When Oldfield drew the piftol from her pocket, pretending to fhoot Perez, Wilks drew back as if greatly terrified, and, in a tremulous voice, uttered, What! thy own bufband! Oldfield replied, with an arch, ness of countenance and half-shut eye, Let mine own husband, then, be in his own wits, in a tone of voice fo exactly in imitation of his, that the theatre was in a tumult of applaufe. Woodward and Mrs, Pritchard, Mr. King and Mrs. Abington, without having feen these great performers, have very happily diverted the audience in this and the other scenes of the play. In the year 1759, Mr. Garrick revived this comedy. It was wished, by Mr. Moffop and his friends, that the two principal parts might have been divided between him and the manager; Moffop Leon, and Perez Garrick; but Rofcius determined or therwife. Though he was an improper figure for the man whom a lady chooses by her eye, he determined to act Leon, and give the other part to Woodward. Garrick, C C 4 rick, indeed, might plead, that Major Mohun was admired in Leon, though certainly not a person of large figure, as we understand by what Nat. Lee faid to him on his acting Mithridates: Thou little man of mettle! if I fhould write a hundred plays, I would write a part for thy mouth.' Mrs. Cibber infifted upon injuring her own confequence, if that were poffible, by acting Eftifania. But Melpomene could not transfer herself into Thalia; after a few nights trial of her comic abilities, she refigned Eftifania. It was then delivered to Mrs. Pritchard, who acted it with much applause. . Mrs. Clive had an undoubted claim to this part, as the fuperior comic actress of the theatre. But neither mafter nor man, neither Garrick nor Woodward, wished to fee her in this play; and I firmly believe they kept her out of it from a tribute which they paid to her superior abilities. Though Though Garrick's perfon did not prefent us with the true figure of Leon, and he was obliged to curtail feveral lines which defcribed him as the author intended him to be in representation, yet his performance was so much in truth and nature, that the spectators wanted neither height nor bulk. He wore the disguise of folly, to intrap the cautious Margaretta, so exactly and humourously, that he presented the complete picture of a Wittol. When he put on the man of courage, and afferted the honeft rights of a husband, no one of a more brawny or finewy figure could have. manifested more fire or beautiful animation. The warmth of his fpirit was fo judiciously tempered, his action fo correspondent to his utterance, his whole deportment fo fignificant and important, that I think I never faw him more univerfally captivate the eyes and ears of an applauding theatre. The players feem, in general, to confine the word feeling to the tender and pathetic parts of tragedy. tragedy. I fhall beg leave to extend it to rage and horror, as well as grief and love, in tragedy; to the reprefentation of mirth, gaiety, pleafantry, and humour, in comedy. I understand the rightly feeling a part to be the comedian's properly becoming, in voice, action, look, deportment, any attitude or fituation of character whatever. When the Duke of Medina, in this play, faid to Leon, at the clofe of that important scene in the third act, I pray, fir, ufe your wife well, thofe, who remember Garrick in this fituation, will recollect with pleasure his most expreffive look and action, when, fheathing his sword, he uttered this pertinent reply, My own humanity will teach me this. END OF VOL. II. A INDEX to VOL. II. A. BINGTON, (Mrs.) and Mr. King, 407. Acheron and Acheneen, 168. Actress, the first that appeared on a London stage, 364. -, Sophocles, Plautus, Terence, Shakspeare, and Mo- Efopus, Moliere, and Colley Cibber, 221, 222. and Rofcius, 217. his public fpirit, 217. his riches and death, z22. Alchemift, 106. bad catastrophe, 107. Abel Drugger, as acted by The. Cibber, Mr. Gar- All's Well that ends Well, 5, 51. the fable unpromising, 6. by Garrick in 1757, and the paffages explained, 15, 16, 25, 26, 29-39, 49-51. Anecdote of a country gentleman, 132. - Ben Jonfon's ridicule of it, 333- Antony's fervant and Brutus, 240. oration, 242. well paid for his oratory, 243. Arbuthnot, 223, 237. Ariftocracy and oligarchy, 230. the worst of all governments, 234. Affaffination of Julius Cæfar, the difficulty of reprefenting it, 237. Athenian ftage, 361. Auguftus, 338. VOL. II. D d B. |