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Cornell University Library 
 PN 2598.I72B84 
 
 Henry Irvng, a biographical sicetch. 
 
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HENRY IRVING. 
 
Ill I'.l I' I I'.l.'AiN l.nNr. ,A |; A 
 
 PRINTEl! BYGOUPn^ gcC? 
 
 H:iii;y 11,11 ■[:}• a 5 iiiAi^iiK,^ 
 
HENRY IRVING 
 
 A BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCH 
 
 %, AV-i- BY ■■■'■'' \ " ■, 
 
 AUSTIN BRERETON 
 
 SUustrateD witb Seventeen jfuU^page iportraits 
 
 FROM DRAWINGS BY 
 
 EDWIN LONG, R.A., J. A. McNEIL WHISTLER, 
 
 HRED. BARNARD, VAL. BROMLEY, ALF. P. TILT, J. FULLEYLOVE, and 
 
 MRS. ALLINGHAM 
 
 NEW YORK 
 
 SCRIBNER AND WELFORD 
 
 1884 
 
 f 
 
CORi^ELL 
 UNIVERSiTYj 
 
 v^LiB RARV/ 
 
PREFACE. 
 
 T/T/'HEN the announcement of Mr. Henry Irving' s visit to the 
 United States wasjirst made pullic, it occurred to me that 
 the playgoers of America might possibly like to he possessed of some 
 more information concerning the career of our representative actor 
 than had hitherto been published. The idea led to the compilation 
 of a short biography of Mr. Irving. Then came suggestions that 
 an authentic memoir of the actor would be welcome in England. 
 For such a purpose more information was required, and that was 
 eventually obtained from various sources, with the result that the 
 first chapters of the work contain some particulars relating to the 
 early life of the actor which will probably be new to most of my 
 readers. 
 
 I have endeavoured to make this chronicle as accurate and as com- 
 plete as possible, and I must here acknowledge my indebtedness to 
 many friends for the generous manner in which they have given me 
 their help. My special thanks are due to Mr. Clement Scott for 
 the valuable collection of criticisms which he placed at my dis- 
 posal. A word of thanks is also due to Mr. Samuel French, the 
 theatrical bookseller, for his courtesy in lending me a number of old 
 play-books, which I could not otherwise have readily obtained. 
 Many books, pamphlets, and newspapers have been consulted in 
 order to make this record as perfect as possible. Those which have 
 
PREFACE. 
 
 been of most assistance to me are — Mr. William Winter's invalu- 
 able history of the Jeffersons ; the " Biographia Dramatica ; " Mr. 
 Button Cook's " Nights at the Play ; " Mr. Charles Eyre Pascoe's 
 " Dramatic List ; " the volumes of " The Theatre " Magazine ; and 
 the theatrical notes, by Mr. Moy Thomas, in " The Daily News." 
 The Appendix contains those articles which were too lengthy to he 
 inserted in the text, and the publisher has added a copious index — 
 an indispensable feature in works of reference. 
 
 Some of the pictures have been specially drawn for this book, 
 whilst others have been prepared from time to time by the various 
 artists. The portrait of Hamlet, which forms the frontispiece, and 
 that of Richard HI., are taken from the paintings by Mr. Edwin 
 Long, R.A., whilst the picture by Mr. J. A. M'Neil Whistler is 
 the original of Philip {" Queen Mary"). Richelieu was drawn by 
 Miss H. Paterson {Mrs. Allingham) ; Philip {" Philip ") and 
 Macbeth are by Mr. Val Bromley ; Charles I. is by Mr. Alf. P. 
 Tilt; and Dtiboscq by Mr. f. Fulleylove. Mr. F. Barnard is 
 responsible for the portraits of Digby Grant, Eugene Aram, 
 Louis XL, Shylock, Benedick, and Miss Ellen Terry as Portia. 
 The portraits of Vanderdecken and Mr. Irving at home are 
 engraved from photographs by, and by permission of, Mr. Fan 
 der Weyde, and Messrs. Lock <?# Whitfield, of Regent Street. 
 
 A.B. 
 
 London, October 1883. 
 
CONTENTS. 
 
 CHAPTER I. 
 
 FEBRUARY bth, 1838-1836. 
 
 PAGE 
 
 John Henry Brodribb Irving — An only child — Miss Sarah Behenna — Cap- 
 tain Penberthy — Early life in Cornwall — His first books — At school 
 in London — His office life — Becomes a member of the " City Elocution 
 Class"— Plays Wilford, in "The Iron Chest"— Acts at the Soho 
 Theatre — Studies from life — Forms the friendship of Professor Edward 
 Henry Palmer and Mr. Edward Clarke — His first visit to a theatre 
 — Receives instructions for the stage from Mr. William Hoskins — 
 Is offered an engagement by Mr. Phelps, but declines it — Obtains an 
 introduction to Mr. E. D. Davis, and arranges for his first appearance on 
 the stage . . ....... i 
 
 CHAPTER n. 
 
 SEPTEMBER sgth, 1836-18^9. 
 
 Makes his first appearance on the stage — Facsimile of the playbill^ 
 " Here's to our enterprise ! " — Plays in Edinburgh for two years and 
 a half — Meets Mr. J. L. Toole for the first time — -Acts De Grignon, 
 in ' ' The Ladies' Battle," and Soaper, in ' ' Masks and Faces " — A cts 
 in Dundee and Kirkcaldy — Gives a reading at Dalkeith — Is announced 
 to read at Linlithgow — Relates his experiences there — Is offered a 
 London engagement — Plays Claude Melnotte for his benefit, and 
 leaves Edinburgh — Remarkable number of parts played by him in less 
 than three years — Complete list of the parts, and notes on some of the 
 plays . . . . . . . . .15 
 
viii CONTENTS. 
 
 CHAPTER III. 
 
 SEPTEMBER 34lh, iS^g-iSys. 
 
 PAGE 
 
 His first appearance in London — Reads "Virginius" and "The Lady of 
 Lyons" at Crosby Hall — Acts in Glasgow — Joins the company at the 
 Theatre Royal, Manchester— Plays Hamlet for the first time in his 
 career — Exposes the Davenport Brothers — Plays Robert Macaire in Edin- 
 burgh, and Hamlet in Bury — Acts in Birmingham, Liverpool, and Douglas 
 — Returns to Liverpool, where he fulfils a six months' engagement 
 — Is the original Rawdon Scudamore, in "Hunted Down" — Obtains 
 an engagement at the St. James's Theatre, and makes his first ap- 
 pearance in London, as an actor of recognised merit, in the character 
 of Doricourt — Other parts played by him here— ^Acts in Paris — Plays 
 for the first time with Miss Ellen Terry at the Queen's Theatre — Other 
 parts performed by him at the Queen's Theatre — Plays at the Haymarket 
 Theatre, at Drury Lane, and at the Gaiety — Plays Digby Grant for 
 the first time — Recites "The Dream of Eugene Aram" — His acting 
 commended by Mr. Bateman — Is engaged for the Lyceum Theatre — Acts 
 Landry Barbeau, Jingle, and Mathias — The critics unanimous in praising 
 his Mathias — Long run of "The Bells" — Lord Lytton on his acting 
 — Plays Jeremy Diddler — End of the Season . . , .32 
 
 CHAPTER IV. 
 
 SEPTEMBER zSth, 1872-1876. 
 
 Acts Charles the First — His Eugene Aram — His Richelieu — His Philip (in 
 Mr. Hamilton Aide's play) — Plays Hamlet — His Macbeth — His Othello 
 — His Philip (in "Queen Mary") — Plays Joseph Surface for Mr. Buck- 
 stone's benefit — Acts Doricourt again — Miss Helen Faucit plays lolanthe 
 for his benefit — End of the Season with " Hamlet " . . .42 
 
 CHAPTER V. 
 
 SEPTEMBER, 1876-1878. 
 
 Plays Hamlet in the provinces — Address from the Undergraduates of Trinity 
 College, Dublin — The Lyceum Theatre re-opens with " Macbeth " — Acts 
 "Richard III." — Is presented with Edmund Kean's sword, and the 
 same actor's Order of St. George — The Baroness Burdett-Coutts gives 
 him a ring which formerly belonged to David Garrick — Appears as 
 Lesurques and Duboscq — Plays Louis XI. — " Vanderdecken " . . 55 
 
CONTENTS. 
 
 IX 
 
 CHAPTER VI. 
 
 DECEMBER 30th, 1878, to JULY 28th, 1883. 
 
 Becomes the Lessee of the Lyceum Theatre — Engages Miss Ellen Terry, and 
 opens with " Hamlet " — Plays Claude Melnotte, Eugene Aram, Richelieu, 
 Louis XI., Charles L, Mathias, and Lesurques and Duboscq — End 
 of the Season — The Theatre re-opened with "The Bells" — "The Iron 
 Chest" — "The Merchant of Venice" produced — Runs 250 nights — 
 "Two Roses" acted for the benefit of Mr. William Belford — 
 "lolanthe" — Mr. Sims Reeves sings for Mr. Irving's benefit; Miss 
 Terry recites " The Captive " — The autumn season of 1880 commences 
 with a revival of " The Corsican Brothers " — The Poet Laureate's tragedy 
 — " The Belle's Stratagem " revived, with Miss Terry as Letitia Hardy 
 — Mr. Edwin Booth, Mr. Irving, and Miss Terry act together in " Othello " 
 — 'fHamlet," "The Bells," "Eugene Aram," and "Charles L," re- 
 vived — Mr. Irving and Miss Terry appear as Modus and Helen — "Two 
 Roses" — "Romeo and Juliet" revived — Acted for 160 nights — The Earl 
 of Lytton's speech on the looth night — "Much Ado About Nothing" 
 revived — Runs 212 nights — Revival of plays to be performed by Mr. 
 Irving and the Lyceum Company in America — Farewell ! 
 
 64 
 
 CONCLUSION 
 
 75 
 
 APPENDIX. 
 
 The Exposure of the Davenport Brothers . 
 
 Parts Acted by Henry Irving ... 
 
 Casts of the Principal Productions in which Mr, 
 
 appeared ..... 
 
 Plays Produced under Mr. Irving's Management 
 "The Bill Only" ..... 
 The Banquet At St. James's Hall 
 A "God- Speed" to Henry Irving 
 A Supper of Honour .... 
 
 Mr. Irving and the Theatrical Funds 
 M. Jules Claretie on Mr. Irving 
 
 Irving has 
 
 81 
 
 86 
 
 go 
 
 97 
 
 98 
 
 112 
 
 "3 
 117 
 120 
 
LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS. 
 
 IRVING AS HAMLET 
 
 
 
 Frontispiece 
 
 DIGBY GRANT. Act I. . 
 
 
 
 
 PAGE 
 
 8 
 
 CHARLES I. . 
 
 
 
 
 12 
 
 EUGENE ARAM 
 
 
 
 
 i6 
 
 RICHELIEU . . . . 
 
 
 
 
 20 
 
 PHILIP ("Philip") . 
 
 
 
 
 32 
 
 MACBETH 
 
 
 
 
 36 
 
 PHILIP (" Queen Mary ") . 
 
 
 
 
 40 
 
 RICHARD IIL 
 
 
 
 
 44 
 
 DUBOSCQ 
 
 
 
 
 48 
 
 LOUIS XL . 
 
 
 
 
 52 
 
 VANDERDECKEN . 
 
 
 
 
 56 
 
 IRVING AS SHYLOCK 
 
 
 
 
 60 
 
 MISS ELLEN TERRY AS PORTIA 
 
 
 
 
 64 
 
 DIGBY GRANT. Act II. 
 
 
 
 
 68 
 
 BENEDICK . 
 
 
 
 
 72 
 
 HENRY IRVING .... 
 
 
 
 
 ■ 76 
 
HENRY IRVING. 
 
 CHAPTER I. 
 
 FEBRUARY 6th, 1838-1836. 
 
 John Henry Brodribb Irving— An only son— Miss Sarah Behenna — Captain Pen- 
 berthy — Early life in Cornwall — His first books — At school in London — His 
 office life — Becomes a member of the " City Elocution Class" — Plays Wilford, 
 in "The Iron Chest" — Acts at the Soho Theatre— Studies from life — Forms the 
 friendship of Professor Edward Henry Palmer and Mr. Edward Clarke — His 
 first visit to a theatre — Receives instructions for the Stage from Mr. William 
 Hoskins — Is offered an engagement by Mr. Phelps, but declines it — Obtains an 
 introduction to Mr. E. D. Davis, and arranges for his first appearance on the 
 Stage. 
 
 'T~*HE earliest impressions of youth are often amongst those 
 -^ which have most influence in moulding character, and the 
 early life of Henry Irving was well fitted to develop the traits 
 which mark the artistic temperament. Born in a Somerset 
 village; spending much of his childhood amongst the Cornish 
 rocks and mines; and then suddenly transferred to the very 
 heart of London hefore he was ten years of age — young Irving 
 had enough experience to fill with vague aspirations the mind 
 of an impressionable boy. John Henry Brodribb Irving was an 
 only son, and was born on February 6th, 1838, at Keinton, 
 near Glastonbury — hard by that famous abbey built on 
 
HENR Y IR FING. [chap. i. 
 
 the spot where the staff of Joseph of Arimathea took root, 
 and became the famous thorn-tree which blossomed at Christ- 
 mas. His father was a man of somewhat restless and un- 
 decided character, with whom the world did not prosper. 
 It was from his mother that the child derived much of that 
 strength of character which afterwards distinguished him. 
 This lady was a Miss Behenna, one of six sisters of an old 
 Cornish family. An uncommon race these Behennas must have 
 been, judging from the specimens which still survive. With 
 one of these ladies much of the youth of Henry Irving — all the 
 time not spent with his mother — was passed. Sarah Behenna 
 had married Captain Isaac Penberthy, a famous Cornish miner, 
 whose memory still lives in the once great mining district round 
 St. Ives, notwithstanding the changes of effort and of senti- 
 ment in the five lustres which have passed since his death. 
 Captain Penberthy was a somewhat remarkable man, — of enor- 
 mous physical strength and iron will, a true Cornishman, and a 
 fit captain of mines, — whose will was law to his subordinates, 
 and in whom his employers had absolute confidence. More 
 than half-a-century ago he had gone out to Mexico to work a 
 mine called Rel del Monte, up country from Vera Cruz. Here 
 he brought his enterprise to a successful issue, through all the 
 dangers incidental to the time and place, and after three years 
 of work in the wilderness, left the mine prosperous beyond expec- 
 tation, and returned to Cornwall to marry Miss Behenna, and 
 to become the captain of four great mines. These mines lay in 
 three parishes round St. Ives : Providence, in Lelant, Biscaswell 
 and Spernmore, in St. Just, and Trevega, in St. Ives. Of these 
 works, Wheal Providence was the most successful, and under the 
 skilful and energetic rule of Captain Penberthy, it grew to enor- 
 
1838-56.] EARLY LIFE IN CORNWALL. 3 
 
 mous proportions, till the adventurers — as in the quaint language 
 of the mines, the immediate speculators in mining enterprise are 
 called — grew rich, and the workers in, and about the mine, num- 
 bered some two thousand souls. After the death of Captain 
 Penberthy, in 1848, the prosperity of Wheal Providence lapsed, 
 and to-day the stranger can but wonder at its grand proportions 
 as he wanders amongst its ruins, and notes how the great iron 
 cranks lie broken, and how the massive walls are sunken and 
 overthrown; or, when coming from the St. Ives road below, he 
 marks how the great mound of refuse cuts the blue outline of 
 the Cornish sky. It was not without a sterling cause, and it 
 was no small tribute from an essentially working community, 
 that the funeral of Captain Penberthy was attended by some 
 two thousand miners, who came from many leagues around, and 
 that on the day of the burial no mining fires were burned 
 throughout the confines of four large parishes. 
 
 Captain Penberthy had three children — two boys and a girl, 
 and in this family the major part of Henry Irving's first years 
 was passed. His mother, anxious that her boy should breathe 
 the fresh air of her native Cornwall, rather than the confined 
 atmosphere of central London, took him, when he was little 
 more than a baby, to her sister in Halsetown. 
 
 It would be difficult to find, even amid Cornish wilds, a spot 
 more desolate by nature than this same Halsetown. Between 
 gently sloping hills, here and there burrowed with mining drift, 
 like gigantic mole-hills, a small valley tends northwards to the 
 sea, some two miles beyond St. Ives. The whole country-side is 
 bare except on the east, where the hill is crowned with trees, 
 amidst which rises an obelisk of grey granite — a local landmark 
 of sufficient peculiarity to be worthy of notice. One Kerill, a 
 
HENRY IRVING. [chap. i. 
 
 barrister, erected it as his tomb — though he was never buried in 
 it — bequeathing an estate to trustees, for certain quaint cere- 
 monies to be carried out every fifth year. At such times a band 
 of matrons and virgins, headed by the Mayor of St. Ives in his 
 robes, and the rector of the parish, and accompanied by musicians, 
 walk to the summit of the hill, and, forming a circle round the 
 obelisic, dance a merry measure and chant a psalm. Athletic 
 sports, for which prizes are provided, complete this quaint 
 festival. 
 
 When Henry Irving first came to Cornwall, the effects of the 
 religious revival, which had deeply stirred the hearts of Cornish- 
 men ten years before, existed in full force. The Cornish are 
 naturally religious, not only with the strong faith common to all 
 whose calling is " to go down to the great deep in ships," or to 
 endure daily the hardships and perils of the mine, but with the 
 tendency to spiritual insight natural to an earnest and imagina- 
 tive people. Now and again we meet in the Duchy with beauties 
 of thought and speech, of ripe appreciation of nature's mysteries, 
 which are certainly the gifts of the poet or the dreamer. Corn- 
 wall is essentially a county of romance. Every rock has its name 
 and story, every hill its gnome, every well its sprite. A love of 
 the "eerie" distinguishes young and old. One of the pranks of 
 the mischievous in Halsetown was what they called " guise- 
 dancing," a wild riot in masks and mummery in which the vil- 
 lagers entered one another's houses, and frightened the children 
 who were in bed. Ghost stories were told with great relish, 
 especially by an ancient dame nearly a century old, who liked to 
 terrify little Irving, and on whom he revenged himself one 
 evening when she had gone early to bed, by suddenly appearing 
 in her room with two of his cousins, and conducting a kind of 
 
1838-56.] CHANGE TO LONDON. 5 
 
 prayer for impenitent story-tellers, while the old dame in a fury 
 vainly strove to reach her stick. 
 
 Thus in the midst of this wild county, full of natural beauty, 
 and quick with fancies and legends — in a circle where the duties 
 of life were set out straight from the Bible — with the memory of 
 a mother far away, and vivid recollections of parting and lone- 
 liriess, the poetical instincts of young Henry Irving became first 
 awakened. It was indeed a privilege — since he was separated 
 from his own mother — that he had the guardianship of such a 
 woman as Sarah Penberthy, who to-day bears her eighty-three 
 years with the vigour and dignity of a superb youth, and who, in 
 her sweet, dignified simplicity, and stern purity, recalls the mothers 
 of the race which created New England. 
 
 At Halsetown, Irving passed his early years, getting the 
 best teaching which the place afforded. Life was stern and 
 prosaic enough, as it ever is to imaginative children when 
 their home is amongst strangers, no matter how dear those 
 strangers may be. The boy's fancy was fed by the few books 
 allowed in the house by the religious teaching of the time and 
 place. The Bible, a volume of old English Ballads, and "Don 
 Quixote," formed the library. One can easily imagine how the 
 recital of the grand old Bible stories, or the ballads of Chevy 
 Chase, or Sir Patrick Spens, around the hearth-place in winter, 
 or among the daisies on the hill-side in summer, or on the great 
 rocks overhanging Parepta sands, stimulated the boy's venturous 
 desire to move abroad and be doing, and his longing for the 
 stirring life of the city where his parents dwelt. 
 
 From this life of health and hope, of loneliness and pictur- 
 esque beauty, the change to the stifling air and .prosaic surround- 
 ings of the London streets was abrupt. Here, however, he brought 
 
HENR Y IR FING. [chap. r. 
 
 with him a constitution so strengthened by the Cornish sea- 
 breezes that its natural iron was wrought to its temper of steel, 
 and has since become a marvel amongst working men. 
 
 In the year 1849, the boy was placed by his father at the 
 private school of Dr. Pinches, in George Yard, Lombard Street. 
 Here he exhibited some of his dramatic power, and at one of 
 the school entertainments, when the boys recited English classics 
 and Latin verse, he wished to recite the poem of " The Unde," 
 the weirdness .of which struck his fancy. Dr. Pinches, however, 
 good-humouredly read the poem, and, after advising him to 
 choose something a little less theatrical, selected Curran's "De- 
 fence of Hamilton Rowan." After some two years at this school 
 — during which time his one enjoyment was the drama and all 
 connected with it — he was placed in the office of a friend, where 
 he remained for a year, learning the duties of a clerk. He then 
 entered the office of Messrs. W. Thacker 8c Co., East India mer- 
 chants, in Newgate Street, where he had the prospect of going 
 after a time to India, and of eventually attaining a fair position 
 in the world of commerce. 
 
 But, fortunately for the stage, commerce had no hold upon 
 the affections of the boy. He wished to become an actor, and 
 he resolutely set himself to accomplish his will. Whilst the 
 other boys of his age and acquaintance were amusing them- 
 selves with boyish games, all the resolution of this lad was 
 devoted to preparation for his future calling. He spent the whole 
 of the leisure-time possible in the hard routine of the life of a 
 city clerk, in learning plays and poems, and in studying the art 
 of acting as much as was in his power. 
 
 There are not many boys of thirteen who earn their own living, 
 and out ot the few pence allotted for their daily nourishment 
 
1838-56.] AT THE INSTITUTE IN GOULD SQUARE. 7 
 
 save something to buy books ; who rise at four in the morning, 
 and walk from the city to bathe in the river ; who consider tea and 
 bread and butter an excellent meal, even for a dinner ; and who, 
 after a long day in the office, spend several hours in study. This 
 was the way young Irving lived for several years. It was a severe 
 training, but it created that fund of indomitable energy which 
 contributed so much to the success of after-years. 
 
 It is interesting to follow, as well as we can, across the lapse 
 of time, the history of this enthusiasm. The following mono- 
 graph, from the pen of a gentleman well known in the world of 
 art, who was a companion of his at this time, refers to the year 
 1853, when Irving first became a member of what was called 
 the " City Elocution Class " :— 
 
 " Thirty years ago when acting was not such a fashionable 
 pastime as it is now, the late Mr. Samuel Phelps was in the very 
 zenith of his career, as manager of Sadler's Wells Theatre, pro- 
 ducing one after another those grand Shakesperean revivals which 
 still live in the memory of those who had the privilege of wit- 
 nessing them. He was so much in earnest that he created for 
 himself a host of worshippers. It is not too much to say that the 
 progress of the elevation of the drama, begun by Mr. Macready, 
 was about that period mainly due to the energy, ability, and 
 enterprise of Samuel Phelps. 
 
 "His influence upon the young men of that time was wonder- 
 ful, and in consequence, classes for the study of elocution sprang 
 up in many of the mechanics' and other educational institutions 
 in London. One of the most successful of these classes was held 
 at the Institute in Gould Square, somewhere in the region of 
 Fenchurch Street, in the city. It was formed by the late Henry 
 Thomas, a man of much ability, who attracted to his class a 
 
8 HENRY IRFING. [chap. i. 
 
 number of young men who became imbued with his love of 
 acting. He did not set himself up as a teacher of elocution ; his 
 class was conducted on a system of mutual instruction and 
 criticism ; each member recited some piece chosen by himself, and 
 the others noted any errors of the aspirate or inflection, of gesture 
 or expression, and made their remarks orally after the recitation. 
 This system worked admirably, as it caused the members to be 
 watchful as to errors of pronunciation, and also gave them prac- 
 tice and confidence in extemporaneous speaking. Nothing 
 gave Mr. Thomas greater delight than the advent of some new 
 member who showed anything approaching histrionic ability. 
 
 "One evening a youth of some fifteen years old presented him- 
 self as a new member j his appearance was such as would make 
 ladies say ' What a nice boy ! ' He was rather tall for his age, 
 dressed in a black cloth suit, with what was called a round jacket, 
 and deep white linen collar turned over it; his face was very 
 handsome, with a mass of black hair, and eyes bright and flash- 
 ing with intelligence. He was called upon for his first recitation, 
 and fairly electrified the class with an unusual display of elocu- 
 tionary skill and dramatic intensity. The new member was the 
 now world-famous Henry Irving. Poor Henry Thomas has long 
 since gone over to the majority, but had he lived he would have 
 delighted in the thought that he had some share in fostering and 
 developing the genius of one so deservedly esteemed as the fore- 
 most English actor of his age. 
 
 "The ' City Elocution Class,' as it was called, soon afterwards 
 had its meetings at Sussex Hall, Leadenhall Street, and here, 
 periodically, dramatic performances were given by the class, 
 each member receiving tickets for distribution among his 
 friends. The room in which the entertainments were given was 
 
IRVING AS DIGBY GRANT (Act I.) 
 
1838-56.] ACTS AT THE SOHO THEATRE. 9 
 
 a commodious hallj with a good platform enclosed by a balustrade. 
 Two five-fold screens, with a ' practical ' door in each, for exits 
 and entrances, supplied the place of scenery, and as the success of 
 the pieces given depended more on the acting than the furniture 
 and appointments, excellent performances were the result. The 
 pieces played were mostly of a light character — many of them are 
 now almost forgotten — but they were highly appreciated at the 
 time. They consisted of ' Boots at the Swan,' ' Delicate Ground,' 
 ' The Man with the Carpet Bag/ " Love in Humble Life,' 
 ' Who Speaks First,' ' Little Toddlekins,' ' A Silent Woman,' 
 and others of a like class suitable for presentation as drawing- 
 room performances. The new member of the ' City Elocution 
 Class' soon became a great favourite at these meetings, every 
 opportunity being taken to cast him for such parts as his youth- 
 ful appearance would admit of. He was successful in everything 
 he undertook, and when opportunity served he displayed unmis- 
 takable gifts. One of the rules of the class was, that each member 
 should know the words of his part, and any one failing in this 
 respect met with the utmost ridicule. Our young member was 
 always letter-perfect, so that his mind was free to give due effect 
 to the author's meaning. But it was in recitation that, at this 
 time, he appeared to the greatest advantage, his youth being 
 against his assumption of manly parts. One of his most success- 
 ful efforts at this period was the part, of Wilford, in selected 
 scenes from 'The Iron Chest,' to the Sir Edward Mortimer of 
 a gentleman now holding an official position in the art world. 
 On this occasion his lines were given with such force, earnestness, 
 and pathos, as to elicit the most enthusiastic applause. Henry 
 Irving's dramatic aspirations were emphasised by a performance 
 of 'The Honeymoon,' given by the class at the Soho Theatre, 
 
lo HENRY IRVING. [dHAP. i. 
 
 when the members appeared in all the glory of tights, silk cloaks, 
 and hats and feathers. 
 
 "Not many, perhaps, who witnessed the entertainments at 
 Sussex Hall, and saw and admired the handsome lad with the 
 black hair and flashing eyes, will be able to associate him with 
 the now eminent actor; but by those who were favoured with his 
 acquaintance then, and who have watched his remarkable career, 
 those far-off days are regarded with the utmost interest and 
 pleasure. 
 
 "Henry Irving's mother, like many other mothers, had a 
 great dread of her son ' taking to the stage.' I used frequently 
 to visit at her house for the purpose of rehearsing the scenes in 
 which John and I were to act together. I remember her as 
 being rather tall, somewhat stately, and very gentle. On one 
 occasion she begged me very earnestly to dissuade him from 
 thinking of the stage as a profession, and, having read much of 
 the vicissitudes of actors' lives, their hardships and the precarious- 
 ness of their employment, I did my best to impress this view 
 upon him, at the same time having the strongest inclination for 
 the ' sock and buskin ' myself. 
 
 " Soon after this time, I left London to reside at Manchester, 
 and here, while Irving was a member of John Knowles' company 
 at the Theatre Royal, we renewed an acquaintance that .has 
 continued ever since. 
 
 "People who are profoundly ignorant on the subject, often 
 ascribe Irving's wonderful success to luck, accident; and his 
 success is frequently characterised as ' a fluke ' : the world littler 
 knows how hard he has toiled up the ladder of fame. Every- 
 thing he did during the years I knew him at Manchester showed 
 how true and painstaking an artist he was ; though fond of com- 
 
1838-56.] A STUDY FROM LIFE. 11 
 
 panionship, his business was his :first consideration. Nothing 
 was slurred over by him, and every effort was made to get all 
 he could out of every part. Manager Knowles did not know 
 how to appreciate such abilities, and, I believe, parted with him 
 for some small consideration as to salary. 
 
 " As an illustration of the pains he took to give a life-like 
 representation of a character, I remember him studying a part 
 in one of John Brougham's comedies — a youth wishing to appear 
 a man, and yet not able to repress boyish ways and habits. To 
 aid him in studying this part, he invited the son of an actor 
 friend to spend afternoons in his rooms; this was a youngster 
 of about twelve (now, by-the-bye, himself a favourite actor), - 
 full of high spirits and boyish tricks, and while he was doing 
 full justice to bread and jam, and tea and cakes, he was uncon- 
 sciously the model for the character his host was to play at 
 night. When the piece was produced, the boy's pranks were 
 imitated in the most marvellous manner, and the truthfulness of 
 the pourtrayal fairly delighted the audience. Another thing that 
 "added greatly to Irving's success at this time was that he was 
 always faultlessly dressed on the stage, and the minute attention 
 he now pays to details must be quite natural to him ; for he 
 was always most fastidious and particular in little matters which 
 other men thought of no moment, but which no doubt helped 
 him in a great measure. 
 
 " It has always afforded me extreme pleasure to find that 
 success has not spoiled Irving, and that, although he now holds 
 such a high position, he never loses an opportunity of paying 
 some attention to old friends." 
 
 Henry Irving remained for some four years in the counting- 
 house of Messrs. Thacker & Co., but never relaxed his efforts at 
 
la HENRY IRFING. [chap, l 
 
 self-improvement in his chosen art. Some indication of his 
 wisdom in choosing companions, is given by the fact that at 
 this time two of his close friends were the late Professor Edward 
 Henry Palmer, then a clerk in the house of Messrs. Hill & 
 Underwood, of Eastcheap, and Edward Clarke, now a Queen's 
 Counsel and Member of Parliament for Plymouth. Mr. Clarke 
 had entered Dr. Pinches' school just after Irving had left. He 
 also was fond of reciting, and came just in time to smart under 
 the perpetual comparison with his predecessor. When Mr. Irving 
 presided at the dinner of the Royal General Theatrical Fund 
 in 1 88 1, Mr. Clarke, then fresh from his political victory at 
 Plymouth, told how the tradition of I rving's powers as a reciter 
 at school made him hate the boy who afterwards became so 
 close a friend, and how his hope that some ambitious effort 
 would please the Doctor was dashed by the remark, "Ah, very 
 good indeed, but you should have heard Irving recite it." 
 
 It is worthy of note that the actor had, in his early youth, but 
 very few opportunities of seeing plays. He had never seen any 
 ^ntertaipment but the, bustle of a village fair, where there was not 
 even a Punch and Judy Show, till more than a year after he came 
 to live in London. His first experience of the theatre was a visit 
 to Sadler's Wells, when Mr. Phelps played Hamlet. The boy 
 never forgot this performance, and often since then he has told the 
 friends of his later life of the profound impression it made upon 
 his mind. Another recollection still more vivid is that of his 
 first visit to a theatre alone. He found his way to the Adelphi, 
 and sat in the gallery with a feeling that he was very wicked, 
 and that the gallery would probably fall into the pit for his 
 special punishment. Presently somebody began to talk to him. 
 His spirits revived, and he became so absorbed in the entertain- 
 
IRVING AS CHARLES L 
 
1838-56.] HIS FIRST FISITS TO THE THEATRE. 13 
 
 ment, which consisted of " The Haunted Man," " The Enchanted 
 Isle/' and the farce of "Slasher and Crasher," that he left the 
 theatre with reluctance at one in the morning, after six hours' 
 enjoyment, and got home an hour later to find his father and 
 mother in a state of terrible anxiety. All the time of his city 
 life he never went to the play till he had studied the piece 
 which he was to see, and made an effort to arrange the action 
 for himself. Much was to be learned at this time at Sadler's 
 Wells, the only theatre that attracted Irving. In addition to 
 the study of books and in the Elocution Class, Irving also 
 obtained what aid he could in the way of lessons from an actor. 
 About the year 1854, he was fortunate enough to obtain the 
 assistance of Mr. William Hoskins, a leading actor at Sadler's 
 Wells, who was struck with the earnestness and the com- 
 parative proficiency of the lad, and gave him assistance far 
 beyond the ordinary lessons. To meet the convenience of the 
 young clerk, whose day's vvork began at a quarter-past nine 
 in the morning, Mr. Hoskins made what must have been a 
 very considerable sacrifice of his habitual hours of rest — for early 
 rising is hardly consistent with the requirements of theatrical 
 life — and gave his young pupil his hour-long lesson from eight 
 o'clock, Prior to his departure for Australia, where he has 
 been ever since, Mr. Hoskins introduced Irving to Mr. Phelps, 
 who offered him an engagement, but, as the youth wished to 
 get experience before playing in London, Hoskins gave him a 
 letter, saying, " You will go upon the stage. When you want 
 an engagement, present that letter, and you will find one." 
 Indeed, the worthy man would gladly have taken Irving with him 
 to Australia for three years, could he have persuaded the mother 
 to part with her boy. 
 
14 HENRY IRVING. [chap. i. 
 
 For two more years Irving remained in London studying 
 hard, and preparing himself in every way. In these two years 
 he learned a great number of parts — a study which a few years 
 later was of immense advantage to him. During this period, 
 too, he studied and practised fencing — agoing twice a week to a 
 school of arms kept by one Shury, in Chancery Lane. The 
 practice in fencing he never allowed to lapse, but continued it, 
 when in Edinburgh, under the direction of Captain Roland. 
 
 In 1856, being then between eighteen and nineteen years of 
 age, Irving felt that the time had come when he should enter 
 upon the practical exercise of his calling. Accordingly, he bade 
 farewell -to his London and commercial life, and, by means of Mr. 
 Hoskins' talismanic letter, he at once procured an engagement 
 from Mr. E. D. Davis, the old theatrical manager, who was 
 just entering upon the management of the newly-built Lyceum 
 Theatre, Sunderland. 
 
NEW ROTAL LTCEUR THEATRE 
 
 lilccnacd rmrMUMit to Act of Parll—a *!**. 
 
 Proprietor & Manager, — 
 
 The Urmmttmm belnf CMnplcted, the NBW WLOXAIa I.YCSVH THBATmB 
 
 ram *■■ bbcsptioii or «■■ rosuc 
 
 ON MONDAY EVENINO NEXT, SEFT. 29th. 1866. 
 
 Mr. ■»*▼!• wialiM Mint Ills kind rriead* ■«« Fatroii. alivald ttMaMelre* Jnd/ie •£ «>•• *?"•'*• "»•<»• 
 for tlielp scCMBiuodatlon rather thaa be C«fde<l by nny cmnmenta frvni ta^m. he will tliererore 
 •bIt ex»r«u hla hepea th»t It will be apparent to oil bow anxlenaly he ta«a laboured to redeem 
 
 tbe promlae —arte aa to th«» H«Mt» of openlog. 
 
 Architect 
 AssiBtant Ardiitect and Bnperintendent of Works, - 
 The Decorative Department from the Pencil of n^ 
 
 Ezecnted under his dire ction by Mewar^ 8AUBDEE8 & J0HI80V. 
 
 The Masonry by mmxiSiSiWtvtm jl .MK^adiLi^giOwr j^nrn "m^ 
 
 The Joiner Work by HKJ^- *"- "ac^TK^X-i^a*- 
 
 The Oas and other Fittings by Mr- DAVVATT and Mr. CLA8PER. 
 
 The Dnholsterv by Messrs. ALCOCX. BRTDON, HERRIHG. Ac- 
 
 The Painting Work by Mr. ARJISON. 
 
 MONDAY EVENING. Sept. 29, 1856 
 
 The Seaaon wlllscoiniiienee with Sir K. Ii. BP1 ,W»m liTTTOM^A beaatinu Plajr 
 
 RIGBELIEV 
 
 Lcrais the Thirteenth Mr. COUBTBNAY Gaston (Duke ofOrleans) Mr. IBVING 
 
 The Sieux de Beringhen (a Courtier) Mr. AIjPKED BAVIS 
 
 Baradas (Favourite of the Kin?).. Mr. ORVKLL The Chevalier de Maai>rat..Mr. J. C. COWPEK 
 
 Richelieu, fFirst Time in Sunderland) Mr. DAVIS 
 
 Father Joseph Mt. FOOTB Hu<uet a Spy J Mr. BRUNT PrancoisCa Page Miss AGNSS MAREHAM 
 
 Pages to Richelieu Misses POUI.SON and MONTAGUE 
 
 Pages to the King Misses MOiNER, LEIGH. GARTER 
 
 Count de Clermont Mr. GIBSON Captain of Guard Mr. WAITB 
 
 Gaoler Mr. BRODERTCK Governor Mr. S. JOHNSON 
 
 First Secretary Mr. MASTERS Second Do, Mr. EDOUIN Third Do. Mr. MORELLI 
 
 Julia de Mortemar (Richelieu's Wafd> Mrs. ATi FRE D DAVIS 
 
 Marion de Lorme Miss DE CLIFFORD 
 
 To Conolade with the highly sncceeafol Mew Piece of OricntaJ Sentimentality, or Santimantal OrientaUty, extracted from 
 
 Dream* of the Arabian Nights, by the indefati^ble VUlonary. HOO-ZURE-ATAH, and which to be appreciated mnat be aeeil, 
 
 aa the meet extravagantly landatory ecomiuma must fall immeasnrably short of the gigantic merit of 
 
 THE ENCHANTED LAKE! 
 
 OR THE FISHERMAN AND THE GENIE. 
 
 Achmet (Anlocrat of Bagdad, of imperial sptendour and inipenous .lisposition) Mr. S. JOHNSON 
 ■NTnnnf,^ Pacha (his much-abosed Vizier) Mr. POOTE Abdaliah (the Black Enchanter) Mr. MASTERS 
 
 "*•""" W*_ /. tP,Qj,»™,iin. who finrl. out thiit honest*- 18 the best Dolicv) Mr. ALFRED DAVIS 
 
 aassan 
 Monkey 
 
 (a FishennAU, who finds out that honesty is the best policy^ 
 
 (who though at first, " a beast," ultimately proves himself ' a gentleman ' ) 
 
 „^„„, , . Mr. EDOXnN 
 
 fX^nin^hf theBottle (who has no ooanection -ith the Bottle Imp) Mr. COUKTKNAT 
 
 t*emus Oi ine.i|uo*^ Cook ofthePalacel Mr. GIBSON 
 
 A««r«.«dAzim V.Vtwo Young Princes) Mrs. COU RTENAY and Mi ss C ARTER 
 
 '^^^^'^o^s ...... Messrs. BRXJNT. IRVING. WATTE, BRODERICK, OWEN 
 
 Fatima and Zeliea (loterestiBg young Ladies, Daughters of Achmet) Misses OWEStf and DE OLIPPORD 
 
 Oueen of the Peii Miss MILNXR 
 
 Paris ^ifff^Aa TVEIGH. PQULSONS. C. BROCK. B. BROCK and F. BROCK. Ac. 
 In tbe Coarae of tbe ■■rieagwe the flaIlowlms^»IIC»S,_A«., Acs- 
 »OIIt»—" 'Tta » Pl«ce of Bewity r»r«,"~Hr AliFBBD •*JJ'" 
 CBOBCS— " Com. .way my pte»ty Uttl. P"*;!' --"-iSKlS* 
 
 aaBfi|_"Th. I*ke of the Moaot«in'» ivrprimfilT d»ap, 
 
 "*" aiaa MASK HAM. 
 
 „C«- T*. K-1 B«w -.l«HABK.A.^«a^^^^ 
 
 CTBOBBS— " Here you n. awrMdwd Bt,"—-- 
 0Oli«— " I''*r Daddj, pi»y pot by. your 8»«d, 
 
 ■OKCI uid OHaBOS— "Th. SulUB«>iiM.<i(nn>,' COOKS 
 
 CHOBVS— "0«t along Blaok Uaa," ^ -.¥■■ FIBBMS* 
 
 C ■onus— "Trip, trip." CBABACTBBS.' 
 
 DVBT Jk. OBOBVS— ' Spnad oat oar Tmt^ my Boys," 
 
 CBABACTBB8. 
 
 Bono— "On til. Uk.'. Onxn Buka," Bla* BABKBAB 
 
 BOW«l^"'On yonder Book. rtoUniog," Blaa BABBBAB^ 
 
 aOHCI— "BiM from thsWaTM.*.- Blaa HABKBAB. 
 
 na AI.B— " Grant na th. Croirn of all oar Wiabaa,* 
 K. OWBB. I Blaa BABKBAB aad CBOBCM. 
 
 li TBB COVBSB Or TB B BPB1^BS»CB^ 
 
 THX: ▲ROTTXCB NIT. 
 
 Bo jOH luMW the arcvnent •f Uila play ! | Tber do b«( Joat t-POISOH Im Jo«t 1 1 1 
 
 From Sbakspeare. [A lomg way— P. S. 
 ] .—How tbe Peri piuiled theii Peri-craniums about a «ubject, snd what an effort of Genius it required to find one. 
 2. — I!aw Haiiun got into a mesa iritb the Genie, and hun be in){eniou>ly get out of it 
 
 3. — Hoir liansan and bis Mentor fiahed in the Enchanted Lake, and what were the net proceeds of the nett proceeding. 
 4. — How the Snitan bought tbe fUk, and haw tbe Cook was embroiled by frying them, together with other matters only related ia tha hietrir. 
 5,— How the Sultsn and Court watched in the kitchen, and how tbe fish showed themaelves no common soles. 
 S. — How tbe Sultan and Court went a wiId-g«oM chase in the wildern<-»«, and the Mirage ther saw there . 
 
 7, How the two Princes were roused from dieir menseri. trance, and how the Black Enchanter took up his abode in rsthw wam<« ooaitan 
 
 than he liked 
 g, How Omar disenchanted th. La ke, and what a splendid finale ii mad.. 
 
 TUESDAY EVENING, Sept. 30, 1856 
 
 The rerformaneea will eommeace witb Sir B. Ei. Bolwer'a eelebrated Flajr »r tbo 
 
 f .A1IV fir T.vnuifii 
 
A ^ ««A4 ■>'%•' A^ CbJAV 
 
 Patfes to the King Miwes MILNEB. LEIOH, CA BTE B 
 
 Count de Clermont Mr. GIBSON Captain of Guard Mr. WAITE 
 
 Gaoler Mr. BBODEBICK Oo^S^S^^ Mr- S. JOHNSON 
 
 First Secretary Mr. MASTEBS Second Do. Mr. EDOUIN Third Do. Mr. MOBELLI 
 
 Julia de Mortemar (Rich«li«u'8 Ward) Mrs. AIi FBE D DAVIS 
 
 Marion de Lorme Mies DE OLIFFOBD 
 
 To Conolade with Ihe hishiy aaCCMafal New Piece of Oyicatal SenUmantaUiy, or Scntlmantsl Orientallty, eztnoted from 
 
 Draam* of the Arabian Nights, by the indefattgable Vulonary. HOO-ZURE-ATAS, and whiohtobearareciatedmnst be aeen, 
 
 aa the moet extravagaiiUy landatoiy ecomiuma miut fall immeasarably short of the giJKantic merit of 
 
 THE ENCHANTED LAKE! 
 
 OR THE FISHERMAN AND THE GENIE. 
 
 fAolocrat of Bagdad, of imperial BjAendour and imperious .liBposition) Mr. 8. JOHNSON 
 (his much-abosed Vizier) Mr. POOTB Abdaliah (the Black Enchant*r) Mr. MASTEBS 
 (a Fishermftn, who finds oat that honesty is the beat policy^ Vtr. AIjFBED DAVIS 
 air»„lroT fwho though at first, " a beast," ultimately proves himself ' n genUeman ') Mr. BD OXnN 
 MonKey \ « ,who has no connection with the Bottle Imp) Mr. GOUBTKNAT 
 
 Genius of theBottle i cook of the Palacei Mr. GIBSON 
 
 Achmet 
 MooneyPacha 
 Hassan 
 
 Selim. 
 
 .(Two Youn« Princes). 
 
 Mrs. COUBTENAY and Miss GABTEB 
 
 OWEN 
 E OlilFFOBD 
 
 ^"' GoX Meswrs. BBUNT. IBVING. WAITB, B^DBEICT-. 
 
 Fatima°aStfei^;(i°t.^^5^»-» ^■'"'' ^"«'*^ °' ^"""^^ **^*"!'. !^^^s mSi 
 
 ^ # *u _ T»»«, •pouii.SONS.' c BBOCK B. BBOCK and F. BBOCK. Ao. 
 
 Peris 
 
 Queen of the Pen;. 
 ^Misses T.TgTGH. 
 
 fiOWCt "Th«i LoTT-necked Jar, *, 
 
 |B0|g^ <• 'XUt » Place of Be^Mty r»r«/' 
 
 '" •*•. *»?ai!fmd"iJavi2^ sdif«i «.d cffeBe»^"Ti.j.8Uiu.~— d»w»; 
 
 PBBI8. 
 
 CHOKVS- " Com. jway m^ pretty Uttl. ^'-j:, --g^iiE 
 ■owe— •' Wanted » 0«uo«,'* -■"•• j,. 
 
 ^Bl«_«-ni. L«ke of the Mooot.in'. ""T^j^'^l^jt^j^^ 
 CBOBBS— "Herey<m«*a.ww»eh«i8rt"....;,- li'^JwS' 
 
 «e the (kllowinc S»lfAS, A«., Ac ^- 
 
 uid OHeBVB—"Tli« Sultan •OOMS down,' COOKS. 
 
 CBOBVB— "G«t along Bbok Mw," .^ _.VBB F1SBB0, 
 
 CBOBCS— "Trip, trip." CBABACTBBB. 
 
 DVBT A OBOBVS— ' SpKsd oat oar Teata^ my Boya^" 
 
 CHABACTBBS. 
 
 g01VCK-"On the Lake'a Oreen Banka,' BImI BABKBAB. 
 
 gONO'— "'On yonder Booka reoUniDg," Bisw BABBB AB, 
 
 •OHO— »BiM from tb. Wavea.-^ BIm BABKBAB. 
 
 nBAI<B — " Orant oa the Crown of all oar Wisha*,' 
 
 BlM BABKBAB and GBOBOS. 
 
 THE ja.ROUMB NTT. 
 
 n* ««■ kM»w «h» aps«m«nt of Ihia play ! | Tlirr d* b«( J«a«t— POI0OH la jMttt I • 
 
 From Shakspeare. [A long wuf—F. D. 
 
 ] How the Peri pusxied their Peri-craniums about a «ubject, and what an effort of Genius it required to find one. 
 
 g'—How Haaaan got into a meae with the Genie, and ho ft he ingenioutly act out of it. 
 
 g~Ji„w Haman and hie Mentor iiahed in the Enchanted Lake, and what were the net prooeeda of the nett proceeding. 
 
 4' ji^^y (},, Snitan boofht the iUh, and how the Cook waa embroiled by frying them, together with other mature only related ia tUi history. 
 
 5'— j(j,,(, jIjj Sultan and Court watched in the kitchen, and how the fi»b ehowed 'thenuelvei no common aolet. 
 
 e!— How the Sultan and Court went a wild-gooeechaae ir\ the wildern»~, and (he Mira« thM'aaw there. 
 
 l\ How the two Princea were rouacd from their arieaiBerie trance, and how the Black Enchanter took up hie abode in rathar wanaar quartan 
 
 than he liked 
 8.— How Omar diten chanted the I^l^'i '^^fj'^^ ^Agjg^i^g^^^Jggg^^^^^^^— -j^^--^^ 
 
 TUESDAY EVENING, Sept. 30, 1856 
 
 Th« PerfamiBnaca will eominvBC* wi(k Sir B. I>. B«lwer*a ••tobratml Play •€ tt» 
 
 LADT OF LYONS! 
 
 Claude Melnotte Mr. COWPBB 
 
 Mons. DesohapeUes Mr. MASTEBS Beauseant w • :v;iv. J|f- OBVBIili 
 
 Colonel (afterwards Gen. Damas) Mr. ALFBED DAVIS 
 
 Qlavis Mr. S. JOHNSON Gaspard Mr. COUBTENAY 
 
 Landlord. "...Mr. FOOTE ServMt Mr. THOIMON 
 
 IstOffloer Mr. BBUNT 2nd Officer Mr. IBVING 3TdX)fflcer Mr. F. OWEN 
 
 Pauline (the Lady of Lyona) Mifls ADELAIDE BOWEBING 
 
 Widow Melnotte Miss, AGNES MABEHAM 
 
 Marion Miss LEIGH Janet Miss MILNEB 
 
 Madame Deschapelles Mrs. DAVIS 
 
 T* c«iicl«de wIMith* eelebrntcd Surlelts written exprcMly fbr Br. BATIS. entitled 
 
 THE ENCHANTED LAKE! 
 
 oHABAOTaRa A.ai BgyoBB:. 
 
 WEDNESDAY EVENING, OCT. 1. 
 
 The Performances 
 
 will cenunenee wl(k Sir B. V. BI/LWaBm benaUtal Pley •€ 
 
 RICHILIEU I 
 
 - X* eonclade witb tlic Hew and I-»n«b»ble »•»€•. «^l«d 
 
 THAT BLESSED BABY ? 
 
 nffi. v«.nir mnnioke ..Mr. COUBTENAY John Thomas Mr. S. J OHNS ON 
 
 iSSpohSS ...Mr. GIBSON Second do Mr. OWBN 
 
 Mrs^vOT ^MisB DE GLIFFOBD Mary Jane.. Miss AGNES MABIfHAM 
 
 dlg^A Numerous and Efficient Orchestra wiU be provided. 
 
 TBB PBICBS OF ABMIMION Wiliii BB TO 
 
 Private Boxes and Orcheetra Stallg 
 
 Second Price *";»?"• 
 
 Fit. m». SeoondPrlM, ^d 
 
 Gallery, « Od. 
 
 .Second Price, 
 
 I— fc — tfce toh alneM— ef »■ At wtn tMmw. 
 
 BBTIBINO 
 
 BBFBBSaBBBTS OP FIBfT aVAIiITT Will be provided at (k« 
 laaaoOBrend ether AeeeMj^eWeagwlllbetenBlia^^g*** 
 
 tbeirnrie— 
 
 IB 
 
 i^ 
 
 •rtSei 
 
 19H)n THPHDATwill be Performed Bhakspeare'H boOTttfatPlay. THE MERCHAIT OP VSnci 
 
 Pwformmoea to ooi-»»*iiaa a^ 7 o'clock waotoeiy. «Ad to terpimw m nearly m potaibh »t % qnartir hefflw M. 
 
 STAGE MANAGBB - 
 
( 15 ) 
 
 CHAPTER II. 
 
 SEPTEMBER sgtfi, 1856-183^. 
 
 Makes his first appearance on the stage — Facsimile of the playbill—" Here's to our 
 enterprise ! " — Plays in Edinburgh for two years and a half — Meets Mr. J. L. 
 Toole for the first time — Acts De Grignon, in "The Ladies' Battle," and 
 Soaper, in " Masks and Faces " — Acts in Dundee and Kirkcaldy — Gives a 
 reading at Dalkeith — Is announced to read at Linlithgow — Relates his expe- 
 riences there — Is offered a London engagement — Plays Claude Melnotte for his 
 benefit, and leaves Edinburgh — Remarkable number of parts played by him in 
 less than three years — Complete list of the parts, and notes on some of the 
 
 T T ENRY IRVING started for Sunderland, with only a very 
 few pounds in his pocket, about a week before the opening 
 of the theatre. He has often described the thrill with which he 
 read his new stage name for the first time in the playbills, and his 
 anxiety lest the theatre, which he found still in the hands of the 
 workmen, should not be finished by the appointed day, September 
 a9th, 1855. Some striking coincidences marked the great occasion. 
 This was the first night of the new theatre, which was named 
 the Lyceum ; the first time that the play of " Richelieu " had 
 ever been acted in Sunderland, and the first appearance in public 
 of Henry Irving, who, singularly enough, spoke the first words 
 in the play — " Here's to our enterprise ! " A facsimile of the 
 bill of this interesting performance is inserted in these pages. 
 
 The Sunderland engagement lasted till February, and comprised 
 many important parts. Mr. Davis was anxious to retain the 
 young actor in his company, but Irving was ambitious to rise, 
 
i6 UENRY IRVING. [chap. ii. 
 
 and he obtained an engagement, which commenced on February 
 9th, 1857, at the Edinburgh Theatre Royal^ then under the 
 management of Mr. R. H. Wyndham. 
 
 During the spring and summer seasons of his first year at 
 Edinburgh, Irving played with such stars as Miss Helen Faucit 
 (now Lady Theodore Martin), Mrs. Stirling, John Vandenhoff, 
 Charles Dillon, Madame Celeste, Benjamin Webster, and 
 Frederick Robson. Here, too, he met that master of histrionic 
 drollery, whose staunch friendship will always associate the name 
 of J. L. Toole with that of Henry Irving, 
 
 After two years' hard work, Irving took his first benefit at the 
 Theatre Royal on May and, 1859, when he played De Grignon 
 in "The Ladies' Battle." On the last night of the old Theatre 
 Royal (May a5th, 1859), "Masks and Faces" was represented, 
 Mr. and Mrs. Wyndham acting Sir Charles Pomander and Peg 
 WofBngton respectively, Irving appearing as Soaper. The com- 
 pany then migrated to Dundee and Kirkcaldy. During the 
 short vacation of this year, Irving gave readings in Dalkeith 
 and Linlithgow. The amusing story of his failure to draw all 
 Linlithgow to hear "The Lady of Lyons," was told by him 
 in the Christmas publication called "The Stage Door," in 1879: 
 
 " Many years ago I made an ambitious appeal to the public 
 which I don't suppose anybody remembers but myself. I had 
 at that time been about two years upon the stage, and was fulfill- 
 ing my first engagement at Edinburgh. Like all young men, I 
 was full of hope, aind looked forward buoyantly to the time when 
 I should leave the bottom rung of the ladder far below me. The 
 weeks rolled on, however, and my name continued to occupy a 
 useful but obscure position in the playbill, and nothing occurred 
 to suggest to the manager the propriety of doubling my salary, 
 
IRVING AS EUGENE ARAM. 
 
I8S6-59-] JT LINLITHGOW. 17 
 
 although he took care to assure me that I was 'made to rise.' 
 It may be mentioned that I was then receiving thirty shillings 
 per week, which was the usual remuneration for what is termed 
 'juvenile lead.' 
 
 "At last a brilliant idea occurred to me. It happened to be 
 vacation time — 'preaching week/ as it is called in Scotland — 
 and it struck me that I might turn my leisure to account by 
 giving a reading. I imparted this project to another member of 
 the company, who entered into it with enthusiasm. He, too, 
 was young and ambitious. It was the business aspect of the 
 enterprise which fired his imagination j it was the artistic aim 
 that excited mine. When I promised him half the profits, but 
 not before, he had a vision of the excited crowd surging round 
 the doors, of his characteristic energy in keeping them back with 
 one hand and taking the money with the other; and afterwards, 
 of the bags of coin neatly tied and carefully accounted for, 
 according to some admirable system of book-keeping by double 
 entry. This was enough for me, and I appointed him to the 
 very responsible position of manager, and we went about feeling 
 a deep compassion for people whose fortunes were not, like ours, 
 on the point of being made. 
 
 " Having arranged all the financial details, we came to the 
 secondary but inevitable question — Where was the reading to be 
 given? It would scarcely do in Edinburgh; the public there 
 had too many other matters to think about. Linlithgow was a 
 likely place. Nothing very exciting had occurred in Linlithgow 
 since the Regent Murray was shot by Hamilton of Bothwell 
 Haugh. The old town was probably weary of that subject now, 
 and would be grateful to us for cutting out the Regent Murray 
 with a much superior sensation. My friend the manager accord- 
 
]8 HENRY IRVING. [chap. ii. 
 
 ingly paid several visits to Linlithgow, engaged the Town Hall, 
 ordered the posters, and came back every time full of confidence. 
 Meanwhile, I was absorbed in 'The Lady of Lyons,' which, 
 being the play that most charmed the fancy of young actors, 
 I had decided to read; and day after day, perched on Arthur 
 Seat, I worked myself into a romantic fever, with which I had 
 little doubt I should inoculate the good people of Linlithgow. 
 
 " The day came which was to make or mar us quite, and we 
 arrived at Linlithgow in high spirits. I felt a thrill of pride at 
 seeing my name for the first time in big capitals on the posters 
 which announced that at ' eight o'clock precisely,' Mr. Henry 
 Irving would read 'The Lady of Lyons.' This was highly 
 satisfactory, and gave us an excellent appetite for a frugal tea. 
 At the hotel we eagerly questioned our waiter as to the pro- 
 bability of there being a great rush. He pondered some time as 
 if calculating the number of people who had personally assured 
 him of their determination to be present ; but we could get no 
 other answer out of him than ' Nane can tell.' Did he think 
 there would be fifty people there ? ' Nane can tell.' Did he 
 think that the throng would be so great that the Provost would 
 have to be summoned to keep order ? Even this audacious pro- 
 position did not induce him to commit himself, and we were 
 left to infer that, in his opinion, it was not at all unlikely. 
 
 " Eight o'clock drew near, and we sallied out to survey the 
 scene of operations. The crowd had not yet begun to collect in 
 front of the Town Hall, and the man who had undertaken to be 
 there with the key was not visible. As it was getting late, and 
 we were afraid of keeping the public waiting in the chill air, we 
 went in search of the doorkeeper. He was quietly reposing in 
 the bosom of his family, and to our remonstrance replied, ' Ou, 
 
I856-S9-] AN EMPTY HOUSE. 19 
 
 ny, the Readin' ! I forgot a! aboot it.' This was i\ot inspiriting, 
 but we put it down to harmless ignorance. It was not to be 
 expected that a man who looked after the Town Hall key would 
 feel much interest in ' The Lady of Lyons.' 
 
 "The door was opened, the gas was lighted, and my manager 
 made the most elaborate preparations for taking the money. 
 He had even provided himself with change, in case some opulent 
 citizen of Linlithgow should come with nothing less than a 
 sovereign. While he was thus energetically applying himself to 
 business, I was strolling like a casual spectator on the other side 
 of the street, taking some last feverish glances at the play, and 
 anxiously watching for the first symptoms of ' the rush.' 
 
 "The time wore on. The town clock struck eight, and still 
 there was no sign of 'the rush.' The manager mournfully 
 counted and recounted the change for that sovereign. Half- 
 past eight, and not a soul to be seen — n5t even a small boy ! It 
 was clear that nobody intended to come, and that the Regent 
 Murray was to have the best of it after all. I could not read 
 'The Lady of Lyons' to an audience consisting of the manager, 
 with a face as long as two tragedies, so there was nothing for 
 it but to beat a retreat. No one came out even to witness our 
 discomfiture. Linlithgow could not have taken the trouble to 
 study the posters, which now seemed such horrid mockeries in 
 our eyes. I don't think either of us could for some time after- 
 wards read any announcement concerning ' eight o'clock pre- 
 cisely' without emotion. 
 
 " We managed to scrape together enough money to pay the 
 expenses, which operation was a sore trial to my speculative 
 manager, and a pretty severe tax upon the emoluments of the 
 'juvenile lead.' As for Linlithgow, we voted it a dull place. 
 
20 HENRY IRVING. [chap. ii. 
 
 still wrapped in mediseval slumber, and therefore insensible to 
 the charms of the poetic drama, and to youthful aspirations after 
 glory. We returned to Edinburgh the same night, and on the 
 journey, by way of showing that I was not at all cast down, I 
 favoured my manager with selections from the play, which he 
 good-humouredly tolerated, though there was a sadness in his 
 smile which touched my sensitive mind with compassion." 
 
 Mr. Irving's companion in the Linlithgow expedition was the 
 late Mr. Edward Saker, who, for many years, was manager of 
 the Alexandra Theatre, Liverpool. 
 
 Having accepted a proposal from the late Mr. Harris 
 that he should join the company of the Princess's Theatre, 
 London, Irving took his farewell benefit at the Queen's Theatre, 
 Edinburgh, on Tuesday, September 13th, 1859. He acted Claude 
 Melnotte to the Pauline of Miss Julia St. George on this occa- 
 sion, and Tie was called before the curtain several times. 
 
 Between his first appearance on the stage, and the date of his 
 leaving Edinburgh, , a period of about two-and-a-half working 
 years — Henry Irving played four hundred and twenty-eight re- 
 corded characters. William Winter, in his history of the JefFer- 
 sons, gives a list of one hundred and ninety-eight characters acted 
 by the second Jefferson (Joseph Jefferson, 1 774-1832) during the 
 whole of that actor's career. Although the list is incomplete, 
 Mr. .Winter contrasts the number of characters with the one 
 hundred and fifty-eight played by Charles Macklin ; and Thomas 
 Davies, in his life of David Garrick, gives the names of ninety- 
 three parts represented by that actor. John Jackson, in his 
 "History of the Scottish Stage," complains of having made 
 thirty-four appearances during the first four months of 176a, at 
 the theatre in Canongate, Edinburgh. The four hundred and 
 
IRVING AS RICHELIEU. 
 
1856-59] HIS PJRTS IN EDINBURGH. at 
 
 twenty-eight parts played by Irving during a period of less than 
 three years serves to show the range and capability of the actor, 
 and the amount of work that was expected from and performed 
 by him in his early days. These parts are here stated^ together 
 with notes on some of the plays : 
 
 Sir Arthur Lassell, Jasper Plum, aad Stephen Plum, in " All that Glitters is 
 not Gold." 
 
 Sylvius, also Orlando, in Shakespeare's comedy, "As You Like It." 
 
 Ferdinand, also Count Medora, in " Asmodeus." Two-act farce, by Thomas 
 Archer. Surrey, June 12, 1843. Adapted from Eugene Scribe's "Part du Di- 
 able." 
 
 Herbert, in " The Advocate's Daughter." 
 
 General Duclos, in " The Avalanche." 
 
 Lord Welford, in " The Artist's Wife." 
 
 Mr. Peregrine Pyefinch, in " An Hour at Seville." Interlude by Charles Selby. 
 Adelphi, March 10, 1858. In this piece Mrs. Barney Williams appeared in eight 
 characters. 
 
 Richard Hargrave, in " The Anchor of Hope ; or, The Seaman's Star." 
 Drama, by Edward Stirling. 
 
 Seaweed, Lieutenant Pike, and Captain Crosstree, in Douglas Jerrold's " Black- 
 Eyed Susan." Surrey, June 8, 1829. T. P. Cooke was the original William. 
 
 J^rince Rodolph, in "The Blind Boy." Melodrama by James Kenney. Covent 
 Garden, December i, 1807. 
 
 Edmond De Mailly, in " Book the Third, Chapter the First." A translation 
 from the French of Engfene Pierron and Adolphe Laferri^re. Acted at the Hay- 
 market, as the "Novel Expedient," on June 30, 1852, by Mr. Leigh Murray, 
 Mr. Howe, and Mrs. Stirling. 
 
 Mr. Henry Higgins, also Frank Friskly in "Boots at the Swan." Farce, by 
 Charles Selby. 
 
 Lieutenant Varley, also Captain Harcourt, in "The Boarding School." 
 
 M'Kay, and M'Intosh, in "The Battle of Inch." 
 
 Augustus, in " Barney, the Baron." 
 
 Pester, in " The Bashful Irishman." 
 
 John Beauchamp, in "Bathing." Farce, by James Bruton. 
 
 Ned Spanker, in " A Blighted Being." Farce, adapted from the French by Tom 
 Taylor. Olympic, October 16, 1854. 
 
 Torrington, in " The Balance of Comfort." Comedietta, by Bayle Bernard. Hay- 
 market, November 23, 1854. 
 
 Edmund Earlybrid, in " The Birthplace of Podgers." Domestic sketch, by 
 John Hollingshead. Lyceum, March 10, 1858. J. L. Toole was the original Tom 
 Cranky. 
 
 Beauchamp, in "Beulah Spa." 
 
 Captain Craigengelt, in "The Bride of Laramermoor," an adaption of Sir Walter 
 Scott's romance. 
 
 Philip, in "A Bright To-morrow.'' 
 
23 HENRY IRVING. [chap. ii. 
 
 Albert, in " The Bottle Imp." Melodramatic romance, by R. B. Peake. English 
 Opera House (Lyceum Theatre), July, 1828. 
 
 Didier, in " The Bohemians." 
 
 Davenport, in " British Legion." 
 
 Tom Tunnell, in " The Bay of Biscay." 
 
 Count Manfredi, in "Born to Good Luck ; or, The Irishman's Fortune." Farce, 
 by Tyrone Power. Covent Garden, March 17, 1832. 
 
 Mr. Crummy, in " Betsy Baker." Farce, by John Maddison Morton. Princess's, 
 November 13, 1850. 
 
 Mr. Wildoats Heartycheer, in " The Bonnie Fishwife." Farce, by Charles Selby. 
 
 De Saubigne, in " The Carpenter of Rouen." Drama, by T. S. Jones. 
 
 Giordini, also Meynard, in " The Corsican Brothers." 
 
 Pisanio, in " Cymbeline." 
 
 The Nobleman, in " Clari, the Maid of Milan." Musical drama, by John Howard 
 Payne. Covent Garden, May 8, 1823. 
 
 Vincent, in " The Cabin Boy." Drama, by Edward Stirling. 
 
 Frank, in "Custom and Country." 
 
 Tam Maxwell, James Birkie, and King James, in " Cramond Brig." Drama, by 
 William H. Murray. Theatre Royal, Edinburgh, 182—. 
 
 Antoine, in " The Cagot. " 
 
 Nat Nowlan, in "The Charming Polly." Drama, by J. T. Haines. Surrey, June 
 
 29, 1838- 
 
 Hortensio, also Biondello, in " Catharine and Petruchio." 
 
 Yussuff, in "Conrad and Medora." Burlesque, by William Brough. Lyceum, 
 December 26, 1856. Toole was the original Birbanto, and Miss Marie Wilton (Mrs. 
 S. B. Bancroft) played the fairy, Serena. 
 
 Alphonse de Nyon, in "The Creole; or. Love's Fetters." Drama, by Shiriey 
 Brooks. Lyceum, April 8, 1847. 
 
 Gruff Tackleton, in a dramatisation of Charles Dickens' "The Cricket in the 
 Hearth." 
 
 The King, in " Charles XII." Historical drama, by J. R. Blanche. 
 
 Percy, in "The Castle Spectre." Drama, by Mathew Gregory Lewis. Drury 
 Lane, December 14, 1797. Mrs. Jordan was the original Angela. Her acting of 
 this character did much towards securing the success of the piece. 
 
 Frederick Stork, in " The Crown Prince." Drama, by Thomas Egerton Wilks, 
 Sadler's Wells, July 16, 1838. 
 
 Francis, in " The Crown Prince.'' 
 
 Dangle, in " The Critic." Farce, by Richard Brinsley Sheridan. Drury Lane, 
 1779- 
 
 Captain Killingly, also Captain Poodle, in Charles Selby's farce, " Catching an 
 Heiress." 
 
 Mr. Palmerston, in "The Dumb Man of Manchester." Melodrama, by B. F. 
 Rayner. 
 
 Count Corvenio, Antonio, and Strapado, in " The Dumb Maid of Genoa.'' Melo- 
 drama, by John Farrell. 
 
 Clayton, in " Dred." 
 
 Captain Templeton, in " Deaf as a Post." Farce, by John Poole, Drury Lane, 
 February 15, 1853. 
 
 Lord Randolph, in John Home's tragedy of " Douglas.'' 
 
i8s6-S9.] HIS PJRTS IN EDINBURGH. 23 
 
 Count d'Anville, in' " Dominique, the Deserter," 
 
 Alfred Fitzfrolic, also Lord Mincington, in " Tlie Dancing Barber." Farce, by 
 Cliarles Selby. Adelplii, January 8, 1838. 
 
 Richard Penderell, in " The Dream at Sea." Drama, by J. B. Buckstone. 
 
 Mr. Ogler, in " The Drapery Question." Farce, by Charles Selby. 
 
 David Coppeifield, in a dramatic version of Charles Dickens' novel. 
 
 Don Jose, in " Don Csesar de Bazan." Drama, taken from the Fiench, by G. A. 
 A'Beckett and Mark Lemon. Princess's, October 8, 1844. 
 
 Colonel Freelove, and Lord Rivers, in " The Day after the Wedding." Farce, 
 adapted by Mrs. Charles Kemble. Covent Garden, May 18, 1808. 
 
 Mr. John Timkins, in " The Double Dummy." Farce, by N. H. Harrington and 
 Edmund Yates. Lyceum, March 3, 1858. Toole was the original Mr. Wellington 
 Priddle. 
 
 Frank Topham, in " Don't Judge by Appearances." Farce, by J. M. Morton. 
 
 Octavio, in " Don Giovanni." 
 
 Rudolphus, in "The Drunkard's Doom." 
 
 Captain Seymour, in " Diamond Cut Diamond." 
 
 Adolphus Jobling, in " Daddy Hardacre." Drama, by J. Palgrave Simpson. 
 Olympic, March 26, 1857. 
 
 Domljey, in a dramatic version of "Dombey aild Son." 
 
 Walmsley, in " The Evil Genius." Comedy, by Bayle Bernard. 
 
 Colonel Mountfort, in "Ella Rosenberg." Melodrama, by James Kenney. Drury 
 Lane, 1807. 
 
 Charles Digit, in "Every Cloud has a Silver Lining.'' 
 
 Claude Frollo, in " Esmeralda. " Drama, by Edward Fitzball ; founded on Victor 
 Hugo's " N6tre Dame." Surrey, April 14, 1834. 
 
 Captain Popham, in " The Eton Boy." Farce, by Edward Morton. 
 
 Captain Thompson, in "A Fascinating Individual." Farce, by H. Danvers. 
 
 Baron Longueville, in "The Foundling of the Forest. Play, by William Dimond. 
 Haymarket, l8og. 
 
 Philario, in "Fazio.'' Tragedy, by the Rev. Henry Hart Milman. Surrey, 
 December 22, 18 16. 
 
 Lieutenant Mowbrey, also Toby Vanish, in " The Flying Dutchman." Drama, by 
 Edward Fitzball. 
 
 Piers Talbot, in "The Fire Raiser." Melodrama, by George Almar. Surrey, 
 February 21, 1831. 
 
 The Prince, in " Frankenstein." 
 
 Linton, Leybourne, Captain Lavrock, Alfred, and Ishmael, in "The Flowers of 
 the Forest." Drama, by John Baldwin Buckstone, Adelphi, March 11, 1847. 
 , Madame Celeste was the original Cynthia. 
 
 Kenmure, in " The Falls of Clyde." 
 
 Didier, in " The French Sjiy." 
 
 Count de Valmore, also Alfred Seaborne, in " Fraud and Its Victims." Drama, 
 by J. Stirling Coyne. 
 
 Lord Dalgarno, in "The Fortunes of Nigel." 
 
 Blake, in " The Fairy Circle." 
 Altamont, in "Forty and Fifty." 
 
 Captain Niddermannersteinchwanchoingen, in " Frederick of Prussia." Burlesque, 
 by Charles Selby. 
 
34 HENRY IRVING. [chap. ii. 
 
 Carbine, Sergeant Musquetoun, and Gilderoy, in " Gilderoy." Drama, by W, H. 
 Murray. 
 
 Charley, Young Mr. Simpson, and Harry Collier, in Buckstone's farce, " Good for 
 Nothing." Haymarket, February 4, 1851. 
 
 Henry Bertram, Dick Hatterick, and Colonel Mannering, in a dramatic version 
 of Sir Walter Scott's "Guy Mannering." 
 
 Bates, in "The Gamester." Tragedy, by Edward Moore. Drury Lane, 1753. 
 Mrs. Siddons played Mrs. Beverley, Kemble acted Beverley, and John Palmer vras 
 very successful as Stukely. Moore was born in Abingdon, Berkshire, on March 22, 
 1711-12. He was the projector of " The World," a well-known periodical paper, 
 which included Horace Walpole, Lord Chesterfield, and Owen Cambridge among its 
 contributors. He died on February 28, 1757, and was buried in Lambeth 
 Churchyard. 
 
 Luke Hatfield, in "The Gipsy Farmer." Drama, by J. B. Johnstone. 
 
 Ned Keogh, also George O'Kennedy, in "The Green Bushes." Drama, by John 
 Baldwin Buckatone. Adelphi, January 27, 1845. 
 
 The Governor, in "The Governor's Wife." Comedy, by Thomas Mildenhall. 
 
 Evan Pritchard, in "Gwynneth Vaughan." Drama, by Mark Lemon. 
 
 Langley, in " Grandfather Whitehead." Drama, adapted by Mark Lemon. Hay- 
 market, September 27, 1842. W. Farren is famous as the original Grandfather 
 Whitehead. 
 
 The Organist, in " Gaberlunzie.'" 
 
 Don Manuel, in " Giralda." Adaptation from the French of Eugene Scribe. 
 
 Sir William Worthey, in "The Gentle Shepherd." 
 
 Marston, in " Green Hills of the Far West." 
 
 Lampedo, also Lopez, in " The Honeymoon.'' Comedy, by John Tobin. Drury 
 Lane, January 31, 1805. 
 
 Mr. Furlong, in " Handy Andy.'' An adaptation of Samuel Lover's novel. 
 
 Guildenstern, Horatio, the King, the Priest, the Ghost, Osric, and Laertes, in 
 Shakespeare's " Hamlet." 
 
 Philip, in " High Life Below Stairs." Farce, by the Rev. James Townley. Drury 
 Lane, October 31, 1759. Mrs. Clive and Mrs. Abington were in the original cast. 
 When first performed in Edinburgh, the piece met with "prodigious opposition from 
 the gentlemen of the party-coloured regiment, who raised repeated riots in the play- 
 house whenever it was acted, and even went so far as to threaten the lives of some of 
 the performers." But the riot was soon suppressed, mainly by the efforts of the 
 Scottish nobility and gentry. 
 
 Sir Thomas Clifford, also Tinsel, in "The Hunchback." Play, by James Sheridan 
 Knowles. Covent Garden, 1832. 
 
 Captain Lejoyeux, in ' ' Honesty is the Best Policy." Adaptation, by Mark 
 Lemon, 
 
 Charles, in " His Last Legs." Farce, by William Bayle Bernard. Haymarket, 
 October IS, 1839. 
 
 Earl of Surrey, in Shakespeare's " King Henry VIIL" 
 
 Charles, in Buckstone's farce, " The Happiest Day of My Life." 
 
 Lord Quaverley, in Tom Taylor's drama, " Helping Hands." 
 
 Fergus Graham, in Westland Marston's drama, "A Hard Struggle." 
 
 Cyril Baliol, in "Hamilton of Bothwellhaugh." 
 
 Smatter, in " Hunting a Turtle." Farce, by Charles Selby. 
 
1856-59.] HIS PARTS IN EDINBURGH. 25 
 
 Black Frank, the Duke of Argyle, and Reuben Butler, in " The Heart of 
 Midlothian." 
 
 Lykon, also Myron, in "Ingomar." 
 
 Charles, in "The Irish Tutor." 
 
 Sir Charles Lavender, in " The Irish Tiger.'" 
 
 Victor Dubois, in " Igi On Parle Fran5ais." Farce, by T. J. Williams. Adelphi, 
 May 9, 1859. 
 
 Armstrong, also Orson, in " The Iron Chest." 
 
 Sir Reginald Frondebceuf, in a dramatic version of Sir Walter Scott's " Ivanhoe." 
 
 Earl of Sussex, in "The Idiot Witness." Melodrama, by John Thomas Haines. 
 Coburg Theatre, 1823. 
 
 Henry Travers, in " The Irish Emigrant." Comic drama, by John Brougham. 
 
 Mackenzie, also Captain Dixon, in Buckstone's farce, " The Irish Lion." 
 
 Coquin, in Buckstone's drama, " Isabelle." 
 
 Captain Herbert, in " Irish Assurance." American farce, written for Mr. and Mrs. 
 Barney Williams. 
 
 Connor, also M. Voyage, in " Ireland as It Was." 
 
 Captain Florvil, in " The Invincibles." Musical farce, by Thomas Morton. 
 
 Kelly, in "Ida May." 
 
 George Lane, in " The Irish Post." Comic drama, by James Robinson Blanche. 
 Haymarket, February 28, 1846. 
 
 Maiden, in " Irish a Honey." 
 
 Sir Richard Wroughton, in " The Jacobite." Comic drama, by J. R. Planche. 
 
 Sigismund Fanshawe, in "Jessy Vere." 
 
 Belmour, in "Jane Shore." Tragedy, by Nicholas Rowe. Drury Lane, 1713. 
 
 Lucille, in "Joan of Arc." 
 
 Baron Fitzjeffrey, also Mayfly, in "John Overy." Melodrama, by Douglas Jerrold. 
 
 George Heriot, also the Counsel for the Prosecution, in "Janet Pride." Drama 
 adapted by Dion Boucicault. Adelphi, February 5, 1855. 
 
 Dumouchard, in " The Jersey Girl." 
 
 Jose Rimiero, in "Jack Robinson and his Monkey." Melodrama, by C. Pelham 
 Thompson. Surrey, August 20, 1829. 
 
 Curan, in Shakespeare's " King Lear." 
 
 Philip, King of France, in Shakespeare's " King John." 
 
 Colonel Vane, in "The King's Wager.'' Drama, by Thomas Egerton Wilks. 
 Victoria Theatre, December 11, 1837. 
 
 Duke de Chabonnes, in "The Knight of Arva." Comic drama, by Dion Bouci- 
 cault. 
 
 Sir Almeric, in " King Rene's Daughter." Drama in one act, from the Danish of 
 Henrik Hertz, rendered into English verse by the Hon. Edmund Phipps. 
 
 Franquille, in " The King of the Peacocks. " 
 
 Wayland Smith, in a burlesque, by William Brough, of Sir Walter Scott's "Kenil- 
 worth." 
 
 Claude Melnotte, Beauseant and Captain Gervais, in "The Lady of Lyons.'' 
 
 Captain Amersfort, in "The Loan of a Lover." Vaudeville, by J. R. Planche. 
 Madame Vestris was the original Gertrude, 
 
 Tristan, also Coitier, in "Louis XI." 
 
 Sir Charles Lavender, also Mr. Bookly, in " The Ladies' Club." Farce, by Mark 
 emon. 
 
26 HENRY IRVING. [chap.il 
 
 Mr. Simon Hornblower, in Benjamin Webster's farce, "Tlie Laughing Hyena." 
 
 Wyndham Bowyer, in "The Lonely Man of the Ocean.'' Drama, by Thomas G. 
 Blake. 
 
 Ned Martin, in "The Lost Ship." Nautical drama, by Thompson Tovvnsend. 
 T, P. Cooke was the original Ben Trenant. 
 
 Sir Charles Howard, and Captain Maydenblush, in "The Little Treasure." 
 
 Charles, in "The Lottery Ticket." Farce, by Samuel Beazley. Drury Lane, 
 December 13, 1826. 
 
 Squire Chase, also Charles Maydew, in "Luke the Labourer." Drama, by J. B. 
 Buckstone. 
 
 Malcolm Graeme, in a drama adapted from Sir Walter Scott's poem, "The Lady 
 of the Lake." 
 
 Henry Wentworth, in "The Last Man.'' Drama, by George Dibdln Pitt. 
 
 Lord Darnley, Earl Lumley, and Will Elliott, in "Lord Darnley." Drama, by 
 T. E. Wilks. Surrey, September 11, 1837. 
 
 Louis, in "Like and Unlike." Drama, by J. M. Langford and W. J. Sorrell. 
 Adelphi, April 9, 1856. 
 
 Phillip Amory, in "The Lamplighter.'' 
 
 Neville, also Waller, in "The Love Chase." Comedy, by J. S. Knowles. Hay- 
 market, 1837. 
 
 Sparkler, in "Little Dorrit." 
 
 Dazzle, also Charles Courtly, in "London Assurance.'' Play, by Dion Bouci- 
 cault. Covent Garden, March 4, 1841. 
 
 Ulrick, in "Love." Play, by J. S. Knowles. Covent Garden, 1839. 
 
 The Wolf, in a pantomime, " Little Bo-Peep." 
 
 Andr^, in "Lufille." Drama, by Bayle Bernard. Lyceum, April 4, 1836. 
 
 Gustave de Grignon, in " The Ladies' Battle." 
 
 Lorain, in " The Lost Husband." Drama, adapted from the French, by Charles 
 Reade. Strand, April 26, 1852. 
 
 Lord Lyndsay, also Jasper Drysdale, in " Mary Queen of Scots. Historical 
 drama, by William H. Murray. Edinburgh, October 3, 1825. 
 
 Layton, Rosse, Banquo, and Macduff, in Shakespeare's " Macbeth." 
 
 Jupiter, in " Midas." Burlesque, by Kane O'Hara. Covent Garden, 1764. 
 
 Captain Gasconade, in "The Mysterious Stranger." 
 
 Salarino, also Bassanio, in Shakespeare's "The Merchant of Venice." 
 
 Adrien, in " Music hath Charms." 
 
 Oakheart, in " My Poll and my Partner Joe." 
 
 Brozzo, and Gianetto Sampiero, in " Matteo Falcone.'' Drama, adapted from the 
 French, by W. H. Oxberiy, English Opera House (Lyceum Theatre), June 6, 
 1836. 
 
 Philip D'Arville, in " Michael Erie." Drama, by T. E. Wilks. Surrey, Decem- 
 ber 26, 1839. 
 
 Jason, in "Medea." 
 
 De Ferney, in " Memoirs of the Devil." 
 
 Algernon, in the " Maid with the Milking-Pail." Comic drama, by J. B. Buckstone. 
 
 Mr. Frederick Younghusband, also Mr, Lionel Lynx, in Buckstone's comedy 
 " Married Life." 
 
 Maxwell, in " Mother and Child are Doing Well." Farce, by J. M. Morton. 
 
 Antoine Deval, in " The Midnight Watch." Drama, by J. M. Morton. 
 
i8s6-S9J HIS PARTS IN EDINBURGH. 27 
 
 Henry Desgrais, in Buckstone's farce, " Mischief-Making." 
 
 Briefless, in " The Middle Temple." Farce, by R. B. Peake. English Opera 
 House, July, 1828. 
 
 Captain Dudley Smooth, in " Money." Comedy, by Lord Lytton. Haymarket, 
 1840. 
 
 Markland, in " Marie Ducange." Drama, by Bayle Bernard. Haymarket, May 
 29, 1841. 
 
 Snarl, also Soaper, in " Masks and Faces." Comedy, by Charles Reade and 
 Tom Taylor. Haymarket, 1852. 
 
 Mowbray, in "Mind Your Own Business." Drama, by Mark Lemon. Hay- 
 market, April 24, 1852. 
 
 Selva, in " Masaniello." Burlesque, by Robert B. Brough. 
 
 Edward Waverley, in " My Wife's Mother. " Farce, by Charles Mathews. 
 
 Mr. Tonnish, in "The Middy Ashore." Farce, by Bayle Bernard. English 
 Opera House, May 23, 1836. 
 
 James Greenfield, in "The Momentous Question." Drama, by Edward Fitzball. 
 Lyceum, June 17, 1844. 
 
 Egerton, in "The Man of the World." Comedy, by Charles Macklin. First 
 acted in Ireland, in 1764, under the title of "The True-Born Scotchman." Its per- 
 formance in London was prohibited through the prejudice of Mr. Capell, the sub- 
 licenser of the Theatres Royal. At the time of this gentleman's death the manuscript 
 had lain at the Lord Chamberlain's office for ten years. The license for its perform- 
 ance was eventually granted upon the alteration of its title. It was produced at 
 Covent Garden on May 10, 1781, Macklin, of course, acting Sir Pertinax Macsyco- 
 phant. 
 
 Mr. Langford, in Maddison Morton's farce, "My Precious Betsy." 
 
 Count de Provence, in an adaptation of Giacometti's " Marie Antoinette." 
 
 Frederick de Courcy, in "The Marble Heart." Romance, by Charles Selby. 
 Adelphi, May 22, 1854. 
 
 Wrangle, in "The Man with the Carpet Bag." Farce, by Gilbert Abbot 
 A'Beckett. 
 
 Herbert Manifest, in " Marriage a Lottery." Comedy, by Charles Dance. 
 
 Don Pedro, in "The Muleteer of Toledo." Drama, by J. M. Morton. 
 
 The Marquis de Brancador, in " Mephistopheles." Extravaganza, by Robert 
 Brough and Sutherland Edwards. 
 
 Fabian Leslie, in "The Miller of Whetstone." Farce, by T. E. Wilks. 
 
 John Brush, in " Mr. and Mrs. Pringle." Farce, by Don T. de Treuba Cosio. 
 
 Secretary Sampson, in " The May Queen." 
 
 Captain Touchwood, in "My Aunt's Husband." Farce, by Charles Selby. 
 
 Lieutenant Bowling, in "The Milliner's Holiday." Farce, by J. M. Morton. 
 
 Gaston de Montclar, in "Marianne the Vivandi^re.'' Drama, by L. Phillips. 
 
 Fernando, in "The Maid and the Magpie." Burlesque, by Henry J. Byron. 
 Strand, October 11, 1858. 
 
 George, in "The Miller's Maid." Melodrama, by John Faucit Saville. 
 
 D'Aubigne, in " The Man with the Iron Mask." Adaptation, by W. J. Lucas. 
 
 Captain Burnish, in " The Nervous Man." Farce, by Bayle Bernard. 
 
 Flipper, in "Number One, Round the Corner." Farce, by William Brough. 
 
 Ned O'Grady, in "Norah Creina." Drama, by Edward Stirling. 
 
 Marquis de Treval, in " Not a Bad Judge." Comic drama, by J. R. Planchd 
 
28 HENRY IRFING. [chap. ii. 
 
 Nicholas, also Mantellini, in a, dramatic version of Charles Dickens' " Nicholas 
 Nickleby." 
 
 The Duke de Vendome, in " Nothing Venture, Nothing Win." Farce, by J. 
 Stirling Coyne. 
 
 Sydenham Simmerton, in "An Object of Interest." Farce, by J. H. Stocqueler. 
 
 Charles Benedict, in "The Old Gentleman." Farce, by Benjamin Webster. 
 Olympic, November 19, 1832. 
 
 Monks, in a dramatic version of Charles Dickens' " Oliver Twist." 
 
 Henry Seymour, in "Our Gal." Farce, by S. D. Johnson. 
 
 Montano, the Messenger, and Cassio, in Shakespeare's "Othello." 
 
 Hal Harsfield, in "The Ocean of Life." Nautical drama, by J. T. Haines. 
 Surrey, April 4, 1836. T. P. Cooke was the original Mat Merriton. 
 
 Frederick, in " Old Joe and Young Joe." Farce, by John Courtney. 
 
 Marquis de Ligny, in " Our Wife." Comic drama, by J. M. Morton. 
 
 Colonel Albert, in " Our Mary Anne." Farce, by J. B. Buckstone. 
 
 Lieutenant Fusile, also Mr. Somerhill, in " P. P. ; or. The Man and the Tiger.'' 
 Farce, by Tom Parry. Adelphi, October 21, 1833. 
 
 Berthier, also De Cevennes, in " Plot and Passion." Drama, by Tom Taylor. 
 Olympic, October 17, 1853. 
 
 Camillo, in " Perdita ; or, The Royal Milkmaid." Burlesque, by William Brough. 
 Lyceum, September 15, 1856. The author played Pollxenes in the first performance 
 of this piece, making his first appearance on the stage in that character. Toole, as 
 Autolycus, and Miss Marie Wilton (Mrs. Bancroft), as Perdita, were also in the 
 original cast. 
 
 Leander, in "The Padlock." Comic opera, by Isaac Bickerstaffe, music by 
 Charles Dibdin; the plot is taken from Cervantes' novel, "The Jealous Husband." 
 
 Lieutenant Griffiths, the Captain, and the Pilot, in "The Pilot." Nautical 
 drama, by Edward Fitzball, founded on J. Fenimore Cooper's novel of the same 
 name. 
 
 Harry Stanley, in " Paul Pry." Comedy, by John Poole. Haymarket, September 
 13, 1825. 
 
 Henry, in "Paddy Miles' Boy." 
 
 Dubois, in " Peter Bell, the Waggoner." Drama, by J. B. Buckstone. 
 
 Charles Paragon, in " Perfection." Comedietta, by Thomas Haynes Bayly. Drury 
 Lane, March 15, 1830. This piece was dedicated to the Marchioness of Londonderry, 
 who acted Kate O'Brien in " Perfection," on January 1, 1831, in some Christmas 
 festivities given at Drakelow. 
 
 Lister, in "The Patrician's Daughter." Tragedy, by Westland Marston. Drury 
 Lane, December 10, 1842. 
 
 An Ogre, and also a Demon, in " Puss in Boots." Pantomime. 
 
 Minos, in " Pluto and Proserpine. " Burlesque, by Francis Talfourd. 
 
 Rosanne, in " Perourou, the Bellows Mender, and the Beauty of Lyons." 
 Drama, by W. T. Moncrieff. Sadler's Wells, February 7, 1842. 
 
 Sir George, in "A Pleasant Neighbour." Farce, by Mrs. Eliza Planche. 
 
 Colonel Parzi, in " A Prince for an Hour.'' Farce, by J. M. Morton. 
 
 Augustus Burr, in "The Porter's Knot." Drama, by John Oxenford. Olympic, 
 December 2, 1858. 
 
 Walter Warren, in " A Poor Girl's Temptation." 
 
 Charles Edward, in " Prince Charles Edward Stuart." 
 
I8S6-59-] HIS PARTS IN EDINBURGH. a 9 
 
 Lieutenant Wentworth, in "Queen Mary's Bower." Comedy, by J. R. Planche'. 
 Hay market, October lo, 1846. 
 
 Francis Osbaldiston, Rashleigh, and Rob Roy, in "Rob Roy." 
 
 Catesby, Henry VI., and Richmond, in Shakespeare's tragedy, " Richard III." 
 
 Paris, also Tybalt, in Shakespeare's tragedy, "Romeo and Juliet." 
 
 Carlos, in " The Revenge." Tragedy by Edward Young, LL.D. Druiy Lane, 
 1721. 
 
 De Lacy, in " Rory O'More.'' Drama, founded on Samuel Lover's romance of the 
 same name. 
 
 Holding, in "The Rendezvous." Farce, by Richard Ayton ; adapted from the 
 French. English Opera House, September 21, 1818. 
 
 Alonzo, also the Duke, in "Rule a Wife, and Have a Wife.'' Comedy, by John 
 Fletcher, 1640. 
 
 The Gamekeeper, also Alfred Highflyer, in "A Roland for an Oliver." Comic 
 drama, by Thomas Morton. 
 
 Raymond, also Jacques, in " Raymond and Agnes." 
 
 Charles, in " Robert Macaire." 
 
 Marquis de Preville, in " The Rival Pages.'' Farce, by Charles Selby. 
 
 Frinlan, also Baron Hoffman, in " The Rag-Picker of Paris." Drama, by 
 Edward Stirling. Surrey, June 23, 1847. 
 
 Cummin, in " King Robert the Bruce." Drama, by John Kerr and M. Corri. 
 
 Captain Nugent, in "The Rifle Brigade." 
 
 Orleans, also Louis XIII., in Lord Lytton's " Richelieu.'' 
 
 Unit, in " Rural Felicity." 
 
 Frank Floss, in " Raby Rattler." Drama, by Edward Stirling. 
 
 Captain Beaugard, in " The Review, or, The Wags of Windsor." Musical farce, by 
 George Colman, the Younger. Haymarket, September 2, i8oo. 
 
 Faulkland, also Captain Absolute, in " The Rivals." Comedy, by Richard Brinsley 
 Sheridan. Covent Garden, 1775. 
 
 Toby Heywood, in " The Rent Day." Drama, by Douglas Jerrold. 
 
 Jeremy, in " She Stoops to Conquer." Comedy, by Oliver Goldsmith. Covent 
 Garden, 1773. 
 
 Dunbilk, in " Still Waters Run Deep." Comedy, by Tom Taylor. Olympic, 
 May 14, 1853. 
 
 Count Wintersen, also Francis, in "The Stranger.'' Drama, altered from the 
 German, "Misanthropy and Repentance," of Augustus Von Kotzebue, by Benjamin 
 Thompson. Drury Lane, March 24, 1798. 
 
 M. de Rosamburt, in " The Somnambulist." Drama, by W. T. Moncrieff'. Covent 
 Garden, February 19, 1828. 
 
 Somerdyke, in " The Slave.'' Operatic drama, by Thomas Morton. 
 
 Andrew Hopley, in " Susan Hopley." Drama, by George Dibdin Pitt. 
 
 Frederick, in " The Scholar." Farce, by J. B. Buckstone. 
 
 Horace Mordaunt, in " Sixteen String Jack ; or. The Knaves of Knaves' Acre." 
 Drama, by T. E. Wilks. 
 
 Captain Shortcut, in " The Spitfire." Farce, by J. M. Morton. 
 
 Captain SpoS, in " Shocking Events." Farce, by J. B. Buckstone. 
 
 Darville, in "The Spitalfields Weaver." 
 
 Mr. Charles Chester, also Mr. Narcissus Boss, in " Single Life." Comedy by J. B. 
 Buckstone. 
 
so HENRY my IN G. [chap. ii. 
 
 Sandford, also Charles Franklin, in " Sweethearts and Wives." Comedy, by James 
 Kenney. Haymarket, July 7, 1823. 
 
 Dupuis, in " The Secret." 
 
 Captain Vauntington, also Mr. Nicodemus, in " The Spectre Bridegroom," Farce, 
 by W. T. Moncrieff. Drury Lane, July 2, 1821. 
 
 Frank Vincent, in " The Serious Family." 
 
 Henry Frampton, in " Sandy MacDonald." 
 
 Robert Vaughan, in " Saint Mary's Eve." Drama, by Bayle Bernard. Adelphi, 
 January 10, 1838. Madame Celeste made a great success in the character of the 
 heroine, Madeline, and the author dedicated the play to her. 
 
 Francis Baron Trenck, in " Saint Patrick's Eve." Drama, by Tyrone Power. 
 
 Calverton Hal, in " State Secrets." Farce, by T. E. Wilks. 
 
 Captain Vivid, in "The Siamese Twins." Farce, by G. A. A'Beckett. 
 
 Prince, in "The Sentinel." Musical burletta, by J. M. Morton. 
 
 Tagg, in "The Spoiled Child." Farce, produced at Drury Lane, on March 22, 
 1790, the benefit night of Dora Jordan, who then played Little Pickle. The author, 
 ship has been attributed to Mrs. Jordan, to John Ford, and to Isaac Bickerstaffe 
 respectively. When the farce was performed in Liverpool, in 1 790, it was repeatedly 
 advertised as the work of the latter gentleman. 
 
 Venoma, a spiteful fairy (a female part), in "The Sleeping Beauty." Pantomime. 
 
 Samuel, in " Samuel in Search of Himself." Farce, by J. Stirling Coyne, and H. 
 C. Coape. 
 
 Hans Moritz, in " Somebody Else. " Farce, by J. R. Planche. 
 
 Malfort, junr., also Frank Heartall, in "The Soldier's Daughter. Comedy, by 
 Andrew Cherry. Drury Lane, 1804. 
 
 Roslyn, in " Saint Clair of the Isles." 
 
 Lord Lovel, in " Spring Gardens." 
 
 Luke Brandon, in " Self- Accusation, or, A Brother's Love." Drama, by Mark Lemon. 
 
 Mr. Bromley, in " Simpson & Co." Farce, by John Poole. Drury Lane, January 
 4, 1823. 
 
 Charles Clinton, also Mathew Bates, in " Time Tries All." Drama, by John 
 Courtney. Olympic, September 4, 1848. 
 
 Delorme, in " 'Twas I." Farce, by John Howard Payne. Covent Garden, December 
 3, 1825. 
 
 Athos, in " The Three Musketeers." Drama, founded on the romance of the same 
 name, by Alexander Dumas. 
 
 Henry, in " Teddy the Tiler." Farce, by G. Herbert Ridwell. 
 
 Hortensio, Biondello, and Petruchio, in Shakespeare's comedy, "The Taming of 
 the Shrew." 
 
 Fontaine, in " Therfese ; or, The Orphan of Geneva." Drama, adapted from the 
 French, by J. H. Payne. 
 
 John Bull, in "The Two Gregories." Farce, adapted from the French, by Thomas 
 Dibdin. Surrey, Easter, 1821. 
 
 Philliput, in " The Trumpeter's Daughter." Farce, by J. Stirling Coyne. 
 
 Alfred, also Mat Ironhand, in "Tom Cringle." Drama, by Edward Fitzball. 
 Surrey, May 26, 1834. T. P. Cooke was the original Tom Cringle. 
 
 George Acorn, also Fenton, in " The Toodles." 
 
 Appius Claudius, and a Soldier, in "Virginius." Tragedy, by James Sheridan 
 Knowles. Covent Garden, 1820. 
 
i8s6-S9] LEAVES FOR LONDON. 31 
 
 Macaire, in " Victorine." Drama, by J. B. Buckstone. 
 
 Charles, in " The Virginia Mummy." 
 
 Mr. Herbert Fitzherbert, in "Victims." Comedy, by Tom Taylor. Haymarket, 
 July 8, 1857. 
 
 Maillard, in " The Vagrant." 
 
 Cleomenes, also Florizel, in " The Winter's Tale." 
 
 Michael, also Gesler, in "William Tell." Drama, by James Sheridan Knowles. 
 Drury Lane, May ii, 1825. 
 
 Monteith, in " Wallace : the Hero of Scotland." Drama, by William Barrymore. 
 
 Clanronald, in " Warlock of the Glen." Melodrama, by C. E. Walker. Covent 
 Garden, December 2, 1820. 
 
 Gregoire, Count de Cuissy, and Ronald, in " The Wandering Boys.'' Drama, by 
 John Kerr ; adapted from "Le Pelerin Blanc" of Piexerecourt Covent Garden, 
 February 24, 1814. 
 
 Walter Barnard, in " The Wreck Ashore." Drama, by J. B. Buckstone. 
 
 Frederick, in " The Woman Hater." Farce, by Bayle Bernard. 
 
 Count Florio, also Leonardo Gonzago, in ".The Wife : a Tale of Mantua." Play, 
 by James Sheridan Knowles. Covent Garden, 1833. 
 
 Don Lopez, also Don Scipio, in " Where There's a Will, There's a Way.'' Farce, 
 by J. M. Morton. 
 
 Charles Allison, in " The Wraith of the Lake." Drama, by J. T. Haines. 
 
 Tom Tipton, in "Wanted 1000 Spirited Young Milliners for the Gold Diggings ! " 
 Farce, by J. Stirling Coyne. Olympic, October 2, 1852. 
 
 Charles Chester, in " The Water Witches." Farce, by J. Stirling Coyne. 
 
 Frederick, in ' ' The Wonder : a Woman Keeps a Secret ! " Comedy, by Susanna 
 Centlivre. Drury Lane, April 27, 1714. 
 
 Sir Philip Elton, also Richard Oliver, in " The Writing on the Wall." Melodrama, 
 by Thomas and J. M. Morton. 
 
 Mr. Twitter, in " The Widow's Victim." Farce, by Charles Selby. 
 
 Arthur, in " The Young Scamp." Farce, by Edward Stirling. 
 
 Krakwitz, in " Your Life's in Danger." Farce, by J. M. Morton. 
 
 Frank Melrose, in " The Young Mother." Farce, by Charles Selby. 
 
 Having been but three years on the stage, and having under- 
 gone an experience such as cannot be obtained by a young actor 
 nowadays, the subject of this record left Edinburgh to fulfil his 
 first London engagement. 
 
( 32 ) 
 
 CHAPTER III. 
 
 SEPTEMBER s^iA, i8si)-i8j2. 
 
 His first appearance in London — Reads "Virginias'' and "The Lady of Lyons" at 
 Crosby Hall— Acts in Glasgow — Joins the company at the Theatre Royal, Man- 
 chester — Plays Hamlet for the first time in his career — Exposes the Davenport 
 Brothers — Plays Robert Macaire in Edinburgh, and Hamlet in Bury — Acts in 
 Birmingham, Liverpool, and Douglas — Returns to Liverpool, where he fulfils a 
 six months' engagement — Is the original Rawdon Scudamore in " Hunted 
 Down " — Obtains an engagement at the St. James's Theatre, and makes his first 
 appearance in London, as an actor of recognised merit, in the character of 
 Doricourt — Other parts played by him here — Acts in Paris — Plays for the first 
 time with Miss Ellen Terry, at the Queen's Theatre — Other parts performed by 
 him at the Queen's Theatre — Plays at the Haymarket Theatre, at Dniry Lane, 
 and at the Gaiety — Plays Digby Grant for the first time — Recites " The Dream 
 of Eugene Aram " — His acting commended by Mr. Bateman — Is engaged for 
 the Lyceum Theatre — Acts Landry Barbeau, Jingle, and Mathias — The critics 
 unanimous in praising his Mathias— Long run of " The Bells"— Lord Lytton 
 on his acting — Flays Jeremy Diddler — End of the Season. 
 
 T T ENRY IRVING made his first appearance in London on 
 *- ■*■ September a4th, 1859, at the Princess's Theatre, in "Ivy 
 Hall," an adaptation by Mr. John Oxenford of Octave Feuillet's 
 drama, " Le Roman d'un Jeune Homme Pauvre.'' But he had only 
 six lines to speak in the opening part of a four-act play. There 
 was not much promise in such a beginning for an ambitious 
 young man, who had come up to London with great hopes, and 
 with the plaudits of Edinburgh ringing in his ears, so he asked 
 the manager to relieve him from his three years' engagement. 
 The manager advised him to stay, but Irving persisted, being 
 determined not to act in the metropolis again until he could 
 
^xSJ^.^tc.^*^)^^-^ 
 
 IRVING AS PHILIP ("PHILIP.") 
 
i860.] READS AT CROSBY HALL. 33 
 
 command the attention of the London public, and so he went 
 back to the country and worked and waited. 
 
 Before leaving London, however, he gave two readings at 
 Crosby Hall to a number of friends who had shared his disap- 
 pointment at the Princess's, and were eager for some real illus- 
 tration of his powers. The plays chosen were "The Lady of 
 Lyons" on December ipth, and "Virginias" on February 8th, 
 i860. It is noteworthy that one critic was impressed even then 
 by " the finer indefinite something which proves incontestably and 
 instantaneously, that the fire of genius is present in the artist." 
 The principal London newspapers gave an approving verdict, as 
 is shown by the following notices : — 
 
 " The reading was characterised by considerable ability, and showed a 
 correct appreciation of the several characters, and of the spirit of the 
 dramatist. Mr. Irving possesses a good voice, and combines with it 
 dramatic powers of no mean order, and judging from his performance on 
 this occasion, he is likely to make a name for himself in the profession he 
 has chosen. The play ('The Lady of Lyons'), owing to the number of 
 characters to be represented, severely taxes the powers of a reader, but Mr. 
 Irving acquitted himself well, and sustained the interest of the story 
 throughout. His conception of the several parts, and the ease and natu- 
 ralness with which he passed from one scene to another, evinced careful 
 study, as well as taste and discrimination." — " The Daily Telegraph," 
 December 20th, 1859. 
 
 " If Mr. Irving's reading on the stage is as effective as it was in Crosby 
 Hall, we may predict for him a .brilliant and deserved success, for his con- 
 ception is good, his delivery is clear and effective, and there is a gentle- 
 manly ease and grace in his manner, which is exceedingly pleasing to an 
 audience. Towards the end of the performance, when Claude Melnotte, 
 under the name of Mourier, had his last interview with Pauline, the audience 
 became deeply affected, and from some parts of the hall, sobs were dis- 
 tinctly audible. At the close, an enthusiastic burst of applause rewarded 
 him as he retired, and was continued until he again made his appearance 
 on the platform and acknowledged the compliment." — " The Standard," 
 December zist, 1852. 
 
 c 
 
34 HENRY IRVING. [chap. hi. 
 
 The same journal of February 9th, i860, says of his reading 
 of " Virginius " : — 
 
 " To keep the attention of an audience while reading a five act play, is 
 in itself a herculean task, to which, however, Mr. Irving showed himself 
 to be perfectly competent. . . . We are of opinion that if this gentleman 
 attempts a wider sphere of action on the stage, he will have a most suc- 
 cessful career." 
 
 On April 7th, i860, Irving joined the company of Mr. Edmund 
 Glover, at the Theatre Royal, Glasgow, where he remained until, 
 in September, he obtained an engagement at the Theatre Royal, 
 Manchester. Here he played till April ist, 1865, and amongst the 
 artists he supported were Mr. Edwin Booth, Mr. E. A. Sothern, 
 Mr. Charles Mathews, Mr. Dion Boucicault, Mr. G. V. Brooke, 
 Mr. and Mrs. "W. J. Florence, and Miss Heath. In the course 
 of this engagement two incidents occurred which are specially note- 
 worthy. On June 20th, 1864, Irving played Hamlet, for the first 
 time, for his benefit. It was a striking impersonation even then, and 
 those who came to scoff remained to praise. Friends who had been 
 a little merry about so daring an experiment now began seriously 
 to predict great things for the young actor. But his next stroke 
 was made in quite a different field. In conjunction with his 
 friends Mr. Frederick Maccabe and Mr. Phillip Day, Irving 
 exposed the notorious " Davenport Brothers," then in the height 
 of their successful career of fraud — first in the Library Hall of the 
 Manchester Athenaeum, and afterwards, by public desire, in the 
 Free Trade Hall. The proceeds of these performances were 
 devoted to charities, and the venture was so successful that the 
 manager of the theatre used pressure to induce Irving to repeat 
 it on the stage ; but he firmly declined to make capital out of 
 the success at the expense of his art, and so lost his engagement. 
 
i866.] LONDON AGAIN. 35 
 
 A full account of this interesting episode will be found in the 
 Appendix (page 80). 
 
 It may be of interest to note that the summer of 1865 was 
 occupied with an engagement at the Prince of Wales' Operetta 
 House, Edinburgh, where he played Robert Macaire; a tour in 
 smaller towns, as at Bury, where he played Hamlet, and a five 
 weeks' engagement at Oxford. From early in September to 
 November, he played in Birmingham, at the Prince of Wales' 
 Theatre, and from November to the middle of the following 
 January, he appeared at the St. James's Hall, Liverpool, in " The 
 Dark Cloud;" in " East Lynne," at the Prince of Wales' Theatre, 
 in the same city, and at Douglas, Isle of Man. From January 
 15th, 1866, to July a8th, he played at the Prince of Wales' 
 Theatre, Liverpool, under the management of Mr. Alexander 
 Henderson. The Liverpool public soon discovered that an actor 
 of no ordinary ability was amongst them, and he at once became 
 a great favourite with them. The short vacations of this engage- 
 ment were filled up with readings in Liverpool and Manchester. 
 
 Irving then transferred his services to the Prince's Theatre, 
 Manchester, and here occurred one of the turning points of his 
 career. He joined a company organised by Mr. Dion Boucicault, 
 making a stipulation that, should he prove successful in the 
 country, he should have a London engagement. His opportunity 
 for distinction came on Monday, July 30th, 1866, in the produc- 
 tion of Mr. Boucicault's drama, "The Two Lives of Mary Leigh," 
 in which Miss Kate Terry originally played the heroine. In this 
 play, Irving acted the adventurer, Rawdon Scudamore, with com- 
 plete success. So great was the impression made that the actor 
 immediately had two London theatres at his command, the one 
 offered by Mr. Tom Taylor, and the other by Mr. Boucicault. 
 
36 HENRY IRFING. [chap. m. 
 
 London was now open to the young comedianj and on 
 Saturday, October 6th, 1866, at the St. James's Theatre, Henry 
 Irving made his appearance as an actor of recognised standing 
 in the character of Doricourt in Mrs. Cowley's comedy, "The 
 Belle's Stratagem." The Letitia Hardy of the occasion was 
 Mjss Herbert. Mr. Walter Lacy appeared as Flutter, and 
 Mr, and Mrs. Frank Mathews were also in the cast. Irving 
 was also the stage manager for Miss Herbert. On November 
 5th of this year, " The Two Lives of Mary Leigh " was produced 
 for the first time in London, at the St. James's, under the title 
 of " Hunted Down." Irving resumed his original character of 
 Rawdon Scudamore, and the drama had a successful run. It 
 was succeeded, on February 9th, 1867, by a revival of Thomas 
 Holcroft's comedy, "The Road to Ruin," Irving playing Harry 
 Dornton. This was followed, on March 3rd, by a comedy in 
 two acts taken from Victorien Sardou's " Le Degel," by the late 
 T. W. Robertson, entitled " A Rapid Thaw." In this play Irving 
 , acted a fortune-hunting Irishman named O'Hoolagan. Then 
 came a revival of " The School for Scandal," with Irving as 
 Joseph Surface, and Sheridan's comedy was in turn succeeded 
 by " Robert Macaire," Irving appearing as Macaire. On April 
 aand, " Idalia; or. The Adventurers," a drama by George Roberts, 
 partly founded on Ouida's novel, was produced at the St. James's, 
 Irving acting Count Falcon. On July 8th, he acted at the 
 Thdatre des Italiens, Paris, with Mr. E. A. Sothern. In Septem- 
 ber he was again at the St. James's, with Mr. John S. Clarke, 
 playing Felix Featherley, in " A Widow Hunt," and Ferment, in 
 Thomas Morton's " The School of Reform." On December 
 a6th, at the Queen's Theatre, in Long Acre, he appeared for the 
 first time with Miss Ellen Terry, acting Petruchio to her Katharine. 
 
IRVING AS MACBETH. 
 
1868-69.] AT THE QUEEN'S THEATRE. 37 
 
 On January 8th, 1868, he played Bob Gassitt in the first perfor- 
 mance of Mr. Henry J. Byron's drama, " Dearer than Life." The 
 play ran successfully for three months, and, on April nth, Irving 
 acted Bill Sykes in a dramatic version of " Oliver Twist." His 
 benefit at the Queen's Theatre took place on June 1st, when he 
 acted Charles Surface in "The School for Scandal." In the cast 
 were also Mr. W. H. Stephens as Sir Peter Teazle, Mr. E. Dyas as 
 Sir Oliver Surface, Mr. John Clayton as Sir Benjamin Backbite, 
 Mr. Alfred Wigan as Joseph Surface, Mr. Lionel Brough as Crab- 
 tree, Mr. J. L. Toole as Moses, Miss Nelly Moore as Lady Teazle, 
 Miss Henrietta Hodson as Lady Sneerwell, and Mrs. Alfred 
 Wigan as Mrs. Candour. On the 5th of the same month he 
 appeared at the Haymarket Theatre, as Cool, in " London 
 Assurance," at an afternoon performance given in aid of the 
 Royal Dramatic College. On July 8th, Irving acted Faulkland 
 in "The Rivals," for Mr. Alfred Wigan's benefit, and on the 
 34th of the same month he made a success as Robert Redburn 
 in the first performance in London of Mr. Henry J. Byron's 
 drama, "The Lancashire Lass" (first acted at the Amphitheatre, 
 now the Court, Liverpool, on October 38th, 1867). This piece 
 ran until the beginning of the following year, and on February 
 13th, 1869, Irving played Robert Arnold in the first performance 
 of Watts Phillip's drama, " Not Guilty." On March 15th, for the 
 benefit of Mr. Lionel Brough, he acted Young Marlow in Gold- 
 smith's comedy, "She Stoops to Conquer," Miss Heath represent- 
 ing Miss Hardcastle. On the 19th of the same month, for his own 
 benefit, he appeared as Henri de Neuville in " Plot and Passion," 
 being supported by Mrs. Hermann Vezin as Marie de Fontanges, 
 Mr J. L. Toole as Desmarets, Mr. Sam Emery as Fouch^, and 
 Mr. Lionel Brough as Grisboulle. 
 
38 HENRY IRVING. [chap, m 
 
 Leaving the Queen's Theatre, Irving played, on July lath, at 
 the Haymarket Theatre, the character of Captain Robert Fitz- 
 herbert, in the first performance of a play produced by Miss Amy 
 Sedgwick, entitled, " All for Money." ' He then joined the 
 company at Drury Lane, where, on August 5th, he impersonated 
 Compton Kerr in the first performance of Mr. Dion Boucicault's 
 drama, " Formosa." This play was performed for one hundred 
 and seventeen nights. On December 13th, at the Gaiety 
 Theatre, in the first representation of " Uncle Dick's Darling," 
 Irving created a great impression by his pourtrayal of Mr. 
 Chevenix. 
 
 At the Vaudeville Theatre, then under the management of 
 Messrs. H. J. Montague, David James, and Thomas Thome, Mr. 
 James Albery's three-act comedy, "Two Roses," was produced 
 on June 4th, 1870, Irving playing- Digby Grant, the pompous, 
 vain, shallow, shifty old father, with a varied art which made 
 everybody regard the impersonation as a masterpiece of acting. 
 Few suspected the existence of those qualities which were des- 
 tined to make his Digby Grant comparatively insignificant. 
 One observant critic had a glimpse of what was coming. " That 
 man should play Richelieu," said Mr. Bateman one night at 
 the Vaudeville, though he little thought that some three years 
 later his opinion would be amply justified on the stage of his own 
 theatre. But there was to be a remarkable experience before 
 Richelieu was reached, and the first inkling of it wap given when, 
 on the 391st night of "Two Roses," Mr. Irving recited "The 
 Dream of Eugene Arami" It was an experiment on which 
 much depended, for its success confirmed the actor's confidence 
 in a new power, of which he was soon to ^ve a proof that 
 startled the play-going world. 
 
1871.] PLAYS MATHIAS FOR THE FIRST TIME. 39 
 
 In 1871, the Lyceum Theatre, after many vicissitudes, passed 
 into the hands of Mr. H. L. Bateman, who afterwards became 
 one of our actor's staunchest friends. Here Mr. Irving appeared 
 on September nth, as Landry Barbeau in " Fanchette," an 
 adaptation from a German version of George Sands' novel of 
 "La Petite Fadette." The part of Fanchette introduced Miss 
 Isabel Bateman to the stage. This piece was replaced, on 
 October 23rd, by Mr. James Albery's "Pickwick," in which 
 Mr. Irving presented a singularly clever embodiment of the 
 famous Alfred Jingle. The time was now ripe for the 
 unexpected and triumphant success which came a month later 
 in the production of "The Bells," which caused an amount 
 of excitement that in those days was rare amongst play-goers. 
 It was felt that an actor of great tragic power had been dis- 
 covered in Mr. Henry Irving. His performance of Mathias was 
 so vivid and intense an impersonation that it fascinated every 
 spectator. 
 
 " Le Juif Polonais," a dramatic study by M.M. Erckmann- 
 
 Chatrain, was not originally intended for representation on the 
 
 stage. It first appeared in the "Romans Populaires," and a 
 
 dramatic version of the story was produced at the Theatre 
 
 Cluny, Paris, in 1859. "The Bells" was the title of the 
 
 English version prepared by Mr. Leopold Lewis for production 
 
 at the Lyceum on November a5th, 1871. Of Mr. Irving's 
 
 impersonation in this play, Mr. Oxenford, in "The Times," 
 
 remarked : — 
 
 " It will be obvious to every reader that the efficiency of this singular 
 play depends almost wholly upon the actor who represents Mathias. . . . 
 Mr. Irving has thrown the whole force of his mind into the character, and 
 works out, bit by bit, the concluding hours of a life passed in a constant 
 effort to preserve a cheerful exterior, with a conscience tortured till it has 
 
40 HENRY IRVING. [chap. iii. 
 
 become a monomania. It is a marked peculiarity of the moral position of 
 Mathias that he has no confidant, that he is not subjected to the extortions 
 of some mercenary wretch who would profit by his knowledge. He is at 
 once in two worlds,- between which there is no link — an outer world- that is 
 ever smiling, an inner world which is a purgatory. Hence a dreaminess 
 in his manner which Mr. Irving accurately represents in his frequent 
 transitions from a display of the domestic affections to the fearful work of 
 self-communion. In the dream his position is changed. The outer world 
 is gone, and conscience is all-triumphant, assisted by an imagination which 
 violently brings together the anticipated terrors of a criminal court and the 
 mesmeric feats he has recently witnessed. The struggles of the miserable 
 culprit, convinced that all is lost, but desperately fighting against hope, 
 rebelling against the judges, protesting against the clairvoyant who wrings 
 his secret from him, are depicted by Mr. Irving with a degree of energy 
 that, fully realising the horror of the situation, seems to hold the audience 
 in suspense. It was not till the curtain fell, and they summoned the actor 
 before it with a storm of approbation, that they seemed to recover their 
 self-possession.'' 
 
 All the critics were unanimous in praising Mr. Irving's 
 Mathias, Mr. Dutton Cook observing that " acting at once so 
 intelligent and so intense had not been seen on the London stage 
 for many years." " The Bells " was so successful, that it was 
 performed for one hundred and fifty-one consecutive times, the 
 run ending on May 17th, 187a. 
 
 Amongst the other admirers of Mr. Irving's Mathias, at this 
 time, was the late Lord Lytton, who wrote that his performance 
 was "too admirable not to be appreciated by every competent 
 judge of art, It will," he added, " be a sure good fortune to any 
 dramatic author to obtain his representation in some leading part 
 worthy of his study, and suited to his powers." And the late 
 Miss • Adelaide Kemble (Mrs. E. T. Sartoris) wrote, that he 
 reminded her vividly of the most famous members of her 
 family, and frequently urged him to devote himself to the higher 
 drama. 
 
IRVING AS PHILIP ("QUEEN MARY.") 
 
J872.] PLAYS JEREMY DIDDLER. ' 41 
 
 James Kenney's farce, " Raising the Wind/' was placed in the 
 bills, in conjunction with "The Bells/' on April ist, 1873. This 
 piece was first acted at Co vent Garden in 1803, and not a little 
 of its success was due to the part of Jeremy Diddler being played 
 by " Gentleman " Lewis. Mr. Irving was pronounced inimitable 
 in this character. His first season at the Lyceum terminated on 
 May 17th, 1872. 
 
( 42 ) 
 
 CHAPTER IV. 
 
 SEPTEMBER 28th, 1872-1876. 
 
 Acts Charles the First— His Eugene Aram— His Richelieu— His Philip (in Mr. 
 Hamilton Aide's play)— Plays Hamlet— His Macbeth— His Othello— His Philip 
 (in "Queen Mary") — Plays Joseph Surface for Mr. Buckstone's benefit— Acts 
 Doricourt again — Miss Helen Faucit plays lolanthe for his benefit — End of the 
 season with ' ' Hamlet. '' 
 
 "O ETURNING to London in the autumn of the same year 
 -^ ^ (187a), Mr. Irving reappeared at the Lyceum Theatre on 
 September a8th as Charles the First in the historical tragedy of 
 that name by Mr. W. G. Wills. 
 
 " Charles the First " is in four acts, and is written in blank 
 verse, which is remarkable " for its vigorous and resonant English, 
 for fervour of expression, and much felicity of thought." Of a 
 very different calibre from any other prominent part which Irving 
 had yet played in London, his Charles was a great surprise, and 
 called forth loud praise from the principal critics, and equally 
 warm admiration from the general public. The more important 
 points of the interpretation were thus summed up in "The 
 Times " : — 
 
 " The problem proposed to Mr. Irving was solved to the satisfaction of 
 all beholders. On his first appearance in the garden a burst of applause 
 rose on every side. There were the same gaunt figure, the lank face, the 
 sharply cut features, the long hair parted in the middle, with which every- 
 body is familiar ; a painting of Vandyck's seemed to have started living 
 from its frame. The careless play of Charles with the children, to whom 
 he recited the ballad of King Lear, while WEirned by the Queen of impend- 
 
i873] PLAYS EUGENE ARAM. 43 
 
 ing peril, was most natural ; his flashes of indignation during the interview 
 with Cromwell electrified the house ; a very fine speech at the end of the 
 third act, in which he likens the traitorous Scot, Lord Moray, to Judas, 
 was delivered with withering force ; and the last farewell to the Queen, 
 the grouping of which was apparently copied from the ' Huguenots ' of Mr. 
 Millais, could not be excelled in sustained pathos." 
 
 The critic of "The Daily Telegraph" pointed out that if 
 " Charles the First " should ever have any hold upon the public, 
 its success would be principally owing to the finished and excellent 
 acting of Irving as the King : — 
 
 " To say that Mr. Irving has never done anything better is but faint 
 praise, and conveys to the reader but a trivial idea of the treat that may 
 be in store for him. Physically gifted for such an attempt, it almost ap- 
 pears, as the character is unfolded, that to play Charles was the realisation 
 of the actor's ambition. A careful avoidance of over-emphasis is every- 
 where noticeable in such strong scenes as exist, and the impersonation 
 from first to last is stamped with a dignity and refinement most welcome 
 to behold. But to the critic, accustomed to watch carefully for nice points of 
 expression and subtlety of thought, the acting of this character is most 
 noticeable on account of its being an instance of careful and reflective 
 study. An actor, if he would truly act, should do far more than is set 
 down for him. He should express hidden thought, as well as say given 
 words. We are not saying that the conception of the character is a right 
 one or a wrong one. We have nothing to do with the historical side of 
 the question ; but this we do say, that the dignified passion of the second 
 scene with Cromwell, the melancholy and incisive pathos of the third with 
 Moray, and the intricate elaboration of manly sorrow in the fourth with his 
 wife, render Mr. Irving's Charles a most interesting study,' and most wel- 
 come specimen of acting." 
 
 The success of " Charles the First " was great, the play 
 running for one hundred and eighty nights to crowded houses. 
 The next piece set forth in the Lyceum bills was also by Mr. W. 
 G. Wills, and was entitled " The Fate of Eugene Aram." This 
 drama, produced on April 19th, 1873, ^^^ i"^ three acts, it 
 was compressed into one when revived at the Lyceum on 
 
44 HENRY IRVING. [chap. iv. 
 
 July 19th, 1883. To the same subject Hood devoted one 
 of his most powerful poems, and Lord Lytton wrote not 
 only a novel about Eugene Aram, but also two acts of a poetic 
 tragedy. Soon after the appearance of Lord Lytton's story in 
 1831, dramatic versions of the novel were placed on the stage, 
 and have since been revived at not unfrequent intervals. In Mr. 
 Wills' play the notable differences from Lord Lytton's story are 
 that a stronger reason is assigned for the murder of Clark than 
 in the novel, and that Eugene Aram dies of remorse. Though 
 the nature of the part closely resembled that of Mathias, Mr. 
 Irving found in Eugene Aram ample opportunity for powerful 
 expression of character. One of the chief scenes in the play is 
 that in which Aram defies his old accomplice. Houseman, and 
 the change from the quiet, thoughtful manner of the schoolmaster 
 to that of the fierce, subtle, determined man, was admirably repre- 
 sented. "In the concluding scenes," said "The Spectator," in 
 April, 1873, "one, in which he sends Houseman flying from the 
 churchyard at the sight of his suffering; a second, in which, in 
 accents of heartrending grief and contrition, he implores Heaven 
 for a sign of pardon, and flings himself down by a cross, the 
 white, mute, impersonation of mental despair and physical 
 exhaustion ; and a third, in which he makes confession to Ruth 
 and dies — the play of his features, the variety and intensity of 
 his expression, are most remarkable." 
 
 The autumn season of 1873 commenced on September 27th 
 with a revival of Lord Lytton's play, " Richelieu." This piece 
 was first acted at Covent Garden on March 7th, 1839, Macready 
 being the manager. This was Lord Lytton's third essay as a 
 dramatist, " The Lady of Lyons " having been brought out 
 successfully during the previous season, two years after "The 
 
IRVING AS RICHARD III. 
 
i873] HIS RICHELIEU. 45 
 
 Duchess de Valli^re" had failed. Macready was, of course, the 
 original representative of Richelieu, and Miss Helen Faucit was 
 the first Julie de Mortemar. In his impersonation of the 
 Cardinal, Mr. Irving naturally challenged comparison with Mac- 
 ready, and the knowledge of the ordeal he was about to undergo 
 somewhat marred the effect of his first performance. But even on 
 the first night the figure of Richelieu — aged in body, but with 
 his intellect as keen, his will as unbending, and his sense of the 
 humorous as bright as ever — was most impressive. " The parti- 
 cular art of the tragedian," wrote Mr. John Oxenford, " save in 
 the case of veterans who wore the laurels gained in an earlier 
 part of their career, has not been of late the instrument by which 
 great theatrical success has been obtained in London. The time 
 when the mere expression of tragical emotions was sufficient to 
 awaken the strong sympathies of vast multitudes — the time when 
 Edmund Kean was able to say, 'The pit rose at me,' — seemed 
 to have gone never to return, and such a demonstration as that 
 which was made on the first night of ' Richelieu ' at the Lyceum 
 could not have been anticipated by the most sanguine amongst 
 the hopeful. Mr. Irving's proficiency in making himself up into 
 the semblance of an historical personage, as shown in Charles I., 
 is again shown in Richelieu. The face, the manner, the attitudes, 
 all give evidence of thought and study. The elocution in the 
 earlier scenes is even and well sustained, and the apostrophe to 
 France, with which the first act terminates, is all that could be 
 desired. The passing regret over bygone strength, which is 
 expressed more by gesture than by words, when Richelieu finds 
 himself unable to lift the sword he had wielded in his youth, is 
 subtly given. But the actor reserves the plenitude of his power 
 for the fourth act His defence of Julie when the minions of the 
 
46 HENRY IRFING. [chap. iv. 
 
 king would snatch her from his arms, the weight of sacerdotal 
 authority with which he threatens to ' launch the curse of Rome ' 
 on her assailants, his self-transformation into the semblance of a 
 Hebrew prophet of the olden time, with whom imprecations are 
 deeds, combine together to produce the most astounding effect. 
 Here is tragic acting in the grandest style, and it will be borne 
 in mind that although ' Richelieu ' is not a tragedy, it belongs to 
 the tragical category, as none can do justice to it but a tragedian. 
 The conclusion of the act gave the signal, as it were, for the 
 scene to which we have above referred. The old-fashioned excite- 
 ment which we associate with the days of Edmund Kean and the 
 ' wolves ' was manifested once more in all its pristine vigour. 
 Enthusiastic shouts of approbation came from all parts of the 
 house. The pit not only rose, but made its rising conspicuous 
 by the waving of countless hats and handkerchiefs. Not bare 
 approval, but hearty sympathy, was denoted by this extraor- 
 dinary demonstration, and this sympathy nothing but genius 
 and thorough self-abandonment on the part of the artist could 
 have produced." The success of Mr. Irving's Richelieu was 
 complete, and the play ran for one hundred and twenty nights. 
 
 It was succeeded on February yth, 1874, by "Philip," an 
 original romantic drama, in four acts, from the pen of Mr. 
 Hamilton Ai'dd. This piece, following " Richelieu " and preceding 
 " Hamlet," has been doomed to comparative obscurity; not that 
 it lacked merit, but that the power of Mr. Irving's Richelieu and 
 his incomparably effective treatment of Hamlet overshadowed 
 the weaker character of Philip. The main idea of Mr. Aide's 
 play was probably taken from one of the minor stories of Balzac, 
 in which it is related how a jealous husband, upon his wife 
 denying that her lover is hidden in a certain closet, has the door 
 
1874-] HIS PHILIP. 47 
 
 by which alone escape is possible bricked up^ thus leaving the 
 victim to perish unseen. At the Princess's Theatre there was 
 produced on March aSth, 1854, a play taken from the French, 
 by Mr. Morris Barnett, entitled " The Married Unmarried," 
 in which the same incident was used. The scene of the 
 first act of Mr. Hamilton Aide's " Philip " is laid in Anda- 
 lusia. Philip and Juan de Miraflore, half-brothers, are in love 
 with a young French girl, Marie, who is dismissed from the 
 service of the family when the Countess is informed by Juan 
 that Philip intends to make the girl his wife. Juan's intentions 
 regarding Marie are not honourable, and upon her departure the 
 brothers quarrel. Juan endeavours to stab Philip, but the latter 
 succeeds in shooting his brother. Philip, believing himself guilty 
 of murder, escapes from Spain, and after a lapse of eight years 
 becomes reunited to Marie. He is troubled not only by the 
 terror of remorse, but by the attentions to his wife of a certain 
 Count de Flamarens. She lives in a gloomy chateau, where, 
 during his absence, she is visited_by a certain mysterious stranger. 
 The stranger turns out to be Juan in disguise, and bent upon 
 revenge. He finds Marie by night and repeats the avowal of his 
 passion for her. The interview being interrupted by the return 
 of Philip, he is hidden in Marie's oratory, and the husband, 
 believing that the hidden person is his wife's lover, the Count de 
 Flamarens, orders certain masons to brick-up the oratory door. 
 After a stormy scene, Juan reveals himself, and Philip, happy in 
 the thought that he is innocent of murder, forgives Juan's dis- 
 graceful conduct towards Marie, and allows him to depart peace- 
 ably. The character ot Philip allows but few opportunities 
 for the actor, but Mr. Irving gave a fine artistic representation 
 of it. His finest effect was made at the conclusion of the first 
 
48 HENRY IRVING. [chap. iv. 
 
 act, where Philip covers the face of the man he believes he has 
 murdered ; this effect was original, and it was superbly acted. 
 
 Mr. Bateman commenced his autumn season of 1874 with a 
 revival of " The Bells." But the greatest event of his manage- 
 ment, and one of no little moment in the annals of the stage, 
 was the representation of "Hamlet" on October 31st of this 
 year. The excitement on this occasion was indeed extraordinary. 
 Mr. Irving's Hamlet was not now the essay of a novice in dra- 
 matic art, but the culminating point in a career that had all 
 through been marked by genuine talent, hard work, and great 
 determination. So early as three o'clock in the afternoon of this 
 memorable 31st of October 1874, the crowd of eager, playgoers 
 began to assemble at the entrance to the pit of the Lyceum. 
 The doors of the theatre were hardly opened before the whole 
 house was crowded by an excited audience. The actor was 
 welcomed with acclamations when he stepped on the stage 
 attired in no manner like the Hamlet of Sir Thomas Lawrence. 
 He wore no elaborate trappings or funereal velvet, no flaxen 
 wig like that adopted by Charles Fechter ; the order of the 
 Danish Elephant was absent. He appeared simply as a man and 
 a prince, clothed in thick-ribbed silk, and a paletot edged with 
 fur; a rich but simple costume, relieved only by a massive gold 
 chain. His face bore a troubled, wearied expression ; the disordered 
 black hair was carelessly thrown over the forehead, and the marvel- 
 lous eye of the actor told of the distracted mind. His appearance 
 fully bore out the descriptions . of Hamlet. Here, Indeed, were 
 " the dejected 'haviour of the visage " and the " fruitful river of the 
 eye." But so subtle was the actor's art, so daring his originality, 
 that almost two acts of the play were allowed to pass in silence be- 
 fore the audience began to understand him. After the scene with 
 
raVING AS DUBOSCQ. 
 
J 874.] HIS HAMLET. 49 
 
 the Ghost, Mr. Irving came off the stage depressed^ not by the silence 
 of the audience, but by the thought that he had not reached his 
 ideal. To use his own words about this first night, " I felt," 
 he"said, "that the audience did not go with me until the first 
 , meeting with Ophelia, when they changed towards me entirely." 
 From this point in the play his personation was recognised as the 
 most human Hamlet that the audience had ever known, and the 
 delighted spectators were loud in their applause even at a quarter 
 to one o'clock in the morning. Mr. Irving's Hamlet was as much 
 a student's success as an actor'^. He not only acted the part^ but 
 thought it out thoroughly, and gave a complete and perfect 
 rendering of the character as a whole. Unlike most actors who 
 have played Hamlet, he did not make his success by his rendering 
 of any particular scene or point, but rather by his realisation of 
 the entire character. In the soliloquies he accomplished the rare 
 feat of seeming to think aloud. An article, from the pen of a 
 well-known critic, which was printed at the time, gives a graphic 
 description of many of the beauties of this Hamlet : * 
 
 " Henry Irving shows us a Hamlet of a highly nervous and sensitive 
 disposition : a student, an artist, and a gentleman, born to great things, 
 happy in the love of his parents and the confident attachment of a young 
 and guileless woman, who, by a sudden turn of extraordinary misfortune, 
 is forced ' to take arms against a sea of troubles.' The terrible events 
 which occur have the effect of unhinging the man's mind, but have no 
 power to alter his nature. He is overwhelmed, he is distressed, he is 
 irritable, he is reflective, he talks to himself, the strain on the nervous 
 system is almost too great for human nature to bear — but nothing can 
 alter the inherent disposition of Hamlet. He must always be a gentleman, 
 he must always be soft and tender to women ; when he sees Ophelia, his 
 clouded face is illumined with the sun of passion ; when they allude to 
 
 * For a more complete account of this performance I must refer the reader to the 
 masterly essay on " Irving as Hamlet," by Mr. Edward R. Russell, published by 
 Messrs. Kegan Paul, Trench, & Co. 
 
 D 
 
50 HENRF IRFING. [chap. iv. 
 
 his mother as contradistinct from his uncle, Hamlet rises from his seat — 
 the refined gentleman. More than this, it is impossible for Hamlet to be 
 cruel, wilfully and deliberately. He is too sensitive, too highly cultured, 
 and too feminine in his essence. There is nothing whatever cruel 
 in the nature of Hamlet as illustrated by Henry Irving. He can do 
 terrible things when he is irritated to madness, when he is set upon, 
 trapped, and abused ; but, like many of us, he cannot be desperate 
 unless he is in a passion ; he cannot fight'^ in cold blood ; he is ever 
 meditating, planning, arguing, soliloquising, and discussing his plan 
 of action. But he cannot screw his courage to the sticking-point. 
 He has not a Lady Macbeth by his side to urge him on to murder. 
 He has no one but his conscience, and arguments with conscience 
 are seldom decisive. He can become bitterly satirical to Ophelia 
 when he discovers the infamous plot to "which she has lent herself, and 
 when he knows he is being watched from behind the arras. He can be 
 excessively rude to Rosencrantz and Guildenstern when he discovers that 
 their friendship is a gross deception and a snare. He can kill Polonius 
 when he is urged to desperation, and when the curtain will hide his eyes 
 from the murder ; but he cannot kill the King at his prayers, and can only 
 accomplish it when Hamlet is an actor in a murderous scene of blood- 
 shed, and must perforce take his man with the rest. Higher even than 
 this Hamlet's hatred of cruelty is his intense heart. Probably no Hamlet 
 who has yet appeared so thoroughly brought out as Mr. Irving did the 
 love for Ophelia, the devotion to his mother, and the warm attachment 
 to his friend Horatio. No more beautiful pictures of the human heart 
 have ever been seen. When the play commences, Hamlet is discovered 
 in a complete state of nervous depression and ill-restrained irritability. 
 Look at his face, watch his eyes, and notice his demeanour. He is 
 ' so out of sorts ' that he is as annoying to himself as he is to the 
 court. Some of the critics have complained of the tearing at the hand- 
 kerchief, at the pushing back of the hair, and at the nervous, fidgety 
 ways. Why, surely these are the very things that such a Hamlet 
 would do. He wants some vent for his annoyance. Mr. Irving is an 
 artist, and lie expresses these things. Horatio and the friend came to tell 
 Hamlet of the appearance of his father's spirit at the very time that he is 
 most distressed and disorganised. The news is so extraordinary that it 
 simply appals him. The sight is so confirmed that, before he has had 
 time to think, it is impossible that Hamlet can act How could such a 
 man, and in such a condition, make a noise, stamp, rant, and declaim .' 
 It.would be contrary to his very nature. At the end of the first act tlie 
 Hamlet is absolutely crushed. He is in complete despair. He has had 
 
i874] HIS HAMLET. 51 
 
 more time to think, but he is only a little better, in the second act. He 
 has no power as yet to make dramatic points in the speech, ' Oh, what a 
 rogue and peasant slave am I ! ' but he is getting more himself again, and 
 a vague, undetermined plot against the King is preparing in his brain. It 
 was in the third act that Mr. Irving showed the depth of his research and 
 the wonderful truth of his view. The scene with Ophelia, for its pathetic 
 and intense meaning; the celebrated soliloquy,.' To be or not to be,' for 
 its graceful nature and expression of last despair; the address to the 
 players, for its originality and delightful cleverness ; and the play scene, 
 both in its elaboration and climax — have probably never been approached 
 on the stage. Well might the people shout, for an ideal Hamlet had been 
 found at last. The scene with the recorders, which proved a daring exhibi- 
 tion of cynicism and contempt ; the reaction after the hideous mental 
 depression ; and the closet scene, where Mr. Irving defied tradition, and 
 astonished his audience by describing imaginary pictures ( ' Look here, 
 upon this picture, and on this '), concluded an act as terrible in its work 
 as it was triumphant on the part of the artist. There could be no question 
 of the success, for here was such a Hamlet as had never been seen before, 
 and only vaguely dreamed of. In fact, this act was so exhausting and 
 overpowering in its intensity, that the audience were worn out by the 
 absorbing power of the actor. He had, indeed, sufficient strength and 
 enthusiasm for the churchyard scene and the fencing scene, but the 
 audience found it weU-nigh impossible to stretch their necks and concen- 
 trate their attention any longer. However, nothing daunted, Mr. Irving 
 went on, unflagging and resistless. His fencing and his expert murder 
 of the King will be added to the innumerable other excellencies of his 
 Hamlet. In a word, no such actor and no such performance have been 
 seen in our time.'' 
 
 So great was the hold which Mr. Irving's Hamlet had upon 
 the affections of the public, that he repeated his masterly im- 
 personation of that character for two hundred consecutive times, 
 the run of the play ending on June 29th, 1875. And this, too, 
 in spite of the fact that " the enormous pains to captivate the 
 eye," "the splendour of the scenery,'' and "the beauty and 
 archaeological fitness of the dresses," to which a writer in " The 
 Quarterly Review" (on "The English Stage," April, 1883) attri- 
 butes much of Mr. Irving's success, were entirely lacking in this 
 
5a HENRY IRVING. [chap. iv. 
 
 production. Indeed, so poorly was "Hamlet" placed upon the 
 stage on this occasion, that the churchyard scene which had 
 done duty in "Eugene Aram" was again pressed into service 
 as the background for the burial of Ophelia. 
 
 The success of Mr. Irving's Hamlet excited keen curiosity 
 about his Macbeth, in which character he appeared on September 
 i8th, 1875. For the melancholy Dane his idiosyncrasy seemed 
 exactly fitted. He excelled in the representation of poetic 
 meditativeness, and his mastery of the self-communion in 
 which Hamlet blunts his great purpose was indisputable. But 
 how would he play the usurping soldier, the barbaric tyrant 
 with whom everybody was accustomed to associate great physical 
 force ? When the experiment was made there was a great 
 clamour. Mr. Irving's Malcbeth was effeminate, said some. His 
 terror was wholly inconsistent with Macbeth's reputation for 
 courage. This was not Macbeth at all, but a sort of mediaeval 
 Mathias. On the other hand, there were not wanting champions 
 to take up the cudgels for the actor, and maintain that his con- 
 ception was in strict accordance with the whole spirit of the play, 
 that Macbeth, though brave in the field, was the trembling prey 
 of his imagination when he had entered on the terrible course 
 of murder, and that the collapse of his courage must have been 
 complete when with words of withering scorn his wife snatched 
 the dagger from his palsied hands. A fiercer controversy never 
 ! raged. Mr. Irving had assailed tradition in its strongest fortress, 
 and the sally of the besieged was made with great spirit and per- 
 sistence. Still to the general public, Mr. Irving's Macbeth, if 
 not as attractive as his Hamlet, was a most picturesque per- 
 formance. There have been few more stirring spectacles on the 
 stage than this Macbeth's last fight, and Mr. Irving showed 
 
IRVING AS LOUIS XI. 
 
1876] HIS OTHELLO. 53 
 
 himself much more consistent than many would admit, for when 
 the superstitious tyrant was convinced that fate was against him, 
 his courage revived, and he died like a Titan. 
 
 "Macbeth" was played for eighty nights. It was followed by 
 a revival of "Hamlet," which, in turn, on February 14th, 1876, 
 was succeeded by " Othello." Of Mr. Irving's Moor it may be 
 said, that if this was not at the time one of the most popular of 
 his many impersonations, its reception by no means discouraged 
 further efforts in the same character, for some years later, Mr. 
 Irving played Othello to Mr. Edwin Booth's lago, and Miss 
 Ellen Terry's Desdemona, with marked success, the entire per- 
 formance of the tragedy constraining one of the least friendly of 
 Mr. Irving's critics to suggest that never probably had "Othello" 
 been represented with greater effect. The advance which Mr. 
 Irving had made in his art was most conspicuously shown by the 
 difference between the first and the later Othello. 
 
 "Othello" was followed, on April i8th, by Alfred Tennyson's 
 drama, " Queen Mary," in which Mr. Irving played the com- 
 paratively minor character of Philip the Second of Spain, with 
 a most artistic appreciation of the heartless cruelty, and the 
 stately, frigid arrogance of that monarch. 
 
 On the afternoon of Thursday, June 8th, Sheridan's comedy, 
 " The School for Scandal," was acted at Drury Lane, The per- 
 formance was given for the benefit of Mr. John Baldwin Buck- 
 stone, as a recognition of his twenty-three years' lesseeship and 
 management of the Haymarket Theatre, and of his public services 
 as an actor for nearly half a century. The cast comprised some 
 of the leading performers of the day ; Mr. Irving played Joseph 
 Surface. 
 
 On the.iath of this month he appeared as Doricourt in " The 
 
5+ HENRY IRVING. [chap. iv. 
 
 Belle's Stratagem/' and on the a^d, for his benefit, as Count 
 Tristan in " King Rent's Daughter/' as Eugene Aram, and as 
 Doricourt. On the latter occasion he had the assistance of Miss 
 Helen Faucit, who then made her last appearance on the London 
 stage, as lolanthe. The season was brought to a close the follow- 
 ing evening with a performance of ''Hamlet." 
 
{ 55 ) 
 
 CHAPTER V. 
 
 SEPTEMBER, 1876-1878. 
 
 Plays Hamlet in the provinces — Address from the Undergraduates of Trinity College, 
 Dublin — The Lyceum Theatre reopens with "Macbeth" — Acts Richard III. 
 — Is presented with Edmund Kean's sword, and the same actor's Order of St. 
 George — The Baroness Burdett-Coutts gives him a ring which formerly belonged 
 to David Garrick — Appears as Lesurques and Duboscq — Plays Louis XI. — 
 " Vanderdecken." 
 
 T N the autumn of this year (1876)^ Mr. Irving went on atouf in 
 the provinces^ where his reception was most enthusiastic. In 
 critical Manchester alone, nearly eighteen thousand people visited 
 the theatre where he was playing. He acted also at Birmingham, 
 Liverpool, Newcastle, Edinburgh, Dundee, Glasgow, Belfast, and 
 Dublin. In the latter city he was accorded a very gratifying 
 honour. On December 9th, the graduates and undergraduates 
 of Trinity College assembled in the historic dining-hall of the 
 University of Dublin to present him with a public address, which 
 was read by Mr. Edward Gibson, Q.C, M.P. :— 
 
 " Address to Henry Irving, Esq., presented hy the Graduates and 
 Undergraduates of Trinity College, Dullin. 
 
 " Sir, — The engagement which you bring to a conclusion to- 
 night at the Theatre Royal has given the liveliest pleasure to the 
 graduates and undergraduates of Trinity College, Dublin. 
 
 " To the most careful students of Shakespeare you have, by 
 your scholarly and original interpretation, revealed new depths of 
 
56 HENRY IRFING. [chap. v. 
 
 meaning in ' Hamlet/ and aroused in the minds of all a fresh 
 interest in our highest poetry. 
 
 "As Charles I., in the new drama of our countryman, Mr. 
 Wills, you have set forth the dignity of fallen grandeur. You 
 have depicted in the 'The Bells,' with a terrible fidelity, the 
 Nemesis that waits on crime. 
 
 " For the delight and instruction that we (in common with our 
 fellow-citizens) have derived from all your impersonations, we 
 tender you our sincere thanks. But it is something more than 
 gratitude for personal pleasure or personal improvement that 
 moves us to offer this public homage to your genius. Acting such 
 as yours ennobles and elevates the stage, and serves to restore it 
 to its true function as a potent instrument for intellectual and 
 moral culture. 
 
 " Throughout your too brief engagement our stage has been a 
 school of true art, a purifier of the passions, and a nurse of heroic 
 sentiments ; you have even succeeded in commending it to the 
 favour of a portion of society, large and justly influential, who 
 usually hold aloof from the theatre. 
 
 "It is not too much to say that, with opportunities such as you 
 have afforded us, Dublin audiences might again become what 
 tradition reports them once to have been — a tribunal whose ap- 
 proval went far to make the fame of an artist hitherto unknown, 
 and without whose sanction no reputation was considered to be 
 absolutely assured." 
 
 On that night " Hamlet " was performed before a vast audi- 
 ence, which included the Lord-Lieutenant of Ireland and His 
 Grace the Duke of Connaught. Five hundred of the students of 
 Trinity College occupied the pit on this eventful evening. The 
 
IRVING AS VANDERDECKEN. 
 
I877-] HIS RICHARD III. 57 
 
 leading men of Dublin — judges^ doctors, lawyers^ and many 
 clergymen^ had assembled to do honour to the great actor. All 
 the University men, both past and present, wore rosettes, and 
 the house presented a brilliant appearance. When Mr. Irving 
 entered, the pit rose at him, and he was received with a tremendous 
 shout of welcome. During the performance he was called before 
 the drop-scene several times; and when the curtain fell he 
 received such a tribute of enthusiastic admiration as few actors 
 have ever won. Without any fugleman, all the spectators took 
 their cue from the situation, moved by one impulse to do honour 
 to a great tragedian. 
 
 The Lyceum Theatre re-opened on December i6th with a re- 
 vival of " Macbeth." To this succeeded, on January 39th, 1877, 
 Shakespeare's "Richard III." If for no other reason this pro- 
 duction would be remarkable for the fact that it ended the reign 
 of Colley Gibber's travesty of Shakespeare's tragedy, which had 
 held the stage for the best part of two centuries. The play, as re- 
 presented at the Lyceum, was "strictly the original text, without 
 interpolations, but simply with such omissions and transpositions 
 as have been found essential for dramatic representation." 
 As Richard, Mr. Irving was seen to most advantage in the first act. 
 The freedom from all conventionality, which is one of the chief 
 characteristics of his acting, was specially marked in this play. His 
 wooing of Lady Anne imparted an unusual air of reality to that 
 singular episode. It was a delightful surprise to find a Richard 
 who did not bellow the catchphrases of the too ingenious Gibber, 
 but delivered himself with a grim incisive humour which illumi- 
 nated the character. The scene in which Richard calls two bishops 
 to witness his sincerity was a rare piece of comedy. Perhaps the 
 most remarkable feature of the later scenes was Mr. Irving's com- 
 
58 HENRY IRVING. [chap. v. 
 
 mand of his audience when Richard walked thoughtfully about 
 
 the tent, and examined the plan of battle. Mr. Irving always dies 
 
 well on the stage, and an essay might be written on his numerous 
 
 deaths, of which Richard's was not the least notable. 
 
 On the first night of Mr. Irving's impersonation of Richard, 
 
 he was presented by Mr. W. H. Chippendale with the sword that 
 
 Edmund Kean had used when he acted that character. And 
 
 not long afterwards Dr. Canton presented him with the Order of 
 
 St. George which had been worn in the same character by Kean. 
 
 These valuable tributes were presently followed by one from the 
 
 Baroriess Burdett-Coutts. This was a ring which had formerly 
 
 belonged to David Garrick, and bore the following inscription : 
 
 " This ring, once Mr. Garrick's, is presented by the Baroness Burdett- 
 Coutts to Mr. Henry Irving, in recognition of the gratification derived from 
 his Shakespearean representations: uniting to many characteristics of his 
 great predecessors in histrionic art (whom he is too young to remember) 
 the charm of original thought, giving delineations of new forms of dramatic 
 interest, power, and beauty." 
 
 Now quitting Shakespeare (or a time, Mr. Irving returned to 
 melodrama, appearing, on May 19th, 1877, as Lesurques and 
 Duboscq in " The Lyons Mail." It may be here noted, that this 
 remarkable play is founded upon a celebrated trial which took 
 place in France in the year 1796, the main feature of which was 
 the resemblance of an innocent man, Joseph Lesurques, to the 
 captain of a gang of robbers, Duboscq. Lesurques was executed 
 for a crime of which he was entirely innocent, and it was not 
 until four years after his judicial murder that the real culprit was 
 discovered and guillotined. In the cemetery of P^re la Chaise, in 
 Paris, near to the tomb of Abelard and Heloise, is a simple 
 white marble monument bearing this touching epitaph : — " A la 
 mdmoire de Joseph Lesurques, victime de la plus deplorable des 
 
I877-] PLAYS DUBOSCQ AND LESURQUES. 59 
 
 erreurs humains. 31 Octobre 1796, Sa veuve et ses enfants, 
 martyrs tous deux sur la. terre, tous deux sont r^unis au del." 
 The remarkable trial furnished the groundwork of " Le Courier 
 de Lyons/' a drama by MM. Moreau, Siraudin, and Delacour, 
 first represented at the Theatre de la G&.iti, Paris, on March i6th, 
 1850, with M. Lacressoni^re in the dual rSle of Lesurques and 
 Duboscq. The dramatists had the express sanction of the 
 descendants and heirs of Joseph Lesurques for the use of that 
 unhappy man's name. In Paris the play was provided with two 
 endings, so that the innocent Lesurques was executed on one 
 night, and, on the next, a reprieve arrived, and Duboscq met with 
 his well-deserved fate. The drama was soon transplanted to 
 England, for on March loth, 1851, it was acted at the Standard 
 Theatre, and on June 36th, 1854, it was represented at the 
 Princess's Theatre, with Mr. Charles Kean in the double char- 
 acter. Mr. Charles Reade's adaptation — as arranged for Mr, 
 Charles Kean — was used for the revival of the drama at the 
 Lyceum. Mr. Irving's acting in these two characters afforded 
 new evidence of his versatility. He became, in point of fact, 
 two men, and the ferocity and brutality of his Duboscq was 
 splendidly contrasted with the dignity and calm of his Lesurques. 
 The scene in which Lesurques is tempted by his own father, who 
 believes him guilty, to commit suicide, and the devilry of Duboscq 
 in the last act, when he watches the preparations for the execu- 
 tion of his victim from the garret window, are amongst the most 
 striking illustrations of Mr. Irving's power. 
 
 In the summer and autumn of this year he again made a 
 remarkably successful tour of the provinces. Whilst in Dublin 
 he gave a reading, and acted scenes from "Richard III." and 
 " Othello " at Trinity College. 
 
6o HENRY IRVING. [chap. v. 
 
 On March 9th, 1878^ Mr, Irving appeared as Louis XI. — an 
 impersonation which ranks amongst his most notable achieve- 
 ments. An admirable essay by a writer who had the advantage 
 of having witnessed Charles Kean in the same character, deserves 
 to be reprinted here. 
 
 " The play of Casimier Delavigne, as adapted into English blank verse 
 for Mr, Charles Kean by Mr. Dion Boucicault, gives the actor no wings 
 with which to soar. The play is a commonplace and somewhat meagre 
 sketch, crudely outlined, not always with strict conformity to nature, from 
 the traces left by Comines and worked up by Scott and Victor Hugo. 
 But within this bare outline what a marvellous work of creative art has 
 been elaborated by Mr. Irving — bold in conception, strong in light and 
 shade, and filled in with details of infinite nicety and variety ! Naturally, 
 the first question that will be asked is how the representation compares 
 with that of Charles Kean, which must be vividly remembered by all who 
 saw it. The answer is, that while as remarkable as Mr. Kean's Louis for 
 the vivid strength and truth of its general conception, Mr. Irving's is more 
 delicately and minutely wrought, and the general features of Louis have 
 with greater care and closeness of observation been associated with a life- 
 like assumption of increasing senility. But besides this, it must be recorded 
 that the last act is vastly superior to anything that it entered into the mind 
 of Charles Kean to effect. If there is any point in which the latest 
 English Louis XI. is inferior to the first, it is in the abject pleading to 
 Nemours for life, to which Mr. Kean's peculiar power of rapid and im- 
 petuous utterance gave thrilling effect. There is no other point at which 
 Mr. Irving must yield the palm. It was, indeed, suggested by certain of 
 the London critics that the incident of Louis suddenly praying to the 
 images of the saints stuck in his hat, when interrupted in his directions for 
 the murder of Nemours by the sound of the Angelus, was spoilt by Mr. 
 Irving's appearance of grimacing insincerity. Remembering well, and with 
 admiration, the intense and superstitious fetishism with which Mr. Kean 
 enacted this episode, we awaited with some curiosity Mr. Irving's treat- 
 ment of it. The London critics seem to have grossly mistaken him at this 
 juncture. He is just as devout and intense as was Mr. Kean. What these 
 writers took for ironic antics are really earnest movements of the head such 
 as a very superstitious old man would make in such a situation. It is only 
 one instance among many in this play in which Mr. Irving uncompromis- 
 ingly realises what the king must have been in his ill-favoured old age. 
 
IRVING AS SHYLOCK. 
 
1878.] HIS LOUIS XI. 61 
 
 according to the abundant accounts of him which we possess, and which 
 distinguished novelists have used with great power. Mr. Irving has pre- 
 ferred to follow Victor Hugo rather than Sir Walter Scott. His Louis is 
 a shambling, ill-held-together, down-at-heel old man, whose attitudes are 
 never gainly and mostly mean ; who slips down miserably with hollowed 
 stomach into the seat of a throne during a critical diplomatic interview, 
 and warms himself squalidly over the fire on a low stool ; who, in fact, 
 never thinks of appearances, and never chances to become an agreeable 
 picture. A close skull-cap helps Mr. Irving to assume an aspect of 
 ill-conditioned age, which is supported by a wonderful make-up of the 
 face, while a contemptible and at the same time contemptuous gait and 
 many rude and uncanny gestures and grins complete the study, which, as 
 soon as the actor speaks, is imbued with absolute life and being. This 
 Louis XI. is as individual to every spectator who saw him as ever was 
 any human being who was known to his fellow-creatures by his ways and 
 his talk. 
 
 " Louis does not appear in the first act, which, indeed, is dull and unin- 
 teresting. In the second act are illustrated the violence of the old king's 
 rage, tempered by his fear of his doctor; his prompt and ever wily 
 cunning ; his readiness to use sentiment, and to throw it cynically aside ; 
 his remorseless cruelty and faithlessness, and many other execrable points 
 of his character. Mr. Irving manages all the contrasts and transitions 
 with great art, taking for his guide a clear idea of the character, and 
 developing its many oddly-assorted peculiarities by telling changes of 
 voice and manner. The sudden ' There, that'll do ; sit down,' after the 
 Dauphin has just burst forth into patriotic defiance of Burgundy, and the 
 king has caressed him as the child of France, must be heard to be 
 appreciated, and it is only one of many illustrations of Mr. Irving's success 
 in realising the king's cynical humour. The third act introduces the episode 
 of the peasants, in which, of course, the actor revels, for Louis's varied 
 reception of the supposed sincerities of the rustics affords not a little scope. 
 Equally characteristic is the manner in which the old fox elicits from Marie 
 de Comines the name of her lover, and the fact that the Burgundian envoy 
 is Nemours. Act the fourth is far more onerous. Here the king is seen 
 in the solitude of his bed-chamber. Here takes place his extraordinary 
 confession to Frangois de Paule, delivered with great effect in all its blood- 
 chilling frankness and incorrigible impenitence. And here, when the holy 
 father has retired, the monarch is suddenly frozen into abject terror by the 
 appearance of the avenging Nemours. A terrible scene ensues^first of 
 wild pleading for mercy, and then, when Nemours has with contempt and 
 loathing granted the king his life, a fearful paroxysm of rage and hallucina- 
 
63 HENRY IRVING. [chap. v. 
 
 tion, as the old man, suddenly young again with desperate excitement, 
 rushes up to what he supposes to be the Due de Nemours, and violently 
 stabs the air until he falls fainting into the arms of those around him — a 
 situation of great power most startlingly enacted. Great as the performance 
 is in every phase, it is grandest in the fifth act, where King Louis enters 
 robed and sceptred, with death written in his countenance, and his physique 
 reduced to the lowest stage of feebleness. The skull-cap has been aban- 
 doned. Long grey locks stream somewhat wildly on the king's shoulders. 
 His countenance derives a sort of dignity, not seen before, from these 
 changes — though such a figure can never be truly venerable — and also 
 from the absorbing nature of the conflict which Louis wages with visibly 
 declining powers. In this hour of extreme mental exhaustion, deepening 
 momentarily into actual stupefaction and afterwards into coma and then 
 into death, the extraordinary resolution and will of the king still display 
 marvellous power. But never was there such a picture of moving prostra- 
 tion and animated decay. The back of a couch lost hold of for a moment, 
 and the tottering form stumbles forwards in a manner which sends a pain- 
 ful start through the whole audience. The sceptre drops, after being used 
 head downwards as a staff, and is forgotten. Then the king is induced to 
 be seated on a couch, and with extraordinary elaborated graduations of insen- 
 sibility, violently interrupted occasionally by spasms of vigour, he gradually 
 loses his consciousness. No physical detail is neglected that can help to 
 realise a sinking of mind and body into annihilating death. The voice 
 and articulation have the weird, half-drunken thickness of paralysis. Even 
 the effect observable in age and sickness of drawing the retreating lips in 
 over the sunken teeth is somewhat simulated. The difficulty of carrying 
 out such a conception of dissolution in a scene in the course of which 
 such matters have to be dealt with as the final sentence of Nemours, and 
 an interview with Coitier, the leech, who comes from a dungeon with the 
 rust of fetters on his wrist, at the summons of the king who sent him 
 there, must be extreme ; but Mr. Irving triumphantly surmounts it, and 
 gives a picture of gradual and placid yet horrible death such as we believe 
 has never been achieved before. Perhaps the greatest success of all is the 
 still and silent impassibility into which the king sinks so absolutely that 
 the courtiers and his son suppose it to be death. The actual death is not 
 placid. The king struggles on his feet, and falls forward on a cushion, 
 with his head toward the audience, as the low murmur, ' The king is dead, 
 long live the king,' proclaims the close of the long, long struggle of a mind 
 that seemed indomitable with the frailties and tortures of a body racked for 
 years with the worst tortures to which humanity can be a prey, and con- 
 soled by none of the assuagements to which the suffering are most indebted. 
 
1878.] " FJNDERDECKEN." 63 
 
 Such, lit up in the earlier passages by infinite comedy and artistically- 
 elevated by several tragic episodes of the highest power, is this famous 
 impersonation." 
 
 After a run of three months, "Louis XI." gave place, on 
 June 8thj to " Vanderdecken," a new poetic drama in four acts 
 by Messrs. Percy Fitzgerald and W. G. Wills. An old German 
 legend of the fifteenth century was the foundation of a play pro- 
 duced at the Adelphi Theatre, on December 4th, 1826, and 
 entitled "The Flying Dutchman." T. P. Cooke played Vander- 
 decken, but he was so disgusted with his part, that he soon gave 
 it up to Mr. O. Smith. From the German poet and satirist, 
 Henrich Heine, came the beautiful idea of releasing the accursed 
 mariner from his fate through the love of a faithful woman. 
 Richard Wagner used the idea in his opera, and Messrs. Fitzgerald 
 and Wills followed suit. " Vanderdecken " was not popular, and 
 the leading character could scarcely be said to be worthy of Mr. 
 Irving's powers, though he made it exceedingly picturesque. 
 
 On August lath, 1878, Mr. Irving laid the foundation-stone of 
 the Harborne and Edgbaston Institute, Birmingham. He was 
 presented with an address on the occasion. Some little time pre- 
 viously he had been elected President of the Perry Bar Institute. 
 
( H ) 
 
 CHAPTER VI. 
 
 DECEMBER 30th, 1878— JULY 28th, 1883. 
 
 Becomes the lessee of the Lyceum Theatre — Engages Miss Ellen Terry, and opens 
 with "Hamlet" — Plays Claude Melnotte, Eugene Aram, Richelieu, Louis XL, 
 Charles I., Mathias, and Lesurques and Duboscq — End of the Season — The 
 Theatre re-opened with " The Bells " — " The Iron Chest " — " The Merchant of 
 Venice" produced — Runs 250 nights — "Two Roses" acted for the benefit of 
 Mr. William Belford — " lolanthe " — Mr. Sims Reeves sings for Mr. Irving's 
 benefit ; Miss Terry recites " The Captive" — The autumn season of 1880 com- 
 mences with a revival of "The Corsican Brothers" — The Poet Laureate's 
 tragedy — " The Belle's Stratagem " revived, with Miss Terry as Letitia Hardy 
 — Mr. Edwin Booth, Mr. Irving, and Miss Teriy act together in " Othello " — 
 "Hamlet," "The Bells," "Eugene Aram," and "Charles L" revived— Mr. 
 Irving and Miss Teny appear as Modus and Helen — " Two Roses" — " Romeo 
 and Juliet " revived — Acted for 160 nights — The Earl of Lytton's speech on the 
 looth night — " Much Ado About Nothing '' revived — Runs 212 nights — I^^evival 
 of plays to be performed by Mr. Irving and the Lyceum Company in America — 
 Farewell ! 
 
 A NOTHER landmark in this striking career was now reached. 
 •*■ *■ Mr. Irving was already the most successful English actor of 
 his time. The retirement of Mrs. Bateman from the Lyceum gave 
 him the much coveted opportunity of becoming his own manager, 
 and of carrying out his projects for the restoration of the poetic 
 drama. It cannot be said tb.at the enterprise was favoured by 
 precedent. Actor-managers like Macready and Charles Kean 
 had failed to make the higher drama a commercial success; but 
 Mr. Irving was to show that the most cultivated dramatic taste 
 could, even in this prosaic epoch, be made the basis of the most 
 prosperous theatrical management in the history of the English 
 
MISS ELLEN TERRY AS PORTIA. 
 
r879.] " THE MERCHANT OF VENICE." 65 
 
 stage. The first act of the new manager of the Lyceum was to 
 engage Miss Ellen Terry, whose great gifts have played a con- 
 spicuous part in Mr. Irving's triumphs. On December 30th, 
 1878, "Hamlet" was revived, the chief novelties being that 
 Miss Ellen Terry played Ophelia for the first time, and th^t the 
 tragedy was represented with a poetic appreciation of scenic 
 effect which it had never before received. There was no oppres- 
 sive magnificence wholly out of keeping with the spirit of the 
 play, but a harmony of dramatic and pictorial effect which made 
 the production a realisation of a dream which Mr. Irving told 
 his audience he had cherished all his life. " Hamlet " was played 
 for one hundred and eight nights, and on April 17th, 1879, 
 "The Lady of Lyons" was brought out, with Irving as Claude 
 Melnotte and Miss Terry as Pauline Deschapelles. Mr. Irving 
 then revived " Eugene Aram," " Richelieu," " Louis XI.," 
 'f Charles I.," "The Bells," arid "The Lyons Mail." On 
 the 25th of July, he gavfe a remarkable illustration of his 
 range by appearing in the fourth act of " Richelieu," in the 
 third act of " Louis XL," in the first act of " Richard III." 
 (Miss Terry playing Lady Anne), in the fourth act of "Charles 
 I.," in the third act of " Hamlet," and as Jeremy Diddler in 
 the farce of " Raising the Wind." During these first seven 
 months of Mr. Irving's management the receipts amounted to 
 ;^36,ooo. 
 
 On September aoth, 1879, *-^^ Lyceum was re-opened with 
 " The Bells," which was followed, on the 37th, by a revival 
 of George Colman the Younger^s play, " The Iron Chest." Mr. 
 Irving's Mortimer was a fine performance, but "The Iron Chest" 
 was only a stop-gap, the real event of the season being the 
 production of "The Merchant of Venice," on November ist. 
 
66 . HENRY IRVING. [chap, vr, 
 
 ^ . y: 
 
 Mr. Ifving's Shylock was one of. his most original interpreta- 
 tions of Shakespeare. The Jew was invested with a dignity, and 
 with an intense sense of the wrongs of his people, which won the 
 sympathies of all. It was a noteworthy tribute to the imper- 
 sonation that it excited the enthusiasm of many Jewish writers 
 who seemed to regard it as a vindication of their race. And, 
 indeed, the pathos of Shylock's humiliation in his hour of defeat, 
 made doubly impressive by Mr. Irving's singularly fine exit from 
 the court after the trial, did much to efface the impression made 
 by the malignity of the Jew's determination to have the forfeit of 
 his bond. The representation of the play derived great strength 
 from the grace and charm of Miss Terry's Portia, and the 
 scenery afforded delightful pictures of Venice. It should not be 
 forgotten that Mr. Irving gave another proof of his fidelity to 
 the spirit of the poet by restoring the fifth act, which it had 
 long been a custom, " more honoured in the breach .than the 
 observance," to omit, 
 
 " The Merchant of Venice " was performed for two hundred 
 and fifty consecutive nights — a run totally unparalleled in the 
 history of the Shakespearean drama. On the afternoon of 
 December loth, 1879, Mr. Irving played Digby Grant, in a per- 
 formance of "Two Roses" for the benefit of Mr. William Bel- 
 ford. On May 20th, 1880, for the benefit of Miss Ellen Terry, 
 " lolanthe," an idyll in one act, adapted by Mr, W. G. Wills 
 from Henrick Herz's poem, "King Rent's Daughter," was 
 brought out, with Mr. Irving as Count Tristan, and Miss Terry 
 as the heroine. 
 
 Our actor's benefit took place on July 31st, "Charles the 
 First" being the first item in the programme, with Miss Ellen 
 Terry as Queen Henrietta Maria. This was followed by songs 
 
i88o.] " THE CORSICJN BROTHERS." 67 
 
 by Mr. Herb^t Reeves, and a recitation by Mrs. Bancroft. Mr. 
 Irving's old friend, Mr. Sims Reeves, also appeared on this occa- 
 sion, and sang ''Tom Bowling" and the "Bay of Biscay." A 
 novel feature of the programme was the recitation by Miss Terry 
 of Monk Lewis's poem, "The Captive," which she rendered in 
 character. Mr. Toole gave his sketch, "Trying a Magistrate;" 
 and the proceedings were brought to a termination by the recital 
 of " Eugene Aram " by, and a speech from, Mr. Irving. ^ 
 
 Mr. Irving commenced his autumn season of 1880, on Septem- 
 ber 18th, with a revival of " The Corsican Brothers." M. Alexandre 
 Dumas's story, " Les Fr^res Corses," was the origin of the melo- 
 drama of the same name produced at the Theatre Historique, Paris, 
 on August loth, 1850. The English version, by Mr. Dion Boiici- 
 cault, brought out at the Princess's Theatre by Mr. Charles Kean 
 in February, 1852, was used for the Lyceum revival. The per- 
 formances of Kean and Charles Fechter — the latter was the original 
 interpreter of Louis and Fabien dei Franchi — have been frequently 
 contrasted. Fechter has been praised for his ease and grace, and 
 for 'the subtlety with which he marked the characteristic diflrerei|ces 
 between the town-bred and the country-bred brothers. Kean's chief 
 merit lay in the intensity and terrible earnestness of his acting; 
 this was one of his most powerful and effective performances. Mr. 
 Irving's impersonation united the merits of both performers. As 
 Fabien, in the .chEiteau in Corsica, his acting was marked by an 
 affecting tenderness towards his mother, by an exuberance of good 
 spirits and good nature ; he was dignified and cheerful, excepting 
 when overcome by the gloomy forebodings about his brother. 
 But as Louis, in Paris, he became the calm and measured man 
 of the world. In the duel scene at Fontainebleau, with Chateau 
 Renaud, he displayed all the picturesque weirdness which makes 
 
68 HENRY IRVING. [chap. vi. 
 
 the triinnph of the avenger a thrilling incident even to those who 
 care least about this form of drama. The pVy was magnificently 
 mounted, and it ran, in all, for one hundred and ninety nights. 
 
 On January 3rd, i88r, another play by Mr. Alfred Tennyson 
 was produced at the Lyceum. This was "The Cup," a drama' 
 founded on Plutarch's treatise, " De Claris Mulieribus." Mr. 
 Tennyson's play, though not of striking merit as a dramatic work, 
 was much more impressive than " Queen Mary." The scene in 
 the Temple of Artemis in which Synorix at the very moment of 
 his triumph, when the laurel wreath binds his brow, and love 
 seems to crown his hopes, is destroyed by the vf'oman who 
 seemed to yield to his will only to complete her revenge, was a 
 remarkable picture. The temple looked like a solid piece of 
 architecture ; and the huge figure of the goddess, the grouping 
 of the worshippers, the invocation, and the thunderclap which 
 answered Camma's appeal, gave one a more vivid impression of 
 the solemnity of the old heathen rites than can be derived from 
 any description, however eloquent. Miss Terry, as Camma, bore 
 herself with grace and effect, and Mr. Irving- was forcible and 
 picturesque as Synorix. " The Cup " was played, together with 
 "The Corsican Brothers," until April 9th. On April the i6th 
 " The Belle's Stratagem " was revived, with Mr. Irving as Dori- 
 court,-and Miss Terry as Letitia Hardy, Mrs. Cowley's comedy 
 was acted until May, in conjunction with "The Cup." On May 
 and, Mr. Edwin Booth appeared at the Lyceum Theatre as 
 Othello to the lago of Mr. Irving, Miss Ellen Terry playing 
 Desdemona ; and, on May 9th, the two actors changed parts, Mr. 
 Irving acting Othello, whilst Mr. Booth played lago. The con- 
 junction of these two distinguished artists was an event of rare 
 interest ; and the contrast of their gifts, and the general excellence 
 
IRVING AS DIGBY GRANT (Act II.) 
 
I88I.1 « ROMEO AND JULIET." 69 
 
 of the representation, made this revival of " Othello " one of the 
 most noteworthy in dramatic history. " Othello " was acted on 
 the Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays in each week; on the 
 intervening nights, "The Cup" an<^ " The Belle's Stratagem" 
 made up the bill. On June 1 8th "Hamlet" was played. It was 
 then acted thirteen times. The performances which concluded 
 the season were "The Bells," "The Belle's Stratagem," "The 
 Merchant of Venice," "Eugene Aram," and " Charles I." Dur- 
 ing this season, " The Cup " had been represented one hundred 
 and twenty-seven times, " The Belle's Stratagem " thirty-six, 
 and " Othello " twenty-two. ' Mr. Irving's benefit took place on 
 July a3rd, with "The Bells" as the principal attraction. Mr. J. 
 L. Toole also contributed to the evening's entertainment, and 
 Mr. Irving and Miss Terry appeared as Modus and Helen in the 
 well-known scene from " The Hunchback." 
 
 On December a6th, the Lyceum re-opened with " Two Roses," 
 with Mr. Irving in his finished study of Digby Grant. In this 
 Tevival, Mr. David James appeared as Our Mr. Jenkins. The 
 play was repeated sixty times, until March 4th, when it was 
 -withdrawn to make way for the revival, on March nth, of 
 "Romeo and Juliet," when, for the first time, Mr. Irving ap- 
 peared as Romeo and Miss Terry as Juliet. In the preface to 
 his acting edition of the tragedy, Mr. Irving announced that he 
 had availed himself of every resource at his command to perfectly 
 ^illustrate the warmth and glow of this play. He had carefully 
 ■prepared the text, and amongst the restored portions he gave a 
 prominent place to Romeo's unrequited love for Rosaline, which 
 Garrick omitted in his version. Mr. Irving, discarding the theory 
 of the schoolboy Romeo, took the manly side of the character, and 
 he consequently- excelled in the later scenes of the play. His 
 
70 HENRY IRVING. [chap. vi. 
 
 fight with Tybaltj his passionate acting when receiving the news 
 of his banishment, and the scene with the Apothecary, may be 
 instanced as his most successful passages. " Romeo and Juliet" 
 was withdrawn from the Lyceum stage on July a9th. It was 
 reproduced on September and, and played again until October 
 7th, having been performed one hundred and sixty times. 
 
 The Earl of Lytton, at a banquet in celebration of the 
 one hundredth performance of " Romeo and Juliet," bore most 
 interesting testimony to the merits of this revival : 
 
 " In the course of his brilliant career as an actor, Mr. Irving has sustained 
 many characters. In all of them he will be long and admirably remembered ; 
 but in none of them has he established a more general and permanent claim 
 to our gratitude than in the character by which he is so worthily known to 
 us as the illustrious successor of my lamented friend, the late Mr. Macready, 
 in the beneficent task of restoring to the British stage its ancient and now 
 prolific alliance with the literature and poetry of our country. Speaking 
 here as the son of an English writer, who was not unconnected with the 
 stage, and who, were he still living, would, I am sure, be worthily interested 
 in the success of Mr. Irving's noble undertaking, and gratefully acknowledge, 
 in all that tends to record and confirm such an alliance, the promise of a 
 threefold benefit : — A benefit to our national literature, because, without it, 
 that literature would remain comparatively barren or undeveloped in one of 
 the highest departments of imaginative writing. A benefit to our national 
 stage, because without it the genius of our actors, when seeking opportunities 
 for the expression of its highest powers in the performance of great parts 
 and great plays, must remain dependent more or less upon the dramatic 
 productions, either of former generations or foreign countries. And a benefit 
 to our national society, because there is no surer test of the relative place to 
 be assigned to any modern community in a state of social civilisation than the 
 intellectual character of its public amusements ; and in elevating these you 
 exalt the whole community. Now, I feel sure you will agree with me that 
 no living English actor has done more in this direction than Mr. Irving ; 
 and he has done it not by sacrificing all other conditions of dramatic 
 effect to the display of his own idiosyncrasy as an actor, but by asso- 
 ciating his peculiar powers as an actor with a rarely cultivated and 
 thoughtful study of that' harmonious unity of dramatic impressions which is 
 essential to the high order of dramatic performances. Mr. Irving's emin- 
 ence as an actor needs from me no individual recognition. It has long ago 
 been established, and in connection with its latest manifestation, it has been 
 
1882.] "MUCH JDO ABOUT NOTHING." 71 
 
 re-affirmed with enthusiasm with a popular verdict, which supersedes all 
 personal comment. But there is one characteristic of his talents which has, 
 I think, been specially conducive to its popularity. It requires a great actor 
 to perform a great part, just as it requires a great author to write one. But 
 it requires, I think, from a great actor certain special and uncommon powers 
 to enable him to throw the whole force of his mind creatively into every 
 detail of a great play ; giving to the pervading vital spirit of it an adequately 
 complete, appropriate, and yet original embodiment. This peculiar quality 
 of Mr. Irving's mind and management has been conspicuously revealed in 
 his conception and production of the play, whose looth performance at 
 this theatre we celebrate to-night. Now, though "Romeo and Juliet" is one of 
 the most poetic, it is certainly one of the least dramatic of Shakespeare's 
 tragedies. To us its main charm and interest must always be poetic 
 rather than dramatic. Even in the versification of it Shakespeare has 
 adopted, as he has adopted in no other drama, forms peculiar to the early 
 love poetry of Italy and Provence. Its true dramatis persona are not mere 
 mortal Montagues and Capulets, they are those benutiful immortals, love 
 and youth, in an ideal land of youth and love — and those delicate embodi- 
 ments of a passionate romance Shakespeare has surrounded with a scenery 
 and invested with an atmosphere of sensuous beauty. This atmosphere 
 is the only medium through which we can view them in their true poetic, 
 perspective, and right relation to that imaginary world in which alone they 
 naturally breathe and move and have their being. But it is this subtle 
 atmosphere of surrounding beauty which invariably and inevitably escapes 
 in the ordinary stage performance of the play, and it is, I conceive, the sur- 
 passing merits of Mr. Irving's conception and treatment of the play to have 
 restored to it, or rather to have given for the first time to its stage per- 
 formance the indefinable pervading charm, of what I can only call its natural 
 poetic climate. In the production of this result he has successfully em- 
 ployed, no doubt, scenic effects, which attest a creative imagination of no 
 common force and sweetness. But the result is by no means due to scenic 
 effect alone. Did time allow, I think I could trace it through numerous 
 details of singular delicacy to the unobtrusive and pervading influence of 
 an original mind upon the whole arrangement and performance of the play, 
 and we should indeed be ungrateful for the pleasure it has given us, if we 
 forgot, on this occasion, how largely that pleasure is due to the refined and 
 graceful exercise of such charming talents as those which delighted us in 
 the acting of Miss Terryand Mrs. Stirling, and to the general intelligence 
 of all who have supported Mr. Irving, in thus successfully carrying out his 
 own brilliant conception of the play." 
 
 " Romeo and Juliet" was followedj on October 11th, 
 i88a^ by " Much Ado About Nothing," which, perhaps, was 
 
72 HENRY IRVING. [chap. vi. 
 
 the most perfect of all Mr. living's productions. Incom- 
 parable acting on the part of the representatives of Benedick 
 and Beatrice, joined, with appropriate scenery and costumes, 
 in making this as complete a Shakespearean representation 
 as the stage has ever known. A series of harmonious pictures 
 made the spectator almost breathe the atmosphere of Messina; 
 but the scenery was only an adjunct to the performance, and 
 not even in the church, with its massive pillars, decorated roof, 
 and costly altar, was the attention distracted from the repre- 
 sentation of the most striking incident in the play. In Benedick, 
 Mr. Irving had a part in which his incisive humour was 
 exercised to great advantage, and a more captivating Beatrice 
 than Miss Terry was surely never seen. The comedy was with- 
 drawn after a run of two hundred and twelve nights, only to 
 make way for the series of Mr. Irving's farewell performances, 
 which commenced Avith "The Bells." On June and, "The 
 Lyons Mail " was revived with a new feature in the appearance 
 of Miss Terry as Jeannette. At an afternoon performance, on 
 June 14th, in aid of the funds of the Royal College of Music, 
 Mr. Irving resumed the character of Robert Macaire. The next 
 of the farewell performances was " Charles I." on June 30th. 
 This was followed, on July nth, by "Hamlet;" on July 16th, 
 by "The Merchant of Venice;" on July 19th, by "Eugene 
 Aram" (in one act), and "Th6 Belle's Stratagem;'* and, on 
 July asrd, by " Louis XI." 
 
 Mr. Henry Irving's farewell benefit on Saturday, July 28th, 
 brought the season to a close. This was a memorable evening 
 in the annals of dramatic art, and will not easily be forgotten by 
 those who had the good fortune to be present. Long before 
 noon the crowds had begun to assemble, and many hundreds of 
 
IRVING AS BENEDICK. 
 
i883.] FAREWELL ! 73 
 
 people were turned away, unable even to get within the walls 
 of the theatre. Mr. W. G. Wills' drama — "Eugene Aram" — 
 was the first item in the programme^ Mr. Irving of course playing 
 the conscience-stricken schoolmaster, and Miss Ellen Terry once 
 more acting Ruth Meadows. After " Eugene Aram," Mr. 
 Herbert Reeves sang "Com h Gentil," and "The Jolly Young 
 Waterman." Mr. J. L. Toole gave his laughable sketch, "Trying 
 a Magistrate ; " and Mr. Sims Reeves sang with wonderful power 
 and effect " The Death of Nelson " and " Then You'll Remember 
 Me." After this came "The Belle's Stratagem," compressed, for 
 this occasion, into two acts. But everybody felt that these were 
 only the preliminaries to the real event of the evening. The 
 curtain had hardly fallen upon the comedy ere the audience, 
 animated by one feeling, gave vent to their excitement in loud 
 shouts for " Irving." Wreaths and bouquets were showered upon 
 the stage, and the tableau curtains divided, showing Mr. Irving 
 in his costume of Doricourt, without the wig, very pale, and 
 evidently much moved. When the cheers had subsided, Mr. 
 Irving advanced and made, with great emotion, the following 
 speech : — 
 
 "Ladies and Gentlemen, — I have often had to say 'Good-bye' to you 
 on occasions like this; but never has the task been so difficult as it is to- 
 night, for we are about to have a longer separation than we have ever had 
 before. Soon an ocean will roll between us, and it will be a long, long time 
 before we can hear your heart-stirring cheers again. It is some consolation, 
 though, to think that we shall carry with us across the Atlantic the goodwill 
 of many friends who are here to-night, as well as of many who are absent. 
 Here — in this theatre — have we watched the growth of your great and 
 generous sympathy with our work, which has been more than rewarded by 
 the abundance of your regard, and you will believe me when I say, I acutely 
 feel this parting with those who have so steadily and staunchly sustained 
 me in my career. Not for myself alone I speak, but on behalf of my 
 comrades, and especially for Miss Ellen Terry. Her regret at parting with 
 you is equal to mine. You will, I am sure, miss her — as she will certainly 
 
74 HENRY IRVING. [chap. vt. 
 
 miss you. But we have our return to look forward to, and it will be a great 
 pride to us to come back with the stamp of the favour and goodwill of the 
 American people, which, believe me, we shall not fail to obtain. The 2nd 
 of next June will, I hope, see us home with you again. We shall have acted 
 in America for six months, from October 29 to the 29th of the following 
 April, during which time we shall have played in some forty cities. Before 
 our departure we shall appear in Glasgow, Edinburgh, and Liverpool, from 
 whence we start upon our expedition. This theatre will not be closed long ; 
 for on the ist of September a lady will appear before you whose beauty and 
 talent have made her the favourite of America from Maine to California — 
 Miss Mary Anderson — a lady to whom I am sure you will give the heartiest 
 English welcome — that is a foregone conclusion. You will, I know, extend 
 the same welcome to my friend Lawrence Barrett, the famous American 
 actor, who will appear here in the early part of next year. It is a delight 
 to me, as it must have been to you, to have had my friend Sims Reeves here 
 to-night, and I hope that the echo of the words so beautifully sung by him 
 will linger in your memories, and that you will remember me ; and it has 
 also been a great delight to have had my old friend Toole and my young 
 friend Herbert Reeves here to-night. At all times it is a happy thing to 
 be surrounded by friends, and especially on such an occasion as this. And 
 now, ladies and gentlemen, I must say ' Good-bye.' I can but hope that 
 in our absence some of you will miss us ; and I hope that when we return 
 you will be here, or some few of you at least, to welcome us back. From 
 one and all to one and all, with full and grateful and hopeful hearts, I wish 
 you lovingly and respectfully ' Good-bye.' " 
 
 Words are of little avail to describe the scene which 
 followed. . When the band played " Auld Lang Syne," and the 
 cuftain was again raised^ disclosing the entire Lyceum company 
 ranged on the stage, the whole audience burst into an extraor- 
 dinary tumult of enthusiasm. Handkerchiefs waved in unbroken 
 lines from floor to roof; while the mingled cheers and sobs 
 unnerved the strongest. No such spectacle has been witnessed 
 in a theatre by this generation. Mr. Irving might well have felt 
 that he had no more triumphs to win ; for such a tribute of 
 enthusiastic aflection would fill up the measure of the most 
 exacting ambition. 
 
( 75 ) 
 
 CONCLUSION. 
 
 ■" I ""HIS record of a career so interesting as that of Henry 
 Irving, naturally suggests a brief consideration of the means 
 by which its subject has arisen to such eminence. It is indisput- 
 able that Henry Irving is the foremost and the most brilliantly 
 successful of living English actors. No actor in this country has 
 ever attained so magnificent and so strong a position as he has, 
 and no other actor has so striven against and so completely 
 conquered such apparently insurmountable obstacles. His pro- 
 gress was far from rapid, and for ten years he had laboured steadily 
 at his chosen profession, and had done a marvellous amount of 
 work before he obtained a chance for distinguishing himself in 
 London. Then, taking his place, as he did, as a comedian of 
 the first rank, he bided his time until the opportunity came for 
 a higher distinction, when he seized and grappled it with an iron 
 hand ; and the actor who had hitherto been known only as an 
 interpreter of light and eccentric comedy characters, proved that 
 he possessed true tragic power. He was then received with open 
 arms by the public, and applauded to the echo. But, in the 
 meantime, he had been striving vigorously to obtain a recognition 
 of his art. He had chosen the stage for his profession because 
 he loved it, and he set himself resolutely to the task of succeeding 
 despite its hazards. He had no one to depend upon, no one to 
 either drag or thrust him forward; nothing to work upon but 
 his own ability. He started with that recommendation only, and 
 
76 HENRY IRVING. 
 
 with and by it alone he ultimately gained a resplendent success. 
 He faced all manner of difficulties, and bore them all down with 
 a resolution and courage that nothing could stand against. His 
 early life was a hard one, but it was a good training for him. 
 To go on year after year playing small parts, enduring many 
 trials and vicissitudes, waiting nervously and anxiously for the 
 golden opportunity, never swerving from the path he had marked 
 out for himself— all this required a mind of no common order, 
 supported by an indomitable will. The courage and strength of 
 purpose in enduring the difficulties and attacks with which his 
 professional life has been so persistently beset must, indeed, have 
 been enormous. No actor since the days of David Garrick has 
 been so mercilessly and so persistently lampooned, and no other 
 actor since Garrick's time has been less affected by such anta- 
 gonism, or more brilliantly successful in spite of it. 
 
 From a simple life in Cornwall to the bustle and excitement 
 of London, and thence to the stage of a provincial theatre, occu- 
 pied his first eighteen years. Then for a space of ten years we 
 find that he worked steadfastly in the country, playing character 
 upon character, and gaining a vast experience which subsequently 
 became of inestimable value to him. Eventually he obtained his 
 reward, and made a success that has absolutely no parallel in the 
 history of the English stage. 
 
 His first appearance in London proving a delusion (an actor 
 with only six lines to speak has no great chance for distinguishing 
 himself!), he did not linger in London and wait for a chance 
 with a downcast heart, but went back to the provinces, and 
 worked and waited there. He waited for nearly seven years, 
 and then came a second time to London. Prospects were a 
 little brighter now, and Dame Fortune seemed to smile upon 
 
HENRY IRVING. 
 
CONCLUSION. 77 
 
 him at last. But the Rawdon Scudamores, and Bob Gassitts> 
 and Mr, Chevenix's of modem comedy were not what he 
 wanted. Even Digby Grant, excellent as the part was, and 
 admirably as it was acted, was not the desired opportunity. But 
 it was the first real stepping-stone of his success. It remained 
 for his performance of Mathias to establish his claim as a leading 
 actor, and the seal of his success was fixed by his infinitely human 
 impersonation of Hamlet. The pathos of his Charles the First, 
 the despair of his Eugene Aram, and the power of his Richelieu, 
 joined with his Mathias and his Hamlet in fixing incontestably his 
 position as the foremost actor of his country. The grim comedy 
 of his Richard the Third, the repose of his Lesurques and the 
 ferocity of his Duboscq, the art of his Louis the Eleventh, the 
 sympathy aroused by his Shylock, and the comedy of his Benedick, 
 are further instances of the actor's greatest successes, and speak 
 for themselves. In the annals of the stage there has been no such 
 instance of an actor, after familiarizing himself to the public as a 
 type of special modern character, challenging opinion as a candidate 
 for the highest honours of the drama, and not only essaying but 
 winning the high position. This is a singular part of Mr. Irving's 
 career, for none but those who understand the almost insurmount- 
 able difficulty of changing the estimate which the public may have 
 formed of the scope or direction of an actor's abilities, can appre- 
 ciate the power and courage which wrought such a change. 
 
 Many an actor has flashed upon the town who, after long and 
 arduous study of the leading characters, appeared before a London 
 public ; but here was a player appealing at once and for the first 
 time to the critical public as Shylock, or Othello, or lago, or Mac- 
 beth, or Benedick, or Romeo, or Louis, with phenomenal success. 
 Great as was the opposition which he had to surmount, the only 
 
78 HENRY IRFING. 
 
 wonder is that it was not greater.' But he has now held the stage 
 for fifteen years, and his position is stronger than ever. 
 
 About Mr. Irving's acting there is a singular magnetic quality 
 which attracts and compels the sympathy of the spectator. He 
 possesses in an eminent degree the power of holding his audience, 
 as it were, in a vice ; he sways and bends them at his will and 
 readily excites in them a strong interest in his performance. This 
 power of attraction, so rarely met with on the stage, has, from the 
 commencement of his career, proved one of his most valuable pos- 
 sessions. The obviously natural style of his acting may also be 
 cited as another reason for his success. He has avoided all the 
 conventionalities of the stage, and all misplaced traditions of the 
 theatre which, until his time, had been handed down to the actor 
 from generation to generation, time out of mind. In his case, 
 conventionalities and stilted affectations have given place to original 
 thought and feeling, and the result of the experiment has not been 
 amiss. Special charms of figure and mien and voice "are neither," 
 says Lessing, " the only nor the greatest perfections of the actor. 
 Valuable gifts of nature are very necessary for his calling, but they 
 by no means suffice for it. He must everywhere think with the 
 poet." This is really the most necessary condition for a great 
 actor; he must think with the poet. Mr. Irving excels in this 
 particular quality. He goes straight to the author's text for in- 
 spiration and does not depend entirely upon the teachings of others. 
 He has a striking presence and a marvellous personality, but he 
 does not rely upon those gifts of nature alone. He thinks for 
 himself, and he has evidently the courage to stand by his opinions. 
 As a manager, Mr. Irving has done more for the advancement 
 of the stage than any of his predecessors. The theatre has never 
 before occupied so prominent a position in the mind of the public 
 
CONCLUSION. 79 
 
 as it enjoys to-day, and no name is more familiar than that of 
 Henry Irving. It must be a source of pride and gratification to 
 every actor who loves his art to reflect that it was by an actor that 
 this good work was accomplished. 
 
 The banquet of the 4th of July, 1883, was a tribute to the 
 genius of the actor that, in itself, is sufficient testimony of his 
 greatness and popularity. Here, for chairman, was the Lord 
 Chief Justice of England, and the five hundred people who sat 
 down at the dinner included representative men in every branch of 
 art and literature, who vied with each other in doing homage to the 
 actor. No such scene of excitement and friendly feeling has been 
 witnessed by the present generation of playgoers as that which took 
 place in the Lyceum Theatre on July 38th last, the occasion of 
 Mr. Irving's farewell performance in London. These triumphs 
 were continued in Glasgow and in Edinburgh, and culminated in 
 his Liverpool engagement. 
 
 When the good ship "Britannic" sailed from Liverpool on 
 October nth, she carried with her, in the person of Mr. Henry 
 Irving, a freight of precious interest to many thousands of people*" 
 scattered wherever the English tongue is known, who will join 
 each other in wishing him a hearty success in America, and a safe 
 return to his native land'. 
 
APPENDIX. 
 
 THE EXPOSURE OF THE DAVENPORT BROTHERS. 
 {Seepage 34.) 
 
 The exposure, at this period (February, 1865), of the imposture of the 
 notorious Davenport Brothers was a somewhat remarkable episode in 
 which Irving had a leading part. During the winter of 1864-65, the whole 
 of credulous England was disturbed by the statements made by these 
 men, and the effects which they produced, in their " dark s&nces," pre- 
 tending to be based on occult spiritual power, were beginning to have 
 a very deleterious effect on certain classes. It was openly claimed by the 
 showman of the party, the notorious Reverend Doctor Ferguson, that 
 the effects produced were manifestations of the Divine power. In several 
 towns there had almost been riots, and two very strong currents of 
 public feeling ran in opposite directions. Hitherto it had been found 
 impossible to detect the imposture; the nearest approach being the 
 failure of the brothers to untie themselves caused in Liverpool by the 
 adaptation by the tying committee of the "tom-fool" knot. Manchester 
 had been invaded by the tricksters, and the number of the dupes had swelled 
 immensely. The feeling of the adverse faction was caught and crystallised 
 into action by the invention and skill of Henry Irving, and his friends Mr. 
 Frederick Maccabe and Mr. Phillip Day. Irving was attracted to the 
 sdance by the public interest awakened, and after seeing the effect pro- 
 duced, determined to expose the shameful imposture ; to the manner of 
 doing it he was probably incited by the remarkable appearance and unctuous 
 delivery of the Reverend Doctor Ferguson. Having pondered over the means 
 possible of producing the "effects" by which the Davenport Brothers pro- 
 duced such startling results, he secured the aid of his two friends, the result 
 being a private performance before some friends at a popular club. The 
 effort was so successful that the news got abroad. The club entertainment 
 became an open secret, and the performers were asked to give a repetition 
 in some place capable of holding a large number of the persons interested 
 in the question. Accordingly, on the afternoon of Saturday, February 25th, 
 1865, the Library Hall of the Manchester Athenaeum was crowded with an 
 intelligent audience, to witness a display of "preternatural philosophy" in a 
 " private Stance i la Davenport," provided by some well-known members 
 
 F 
 
83 y4PPENDIX. 
 
 of the theatrical profession then playing in the city. The proceedings were 
 commenced by Mr. Henry Irving, who was loudly applauded on making 
 his appearance. He said : 
 
 " Ladies and Gentlemen, — In introducing to you our experiments in what 
 we, perhaps, have ostentatiously called ' preternatural philosophy,' I pro- 
 pose to explain to you as briefly as possible how this meeting has taken 
 place, and the end we have in view in giving this semi-public stance. 
 The performance of the Davenport Brothers was of a nature to fill some 
 minds with wonderment, some to puzzle and perplex, whilst many who 
 would not own to either took to derision and laughter. Three gentlemen, 
 two of whom I shall have the honour of introducing to you [Mr. Irving 
 himself being one of the three], proved exceptions to what appears to have 
 been the rule in the Davenport audiences. They were neither astonished, 
 perplexed, nor bewildered, nor did they content themselves by treating the 
 affair with levity, but in a matter-of-fact way they said, 'Here are effects 
 apparently marvellous ; there is no effect without a cause ; these things 
 are done somehow. If they are done by a supernatural power we cannot 
 accomplish the same ; but if by a natural power, why then we can also — 
 if we discover the somehow. Acting upon this, and beginning with the 
 first axiom in Euclid, that the nearest way from one given point to another 
 is by a straight line, they procured a line, and proceeded like two philo- 
 sophers to experimentalise. The result was a complete knowledge of the 
 somehow, and a full discovery of the trick. At a social gathering some 
 ten days ago (prior to the rather rough and unsatisfactory Liverpool 
 demonstration), a few friends were amused by a burlesque stance k la 
 Davenport, in which I had rather the equivocal honour of impersonating 
 a certain reverend doctor. The result was so complete a reproduction of 
 all the phenomena, that a comrtiittee was formed for the purpose of holding 
 this assembly in which our object is something more than mere amuse- 
 ment. What do the band of brothers profess to teach ? What purpose 
 beyond lining their pockets with money do they desire to obtain ? They 
 indignantly declined to be called conjurors ; and while not venturing to 
 define what was the precise nature of the occult power they professed to 
 exercise, they wished people to understand that they were in some way 
 connected with spiritualism — that, in their own words, they were producing 
 a new hope for all mankind. So, ladies and gentlemen, if we can succeed 
 in destroying the blasphemous pretensions of the unlicensed spirit dealers, 
 our object will be attained, and this meeting will not have been held in 
 vain. I will assume, as well as I am able, the appearance and manner of 
 the doctor, and endeavour as hastily as possible to introduce him to you 
 as our ' media.' " 
 
THE DAVENPORT BROTHERS. 83 
 
 The rapid assumption of a wig and beard, with a few artistic facial 
 touches, a neckerchief of the approved sort, and a tightly buttoned surtout, 
 soon changed Irving into an admirable "double" of the renowned Doctor 
 Ferguson, who, be it always remembered, claimed to be not only the pastor 
 of an existing church, but the Avatar of a new religion, of which spiritualism 
 was the revelation. The resemblance was so striking as to cause immense 
 amusement. Coming forward with the grave demeanour of his original, 
 Irving delivered the following characteristic address, accompanying it with 
 tone, accent, expression, and gesture which were irresistible in their ludicrous 
 likeness to nature — the unctuous showman being, in fact, exactly repro- 
 duced : — 
 
 " Ladies and Gentlemen, — In introducing to your notice the remarkable 
 phenomena which have attended the gentlemen, who are not brothers — 
 (laughter) — who are about to appear before you, I do not deem it necessary 
 to offer any observations upon their extraordinary manifestations. I shall 
 therefore at once commence a long rigmarole — (laughter) — for the purpose 
 of distracting your attention, and filling your intelligent heads with per- 
 plexity. ( Laughter. ) I need not tell this enlightened audience of the gigantic 
 discoveries that have and are being made in the unfathomable abyss of 
 science. I need not tell this enlightened audience (because if I did they 
 would not believe me). (Laughter.) I say I need not tell this enlightened 
 audience that the manifestations they are about to witness are produced by 
 occult power — the meaning of which I don't clearly understand — (laughter) 
 — but we simply bring before your notice facts, and from these you must form 
 your own conclusions. (Hear, hear, and renewed laughter.) Concerning 
 the early life of these gentlemen, columns of the most uninteresting de- 
 scription could be written. (Laughter.) I will mention one or two interest- 
 ing facts connected with these remarkable men, and for the truth of which 
 I personally vouch. In early life one of them, to the perfect unconcern 
 of everybody else, was constantly and most unconsciously floating about his 
 peaceful dwelling in the arms of his amiable nurse — (laughter) — while, on 
 other occasions, he was frequently tied with invisible hands to his mother's 
 apron strings. (Renewed laughter.) Peculiarities of a like nature were 
 exhibited by his companion, whose acquaintance with various spirits com- 
 menced many years ago, and has increased to the present moment with 
 pleasure to himself and profit to others. (Roars of laughter.) These gentle- 
 men have not been celebrated throughout the vast continent of America, 
 they have not astonished the most civilised world, but they have travelled 
 in various parts of this glorious land — the land of Bacon — (laughter) — 
 and are about to appear in a phase in your glorious city of Manchester. 
 ^Laughter.) Many really sensible and intelligent individuals seem to think 
 
84 APPENDIX. 
 
 that the requirement of darkness seems to infer tricliery. (Laughter.) So 
 it does. (Cheers.) But I will strive to convince you that it does not, 
 (Hear, hear.) Is not a dark chamber essential to the process of photo- 
 graphy ? and what would we reply to him who would say ' I believe photo- 
 graphy is a humbug — do it all in the light, and we will believe otherwise ? ' 
 It is true we know why darkness is essential to the production of a sun 
 picture ; and if scientific men will subject these phenomena to analysis 
 they will find why darkness is essential to our manifestations. (Laughter.) 
 But we don't want them to find — (laughter) — we want them to avoid a 
 common-sense view of the mystery. (Laughter.) We want them to be 
 blinded by our puzzle, and to believe with implicit faith in the greatest 
 humbug of the nineteenth century." (Loud applause and laughter.) 
 
 Justice to Irving cannot be done by any mere record of this speech. 
 Frequent bursts of applause followed the "points" made and the hints 
 given, while a staid and dignified gravity recalled to the minds of his 
 listeners the unctuous manner of the mentor of the Davenports. With the 
 same serious face and action he turned to introduce his friends, and the 
 pleasant and familiar faces of Messrs. Frederick Maccabe and PhiUip Day, 
 of the Princes' Theatre, appeared upon the platform— the two professional 
 brothers quietly taking their places to be bound on each side of the cabinet. 
 
 The process of tying then commenced, the audience keeping up a running 
 fire of commentary, which the " Doctor " aptly and wittily answered. The 
 brothers were placed in the cabinet, bound securely hand and foot, and 
 with them were placed a guitar, a tambourine, a bell, and a trumpet 
 Directly on the doors being closed the manifestations commenced. Hands 
 were shown at the aperture and discordant noises commenced within the 
 cabinet. The tambourine and guitar were played, dogs barked, and cats 
 mewed, and a variety of sounds were heard which, as the "Doctor" said, 
 could not possibly emanate from the human voice. The trumpet was 
 thrown cut repeatedly. A gentleman near the platform asked the " Doctor " 
 to be careful that the instrument did not do some damage. The " Doctor " 
 said he could not be answerable for any demonstrations the spirits liked to 
 produce. He asked a gentleman if he had been struck. The gentleman 
 replied, "No;" upon which the "Doctor" said he hoped this was a con- 
 vincing proof that the manifestations were guided by an intelligent power. 
 On the doors being repeatedly opened, the "brothers" appeared bound as 
 before. At length they walked forth from the cabinet freed from the fetters, 
 They re-bound themselves ; one of the committee took his seat in the 
 cabinet, and flour being placed in their hands, the exact Davenport pro- 
 gramme was gone through with the most complete success. The dark stance 
 which followed was a wonderful imitation of the Davenport illusions. No 
 effect which the Davenports produced was left undone, but in the course of 
 
THE DAVENPORT BROTHERS. 85 
 
 the " stance " all their performances were exactly reproduced. The musical 
 instruments were seen floating through the air — the coats of the bound men 
 were exchanged. The "manifestations" took place amidst sundry well- 
 directed remarks and witticisms from the " Doctor." He insisted upon an 
 unbroken chain of contact, "else," said he, "you may be touched in places 
 you least expect." " In the pocket ! " cried one gentleman. " Yes," came 
 the repartee, as quick as lightning from the quasi doctor : " In the pocket, 
 or in the head, or in any other empty receptacle." Irving's impersonation 
 was indeed quite a triumph of real imitative art. Never for a moment did 
 he lose his " identity," but kept the audience in constant merriment by his 
 happy and apt remarks. 
 
 At the close of the scene, a vote of thanks to the performers was carried 
 by vehement acclamation. Amid renewed cheers, calls were made for the 
 "Doctor." Irving came forward, and after a few words of thanks in his 
 assumed guise, tore off his whiskers and beard, and bowed his thanks. 
 
 It is to be remembered that this exhibition was entirely free, the tickets 
 having been given away. In connection with the exposure, which was, by 
 public desire, repeated on the following Saturday in the Free Trade Hall, 
 all the gentlemen participating refused testimonials of any kind. Immedi- 
 ately after the first exhibition the Manchester papers were full of letters 
 advocating a testimonial, but the honour was firmly declined. The im- 
 mediate effect of the occasion on which he created such an impression was 
 to lose Irving his engagement at the Theatre Royal, he declining to make 
 capital out of the success of the exposure of the imposture by repeating the 
 performance nightly at the theatre. 
 
86 APPENDIX. 
 
 PARTS ACTED BY HENRY IRVING. 
 
 The four hundred and twenty-eight parts acted by Irving during the first 
 two and a half years that he was on the stage have already been recorded. 
 To these there remain to be added one hundred and sixty parts played 
 by him in the interval between his leaving Edinburgh and his engagement 
 at the St. James's Theatre (September, 1859, to October, 1866), and sixty- 
 one characters represented by him in London. The total number of parts 
 acted by Irving is, therefore, six hundred and forty-nine. The names of the 
 parts played by him in London are here given : 
 
 (The characters marked thus* are original, and are twenty-two in 
 number.) 
 
 St. James's Theatre, October, 1866, to November, 1867. 
 
 Doricourt, in " The Belle's Stratagem.'' 
 Rawdon Scudamore,* in " Hunted Down." 
 Harry Dornton, in "The Road to Ruin." 
 The O'Hoolagan,* in "A Rapid Thaw." 
 Joseph Surface, in " The School for Scandal." 
 Robert Macaire. 
 Count Falcon,* in " Idalia." 
 Charles Arundel, in " My Aunt's Advice." 
 Robert Audley, in " Lady Audle^s Secret." 
 Harry Thorncote, in " Only a Clod." 
 Charles Torrens, in " The Serious Family." 
 Felix Featherley, in " The Widow Hunt." 
 Charles Mowbray,* in " A Tale of Proceda." 
 Ferment, in " The School of Reform." 
 
 Queen's, December, 1867, to March, 1869. 
 
 Petruchio, in " Katherine and Petruchio." 
 
 Bob Gassitt,* in " Dearer than Life." 
 
 Bill Sykes,* in " Oliver Twist." 
 
 Charles Surface, in "The School for Scandal." 
 
 Faulkland, in " The Rivals." 
 
 Robert Redburn,* in "The Lancashire Lass." 
 
 Robert Arnold,* in " Not Guilty." 
 
 Young Marlow, in " She Stoops to Conquer." 
 
 De Neuville, in " Plot and Passion." 
 
 Victor Dubois, in " Ici on Parle Frangais." 
 
 John Peerybingle, in " Dot." 
 
PARTS ACTED IN LONDON. 87 
 
 Haymarket.^ 
 
 Cool, in " London Assurance-'' (On June Sth, 1868, for the benefit of the 
 
 Royal Dramatic College.) 
 Captain Robert Fitzhubert,* in "All for Moiiey.'' (On July i2th, 1869.) 
 
 Drury Lane. 
 
 Brown, in "The Spitalfield's Weaver." (On March lUh, 1869, for the 
 
 benefit of the sufferers through the fire at the Theatre-Royal, Hull.) 
 Compton Kerr,* in " Formosa." (From August, to December, 1869.) 
 Joseph Surface,+ in " The School for Scandal." (On June 8th, 1876.) 
 
 Gaiety, December, 1869, to April, 1870. 
 Mr. Reginald Chevenix,* in " Uncle Dick's Darling.'' 
 
 Vaudeville, April i6th, 1870, to May, 1871. 
 
 Alfred Skimmington,* in " For Love or Money." 
 Digby Grant,* in " Two Roses.'' 
 Frank Friskly, in " Boots at the Swan." 
 Colonel Kirke, in " A Sheep in Wolf's Clothing." 
 
 Lyceum, September nth, 1871, to July 28th, 1883. 
 
 Landry Bafbeau,* in " Fanchette.'' 
 
 Jingle,* in " Pickwick." 
 
 Mathias,* in « The Bells." 
 
 Jeremy Diddler, in " Raising the Wind." 
 
 Charles the First* 
 
 Eugene Aram.* 
 
 Richelieu. 
 
 Philip,* in *' Philip." 
 
 Hamlet. 
 
 Macbeth. 
 
 Othello. 
 
 Philip of Spain,* in " Queen Mary." 
 
 Doricourt.t 
 
 Tristan, in " King Rend's Daughter." 
 
 Richard the Third. 
 
88 
 
 APPENDIX. 
 
 Duboscq and Lesurques, in " The Lyons Mail." 
 
 Louis the XI. 
 
 Vanderdecken.* 
 
 Claude Melnotte, in " The Lady of Lyons." 
 
 Sir Edward Mortimer, in " The Iron Chest." 
 
 Shylock. 
 
 Tristan, in " lolanthe." 
 
 Louis and Fabien dei Franchi, in " The Corsican Brothers." 
 
 Synorix,* in " The Cup." 
 
 lago. 
 
 Modus, in (a scene from) " The Hunchback." 
 
 Digby Grant.t 
 
 Romeo. 
 
 Benedick. 
 
 Robert Macaire.t 
 
 CASTS OF THE PRINCIPAL PRODUCTIONS IN WHICH 
 MR. IRVING HAS APPEARED. 
 
 "Two Roses." 
 First performed at the Vaudeville Theatre on June 4th, 1870. 
 
 Digby Grant, Esq. 
 Caleb Deecie 
 Jack Wyatt . 
 Our Mr. Jenkins 
 Mr, Furnival . 
 Our Mrs. Jenkins 
 Lotty 
 Ida . 
 
 Mr. Henry Irving. 
 Mr. Thomas Thome. 
 Mr. H. J. Montague. 
 Mr. George Honey. 
 Mr. W. H. Stephens. 
 Miss Lavis. 
 Miss Amy Fawsitt. 
 Miss Newton. 
 
 "The Bells." 
 First acted at the Lyceum Theatre on November 25th, 1871. 
 Mathias Mr. Henry Irving. 
 
 Walter . 
 Hans . 
 
 Mr. Frank Hall. 
 Mr. F. W. Irish. 
 
 + He had previously played these characters — Joseph Surface, Doricourt, 
 Digby Grant, and Robert Macaire — at other London Theatres. 
 
CASTS OF PLAYS. 
 
 89 
 
 Christian 
 
 Mesmerist 
 
 Doctor Zimmer ' 
 
 Notary . 
 
 Tony 
 
 Fritz . 
 
 Judge of the Court 
 
 Clerk of the Court 
 
 Catherine 
 
 Annette. 
 
 Sozel . 
 
 Mr. H. Crellin. 
 Mr. A. Tapping. 
 Mr. Dyas. 
 Mr. CoUett. 
 Mr. Fredericks. 
 Mr. Fotheringham. 
 Mr. Gaston Murray. 
 Mr. Branscombe. 
 Miss G. Pauncefort. 
 Miss Fanny Heywood. 
 Miss Helen Mayne. 
 
 "Charles the First." 
 Produced at the Lyceum Theatre on September 28th, 1872. 
 
 Charles I. 
 
 Cromwell 
 
 Marquis of Huntley 
 
 Lord Moray . 
 
 Ireton 
 
 Prince James . 
 
 Prince Henry . 
 
 Queen Henrietta Maria 
 
 Lady Eleanor 
 
 Princess Elizabeth . 
 
 Mr. Henry Irving. 
 Mr. G. Belmore. 
 Mr. Addison. 
 Mr. E. F. Edgar. 
 Mr. R. Markby. 
 Miss Allcroft. 
 Miss Welch. 
 Miss Isabel Bateman. 
 Miss G. Pauncefort. 
 Miss Willa Brown. 
 
 "The School for Scandal." 
 
 Sheridan's comedy, as acted at the Theatre Royal, Drury Lane, on the 
 afternoon of June 8th, 1876, for a complimentary benefit to John Baldwin 
 Buckstone, "as a recognition of his twenty-three years' lesseeship and 
 management of the Haymarket Theatre, and of his public services as an 
 actor for nearly half a century." 
 
 Sir Peter Teazle . 
 
 Sir Oliver Surface 
 
 Joseph Surface 
 
 Charles Surface . 
 
 Sir Benjamin Backbite 
 
 Crabtree 
 
 Careless 
 
 Trip .... 
 
 Mr. Samuel Phelps. 
 Mr. S. Emery. 
 Mr. Henry Irving. 
 Mr. C. Mathews. 
 Mr. Buckstone. 
 Mr. J. B. Ryder. 
 Mr. C. F. Coghlan. 
 Mr. S. B. Bancroft. 
 
90 
 
 APPENDIX. 
 
 Moses Mr. David James 
 
 Snake . Mr. B. Webster 
 
 Rowley Mr. Howe. 
 
 Sir Harry Mr. Charles Santley. 
 
 ( With the song " Herds to the Maiden'') 
 
 Musical Guest 
 
 Sir Toby 
 
 Servant to J. Surface . 
 
 Servant to Sir P- Teazle 
 
 Servant to Lady Sneerwell 
 
 Lady Teazle . 
 
 Mrs. Candour 
 
 Lady Sneerwell 
 
 Maria . 
 
 Lady Teazlis Maid 
 
 Mr. J. Parry. 
 Mr. F. Everill 
 Mr. E. Righton 
 Mr. C. Sugden. 
 Mr. A. Cecil. 
 Miss Neilson. 
 Mrs. Stirling. 
 Mrs. A. Mellon. 
 Miss L. Buckstone. 
 Miss E. Farren. 
 
 Guests — Mesdames Carlotta Addison, E. Thome, B. Henri, M. Harris, 
 Harriet Coveney, Clara Jecks, Everard, etc. — Messrs. Horace Wigan, R. 
 Soutar, J. Maclean, Clifford Cooper, Weathersby, G. Temple, etc. 
 
 Stage Manager 
 
 Mr. Edward Stirling. 
 
 Mrs. Keeley will deliver an Address written by Mr. Henry J. Byron, to 
 which Mr. Buckstone will respond. 
 
 PLAYS PRODUCED UNDER MR. IRVING'S 
 MANAGEMENT. 
 
 " Hamlet." 
 
 As represented at the Lyceum Theatre on December 30th, 1878, the 
 occasion of the opening of the Theatre under the management of Mr. 
 Irving. 
 
 Hamlet 
 
 . Mr. Henry Irving. 
 
 Claudius .... 
 
 . Mr. Forrester. 
 
 Polonius .... 
 
 . Mr. Chippendale. 
 
 Laertes 
 
 . Mr. F. Cooper. 
 
 Horatio .... 
 
 . Mr. T. Swinbourne. 
 
 Osric 
 
 . Mr. Kyrle Bellew. 
 
 Rosencrantz .... 
 
 . Mr. A. W. Pinero. 
 
 Guildemtem 
 
 . Mr. Elwood. 
 
CJSTS OF PLAYS. 
 
 91 
 
 Marcellus 
 
 Bernardo 
 
 Francisco 
 
 Reynaldo 
 
 1st Player 
 
 id Player 
 
 Priest . 
 
 1st Gravedigger . 
 
 id Gravedigger . 
 
 Messenger 
 
 Ghost of Hamlefs Fat he f 
 
 Gertrvde 
 
 Player Queen 
 
 Ophelia 
 
 Mr. Gibson. 
 Mr. Robinson. 
 Mr. Tapping. 
 Mr. Cartwright. 
 Mr. A. Beaumont. 
 Mr. Everard. 
 Mr. Collett. 
 Mr. S. Johnson. 
 Mr. A. Andrews. 
 Mr. Harwood. 
 Mr. T. Mead. 
 Miss Pauncefort. 
 Miss Sedley. 
 Miss Ellen Terry. 
 
 'The Lady of Lyons." 
 
 Revived on April 17th, 1879. 
 
 Claude Melnotte 
 
 Colonel Damas 
 
 Beausdant 
 
 Glavis . 
 
 Mons. Deschappelles 
 
 Landlord 
 
 Caspar . 
 
 Copt. Gervais . 
 
 Capt. Dupont . 
 
 Major Desmoulins 
 
 Notary . 
 
 Servant . 
 
 Servant . 
 
 Mme. Deschappelles 
 
 Widow Melnotte 
 
 Janet 
 
 Marian . 
 
 Pauline . 
 
 Mr. Henry Irving. 
 Mr. Walter Lacy. 
 Mr. Forrester. 
 Mr. Kyrle Bellew. 
 Mr. C. Cooper. 
 Mr. S. Johnson. 
 Mr. Tyars. 
 Mr. Elwood. 
 Mr. Ferrand. 
 Mr. Andrews. 
 Mr. Tapping. 
 Mr. Branscombe. 
 Mr. Harwood. 
 Mrs. Chippendale. 
 Miss Pauncefort. 
 Miss Harwood. 
 Miss Willa Brown. 
 Miss Ellen- Terry. 
 
 "The Iron Chest." 
 Revived on September 27th, 1879. 
 
 Sir Edward Mortimer 
 Capt. Fitzharding . 
 
 Mr. Henry Irving. 
 Mr. J. H. Barnes. 
 
93 
 
 APPENDIX. 
 
 Wilford Mr. Nprman Forbes. 
 
 Adam Winterioji Mr. J. Carter. 
 
 Rawbold < Mr. Mead. 
 
 Samson Rawbold . . . . . Mr. S. Johnson. 
 
 Peier Mr. Branscombe. 
 
 Gregory Mr. Tapping. 
 
 Armstrong Mr. F. Tyars. 
 
 Orson Mr. C. Cooper. 
 
 Robbers .... (Messrs. Ferrand, Calvert, 
 
 ' i , Harwood, &c. 
 
 Robber's Boy Miss Harwood. 
 
 Lady Helen Miss Florence Terry. 
 
 Blanche Miss Myra Holme. 
 
 Barbara Miss Alma Murray. 
 
 Judith Miss Pauncefort. 
 
 "The Merchant of Venice." 
 
 Revived November ist, 1879. 
 
 Shy lock . 
 
 Duke of Venice 
 
 Prince of Morocco 
 
 Antonio 
 
 Bassanio 
 
 Salaftio 
 
 Salarino 
 
 Gratiano 
 
 Lorenzo 
 
 Tubal . 
 
 Launcelot Gobbo 
 
 Old Gobbo . 
 
 Gaoler , 
 
 Leonardo 
 
 Balthazar 
 
 Stephano 
 
 Clerk of the Court 
 
 Nerissa 
 
 Jessica . 
 
 Portia . 
 
 Mr. Henry Irving. 
 Mr. A. Beaumont. 
 Mr. F. Tyars. 
 Mr. H. Forrester. 
 Mr. J. H. Barnes. 
 Mr. A. Elwood. 
 Mr. A. W. Pinero. 
 Mr. F. Cooper 
 Mr. N. Forbes, 
 Mr. J. Carter. 
 Mr. S. Johnson. 
 Mr. C. Cooper. 
 Mr. Hudson. 
 Mr. Branscombe. 
 Mr. Tapping. 
 Mr. Ganthony. 
 Mr. Calvert. 
 Miss Florence Terry. 
 Miss Alma Murray. 
 Miss Ellen Terry. 
 
CJSTS OF PLAYS. 
 
 93 
 
 " lOLANTHE." 
 
 First acted on May 20th, 1880. 
 
 Count Tristan 
 King Rend 
 Sir Geoffrey 
 Sir Almeric 
 Ebn Jahia 
 Bertrand 
 Martha . 
 lolanthe . 
 
 Mr. Henry Irving. 
 Mr. J. H. Barnes. 
 Mr. F. Cooper. 
 Mr. N. Forbes, 
 Mr. T. Mead. 
 Mr. J. Carter. 
 Miss Pauncefort. 
 Miss Ellen Terry. 
 
 "The Corsican Brothers." 
 
 Revived on September i8th, 1880. 
 
 M. Fabien dei FrancM . 
 M. Louis dei Franchi 
 
 ' )■ Mr. Henry Irving. 
 
 M. de Chdteau Renaud . 
 
 . Mr. W. Terriss. 
 
 The Baron de Montgiron 
 
 . Mr. Elwood. 
 
 M. Alfred Meynard 
 
 . Mr. Pinero. 
 
 Colonna 
 
 . Mr. Johnson. 
 
 Orlando . 
 
 
 . Mr. Mead. 
 
 Antonio Sanola 
 
 
 . Mr. Tapping. 
 
 Giordano Martelli 
 
 
 . Mr. Tyars. 
 
 Gnffo . 
 
 
 . Mr. Archer. 
 
 Boissec . 
 
 
 . Mr. Carter. 
 
 M. Verner 
 
 
 . Mr. Hudson. 
 
 Tomaso . 
 
 
 . Mr. Harwood. 
 
 M. Beauchamp 
 
 
 . Mr. Ferrand. 
 
 A Surgeon 
 
 
 . Mr. Louther. 
 
 Emilie de Lesparre 
 
 . Miss Fowler. 
 
 Madame Savillia dei Franchi 
 
 . Miss Pauncefort. 
 
 Marie 
 
 . Miss Harwood. 
 
 Coralie . 
 
 
 . Miss Alma Murray 
 
 Celestine . 
 
 
 . Miss Barnett. 
 
 Estelle . 
 Rose 
 
 
 . Miss Houliston. 
 . Miss Coleridge. 
 
 Eugenie . 
 
 
 . Miss Moreley. 
 
94 
 
 APPENDIX. 
 
 "The Cup." 
 First acted on January 3rd, 1881. 
 
 Ga/ah'ans. 
 
 Synorix Mr. Henry Irving. 
 
 Sinnatus Mr. Terriss. 
 
 Attendant Mr. Harwood. 
 
 Boy Miss Brown. 
 
 Maid Miss Harwood. 
 
 Phcebe Miss Pauncefort. 
 
 Camma Miss Ellen Terry. 
 
 Romans. 
 
 Antonius Mr. Tyars. 
 
 Publius Mr. Hudson. 
 
 Nobleman Mr. Matthison. 
 
 Herald Mr, Archer. 
 
 "The Belle's Stratagem." 
 
 Revived on April i6th, 1881. 
 
 Doricourt 
 
 Hardy 
 
 Flutter . 
 
 Saville . 
 
 Villiers . 
 
 Courtall . 
 
 Sir George Touchwood 
 
 Gibson 
 
 Pilgrim Mask 
 
 Mountebank . 
 
 Servant . 
 
 Mrs. Rackett . 
 
 Lady Touchwood . 
 
 Letitia Hardy 
 
 Mr. Henry Irving. 
 Mr. Howe. 
 Mr. W. Terriss. 
 Mr. Pinero. 
 Mr. Elwood. 
 Mr. Tyars. 
 Mr. Beaumont 
 Mr. Clifford. 
 Mr. Hudson. 
 Mr. Carter. 
 Mr. Marion. 
 Miss Sophie Young. 
 Miss Barnett. 
 Miss Ellen Terry. 
 
CASTS OF PLAYS. 
 
 95 
 
 " Othello." 
 
 -- 
 
 Revived on May 2nd and 9th, 1881. 
 
 (Booth, Othello; Irving, lago^ 
 
 May 2d. 
 
 Booth, lagoj 
 
 Irving, Othello j 
 
 May 9th.) 
 
 
 Othello 
 
 . Mr. 
 
 Edwin Booth. 
 
 lago 
 
 
 
 
 
 . Mr. 
 
 Henry Irving. 
 
 Cassio 
 
 
 
 
 
 . Mr. 
 
 Terriss. 
 
 Brabantio 
 
 
 
 
 
 . Mr. 
 
 Mead. 
 
 Roderigo 
 
 
 
 
 
 . Mr. 
 
 Pinero. 
 
 Duke . 
 
 
 
 
 
 . Mr. 
 
 Beaumont. 
 
 Montano 
 
 
 
 
 
 . Mr. 
 
 Tyars. 
 
 Gratiano 
 
 
 
 
 
 . Mr. 
 
 Carter. • 
 
 Ludovico 
 
 
 
 
 
 . Mr. 
 
 Hudson. 
 
 Messenger 
 
 
 
 
 
 . Mr. 
 
 Matthison. 
 
 Paulo . 
 
 
 
 
 
 . Mr. 
 
 Ferrand. 
 
 Antonio . 
 
 
 
 
 
 . Mr 
 
 Clifford. 
 
 Julio . 
 
 
 
 
 
 . Mr. 
 
 Louther. 
 
 Marco 
 
 
 
 
 
 . Mr. 
 
 Harwood. 
 
 Emilia . 
 
 
 
 
 
 . Miss Pauncefort. 
 
 Desdemona 
 
 
 
 
 
 . Miss Ellen Terry. 
 
 "Romeo and Juliet." 
 Revived March 8th, 1882. 
 
 Romeo . 
 Mercutio 
 Tybalt . 
 Paris . 
 Capulet 
 Montague 
 Friar Laurence 
 Apothecary . 
 Prince Escalus 
 Benvolio 
 Gregory 
 Sampson 
 Abraham 
 Balthazar . 
 
 Mr. Henry Irving. 
 
 Mr. W. Terriss. 
 
 Mr. C. Glenney. 
 
 Mr. G. Alexander. 
 
 Mr. Howe. 
 
 Mr. Harbury. 
 
 Mr. James Fernandez. 
 
 Mr. Mead. 
 
 Mr. Tyars. 
 
 Mr. Child. 
 
 Mr. Carter. 
 
 Mr. Archer. 
 
 Mr. Louther. 
 
 Mr. Hudson. 
 
96 
 
 APPENDIX. 
 
 Peter . 
 
 Friar John, 
 
 Citizen 
 
 Chorus 
 
 Page . 
 
 Nurse 
 
 Lady Montague 
 
 Lady Capulet 
 
 Juliet . 
 
 Mr. Andrews. 
 Mr. Black. 
 Mr. Harwood. 
 Mr. Howard Russell. 
 Miss Kate Brown. 
 Mrs. Stirling. 
 Miss H. Matthews. 
 Miss L. Payne. 
 Miss Ellen Terry. 
 
 " Much Ado About Nothing." 
 Revived October nth, 1882. 
 
 Benedick 
 
 
 
 
 
 . Mr. Henry Irving. 
 
 Don Pedro 
 
 
 
 
 
 . Mr. W. Terriss. 
 
 Don John 
 
 
 
 
 
 . Mr. Charles Glenney, 
 
 Claudia 
 
 
 
 
 
 . Mr. J. Forbes-Robertson 
 
 Leonato 
 
 
 
 
 
 . Mr. J. Fernandez. 
 
 Antonio 
 
 
 
 
 
 . Mr. H. Howe. 
 
 Friar . 
 
 
 
 
 
 . Mr. T. Mead. 
 
 Balthazar . 
 
 
 
 
 
 . Mr. J. Robertson. 
 
 Borachio 
 
 
 
 
 
 . Mr. Tyars. 
 
 Conrade 
 
 
 
 
 
 . Mr. Hudson. 
 
 Dogberry 
 
 
 
 
 
 . Mr. Johnson. 
 
 Verges 
 
 
 
 
 
 . Mr. Stanislaus Calhaem. 
 
 Seacole 
 
 
 
 
 
 . Mr. Archer. 
 
 Oatcake 
 
 
 
 
 
 . Mr. Harbury. 
 
 Sexton 
 
 
 
 
 
 . Mr. Carter. 
 
 Messenger 
 
 
 
 
 
 . Mr. Haviland. 
 
 Boy . 
 
 
 
 
 
 . Miss Kate Brown. 
 
 Hero . 
 
 
 
 
 
 . Miss Millward. 
 
 Margaret 
 
 
 
 
 
 . Miss Harwood. 
 
 Ursula 
 
 
 
 
 
 . Miss G. Payne. 
 
 Beatrice 
 
 
 
 
 
 . Miss EUen Terry. 
 
THE BILL ONLY. 
 
 97 
 
 ANNUAL BENEFIT OF MR HENRY IRVING, 
 
 AND LAST NIGHT OF THE SEASON. 
 
 This Evening, Saturday, July zSth, 1883, 
 
 At a quarter to Eight o'clock, will be presented 
 
 EUGENE ARAM. 
 
 BY W. G. WILLS. 
 
 Re-arranged in One Act. In Two Tableaux. 
 
 Eugene Aram ..... Mr. Henry Irving. 
 
 Parson Meadows . 
 Richard Houseman 
 Jowell 
 
 Ruth Meadows 
 
 Mr. H. Howe. 
 Mr. W. Terriss. 
 Mr. S. Johnson, 
 
 Miss Ellen Terry. 
 
 (a) ( Song . 
 (4) I Song . 
 
 Sltetch 
 
 (a) f Song . 
 (^) I Song . 
 
 At the Piano 
 
 ' Com' & Gentil " (" Don Pasquale " 
 
 " The Jolly Young Waterman." 
 
 Mr. Herbert Reeves. 
 
 ' ' Trying a Magistrate. " 
 Mr. J. L. Toole. 
 
 . "The Death of Nelson." 
 " Then you'll Remember me." 
 Mr. Sims Reeves. 
 
 Donizetti. 
 Diidin. 
 
 Braham. 
 Balfe. 
 
 Mr Sydney Naylor. 
 
 After which, Mrs. Cowley's Comedy, 
 THE BELLE'S STRATAGEM. 
 
 Doricourt . 
 
 Flutter 
 
 Hardy 
 
 Saville 
 
 Villiers 
 
 Mountebank 
 
 Courtall 
 
 Sir George Touchwood 
 
 Gibson . 
 
 Servant 
 
 Mrs. Rackett 
 
 Lady Touchwood . 
 
 (in two acts.) 
 
 Mr. Henry Irving. 
 Mr. W. Terriss. 
 Mr. H. Howe. 
 Mr. N. Forbes. 
 Mr. Haviland. 
 Mr. Carter. 
 Mr. F. Tyars. 
 Mr. A. Andrews. 
 Mr. Clifford. 
 Mr. Marion. 
 Miss Payne. 
 Miss Millward. 
 
 Miss Ellen Terry. 
 
 Letitia Hardy , . 
 
 A Minuet will be danced by Miss Ellen Terry, Mr. Irving, Miss Payne, Mr. Terriss, Messrs. 
 Tyars, N. Forbes, Haviland, Andrews, Harvey, Baker, Dwyer, Renouf, and Misses 
 Harwood, Millward, Coleridge, Mills, Daubigny, E. Harwood, Louther, and Russell. 
 Stage Manager . . , . . Mr. H. J. LovEDAY. 
 
 Musical Director ..... Mr. Meredith Ball. 
 Acting Manager ..... Mr. Bram Stoker, 
 
 G 
 
98 APPENDIX. 
 
 BANQUET TO MR. IRVING, AT ST. JAMES'S HALL, 
 ON JULY 4TH, 1883. 
 
 At this dinner, given in honour of Mr. Henry Irving, in view of his 
 impending departure for a professional tour of America, the company 
 numbered between five hundred and six hundred people. Every care had 
 been taken to ensure the success of a demonstration which was intended 
 both as an acknowledgment of the past services of the leading exemplar of 
 the histrionic art in England and an expression of the goodwill that will 
 follow him in his venture on the other side of the Atlantic. The large hall 
 had been admirably arranged as a banqueting room. The table of honour 
 was placed on the elevated position in front of the great organ, five long 
 lines of tables, on a lower level, extending from it. Of floral decoration 
 there was an abundance in every portion of the hall, but on the stage behind 
 the chair there was an absolute luxuriance of foliage and blossom. When 
 all the guests were seated, and when the galleries were filled with ladies, the 
 spectacle was almost as striking as a scene on the stage of the Lyceum. 
 Not a few of the fair occupants of the balcony were provided with opera 
 glasses, and it may be doubted whether the Lord Chief Justice of England, 
 who presided, and Mr. Henry Irving, who, as the guest of the evening, sat 
 on his lordship's right hand, were ever scrutinised with greater admiration 
 or curiosity, in the Queen's Bench, or on the stage, than they were on this 
 occnsion. The arrival of Miss Ellen Terry, who has enhanced and shared 
 Mr. Irving's triumphs, was the occasion of universal and heartily sustained 
 applause. Near her were seated Mrs. Arthur Lewis (Miss Kate Terry), 
 Mrs. Sala, Mrs. Morell Mackenzie, Mrs. Arthur Stirling, Mrs. Comyns Carr, 
 and amongst the many other occupants of the gallery may be mentioned 
 Lady Pollock, Lady Cowan, the Hon. Mrs. Stephen Coleridge, and Mrs. 
 Maxwell (Miss Braddon). It has already been intimated that to the guest 
 of the evening was allotted, in accordance with custom, the seat next the 
 Chairman's right hand. Also at the chief table to the right of Lord Coleridge 
 were the Earl of Hardwicke, Lord Henry Lennox, Lord O'Hagan, Mr. 
 Justice Mathew, Admiral Sir H. Keppel, General Sir D. Probyn, V.C., 
 Mr. Justice Chitty, Mr. E. Stanhope, Mr. J. L. Toole, Mr. L. Alma- 
 Tadema, R.A., the Hon. Lewis Wingfield, the Hon. B. Coleridge, and 
 Colonel the Hon. C. Thesiger. To the left of the chair were placed the 
 Hon. J. Russell Lowell (American Minister), Earl Fortescue, Viscount Bury, 
 Lord Londesborough, Sir James Hannen, Viscount Baring, M.P., Mr. 
 Shaw-Lefevre, M.P., Mr. Justice \V;itkin Williams, the Hon. Sir Lewis 
 Cave, Professor Tyndall, Sir B. Leighton, M.P., Sir. T. Brassey, M.P., and 
 the Hon. Joseph Hawley. 
 
BANQUET AT ST. JAMES'S HALL. 
 
 99 
 
 The " plan of tables " comprised the following names : 
 
 Mr. Henry E. Abbey. 
 
 Mr. W. Abbott. 
 
 Mr. M. Abrahams. 
 
 Mr. Hamilton Aide. 
 
 Mr. Jas. Albery. 
 
 Mr. G. Alexander. 
 
 Mr. I. A. Alsop. 
 
 Mr. T. W. Anderson. 
 
 Mr. A. Andrews. 
 
 Mr. A. W. Arnold. 
 
 Mr. Matthew Arnold. 
 
 Mr. E. Ashmead-Bartlett, 
 M.P. 
 
 Mr. A. Withall Aston. 
 
 Mr. J. K. Aston. 
 
 Mr. Louis F. Austin. 
 
 Mr. H. Baden-Pritchard. 
 
 Dr. W. Bainbridge. 
 
 Mr. J. M. Ball. 
 
 Mr. S. B. Bancroft. 
 
 Mr. F. Barnard. 
 
 Mr. Wilson Barrett. 
 
 Mr. G. M. Barrow. 
 
 Mr. Baumann. 
 
 Mr. Edward Beale. 
 
 Mr. Bernard Becker. 
 
 Mr. A. A'Beckett. 
 
 Mr. Henry Belcher, LL.D. 
 
 Mr. E. Bellasis. 
 
 Mr. E. Bendall. 
 
 Sir Julius Benedict. 
 Mr. Hyam Benjamin. 
 Mr. Alfred Berlyn. 
 Mr. Louis Berlyn. 
 Mr. Peter Berlyn. 
 Mr. Walter Besant. 
 Mr. Hy. Betty. 
 Mr. A. Beveridge. 
 Mr. W. R. Beverley. 
 Hon. J. P. Bigelow. 
 Mr. John Billington. 
 Mr. Alfred Bishop. 
 Prof. J. Blackie. 
 Mr. William Black. 
 Mr. John Blake. 
 Mr. J. E. Boehm, R.A. 
 Mr. David Bogue. 
 
 Mr. W. C. Borlase, M.P. 
 Sir Algernon Borthwick. 
 Dr. Bott.' 
 
 Mr. G. Boughton, A.R.A. 
 Mr. W. R. Boyle. 
 Mr. L. Boyne." 
 Mr. C. Bradshaw. 
 Mr. S. Brandram. 
 Mr. Austin Brereton. 
 Mr. J. Brierly. 
 Mr. Edwin Bridger. 
 Mr. James Bridger. 
 Mr. Jacob Bright, M.P. 
 Mr. Dan. Brixbee. 
 Mr. E. J. Broadfield. 
 Mr. E. Bromley. 
 Rev. C. E. Brooke. 
 Mr. R. Brooks. 
 Mr. Lionel Brough. 
 Mr. Edward Brown. 
 Mr. Edward Bulme. 
 Mr. Burdett-Coutts. 
 Sir Francis Burdett, Bart. 
 Mr. F. C. Burnand. 
 Mr. William Burnside. 
 Mr. F. Butterfield. 
 Mr. Henry J. Byron. 
 Mr. N. Cameron. 
 Mr. Herbert Canning. 
 Mr. J. Comyns Carr. 
 Mr. R. D'Oyly Carte. 
 Mr. J. Carter. 
 Mr. I. M. Case. 
 Mr. E. W. Cathie. 
 Mr. George Cawston. 
 Mr. O. H. Caygill. 
 Mr. T. Chambers. 
 Mr. V. W. Chenery. 
 Mr. John Child. 
 Mr. Edward Clark, Q.C., 
 
 M.P. 
 Mr. Campbell Clarke. 
 Mr. Saville Clarke. 
 Mr. John Clayton. 
 Mr. J. H. Cobbe. 
 Hon. Gilbert Coleridge. 
 Hon. S. Coleridge. 
 
 Dr. Collier. 
 
 Mr. C. P. Colnaghi. 
 
 Mr. Moncure Conway, 
 
 Mr. Dutton Cook. 
 
 Mr. A. Cooper. 
 
 Mr. Cotham. 
 
 Mr. Edmund Couldery. 
 
 Sir Edward Cowan. 
 
 Mr. J. Cowen, M.P. 
 
 Mr. W. L. Courtney. 
 
 Rev. Dr. Cox. 
 
 Mr. T. Crane. 
 
 Mr. W. Cremer. 
 
 Mr. William Creswiclc 
 
 Mr. Charles Critchett. 
 
 Mr. G. A. Critchett. 
 
 Mr. David Cunningham. 
 
 Mr. A. Darbyshire. 
 
 Mr. Charles Davies. 
 
 Mr. E. D. Davis. 
 
 Mr. Charles Davison. 
 
 Rev. A. W. Deacon. 
 
 Mr. H. Bargrave Deane. 
 
 Mr. G. Delacher. 
 
 Mr. A. Delille. 
 
 Mr. Edward Dicey. 
 
 Mr. Charles Dickens. 
 
 Mr. Henry Dickens 
 
 Mr. S. Dignam. 
 
 Mr. T. F. Dillon- Croker. 
 
 Mr. F. Duff. 
 
 Mr. H. M. Dunstan. 
 
 Colonel Ellis. 
 
 Mr. Walter Ellis. 
 
 Mr. T. Escott. 
 
 Mr. Henry Evill. 
 
 Mr. J. P. Evill. 
 
 Mr. William Evill. 
 
 Mr. A. H. Ewer. 
 
 Mr. Farmer. 
 
 Mr. Gilbert Farquhar. 
 
 Mr. J. Fawns. 
 
 Sir James Fergusson, Bart. 
 
 Mr. James Fernandez. 
 
 Mr. Frank Finlay. 
 
 Mr. Percy Fitzgerald. 
 
 Mr. J. S. Forbes. 
 
lOO 
 
 APPENDIX. 
 
 Mr. Forbes-Robertson. 
 Mr. J. Forbes-Robertson. 
 Mr. Gerard Ford. 
 Mr. Onslow Ford. 
 Mr. George Foster. 
 Mr. C. Fraser. 
 Sir Clias. Freake, Bart. 
 Mr. Saml. French. 
 Mr. W. Frith, R.A. 
 Mr. J. Fulleylove. 
 Mr. W. Ganz. 
 Mr. E. W. Gardiner. 
 Mr. H. Gardiner. 
 Mr. J. Gardiner. 
 ' Mr. J. S. Gates. 
 Mr. H. Gething. 
 Mr. Charles F. Gill. 
 Mr. Henry F. Gillig. 
 Mr. C. Glenny. 
 Mr. Walter Glover. 
 Captain Godbold. 
 Mr. H. L. Goertz. 
 Admiral Gordon. 
 Sir W. Gordon-Cumming, 
 
 Bart. 
 Baron Grant. 
 Mr. Cliarles Greenwood. 
 Dr. Grigg. 
 
 Mr. George Grossmith. 
 Mr. J. Grunebaum. 
 Mr. W. Gully, Q.C. 
 Mr. George Gumbleton. 
 Mr. Gustafsen. 
 Mr. Michael Gunn. 
 Mr. Charles Halle. 
 Mr. O. Hansard. 
 Mr. C. Harbury. 
 Mr. W. Hardman. 
 Dr. J. Harper. 
 Mr. Augustus Harris. 
 Mr. Basil Harrison. 
 Capt. Talbot Harvey. 
 Mr. Joseph Hatton. 
 Mr. W. H. Hatton. 
 Mr. F. W. Hawkins. 
 Mr. E. Haxell. 
 Mr. P. Hedderwick. 
 Mr. C. Hennell. 
 Mr. H. Herman. 
 
 General Heyman. 
 
 Mr. W. Hope. 
 
 Mr. J. HoUingshead. 
 
 Mr. T. Holmes. 
 
 Mr. Holt. 
 
 Mr. E. Horniman. 
 
 Mr. J. Horniman. 
 
 Mr. J. B. Howard. 
 
 Mr. H. Howe. 
 
 Mr. Frank Howell. 
 
 General Charles Hill. 
 
 Mr. F. Hill. 
 
 Mr. J. S. Hill. 
 
 Mr. Rowland Hill. 
 
 Mr. Gustav Hirsch. 
 
 Col. Hughes-Hallett. 
 
 Mr. S. A. Hubbard. 
 
 Mr. L. Hultar. 
 
 Mr. William Hunt. 
 
 Mr. John Hunter. 
 
 Mr. J. Hurst. 
 
 Hon. Stilson Hutchins. 
 
 Mr. Geo. Irwin. 
 
 Mr. R. Irwin. 
 
 Mr. Alderman Isaacs. 
 
 Mr. David James. 
 
 Mr. Henry C. Jarrett. 
 
 Mr. Charles Jay. 
 
 Mr. R. Jeffs. 
 
 Prof. F. B. Jewson. 
 
 Mr. H. Joachim. 
 
 Mr. Ellis Jones. 
 
 Mr. Henry A. Jones. 
 
 Mr. Horace Jones. 
 
 Mr. J. W. Jones. 
 
 Mr. S. Johnson. 
 
 Mr. W. S. Johnson. 
 
 Mr. S. Joshua. 
 
 Ml. F. A. Kay. 
 
 General Sir M. Kennedy. 
 
 Mr. James Knowles. 
 
 Mr. W. Kuhe. 
 
 Mr. Walter Lacy. 
 
 Mr. C. Laffin. 
 
 Mr. A. J. Lambert. 
 
 Mr. E. L. Lawson. 
 
 Hon. L. M. Lawson. 
 
 Mr. Henry Lee. 
 
 Mr. T. C. Leete. 
 
 Mr. E. Letchworth. 
 
 Mr. A. Levy. 
 
 Mr. J. M. Levy. 
 
 Mr. Jonas Levy. 
 
 Mr. Arthur Lewis. 
 
 Mr. Geo. Lewis. 
 
 Mr. Lobb. 
 
 Mr. W. G. Logan. 
 
 Mr. Edwin Long, R.A. 
 
 Mr. Peter de L. Long. 
 
 Mr. George Loveday. 
 
 Mr. H. J. Loveday. 
 
 Mr. E. Lowne. 
 
 Mr. P. Lyndal. 
 
 Mr. George Lyon. 
 
 Mr. F. Lucas. 
 
 Mr. Justin McCarthy, M.P. 
 
 Mr. James McCulloch. 
 
 Admiral Sir Reginald Mac- 
 
 donald. 
 Mr. E. R. McDermott. 
 Mr. E. McDermott. 
 Mr. McHenry. 
 Dr. MacKellar. 
 Mr. Mackenzie of Kintail. 
 Mr. Morell Mackenzie. 
 Mr. F. Macmillan. 
 Mr. J. Maclean. 
 Mr. W. F. Malcom. 
 Mr. Harry Marks. 
 Mr. Frank Marshall. 
 Mr. Hy. Martin. 
 Mr. Francis Mason. 
 Mr. Brander Matthews. 
 Mr. Chas. Matthews. 
 Mr. Clark Matthews. 
 Mr. J. Matthew.'!. 
 Mr. J. Maxwell. 
 Mr. T. Mead. 
 Mr. Thomas Meller. 
 Mr. J. Messent. 
 Mr. Frank Miles. 
 Mr. J. Millais, R.A. 
 Mr. C. Millar. 
 Mr. E. Miller. 
 Mr. Cliarles Millward. 
 Mr. R. Milner. 
 Mr. A. B. Mitford, C.B. 
 Mr. A. de M. Mocatta. 
 
BANQUET AT ST. JAMES'S HALL. 
 
 lOI 
 
 Sir John Monckton. 
 Mr. Samuel Montagu. 
 Mr. A. Montgomery. 
 Mr. E. A. Morris. 
 Mr. W. Morris. 
 Mr. Felix Moschelles. 
 Mr. J. F. Moulton. 
 Mr. F. Mountford. 
 Mr. B. L. Mosely. 
 Mr. T. Douglas Murray. 
 Mr. W. Mudford. 
 Mr. H. Nash. 
 Mr. S. Naylor. 
 Mr. Wm. N. Neill. 
 Mr. Henry Neville. 
 Mr. J. Nicholay. 
 Mr. J. R. Nye. 
 Mr. T. W. Oakley. 
 Mr. John O'Connor. 
 Mr. M. Ohren. 
 Mr. Chas. Oilier. 
 Mr. W. Osmond. 
 Mr. J. Osgood. 
 Mr. E. CunliflFe Owen. 
 Colonel C. H. Page. 
 Mr. W. H. Palmer. 
 Mr. I. C. Parkinson. 
 Mr. I. H. Parry. 
 Mr. A. Parshall. 
 Mr. C. F. Partington. 
 Mr. R. Pateman, 
 Mr. W. Patterson. 
 Mr. W. R. Patterson. 
 Mr. Howard Paul. 
 Mr. W. Pearce. 
 Mr. C. Pellegrini. 
 Mr. J. Petiie, R.A. 
 Mr. Geo. Phillips, C.B. 
 Mr. William Phillips. 
 Mr. E. F. Pigott. 
 Mr. R. T. Pigott. 
 Mr. Arthur W. Pinero. 
 Mr. F. Pinches. 
 Mr. E. Pinches. 
 Mr. Charles Plumptre. 
 Mr. Edward Pollock. 
 Sir Fredk. Pollock, Bart. 
 Mr. Frederick Pollock. 
 Mr. Maurice E. Pollock. 
 
 Mr. Walter Pollock. 
 
 Mr. Charles Pope. 
 
 Mr. W. Pieece, F.R.S. 
 
 Mr. J. H. Price. 
 
 Dr. Priestley. 
 
 Dr. M. PuUen. 
 
 Mr. Arthur Pullman. 
 
 Mr. John Pullman. 
 
 Dr. Quain. 
 
 Mr. C. M. Rae. 
 
 Mr. J. Ramshire, 
 
 Mr. A. Randegger. 
 
 Mr. G. Ransford. 
 
 Mr. Raymond. 
 
 Mr. W. B. Redfern. 
 
 Mr. Herbert Reeves. 
 
 Mr. Sims Reeves. 
 
 Dr. Owen Rees. 
 
 Mr. Brinley Richards. 
 
 Mr. S. M. Richards. 
 
 Dr. W. B. Richardson, 
 F.R.S. 
 
 Mr. Scott Ritchie. 
 
 Mr. H. Shenstone Roberts. 
 
 Mr. E. S. Robertson. 
 
 Mr. R. Robertson. 
 
 Dr. T. Robinson. 
 
 Mr. Mat. Robson. 
 
 Capt. Disney Roebuck. 
 
 Mr. James Rodgers. 
 
 Dr. Roose. 
 
 Mr. Alfred de Rothschild. 
 Mr. Edmund Routledge. 
 Mr. George Routledge. 
 
 Mr. E. R. Russell. 
 Mr. Geo. A. Sala. 
 Mr. S. Salmon. 
 Mr. L. Salomons. 
 Mr. Linley Sambourne. 
 Mr. H. S. Samuel. 
 Mr. James Sant, R.A. 
 Mr. Charles Santley. 
 Mr. M. Santley. 
 Dr. Carl Schneider. 
 Mr. E. Scobel. 
 Mr. Clement Scott. 
 Mr. H. W. Segelcke. 
 Sir Bruce Seton, Bart. 
 Colonel Shaffer. 
 
 Mr. G. Shaw, LL.D. 
 
 Mr. James Shaw. 
 
 Mr. H. D. Shepard. 
 
 Mr. J. L. Shine. 
 
 Mr. Walter Shute. 
 
 Rev. Canon Shuttleworth. 
 
 Mr. M. Simpson. 
 
 Mr. Palgrave Simpson. 
 
 Mr. J. G. W. Smalley. 
 
 Mr. J. Soulsby. 
 
 Mr. A. F. M. Spalding. 
 
 Mr. H. Standing. 
 
 Mr. F. Stanmaur. 
 
 Mr. Julius Stern. 
 
 Mr. Chas. Stevens. 
 
 Mr. Henry Stevens. 
 
 Mr. Steward. 
 
 Mr. A. Stirling. 
 
 Mr. Bram Stoker. 
 
 Dr. G. Stoker. 
 
 Mr. C. Stuart. 
 
 Mr. Francis Tagart. 
 
 Dr. John Tanner. 
 
 Mr. G. Price Tate. 
 
 Mr. Taylor. 
 
 Mr. W. Telbin. 
 
 Mr. J. Tenniel. 
 
 Mr. Lionel Tennyson. 
 
 Mr. W. Terriss. 
 
 Mr. E. Terry. 
 
 Mr. Alfred Thompson. 
 
 Mr. C. W. Thompson. 
 
 Mr. G. F. Thomson. 
 
 Mr. T. Thome. 
 
 Mr. C. Thorpe. 
 
 Mr. Henry Times. 
 
 Mr. William Tinsley. 
 
 Mr. A. Tite. 
 
 Mr. A. Toulmin. 
 
 Mr. James Turnbull. 
 
 Mr. Fox Turner. 
 
 Mr. William A. Turner. 
 
 Mr. Frank Tyars. 
 
 Mr. Howard Vincent. 
 
 Mr. A. Van Wagner. 
 
 Col. Campbell Walker. 
 
 Mr. Samuel A. Walker. 
 
 Mr. Robert Walter. 
 
 Mr. Edward Wallis. 
 
I02 
 
 APPENDIX. 
 
 Mr. E. D. Ward. 
 Mr. Wm. Ward. 
 Mr. C. Warner. 
 Mr. Alderman H. Water- 
 low. 
 Mr. A. E. Watson. 
 Mr. James Watts. 
 Mr. Byron Webber. 
 Mr. C. Kemp Welch. 
 Mr. W. Westcott. 
 Mr. J. Whaley. 
 
 Mr. T. Whaley. 
 Mr. F. S. White. 
 Mr. G. F. White. 
 Rev. Henry White. 
 Mr. G. C. Whitely. 
 Mr. W. I. Wilberforce. 
 Mr. W. H. Willans. 
 Mr. Ellis H. Williams. 
 Mr. Hume Williams. 
 Mr. E. Warwick Williams. 
 Mr. A. Wills, Q.C. 
 
 Mr. W. G. Wills. 
 
 Mr. Wilmot. 
 
 Mr. Geo. Winfield. 
 
 Mr. J. Wingrove. 
 
 Dr. Wormell. 
 
 Baron H. de Worms, M.P. 
 
 Major Wright. 
 
 Mr. R, Wyndham. 
 
 Mr. Edmund Yates. 
 
 Mr. Thomas Yeo. 
 
 The Rev. H. White, of the Savoy, acted as chaplain for the occasion, and 
 Madame Antoinette Sterling, Mr. Sims Reeves, and Mr. Charles Santley 
 gave their services as vocalists. After grace, the Chairman, who was 
 received with loud cheers, read letters from the Archbishop of York the 
 Bishop of Durham, Mr. Gladstone, and the Master of the Rolls, who all 
 expressed their regret at not being able to be present on the occasion. The 
 Chairman then proposed the toasts of Her Majesty the Queen, the Prince 
 of Wales, and the rest of the Royal family. 
 
 Song by Madame Antoinette Stirling. 
 
 The Chairman : My lords, ladies and gentlemen, we are about, as you 
 know, to send our honoured guest Mr. Irving on a tour through the great 
 Republic of America, and we have invited him to dinner on the fourth of 
 July, the day, now more than a hundred years ago, when the American 
 Republic broke away from this country, and rejected the yoke which the 
 Ministers of George the Third attempted to impose upon the necks of a 
 free people. (Cheers.) I hope that it is not an unbecoming toast, I hope 
 it is not an unwelcome tribute to a great and friendly nation — (cheers)^ 
 that it is on its birthday we should drink its health ; a birthday, like most 
 birthdays, full of pain and sorrow to its mother, but of pain and sorrow 
 which have long since passed away, to be followed by feelings of unmingled 
 pride in the magnificence of the offspring and in the yet more magnificent 
 development which the future will undoubtedly reveal. (Cheers.) We 
 know that that great nation has as its head an elected president — a man, 
 for the time that he fills the office, more powerful than the most despotic 
 monarch, because he represents the irresistible will of the great nation 
 which has elected him — (cheers) — the chief for the time of a vast English- 
 speaking people, the friend of our sovereign — (cheers)— the successor of a 
 man whose life was pure, whose aims were noble, whose death bound 
 together in the ties of a common honour, and of a common sorrow, the 
 hearts of America and England. (Cheers.) I give you the "American 
 Republic, and the President of the United States." (Cheers.) 
 
 Song, "Ruddier than the Cherry," Mr. Santley. 
 
 The Chairman : My lords, ladies and gentlemen, I have now to ask 
 
BANQUET AT ST. JAMES'S HALL. 103 
 
 you to drink the toast for the purpose of drinking which we have all come 
 together here to-night. (Loud cheers.) And for your misfortune and my 
 own it is necessary that the toast should be prefaced by what is called a 
 speech. (Laughter.) Now, an after-dinner speech, according to a well- 
 known recipe, should be made up of a joke, a platitude, and a quotation. 
 (Laughter.) As for jokes, I am too old and have got too dull to make 
 them. (Laughter.) As for platitudes, you will have plenty of them before 
 I have done — (laughter) — and then for a quotation. Well, I think I must 
 introduce you to one that none of you have ever heard — quite absolutely 
 new — (laughter) — entirely unhackneyed — (laughter) — from out of the un- 
 known play of an obscure poet. 
 
 " All the world's a stage, 
 
 And all the men and women merely players ; 
 
 They have their exits and their entrances ; 
 
 And one man in his time plays many parts." 
 
 (Laughter and cheers.) Now, if it be true that all men and women are 
 players, by a slight inaccuracy of logic it follows that all players are men 
 and women — (laughter) — and that therefore a great player ought to be a 
 great man. (Cheers.) At all events, it is certain that he ought to be able 
 to appreciate great qualities ; to delineate so that men may understand 
 and admire a great character ; to be able to give fit and appropriate 
 expression to great thoughts. But more than that. A master of music, a. 
 Mozart or a Beethoven, is dead and done without artists to interpret him ; 
 and so a dramatist, be he ever so great, is half dead and altogether done 
 if he cannot find a master to breathe life into the creations of his brain, 
 and make them live and walk across the stage. (Cheers.) What does the 
 world know — I do not speak of students of literature, of course, but what 
 does the world know of most dramatists except Shakespeare, and perhaps, 
 at a great distance, Sheridan ? And yet Ben Jonson, Massinger, Webster, 
 Marlowe, and Fletcher were all great men — (cheers) — but they are almost 
 unknown to the world at large, because their productions are so seldom 
 acted. So, if you will reverse the picture, a great actor will frequently 
 keep alive, by a few scenes of a play, or by a single play or two out of a 
 great number, men inferior to those I have mentioned, although, never- 
 theless, great men — such as Macklin, Farquhar, Milman, and Tennyson. 
 But more than that. A great actor shares in the earthly immortality 
 which he so much helps to create. I do not know that I can accept as 
 true the marvellous verse in Westminster Abbey in which we are told that 
 Shakespeare and Garrick, 
 
 " Like twin stars shall shine, 
 And earth irradiate with beam divine." 
 
 But however absurd and extravagant these lines may be, it is nevertheless 
 certainly true that the names of great actors live almost as long as those 
 
104 APPENDIX. 
 
 of great dramatists. The name of Garrick, for example, will live nearly as 
 long probably as the name of Shakespeare. Roscius is certainly as well 
 known as Terence, and Racine is hardly better known than Talma. But 
 more than that. The genius of a great actor elevates him into absolute 
 equality with the first personages of his time. Pericles was the intimate friend 
 of Sophocles and Euripides, Roscius lived in the closest intimacy with Cicero 
 and Cffisar, Garrick was the chosen friend of Burke and Dr. Johnson, 
 Kemble lived in intimacy with Sir Walter Scott and the King, Henry Irvin" 
 is the friend of this great country. (Loud cheers.) To us he is the last 
 because we are the last. We shall have successors, and so will he ; but to 
 us he is the last of a great list of great names— Quin, Betterton, Booth, 
 Garrick, Kean, the Kembles, Young, Macready. (Cheers.) The list is inex- 
 haustible, and if it were not, I have no power, no knowledge, to exhaust it. 
 And what is true of actors is, of course, true of actresses too. (Loud cheers.) 
 England has a race of great actors of which any nation may be proud : and 
 if on this occasion I select from this " Dream of fair women " one image and 
 name one name — and that the name of Ellen Terry — (enthusiastic cheers) — 
 it is not that I forget Mrs. Siddons, or Miss O'Neill, or Mrs. Glover, or 
 Mrs. Stirling — (loud cheers) — or many other great women living and passed 
 away, but because Ellen Terry has been associated so closely with many of 
 Mr. Irving's successes, and because to her genius, I am sure, he would be 
 the first to say, he owes not a little of some of his brightest triumphs. 
 (Loud cheers.) I wish, my lords, ladies and gentlemen, that I had the time 
 or the power to detain you, with Charles Lamb, among some of the old 
 actors, but I have not. I simply refer you to that inimitable paper, so-called 
 — if you have never read it, don't go to bed without reading it— (laughter) — 
 and if you have read it, read it agiin to-morrow morning. (Renewed 
 laughter.) Passing from that, let me ask what it is that we owe to Mr. 
 Irving. What is it, stated shortly and simply, that has brought this magni- 
 ficent gathering together to-night ? We all know that it is the result of the 
 magnificent presentation of some of the plays of Shakespeare — " Richard 
 111.," "Macbeth," "Much Ado about Nothing "—(loud cheers)— « Romeo 
 and Juliet" — (cheers) — "The Merchant of Venice" — (cheers) — I know not 
 whether I have exhausted the catalogue — (cries of "Hamlet") — but those, 
 at any rate, are some. (Cheers.) But it is not only in the plays of Shake- 
 speare that Mr. Irving has exerted his genius and has employed his unrivalled 
 powers of presentation upon the stage. (Hear, hear.) He has done much 
 for us in other matters. He has done what careful and accomplished acting, 
 what beneficent and wise and intelligent expense in presenting a play, will 
 do. (Cheers.) For the plays of other men, whom it is no disparagement to 
 say are inferior to those of the greatest dramatist who ever lived, Shake- 
 speare — (cheers) — but who are themselves considerable persons — " Charles 
 I,"— (cheers)— " The Bells," "The Cup," "The Belle's Stratagem," " The 
 Lyons Mail " — all these are things that we owe to Mr. Irving. (Cheers.) 
 
BANQUET AT ST. JAMES'S HALL. 105 
 
 And of these, and of the manner in which he has presented the greater and 
 the lesser plays to us, as it has been unexampled in our time, so we owe him 
 a very great debt of gratitude, because, although it may be that the effort of 
 acting, and the labour of presentation, has been less in these latter plays, at 
 any rate, the success has been absolute and complete. (Cheers.) Moreover, 
 as far as the example and influence of one man can do it, he has done much, 
 to use the expression of the Bishop of Durham, " to purify and exalt the 
 dramatic art." (Cheers.) On this point let me not be misunderstood. I do 
 not mean to say that in this particular matter Mr. Irving has stood alone. 
 (Hear, hear.) It would be unjust and ungenerous to say so. It would be 
 unfair praise — it would be praise that I am sure Mr. Irving would reject, 
 and, if I know anything of him, would resent. But, at any rate, he has 
 followed the best traditions, he has helped, so far as he could, his contem- 
 poraries, and he has made the matter easier for those who may come after 
 him. (Cheers.) For never let us forget that the profession of an actor is 
 surrounded, as many other professions are surrounded, with difficulties, dan- 
 gers, and temptations peculiar to itself. (Hear, hear.) It is true that in the 
 case of an actor the difficulties and the temptations are more open and more 
 obvious than in many professions, but I do not icnow that they are for that 
 reason any the more easy to resist and to overcome, because they are 
 founded upon the strongest and the commonest passions of mankind. 
 (Hear, hear.) I do not here speak of those commoner, coarser, fouler forms 
 of vice which when I was a young man were the disgrace and the dishonour 
 of the playhouses of London — playhouses in which the actors and actresses 
 were frequently men and women of not unspotted character. Reform in 
 that matter was begun by a man I am proud to think of as a friend 
 — it was begun by Mr. Macready. (Cheers.) It was carried on with 
 some self-sacrifice, but with great and successful results. Every respectable 
 manager, I believe, since his time has followed the example of Mr. Macready, 
 and of course I need not say Mr. Irving among them. (Cheers.) But I 
 mean something more than that. I mean that the general tone and atmo- 
 sphere of a theatre, wherever Mr. Irving's influence is predominant, has been 
 uniformly higher and purer. The pieces which he has acted, and the way 
 he has acted them, have been always such that no husband need hesitate 
 to take his wife, no mother to take her daughter, where Mr. Irving is the 
 ruling spirit. (Cheers.) He has, I believe, recognised that in this matter 
 there lies upon him, as upon every one in his position, a grave responsibility. 
 He has felt, possibly unconsciously, that the heroic signal of Lord Nelson 
 ought not to be confined in its application simply to men of arms, but that 
 England expects every man to do his duty when it lays upon him a duty 
 to do, and to do it nobly. (Cheers.) Moreover, I believe that what has 
 brought us together to-night, besides that feeling, is the remembrance of 
 the generosity and unselfishness of Mr. Irving's career. (Cheers.) He has 
 shown that generosity not only in the parts he has played but in the parts 
 
io6 APPENDIX. 
 
 he has not played. He has shown that he did not care to be always the 
 central figure of a surrounding group, in which every one was to be subor- 
 dinated to the centre, and in which every actor was to be considered as a 
 foil to the leading part. He has been superior to the selfishness which now 
 and again has interfered with the course of some of our best actors, and he 
 has had his reward. He has collected around him a set of men who, I 
 believe, are proud to act with him — (cheers) — men whose feeling towards 
 him has added not a little to the brilliant success which his management 
 has achieved ; men who feel that they act, not merely under a manager, but 
 under a friend ; men who are proud to be his companions, and many of 
 whom have come here to-night to show by their presence that they are so. 
 (Cheers.) I confess that, being a professional man myself, I honour alike 
 his feeling and his wisdom. What to the professional man can compensate 
 for the good feeling, the affection and regard of those among whom his life 
 is passed ? (Cheers.) Surely such feelings are worth more, are worth far, 
 far more, than the little added triumph which an undeviating and steady self 
 assertion may sometimes secure. (Cheers.) My lords and gentlemen, I 
 think it is because we believe that those high aims have been pursued by 
 Mr. Irving, and because we admire his character in so pursuing them, that 
 this unexampled gathering has come together here to-night. (Loud cheers.) 
 It is the desire to say to him in public, as we have often and often said of 
 him in private, that we admire his character, we respect his course, and we 
 heartily wish him success in all his undertakings. (Loud cheers.) It is 
 plain that no man could come to such a meeting as this, and could bring 
 together such an association of men as I see before me, unless he had great 
 and remarkable qualities as an artist. (Cheers.) These alone would not be 
 sufficient, because there has been many a great artist who has never had 
 such a recognition as this. But it is undoubtedly true, it is in vain to dis- 
 pute it, that no one could have produced so great an effect upon the 
 cultivated mind of England, who was not himself an accomplished, a 
 cultivated, and a thorough artist. (Cheers.) It does not become me — 
 indeed, I have not the skill or power — to analyse critically Mr. Irving's 
 genius, to weigh it in the balance of results, and to say that in this it exceeds 
 or in that it is deficient. To me it is sufficient to be certain that he has an 
 exceptional and unusual power of distinctly realising to himself an intellec- 
 tual conception of the'part which he acts. (Cheers.) He has the power of 
 expressing to me and to others, and of making us comprehend what his own 
 distinct intellectual conviction is, and that to me is most profoundly interest- 
 ing. It does not become me, where some is good and so much is more than 
 good— is excellent — as an occasional playgoer to pick out and praise this or 
 that particular thing, but if I may be permitted to say in what, in my judg- 
 ment, the genius of Mr. Irving has culminated, I should, merely as a matter 
 of personal opinion, pick out the play scene in " Hamlet," and the intense 
 malignity of the felon in " The Lyons Mail." (Cheers.) But I do not pre- 
 
BANQUET AT ST. JAMES'S HALL. 107 
 
 tend to be a critic. All that I can say is, that I have found great delight in 
 Mr. Irving, and that I have found great cause for wonder and admiration in 
 the versatility of his powers. (Cheers.) In this he appears to me to be a 
 thorough artist. He not only plays good tragedy, but he plays good comedy 
 and he plays good farce. (Cheers.) It has been said — I know not with 
 how much truth — of Garrick, that he played in one and the same night King 
 Lear and Abel Drugger. I do not know whether Mr. Irving ever played in 
 one night Hamlet and Alfred Jingle, but I know that he has played both 
 and played them well. (Cheers.) I am content simply to admire, and I say 
 that in these things Mr. Irving has shown himself to be a thorough and 
 accomplished artist. (Cheers.) In conclusion, let me say that as America 
 sent Booth to us, so we send Irving to America, and as Irving and England 
 received Booth with open arms, so I am convinced that great and generous 
 country will receive our first rate and admirable actor. (Cheers.) At all 
 events, we tell America that we send her one of our best — (cheers) — on this 
 her birthday, as a birthday present — (cheers) — and that we send her a man 
 to whom I may fitly and properly adapt the words of the great Roman orator 
 spoken of his predecessor — I mean Mr. Irving's predecessor — " Summus 
 artifex et, mehercule, semper artium in republica tanquam in scena opti- 
 marum," which I may venture to translate roughly, for the benefit of the 
 one or two people here who do not understand Latin — (laughter)— that he 
 is a consummate artist ; and, by Jove ! capable of the best arts both on the 
 stage and off it. (Loud and prolonged cheers.) 
 
 Mr. Irving (who was received with enthusiastic cheering) : My Lord 
 Chief Justice, my lords and gentlemen, I cannot conceive a greater honour 
 entering into the life of any man than the honour you have paid me by 
 assembling here to-night. To look around this room and scan the faces of 
 my distinguished hosts, would stir to its depths a colder nature than mine. 
 It is not in my power, my lords and gentlemen, to thank you for the com- 
 pliment you have to-night paid me. " The friends thou hast, and their 
 adoption tried, Grapple them to thy soul with hooks of steel." Never before 
 have I so strongly felt the magic of those words ; but you will remember 
 it is also said in the same sentence, "Give thy thoughts no tongue." 
 (Laughter.) And gladly, had it been possible, would I have obeyed that 
 wise injunction to-night. (Renewed laughter.) The actor is profoundly 
 influenced by precedent, and I cannot forget that many of ray predecessors 
 have been nerved by farewell banquets for the honour which awaited them 
 on the other side of the Atlantic ; but this occasion I regard as much more 
 than a compliment to myself, I regard it as a tribute to the art which I am 
 proud to serve — (cheers) — and I believe that feeling will be shared by the 
 profession to which you have assembled to do honour. (Cheers.) The 
 time has long gone by when there was any need to apologise for the actor's 
 calling. (Hear, hear.) The world can no more exist without the drama 
 than it can without its sister art — music. The stage gives the readiest 
 
io8 APPENDIX. 
 
 response to the demand of human nature, to be transported out of itself 
 into the realms of the ideal — not that all our ideals on the stage are realised 
 — none but the artist knows how immeasurably he may fall short of his aim 
 or his conception, but to have an ideal in art and to strive throu°h one's 
 life to embody it, may be a passion to the actor as it may be to the poet. 
 (Cheers.) Your lordship has spoken most eloquently of my career. Pos- 
 sessed of a generous mind and a high judicial faculty, your lordship has been 
 to-night, 1 fear, more generous than judicial. But if I have in any way 
 deserved commendation, I am proud that it was as an actor that I won it. 
 (Cheers.) As the director of a theatre my experience has been short, but as 
 an actor I have been before the London public for seventeen years ; and on 
 one thing I am sure you will all agree — that no actor or manager has ever 
 received from that public more generous and ungrudging encouragement 
 and support. (Cheers.) Concerning our visit to America, I need hardly 
 say that I am looking forward to it with no common pleasure. It has often 
 been an ambition with English actors to gain the goodwill of the English 
 speaking race, a goodwill which is right heartily reciprocated towards our 
 American fellow-workers, when they gratify us by sojourning here. (Cheers.) 
 Your God-speed would alone assure me a hearty welcome in any land ; but 
 I am not going amongst strangers ; I am going amongst friends — (cheers) 
 — and when I, for the first time, touch American ground, I shall receive 
 many a grip of the hand from men whose friendship I am proud to possess. 
 (Cheers.) Concerning our expedition the American people will no doubt 
 exercise an independent judgment — a prejudice of theirs and a habit of 
 long standing — (laughter) — as your lordship has reminded us, by the fact 
 that to-day is the fourth of July, an anniversary rapidly becoming an 
 English institution. Your lordship is doubtless aware, as to-night has so 
 happily proved, that the stage has reckoned amongst its staunchest sup- 
 porters many great and distinguished lawyers. There are many lawyers, I 
 am told, in America — (laughter) — and as I am sure that they all deserve to 
 be judges, I am in hopes that they will materially help me to gain a favour- 
 able verdict from the American people. (Cheers and laughter.) I have 
 given but poor expression to my sense of the honour you have conferred 
 upon me, and upon the comrades associated with me in this our enterprise 
 — an enterprise which, I hope, will favourably show the method and 
 discipline of a company of English actors ; on their behalf I thank you, 
 and I also thank you on behalf of the lady who has so adorned the Lyceum 
 stage — (cheers) — and to whose rare gifts your lordship has paid so just 
 and gracious a tribute. (Cheers.) The climax of the favour extended to 
 me by my countrymen has been reached to-night. You have set upon me 
 a burden of responsibility — a burden which I gladly and proudly bear. 
 The memory of to-night will be to me a sacred thing — a memory which 
 will, throughout my life, be ever treasured — a memory which will stimulate 
 me to further endeavour, and encourage me to loftier aim. (Loud and 
 continued cheers.) 
 
BANQUET AT ST. JAMES'S HALL. 109 
 
 Song, " Bay of Biscay," Mr. Sims Reeves. 
 Song, "Caller Herrin'," Madame Antoinette Sterling. 
 Viscount Bury having proposed " Literature, Science, and Art," 
 The Hon. J. RusSELL Lowell, who was greeted with loud and continued 
 cheering, said : My Lord Coleridge, my lords, ladies and gentlemen, — I con- 
 fess that my mind was a little relieved when I found that the toast to which I 
 am to respond rolled three gentlemen, Cerberus-like, into one — (laughter) — 
 and when I saw Science pulling impatiently at the leash on my left and Art 
 on my right, and that therefore the responsibility of only a third part of 
 the acknowledgment has fallen to me. You, my lord, have alluded to 
 the difficulties of after-dinner oratory. I must say that I am one of those 
 who feel more keenly the more after-dinner speeches I make. (Laughter.) 
 There are a great many difficulties in the way, and there are three principal 
 ones, I think. The first is the having too much to say, so that the words, 
 hurrying to escape, bear down, and trample out the life of each other. The 
 second is when, having nothing to say, we are expected to fill a void in 
 the minds of our hearers. (A laugh.) And I think the third, and most 
 formidable, is the necessity of following a speaker who is sure to say all the 
 things you meant to say — (laughter) — and better than you, so that we are 
 tempted to exclaim, with the old grammarian, "Hang these fellows, who 
 have said all our good things before us !" (Laughter.) Now the 4th of 
 July has several times been alluded to, and I believe it is generally thought 
 that on that anniversary the spirit of a certain bird known to heraldic 
 ornithologists — and I believe to them alone — as the spread eagle — (laughter) 
 — enters into every American's breast, and compels him, whether he will 
 or no, to pour forth a flood of national self-laudation. (Laughter and 
 cheers.) This, I say, is the general superstition, and I hope that a few 
 words of mine may serve in some sort to correct it. (Laughter.) I ask 
 you, if there is any other people who have confined their national self- 
 laudation to one day in the year. (Laughter.) I may be allowed to make 
 one remark as to a personal experience. Fortune has willed it that I 
 should see as many — perhaps more — cities and manners of men as Ulysses ; 
 and I have observed one general fact, and that is, that the adjectival epithet 
 which is prefixed to all the virtues is invariably the epithet which geographi- 
 cally describes the country that I am in. For instance, not to take any real 
 name, if I am in the kingdom of Lilliput, I hear of the Lilliputian virtues. 
 I hear courage, I hear common-sense, and I hear political wisdom all called 
 by that name. If I cross to the neighbouring Republic Blefusca — for since 
 Swift's time it has become a Republic — I hear all these virtues suddenly 
 qualified as Blefuscan. (Laughter.) I am very glad to be able to thank 
 Lord Coleridge for having, I believe for the first time, coupled the name of 
 the President of the United States with tfcat of her Majesty on an occasion 
 like this. (Cheers.) I was struck, both in what he said, and in what our 
 distinguished guest of this evening said, with the frequent recurrence of an 
 
Tio APPENDIX. 
 
 adjective which is comparatively new — I mean the word " English-speaking." 
 We continually hear nowadays of the " English-speaking race," of the 
 English-speaking population." I think this implies, not that we are to 
 forget, not that it would be well for us to forget, that national emulation 
 and that national pride which is implied in the words " Englishman " and 
 "American,"' but the word implies that there are certain perennial and 
 abiding sympathies between all men of a common descent and a common 
 language. (Cheers.) I am sure, my lord, that all you said with regard to 
 the welcome which our distinguished guest will receive in America is true. 
 (Cheers.) His eminent talents as an actor, the dignified — I may say the 
 illustrious — manner in which he has sustained the traditions of that suc- 
 cession of great actors who, from the time of Burbage to his own, have 
 illustrated the English stage, will be as highly appreciated there as here. 
 (Cheers.) And I am sure that I may also say that the chief magistrate 
 of England will be welcomed by the bar of the United States— (cheers) 
 — of which I am an unworthy member — and perhaps will be all the more 
 warmly welcomed that he does not come among them to practise. 
 (Laughter.) He will find American law administered — and I think he will 
 agree with me in saying ably administered — by judges who, I am sorry to 
 say, sit without the traditional wig of England. (Laughter.) I have heard 
 since I came here friends of mine gravely lament this as something pro- 
 phetic of the decay which was sure to follow so serious an innovation. I 
 answered with a little story which I remember hearing from my father. He 
 remembered the last clergyman in New England who still continued to wear 
 the wig. At first it became a singularity and at last a monstrosity ; and 
 the good doctor concluded to leave it off. But there was one poor woman 
 among his parishioners who lamented this sadly, and waylaying the clergy- 
 man as he came out of church she said, " Oh, dear doctor, I have always 
 listened to your sermon with the greatest edification and comfort, but now 
 that the wig is gone all is gone." (Laughter.) I have thought I have seen 
 some signs of encouragement in the faces of my English friends after I 
 have consoled them with this little story. But I must not allow myself to 
 indulge in any further remarks. There is one virtue, I am sure, in after 
 dinner oratory, and that is brevity ; and as to that I am reminded of 
 a story. (Laughter.) The Lord Chief Justice has told you what are 
 the ingredients of after-dinner oratory. They are the joke, the quota- 
 tion, and the platitude ; and the successful platitude, in my judgment, 
 requires a very high order of genius. I believe that I have not given 
 you a quotation, but I am reminded of something which I heard when 
 very young — the story of a Methodist clergyman in America. He was 
 preaching at a camp meeting, and he was preaching upon the miracle of 
 Joshua, and he began his sermon with this sentence. He said, " My hearers, 
 there are three motions of the sun. The first is the straightforward or direct 
 motion of the sun ; the second is the retrograde or backward motion of the 
 
BANQUET AT ST. JAMES'S HALL. in 
 
 sun ; and the third is the motion mentioned in our text — ' the sun stood 
 still.'" (Laughter.) Now, gentlemen, I don't know whether you see the 
 application of the story — I hope you do. The after-dinner orator at first 
 begins and goes straightforward — that is the straightforward motion of the 
 sun. Next he goes back and begins to repeat himself — that is the backward 
 motion of the sun. At last he has the good sense to bring himself to 
 the end, and that is the motion mentioned in our text, as the sun stood 
 still. (Great laughter, in the midst of which his excellency resumed his 
 seat.) 
 
 Professor Tyndall replied on behalf of " Science," and Mr. Alma- 
 Tademafor "Art." 
 
 Song, " Come into the Garden, Maud," Mr. Sims Reeves. 
 
 Song, " The Vicar of Bray," Mr. Charles Santley. 
 
 Mr. J. L. TooLE then proposed the health of the Chairman, and after 
 Lord Coleridge's reply, the company separated. 
 
 The following gentlemen formed the committee on this occasion : — Lord 
 Coleridge (Chairman), Earl of Fife, K.T., Sir F. Pollock, Bart., Sir F. 
 Leighton, P.R.A., Sir J. Monckton, Mr. E. Clarke, Q.C., M.P., Mr. 
 Burdett-Coutts, Mr. W. Spottiswoode, P.R.S., Mr. J. L. Toole, and Mr. 
 E. Pinches (Hon. Sec). 
 
113 APPENDIX. 
 
 At the banquet of the 4th of July, a copy of the following farewell verses, 
 from the pen of Mr. Clement Scott, was presented to each guest : — 
 
 A "GOD-SPEED" TO HENRY IRVING. 
 
 " lite dies utramque 
 Ducel ruinam : non ego perfidum 
 Dixi sacramentum : ibinius, ibimus 
 Utcunque pracedet, supremum 
 Carpere iter cotnites parati." 
 
 Horace. 
 
 One "bumper at parting," old friend, it is brimming, 
 
 Our chalice of love with red wine from the heart ; 
 Let us mix it with tears that our glances are dimming, 
 
 Then drink all together, and let you depart. 
 If yours be the triumph, let ours be the sorrow. 
 
 For a shade of farewell upon friendship is cast ; 
 To-night let us banish the gloom of to-morrow. 
 
 That darkens the present but brightens the past. 
 
 For a moment the maze of a glad recollection 
 
 Let us thread, with dear memory's aid, to the end. 
 Ere you bear to the West our strong grasp of affection, 
 
 And leave us to live on the smile of a friend ; 
 You will stand as the dream-haunted Aram before us. 
 
 As the grief-stricken Charles, and in features of pain 
 Will be written the anguish of Shylock, and o'er us 
 
 Will hover the spirit of Hamlet the Dane. 
 
 We shall hear over waste of wild waters, my brother. 
 
 The glad note of welcome from hearts that are true. 
 And find in its chorus the praise of another 
 
 Who shares, now as ever, your triumphs with you ! 
 When the parting is past, and tlie dark of December 
 
 Brings them the weird " Bells," but to us their sad knell, 
 'Tis the best of good fellows we miss, but remember 
 
 We lose quite the fairest of women as well ! 
 
 So a bumper at parting, and cheers to the rafter 
 
 To wish you God-speed in a brotherly land ; 
 The pleasure is theirs for the moment, but after 
 
 'Tis ours to await the warm clasp of your hand. 
 The fetters of friendship are free, but unbroken 
 
 The chain round the heart that is link'd with a sigh ; 
 Not a word of farewell from our lips shall be spoken, 
 
 But a strong " God be with you ! " an honest Good-bye ! 
 July 4, 1883. 
 
A SUPPER OF HONOUR. 
 
 113 
 
 A SUPPER OF HONOUR. 
 On the night of Monday, July 9th, 1883, a supper of a specially profes- 
 sional character was given to Mr. Irving, by Mr. Bancroft, at the Garrick 
 Club, which proved a great success. Almost all those present were actors, 
 well known not only in British histrionic art, but that of America and 
 France ; the subjoined list will show how large and representative an 
 assembly gathered round the honoured guest of the evening : 
 
 Mr. James Anderson. 
 Mr. G. W. Anson. 
 Mr. Geo. Alexander. 
 Mr. F. Archer. 
 Mr. H. Ashley. 
 Mr. Lawrence Barrett. 
 Mr. Wilson Barrett. 
 Mr. George Barrett. 
 Mr. J. H. Barnes. 
 Mr. G. F. Bashford 
 Mr. Kyrle Bellew. 
 M. Pierre Berton. 
 Mr. J. Billington. 
 Mr. Alfred Bishop. 
 Mr. Dion G. Boucicault. 
 Mr. Lionel Brough. 
 Mr. C. Brookfield. 
 Mr. Edgar Bruce. 
 Mr. J. Came. 
 Mr. J. S. Clarke. 
 Mr. John Clayton. 
 Mr. Arthur Cecil. 
 Mr. Charles Coghlan. 
 Mr. George Conquest. 
 Mr. H. B. Conway. 
 Mr. W. Creswick. 
 Mr. Arthur Dacre. 
 Mr. Stewart Dawson. 
 
 Mr. W. G. Elliot. 
 Mr. F. Everill. 
 Mr. J. Fernandez. 
 Mr. David Fisher. 
 Mr. H. Fitzpatrick. 
 Mr. E. Girardot. 
 Mr. Comey Grain. 
 Mr. Geo. Grossmilh. 
 Mr. J. Hare. 
 Mr. Augustus Harris. 
 Mr. E. Hastings. 
 Mr. H. Howe. 
 Mr. H. Jackson. 
 Mr. David James. 
 Mr. W. H. Kendal. 
 Mr. Walter Lacy. 
 Mr. F. Leslie. 
 Mr. H. J. Loveday. 
 Mr. W. Mackintosh. 
 Mr. J. Maclean. 
 M. Marius. 
 Mr. T. Mead, 
 Mr. Alfred Nelson, 
 Mr. Henry Neville. 
 Mr. R. Pateman. 
 Mr. Howard Paul. 
 Mr. H. Paulton. 
 Mr. A. W. Pinero. 
 
 Mr. J. T. Raymond. 
 
 Mr. Alfred Reed. 
 
 Mr. E. Righton. 
 
 Mr. J. Forbes-Robertson. 
 
 Mr. E. Russell. 
 
 Mr. John Ryder. 
 
 Mr. E. Smedley. 
 
 Mr. R Soutar. 
 
 Mr. Herbert Standing. 
 
 Mr. Arthur Stirling. 
 
 Mr. Bram Stoker, 
 
 Mr. C. Sugden. 
 
 Mr. T. Swinbourne. 
 
 Mr. J. G. Taylor. 
 
 Mr. W. Terriss. 
 
 Mr. Edward Terry. 
 
 Mr. T. Thome. 
 
 Mr. J. L. Toole. 
 
 Mr. H. Beerbohm Tree. 
 
 Mr. W. H. Vemon. 
 
 Mr. C. R. Percy-Vernon. 
 
 Mr, Hermann-Vezin, 
 
 Mr. E. D. Ward. 
 
 Mr. Chas. Warner. 
 
 Mr. E. N. Wenman. 
 
 Mr. E. S. Willard. 
 
 Mr. R. H, S. Wyndham. 
 
 After the usual loyal toast, Mr. Bancroft, who spoke amid frequent 
 applause, proposed the principal toast of the night. He said : My position 
 at the present moment is a proud one. I am proud of the generous com- 
 pliment paid me by the committee of this club in allowing me the great 
 privilege of entertaining you in this room, and I am indeed gratified to find 
 myself surrounded by so many who rank from very dear friends to most 
 valued acquaintances ; while from the walls around us we are looked down 
 upon by the effigies of those whose names mean all that is famous in the 
 past of our great theatrical history ; for I am bold enough to contend that 
 from the days of the giant after whose immortal name this club is called, 
 to those of my most distinguished guest, no country in the world can boast 
 a prouder dramatic history than our own, and that no actors in the world 
 have done more — taken from all time and for all in all — to uphold and 
 
 H 
 
IJ4 APPENDIX. 
 
 adorn the beautiful art we follow than the actors of England. My words 
 may sound egotistical, addressed as they are, by an actor to actors, but 
 such is not my wish ; and surely there must be proof of the truth of what 
 I have ventured to say in the esteem in which gradually, and by hard and 
 good work, our profession has been brought to be regarded. In the fore- 
 most ranks of those who have so worked must be placed the name of 
 Henry Irving. When the idea first came to me to ask you to give me the 
 honour of your company to wish Mr. Irving God-speed before he sails 
 for America, it was with the thought that it would not perhaps be the least 
 valued of the compliments that have been showered upon him to know 
 that his comrades are among his best well-wishers. I would ask you to 
 remember, gentlemen, that however high the position we may attain, or 
 however humbly we may remain in the ranks, the reflection of the great 
 honour shown to Henry Irving last Wednesday by that wonderful repre- 
 sentative gathering of the intellect of this land is shed upon our art and 
 upon us, and that a share of its brightness belongs to the humblest amongst 
 us. Although I will yield to none of you in my affection for him, I confess 
 that it requires a sweeter voice, a more fluent tongue, than fall to my lot, 
 to sing the praises of our friend ; but fortunately for me, neither he nor his 
 deeds are strangers to you, and a brief reminder will fill your hearts with 
 all the good wishes I ask for him ; and I cannot but think it would sound 
 fulsome, in such an assembly as this, were I to dwell at too great a length 
 on his many claims to our regard and admiration. No one knows him as 
 you do, none are fonder of him than we are, and none are prouder of his 
 great success than we — his fellow-workers. Gentlemen, I give you my 
 toasts I drink with all my heart, as you will drink with all your hearts, 
 " To Henry Irving. Let us wish him health and prosperity while away, 
 success unbounded, socially and professionally, and a safe return." 
 
 Mr. Irving, on rising to respond, had a most flattering reception. In 
 the course of his remarks he said : I think the stage an admirable career 
 for any one at all fitted for it. I doubt if the average vnriter, painter, 
 doctor, or lawyer does better than the average actor. Of course, the actor 
 can never be wealthy ; that is hardly possible. Where all depends upon 
 a man's individual efforts and upon his health, wealth is almost impossible ; 
 but we have the compensation of a delightful art — an art which Voltaire 
 calls the most rare, the most beautiful, and the most difficult Difficult it 
 certainly is, and it is not made easier by the fact that people never can 
 agree whether an actor be a wonder of merit or a phenomenon of incapacity. 
 Party feeling does not run much higher in politics than it does in the play- 
 
A SUPPER OF HONOUR. 115 
 
 house. Some regard you with liking, others with fanatical hatred. I 
 must say I rather like good haters, for the more furious their aversion, the 
 more do they excite the opposite sentiment. But it is a bad day for the 
 actor if his spirit quails before attack. " Perseverance keeps honour 
 bright" Do your duty, be faithful to the public to whom we all appeal, 
 and that public will be faithful to you. Playgoers are exacting, but they 
 are also just I think, too, that they are more just now than they were in 
 former times, owing, perhaps, to the diffusion of truth through the medium of 
 the press. An Edmund Kean could not now be driven from his native land ; 
 nor could such a inanagement as Macready's at Covent Garden or Drury 
 Laneibring with it anything but success and profit Give the public what 
 they can appreciate, and you will win their hearty support But trumpet- 
 ing won't bring it — nor luck won't bring it. No ; the lucky cat watches, 
 and the lucky actor works. But there is a mode of rewarding actors 
 which has been much talked of lately — the conferring of titles. Grateful 
 as one would be for the motive which would dictate such an honour, its 
 acceptance by an actor in harness, would, I believe, be a mistake. Titles 
 for painters, if you like — they paint at home ; for writers — they write at 
 home ; for musicians — they compose at home. But the actor acts in the 
 sight of the audience — he wants a fair field and no favour — he acts among 
 his colleagues, without whom he is powerless ; and to give him any dis- 
 tinction in the playbill which others would not enjoy would be prejudicial 
 to his success, and fatal, I believe, to his popularity. My host has spoken 
 of my management Well, you all know that the successful inanagement 
 of a theatre is ho easy thing, though I am often taught to believe that one 
 has only to exhaust archaeological detail, and offer sumptuous display of 
 costume, scenery, and accessories, to insure the success of a play, especially 
 one of Shakespeare's. A very excellent receipt for any enterprising specu- 
 lator who may have a few thousands to throw away. No, my good friends, 
 none know so well as you how thoughtless all such assertions are. Study 
 of character, earnestness of the acting, incessant rehearsal, and attention 
 to details, which will stimulate and not distract the imagination, these are 
 the methods of success. I believe that all plays should be perfectly 
 mounted. It is what actors and authors have been striving to do from 
 Shakespeare's time. He tried with properties, and would have tried with 
 scenery had he been alive now. In striving to delineate the people created 
 in plays one must attempt to realise the places in which they lived. For 
 myself, I would as soon play " Hamlet " in powder as without. If nothing 
 else' is expected nothing will be missed; but when soniething else is 
 expected something else must be given, and I would give the best As 
 
ii6 APPENDIX. 
 
 our pictorial art has progressed so has our stage art, and I shall always 
 continue to bestow as much care upon a Shakespearean production as I 
 should upon the work of any other playwright. Shakespeare is, I think, 
 worthy of it, and until a better man appears I shall continue to think so. 
 
 Mr. Irving, who had been frequently applauded, was loudly cheered 
 when he sat down. 
 
 Mr. Toole then proposed the toast of the " Foreign Visitors " in a very 
 humorous speech. He commenced by wondering why he had been chosen, 
 the only solution of the question being that he had been so much accus- 
 tomed to play " Id on parle Frangais." He made allusions to the different 
 exponents now in London of the characters in " Fedora," calling attention 
 to the happy circumstance that the two Loris Ipanoffs — M. Berton and 
 Mr. Coghlan — sat side by side, whilst he, as the third, could address them. 
 He told a circumstance which not long since had touched him deeply, as 
 showing the growing spirit of brotherhood in art ; how, at the house of a 
 mutual friend, he had heard a great painter — one of the greatest of any 
 time — ask a great actor to give him a few hours' sittings now and again, as 
 he wished to present his picture to the Garrick Club. You will understand 
 my pleasure, he said, when I give you the names: the painter was Millais, 
 and the actor Irving. He coupled with the toast the names of Mr. J. S. 
 Clarke, Mr. Lawrence Barrett, Mr. John T. Raymond, and M. Berton. 
 
 These gentlemen made suitable replies, notably Mr. Lawrence Barrett, 
 whose earnestness in speaking of his art and his friends much impressed his 
 hearers. Mr. Barrett alluded to the certainty of welcome which awaited 
 British actors of note in America. He called attention to the fact that 
 every notable actor who had crossed the Atlantic had met with welcome 
 and success, appealing to the witness of many of the men in the room, 
 beginning with the veteran James Anderson. He paid an eloquent tribute 
 to the high position which Mr. Irving had achieved in his art and in the 
 world at large, saying that he thought any English actor who had at heart 
 the welfare of his calling or the honour of his art should be proud to take 
 off his hat when a tribute of respect to Mr. Irving was on foot. He will 
 meet, he said, a grand welcome in America, where every actor, great and 
 small, is proud of him. At his landing he will be greeted with warm clasps 
 of the hand, literature will step out to do him honour, and every American 
 actor will feel that a part of his glory is shared with the brothers of his 
 craft — that each will share in his triumph and take a leaf from his chaplet 
 of laurel. 
 
 M. Berton made a happy reply in French, and Mr. Hare proposed the 
 health of Mr. Bancroft, shortly after which the company separated. 
 
THE THEATRICAL FUNDS. 117 
 
 MR. IRVING AND THE THEATRICAL FUNDS, 
 
 Mr. Irving has been twice elected Chairman of the Royal General 
 Theatrical Fund. The first occasion in which he took the chair was 
 on July ist, 1875, the thirtieth anniversary festival. The subscription 
 list on this occasion amounted to nearly ;^iioo, being the largest ever 
 announced. Mr. Irving's speech was as follows : — 
 
 Ladies and Gentlemen, — Some twenty years ago a boy stood by the door 
 of the London Tavern, watching the guests as they assembled for this Fund's 
 dinner, delighted to recognise the face of some actor he had seen, eager to 
 catch a glimpse of some famous man he had heard of. Time — too often a 
 laggard in bestowing the rewards for which we toil — has dealt kindly with 
 me, and with grateful heart I say so. There are few prouder honours to 
 be won than those bestowed upon a man by his fellow-workers. That I 
 am here now proves to me that I have gained the good wishes of my 
 fellow-workers, and when I tell you that I was the boy who waited at the 
 London Tavern door, and that nearly twenty years of an actor's life finds 
 me in this chair to- night, you will believe that I deeply feel the honour you 
 now show me. Distinctions, though, bring troubles in their wake. I have 
 not the eloquence of my predecessors — I am unable to draw gold by my 
 glowing words. Eloquence such as theirs — the true philosopher's stone — ■ 
 I do not possess. I daie not enttr the lists with those who have gone 
 before me, so I shall therefore beg in a few words to tell why the actor's 
 calling is a specially worthy one for public consideration, and I hope the 
 round unvarnished tale may teach those who know little of our trials and 
 temptations that truest of all feeling for our fellow-creatures — feeling for 
 them in their breeches' pockets. In this uncertain world there is nothing 
 more uncertain than the career of an actor. The scene of his life may 
 shift from poverty to comfort almost as quickly as in the stage grooves the 
 cottage gives place to the palace. He has few ties of neighbours or neigh- 
 bourhood, for 
 
 " Arab-like, his tent is pitched, 
 And straight again is furled." 
 
 Rarely can he reckon upon an engagement of sufficient duration to give 
 him, should sickness or sorrow come upon him, the solace of sympathising 
 
n8 APPENDIX. 
 
 friends. An accident may give him the favour of the public, which another 
 accident may as quickly snatch away ■ and public favour is his daily 
 bread — 
 
 " Time hath, my lord, a wallet at his back, 
 
 Wherein he puts alms for oblivion : 
 
 These scraps are good deeds past, which are devoured 
 
 As soon as they are made, forgot as soon 
 
 As done." 
 
 There are those, too, to whom recognition — if it ever comes — comes so 
 late that, as Ruskin so truly says, the laurel crown so tardily bestowed can 
 only avail to be laid upon their mother's grave. But granted that the 
 actor be one of Fortune's seeming favourites, is it unnatural that even a 
 strong mind might be turned by such a test, or that the prudent economies 
 of private life might be somewhat forgotten in the glamour of the stage .'' 
 How can the benevolent stage uncle, whose plethoric purse makes life so 
 easy — how can he refuse his last half-crown to an old brother actor out of 
 an engagement .■' — for actors are a singularly benevolent race. Or how can 
 a Bassanio who one night has been tossing about 6000 ducats on a Shylock 
 who has been rejecting a much more considerable sum (though I think 
 Shylock probably would not) — but how can the luxurious Signor Bassanio 
 be expected on the following morning to get to a rehearsal by the third class 
 of an underground railway .' He certainly has a great temptation to travel 
 first, and I remember a famous comedian once saying to me — "Sir, when 
 I play Charles Surface, I dine off the liver wing of a chicken, moistened by 
 a bumper of sparkling burgundy.'' Artistic instincts are "frightfully opposed 
 to business habits. Remember, ladies and gentlemen, I am not speaking 
 of the fortunate London actor in his snug rooms here, his comfortable 
 cottage there, and a handy little sum at his banker's ; I am speaking of the 
 poor country actor who, on 25s. or 30s. a week — when he can get it — to 
 fulfil an engagement has to journey from Aberdeen to Plymouth — who has 
 to play lords, dukes, and electors, and Counts Palatine, and dress them all 
 himself; who perhaps has to exist four, five, or six months out of the 
 twelve, chameleon-like, on air, and perhaps with a wife and several small 
 children — how is this unfortunate being to put by for a rainy day ? And 
 if the man be earnest and a student, he must spend money in artistic work. 
 He wants a wig for this, boots, shoes, buckles for that — in short, every- 
 thing that has been worn since clothes were invented — and all this on 
 25s. a week. He must try and look the character he acts, and the more 
 artistic a man's mind is, or the more fastidious his taste, the more he is 
 tempted to be what the thoughtless call extravagant. The British public. 
 
THE THEATRICAL FUNDS. 119 
 
 though, is " tender and true " to old favourites ; and really it's fortunate 
 they are, for we have no State aid or help of any sort; and virhat a bless- 
 ing it would be if we had, for then we might have a school to train our 
 actors. But now 
 
 " 'Tis sure no wonder if unguarded youth 
 'Midst error's windings miss the tracks of trutli ." 
 
 But while I allude to a few circumstaftces which may somewhat explain the 
 so-called improvidence of the theatrical profession,' I know that in no 
 other country is such continuous favour, or such noble generosity, shown 
 to aged and indigent actors. There must come to one and all who linger 
 beyond man's allotted span a time when the grasshopper becomes a 
 burthen, and when tasks that youth made light of are no longer possible. 
 This is our aim to-night, to provide not alone for the sick and needy, but 
 for the old and forgotten, and to cheer with kindly comforts (so precious 
 in age and penury) those who once gave us pleasure. 
 
 "Grown aged, used up, and turned out of the stud, i 
 
 Lame, spavined, and wind-galled, but yet with some blood, 
 While knowing postillions his pedigree trace. 
 Say his dam won that sweepstake, liis sire gained that race ; 
 And what matches he won do the ostlers count o'er, 
 As they loiter their time at some hedge alehouse door ; 
 While the harness sore galls and the spurs his sides goad, 
 And the high-mettled racer's a hack on the road ; 
 Till at length having laboured, toiled early and late, 
 Worn out by degrees, he plods on to his fate. 
 Blind, old, lean, and feeble, he treads round a mill. 
 And draws sand till the sand of his hour-glass stands still." 
 
 So said genial Charles Dibdin of the high-mettled racer, and as those 
 veterans who once ran the race we are now running gave us of their 
 abundance, so I hope, gentlemen, you will give us of yours this night. 
 I beg to propose "The Health of the London General Theatrical Fund," 
 coupled with the name of the Hon. Treasurer, Mr. Buckstone. (Loud and 
 continued cheers.) 
 
 The second occasion in which he took the chair was on July 29tb, 
 1881, when he was again successful in obtaining a large subscription 
 list. 
 
 It should also be noted that Mr. Irving is the chief promoter and 
 president of the Actors' Benevolent Fund, an excellent institution, 
 established in 1882, for the relief of distressed actors and actresses. 
 
120 APPENDIX. 
 
 M. JULES CLARETIE ON MR. IRVING. 
 
 During the summer season of 1879, M. Jules Claretie, the eminent French 
 dramatic critic, saw Mr. Irving play at the Lyceum. In his weekly article 
 to " La Presse," of June 22d, 1879, he recorded the impressions made upon 
 him by his visit. The following is a translation of what he wrote : — 
 
 "Richelieu" was the first play in which I saw Mr. Irving in London. 
 Here he is superb. The performance amounts to a resurrection. The 
 great Cirdinal, lean, worn, eaten up with ambition, less for himself than for 
 France, is admirably rendered. His gait is jerky, like that of a man shaken 
 by fever ; his eye has the depths of a visionary ; a hoarse cough preys upon 
 that frail body, which is yet made of steel. When Richelieu appears in the 
 midst of the courtiers, when he flings scorn in the face of the mediocre man 
 who is to succeed him, when he supplicates and adjures the weak Louis 
 XIII., Irving gives that grand figure a striking majesty. 
 
 And how profound an artist the tragedian is ! I went to see him in his 
 dressing-room after the performance. I found him surrounded by portraits 
 of Richelieu. He had before him the three studies of Philippe de Cham- 
 paigne, which are preserved in the National Gallery : Richelieu seen full- 
 face, right-hand profile and left-hand profile, and also a photograph of the 
 full-length portrait of the Cardinal by the same Philippe de Champaigne. 
 When he plays Louis XI. he studies Comines, Victor Hugo, Walter Scott, 
 and all those who have spoken of the bourgeois and avaricious king who 
 wore out the elbows of his ratteen pourpoint on the oak tables of his com- 
 panions the fell-mongers and shoemakers. The actor is an adept in the 
 art of face-painting, and attaches great importance to the slightest details of 
 his costume. 
 
 Mr. Irving, in spite of his superb, energetic, and fine head, has an air 
 rather elegant than robust. He is as charming outside the theatre as he is 
 touching on the stage. His dressing-room, with the pictures that are hung 
 there, and the hospitality that awaits visitors, reminds one of the artistic 
 lo^'e, such as it is figured in Madame Sands' novel " Pierre qui roule,'' or in 
 Dumas' famous drama " Kean." Only here we must not place as a sub-title 
 " D^sordre et G^nie," for you feel in Irving and in his company the correct 
 rectitude of the gentleman beneath the inspiration of the lettered artist. 
 We were asking him the other night what historical personage would tempt 
 him, what physiognomy, he who excels in what I call resurrections, he would 
 like to make alive again. " What personage?" he asked. "Yes ; which is 
 the hero that seduces you ? " He reflected a moment, his fine head becom- 
 ing suddenly pensive. "French or English?" he asked again. "French 
 or English, it does not matter." " Well," he replied, after a moment's 
 reflection, " I should like to create a Camille Desmoulins." He has, indeed 
 (adds M. Claretie), the energetic type and also the fineness of the men of 
 
M. CLARETIE'S OPINION OF MR. IRVING, iii 
 
 the eighteenth century. With his long black hair and his fine witty smile, 
 he is a very living Camille. Perhaps there is more kindness in his features 
 than there was in those of the malicious author of " Revolutions de France 
 et de Brabant." It is the Camille of the " Vieux Cordelier." He would 
 gladly incarnate that enthusiastic journalist, and Miss Ellen Terry, who 
 plays Ophelia with him in " Hamlet," would make a touching Lucile. But 
 the little success obtained by the piece on Camille Desmoulins that was 
 played in Paris deters Henry Irving, who feels himself attracted rather by 
 the physiognomy of Andrd Chdnier. He would be, and I hope will be, 
 absolutely admirable if he has confidence in him who writes these lines, and 
 who would regard it as a good fortune to have such an actor for an inter- 
 preter. 
 
 Mr. Irving's literary and subtle mind leans to psychological plays — plays 
 which, if I may so express myself, are more tragic than dramatic. He is 
 the true Shakesperean actor. In his hands Richelieu acquires vitality ; he 
 raises the character to his own level. This is also the case with " The 
 Bells" and " The Lyons' Mail." Mathias has the deep remorse of a Mac- 
 beth ; the destiny which governs Hamlet, weighs over the head of Lesurques. 
 How great was the pleasure which his performance of Hamlet afforded me ! 
 For a literary man it is a source of real enjoyment. In " Hamlet" the taste 
 and variety of the costumes brings to mind some of the pictures of Alma- 
 Tadema and Jean-Paul Laurens. I have never seen anything so deeply, so 
 tragically true, as the scene of the burial of Ophelia. In this character 
 Miss Ellen Terry might be taken by one for a pre-Raphaelite apparition, 
 for a living model of Giovanni Bellini. 
 
 As Louis XI. Mr. Irving has been judged superior to Ligier. Dressed 
 with historical accuracy, he is admirable in the comedy element of the piece, 
 and the chief scenes with the monk and Nemours. The hands, lean and 
 crooked as a Harpagon — the fine hands whose character is changed with 
 each of his rdles — aid his words. And how striking in its realism is the last 
 scene, representing the struggle between the dying king and his fate ! 
 
INDEX. 
 
 ■ A BiiiGHT To-morrow,' 21. 
 
 'A Rapid Thaw,' by T. W. Robertson, 
 
 36. 
 ' A Silent Woman,' 9. 
 A'Becket, Mr. G. A., 23, 27, 30. 
 Abington, Mrs., 24. 
 Address presented to Irving at Dublin, 
 
 55- 
 Adelphi, Irving's first visit to the, 12, 13; 
 
 plays produced at, 21, 23, 24, 25, 27, 
 
 28, 30. 
 'Advocate's Daughter,' the, 21. 
 Aide's, Hamilton; 'Philip',' 46, 47. 
 Alexandra Theatre, Liverpool, 20. 
 'All for Money,' 38. 
 Allingham, Mrs. (Miss H. Paterson), vi. 
 
 ■ All that Glitters is not Gold,' 21. 
 Albery's, James, 'Pickwick,' 39. 
 Almar, Mr. George, 23. 
 
 Amateur performances at Sussex Hall, 
 
 8,9. 
 Amphitheatre, the Liverpool, 37. 
 Amusing failure of Irving at Linlithgow, 
 
 17-19. 
 ' Anchor of Hope,' the, 21. 
 Anderson, Miss Mary, 74. 
 
 ■ An Hour at Seville,' 21. 
 'An Object of Interest,' 28. 
 An Unconscious Model, 1 1 . 
 Archer's, Thomas, 'Asmodeus,' 21. 
 Arthur Seat, studying on, 1 8. 
 
 ' Artist's Wife,' the, 21. 
 ' A Silent Woman,' 9. 
 'Asmodeus,' 21. 
 
 ' As you Like It,' 2r. 
 'Avalanche,' the, 21. 
 Ayton's, Richard, 'Rendezvous,' 29. 
 
 'Balance of Comfort,' the, 21. 
 
 Ballads, Irving's study of old, 5. 
 
 Bancroft, Mrs., 22, 28, 67. 
 
 Banquet to Mr. Irving, 98. 
 
 Barnard, Mr. P., vi. 
 
 Bamett's, Moses, ' Married Unmarried, ' 
 
 47- 
 ' Barney, the Baron,' 21. 
 Barney Williams, Mrs., 21. 
 Barrett, Mr. Lawrence, 74. 
 Barrymore's, William, 'Wallace, the Hero 
 
 of Scotland,' 31. 
 'Bashful Irishman,' the, 21. 
 Bateman, Mrs., 64. 
 Bateman, Mr. H. L., 38, 39, 48. 
 'Bathing,' Bruton's, 21. 
 ' Battle of Inch, ' the, 2 1 . 
 ' Bay of Biscay,' the, 22. 
 Bayly, Thomas Haynes, 28. 
 Beazley, Samuel, 26. 
 Behenna family, the, 2. 
 Belford, Mr. William, 66. 
 ' Belle's Stratagem,' the, 36, 54, 68, 72, 
 
 94, 97- 
 ' Bells,' the, Irving's first appearance 
 
 in, 39 ; Times' criticism on, 39, 40 ; 
 
 Dutton Cook's opinion regarding, 40 ; 
 
 Lord Lytton's and Miss Adelaide 
 
 Kemble's comments on, 40 ; revival 
 
 of, 65 ; cast of, 88. 
 
134 
 
 INDEX. 
 
 Bernard's, Bayle, ' Balance of Comfort,' 
 
 ' Flowers of the Forest,' 23 ; ' Good 
 
 21 ; 'Evil Genius,' 23 ; 'Lucille,' 26 ; 
 
 for Nothing,' 24; 'Green Bushes,' 
 
 'Middy Ashore,' 27; 'Nervous Man,' 
 
 24; 'Irish Lion,' 25; 'IsabeUe,' 25; 
 
 27; 'St. Mary's Eve,' 30; 'Woman 
 
 ' Maid with the Milking-Pail,' 26 ; 
 
 Hater,' 31. 
 
 ' Married Life,' 26 ; ' Mischief 
 
 ' Betsy Baker,' Morton's, 22. 
 
 Making,' 27 ; ' Our Mary Anne,' 28; 
 
 'Beulah Spa,' 21. 
 
 'Peter BeU,' 28; 'Shocking Events,' 
 
 Bickerataffe, Isaac, 28, 30. 
 
 29; 'Single Life,' 29; ' Victorine,'3i; 
 
 Biographioa Dramatioa, vi. 
 
 ' Wreck Ashore,' 31; benefit given to. 
 
 Birthplace of Irving, 1. 
 
 S3- 
 
 'Birthplace of Podgers,' Hollingshead's, 
 
 Burdett-Coutts, the Baroness, 58. 
 
 21. 
 
 Byron's, Mr. Henry J., 'Maid and the 
 
 ' Black-eyed Susan,' 21. 
 
 Magpie,' 27 ; ' Dearer than Life,' 37 ; 
 
 Blake, Mr. Thomas G., 26. 
 
 ' Lancashire Lass,' 37. 
 
 ' Blighted Being,' Tom Taylor's, 21. 
 
 
 'Blind Boy,' the, 21. 
 
 
 ' Boarding School,' the, 21. 
 
 ' Cabin Boy,' the, 22. 
 
 'Bohemians,' the, 22. 
 
 ' Cagot,' the, 22. 
 
 ' Bonnie Fishwife, ' the, 22. 
 
 Cambridge, Owen, 24. 
 
 Books of Irving's early studies, 5. 
 
 Canongate Theatre, Edinburgh, 20. 
 
 'Book the Third, Chapter the First,' 
 
 Canton, Dr., 58. 
 
 21. 
 
 Captain Isaac Penberthy, 2, 3. 
 
 Booth, Edwin, at Manchester, 34 ; as 
 
 ' Captive,' the, Ellen Terry recites, 67. 
 
 lagO) S3 ; as Othello and lago, 68, 
 
 Cardinal Eichelieu, Irving as, 45, 65 ; 
 
 69. 
 
 Oxenford's criticism on, 45, 46. 
 
 'Boots at the Swan,' 9, 21. 
 
 ' Carpenter of Rouen,' the, 22. 
 
 'Born to Good Luck,' Tyrone Power's, 
 
 ' Castle Spectre,' Lewis's, 22. 
 
 22. 
 
 Casts of Irving's principal productions, 
 
 'Bottle Imp,' the, 22. 
 
 88-90. 
 
 Boucicault, Dion, 25, 26, 34; Irving 
 
 ' Catching an Heiress,' 22. 
 
 joins, 35 ; his 'Louis XI.,' 60; 'Cor- 
 
 ' Catherine and Petruchio,' 22. 
 
 sican Brothers,' 67. 
 
 Celeste, Madame, 16, 23, 30, 
 
 'Bride of Lammermoor,' Scott's, 21. 
 
 Centlivre's, Susanna, 'The Wonder, a 
 
 ' British Legion,' the, 22. 
 
 Woman Keeps a Secret,' 31. 
 
 Bromley, Mr. Val, vi. 
 
 Cervantes' 'Jealous Husband,' 28. 
 
 Brookes, Mr. Shirley, 22. 
 
 Characteristics of Cornish people, 4. 
 
 Brooke, Mr. G. V., 34. 
 
 Characters sustained by Irving during 
 
 Brough, Mr. Lionel, 37. 
 
 first three years, 21-31. 
 
 Brougham, John, 11, 25. 
 
 ' Charles I.,' 42, 66; cast of, 88. 
 
 Brough's, William, Burlesque of ' Conrad 
 
 ' Charles XIL,' Planchd's, 22. 
 
 and Medora,' 22; 'Kenilworth,' 25; 
 
 ' Charming Polly,' the, 22. 
 
 ' MasanieUo,' 27 ; ' Mephistopheles,' 
 
 Chesterfield, Lord, 24. 
 
 27 ; 'Number One, round the Comer,' 
 
 Cherry's, Mr. Andrew, ' Soldier's Daugh- 
 
 27 ; ' Perdita, or the Royal Milkmaid,' 
 
 ter,' 30. 
 
 28. 
 
 Chippendale, Mr. W. H„ 58. 
 
 Brutou's 'Bathing,' 21. 
 
 Gibber's version of Richard IIL, 57. 
 
 Buckstone's ' Dream at Sea,' 23 ; 
 
 ' City Elocution Class,' the, 7-9. 
 
INDEX. 
 
 135 
 
 Claretie, M. Jules, 120. 
 
 ' Clari, the Maid of Milan,' 22. 
 
 Clarke, Edward, M.P., 12. 
 
 Clarke, Mr. John S., 36. 
 
 Clayton, Mr. John, 37. 
 
 Clement Scott, Mr., v. 
 
 Cllve, Mrs , 24. 
 
 Coape, Mr. H. C, 30. 
 
 Coburg Theatre, the, 24. 
 
 Coincidences, curious, at Sunderland 
 
 opening night, 15. 
 Colman, George, the Younger, 29. 
 ' Conrad and Medora, ' Brough's, 22. 
 Controversy regarding living's Macbeth, 
 
 52. 
 Cook, Mr. Dutton, vi., 40. 
 Cooke, Mr. T. P., 21, 26, 28, 30, 63. 
 Cooper's, J. Fenimore, 'Pilot,' 28. 
 Cornish family, an old, 2. 
 Cornish people, characteristics of the, 
 
 4- 
 Cornwall, Irving's early life in, 3. 
 Corri, M., 29. 
 ' Corsican Brothers,' Boucicault's, 22, 
 
 67, 93- 
 Cosio, M. de Treuba, 27. 
 County of Romance, Cornwall a, 4, 5. 
 ' Courier of Lyons, ' adaptation of the, 
 
 by Charles Eeade, 59. 
 Courtney's, John, ' Old Joe and Young 
 
 Joe,' 28 ; 'Time Tries AU,' 30, 
 Covent Garden Theatre, 21, 22, 23, 24, 
 
 26, 27, 29, 30, 31. 
 Cowley's, Mrs., 'Belle's Stratagem,' 36, 
 
 54, 68, 72, 94, 97. 
 Coyne, J. Stirling, 23, 38, 30, 31. 
 ' Cramond Brig,' 22. 
 ' Creole, the, or Love's Tetters,' 22. 
 ' Cricket on the Hearth,' Dickens', 22. 
 ' Critic,' Sheridan's, 22. 
 Criticisms on Irving's readings, 33, 
 
 34- 
 Crosby Hall, readings at, 33. 
 ' Crown Prince,' the, 22. 
 ' Cup,' Tennyson's, 68, 93. 
 ' Custom and Country,' 22. 
 ' Cymbeline,' 22. 
 
 ' Daddy Hakdaore,' 23. 
 
 Daily News, Moy Thomas' notes in, vi. 
 
 Daily Telegraph on 'Charles the First,' 
 
 43. 
 Dalkeith, Headings at, 16. 
 Dance, Mr. Charles, 27. 
 ' Dancing Barber,' the, 23. 
 Danvers, Mr. H., 23. 
 ' Dark Cloud,' the, 35. 
 Davenport Brothers, exposure of the, 
 
 34, 8i- 
 ' David Copperfield,' Dickens', 23. 
 Davies', Thomas, ' Life of Garrick,' 20. 
 Davis, Mr. E. D., of Sunderland, 14, 15. 
 ' Day after the Wedding,' the, 23. 
 Day, Mr. Philip, 34. 
 ' Deaf as a Post,' Poole's, 22. 
 ' Dearer than Life,' Henry Byron's, 37. 
 ' De Claris Mulieribus,' Plutarch's, 68. 
 ' Defence of Hamilton Kowan,' Curran's, 
 
 6. 
 Delacour, M., 59. 
 Delavigne's 'Louis XL,' 60. 
 ' Delicate Ground,' 9. 
 ' Diamond Cut Diamond,' 23. 
 Dibdin, Charles, 28. 
 Dibdin's, Thomas, ' Two Gregories,' 30. 
 Dickens' ' Cricket on the Hearth,' 22 ; 
 
 ' David Copperfield,' 23 ; ' Dombey and 
 
 Son,' 23; 'Nicholas Nickleby,' 28; 
 
 ' Oliver Twist,' 28 ; ' Pickwick,' 39. 
 Digby Grant, Irving's first appearance 
 
 as, 38. 
 Dillon, Mr. Charles, 16. 
 Dimond, William, 23. 
 Dislike to commercial life, 6. 
 ' Dombey and Son, ' Dickens', 23. 
 'Dominique the Deserter,' 23. 
 'Don Gsesar de Bazan,' 23. 
 ' Don Giovanni,' 23. 
 'Don't Judge by Appearances,' 23. 
 Doorkeeper, a stolid, 18. 
 Doricourt, in ' BeUe's Stratagem, ' Irving 
 
 as, 36. 
 ' Double Dummy, ' the, 23. 
 ' Douglas, ' Home's, 22. 
 Dramatic List, C. Eyre Pascoe's, vi. 
 
136 
 
 INDEX. 
 
 ' Drapery Question, ' the, 23. 
 
 'Dream at Sea,' the, 23. 
 
 ' Dream of Eugene Aram,' the, 38. 
 
 'Dred,' 22. 
 
 ' Drunkard's Doom, ' the, 23. 
 
 Drury Lane Theatre, 22, 23, 24, 25, 26, 
 
 28, 29, 30, 87. 
 Dublin, address presented to Irving at, 
 
 55- 
 Dumas', Alexandre, 'Three Musketeers,' 
 
 3°- 
 Duplication of Lesurques and Duboscq 
 
 by Irving, 59 ; of Louis and Fabien 
 
 dei Pranchi, 67. 
 Dutton Cook, vi. ; on Irving's Mathias, 
 
 40. 
 'Dumb Maid of Genoa,' the, 22. 
 ' Dumb Man of Manchester,' the, 22. 
 Dyas, Mr. E., 37. 
 
 Earlt life in Cornwall, Irving's, 3-5. 
 
 ' East Lynne, '35. 
 
 Edinburgh Theatre Royal, Irving's first 
 
 engagement at, 16. 
 Edinburgh Queen's Theatre, 20. 
 Edinburgh Canongate Theatre, 20. 
 Edwards, Sutherland, 27. 
 ' Ella Rosenberg,' 23. 
 Elocution Class, the City, 7-9. 
 Emery, Mr. Sam, 37. 
 English Opera House (Lyceum Theatre), 
 
 22, 26, 27, 29, 87. 
 ' English Stage," Quarterly Review on the, 
 
 SI- 
 ' Esmeralda,' 23. 
 ' Eton Boy,' the, 23. 
 ' Eugene Aram,' dramatic versions of Lord 
 
 Lytton's novel, 44, 65, 69, 73, 97. 
 ' Every Cloud has a Silver Lining,' 23. 
 ' Evil Genius,' the, 23. 
 Exposure of the Davenport Brothers, 
 
 34, 8i- 
 
 Failure, amusing, of Irving at Linlith- 
 gow, 17-19. 
 
 ' Fairy Circle,' the, 23. 
 ' Falls of Clyde,' the, 23. 
 'Fanchette,' a French adaptation, 39. 
 Farewell benefit at Edinburgh, Irving's, 
 
 20. 
 Farrell's ' Dumb Maid of Genoa,' 22. 
 Farren, Mr. W., 24. 
 ' Fascinating Individual,' a, 23. 
 ' Fate of Eugene Aram,' the, 43, 65, 
 
 73. 97- 
 Faucit, Miss Helen, 16, 45, 54. 
 'Fazio,' Milman's, 23. 
 Fechter, Charles, as Hamlet, 48; in the 
 
 ' Corsican Brothers,' 67. 
 Festival at St. Ives, Quaint, 3, 4. 
 ' Fire Raiser,' the, 23. 
 First appearance as an amateur on the 
 
 regular stage, Irving's, 9. 
 First visit to a theatre, Irving's, 12. 
 Fitzball's, Edward, ' Esmeralda,' 23 ; 
 
 ' Momentous Question,' 27 ; ' Pilot,' 
 
 28 ; ' Tom Cringle,' 30. 
 Fitzgerald, Mr. Percy, 63. 
 Fletcher's, John, ' Rule a Wife and Have 
 
 a Wife,' 29. 
 Florence, Mr. and Mrs. W. J., 34. 
 ' Flowers of the Forest,' Buckstone's, 23. 
 ' Flying Dutchman,' the, 23. 
 Ford, John, 30. 
 ' Formosa,' Boucicault's, 38. 
 ' Fortunes of Nigel,' Scott's, 23. 
 ' Forty and Fifty,' 23. 
 ' Foundling of the Forest,' the, 23. 
 'Frankenstein,' 23. 
 ' Fraud and its Victims,' 23. 
 ' Frederick of Prussia,' 23. 
 French, Mr. Samuel, v. 
 ' French Spy,' the, 23. 
 FuUeylove, Mr. J., vi. 
 
 ' Gabeklunzie, ' the, 24. 
 
 Gaiety Theatre, London, 38, 87. 
 
 'Gamester,' Moore's, 24. 
 
 Garrick, David, parts played by, 20 ; his 
 
 omissions in ' Romeo and Juliet,' 69. 
 " Gentleman " Lewis, 41. 
 
INDEX. 
 
 lay 
 
 Gentle Shepherd,' the, 24. 
 Ghost Stories at Halsetown, 4. 
 Giaoometti's 'Marie Antoinette,' 27. 
 Gibson, Mr. Edward, Q.C., M.P., 55. 
 'Gilderoy,' 24. 
 ' Gipsy Farmer, ' the, 24. 
 ' Giralda,'. 24. 
 
 Glasgow Theatre-Royal, Irving at, 34. 
 Glastonbury Abbey, i, ^. 
 Glover, Mr. Edmund, 34. 
 "God-speed" to Henry Irving, a, 112. 
 Goldsmith's 'She Stoops to Conquer,' 
 
 29. 
 ' Good for Nothing,' Buckstone's, 24. 
 Gould Square Institute, 7. 
 ' Governor's Wife,' the, 24. 
 ' Grandfather Whitehead,' 24. 
 ' Green Bushes,' Buckstone's, 24. 
 ' Guise-dancing ' at Halsetown, 4. 
 ' Guy Mannering,' Scott's, 24. 
 'Gwynneth Vaughan,' Mark Lemon's, 
 
 24. 
 
 Haines's, J. T., ' Charming Polly,' 22 ; 
 ' The Idiot Witness,' 25 ; ' Ocean of 
 Life,' 28; 'The Wraith of the Lake,' 
 
 31- 
 
 Halsetown, pranks in, 4. 
 
 Hamilton A'id^ 's ' Philip, ' 46. 
 
 ' Haroilton of Bothwellhaugh,' 24. 
 
 Hamlet, Shakespeare's, 24 ; Irving's first 
 appearance as, 34 ; revival of, at 
 Lyceum, 48, 65 ; critical opinions re- 
 garding, 49-51; at Dublin, 56; cast 
 of, at Lyceum, 90. 
 
 ' Handy Andy,' Lover's, 24. 
 
 ' Happiest Day of my Life, ' 24. 
 
 Harborne and Edgbaston Institute, the, 
 
 63- 
 Hardships of Irving's start in life, 6, 7. 
 'Hard Struggle,' Westland Marston's, 
 
 24. 
 Harrington, Mr. N. H., 23. 
 Harris, Mr., the late, of the Princess 
 
 Theatre, London, 20. 
 
 Haymarket Theatre, 21, 23, 24, 25, 26, 
 
 27, 28, 29, 30, 31 ; Irving at, 38 
 
 87. 
 ' Heart of Midlothian,' Scott's, 25. 
 Heath, Miss, 34, 37. 
 Heine, Henrich, 63. 
 ' Helping Hands,' 24. 
 Henderson, Mr. Alexander, 35. 
 Herbert, Miss, 36. 
 Hertz, Henrik, 25, 66. 
 ' High Life Below Stairs,' 24 ; riot at its 
 
 first production at Edinburgh, 24. 
 ' His Last Legs, ' 24. 
 History of the Jeffersoiis, Winter's, vi., 
 
 20. 
 History of tlie Scottish Stage, Jackson's, 
 
 20. 
 Hodson, Miss Henrietta, 37. 
 Holcroft's 'Road to Ruin,' 36. 
 Hollingshead's 'Birthplace of Podgers,' 
 
 21. 
 Home's ' Douglas,' 22. 
 ' Honesty is the Best Policy,' 24. 
 ' Honeymoon,' the, at Soho Theatre, 9 ; 
 
 at Edinburgh, 24. 
 Hoskins, Mr. William, 13, 14. 
 Howe, Mr., 21. 
 
 Hugo's, Victor, ' Notre Dame,' 23. 
 ' Hunchback, ' Sheridan's, 24, 69. 
 ' Hunted Down, ' 36. 
 ' Hunting a Turtle, ' 24. 
 
 ' loi on Parle Fran^ais,' 25. 
 
 'Ida May,' 25. 
 
 ' Idiot Witness,' the, 25. 
 
 ' Ingomar, '25. 
 
 ' Invincibles,' the, 25. 
 
 ' lolanthe,' 66 ; Lyceum cast of, 92. 
 
 ' Ireland as it Was, ' 25. 
 
 ' Irish a Honey,' 25. 
 
 ' Irish Assurance,' 25. 
 
 * Irish Emigrant,' the, 25. 
 
 'Irish Lion,' Buckstone's, 25. 
 
 ' Irish Post,' Blanche's, 25. 
 
 ' Irish Tiger,' the, 25. 
 
 'Irish Tutor,' the, 25. 
 
128 
 
 INDEX. 
 
 ' Iron Chest,' the, at Sussex Hall, 9 ; at 
 Edinburgh, 25 ; at Lyceum, 65 ; cast 
 of, 91. 
 
 Irving, Henry, birth of, I ; his parents, 
 2 ; early life in Cornwall, 3-5 ; his 
 early instincts, 5 ; removal to London, 
 5, 6 ; school-days in Lombard Street, 6 ; 
 begins life as a merchant's clerk, 6 ; 
 training for his future calling, 6, 7 ; 
 ' the City Elocution Class,' 7 ; ama- 
 teur performances at Sussex Hall, 8, 
 9 ; appears as Wilf ord in ' The Iron 
 Chest,' 9 ; his mother's dread of the 
 stage, 10 ; painstaking attention to 
 detail, II; early friends, 12; first 
 visit to a theatre, 1 2 ; first dramatic 
 tutor, 13; enters upon his theatri- 
 cal career at Sunderland Lyceum 
 Theatre, 14, 15 ; his stage name, 15 ; 
 . engagement at Edinburgh Theatre 
 Royal, 16; his first benefit, 16; first 
 association with J. L. Toole, 1 6 ; 
 Readings at Dalkeith and Linlithgow, 
 16 ; amusing failure at Linlithgow, 
 17-19 ; farewell benefit at Edinburgh, 
 20; engagement at the Princess 
 Theatre, London, 20 ; a, ' man of 
 many parts ' at Edinburgh, 20 ; list 
 of characters sustained during first 
 three years of theatrical life, 21-31; 
 dissatisfaction with engagement at 
 Princess Theatre, 32 ; gives Readings 
 at Crosby Hall, 33 ; plays the cha- 
 racter of Hamlet for first time, 34; 
 exposes Davenport Brothers, 34, 81 ; 
 success at Manchester, 35 ; engage- 
 ments at various London theatres, 36- 
 38 ; first appearance as Digby Grant 
 in the ' Two Roses,' 38 ; first appearance 
 as Mathias in ' The Bells,' 39 ; as Eu- 
 gene Aram, 44 ; as Cardinal Richelieu, 
 45 ; as Philip in ' Philip,' 47 ; his ren- 
 dering of Hamlet, 48-51 ; controversy 
 regarding his Macbeth, 52 ; provincial 
 tour in 1876, 55 ; as Richard III., 57 ; 
 in the ' Lyons' Mail,' 59 ; as Louis 
 
 XL, 60-63 > becomes lessee of the 
 Lyceum in London, 64 ; as Shylock, 
 66 ; as the Corsican brothers, 67 ; 
 alternates Othello and lago with Ed- 
 win Booth, 68 ; first appearance as 
 Romeo, 69 ; as Benedick, 72 ; fare- 
 well benefit at the Lyceum, 72, 73 ; 
 summary of his career, 75-79 ; parts 
 acted in London, 86 ; plays produced 
 by, 90 ; banquet to, 98-1 II; chairman 
 of Theatrical Fund, 117. 
 
 ' Isabelle, ' Buckstoue's, 25. 
 
 ' Ivanhoe,' Scott's, 25. 
 
 ' Ivy Hall,' Oxenford's, 32. 
 
 ' Jack Robinson and his Monkey,' 25. 
 
 Jackson, John, parts played by, 20. 
 
 ' Jacobite,' Planch^'s, 25. 
 
 James, Mr. David, 69. 
 
 'Jane Shore,' 25. 
 
 'Janet Pride,' 25. 
 
 ' Jealous Husband,' Cervantes', 28. 
 
 Jefferson, Joseph, characters played by, 
 
 20. 
 Jeffersons, Winter's History of the, vi. 20. 
 ' Jeremy Diddler,' Irving as, 41. 
 Jerrold's 'Black-eyed Susan,' 21; 'John 
 
 Overy,' 25 ; 'Rent Day,' 29. 
 ' Jersey Girl,' the, 25. 
 ' Jessy Vere,' 25. 
 'Joan of Arc,' 25. 
 ' John Overy,' Jerrold's, 25. 
 Johnson, Mrs. S. D., 28. 
 Johnstone, Mr. J. B., 24. 
 Jones', T. S., 'Carpenter of Rouen,' 22. 
 Jordan, Dora, 30. 
 Jordan, Mrs., 22, 30. 
 Jules Claretie on Mr. Irving, 120. 
 Julia St. George, Miss, 20. 
 'Juvenile lead,' Irving's salary for the, 
 
 17- 
 
 Kean, Charles, as 'Louis XI.,' 60; fails 
 to make the drama a commercial suc- 
 cess, 64 ; as the Corsican Brothers, 67. 
 
 Keinton, Irving's birthplace, I. 
 
INDEX. 
 
 139 
 
 Kemble, John, 24. 
 
 Kemble, Miss Adelaide, 40, 
 
 Kemble, Mrs. Charles, farce by, 23. 
 
 ' Kenilworth,' burlesque of Scott's, 25. 
 
 Kenuey's 'Blind Boy,' 21 ; 'EUa Rosen- 
 berg,' 23 ; ' Sweethearts and Wives,' 
 30; ' Raising the Wind,' 41. 
 
 Kerr, Mr. John, 29, 31. 
 
 KerriU, Mr., 3. 
 
 ' King Henry VIII.,' Shakespeare's, 24. 
 
 ' King John, ' Shakespeare's, 25. 
 
 ' King Lear,' Shakespeare's, 25. 
 
 'King of the Peacocks,' the, 25. 
 
 'King Kent's Daughter,' 25, 66. 
 
 ' King Robert the Bruce,' 29. 
 
 'King's Wager,' the, 25. 
 
 ' Knight of Arva, ' the, 25. 
 
 Knowles, Manager, 10, 11. 
 
 Knowles's, James Sheridan, 'Hunchback,' 
 24 ; ' Love Chase,' 26 ; ' Virginius,' 
 30 ; 'William Tell,' 31 ; 'The Wife, a 
 Tale of Mantua,' 31. 
 
 Kotzebue's 'Stranger,' 29. 
 
 Lact, Mr. Walter, 36. 
 
 ' Ladies' Battle, ' the, Irving's first benefit 
 
 piece, 16 ; at Edinburgh, 26. 
 ' Ladies' Club, ' the, 25. 
 'Lady of Lyons,' the, at Linlithgow, 
 
 17-19 ; at Edinburgh, 25 ; at Crosby 
 
 Hall, 33 ; at the Lyceum, 65 ; cast 
 
 of, 91. 
 ' Lady of the Lake,' Scott's, 26. 
 Laferrifere, Adolphe, 21. 
 'Lamplighter,' the, 26. 
 ' Lancashire Lass,' Byron's, 37. 
 Langford, Mr. J. M., 26. 
 ' Last Man,' the, 26. 
 'Last night of Edinburgh old Theatre 
 
 Royal,' 1 6, 
 ' Laughing Hyena,' the, 26. 
 Lawrence's, Sir Thomas, 'Hamlet,' 48. 
 ' Le D^gel,' Sardou's, 36. 
 Leigh Murray, Mr., 21. 
 'Le Juif Polonais,' Erckmann-Chatrain's, 
 
 39- 
 
 Lemon, Mark, 23 ; his ' Gwynneth 
 Vaughan,' 24 ; ' Grandfather White- 
 head,' 24 ; 'Honesty is the Best Policy,' 
 24; 'Ladies' Club,' 25; 'Mind your 
 own Business,' 27 ; 'Self -Accusation,' 
 
 30- 
 'Le Pelerin Blanc,' 31. 
 ' Le Petite Fadette,' George Sands', 39. 
 ' Le Roman d'lm Jeune Homme Pauvre,' 
 
 Feuillet's, 32. 
 Lesurques, Joseph, story of, 58, 59- 
 ' Les Frferes Corses,' Alexandre Dumas', 
 
 67. 
 Lessing on the qualifications of an actor, 
 
 78. 
 Lewis, Mr. Leopold, 39. 
 Lewis's ' Castle Spectre,' 22 ; the 'Cap- 
 tive,' 67. 
 Life as a merchant's clerk begins, 6. 
 ' Like and Unlike,' 26. 
 Linlithgow, failure of Irving at, l7-'9' 
 ' Little Bo-peep, ' 26. 
 'Little Dorrit,' 26. 
 ' Little Toddlekins,' 9. 
 ' Little Treasure,' the, 26. 
 ' Loan of a Lover;' the, 25. 
 Lock and Whitfield, Messrs., vi. 
 ' London Assurance,' 26, 37. 
 Londonderry, the Marchioness of, 28. 
 ' Lonely Man of the Ocean,' the, 26. 
 Long, Mr. Edwin, R.A., vi. 
 ' Lord Damley, ' 26. 
 ' Lost Husband,' the, 26. 
 ' Lost Ship, ' the, 26. 
 ' Lottery Ticket,' the, 26. 
 'Louis XI.,' 25; Boucicault's adapta- 
 tion of, 60 ; re-creation of, by Irving, 
 60 ; critical essay on the Louis of Keau 
 and Irving, 60-63 > Irving's historical 
 prototype, 61. 
 ' Love Chase,' the, 26. 
 ' Love in Humble Life,' 9. 
 ' Love,' Knowles's, 26. 
 Lover's 'Handy Andy,' 24; 'Rory 
 
 O'More,' 29. 
 Lucas, Mr. W. J., 27. 
 , ' Lucille, ' 26. 
 
130 
 
 INDEX. 
 
 ' Luke the Labourer,' 26. 
 
 Lyceum Theatre, London, 21, 22, 23, 26, 
 
 27, 28; Irving engaged at the, 39, 57 ; 
 
 becomes manager of, 64, 87, 88. 
 Lyceum Theatre, Sunderland, 14, 15. 
 ' Lyons' Mail,' the, 58 ; story of the 
 
 play, 58, 59 ; its French original, 59 ; 
 
 Charles Eeade's adaptation for Charles 
 
 Kean, 59 ; revival of, for Irving, 59, 
 
 72. 
 Lytton, Lord, 27, 29, 40, 44 ; testimony 
 
 to Irving's Romeo, 70. 
 
 ' Macbeth,' Shakespeare's, 26 ; Irving 
 as, 52 ; conflicting opinions regarding, 
 52, S3 ; revival of, 57. 
 
 Maccabe, Frederick, 34. 
 
 Macklin, Charles, characters played by, 
 20 ; his ' Man of the World,' 27. 
 
 Macready, Mr., 7, 44, 45, 64. 
 
 Magazine, the Theatre, vi. 
 
 ' Maid and the Magpie,' the, 27. 
 
 'Maid with the Milking Pail,' Buck- 
 stone's, 26. 
 
 ' Man of many parts,' Irving, a, 20, 85. 
 
 'Man of the World,' Macklin's, 27. 
 
 ' Man with the Carpet Bag,' the, g, 27. 
 
 ' Man -with the Iron Mask,' the, 27. 
 
 Manager Knowles, 10, 11. 
 
 Manchester Athenaeum, Ir^^ng at, 34. 
 
 Theatre Royal, 10. 
 
 Marchioness of Londonderry, the, in 'Per- 
 fection,' 28. 
 
 'Marble Heart,' the, 27. 
 
 ' Marriage a Lottery,' 27. 
 
 ' Marianne the Vivandifere,' 27. 
 
 ' Marie Antoinette,' 27. 
 
 ' Marie Ducange,' 27. 
 
 ' Married Life,' 26. 
 
 ' Married Unmarried,' the, 47. 
 
 Marston's 'Hard Struggle, ' 24 ; 'Patri- 
 cian's Daughter,' 28. 
 
 Martin, Lady Theodore, i6. 
 
 ' Mary Queen of Soots,' 26. 
 
 'Masaniello,' burlesque of, 27. 
 
 ' Masks and Faces,' at Edinburgh, 16, 
 27. 
 
 'Matteo Falcone,' 26. 
 
 Matthews, Charles, 27, 34. 
 
 Matthews, Mr. and Mrs. Frank, 36. 
 
 ' May Queen,' the, 27. 
 
 'Medea,' 26. 
 
 ' Memoirs of the Devil,' 26. 
 
 'Mephistopheles,' 27. 
 
 'Merchant of Venice,' Shakespeare's, 
 
 26 ; at the Lyceum, 65, 66, 72 ; cast 
 
 of, at the Lyceum, 92. 
 Merchant's clerk, Irving as a, 6. 
 ' Michael Erie,' 26. 
 'Midas,' 26. 
 
 ' Middle Temple,' the, 27. 
 ' Middy Ashore,' the, 27. 
 ' Midnight Watch,' the, 26. 
 Mildenhall, Thomas, 24. 
 ' Miller's Maid,' the, 27. 
 ' Miller of Whetstone,' the, 27. 
 ' Milliner's Holiday,' the, 27. 
 Milman's ' Fazio,' 23. 
 ' Mind your own Business,' 27. 
 Miner, a successful, 2, 3. 
 'Mischief -Making,' Buckstone's, 27. 
 Model, an unconscious, 11. 
 ' Momentous Question,' the, 27. 
 Moncrieff's, Francis, ' Perourou,' 28. 
 Moncrieff's, W. T., 'Somnambulist,' 29 ; 
 
 ' Spectre Bridegroom,' 30. 
 ' Money,' Lord Lytton's, 27. 
 Moore's, Edward, ' Gamester,' 24. 
 Moore, Miss Nelly, 37. 
 Moreau, M., 59. 
 Morton's 'Betsy Baker,' 22. 
 Morton's, Edward, ' Eton Boy,' 23. 
 Morton's, J. Maddison, 'Betsy Baker,' 
 
 22 ; ' Don't Judge by Appearances,' 
 
 23 ; Mother and Child are Doing Well,' 
 26; 'Midnight Watch,' 26; 'My 
 Precious Betsy,' 27 ; ' Muleteer of 
 Toledo,' 27; ' MiUiner's Holiday,' 27; 
 ' Our Wife,' 28 ; ' Prince for an Hour, 
 28 ; ' Spitfire,' 29 ; ' The Sentinel,' 30 ; 
 ' Where there's a Will there's a Way,' 
 31 ; ' Your Life's in Danger,' 31. 
 
 Morton's, Thomas, 'Invincibles,' 25; 
 
INDEX. 
 
 131 
 
 ' Rvde a Wife and Have a Wife," 29 ; 
 
 Oxberry's, Mr. W. H., ' Matteo Paloone,' 
 
 'The Slave,' 29; 'A Roland for an 
 
 26. 
 
 Oliver,' 29; 'Writing on the WaU," 
 
 Oxenford's, John, 'Porter's Knot,' 28; 
 
 31- 
 
 'Ivy Hall,' 32; on 'The Bells,' 39; 
 
 Mother, Irving's, 2 ; her dread of the 
 
 on Irving's Richelieu, 45, 46. 
 
 stage, 10. 
 
 
 ' Mother and Child are doing well,' 26. 
 
 
 'Mr. and Mrs. Pringle,' 27. 
 
 ' Paddy Miles' Bot,' 28. 
 
 'Much Ado about Nothing,' elaborate 
 
 ' Padlock,' the, 28. 
 
 production of, by Irving, 71, 72 ; cast 
 
 Painstaking attention to detail, Irving's, 
 
 of, 96. 
 
 10, II. 
 
 ' Muleteer of Toledo,' the, 27. 
 
 Palgrave Simpson, Mr. J., 23. 
 
 Murray, Mr Leigh, 21. 
 
 Palmer, John, 24. 
 
 Murray's, Mr. W. H., ' Cramond Brig,' 
 
 Palmer,- Professor E, H., Irving's associa- 
 
 22 ; ' Gilderoy,' 24 ; ' Mary Queen of 
 
 tion with, 1 2. 
 
 Soots,' 26. 
 
 Parents, Irving's, 2. 
 
 • Music hath Charms, ' 26. 
 
 Parry, Mr. Tom, 28. 
 
 ' My Aunt's Husband,' 27. 
 
 ' Part du Diable,' Scribe's, 21. 
 
 ' My PoU and my Partner Joe,' 26. 
 
 Parts sustained by Irving at Edinburgh, 
 
 ' My Precious Betsy,' 27. 
 
 21-31 ; at St. James's Theatre, 86 ; at 
 
 ' Mysterious Stranger,' the, 26. 
 
 the Queen's, 86 ; at Haymarket, 87 j 
 
 ' My Wife's Mother,' 27. 
 
 at Drury Lane, 87 ; at Gaiety, 87 ; at 
 
 
 the Vaudeville, 87 ; at the Lyceum, 87. 
 
 
 Pascoe's, Charles Eyre, Dramatic List, 
 
 'Nekvous Man,' the, 27. 
 
 vi. 
 
 'Nicholas Niokleby,' Dickens', 28. 
 
 Paterson, Miss H. (Mrs. AUiugham), vi. 
 
 Nights at the Play, Dutton Cook's, vi. 
 
 ' Patrician's Daughter, ' the, 28. 
 
 'Nora Creina,' 27. 
 
 ' Paul Pry,' 28. 
 
 ' Not a Bad Judge,' 27. 
 
 Payne's, Howard, 'Maid of Milan,' 22; 
 
 'Not Guilty,' Watts Philips', 37. 
 
 ' 'Twas I,' 30 : ' Therese ; or. The Orphan 
 
 'Nothing Venture, Nothing Win,' 28. 
 
 of Geneva,' 30. 
 
 Novel Expedient,' the, 21. 
 
 Peake's, Mr. R. B., 'Bottle Imp,' 22; 
 
 Number One, round the Comer, ' 27. 
 
 'Middle Temple,' 27. 
 
 
 Penberthy, Captain Isaac, 2, 3. 
 
 
 ' Perdita ; or. The Royal Milkmaid,' 28. 
 
 ' Ocean of Life,' the, 28. 
 
 Pere la Chaise, Cemetery of, 58. 
 
 O'Hara's, Kane, 'Midas,' 26. 
 
 'Perfection,' 28. 
 
 ' Old Gentleman,' the, 28. 
 
 'Perourou, the BeUows Mender,' 28. 
 
 ' Old Joe and Young Joe,' 28. 
 
 Perry Bar Institute, the, 63. 
 
 ' Oliver Twist,' Dickens', 28. 
 
 ' Peter Bell, the Waggoner,' Buckstone's, 
 
 Olympic Theatre, the, 21, 23, 28, 29, 30, 
 
 28. 
 
 31- 
 
 Phelps, Mr. Samuel, 7, 12, 13. 
 
 ' Othello,' Shakespeare's, 28 ; Irviiig as, 
 
 Philip II. of Spain, Irving as, 53. 
 
 53 ; Lyceum cast of, 94. 
 
 ' PhUip,' the romantic drama of, 46 ; 
 
 'Our Gal,' 28. 
 
 story of the drama, 47. 
 
 ' Our Mary Anne,' 28. 
 
 Phillips's, Mr. L., ' Marianne the Vivan- 
 
 'Our Wife,' 28. 
 
 diere,' 27. 
 
13^ 
 
 INDEX. 
 
 Phillips', Watts, ' Not Guilty,' 37. 
 thipps', Hon. Edmund, ' King Rene's 
 Daughter,' 25. 
 
 ' Pickwick,' Albery's adaptation of, 39. 
 
 Pierron and Laferriere's ' Book the Third, 
 Chapter the First,' 21. 
 
 'Pilot,' the, 28. 
 
 Pinches, Dr., Irving's schoolmaster, 6, 
 12. 
 
 Pitts, Mr. George Dibdin, 'Last Man,' 
 26 ; ' Susan Hopley,' 29. 
 
 Planehd's 'Charles XII.,' 22 ; 'Irish 
 Post,' 25 ; 'Jacobite,' 25 ; 'Loan of a 
 Lover,' 25 ; 'Not a Bad Judge,' 27 ; 
 'Queen Mary's Bower,' 29; 'Some- 
 body Else,' 30, 
 
 Planch^, Miss Eliza, 28. 
 
 Play-bill of Irving's farewell benefit at 
 Lyceum, 97. 
 
 Plays produced under Irving's manage- 
 ment of Lyceum, 90-96. 
 
 ' Pleasant Neighbour,' a, 28. 
 
 ' Plot and Passion,' 28, 37. 
 
 ' Pluto and Prosperine,' 28. 
 
 ' P. P., or the Man and the Tiger,' 28. 
 
 Poole's ' Deaf as a Post,' 22 ; ' Paul Pry,' 
 28 ; 'Simpson & Co.,' 30. 
 
 ' Poor Girl's Temptation,' a, 28. 
 
 ' Porter's Knot,' the, 28. 
 
 Poi-tia, Miss Ellen Terry's, 66. 
 
 Power's, Tyrone, 'Born to Good Luck,' 
 22 ; ' St. Patrick's Eve,' 30. 
 
 Pranks in Halsetown, 4. 
 
 Predilection for the stage, early, 6. 
 
 ' Prince Charles Edward Stuart, ' 28. 
 
 ' Prince for an Hour,' a, 28. 
 
 Prince of Wales' Operetta House, Edin- 
 burgh, 35. 
 
 Prince of Wales' Theatre, Birmingham, 
 
 35- 
 
 Prince of Wales' Theatre, Liverpool, 35. 
 
 Prince's Theatre, Manchester, 35. 
 
 Princess Theatre, London, Irving en- 
 gaged for, 20 ; plays produced at, 22, 
 23- 
 
 Professor E. H. Palmer, 12. 
 
 Prohibition of 'The True-bom Scotch- 
 man,' 27, 
 ' Puss in Boots,' 28. 
 
 QuAiKT festival at St. Ives, 3, 4. 
 
 ' Queen Mary's Bower,' Planch^'s, 29. 
 
 ' Queen Mary, ' Tennyson's, 53. 
 
 Queen's Theatre, Edinburgh, Irving's 
 
 farewell benefit at, 20. 
 Queen's Theatre, London, Irving at, 
 
 36, 37, 86. 
 
 'Eaby Kattleb,' 29. 
 
 ' Rag-Picker of Paris,' the, 29. 
 
 ' Raising the Wind,' 41, 65. 
 
 ' Raymond and Agnes,' 29. 
 
 Rayner's ' Dumb Man of Manchester,' 22. 
 
 Reade's, Charles, ' Lost Husband,' 26 ; 
 
 'Masks and Faces,' 27; adaptation of 
 
 the 'Courier of Lyons,' 59. 
 Readings at Dalkeith and Linlithgow, 
 
 16; at Crosby HaU, London, 33, 34; 
 
 at Liverpool and Manchester, 35 ; at 
 
 Dublin, 59. 
 Recitations, Irving's school, 6. 
 Reeves, Mr. Sims, 67, 73. 
 Reeves, Herbert, 67, 73. 
 Religious revival in Cornwall, 4. 
 Removal to London, first, 5, 6. 
 ' Rendezvous,' the, 29. 
 ' Rent Day,' Jerrold's, 29. 
 ' Revenge,' the, 29. 
 ' Review, the ; or, The Wags of Windsor," 
 
 29. 
 Revival of ' Macbeth ' at Lyceum, 57. 
 ' Richard IIL,' 29, 57. 
 ' RichelieUj' Lord Lytton's, first time of, 
 
 in Sunderland, 1 5 ; at Edinburgh, 29 ; 
 
 at the Lyceum, 44, 65. 
 Ridwell's, G. Herbert, 'Teddy the TUer,' 
 
 3°. 
 
 ' Rifle Brigade,' the, 29. 
 
 Riot at Edinburgh Theatre at first per- 
 formance of ' High Life below Stairs,' 
 24. 
 
INDEX. 
 
 133 
 
 ' Rivals,' Sheridan's, 29, 37. 
 
 ' Rival Pages,' the, 29. 
 
 ' Road to Ruin,' Holoroft's, 36. 
 
 ' Robert Macaire,' 29, 35, 36, 72. 
 
 Roberts', George, ' Idalia, or The Adven- 
 turers,' 36. 
 
 Robertson's, T. W., 'A Rapid Thaw,' 
 36. 
 
 ' Rob Roy,' Scott's, 29. 
 
 Robson, Frederick, i6. 
 
 Roland, Captain, 14. 
 
 ' Roland for an Oliver,' a, 29. 
 
 ' Romeo and Juliet ' at Edinburgh, 29 ; 
 at the Lyceum, 69 ; Lord Lytton's 
 testimony to Mr. Irving's Romeo, 70, 
 71 ; cast of, 95. 
 
 ' Rory O'More,' 29. 
 
 Rowe's, Nicholas, 'Jane Shore,' 25. 
 
 Royal General Theatrical Fund Dinner, 
 12. 
 
 ' Rule a Wife and Have a Wife,' 29. 
 
 ' Rural Felicity,' 29. 
 
 Russell, Edward R., on Irving's Hamlet, 
 49- 
 
 Sadler's Wells Theatre, 7, 12, 13, 22, 28. 
 
 ' St. Clair of the Isles,' 30. 
 
 St. George, Miss Julia, 20. 
 
 St. Ives, quaint festival at, 3, 4. 
 
 St. James's HaU, Liverpool, Irving at, 35. 
 
 St. James's Theatre, London, Irving at, 
 
 36, 86. 
 ' Saint Mary's Eve,' 30. 
 ' Saint Patrick's Eve, ' 30. 
 Saker, Mr. Edward, 20. 
 ' Samuel in Search of Himself,' 30. 
 Sands', George, ' Le Petite Fadette,' 39. 
 ' Sandy Maodouald,' 30. 
 Sarah Penberthy, 2, 5. 
 Sardou's ' Le D^gel,' 36. 
 Sartoris, Mrs. E. T., 40. 
 Saville's, John Faucit, 'Miller's Maid,' 
 
 27. 
 ' Scholar,' the, 29. 
 School-days in Lombard Street, 6. 
 School entertainments, Irving at the, 6. 
 
 ' School for Scandal,' the, 36, 37, 53 ; 
 
 cast of, 89. 
 Scott's ' Bride of Lammermoor,' 2 1 ; 
 ' Fortunes of Nigel,' 23 ; ' Guy 
 Mannering,' 24; 'Heart of Mid- 
 lothian,' 25; 'Ivanhoe,' 25; 'Kenil- 
 worth,' burlesque of, 25 ; ' Lady of 
 the Lake,' 26 ; ' Rob Roy,' 29. 
 
 Scott, Mr. Clement, v.; verses by, 112. 
 
 Scribe's ' Part du Diable,' adaptation of, 
 21 ; his ' Giralda,' 24. 
 
 Secret,' the, 30. 
 
 Sedgwick, Miss Amy, 38. 
 
 Selby, Charles, 21, 22, 23, 24, 27, 29, 31. 
 
 ' Self- Accusation, or a Brother's Love,' 30. 
 
 'Sentinel,' the, 30. 
 
 ' Serious Family,' the, 30. 
 
 Shakespearean Revivals, the, of Phelps, 7. 
 
 Shakespeare's 'As Yon Like It,' 21; 
 ' Catherine and Petruchio,' 22 ; ' Cym- 
 beline,' 22; 'Hamlet,' 24, 34, 48-51, 
 56, 65, 90; 'King Henry VIII.' 24; 
 'King Lear,' 25; 'King John,' 25; 
 'Macbeth,' 26, 52, 53, 57; 'Merchant 
 of Venice,' 26, 65, 66, 92 ; ' Much 
 Ado about Nothing,' 71, 72, 95 ; 
 'Othello,- 28, 53, 94; ' Richard III.,' 
 29, 57; 'Romeo and Juliet,' 29, 69- 
 71, 95 ; ' Taming of the Shrew,' 30 ; 
 ' Winter's Tale,' 31. 
 
 Sheridan's 'Critic,' 22; 'Hunchback,' 
 24 ; ' The Rivals,' 29 ; ' School for 
 Scandal,' 36, 37, 53 ; oast of, 89. 
 
 'She Stoops to Conquer,' Goldsmith's, 
 29> 37- 
 
 ' Shocking Events,' 29. 
 
 Shury, Irving's fencing-master, 1 2. 
 
 Shylock, Irving as, 66. 
 
 ' Siamese Twins, ' 30. 
 
 Siddons, Mrs., 24. 
 
 ' Silent Woman,' A, 9. 
 
 ' Simpson & Co.,' 30. 
 
 Simpson, J. Palgrave, 23. 
 
 ' Single Life,' 29. 
 
 Siraudin, M., 59. 
 
 ' Sixteen-string Jack, ' 29. 
 
134 
 
 INDEX. 
 
 'jSlave,' the, 29. 
 
 ' Sleeping Beauty,' the, 30. 
 
 Smith, Mr. 0., 63. 
 
 Soho Theatre, London, g. 
 
 ' Soldier's Daughter,' the, 30. 
 
 ' Somebody Eke,' Planchd's, 30. 
 
 ' Somnambulist, ' the, 29. 
 
 Sorrell, Mr. W. J., 26. 
 
 Sothern, Mr. E. A., 34, 36. 
 
 Spectator, the, on Irving's Eugene Aram, 
 44. 
 
 ' Spectre Bridegroom,' the, 30. 
 
 Spiritualism Exposed, 34, 81. 
 
 ' Spitalfields' Weaver,' the, 29. 
 
 ' Spitfire,' the, 29. 
 
 'Spoiled Child,' the, 30. 
 
 ' Spring Gardens, ' 30. 
 
 Stage Door, The, 16. 
 
 ' State Secrets, ' 30. 
 
 Stephens, Mr. W. H., 37. 
 
 ' Still Waters run deep, ' 29. 
 
 Stirling Coyne, Mr. J., 23. 
 
 Stirling, Mrs., 16, 21. 
 
 Stirling's, Edward, 'Anchor of Hope,' 2I; 
 ' Cabin Boy,' 22 ; ' Nora Creina,' 27 ; 
 ' Ragpicker of Paris,' 29 ; ' Kaby Ratt- 
 ier, 29 ; 'The Young Scamp,' 31. 
 
 Strand Theatre, the, 26, 27. 
 
 ' Stranger,' the, 29. 
 
 Stooqueler, Mr. J. H., 28. 
 
 Sunderland, Irving's first engagement 
 at, 14. 
 
 Supper of Honour to Irving, a, 113-116. 
 
 Surrey Theatre, the, 21, 23, 25, 26, 28, 
 
 29, 3°- 
 ' Susan Hopley,' 29. 
 Sussex Hall, amateur performances at, 
 
 8,9- 
 ' Sweethearts and Wives,' 30. 
 
 Talfodkd, Francis, 28. 
 
 ' Taming of the Shrew,' the, 30. 
 
 Taylor's, Tom, 'Blighted Being,' 21; 
 ' Helping Hands,' 24 ; ' Masks and 
 Faces,' 27; 'Plot and Passion,' 28; 
 
 'StiU Waters. Run Deep,' 29; 'Vic- 
 tims,' 31. 
 
 ' Teddy the Tiler,' 30. 
 
 Tennyson's 'Queen Mary,' 53; 'Cup,' 
 68 ; cast of, 93. 
 
 Terry, Miss EUen, 65-69, 72, 73. 
 
 Teriy, Miss Kate, 35. 
 
 Thacker, W., & Co., 6, II. 
 
 Theatre de la Gaiete, Paris, 59. 
 
 Theatre des Italiens, Paris, Irving at the, 
 36. 
 
 Theatre Magazine, The, vi. 
 
 Theatre Royal, Edinburgh, 16, 22, 
 24. 
 
 Theatre Royal, Manchester, 10. 
 
 Theatres — Adelphi (London), 12, 13, 21, 
 23, 25. 27, 28, 30 ; Alexandra (Liver- 
 pool), 20 ; Amphitheatre (Liverpool, 
 37 ; the Canongate (Edinburgh), 20 ; 
 Coburg (London), 24 ; Covent Garden 
 (London), 21-24, 26, 27, 29-31 ; 
 Drury Lane (Loudon), 22-26, 28-30, 
 87 ; English Opera House (London), 
 22, 26, 27, 29, 87; Gaiety (London, 
 
 38, 87 ; Haymarket (London), 21, 23- 
 31. 38, 87 ; Lyceum (London), 21-28, 
 
 39. 57> 64, 87, 88, 90, 97; Lyceum 
 (Sunderland), 14, 15 ; Olympic (Lon- 
 don), 21, 23, 28-3: ; Prince's (Man- 
 chester), 35 ; Prince of Wales' (Edin- 
 burgh), 35 ; Prince of Wales' (Bir- 
 mingham), 35 ; Prince of Wales' 
 (Liverpool), 35 ; Princess' (London), 
 20, 22, 23 ; Queen's (Edinburgh), 20 ; 
 Queen's (London), 36, 37, 86; Royal 
 (Edinburgh), 16, 22, 24 ; Royal 
 (Glasgow), 34; Royal (Manchester), 
 10; Sadler's Wells (London), 7, 12, 
 13, 22, 28 ; St. James' (Liverpool), 
 35 ; St. James' (London), 36, 86 ; 
 Soho (London), 9 ; Strand (London), 
 26, 27 ; Surrey (London), 21, 23, 25, 
 26, 28-30 ; Theatre de la Gmti 
 (Paris), 59 I Th&tre des Italiens 
 (Paris), 36 ; Vaudeville (London), 38, 
 87, 88 ; Victoria (London), 25. 
 
INDEX. 
 
 ^3S 
 
 Theatrical Funds, the, 117. 
 
 ' Vanderdecken,' 63. 
 
 Theatrical Notes of Moy Thomas, vi. 
 
 Van.der Weyde, Mr., vi. 
 
 ' Therese ; or, The Orphan of Geneva,' 30. 
 
 Vaudeville Theatre, London, 38, 87, 88. 
 
 ' The Uncle,' weird poem of, 6. 
 
 Vestris, Madame, 25. 
 
 Thomas, Henry, founder of the ' City 
 
 Vezin, Mrs. Hermann, 37. 
 
 Elocution Class,' 7, 8. 
 
 •Victims,' 31. 
 
 Thomas, Mr. Moy, vi. 
 
 Victoria Theatre, the, 25. 
 
 Thomson, C. Pelham, 25. 
 
 ' Victorine,' Buckstone's, 31. 
 
 Thomson's, Benjamin, adaptation of ' The 
 
 'Virginia Mummy,' the, 31. 
 
 Stranger,' 29. 
 
 'Virginius,' 30; and 'Lady of Lyons,' 
 
 'Three Musketeers,' the, 30. 
 
 at Crosby HaU, 33, 34. 
 
 Tat, Mr. Alf. P., vi 
 
 
 Tiroes, the, on Irving's Mathias, 40 ; on 
 
 
 his Charles I., 42. 
 
 ' Wallace, the Hero of Scotland,' 31. 
 
 ' Time Tries All,' 30. 
 
 Wagner, Richard, 63. 
 
 Tobin's 'Honeymoon,' 24. 
 
 Walker's, C. E., ' Warlock of the Glen,' 
 
 ' Tom Cringle,' 30. 
 
 31- 
 
 'Toodles,' the, 30. 
 
 Walpole, Horace, 24. 
 
 Toole, J. L., Irving's first association 
 
 'Wandering Boys,' the, 31. 
 
 with, 16, 21, 22, 23, 28, 36, 37, 69; his 
 
 'Wanted 1000 Spirited Young Mil- 
 
 'Trying a Magistrate,' 73. 
 
 liners,' 31. 
 
 Townley'e, Rev. James, ' High Life below 
 
 'Warlock of the Glen,' the, 31. 
 
 Stairs,' 24. 
 
 'Water Witches,' the, 31. 
 
 Townshend, Mr. Thomson, 26. 
 
 Webster, Benjamin, 16, 26, 28. 
 
 Training for his future caUing, Irving's, 
 
 Weyde, Mr. Van der, vi. 
 
 6. 
 
 Wheal Providence mine, 2, 3. 
 
 Tributes to Irving's Richard III., 58. 
 
 'Where there's a WiU there's a Way,' 
 
 'True-bom Scotchman,' prohibition of 
 
 31- 
 
 the, 27. 
 
 Whistler, Mr. J. A. M'Neil, vi. 
 
 ' Trumpeter's Daughter,' the, 30. 
 
 ' Who Speaks first ? ' 9. 
 
 ' Trying a Magistrate,' Toole's, 73. 
 
 'Widow's Victim,' the, 31. 
 
 • 'Twas I,' 30. 
 
 'Wife, a Tale of Mantua,' the, 31. 
 
 ' Two Gtregories,' the, 30. 
 
 Wigan, Mr. Alfred, 37. 
 
 'Two Lives of Mary Leigh,' Bouci- 
 
 Wigan, Mrs. Alfred, 37. 
 
 cault's, 35. 
 
 Wilks's, T. E., 'Crown Prince,' 22; 
 
 ' Two Hoses,' the, 38 ; revival of, 66, 69 ; 
 
 'King's Wager,' 25; 'Lord Darnley,' 
 
 cast of, 88.1 
 
 26; 'Michael Erie,' 26; 'Miller of 
 
 Tyrone Power, Mr., 22. 
 
 Whetstone,' 27 ; 'State Secrets,' 30. 
 
 
 ' William Tell,' 31. 
 
 
 Williams, Mr. Barney, 25. 
 
 ' Uncle Dick's Daklotg,' 38. 
 
 Williams, Mr. T. J., 25 
 
 Unconscious model, an, 11. 
 
 Williams, Mrs. Barney, 21, 25. 
 
 'Vagrant,' the, 31. 
 Vandenhoff, John, 16. 
 
 Wills's, Mr. W. G., 'Charles I.,' 42, 56 ; 
 
 ' Louis, XI.,' 63. 
 Wilton, Miss Marie (Mrs. Bancroft), 22, 
 
 28. 
 
136 
 
 INDEX. 
 
 . 
 
 Winter, Mr. William, vi., 20. 
 'Winter's Tale,' Shakespeare's, 31. 
 'Woman Hater,' the, 31. 
 'Wonder, a Woman keeps a Secret,' 
 
 Wyndham, Mr. R. H., 16. 
 Wyndham, Mrs. R. H., 16. 
 
 Yates, Mr. Edmund, 23. 
 
 the, 31. 
 Wm-ld, The, 24. 
 
 'Wraith of the Lake,' the, 31. 
 'Wreck Ashore,' Buokstone's, 31. 
 ' Writing on the Wall,' the, 31. 
 
 Young, Edward, 29. 
 'Young Mother,' the, 31. 
 'Young Scamp,' the, 31. 
 'Your Life's in Danger," 31. 
 
 THE END. 
 
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