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



it through all its vagaries, he recovers himself; but again, starting, 

 with his disordered imagination exclaims : 



Ha ! I see thee yet 



Thou marshall'st me the way that I was going 



And on thy dudgeon goutts of blood, that were not so before 



Avaunt ! 1 say, begone 



I see thee yet, in form as palpable as that which now I draw ! 



So saying he drew, not any kind of dagger, but a very handsome 

 small-sword, such as might become part of a modern gentleman's 

 court dress. Macklin, in his projected performance, reformed all these 

 things ; clothed all the characters of the piece in the Highland dress, 

 which, considering the hue-and-cry Wilks had at that time raised 

 against the Scotch was not very prudent ; instead of drawing his 

 sword against the " air-drawn dagger," as Garrick always did, he had 

 a dirk, concealed in his bosom, which he drew forth in propria persona, 

 and made every thing on the stage as like a scene in Scotland as his 

 intelligence would enable him to make it. Symptoms of war against 

 the reformation were rumoured ; but a very great audience was as- 

 sembled, who waited in silence the rising of the curtain ; when that 

 was done, and Macklin with his Banquo were seen strutting down 

 the stage clothed in plaid, to the sound of bagpipes, gentle hisses were 

 heard ; " hear him ! hear him !" was, as usual, vociferated in a tone 

 that prevented him from being heard ; and the confusion proceeded 

 to increase, till the little dirk started from its hiding-place, when the 

 rage of the spectators broke out so outrageously, that whatever merit 

 might have been displayed in the piece was neither understood nor 

 noticed ; but the curtain dropped, at the end of the piece, among the 

 most discordant yells that ever disgraced a theatre, till, in after-times, 

 they were exceeded by those which took place in the O. P. row in 

 Covent-Garden theatre. 



The next morning the combat was renewed in the newspapers. 

 Macklin boldly charged Garrick, Smith, and Reddish with engaging 

 in a conspiracy to prevent the reception of his improvements by the 

 public, who would willingly acknowledge their superiority. In 

 this he was certainly mistaken, for it is certain that a set of men who 

 called themselves the town, in those times arrogated to themselves 

 both the right and the power to prevent any thing which they did 

 not approve from being represented on the stage ; and whatever they 

 did not approve, they demolished vi et armis. The manager, resolving 

 to have another trial of strength, encountered another representation 

 of the play ; a similar audience assembled, and the curtain was drawn 

 up, the actors were not permitted to speak they were sent on booing 

 and booing, in hopes of getting an audience, but in vain : at last, the 

 largest board in the house was prepared ; upon it was chalked, with 

 very large letters, Mr. Macklin is discharged from this theatre. Shouts 

 of applause hailed the apparition, and poor Macklin retired to get his 

 supper wherever it was to be found. 



He exerted himself to discover the enemies by whom he was thus 

 wantonly injured succeeded brought actions against them, and 

 continued them for almost three years, before he got the redress that 



