ved in London not a little impaired in his health. However, he had ftill enough of youth and vigour left to have gained a competent income, with reputation to himself and profit, to any manager who fhould have employed him: but here his obftinacy and haughtiness prevented his gaining that fituation in life to which his merit entitled him. Moffop had a dry reserved manner, and wanted the art of conciliating the minds of fuch as could befriend him: notwithftanding this, his fimplicity of mind and rectitude of intention induced many to wish him well. He was advised to make application to Mr. Garrick: this he peremptorily refused; faying, with some confcious dignity, at the fame time, that Mr. Garrick knew that he was in London; by which he would plainly infinuate, that a propofal ought to come firft from the manager. But, as nothing offered of that kind, he accepted the invitation of a friend to accompany him in a tour through several parts of Europe. He returned in about a year after to London, much emaciated in person and lowered in spirits.

It

It was the misfortune of this actor to be continually hurt by the improper interpofition and wrong advice of men who called themselves his friends. Some very indif creet measures were pursued to force him on Mr. Garrick: a pamphlet was written by a gentleman of abilities, who fet forth Mr. Moffop's powers in acting in a very ftriking manner; though I think the author was extremely injudicious in one part of his effay; for, at the fame time that he difplayed with all his might the excellence of Moffop, he took infinite pains to degrade the man who was moft capable of ferving him, by an invidious delineation of the decayed faculties of our admirable Rofcius: the luftre of his eye, he faid, was greatly diminished, and the ftrong expreffion of his countenance was every day wearing out; voice, too, was broken and inarticulate; in fhort, he was fo reduced in all his powers, that he could not now tread that ftage with any vigour, of which it was owned that he had formerly been the great ornament. This was not surely a proper method of pa

his

ving

ving the

way for Moffop's acting at Drurylane, or of conciliating the mind of Mr. Garrick. This attempt failing, Moffop was foon after in treaty with the managers of Covent-garden, who seemed very willing to employ a man of his merit, and one who could act in many plays with Mr. Barry, and by his weight give new force to a variety of tragedies.

C

It has been peremptorily faid, that a very celebrated actress refused to act in any play with this unfortunate man. This was an unexpected blow to one fo greatly depreffed and in such unhappy circumstances: nevertheless he endeavoured to recover his fpirits, and fent word to the managers, that he was ready and willing to go on the ftage with any actress they thought proper to caft into their plays: they returned for anfwer, that their business was now fo fettled that it was not in their power to employ him. He died in a few days after of a broken heart, and in great poverty, Nov. 1773. Mr. Garrick proposed to bury him at his own expence, but Mr. Moffop's uncle prevented that offer from taking place."

CHAP.

CHAP. XLVIII.

Mr. Barry vifits London - He acts at the opera-house, and at Mr. Foote's theatre, with Mrs. Dancer His and Mrs. Dancer's engagement at Drury-lane They quit that theatre, and are hired by the managers of Covent-garden- Mr. Barry afflicted with the gout and other diforders -Dies-His character.

MR.

lin,

R. Barry, after having experienced many viciffitudes of fortune in Dubwhere he sometimes had a large tide of good fortune and carried all before him, and was at other times obliged to give way to the temporary fuccefs of a rival theatre, at length turned a wishful look to London, the place where he had fuch valuable connections, where he had been fo greatly admired, and where his merit had been rewarded with a greater income than had fallen to the lot of any other actor. In the fummer of 1766 he arrived

VOL II.

R

arrived in London, and brought over with him Mrs. Dancer, who was afterwards Mrs. Barry; fhe was then gradually rifing to that excellence in her profeffion which has fince happily ranked her amongst our most celebrated actreffes. As the theatres of Drury-lane and Covent-garden were then shut up, and Mr. Foote was in full poffeffion of that part of the public which preferred his pieces to the round of Ranelagh or the walks of Vauxhall, Mr. Barry hired the king's theatre in the Hay-market for a few nights, where he exhibited two or three of his most shining characters in tragedy, fuch as Othello and Jaffier. His Desdemona and Belvidera Mrs. Dancer acted with general approbation, but not with that full applause which afterwards a better acquaintance with her merit drew from the audience. Lee's Iago and Pierre, at the fame time, were faid, by all that were prefent, to be critically and skilfully reprefented.

In the enfuing winter Mr. Barry went back to Dublin, to fulfil his engagements

there.