perfeverance, and by retrenching every thing that hurt the ear or displeased the judgement, he brought it, at last, to be a favourite dramatic difh, which was often prefented to full and brilliant audien

ces.

Not any of the actors, who figured in in this comedy, are now living, except Mr. Yates, Mr. Rofs, and Mifs Minors. To what I have faid of those who are dead, I fhall now only add, that Palmer, who married Mifs Pritchard, died by an improper draught given him, in his illness, through mistake. Harry Vaughan, by fancying himself co-heir with his fifter, Mrs. Pritchard, to large property, which was contef ted by other claimants, (the heirs at law,) exchanged a life of innocence and ease for much disappointment and vexation of mind. He died rich, but neither happy nor respected. However, I believe he thought that he had a right to that of which he had acquired poffeffion.

The frequent rehearsal of this comedy was a convincing proof of Garrick's great anxiety for its public approbation. As no man more perfectly knew the various characters of the drama than himself, his reading a new or revived piece was a matter of inftruction, as well as entertainment, to the players. He generally feasoned the dry part of the lecture with acute remarks, fhrewd applications to the company present, or fome gay jokes, which the comedians of the theatre, who furvive their old master, will recollect with pleasure.

As he took infinite pains to inform, he expected an implicit fubmiffion to his inftructions. A compliance, after all, which could not be expected from men of great profeffional abilities, fuch as Yates and Woodward. All that can be expected from genius is, to take the out-line and to obferve a few hints towards the colouring of a character; the heightening, or finishing, must be left to the performer.

During the greatest part of the rehearfals of Every Man in his Humour, Woodward feemed very attentive to Garrick's ideas of Bobadil. But, in his abfence one morning, he indulged himself in the exhibition of his own intended manner of representation. While the actors were laughing and applauding Woodward, Garrick entered the playhouse, and, unperceived, attended to the tranfaction of the scene. After waiting fometime, he stept on the stage, and cried, "Bravo, Harry! bravo! upon my foul, bravo!-Why, now this is-no, no, I can't say this is quite my idea of the thing-Yours is, after all—to be fure, rather-ha!" Woodward perceiving the manager a little embarraffed, with much seeming modefty, faid, "Sir, I will act the part, if you defire it, exactly according to your notion of it."-" No, no! by no means, Harry. D-n it, you have actually clenched the matter.-But why, my dear Harry, would not you communicate before."

Mrs. Ward was a very favourite actress at Edinburgh, when Delane and Sparks exhibited upon the theatre of that city, in the fummer of 1748. Delane, though at that time in the fervice of Mr.Garrick, perhaps inadvertently recommended her to his old master, Mr. Rich, who immediately fixed her in his company by articles of agreement. Her firft appearance, at Covent-Garden theatre, was in Cordelia, the winter enfuing, when Quin acted Lear.

Though this actress was very attractive in feature and agreeable in figure, yet, it must be granted, that parts of vigour and loftinefs were much more fuitable to her manner than Cordelia. The high paffions of Hermione were more congenial to her voice and fpirit than a Shore or a Monimia: fhe was a better Califta than a Juliet. She died about twelve years fince. Delane's complaifance to Rich, by being an inftrument of engaging, to that manager, Mrs. Ward, loft him the friendship of Garrick, and occafioned a quarrel between them

them which ended only with the life of the former. Before this tranfaction, they had been on the most friendly terms: Garrick had publicly profeffed himself the friend of Delane, and took a pleasure in walking with him, in the ftreet, arm in arm. But, O world, thy flippery turns !'* Delane, foon after his arrival from Scotland, accidentally met Garrick in the piazza of Covent-Garden, who not only would not return his falute, but gave him fuch a look of anger and disdain as few men, befides himself, had it in their power to bestow. An immediate feparation of intereft enfued. Delane's articles were given up, and he was hired to Mr. Rich. This actor did not long furvive the quarrel. He was a man of fpirit, and felt all the difagreeablenefs of contemptuous treatWhether, in confequence of this difference, he applied himself with greater eagerness to his bottle, or whether it was owing

ment.

E 4

* Coriolanus.