KEMBLE stood high in favour with WILKINSON, who frequently placed him in parts generally occupied by other performers as a matter of exclusive right.(2) During his stay at York (on which stage he made his débût in the part of Orestes), his literary labours were again evinced by the representation of a farce from his pen for the benefit of Mrs. HUNTER, called "The Female Officer."(3) In addition to the celebrity acquired by these efforts as an author, Mr. KEMBLE sustained the honours of gentlemanly independence in a most laudable manner on the following occasion. The tragedy of "Zenobia" had been selected for performance, on Thursday the 15th of April, to exhibit the powers of a Mrs. MASON in the duties of its heroine; on the night of this eventful occurrence, a lady of distinction was present, who with her party possessed the stage-box, and having imbibed an instinctive aversion to the new candidate for Thespian laurels, began to talk and laugh upon conversational topics with obtrusive impropriety. From some unaccountable cause, this judicious female had also adopted an opinion to the prejudice of Mr. KEMBLE, who acted Teribazus, so that, in the last act, when he and Mrs. MASON, were deeply employed in the agonizing scenes of death, their splenetic observer, to satisfy her satirical vein, gave such vent to the impetuosity of her spirits, that, like Lady Townley, she chatted "louder than the players," and held them up, by this treatinent, as fit examples for general indignity. Being not a little nettled at this remarkable rudeness, Mr. KEMBLE threw the

such as had been distributed. A copy of these early effusions was sold a few years since for 31. 5s.

"Biographia Dramatica." (2) Mr. WILKINSON relates that he had given a servant permission to go and see "Hamlet," but, on his remaining at home, questioned him, and received for answer, he would not go to the theatre because Mr. KEMBLE played Hamlet, and it was Mr. CUMMIN's part. The servant appears to have bad a high notion of prerogative.

(3) It does not appear to have been particularly success. ful; and though revived at Drury Lane under the title of the "Projects,' with important alterations, was never printed.

fiercest glances of disdain at this illiberal opponent, who returned his looks with reiterated bursts of contemptuous laughter. On the repetition of such outrageous behaviour, Mr. KEMBLE made a long pause, and when at last excited by the audience to go on, with great gravity and a pointed bow to the stage-box, said he should be ready to proceed with the play, whenever that lady had concluded her discourse. This observation aroused the audience from their stupor, and the lady stung almost to madness by this imputed insult, was hissed by many voices, and commanded to withdraw. She obeyed this direction, with revengeful alacrity, and having summoned some officers of the County Militia to her relief, dispatched them in a body to the Manager's habitation, where they tumultuously demanded Mr. KEMBLE's attendance. Here Mr. WILKINSON entreated them to consider that the education and principles of Mr. KEMBLE were such as would neither suffer him to overlook an insult, nor endure it; he then fetched him from the adjoining theatre, to combat the arguments of his opposers, or make the reparation they required. Mr. KEMBLE, though deliberate, was determined, and faced them without fear of their threats, or alarm at their numbers. It was agreed, after much altercation, that the matter should be promptly explained, for which purpose Mr. KEMBLE returned to his place behind the curtain, and the officers to their seats before it.

During this interval the audience appeared to have felt that Mr. KEMBLE's fair opponent was a common disturber, and accordingly, upon re-appearing, he was greeted, from the pit and galleries at least, with many tokens of applause. A loud shout was set up of "No apology!" but the boxes insisted on his being heard, which was ultimately agreed to, and Mr. KEMBLE, with great elegance and propriety, expatiated upon the impulse under which he had acted. He then proceeded to a temperate but honourable defence of the stage, in which he was interrupted by a coarse and illiberal adversary, who called upon him to relinquish his remarks, and solicit forgiveness. "Never!" exclaimed Mr. KEMBLE, with a burst of uncontrollable disdain, as he indignantly quitted the stage, amidst the cheers of all who could resent his injurics, or value his spirit. The lady, who had exultingly returned to receive his submis

sion, was planet-struck at this disappointment, and left the theatre in inexpressible confusion, while her "wretched, rash, intruding" partizans, uuable to accomplish their schemes, were compelled to adopt her example.

When TATE WILKINSON became manager of the Edinburgh Theatre, he was accompanied by KEMBLE, who had the satisfaction of being well received in that capital, and of gaining a considerable addition to his literary fame by delivering a Lecture on Oratory. He now rapidly emerged into celebrity. He left WILKINSON in 1781, being engaged by DALY, and made his first appearance in Dublin as Hamlet, a character in which he always experienced distinguished applause. It being the intention of the manager to exhibit JEPHSON'S "Count of Narbonne," the author was of opinion that Mr. DALY had no performer who could personate the Count with proportionate effect; but, on seeing KEMBLE in the part, he acknowledged that Mr. FARREN, its representative in London, was inferior to him.

No man is less adapted physically or morally for comedy than KEMBLE; yet, notwithstanding his incapacity, choice or necessity induced him to take that line. Performing Sir George Touchwood, in the first representation of the "Belles Stratagem" in Dublin, the manager, who played Doricourt, fancied that Mr. K. did not display sufficient spirit in his part, and told him so behind the scenes, and that he must exert himself inore, and take pattern by him. This imperious conduct did not suit our hero's temper at all; he warmly resented it, immediately changed his dress, and told Mr. DALY he might get some one else to finish the part, nor would he resume it till the manager had asked his pardon. (1)

The life of almost every actor supplies scenes calculated

(1) Though it was not in Mr. K.'s nature to excite risibility, few men were more easily moved to laughter. An incident, though trifling, will serve to display this propensity, to which he was subject, in an amusing light. One evening during his performance of Mark Antony in “All for Love," an old gentleman, who unluckily happened to be hard of hearing, leaned over an upper box in which he sat, holding a listening trumpet to his ear. There was

to excite our pity, commiseration, and disgust; poverty and distress in a variety of shapes; talent employing in lonely study the midnight hour, and long struggling with the gigantic and repelling arm of adversity;-Vice, and dissipation, with their trains of woful contingencies, are too frequently the concomitants to those allurements which kindle ambition in the votaries of theatrical renown. And, after all, happy is the man, who, by the devotion of onehalf of his lite to indigence and obscurity, wandering with associates as wretched as himself from barn to barn, and hedge to hedge, can derive a decent reputation and emolument during the other half. Not, therefore, to dwell any longer on that period of Mr. K.'s existence, when he was forced to share the difficulties and privations so common to the brethren of his profession, it will be more agreeable to arrive at once at that era so eagerly looked forward to by every anxious and aspiring son and daughter of THESPIs, and which generally forms the most important epoch in the career of those who pass the ordeal-that of an introduction to a London audience. This is the touchstone which decides the fortunes of theatrical heroes and heroines.

Mrs. SIDDONS being at that time in the meridian of her success, and reports of her brother's abilities having reached London, it was determined to give him an engagement at one of the principal theatres in the metropolis. Indeed, so desirous were the respective managers to engage him, that Mr. HARRIS, of C.G.T., fearing the rival house (which had already made overtures) would succeed, eagerly dispatched a messenger with proposals and power to conclude the business, and by this haste facilitated his own disappointment. The person sent, mistook the brothers, and engaged STEPHEN instead of JOHN, the latter therefore signed articles with the managers of Drury. [To be resumed.]

nothing particularly comic in this appearance, but it had such an effect on Mr. K., that, after striving to smother his risible emotions, which were at first considered a display of agitation arising from the pathos of the scene, to the astonishment of the audience he indulged in a loud and immoderate laugh, nor could he for some minutes remould his features to their serious expression.

MR. DRAMA,

MR. KEMBLE.

In forming our estimate of men and manners, we, who have passed our grand climacterick, are too apt to recur to the days of our youth for our model of excellence: thus, when I hear the young men of the present day praising a KEAN, or a YOUNG, or a MACREADY, as incomparable, my mind immediately presents a GARRICK or a KEMBLE as a criterion to judge by; and yet, Mr. DRAMA, with all my old man's prejudice, on a close comparison I am sometimes compelled to admit, that had KEAN lived prior instead of subsequent to the English RoSCIUS, had the commanding melody of YOUNG's voice swelled upon the ear before the chaste dignity of JOHN KEMBLE had reconciled us to the discordance of his tones, it is doubtful whether our ideas of perfection would be quite so perfect as we now fancy them to be. I have always considered, Mr. DRAMA, that JOHN KEMBLE owed a great deal of his popularity to the state in which he found the drama: where there is much to reform the reformer gets much credit; and, when the theatrical reformation commenced, there was 66 cut and come again," to use a trite though vulgar proverb. We had Hamlet the Dane soliloquizing in an English court dress and double-bottomed wig: the heroical Portia not clad in Roman simplicity (and of all dresses, save the Grecian, 'tis the most simple), but incumbrous hoop of two yards in diameter, with her hair powdered, and turned over a roller some nine or ten inches high. To the credit of JOHN KEMBLE he "reformed it altogether," and that amidst opposition the most violent, and where every obstacle that brutal ignorance and its concomitant prejudice could throw in his way, he laid down rules, which no emergency ever broke through. The following anecdote will better explain his strict adherence to "stage effect" than the most elaborate description.

Your's respectfully,

ANECDOTE.

B. BUSKIN.

In one of the great KEMBLE's visits to Dublin he was accompanied by Mr POWELL, who played, what, accord