follow intrinfick Merit; Applause will frequently open, like a young Hound, upon a wrong Scent; and the Majority of Auditors, you know, are generally compos'd of Babblers, that are profufe of their Voices, before there is any thing on foot, that calls for them: Not but, I grant, to lead, or mislead the Many, will always ftand in fome Rank of a neceffary Merit; yet when I fay a good Tragedian, I mean one, in Opinion of whofe real Merit, the best Judges would agree.

Having fo far given up my Pretenfions to the Buskin, I ought now to account for my having been, notwithstanding, fo often seen, in fome particular Characters in Tragedy, as Jago, Wolfey, Syphax, Richard the Third, &c. If, in any of this kind I have fucceeded, perhaps. it has been a Merit dearly purchas'd; for, from the Delight I feem'd to take in my performing them, half my Auditors have been perfuaded, that a great Share of the Wickednefs of them, muft have been in my own Nature: If this is true, as true I fear (I had almost said hope) it is, I look upon it rather as a Praise, than Cenfure of my Performance. Averfion there is an involuntary Commendation, where we are only hated, for being like the thing, we ought to be like; a fort of Praise however, which few Actors befides my felf could endure: Had it been equal to the usual Praise given to Virtue, my Cotemporaries would have thought themselves injur'd, if I had pretended to an Share of it: So that you fee, it N 3

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has been, as much the Dislike others had to them, as Choice, that has thrown me fometimes into these Characters. But it may be farther obferv'd, that in the Characters I have nam'd, where there is fo much clofe meditated Mischief, Deceit, Pride, Infolence, or Cruelty, they cannot have the leaft Caft, or Profer of the Amiable in them; confequently, there can be no great Demand for that harmonius Sound, or pleafing, round Melody of Voice, which in the fofter Sentiments of Love, the Wailings of distressful Virtue, or in the Throws and Swellings of Honour, and Ambition, may be needful to recommend them to our Pity, or Admiration: So that again; my want of that requifite Voice might lefs difqualify me for the vicious, than the virtuous Character. This too may have been a more favourable Reafon for my having been chofen for them a yet farther Confideration, that inclin'd me to them, was that they are generally better written, thicker fown, with fenfible Reflections, and come by fo much nearer to common Life, and Nature, than Characters of Admiration, as Vice is more the Practice of Mankind than Virtue: Nor could I fometimes help fmiling, at those dainty Actors, that were too fqueamish to swallow them as if they were one Jot the better Men, for acting a good Man well, or another Man the worse, for doing equal Juftice to a bad one! 'Tis not, fure, what we act, but how we act what is allotted us, that fpeaks our intrinfick Value! as in real Life,

the

the wife Man, or the Fool, be he Prince, or Peasant, will, in either State, be equally the Fool, or the wife Man--- but alas! in perfonated Life, this is no Rule to the Vulgar! they are apt to think all before them real, and rate the Actor according to his borrow'd Vice, or Virtue.

If then I had always too careless a Concern for falfe, or vulgar Applaufe, I ought not to complain, if I have had lefs of it, than others of my time, or not lefs of it, than I defired: Yet I will venture to fay, that from the common, weak Appetite of falfe Applaufe, many Actors have run into more Errors, and Abfurdities, than their greatest Ignorance could other wife have committed: If this Charge is true, it will lie chiefly upon the better Judgment of the Spectator to reform it.

But not to make too great a Merit of my avoiding this common Road to Applaufe, perhaps I was vain enough to think, I had more ways, than one, to come at it. That, in the Variety of Characters I acted, the Chances to win it, were the ftronger on my Side---That, if the Multitude were not in a Roar, to fee me, in Cardinal Wolfey, I could be fure of them in Alderman Fondlewife. If they hated me in Jago, in Sir Fopling they took me for a fine Gentleman; if they were filent at Syphax, no Italian Eunuch was more applauded than when I fung in Sir Courtly. If the Morals of Efop were too grave for them, Juftice Shallow was as fimple, and as merry an old Rake, as

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the wifest of our young ones could wish me. And though the Terror and Deteftation raised by King Richard, might be too fevere a Delight for them, yet the more gentle and modern Vanities of a Poet Bays, or the well-bred Vices of a Lord Foppington, were not at all, more than their merry Hearts, or nicer Morals could bear.

These few Inftances out of fifty more I could give you, may ferve to explain, what fort of Merit, I at moft pretended to; which was, that I fupplied, with Variety, whatever I might want of that particular Skill, wherein others went before me. How this Variety was executed (for by that only is its value to be rated) you who have fo often been my Spectator, are the proper Judge: If you pronounce my Performance to have been defective, I am condemn'd by my own Evidence; if you acquit me, these Out-lines may ferve for a Sketch of my Theatrical Character.

CHAP.

The State of the Stage continued. The Occafion of Wilks's commencing Actor. His Success. Facts relating to his Theatrical Talent. Actors more or less esteem'd from their private Characters.

HE Lincoln's-Inn-Fields Company were,

now in 1693, a Common-wealth, like that of Holland, divided from the Tyranny of Spain: But the Similitude goes very little farther; fhort was the Duration of the Theatrical Power! for tho' Succefs pour'd in so fast upon them, at their first Opening, that every thing feem'd to fupport it felf; yet Experience, in a Year or two fhew'd them, that they had never been worfe govern'd, than when they govern'd themselves! many of them began to make their particular Interest more their Point, than that of the general: and tho' fome Deference might be had to the Measures, and Advice of Betterton, feveral of them wanted to govern, in their Turn; and were often out of Humour, that their Opinion was not equally regarded---- But have we not feen the fame Infirmity in Senates? The Trage

dians feem'd to think their Rank as much above the Comedians, as in the Characters they feverally acted; when the first were in their

Finery,