to repeat! To conclude, the officious Agents. in this Affair finding, that, in Dogget, they had mistaken their Man, were mollify'd into milder Proceedings, and (as he afterwards told me) whisper'd fomething, in his Ear, that took away Dogget's farther Uneafinefs about it.

By these Inftances we fee how naturally Power only founded on Cuftom, is apt, where the Law is filent, to run into Exceffes, and while it laudably pretends to govern others, how hard it is to govern itself. But fince the Law has lately open'd its Mouth, and has faid plainly, that fome Part of this Power to govern the Theatre fhall be, and is plac'd in a . proper Perfon; and as it is evident, that the Power of that white Staff, ever fince it has been in the noble Hand, that now holds it, has been us'd with the utmoft Lenity, I would beg leave of the murmuring Multitude, who frequent the Theatre, to offer them a fimple Question or two, viz. Pray, Gentlemen, how came you, or rather your Fore-fathers never to be mutinous, upon any of the occafional Facts I have related? And why have you been so often tumultuous, upon a Law's being made, that only confirms a lefs Power, than was formerly exercis'd, without any Law to support it? You cannot fure, fay, fuch Difcontent is either juft, or natural, unless you allow it a Maxim in your Politicks, that Power exercis'd without Law, is a lefs Grievance, than the fame Power exercis'd according to Law! Hav

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Having thus given the clearest View I was able, of the ufual Regard paid to the Power of a Lord-Chamberlain, the Reader will more eafily conceive, what Influence, and Operation that Power muft naturally have, in all Theatrical Revolutions; and particularly in the complete Re-union of both Companies, which happen'd in the Year following.

CHA P. XI.

Some Chimerical Thoughts of making the Stage ufeful: Some, to its Reputation. The Patent. unprofitable, to all the Proprietors, but one. A fourth Part of it given away to Colonel Brett. A Digreffion to his Memory. The two Companies of Actors re-united, by his Intereft, and Menagement. The firft Direction of Operas only, given to Mr. Swiney.

F

ROM the Time, that the Company of Actors, in the Hay-Market, was recruited with thofe from Drury-Lane, and came into the Hands of their new Director, Swiney, the Theatre, for three or four Years following, fuffer'd fo many Convulfions, and was thrown every other Winter under fuch different Interefts, and Menagement, before it came to a firm and lasting Settlement, that I am doubtful, if the most candid Reader

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der will have Patience, to go through a full, and fair Account of it: And yet I would fain flatter my self, that thofe, who are not too wife, to frequent the Theatre (or have Wit enough to diftinguish what fort of Sights there, either do Honour, or Difgrace to it) may think their national Diverfion no contemptible Subject, for a more able Hiftorian, than I pretend to be: If I have any particular Qualification, for the Task, more than another, it is that I have been an ocular Witness of the several Facts, that are to fill up the rest of my Volume; and am, perhaps, the only Perfon living (however unworthy) from whom the fame Materials can be collected; but let them come from whom they may, whether, at best, they will be worth reading; perhaps a Judgment may be better form'd after a patient Perufal of the following Digreffion.

In whatever cold Efteem, the Stage may be, among the Wife, and Powerful; it is not so much a Reproach, to those, who contentedly enjoy it in its loweft Condition, as that Condition of it, is to thofe, who (though they cannot but know, to how valuable a publick Ufe, a Theatre, well establish'd, might be rais'd) yet in fo many civiliz'd Nations, have neglected it. This perhaps will be call'd thinking my own wifer, than all the wife Heads, in Europe. But I hope a more humble Sense will be given to it; at least I only mean, that if fo many Governments have their Reasons, for their Difregard of their Theatres,

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Theatres, thofe Reasons may be deeper, than my Capacity has yet been able to dive into: If therefore my fimple Opinion is a wrong one, let the Singularity of it expose me: And tho' I am only building a Theatre in the Air, it is there, however, at fo little Expence, and in fo much better a Taste, than any I have yet feen, that I cannot help faying of it, as a wifer Man did (it may be) upon a wifer Occafion :

Si quid novifti rectius iftis,
Candidus imperti; fi non —

Hor.

Give me leave to play, with my Project, in Fancy.

I fay then, that as I allow nothing is more liable to debase, and corrupt the Minds of a People, than a licentious Theatre; fo under a juft, and proper Establishment, it were poffible to make it, as apparently the School of Manners, and of Virtue. Were I to collect all the Arguments, that might be given for my Opinion, or to inforce it by exem'plary Proofs, it might fwell this short Digreffion to a Volume; I fhall therefore truft the Validity of what I have laid down, to a fingle Fact, that may be ftill fresh, in the Memory of many living Spectators. When the Tragedy of Cato was firft acted, let us call to mind the noble Spirit of Patriotism, which that Play then infus'd into the Breasts of a free People, that crowded to it; with what affecting Force, was that most elevated

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of Human Virtues recommended? Even the false Pretenders to it felt an unwilling Conviction, and made it a Point of Honour to be foremost, in their Approbation; and this too at a time, when the fermented Nation had their different Views of Government. Yet the fublime Sentiments of Liberty, in that venerable Character, rais'd, in every fenfible Hearer fuch confcious Admiration, fuch compell'd Affent to the Conduct of a fuffering Virtue, as even demanded two almoft irreconcileable Parties to embrace, and join in their equal Applaufes of it. Now, not to take from the Merit of the Writer, had that Play never come to the Stage, how

much of this valuable Effect of it must have been loft? It then could have had no more immediate weight with the Publick, than our poring upon the many ancient Authors, thro' whofe Works the fame Sentiments have been, perhaps, lefs profitably difpers'd, tho' amongst Millions of Readers; but by bringing fuch Sentiments to the Theatre, and into Action, what a fuperior Luftre did they fhine with? There, Cato breath'd again, in Life; and though he perifh'd in the Caufe of Liberty, his Virtue was victorious, and left the Triumph of it in the Heart of every melting Spectator. If Effects, like thefe, are laudable; if the Representation of fuch Plays can carry Conviction with so much Pleasure, to the Understanding; have they not vaftly the Advantage of any other

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Human