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upon the spot *. After remaining in this fituation about three years, at the request of his mother he returned to Ireland, where, fhortly after, he engaged with a company of itinerant players. In this confined fphere he moved for feven or eight years, at the expiration of which he again came over to England, where he continued in this ftrolling capacity until the managers of Lincoln's-inn theatre had the generofity to offer him a fituation. From the commencement of his theatrical career, until his appearance upon, the London boards, in the year 1734†, nothing, however, of confequence, can be afcertained . Fielding's Coffee Houfe Politician was the first piece that brought him into public notice his reception in this was confidered as an earneft of his future fame.

With Mr. M'Laughlin's fecond arrival in England, we must take up the name of Macklin, he having, out of compliment to the national ear, adopted that in preference to his own.

tion.

There is a glaring anachronism in this part of his relaThe fquare of Lincoln's-inn-fields, after a defign by Inigo Jones, is exactly the fize of the base of one of the Egyptian pyramids; and the buildings were finished during the reign of Charles the Firit, or that of his fucceffor. The duke of Newcastle's houfe, the last erected, bears date as far back as 1668; confequently, unless we allow the age of Macklin, at his decease, to be nearly a century and a half, the above affertion cannot be reconciled with hiftorical truth.

He does not appear to have made his debut in any character of confequence. Captain Strut, in the Double Gallant; Sancho, in Love makes a Man; Clincher Junior, in the Conftant Couple; the Farmer, in Merlin, or the Devil at Stonehenge; Thomas Apple-tree, in the Recruiting Officer; Poins, in Henry IV.; and Ramillie, in the Mifer, are the only characters he performed during the firft season of his engagement.

1726 is the year in which he is believed to have returned, and Chester the first place at which he performed. M

VOL. II.

Mr.

Mr. Macklin, like many refpectable performers of the prefent day, had to struggle with parts, to the performance of which neither his perfon, voice, or powers, were adapted; and if ever he had an opportunity of shining, it was during the illness of performers, when he frequently undertook the representation of charac ters at the fhorteft notice. Genius, however, will always find means to difplay its excellencies; but, juft as his budding fame was beginning to expand. his hopes had nearly received an irrecoverable fhock. That irritable temperament which accompanied Mr. Macklin through life, in one inftance expofed him to the most imminent danger; quarreling behind the fcenes with Mr. Hallam (a brother performer, and father to the prefent Mrs. Mattocks) about a large wig, and its temporary ufe in a performance, a ftroke from Mr. Macklin's cane entered the right eye of his opponent, penetrated to the brain, and caufed his death. The furvivor was fummoned to the bar of juftice, and although it was a chance blow, given in a moment of paffion, it appears from the trial, that he barely escaped condemnation.This did not fupprefs the irritability of his difpofition, for, during the run of Wycherly's Plain Dealer, the perfon who was to have performed Jerry Blackacre being fuddenly taken ill, to prevent a difappointment on the part of the audience, Macklin was applied to, and readily undertook the perfonation. Some difference now arofe between him and Quin, upon the propriety of wearing red breeches in the part; in this inftance, however, he feems not to have been fo reprehenfible. Qain rudely accofted Macklin-Macklin, remonftrated with Quin-Quin threw an orange in the face of Macklin-a violent fcuffle enfued, our Hibernian was victorious, and his antagonist, in confequence of the beating he received, was for fome time confined to his room.

Lord

Lord Lanfdowne's few of Venice * had, for a number of years, triumphed over the original, until the good fenfe of Mr. Macklin brought the company to enquire what might be done with the play of Shakespeare. In confequence of this enquiry, in the year 1741 †, the Merchant

*Some of the Newfpapers very fapiently inform us, that when Lord Lansdowne brought forward the few of Venice, nobody appeared capable, or every body was reluctant to undertake fo odious a part; Mr. Macklin, however, poffeffing none of this fqueamishness, readily accepted it, and, as Lord Lansdowne conftantly attended the rehearsals, he became intimately acquainted with him, and experienced fome liberal marks of his patronage. This is a most palpable error; for the few of Venice was performed in 1701, confequently it was impoffible for Macklin either to perform in it, or to have any knowledge of his lordship at that period of his life.

Lord Lansdowne had the honour to precede Old Noverre here in a masque, called Peleus and Thetis, which, with little or no propriety, was preffed into the fervice of the fecond act. What led him to the principle of his alteration it is difficult to furmife. His comedy is profufely decorated with mask and mufic, and his Jew is the fubject of ridicule and laughter.

+ The fourteenth of February was the night on which it was revived. As the caft of the characters may at this time be an object of curiofity, we fhall make no apology for prefenting it to our readers. The nineteenth night of the perfor mance was for Mr. Macklin's benefit.

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Merchant of Venice was revived, and Mr. Macklin performed Shylock with the most confummate ability. Macklin was not deficient in felf-confidence, but he declared, that when he was to go upon the stage in the character of Shylock, he was fo alarmed that he almost withed fomebody would fhoot him through the head; "for," faid he, "the pit in thofe days was the resort of learning, wealth, and dignity; there were no red cloaks and pattens, but lawyers from the Temple, with big wigs; doctors from the college, with big wigs; dignitaries of the church, with big wigs; and the whole conftituted fo formidable a grizzle, as might have shook the nerves of the hardieft veteran of the stage; How then must it have terrified a tyro in the art ?"

On the first night of the revival, Mr. Macklin having conceptions of the character widely differing from all his predeceffors, expected to meet with much critical oppofition. The two firft acts went off very tamely, nor did he receive the leaft applaufe. Reverfing the character threw the audience into a kind of ftupor, and they knew not what to think; but, in the scene with Anthonio and the Gaoler, their feelings were inftantaneoufly aroufed; the loudest burfts of applaufe filled every part of the theatre, nor ceafed but with the fall of the curtain. His fuccefs, and the extempore couplet *

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According to the teftimony of Mr. Macklin, Pope was the gentleman who exclaimed fo happily for the author and actor. As Mr. Pope did not die till 1744, it is barely poffible that Macklin here remembered him diftinctly. The diftich was fo applied, but whether by Pope or not it is too late to enquire.

pronounced

pronounced upon the occafion, established his fame as an actor; and he was, in due time, employed by Mr. Fleetwood as a deputy manager at Drury Lane.

About two feafons after Mr. Macklin's acquisition of fo much theatrical glory, a long and violent contest took. place between the manager and the performers: various ineffectual applications were made by the latter for the removal of their grievances, by Garrick, Macklin, Pritchard, and others. Near a dozen of the principal performers entered into an affociation, to which others were invited. A formal agreement was figned, by which they obliged themselves not to accede to any terms which might be proposed to them by the patentee, without the confent of all the fubfcribers.

After attempting, in vain, to oppofe a fuperiority of power, the most ferviceable performers were re-admitted to favour upon the old terms; while thofe of lefs confequence were abridged of half their salary.

Poor Macklin was unfortunately confidered as a principal in this bufinefs, and, as a punishment for what he termed ingratitude, Fleetwood refolved to banish, for ever, from his theatre, the man who had been once his favourite advifer and his bofom friend.

Mr. Garrick, finding it would be very injurious to his fortune if he refufed the manager's propofals, clofed with him for the feafon, at a very confiderable advantage; we believe about fix or feven hundred pounds: at the fame time very generously offering Mr. Macklin a fum to be paid weekly out of his income, for a certain time, till Fleetwood could be brought into a better temper, or he fhould have it in his power to provide for himfelf in a manner fuitable to his rank in the theatre. He alfo obtained a promife of Mr. Rich, to give Mrs. Macklin a weekly falary of three pounds. Thefe propofals were ftrenuously rejected by Mr. Macklin, who had perfifted in his claim of Mr. Garrick's abfolutely fulfilling the tenor of their compact. Pens were drawn

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