above, I found the charming Amanda; under that name I shall disguise a woman of the highest quality, for there is an indelicacy in discovering too much; there being in man an inconceivable delight in displaying the amiably decent, the elegantly lewd; as in those pictures of Venus, where there is something undisclosed to the eye, something which I will not express, this something engages the sagacious and discerning faculties of the mind in the most agreeable pursuit.

"At breakfast my valet brought me cards of invitation to dinners, suppers, routes, and drums."

This humorous and clever imitation produced considerable mirth at the Doctor's expense, and he is said to have joined heartily in the laugh himself.

GOODMAN.

GOODMAN, who was one of the favourites of the celebrated and licentious Duchess of Cleveland, was a very gay handsome fellow, as well as a very clever performer on the stage. His passions, however, were stronger than his reason, and his appetites larger than his very moderate income of thirty or forty shillings per

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week could satisfy: To procure, therefore, such pleasures as he most delighted in, he was reduced, says Colley Cibber, to try his fortune on the highway, and narrowly escaped hanging.

It is not clear whether this road-adventure took place before or after his introduction to the favour of his ignoble mistress, but it seems hardly probable that it could have occurred subsequently, as the Duchess is well known to have squandered vast sums of money on those who contributed to the gratification of her vices. At the same time it appears difficult to account for his obtaining his pardon from King James, without the intervention of some such powerful friend at Court.

Be this, however, as it may, for a considerable period before his death, Goodman was so happy in his finances, that he acted only occasionally, probably only when the Duchess was desirous of seeing him in a principal character; for it was his boast, that " he would not act Alexander the Great, except he were certain that his Duchess would be there to see him perform."

Among other traits, in the character of this worthless scoundrel, Cibber relates that Goodman

entered into a plot to assassinate King William, out of gratitude, he supposes, to James the Second, who had pardoned his robbery on the highway!

UNFORTUNATE INTERRUPTION.

In the early display of Garrick's powers at Drury Lane, a tragedy was brought forward, in which he sustained the character of an aged King. Though there was nothing remarkably brilliant in the play, it proceeded without opposition till the fifth act, when the dying monarch bequeaths his kingdom to his sons, in this line"And now, between you, I bequeath my crown!"

A wit in the pit exclaimed:

"Ye Gods! he's given them half-a-crown a piece."

The house was immediately thrown into such a comic convulsion, that not another word of the piece could be uttered.

MRS. BOUTELE AND MRS. BARRY.

MRS. Boutele, the original actress of Statira, was low in stature, had very agreeable features, a good complexion, and a childish look. Her voice was not strong, but pleasing and mellow,

and she generally acted tender and innocent young ladies. Like most of the actresses of her day, she owed more to the generosity of her lovers than to the liberality of the manager, and was enabled to quit the stage, before the approach of old age disqualified her for retaining her station upon it.

The original Roxana was Mrs. Marshall, but, after her retirement from the stage, and the union of the King's and Duke's Companies into one, which happened in 1682, the character came into the hands of the beautiful and accomplished Mrs. Barry, between whom and Mrs. Boutele, a quarrel occurred relative to a veil, to which each of them laid claim, as an appendage to their several characters, which had nearly produced the most serious consequences to the fair representative of Statira, who had contrived to carry off the disputed prize, and wore it triumphantly throughout the play.

The Rival Queens acted their parts with great spirit, and evinced violent animosity towards each other, especially in the last act, in which Roxana struck Statira with such unusual force with the dagger, that it penetrated

some distance into the flesh. This circumstance of course became soon known, and as the public were perfectly aware that the ladies were neither of them Vestals, it was strongly suspected, that jealousy had contributed to give force to the blow.

A similar occurrence has, however, taken place, where no malicious passion has interposed, as in the case of Mrs. Crawford, who was so vehement in the character of the Grecian Daughter, when she stabbed Dionysius, that Palmer, who acted the Sicilian tyrant, felt the effects of the blow for some months after.

ORIGIN OF SOLDIERS DOING DUTY AT THE

THEATRES.

In the reign of George II. when Quin acted in Lincoln's Inn Field's Theatre, it occurred that, one night, during the performance of "The Beggar's Opera," (it being then a prevailing custom to admit noblemen and gentlemen behind the scenes,) one of them, when intoxicated, in a very interesting scene in the opera, crossed the stage in the midst of the performers. Mr. Quin was behind the scenes, and expostulated with the nobleman on