machine; but he is an orator compared to John Grum, who in real life is a very common, and sometimes convenient companion to prosers. When I heard of this remark, thought I, had Lewis only acted Orators Mums and John Grums, he would never have made 50,000l. by his. profession.

I was many years in friendship with Lewis: his gaiety of temper was perhaps congenial to my own: he was from boyhood a great favourite with the people of Dublin, Cork, and Limerick. Being very happy in his manner of speaking an epilogue, called "Bucks, have at ye all," he was frequently called upon for it, whether he played that night or not. Tired at last, he endeavoured to get out of his trammels. The College students misconstrued this into obstinacy and disrespect, and threw the house into nightly tumult, by insisting that he should appear and speak it. His real friends pitied him, and strove to rescue him from this unjust persecution; amongst others a Captain Jones, a companion of Lewis, who from the upper boxes used to gruff out, "No Bucks! no Bucks!" Lewis at length told them he would speak the epilogue any certain number of nights they chose to name; but, that number out, he would not speak it again except it was specified in the play-bills. They persisted in their nightly demands, and he then listened to the proposals of the London managers. Garrick offered him a trial part at Drury Lane; and Mr. Harris a certain engagement, and all the deceased Woodward's characters, at Covent Garden. He wisely chose the latter. Lewis modelled his fine gentlemen from the life-Lord Bellamont, Lord Muskerry, and Gerald Blennerhasset. Being an admirer of Mossop, and acting with him in his own boyhood, he involuntarily caught much of Mossop's manner in tragedy, which brought him into some of the new tragedies in London: amongst others, he acted Percy in Mrs. Hannah More's play of that name.

Lewis, though not an athletic figure, was really very strong and agile in all the exercises of leaping, riding, and fencing; and from remarkable strength of arm, threw the great stone well, and was the best of all at three leaps by a spring forward. He was a bold horseman and sportsman, and in Ireland kept very good hunters of his own. This winter I produced a five-act comedy at Covent Garden, "The World in a Village." It was acted twenty nights the first season, and succeeded well; but Lewis in Dr. Grigsby, not finding himself quite in shop, his head being thatched with a medical wig, resigned the part to Fawcett, at that time a very young man, who has since fulfilled his promise of being an excellent actor. I wrote a characteristic song for Fawcett in this comical M.D. which he sung, but in my own mind songs in a comedy are best let alone. I had my three nights for "The World in a Village;" and Debrett, the bookseller, gave me 150l. for the copyright. Johnstone took it for his benefit.

The next summer, 1794, I went with my daughter to Brighton, and by happy chance arrived there on the 12th of August. Our postchaise set us down at our lodgings, near the West Cliff, amidst illuminations, joy-bells ringing, bands of music playing, flags flying, company parading on the Steine, &c. &c. Here I studied hard, and wrote The Irish Mimic, or Blunders at Brighton:" so that the strange gentleman was not much mistaken, who, in an under-tone said very slily, as he passed by me on the cliff, "Ah, Mr. O'Keeffe, we

shall have something from your pen at Covent Garden next season.” At Brighton and Rottingdean I enjoyed my favourite amusement of swimming, in which, from childhood, I have been so expert. I am as much at my ease on the surface of the deepest sea, as reclining on a sofa. I once mentioned to a bather, who was himself a swimmer, the great good of practising to swim with one hand. He could not immediately see what use this was of, until I explained to him that an occasion might offer of a swimmer being able to save another person's life, by swimming with one hand, and at the same time have the other hand full at liberty to lay hold on the drowning person.

In the year 1759 I often saw Lawler, a remarkable fine swimmer, who frequently swam from the Black Rock and Dunleary, across the Bay, to the Hill of Howth, a distance of nine miles, and no boat to accompany him. him. He derived part of his morsel of bread by swimming and washing horses for people; his method was to ride them into deep sea, and then jump on their heads, and send them down. One day he sent a horse down in this manner, both diving; the horse, in his hard struggles to rise, gave poor Lawler a kick on the head, and he never came up alive.

From Brighton we went to Tunbridge Wells, where I took handsome and convenient lodgings on Mount Sion; the house was on the right-hand side as we ascended the hill, and opposite the Grove. Here I wrote my five-act comedy of" Life's Vagaries," a title not of my own choosing and having made the most of the fine walks and rides round Tunbridge Wells, I returned to town with my dramatic summer-stock of winter wear. The next morning I called on Mr. Harris at Knightsbridge it was on the first of October. He remarked, "Here is hot weather to open a winter theatre; but what have you got for us?" I gave him "Life's Vagaries," and "The Irish Mimic," with both of which he was much pleased, and immediately put them in rehearsal. Mr. John Taylor, who had often obliged me in the same manner before, wrote a prologue for Life's Vagaries, and with a wish to serve me, made an allusion in it in my favour, to the Imperial Augustus and his poet Horace. Macklin now, indeed, my old friend, was present at the first representation of "Life's Vagaries," and pronounced it a good comedy.

"The Irish Mimic, or Blunders at Brighton," was brought out the same season. Fawcett asked me to write a song for him, wherein he might mimic a famous Italian Buffo, then in high vogue at the Operahouse in the Haymarket. Shield got the real music, and supplied me with the measure. I wrote it, and Fawcett sung it with great comic power. My song is "Masteri wasi Opera Singer," (Non piu Andrai.) My song has been a great favourite since in private companies. A Mrs. Lee, who had made her first appearance on the London stage in "Life's Vagaries," was cast for Julia; and to introduce her inimitable talent of dancing, and show her beautiful symmetry to advantage, I changed the character of my original feminine young damsel, and made her appear in officer's clothes. This was rather against my own inclination; for I ever thought, unless in unavoidable cases, (as in some of Shakspeare's plays, as in Viola, Rosalind, Julia,) women on the stage and off the stage should keep to the petticoat.

Mrs. Lee, with very high spirits, was consumptive, poor thing, and

died soon after. Her father, Simon Keys, was Irish, and I knew him well a boy in Dublin.

On some well-known circumstances recorded of Alfred the Great, I formed a three-act play," Alfred, or the Magic Banner," and wrote to Mr. Colman jun. about it. It was brought out at the Haymarket Theatre, but not with much effect. It was played three nights, and then the audience furled up my tremendous Danish banner of the three ravens for ever. My author's profits were 167. the charges of the Haymarket having been raised from sixty to eighty guineas, a circumstance I did not know when I brought out the piece; but Mr. Colman kindly and considerately allowed me the extra twenty guineas. And here I am happy to acknowledge and amply declare, that through the whole progress of the younger Colman's dramatic transactions with me, he proved himself, as his father whimsically called him, in his Prologue to Young George's first piece, "Two to One," a true " Chip of the old Block;" for friendship is often hereditary, and this George the second of the Theatrical sceptre has always been to me most kind and liberal.

I next wrote songs, &c. at Mr. Harris's request, for an entertainment called "Merry Sherwood," with style of verse suiting to Robin Hood, Alan-a-dale, Will Scarlet, Little John, &c. Reeve set them to music. I had 201. for my part of the trouble.

A gold mine discovered in the mountains of Wicklow, set me at an Opera, being well informed on the subject, local and characteristic, having in my youth taken many a ride and scampering walk all over those beautiful mountains and valleys. Mr. Harris was highly pleased with the thought, and I began to work at it most cheerfully. Shield did the music: he had not long returned from Italy. For Fawcett (now my Edwin) I contrived a highly-wrought comic part; an Irish schoolmaster for Johnstone; and a terrible wild heart of steel for Boaden, who had a fine voice suited to such a daring character. Incledon was the hero of the piece, "The Lad of the Hills." The scenery was splendid, and yet the opera had not the wished effect; and I afterwards, by Mr. Harris's advice, reduced the opera into two acts, and called it "The Wicklow Mountains," under which title it was performed at Covent Garden. I was told by many of my Irish friends that this piece was a great favourite all over Ireland, and full as attractive as any thing of mine, particularly in Dublin, where it brought much gold to the treasury of the Theatre, but they gave me none of it. During the whole of my dramatic career, including a period of thirty-five years, I never received a shilling from any theatre in the world, except Covent Garden, the Haymarket, the Dublin Theatre (under Daly) and my one night at Drury Lane, the latter being thirty-three pounds six shillings and eightpence, the profits of my condemned play of "She's Eloped," acted there the 19th of May, 1798.

In 1796, I brought out at Covent-Garden a two act piece, "The Doldrum, or 1803," for which I received 507.; and in the winter of that year produced at Covent-Garden a Burletta under the title of "Olympus in an Uproar," which was set by Reeve, and acted with great applause, though the burletta style is gunpowder ground to go upon. Kane O'Hara, the author of "Midas," wrote one on the same subject many years before, which he called "The Golden Pippin:" indeed, mine was rather adapted by me to the English stage, which I undertook at Mr. Harris's desire. In my boyhood, I had been in a room with

O'Hara, where were met Lord Mornington and Mr. Brownlow, musical amateurs, composing and selecting the music for "Midas." A few nights before I last left Dublin, in 1781, I supped in company with O'Hara the first night that his burletta of the "Two Misers" was acted: he was at that time totally deprived of sight, but a first-rate wit (as his Dramatic Burlettas prove), and was in manners, what was formerly called a fine gentleman.

On the occasion of a signal naval victory, and the King going to St. Paul's to return thanks, I produced a one-act drama with songs and dialogue, called "Our Wooden Walls, or All to St. Paul's," which was acted with great success, and produced me twenty pounds. And here ended my bringing out comedies, operas, and afterpieces at Covent-garden and the Haymarket. For the first time in my life I ventured a descent upon Drury-lane. Mrs. Jordan was my heroine Arabel; it was acted one night, and this was the last appearance of my muse before an English public. My career began at Smock-alley, in Dublin, in 1765, with the "She Gallant," and ended in Drury-lane, London, in 1798, with "She's Eloped." My racer, that had so often started for and won the plate, and never been distanced, quitted the course to turn into the green paddock, there to walk at his leisure and lie down at his ease.

For thirty-three years I had supported myself and children, hired amanuenses, servants, &c. by the labours of my pen; and was now by this last failure, confirmed in the idea of making an effort to realize something for the future. I had, previous to this, collected my dramatic works for the purpose of publishing them by subscription. The estimated expense for five hundred copies being what I could not dare venture, a prop of this kind was requisite. Mr. Harris gave me full permission to print those pieces, the copyright of which I had sold to him. The booksellers did the same with the pieces they had purchased from me. And I am now thoroughly convinced that the Haymarket would have done likewise, could the nature of that property and the circumstances of that theatre then have admitted of it. But as the London public cannot see the "Agreeable Surprise," "Son-in-Law," "Dead Alive," "Peeping Tom," and "Young Quaker" in type, let them crowd to the Haymarket Theatre, where they were first brought out for me by the elder George Colman, and see them for their own diversion, and the treasurer's great amusement in reckoning the cash, which I trust they still bring to the coffers of my ever kind and very good friend George Colman the younger.

Mr. William Woodfall, a well-known and highly respected character, who had during the whole course of my play-writing been kind and favourable to me in the public prints, as also to my brother Daniel (the miniature-painture) when giving an account of the exhibition in Somerset-house, asked me to give the printing of my Works to his son Thomas, a young and deserving man lately set up in business; and I did so. The price of the four volumes was one guinea and a half, and I did not think it prudent to have more than five hundred copies printed. This first and only edition of my works was, with a list of the subscribers prefixed to it, published in 1799. This attempt, however, realized nothing to me; yet I was not sorry I had made it, as most of those five hundred copies are now in the libraries of King, Lords, and Commons.

Wishing to dedicate this collection of my dramatic works to His Royal Highness the Prince of Wales, if I could but obtain his permission, and having no means of asking it through any medium, Î, in the true spirit of Irish promptitude, ventured to write by the post a letter from myself to his Royal Highness at Carlton-house, apologizing as well as I could for the form I had adopted. I immediately received the following letter:

"TO JOHN O'KEEFFE, Esq. Esher, Surrey.*

"Lieut.-Colonel Mac Mahon presents his compliments to Mr. O'Keeffe, and has it in command from the Prince of Wales to express His Royal Highness's admiration of Mr. O'Keeffe's dramatic works, to the publication of which His Royal Highness has been pleased most graciously to direct his name to be affixed.

"The Prince of Wales requests Mr. O'Keeffe's acceptance of fifty guineas, which Col. Mac Mahon has left at the bar of the Cocoa-tree Club, in Pall Mall, and which will be paid instantly to Mr. O'Keeffe's order. "Carlton House, Monday, 11th Dec. 1797."

The receipt of this letter was one of the brightest and most cheering sunbeams of my life. The Dukes of York and Clarence soon gave their names; and the Duke of Kent being abroad, I received by the post, a few weeks after I had written to him with the proposals, a letter in his Royal Highness's hand-writing, of which the following is a

copy:

"TO JOHN O'KEEFFE, Esq. Esher, Surrey.

"Halifax, Nova Scotia,
Aug. 24th, 1798.

"Sir, I was not favoured with your letter of the 16th Jan. last until the 21st ult. from the circumstance of its having been given in charge to the captain of the Swallow packet, which sailed in March for this, but was captured on her passage out by a French privateer. From a singular event, which is altogether unaccountablet, although it fell into the hands of one of the French officers, belonging to the privateer, it remained unopened, and was recovered some days afterwards by Captain Halsted, of his Majesty's ship Phoenix, (by whom the French vessel was taken,) and was afterwards by him forwarded to me. I embrace the first opportunity that has offered for England since it reached me, to thank you for your polite attention in wishing that my name should appear, together with those of my three elder brothers, in the list of subscribers to the collection of your dramatic works announced for publication in June last. I certainly most readily consent to this, as no one is a more general admirer of dramatic productions than myself, and particularly of your's. Whenever the work is ready for delivery, I have to request that the copy intended for me, may be sent to Mr. Richard Scafe, No. 48, Charing-cross, who executes all my private commissions in England, and by whom it will be forwarded to me by the first safe conveyance for North America. Mr. Scafe will also answer whatever demands you think proper to make for the subscription.

66

'I remain, Sir,

*Copied from Colonel Mac Mahon's original letter.

+ N.B. Perhaps from the regal crown on my own arms, with which of course my letter to the (lamented) Duke of Kent was sealed. This rich cornelian dropped out of its gold setting as I was one day getting through Cranbourn-alley, in my way to a rehearsal at Covent-garden.