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The

CHAPTER XXI.

young Roscius acts Norval to great houses-The nightly average-The receipts of his twenty-eight nights at DruryTalk of erecting statues-Opie and Northcote paint whole lengths-Duke of Clarence accepts the dedication of Northcote's picture-Medical men usually wild about the stageThe professional policy-One physician supremely ridiculous -Betty taken to the Adelphi-A Westminster dormitoryIntroduced to the Archbishop of York-Probable advice from Markham-Old actors affect to admire the boy, because they hated Kemble-Mrs. Litchfield strikes a blow for her own benefit-How it benefited others-Kemble appears in Othello -The town begins to awake-Richard the Third acted by the little Duke of York-The boy for the first time hissed— Siddons, after long absence, returns-Kemble now presumes to act Macbeth-Miss Mudie-The Fund applies to Betty to act a night for his poor brethren-Aid refused—A peep at Coventry in Passion Week-Hough, the prompter, versus Betty-Pensioned off at last to keep him quiet-Mrs. Jordan acts for Macklin's widow, at Covent Garden-The riot at the Opera House, as to Sunday-The mischief done by the clerical interference-Reason written upon the subject—The Judge's decision at Warwick Assizes-Shakspeare pictures sold-Poor Suett's funeral; no requiem-the moderate fees

demanded for it-Elliston-The tailors and Puck-Liston arrives from Newcastle-The Author's estimate of him— Kemble's sly revenge, taken in Zanga-Acts Gloster in Jane Shore-Striking effect made in it-Betty's receipts drop one half-His benefit too, fails-The charm dissolved-Coriolanus, Kemble's “crowning mercy"-Drury Lane sinking— Mother Goose-Kenney's False Alarms-Twenty-three years pass, and he still delights the town-His Grey Steed commended-Said a Smile to a Tear-The sweet Singer of Israel -Miss Lee's failure-Tobin's Curfew, his sweet style of diction-Exemplified in Florence and Fitzharding-Wroughton alone really felt his merit-His voyage, a hurricane-Found Idead in his cot-Buried before his relatives reach CorkHis doom was disappointment-Four lines by G. Wakefield soothe his memory, classically-The Wood Demon-Close of the Winter Season-Wroughton's classical pledge for the future.

THE triumph of tragedy now was like that of Romeo and Juliet, in the days of Garrick. The young Roscius was the support of both the patent theatres. Tancred, and Romeo, and Hamlet, were the additions to his list of parts. But of all his performances, young Norval was the decided favourite. Out of twenty-eight nights at Drury Lane theatre, between December and April, he performyoung Norval eleven times; and the receipts to

ed

Douglas, amounted to 7,133l. 13s. 6d. or a nightly average of 648l. 10s. 4d. Why was not poor Home present, to rush again from the wing, and say, "this is my work?" The total of the twentyeight nights at Drury, was 17,2107. 11s., an average of 6147. 13s. 3d. only, which shows the transcendancy of the Grampian hero. The committee paid the Duke of Bedford, at once, 3,155l. 15s. 2d. due to him for rent. I have not the receipts of Covent Garden house for the same number of nights; and it might not hold quite so much as the Drury Apollo; but the result must be something near in total, and thus, probably in fifty-six nights, a youth of thirteen, drew 34,000l. into a theatre, to see him act the principal characters in tragedy, and snatch, at all events, one house from impending ruin.

The talk now ran of erecting statues to the phenomenon. Opie painted him as young NorvalNorthcote, as having drawn inspiration from the tomb of Shakspeare. The latter was engraved and dedicated by Mr. Betty, to H. R. H. the Duke of Clarence, as the royal patron of the boy. I have often smiled at the eagerness with which our men

of medical science espouse the interests of players. Of all men, they have the least disposable time for theatres. Perhaps they find their common practice move more cheerily, if they have any thing to communicate as to the popular idol; and, therefore, in fact, make others pay for their friendly attendance upon the stage. One worthy and very skilful man, busied himself extremely in the boy's welfare. As he was himself a scholar, he did not attempt to deny the deficiencies in his education; but he had a panacea here, which was very amusing -"Let them," said he, "buy the boy a first folio of Shakspeare, and get a clergyman to teach him Greek." He seemed to forget, that prodigy is enhanced by the seeming inadequacy of means to produce the effect. Some of the founders, alike of religions and kingdoms, have been ignorant men. When a youth from Eton or Harrow speaks Latin elegantly, where is the wonder, when he studied under Sumner or Parr?

What the first folio of Shakspeare was to do for Master Betty, perhaps the learned prescriber never asked himself. It contains one piece of valuable information; that the mighty genius, whose works

it presents in their original spelling, had "small Latin, and less GREEK;" and it will be difficult to show that more learning is required for the delivery of a play, than its composition. So that the first half of the prescription dismissed the second; and the second, if he had ever seen the book mentioned, would certainly have dismissed the first. The playhouse copy is quite sufficient for the actor, who addresses only a mixed auditory. Correct study of Shakspeare's text belongs to those who are either deep in the mysteries of philosophical grammar, or are preparing editions of the poet's works. The last shelter for pedantry should be the stage. An actor need not trouble himself with digging up Saxon roots, to justify what is obscure -his object is to be understood without difficulty; and to speak his mother tongue sensibly and articulately; leaning, in his pronunciation, to the refined, rather than the vulgar mode. I suppose, as a preliminary to his Greek studies, Master Betty, on the 12th of December, was taken to the Adelphi, I do not mean in the Strand; but to the dormitory of Westminster, to see the comedy by Terence, so called, acted in Latin by the Westminster boys.