"Address to Granville, on his Tragedy, Heroic Love."
[ [183] "During Booth's inability to act, ... Wilks was called upon to play two of his parts—Jaffier, and Lord Hastings in Jane Shore. Booth was, at times, in all other respects except his power to go on the stage, in good health, and went among the players for his amusement His curiosity drew him to the playhouse on the nights when Wilks acted these characters, in which himself had appeared with uncommon lustre. All the world admired Wilks, except his brother-manager: amidst the repeated bursts of applause which he extorted, Booth alone continued silent."—Davies ("Dram. Misc.," iii. 256).
[ [184] Aaron Hill, quoted by Victor in his "Life of Barton Booth," page 32, says: "The Passions which he found in Comedy were not strong enough to excite his Fire; and what seem'd Want of Qualification, was only Absence of Impression."
[ [185] Wilks can have seen Mountfort only in his early career, for he did not leave Ireland till, at least, 1692; and in that year Mountfort was killed.
[ [186] Wilks first played Othello in this country on June 22nd, 1710, for Cibber's benefit. Steele draws attention to the event in "Tatler," No. 187, and in No. 188 states his intention of stealing out to see it, "out of Curiosity to observe how Wilks and Cibber touch those Places where Betterton and Sandford so very highly excelled." Cibber was the Iago on this occasion. Steele probably found little to praise in either.
[ [187] The Earl of Essex, in Banks's "Unhappy Favourite," was one of Wilks's good parts, in which Steele ("Tatler," No. 14) specially praises him. Booth acted the part at Drury Lane on November 25th, 1709.
[ [188] See Cibber on Betterton's Hamlet and on Wilks's mistakes in the part, vol. i. page 100.
[ [189] In the Theatre Français a similar arrangement holds to this day, Tuesday being now the fashionable night. M. Perrin, the late manager, was accused of a too great attention to his Abonnés du Mardi, to the detriment of the theatre and of the general public.
[ [190] See ante, vol. i. page 234.
[ [191] Arcangelo Corelli, a famous Italian musician, born 1653, died 1713, who has been called the father of modern instrumental music.