiral Vernon was not fupported with Land-Forces. . . . But . . ; A> Sutor ultra Crepidam. . . . Then, Sir, as for telling a few Fibs, what mighty Matter is there in that, when the Fibs may go a great Way to carry the Caufe ? In all caballing, theatrical or political Fibs are the moft Elfen- tial requlfite ; and moreover it is known in i^i.y an " excellent Company, and luch as might he able to do " Juftice to the beft Plays, and throw tnofc latent Beau- *' ties m them, which only excellent Authors can dil- " cover, or give Life to : If luch a Company were no~t\ " there they would meet with a quite different Set of " Auditors than other Theatres have been lately us'd *' to. " - - Here, in his own Words^, you have the Ground-TJork of our Scheme : And who is there can doubt, but under bis Direction and mine, the Morals of a Theatre mufl have been rfform\l, for what by our k.no\V!i Vi}'ru?s^ and experienc'd K/>0\vleds;r of Good- breeding, we Ihould have made our Theatre the School of- A'lnnners, Virtue^ and 'Polltenefs. . . . For has he not in his * Chiviceriral "j" bought s of making the Stage ufefiih built a theatre in the jih\ to prove f ///; Concern that the Theatres have not a better 'Pretence tO' the Care and further Confideration of thofe Governments -where they are tolerated. I'here was a Tintp^ adds he, and not yet out of many Peoples Memory^ when it fubfided upon its own rational Labours 5 wh-^n even Succefs attended an A tempt to reduce it to Decency \ and when Jclors them/elves were hardy enough to hazard their Intereji in the ^Purfuit of fo dangerous a Reformation. Now as Chap. JI. f Apology, p. 24. C 132 ] all know what was may be again, we flatter'd purfelveS- that we lliould have brought about a theatric Reforma- tion : And more efpecially from the 'Public^.tion of the Apology^ having laboriouily and zealoully ihewn in it, what " * Regard was always paid to the Power of a " Lord Chariiberlain^ and what Influence and Opera- *■' tion that Power muft naturally have in all theatric " Revolutions," 'But oh I thou curjf, i'Mcnftant^ fickle — 7i--ch j ''Ihou Strumpet ^elty^ Foa t un a higbt j 1'hoiij thou ivith painted Looks atid Eyes alluringy Wbofmird delufivc on -rn' faireft Hopes 5 y/(/?, jufl upon the 'Brink of j'till Enjoyment^ IVith YiUing Mein thou turn ft thy Back fide on vie^ And jrniPft indignant at ray airnd Embrace ! CurJ'e on my -zvay-zvard Fate ! ^- Curfe on ray Stars ! — Under ivhat Star theatric \vas I born ? — ^— Te Gods I ivhy gave ye to me fuch a Soul tthat fwells and pants ^xnth fuch ambitious T'bro-zvs^ Tet Torture it nxith Ijifajmntments vile ? PI — d'j fuperior Genius has undo7ie me j He, Eagle //'/:.?, o^er me a meer Tom-Tit- • To-ivrs ^yond ray Sights and mocks my aching P'lezi:-— — — But it is iVell. Anon, and yet anon 'The Goddefs^ Fair Occafion, caWd, may fmiky And I -zvill catch her by her Forelock/'r/? 5 For fo the Fair is gaind : jjnd fo 1 fink Into the calmer Thoughts of mild Thilcfophy. — — • Oh! gentle Reader, excule this heroic Agitation of my Soul 5 the Thoughts of what I am going to tell you, hit the Caufe that tcuchi'd my Brain, and threw me into this paffionate Rhaplbdy : After all our Hopes, after all our Negociarions, Solliciiations, Reprefenta- tions, Lucubrations, and Apologies, the Theatre CoUev Cibber built in the Air, muft {fill remain in NubibuSy though f it -zvas in a much better Tafle than any he had feen j atid -ire have only nozv Leave to play -ztiith the 'Froje^ in Fancy. In plain Englip, my Lord * C. C/i'^rrs Apology, p. 206. -j- Ditto, p. 208. - ChamberlMi [ i?3 ] Chaviherlain denied us a Licenfc, on fo foolifh a Rca* fon (begging my Lord's Pardon for the Expreffion) as, he would not confent, without any Foundation of Rea- Ibn, for us to invade a Gentleman's Property : But my Lord has another Way of thinking, as to moral Obliga- tions, than C'..y C . . .r '^ and however he may approve .of him as an entertaining Companion, he has no Opi- nion of him as a Moral Philofopher. It is not be- coming in me to call his Grnces Parts into Qiieltion j nor do I : They are above the Delcriprion of my Pen, though that can fomerimes foar fuch Heights, as may be beyond the Ken of common Undcrltandmg : liin I may ask this digreflivc Chieilion, IV/j^r /y Pk op f. r t y ? It IS merely having the PolIeHion of a Thinf, which PofTeirion gives a juft Right to it till diijioHelii'd thereof: For as Pofleflion is univerlally allowed to be JSJine Parts of the Law out of Ten, u is to be fuppoled it is Nine Parts of Juftice out of Ten ; and conlequently ihould be the Eallance of every Man's j^ciions. As for Inilincc, If a Tradelhian, viz. a Woollen Draper, Haberdaiher, Mercer, Laccman, ^t:. had particular •Goods in their Shops, their Goods during that Time are their Properties : They are i'o. Well, the Taylor purchales fome of them from the feverai Shops, and they become Ins. Now if I order the Taylor from thole Goods to make me a handlomc Suit of CJoaths, and he makes them and delivers them to me, will any one fay they are the Property of the Woollen-Draper, Haberdaiher, Laceman, ^r. or Taylor ? No, they are m'»e. v^', fays Sir Sneer er, if you have paid for them. • • Ay, Sir, if I have not paid for rhem too. - - The Cloaths, durante po(Je(fione, are legally mine ; and as my Property 1 wear them. — The 1 aylor indeed may bring his A6tion at Law 5 and then I play leall in Sight ^ but ftill wear the Cloaths. — He forces me to the Verge of the Law 3 I ftili wear the Cloaths 5 and nil he is able to beat me out of all my Itrong Holds, I make no Confideration of his Claim to them, or an Equivalent for 'them. — Property fluctuates and changes Malrers : 'Tis a quick Inheritance : Hc€i €S HcTrcdem vekt unda. fupervenit undam. K. 3 Forgive [ 134 ] Foroive the Lownefs of my Illuftration, and making m\ 'elf an Example : But Truth is Truth, however mean the Objeft may be that ciemonftrates it. If you would have a more elevated Idea, behold the ihiftuating Property of the greateil Empires and Kingdoms of the W'oiid : Your Jiledes and your ^Perfiani are no longer govern'd by their Cyniis and jDarius's. — Alexanders Jramily are not m Pofleflion of the territorial Property which he himfeif took fropi others. — But why need I be prodigal of my hiftorical Learning. — Does not the illulh'ious Kouli KffJi, at this very Day,, make the Do- minions of the Sophi of Perfia his Property ; and has he not made the vaft Riches and Provinces of the Great Mo^ul his Property 3 and is he not meditating to make other PiOvinces of the Ot.fonian Empire his Property ? -- But you fay this is Injuftice, and that he, in fact, is an Uiurper, — A T'ico for Diilinclion of Names ; while he is in Poffeihon of his Territories, and at the Head of his Armies, he is a Prince. — I only wi/li Icould be the KouU Kan of the "Thentrey and the Mobile might give me whatever Kame or Title they pleas'd belides to di- Itmgui/h me by. — But do not our Eiircpean Potentates a(5t on the fame Principle : If they can once gain Pof- ieffion, by Fraud or Force, of a convenient Ifland, or Tra£t of Land, or Dominion, do they not think they have a jult Right to it, and that it becomes their Pro- perty ? - — Would any good En^lipman doubc our indif- putable Right to Gibraltar^ Minorca^ Janmca^ — oir- Bifpnniola and all the jlmerican World if we could take them from the Spaniards, and afterwards keep them. —: If, therefore I, Q\m&\- Vi ox Fraude^ could get any Part of the theatric Dominions, am I to blame ? - - Of if I, t\}& young Captain at Land, meeting with a rich trading Taylor, iliould plunder him of a laced Suit of Cloath?, why am I to be cenfured more than another Captain at Sea, who plunders a Car a era Ship ? but^ lays my Opponent, Ifuppofe — tJoe publick 'Pro- perty of Jsattcns^ and the private Property of Sub- ieBs are differently to be confidercd.- — -I am your humbie Servant for that, my Dear : By my Philofbphy 1 look upon the State of Nature as a State of War 3 all is fair Play in this Scramble for the Goods of the World ; and [135 ] and I think myfelf, in this Refpefl, acting in as jiill a Principle as any Potentate living. Why i^as not I The TkveMtieth by 'Defcenr^ From a long refihe Rdce of droa/iinj^ Kinxa : Te Gods ! r.vhy gave ye me a Alonarcb^s Soul, ^n.l crujled it -ivlTh bafe Plebeian Clav ? Dryden's Spani/h Fryar. What a Buftle-Mafler General would I have made a- nionc^ the Princes of the World, and elbow'd all the Monarchs ro.ind about me. — But, )iou fir Tiii volueye. Therefore in mimic Parallel among the Plumes oF Tragedy, and Struts of Ambition, I ihew a Dawn of what, had I been a Prince, I fliouhi have acted. But to return from this Digieffion on Propcrtj. - - - Our IIor.es were frnlTr ited, as to forming a now Ccrm- pany by the Santlion of a Licenle h'om the J.ord Cham- berlaln 5 and Mr. Colky Gibber's Ambition and private Views have the fune Fare as mine. — He, indeed, may picafe hirnfelt with his Follies, having a plentiful Provilion for I,ife, and ilill have the Joy he took in the Und of an old Song. 2\[y Aflnd, my Mhul is a Kingdom to me. He like a loole Philofopher may again iiiy, ]\L -ivbile my laughing Fcll'es can deceive, Slejl in the denr 'Delirium let me liv. Rather fhan •wifejy know lAyWcJnts a fid grieve. But, for my Part, I muft again fubmit to return to tht Srage a Servant inibead of a iManager 5 which had I known Ihmc Weeks ago, this Apology had nor, as vet, have been wrote, nor my Fathei's would not, as vet, have been publifh'd : But as I am drawn mto this hirtorical Narration ot the Stage, which is, in faci, a true and neceffiry Appendix to his, I will make it as compleat as pofTibie ; ror which Reaibn, I fhall enter on another (^Ihaptcr, that I may give the theatrical Chara'cteis of the princi]tal A^lors now living, not onlv as it will be m Mr. C-lky Gibber's Manner, wiiich I promis'd to follow in my Title Page, but, in fid, as this Apology will not be, yj i tlifiorical P'ic'v of ihe iv 4 Stage C rs^ ] St AGE J.V/7;;j wv OWN Time, without tliem : Tlie drawing Chara^?:e.s is the moft difficult Province of 4 Hiftorian 5 and very few, either antient or modern, h-4ve fuccecded in them : They who Iheer at Clbbers ^pokiv in general, approve of his characterizing his Co-teimorariec 3 they own the Draught is niafterly, and the Goh 'f-ing enteriainmg. I am fenfible therefore how hard the Task muft be to give the Pouivrait of living Players, when all the Town is acc|.i;tinted v/ith the Originals : However, as I am of a ftrcng Opinion this Apology, as well as the other, may kve to late Poiterity, I am not willing my Co-temporanes fliould be buried m Oblivion 5 and perhaps there niay be no ^polcT^iJl thca- trical hardy enough to iucceed me : My friends of the Stage will tlieietore excufe my Manner, Partiality, and Exprefllons, and what they may not approve, as being too free, pals over with a Smile of Contempt ; for, to conclude, I Hiall be as free with Mr. C Gibber and iiiyfelf as any of them, whofe Characters I ihall draw lip as Parallels to one another : As I have given you. Reader, the Bill of Fare of the next Chapter, it is in your own Option whether you will fet down to the Meal. ^.mMrm '^<^mM^ C H A P. XI, and Lafl. Ihe feveral theatrical Characters of feme ef the pre- fect Atlors. A Parallel betivecn the Author and Mr. Colley Gibber. The Concliifion. n.'f^.j^l S lam novi^ entering on a Province which is kC^I^I eflcem'd the mofl difficult for an Hiftorian to ^i4»j^ fucceed in, I am under fome Apprehenfions X^M^^^ that this Chapter may not only be the leaft entertaining, but may give Offence, when I have no Manner of pcii2;n that it fiiould, To draw Characters requires [ 137 j-equires not only a great Judgement but great Art, tho' you defcribe Perfons that have lived fome Years or Cen- turies before you write : But to draw the Chara^ers of Perfons living — Hie Labor, hoc Opus eft. — Equally to avoid Flattery or Cenfure, and to keep ftri(Slly to a judicious Narration, is what fev/ Hiftorians have fuc- ceeded in at all ; but to characterize your Cotemporan'es, then living, requires fuch an honell Impartiality that ftill fewer have attempted it. — On thefe Confulcrations I woulcf have wav'd giving any Characters of my theatri- cal Brethren ; but on the Remonflration of fome Friends that rny Hiftory would not be compleat without them, I miift, in Part, enter on this arduous Undertaking: JaSla eji Alea, as Ccsjar faid, — The Die is cajl, — We'll pafs the Rubicon : Proceed I muft and will ; there- fore in the Conclulion of this prefatory Paragraph I (hall chufe the Motto of another great Man, Fari que Scntiat ; and fo, Mr. Reader ^ and Siv JtHor, I hope you v.'ill perufe the Reft of this Hiftory with Candour, if my Pictures are fuch as you in Truth know them to be : For, as the Gazetteer fays, " Moft Writers fccm to have it niore " in View to difplay their own Parts, or make their " Court to tiie Perfon ciiaraderiz'd, to his Relations, " Friends, and Dependants, than to draw him truly *' fucji as he was j and of many fuch it niay be faid as " was faid of the Painter who excell'd in Colouring and *' Proportion, That his Pictures had every Excellence " but Li.i'erirfs." — It may be wonder'd why I quote this Author; but I am willing to pay all Deference to an Author v^ho has been engaged in the fame Caufc \vith my- felf, and perhaps my individual Self : I only widi my Pictures may liave fome Likenefs, which will, I believe, attone for the Want of other Excellencies, prefuming this Attempt may be neither difagreable to the Curious, or the Frequenters of a Theatre, take it without any fartlier Preface. In the Year 1740, the principal AtSlors, or v^hom I th.inlc the principal A6lori, mny be thus impartially and concifcly pourtray'd. As Tragcdian.s cjTim, from their coftly Plumes anj Trappings a Superiority of Mc-rit over the Comedians, J fliall begin with them ; and taking the Liberty of de- viatmg; [ '38 ] deviating from Cicero^ Salu/i^ Clarendon^ and all other Hirtorians, except Colley Cibber, fhall defcribe them juft as I tliink proper, ^-n at Drury-Lane Houfe, and D-l-ne at Covent- Garden^ are the Perfonce Dramatis which are without Competitors: They both play the chief Charad^ers ia the fame Caft, therefore I fhall confider their different Characters together. .^— « has been many Years on the Stage, and has gradually rofe up to that Height of Re- putation he at prefent enjoys : When Drury-Lane Theatre was under the Direction of the late Mr. Richy he was in the inferior Clafs , and the Lieutenant of the Tower in Gibber's Alteration of Richard the Third was one of the principal Parts he perform'd : The Caft of feveral Plays in Print fully prove his Abilities were then thought but very infignificant ; however, on a new Company fetting up at LincoW s-Inn-Ficlds^ he was engag'd in it, and has ever fmce, but more efpecially on the Death of Boheme, gradually rofe to a great degree of Favour with the Publick : Mr. Booths quitting the Stage ftill fet him in a fairer Light, and indeed left him without a Rival : He had for fome Time appear'd with- out any Compititor, when, all on a fudden, there ap- pear'd at Goodman's- Fields a young Tragedian from Dublin : This was D..L.ne. Novelty, Youth, a hand- fome Figure, ifc. took ofF from any fevere Criti- cifm on his Elocution and A(5lion. In Ihort, though fo far from the polite End of the Town, he drew to him feveral polite Audiences, and became, in fuch a Degree of Repute, that Comparifons were made between him and ^— « ; nor vras he without Admirers of both Sexes who save him the Preference : Ke was not infenfible of this, and determin'd to leave Goodman s-Ficlds, and in- dulge his Ambition at one of the Theatres Royal : ^...n juft at that Time left Covcnt-Garden for Drury-Lane, and he engag'd with Mr. Rich at Covent-Gardcn ; and in two or three Years on the Stage gain'd that Station on it, which moft of the other Adlors could not in many Years attain to. ^...« has the Character of a juft Speaker, but then it is confined to the folemn de- clamatory Way : He either cannot work himfelf into the [ 139 ] the Emotions of a violent Pailion, or he will not take the Fatigue of doing it : The' Partiality of his Friends fays he can touch the Faflsons with great Delicacy if he vj'dl ; but general Opinion affirms he has neither Power of Voice or Senfation to give Love or Pity, Grief or Remorfe tlieir proper Tone and Variation of Features. D..L.ne is alfo elteemed a juft Player ; and though he has often a more loud Violence of Voice, yet, ither from an Imitation of J:^;..k, or his own natural Manner, he has a Samcnefs of Tone and Expreiiion, and drawls out" his Lines to a dirpleafing Length: But that loud Violence of Voice is ufcful to him when Anger, Indig- nation, or fuch cnrag'd Paflions are to be cxprefa'd ; for the flirili Loudncfs marks the PafTion, which the (wect Cadence of .^...«'s natural Voice is unequal to. In fuch VtiXts, Q.{^zc\^\\y Jlcxa7idef, Z)../..?/t^ pleafes many j for the Million, as C. C. fays, are apt to be tranfported when tiic Drum of the Ear is foundly rattled : But on the contrary, ^...ns folemn Samencf'^ of Pronunciation, which conveys an awful Dignity, is charmingly aftc6ting in Cato. D. I. .tie is young enough to rife to greater Perfection ; ^...n may be faid now to be at the Height of his : If D..l..ne has the more pleafing Perfon, j^..« •has he more affecting Action : Both might foon appear with more Advantage if they were on the fame Stage : Tiie P«.ival{hip of D..l..ne would give a fpiritcd Jealoufy to i^...K, and force him to exert himfejf ; and ^...n's Judgment would improve the unfinilh'd A6tion of D..l..ne; hut they are the Ccsfar and Pompey of the Theatres, and one Stage would be incompatible with their Ambition ; ^,...« could bear no one on the Footing as an Equal, D..l..ne no one as a Superior. M...l'iJu....d is an x\ctor with all the Happinefs of Voice than can be imagin'd, and a Perfonage very well turn'd for the Lover or the Heroe ; nor, when he is not indolently negligent, does he often betray a Want of Judgment : His Voice is iwcct, with an uncommon Strength ; and in the Decadence of it, there is a Softnefs in it which adapts it to touch the Paflions of Grief, Love, Pity, or Defpair. In Comedy the Eafmefs of his Dialogue in tiie genlccl Charaders fcems very amiable j and though in liis [ MO ] his Action and Speech he does not imitate that quick fnip-fnap Catch of the late Mr. IVilks, to exprefs Spirit and Vigour ; yet his Voice and Gefture fhow fuch a Vivacity as are the juft Effedls of Nature : In low Comedy he has been feen to fucceed beyond Expeila- tion ; and to fpealc all in a V/ord, according to Mr. Cibber^s Defcription of Mountford, he is, or might be, the true Reprefentative of him. Of Mr. William M...h I have faid fomething in a preceding Chapter ; all I (hall add here is, that he is not excellent in Tragedy, the Inanity of his Voice beino- unequal to the Swellings and Throws of the Sublime : In Comedy he fucceded to Mr. JVilks's Parts ; has caught fomething of his Catch in the Voice ; is alw^ays very bufy on the Stage ; and, what all Adlors ought to value themfelves upon, very perfedi. Griffin and Joe 3fz//^r being dead, I fhall give no T'e- fcriptions of them, nor of thofe who have fuLceded to their Parts ; for if I fliould fpeak of their Excellencies, I ihould be tempted to mention the comparative Inequa- lity of their SuccelTors. ■ • Like the great Apologiji^^ Method of treating Z^ifr/r'^'^^;?, Keen^ Boheme, h'c. i^c. isfc. I fnall pafs o"er the Reft of the prefent Players as Princes of petty Fame : I fliall therefore only fpeak of two AarefTes, and Myfclt, and ColLy Cihbrr in Parallel. Mrs. Cl...e is elleem'd by all an excellent Comic A6lrefs ; and as (he has a prodigious Fund of natural Spirit and Humour off the Stage, (he makes the moR of the Poet's on it. Nothing, though ever fo barren, even though it exceeds the Limits of Nature, can be flat in her Hands : She heightens all CharacSters of Hu- mour {he attempts; nor is ihe confined only to the Hoyden Mifs or pert Chambermaid, but in fpiritous gay Characlers of high Life, fhe always appears with fuch Air, Mein, and A£lion, as fpeak the Gay, the Lively, and rhe Defirable. She has been, , by Perfons who re- )iicmbcr both, compared to Mrs. Mountford ; and, by their natural Talents for the Stage, I am apt to believe the Comparifon not unjuft : I muft however cbferve, Mrs. Mountford appear'd with great Succefs, en Cavalier^ and made zn adroit pretty Fellow : Mrs. Gl,..e does noC appear;' C 141 ] appear in thefe Chradlers, the concealing Petticoat bettef fuiting with her Turn of Maice than the Breeches : Ic is not from want of Spirit or Judgment to hit oft the Fop or the Coxcomb, as fhe has evidently prov'd in the Ballad fhe Sings, call'd the Life "f a Beau, in which her A£lion and Gefture is as pleaiing as in any Part Ine per- forms : I could wifli flie would never attempt ferious Charailers in Comedy j and to reiign the Part of Ophelia in Hamlet^ in which flie is very unequal to herfelf : - - Yet all will allow, that take her all in all^ (he has fuch Talents as make her an excellent A6trefs. Though Mrs. Cl...e is by far the mort excellent A(51:refs of the Drury-Lanc Company, and to fpeak out the fe- vere Judgment of experiejic'd Criticks, the only A(ftrers ■who has any Excellence in it, yet {he has a Competitor in Fame at Covent-Garden : Mrs. H...t...n ftands in the fame Degree of Superiority on this latter Stage, as Mrs, Cl...€ does on the former ; but I muft obferve, that their Talents, Manner, Air, Gefture, and Caft of Parts arc very different. Mrs. H'.,t...n^ though pad the heyday of her Beauty, yet betrays fo little decay of Youth, tha ant inexprejjible Somewhat in her Air, Face, and Mein throws out fuch a Glow of Health and Chearfulnefs, that, on the Stage^ few Spectators that are not pafl: it, can behold her v/ith- out Dijire i and, in the Fullneis of my Heart I may venture to confefs, that the Dcfirable is fo predominant in her that my Soui has a Tnjie or Tendre for Mrs. H...t,..n, To fpeak critically of her as an Acbefs, in all Parts of a gay Impertinent, or the Ccquette^ fhe has all the Fe- male Foppery that a giddy, lively, fantaltick Creature can be aitccied with. — The La.-iguage, Drefs, Motion, and Manners of a MiUa7nant ieem naturally her own ; and I may lay of her, what the great Jpologijl faid of Mrs. Bracegirdle in that Part ; that " '••■ when flic acts " Millamant^ all the Faults, FoiJics, and AfFciStation of *' that a-reeable Tyrant were vcnially melted down into " lb many Charms and Attractions of a confcious C. Clbbcr''s, Apology, p. 103. Bcauty."^ [ H^- ] " Beauty.'' — But befides thefe Foibles of the Fair Sex, ihe can rife into the decent Dignity of a fine Lady, and charm with the innocent Refer^'e of an Indiana, as by the fluttering Je ne fcai ^tioy of a Mi!la?nant. In Tra^ gedy, fince the Death of Mrs. Hallam, fhe ftands with- out any equal Competitor ; for fhe 'has that Grace in her Prefence, that clear Melody in her Voice, v/ith Strength enough to exprefs the Violence of fome Paffions, and Softnefs to fubude into the Harmony of others, that no Atlrefs now performing on either Stage can, in this LL^iit, be compared to her. — There are fome indeed, -2t both Houfes, who throw out fome Proffers of a Genius y yet cannot be rank'd in any Degree of Perfeolion ; for either they heavily drag the Sentiment along, with a long-ton'"d Voice, abfent Eye, and Inanity of Gefturc, or elfe with an impetuous Velocity of Voice, ftaring Eye, and unmeaning Superfluity of A<3ion, 7nake the the Perfonnance come out cdly difguis^d, or fomevjhere de- fect ively unfiirprifing to the Hearer. — As I mention no particular Perfons, no particular Perfons can take Of- fence : In Juftice to my own Judgement I muft ac- knowledge, that I unwillingly acquiefcc in the Obferva- tion of many Judges, that the tivo Theatres never had, at any Time, fo indiiterent a Set of JUrefj'es as at prefect ; and among the younger Aftrefies I have not feen one who has fnewn the leafl Genius for the Stage, which may ever make its Way towards Perfection. T: may feem a Matter of Wonder to fome, why they who have been excellent in a Theatre, as Cibber, TFilks, and Booth, did not bring up young Actors to fucceed them ; and this was indeed objeCled to their Adminiftra- tion : — *' * And this, fays the Apologifi, was a Matter *' as eafy as planting fo m.any Cabbages." — True it is,' indeed, good Aftors and good Cabbages are not with equal Plenty produced : Flowever, if there is a natural Materia in the Aclor as there is in the Cabbage, I can fee no Reafon v/hy he fjiould not fprout as well as the Cabbage : Indeed he will afterwards require fome Care * C. Cill'tr\ Apology p. ^24. t<3 [ M3 ] to bring him to Perfection ; fo does the Cabbage : This cannot do without the enh'vening Warmth of the Sun, and the young /iSior requires to be chear'd by fuch little Parts as may gain him fome little Applaufe ; for * Priblick approbation is the vjar?n IVcather of a theatrical Plant, - - But it feerns this wuuld be too much Trouble for our theatrical Gardiners ; they were not for turning Nurfery Men of dramatick Cabbages, but to have bought them at Market ; for, fays the metaphorical Apologiji, '* f Let *' it be our Excufe then for that niiftaken Charge againft *' us, that fince there M'as no Garden or Market ** where accomnliih'd Acftors grew, or were to be fold, *' we could only pick them up by Chance." — As for myfeif, I was a young Sprout from fo admirable a Sicfn, that Nature threw out in me feveral Per{e(5tions, which I may rather call hereditary than acquired ; and whe- ther I am conhdered in a theatrical, poetical, political, or moral Capacity, the Render will obferve, throu'j;li the Courfe of this Hiflory, there is fome Truth in my Motto. - - Seqtiiturque Patran — Though through Modefty I anx forc'd to add, non pajjibus jEquis^ which give mc Leave to render into a paraphraftick Couplet. — His Father's Steps he follows to be great. But not tuith equal Pace or equal Fate. Some future Hiftorian may thus write of us : The Father indeed had more of the Sal Jtiicum in his Genius, but then the Son excell'd him in an open hardv Confi- dence of Behaviour: Collky's Coudu(5t in Life was more on the Referve than Thf.'sj but by Thj^'s making a Buftle in the World, he fliew'd a fuperior Greatnefs of Soul: Colley had the cool Calmnels of a defigning Courtier ; The' the frank rafli Spirit of 3. young Captain ; The Father was the greater Hypocrite, tiie Son was the greater Aladman. — Colley rcnder'd himfelf remarkable by his Fcpptries, The' by his Ex- travagancies : Yet their private Virtues, publick Mo- defty, and Sentiments of Morality were, in facSt, in the C. G^/w's Apology, p. 157. j- Dine, p. 32.1. one i 144 ] Cne and the other the fame, though their pubHck Con- du(5t was extremely different, — Colley had rather Z"^ immoral than be efteem'd fo ; The' thought it more Glory, the more he acquir'd the Charafter of being fo. ' — The Reputation of the one was only founded on private Rumour, but that of the other is on publick Record. In fhort, the Father had few Equals, the Son not cne. Having brought the Hiftory of the Stage down from the Time my Father left it to the prefent Vacation, 1740, I can only add, after my Exploits, Hopes, and Ambition, I muft return to Mr. Rich, as an hired Aclor, and wait in dudgeon fome more favourable Op- portunity to make my Attempts on the theatric Domi- nions more fuccefsful : However thofe Attempts occa-^ fion'd this Apology, which will tranfmit my Name and Chara6ler to late Pofterity j and I may conclude as Ovid does : 'Jamque opus exegi quod ncc Jovis Ira nee Ignes Terrajn nee poterit nee Edax abolere Vetujias, &c. And now I've done a IVork which neither JovE, Nor all his IVrath, nor Thunderbolts above. Nor ruthful Steel, nor all-devouring Time, Shall e'er dejlroy this Hiftory fublime. F I N I X E R R A T U M. Ifi Viigf 66, fvr Eltionft read Ellcourt,