1080 
“© In obedience to her message, 
I waited several days, and at last 
received the looked-for summons ; 
I had not been many minutes in the 
theatre before she sent a mandate 
to me to go home, for that she was 
in no disposition that evening for 
playing well, and should neither do 
justice to her own talents nor to 
my.expectations. | instantly obeyed 
this whimsical injunction, knowing 
it to be so perfectly in character 
with the capricious humour of her 
tribe. When something more than 
a week had passed, J was again in. 
vited to the theatre, and permitted 
to sit out t¢ whole representation. 
Y had not then enough of the lan. 
guage to understand much more 
. than the incidents and action of the 
play, which was of the deepest cast 
of tragedy, for, in the course of the 
plot she murdered her infant chil- 
dren, ard exhibited: them dead on 
the stage, lying on each side of her, 
whilst she, sitting on the bare floor 
between them, (her attitude, action, 
features, tones, defying all descrip. 
tion) presented such a high-wrought 
picture of hysterie phrensy, laughing 
wild amidst severest woe, as placed 
her, in my judgment, at the very 
summit of her art; in fact I have 
no conception that the powers of 
acting ean be carried higher, and 
such was the effect upon the au- 
dience, that whilst the spectators in 
the pit, having caught a kind of 
sympathetic phrenzy from the scene, 
were rising up in a tumultuous 
manner, the word was given out by 
_authority for letting fail the curtain, 
and a catdstrophe, probably. too 
etrong forvexhibition, wasi not al- 
jowed to be completed, 
“ A few minutes. had, passed, 
when this wonderful creature, led 
in by Pietra Santa, entered my box ; 
ANNUAL REGISTER, 1806. 
the artificial paleness of her cheeks, 
her eyes, which she had dyed of a 
bright vermiilion round the edges 
of the lids, her fine arms bare to the 
shoulders, the wild magnificence of 
her attire, and the profusion of her 
dishevelled locks, glossy black as 
the plumage of the raven, gave her 
the appearance of something so 
more than human, such a Sybil, 
such an imaginary being, so awful, 
So impressive, that my blood chilled 
as she approached me, not to ask 
but to claim my-applause, demand- 
ing of me.if I had ever seen any ace 
tress, that could be compared with 
her in my own or any other coun- 
try. © IT was determined,’ she- 
said, € to exert myself for you-this 
night; and if the sensibility of the 
andience would have sultered me to 
have concluded the scene, I should 
have convinced you that I do not 
boast of my own performarttces 
without reason,’ 
‘¢ The allowances which the Spa- 
nish theatre could afford to make to 
its performers, were so yery mode- 
ratc, that 1 should doubt if the 
whole year’s salary of the Tiranva 
would have more than paid for the 
magnificent dress in which she then 
appeared ; but this and all other 
charges appertaining to her esta-_ 
blishment, were defrayed from the 
coffers of the duke of Osuna, a 
grandee of the first class, and com- 
mander of the Spanish Guards. 
This noble person found it indis- 
pensably necessary for his honour 
, to have the finest woman in Spain 
upon his pension, but by no means 
necessary to be acquainted with her, 
- and aj the very time of which] am. 
now.speaking, Pietra Santa seriously 
assured me, that his excellency had, 
indeed, paid large sums to her. or- 
der, but had never once visited or 
‘ even 
