waiting, and no Mr. Kemble. At length the mayor became uneasy, poor Mrs. Kemble was in tears, "Kemble was fast asleep, and had given orders not to disturb him." At length he wrote a line to express his surprise to find his name in the bills, and to repeat that he certainly would not act unless the manager was kind enough to rectify the mistake he had made. That excellent man, Mr. Wilson, at last hit upon a medium between the contending parties, and about one o'clock was authorized to write the two lines following. "Mr Kemble agrees. “T. WILSON. "He will be ready to rehearse at two o'clock." He went to the theatre, at the time, in perfect good humour, and, as if nothing discordant had happened; perhaps remembered Mrs. Jordan's spleen, for he said," the audience should see that HE would take pains, whether the applause was profuse or not." He had a very crowded house, and Mrs. Jordan herself among his audience, listening to the applause, which was not the less bountiful on account of the displeasure she had excited. On the Wednesday, she set off on the Newcastle expedition, where she met with fresh mortifications, leaving Kemble to draw that night, 1097. 19s. 6d. to his Hamlet, the part in which he was most distinguished, and, indeed, unapproached. His Macbeth, on the Thursday, was also greatly admired-Lord Hastings, Petruchio, and Collins's Ode, bringing but a thin house, on account of the attraction at the Assembly Rooms on the Friday ; the actor was weak, in spite of his system-however, on the Saturday, the weary sun (for he must have been weary this week) made a brilliant set in Zanga, and his share of the receipt of the week, taken at the door, was close upon 150l.-but presents he unquestionably had. As to poor Mrs. Jordan, she had never seen such an assize-week. The arrangement with her manager, Mr. Kemble, had left the advantage entirely on his side. As was usual with such stars, she had taken the management upon herself at Newcastle, made the proper communications to the newspapers, and announced her Country Girl and Nell for Monday, the 22nd of August. Stephen Kem ble's company were at Lancaster, and well enough prepared for his brother's exhibition; but the change which was announced, found them utterly unprovided for their female general, and they, therefore, took the resolution not to march to Newcastle at all. The commander-in-chief, without an army, talked of bringing her action, and " doing she knew not what"—but the best thing she now could do, was to think steadily of home, and of the steadiest of all her friends, a London audience. She had, in fact, lost her summer, and was not entirely without blame for losing her temper where it was her interest to preserve it. 199 CHAPTER IX. Dr. Woolcot does justice to Mrs. Jordan-The Drury Lane company remove to the Opera House-The opening laugh at their difficulties-Additional prices carried-Fawcett's arrival in London, with his wife-Both engaged by Mr. Harris-Mrs. Jordan and Mr. Kemble-The press accuses the actress of deserting her duty-Proof to the contraryThe declared admiration of a Royal Duke-Mrs. Jordan's family-Mr. Ford made pleas for attacking her-She appeals to the public by letter-Finding that she was, notwithstanding, still persecuted, she addresses the audience in person, and remains absolute mistress of the field-Cymon revived with great splendour-The beauty of the castKelly's hospitality and his guests-The Village Coquette, for Mrs. Jordan's night-Richardson's Fugitive acted by herMiss Herbert, in that comedy, Miss Farren-Mrs. Sheridan dies, commemorated by genius-Her epitaph-Sir Joshua Reynolds, what he thought and said of Mrs. Jordan-Regret that she never sat to him-Brings out a play called Anna, against the opinion of Kemble-Fate of her novelty-Of Mrs. Siddons's-Of Miss Farren's-Mrs. Jordan in Lady Restless-Cumberland's Armourer-Reynolds's How to grow Rich. We shall treat the memory of Mrs. Jordan as we always did her person; when she had at all suffered, as on the late occasion, we were happy to restore the equilibrium of her mind, by telling her any thing of a soothing and respectful nature. The late Dr. Woolcot greatly admired Mrs. JORDAN; and though he willingly admitted the excellence of Mrs. Clive, yet thought that the following inscription to her, in an obscure part of her garden, merited some illustration, in justice to the modern Thalia. Horace Walpole's point is thus conveyed: "Here liv'd the laughter-loving dame A matchless actress, CLIVE her name; The Comic Muse with her retir'd, And shed a tear when she expir'd." Peter Pindar replies to the HORACE, of Strawberry Hill, not Rome "Truth and thy trumpet seem not to agree; Know Comedy is hearty-all alive The sprightly lass no more expir'd with CLIVE, The venerable theatre of Garrick having been condemned to demolition, and the proprietors extending their views to some lofty speculation which was to leave them no competitors among the intelligent classes, Mr. Holland prepared the design |