ling her mother's petticoats, who was declaring for England ho!-Myfelf and Mr. Barrett endea vouring to feparate the young fobbing suppliant and the enraged heroine-Mr. Barrett's face by no means escaped her nails, or what the old gentlewoman termed tremendours flaps, till the entrance of a couple of fine boiled fowls, with celery sauce, roast beef, and some mince pies, which the Counfellor had ordered from Ryan's, produced a wonderful effect; for anger gave way to hunger, and rage fubfided for the different paffions-She kif fed Bet, he kiffed Tate-he la ughed and said to Mr. Barrett-" Go you devil and wash your face with brandy, it is the most fovereigneft thing in the world, for a fcratcht face 'pon my fould, and then come and get your dinner." The Counsellor yielded to the enforced law of brandy, and promifing never to play dol-di-di-dily again, we made as good a quartetto as I ever remember.

Dinner was scarce removed when a rat-tat was heard at the door, and in came Mrs. Kennedy breathlefs and exprefs from Mr. Barry, with the news that Mr. Dancer had expired that day at noon. The play intended for that evening was Romeo and Juliet, and as Mifs White was studied in the part, Mr. Barry begged fhe would play it, and instantly attend him at the theatre to rehearse. "Ay, that the fhall," cried the old lady, "for

Bét, has been in Love's laft Shift for the whole winter, poor creature! and has had nothing else to comfort her; but now Befs has a good thing to do-she shall shew what acting is 'pon my fould!" -Off they went to the theatre; and as Mrs. Dancer could not appear, an apology was made, and I faw Mifs White play Juliet. I muft explain by the old lady's Laft Shift, that Miss White had made her first appearance, and played one part only that season, which was Amanda, in Cibber's comedy of that name.

Counsellor Barret loft no time in declaring his paffion; for in about fix weeks the bar orator pleaded his caufe fo urgently and fuccessfully, that Miss Betfey allured by his fiddle attraction of dol-di-di-dily, eloped with him one morning whilft her tender mama was flumbering to that wakeful nightingale her nofe; and before the clock had struck ten, the holy priest had made those two in one, and they were faft married. He had a genteel fortune; but his lady did not prove true unto his bed I believe, for he fent her to a nunnery, (a very improper place) where not liking penance, the foon finished her fhort career, fickened, pined, and died. On the morning they eloped the good old lady burft fuddenly into my bed-chamber, tore open the curtains, and demanded her daughter from out of my bed; but

my affurances of innocence as to any knowledge of her maiden, pacified her by degrees, and off fhe fet to fearch fome other young man's bed; for that, it seemed, was the place she had afcertained as the most probable to find her daughter Befs. This truly original character was. born at Hull: I apprehend the natural acuteness of Yorkshire air, polished and refined by the allowed elegant breeding of St. Giles's, gave the extraordinary finish to the tout enfemble of this truly original flip flop character.

Mrs. Dancer soon as poffible played again, as her abfence reduced Barry to the most preffing neceffities, which being properly and fubmiffively laid before her, fhe melted and pitied his lamentable situation, and generously flew to his relief. At this period Mr. Moffop's tragical powers were added to thofe of Mr. Barry's, and these, united, of course were attractive.

Mr. Moffop's departure from Drury-Lane, was partly occafioned by an affront he took from Mr. Garrick's appointing Mr. Moffop to act Richard, as we will fuppofe this night, and his first and best character, which stood well against Mr. Garrick's, tho' not fo artfully and finely difcriminated, and at the fame time the manager fecured a command from the Prince of Wales for the night following; fo that when Mr. Moffop had finished Ric1

ard with remarkable credit in February 1759, to his astonishment the Mr. Palmer of that age ftepped forward and faid, « To-morrow night, by command of his Royal Highness the Princeof Wales, (his present Majefty) King Richard III. King Richard, by Mr. Garrick." It gave a great damp to what Mr. Moffop had just finished; it certainly was galling, and proved duplicity and ill-nature, as well as envy.

I had a letter pointedly in my favour from Mr. Garrick to a Mr. Wilks, who had just then finished a history of the Irish ftage, and had paid' Mr. Garrick moft lavish compliments. Mr. Wilks was very kind when I vifited him, and prefented me with his book, which I have carefully preserved..

To fhew how eafily Mr. Garrick would let trifles vex him, he ufed frequently to correfpond with a Mr. Swan of York; who, like Mr. Rich, thought himself the only reader or judge of Shakfpeare's Othello: he had been an actor, and acting manager many years before in Dublin; but not remembered as Mr. Victor obferves: for the DubHin ftage being in fuch dreadful order till after the year 1740, when Mr. Sheridan (fon of Dr. Sheridan, and father to our present fhining ornament, of the English senate and the English stage) beGame the undaunted reformer of every flagrant

abufe. Mr. Swan, after having at York taught Mr. Jackson, now the Edinburgh manager, how to undraw the curtain in his favourite balcony fcene, (never acted but by his direction) faid to a gentleman of the theatre, now in York in a very refpectable fituation" No man understands Othello but myself.""No!" fays the gentleman

"What do you think of Mr. Garrick?""O! by G-d the man is not adequate to itfor he has neither learning nor understanding equal to the task." This foolish trifling circumstance was repeated to Mr. Moody; who, when in London, feeing Mr. Swan's letters to Mr. Garrick, wherein he paid great adulation to his judgment, told the ridiculous circumftance, as a proof of that gentleman's duplicity. Mr. Garrick after that received feveral letters from Mr. Swan, but never anfwered one.

On the evening of my arrival in Dublin, Decem ber 26, 1759, I had a meffage from Mr. Brown, the manager of Smock-alley theatre, with an invitation to fupper: We foon agreed, for he did not know I was bound not to act at the other theatre, so all I asked was granted, and preliminaries were fettled with the utmost harmony, and the night fixed for my firft mounting the stage. But before I enter on the circunftances attending my own skill on this adventure, it will be necessary, as