CHARACTERS. 



791 



he cautioii^Jy precluded their pass- 

 ing the press, before his latent ge- 

 nius for poetry became unveiled to 

 the public eye in its copioqs and 

 dazzling splendour. 



Account cf the celebrated Juvenile 

 Draimiilc Perfoniier, ttiiiiersallij 

 styled the Young Hosdus, 



AVilliam Henry West Betty, only 

 son of ^V'illiam Henry Betty, and 

 Mary Stanton, was born on the 

 13th of September, 1791, near 

 Shrewsbury. His father, son of 

 Dr. Betty, an eminent physician of 

 Lisburn, in Ireland. His mother, 

 of a respectable Worcestershire fa- 

 mily. Young Betty was reared at 

 Ballyliiuch, i\\Q residence of his fa- 

 ther. From (he peculiar turn of 

 liis mother, he early acquired a taste 

 for dramatic recitation ; and, pos- 

 sessing a retentive memory, gave 

 indications of talent in that line. 

 But his introduction to the stage is 

 said to be owing to a powerful im- 

 pression made by the performance 

 of Mrs. Siddons, whom he saw at 

 Belfast in the character of Elvira; 

 So strongly was he alfe6lcd by its 

 representation, that lie immediately 

 told his father, " he should certain- 

 ly die if he must not be a player." 

 1 1 may readily be credited, that, wak- 

 ing or sleeping, he saw nothing but 

 Elvira; he talked but of her, com- 

 mitted her speeches to memory, and 

 no doubt spouted them to all who 

 came in his way. His passion for 

 the stage having outlived the ordi- 

 nary term of childish impres^ions, 

 and continuing to increase, his pa- 

 reut'j, seeing all opposition futile, 

 were necessitated to think seriously 

 of experimenting his talents for the 

 dramatic ai t. They introduced him 



to the manager and prompter of th« 

 Belfast, theatre, before whom he re- 

 hearsed some passages from Pizarro, 

 from which tlicy formed a consider- 

 able opinion of his-, abilities, and 

 soon after, the theatres being closed 

 on account of the rebellion, Mr. 

 Hough (the prompter) passed to 

 Buliyhinch, and gave lessons io 

 young Betty, who, though under 

 eleven years of age, soon impressed 

 liis memory with the parts of Rolla, 

 Douglas, Osman, and other emi- 

 nent theatrical cliaractcrs. It is 

 said by Mr. 5'Ierritt, one of the best 

 of his biographers, that Sir. Hough 

 found his pujiil to possess a docility 

 greater even than his genius, what- 

 ever ho was directed to do, he could 

 iiistantly execute, and was sure 

 never to forget ; and that his feel- 

 ings could take the impression of 

 every passion and sentiment, and 

 express them in appropriate lan- 

 guage. Whatever was properly 

 presented to his mind, he could im- 

 mediately lay hold of, and seemed 

 to seize by a sort of intuitive saga- 

 city, the spirit of every sentence, 

 anil the prominent beauties of every 

 remarkable passage. In this state. 

 ment some latitude must be allowed 

 to the, zeal and aflection of the tu- 

 tor, for it is not very t^asy to con- 

 ceive how a cliild's feelings could 

 take the impression of passions, of 

 which he could have no concep- 

 tion. But by this time we arc suf- 

 ficiently cool to examine whether 

 on tlie stage the hid really does ex- 

 hibit those unborn passions : the 

 majority, like the gentle Tilburina, 

 are easily taiiglit to sec any thing; 

 but, indeed, 



" The Spanish fleet wc rannot see, 

 " Bccau->a its not in siglit." 



Nor does tho Young Roscius really 

 3 E 4 exhibit 



