Powel had lately been) was not much reliev'd
by the Victory; he had only chang'd the Man,
but not the Malady: For Wilks, by being in
Poffeffion of fo many good Parts, fell into the
common Error of moft Actors, that of over-
rating their Merit, or never thinking it is fo
thoroughly confider'd, as it ought to be;
which generally makes them proportionably
troublesome to the Mafter; who, they might
confider, only pays them, to profit by them.
The Patentee therefore, found it as difficult to
fatisfy the continual Demands of Wilks, as it
was dangerous to refuse them; very few were
made, that were not granted, and as few were
granted, as were not grudg'd him: Not but
our good Mafter, was as fly a Tyrant, as ever
was at the Head of a Theatre; for he
gave
the Actors more Liberty, and fewer Days Pay,
than any
of his Predeceffors: He would laugh
with them over a Bottle, and bite them, in
their Bargains: He kept them poor, that they
might not be able to rebel; and fometimes
merry, that they might not think of it: All
their Articles of Agreement had a Clause in
them, that he was fure to creep out at, viz.
Their respective Sallaries, were to be paid, in
fuch manner, and proportion, as others of the
fame Company were paid; which in effect,
made them all, when he pleas'd, but limited
Sharers of Lofs, and himself fole Proprietor of
Profits; and this Lofs, or Profit, they only had
fuch verbal Accounts of, as he thought proper
to give them. 'Tis true, he would fometimes
advance

.

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advance them Money (but not more, than he
knew at most could be due to them) upon their
Bonds; upon which, whenever they were mu-
tinous, he would threaten to fue them. This
was the Net we danc'd in for feveral Years:
But no wonder we were Dupes, while our Ma-
fter was a Lawyer. This Grievance, however,
Wilks was refolv'd for himself, at leaft, to re-
medy at any rate; and grew daily more in-
tractable, for every Day his Redrefs was de-
lay'd. Here our Mafter found himself under
a Difficulty, he knew not well how to get out
of: For as he was a clofe fubtle Man, he fel-
dom made ufe of a Confident, in his Schemes
of Government: But here the old Expedient
of Delay, would stand him in no longer ftead; .
Wilks muft inftantly be comply'd with, or
Powel come again into Power! In a word, he
was pufh'd fo home, that he was reduc'd even
to take my Opinion into his Affiftance: For
he knew I was a Rival to neither of them;
perhaps too, he had fancy'd, that from the
Succefs of my first Play, I might know as
much of the Stage, and what made an Actor
valuable, as either of them: He saw too, that
tho' they had each of them five good Parts to
my one; yet the Applaufe which in my few, I
had met with, was given me by better Judges,
than, as yet, had approv'd of the beft they had
done. They generally measured the goodness
of a Part, by the Quantity, or Length of it:
I thought none bad for being fhort, that were
closely-natural; nor any the better, for being

long,

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long, without that valuable Quality. But, in this, I doubt, as to their Intereft, they judg'd better, than myself; for I have generally obferv'd, that thofe, who do a great deal not ill, have been preferr'd to thofe, who do but little, though never fo masterly. And therefore I allow, that while there were fo few good Parts, and as few good Judges of them, it ought to have been no Wonder to me, that, as an Actor, I was lefs valued, by the Master, or the common People, than either of them: All the Advantage I had of them, was, that by not being troublefome, I had more of our Master's perfonal Inclination, than any Actor of the male Sex; and fo much of it, that I was almost the only one, whom at that time, he us'd to take into his Parties of Pleasure ; very often tete à tete, and fometimes, in a Partie quarrèe. These then were the Qualifications, however good, or bad, to which may be imputed our Mafter's having made choice of me, to affift him, in the Difficulty, under which he now labour'd. He was himself sometimes inclin'd to fet up Powel again as a Check upon the over-bearing Temper of Wilks: Tho' to fay truth, he lik'd neither of them; but was ftill under a Neceffity, that one of them fhould prefide; tho' he scarce knew which of the two Evils to chufe. This Queftion, when I happen'd to be alone with him, was often debated in our Evening Converfation; nor indeed, did I find it an easy matter to know which Party I ought to recommend

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to

to his Election. I knew they were neither of them Well-wishers to me, as in common they were Enemies to moft Actors, in proportion to the Merit, that feem'd to be rifing, in them. But as I had the Profperity of the Stage more at Heart, than any other Confideration, I could not be long undetermined, in my Opinion, and therefore gave it to our Master, at once, in Favour of Wilks. I, with all the Force I could muster, infifted, "That if Powel were preferr'd, the ill Example of his Neg

ligence, and abandon'd Character (whatever "his Merit on the Stage might be) would re"duce our Company to Contempt, and Beg

gary; obferving at the fame time, in how "much better Order our Affairs went forward, "fince Wilks came among us, of which I re"counted feveral Inftances, that are not fone

ceffary to tire my Reader with. All this, "though he allow'd to be true; yet Powel, he "faid, was a better Actor than Wilks, when "he minded his Bufinefs (that is to fay, when "he was, what he feldom was, fober) But "Powel, it feems, had a ftill greater Merit

to him, which was, (as he obferv'd) that "when Affairs were in his Hands, he had kept the Actors quiet, without one Day's Pay, for fix Weeks together, and it was not every body could do that; for you fee, faid he, Wilks will never be eafy, unless I give "him his whole Pay, when others have it not, "and what an Injuftice would that be to the "reft, ifI were to comply with him? How

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"do I know, but then they may be all, in a Mutiny, and mayhap (that was his Expreffion) with Powel at the Head of 'em?" By this Specimen of our Debate, it may be judg'd, under how particular, and merry a Government, the Theatre then labour'd. To conclude, this Matter ended in a Refolution, to fign a new Agreement, with Wilks, which entitled him, to his full Pay of four Pounds a Week, without any conditional Deductions. How far foever my Advice might have contributed to our Mafter's fettling his Affairs upon this Foot, I never durft make the leaft Merit of it to Wilks, well knowing that his great Heart would have taken it as a mortal Affront, had I (tho' never fo diftantly) hinted, that his Demands had needed any Affistance, but the Justice of them. From this time, then, Wilks became firft Minifter, or Buftle-mafter-general of the Company. He, now, feem'd to take new Delight, in keeping the Actors close to their Business; and got every Play reviv'd with Care, in which he had acted the chief Part, in Dublin: 'Tis true, this might be done with a particular View of fetting off himself to Advantage; but if, at the fame time, it ferved the Company, he ought not to want our Commendation: Now, tho' my own Conduct, neither had the Appearance of his Merit, nor the Reward that follow'd his Induftry; I cannot help obferving, that it fhew'd me, to the best of my Power, a more cordial Commonwealth's Man: His firft Views, in fervig himself