Dibdin, and first acted at Covent Gar-
den, the 17th of April, 1819; in this
play Mr. Macready acted Geordie Ro-
bertson most effectively, and by it added
to its popularity. Mr. Liston was the
Dumbiedikes, and the late Mrs. Charles
Kemble the Madge Wildfire. The next
appearance of our hero was in a tragedy
by that extraordinary author, the Rev.
Charles Maturin, called " Fredolfo ;"
but although admirably acted, it was
not permitted by the audience to be
announced for repetition.
Rob Roy
was also another popular character of
Macready, and rendered by him with a
deep feeling, and a wild, free, and care-
less step, and confident bearing, which

is by far the best tragic actor that has come out in our remembrance, with the exception of Mr. Kean. We, however, heartily wish him well out of the character of Orestes. It is a kind of forlorn hope in tragedy. There is nothing to be made of it on the English stage, beyond experiment. These French plays puzzle an English audience exceedingly. They cannot attend to the actor, for the difficulty they have in understanding the author. We think it wrong in any actor of great merit (which we hold Mr. Macready to be) to come out in an ambiguous character, to salve his reputation. An actor is like a man who throws himself from the top of a steeple by a rope. He should choose the high-realizes the admirable portrait drawn est steeple he can find, that if he does not succeed in coming to the ground, he may break his neck at once, and so put himself and the spectators out of further pain."

After Orestes, his most successful character was that of Gambia, in "The Slave," in which, by a vivid delineation, he confirmed the most sanguine presages of his talent, and succeeded in gaining a position on the metropolitan boards. He was next cast for Othello; Mr. Young sustaining the part of Iago: and, at last, in conjunction with Charles Kemble, in Pescara, in "The Apostate,' he, to quote the words of an authority, "shone forth as an original genius, and his talent was conceded on all hands."

The late Richard Lalor Shiel had written a powerful tragedy, which was produced at Covent Garden in February, 1819, under the name of "Evadne." In this play the part of Ludovico, which Mr. Macready sustained, and on which the whole of the play hinges, appears to have been written for our actor, and being intrusted to his care, was most successful,—the fact that such great actors as Young, Kemble, and Abbott were playing second and third rate to him, goes far to prove that even at that early age he had nearly reached the summit of his art.

It was about this time that the celebrated Scotch Novels, as they were called, issued from the pen of the Great Unknown with amazing rapidity. The incognito of the author, which he was careful to preserve, aiding, rather than otherwise, their popularity; among the most admired was "The Heart of MidLothian," which was dramatised by T.

by the powerful pen of Sir Walter Scott. It was a conception of the mind both vigorous and poetic, and by it the young actor achieved one of his earliest and greatest triumphs.

As yet, however, our hero had not grappled much of the creations of our elder and better dramatists, and this he determined to do. In January, 1820, he enacted Coriolanus, but unsuccessfully. In February, Othello, which was brilliantly successful; and in April of the same year, King Lear. In the same month, Morton's comedy of "Henri Quatre" was produced at Covent Garden, in which Mr. Macready greatly distinguished himself as the hero. This play came out most opportunely, for at the rival theatre of Drury Lane, Edmund Kean was playing the whole round of his characters previous to his departure for America.

A short time previous to this it is said that Kean had himself suggested to Mr. Sheridan Knowles, that the death of the Roman maid Virginia would form a fit subject for a tragedy. The suggestion, such as it was, could not be much, the old tragedians had already adopted the subject, and "Appius and Virginia," by John Webster, is one of the finest plays in our ancient drama. Mr. Knowles had previously entertained the same idea, and wrote his noble tragedy of "Virginius," which the author (distrusting a London audience) had produced at Glasgow, Mr. John Cooper sustaining the part of the hero. The play was highly successful; shortly afterwards, on the 17th May, 1820, the tragedy was produced at Covent Gar den, for the purpose of bringing forwards Mr. Macready as Virginius.

The

The production of this play was a of a genius, perhaps the most brilliant, new era in dramatic art; the legitimate if the most uneven, which the stage has drama was at a low ebb; Shakspere's produced; but in Macready there was plays, however fine, and however popular none of this; in the scene with Lady in the country, had been acted so often Anne, which has astonished the readers that a London audience grew tired. of Shakspere, that a woman so devoted To bolster up the sinking theatre wild to her husband should yield to the solimelodramas and wilder farces had been citation of his murderer, Kean's acting used in vain; but Knowles's tragedy, was such that we have heard those who caused an echo amongst the noblest have often wondered at and admired the feelings of humanity, elevated their scene as played by him, declare that sentiments, purified their thoughts, and they could forgive a woman who yielded added life to feelings which had be- to such passionate and intense entreaty. come blases and outworn. The great In Macready there was too much bluntsuccess of this play had such an ness, there was none of that insinuating effect on the Drury Lane visitors address which characterized the inimitthat Mr. Kean, instead of sustaining able performance of Edmund Kean, and any of his celebrated characters for made a wife forget all injuries, by the his benefit, which took place in June, subtle fascinations of the man. 1820, was compelled to have recourse to tent scene, on the contrary, was exnovelty, or to play to comparatively cellently acted, and called forth general empty benches. This upon the eve of approbation. Few examples could surhis departure for America was some- pass this effort, and his portrayal of the what disheartening, and a play of the terrors which "shook the guilty soul of name of "Admirable Crichton" was got Richard," was pronounced perfect. up solely for his benefit, at which Mr. Kean sang, danced and fenced, and was advertised to have played harlequin, which he would have done, had he not sprained his ancle. On the 17th September, he took his farewell of Drury Lane Theatre, and set out for Liverpool, preparatory to his embarcation for New York. Thus on the reopening of both theatres in October, Mr. Macready and the other actors at Covent Garden were left in undisputed possession of the field. Macready took the place of Kean as the first actor of the day, and on the 25th October, only fourteen days after Kean had sailed, he made his appearance as Richard III., a difficult part, in which he was most anxious to appear; but in the personation of which he fell somewhat below the scale in which, his admirers had anticipated he would have been placed. To appear in this character so shortly after Cooke, Kemble, Kean, and Young, who had engrafted on it their peculiar excellence, was a bold attempt; the result proved that it was not too presumptuous; he did not, indeed, electrify the audience by touches of genius such as Kean showed. Coleridge has well remarked, that Kean's acting was somewhat like reading Shakspere by flashes of lightning; by vivid touches Kean was able to throw a sudden light upon the play which revealed the whole part to the imagination of the audience, this was the work

On the 15th of May, 1821, "The Tempest," was revived, as an opera, our hero being the Prospero; he exerted himself but slightly, and the opera was a failure. On the 28th of the same month, "Damon and Pythias," retouched and adapted by Shiel, was produced. Macready's Damon was pronounced to be admirable throughout; he had as yet been seen in no play to more advantage, and his delineation of the character stamped him as the hero of what is called the romantic drama. In this sphere his deep and subtle powers of analysation, and of portraying the mind which pervades a character, were perceived, and acknowledged by the critics with surprise and applause. On the 25th of June, "Henry IV., Part 2," was revived. Mr. Macready in his personation of the aged and dying monarch, imparted great judgment and discrimination to the character. He also played Hamlet, Mirandola, in Barry Cornwall's tragedy of that name, Pierre, and Romeo; at the close of the Covent Garden season his engagement terminated, and he proceeded on a tour to the provinces. Whilst playing at his father's theatre in Birmingham, in August, 1823, after leaving the theatre, he, it is said, passed a house in flames, whence, we may record to his honour, that he rescued a child from a most horrible death. The record of this fact, which appeared in the local papers,

greatly contributed to his popularity. In 1823, having slightly quarrelled with Charles Kemble, Mr. Macready quitted Covent Garden, and appeared at Drury Lane; here he brought out Sheridan Knowles' tragedy of "Caius Gracchus," which was a failure. Mr. Macready also is said to have suggested to Mr. Knowles the subject of "William Tell," which was now produced. The play is a smooth and even production, containing many appeals on liberty and other subjects which are telling on an English audience, and in it Macready made a triumphant display of his powers in melodrama. He also, assisted by Mr. Shiel, altered and adapted Massinger's fine play of "The Fatal Dowry.'

but it suited the nature of Macready, and he invested the imperfect outline of the poet with a vitality and powerwith an overweening pride and masterly display of power and pathos which arose almost to sublimity; the character has always been a favourite with the actor and the audience. We may, also, remark that the play itself is a shameful plagiarism on one of the "Canterbury Tales" by Miss Lee, whole passages are merely chopped up into deca-syllabic verses of the most ordinary kind. The merits of the play are owing rather to the situations than the skill of the dramatist. At the close of the season of 1832, Mr. Macready absented himself from the metropolis, and formed a long engagement, an engage ment in fact for life, with a Miss Kitty Atkins, who had been for some time a member of his father's company, and with whom he has, for more than twenty years, lived happily ;-the lady has recently deceased.

Edmund Kean's last appearance took place on the 25th of March, 1833, on which occasion he sustained the character of Othello, his son, Charles Kean,

tered the line,-"Othello's occupation's gone," he fell back in his son's arms, totally unable to proceed; he was led off the stage, and the late J. P. Ward was substituted to conclude the part. The great actor died on the 13th of May following, a victim to his passions and to intense dissipation.

When the late R. W. Elliston, on May 18th, 1826, made his first appearance as Sir John Falstaff, he was supported by Macready as Prince Hal. The play was extremely successful and well appreciated. Before the close of the season he successfully assumed the difficult part of Jacques in "As You Like It," and failed in the parts of Delaval and Sir Charles Racket. He now made a visit to America, where he was attended by even greater success than in England-playing Iago. As the great actor utthe Americans had no recollections to bring forward in comparison with his style of acting, and hailed him as the first tragedian of the day. After this tribute of transatlantic applause, he visited Paris in 1828, where he was pronounced second only to Francis Joseph Talma; and this proud position was granted to him after Kemble, Young, and Kean had been coldly regarded. The truth seems to be, that the mental calibre of Mr. Macready is suited to the Parisians; without any intense feeling, which only nature could dictate, and which must proceed entirely from the heart, he had always an intellectual conception of a part, which must have charmed his French audience -indeed he seems to be suited to the tragedies of Corneille or Racine, grand, cold, and declamatory as they are; but as the Parisians themselves are below the appreciation of Shakspere, so they attributed to Macready, a colder actor than Kean, the pre-eminence over that great master.

In 1830-31 we find him again at Drury Lane Theatre, producing Lord Byron's play of "Werner," wherein he acted the hero; the play to us seems essentially undramatic and false in taste,

as

On the opening of the season at Drury Lane, October 1st, 1835, Mr. Macready made his appearance Macbeth, on which occasion Miss Ellen Tree attempted the part of Lady Macbeth, and failed. On the 17th February following, Mr. Macready had a son and heir born to him, at Elstree, in Devonshire. Soon after this Mr. Macready made himself conspicuous in another character, and figured in the police report of the day, by administering a personal and severe chastisement to the then manager, Mr. Alfred Bunn, for what he considered a series of professional and personal insults. The feeling of the town appears to have been, that Mr. Bunn richly deserved the punishment that he got; and on Mr. Macready quitting his theatre, and appearing at the rival establishment of Covent Garden on the 12th May, 1836, the pit rose en masse to receive him, and greeted