5oO 
GARRICK. 
his attention to propriety was uniformly fupported by 
every look and gefture while he continued in the fight 
of the audience, wliether fpeaking or filent. The part 
of Hamlet, fo full of foul and animation, was that by 
wh.ich he contrafled his Drugger. 
Stage quarrels and revolutions, and a fecond vifit to 
Dublin, occupied Garrick during the remainder of the 
period which he palfed as a hired aftor, but with con¬ 
tinually increafing reputation. He produced in that in¬ 
terval his farce of Mifs in her Teens, the hint of which 
was taken from Dancourt, but with fuch accommodation 
to the Englifli tafte as to make it a favourite. In the 
fpring of 1747 he commenced his refpeftable and lucra¬ 
tive career as a theatrical manager. By a6ling at Co¬ 
vent-garden, he had reduced Drury-lane to fuch a ftate 
of inferiority, that Lacy, the patentee, was glad to admit 
him as an equal partner upon moderate terms. In this 
joint concern the two managers wifely took difiinft pro¬ 
vinces : that of Lacy was the care of the fcenes and the 
domeftic economy, while Garrick fuperintended the 
choice of plays, the difiribution of parts, and the trea¬ 
ties with authors and a6tors. Under thefeaufpices, the 
theatre of Drury-lane opened in September, 1747, fur- 
niihed wdth a prologue by Garrick’s old and conftant 
friend, Samuel Johnfon, which ranks among the three 
or four compofitions of that kind, the merit of which is 
not temporary, but fuch as will ever place them in th.e 
fird ranks of Englifli poetry. It was the prelude of a 
better era of dramatic exhibitions; in particular it ufliered 
in the revival of a number of Shakefpeare’s plays, mofcly 
freed from the tadelefs and incongruous additions which 
had been made to them by the writers of the pad centu¬ 
ry. Garrick w'as himfelf the living commentator of that 
great dramatid. By his admirable force of action, he 
called forth all the latent beauties of fentiment and tran- 
lient drokes of feeling of the author, and gave to the 
hearer ideas which might ever have efcaped the reader. 
It is certain that the aimed idolatrous admiration of 
Shakefpeare which didinguiflied the eighteenth century, 
may be traced from the appearance of Garrick in his 
jirincipal characters. 
In 1749 he married mademoifelle Violetti, who had 
been a ftage dancer; llie maintained an irreproacliable 
cliaraCter, and the union was a fource of mutual felicity 
till diifolved by deatli. Though Garrick was judly a 
favourite with the public, fome complaints were made 
of parfimony under his management, in providing thofe 
ornamental decorations and fplcndid diows which are 
found neceffary to keep the eye fatisfied, as well as the 
judgment. I'o obviate this difeontent, he prepared, in 
1754, an exhibition which was to unite every charm of 
mufic, dancing, and feenery, with that of perfeCt novelty 
in defign. No expence was fpared on the occafion ; and 
a large body of foreign performers was hired, at the 
head of whom was Noverre, the celebrated ballet-mafter, 
wjiofe inventive genius produced a fpeCfacle which lie 
entitled a Chinefe Fe/tival. But before its exhibition, 
the national prejudices, enforced by a commencing war 
with France, took alarm at this importation of foreign¬ 
ers, all of whom were, as ufual, called Frenchmen, and a 
violent oppofilion was organifed. The piece was brought 
cut ill November, 1755, and though firft fanClioned by 
the king’s prefence, and warmly fupported by many of 
the young nobility, its lixth reprefentation was termina¬ 
ted by a violent riot, by which a damage was incurred 
to the theatre of fome thoufand pounds. Garrick was 
blamed for ids pertinacity in contending againit the voice 
of the majority, which was attributed to his reludtance 
at lofing the fruits of great expence. 
In his capacity of manager, he had the fame difficul¬ 
ties to encounter in his tranfactions with the “ irritable 
race” of authors that all his predeceflbrs had, and vari¬ 
ous i'quabbles arofe on this account, which we (hall pafs 
over. It is admitted that his treatment of dramatic 
writers was more liberal and gentleman-like than that 
of feveral former managers; but his opinion and theirs 
could not always coincide, and he might cccafiomally 
ffiow a fenfe of his own confequence and their infignifi- 
cance. Moreover, he, like many of his brethren of the 
ftage, frequently palfed a judgment upon ivorks, which 
the event proved to be erroneous ; nor was he difpofed 
to revoke a fentence once given. On the whole, how¬ 
ever, he kept on good terms with the moft refpeftable 
writers, and received from many of them that praife 
which he dearly loved. Thisfondnefs for applaufe was 
naturally accompanied with an equal fenfibility to ridi¬ 
cule or cenfure. The attacks of one of his critics, by 
their peculiar petulance, drew from him a retort, in a 
mock-heroic poem, entitled The Fribbleriad, which 
polfelfes confiderable vivacity and pleafantry. The per- 
fon ridiculed took, however, a fevere vengeance, by ex¬ 
citing a formidable riot on the fubjebt of admillion at 
half-price, the confequences of which were both detri¬ 
mental and humiliating. 
In 1763 Garrick refolved to relax from his cares and 
fatigues in a tour to the continent. Accompanied by 
his wife, from whom he was infeparable, he vilited le- 
veral parts of Italy and France, and met with flattering 
notice from many perfons of diftinedion. At Paris he 
faw and admired the celebrated mademoifelle Clairon, 
and thefe two excellent abtors gratified a Iplendid circle 
with fpecimens of their theatric powers with' equal and 
mutual applaufe. He returned after an abfence of a year 
and a half, and was welcomed with rapture. The pro¬ 
logue fpoken by him on his firft re-appearance was one 
of his happieft efforts of the kind, and hewvas obliged to 
repeat it ten fucceflive nights. He was thought, if pol- 
fible, to be improved in his ftyle of adding, as he certainly 
was in his general knowdedge of the drama. In the fea- 
fon of 1766 he brought out the excellent comedy of 
The Clandeftine Marriage, the joint production of him- 
felf and Colman, whofe feveral ftiares in it are indifti-n- 
guifliably and harmonioufly blended. 
One of the moft remarkable events in Garrick’s life, 
was the celebration of the Shakefpeare jubilee. A mui- 
berry tree, planted by that poet at h.is native town of 
Stratford upon-Avon, being cut dowui, the wood of it 
was converted into a number of toys and implements, 
w'hich were eagerly purchafed. 'The corporation of 
Stratford judicioufly caufed a box to be made from it, 
which, with the freedom of the place enclofed, they 
prefented to the great addor, who had done their poet fo 
much honour. This incident probably fuggefted to_ 
him the celebration of a feftival in commemoration ot 
Shakefpeare, upon the fpot where he w'as born, and the 
idea was put in execution in September, 1769. Tempo¬ 
rary buildings were railed for the occafion, and various 
entertainments were planned, fome lufficiently appropri-^ 
ate, others too much partaking of the vulgar tafte ol 
rural feftivities. A fp'endid company affernbled from 
the capital and different parts of the kingdom, lome 
warmed by literary enthuliairn, more led by mere fa- 
fiiion and the love of novelty. The jubilee lafted three 
days, in the midft of moft unfavourable weather, and, 
upon the whole, the pleafure feems not to have been 
adequate to the effort. Garrick, wdro was the foul of 
the feftival, exerted all his talents to gratify both the 
eye and the underftanding. Befides vturious fongs for 
mufic, he compofed an ode, of confiderable length, to 
the honour of the great national bard, inwhich he ftrained 
his poetic powers to the height, and with a fuccefs de* 
ferving at leaft of temporary applaufe. As he had ex¬ 
pended a large fum in the Stratford pageant, he was 
careful, with his ufual attention to economy, to reira- 
burfe himl'elf. ' The Jubilee was made into a theatrical 
fpedlacle, which became fo popular, that it was repre- 
lented ninety-two nigh.ts to crowded audiences. He 
alfo recited his ode at the theatre, but the ears of the 
public were much fooner fatiated than their eyes. ^ 
After the death of Mr. Lacy, in 1773, the foie ma- 
.uagemeat 
