ceptable to the scholars and fellows, who gave him several pecuniary aids, beside his stipulated allowance.

Many of the old dignitaries of the Church and Bar of Ireland have remembered Macklin in this situation, and in particular a Counsellor O'Callaghan, a gentleman of great respectability, who was called to the bar in 1713; which, allowing three years for his keeping his commons in the Temple here, fixes his quitting Trinity College, Dublin, in the year 1710. This gentleman often challenged his acquaintance with Macklin at College, and used to tell several anecdotes of him, which help to confirm the account we have already given of the supposed period of his birth; as it is improbable to think that a boy of eight or nine years of age (which he could only have been, if born in 1699) could be capable of doing the duty of a badge-man; or of being chargeable with those irregularities and dissipations, which can only be the errors of a riper age.

It is difficult to fix the precise time he came to England, or the cause of it; as few emigrations were made by the Irish at that time, except amongst those of the higher classes of life for pleasure, or those of the mercantile for business. We have no authoritative data before the year 1725, of his coming up to London, and engaging with

Mr.

Mr. Rich, the Manager of Lincoln's Inn, for that season: but, though he had been strolling in several of the English Country Companies before, "I spoke so familiar, Sir, (said Macklin,) and so little in the hoity toity tone of the Tragedy of that day, that the Manager told me, I had better go to grass for another year or two." Macklin took him at his word at the end of the season, and went down into a strolling company at Wales.

Previously to his going down into Wales, he spent a few months in London, in company with a Dick Ashley, a son of the Dublin Manager, who was a man of a gay, dissipated turn; and who, being well acquainted with the town, introduced Macklin into many scenes of riot and intemperance. In their frolics at the gaming-table one night, Macklin won above four hundred pounds; and with this sum (which at that time he thought inexhaustible) he, and a few of his companions, attended by two ladies of the town, went down to St. Albans for a few days, to enjoy the pleasures of the country. One night they went to a public ball there; and as they dressed themselves at least very expensively, they were at first much taken notice of; but one of their ladies getting into a dispute about priority of place in a country dance, her language and temper soon discovered her profession, and she, with her companion, were instantly

instantly handed out of the room, and the gentlemen desired to follow. "We at first thought, Sir, to bluster it out, (said Macklin,) and talked of honour and satisfaction, and all that; but numbers overpowered us; and, to avoid the fate of one of our companions, who got a broad hint to leave the room, the rest of us made the best of our way out of the assembly-room."

In his rambles to Wales and Bristol about this time, he used to tell of many frolics and adventures, which indicated a strong propensity to all those pleasures which were within his reach. He was, by his own account, a great fives player, æ great walker, a great bruiser, a hard drinker, and a general lover; and as he was various in his parts as an actor, and a cheerful companion, he was so much sought after, that all the time which was not dedicated to his profession, was spent in those pursuits.

Whilst he was at Bristol, he paid great attention to the daughter of a gentleman who lived near Jacob's Wells; and, after much solicitation, a night was appointed to receive him, and one of the windows of the parlour left unbolted for the pur pose of his getting into the house. Unfortunately for Macklin, he had to play Hamlet and Harlequin

Hibernicè, "Kicked down stairs."

quin that night, which made it late: on his setting out too, he was overtaken by a very heavy shower of rain, which almost drenched him to the skin; and, to make matters still worse, just as he had raised the sash of the window, in stepping in, he happened to overset a large China jar full of water, which made such a noise as to alarm the family. The young lady, however, who best judged the cause of it, was the first to run down to see what was the matter; when she advised her lover to make the best of his way out of the house, in order to save his reputation and her own. Macklin obeyed; and the lady felt her escape so sensibly, that reflection got the better of her love, and she never afterwards spoke to him.

To do Macklin justice, he used to tell the catastrophe of this story with some pleasure, hoping that this accident might have saved a young woman from a life of disgrace and misery; and feeling himself free from the reflection of being the author of such a misfortune.

He often used to speak of the merits of several of his contemporary performers, of both houses, when he first joined Rich's company in Lincoln's Inn Fields, which, as they are not generally known, we shall insert in the course of these Memoirs.

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воотн.

BOOTH.

He confirmed the opinion we have of Booth for: his public and private character; and, though he repeated blank verse in the solemn articulate manner of that day, there was a roundness and me lody in his voice which was remarkably pleasing : his figure and deportment were likewise dignified, and commanding. He used to dwell with delight on his performance of the Ghost in Hamlet, which he made very awful and pathetic. In this performance he used cloth shoes, (soles and all,) that the sound of his step should not be heard on the Stage, which had a characteristical effect. In his Othello, however, Macklin gave the preference to Barry, who described the contrasted passions of love and jealous rage in a manner much superior to all the Othellos he had ever seen. Cibber confirmed this opinion and, indeed, those who can remember Barry in this part, when in the meridian of his powers, must confess, (without being able to draw the comparison between him and Booth,) that, throughout the whole of his performance, they could have no idea of excellence beyond it.

Booth was, however, at times, indolent, and would play under the par of his abilities, till roused by the appearance of some critic in the house,

who