have enjoyed of being in her society. Out of her profession, it was difficult to see her and imagine that she could want any thing to render her eminent-however, there could be but one Mrs. Siddons. I must think it injudicious in the branches of the Kemble family to crowd as they did to London. It was unlikely that any very strong dissimilarities should exist in their persons: as far as they resembled each other, in the same play they defeated the purposes of exhibition. The strongest contrast should exist in the performers of Shore and Alicia, Hermione and Andromache. The utterance of the sisters was all but identical as to tone and cadence, and pronunciation: as this tended to load the ear with certain sounds long repeated, it could produce nothing but satiety. One voice, if even melody itself, will a little tire upon the hearer through a part of any length: if such another meet you in a second character in the same play, it unavoidably injures the effect of the first. If parts strongly antagonized are uttered in the same key, nature is falsified. Such is the objection as far as the public is concerned in the cast of plays. Managers were, moreover, seldom so blind as to trust their interests entirely to the members of one family. However the feeling of relatives may be moderated by sound judgment, it will always predominate more or less; and it is best not to subject them to solicitations, which, if granted, may be unjust to others, and if refused beget at least a coldness, where the most entire confidence should exist.

The reader will recollect the mention already made of Mrs. Inchbald, her misfortunes and her merits. The elder Colman had taken great pains in the preparation of a comedy from the pen of that lady, to which he gave the title, "I'll tell you what." It was acted twenty nights with the greatest applause, and extended the usual existence of the modern drama. This writer has a striking tendency to the choice of situations perilous to female honour. If virtue be confirmed by the general lesson of her plays, it is well. But should the situations of the drama be dared in real life, because the heroine is extricated on the stage, it will be dangerous to have listened to the encouragement without a security for the protection. Dissuasives from the risk are infinitely preferable to either real or fancied instances of salvation. Gallantries may deprave the heart-fathers may sometimes not be at hand. Mrs. Euston, in the present play, is a wife, with two children depending upon her for the means of existence, driven by want to the dreadful expedient of affecting to be a prostitute, in the hope, that among the sons of debauchery she may meet, with a man of some humanity and generosity.

Χ

And such a prodigy of wretchedness is exhibited in comedy, mixed up with persons and situations that convulse an audience with laughter! The single word interest, which has excited among us so much erroneous sympathy, and taught us to palliate so much actual crime, is to answer for this to reason and to virtue.

The Mogul tale had so conciliated Mr. Colman to the interests of the fair author, that he wrote both prologue and epilogue to her comedy. The manager was indeed fast approaching to the close of his dramatic career. Ten years before this, I infer, from the narrative of Mr. Gibbon, that he was considered rather fallen below the level of his Jealous Wife and Klandestine Marriage. The extract is curious on many accounts; it exhibits an union of wits for the benefit of a brother.

"To MR. HOLROYD.

"January 29th, 1774.

"I AM now getting acquainted with authors, managers, &c., good company to know, but not to live with. Yesterday I dined at the British Coffee House, with Garrick, Colman, Goldsmith, Macpherson, John Hume, &c. I am this moment come from Colman's Man of Business. We dined at the Shakspeare, and went in a body to support it. Between friends, though we got a verdict for our client, his cause was but a bad one. It is a very confused miscellany of several plays and tales; sets out brilliantly enough, but as we advance the plot grows thicker, the wit thinner, till the lucky fall of the curtain preserves us from total chaos."

It will be recollected, that this remark proceeded from a critic of the most refined taste, and habituated to the artful exactness of the French comedy. In what is called structure neither Colman, nor any of his cotemporaries at all excelled. It was a merit that did not belong to the British school. They wrote occasionally gay and even brilliant scenes; and sometimes almost invented a new and delightful character; but they had lost the manly force of the genuine English drama; and watched the French stage with anxiety, as we of the present day still do, in the hope of something which could be lowered or raised into entertainment for a people, styled the most original thinkers in Europe.

It was about this time that I became known to Mr. Colman, through the kind introduction of a friend. I was presented to him at his house in Soho Square, No. 28, at present inhabited by a Mr. Hume. Mr. Charles Kemble's house is separated from it, by the paved court on the south side of

the square. He received me very politely, and I was much struck by the exact resemblance of his portrait. by Gainsborough, which hung over the fire place in his sitting-room. His manner was calm, neat and unforced, not at all loud and decisive; but had the temperance and smoothness and dignified ease of one who remembered that he was a gentleman. He talked of Garrick as an actor to a young man, who then thought there was no subject so delightful; and I remember that a new dress for Richard III. being announced to him, we had it brought into the room, and examined the splendid but rather diminutive habitation for the "soul of Richard." How near Colman as an actor approached to our Roscius, I cannot be expected to tell; but he took this dress down with him to the Wynnstay theatricals. The author of the "Biographia Dramatica," says, it was in 1785, that is about the period I am recording, that he gave to the public his translation of "Horace's Art of Poetry," with a commentary. He is mistaken; that work had been published two years before. He was then, as he told me, bringing all his stock of little matters together, with a view to forming about three volumes of light reading for the parlour, and then he believed he had done all that could be fairly expected from him. This he accomplished in less than two years after our conversation.

Miss Younge, the most general actress of her time, this summer gave her hand, as it was expected she would, to Mr. Pope. This union was earnestly opposed by many of her oldest friends. They thought, and justly, that marriage at her age could add but little to her importance. She was at the head of her profession, affluent in her circumstances, and her own mistress; she had a house in Half-moon street, and kept her carriage. Pope, however, it should be remembered, was in the prime of life, possessed of a handsome person, of considerable talent as an actor, and, as I think, greater still as an artist. In either the regular miniature, or small wholeJength, with ornamental pencil back-ground, he approached the elegance and taste of the late Mr. Cosway. Mr. Pope, though he has through life, more or less, practised in both his professions, has found them not strictly compatible--the actor did not benefit the artist. It was obvious to the dramatic world that Mr. and Mrs. Pope must carry great influence into any theatre. How Mr. Harris, an admirable manager, looked at it was speedily apparent. Mrs. Pope was not engaged for the winter season that followed her marriage. Holman and Pope he saw were sufficient checks upon each other; he therefore, to keep down any very formidable pre

tensions from the established heroine, turned himself after some young and beautiful promise in the art, which might strengthen Holman in the heroes of tragedy, and found the object he sought in the person of Miss Brunton. That young lady, at the age of sixteen, for she was born in the year 1769, had astonished and delighted the audiences of Bath by her Grecian Daughter-her Horatia in the Roman Father, and the character of Palmira in the translation of Voltaire's Mahomet. Mr. Harris saw her at Bath, and felt such confidence in her powers, that he resolved to entrust the female interest of tragedy to the early excellence of Miss Brunton.

CHAP. XII.

Season of 1785-6.-Drury Lane opens with Othello and Desdemona, by Kemble and Siddons.-Miss Brunton in the Roman Father.-Henderson's great effect.-His study.Mr. Kemble's.-Mrs. Jordan at Drury Lane.-Sketch of her.--How received-Miss Brunton in Juliet.-Mrs. Siddons in the Jubilee.-Mrs. Jordan Imogen.-Henderson's death. His Falstaff-That of some others.-Leonidas Glover.-Frederick Reynolds.-His Tragedy of Werter.Mrs. Siddons acts Mrs. Lovemore.-Mrs. Clive dies.--Garrick.-Walpole.-Burke's opinion of Garrick.-Cobb's Strangers at Home.-Mrs. Wells.-Topham.-Andrews. -Omai.-Drury Lane.--Sheridan.-Death of Reddish.Mrs. Jordan in the Trip to Scarborough.-Burgoyne's Heiress.-Mrs. Brown a rival to the Jordan.--Mrs. Abington in Scrub.--Mrs. Bullington's Debut.-Benefit for Henderson's widow.--Murphy's Prologue.-The Distrest Mother. -Racine.-Mr. Fox.--The Captives.--Mrs. Siddons acts Portia on her brother's night, and Elwina in Percy.-Mrs. Jordan in Hippolita.-Miss Kemble married to Mr. Twiss. -Retires from the stage.—Mrs. Siddons in Ophelia, and the Lady in Comus.

THE season of 1785-6 was commenced strongly by both theatres. Mr. Harris had made some brilliant alterations during the recess, which added to the comfort of the audience. Drury Lane showed the sound policy of displaying its greatest talent on the very first night. Othello and Desdemona were finely acted by Mr. Kemble and Mrs. Siddons. Although in point of business on the stage, the part of Desdemona did not occupy the large space assigned to the heroines of Otway, and Southerne, and Rowe, yet being written so truly from the heart, the impression made by this accomplished actress was powerful in the extreme. Mr. Kemble was thought to have taken stronger hold than ever in the Moor, and terror was very highly wrought indeed in the awful rumination of the chamber scene. The house seemed unanimously to recognise now, that they had two great tragedians upon the same stage. Without looking away from the page