CONTENTS. N. B. For Corrections and Additions see vol. 10 p. 258. SOME ACCOUNT OF THE English Stage from the Restoration IN 1660 TO 1830. D. L. 1741-1742, IN CONTINUATION. BEN JOHNSON died in August-he acted Foresight May 25th and in the Rehearsal the next night, which was probably his last performance-he was in his 77th year and stayed on the stage to the last, but the very dregs of his acting were respectable-he was proud of being of the same name with the Poet and excelled particularly in his plays-viz. in Waspe in Bartholemew Fair-Corbaccio-Ananias-and above all in Morose-he came to D. L. in 1695-Downes in 1708 says he was happy in Hothead in Sir Courtly Nice, and in several other characters, and was a true copy of Underhill-Davies thought his Capt. Bluff as complete a piece of acting as he ever saw, tho' his person was much against him, as he was then old and thin and consequently ill suited in his appearance for a bully-Johnson used to fix his large speaking blue eyes on the person to whom he was talking and was never known to have wandered from the stage to any part of the theatre-he was a most correct and chaste actor, but wanted that warmth of colouring, which some comedians give to their characters-(Davies)-Lloyd in his poem of the Actor says "Old Johnson once, tho' Cibber's perter vein "But meanly groups him with a num'rous train, "With steady face and sober hum'rous mein, "Fill'd the strong outlines of the Comic scene. "What was writ down with decent utt'rance spoke, Betray'd no symptom of the conscious joke; "The very man in look, in voice, in air, "And tho' upon the stage, appear'd no Play'r." Johnson's characters-selection only. D. L. 1696. *Sir William Wisewou'd in Love's last Shift-*Capt. Driver in Oronooko. 1697. *Coupler in Relapse. 1698. *Sieur Bondevelt in Campaigners. 1699. Lyrick in Love and a Bottle-*Alderman Smuggler in Constant Couple. 1700. *Alphonso in Pilgrim altered. 1701. Capt. Fireball in Sir Harry Wildair. *Sable in Funeral-* Balderdash and *Al 1702. derman in Twin Rivals. 1703. Woodcock in Tunbridge Walks-*Sir Toby Doubtful in Love's Contrivance. 1704-1705. Sir Paul Squelch in Northern Lass— Obediah in Committee. |