RECOLLECTIONS OF THE OLD ACTORS, &C. &C. 517 



Having thus traced the style of Garrick backwards to the days of 

 Shakspeare, we will endeavour to show that no actor, since the time 

 of Garrick, has approached to any thing like to the merit of that 

 great man. Holland, uncle to a gentleman of the same name, who 

 was many years afterwards upon the stage, was a pupil of Garrick, 

 and said to be a very good actor, except when he spoiled himself by 

 imprudently attempting to imitate his master. Powell was a pupil 

 of Garrick, but, of the very highest talents, was stage-struck, and 

 being intimate with Holland was by him introduced to our Roscius, 

 who, fortunately for both, perceiving the full extent of Powell's 

 talents, and being himself engaged to pass the winter, and more than 

 that, in Italy, employed the whole summer in teaching him most 

 strenuously every thing that could be taught; and after seeing his 

 debut, in Beaumont and Fletcher's tragedy of " Philaster," which had 

 not been acted time out of mind, and therefore gave the young actor 

 the advantage of showing himself in a character which must be his 

 own, because he had no opportunity of seeing it acted by any one. 

 He did this with so much advantage that his success was complete 

 and singly, or at least assisted only by Mrs. Yates. Atlas like, he bore 

 the weight of the whole season so well, that it produced as much profit 

 to the proprietors as any one preceding. When Garrick returned, 

 and Powell's engagement was ended, he married one of Rich's 

 daughters, and became one of the proprietors of Covent-garden the- 

 atre, in which he induced Mrs. Yates to become the heroine. The 

 affairs of the theatre prospered ; but, Powell dying of fever in Bristol, 

 the theatre passed into other hands, and became involved in lawsuits 

 several years. Powell was, from the first night of his appearance, an 

 actor of the first consequence ; he did not descend to imitate Garrick 

 or any other actor, but formed his own designs, and executed them 

 in his own manner. If he had lived, he would have arrived to a rank 

 equal to any one in his profession; but as it was, lie left a vacancy 

 that was not filled many years afterwards. 



We may mention here a predecessor, or rather a precursor, -of 

 Garrick a situation in which the individual alluded to has seldom, if 

 ever, been considered. 



In the first editions of Sir John Vanbrugh's" Provoked Wife," among 

 the dramatis personae are mentioned the characters of Sir John Brute 

 by Mr. Betterton, and Rasor, his valet, by Mr. Macklin. Macklin 

 must have been then young, and low in the theatre, from which he 

 raised himself, by slow and painful degrees, to be a performer of 

 much reputation in the public mind. As his peculiarities did not 

 facilitate his advancement among the great, his progress was slow, 

 and it was not till the distresses of Fleetwood made him employ 

 Macklin to be his stage-manager, that he obtained the opportunity of 

 showing the public what he was capable of. He got up the "Merchant 

 of Venice," as it was written by Shakspeare, which was a novelty 

 quite unknown, as the play of that name which had been performed 

 time out of mind, was altered into a sort of low comedy by Lord 

 Landsdown, who called it the " Jew of Venice ;" Shylock made the 

 principal character, and time out of mind played by Nokes, who 

 made him merely a Jew of King's-place, whose peculiarities were 



