head to play him a trick, and I got Mr. and Mrs. Crouch to aid me in my frolic.

We got to the inn at York just at supper time. I saw in the larder a huge round of beef; I ordered it up, and had it put on the table before me; I pulled off my coat and waistcoat, and tucked up the sleeves of my shirt, unbuttoned my collar, took off my cravat, and put on a red woollen night-cap; thus disrobed, and with a large carving-knife in my hand, I was gazing with seeming delight on the round of beef, at the moment Manager Wilkinson, to whom Mrs. Crouch had previously sent, entered the house. He had never seen me; he went up to Mrs. Crouch, and congratulated her on her arrival in York: turning from her, he espied me, and starting back, exclaimed, "Ugh! Ma'am, who is that, with the enormous round of beef before him! -How the devil came he here, Ma'am ?" Mrs. Crouch said, with a serious countenance, "That is Mr. Kelly, whom you have engaged to sing with me."

"What, that figure!" said Tate,-"What, that my Lord Aimworth,-my Lionel,-my Young Meadows!-Ugh! send him away, Ma'am! send him back to Drury Lane! send him to Vienna ! I never can produce such a thing as that to a York audience, Ma'am.”

While he was abusing the bad taste of the Drury

Lane managers and those of Vienna, I slipped out of the room, dressed myself, and in propriâ personâ, was introduced to Tate, who participated in the joke, and laughed heartily; and ever after we were the greatest friends.

On the 22nd of August we began our engagement, with Lionel and Clarissa. Tate was the Colonel Oldboy, and Mr. Betterton (Mrs. Glover's father), Jessamy:-being the race week, York was crowded with company, and the theatre always full. This was the first place at which I saw Miss Farren, who was then on a visit to Sir William and Lady Milner. My worthy friend, that excellent actor, Fawcett, then belonged to the York theatre, and was the Douglas of the company.

The week after the races Mrs. Crouch took her benefit, a great house; Mrs. Crouch played Clara, and I Carlos, with Comus; our duet, "Oh, thou wert born to please me," was wonderfully well received. On Wednesday, the 29th, we commenced a four nights' engagement at Leeds, in the "Maid of the Mill;" Patty, Mrs. Crouch; Lord Aimworth by myself. "Love in a Village," "The Duenna," and "Lionel and Clarissa, to excellent houses.

Wilkinson proposed to us to perform four nights more at Wakefield, to which we consented; we arrived there on Wednesday, the 5th of September, and appeared in "Love in a Village ;" the house

was thinly attended, but in the stage-box sat a lady, who made such a terrible noise, throwing herself into all kinds of attitudes, indulging ever and anon in horrid laughing, that she disconcerted every person who came upon the stage; but, above all, I in particular appeared to be the object of her ridicule, and I confess I felt extremely hurt at her pointed rudeness.

In the third act, when Young Meadows resumes his real character, and comes into the garden to meet Rosetta, I took out my watch to look at the hour, and sang, "I wonder this girl does not come;" the fat lady in the stage-box instantly set off in a horse laugh, and said to those around her, loud enough to be heard in the gallery, "Why, look there; la! the fellow has got a watch."

I could not bear this; I admit I lost my temper ; but I walked up to the box, and said, "Yes, Madam, it is a gold watch, and reckoned one of the best in England," putting it close to her ;-my friend Fawcett was standing at the side of the stage at the time, and often since has spoken of it: the lady was violently hissed, and ever after, when she came to the theatre, conducted herself with becoming decency. The same lady, I was told, behaved one night so rudely to Mr. John Kemble, that he was obliged to address her from the stage, and say that he could not proceed with his part unless she

would cease interrupting him with her noise; the audience insisted on her leaving the box ; a party of her friends took her part, and wanted Kemble to apologise to her, which he refused to do, and left the theatre.

Our four nights ended; we consented to play one night more, by the express desire of the Earl of Scarborough, who, during our stay in Yorkshire, shewed us many marks of polite attention. On the 12th of September we left Wakefield, to commence the winter campaign on the 15th at Old Drury; and on the 23rd of September, 1787, Mr. Linley revived his musical piece of "Selima and Azor," with splendid scenery and decorations. Mrs. Crouch was inimitable in Selima-she looked and acted the character to admiration, and sang the favourite rondo of "No flower that blows, is like the rose,” in a manner to secure a nightly

encore.

The music, though in a different style from Grétry's, so renowned all over the Continent, was very appropriate and pleasing. One night, during its run, I went to the Italian Opera House; it was a dreadful stormy night, and rained incessantly. I was lucky enough to get a hackney coach, and while waiting for its drawing up to the door, I heard two very handsome young women lamenting that they could procure no conveyance: after

apologising for my presumption, I told them that I had one in waiting, and should be happy to have the pleasure of offering them seats in it,—an offer which, with many thanks, they accepted.

We got into the coach, and the coachman was directed to drive to John Street, Fitzroy Square; the ladies, naturally enough, began to speak about the opera and public places; amongst other things, one of them asked me if I had seen Mr. Kelly, the new singer at Drury Lane: I replied, very often.

"My sister and I went to see him the other night," said the young lady, "and we have set him down as one of the most affected, conceited fellows we ever beheld; he strutted about the stage like a peacock; and, as to his singing, how an audience could applaud it I cannot imagine. Do you not think him execrable, Sir ?"

"Most certainly," said I; "I have a very mean opinion of him."

"And then the puppy," continued my fair friend, "is so ugly, he is a perfect fright. Do you not think so, Sir ?"

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Indeed," said I, "I do not think that, for I am rather partial to his personal appearance, and like his countenance as well as I do my own-but pray,” continued I," in what character might you have seen this frightful fellow?"

"In Selima and Azor, I think they called it,"