Chapter XVI (3)

"The Play of the _Rehearsal_, which had lain some few Years dormant, being by his present Majesty (then Prince of _Wales_) commanded to be revived, the Part of _Bays_ fell to my share. To this Character there had always been allow'd such ludicrous Liberties of Observation, upon any thing new, or remarkable, in the state of the Stage, as Mr. _Bays_ might think proper to take. Much about this time, then, _The Three Hours after Marriage_ had been acted without Success;[218] when Mr. _Bays_, as usual, had a fling at it, which, in itself, was no Jest, unless the Audience would please to make it one: But however, flat as it was, Mr. _Pope_ was mortally sore upon it. This was the Offence. In this Play, two Coxcombs, being in love with a learned Virtuoso's Wife, to get unsuspected Access to her, ingeniously send themselves, as two presented Rarities, to the Husband, the one curiously swath'd up like an _Egyptian_ Mummy, and the other slily cover'd in the Pasteboard Skin of a Crocodile: upon which poetical Expedient, I, Mr. _Bays_, when the two Kings of _Brentford_ came from the Clouds into the Throne again, instead of what my Part directed me to say, made use of these Words, viz. 'Now, Sir, this Revolution, I had some Thoughts of introducing, by a quite different Contrivance; but my Design taking air, some of your sharp Wits, I found, had made use of it before me; otherwise I intended to have stolen one of them in, in the Shape of a _Mummy_, and t'other, in that of a _Crocodile_.' Upon which, I doubt, the Audience by the Roar of their Applause shew'd their proportionable Contempt of the Play they belong'd to. But why am I answerable for that? I did not lead them, by any Reflection of my own, into that Contempt: Surely to have used the bare Word _Mummy_, and _Crocodile_, was neither unjust, or unmannerly; Where then was the Crime of simply saying there had been two such things in a former Play? But this, it seems, was so heinously taken by Mr. _Pope_, that, in the swelling of his Heart, after the Play was over, he came behind the Scenes, with his Lips pale and his Voice trembling, to call me to account for the Insult: And accordingly fell upon me with all the foul Language, that a Wit out of his Senses could be capable of----How durst I have the Impudence to treat any Gentleman in that manner? _&c. &c. &c._ Now let the Reader judge by this Concern, who was the true Mother of the Child! When he was almost choked with the foam of his Passion, I was enough recover'd from my Amazement to make him (as near as I can remember) this Reply, _viz._ 'Mr. _Pope_----You are so particular a Man, that I must be asham'd to return your Language as I ought to do: but since you have attacked me in so monstrous a Manner; This you may depend upon, that so long as the Play continues to be acted, I will never fail to repeat the same Words over and over again.' Now, as he accordingly found I kept my Word, for several Days following, I am afraid he has since thought, that his Pen was a sharper Weapon than his Tongue to trust his Revenge with. And however just Cause this may be for his so doing, it is, at least, the only Cause my Conscience can charge me with. Now, as I might have concealed this Fact if my Conscience would have suffered me, may we not suppose, Mr. _Pope_ would certainly have mention'd it in his _Dunciad_, had he thought it could have been of service to him?"

Cibber afterwards proceeds to criticise and reply to allusions to himself in Pope's works, some of which are in conspicuously bad taste. Cibber, of course, does not miss the obvious point that to attack his successful plays was a foolish proceeding on Pope's part, whose own endeavours as a dramatist had been completely unsuccessful, and who thus laid himself open to the charge of envy. Nor is this accusation so ridiculous as it may seem to readers of to-day, for a successful playwright was a notable public figure, and the delicious applause of the crowded theatre was eagerly sought by even the most eminent men. And again, it must be remembered that Pope's fame was not then the perfectly assured matter that it is now.

But Cibber's great point, which made his opponent writhe with fury, was a little anecdote--Dr. Johnson terms it "an idle story of Pope's behaviour at a tavern"--which raised a universal shout of merriment at Pope's expense. The excuse for its introduction was found in these lines from the "Epistle to Dr. Arbuthnot":--

"Whom have I hurt? has poet yet or peer
Lost the arch'd eyebrow or Parnassian sneer?
And has not Colley still his lord and whore?
His butchers Henley? his freemasons Moore?"

Cibber's anecdote cannot be defended on the ground of decency, but it is extremely ludicrous, and in the state of society then existing it must have been a knock-down blow to the unhappy subject of it. There can be little doubt that it was this pamphlet which Pope received on the occasion when the Richardsons visited him, as related by Johnson in his Life of the poet: "I have heard Mr. Richardson relate that he attended his father the painter on a visit, when one of Cibber's pamphlets came into the hands of Pope, who said, 'These things are my diversion.' They sat by him while he perused it, and saw his features writhing with anguish: and young Richardson said to his father, when they returned, that he hoped to be preserved from such diversion as had been that day the lot of Pope." How deeply Pope was galled by Cibber's ludicrous picture of him is manifested by the extraordinary revenge he took. And even now we can realize the bitterness of the provocation when we read the maliciously comic story of the vivacious Colley:--

"As to the first Part of the Charge, the _Lord_; Why--we have both had him, and sometimes the _same_ Lord; but as there is neither Vice nor Folly in keeping our Betters Company; the Wit or Satyr of the Verse! can only point at my Lord for keeping such _ordinary_ Company. Well, but if so! then _why_ so, good Mr. _Pope_? If either of us could be _good_ Company, our being professed Poets, I hope would be no Objection to my Lord's sometimes making one with us? and though I don't pretend to write like you, yet all the Requisites to make a good Companion are not confined to Poetry! No, Sir, even a Man's inoffensive Follies and Blunders may sometimes have their Merits at the best Table; and in those, I am sure, you won't pretend to vie with me: Why then may not my Lord be as much in the Right, in his sometimes choosing _Colley_ to laugh at, as at other times in his picking up _Sawney_, whom he can only admire?

"Thus far, then, I hope we are upon a par; for the Lord, you see, will fit either of us.

"As to the latter Charge, the _Whore_, there indeed, I doubt you will have the better of me; for I must own, that I believe I know more of _your_ whoring than you do of _mine_; because I don't recollect that ever I made you the least Confidence of _my_ Amours, though I have been very near an Eye-Witness of _Yours_----By the way, gentle Reader, don't you think, to say only, _a Man has his Whore_, without some particular Circumstances to aggravate the Vice, is the flattest Piece of Satyr that ever fell from the formidable Pen of Mr. _Pope_? because (_defendit numerus_) take the first ten thousand Men you meet, and I believe, you would be no Loser, if you betted ten to one that every single Sinner of them, one with another, had been guilty of the same Frailty. But as Mr. _Pope_ has so particularly picked me out of the Number to make an Example of: Why may I not take the same Liberty, and even single him out for another to keep me in Countenance? He must excuse me, then, if in what I am going to relate, I am reduced to make bold with a little private Conversation: But as he has shewn no Mercy to _Colley_, why should so unprovok'd an Aggressor expect any for himself? And if Truth hurts him, I can't help it. He may remember, then (or if he won't I will) when _Button_'s Coffee-house was in vogue, and so long ago, as when he had not translated above two or three Books of _Homer_; there was a late young Nobleman (as much his _Lord_ as mine) who had a good deal of wicked Humour, and who, though he was fond of having Wits in his Company, was not so restrained by his Conscience, but that he lov'd to laugh at any merry Mischief he could do them: This noble Wag, I say, in his usual _Gayetè de Coeur_, with another Gentleman still in Being,[219] one Evening slily seduced the celebrated Mr. _Pope_ as a Wit, and myself as a Laugher, to a certain House of Carnal Recreation, near the _Hay-Market_; where his Lordship's Frolick propos'd was to slip his little _Homer_, as he call'd him, at a Girl of the Game, that he might see what sort of Figure a Man of his Size, Sobriety, and Vigour (in Verse) would make, when the frail Fit of Love had got into him; in which he so far succeeded, that the smirking Damsel, who serv'd us with Tea, happen'd to have Charms sufficient to tempt the little-tiny Manhood of Mr. _Pope_ into the next Room with her: at which you may imagine, his Lordship was in as much Joy, at what might happen within, as our small Friend could probably be in Possession of it: But I (forgive me all ye mortified Mortals whom his fell Satyr has since fallen upon) observing he had staid as long as without hazard of his Health he might, I,

_Prick'd to it by foolish Honesty and Love,_

As _Shakespear_ says, without Ceremony, threw open the Door upon him, where I found this little hasty Hero, like a terrible _Tom Tit_, pertly perching upon the Mount of Love! But such was my Surprize, that I fairly laid hold of his Heels, and actually drew him down safe and sound from his Danger. My Lord, who staid tittering without, in hopes the sweet Mischief he came for would have been compleated, upon my giving an Account of the Action within, began to curse, and call me an hundred silly Puppies, for my impertinently spoiling the Sport; to which with great Gravity I reply'd; pray, my Lord, consider what I have done was, in regard to the Honour of our Nation! For would you have had so glorious a Work as that of making _Homer_ speak elegant _English_, cut short by laying up our little Gentleman of a Malady, which his thin Body might never have been cured of? No, my Lord! _Homer_ would have been too serious a Sacrifice to our Evening Merriment. Now as his _Homer_ has since been so happily compleated, who can say, that the World may not have been obliged to the kindly Care of _Colley_ that so great a Work ever came to Perfection?

"And now again, gentle Reader, let it be judged, whether the _Lord_ and the _Whore_ above-mentioned might not, with equal Justice, have been apply'd to sober _Sawney_ the Satyrist, as to _Colley_ the Criminal?

"Though I confess Recrimination to be but a poor Defence for one's own Faults; yet when the Guilty are Accusers, it seems but just, to make use of any Truth, that may invalidate their Evidence: I therefore hope, whatever the serious Reader may think amiss in this Story, will be excused, by my being so hardly driven to tell it."

In the remainder of Cibber's pamphlet there is not much that is of any importance, though an allusion to one of Pope's victims having hung up a birch in Button's Coffee House, wherewith to chastise his satirist, was skilfully calculated to rouse Pope's temper. Cibber thoroughly succeeded in this object,[220] perhaps to a degree that he rather regretted. Pope made no direct reply to his banter, but in the following year (1743) a new edition of "The Dunciad" appeared, in which Theobald was deposed from the throne of Dulness, and Cibber elevated in his place. By doing this Pope gratified his vengeance, but injured his poem, for the carefully painted peculiarities of Theobald, a slow and pedantic scholar, sat ill on the pert and vivacious Colley.[221] To this retaliation Cibber, as he had promised,[222] replied with another pamphlet, entitled "Another Occasional Letter from Mr. Cibber to Mr. Pope. Wherein the New Hero's Preferment to his Throne, in the _Dunciad_, seems not to be Accepted. And the Author of that Poem His more rightful Claim to it, is Asserted. With An Expostulatory Address to the Reverend Mr. _W. W----n_, Author of the new Preface, and Adviser in the curious Improvements of that Satire." The motto on the title-page was:--

"----_Remember_ Sauney's _Fate!_
_Bang'd by the Blockhead, whom he strove to beat._
Parodie on Lord _Roscommon_."

There is little that is of any note in this production, which is characterized by the same real or affected good-nature as marked the former pamphlet. The most interesting passages to us are those alluding to the effect of Cibber's previous attack, and exulting over Pope's distress at it. For instance (on page 7):--

"And now, Sir, give me leave to be a little surpriz'd at the impenetrable Skull of your Courage, that (after I had in my first Letter) so heartily teiz'd, and toss'd, and tumbled you through all the Mire, and Dirt, the madness of your Muse had been throwing at other People, it could still, so Vixen like, sprawl out the same feeble Paw of its Satyr, to have t'other Scratch at my Nose: But as I know the Vulgar (with whose Applause I humbly content my self) are apt to laugh when they see a curst Cat in a Kennel; so whenever I observe your _Grimalkin_ Spirit shew but the least grinning Gasp of Life, I shall take the honest liberty of old _Towser_ the House-dog, and merrily lift up my Leg to have a little more Game with you.

"Well Sir, in plainer Terms, I am now, you see, once more willing to bring Matters to an Issue, or (as the Boxers say) to answer your Challenge, and come to a Trial of Manhood with you; though by our slow Proceedings, we seem rather to be at _Law_, than at _Loggerheads_ with one another; and if you had not been a blinder Booby, than my self, you would have sate down quietly, with the last black Eye I gave you: For so loath was I to squabble with you, that though you had been snapping, and snarling at me for twenty Years together, you saw, I never so much as gave you a single Growl, or took any notice of you. At last, 'tis true, in meer Sport for others, rather than from the least Tincture of Concern for my self, I was inticed to be a little wanton, not to say waggish, with your Character; by which having (you know) got the strong Laugh on my Side, I doubt I have so offended the Gravity, and Greatness of your Soul, that to secure your more ample Revenge, you have prudently taken the full Term of thirteen Months Consideration, before you would pour it, upon me! But at last, it seems, we have it, and now Souse! out comes your old _Dunciad_, in a new Dress, like fresh Gold, upon stale Gingerbread, sold out in Penny-worth's of shining King _Colley_, crown'd the Hero of Immortal Stupidity!"

And again (on page 15): "At your Peril be it, little Gentleman, for I shall have t'other Frisk with you, and don't despair that the very Notice I am now taking of you, will once more make your Fame fly, like a yelping Cur with a Bottle at his Tail, the Jest and Joy of every Bookseller's Prentice between _Wapping_ and _Westminster_!"

To this pamphlet Pope, whose infirmities were very great, made no reply, and Cibber had, as he had vowed, the last word. Round the central articles of this quarrel a crowd of supplementary productions had gathered, a list of which will be found in the Bibliography of Cibber a few pages on.

Cibber's position of Poet Laureate furnished him with a steady income during his declining years, and his Odes were turned out as required, with mechanical precision and most unpoetic spirit. They were the standing joke of the pamphleteers and news-sheet writers, and were always accompanied with a running fire of banter and parody. Those curious in the matter will find excellent specimens, both of the Odes and the burlesques, in the early volumes of the "Gentleman's Magazine."

After the termination of his quarrel with Pope, Cibber's life was very uneventful; and, although it extended far beyond the allotted span, he continued to enjoy it to the very end. Horace Walpole greeted him one day, saying, "I am glad, Sir, to see you looking so well." "Egad, Sir," replied the old man, "at eighty-four it is well for a man that he can look at all." On 11th December, 1757, he died, having attained the great age of eighty-six.[223] Dr. Doran "Their Majesties' Servants," (1888 edition, ii. 235) says: "I read in contemporary publications that there 'died at his house in Berkeley Square, Colley Cibber, Esq., Poet Laureate;'" and although it has been stated that he died at Islington, I see no reason to doubt Dr. Doran's explicit statement. Cibber was buried in the Danish Church, Wellclose Square.[224]

So far as we know, only two of Cibber's children survived him, his ne'er-do-well son Theophilus, and his equally scapegrace daughter Charlotte, who married Charke the musician. The former was born in 1703, and was drowned in the winter of 1758, while crossing to Ireland to fulfil an engagement in Dublin. As an actor he was chiefly famous for playing Ancient Pistol, but he was also excellent in some of his father's characters, such as Lord Foppington, Bayes, and Sir Francis Wronghead. His private life was in the last degree disreputable, and especially so in his relations with his second wife, Susanna Maria Arne--the great Mrs. Cibber. The literature regarding Theophilus Cibber is considerable in quantity and curious in quality. Some account of it will be found in my "Bibliographical Account of English Theatrical Literature," pp. 52-55. Charlotte Charke, who was born about 1710, and died in April, 1760, was of no note as an actress. Her private life, however, was madly eccentric, and her autobiography, published in 1755, is a curious and scarce work.

Cibber's principal plays have been noted in the course of his "Apology;" but, for the sake of convenience, I give here a complete list of his regular dramatic productions:--

Love's Last Shift--Comedy--Produced at Drury Lane, 1696.

Woman's Wit--Comedy--Drury Lane, 1697.

Xerxes--Tragedy--Lincoln's Inn Fields, 1699.

Richard III.--Tragedy (alteration of Shakespeare's play)--Drury Lane, 1700.

Love Makes a Man--Comedy--Drury Lane, 1701.

The School Boy--Comedy--Drury Lane, 26th October, 1702.

She Would and She Would Not--Comedy--Drury Lane, 26th November, 1702.

The Careless Husband--Comedy--Drury Lane, 7th December, 1704.

Perolla and Izadora--Tragedy--Drury Lane, 3rd December, 1705.

The Comical Lovers--Comedy--Haymarket, 4th February, 1707.

The Double Gallant--Comedy--Haymarket, 1st November, 1707.

The Lady's Last Stake--Comedy--Haymarket, 13th December, 1707.

The Rival Fools--Comedy--Drury Lane, 11th January, 1709.

The Rival Queans--Comical-Tragedy--Haymarket, 29th June, 1710.

Ximena--Tragedy--Drury Lane, 28th November, 1712.

Venus and Adonis--Masque--Drury Lane, 1715.

Bulls and Bears--Farce--Drury Lane, 1st December, 1715.

Myrtillo--Pastoral Interlude--Drury Lane, 1716.

The Nonjuror--Comedy--Drury Lane, 6th December, 1717.

The Refusal--Comedy--Drury Lane, 14th February, 1721.

Cæsar in Egypt--Tragedy--Drury Lane, 9th December, 1724.

The Provoked Husband--Comedy (in conjunction with Vanbrugh)--Drury Lane, 10th January, 1728.

Love in a Riddle--Pastoral--Drury Lane, 7th January, 1729.

Damon and Phillida--Pastoral Farce--Haymarket, 1729.

Papal Tyranny in the Reign of King John--Tragedy (alteration of Shakespeare's "King John")--Covent Garden, 15th February, 1745.

Of these, his alteration of "Richard III." had practically undisputed possession of the stage, until the taste and judgment of Mr. Henry Irving gave us back the original play.[225] But in the provinces, when stars of the old school play a round of legitimate parts, the adulterated version still reigns triumphant, and the great effect of the night is got in Cibber's famous line:--

"Off with his head! So much for Buckingham!"

In "The Hypocrite," a comedy still played at intervals, Cibber's "Nonjuror" survives. Bickerstaffe, who was the author of the alteration, retained a very large portion of the original play, his chief change being the addition of the inimitable Mawworm.

That another of Cibber's plays survives is owing to the taste of an American manager and to the genius of an American company of comedians. Mr. Augustin Daly's company includes among its repertory Cibber's comedy of "She Would and She Would Not," and has shown in London as well as in New York how admirable a comedy it is. It goes without saying to those who have seen this company, that much of the success was due to Miss Ada Rehan, who showed in Hypolita, as she has done in Katharine ("Taming of the Shrew"), that she is mistress of classical comedy as of modern touch-and-go farce.[226]

Cibber was the cause of quite a considerable literature, mostly abusive. The following list, taken from my "Bibliographical Account of English Theatrical Literature" (1888), is, I believe, a complete catalogue of all separate publications by, or relating to, Colley Cibber:--

A clue to the comedy of the Non-Juror. With some hints of consequence relating to that play. In a letter to N. Rowe, Esq; Poet Laureat to His Majesty. London (Curll): 1718. 8vo. 6d.

Cibber's "Non-Juror," produced at Drury-Lane, December 6,
1717, was written in favour of the Hanoverian succession. Rowe
wrote the prologue, which was very abusive of Nonjurors. This
tract is not an attack on the play, but a satire on, it is
said, Bishop Hoadly.

A lash for the Laureat: or an address by way of Satyr; most humbly inscrib'd to the unparallel'd Mr. Rowe, on occasion of a late insolent Prologue to the Non-Juror. London (J. Morphew): 1718. folio. Title, 1 leaf: Pref. 1 leaf. pp. 8. 6d.

A furious attack on Rowe on account of his Prologue. A tract
of extreme rarity.

A compleat key to the Non-Juror. Explaining the characters in that play, with observations thereon. By Mr. Joseph Gay. The second edioion (_sic_). London (Curll): 1718. 8vo. pp. 24 including title and half-title.

3rd edition: 1718. Joseph Gay is a pseudonym. Pope is said to
be the author of the pamphlet, which is very unfriendly to
Cibber.

The Theatre-Royal turn'd into a mountebank's stage. In some remarks upon Mr. Cibber's quack-dramatical performance, called the Non-Juror. By a Non-Juror. London (Morphew): 1718. 8vo. Title 1 leaf. pp. 38. 6d.

The Comedy call'd the Non-Juror. Shewing the particular scenes wherein that hypocrite is concern'd. With remarks, and a key, explaining the characters of that excellent play. London (printed for J. L.): 1718. 8vo. pp. 24, including title. 2d.

Some cursory remarks on the play call'd the Non-Juror, written by Mr. Cibber. In a letter to a friend. London (Chetwood): 1718. 8vo.

Dated from Button's Coffee-House and signed "H. S." Very
laudatory.

A journey to London. Being part of a comedy written by the late Sir John Vanbrugh, Knt. and printed after his own copy: which (since his decease) has been made an intire play, by Mr. Cibber, and call'd The provok'd husband, &c. London (Watts): 1728. 8vo. pp. 51, including title.

"The Provok'd Husband," by Vanbrugh and Cibber, was produced
at Drury Lane, January 10, 1728; and though Cibber's Nonjuror
enemies tried to condemn it, was very successful. This tract
shows how much of the play was written by Vanbrugh.

Reflections on the principal characters in the Provoked Husband. London: 1728. 8vo.

An apology for the life of Mr. Colley Cibber, comedian, and late patentee of the Theatre-Royal. With an historical view of the stage during his own time. Written by himself. London (Printed by John Watts for the author): 1740. 4to. Port.

Second edition, London, 1740, 8vo., no portrait; third
edition, London, 1750, 8vo., portrait; fourth edition, 1756, 2
vols. 12mo., portrait. A good edition was published, London,
1822, 8vo., with notes by E. Bellchambers and a portrait. The
"Apology" forms one of Hunt's series of autobiographies,
London, 1826. One of the most famous and valuable of
theatrical books.

An apology for the life of Mr. T---- C----, comedian. Being a proper sequel to the Apology for the life of Mr. Colley Cibber, comedian. With an historical view of the stage to the present year. Supposed to be written by himself. In the stile and manner of the Poet Laureat. London (Mechell): 1740. 8vo. 2s.

The object of this pamphlet, ascribed to Fielding, is chiefly
to ridicule Colley Cibber's "Apology." Herman, 22s.

A brief supplement to Colley Cibber, Esq; his lives of the late famous Actors and Actresses. _Si tu scis, melior ego._ By Anthony, Vulgò Tony Aston. Printed for the Author, N.P. (London): N.D. (1747-8). 8vo. pp. 24 including title.

A pamphlet of extreme rarity. Isaac Reed purchased a copy in
1769; and in 1795 he notes on it that, though he has had it
twenty-six years, he has never seen another copy. Reed's copy
was bought by Field for 65s., at whose sale, in 1827, Genest
bought it for 36s.

The tryal of Colley Cibber, comedian, &c. for writing a book intitled An apology for his life, &c. Being a thorough examination thereof; wherein he is proved guilty of High Crimes and Misdemeanors against the English language, and in characterising many persons of distinction.... Together with an indictment exhibited against Alexander Pope of Twickenham, Esq; for not exerting his talents at this juncture: and the arraignment of George Cheyne, Physician at Bath, for the Philosophical, Physical, and Theological heresies, uttered in his last book on Regimen. London (for the author): 1740. 8vo. pp. vii. 40. 1s.

With motto--"Lo! He hath written a Book!" The Dedication is
signed "T. Johnson."

The Laureat: or, the right side of Colley Cibber, Esq; containing explanations, amendments, and observations, on a book intituled, An apology for the life, and writings of Mr. Colley Cibber. Not written by himself. With some anecdotes of the Laureat, which he (thro' an excess of modesty) omitted. To which is added, The history of the life, manners and writings of Æsopus the tragedian, from a fragment of a Greek manuscript found in the Library of the Vatican; interspers'd with observations of the translator. London (Roberts): 1740. 8vo. 1s. 6d.

A furious attack on Cibber. The Life of Æsopus is a burlesque
Life of Cibber. Daniel. 7s. 6d.

The history of the stage. In which is included, the theatrical characters of the most celebrated actors who have adorn'd the theatre. Among many others are the following, _viz._ Mr. Betterton, Mr. Montfort, Mr. Dogget, Mr. Booth, Mr. Wilks, Mr. Nokes. Mrs. Barry, Mrs. Montfort, Mrs. Gwin, Mrs. Bracegirdle, Mrs. Porter, Mrs. Oldfield. Together with, the theatrical life of Mr. Colly Cibber. London (Miller): 1742. 8vo.

A "boil-down" of Cibber's Apology.

A letter from Mr. Cibber, to Mr. Pope, inquiring into the motives that might induce him in his satyrical works, to be so frequently fond of Mr. Cibber's name. London (Lewis): 1742. 8vo. 1s.

Second edition, London, 1744, 8vo.; reprinted, London, 1777,
8vo. The sting of this pamphlet lies in an anecdote told of
Pope at a house of ill-fame, in retaliation for his line:

"And has not Colley still his lord and whore?"

A letter to Mr. C--b--r, on his letter to Mr. P---- London (Roberts): 1742. 8vo. 26 pp. 6d.

Very scarce. Abusive of Pope--laudatory towards Cibber.

Difference between verbal and practical virtue. With a prefatory epistle from Mr. C--b--r to Mr. P. London (Roberts): 1742. Folio. Title 1 leaf: Epistle 1 leaf: pp. 7.

Very rare. A rhymed attack on Pope.

A blast upon Bays; or, a new lick at the Laureat. Containing, remarks upon a late tatling performance, entitled, A letter from Mr. Cibber to Mr. Pope, &c. _And lo there appeared an old woman!_ Vide the Letter throughout. London (Robbins): 1742. 8vo. pp. 26. 6d.

A bitter attack on Cibber.

Sawney and Colley, a poetical dialogue: occasioned by a late letter from the Laureat of St. James's, to the Homer of Twickenham. Something in the manner of Dr. Swift. London (for J. H.): n.d. (1742). Folio. Title 1 leaf: pp. 21. 1s.

Very scarce. A coarse and ferocious attack on Pope in rhyme.

The egotist: or, Colley upon Cibber. Being his own picture retouch'd, to so _plain_ a likeness, that no one, _now_, would have the face to own it, but himself. London (Lewis): 1743. 8vo. pp. 78 including title. 1s.

Anonymous, but undoubtedly by Cibber himself.

Another occasional letter from Mr. Cibber to Mr. Pope. Wherein the new hero's preferment to his throne, in the Dunciad, seems not to be accepted. And the author of that poem his more rightful claim to it, is asserted. With an expostulatory address to the Reverend Mr. W. W----n, author of the new preface, and adviser in the curious improvements of that satire. By Mr. Colley Cibber. London (Lewis): 1744. 8vo. 1s.

The Rev. W. W----n is Warburton. This tract was reprinted,
Glasgow, n. d., 8vo. The two "Letters" were reprinted, London,
1777, with, I believe, a curious frontispiece representing
the adventure related by Cibber at Pope's expense in the
first "Letter." I am not certain whether the frontispiece was
issued with the London or Glasgow reprint, having seen it in
copies of both. In Bonn's "Lowndes" (1865) is mentioned a
parody on this first "Letter," with the same title, except that
"Mrs. Cibber's name" is substituted for "Mr. Cibber's name."
Lowndes says: "A copy is described in Mr. Thorpe's catalogue,
p. iv, 1832, 'with the frontispiece of Pope surprized with Mrs.
Cibber.'" I gravely doubt the existence of any such work, and
fancy that this frontispiece is the one just mentioned, but
wrongly described. Herman (two Letters, with scarce front.), 40s.

A letter to Colley Cibber, Esq; on his transformation of King John. London. 1745. 8vo.

Cibber's mangling of "King John," entitled "Papal Tyranny in
the Reign of King John," was produced at Covent Garden,
February 15, 1745.

A new book of the Dunciad: occasion'd by Mr. Warburton's new edition of the Dunciad complete. By a gentleman of one of the Inns of Court. With several of Mr. Warburton's own notes, and likewise Notes _Variorum_. London (J. Payne & J. Bouquet): 1750. 4to. 1s.

Cibber dethroned and Warburton elevated to the throne of
Dulness.

Shakspere's tragedy of Richard III., considered dramatically and historically; and in comparison with Cibber's alteration as at present in use on the stage, in a lecture delivered to the members of the Liverpool Literary, Scientific and Commercial Institution, by Thos. Stuart, of the Theatre Royal. (Liverpool): n. d. (about 1850). 12mo.

Cibber published in 1747 a work entitled "The Character and
Conduct of Cicero, considered from the history of his life by
Dr. Middleton;" but it is of little value or interest.

A BRIEF

SUPPLEMENT

TO

_Colley Cibber_, Esq;

HIS

LIVES

Of the late FAMOUS

ACTORS and ACTRESSES.

_Si tu scis, melior ego._

By _ANTHONY_, }
Vulgò _TONY_} _ASTON_.

Printed for the AUTHOR.

* * * * *

Mr. Cibber _is guilty of Omission,
that he hath not given us any Description
of the several Personages'
Beauties, or Faults----Faults (I say) of the
several_ ACTORS, &c. _for_

Nemo sine crimine vivit.

_Or, as the late Duke of_ Buckingham _says of_
Characters, _that, to shew a Man not defective,_
------------------------------------were to draw
A faultless Monster, that the World ne'er saw.

* * * * *

A BRIEF SUPPLEMENT TO COLLEY CIBBER, ESQ; HIS LIVES OF THE LATE FAMOUS ACTORS AND ACTRESSES.

Mr. _Betterton_ (although a superlative good Actor) labour'd under ill Figure, being clumsily made, having a great Head, a short thick Neck, stoop'd in the Shoulders, and had fat short Arms, which he rarely lifted higher than his Stomach.--His Left Hand frequently lodg'd in his Breast, between his Coat and Waist-coat, while, with his Right, he prepar'd his Speech.--His Actions were few, but just.--He had little Eyes, and a broad Face, a little Pock-fretten, a corpulent Body, and thick Legs, with large Feet.--He was better to meet, than to follow; for his Aspect was serious, venerable, and majestic; in his latter Time a little paralytic.--His Voice was low and grumbling; yet he could Tune it by an artful _Climax_, which enforc'd universal Attention, even from the _Fops_ and _Orange-Girls_.--He was incapable of dancing, even in a Country-Dance; as was Mrs. _BARRY_: But their good Qualities were more than equal to their Deficiencies.--While Mrs. _BRACEGIRDLE_ sung very agreeably in the LOVES of _Mars_ and _Venus_, and danced in a Country-Dance, as well as Mr. _WILKS_, though not with so much Art and Foppery, but like a well-bred Gentlewoman.--Mr. _Betterton_ was the most extensive Actor, from _Alexander_ to Sir _John Falstaff_; but, in _that_ last Character, he wanted the Waggery of _ESTCOURT_, the Drollery of _HARPER_, the Sallaciousness of _JACK EVANS_.--But, then, _Estcourt_ was too trifling; _Harper_ had too much of the _Bartholomew-Fair_; and _Evans_ misplac'd his Humour.--Thus, you see what _Flaws_ are in _bright Diamonds_:--And I have often wish'd that Mr. _Betterton_ would have resign'd the Part of HAMLET to some young Actor, (who might have Personated, though not have Acted, it better) for, when he threw himself at _Ophelia's_ Feet, he appear'd a little too grave for a young Student, lately come from the University of _Wirtemberg_; and his _Repartees_ seem'd rather as _Apopthegms_ from a _sage Philosopher_, than the _sporting Flashes_ of a Young HAMLET; and no one else could have pleas'd the Town, he was so rooted in their Opinion.--His younger Cotemporary, (_Betterton_ 63, _Powel_ 40, Years old) _POWEL_, attempted several of _Betterton's_ Parts, as _Alexander_, _Jaffier_, &c. but lost his Credit; as, in _Alexander_, he maintain'd not the Dignity of a King, but _Out-Heroded_ HEROD; and in his poison'd, mad Scene, _out-rav'd all Probability_; while _Betterton_ kept his Passion under, and shew'd it most (as Fume smoaks most, when stifled). _Betterton_, from the Time he was dress'd, to the End of the Play, kept his Mind in the same Temperament and Adaptness, as the present Character required.--If I was to write of him all Day, I should still remember fresh Matter in his Behalf; and, before I part with him, suffer this facetious Story of him, and a Country Tenant of his.

Mr. _Betterton_ had a small Farm near _Reading_, in the County of _Berks_; and the Countryman came, in the Time of _Bartholomew-Fair_, to pay his Rent.--Mr. _Betterton_ took him to the Fair, and going to one _Crawley's_ Puppet-Shew, offer'd _Two Shillings_ for himself and _Roger_, his Tenant.--_No, no, Sir_, said _Crawley_; _we never take Money of one another_. This affronted Mr. _Betterton_ who threw down the Money, and they enter'd.--_Roger_ was hugeously diverted with _Punch_, and bred a great Noise, saying, that he would drink with him, for he was a merry Fellow.--Mr. _Betterton_ told him, he was only a Puppet, made up of _Sticks and Rags_: However, _Roger_ still cried out, that he would go and drink with _Punch_.--When Master took him behind, where the Puppets hung up, he swore, he thought _Punch_ had been alive.--_However_, said he, _though he be but_ Sticks and Rags, _I'll give him Six-pence to drink my Health_.--At Night, Mr. _Betterton_ went to the _Theatre_, when was play'd the ORPHAN; Mr. _Betterton_ acting _Castalio_; Mrs. _Barry_, _Monimia_.----_Well_ (said Master) _how dost like this Play_, Roger? _Why, I don't knows_, (says _Roger_) _its well enought for_ Sticks and Rags.

To end with this _Phoenix_ of the Stage, I must say of him, as _Hamlet_ does of his Father: "He was a Man (take him for all in all) I cannot look upon his Like again."

His Favourite, Mrs. _BARRY_, claims the next in Æstimation. They were both never better pleas'd, than in Playing together.--Mrs. _Barry_ outshin'd Mrs. _Bracegirdle_ in the Character of ZARA in the _Mourning Bride_, altho' Mr. _Congreve_ design'd Almeria for that Favour.--And yet, this fine Creature was not handsome, her Mouth op'ning most on the Right Side, which she strove to draw t'other Way, and, at Times, composing her Face, as if sitting to have her Picture drawn.--Mrs. _Barry_ was middle-siz'd, and had darkish Hair, light Eyes, dark Eye-brows, and was indifferently plump:--Her Face somewhat preceded her Action, as the latter did her Words, her Face ever expressing the Passions; not like the Actresses of late Times, who are afraid of putting their Faces out of the Form of Non-meaning, lest they should crack the Cerum, White-Wash, or other Cosmetic, trowel'd on. Mrs. _Barry_ had a Manner of drawing out her Words, which became her, but not Mrs. _Braidshaw_, and Mrs. _Porter_, (Successors.)----To hear her speak the following Speech in the ORPHAN, was a Charm:

_I'm ne'er so well pleas'd, as when I hear thee speak,
And listen to the Music of thy Voice._

And again:

_Who's he that speaks with a Voice so sweet,
As the Shepherd pipes upon the Mountain,
When all his little Flock are gath'ring round him?_

Neither she, nor any of the Actors of those Times, had any Tone in their speaking, (too much, lately, in Use.)--In _Tragedy_ she was solemn and august--in _Free Comedy_ alert, easy, and genteel--pleasant in her Face and Action; filling the Stage with Variety of Gesture.--She was Woman to Lady _Shelton_, of _Norfolk_, (my Godmother)--when Lord _Rochester_ took her on the Stage; where for some Time, they could make nothing of her.--She could neither sing, nor dance, no, not in a Country-Dance.

* * * * *

Mrs. _BRACEGIRDLE_, that _Diana_ of the Stage, hath many Places contending for her Birth--The most received Opinion is, that she was the Daughter of a Coachman, Coachmaker, or Letter-out of Coaches, in the Town of _Northampton_.--But I am inclinable to my Father's Opinion, (who had a great Value for her reported Virtue) that she was a distant Relation, and came out of _Staffordshire_, from about _Walsal_ or _Wolverhampton_.--She had many Assailants on her Virtue, as Lord _Lovelace_, Mr. _Congreve_, the last of which had her Company most; but she ever resisted his vicious Attacks, and, yet, was always uneasy at his leaving her; on which Observation he made the following Song:

PIOUS Celinda _goes to Pray'rs,
Whene'er I ask the Favour;
Yet, the tender Fool's in Tears,
When she believes I'll leave her.
Wou'd I were free from this Restraint,
Or else had Power to win her!
Wou'd she cou'd make of me a Saint,
Or I of her a Sinner!_

And, as Mr. _Durfey_ alludes to it in his Puppet Song--in _Don Quixot_,

_Since that our Fate intends
Our Amity shall be no dearer,
Still let us kiss and be Friends,
And sigh we shall never come nearer._

She was very shy of Lord _Lovelace's_ Company, as being an engaging Man, who drest well: And as, every Day, his Servant came to her, to ask her how she did, she always return'd her Answer in the most obeisant Words and Behaviour, _That she was indifferent well, she humbly thank'd his Lordship_.--She was of a lovely Height, with dark-brown Hair and Eye-brows, black sparkling Eyes, and a fresh blushy Complexion; and, whenever she exerted herself, had an involuntary Flushing in her Breast, Neck and Face, having continually a chearful Aspect, and a fine Set of even white Teeth; never making an _Exit_, but that she left the Audience in an Imitation of her pleasant Countenance. Genteel Comedy was her chief Essay, and that too when in Men's Cloaths, in which she far surmounted all the Actresses of that and this Age.--Yet she had a Defect scarce perceptible, _viz._ her Right Shoulder a little protended, which, when in Men's Cloaths, was cover'd by a long or Campaign Peruke.--She was finely shap'd, and had very handsome Legs and Feet; and her Gait, or Walk, was free, manlike, and modest, when in Breeches.--Her Virtue had its Reward, both in Applause and _Specie_; for it happen'd, that as the Dukes of _Dorset_ and _Devonshire_, Lord _Hallifax_, and other Nobles, over a Bottle, were all extolling Mrs. _Bracegirdle's_ virtuous Behaviour, Come, says Lord _Hallifax_--_You all commend her Virtue, &c. but why do we not present this incomparable Woman with something worthy her Acceptance?_ His Lordship deposited 200 Guineas, which the rest made up 800, and sent to her, with Encomiums on her Virtue.--She was, when on the _Stage_, diurnally Charitable, going often into _Clare-Market_, and giving Money to the poor unemploy'd Basket-women, insomuch that she could not pass that Neighbourhood without the thankful Acclamations of People of all Degrees; so that, if any Person had affronted her, they would have been in Danger of being kill'd directly; and yet this good Woman was an Actress.--She has been off the Stage these 26 Years or more, but was alive _July 20, 1747_; for I saw her in the _Strand, London_, then--with the Remains of charming _Bracegirdle_.

* * * * *

Mr. _SANDFORD_, although not usually deem'd an Actor of the first Rank, yet the Characters allotted him were such, that none besides, then, or since, ever topp'd; for his Figure, which was diminutive and mean, (being Round-shoulder'd, Meagre-fac'd, Spindle-shank'd, Splay-footed, with a sour Countenance, and long lean Arms) render'd him a proper Person to discharge _Jago_, _Foresight_, and _Ma'lignij_, in the VILLAIN. But he fail'd in succeeding in a fine Description of a triumphant Cavalcade, in _Alonzo_, in the MOURNING BRIDE, because his Figure was despicable, (although his Energy was, by his Voice and Action, enforc'd with great Soundness of Art, and Justice.)--This Person acted strongly with his Face,--and (as King _Charles_ said) was the best Villain in the World.--He proceeded from the _Sandfords_ of _Sandford_, that lies between _Whitchurch_ and _Newport_, in Shropshire.--He would not be concern'd with Mr. _Betterton_, Mrs. _Barry_, _&c._ as a Sharer in the Revolt from _Drury-Lane_ to _Lincoln's-Inn-Fields_; but said, _This is my Agreement_.--_To_ Samuel Sandford, _Gentleman_, Threescore Shillings a Week.----Pho! pho! _said Mr._ Betterton, _Three Pounds a Week_.----_No, no, said_ Sandford;--_To_ Samuel Sandford, _Gentleman_, Threescore Shillings a Week. For which _Cave Underhill_, who was a 3/4 Sharer, would often jeer _Sandford_; saying, _Samuel Sandford, Gent, my Man._----Go, you Sot, said _Sandford_.--To which t'other ever replied, _Samuel Sandford, my Man_ Samuel.

_CAVE UNDERHILL_, and Mr. _DOGGET_, will be the next treated of.

* * * * *

_CAVE UNDERHILL_, though not the best Actor in the Course of Precedency, was more admired by the Actors than the Audience--there being then no Rivals in his dry, heavy, downright Way in Low Comedy.--His few Parts were, The first Grave-digger in HAMLET,--_Sancho Pancha_, in the first Part of DON QUIXOT,--_Ned Blunt_, in the ROVER,--_Jacomo_, in the LIBERTINE, and the _Host_, in the VILLAIN:--All which were dry, heavy Characters, except in _Jacomo_; in which, when he aim'd at any Archness, he fell into downright Insignificance.--He was about 50 Years of Age the latter End of King _William's_ Reign, about six Foot high, long and broad-fac'd, and something more corpulent than this Author; his Face very like the _Homo Sylvestris_, or _Champanza_; for his Nose was flattish and short, and his Upper Lip very long and thick, with a wide Mouth and short Chin, a churlish Voice, and awkward Action, (leaping often up with both Legs at a Time, when he conceived any Thing waggish, and afterwards hugging himself at the Thought.)----He could not enter into any serious Character, much more Tragedy; and was the most confin'd Actor I ever saw: And could scarce be brought to speak a short _Latin_ Speech in DON QUIXOT, when _Sancho_ is made to say, _Sit bonus Populus, bonus ero Gubernator_; which he pronounced thus:

_Shit bones and bobble arse,
Bones, and ears Goble Nature._

He was obliged to Mr. _Betterton_ for thrusting him into the Character of _Merryman_ in his _Wanton Wife_, or _Amorous Widow_; but _Westheart Cave_ was too much of a Dullman.--His chief Atchievement was in _Lolpoop_, in the _'Squire of Alsatia_; where it was almost impossible for him to deviate from himself: But he did great Injustice to Sir _Sampson Legend_ in _Love for Love_, unless it had been true, that the Knight had been bred a Hog-driver.--In short, _Underhill_ was far from being a good Actor--as appear'd by the late _Ben. Johnson's_ assuming his Parts of _Jacomo_--the Grave-digger in _Hamlet_--and Judge _Grypus_ in _Amphytrion_.--I know, Mr. _Underhill_ was much cry'd up in his Time; but I am so stupid as not to know why.

* * * * *

Mr. _DOGGET_, indeed, cannot reasonably be so censur'd; for whoever decry'd him, must inevitably have laugh'd much, whenever he saw him act.

Mr. _Dogget_ was but little regarded, 'till he chopp'd on the Character of _Solon_ in the _Marriage-Hater Match'd_; and from that he vegetated fast in the Parts of _Fondlewife_ in the _Old Batchelor_--_Colignii_, in the _Villain_--_Hob_, in the _Country Wake_--and _Ben_ the Sailor, in _Love for Love_.--But, on a Time, he suffer'd himself to be expos'd, by attempting the serious Character of _Phorbas_ in _Oedipus_, than which nothing cou'd be more ridiculous--for when he came to these Words--(_But, oh! I wish_ Phorbas _had perish'd in that very Moment_)--the Audience conceived that it was spoke like _Hob_ in his Dying-Speech.--They burst out into a loud Laughter; which sunk _Tom Dogget's_ Progress in Tragedy from that Time.

_Fælix quem faciunt aliena pericula cautum._

But our present LAUREAT had a better Opinion of himself;--for, in a few Nights afterwards, _COLLEY_, at the old Theatre, attempted the same Character; but was hiss'd,--his Voice sounding like _Lord Foppington's_--_Ne Sutor ultra Crepidam._

Mr. _Dogget_ was a little, lively, spract Man, about the Stature of Mr. L----, Sen. Bookseller in B--h, but better built.--His Behaviour modest, chearful, and complaisant.--He sung in Company very agreeably, and in Public very comically.--He danc'd the _Cheshire Round_ full as well as the fam'd Capt. _George_, but with much more Nature and Nimbleness.--I have had the Pleasure of his Conversation for one Year, when I travell'd with him in his strolling Company, and found him a Man of very good Sense, but illiterate; for he wrote me Word thus--_Sir, I will give you a_ hole instead of (_whole_) _Share_.--He dress'd neat, and something fine--in a plain Cloth Coat, and a brocaded Waistcoat:--But he is so recent, having been so often at _Bath_,--_satis est_.--He gave his Yearly Water-Badge, out of a warm Principle, (being a _staunch Revolution-Whig_.)----I cannot part with this _Nonpareil_, without saying, that he was the most faithful, pleasant Actor that ever was--for he never deceiv'd his Audience--because, while they gaz'd at him, he was working up the Joke, which broke out suddenly in involuntary Acclamations and Laughter.--Whereas our modern Actors are fumbling the dull Minutes, keeping the gaping Pit in Suspence of something delightful a coming,--_Et parturiunt Montes, nascitur ridiculus Mus_.

He was the best Face-player and Gesticulator, and a thorough Master of the several Dialects, except the _Scots_, (for he never was in _Scotland_) but was, for all that, a most excellent _Sawney_. Whoever would see him pictur'd, may view his Picture, in the Character of _Sawney_, at the _Duke's Head_ in _Lynn-Regis_, in _Norfolk_.----While I travell'd with him, each Sharer kept his Horse, and was every where respected as a Gentleman.

_Jack Verbruggen_, in Point of Merit, will salute you next.

_JACK VERBRUGGEN_, that rough Diamond, shone more bright than all the artful, polish'd Brillants that ever sparkled on our Stage.--(_JACK bore the BELL away._)--He had the Words perfect at one View, and Nature directed 'em into Voice and Action, in which last he was always pleasing--his Person being tall, well-built and clean; only he was a little In-kneed, which gave him a shambling Gate, which was a Carelessness, and became him.--His chief Parts were _Bajazet_, _Oroonoko_, _Edgar_ in King _Lear_, _Wilmore_ in the _Rover_, and _Cassius_, when Mr. _Betterton_ play'd _Brutus_ with him.--Then you might behold the grand Contest, _viz._ whether Nature or Art excell'd--_Verbruggen_ wild and untaught, or _Betterton_ in the Trammels of Instruction.---In _Edgar_, in King _Lear_, _Jack_ shew'd his Judgment most; for his Madness was unlimited: Whereas he sensibly felt a Tenderness for _Cordelia_, in these Words, (speaking to her)--_As you did once know_ Edgar!--And you may best conceive his manly, wild Starts, by these Words in _Oroonoko_,--_Ha! thou hast rous'd the Lyon [in] his Den; he stalks abroad, and the wild Forest trembles at his Roar:_--Which was spoke, like a Lyon, by _Oroonoko_, and _Jack Verbruggen_; for Nature was so predominant, that his second Thoughts never alter'd his prime Performance.--The late Marquess of _Hallifax_ order'd Oroonoko to be taken from _George Powel_, saying to Mr. _Southern_, the Author,--That _Jack_ was the unpolish'd Hero, and wou'd do it best.--In the _Rover_ (_Wilmore_) never were more beautiful Scenes than between him, and Mrs. _Bracegirdle_, in the Character of _Helena_; for, what with _Verbruggen's_ untaught Airs, and her smiling Repartees, the Audience were afraid they were going off the Stage every Moment.--_Verbruggen_ was Nature, without Extravagance--Freedom, without Licentiousness--and vociferous, without bellowing.----He was most indulgently soft, when he says to _Imoinda_,--_I cannot, as I wou'd, bestow thee; and, as I ought, I dare not._--Yet, with all these Perfections, _Jack_ did, and said, more silly Things than all the Actors besides; for he was drawn in at the common Cheat of Pricking at the Girdle, Cups and Balls, _&c._ and told his Wife one Day that he had found out a Way to raise a great Benefit.--_I hope_, said she, _you'll have your_ Bills _printed in_ Gold Letters.--_No, no, better than that_, said he; _for I'll have the King's-Arms all in Gold Letters_.--As Mr. _Verbruggen_ had Nature for his Directress in Acting, so had a known Singer, _Jemmy Bowen_, the same in Music:--He, when practising a Song set by Mr. PURCELL, some of the Music told him to grace and run a Division in such a Place. _O let him alone_, said Mr. _Purcell_; _he will grace it more naturally than you, or I, can teach him_.--In short, an Actor, like a Poet,

_Nascitur, non fit._

And this Author prizes himself on that Attempt, as he hath had the Judgment of all the best Critics in the Character of _Fondlewife_ in the _Old Batchelor_.--_If you wou'd see Nature_, say they, _see_ Tony Aston--_if Art_, Colley Cibber;--and, indeed, I have shed mock Tears in that Part often involuntarily.

* * * * *

Mrs. _VERBRUGGEN_ claims a Place next. She was all Art, and her Acting all acquir'd, but dress'd so nice, it look'd like Nature. There was not a Look, a Motion, but what were all design'd; and these at the same Word, Period, Occasion, Incident, were every Night, in the same Character, alike; and yet all sat charmingly easy on her.--Her Face, Motion, _&c._ chang'd at once: But the greatest, and usual, Position was Laughing, Flirting her Fan, and _je ne scay quois_,--with a Kind of affected Twitter.--She was very loath to accept of the Part of _Weldon_ in _Oroonoko_, and that with just Reason, as being obliged to put on Men's Cloaths--having thick Legs and Thighs, corpulent and large Posteriours;--but yet the Town (that respected her) compounded, and receiv'd her with Applause; for she was the most pleasant Creature that ever appear'd: Adding to these, that she was a fine, fair Woman, plump, full-featur'd; her Face of a fine, smooth Oval, full of beautiful, well-dispos'd Moles on it, and on her Neck and Breast--Whatever she did was not to be call'd Acting; no, no, it was what she represented: She was neither more nor less, and was the most easy Actress in the World. The late Mrs. OLDFIELD borrow'd something of her Manner in free Comedy;--as for Tragedy, Mrs. _Verbruggen_ never attempted it. _Melanthe_ was her Master-piece; and the Part of _Hillaria_ in _Tunbridge-Walks_ cou'd not be said to be Acted by any one but her.--Her Maiden-Name was _Percival_; and she was the Widow of Mr. _Mountford_, (who was kill'd by Lord _Mohun_) when Mr. _Verbruggen_ married her.--She was the best Conversation possible; never captious, or displeas'd at any Thing but what was gross or indecent; for she was cautious, lest fiery _Jack_ shou'd so resent it as to breed a Quarrel;--for he wou'd often say,--_Dammee! tho' I don't much value my Wife, yet no Body shall affront her, by G--d_; and his Sword was drawn on the least Occasion, which was much in Fashion at the latter End of King _William's_ Reign;--at which Time I came on the Stage, when Mr. _Dogget_ left it; and then the facetious _Joe Haines_ was declining in Years and Reputation, tho' a good Actor and Poet, his Prologues exceeding all ever wrote.--[_Vide_ Love and a Bottle.]

* * * * *