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pofed. Talking of it one day to Mr. Kemble, he faid, "Are you, Sir, one of those enthufiafts who believe yourself transformed into the very character you reprefent?" Upon Mr. Kemble's anfwering that he had never felt fo ftrong a perfuafion himfelf; " To be fure not, Sir (faid Johnfon); the thing is impoffible. And if Garrick really believed himself to be that monster Richard the Third, he deferved to be hanged every time he performed it."

He gave the following as his opinion upon the merits of fome of the principal performers whom he remembered to have feen upon the stage: "Mrs. Porter, in the vehemence of rage, and Mrs. Clive in the fprightlinefs of humour, I have never feen equalled. What Clive did beft, fhe did better than Garrick; but could not do half fo many things well; fhe was a better romp than any I ever faw in nature."

Mrs. Pritchard being mentioned, he faid, "Her playing was quite mechanical. It is wonderful how little mind fhe had. Sir, fhe had never read the tragedy of Macbeth all through. She no more thought of the play out of which her part was taken, than a fhoemaker thinks of the fkin out of which the piece of leather, of which he is making a pair of fhoes, is cut. Pritchard, in common life, was a vulgar idiot; fhe would talk of her gownd; but,

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when the appeared upon the flage, feemed to be infpired by gentility and understanding." He thought Colley Cibber ignorant of the principles of his art.

"Colley Cibber (faid he) once confulted me as to one of his birth-day Odes, a long time before it was wanted. I objected very freely to feveral paffages. Cibber loft patience, and would not read his Ode to an end. When we walked over to

had done with criticifm, we Richardfon's, the author of Clariffa,' and I wondered to find Richardfon displeased that I ⚫ did not treat Cibber with more refpe&t. Now, Sir, to talk of respect for a player !" (smiling difdainfully).—BoS WELL. "There, Sir, you are always heretical; you never will allow merit to a player."-JOHNSON. "Merit, Sir; what merit? Do you refpect a rope-dancer, or a ballad-finger?"-B. "No, Sir; but we refpect a great player, as a man who can conceive lofty fentiments, and can express them gracefully."-J. What, Sir, a fellow who claps a hump on his back, and a lump on his leg, and cries, I am Richard the Third?' Nay, Sir, a ballad-finger is a higher man, for he does two things; he repeats and he fings; there is both recitation and mufick in his performance: the player only recites."-B. "My dear Sir! you may turn any thing into ridicule. I allow

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I allow that a player of farce is not entitled to refpect; he does a little thing: but he who can reprefent exalted characters, and touch the nobleft paffions, has very refpectable powers; and mankind have agreed in admiring great talents for the ftage. We must confider, too, that a great player does what very few are capable of doing; his art is a very rare faculty. Who can repeat Hamlet's foliloquy, To be, or not to be,' as Garrick docs it ?"-7." Any body may. Jemmy there (a boy about eight years old, who was in the room) will do it as well in a week."-B. " No, no, Sir; and as a proof of the merit of great acting, and of the value which mankind fet upon it, Garrick has got a hundred thousand pounds."-7. "Is getting a hundred thousand pounds a proof of excellence? That has been done by a scoundrel commiffary. Garrick was no declaimer; there was not one of his own fcene fhifters who could not have fpoken To be, or not to be,’ better than he did; yet he was the only actor I ever faw whom I could call a mafter both in tragedy and comedy; though I liked him beft in comedy. A true conception of character, and natural expreffion of it, were his diftinguifhing excellencies." Having expatiated with his usual force and eloquence on Garrick's extraordinary eminence as an actor, he concluded

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with this compliment to his focial talents: "And after all, I thought him lefs to be envied on the ftage than at the head of a table."

MUSICK.

JOHNSON Once, in a mufical party, defired to have Let Ambition fire thy Mind' played over again, and appeared to give a patient attention to it; though he owned that he was very infenfible to the power of musick. " I told him (fays Mr. Bofwell), that it affected me to fuch a degree, as often to agitate my nerves painfully, producing in my mind alternate fenfations of pathetic dejection, so that I was ready to fhed tears; and of daring refolution, fo that I was inclined to rufh into the thickest part of the battle. "Sir (faid he), I fhould never hear it, if it made me fuch a fool."

Another time, after having talked flightingly of mufick, he was obferved to liften very attentively while Mifs Thrale played on the harpfichord, and with eagerness he called to her,

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Why don't you dafh away like Burney?" Dr. Burney upon this said to him, "I believe, Sir, we shall make a musician of you at laft." Johnson with candid complacency replied,

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Sir, I fhall be glad to have a new fenfe given to me."

Mr. Langton and Johnfon having gone to fee a Freemafon's funeral proceffion at Rochefter, and some solemn musick being played on French horns, he faid, "This is the first time that I have ever been affected by mufical founds; adding that the impreffion made upon him was of a melancholy kind." Mr. Langton faid, that this effect was a fine one.-JOHNSON. Yes, if it foftens the mind fo as to prepare it for the reception of falutary feelings, it may be good; but inafmuch as it is melancholy per fe it is bad."

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Talking of founds, a gentleman in the company faid there was no beauty in a fimple found, but only in an harmonious compofition of founds. Mr. Bofwell differed from this opinion, and mentioned the foft and sweet found of a fine woman's voice. JOHNSON. "No, Sir, if a ferpent or a toad uttered it, you would think it ugly."-Bos WELL. " So you would think, Sir, were a beautiful tune to be uttered by one of those animals."-7." No, Sir, it would be admired. We have seen fire fidlers whom we liked as little as toads" (laughing).

LONDON

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