whole Tone of Voice, his Motion, his Look, and Gesture, whether in high, or lower Life, and, at the same time, keep clofe to those Variations, without leaving the Character they fingly belong to; if his beft Skill falls fhort of this Capacity, what Pretence have we to call him a complete Mafter of his Art? And tho' I do not infift, that he ought always to fhew himself, in thefe various Lights, yet, before we compliment him with that Title, he ought, at least, by fome few Proofs, to let us fee, that he has them all, in his Power. If I am ask'd, who, ever, arriv'd at this imaginary Excellence, I confefs, the Inftances are very few; but I will venture to name Monfort, as one of them, whofe Theatrical Character I have given, in my laft Chapter: For, in his Youth, he had acted Low Humour, with great Succefs, even down to Tallboy in the fovial Crew; and when he was in great Efteem, as a Tragedian, he was, in Comedy, the moft complete Gentleman that I ever faw upon the Stage. Let me add too, that Betterton, in his declining Age, was as eminent in Sir John Falstaff, as in the Vigour of it, in his Othello.

While I thus measure the Value of an Actor, by the Variety of Shapes he is able to throw himself into, you may naturally fufpect, that I am all this while, leading my own The atrical Character into your Favour: Why, really, to speak as an honeft Man, I cannot wholly deny it: But in this, I fhall endeavour

to be no farther partial to myself, than known Facts will make me; from the good, or bad Evidence of which, your better Judgment will condemn, or acquit me. And to fhew you, that I will conceal no Truth, that is against me, I frankly own, that had I been always left, to my own choice of Characters, I am doubtful whether I might ever have deferv'd an equal Share of that Estimation, which the Publick feem'd to have held me in: Nor am I fure, that it was not Vanity in me, often to have fufpected, that I was kept out of the Parts, I had moft mind to, by the Jealoufy, or Prejudice of my Cotemporaries; fome Inftances of which, I could give you, were they not too flight, to be remember'd: In the mean time, be pleas'd to obferve, how flowly, in my younger Days, my Good-fortune came forward.

My early Success in the Old Batchelor, of which I have given fo full an Account, having open'd no farther way to my Advancement, was enough, perhaps, to have made a young Fellow of more Modefty defpair; but being of a Temper not eafily dishearten'd, I refolv'd to leave nothing unattempted, that might shew me, in fome new Rank of Diftinction. Having then no other Refource, I was at last reduc'd to write a Character for myfelf; but as that was not finish'd till about a Year after, I could not, in the Interim, procure any one Part, that gave me the leaft Inclination to act it; and confequently, fuch as I got, I per

form'd

form'd with a proportionable Negligence. But this Misfortune, if it were one, you are not to wonder at; for the fame Fate attended me, more, or less, to the laft Days of my remaining on the Stage. What Defect in me, this may have been owing to, I have not yet had Sense enough to find out, but I foon found out as good a thing, which was, never to be mortify'd at it: Though I am afraid this seeming Philosophy was rather owing to my Inclination to Pleasure, than Bufinefs. But to my Point. The next Year I produc'd the Comedy of Love's last Shift; yet the Difficulty of getting it to the Stage, was not easily furmounted; for, at that time, as little was expected from me, as an Author, as had been from my Pretenfions to be an Actor. However, Mr. Southern, the Author of Oroonoko, having had the Patience to hear me read it, to him, happened to like it fo well, that he immediately recommended it to the Patentees, and it was accordingly acted in January 1695. In this Play, I gave myself the Part of Sir Novelty, which was thought, a good Portrait of the Foppery then in fashion. Here too, Mr. Southern, though he had approv'd my Play, came into the common Diffidence of me, as an Actor: For, when on the first Day of it, I was ftanding, myself, to prompt the Prologue, he took me by the Hand, and faid, Young Man! I pronounce thy Play a good one; I will answer for its Success, if thou doft not Spoil it by thy own Action. Though this might

be

be a fair Salvo, for his favourable Judgment of the Play; yet if it were his real Opinion of me, as an Actor, I had the good Fortune to deceive him: I fucceeded fo well, in both, that People feem'd at a lofs, which they should give the Preference to. But (now let me fhew a little more Vanity, and my Apology for it, fhall come after) the Compliment which my Lord Dorfet (then Lord-Chamberlain) made me upon it, is, I own, what I had rather not fupprefs, viz. That it was the best, First Play, that any Author in his Memory, had produc'd; and that for a young Fellow, to shew himself Such an Actor, and fuch a Writer, in one Day, was fomething extraordinary. But as this noble Lord has been celebrated for his Goodnature, I am contented, that as much of this Compliment thould be fuppos'd to exceed my Deferts, as may be imagin'd to have been heighten'd, by his generous Inclination to encourage a young Beginner. If this Excufe cannot foften the Vanity of telling a Truth fo much, in my own Favour, I must lie, at the Mercy of my Reader. But there was a still higher Compliment pass'd upon me, which I may publish without Vanity, because it was not a defign'd one, and apparently came from my Enemies, viz. That, to their certain Knowledge it was not my own: This Report is taken notice of in my Dedication to the Play. If they fpoke Truth, if they knew what other Perfon it really belong'd to, I will, at leaft allow them true to their Truft; for above

forty

forty Years have fince past, and they have not yet reveal'd the Secret.

The new Light, in which the Character of Sir Novelty had fhewn me, one might have thought, were enough, to have diffipated the Doubts, of what I might now, be poffibly good for. But to whatever Chance, my Illfortune was due; whether I had ftill, but little Merit, or that the Menagers, if I had any, were not competent Judges of it; or whether I was not generally elbow'd, by other Actors, (which I am most inclin'd to think the true Caufe) when any fresh Parts were to be dif pos'd of, not one Part of any confequence was I preferr'd to, 'till the Year following: Then, indeed, from Sir John Vanbrugh's favourable Opinion of me, I began, with others, to have a better of myself: For he not only did me Honour, as an Author, by writing his Relapfe, as a Sequel, or Second Part, to Love's laft Shift; but as an Actor too, by preferring me, to the chief Character in his own Play; (which from Sir Novelty) he had ennobled by the Style of Baron of Foppington. This Play (the Relapfe) from its new, and easy Turn of Wit, had great Succefs, and gave me, as a Comedian, a fecond Flight of Reputation along with it.

As the Matter I write must be very flat, or impertinent, to those, who have no Tafte, or Concern for the Stage; and may to those, who delight in it too, be equally tedious, when I talk of no body but myself; I shall

en