A LETTER, &c

I GUESS Buſineſs has prevented your calling on me, for ſome time paſt, as I know you do not want good Nature; beſides, I am certain you had me in your Mind, having been in⯑formed you were kind enough to ſpeak in my behalf, when my Character was attacked by a low Fellow, who unworthi⯑ly bears the Name of a Comedian, becauſe during a Dearth of decent Performers, he is ſuffered unnoticed to murder many a Part, to the Reproach of our preſent ſte⯑rile Stage, while he modeſtly miſconſtrues the Forbearance of the Town into an Ap⯑probation: [6] This Slanderer, whoſe Soul is darker than his duſky Countenance, which often dingily degrades a genteel Comedy, by his diſgraceful Appearance, has, as I am well informed, been very bu⯑ſy in propagating ſome Falſhoods to my Prejudice, at this moſt unpardonable Juncture, when I can't come Abroad to give him an Anſwer, if he were worthy one.

If his Mind had the leaſt Tincture of a Gentleman, (a Name which, indeed, neither his Birth, Education, or Morals give him the leaſt Pretenſions to) he would know, that now to utter even a ſevere Truth, were an Act of Inhumanity; and that to indulge Spleen againſt the Unfortu⯑nate, is as baſe as cowardly ſtriking the Proſtate. What he may be pleaſ⯑ed to ſay of me as an Actor, is de⯑lightfully deſpicable; I have too proper a Contempt for his Mock-Judgment, not to conſider his Diſapprobation as a Com⯑pliment; and muſt imagine any one of True Taſte would regard his Praiſe as the ſevereſt Satire.

Were I diſpoſed to throw away my Time in Drawing this Notorious Man at full Length, and Paint him in his [7] proper Colours (which I may poſſibly be provoked to, if he does not learn to reſtrain his Fibbing Tongue) I could exhibit to View a Monſter, which every one but his ſcurvy ſelf would ſtart at: I ſhould have held him quite beneath my Notice, as is all he utters, but that the Appetite of Slander, in many, is too pre⯑dominant; and, 'tis poſſible, when the filthieſt Fellow throws a Profuſion of Dirt, ſome may chance to ſtick, if not timely thrown off; I ſhall endeavour therefore, to wipe away the ſooty Smears of this Chimney-ſweeper, by relating a ſimple Fact, which will, I flatter my⯑ſelf, amply confute the malicious Tales of this unprovoked, rancorous Mortal:—I ſay unprovoked, for I am not conſcious I was ever guilty of an Injury towards him in Thought, Word, or Deed; and as this Viperous Gnatho has ever, to my Face, affected to be my Friend, his Back⯑biting appears the more ſurpriſingly inju⯑rious and ſhocking. Why this bad Man has thus endeavoured to blacken me I ſhould not readily have been able to ac⯑count for, had not the entertaining In⯑ſpector furniſhed me with the following Paragraph, in his Eſſay on Detraction, &c.

[8] ‘One would imagine by the Spirit and eager Pleaſure with which Calum⯑nies are raiſed and propagated, that Men ſuppoſed they obtained into their own Poſſeſſion all thoſe good Qualities, of the Credit of which they robbed another: With thoſe who are warm⯑eſt in the Practice, ſomething like this is perhaps the Caſe. Virtue they place in no Eſteem farther than as an Article of Reputation; and in this they ſee it only as owing its Luſtre to Compa⯑riſon: They feel a thouſand Obſtacles to raiſing themſelves up to the Level of thoſe whom they envy; but they ſee the ſame End is to be anſwered by bringing them down to theirs: If they cannot add to the Merchandiſe in one Scale, they will ſteal away the Weights from the other, and the Balance will this Way alſo appear equal.’

Let me add a Line or two more from that Writer, which ſeem apropos.

‘He who is himſelf abandoned, and has not Virtue to inſpire a Reſolution of reclaiming, will ſnatch at every Op⯑portunity of Scandal in another, and [9] he will urge it as a Proof, that all Mankind are like him, only that they are Hypocrites.’

While I am expreſſing my Contempt and Deteſtation of this Detractor, let me confeſs my Obligation to Mr. MACK⯑LIN, who, I underſtand, was candid e⯑nough, in my Abſence, to contradict, on his own Knowledge, ſome of the Slan⯑der uttered againſt me; This he is the more praiſe-worthy for, and the Act more particularly merits my Regard as there was not any ſtrong Intimacy ſub⯑ſiſting between us:—Be ſo good, to make my Compliments to him, and let him know, I have a grateful Senſe of his Behaviour to me.

There are other Chatterers in a Cof⯑fee-Houſe, I am told, "who, like to Vil⯑lage-Curs, bark when their Fellows do," The moſt of theſe are the mere Fag⯑gots of a Theatre, who juſt ſerve to fill up the Muſter-Roll of a Company; NAMES that now and then clutter up a Play-Bill, with as little Significancy as ROE and DOE in a Writ, or JOHN A⯑NOKES and TOM A-STILES in a Law Caſe: When you hear any of 'em [10] mentioned, you no more annex the I⯑dea of an Actor to the Names of the former, than you do to the latter the I⯑dea of any one Breathing: Might not one cry out, with FALSTAEF, when they are ſeen or mentioned—I am a Rogue if I am not aſhamed of my Company!—Theſe are a Kind of Parrots, who fancy they entertain, while their Prating is but the Peſt of the Public Society; yet they will be heard, though they are more diſturbing to a rational Converſation, than the pert and noiſy Chirpings of caged Birds in a ſmall Room, on a ſun-ſhiny Day.—Among theſe may be one or two, perhaps, who, by a lucky Hit in ſome farcical Extravaganza, with Buffoon⯑ery and Impudence, (which with the Million, too frequently paſs for Humour and Spirit) ſans Judgment, or Genius, gain the Applauſe of a Day, and then deem themſelves Actors; much as ſome modern Metre-mongers, from the Suc⯑ceſs of a ſlight Sonnet (ſung with univer⯑ſal Applauſe, forſooth, at Sadlers-Wells) aſſume the Character of Poets.

Theſe choice Brethren of the Buſkin and Sock (with which our preſent Thea⯑tres too much abound) are a ſort of [11] Things, who have no Chance for being Conſpicuous but by the Removal or Abuſe of Actors to whom the Encouragement and continued Approbation of the Town, may have given an eſtabliſhed Reputa⯑tion: their little malicious Envy is eaſily accounted for, and their cobweb Arts pre⯑ſently ſeen through—Pour ces Petits Hommes du Jour je me mocque de ceux. But now to anſwer the two particular LIES this Bad Man has told of me, viz. That I ran away from Ireland in Debt, and left my Bail to pay a Debt for me in Liverpool.

How I ſucceeded in Dublin, as an Ac⯑tor you may have heard, and a Gentle⯑man, a Well-wiſher of mine, having publiſhed an Account of the Iriſh Theatre in a Letter from Dublin to a Friend in London, printed in the Inſpector, or Lon⯑don Daily Advertiſer, laſt Summer, which I ſend you incloſed; ^* to that I refer you, as far as relates to Stage Affairs:—As to my Conduct off the Stage: I may affirm I lived reputably, and de⯑cently; and my Mind being more at Eaſe while I was there for three Years, than it had been for a long time before, I know of No Irregularities I gave way [12] to there, that could either bring Shame to myſelf, or cauſe my Friends to bluſh for me.

I remained in Dublin a Fortnight af⯑ter the Theatre was cloſed, and my Contract with the Manager was deter⯑mined: I always openly declared I in⯑tended for London in the Summer—But ſome private Buſineſs calling me hi⯑ther ſooner than I expected, I com⯑miſſion'd a Friend to pay any Debts I might accidentally have forgot; and immediately after my Sailing, an Adver⯑tiſement was publiſhed, and continued to that Effect, for ſeveral Days, in ES⯑DAL's NEWS LETTER, of which I have ſome in Poſſeſſion to produce, if requiſite: And now, I think, I may fairly aver, there is No one Perſon there has any Demand upon me.

But now to return to Liverpool:—That I was, two Years ſince, arreſted at Liverpool, is certain;—A Gen⯑tleman there paſſed his Word for my Appearance;—This he was the more inclineable to do, as He knew the o⯑riginal Plaintiff was not the Beſt of Men; and had Reaſon to believe the [13] Debt was honeſtly diſputable:—I yielded myſelf to the Attorney the next Day:—The Gentleman knowing how much the Benefits (for I was then acting in a Company there) depended on my Performance (and a fa⯑voured friend of his having one come⯑ing on) continued his Security to the Attorney:—Some Time after, I came Poſt to London, in order to ſet⯑tle a Bill in Chancery, which I was preparing to juſtify myſelf. And the Opening of the Theatre in Dublin, to which I was engaged, was ſo near at Hand, being pinched in Time, I was under a Neceſſity of getting thither as faſt as poſſible.

In the Interim a Reſponſible Friend of mine gave the Gentleman at Liverpool a Satisfactory Counter Security.

Had Things turned out ever ſo Bad (as who can anſwer for Law Proceed⯑ings) the Gentleman at Liverpool could not ſuffer: But the Plaintiff dying, the Affair was at an End—And nei⯑ther one, nor t'other of the Securities ever did, or can ſuſtain any Damage.

[14] "Somewhat too much of this."

And now I have only to add my Requeſt, that you would make my Com⯑pliments to all good natured Friends that enquire after me;—As the Way from Weſtminſter hither is Now A⯑BRIDG'D, and the Road clean and plea⯑ſant, I am in Hopes (having given Se⯑curity for the Rules) to ſee ſome of 'em at my Habitation, in Falcon Court, where (oh ſtrange to tell!) I lodge op⯑poſite to No leſs a Perſon than my Half Name - ſake THEO—, K—g of C—CA.

When the Term comes, (Diu mul⯑tumque Deſiderat.) I may with the Con⯑venience of a Day - Rule, contrive to break from this Retirement (if properly called on) and, like the ROMAN CIN⯑CINNATUS from the Plough, once more enter on a Scene of PUBLIC ACTION.

[15] Don't you ſmile at the extravagant Modeſty of the Compariſon?—Laugh and welcome—You know I was always odd.—However, is it not a laudable Ambition to be ſeen in good Company? I confeſs, I ſhould not be unwilling, once more, to tread the Stage, were no other Ad⯑vantage to accrue to me from it, but the Satisfaction of Entertaining a Town, to whom I have formerly been greatly obliged;—yet I can't pretend to ſay (in my preſent Circumſtances) I ſhould Only do it, pro Bono Publico,—as our Daily Advertiſers, &c. have it:

No, Let my Motto be PRODESSE ET DELECTARE;—which explain'd as follows, ſhews, it belongs to the Ac⯑tors as well as the Poets:

I ſhall not now trouble you with the Epiſtle I deſign'd for my Lord—I had the Happineſs to meet him as he was going to B—H—th. He did me the Honour to ſtop his Coach to talk with me near Half an Hour:—You know His condeſcend⯑ing Affability, His Good Humour, and His many other amiable Qualities, which make even His Inferiours Happy, and endear Him as much to Mankind, in His private Life, as His Great Talents make Him Eſteem'd and Honour'd in His publick Station:—You'll not wonder, therefore, when I tell you, He ſaid many Good-natur'd Things to me; and made me ſome Compliments on my Theatrical Capacity, which, though my Gratitude can't forget 'em, it will better become me ſilently to Pride my ſelf thereon, than vainly to repeat 'em. He confirm'd what you had informed [17] me, That I was not unenquired after among ſome of the Firſt Diſtinction;—and from what He farther ſaid, I have Reaſon to flater myſelf, whenever I play agen, I ſhall be honour'd with a Noble Appearance.—Are not you tired with reading? I am of writing this long Let⯑ter.—Perhaps, you'll ſay, 'tis ſomewhat like my Life:—Light, Looſe, Negligent, and unconnected:—What⯑ever may have been my Faults or In⯑diſcretions, I can honeſty ſay with King Lear,—"I have been a Man more ſinn'd againſt than ſinful."

That I may tire you no farther—"Fare thee well at once.