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Article THE LIFE OF DAVID GARRICK, ESQ. ← Page 5 of 5
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The Life Of David Garrick, Esq.
had been the- most attached to the old performers could- not but confess that he' had excelled them all in the variety of his exhibitions , and equalled them all'in their most applauded characters . Mr . Pope was persuaded by Lord Orrery to see him in the first dawn of his fame . That" great man was struck with the propriety and beauty of Mr . Garrick's action ; and as a convincing proof that he had a good opinion of his merithe told his Lordshipthat he was
, , afraid the young man would be spoiled , for he would have no competitor . | . The jealousy , however , of his contemporary aftors was roused . Quin , who had hitherto been deemed the firsi tragic performer , could not conceal his uneasiness . After he h ^ d been a spectator of Garrick's Richard , he declared ' that if the young fellow was right ,
he and the rest of the players had been all wrong : ' and upon being ; told that Goodman ' s-Fields Theatre was crowded every night , he said , ' That Garrick was a new reli g ion : Whitfield was followed for a time , but they would all come to church again . ' Mr Garrick being informed of this sarcasm , made the following * epigram :
' Pope Quin , who damns all churches but his own , Complains that heresy infests the town ; That WhitfiekUGarrick has misled the age , And taints the sound religion of the stage : Schism , he cries , has turn'd the nation's brain ; But eyes will open , and to church again ! Thou great infallible , forbear to roar , Thy bulls and errors are rever'd no more ; When doftrines meet with gen ' ral approbation , It is not heresy but reformation . "
' Colley Gibber , after seeing his performance of Bays , said ' Garrick was well enough , but not superior to his son Theophilus ; ' who had hardly any thing to recommend him besides pertness and vivacity . Mrs . Bracegirdle , a celebrated aftress , who had then left the stage about thirty years , and whose opinion on theatrical matters was much , respefted , being in conversation with Gibber when he spoke of
Garrick in contemptuous terms , generously said , Come , come , Gibber , tell me if there is not something like envy in your character of this young gentleman : the after who pleases every body must be a man of merit . ' The old man feeling the force of the rebuke , took a pinch of snuff , and frankly said , ' Why , faith , Bracey , I believe you are right ; the young fellow is clever . ' Mr . Garrick ' s weekl y indid not at first exceed six
come or seven pounds a week . But when his importance was perceived , and the house was found to be empty if his name was not in the bills , the manager readily allowed him a moiety of the profits . In consequence of this he , was constantly employed ; and frequently performed in both the play and farce . Thus , after exciting distress in the audience by his Lear and Richard , he relieved them with the tricks of the L ying Valet , or the humours of the School Boy . PtO US COKCIVDSD I . f OUR NEXT . " ?
Note: This text has been automatically extracted via Optical Character Recognition (OCR) software.
The Life Of David Garrick, Esq.
had been the- most attached to the old performers could- not but confess that he' had excelled them all in the variety of his exhibitions , and equalled them all'in their most applauded characters . Mr . Pope was persuaded by Lord Orrery to see him in the first dawn of his fame . That" great man was struck with the propriety and beauty of Mr . Garrick's action ; and as a convincing proof that he had a good opinion of his merithe told his Lordshipthat he was
, , afraid the young man would be spoiled , for he would have no competitor . | . The jealousy , however , of his contemporary aftors was roused . Quin , who had hitherto been deemed the firsi tragic performer , could not conceal his uneasiness . After he h ^ d been a spectator of Garrick's Richard , he declared ' that if the young fellow was right ,
he and the rest of the players had been all wrong : ' and upon being ; told that Goodman ' s-Fields Theatre was crowded every night , he said , ' That Garrick was a new reli g ion : Whitfield was followed for a time , but they would all come to church again . ' Mr Garrick being informed of this sarcasm , made the following * epigram :
' Pope Quin , who damns all churches but his own , Complains that heresy infests the town ; That WhitfiekUGarrick has misled the age , And taints the sound religion of the stage : Schism , he cries , has turn'd the nation's brain ; But eyes will open , and to church again ! Thou great infallible , forbear to roar , Thy bulls and errors are rever'd no more ; When doftrines meet with gen ' ral approbation , It is not heresy but reformation . "
' Colley Gibber , after seeing his performance of Bays , said ' Garrick was well enough , but not superior to his son Theophilus ; ' who had hardly any thing to recommend him besides pertness and vivacity . Mrs . Bracegirdle , a celebrated aftress , who had then left the stage about thirty years , and whose opinion on theatrical matters was much , respefted , being in conversation with Gibber when he spoke of
Garrick in contemptuous terms , generously said , Come , come , Gibber , tell me if there is not something like envy in your character of this young gentleman : the after who pleases every body must be a man of merit . ' The old man feeling the force of the rebuke , took a pinch of snuff , and frankly said , ' Why , faith , Bracey , I believe you are right ; the young fellow is clever . ' Mr . Garrick ' s weekl y indid not at first exceed six
come or seven pounds a week . But when his importance was perceived , and the house was found to be empty if his name was not in the bills , the manager readily allowed him a moiety of the profits . In consequence of this he , was constantly employed ; and frequently performed in both the play and farce . Thus , after exciting distress in the audience by his Lear and Richard , he relieved them with the tricks of the L ying Valet , or the humours of the School Boy . PtO US COKCIVDSD I . f OUR NEXT . " ?