COL 
nfted at Dmry-lanc, with great fnecefs. For feveral years 
before, the comic mute feemed to have abandoned the 
flage. No comedy had been produced at either theatre 
fmce the year 1751, when Moore’s Gil Bias was with 
difficulty performed nine nights. At length, in the be¬ 
ginning of 1761, three different authors were candidates 
for public favour in the fame walk, and almoft at the 
fame time, viz. Mr. Murphy, who exhibited the Way to 
Keep Him; Mr. Macklin, the Married Libertine; and 
Mr. Colrnan, the Jealous Wife. The former and latter 
of thefe were mod fuccefsful, and the latter in a much 
higher degree. Indeed-, when the excellent performers, 
Meffrs. Garrick, Yates, O’Brien, King, Palmer, Moody, 
with Mrs. Pritchard, Clive, and Mil's Pritchard, are re¬ 
collected, it would have fnewn a remarkable want of tafle 
in the town, not to have followed, as they aid, this admi¬ 
rable piece, with the greateft eagernefs and perfeverance. 
In July, 1764., lord Bath died, and left Mr. Colrnan a 
very comfortable annuity, though far lefs" than had been 
expeCtecl, owing, it was laid, to lb me little difference that 
had arifen between them juft before the death of that no¬ 
bleman; however, he now found himfelf in circumftances 
fully fufficient to enable him to follow the bent of his 
genius. The firft publication which he produced, after 
this event, was a tranflation of the comedies of Terence, 
in the execution of which he refcued that author from 
the hands of his former taftelefs and ignorant tranflators. 
The fucceftor of lord Bath, general Pulteney,- died in 
1767 ; and Mr. Colrnan found himfelf alfo remembered in 
his will by a fecond annuity, which confirmed the inde¬ 
pendency of his fortune. He feems, however, to have 
felt no charms in an idle life; as, about the year 1768, 
Mr. Beard, being incapable of bearing any longer the 
fatigues of a theatrical life, and wifhing to retire from the 
management of Covent-garden theatre, he difpofed of his 
property in that houfe to Meffrs. Colrnan, Harris, Powell, 
and Rutherford. Thefe gentlemen, carried on the ma¬ 
nagement conjointly; but, in a fliort time, Mr. Colrnan 
appearing to afpire to a greater authority than the other 
patentees, excepting Mr. Powell, were difpofed to grant, 
Mr. Colrnan, after a fevere literary conteff, which was 
publilhed, fold his fiiare, and retired. Soon after, Mr. 
Foote, then proprietor of the Haymarket theatre, having 
been induced to withdraw from the ftage, difpofed of his 
theatre to Mr. Colrnan fora handfome annuity, which he 
did not long enjoy. On his death, Mr. Colrnan obtained 
the licence; and, from that period, conducted the theatre 
with great judgment and affiduity, occafionally fupplying 
many dramas from his own fancy, as well as many plea- 
fant tranflations from the French. To figacity in dilco- 
vering the talents of his performers, he joined the incli¬ 
nation and ability to difplay them with every advantage. 
To him Mr. Henderfon, Mifs Farren, Mrs. Bannifter, 
Mils George, Mrs. Wells, and in fome meafure Mr. Ed¬ 
win, (whofe comic powers had been buried a whole feafon 
under Mr. Foote’s management,) befides fome others, 
owed their introduction to a London audience; and the 
great improvements made by Mr. Palmer, Mr. Parfons, 
&c. bore witnefs to the judgment and induftry of their 
director. 
While Mr. Colrnan was thus {hewing his attention to 
the theatre he did not entirely negleft his claffical ftudies. 
He gave the public a new tranflation of Horace’s Art of 
Poetry, accompanied with a commentary, in which he 
produced a new fyftem to explain that very difficult poem. 
In oppofition to Dr. Hurd, he fuppofes, “ that one of the 
fons of Pifo, undoubtedly the elder, had either written 
or meditated a poetical work, moft probably a tragedy; 
and that he had, with the knowledge of the family, com¬ 
municated his piece, or intention, to Horace; but Horace, 
either difapproving of the work, or doubting of the po¬ 
etical faculties of the elder Pifo, or both, wifhed to dif- 
fuade him from all thoughts of publication. With this 
view he formed the defign of writing this epiftle, ad- 
drdfing it with a courtlinefs and delicacy perfectly agree- 
-M A N. 7 83 
able to his acknowledged character, indifferently to the 
whole family, the father and his- two fons : Epiitola ad 
Pifones de arte poetica.” This hypothefis is fupported 
with much learning, ingenuity, and modefty; and it not 
fully .eftablifhed, is at leafh as weil entitled to applaufe as 
that adopted by the bifhop of Worcefter. On the publi¬ 
cation of the Horace, the bifhop faid to Dr. Douglas: 
“ Give my compliments to. Colrnan, and thank him for 
the handfome manner in which he has treated me; and 
tell him, that I think he is. right.” About the year' 1790, 
Mr. Colrnan had a ftroke of the paify, which nearly de¬ 
prived him of the ufe of one fide of his body; and in a 
fliort time after-wards he gave evident figns of mental de¬ 
rangement ; in confequence of which he was placed un¬ 
der proper management at Paddington, and the conduct 
of the theatre was. veiled in his foa. He died the 14th of 
Auguft, 1794. Mr. Colrnan, as a fcholar, holds a Very 
refpefitable rank, as may be feen by his tranflations of 
Horace’s art of poetry, and of the comedies of Terence ; 
and his manners were as pleafing as his talents were re- 
fpefilable. 
Thus far his biographer.—And in addition it may he 
proper to notice a pamphlet, publifhed in 1795, contain¬ 
ing “ Some Particulars of the Life of George Colrnan, 
Efq. written by himfelf, and delivered by him to Robert 
Jackfon, Efq. (one of his Executors) for Publication af¬ 
ter his Deceale.” The defign of this memoir appears to 
have been to fet the public right, with regard to a few of 
the principal circumftances refpeftir.g the family and for¬ 
tunes of the writer: 1. It had been the prevailing opi¬ 
nion, that Mr. Colrnan was the fon of the celebrated Wil¬ 
liam Pulteney, afterwards earl of Bath. The phyfical 
impoflihility of the fail is here irrefragably evinced. Mr. 
Column's mother was a lifter of the lady of Mr. Pulteney, 
and fhe had redded with her hufband, at Florence, where 
he was fituated as Britifh minifter. plenipotentiary, for 
four or five years before the exiltence of Mr. Colrnan, 
who was born at Florence ; during which time, Mr. 
Pulteney and his family were conftantly in England. 2. 
It had been generally f?.id, and grbundk-flly believed, 
that, by his literary purfuits and dramatic compolitions, 
Mr. Colrnan had loll the favour and affection of the earl 
of Bath ; and that, by his purchafe of a fourth of the pa¬ 
tent of Covent-garden theatre, he knowingly and volun¬ 
tarily forfeited lord Bath’s intended bequeft of the New¬ 
port eflate, under the will of general Pulteney. The con¬ 
trary of all this is here ftrongly affirmed, and (we believe) 
with unqueftionable truth, lo far as refpefts the lading 
affefilion, even to fondnefs, of lord Bath. Certain it is 
that the immenfe eftate formerly belonging to lord New¬ 
port, and repeatedly given in feveral wills by lord Bath 
to Mr. Colrnan, was left fubjefil to the difcretion of his 
lordfliip’s brother and heir, general Pulteney; who con¬ 
tinued, as the earl had done, to behave with the greateft 
appearance of the moft cordial regard for this ingenious, 
witty, and pleafant, man. 
When Mr. Colrnan was in treaty for the purchafe .of 
the above-mentioned fhare in the property of Covent-gar- 
den theatre, general Pulteney, according to this account, 
manifefted fome degree of dilapprobation of Mr. Column 's 
engagement; on which the latter, rather .than offend the 
general, propofed to relinquilh his contract, at the ex¬ 
pence of 3000I. forfeit ; in which meafure general,Pulte- 
ney did not feem much inclined to acquiefce, on account 
of the heavj'-penalty; and fo the Jjuiinefs, as the public 
well know, was allowed to take its full effe6l. But the 
general continued to give Mr. Colrnan aflurances of his 
friendly intentions towards him, as fully appears from 
the letters inferted in thofe pages; though there feems 
to be a little abatement in the warmth of his expreffion, 
after the play-houfe connection took place. In fine, at 
the general’s deceafe, a few years afterwards, it was found 
that Mr. Colrnan was deprived of the fplendid provifion 
which lord Bath had made for.him, and which general 
Pulteney had thought it proper to commute for an annuity 
