This then was that happy period when both actors and managers were in their highest enjoyment of general content and prosperity. Now it was that the politer world, too, by their decent attention, their sensible taste, and their generous encouragements to authors and actors, once more saw that the stage, under a due regulation, was capable of being what the wisest ages thought it might be, the most rational scheme that human wit could form, to dissipate, with innocence, the cares of life; to allure even the turbulent or ill-disposed from worse meditations, and to give the leisure hours of business and virtue an instructive recreation.*

If this grave assertion is less recommended by falling from the pen of a comedian, I must appeal for the truth of it to the tragedy of Cato," which was first acted in 1712. I submit to the judgment of those who were then the sensible spectators of it, if the success and merit of that play were not an evidence of every article of that value which I have given to a decent theatre? But, as I was observing, it could not be expected the summer days I am speaking of, could be the constant weather of the year; we had our clouded hours as well as our sunshine, and were not always in the same good humour with one another: fire, air, and water, could not be more vexatiously opposite than the different tempers of the three managers, though they might equally have their useful, as well as their destructive qualities. How variously these elements, in our several dispositions, operated, may be judged from the following single instance, as well as a thousand others, which, if they were all to be told, might possibly make my reader wish I had forgotten them.

*"The stage might be made a perpetual source of the most noble and useful entertainments, were it under proper regulations.""Spectator;" No. 93.

Much about this time, then, there came over from Dublin theatre two uncelebrated actors, to pick up a few pence among us, in the winter, as Wilks had, a year or two be fore, done on their side the water, in the summer. But it was not so clear to Dogget and myself, that it was in their power to do us the same service in Drury-lane, as Wilks might have done them in Dublin. However, Wilks was so much a man of honour, that he scorned to be outdone in the least point of it, let the cost be what it would to his fellow managers, who had no particular accounts of honour open with them. To acquit himself, therefore, with a better grace, Wilks so ordered it, that his Hibernian friends were got upon our stage, before any other manager had well heard of their arrival. This so generous dispatch of their affair gave Wilks a very good chance of convincing his friends that himself was sole master of the masters of the company. Here, now, the different elements in our tempers began to work with us. mated by a grateful hospitality to his friends, Dogget was ruffled into a storm, and looked upon this generosity as so much insult and injustice upon himself and the fraternity. During this disorder I stood by, a seeming quiet passenger, and since talking to the winds, I knew, could be to no great purpose, whatever weakness it might be called, could not help smiling to observe with what officious ease and delight Wilks was treating his friends at our expense, who were scarce acquainted with them: for, it seems, all this was to end in their having a benefit play, in the height of the season, for the unprofitable service they had done us, without our consent or desire to employ them. Upon this Dogget bounced, and grew almost as untractable as Wilks himself. Here, again, I was forced to clap my patience to the helm, to weather this difficult point between them: applying myself, therefore, to the person I imagined was most

While Wilks was only ani

likely to hear me, I desired Dogget to consider that I must, naturally, be as much hurt by this vain and overbearing behaviour in Wilks as he could be; and that, though it was true, these actors had no pretence to the favour designed them, yet we could not say they had done us any farther harm, than letting the town see the parts they had been shown in had been better done by those to whom they properly belonged: yet, as we had greatly profited by the extraordinary labour of Wilks, who acted long parts almost every day, and at least twice to Dogget's once; and that [though] I granted it might not be so much his consideration of our common interest, as his fondness for applause, that set him to work, yet even that vanity, if he supposed it such, had its merit to us; and as we had found our account in it, it would be folly upon a punctilio, to tempt the rashness of a man who was capable to undo all he had done, by any act of extravagance that might fly into his head: that, admitting this benefit might be some little loss to us, yet to break with him upon it could not but be ten times of worse consequence, than our overlooking his disagreeable manner of making the demand upon us.

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Though I found this had made Dogget drop the severity of his features, yet he endeavoured still to seem uneasy, by. his starting a new objection, which was, that we could not be sure even of the charge they were to pay for it. For Wilks," said he, you know, will go any lengths to make it a good day to them, and may whisper the doorkeepers to give them the ready money taken, and return the account in such tickets, only, as these actors have not themselves disposed of." To make this easy, too, I gave him my word to be answerable for the charge myself. Upon this he acceded, and accordingly they had the benefit play. But so it happened, whether as Dogget had suspected or not I cannot say, the ready money received fell

ten pounds short of the sum they had agreed to pay for it. Upon the Saturday following, the day on which we constantly made up our accounts, I went early to the office, and inquired if the ten pounds had yet been paid in; but not hearing that one shilling of it had found its way thither, I immediately supplied the sum out of my own pocket, and directed the treasurer to charge it received from me, in the deficient receipt of the benefit day. Here, now, it might be imagined, all this silly matter was accommodated, and that no one could so properly say he was aggrieved as myself. But let us observe what the consequence says. Why, the effect of my insolent interposing honesty proved to be this, that the party most obliged was the most offended; and the offence was imputed to me, who had been ten pounds out of pocket, to be able to commit it: for when Wilks found, in the account, how spitefully the ten pounds had been paid in, he took me aside into the adjacent stone passage, and with some warmth asked me what I meant by pretending to pay in this ten pounds, and [said] that, for his part, he did not understand such treatment. To which I replied, that, though I was amazed at his thinking himself ill-treated, I would give him a plain, justifiable answer, that I had given my word to Dogget the charge of the benefit should be fully paid, and, since his friends had neglected it, I found myself bound to make it good. Upon which he told me I was mistaken if I thought he did not see into the bottom of all this; that Dogget and I were always endeavouring to thwart and make him uneasy; but he was able to stand upon his own legs, and we should find he would not be used so; that he took this payment of the ten pounds as an insult upon him, and a slight to his friends; but rather than suffer it he would tear the whole business to pieces; that I knew it was in his power to do it; and if he could not do a civil thing to a friend, without

none.

all this senseless rout about it, he could be received in Ireland upon his own terms, and could as easily mend a company there, as he had done here; that if he were gone, Dogget and I would not be able to keep the doors open a week, and, by G, he would not be a drudge for nothing. As I knew all this was but the foam of the high value he had set upon himself, I thought it not amiss to seem a little silently concerned for the helpless condition to which his resentment of the injury I have related was going to reduce us: for I knew I had a friend in his heart, that if I gave him a little time to cool, would soon bring him to reason. The sweet morsel of a thousand pounds a-year was not to be met with at every table, and might tempt a nicer palate than his own to swallow it, when he was not out of humour. This, I knew, would always be of weight with him, when the best arguments I could use would be of I therefore gave him no farther provocation, than by gravely telling him, we all had it in our power to do one another a mischief; but I believed none of us much cared to hurt ourselves; that, if he was not of my opinion, it would not be in my power to hinder whatever new scheme he might resolve upon; that London would always have a play-house, and I should have some chance in it, though it might not be so good as it had been; that he might be sure if I had thought my paying in the ten pounds could have been so ill received, I should have been glad to have saved it. Upon this he seemed to mutter something to himself, and walked off, as if he had a mind to be alone. I took the occasion, and returned to Dogget, to finish our accounts. In about six minutes Wilks came in to us, not in the best humour, it may be imagined; yet not in so ill a one, but that he took his share of the ten pounds, without showing the least contempt of it; which, had he been proud enough to have refused, or to have paid in himself, I