Whet their small stings, and buzz about the stage. ""Tis breach of privilege!-shall any dare To arm satiric truth against a player? Prescriptive rights we plead time out of mind; To rust in chains like these, imposed by things In purpose fix'd, and to herself a rule, 510 514 513 Austin had been manager of the Chester Theatre, and was Garrick's factotum; and after his patron's death, retired to Ireland on an easy fortune. 514 Packer was a worthy man, and useful actor, which qualities secured him an humble engagement at Drury Lane Theatre; this ironical mention of him, and of his compeer Ackman, has rescued their names from that oblivion in which they would otherwise have by this time been involved. He died Sept. 13, 1806, aged 77, at which time he was father of the stage, having been upwards of fifty years on the Londor boards. He was buried at St. Paul's, Covent Garden, at tended, among others, by his friend Moody. Packer was originally bred a saddler. Henry Norris, a celebrated comedian, contemporary with For who, like Ackman, can with humour please; Who can, like Packer, charm with sprightly ease? Betterton and Booth, from his ludicrous representation in Farquhar's Constant Couple he obtained the nickname of Jubilee Dickey, and in the first edition of the Spectator, in the Advertisement of the Beaux Stratagem, he is called Dickey Scrub. He was also sometimes announced in the bills by the name of Heigh ho! from an odd soliloquy uttered by him in the Rehearsal, and in which he had no other part, it consisted of these two lines: Heigh ho! heigh ho! what a change is here! heyday! In those days as much care was taken properly to fill the inferior as the more prominent characters, but in this easy age, if more than one part is well performed, the audience express their sense of the manager's munificence in thunders of applause louder than what Booth or Garrick ever heard. Norris was in size low, and small but not ill made, with an expressive comic countenance, and a shrill, clear, and audible voice. In his last illness he was attended by an eminent physician, who gave him hopes of recovery," Doctor," said the sick man, 66 when the wheels of a watch are quite decayed, do you think they can be repaired?" "No, by no art in the world." "Then, sir," said Norris, "it is the same case with me, all the wheels of my machine are absolutely through time quite worn out, and nothing can restore them to their accustomed tone." Norris died in the year 1725. Robert Wilks. This actor's predilection for the stage induced him to quit for it, in 1689, a very profitable post in Ireland, in which his successor, in a short period of time, accumulated a fortune of £50,000. His first trial was at the Theatre Royal, Drury Lane, but not thinking himself sufficiently noticed, he returned to Dublin, where he shone without a competitor for five years, when the tragical death of the accomplished William Mountford, basely murdered by Higher than all the rest, see Bransby strut: 517 A mighty Gulliver in Lilliput! Charles Lord Mohun and Captain Hill in December, 1691, from jealousy of Mrs. Bracegirdle's (the celebrated actress) supposed preference for Mountford, occasioned an opening for him on the London stage, where he made his second appearance in 1696, in the character of Lysippus, in the Maid's Tragedy, and in 1714 became joint patentee and manager with Cibber and Doggett until his death in 1731. To describe his varied merits as an actor, the extraordinary powers of his memory, and the diligent use he made of it, would lead us beyond those bounds which we have prescribed to ourselves in these comments. He excelled in scenes of love and gallantry, in the composed dignity of a gentleman, and the imposing majesty of a monarch. His masterpieces were Prince Hal, Sir Harry Wildair, and Hamlet; in the latter, Garrick alone came near him. They were each guilty of one error in the representation of this character; the former bullied the ghost; and the latter, who could seldom act the lover, addressed Ophelia with a coarseness approaching to brutality, while Wilks, retaining a sufficient portion of madness, preserved the feelings of a lover and the delicacy of a gentleman. Colley Cibber relates that being in company with Addison at the tragedy of Hamlet, they were both surprised at the vociferous manner in which Wilks addressed the ghost; this defect had been observed one day at a rehearsal of the play, by Booth, who was to act the ghost :"I thought," said he, "Bob, that last night you wanted to play at fisty-cuffs with me, you bullied that which you ought to have revered. When I acted the ghost with Betterton, instead of my awing him, he terrified me; but divinity hung round that man!" To this rebuke, Wilks, with his usual modesty, replied, “Mr. Betterton and Mr. Booth could always act as they pleased, I, for my part, must do as well as I can." 517 Bransby, whose uncommon height of stature seems to have precluded all other notice, had more merit than the Doet appears willing to allow him. His performance of Kent, Ludicrous Nature! which at once could show A man so very high, so very low. If I forget thee, Blakes, or if I say Aught hurtful, may I never see thee play. At once provoke our mirth, and form our taste. 520 524 in Lear, and of Downright, in Every Man in his Humour, evinced a justness of conception that entitled him to more honourable mention. He was spirited without being boisterous, and blunt without vulgarity. When a boy, he performed the part of Gulliver in Garrick's farce of Lilliput. 521 Blakes was originally a peruke-maker by trade. His forte lay in personating the French fop or valet, which he did with consummate chasteness and accuracy. He died in May, 1763. 537 This very respectable actor and amiable man retired from the stage about the year 1795. In Irish characters he has never been excelled: those who have seen him in Major O'Flaherty, in the West Indian, can best appreciate his merit. During Fitzpatrick's riot at the theatre, Mr. Moody and Ackman had been particularly active in securing some persons who had taken a prominent part in the disturbance. On the cessation of hostilities, they were called upon by the audience to apologize for their conduct, with which request Ackman complied in the most ample manner. Moody imagined he should extricate himself by saying in a ludicrous manner, in the Irish accent, "That he was very sorry that he had displeased them by saving their lives in putting out the fire;" this inconsiderate speech so incensed the audience, that they insisted upon his asking pardon on his knees, which positive At random censured, wantonly abused, 534 Have Britons drawn their sport; with partial view Form'd general notions from the rascal few; Condemn'd a people, as for vices known, Which, from their country banish'd, seek our own. At length, howe'er, the slavish chain is broke, 535 And Sense, awaken'd, scorns her ancient yoke: Taught by thee, Moody, we now learn to raise Mirth from their foibles, from their virtues, praise. Next came the legion which our summer Bayes From alleys, here and there, contrived to raise, 540 command he had the spirit peremptorily to refuse, saying, "I will not, by God!" upon which, he was pelted off the stage, and the play was not suffered to go on until a promise was solemnly exacted from Mr. Garrick that Mr. Moody should not appear again upon the stage. Garrick was notwithstanding so much pleased with his conduct, that on coming off the stage he received him with open arms, and assured him that whilst he was master of a guinea his income should be regularly paid, but that if he had meanly submitted to the abasement, he would never have forgiven him. Placed in this awkward situation, Moody at once had recourse to Fitzpatrick for redress; he called upon this ringleader, and in the most peremptory manner required his reinstatement; terrified at his menaces, Fitzpatrick crouched to the man he had so unjustly persecuted, and now headed a party to the theatre for the purpose of recalling a man to the stage whom his brutal insolence had driven from it. He died in December, 1812, at the age of 85, having succeeded Packer as patrirch of the London stage. 539 Alluding to the summer theatre in the Haymarket, where Murphy's plays were got up and acted under the joint management of himself and Mr. Foote. Miss Elliot, a young actress of great merit, made her first appearance at the Haymarket Theatre in the part of Maria, |