F O O F O O * -549 
plot or contrivance in the pieces, but firong painting in 
the caricature ftyle, and ludicrous incidents, which ren¬ 
dered them extremely diverting. He himfelf continued 
to take the part of mimicry in his dramas. In 1760 he 
brought out a comedy of three acts, The Minor, in 
which he aimed a blow at methodifm. The fatire was 
grofs and extravagant, and the fubjedt was of a nature 
likely to give offence, even in a more decent .manner of 
expofure. It occafioned fome angry controverfy ; but 
as it proved popular on the ffage, the writer’s purpofe 
was anfwered. Foote proceeded in his career with ge¬ 
neral fuccefs, and took pains to gratify the public appe¬ 
tite for novelty. As it was effential to the eff'edt of his 
mimicry to be generally recognifed, he was upon the 
watch for well-known characters,'efpecially fuch as were 
ffrongly marked by fome perfonal defedt ; for he was 
troubled with no delicacy in this refpedt. At Dublin 
lie exhibited upon the ffage the celebrated printer 
George Faulkner, who, befides other fingularities, was 
diftinguifhed by a wooden leg. The printer, however, 
thought fit to retaliate the infult by a legal profecution, 
and the comedian was punifhed by a fevere fine. Dr. 
John foil took a different method of protecting himfelf 
from an intended attack of the like kind. He bought a 
formidable cudgel, and publicly declared his refolution 
to apply it to the wit the inftant he (hould make any at¬ 
tempt to take him off; and this threat proved a fufffcient 
fecurity. It was indeed the only application that could 
be made to Foote’s feelings. Whatever might be faid by 
himfelf or his friends in .juffification of the pradtice of 
holding up individuals to public ridicule, merely on ac¬ 
count of fome unfortunate oddities or natural defedts, it 
is prefumed that every generous mind will regard it 
with deteftation. When, indeed, the ludicrous coincides 
with fome moral depravity, or is attached to fome volun¬ 
tary difplay which vanity or conceit induces the perfon 
to make of himfelf, more may be faid in defence of a 
comic expofure; and this was really the cafe with re- 
fpedt to feveral of Foote’s portraitures. In 1763 he pre- 
fented his Mayor of Garratt, one of the pieces richeft in 
comic delineation, which is not lefs genuine for being 
taken from vulgar life. It was fucceeded by The Pa¬ 
tron, and The Commiffary, both’ abounding in general 
and perfonal ridicule. A ferious accident which befel 
him in 1766, might render him fenfible of the cruelty of 
making mirth out of perfonal infirmities. Being upon 
a vifit to a nobleman, he was thrown from his horfe, and 
fradtured his leg in fuch a manrfer that its amputation 
was the relult. He recovered both his health and fpi- 
rits, however, and even improved the incident to the 
fuggeftion of new characters for his own aCting. It was 
alfo of fervice to his fortune, fince the duke of York 
was compaffionately induced to procure for him a patent 
for life for the theatre in the Haymarket, thence called 
Foote’s theatre. We do not think it neceffary to enume¬ 
rate all the pieces which afterwards proceeded from his 
prolific pen, fince they were generally temporary in their 
fubjedt, and fimilar in their manner. A circumffance 
which took place in 1775 with regard to the duchefs of 
Kingfton terminated with no advantage to his character. 
That lady having made herfelf the topic of public con- 
verfation, Foote thought Ihe would afford a happy fub- 
jeCt fcr the ffage, and accordingly wrote a part for iter 
under the name of lady Kitty Crocodile in a new piece 
he was compofing. He took care that his intention 
fliould come to her ears, and it appears that a negociation 
was fet on foot to prevent its execution for a pecuniary 
eonfideration. But, as is afferted, Foote’s rapacity was 
fuel'., that the lady preferred applying to the lord-cham- 
berlain for an injunction to (top the reprefentation of the 
piece ; and after fome very intuiting letters had paffecl 
on both tides, he was obliged to cut out the character, 
without any compenfation. Soon after he was affailed 
by a paralytic ffroke, which compelled him to retire 
from the ffage. He afterwards fet out with the intention 
VoL-VIl. No. 44S. 
of fpending the winter In the fouth of France, when lie 
was taken fuddenly ill at Dover, and died there in Octo¬ 
ber, 1777. As he had puffed a very convivial life, his 
death at the age of fifty-fix could fcarcely be accounted 
premature. No man of his time, indeed, was more wel¬ 
come to the tables of the gay and great, from his inex- 
hauffible powers of exciting merriment. His humorous 
extravagance, fet oft' by the art of mimicry, and un¬ 
checked by any niceties of decorum, was irrefiftible. 
Dr. Johnfon, who did not like the man, but had been 
forced againft his will to join the roar of laughter which 
he excited, has recorded, that “for loud obftreperous 
broad-faced mirth he knew not his equal.” As a dra¬ 
matic writer, though he was deficient in many parts of 
the perfeft comedian, yet he poffeffed a large (hare of 
that effential in which fo many modern cotnpofers fail, 
the true vis comica. Scarcely Moliere has furpaffed him 
in tire force and nature of his comic delineations, many 
of which Hand apart from perfonal peculiarities, and 
therefore may be reliffied without the aid of partial imi¬ 
tation. His dialogue is eafy, and the copy of real con- 
verfation. He has obtained the name of the Englifii 
Ariftophanes; but the circumffance of bringing living, 
characters upon the ffage teems to be the only point in 
which he refembles the Greek. He may be confiderecf. 
as an original in the comic theatre of his country, and 
certainly has had no fucceffor. 
FOOT'ED, adj. Shaped in the foot; furniflicd with a 
foot ; walked, danced. 
FOOT'FIGHT, f. A fight made on foot, in oppofi. 
tion to that on horfeback.—Sc began our footf^ht in fuch 
fort, that we were well entered to blood ot both, lides. 
Sidney. 
FOOT'GELD,yi [pror, /«, Sax. and geldan, folvcrcf 
An amerciament for not cutting out and expeditating the 
balls of dogs’ feet in the foreff : to be quit of footgeld is 
a privilege to keep dogs within the foreff unluwed, with¬ 
out punilhment, Manwood, pr.r i.,p. 86. 
FOOT'GUARDS, f. The foot foldiers belonging to 
the guards. 
FOOT'HOLD, J'. Space to bold the foot ; fpace on 
which one may tread furely.—All fell to work at the 
roots of the tree, and left it fo little foothold , that the firft 
blaff laid it flat on the ground. VEjlrange. 
FOOT'HOOKS, or Futtocks,/ - . on-board a fhip, the 
compaffing timbers, which give the breadth and bearing 
to the (hip. 
FOOTTIOT, adv. Prefently, ffraightway. Obfolde. 
Bailey. 
FOOT'HUSKS, f with botaniffs, the heads out of 
which flowers grow. 
FOOT'ING,/. Ground fcr the foot.—In afeents, every 
ftep gained is a footing and help to the next. Holder. 
As Noah’s pigeon, which return’d no more, 
Did fitew Ihe footing found, for all the flood. Davies. 
Support; root: 
Set cloven flakes; and wond’rous to behold, 
Their Pnarpen’d ends in earth their footing- place, 
And the dry poles produce a living race. Dryden. 
Bafis; foundation.—The reafoning faculties'of the foul 
would not know how to move, for want of a foundation 
and footing in moft men, who cannot trace truth to its, 
fountain and original. Locke. —Place; poflellion : 
Whether the unCtuous exhalations are 
Fir’d by the fun, or feeming fo alone; 
Or each fome more remote and llippery ftar, 
Which lofes footing when to mortals (hewn. Dryden. 
Tread; walk: 
Break off, break off; I feel the different found 
Of fome chafte footing near about this ground, Milton. 
Dance : 
7 A 
Make' 
