mony ended, and with as much fang froid as any of the modern French Divorces.

Quin had been at an auction of pictures some time before his death, when old General Guise came into the room. "There's General Guise," said some. body to Quin, how very ill he looks." -Guife! Sir, says Quin; ' you're mistaken; he is dead these two years.'"Nay; but," says the other," believe your eyes -there he is." At this Quin put on his spectacles; and, after viewing him from head to foot for fome time, exclaimed, Why yes, Sir, I'm right enough; he has been dead these two years, it's very evident, and has now only gotten a day-rule to see the pictures.

Quin, through life, supported his independence of character, perhaps, far better than most eminent performers. He had not the vicious compliances of Cibber, to gain and preserve the company of the great world; nor the obsequiousness of Garrick. He knew the force of his own mind, which at least was on a par with those he lived with; and he preserved that power with respect and independence. The common rup of the Great (or, as the late Kitty Clive used emphatically to call them, "the damaged Quality") were no objects of his choice; he therefore principally fought companions from the middle orders of life, remarkable for taste, learning, and underfstanding; or those possessed with the milder virtues of the heart. He referved a fortune fufficient for the indulgence of this kind of life; and though he perhaps pursued the sensual pleasures too far for imitation, both by conversation and enjoyment, he appears on the whole to be a very eminent actor; an accurate observer upon life and manners; and, in point of integrity and benevolence of heart, a good and praise-worthy man,

MRS. OLDFIELD.

Her forte was in those parts of comedy which required vivacity and bigb-bred manners; and in these, Macklin has often said he never saw her equalled. He was present at her first representation of Lady Townly in 1728: and though the whole of that pleasant and fentible comedy was received with the most unbounded applaufe, Mrs. Oldfield formed the centre of admiration from her looks, her drefs, and her admirable performance, Most of the performers who have

played this part since her time, he complained had too much tameness in their manner, under an idea of its being more easy and well bred; but Mrs. Oldfield, who was trained in the part by the Author, gave it all the rage of fashion and vivacity-She rushed upon the stage with the full confciousness of youth, beauty, and attraction; and answered all her Lord's questions with such a lively indifference, as to mark the contrast as much in their manner of speaking as of thinking: but when she came to defcribe the superior privileges of a married above a single woman, she repeated the whole of that lively speech with a rapidity and gaiete de cœur that electrified the whole house. Their applaufe was so unbounded, that when Wilks, who played Lord Townly, answers " Prodigious!" the audience applied that word as a compliment to the actress, and again gave her the shouts of their approbation.

He confirmed what Cibher says of her in his preface to The Provoked Husband, " that her natural good sense and lively turn of conversation made her way fo easy to ladies of the highest rank, that it is less a wonder if on the stage she sometimes was, what might have become the finest woman in real life to have fupported." Macklin has often seen her at Windsor and at Richmond, of a fummer's morning, walking arm in arm with Duchesses, Countesses, and women of the first situation, calling one another by their Christian names (as was the fashion of those times) in the most familiar manner. "The women then, Sir," said the Veteran, "talked louder, laughed louder, and shewed all their natural passions more than the fine ladies of the prefent day."

Though Mrs. Oldfield, as is well known, had her intrigues, they were those of passion more than interest. Previous to her connection with Mr. Mainwaring, she was much fought after and folicited by the then Duke of Bedford. Her affection, however, was so much in favour of the former, that she was on the point of surrendering, when the Duke called upon her one morning, and not finding her at home, left paper on her dressing table, including a settlement on her for life of fix hundred pounds a year when Mr. Mainwaring next called, and pressed a confummation of his happiness, the candidly confefled her regards for him, but told him, "he was an unlucky fellow, for that fomething had happened the day before,

a

before, which must postpone their intended happiness." He preffed her to know the caute, but she would not tell him till fome days afterwards, when she had refurned the fettlement to the Duke, and acquitted herself in all points which trenched on her independence.

MRS. PORTER.

He complained that Cibber, in his Apology for his Life, did not notice Mrs. Porter with that degree of praise which her merits justly entitled her to. Though plain in her perfon, with not nuch sweetness in her voice from nature; yet, from great affiduity in her profeffion, with an excellent understanding and a good ear, she acquired an elevated digsity in her mien, a full tore, and a spirited propriety in all characters of heroic rage: in the pathetic parts of tragedy the was no less eminent, as the performed the parts of Hermione and Belyidera for many years with great applause.

The power of mellowing the voice from conftant affiduity and attention, though it appears difficult, and to many at a first blush almost impoffible, has often been attended with fuccefs, as appears from the study of the Grecian and Roman actors *, as well as from our own observation on fome modern performers. When Macklin first saw Mrs. Dancer (afterwards the celebrated Mrs. Barry, and now Mrs. Crawford,) appear upon the York stage, her tones were fo forill and difcordant, that even so experienced a judge as he was, thought she would never make an actress; yet fuch was the progrefs of her improvement under the Alver-toned Barry, that her Lady Randolph, Belvidera, Grecian Daughter, &c. &c. exhibited fome of the finest notes of the tender and pathetic.

tuition

of

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Of Mrs. Porter's Lady Macbeth, Macklin used to dwell with particular pleature: he said it was, better than Mrs. Pritchard's; " and when I fay that," added the Veteran, "I fay a bold word; but fire had more consciousness of what the was about than Pritchard, and looked more like a Queen And Davies informs us, that he had been told of an unfuccesstul experiment once made to introduce Lady Macbeth's furprise and

fainting scene; which Garrick thought fo favourite an actress as Mrs. Pritchard could not attempt. Macklin agreed about the inability of Pritchard; but was clearly of opinion that Mrs. Porter could have credit with an audience to induce them to endure the hypocrify of fuch a seene.

TOM WALKER,

as he was conftantly called (the so much celebrated original Mackheath in The Beggar's Opera), was well known to Macklin both on and off the stage. He was a young man, rather rifing in the mediocre parts of comedy, when the following accident brought him out in Mackheath: - Quin was first designed for this part, who barely fung well enough to give a convivial fong in company, which, at that time of day, was an almost indispensable claim on every performer; and on this account, perhaps, did not much relish the business: the high repu. tation of Gay, however, and the critical junto who supported him, made him drudge through two rehearsals. On the close of the laft, Walker was obferved

humining fome of the fongs behind the scenes in a tone and liveliness of manner which attracted all their notice; Quin laid hold of this circumstance to get rid of the part, and exclaimed, "Aye, there's a man who is much more qualified to do you justice than I am." Walker was called on to make the experiment, and Gay, who instantly faw the difference, accepted him as the hero of his piece.

Whilst on the fubject of The Beggar's Opera, any little circumstance relative to this celebrated piece, we truft, cannot but be entertaining to the amateurs of the drama; and as fuch, we infert therm in this place.

Macklin used often to say he was present at the first reprefentation of The Beggar's Opera, and confirmed what has been often reported, that its fuccess was doubtful till the opening of the fecond act, when after the chorus fong of " Let us take the road," the applaute was univerfal as unbounded. The orchestra at that time was in a box over where the King's box now stands, and only confitted of three or four fiddles, a hautboy,

Some years before his death, Clarke retired to Hammersmith, where he lived at ease, and treated his visitors with good ale and much theatrical anecdote.

Nor age, nor time, have been able to stale the character of this celebrated Opera! Every species of performers have attempted it, from the Theatres Royal to Barns and Puppet-shows. Not longer ago than the year 1790, it was played at Barnstaple in Devonshire, when Mackheath had but one eye-Polly but one arm-the fongs supported in the orchestra by a man who whistled to the tuneswhilft the Manager could not read.

Mrs. Pritchard, in one of her fummer rambles, went with a large party to see The Beggars' Opera at a remote country town, where it was fo mangled as to render it almost impoffible to refift laugh. ing at fome of the passages: Mrs. Pritchard, perhaps, might have indulged this too much, confidering one of her profeffion; however she escaped unnoticed till after the end of the performance, it was neceffary for her and company to cross the stage to go to their carriagesthe only Muncian who filled the orchestra happened likewise to be the Manager, and having no other way of shewing his revenge, he immediately struck up the opening tune

"Through all the employments of life, "Each neighbour abutes his brother"This had fuch an effect on Mrs. Pritchard, that she felt the rebuke, and threw Crowdero a crown for his wit, as well

as a tribute of her own humiliation.

Much as has been faid of The Beggars Opera, and it is one of those lucky hits which cannot be too much praifed, we fear the representation of it has done infinitely more harm than good. It is dif. ficult to make men of wit and a refined way of thinking agree to this, because they fee the jut of it clearly, and therefore imagine, that as a fatire, it has its effect upon the follies and corruptions of the times; but they will not at the fame time ask themselves, how do the lower claffes which compose an audience feel it? Why they see nothing but the

splendour and gallantry of Mackheath and the vices of a prifon, &c. which are all rendered so familiar as to wear away the real deformity: hence, the petty thief comes home from the Opera generally with having his ambition whetted to rife in a fuperior style-he longs for his Covent Garden ladies, and the diverfions of the town, as well as the Captain; but then he must work up to that fituation first, and hence his industry becomes his ruin.

But in questions of this fort, fats belt speak for themselves : the late Sir John Fielding, whose judgment must be de. cifive in these matters, once told the late Hugh Kelly, on a fuccessful run of The Beggars' Opera, " that he expected a fresh cargo of highwaymen in confequence at his office;" and, upon Kelly's being surprised at this, Sir John affured him, "that ever since the first representation of this piece, there has been, on every fuccefsful run, a proportionate number of highwaymen brought to the office, as he would shew him by the books any morning he took the trouble to look over them." Kelly had the curiofity, and found the observation to be strictly true.

Perhaps the only practical good this Opera may have produced, is the refinement of highwaymen. Mackheath is not a man of blood, nor do we find his imitators have been so savage in their depredations as before this production. The above is partly an obfervation of the late Mr. Gibbon the Hiftorian, and we believe well founded.

We shall conclude these articles with a very judicious remark made by Swift, who attributes "the unprecedented and almost incredible success of this Opera to a peculiar merit in the writing, wherein what we call the point of humour is exactly hit; a point (he obferves) which, whoever can rightly touch, will never fail of pleasing a great majority; and which, in its perfection, is allowed to be much preferable to wit, if it be not the most useful and agreeable species of it."

(To be continued occafionally.)

THE It is faid by fuch as have studied the changes of the weather, and are skilled in the constitution of different climates, that the air of Britain is impregnated with the fpirit of anelancholy above all others; and that the particles of matter are denfer round our atmosphere than that of our neighbours. This remark has likely enough its foundation in truth; for, perhaps, no nation upon earth can produce fuch a fwarm of splenetics as our own; inatmuch, that the vapours feem to affect our difpofitions: it is hence, probably, that we are thamefully notorious for fuicide, and not less remarkable for that gloomy turn of temper, so general among those who expect more than their defert can claim.

There are few Englishmen who do not fometimes confign themselves up to the gloomy Power, and even the gayest heart will fometimes fink with involuntary defpondence: while the mind is under the influence of a spleenful disgust, every object will find its appetite of ill-nature, for every thing will be feen with a jaundiced eye. Though I have long acquired a due temperament of my pallions, yet a few fuccessive disappoint. ments led me into the common error, and and having just returned from a circle, whither I went, prepared to rail, I indulged my humour in writing the following verses, which I have presented to the reader in their original déshabillé. He will, however, picture to himself the idea of a man, corroded by the spleen, and disgufted with himself and the company he has left, locking himself up in his clofet, and, in the moodyness of his diforder, exclaiming thus.

" O for a fwift-invading deafness now, "Or interpofing Power, to fnatch me quick "From the vain voice of yonder filken flave, "Yon gaudy, giddy, glittering Bug of Courts, That lifps, and smirks, and simpers as he speaks; "Yet oh vain prayer! "Why should I fly the folly of the fop, When this mad world is peopled with

intruders.

** Where shall I feek a refuge from the fool!

Shield me, ye Earthquakes, in your ample wonib!

" In deep entrenchment; and with palfy'd hands "Still buty in o'ercounting yellow heaps "Of canker'd, cruel, foul-destroying gold. "Aye, -! "That's a wretch would melt his foul to pelf, "(Could he the gem to such vile purpose turn,) "And, wanting weight to fatisfy defire, "Would of his entrails disembowel all, "And throw his fordid liver to the lump.

"Nor is yon Fool of Frolick less my fcorn, "By diffipation drain'd of health and peace,

"Whos