Chapter VII

DRURY LANE, AND THE TWO THEATRES IN DRURY LANE AND COVENT
GARDEN.

Craven House -- Donne and his vision -- Lord Craven and the
Queen of Bohemia -- Nell Gwynn -- Drury Lane Theatre -- Its
antiquity, different eras, and rebuildings -- The principal
theatre of Dryden, Wycherley, Farquhar, Steele, Garrick, and
Sheridan -- Old Drury in the time of Charles II. -- A visit to
it -- Pepys and his theatrical gossip, with notes -- Hart and
Mohun -- Goodman -- Nell Gwynn -- Dramatic taste of that age --
Booth -- Artificial tragedy -- Wilks and Cibber -- Bullock and
Penkethman -- A Colonel enamoured of Cibber's wig -- Mrs.
Oldfield -- Her singular position in society -- Not the Flavia
of the Tatler -- Pope's account of her last words probably not
true -- Declamatory acting -- Lively account of Garrick and
Quin by Mr. Cumberland -- Improvement of stage costume -- King
-- Mrs. Pritchard -- Mrs. Clive -- Mrs. Woffington -- Covent
Garden -- Barry -- Contradictory characters of him by Davies
and Churchill -- Macklin -- Woodward -- Pantomime -- English
taste in music -- Cooke -- Rise of actors and actresses in
social rank -- Improvement of the audience -- Dr. Johnston at
the theatre -- Churchill a great pit critic -- His Rosciad --
His picture of Mossop -- Mrs. Jordan and Mr. Suett -- Early
recollections of a play-goer 257