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



that he possessed it, when that reputation was established, knowing how 

 injurious the practice might be made to those professional persons who 

 we're mimicked, he abandoned it for ever. In his latter days, when 

 Henderson was endeavouring to make himself remarkable, he imi- 

 tated Garrick in this way. Garrick himself was accustomed to treat 

 his own friends with a ludicrous imitation of a certain nobleman who 

 .led some whimsical peculia ities in his manner. Our Roscius did 

 this by repeating an imaginary dialogue supposed to be passing 

 between the nobleman and himself, which contained much matter 

 that was both ludicrous and humorous, and an exaggerated likeness 

 of the noble lord. Garrick frequently amused his own friends with 

 this exhibition to their great entertainment. Henderson being fre- 

 quently present at these amusements, resolved to try his own powers 

 at a similar exhibition. He got up a dialogue tripartite, in which 

 the interlocutors were supposed to be the noble lord, the great 

 Roscius, and the humble John Henderson, speaking in his own cha- 

 racter. The audience was as much diverted by this as by Garrick's 

 duet; he soon ascertained what had been done, and expressed much 

 indignation at the rivalship, without very exactly remembering the 

 simple maxim, ' you should do as you would be done by." 



Henderson revived the comedy of " The Chances," which never had 

 been acted since Garrick laid it down. Henderson played Don John, 

 making that character a lively, elegant libertine ; and it became as 

 lasting a character in the public favour as it was while Garrick played 

 it. The piece being within the compass of ordinary understandings, 

 became a favourite with many actors, in many places, but in the 

 hands of Henderson it was unique. John Palmer played the cha- 

 racter at the other house very well indeed after his fashion ; but he 

 was a mere Covent-garden buck very different from an elegant 

 libertine of rank indulging his propensities in an Italian city, which 

 was, in those times, by long prescription, thought to be the native 

 land of refined though libertine pleasure: the admirers of John 

 Palmer would neither see nor understand the difference. 



Henderson's representation of Comus can never be forgotten by 

 those who fortunately saw it. M ikon's ideal creation was completely 

 realized, without the admixture of any thing degrading, as other per- 

 formers who undertook to represent it, gave continually. Before 

 Henderson undertook it, it had always been represented by a mere 

 singer, who, when he had sung the songs as well as he could, thought, 

 he had nothing more to do than wait for the catch-word of the 

 prompter, inducted what he was to sing or say next; Henderson 

 turned all that over to the singers, to whose representations he left it, 

 but felt himself charged, as agent to the author of Paradise Lost, to 

 deliver his poetry with all the advantages his powers could give it. 

 There was nothing to remind the spectators of John Henderson ; the 

 accomplished enchanter, endued with every luxurious blandishment 

 to captivate most human beings, though the Lady fortunately resisted 

 them, was the only thing thought of by the audience while he was on 

 the stage. Here, again, John Palmer put himself in competition 

 with Henderson, and failed completely. Palmer was an actor of great 

 talents in a particular way : he had as much confidence, and as little 



