.

But this was not all his Merit, he was, at the fame Time, a Member of Parliament for Truro in Cornwall, and we cannot fuppose a Perfon fo qualified could be refufed fuch a Trifle, as a License to head a broken Company of Actors. This fagacious Lawyer, then, who had a Lawyer to deal with, obferving that his Antagonist kept Poffeffion of a Theatre, without making ufe of it, and for which he was not obliged to pay Rent, unless he actually did ufe it, wifely conceived it might be the Intereft of the joint Landlords, fince their Tenement was in fo precarious a Condition, to grant a Lease to one, who had an undisputed Authority, to be liable, by acting Plays in it, to pay the Rent of it; efpecially when he tempted them with an Offer of raifing it from three, to four Pounds per Diem. His Project fucceeded, the Leafe was fign'd; but the Means of getting into Poffeffion were to be left to his own Coft, and Discretion. This took him up but little Time, he immediately laid Siege to it, with a fufficient Number of Forces, whether lawless, or lawful, I forget, but they were fuch as ́obliged the old Governor to give it up; who, notwithstanding had got Intelligence of his Approaches, and Defign, time enough to carry off every thing, that was worth moving, except a great Number of old Scenes, and new Actors, that could not eafily follow him.

A ludicrous Account of this Tranfaction, under fictitious Names, may be found in the 99th Tatler, Vol. 2. which this Explanation may

now

now render more intelligible, to the Readers of that agreeable Author.

This other new Licenfe being now in Poffeffion of the Drury-Lane Theatre; thofe Actors, whom the Patentee, ever fince the Order of Silence, had retain'd in a State of Inaction, all to a Man came over to the Service of Collier. Of thefe, Booth was then the chief. The Merit of the reft had as yet made no confiderable Appearance, and as the Patentee had not left a Rag of their Cloathing behind him, they were but poorly equip'd for a publick Review; confequently, at their first Opening, they were very little able to annoy us. But du ring the Trial of Sacheverel, our Audiences were extremely weaken'd, by the better Rank of People's daily attending it: While, at the fame time, the lower Sort, who were not equally admitted to that grand Spectacle, as eagerly crowded into Drury-Lane, to a new Comedy, call'd The fair Quaker of Deal. This Play, having fome low Strokes of natural Humour in it, was rightly calculated, for the Capacity of the Actors, who play'd it, and to the Tafte of the Multitude, who were now, more difpofed, and at leifure to fee it: But the moft happy Incident, in its Fortune, was the Charm of the fair Quaker, which was acted by Miss Santlow, (afterwards Mrs. Booth) whofe Perfon was then in the full Bloom of what Beauty the might pretend to: Before this, fhe had only been admired as the most excellent Dancer; which, perhaps, might not a little contribute

contribute to the favourable Reception the now met with, as an Actress, in this Character, which fo happily fuited her Figure, and Capacity: The gentle Softness of her Voice, the compofed Innocence of her Afpect, the Modefty of her Dress, the reserved Decency of her Gesture, and the Simplicity of the Sentiments, that naturally fell from her, made her feem the amiable Maid fhe reprefented: In a Word, not the enthufiaftick Maid of Orleans, was more serviceable of old, to the French Army, when the English had diftreffed them, than this fair Quaker was, at the Head of that dramatick Attempt, upon which the Support of. their weak Society depended.

But when the Trial, I have mention'd, and the Run of this Play was over, the Tide of the Town beginning to turn again in our Favour, Collier was reduced to give his theatrical Affairs a different Scheme; which advanced the Stage another Step towards that Settlement, which, in my Time was of the ongeft Duration.

CHAP.

CHA P. XII.

The Patentee, having now no Actors, rebuilds the new Theatre in Lincoln's-Inn-Fields. A Guefs at bis Reafons for it. More Changes, in the State of the Stage. The Beginning of its better Days, under the Triumvirate of Actors. A Sketch of their governing Characters,

A

S coarse Mothers may have comely Children; fo Anarchy has been the Parent of many a good Government; and by a Parity of poffible Confequences we fhall find, that from the frequent Convulfions of the Stage, arofe, at laft, its longest Settlement, and Profperity; which many of my Readers (or if I fhould happen to have but few of them, many of my Spectators, at leaft) who, I hope, have not yet liv'd half their Time, will be able to remember.

Though the Patent had been often under Diftreffes, it had never felt any Blow, equal to this unrevoked Order of Silence; which it is not easy to conceive, could have fallen upon any other Perfon's Conduct, than that of the old Patentee: For if he was confcious, of his being under the Subjection of that Power, which had filenc'd him, why would he incur the Danger of a Sufpenfion, by his fo

obftinate, and impolitick Treatment of his Actors? If he thought fuch Power over him illegal, how came he to obey it now, more than before, when he flighted a former Order, that injoin'd him to give his Actors their Benefits, on their usual Conditions? But to do him Justice, the fame Obftinacy, that involv'd him, in these Difficulties, at laft, preserv'd to his Heirs the Property of the Patent, in its full Force, and Value; yet to fuppofe that he forefaw a milder ufe of Power, in fome future Prince's Reign, might be more favourable to him, is begging at beft but a cold Question. But whether he knew that this broken Condition of the Patent would not make his troublesome Friends, the Adventurers, fly from it, as from a falling Houfe, feems not fo difficult a Question. However, let the Reader form his own Judgment of them, from the Facts, that follow'd: It must therefore be obferv'd, that the Adventurers feldom came near the House, but when there was fome vifible Appearance of a Dividend: But I could never hear, that upon an ill Run of Audiences they had ever returned, or brought in a fingle Shilling, to make good the Deficiencies of their daily Receipts. Therefore, as the Patentee, in Poffeffion, had alone, for feveral Years, fupported, and ftood against this Uncertainty of Fortune, it may be imagin'd, that his Accounts were under fo voluminous a Per

plexity, that few of thofe Adventurers would have Leifure, or Capacity enough to unravel

them :