PART V.

The Recruited Actors, in the Hay-market, encouraged by a Subfcription. Drury-lane, under a particular Management. The power of a Lord Chamberlain, over the Theatres, confidered. How it had been formerly exercised. A Digreffion to Tragick Authors.

IT may now be imagined, that fuch a Detach

ment of Actors from Drury-Lane, could not but give a new Spirit to those in the Hay Market; not only by enabling them to act each others plays to better Advantage; but by an emulous Industry, which had lain too long inactive among them, and without which they plainly faw they could not be fure of fubfiftance. Plays, by this means, began to recover a good fhare of their former Efteem and Favour; and the profits of them, in about a Month, enabled our new Manager to discharge his Debt to his old Friend the Patentee, who had now left him, and his Troop, in truft, to fight their own Battles.

While the Stage was thus recovering its former ftrength, a more honourable Mark of Favour was fhewn to it, than it was ever known before, or fince, to have received. A Propofal was drawn up, and addressed to the Lord Hallifax, the patron of the Men of Genius of his Time, for his Approbation and Affiftance, to raise a publick

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Subfcription for reviving three plays of the beft Authors; every Subscriber to have three Tickets; for the first Day of each play, for his fingle payment of three Guineas. This fubfcription his Lordship fo zealously encouraged, that from his Recommendation chiefly, in a yery little time, it was compleated.

By the Aid of this Subfcription, not only the Actors were duly paid, but the Manager himself too, at the Foot of his Account, ftood a confiderable Gainer.

At the fame time the Patentee of Drury-Lane went on in his ufual Method of paying extraor dinary Prices to Singers, Dancers and other exotick Performers, which were as conftantly deducted out of the finking Sallaries of his Actors. His point was to please the Majority, who could more eafily comprehend any thing they faw, than the daintiest thing that could be faid to them. But in this Notion he kept no Medium; for in my Memory, he carry'd it fo far, that he was (fome few Years before this time) actually dealing for an extraordinary large Elephant, at a certain Sum, for every Day he might think fit to fhew the tractable Genius of that vaft quiet Creature: But from the Jealoufy, which fo for midable a Rival had rais'd in his Dancers, and by his Bricklayer's affuring him, that if the Walls were to be open'd wide enough for its Entrance, it might endanger the Fall of the House, he gave up his project, and with it, fo hopeful a Profpect of making the Receipts of the Stage run higher than all the Wit and Force of the beft Writers had ever yet rais'd them to.

About the fame time he put in practice an other project of as new, though not of fo bold a Nature; which was his introducing a Set of

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Rope-dancers, for the first Day of whofe Performance, he had given out fome Play in which I had a material Part: But I was hardy enough to go into the Pit, and acquaint the Spectators near me, that I hop'd they would not think it a Mark of my Difrefpect to them, if I declin'd acting upon any Stage, that was brought to fo low a Difgrace, as ours was like to be by that Day's Entertainment. My Excufe was very well taken; and the whole Body of Actors too, protesting against fuch an Abufe of their Profeffi on, our cautious Mafter was too much alarm'd and intimidated to repeat it.

It may be a natural Queftion, why the Actors, whom Swiney brought over to his Undertaking in the Hay Market, would tie themselves down to limited Sallaries? for though he, as Manager was obliged to make them certain Pay ments, it was not certain that the Receipts would enable him to do it; and fince their own Industry was the only visible Fund they had to depend upon, why would they not, for that Reafon, infift upon their being Sharers as well of poffible Pro fits as Loffes? But it must first be confider'd, that this Scheme of their Defertion was all concerted, and put in Execution in a Week's Time, which fhort Warning might make them overlook that Circumftance, and the fudden profpect of being deliver'd from having feldom more than half their pay, was a Contentment that had bounded all their farther Views. Befides, as there could be no room to doubt of their receiving full Pay, previous to any profits that might be reap'd by their Labour, and as they had no great Reafon to apprehend thofe profits could exceed their re fpective Sallaries, fo far as to make them repine at them, they might think it but reafonable, to Ꮓ

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let the Chance of any extraordinary Gain be on the fide of their Leader and Director. But farther, as this Scheme had the Approbation of the Court, thefe Actors had it not in their Power to alter any part of it: And what induced the Court to encourage it, was, that by having the Theatre, and its Manager more immediately dependent on the Power of the Lord Chamberlain, it was not doubted but the Stage would be recover'd into fuch a Reputation, as might now do Honour to that abfolute Command which the Court or its Officers feem'd always fond of having over it: And I fhall now give fome few Inftances in what manner it was exercised.

What appear'd to be moft reafonably under his Cognizance, was the licenfing or refufing new plays, or ftriking out what might be thought offenfive in them. The firft Inftance of this Kind that common Fame has deliver'd down to us, is that of the Maid's Tragedy of Beaumont and Fletcher, which was forbid in King Charles the Second's Time, by an Order from the Lord Chamberlain. For what Reafon this Interdiction was laid upon it, the politicians of those Days have left us to guess. Some faid the killing the King in that play, while the tragical Death of King Charles the First was then fo fresh in people's Memory, was an Object too horribly impious for a publick Entertainment. Others have given out, that a repenting Mistress, in a Romantick Revenge of her Dishonour, killing the King in the very Bed he expected her to come into, was fhewing too dangerous an Example to other Evadnes then fhining at Court, in the fame Rank of Royal Diftinction; who, if ever their Confciences fhould have run equally mad, might have had frequent Opportunities of putting the Expia

Expiation of their Frailty into the like Execu tion. But this I doubt is too deep a fpeculation, or too ludicrous a Reafon to be relied on; it being well known, that the Ladies then in Favour, were not fo nice in their Notions, as to think their preferment their difhonour, or their Lover a Tyrant: Befides, that eafy Monarch loved his Rofes without Thorns.

The Lucius Junius Brutus of Nat. Lee, was in the fame Reign, filenced after the third day of acting it; it being objected, that the plan and fentiments of it had too boldly vindicated, and might enflame republican principles.

A Prologue (by Dryden) to the Prophetefs, was forbid by the Lord Dorfet, after the first day of its being fpoken. It must be confess'd, that this Prologue had fome familiar, metaphorical fneers, at the Revolution itfelf; and as the poetry of it was good, the Offence of it was lefs pardonable.

The Tragedy of Mary Queen of Scotland had been offer d to the Stage Twenty Years before it had been acted: But from the profound penetration of the Master of the Revels, who faw political Spectres in it, that never appear'd in the prefentation, it had lain fo long upon the Hands of the Author, who had at laft the good Fortune to prevail with a Nobleman to favour his petition to Queen Anne, for permiffion to have it acted: The Queen had the Goodness to refer the Merit of his play to the Opinion of that noble perfon, although he was not her Majefty's Lord Chamberlain, upon whofe Report of its being every way an innocent piece, it was foon after acted with Success.

I will but juft fpeak a Word or two to any Author that has not yet writ a Line of his next

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Play,