1r, and a better judge of tragedy at leaft, than Cibber, fhould refign his understanding to an inferior, must be refolved into the great love of ease which accompanied him through life. Of Booth's conduct, as a manager, we have not the leaft or moft diftant hint of complaint in Cibber's Apology, but the author is extremely querulous with respect to Dogget's and Wicks's behaviour. The former was certainly, in the opinion of the world as well as Cibber, an original and inimitable actor; a clofe copier of nature in all her attitudes or disguifes; a man fo fenfible of what his own natural abilities could poffibly attain to, that he never ventured upon any part that he was not fure he could properly represent. Of this integrity to himself Cibber produces a remarkable inftance.-On his return to Drury lane, in 1697, Vanbrugh caft him into the part of Lory, in the Relapfe: after a trial, in which he found his deficiency, he gave it up to Pinkethman. Cibber fays, in dreffing a character to the greateft exactnefs, Dogget was remark ably fkilful; the leaft article, of whatever habit he wore, seemed, in fome degree, to fpeak and mark the different humour he reprefented. This, fays the writer of a General View of the Stage, I have heard confirmed from one who performed with Dogget: and that he could, with great exactness, paint his face fo as to reprefent the age of feventy, eighty, and ninety, diftinatly; which occafioned Sir Godfrey Kneller to tell him one day, at Button's, that he excelled him in painting; for that he could only copy nature from the originals before him, but that Dogget could vary them at pleasure, and yet keep a close Jikenefs. In the part of Moneytrap, in the Confederacy, he wore an old thread-bare black coat, to which he had put new cuffs, pocket-lids, and buttons, on purpose to make its ruftinefs more confpicuous; the neck was fluffed fo as to make him appear round shouldered, and give his head the greater prominency; his fquare-toed hoes were large enough to buckle over thofe he wore in common, which made his legs appear much smaller than usual.. This great actor was perhaps the only one who confined himself to fuch cha racters as nature feemed to have made him for. No temptation could allure him to ftep out of his own circle; from this eircumftance, he never appeared to the audience with any diminution of his general excellence. In his temper, he was as true a humourist as Morofe in the Silent Woman. Liberty he liked, for he was a ftaunch whig, but not on the generous principles established at the Revolution; his love of freedom extended little farther than the gratification of his own inclinations.Money he loved; but even that he would reject, if his own method of obtaining it was by any means difturbed; witness his refigning a large income, because the crown, through the intereft of lord Boling. broke, interfered in favour of Booth.Dogget never interpofed in the manage ment of the theatre, except to adjust his own parts in plays, and to take bis fhare of the profits at the treafury. No ftockbroker was busier at the exchange, to take advantage of the rife and fall of flocks, than Dogget. Cibber was as intent upon gaming, and all manner of pleature, as Dogget could be in trafficking with the funds. Cibber has loft every fhilling at hazard or cards, and has been heard to cry out, Now I must go home and eat a child !'-This attention to the gamingtable would not, we may be affured, render him fitter for his business of the ftage. After many an unlucky run, at Tom's coffee-houte, he has arrived at the playhouse in great tranquillity, and then, humming over an opera-tune, he has walked on the stage very imperfect in the part he was to act. Cibber fhould not have reprehended Powell fo feverely for neglect and imperfect representation; I have seen him at fault where it was leaft expected, in parts which he had acted a hundred times, and particularly in Sir Courtly Nice; but Colley dexteroußy fup. plied the deficiency of his memory by prolonging his ceremonious how to the lady, and drawling out Your humble fervant, Madam, to an extraordinary length; then, taking a pinch of fnuff, and ftrutting deliberately across the flage, he has gravely afked the prompter, What is next? "Wilks was, by nature and education, differently formed: with the warm and generous spirit which becomes a man, he had, from practice and experience, undet the tuition of Mr. Athbury (a very good actor of the Bettertonian school, and many years manager of Dublin theatre) acquired a love for order, decency, and firict re gularity, in the bufinefs of the fcene.It is afferted, by the writer of the Lau. reat, that, when trusted with the manage. ment of the stage by Chriftopher Rich, he found fuch confufion, and contempt of all difcipline, in the company, that he was reduced to the neceffity of challenging and fighting several amongst the ringleaders of thefe diforders, Powell, fays Cibber, declined a duel with Wilks, when he found his antagonist would fight.Pity! that a man, poffeffed of such great talents for acting as Powell, fhould have rendered rendered them all ineffectual by his per- overbearing temper. On that account, fifling in irregularity and intemperance. and that only, Dogget told Cibber, fays In looking over the advertisements of the latter, he gave up his income; and, plays, in the first edition of the Spectator, for that caufe, the fame informer affures published in 1711 and 1712, the name of us, several actors of Drury-lane theatre Powell I fee placed to many very impor- forfook their old mafters, and lifted with tant characters, under the management of John Rich at Lincoln's inn-fields. I fhall Cibber, Dogget, and Wilks: to Faldaff, not take the evidence of two fuch partial to Lear, Leon, Cortez in the Indian Em- and interefted men against so honest and peror, and many others. Even Wilks fteady a character, in the maintenance of would not be fo partial, during Powell's every thing that was decent, juft, and ability to act, as to give thefe important generous, as that of Robert Wilks.parts to his friend Mills. Addifon and Dogget facrificed to his own humour Steele continued their regard and coun- when he refigned his share of the license tenance, as long as they could be of fer- or patent. When Quin, Walker, and vice, to this unhappy man. That he Ryan, left Drury lane theatre, it was not acted Portius, in Cato, 1713, must have from a diflike to Wilks, but from an offer been with the author's approbation; and of adyanced salary, with the possession of this, I believe, was Powell's last part, in the capital parts.-Ryan chose gl. per a new play, of any confequence. He was week, at Lincoln's in-fields, with the fo hunted, by the theriffs officers for debt, part of Hamlet, in preference to Laertes, that he usually walked the streets with his in the fame play, and 50s. at Drury-lane; fword in his hand, (fheathed) in terrorem and Quin preferred the acceptance of the to his pursuers. If he faw any of them fime, or a larger, falary, offered from at a distance, he would roar out, 'Get Rich, with Tamerlane and Brutus in on the other fide of the way, you dog! Julius Cæfar, instead of inferior parts in and the bailiff, who knew his old cuftomer, the fame plays with what he thought a would moft obligingly answer, We do small pittance. The mean fubterfuge of not want you now, Maiter Powell. Cibber, to cloke his fpleen to Wilks by He was alive in the year 1717; I faw, the fuffrage of others, is vifible. But this many years lince, a play-bill, for his be- good man gave Dogget and Cibber still nefit, dated that year. The unhappy farther provocations. In the decorations George Powell, whofe fault was too great of plays, they grudged, from mean œ a paffion for focial pleasure, was certainly conomy, every neceffary expence, while an actor of genius; but, in his moral his fpirit took pleasure in dreffing every conduct, he was, among the players, character as it ought to be, and furnishwhat Edmund Smith, the author of Pha- ing fuch other theatric ornaments as the dra and Hippolitus, was amongst the dramatic piece required. poets: not all the care and caution of Smith's Oxford friends, and his polite acquaintance at London, could keep him either decent in drefs or regular in behaviour. "To return to Wilks. What could this man, of fobriety and habitual regularity, do with fuch partners as a gamefter and a hunter after the ftocks? Cibber and Dogget wanted not abilities to go through the various bulinefs of the theatre; but their inclinations carried them to their two dear Dulcineas, pleasure and profit. "Cibber draws an advantageous character of Dogget, as a man of sense, and one that understood business; but, furely, his giving up near Sool. or toool. per an num, on another man's being advanced to an equal degree of happiness with him felf, or from a paltry grudge or pique to a worthy man who fometimes thwarted his pride, gives no good proof of the foundrefs of his intellects. The great complaint of Cibber and Dogget, against their partner, Wilks, was his impetuous and "Of the managers, Booth, Wilks and Cibber, the laft, for many reafons, was the leaft efteemed by the players. He fpared no pains, it is true, to inftruct the actors in fuch characters as he drew in his own pieces; but he could not forbear at times, wantonly throwing_out_sarcasms on the inferior performers. Cibber was certainly leaft efteemed of the three great masters; the Laureat goes farther, and avers that he was abfolutely odious to the comedians. I will not go fo far; but I have been told, that the players had no hold on any of his paffions, to accomNOTE. When the younger Mills was once rehearsing Scandal, in Love for Love, a part which Booth had formerly acted, Mills in that part of the play where Scan. dal breaks out into the exclamation of Death and hell! where is Valentine?” obferved, that poor Mr. Rooth forgot the Death and hell,' &c. Cibber, with a con⚫ temptuous fmile, told him, there was more beauty in his forgetfulness than in all he remembered. phth their views, except his timidity. Victor informed me, that Bickerftaffe, a comedian whole benefit play Steele goodnaturedly recommends to the public, in the Fatler, on account of his being, as he fays, his relation, had acquired an income of 41. per week. Cibber, in an os. conomical fit, retrenched him of half The man, who had a family, was ftruck at the fudden diminution of his allowance; and, knowing whence is misfor, tune was derived, waited on Cibber, and flatly told him, that, as he could not fubfift on the small fum to which he had reduced his falary, he must call the author of his diftrefs to an account, for that it would be easier to him to lofe his life than to ftarve. The affrighted Cibber told him, he fhould receive an anfwer from him on Saturday next. Bickerstaffe found, that day, his ufual income was continued. · "However Cibber might be difliked by the players, it is certain that Wilks was efteemed and refpected by them-Booth was valued and beloved as their com panion, who mixed in their fociety and took part in their interefts. When Har per remonstrated to him, that Shepherd's income was larger than his by 20s. per week, though he prefumed, he faid, that his own indultry and variety of business were not inferior to Shepherd's, Booth faid, in reply, affenting to the truth of what he had affirmed, Suppofe, now, Harper, we should make you both equal by reducing his falary to yours? By no means, faid the other I would not injure Mr. Shepherd for the world; I would only, by your favour, Sir, honeftly ferve myself.The manager faid no more; on pay-day, Harper found his weekly allowance increafed by an addition of twenty fhillinge. However trifling thefe little flories may feem, they throw more light on a diftinguished character than matters of feemingly more importance. li'ne truth is, the love and efteem of the actors went along with Booth and Wilks; to Cibber they paid no farter regard than what his power and their fear infpired. talked over the news and politics of the day, though, indeed, they were no great politicians; for players are generally king's men. Here they cracked their jokes, indulged in little fallies of pleafantry, and hughed, in good humour, at theit mutual follies and adventures. Kings, footmen, aldermen, cardinals, coblers, princes, judges, link boys, and fine gentlemen, in thort, all characters, were mingled together; and from this chaos of confufion aroft a harmony of mirth, which contributed not a little to reconcile them to their various situations in the theatre.— Wilks came amongit them fometimes; Booth, who loved the bagatelle, oftener: he liked to converfe with them freely, and hear their jokes and remarks on each other; and 'if, from any accidental flory or information, these good men, I mean Wilks and Booth, could make any indi vidual happy, they laid hold of the of fered opportimity. Cibber feldom came among the fettlers; tyrants fear, as they know they are feared. Cibber, with propriety enough, perhaps, confines his narrative to thofe actors who were dead. But how came he to forget Dicky Norris and Bullock, men of acknowledged merit, who had been numbered with the dead feveral years before he publified his Apology? Norris was fo much a favourite of the public, ever fince he had acted the part of Jubilee Dicky, in the Trip to the Jubilee, that the name of Dicky was often annexed, in the playhoufe bills, to any character he acted.in the first edition of the Spectator, in the advertisement of the Beaux Stratagem he is called Dicky Scrub. He was in fize, low and little, but not ill made, with an expreffive, truly comic, countenance, and a thrill clear, and audible voice.-Mrs. Oldfield thought him an excellent figure for a cuckold. When, upon the indifpofition of Norris, Cibber undertook to play Barnaby Brittle, in the Wanton Wife, his action was generally applauded; but when Cibber said to Oldfield, Nanny, how do you like your new hufband? The replied, Why, very well, but not half fo well as Dicky Norris. How To Why, you are too important in your figure for one of the horned race; but Norris has fuch a diminutive form, and fo foeaking look, that he feems formed on purpose for horns, and I make him a cuckold always with a hearty good will.' There is a little open room, in Drury Jane theatre, called the Settle; it is feparated from the ftage and the feene room by a wainscot inclosure. It was formerly, before the great green-room was built, a place for many of the actors to retire to, between the acts, during the time of action and rehearsal. From time out of mind, till about the year 1740, to this In his faft illness, he was attended by place a pretty large number of the co- an eminent phyfician, who gave him hopes medians fed to refort conftantly after of recovery. Doctor, faid the fick dinner, which, at that time, was genes when the wheels of a watch are quite rally over at two o'clock. Here they decayed, do you think they can be re paired? paired-No, by no art in the world' Then Sir. fays Norris, it is is the fame cafe with me, all the wheels of my machine are ablolutely, through time, quite worn out, and nothing can restore them to their accuftomed force. Norris died about the year 1725. 1 Bullock was an actor of great glee and much comic vivacity. He was, in his perfon, large, with a lively countenance, full of humorous information, Steele, in the Tatler, speaks, with his ufual kind fenfibility, of Norris, Bullock, and Pin kethman, and their powers of railing mirth. The hiftorian of the two ftages fays, that Bullock is not only the best of actors, but so modell, that he is infenfible of his own merit,' The comic ability of Bullock was confirmed to me, by Mr. Macklin, who affured me very lately, that he was, in his department, a true genius of the ftage. I have feen him act feveral parts with great applaufe; especially the Spanifh Friar, at a time when he was above eighty. Cibber, agreeably to his adopted plan of confining his narrative to deceased ac tors, spoke only in general terms of Mrs, Porter's merit in tragedy; but, although this volume is enlarged to a much greater bulk than I intended, I cannot omit fame well authenticated anecdotes relating to tiris molt valuable and refpected actress; who was not only an ornament of the stage, but of human nature. 44 She was first taken notice of by Betterion, who faw her act, when a child, the Genius of Britain, in a Lord Mayor's Pageant, in the reign of Charles or James 11. Mrs. Porter always fpoke of Betterton with great refpect and veneration, She was fo little, when firft under his tui tion, that he threatened her, if she did not Speak and act as he would have her, to put her into a fruit-woman's basket and cover her with a vine-leaf. It was the cultom of the fruit-women, formerly, to fland fronting the pit, with their backs to the age; and their oranges and other fruit, covered with vine-leaves, "Mrs. Porter was ever welcome to the best and most respectable families in London. Oldfield and this actress rofe gradually to excellence and fame much about the fame time. They converfed together on the beft terms; Porter's gravity was a contrast to the fprightlinefs of Oldfield, who would often in jet call her her mothen, "She lived at Highwood-hill, near Hendon. After the play, the went home in-a one-horfe chaife; her conflant companions were a book and a brace of horse-piftols. The diflocation of her thigh-tone was at tended with a circumftance that deferves to be recorded. In the fummer of 1731, as fhe was taking the air in her one-horse chaile, he was flopped by a highwayman, who demanded her money. She had the courage to prefent one of her piltols to him; the map, who perhaps had only with him the appearance of firearms, affured her that he was no common thief; that robbing on the high-way was not to him a matter of choice, but neceffity, and in order to relieve the wants of his poor diftreffed family. He informed her, at the fame time, where he lived and told her fuch a melancholy flory, that the gave him all the money in her purse, which was about ten guineas. The man left her upon this fhe gave a lafh to the horfe; he fuddenly ftarted out of the track, and the chaife was overthrown; this occafioned the diflocation of her thigh bone. Let it be remembered, to her hos nour, that notwithstanding this unlucky and painful accident, she made ftrict enquiry after the robber; and finding that he had not deceived her, fhe railed a mongit her acquaintance about fixty pounds, which he took care to fend him. Such an action, in a person of high rank, would have been celebrated as fomething great and heroic: the feeling mind will make no diftinction between the generosity of an actress and that of a princess. : "I have already obferved, that he was efteemed the genuine fuccellor of Mrs. Barry, whofe theatrical page the had been when very young. When the fcene was not agitated with paffion, to the general fpectator fhe did not give equal pleafure, her reci tation of fact or fentiment was fo modus lated, as to resemble mufical cadence ra ther than speaking, and, this rendered her acting in comedy fomewhat cold and ins effectual.-Where the paffions predoni. hated, the exerted her powers to a fu preme degree; the feemed then to be ano ther perfon, and to be informed with that noble and enthufiaftic ardour which was capable of roufing the coldeft auditor to an equal animation. Her deportment was dignified with graceful eafe, and her ac tion the refult of the pallion the felt. "After the misfortune of her diflocated limb, and in a very advanced age, I aw her at many of her principal characters with much vigour and great applaufe, and, in particular, Clytemnestra in Thomson's Agamemnon In drawing this character, the author has varied from the idea of Efchylus; and, I think with great propriety, he has followed the original drawing of Homer, who gives fome ftrokes of tenderness to this princefs, and makes her yield with reluctance to the perfuafions of Bilthus, who could not entirely fubdue her affection to her husband, till he had removed the faithful baid, placed about her by Agamemnon as her counsellor and advifer. "In this tragedy, Mrs. Porter gave a ftriking proof of her great power in expreffing the paffions.-Her action and de portment, through the part of Clytemneftra, marked the confummate actrefs. In the second act, when, in the diflrefs of her mind from confcious guilt, fhe is torn with conflicting paffions at the approach of her injured husband, her action and expreffion when fie faid to her attendant Bring me my children hither; they may perhaps relieve me The ftruck the audience with astonishment, who expreffed the highest approbation by loud and reiterated applaufes, "In her perfon fhe was tall and well fhaped of a fair complexion, but not handfome; her voice was harsh and unpleafing. She elevated herfelf above all perfonal defects by her exquifite judgment. Though the greatly admired Betterton, and had feen all the old actors of merit, fhe was much charmed with Mr, Garrick, and lamented her want of youth and vigour to exert her skill with fo great a genius. Mrs. Porter outlived her annuitys and, in a very advanced age, was principally fupported by a very worthy noblemant, who made her a prefent of a new comedy, and permitted her to publish it, for her benefit, by fubfcription. She died about the year 1762. When Dr. Johnfon, fome years before her death, paid her a vifit, the appeared to him fo wrinkled, that, he said, a picture of old age in the abstract might be taken from her countenance. Mrs. Porter lived fome time with Mrs. Cotterell, relict of Colonel Cotterell, and Mrs. Lewis, who, 1 believe, now res fides in the Circus at Bath I. NOTE S. Scotch accent, that they could not refrain themselves from a loud laugh. Upon this, the author good-naturedly faid to the manager, Do you, Sir, take my play, and go on with it; for, though I can write a tragedy, I find I cannot read onc." Lord Cornbury. The anecdotes relating to Mrs. Porter were communicated to me by an elderly 'gentlewoman, lately dead, an acquaintance To return to Cibber. Envy is, I fear, annexed so closely to mankind in general, and more especially to the condition of a player, from his circumfcribed situation, that we are not to wonder that he had his fhare of it. He never heartily joined the public voice in the approbation of Mr. Garrick; he fhrunk from it as if he was hurt by it. "Mr. Garrick asked him if he had not, in his poffeffion, a comedy or two of his own writing. What then?' faid Cibber. I fhould be glad to have the ho- nour of bringing it into the world." Who have you to act it 'Why, there are (faid Garrick) Clive and Pritchard, myself, and fome others,' whom he named No!' fad the old man, taking a pinch of fnuff, with great nonchalance, it won't do,'-Foote often declared, that Cibber would allow no higher inerit to Garrick, than his acting Fribble.-At a meeting of Cibber, Garrick, Foote, and others, at Sir F. Blake Delaval's, Garrick imprudently drew on himself a rebuke from Cibber,—, The converfation happened to turn upon old actors, and their peculiar manner of playing. Mr. Garrick obferved, that the old flyle in acting was banifhed the stage, and would not now go down. Huw do you know ' faid Cibber; ' you nøver tried it' "He either did not fee, or would not acknowledge he faw, the merit of Elrington, an actor approved by the best judges in England and Ireland. Elrington, when a young man, wifhed to a&t the part of Torrifmond, in the Spanish Friar; this requeft Cibber oppofed with all his night.— A nobleman of great eminence fent for him, and defired he would give his reafons for not permitting the young player to try his abilities in a favourite part. My lord, faid Cibber, it is not with us as with you; your lordship is sensible, that there is no difficulty in filling places at court; you cannot be at a lofs for perfons to act their parts there. But I affure you it is quite otherwise in our theatrical world; if we should invest people with characters who are incapable to fupport them, we fhould be undone,' "But Cibber was fufficiently mortified afterwards for his behaviour to Elrington; who, during the indisposition of Booth, in the year 1729, was the great fupport of Drury-lane. The managers were fo well convinced of his importance to them, that they offered him his own conditions if he would engage with them for a term of NOTE. of Dr. Johnson, who often vifited her by one, who was a frequenter of the theatres for near fixty years; and others.. yours 穆 |
