CHA P. XLIII.

Mrs. Pritchard retires from the stageReafon for it affigned- ·Account of her introduction to and progress in the theatre-Her fingular talents in acting-Object of the public care-Her death-Mrs. Clive leaves the theatre-Her interview with Mr. Garrick on the occafion-Her fage abilities dejcribed at large-Her love of characters in high life, &c.

RS, Pritchard, who, for near thirty

fix years, had been admired for her fuperior merit in her profeffion, and beloved for her many virtues in private life, in 1768 refolved to withdraw into retirement, and fpend the remainder of her life at Bath. To this the was tempted by the profpect of great advantages which were to accrue to her from a legacy of one Mr, Leonard, an attorney of Lyon's Inn, ad stant relation; of whofe will her brother, Mr, Vaughan, was the executor. But, whatever might have been the intention of the teftator, by his will the bulk of his estate fell to the heirs at law, who were his nearest relations, Mr.

Vaughan's

Vaughan's conduct in this affair was publicly cenfured, and legally queftioned. Mrs. Pritchard was unhappily led into a grofs error.

She was, when very young, recommended to the notice of Mr. Booth, who was exceedingly pleafed with her manner of reciting feveral fcenes of parts in tragedy and comedy: he was then fo great a valetudinarian, and fo little connected with the management of the theatre, that it is thought he advised her to apply to Mr. Cibber, or fome other governing perfor of the ftage.

Her first appearance was, it is faid, in one of Fielding's pieces at the little theatre in the Hay-märket. Her fecond stage trial was in Lady Diana Talbot in Anna Bullen, at the playhouse in Goodman's fields; and foon after that he acted at Bartholomew Fair, where the gained the notice and

ap

plaufe of the publick bý líer eafy, unaffected by manner offpeaking; and was greatly carefied and admired for finging, in fome farce or droll, a favourite air, which began with

Sweet, if you love me, fmiling turn

Mrs.

Mrs. Pritchard was a candidate for theatrical fame in 1733, at the time when Mr. Highmore, patentee of Drury-lane theatre, quarrelled with his principal actors, who revolted from him, and opened the playhouse in the Hay-market. To the feceders fhe applied for employment; they very gladly embraced fo promifing an addition of strength to their company.

One of the first parts fhe acted in this theatre was Belina, in a play called the Motherin-Law, tranflated by Miller from Moliere's Malade Imaginaire, and adapted to the English stage. Her genteel perfon, for she was then young and flender, her attractive countenance, which, in the phrase of Shakespeare, beat an alarm to love; her expreffive, yet fimple manner; her unembarraffed deportment and proper action, charmed all the fpectators, who looked at one another with furprize and pleasure, as if congratulating themselves on feeing a rifing genius, capable, perhaps, one day, of confoling them for the lofs of their favourite Oldfield, who then lately deceased.

VOL. II.

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When

When Mr. Fleetwood united the two companies of Drury-lane and the Haymarket, Mrs. Pritchard was of too much confequence to be neglected; but notwithstanding her juft claim to encouragement, the manager for fome time omitted to bring her forward to public notice, by not giving her a proper opportunity to difplay her talents: fhe was often, from pique or prejudice, thruft into characters unworthy of fo great a genius; fuch as Lady Loverule in the Wives Metamorphosed: and I remember, when Mrs. Cib. ber made her firft effay in Zara, in the tragedy of that name, Mrs. Pritchard was caft into the inferior part of Selima, her friend and confident. But it was impoffible to obfcure the luftre of so bright a diamond as Pritchard; by degrees the convinced the patentee, that it was his intereft to have her often feen in parts of importance; Rofalind, in As You Like It, at once established her theatrical character: her delivery of dialogue, whether of humour, wit, or mere fprightlinefs, was never, I believe, furpaffed, or, perhaps,

equalled:

equalled: her fame was now enlarging every day by the eagerness which the town expreffed to see her in various attitudes. Not confined to any one walk in acting, the ranged through them all; and what is fingular, the difcovered a large degree of merit in every diftinct clafs of it: her tragic power was eminent, but particularly in characters which required force of expreffion and dignity of figure.

She excelled in the Queen Mother of Hamlet, Zara in the Mourning Bride, Merope, Creufa, and more especially in Queen Katherine, the wife of Henry VIII. She gave to all these parts importance by her action, as well as fpeaking; her few defects in tragedy proceeded from a too loud and profufe expreffion of grief, and want of grace in her manner; her natural ease of deportment and grandeur of perfon generally hid the defect of this laft requifite from the common fpectator. Her great force in comedy lay in a middle path, between parts of fuperior life, and those of humour in a lower clafs; Cibber's Lady Townly,

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