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CHAPTER III.

Season of 1789-90.-Mrs. Siddons absent.-Mr. Kemble's resources.-Covent Garden.-The Author's friend, Harley. -His talents.-Kemble in Henry V.-The Tempest.Purcel's music.--Vanbrugh's false friend.-Mr. Kemble in the Libertine.-The Iron Masque.-King at Covent Garden.-The Crusade.-The Haunted Tower.-Mrs. Behn's Rover.-Quick in Richard.-Summer Theatre.Palmer's return.-Winter season of 1790-1.-Duke of Cumberland's death.-Disinterment of the supposed remains of the great Milton.-Inquiry into the fact.--Mr. Kemble's conviction on that subject.

MR. KEMBLE experienced, as manager, some difficulty during the season of 1789-90. Mrs. Siddons had suffered in her health by the severe continuance of her professional duties; and she resolved to avail herself at length of a variety of invitations, which tempted her in a series, that brought her to the beautiful scenery of Devonshire. The tragedies of female interest were therefore either to be weakened by inferior representation, or for a time laid aside. The latter was the safer course. But the inexhaustible treasures of Shakspeare presented to Mr Kemble a highly tempting monodram, in the play of Henry V.; and he thought, how justly we shall shortly see, that the conqueror of Agincourt fell more completely within the range of his powers, than the characters of John or Richard III.; for reasons as much mental as personal--the pleasantry which so agreeably in Kemble relieved his severer habits, and the heroic perfection of his countenance and his figure. He therefore set himself seriously to prepare the play for representation, Now this, in Mr. Kemble's notion of the business, was, not to order the prompter to write out the parts from some old mutilated prompt copy lingering on his shelves; but himself to consider it attentively in the author's genuine book: then to examine what corrections could be properly admitted into his text; and, finally, what could be cut out in the representation, not as disputing the judg ment of the author, but as suiting the time of the representation to the habits of his audience, or a little favouring the powers of his actors, in order that the performance might be as uniformly good as it was practicable to make it. The stage arrangements throughout the play were all distinctly marked by him in his

own clear exact penmanship, and when he had done his work, his theatre received, in that perfected copy, a principle of exactness, which was of itself sufficient to keep its stage unrivalled for truth of scenic exhibition.

Another play that he prepared, and rendered prodigiously attractive, was the Tempest, admitting in a temperate way some of the additions of D'Avenant and Dryden. These rendered it fuller as a stage spectacle and secured the assistance of Miss Farren in Dorinda, and Mrs. Goodall in Hippolyto. It gave a terrible dance of Furies in one place, and a masque of Neptune and Amphitrite in another; and a beautiful accession indeed in the occasional Epilogue, written by the elegant Burgoyne, and spoken by Miss Farren. After laughing at the present monsters of the Isle-the HE Miss Milliners, and the stringed and cravatted Exquisites, he comes to objects worthy of a people's gaze, and thus alludes to his present Majesty, when Prince of Wales:

"High o'er the crowd, inform'd with patriot fire,
Pure as the virtues that endear his sire,

See one who leads-as mutual trials prove

A band of brothers to a people's love:
One, who on station scorns to found control,
But gains pre-eminence by worth of soul.
These are the honours that, on reason's plan,
Adorn the Prince and vindicate the man;

While gayer passions, warmed at Nature's breast,
Play o'er his youth--the feathers of his crest."

Acquainted by age with the points of this allusion, I add with. sincere pleasure, that no compliment, that experience presents to my memory, ever surpassed the above in propriety, and none ever approached it in delicacy and beauty. I would offer the last couplet triumphantly, as an attestation to the refined genius of Burgoyne. The mixed tone of tenderness, airiness and respect, with which Miss Farren delivered the last line, can never be forgotten

"Play o'er his YOUTH-the feathers of his crest."

Having thus noticed what Mr. Kemble had prepared, to sup ply at all events the means of battle, though his great ally had not joined him, I pass over to the other theatre to remark upon the first appearance of my early friend, Harley who came up with great distinction from Norwich to supply in part, if possible, the loss of Henderson. Harley had been bred to business in the banking-house of Lefevre, Currie and Co., in Cornhill. He was distinguished even there for quickness and accuracy; he played with what others would have called toil;

and not in the least clashing with his duty, he found leisure to enlarge his mind; to read the best authors with much discrimination; and to bind about him some few friends, who cultivated poetry without ostentation, and imparted their pleasures and their difficulties to each other. It may be supposed that a stage adorned by the peculiar powers of Henderson, would be attended by Harley with avidity; perhaps he a little resembled him, and such resemblance is usually decisive as to the choice of a model. There was nothing about him that could at all lead his hopes into the school of Kemble.

To Henderson he had no introduction whatever, but a letter written with so much modesty and talent, that it procured for him the zealous friendship of that great and good man. He inquired into his studies; heard him recite; seemed at once to discover that he had formed an able pupil unknown to himself; and at length perceiving that the bent of his mind was decidedly theatrical, he only then thought of the best means of preparing him, prudently, for his own profession. He recommended him to fence regularly with Angelo, and he extended his steps rather beyond the common limits of dancing. Mr. Kemble, though a graceful figure, learned his perfect stage deportment under Le Picq. Henderson made him known, as a young man whom he esteemed, to Cumberland and to Hayley, to Mr. Whiteford and Mr. Steevens; and Harley knew how to profit by such minds, and become agreeable to such men.

At length the young actor announced to Lefevre's people his determination as to the stage; the resident partner heard him recite some scenes of Richard; saw, as every body else did, the decided talent of his cashier, and assured him of his friendly aid upon all occasions. At length the trial was made at Norwich, and completely succeeded. He wrote to me the particulars of his debût, and of his first alarm upon encountering Murray in Richmond; who, with the usual condescension of a veteran, took his chance of overthrowing him by a charming exterior elegantly attired; or of gracing himself by promoting the success of the young candidate.

When Harley appeared at Covent Garden, a similar fate awaited him. The elegant George Holman condescended to fence with him in Richmond: and the public were paragraphed by Topham into the knowledge, that though Mr. Holman had obtained possession of Richard, even during the life-time of Henderson, his zeal for the profession led him to act the part of Richmond to Mr. Harley. The World abounded with little discrediting half lines to his prejudice; sometimes pretending a veneration for Garrick, as if it were some odd impeachment of a man's modesty, to act a character which that mighty creature

had sustained; at others, he resembled Henderson so much, that it might be true, as had been reported, that he was really his son; some resemblances moreover they discovered between him and Mr. Kemble, but these were unattended by any scandal whatever, for two human beings in person, gesture, and utterance, could not be more decidedly unlike. All these tricks, at the bottom, meant nothing more, than that he was really formidable to the wear and tear tribe of unthinking actors; and he was decidedly a favourite with the town, in Richard and lago, in Shylock, and even in Lear. A reverend critic of that day, independent of his colleague's opinion, enumerated some of Harley's felicitous points in dialogue, and firmly added, "If he can continue to do this, he is an actor." Substantially, no doubt, the style of Harley was that of Henderson, and it is a disadvantage to an actor, to remind the spectator of another; besides, he never attained to the mellowness of his master in tragedy-his voice was harsher and less flexible. Another misfortune attended him, that he never could lay claim to any of the rich comedy of Henderson. But he was a man of sterling sense, and an actor of great energy; and, as what was imitative in him dropt off, he remained, on his own stock, the paragon representative of rough honesty and unshaken principle. Of Smith and Holman in tragedy, I should say, that I think they never got beyond Chamont; a hot, high, honourable soldier. Of Harley, that he stopt some where about Kent in Lear, and all those parts in tragedy or comedy, "which trace him in the line" of unsophisticated principles and purposes never to be shaken. The reader sees, that by this manner of expressing myself, I do not design to object to their higher efforts; but that I think their real excellence did not reach beyond the characters by which I measure it.

On the 1st of October, Mr. Kemble acted the part of Henry V. The play had not been done for 20 years. This stage indifference to the record of our brightest period may, perhaps, be accounted for on a ground by no means political. It may be presumed, that the mob always like to be told, that Englishmen, extenuated by disease, and in numbers as one compared with ten, are yet sure to become the conquerors of France. But there is so little female interest in the drama, that we cannot wonder at the coldness of our fair country women to these fighting plays. Fair Catharine of France, and her broken English, or equally indif ferent French, is not likely to attract the polished females of modern times. As far as Mr. Kemble was concerned, I do not think that even his Coriolanus exceeded his "royal HAL." As a coup de Theatre, his starting up from prayer at the sound of the trumpet, in the passage where he states his attempted atone

ment to Richard the Second, formed one of the most spirited excitements that the stage has ever displayed. His occasional reversions to the "mad wag," the "sweet young prince," had a singular charm, as the condescension of one who could be so terrible. Of the other performers, James Aickin and Baddeley claim a distinguished praise, in which they share, humbly, with Kemble, that is, as Exeter, and Fluellen, being unapproachable, for tenderness and humour.

On the 13th of October he brought out his revision of the Tempest, of which I have already spoken." I have, I hope, sufficiently guarded myself against any presumed admiration of this production. The scenes of Hippolyto and Dorinda are very prettily written in that loose play of fancy, which Dryden mistook for nature. He usually combines in such dialogue an affected inexperience of life with a highly metaphysical intellect ; and he passes indecency not seldom through the lips of inquiring chastity. All this was, no doubt, enchanting among the voluptuaries of Charles's court. In addition to the unearthly music of PURCEL, in this opera, the flowing melodies of Arne and the judicious accompaniments of Linley, filled the "Isle with noises" more appropriate than even the music of Macbeth. When the young student, in that charming science, has mazed himself in the difficult execution of foreign composers, let him meditate the symphony to the air

"Full fathom five thy father lies,"

and try himself to sing the air, with all its genuine expression; and he will then know that he has a language yet to learn, and no master to assist him, grounded essentially in our common nature, but only well spoken by beings of the most refined sensibility.

Mr. Kemble also made a few changes in the False Friend of Vanbrugh, and acted the principal character himself. It has so long been dismi 'to those dramatic shades called libraries, that a few words m e proper as a sketch of its interest. Don John is one of the Spanish libertines, whom no considerations can disturb in their unhallowed pursuits. After violating every tie in life, they usually leave it by the stiletto they have provoked, or one destined to the bosom of another. The latter is the fate, which Vanbrugh doomed for the hero of the present comedy. Mr. Kemble tried to reform and save him; but to repent of villany could not be possible in Don John; and the character died, though he saved the man.

It may be proper, on this occasion, to express some surprise, that Mr. Kemble should ever have conceived himself a fit representative of such characters. He never looked in the least

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