CHAPTER XII.

Irene, a tragedy.....Parts disposed of with propriety.....Its success.... Some account of the play.....Cavils of criticks..... Defence of it..... Desertion of Barry and Mrs. Cibber to Rich, who unite with Quin and Woffington.....Romeo and Juliet at Covent garden and Drurylane..... Miss Bellamy.....Garrick and Woodward carry all before them.....Queen Mab, &c. .

Soon after the acting of Romeo and Juliet, Johnson's Irene was put into rehearsal. Mr. Garrick seemed to embrace the interest of this tragedy with a cordiality which became the friendship which he professed to the author; in the giving out of the parts he was extremely accurate, to a degree of anxiety. The principal characters were divided between himself and Barry, Mrs. Pritchard and Mrs. Cibber; and the subordinate ones were given to Berry, Havard, Sowdon, and Burton. The dresses were rich and magnificent, and the scenes splendid and gay, such as were well adapted to the inside of a Turkish seraglio; the view of the gardens belonging to it was in the taste of eastern elegance.

Since the days of Cato, no tragedy had been acted, which was so justly admired for beauty of diction, energy of sentiment, harmony of versification, and purity of moral, as Irene. Cato, indeed, was the darling of the publick; lifted into notice by the reputation of the author, it was supported by the joint efforts of two contending parties, who strove

which should most contribute to its celebrity. More speeches from Cato were learned by rote, and constantly repeated, than from any play that had ever been acted.

But Cato is a character almost superiour to humanity; he is, indeed, great and exalted, and deserving our admiration, but as much above our imitation as our pity. In the choice of characters, and economy of fable, Irene is more dramatick, and much more capable of exciting pity and terrour, the great ends of tragedy, than Cato. But Irene was not treated with the candour which its merit deserved. And though no play, I will venture to assert, would draw together a larger audience than this tragedy, not only from its intrinsick merit, but the great love and veneration which the publick bear to the author; yet it has never been once revived since its first representation.

The strangling of Irene in the view of the audience, suggested by Mr. Garrick, was not approved by some criticks; and this incident, after the first night, was removed to a greater distance. Notwithstanding the approbation of Irene was not so general as might have been expected, it was greatly admired by a number of judicious spectators, who supported it in a run of nine nights.

Mr.

Aaron Hill, in a letter to Mr. Mallet, was very justly profuse of his praise to Mr. Garrick and Mrs. Cibber, in the parts of Demetrius and Aspasia. Barry's action in Mahomet he censured severely, but, I think, uncandidly. Hill was an exorbitant

panegyrist of Garrick, and seemed to allow little or no merit to Barry.

Mrs. Pritchard deserved the highest praise for sustaining a character not very well adapted to her form, and one too which had the disadvantage of maintaining the cause of ambition and apostacy against that of virtue and religion.

Many criticisms were written in the newspapers, and in several pamphlets, upon this tragedy. But however some might find fault with the management of the plot, and others pretend to see an inconsistency of character; yet all agreed that it abounded in fine sentiment and elegant language; nay, they allowed the catastrophe was striking, and the moral excellent; indeed, the author had in his view throughout the play, the cause of truth, of virtue and religion. Every scene is so compleatly finished, with respect to energy of thought, and harmony of numbers, that, perhaps, the connexion of scenes artificially disposed, to produce a pathetick and striking situation with tragical effect, was not so minutely attended to as it ought. A garden that has in it innumerable beds of fine flowers and sweet shrubbery, disposed in neat order and elegant trimming, does not affect the sight, or please the fancy, so much as one that is so constructed as to attract the eyes in one grand view, though it may not be so rich in all the productions of beautiful nature.

Notwithstanding Mr. Garrick's utmost attention. to please his principal actors, and to keep them in constant good humour, he found that jealousy and rivalship, the growth of a playhouse, would frequently interrupt that tranquillity he wished to establish.

VOL. I.

Barry complained that he was called upon to act at improper seasons, and on unlucky days; such as when a great lady had summoned a prodigious company to a concert of musick, or a route, or upon an opera night, or when some publick assembly was announced.

Mr. Garrick, to comply with this humour, desired him to choose his own days: "Very well," said the other, "this is all that I can ask." But even that compliance did not produce the desired effect. Garrick's Hamlet still drew larger crowds than Barry's; but this, indeed, was a misfortune which Garrick was not anxious to remove. Mrs. Cibber too, who naturally sympathized with the most affecting lover of the stage, had particular objections to the manager's conduct, respecting those plays in which she acted principal parts. These discontents of Barry and Mrs. Cibber broke out at first into murmurs, into pettish and peevish complaints, and at last ended in their revolt from Drury-lane to Coventgarden. In the summer of 1749, they became hired servants of Mr. Rich, who gave them what they principally wished for, the power of getting up what plays they pleased, and of choosing what parts they would condescend to act. Thus was ambition satisfied, for some time at least. Rich, at the same time, strengthened his company by the valuable addition of Mr. Quin and Mrs. Woffington.

Full of resentment for supposed injuries, and with a determined resolution to vanquish the little tyrant of Drury-lane, Mr. Barry and Mrs. Cibber

took the field at Covent-garden pretty early in October, 1749, with a play in which they were much and justly admired. Romeo and Juliet had raised their reputation for scenes of tender love and pathetick distress to a very high degree. The publick in general were greatly prepossessed in their favour; they imagined that those characters, after being represented by them, could not be tolerably filled by any other performers.

However, Mr. Garrick was not terrified with the threatenings of the grand confederacy of Covent-garden; for Quin and Woffington were to come forward as soon as Romeo and Juliet had done their best. He instructed Miss Bellamy, a young actress of merit, whose person was elegant, and whose voice, when well regulated, sufficiently harmonious, in the part of Juliet. Romeo he studied with great accuracy, and under the disadvantages of giving his original idea of the part to Mr. Barry. As he was always remarkably active and diligent in business, and secret in all his stage operations, he opposed the other house on the very first night of their acting Romeo and Juliet. He managed so well, that he divided the opinions of the publick upon the merits of the performers, Much idle criticism was thrown into the prints by the partisans of the rival actors. In the mean time the town was obliged to take up with one play at both theatres for twelve days successively. At last Mrs. Cibber's strength failing, another was given out. Mr. Garrick, if he did not absolutely conquer the enemy, kept the