ENGLAND AND IRELAND.
The season of 1757-58 was the last of the series during which Barry
opposed Garrick. At the close of it, Spranger proceeded to Dublin,
taking with him, from Drury Lane, versatile Woodward, to retain whom
Garrick would not increase his salary.
At Drury, Garrick brought out Home's "Agis," with a cast including
himself, Mossop, and Mrs. Cibber; Mrs. Pritchard, and Mrs. Yates!
The piece failed notwithstanding.[82] Walpole would not praise
it, and the angry author would never speak, or even bow to him,
afterwards. Gray compared this piece to an antique statue which Home
had painted white and red, and dressed in a negligée, made by a York
mantua-maker! Other critics found in "Agis," Charles I. treacherously
dealt with by the Scots, whereby the author had intended to punish
his nation for its bigotry with regard to the drama generally, and
"Douglas" in particular. Walpole added that Home was a goose for
writing a second tragedy at all, after having succeeded so well
with the first. It was unfortunate for this critic that "Agis" was
written _before_ "Douglas," though it followed in succession of
representation.
Murphy, who had been a student at St. Omer's, a clerk in a city bank,
an unsuccessful actor, and a political writer; who, moreover, was
refused a call to the bar by the benchers of the Temple and Gray's
Inn, on the ground of his having been a player! but who was admitted
by the less bigoted benchers of Lincoln's Inn,--feeling his way
towards comedy illustrative of character, by farces descriptive of
foibles, very humorously satirised the quidnuncs who then abounded,
in his "Upholsterer, or What Next?" in which Garrick acted Pamphlet,
as carefully as he did Ranger or King Lear.
But Garrick's chief concern was to replace Woodward, and in this he
as nearly succeeded as he could expect, by engaging an Irish actor,
O'Brien, who, in the early part of 1758-59 made his appearance as
Captain Brazen, and, by the graceful way in which he drew his sword,
charmed all who were not aware that his father was a fencing-master.
He exulted in light comedy and young tragic lovers, for half-a-dozen
years, after which he became the hero of a romance in life, and began
to be ashamed of his calling.
The great incident of the season was the acting of Antony, by
Garrick, to the Cleopatra of Mrs. Yates, but they gained even more
laurels as Zamti and Mandane in the "Orphan of China," a tragedy,
wherein small matters are handled in a transcendental style. But
Mandane lifted Mrs. Yates to an equality with Mrs. Cibber; and
Walpole, who spoke of Murphy, sneeringly, as a "writing actor," did
him the justice to add that he was "very good company."
Then, Foote played Shylock! Wilkinson delighted everybody by his
imitations, save the actors whom he mimicked, and Garrick took the
"Pupille" of the Gallo-Irish Fagan, and polished it into the pretty
little comedietta, the "Guardian," in which his Heartly showed what a
man of genius could make of so small a part. Mozeen, who had left the
law for the stage, found a bright opportunity for Miss Barton in his
"Heiress;" and Dr. Hill showed the asinine side of his character by
describing his farce of the "Rout" as by "a person of honour!"--
"For physic and farces, his equal there scarce is;
His farces are physic, his physic a farce is!"
So wrote Garrick of Hill, who was a clever man, but one who lacked
tact and judgment, and got buffeted by men who had not a tithe of his
zeal and industry. His chief defect lay in his intolerable conceit.
[Illustration: (Mrs. Yates)]
Dodsley's "Cleone," rejected by Garrick, became the distinction
of the Covent Garden season of 1758-59. Ross played Sifroy, and
Mrs. Bellamy the heroine. As a counter-attraction, Garrick essayed
Marplot, in vain. "Cleone" is a romantic tragedy. The time is that of
the Saracenic invasion of the south of France, and the story bears
close resemblance to the legend of St. Genevieve, where a faithful
young wife and mother suffers under unmerited charges of treason
to her absent husband and her home. The author extended his drama
from three acts to five, at the suggestion of Pope. Dr. Johnson
subsequently looked upon it as the noblest effort made since the time
of Otway! and Lord Chesterfield contributed advice which shows that
stage-French was not of the best quality in those days. "You should
instruct the actors," he said, "not to mouth out the _oy_ in the name
of Sifroy as though they were crying _oysters_." "People," writes
Gray to Mason, "who depised 'Cleone' in manuscript, went to see it,
and confess '_they cried so!_'" Dodsley, after some flatness, "piled
the agony" skilfully, and Mrs. Bellamy made hearts ache and eyes
weep, for many successive glorious and melancholy nights.
The stage lost Mrs. Macklin this year, such an "old woman" as it
was not to see again till the period of Mrs. Davenport. In October
1759,[83] too, Theophilus Cibber satisfied people that he was not
born to be hanged. With Lord Drogheda and his son, Harlequin
Mattocks,[84] Miss Wilkinson the wire-dancer, and a shipload of
frippery, he was crossing the Irish Sea from Parkgate to Dublin,
when the vessel was caught in a gale, and went down with all on
board. Such was the end of a fair player and a sad rogue. Somewhere
off the Scottish coast, whither the ship had been blown, perished
Ancient Pistol, and the original George Barnwell. His sire, wife, and
sister bore the calamity which had fallen upon him with philosophical
equanimity.
On the retirement of Barry from London, Garrick travelled abroad,
for a year, to recruit his health.[85] All the intervening time,
till Barry returned, has the appearance of a season of truce. No
great tragic actor arose to seize the wreath of either of the
absent tragedians, though the town was seduced from its respective
allegiances, for a moment, by the advent and bright promise of young
Powell; and Walpole was eager to recognise a greater than Garrick in
the aspiring city clerk.
Walpole was accustomed to describe Garrick as a mere machine, in whom
the power to express Shakspeare's words with propriety, was absurdly
held to be a merit! "On the night of Powell's first appearance, the
audience," says Walpole, "not content with clapping, stood up and
shouted." Walpole adds, that Powell had been clerk to Sir Robert
Ladbroke, and "so clever in business, that his master would have
taken him in as a partner; but he had an impulse for the stage. His
figure is fine, and voice most sonorous, as they say, but I wait
for the rebound of his fame, and till I can get in, but at present
all the boxes are taken for a month." Walpole suppresses the fact
that Garrick had not only selected Powell as his substitute, in his
absence, but had carefully instructed him in the part of Philaster,
and thereby helped him to the triumphant position which the younger
actor, then twenty-eight years of age, held during the first of his
few seasons, from 1763 to 1768, the year of poor Powell's death.
No new tragic poet of eminence now arose, nor did any old one
increase his reputation. Home is supposed to have been thinking of
the siege of Berwick when, in his "Siege of Aquileia," he pourtrayed
our Edward under the figure of Maximin. Brooke's boasted purity of
language and sentiment in _his_ "Earl of Essex" was playfully crushed
by Johnson. "Who rules o'er freemen should himself be free," was
a line cited for its beauty, by Sheridan, the actor. "Who drives
fat oxen should himself be fat," was the stupid comment of the
lexicographer.
Farce flourished within this period,--supplied by the Rev. Mr.
Townley, Garrick, Foote, Colman, and Murphy, the last of whom
increased his fame by such comedies as the bustling, and yet
monotonously bustling, "All in the Wrong," and the "Way to Keep
Him." The authors of this period sought to correct faults and not to
laugh at them. This, perhaps, gives a didactic turn to the plays of
Murphy and Mrs. Sheridan, which renders them somewhat heavy when
compared with the comedies of those who were rather among the wits,
than the teachers, of their days. But a new brilliancy, too, was to
be found in the later writers. Colman's "Jealous Wife," in which
Garrick and Mrs. Pritchard were the Mr. and Mrs. Oakley, and the
"Clandestine Marriage," principally Colman's, but in which Garrick
had a share, were full of this brilliancy. With the exception of
Hoadley's "Suspicious Husband," no modern comedy had such success
as these. Every great actor still tries Mr. Oakley, and the noblest
of old beaux has been the heritage only of the most finished of our
comedians, from King, with whom it originated, down to Farren, with
whom it seems to have died.
While the insolence of servants and the weaknesses of masters were
satirised in "High Life below Stairs," a piece which George Selwyn
was the gladder to see, as he was weary of low life above stairs--the
disinterestedness of Irish wooers was asserted in Macklin's "Love à
la Mode;" rascality, generally, was pummelled in Foote's "Minor;"
novel-reading was proved to be perilous, in "Polly Honeycomb;"
sharpers were exposed in Reed's "Register Office;" Platonic love was
shown to be not without its dangers, in "The Deuce is in Him," and so
on, with other pieces, than which none raised more laughter than the
"Mayor of Garratt," in which Weston exhibited, in Jerry Sneak, the
type of henpecked husbands, and Foote in Matthew Mug, a portrait of
the Duke of Newcastle. Then Whitehead, in his "School for Lovers,"
wrote a dull play on society to show that society was dull; and Mrs.
Sheridan, in the "Discovery," pointed to the absurdity of young
married people being unhappy. Opera was making way at both houses,
but especially at Covent Garden, where, with a few other novelties of
no note, Arne's "Artaxerxes," superbly set, was as superbly sung, by
Tenducci, Beard, and Arne's famous pupil, Miss Brent. Bickerstaffe's
"Love in a Village" followed, warbled by Beard and Miss Brent, as
Hawthorn and Rosetta, and made joyous by Shuter's Justice Woodcock.
The same writer's "Maid of the Mill" succeeded, in which Mattocks
played Lord Aimworth; Beard, Giles; and Miss Brent, Polly,[86] the
latter with a joyousness that never dreamed of the coming penury and
hunger.
Managers, however, catered drolly for the public. Thus, on the 12th
of October 1758, when Mossop acted Richard III., Signor Grimaldi
relieved the tragedy, by dancing comic dances between the acts!
Garrick, nevertheless, was not idle. During Barry's absence, David
added to his original characters, Lovemore, in "The Way to Keep Him,"
Æmilius ("Siege of Aquileia"); Oakley ("Jealous Wife"), Sir John
Dorilant ("School for Lovers"), Farmer ("Farmer's Return"), Alonzo
("Elvira"), and Sir Anthony Branville ("Discovery"). In the last,
he exhibited a new style, in a new character. "He seemed utterly to
have extinguished his natural talents, assuming a dry, stiff manner,
with an immovable face, and thus extracted from his pedantic object
(who assumed every passion, without showing a spark of any in his
action or features) infinite entertainment." Barry, meanwhile in
Ireland, found that Sheridan had had a chequered time of it there.
At one period, a course of prosperity; at another, he was the victim
of gentlemen, from whose rude wooing he protected his actresses.
The wooers called him "scoundrel-player." Sheridan answered that
he was "as good a gentleman" as those who called him scoundrel;
and, consequently, his life was not safe from these ruffians, who
interrupted the performances, but against whom the collegians took
side with the player. It was not until some blood was spilt, and the
Lord Chief Justice, Ward, had condemned a young savage, named Kelly,
to pay £500 fine and suffer three months' imprisonment, that peace
was restored. At this trial, Kelly's counsel remarked, he had seen
a gentleman-soldier and a gentleman-tailor, but had never seen a
gentleman-player. "Sir," said Sheridan, with dignity, "I hope you see
one now!"
Sheridan lost money, year after year, by paying excessive salaries
to Woodward, the Macklins, and to operatic companies. Macklin and
Mossop, together, nearly drove Sheridan mad; he was glad to be
rid of both, and to find greater attraction in the beautiful Mrs.
Woffington, who used to petition for kisses, once a year, and must
have found little difficulty in procuring what she asked for, on her
benefit nights.
At that time, nearly one hundred persons in the Lord Lieutenant's
household claimed free admission, the government allowing £100
a year, as the price for which it was purchased! But prosperity
attended Sheridan's management, nevertheless, till he neglected
the stage for claret, toasts, songs, and aristocratic fellowship.
Therewith came a quarrel with his public. The latter had _encored_ a
speech delivered by Digges, in "Mahomet," which contained a passage
applicable, in a hostile sense, to the viceregal court. Sheridan
forbade Digges repeating this speech a second time, on the next
representation, and Digges declining to do so, when the audience
demanded it, the latter, in inconceivable rage, pulled the interior
of the house to pieces, destroyed all the properties they could
reach, broke up the wooden fittings, and flinging the box-doors upon
them, set fire to the whole mass! The building was rescued with
difficulty.
After a time it was repaired, and Sheridan let it to Victor and
Sowdon, who in the season of 1754-55 engaged Barry and Miss Nossiter;
and it is to be remarked that of all the characters he played Macbeth
was the most, and Henry V. the least, attractive. Romeo stood midway
in profit between those two. Mossop was the hero of the succeeding
season, with profit to the management, after which Sheridan resumed
the control; but not till he had been compelled to undergo a great
humiliation. Fearing for the safety of his house, he consented to
make public apology for his previous conduct in the management, and
Sheridan was then patronised by the public, till Barry and Woodward,
in October 1758, opened a new theatre in Crow Street, and divided
the patronage and the passions of the town. At Crow Street, there
were Barry, young Mrs. Dancer, whom he afterwards married, Mossop,
King, Woodward, and others. At Smock Alley, Mrs. Abington alone was
a sufficient counter-attraction. But when Mossop passed over to
manage Smock Alley, and the Countess of Brandon patronised him, in
return for his permitting her to cheat him at cards, and Mrs. Bellamy
joined the same troop, then Barry was put on his mettle; he secured
Mrs. Abington and Shuter; and the town became as divided, and as
furious and unreasonable, as if they were at issue on some point of
religious belief. Mrs. Bellamy was arrested by a partisan of the
adverse house, simply that she might be prevented from acting at the
other; and the players were so often seduced from their engagements
by the respective managers that the performers were sometimes called
to go on the stage of one theatre when they were actually dressing
at another! If Mossop chose "Othello" for his benefit one night,
Barry was sure to have it for his own, on the same or the following
evening. In short, the rival managers went on ruining each other.
They exerted themselves, however, indefatigably, Barry playing even
Macheath, and other operatic characters. He and Mossop, formed
extravagant engagements with every great actor, save Garrick, whom
they could win over, down to clever dogs, and intelligent monkeys.
At the end of a seven years' struggle, Barry found that Dublin could
not support two theatres, and leaving Mossop in possession of the
field, he returned to London, having ruined himself and Woodward, and
lost everything he possessed but his gentle humour, his suavity, his
plausibility, and his hopes.
As a sample of Dublin theatrical life, in Barry's time, I cite the
following passage from Gilbert's _History of Dublin_, and therewith
close the subject for the present. "Dublin was kept in a state of
commotion by the partisans of the rival theatres. As already noticed,
the Countess of Brandon, with her adherents, attended constantly
at Smock Alley, and would not appear at Crow Street; but Barry's
tenderness in making love on the stage, at length brought the
majority of the ladies to his house. Of the scenes which commonly
occurred during this theatrical rivalry, on nights when some leading
lady had bespoken a play, and made an interest for all parts of
the house, particularly by pit and gallery tickets among her
tradespeople, we have been left the following notice: The lady of the
night goes early into the box-room to receive her company. This lady
had sent out pit and gallery tickets to all her tradespeople, with
the threatenings of the loss of her custom if they did not dispose of
them; and the concern she was under, when the time was approaching
for the drawing up the curtain, at the sight of a thin pit and
galleries, introduced the following entertainment. The lady was ready
to faint; and after smelling bottles were applied, she cried out,
'She was ruined and undone! She never would be able to look dear Mr.
B. in the face any more, after such a shocking disappointment.' At
many of these repeated lamentations, the box-keeper advanced and
said: 'I beg your ladyship will not be so disheartened; indeed, your
ladyship's pit will mend and your ladyship's galleries, too, will
certainly mend, before the play begins!' At which the lady cried,
'Out, you nasty flattering fellow! I tell you I'm undone, ruined, and
undone! that's all. But I'll be revenged. I am resolved. I'll pay
off--No--I'll turn off all my saucy tradesmen to-morrow morning.'"
During Barry's absence, some excellent actors took their last
farewell of the English stage. Of these I will speak in the next
chapter.
[Illustration: Mr. Powell as Cyrus.]
FOOTNOTES:
[82] It was played eleven times.
[83] Should be October 1758.
[84] Should be Maddox. Mattocks was a singer and actor.
[85] I presume Dr. Doran does not mean that Garrick went abroad
immediately on Barry's departure. Barry went to Ireland in 1758;
Garrick did not travel till 1763.
[86] Patty.
[Illustration: RICH AS HARLEQUIN.]