26 JOHNSON. 



In the spring of the same year his friend Garrick 

 having become manager of Drury Lane Theatre, he 

 brought out for him 'Irene/ a tragedy, which had been 

 begun at Lichfield, and was finished afterwards partly in 

 London, partly at Greenwich, where he resided for some 

 time. Its success was only moderate ; for an awkward 

 incident happened on the first night, when the audience 

 positively refused to let the heroine be strangled on the 

 stage, crying out " murder," in a tone that made it 

 necessary to omit the execution, or at least let it take 

 place behind the scenes ; and although the zealous 

 friendship of the manager obtained for it nine nights of 

 representation, the play then at once dropped, being 

 found wholly deficient in dramatic interest, perhaps too, 

 a little tiresome from the sameness of its somewhat 

 heavy and certainly monotonous diction. Slender as 

 was this success, it had been much smaller still but for 

 many alterations on which Garrick insisted. These were 

 vehemently resisted by the author, with a want of sense 

 and of ordinary reflexion exceedingly unnatural to one 

 of his excellent understanding, and who might easily 

 have seen how very far superior the practical skill and 

 sense of Garrick must be to his own on such subjects. 

 It became even necessary to call in the mediation of a 

 friend, and after all, several requisite changes were not 

 made. However, the benefit of three nights' profits was 

 thus, by the rules of the stage, secured to the author, and 

 the copyright being sold to his friend Dodsley produced 

 him a hundred pounds more. A ludicrous folly of his 

 occurred when this play was first brought out ; he must 

 needs appear in a handsome dress, with a scarlet and 

 gold-laced waistcoat, and a gold-laced hat, not only 



