ticular ftudy. Several of his father's acquaintance, who knew the delight which he felt in the entertainments of the stage, often treated him with a journey to London, that he might feaft his appetite at the playhouse.'

Mr. Samuel Johnfon of Lichfield, who hath fince made fo great a figure in the learned world, was one of David's earliest acquaintance. In the year 1735, as we are here informed, this gentleman undertook the inftruction of youth *, and Garrick, who was then turned of eighteen, became one of his scholars.• Notwithstanding the brilliancy of his parts, the claffic authors had as yet no charms for Mr. Garrick; his thoughts were constantly employed on the stage; for even at that time he was very busy in compofing plays. When his master expected from him fome exercife or compofition upon a theme, he fhewed him feveral fcenes of a new comedy which had engroffed his time; and thefe, he told him, were the produce of his third attempt in dramatic poetry.'

After a trial of fix months, Mr. Johnfon grew tired of teaching the claffics to three or four fcholars; and he and his pupil Garrick agreed to try their fortunes in the great metropolis.'

As this is an incident in the lives of two very celebrated men, our Biographer authenticates it by the following letters, originally published in the Gentleman's Magazine, a work with which Mr. Johnson hath had much connection. Thefe letters were written by the very worthy Mr. Walmsley, Register of the Ecclefiaftical Court in Lichfield, and a friend of Captain Garrick; and were addreffed to Mr. Colfon, a celebrated mathematician at Rochester.

"To the Rev. Mr. COLSON.

Lichfield, 1737..

"My dear old friend, "Having not been in town fince the year thirty-one, you will the lefs wonder at feeing a letter from me; but I have the pleasure of hearing of you fometimes in the prints, and am glad to fee you are daily throwing in your valuable contributions to the republic of letters.

"But the prefent occafion of my writing is a favour I have to ask of you. My neighbour Capt. Garrick, who is an honeft, valuable. man, has a fon, who is a very fenfible young man, and a good scholar, and whom the Captain hopes, in fome two or three years, he fhall fend to the Temple, and breed to the bar; but at prefent his pocket will not hold out for fending him to the university. I have propofed your taking him, if you like well of it, and your boarding him, and inftructing him in the mathematics, philofophy, and human learning. He is now nineteen, of fober and good difpofition, and is as ingenious and promifing a young man as ever I knew in my life. Few inftructions on your fide will do; and in the intervals of ftudy he will be an agreeable companion for you. His father will

See more of this in the "Remarks on Johnson's Life of Milton," fmall edit. p. 47, the note.-For an account of these Remarks, see Review for June, 1780.

be

be glad to pay you whatever you shall require within his reach. I fhall think myfelf very much obliged into the bargain.

GILB. WALMSLEY."

"To the Rev. Mr. COLSON.

"Dear Sir, Lichfield, March 2. "I had the favour of your's, and am extremely obliged to you; but cannot fay I had a greater affection for you upon it than I had before, being long fince fo much endeared to you, as well by an early friendship, as by your many excellent and valuable qualifications. And had I a fon of my own, it would be my ambition, inftead of fending him to the university, to difpofe of him as this young gentleman is.

"He and another neighbour of mine, one Mr. S. Johnfon, fet out this morning for London together. Davy Garrick is to be with you early the next week, and Mr. Johnson, to try his fate with a tragedy, and to fee to get himself employed in fome tranflation, either from the Latin or the French. Johnfon is a very good fcholar and poet, and I have great hopes will turn out a fine tragedy writer. If it should any ways lay in your way, doubt not but you would be ready to recommend and affift your countryman.

G. WALMSLEY."

Mr. Davies obferves, that Mr. Johnfon, in his Biographical and Critical Prefaces to the late edition of the English Poets*, has, in the life of Edmund Smith, embraced an opportunity of fhewing his gratitude to the memory of Mr. Walmsley.-This gratitude, however, we cannot help remarking, appeared in a very questionable fhape. After paffing the higheft encomiums on "Gilbert Walmsley's" character; and even commending and inftancing his candour on political points, Mr. Johnson strangely adds, "He was a Whig, with all the virulence and malevolence of his party." Could the moft bigotted Whig fpeak with more virulence and malevolence of Samuel Johnfon, as a Tory? Mr. Garrick's further progrefs, in his out-fet on the road of life, is thus related in the fecond chapter of thefe Memoirs:

When Mr. Garrick arrived in London, he found that his finances would not enable him to put him felf under the care of Mr. Colfon till the death of his uncle, who, about the year 1737, left Portugal, with an intention to fettle in London, in which place he foon after fell fick and died. Some time before his death, his nephew David infinuated to him, that he ought to make him fome compenfation in his will for the difappointment which he had obliged him to incur by a fruitless voyage to Lifbon. The old gentleman was convinced that the remonftrance was juft, and bequeathed to David a larger portion of his effects than to any of his brother's children; for to him he left one thousand pounds, and to the others five hundred pounds ecah.

"With the intereft of the one thousand pounds Mr. Garrick prudently embraced the means of acquiring ufeful knowledge, by the

* For an account of thefe Prefaces, fee our Reviews for July, Auguft, and September, 1779. REV. Sept. 1780.

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inftruction

inftruction of Mr. Colfon. His proficiency, however, in mathema tics and philofophy, was not extenfive; his mind was theatrically led, and nothing could divert his thoughts from the study of that to w which his genius fo powerfully prompted him. However, in the company of fo rational a philofopher as Mr. Colfon, he was imperceptibly and gradually improved in the talent of thinking and reafoning; and the example and precepts of fo wife a man were not vainly bettowed on a mind fo acute and rational as that of the young boarder.

His father, Capt. Garrick, had been many years upon half-pay; but, with a view to the better fupport of his family, he had embraced an offer to receive the whole emoluments of his poft from a brother officer, on condition that he should refide at Gibraltar in his fead. Much about the time when his fon David lived with Mr. Colfon, the Captain returned to England from that fortrefs, where he had lived feveral years. He purposed to fell his commiffion, from an affectionate and tender motive to procure fome permanent fubfiftence for a wife and seven children; but kis health was fo fhattered, and his conftitution fo entirely broken, that he was not permitted to accomplish his purpofe; and he died very foon after.

There was not much more than the intervention of a year between the death of Mr. Garrick's father and his mother.

• Mr. Garrick now found himself free from all restraint, and in a fituation to indulge himself in his darling paffion for acting, from which nothing but his tenderness for fo dear a relation as a mother had hitherto reftrained him.

However, during the fhort interval between his mother's death and his commencing comedian, he engaged for fome time in the wine trade, and was in partnership with his brother, Mr. Peter Garrick; they hired vaults in Durham Yard for the purpofe of carrying on the bufinefs. The union between the brothers was of no long date; Peter was calm, fedate, and methodical; David was gay, volatile, impetuous, and, perhaps, not fo confined to regularity as his partner could have wished. Το prevent the continuance of fruitless and daily altercation, by the interpofition of friends, the partnership was diffolved amicably.

And now Mr. Garrick prepared himself in earneft for that employment which he fo ardently loved, and in which nature defigned he thould fo eminently excel.

he

He was frequently in the company of the most eminent actors; got himself introduced to the managers of the theatres, and tried his talent in the recitation of fome particular and favourite portions of plays. Now and then he indulged himself in the practice of mimickry, a talent which, however inferior, is never willingly refigned by him who excels in it. Sometimes he wrote criticisms upon the action and elocution of the players, and published them in the prints. Thefe fudden effufions of his mind generally comprehended judicious obfervations and fhrewd remarks, unmixed with that grofs illiberality which often difgraces the infiructions of modern ftage critics, who first knock the actor down, and then graciously tell him his faults. • Mr. Garrick's diffidence with-held him from trying his ftrength at firft upon a London theatre. He thought the hazard was too great, and embraced the advantage of commencing noviciate in act

ing with a company of players then ready to fet out for Ipfwich, under the direction of Mr. William Giffard and Mr. Dunftall, in the fummer of 1741.

The first effort of his theatrical talents was exerted in Aboan, in the play of Oroonoko, a part in which his features could not eafily be difcerned; under the difguife of a black countenance, he hoped to efcape being known, fhould it be his misfortune not to please. Though Aboan is not a first-rate character, yet the scenes of pathetic perfuafion and affecting diftrefs, in which that character is involved, will always command the attention of the audience when represented by a judicious actor. Our young player's applaufe was equal to his moft fanguine defires. Under the affumed name of Lyddal, he not only acted a variety of characters in plays, particularly Chamont in the Orphan, Captain Brazen in the Recruiting Officer, and Sir Harry Wildair; but he likewife attempted the active feats of the Harle quin. In every effay he gave fuch delight to the audience, that they gratified him with conftant and loud proofs of their approbation. The town of Ipfwich will long boat of having first seen and encouraged fo great a genius as Mr. Garrick.'

The third and fourth chapters exhibit the characters of the moft confiderable actors on the British theatre, at the time when D. G. commenced player: for it was a confiderable part of our Author's plan, to include, in a narrative of Mr. Garrick's Life, many theatrical anecdotes, and a variety of obfervations on several performers of both fexes, who diftinguished themselves by fuperiority in their profeffion.' In doing this, he has difplayed their merits, and delineated their characters, with judgment and candour.

In Chap. V. he refumes the direct thread of Mr. Garrick's part of the narrative; and entertains us with the following anecdotes; fome of which will be new to many of our Readers.

'Mr. Garrick had performed a noviciate at Ipfwich; and even before his going to that place, he had ftudied, with great affiduity, a variety of parts in the different walks of acting. The Clown, the Fop, the Fine Gentleman, the Man of Humour, the Sot, the Valet, the Lover, the Hero, nay, the Harlequin, had all been critically explored, and often rehearsed and practifed by him in private. After long reflection and much ferious weighing of confequences, he fixed upon Richard the Third for his first part in London. He had often declared he would never chufe a character which was not suitable to his perfon; for, faid he, if I fhould come forth in a hero, or any part which is generally acted by a tall fellow, I fhall not be offered a larger falary than forty fhillings per week. In this he glanced at the folly of thofe managers who used to measure an actor's merit by

his fize.

'He could not poffibly give a ftronger proof of found judgment, than in fixing his choice on Richard. The play has always been popular, on account of its comprehending fuch variety of hiftorical and domestic facts, with fuch affe&ting fcenes of royal mifery and diftrefs. Richard was well adapted to his figure; the fituations in which he is placed are diverfified by a fucceffion of paffion, and dig.

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nified

nified by variety and fplendor of action. A fkilful actor cannot wish for a fairer field on which to difplay his abilities.

On the 19th of October, 1741, David Garrick acted Richard the Third, for the first time, at the playhoufe in Goodman's-Fields. So many idle perfons, under the title of gentlemen acting for their diverfion, had expofed their incapacity at that theatre, and had fo often difappointed the audiences, that no very large company was brought together to fee the new performer. However, feveral of his own acquaintance, many of them perfons of good judgment, were affembled at the ufual hour; though we may well believe that the greatest part of the audience were ftimulated rather by curiofity to fee the event, than invited by any hopes of rational entertainment.

An actor, who, in the firft difplay of his talents, undertakes a principal character, has generally, amongst other difficulties, the prejudices of the audience to ftruggle with, in favour of an established performer. Here, indeed, they were not infurmountable. Cibber, who had been much admired in Richard, had left the ftage. Quin was the popular player; but his manner of heaving up his words, and his laboured action, prevented his being a favourite Richard.

Mr. Garrick's eafy and familiar, yet forcible ftyle in fpeaking and acting, at first threw the critics into fome hefitation concerning the novelty as well as propriety of his manner. They had been long accustomed to an elevation of the voice, with a fudden mechanical depreffion of its tones, calculated to excite admiration, and to intrap applaufe. To the juft modulation of the words, and concurring expreffion of the features from the genuine workings of nature, they had been ftrangers, at leaft for fome time. But after he had gone through a variety of fcenes, in which he gave evident proofs of confummate art, and perfect knowledge of character, their doubts were turned into furprife and aftonishment; from which they relieved themfelves by loud and reiterated applaufe. They were more efpecially charmed when the actor, after having thrown afide the hypocrite and politician, affumed the warrior and the hero. When news was brought to Richard, that the Duke of Buckingham was taken, Garrick's look and action, when he pronounced the words, Off with his head!

So much for Buckingham!

were fo fignificant and important, from his vifible enjoyment of the incident, that feveral loud fhouts of approbation proclaimed the triumph of the actor and fatisfaction of the audience. The death of Richard was accompanied with the loudeft gratulations of applaufe.

The fame play was acted fix or feven times fucceffively. The receipts of the treafury, which I have before me, amounted, in feven nights, to no more than 2161. 7 s. 6 d. and this conveys a certain evidence, of what use the kindness, as well as judgment of the manager, is to the growing fame of an actor. Giffard to a good underftanding joined a fenfe of honour, with great humanity. He faw Garrick's merit, and did all in his power to fupport it. Several other parts, among which were Aboan in Oroonoko, Chamont in the Orphan, Clodio in the Fop's Fortune, Bays in the Rehearsal, fucceeded Richard; which favourite character was repeatedly called for, and acted to crouded audiences.