Mr. D. having been fo often difappoin ted, unadvisedly confented to Mr. Fleetwood's propofal of bringing Brutus on the ftage about the middle of November. The town was then empty, the parliament not fitting, and Farinelli had juft appeared at the theatre in the Haymarket. The public entertained but a mean opinion of the talents of the players; and every body crowded to hear Farinelli. In fhort, the quavering Italian eunuch proved too powerful for the rigid Roman conful. But, notwithstanding all thefe difadvantages, it was acted fix nights with applause; not indeed always to crowded houfes; but on the author's two benefit-nights the house was quite full. There was fcarce a dry eye in the boxes during the last scene betwent Brutus and Titus. If the author of

"bleness of his difpofition, carried with them irre

fiítible attractions. . . . He was affable and en"gaging in his addrefs, and that addrefs enabled "him to deceive even perfons that thought them"felves armed against him. Duplicity was his pre

vailing characteristic."

the

the " Playhouse Dictionary" had read the play, he would have feen not only that it was" acted," but also the names of the "actors." Notwithstanding the prevailing prejudice against them, it was allowed, by the best judges, that the parts were properly caft, and that it was extremely well performed;

* Mr. Mills, the elder, was the only tragic hero in that company, who could venture to appear in the characters of the late Mr. Booth. . . . In his ftrength and vigour he might truly be called the "theatrical "porter," for the burden of the bufinefs lay entirely on him. Thus he was apparently very useful, and in all characters, decent. His perfon was manly, approaching to the graceful, and his voice a full deep melodious tenor, which fuited the characters of rage. On his death, Quin, affifted by Milward, fucceeded him in all the capital parts of tragedy, in Drury-lane theatre.

"Hiftory of the Theatres," vol. i. † Milward

But it was impoffible for her to fhine in fuch an inferior part. The above-men

Milward had fome requifites to make a good actor. He had a voice clear, full, and melodious. Ibid.

Mrs. Heron, at the death of Mrs. Oldfield, was fingled out by Mr. Cibber to fupport his favourite characters of lady Betty Modifh and lady Townly. On that account, he took extraordinary pains, which was of fingular happiness to her; becaufe, with that advantage, the made but a decent actrefs. She was naturally well formed, with an eafy, elegant air and mien; and, though her voice was bad, she had a fenfible pronunciation. Ibid.

The merit of this excellent actress, both in tragedy and comedy, and alfo in the great drama of life, is too well known to the prefent age to need being mentioned here. And pofterity alfo will know and esteem her in her real, as well as her affumed, character, from the juft and elegant tribute which her friends and the laureat have paid to her memory in Westminster-abbey, near that great bard, of whom fhe, as Rofalind, Beatrice, and Hamlet's mother, was one of the best expofitors. She retired from the flage in April, 1768, and died at Bath in Auguft following, aged 57.

tioned author fays, "It was only' a tran "flation from Voltaire." On the contrary, there is fcarce a fcene without variations from Voltaire. Tullia (or Lucia) dies at the end of the iyth act in Voltaire. In the English play, there is, in the vth act, a pathetic scene between her and Titus, entirely new. The author proceeds, "This play "was printed in octavo, 1735." Here is truth, but not the whole truth. A fecond edition, with improvements, was published in 1747. To this edition is prefixed Voltaire's "Effay on tragedy," then first trannated. Both these editions are out of print.

This play was read in manufcript, and much approved, by the author's particular friends, old Tom Southerne, and Mr. Hawkins Browne, each of which gentlemen honoured him with corrections and remarks.

Mr. Browne fuggested an alteration, by which the play was greatly improved, viz,

VOL. III.

X

the

the placing the fcene between Titus and Lucia before that between Brutus and Titus, as it now ftands. Dixi.

THE public papers must have informed

of the intended return of Mr. Vanfittart you to the East Indies The great connections I have had with and the many obligations I am under to him, will not make it any matter of furprise, when I acquaint you, that I fhall accompany him to that part of the world.

The