taste in dramatic composition ; and availed himself 
of his wonderful powers of mimickry in taking off the 
most eminent » of the time. 
~The up: ‘success which had hitherto attend- 
‘ed all his efforts, induced ‘Garrick to attempt a nobler 
‘flight, and to to the first character in tragedy, by 
representing the difficult part of King Lear. Never 
was his genius more conspicuously displayed, than in 
his ure of the madness of that unfortunate mo- 
ture twas, Peres, the most accurate and impres- 
sive imitation of nature that was ever exhibited ‘to the 
view of a theatrical audience. With that wonderful 
versatility of powers, for which he was so eminently dis- 
tinguished, he descended from that first character in 
tragedy, to the farcical part of Abel Drugger, and re- 
ented the tobaceo-boy in the truest style of comic 
Hetour Hogarth, the famous painter, saw him in 
' Richard ITT., andon the following night in Abel Drug- 
> - ger; ‘he was so struck with the various powers of the 
é performer, that he said to'Garrick, “ You are in- your 
‘element, when’ you are begrimed ‘with dirt, or up to 
your @lbows in blood.” 
“Meanwhile the theatres of Drury-Lane and Covent- 
‘ “Garden were almost deserted; and the actors beheld 
‘with jealousy the rapid and unprecedented success of 
“« This is the wonder of a day ; Garrick is a new reli- 
gion ; the people follow him as another Whitfield, but 
“will soon return ‘to church again.” The joke 
‘was Telished, and sow spread through the town. Gar- 
tick thought it required an answer, and replied in the 
following epigram.— : 
Porr Quin, who damns all churches but his own, 
Complains that heresy infests the town ; 
That Wuirrretp Garrick has misled the age, 
And taints the sound religion of the stage ; 
_ He says, that schism has turn’d the nation’s brain, 
‘But eyes will open, and ‘to church again. 
Thou Grawp Invatersre! forbear to roar, 
Thy bulls and errors are revered no more. 
When doctrines meet with general approbation, 
It is not Heresy, but Rerormarion. 
About this time, Garrick uced the farce of Lethe, 
in which ‘he acted three different characters ; and in 
the month of May 1741, he closed the season at Good- 
man’s Fields, after a career of the most brilliant success, 
In the beginning of June he repaired to Ireland, in 
consequence of on the part of the managers 
of the Dublin theatre, ti Rs to perform with 
them during the summer months. He there perform- 
ed his various comic and tragic acters to astonish- 
ed and delighted audiences, and received the same ap- 
plause that had been bestowed upon him in London. 
—— the begiming of August he returned to Eng- 
an 
' Garrick’s reputation, as an actor of first rate excel- 
lence, was now tely established ; in so much 
that Fleetwood, the m er of Lane, now soli- 
. ‘these Spt ian which he had formerly rej with 
. disdain, He i ed a negociation with 
Garrick ; wubaickreet want non conchated on a sala- 
i style of varied excellence, 
which no acter before his time had been able to attain. 
GARRICK. 
-at the same theatre. 
duced his farce of Miss in her Teens, 
‘the new performer. Quin said, in his sarcastic manner, © 
“ment by the exhibition of 
- powers. In the month of July 1749, 
“name. ‘She had an el 
~mired asa dancer. § 
‘gave her a fortune of six 
111 
Among he numerous merits of Garrick, it ought not | Garrick. 
to be reckoned the least, that by the correctness of his “~~ 
taste, and the charms of his acting, he contributed to 
restore our old standard plays to their just rank on the 
Stage, and excited a relish the public for the works of 
that great author, whose sublime’ conceptions of cha- 
racter; and profound knowledge of the most minute 
springs of human action, have elevated him to the high~ 
est seat among ancient and modern poets. 
Towards the end of the year 1745, Garrick went over 
to Ireland, having Fecefved an invitation from ‘Sheri- 
dan to be joint manager of the Dublin theatre for the 
season. his return to England, in May 1746, he 
Was offered advantageous terms by Rich, the manager 
of Covent Garden, who proposed, as a further induce- 
ment, to open his play-house, which was then shut, 
for six nights, upon an equal share of the profits. Gar- 
rick accepted, and pars his capital parts with great 
success. He was also engaged for the ensuing season 
Early in January 1747, pro- 
which was ex- 
tremely well received, and when, in the course of this 
season, Dr Hoadiey’s excellent comedy of the Suspici- 
ous Husband was brought forward, Garrick provided 
the prologue and epilogue. - 
. The following season, Garrick attained the great ob- 
ject of his wishes, by becoming joint-patentee with Mr 
“Lacy of the Drury-Lane theatre, At the opening of 
the theatre, on the 20th September 1747, he spoke an 
occasional prologue, written by his friend Dr Johnson, 
in a style superior to every thing of the kind in the Eng- 
lish language, if we except, pe aps, Pope’s prologue to ~ 
the tragedy of Cato. During several years, Garrick 
continued to devote himself, with unremitting zeal and 
assiduity, to the concerns of the theatre, bringing for- 
ward new productions of merit, reviving the neglected 
plays of Shakespeare, Otway, and our best dramatic 
writers, occasionally diversifying the mode of entertain- 
dalightiap-the public bythe aunley Gr Lincs 
elighting the public by i of his own t 
: Garrick anaal 
on a new scene of life, by marrying the fair Violetti, a 
native of Vienna, who had chosen to adopt an Italian 
ant figure, and was much ad- 
was patronized by Lord and 
Lady Burlington, who, it was generally understood, 
thousand pounds, « In ‘the 
summer of 1763, he formed -a design to visit the conti- 
nent, having been told by his physicians that he stood 
in need of air and exercise, and that Mrs Garrick’s 
health would receive benefit from the waters of Barrege. 
“Accordingly, he set out‘for Dover on the 15th Sep- 
tember, leaving his brother George, as his substitute, to 
‘act for him in concert with Mr Lacy. During his ab- 
sence, the affairs of the theatre continued to be n ‘ed 
with considerable profit ; but the public longed for the 
return of their favourite performer. Garrick and his 
lady arrived in London about the end of April 1765. 
‘The news was announced in the papers, and was re- 
ceived with joy by the town. He did not act, how- 
ever, during the remainder of the season, which ended, 
as usual, in the month of June. On the 1 4th of Novem- 
ber 1765, his majesty, after opening the session of par- 
liament, commanded, for ‘his ing entertainment, 
the comedy of Much ado-about Nothing. This called 
forth Garrick from his retreat. He came prepared 
with an address to the audience, and was received with 
loud acclamations of joy and approbation. From this 
period he continued to appear occasionally in his best 
