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Article MEMOIRS OF CHARLES MACKLIN, Page 1 of 3 →
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Memoirs Of Charles Macklin,
MEMOIRS OF CHARLES MACKLIN ,
THE VENERABLE COMEDIAN .
HHHIS Theatrical Veteran has at length made his exit from the ii- Stage of Life . The disorder which put ah . end to his life has hitherto baffled the efforts of physic , and is likely still to bid defiance to medical skill , for this disorder seemed to be merely old age . Charles Macklin was a native of Ireland , and was certainly bom in the last centurythough nobody can ascertain the period . If he
, ever was apprized of the exact period of his birth , time had effaced all traces of it from his remembrance . According to his own account fie first came to England when he was about sixteen years of age , and acted in the capacity of Waiter at a public-house in Lincoln ' s-Inn-Fields , which he stated to have been the only house upon the spot at that time . His mother expressed a desire of seeing him , and
he returned to Ireland . He then travelled about that country as a strolling Actor , ansj . a" year or two after paid a second visit to England ; wandering about the country with various Itinerant Sons of Thespis , till at last he reached the Metropolis , and obtained a situation in ' one of the London Theatres . He was in the lowest rank of Performers , but was thought a man of abilities , though without any education except what he had acquired by irregular hidustry .
When Lord Lansdown made an alteration of Toe Merchant of Venice , nobody appeared capable of performing the character of Shylock , or every body was reluctant to undertake so odious a part . At length * -however , Macklin offered to come forward , and being favoured by nature with a set of features admirably calculated to express the malignity of the character , it was allotted to Him . As Lord , Lansdownwith the natural vanity of an authorattended
, , all the rehearsals , Macklin became acquainted with that Nobleman , and experienced some liberal marks of his patronage . Macklin Was hot deficient in self-confidence , but he declared , tljat when lie Was to go upon the Stage in the character of S'b ylock , he was so alarmed , that he almost wished somebody would shoot him tlirough the head : ' for , ' says he , ' the Pit , in those days , was the ' resort of Learning ,
Wealth , and Dignity ; there were no . red cloaks and pattens , but Lawyers from the Temple , with bi g wigs ; Merchants from the City , With big wigs ; Doctors from the College , with bigwigs Dignitaries of the Church , with bi g wigs ; and the whole eorr . titnted so formidable a grizzle , as mi ght have shook the nerves of the haidiest Veteran of the Stage ; how then must it have terrified a Tyip in the Art . ' VOL , IS . %
Note: This text has been automatically extracted via Optical Character Recognition (OCR) software.
Memoirs Of Charles Macklin,
MEMOIRS OF CHARLES MACKLIN ,
THE VENERABLE COMEDIAN .
HHHIS Theatrical Veteran has at length made his exit from the ii- Stage of Life . The disorder which put ah . end to his life has hitherto baffled the efforts of physic , and is likely still to bid defiance to medical skill , for this disorder seemed to be merely old age . Charles Macklin was a native of Ireland , and was certainly bom in the last centurythough nobody can ascertain the period . If he
, ever was apprized of the exact period of his birth , time had effaced all traces of it from his remembrance . According to his own account fie first came to England when he was about sixteen years of age , and acted in the capacity of Waiter at a public-house in Lincoln ' s-Inn-Fields , which he stated to have been the only house upon the spot at that time . His mother expressed a desire of seeing him , and
he returned to Ireland . He then travelled about that country as a strolling Actor , ansj . a" year or two after paid a second visit to England ; wandering about the country with various Itinerant Sons of Thespis , till at last he reached the Metropolis , and obtained a situation in ' one of the London Theatres . He was in the lowest rank of Performers , but was thought a man of abilities , though without any education except what he had acquired by irregular hidustry .
When Lord Lansdown made an alteration of Toe Merchant of Venice , nobody appeared capable of performing the character of Shylock , or every body was reluctant to undertake so odious a part . At length * -however , Macklin offered to come forward , and being favoured by nature with a set of features admirably calculated to express the malignity of the character , it was allotted to Him . As Lord , Lansdownwith the natural vanity of an authorattended
, , all the rehearsals , Macklin became acquainted with that Nobleman , and experienced some liberal marks of his patronage . Macklin Was hot deficient in self-confidence , but he declared , tljat when lie Was to go upon the Stage in the character of S'b ylock , he was so alarmed , that he almost wished somebody would shoot him tlirough the head : ' for , ' says he , ' the Pit , in those days , was the ' resort of Learning ,
Wealth , and Dignity ; there were no . red cloaks and pattens , but Lawyers from the Temple , with bi g wigs ; Merchants from the City , With big wigs ; Doctors from the College , with bigwigs Dignitaries of the Church , with bi g wigs ; and the whole eorr . titnted so formidable a grizzle , as mi ght have shook the nerves of the haidiest Veteran of the Stage ; how then must it have terrified a Tyip in the Art . ' VOL , IS . %