She retired from the Stage in the Height of her favour from the Publick, when moft of her Cotemporaries, whom he had been bred up with, were declining, in the Year 1710, nor could fhe be perfuaded to return to it, under new Masters, upon the most advantageous Terms that were offered her, excepting one Day, about a Year after, to affift her good Friend Mr. Betterton, when the play'd Angelica, in Love for Love, for his Benefit.

Mrs. LEIGH's Character.

MRS. Leigh, the Wife of Leigh already

mentioned, had a very droll way of dreffing the pretty Foibles of fuperannuated Beauties. She had, in her felf, a good deal of Humour, and knew how to infufe it into the affected Mothers, Aunts, and modeft ftale Maids, that had mifs'd their Market; of this fort were the Modifh Mother in the Chances, affecting to be politely commode for her own Daughter; the Coquette Prude of an Aunt, in Sir Courtly Nice, who prides herself in being chaste, and cruel, at Fifty, and the languishing Lady Wishfort, in The Way of the World: In all thefe, with many others, she was extremely entertaining, and painted, with great Exactnefs, and in a lively manner, the blind fide of Nature.

The

The Characters of Mrs. BETTERTON and Mrs. BUTLER.

MR

R S. Betterton was fo great a Mistress of Nature, that even Mrs. Barry, who acted the Lady Macbeth after her, could not in that part, with all her fuperior Strength and Melody of Voice, throw out thofe quick and careless Strokes of Terror, from the Disorder of a guilty Mind, which the other gave us with a Facility in her Manner, that render'd them at once tremendous and delightful. Time could not impair her Judgment, tho' he had brought her Perfon to decay; for fhe was to the laft, the Admiration of all true Judges of Nature, and Lovers of Shakespeare, in whofe Plays the chiefly excell'd, and without a Rival. When the quitted the Theatre, feveral good Actreffes were the better for her Inftruction. She was a Woman of an unblemish'd and fober Life; and had the Honour to teach Queen Anne, when Princess, the part of Semandra in Mithridates, which fhe acted at Court in King Charles's Time. After the Death of Mr. Betterton, her Husband, that Princefs, when Queen, ordered her a penfion for Life, but fhe liv'd not to receive more than the first half Year of it.

Mrs. Butler, who had her Christian Name of Charlotte given her by King Charles II. was the Daughter of a decay'd Knight, and had the Honour of that Prince's Recommendation to the Theatre; a provident Reftitution, giving to the

Stage

Stage in kind, what he had fometimes taken from it: The Publick, at leaft, was obliged by it; for the proved not only a good Actress, but was allowed to fing and dance to great perfection. In the Dramatick Operas of Dioclesian, and that of King Arthur, fhe was a capital and admired Performer. In fpeaking too, fhe had a sweetton'd Voice, which, with her naturally genteel Air, and fenfible Pronounciation, render'd her wholly Mistress of the Amiable, in many serious Characters. In parts of Humour too she had a manner of blending her affuafive Softness, even with the Gay, the Lively, and the Alluring this fhe gave an agreeable Instance, in her Action of the Duke of Buckingham's fecond Conftantia in the Chances. In which, if I should fay, I have never seen her exceeded, I might ftill do no wrong to the late Mrs. Oldfield's lively performance of the fame Character. Mrs. Oldfield's Fame may spare Mrs. Butler's Action this Compliment, witnout the leaft Diminution, or Difpute of her Superiority, in Characters of more

moment.

Of

Here, one can't help obferving, when there was but one Theatre in London, at what unequal Salaries, compared to thofe of latter Days, the hired Actors were then held, by the frugal Management of their Mafters; for Mrs. Butler had but forty Shillings a Week, and could she have obtained an addition of ten Shillings a Week, would never have left their Service; but being offered her own Conditions to go to the Theatre at Dublin, foon after the Revolution, her Difcontent prevailed with her to accept the Offers made to her.

Mr.

Mr. DOGGE T's Character.

MR. Dogget was the most an Original, and

Cotemporaries.

the ftrictest Obferver of Nature, of all his He borrowed from none of them: His Manner was his own; He was a Pattern to others, whofe greatest Merit was, that they had fometimes tolerably imitated him. In dreffing a Character to the greatest Exactness, he was remarkably skilful; the leaft Article of whatever Habit he wore, feemed in fome meafure to speak and mark the different Humour he prefented; a neceffary Care in a Comedian, in which many have been too remifs, or ignorant. He could be extremely ridiculous, without stepping into the leaft Impropriety, to make him fo. His greatest Succefs was in Characters of lower Life, which he improved, from the delight he took, in his Obfervations of that kind, in the real World. In Songs and particular Dances too of Humour, he had no Competitor. Congreve was a great Admirer of him, and found his Account in the Characters he exprefly wrote for him. In thofe of Fondlewife, in his Old Batchelor; and Ben, in Love for Love, no Author and Actor could be more obliged to their mutual mafterly Performances. He was very acceptable to several Perfons of high Rank and Tafte; tho' he feldom cared to be the Comedian, but among his more intimate Acquaintance.

K

Mrs

1

Mrs. OLDFIELD'S Character.

MRS. Oldfield was taken into the Theatre

in the Year 1699, where the remained almost a Mute, and unheeded, till Sir John Vanbrugh, who first recommended her, gave her the Part of Alinda, in the Pilgrim revis'd. This gentle Character happily became that want of Confidence which is infeparable from young Beginners, who, without it feldom arrive to any Excellence.

6

Mr. Cibber fays of her as follows, viz.

• When Mrs. Oldfield first appeared upon the Stage, I was fo far deceived in my Opinion of hér, that I thought fhe had little more than her Perfon, that appeared neceffary to the forming a good Actrefs; for fhe fet out with fo extraordinary a Diffidence, that it kept her too defpondingly down, to a formal, plain, flat manner of fpeaking. Nor could the filver • Tone of her Voice, till after fome time, incline my Ear to any Hope, in her favour. But publick Approbation is the warm Weather of a theatrical Plant, which will foon bring it forward to whatever Perfection Nature has defigned it. However, Mrs. Oldfield, perhaps for want of fresh Parts, feemed to come but flowly forward, till the Year 1703. Our Company, that Summer, acted at the Bath, during the Refidence of Queen Anne at that place. It happened at that Time, that Mrs. Verbruggen, 6 by reafon of her laft ficknefs, of which he died foon after, was left in London; and though

.

• moft