alarmed at the difcontinuing the run of his last and favourite offfpring, acquainted Mr. Garrick by a note, that he had received forty cards from perfons of diftinction, all of whom defired to know the reafon why his play was ftopped; and for anfwer, he had referred them to him, the proper judge. Mr. Garrick had no ftomach to repeat the acting of a tragedy that was not approved by the public, and in which he had received fuch fignal mortification. The part of Don Pedro in Elvira was the last new character he ever acted. I have faid a great deal of this gentleman, and yet there was a ftriking peculiarity in his conduct that I ought not to omit, as it may very probably convey fome useful advice to others. He was a great free-thinker, and a very free speaker of his free-thoughts: Le made no fcruple to diffeminate his fceptical opinions wherever he could with any propriety introduce them. At his own table, indeed, the lady of the houfe (who was a ftaunch advocate for her husband's opinions) would otten, in the warmth of argument, fay, "Sir, ave deifts." She once made ufe of this expreffion in a mixed company to David Hume, who refufed the intended compliment, by aflerting that he was a very good Chriftian; for the truth of which he appealed to a worthy clergyman present; and this occafioned a laugh, which a little difconcerted the lady and Mir Mallet. The lecture upon the non credenda of the free-thinkers was repeated fo often, and urged with fo much eainettnefs, that the infe rior domefticks became foon as able difputants as the heads of the family. The fellow who waited at table being thoroughly convinced, that for any of his mifdeeds he fhould have no after-account to make, was refolved to profit by the doctrine, and made off with many things of value, particularly the plate. Luckily he was fo clofely purfued, that he was brought back with his prey to his mafter's house, who examined him before fome felect friends. At first, the man was fullen, and would answer no questions put to him; but being urged to give a reason for his in. famous behaviour, he refolutely faid, "Sir, I had heard you fo often talk of the impoffibility of a future ftate, and that after death there was no reward for virtue, or punishment for vice, that I was tempted to commit the robbery." "Well; but you rafcal (replied Mallet), had you no fear of the gallows?" Sir, faid the fellow (looking fernly at his mater), what is that to you, if I had a mind to venture that? you had removed my greatest terror; why should I fear the leffer?' Mr. Mallet died April 21, 1765." We fail conclude our extracts from this entertaining mifcellany with the following anecdotes of two celebrated and much admired theatrical perfonages, Mrs. Clive, and Mr. Foote. "About a year after Mrs. Pritchard had withdrawn from the theatre, her conftant companion and friend, Mrs. Clive, determined to follow her example; had fhe thought proper, he could have continued feveral years longer to delight the public in various cha racters racters adapted to her figure and time of life; for to the last fhe was admirable and unrivalled. Mr. Garrick fent Mr. Hopkins, the prompter, to her, to know whether he was in earnest in her intention of leaving the flage. To fuch a meffenger Mrs. Clive difdained to give an answer. To Mr. George Garrick, whom he afterwards deputed to wait on her upon the fame errand, this highspirited actress was not much more civil; however, fhe condefcended to tell him, that, if his brother wifhed to know her mind, he fhould have called upon her himfelf. When the manager and Mrs. Clive met, their interview was fhort, and their difcourte curious. After fome compliments on her great merit, Mr. Garrick wifhed, he faid, that he would continue, for her own fake, fome years longer on the ftage. This civil fuggeftion the anfwered by a look of contempt, and a decifive negative. He asked how much fhe was worth; fhe replied brifkly, as much as himself. Upon his fmiling at her fuppofed ignorance or misinformation, the explained herself, by telling him, that he knew when fhe had enough, though he never would. He then entreated her to renew her agi ment for three or four years; fhe peremptorily refufed. Upon repeating his regret at her leaving the stage, fhe abruptly told him, that the hated hypocrify; for the was fure that he would light up candles for joy of her leaving him, but that it would be attended with fome expence.-Every body will fee there was an unneceffary fmartnefs in the lady's language, approaching to rudeness; but, how ever, it was her way, as her friendMrs. Pritchard used to exprefs it. The other anecdote relates to tranfactions between Mr. Garrick and Mr. Foote, which, if the whole of them be true, place the profligacy of the one, arifing from his irregu larities, and the timidity of the other, arifing from his vanity, in a ftriking point of view. Thefe rivals would often meet at the houfes of perions of fashion, who were glad to have two fuch guests at their table; though they certainly fhould have entertained their friends feparately; for Mr. Garrick was a muta perfena in the prefence of Foote: he was all admiration when this great genius. entertained the company, and no man laughed more heartily at his lively fallies than he did. It must be owned that he tried all methods to conciliate Foote's mind, fo far at feat as to prevail upon him to forbear his illiberal attacks upon him when abfent; and this he ought to have done for his own fake, for Foote often rendered his converfation difgufting by his naufeous abufe of Mr. Garrick; but, the more fenfibility the latter dfcovered, the greater price the former put upon his ceafing from hoftilities. The great fuccefs of the Stratford Jubilee, when exhibited, in the winter of 1770, at Drury-lane, infpired this envious man with the defign of producing a mock proceffion in imitation of it, and of introducing Mr. Garrick upon his age. He confidered him as fit goods to bring to his market; a man fo rich, to meritorious, fo well known, fo much admired, and fo envied, was a prey too valuable not to be feized on for his his own ufe; the foregoing it, he thought, would be lofing a ftaple commodity, which would fill his houfe forty nights fucceffively, or perhaps for the whole fummer. In this mock proceffion, a fellow was to be dreffed up, and made as much like Mr. Garrick as poffible; it was intended that fome ragamuffin in the proceffion fhould adorefs Rofcius in the well-known lines of the poet laureat, A nation's tafte depends on you; The reprefenter of Mr. Garrick was to make no answer, but to cry • Cock a doodle do!" a While this scheme was in embryo, Foote's neceffities, which were brought on by a ridiculous parade of fplendid living, by hiring a number of ufelefs fervants, and by treating with magnificent dinners those who laughed at his wit, drank his claret, and won his money at cards (for he was great dupe at play), reduced him 10 the humiliating fituation of borrowing money of the man whom he intended to expole to public ridicule. Five hundred pounds were lent to him by Mr. Garrick; and this fum, after a fuccesful run of a new piece, was paid back in a pettish refentment, because it was pretended that Mr. Garrick's creatures had circulated a report that Mr. Foote was under Obligations to him. By this time he had formed his plan, and had efolved, or at least fo he gave out, to put it in execution. He was at pains to conceal his defign from Mr. Garrick, who had early intelligence of the whole fcheme. The uneafinefs he felt upon the occafion could not be diffembled; he dreaded public ridicule as the worst of all misfortunes, and apprehended the ruin of that reputation which he had been raising fo many years. To refent an affront perfonally to a man with a wooden leg would only have exposed him to laughter. It was pleafant enough, during the fufpenfion of hoftilities, to fee them meet on a vifit, at a nobleman's door, and alighting from their chariots. Significant looks were exchanged before they spoke; Mr. Garrick broke filence firit; "What is it, war or peace ?" "Oh! peace, by all means," faid Foote, with much apparent glee; and the day was spent in great feeming cordiality. Much about this time, Mr. Garrick paid this levelling fatirift a vifit, and was furprised to see a buft of himfelf placed on his bureau. Is this intended as a compliment to me? faid Rofcius -Certainly. And can you trust me fo near your cash and your bank notes ?-Yes, very well, faid Foote; for you are without hands. What put an end to this project I could never learn: whether a well-timed gratification, or Garrick's threats of ferving him in kind. But of this lait I never heard the leaft hint, though I am well persuaded that fuch a menace might probably have had its ef feci; for no man threatened more than Foote, nor was any man more timorous. At the time when he was dealing out his fcandal at the Hay-market, and levelling all characters for his private emolument, he was heard to declare, in a kind of agony, that he was afraid to take a news-paper in his hand, for fear of reading fome 3 Out outrageous abuse upon himself or his friends. But, although the project of a mock proceffion was given up, Foote thought the ridiculing Garrick on the stage was a model too delicious to refign. At the very time when the mind of Mr. Garrick was disturbed by a fcandalous and falfe infinuation, which the author of it publicly and folemnly afterwards difavowed, Mr. Foote, from a ridiculous pretence that Mr. Garrick kept his playhoufe open purposely to diftrefs him, by acting feveral of his moft favou rite character, and by these means drawing all the play-going people to Drury-lane, refolved to fhew his refentment in a manner the most profitable to himself and offenfive to Mr. Garrick. He first attacked him with much vehemence in the news-papers, in the form of letters, fables, and dialogues. This was preparatory to his grand defign of regaling the public with a feaft of Rofcius. The new fcheme was to introduce him in his puppet-thew: to this end, a mark was made, that bore as near a refemblance as poffible to the countenance of Mr. Garrick, and this he fhewed to all his vifitors: a pafte-board figure of a body was prepared, to be joined to the head; a man was to be concealed under this ftrange shell. who was, every now and then, to utter fomething which the author was to convey to him. But fo fond was Foote of his favourite Cock a doodle do! that, as foon as the figure was introduced on the ftage, he was ordered to clap his fides, and crow as loud as the cock in Hamlet. This mock reprefentation of Mr. Garrick was talked of for a long time, though not announced in the news-papers. Foote laboured to raise his fears and apprehenfions, and at the fame time to create an appetite in the public for fo extraordinary a difh. That this project, too, was afterwards laid afide, it was generally fuppofed, was owing to a fum of money which was borrowed never to be repaid; or perhaps to a gratification, the accepting of which was ftill more difhonourable; however, this is only conjecture." THE |