Boar beckons sow to trot in chesnut groves, And there cousummate their unfinished loves, And snort, and gruntle to each other's moan. Hale was a performer at Covent-Garden; a tall and handsome figure, with an extensive and melodious voice, and, in the tender and pathetic, thought to be without a rival. The lovers of course were assigned to him, and his manner of acquitting himself in those parts attracted the notice of Mr. Bayes. He chose a speech suited to the occasion, and, in a soft plaintive accent, without any thing like real feeling, vox et præterea nihil, he gave an exact representation of Mr. Hale: How strange a captive am I grown of late! Shall I my Love accuse, or blame my fate? My love I cannot; that is too divine! And against fate what mortal dares repine? Ryan Ryan was also engaged at Covent-Garden: he was a veteran in the service of the drama. His name appears in the list of performers prefixed to Addison's Cato in the character of Portius. We are told, that in a scuffle at a tavern, he received an injury in his jaw, which altered his articulation. He was by no means void of feeling, but a croaking drawling accent gave an unnatural sound to his elocution. Notwithstanding this defect, he was deemed a first-rate actor. Garrick thought him a subject for animadversion, and accordingly, gave a true imitation of his manner in the following speech, delivered in a tremulous raven tone of voice. Your bed of love from dangers I will free, And most from love of any future bee; And when your heart-strings shall with pity crack, A pick-a-pack, a pick-a-pack. In this manner he exposed the fashionable errors of the time, and, of course, made way for his own just and correct idea of dramatic imitation. Whether he burlesqued any actor besides those three, this writer has not been informed. It is certain, however, that he never attempted to mimick Quin. He considered him, in the characters that suited him, such as Cato, Ventidius, Pierre, Horatio, and, above all, Sir John Falstaff, as a legitimate and excellent performer. But Quin, with all his merit, was not able to make head against the genius and wonderful variety of the man, whom he had called the Whitfield of the stage. Drury-Lane flourished every night, and Fleetwood, when he closed his house, had reason to be pleased with his treasurer's accounts. CHAP. CHAP. VI. GARRICK engaged for a second Season at Drury-Lane-Meets with strong Opposition on the first Night of his Appearance- -Quarrel between him and MACKLIN-Account of the Cause and Origin of that Dispute-MACKLIN publishes his Case, written for him by CORBYN MORRIS-GARRICK'S Answer, written for him by GUTHRIE, the HistorianGARRICK not suffered to utter a Word of the Character of BAYES-Violent Riot-MACKLIN's Party filled the HouseThey gave the Law, and carried every thing their own Way-GARRICK's Friends protect him at his next Appearance-MACKLIN's Faction overcome, and driven out of the Pit-GARRICK restored, and the Contest ends.. From Septem THIS season did not open in a ber 1743, to manner that promised to the pub June 1744. lic a calm enjoyment of their fa vourite amusements. A cloud had been gather ing during the summer, and soon broke out in storms and tempests. The state of the theatre was rent and torn by violent dissentions, and it was some time before peace and good order were restored. It will be proper, in this place, to trace those disorders to their source, that the reader may be enabled to decide on the conduct of the parties, and see to whom the blame is to be imputed, The enquiry, as it happens, will not be attended with any difficulty, as the facts can be ascertained by the best and clearest evidence. A gentleman of eminence in the literary world, who has had the diligence to collect a variety of documents and curious papers for a long time past, has been so obliging as to furnish me with the cases that were published in the heat of a violent dispute between Macklin and Garrick. |