331 CHAPTER XIV. Death of Charles Macklin-His works collected by MurphyMrs. Jordan's kind subscription-"The Jew that Shakspeare drew"-Interpreted by Sir Joseph Mawbey-Dryden's Edipus-Lines in, applied to Macklin their beauty-Lord Mansfield's regard for Macklin-Note-His Lordship's opinion on the French Revolution-The Heir at Law" Filthy Dowlas"-Italian Monk, at the Summer theatre-Mrs. Jordan visits Richmond and Margate-Sees Mrs. Abington in Beatrice-Her excellence in the character-Miss Betterton, since Mrs. Glover-The chasm at Drury-How Miss. Farren was to be replaced-Miss Humphreys in Lady Emily-Miss Biggs in the Irish Widow-Miss Decamp a lover in the Chimney Corner-Mrs. Jordan in Sir Edward Bloomley-Defects of Cheap Living-Jordan rather restiveagain quite the Duchess-her happy illustration of that title-Mrs. Crawford's idle return-Lord Duncan's victory— Mrs. Jordan acts for the sufferers-Something fineKemble acts Hotspur-How to cast First Part of Henry IV. The Castle Spectre Mrs. Jordan in Angela-Mrs. Powell in the ghost-Beautiful effect produced-Jomelli and his music-Attwood uses it in the choir-Kemble acts Percy, and jumps himself into fame-The black-guards of that character-The author's coxcombry-his anachronisms of language and dress-Amazing success of this play-Colman's Bluebeard-Horrible boggling of the ponderous machinery-Merit of Miss Decamp in Irene-Kotzebue's Stranger-Schiller-O'Keefe tries a comedy for Mrs. Jordan, She's Eloped; a failure-Smith for one night in Charles Surface-John Palmer's death in the summer of 1798-Effects of it in the theatre-Mrs. Jordan at Rich mond. On the 11th of July, 1797, died the long celebrated Charles Macklin, and it may be said the stage lost its father in more senses than that of senility. He attained the great age of ninety-seven years, and was honoured equally for his talents and his virtues. It was late in his life when I first saw him act; but I am bound to say, that, in what he did, he was a model, not only of manly force, but critical acuteness. He lived at a time when Johnson had made it a fashion for the old to be dogmatical, and Macklin availed himself fully of his privilege. The decline of life had been rendered comfortable by the subscription to his works, edited by Arthur Murphy. Mrs. Jordan sent him ten pounds on this occasion. He died, where he had long lived, in Tavistock Row, Covent Garden— he had a metropolitan constitution, and loved London sincerely-the verge of the old convent used to be an actor's sanctuary. We have all heard of the distich, called an impromptu, of the poet Pope's. "This is the Jew, That Shakspeare drew." But few of us, I believe, ever conceived their meaning to be doubtful. It was a "nice discernment between good and ill," as B. Jonson speaks, that led Sir Joseph Mawbey to think, what he expresses so ingenuously in a letter before me. "In applying the couplet, I was led to suppose, improperly, that his own mind and not the assumed character described the man." When he gets right even, the baronet's expression does not become much clearer. Why then, the assumed character did describe the man, and that (Shylock's) was a Which he now would NOT say. bad one. The application of Dryden's lines in Edipus to Charles Macklin is so just and elegant, that the reader may be glad to read them once more, even if they live in his memory. The intense school of poetry, believe me, has not surpast them. "Of no distemper, of no blast he died, But fell like Autumn-fruit that mellow'd long, Till, like a clock worn out with eating time, The wheels of weary life, at last, stood still." The student in expressive harmony will find the last line, in particular, possessed of imitative exactness even astonishing. The slight suspensive pause before and after the words at last, will render the closing foot of the verse immoveable. All the passages of Macklin's life had a degree of mystery about them which rarely attends a man so honourable as he undoubtedly was. As a number of his mystifications happened when he certainly had no failure of memory, he must have amused himself with the silly curiosity around him, and invented circumstances for the occasion. He was in his thirty-fourth year before he appeared upon the London stage; acted his twenty years, and retired from it, as far back as the year 1753. He then seems to have recovered the strength he had lost, and the powers of his mind enabled him to give perfection to his master-work, called the Man of the World. Its dialogue is distinguished by an almost political point and force, and the character of Sir Archy Mac Sarcasm received from the performance of its author a perfection which has not attended any other dramatic representation in my remembrance. Compared with Macklin, Cooke was noisy and vulgar-he could not bow; he had no insidious humility" to make a show with ;it was effective; but that was all. Macklin was "the true and perfect image of life indeed." His wife and daughter were ornaments of the stage also; and Garrick was often indebted to the volunteer kindness of Miss Macklin for a heroine, when his own ladies chose to be too ill to appear on a weak night. I am little disposed certainly to compliment the present at the expense of the past; but I am compelled to say that, however inferior in some points to their great predecessors, the actresses of the modern stage at least do their duty steadily to the managers and the public. He is buried in the same vault with an only son in the Churchyard of St. Paul's, Covent Garden, and was attended to his grave by Mr. Hull and Mr. Munden, |