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long experience of his obedience to their wishes and devotion to their entertainment, as well as the conviction of his having (to gain these ends) often expended more than could be afforded, that they have promoted his interest by a sacrifice of their own convenience, to prevent his becoming too much the victim. A remarkable instance of this, is his having been able to raise the prices of admission; than which measure, there could not possibly have been a more striking proof of the firmest attachment of his friends, and of the general hearty good-will of the public.

Amongst the more stern parts of Mr. Harris's character, an unforgiving inflexibility of resentment has been thought to form a prominent feature; but it has been very strongly insisted upon by those who have had the most frequent opportunities of knowing the real qualities of his heart, that, though he resents, perhaps, too deeply a meditated injury, or one presumed to be such, there is nothing of implacability in his disposition. On the contrary, it is afferted that he can not only forgive, but, when he has forgiven, enemy or friend, few men can so entirely eradicate from the mind all feeling and memory of the circumstances that produced the estrangement. The instances in proof of this are upon record, and sufficiently various, not only in the progress of his private but public life. With regard to the latter, it is next to an impossibility, that a man in the predicament of Mr. Harris, who has not only actors and authors-alike irritable and tenacious-but the great town itself to consult, to appease, to conciliate, and to

gratify,

gratify, should have many encounters and may oppositions. Some of thèse, even of an early date, must still be in the general recollection; but to enter into any details of what is long since forgiven, would be as invidious as unnecessary. Garrick and he, in the early part of their acquaintance, were very shy of each other, but they soon grew intimate and a lasting friendship followed. The particulars of the long series of conflicts that subsisted betwixt Mr. Colman and Mr. Harris, would be brought back to the reader's memory with still less satisfaction. Be it sufficient to note, that all animosity was fully done away three years previous to the first mentioned gentleman's quitting the property, and friendship re-established between them to his decease, and since continued with the younger Colman. Disputes once ended, no enmity remains with him.

It is not without sincere concern, that the duty of biography-which, whether limited to the compass of a few pages, or expanded into bulky volumes, is precisely the same-renders it necessary to mention a more recent, and, as it might have turned out, a more fatal contention and the same duty impels us to observe, that Mr. Harris never appcared to have been more successful, nor to have had more justice in the cause, or judgment in the conduct of it, than in his late dispute with some of the principal performers of Covent-garden theatre.

Either at the public investigation of the merits of this cause, or in some printed criticism since, several observations were made, the spirit of which, though not perhaps the precise letter, fix in our memory. It was there remarked, that that the proprietor of the theatre

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theatre has certainly a right to withhold his countenance from the insurgent performers, till they assure him that their conspiracy is at an end. It is also evident, that the government of the theatre must reside in the hands of the proprietors, and not in those of the actors, who are bound by their articles; and in every case of real grievance they have no right to assemble as a faction, but ought to apply separately for that redress which it is the interest of their employer to impart. And it was further observed, that the idea of the performers having a right to enjoy their own cast of characters for ever, is absurd in itself, and might be productive of the deepest injury to a theatre. Upon this principle, there would be an end to emulation, and rising genius would have no hope for encouragement and success.

The reasoning to be deduced from this, cannot but be conclusive: it is manifest, that if any breach of contract takes place on the part of the proprietor (though no such thing was pretended,) or any individual performer, it is the duty of that performer to apply individually for redress, and not to join in a conspiracy to disturb the theatre. The proprietor, on any just ground of complaint against a performer, would certainly not appeal to the body of actors at large, but to the individual who trespassed against the terms of his articles, and the interests of the property.

There is nothing more obvious, that it cannot be good policy in the proprietors to lessen the credit of the performers: but, on the contrary, it must obviously be the interest of the former to increase, as much as possible, the attraction of the actors, and to

place, in the most advantageous light, the talents they possess.

The ambition, the jealousy, the spleen, and the - rapacity that are to be found in all classes of men, are, unhappily, too often prevalent in the theatrical world; and the difficulty of obviating the evils arising from all these restless propensities, renders the duties of a manager painful and irksome in the execution. If the theatre affords profits at one period, it is subject to a constant risque, and to vast disbursements. The profits of an actor are not casual, with respect to his salary; and if he possesses distinguished merit in his profession, he may generally look with confidence to public liberality on his benefit: but the theatre must take its chance, and submit to all the variations of popular taste, and strive to maintain its ground amidst rival amusements, by an unwearied pursuit of novelty, and a continual expence to render that novelty attractive.

But the majority of those very performers have, avowedly, strengthened this opinion by their own: and what is yet more cogent than any opinion-by their candid and manly advances to re-union : advances, which have been accepted with an alacrity that does. honour to both parties.

As a sincere lover of the drama, and bearing a cordial good will towards those generally, who adorn and represent it, as well as feeling a just admiration of the high public claims of the particular actors, who, thinking themselves aggrieved, stood forward, the writer of this article most heartily rejoices, and his readers will rejoice with him, that all mistakes are at U 3 length

length cleared away, and all amities re-established amongst them; and in the close of this memoir he cannot but breathe a sincere hope, that the result of the theatrical, like that of the national union,-and indeed, like the friendly compacts at present subsisting in distant parts of the world,—may be a fair and equal division, and interchange of private emolument, public honour, and every other beatitude of peace.

MR. CHRISTOPHER ANSTEY.

In the introduction of this excellent and original writer to the notice of our readers, we bring forward a character not more distinguished by the eminence of his learning and talents, than by the goodness of

his heart.

Mr. Anstey is the son of the Rev. Dr. Anstey, of Trompington, in Cambridgeshire. Of the earlier part of his education we have no particular account; nor do we conceive that any traits of brilliancy appeared in his juvenile years; at least, if they did, the heads of the university at Cambridge were not sagacious enough to discover them; for it appears that he acquired no honours, or classic wreaths, " amidst the cloister's pale" of that learned seminary,

Where, studious of ease,

"Seven years did I sleep, and then lost my degrees." That Mr. Anstey, however, was unquestionably well grounded in Greek and Latin, his many valuable publications and translations from both those languages fully demonstrate; and as he soon evinced a

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