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Article MEMOIRS OF CHARLES MACKLIN, ← Page 2 of 3 →
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Memoirs Of Charles Macklin,
His success in the part , and the extempore couplet that was nronounced in the Theatre the same ni ght , ' This is the Jew That Shakspeare drew , ' raised him into notice , and he was in due time employed by Mr , Fleetwood as a Deputy Manager at Drury-Lane Theatre .
Macklin was not very susceptible of tender feelings , but he always spoke of Fleetwood with the . most fervent tokens of affectionate remembrance . While he was in this situation ; he quarrelled with Quin , who was-the Despot of the Theatre ; and as Macklin was expert in the Pugilistic Art , he gave Quin such a drubbing in the Green Room , that the latter could not proceed in his part of Manly , in The Plain Dealer , without making an apology to the audience . This affair had nearly terminated in a duel , if the kindness of Fleetwood had not interfered , and patched vj > a reconciliation .
I he cause of the quarrel between Quin and Macklin , according to the account of the latter , was the freedom with which- he played the character of Jerry Blackacre . This character Macklin was permitted to assume , though very low in the Theatre ; and , in order to please the Galleries , he introduced so much of the modern style of buffoonery , that Quin declared he destroyed the chastity of tbe ' scene .
Macklin at first modestly attempted to excuse himself ; but as Quin was vehement and stormy , Macklin at length gave him the lie . ~ As Quin was very proud , arrogant , and overbearing in his character , it is natural to suppose that he must have been full of rage and indignation on account of such treatment from one of the inferior Actors ; and such was indeed the casefor partlfrom the effect of
, y the blows he had received , which were chiefly on the face , and partly from the excess of his anger , he was hardly audible on the Stage during the remainder of the performance . As soon as the Play was over , he sent a message to Macklin , who was ludicrously called the Wild Irishman , and told the latter he
should wait for him near the Obelisk in Covent-Garden . Fleetwood , however , who had heard of the affair , knew it was impossible to soften the temper of Quin that ni ght , and as he was resolved to prevent an hostile meeting between the parties , he provided a good supper for Macklin , and made him sleep in the Theatre . The next morning Fleetwood represented to Macklin , that as Quin his
was principal Actor , and a great favourite with the Town , it was probable , that if the dispute was to become public , the general opinion would be on his side . lie therefore advised Macklin , who was but little known , not to ' risque the danger of offending the Public , but to be contented with having mortified the pride , as well as battered the person of his antagonistand to make a sliht concession to
, g the angry son of Thejpis . Macklin long resisted this counsel-, but at length was subdued by the solicitations of Fleetwood , whose personal manners were in the highest degree affable and ' insinuating . Quin received the apology with sullen dignity , but never could submit through life to he upon friendl y terms with Macklin . His feel-
Note: This text has been automatically extracted via Optical Character Recognition (OCR) software.
Memoirs Of Charles Macklin,
His success in the part , and the extempore couplet that was nronounced in the Theatre the same ni ght , ' This is the Jew That Shakspeare drew , ' raised him into notice , and he was in due time employed by Mr , Fleetwood as a Deputy Manager at Drury-Lane Theatre .
Macklin was not very susceptible of tender feelings , but he always spoke of Fleetwood with the . most fervent tokens of affectionate remembrance . While he was in this situation ; he quarrelled with Quin , who was-the Despot of the Theatre ; and as Macklin was expert in the Pugilistic Art , he gave Quin such a drubbing in the Green Room , that the latter could not proceed in his part of Manly , in The Plain Dealer , without making an apology to the audience . This affair had nearly terminated in a duel , if the kindness of Fleetwood had not interfered , and patched vj > a reconciliation .
I he cause of the quarrel between Quin and Macklin , according to the account of the latter , was the freedom with which- he played the character of Jerry Blackacre . This character Macklin was permitted to assume , though very low in the Theatre ; and , in order to please the Galleries , he introduced so much of the modern style of buffoonery , that Quin declared he destroyed the chastity of tbe ' scene .
Macklin at first modestly attempted to excuse himself ; but as Quin was vehement and stormy , Macklin at length gave him the lie . ~ As Quin was very proud , arrogant , and overbearing in his character , it is natural to suppose that he must have been full of rage and indignation on account of such treatment from one of the inferior Actors ; and such was indeed the casefor partlfrom the effect of
, y the blows he had received , which were chiefly on the face , and partly from the excess of his anger , he was hardly audible on the Stage during the remainder of the performance . As soon as the Play was over , he sent a message to Macklin , who was ludicrously called the Wild Irishman , and told the latter he
should wait for him near the Obelisk in Covent-Garden . Fleetwood , however , who had heard of the affair , knew it was impossible to soften the temper of Quin that ni ght , and as he was resolved to prevent an hostile meeting between the parties , he provided a good supper for Macklin , and made him sleep in the Theatre . The next morning Fleetwood represented to Macklin , that as Quin his
was principal Actor , and a great favourite with the Town , it was probable , that if the dispute was to become public , the general opinion would be on his side . lie therefore advised Macklin , who was but little known , not to ' risque the danger of offending the Public , but to be contented with having mortified the pride , as well as battered the person of his antagonistand to make a sliht concession to
, g the angry son of Thejpis . Macklin long resisted this counsel-, but at length was subdued by the solicitations of Fleetwood , whose personal manners were in the highest degree affable and ' insinuating . Quin received the apology with sullen dignity , but never could submit through life to he upon friendl y terms with Macklin . His feel-