64. The intelligent reader will be pleased to understand, that there is here a tacit allusion to Squire Western’s significant phrase ofHanover Rats.
64. The intelligent reader will be pleased to understand, that there is here a tacit allusion to Squire Western’s significant phrase ofHanover Rats.
65. Of the two the latter alternative is more likely to happen. We abuse and imitate them. They laugh at but do not imitate us.
65. Of the two the latter alternative is more likely to happen. We abuse and imitate them. They laugh at but do not imitate us.
66. The title ofUltra-Crepidarian criticshas been given to a variety of this species.
66. The title ofUltra-Crepidarian criticshas been given to a variety of this species.
67. This Essay was written in January, 1821.
67. This Essay was written in January, 1821.
68. Losing gamesters thus become desperate, because the continued and violent irritation of the will against a run of ill luck drives it to extremity, and makes it bid defiance to common sense and every consideration of prudence or self-interest.
68. Losing gamesters thus become desperate, because the continued and violent irritation of the will against a run of ill luck drives it to extremity, and makes it bid defiance to common sense and every consideration of prudence or self-interest.
69. Some of the poets in the beginning of the last century would often set out on a simile by observing—‘So in Arabia have I seen a Phœnix!’ I confess my illustrations are of a more homely and humble nature.
69. Some of the poets in the beginning of the last century would often set out on a simile by observing—‘So in Arabia have I seen a Phœnix!’ I confess my illustrations are of a more homely and humble nature.
70. I beg the reader to consider this passage merely as a specimen of the mock-heroic style, and as having nothing to do with any real facts or feelings.
70. I beg the reader to consider this passage merely as a specimen of the mock-heroic style, and as having nothing to do with any real facts or feelings.
71. I have heard of such a thing as an author, who makes it a rule never to admit a monosyllable into his vapid verse. Yet the charm and sweetness of Marlow’s lines depended often on their being made up almost entirely of monosyllables.
71. I have heard of such a thing as an author, who makes it a rule never to admit a monosyllable into his vapid verse. Yet the charm and sweetness of Marlow’s lines depended often on their being made up almost entirely of monosyllables.
72. See Wilkie’s Blind Fiddler.
72. See Wilkie’s Blind Fiddler.
73. We sometimes see a whole play-house in tears. But the audience at a theatre, though a public assembly, are not a public body. They are not incorporated into a frame-work of exclusive, narrow-minded interests of their own. Each individual looks out of his own insignificance at a scene,idealperhaps, and foreign to himself, but true to nature; friends, strangers, meet on the common ground of humanity, and the tears that spring from their breasts are those which ‘sacred pity has engendered.’ They are a mixed multitude melted into sympathy by remote, imaginary events, not a combination cemented by petty views, and sordid, selfish prejudices.
73. We sometimes see a whole play-house in tears. But the audience at a theatre, though a public assembly, are not a public body. They are not incorporated into a frame-work of exclusive, narrow-minded interests of their own. Each individual looks out of his own insignificance at a scene,idealperhaps, and foreign to himself, but true to nature; friends, strangers, meet on the common ground of humanity, and the tears that spring from their breasts are those which ‘sacred pity has engendered.’ They are a mixed multitude melted into sympathy by remote, imaginary events, not a combination cemented by petty views, and sordid, selfish prejudices.
74. Mr. Munden and Mr. C— went one Sunday to Windsor, to see the King. They passed with other spectators once or twice: at last, his late majesty distinguished Munden in the crowd, and called him to him. After treating him with much cordial familiarity, the king said, ‘And, pray, who is that with you?’ Munden, with many congées, and contortions of face, replied, ‘An please your majesty, it’s Mr. C—, of the Theatre Royal, Drury Lane.’ ‘Oh! yes,’ said the king, ‘I know him well—a bad actor, a bad actor, a bad actor!’ Why kings should repeat what they say three times, is odd: their saying it once is quite enough. I have always liked Mr. C—’s face since I heard this anecdote, and perhaps the telling it may have the same effect on other people.
74. Mr. Munden and Mr. C— went one Sunday to Windsor, to see the King. They passed with other spectators once or twice: at last, his late majesty distinguished Munden in the crowd, and called him to him. After treating him with much cordial familiarity, the king said, ‘And, pray, who is that with you?’ Munden, with many congées, and contortions of face, replied, ‘An please your majesty, it’s Mr. C—, of the Theatre Royal, Drury Lane.’ ‘Oh! yes,’ said the king, ‘I know him well—a bad actor, a bad actor, a bad actor!’ Why kings should repeat what they say three times, is odd: their saying it once is quite enough. I have always liked Mr. C—’s face since I heard this anecdote, and perhaps the telling it may have the same effect on other people.
75. The trunk-maker, I grant, in the Spectator’s time, sat in the two-shilling gallery. But that was in the Spectator’s time, and not in the days of Mr. Smirke and Mr. Wyatt.
75. The trunk-maker, I grant, in the Spectator’s time, sat in the two-shilling gallery. But that was in the Spectator’s time, and not in the days of Mr. Smirke and Mr. Wyatt.
76. Jack Cade’s salutation to one who tries to recommend himself by saying he can write and read.—SeeHenry vi.Part Second.
76. Jack Cade’s salutation to one who tries to recommend himself by saying he can write and read.—SeeHenry vi.Part Second.
77. It is calculated that West cleared some hundred pounds by the catalogues that sold of his great picture of Death riding on the pale Horse.
77. It is calculated that West cleared some hundred pounds by the catalogues that sold of his great picture of Death riding on the pale Horse.
78. I cannot say how in this respect it might have fared if a Mr. M—, a fat gentleman, who might not have ‘liked yon lean and hungry Roscius,’ had continued in the theatrical department of Mr. Perry’s paper at the time of this actor’s first appearance; but I had been put upon this duty just before, and afterwards Mr. M—’ssparetalents were not in much request. This, I believe, is the reason why he takes pains every now and then to inform the readers of the Courier that it is impossible for any one to understand a word that I write.
78. I cannot say how in this respect it might have fared if a Mr. M—, a fat gentleman, who might not have ‘liked yon lean and hungry Roscius,’ had continued in the theatrical department of Mr. Perry’s paper at the time of this actor’s first appearance; but I had been put upon this duty just before, and afterwards Mr. M—’ssparetalents were not in much request. This, I believe, is the reason why he takes pains every now and then to inform the readers of the Courier that it is impossible for any one to understand a word that I write.
79. I (not very long ago) had the pleasure of spending an evening with Mr. Betty, when we had some ‘good talk’ about the good old times of acting. I wanted to insinuate that I had been a sneaking admirer, but could not bring it in. As, however, we were putting on our great coats down stairs, I ventured to break the ice by saying, ‘There is one actor of that period of whom we have not made honourable mention, I mean Master Betty.’ ‘Oh!’ he said, ‘I have forgot all that.’ I replied, that he might, but that I could not forget the pleasure I had had in seeing him. On which he turned off, and shaking his sides heartily, and with no measured demand upon his lungs, called out, ‘Oh, memory! memory!’ in a way that showed he felt the full force of the allusion. I found afterwards that the subject did not offend, and we were to have drunk some Burton-ale together the following evening, but were prevented. I hope he will consider that the engagement still stands good.
79. I (not very long ago) had the pleasure of spending an evening with Mr. Betty, when we had some ‘good talk’ about the good old times of acting. I wanted to insinuate that I had been a sneaking admirer, but could not bring it in. As, however, we were putting on our great coats down stairs, I ventured to break the ice by saying, ‘There is one actor of that period of whom we have not made honourable mention, I mean Master Betty.’ ‘Oh!’ he said, ‘I have forgot all that.’ I replied, that he might, but that I could not forget the pleasure I had had in seeing him. On which he turned off, and shaking his sides heartily, and with no measured demand upon his lungs, called out, ‘Oh, memory! memory!’ in a way that showed he felt the full force of the allusion. I found afterwards that the subject did not offend, and we were to have drunk some Burton-ale together the following evening, but were prevented. I hope he will consider that the engagement still stands good.
80. Sir Joshua, who was not a vain man, purchased a tawdry sheriff’s carriage, soon after he took his house in Leicester-fields, and desired his sister to ride about in it, in order that people might ask, ‘Whose it was?’ and the answer would be, ‘It belongs to the great painter!’
80. Sir Joshua, who was not a vain man, purchased a tawdry sheriff’s carriage, soon after he took his house in Leicester-fields, and desired his sister to ride about in it, in order that people might ask, ‘Whose it was?’ and the answer would be, ‘It belongs to the great painter!’
81. Sharp became a great favourite of the king on the following occasion. It was the custom, when the king went through the lobbies of the palace, for those who preceded him to cry out, ‘Sharp, sharp, look sharp,’ in order to clear the way. Mr. Sharp, who was waiting in a room just by (preparing some colours), hearing his name repeated so urgently, ran out in great haste, and came up with all his force against the king, who was passing the door at the time. The young artist was knocked down in the encounter, and the attendants were in the greatest consternation; but the king laughed heartily at the adventure, and took great notice of the unfortunate subject of it from that time forward.
81. Sharp became a great favourite of the king on the following occasion. It was the custom, when the king went through the lobbies of the palace, for those who preceded him to cry out, ‘Sharp, sharp, look sharp,’ in order to clear the way. Mr. Sharp, who was waiting in a room just by (preparing some colours), hearing his name repeated so urgently, ran out in great haste, and came up with all his force against the king, who was passing the door at the time. The young artist was knocked down in the encounter, and the attendants were in the greatest consternation; but the king laughed heartily at the adventure, and took great notice of the unfortunate subject of it from that time forward.
82. ‘It is not a year or two shows us a man.’—Æmilia, inOthello.
82. ‘It is not a year or two shows us a man.’—Æmilia, inOthello.
83. The bones of the murdered man were dug up in an old hermitage. On this, as one instance of the acuteness which he displayed all through the occasion, Aram remarks, ‘Where would you expect to find the bones of a man sooner than in a hermit’s cell, except you were to look for them in a cemetery?’ SeeNewgate Calendarfor the year 1758 or 9.
83. The bones of the murdered man were dug up in an old hermitage. On this, as one instance of the acuteness which he displayed all through the occasion, Aram remarks, ‘Where would you expect to find the bones of a man sooner than in a hermit’s cell, except you were to look for them in a cemetery?’ SeeNewgate Calendarfor the year 1758 or 9.
84. ‘And surely Mandricardo was no baby.’—Harrington’s Ariosto.
84. ‘And surely Mandricardo was no baby.’—Harrington’s Ariosto.
85. ‘All men think all men mortal but themselves.’—Young.
85. ‘All men think all men mortal but themselves.’—Young.
86. I remember once, in particular, having this feeling in reading Schiller’s Don Carlos, where there is a description of death, in a degree that almost stifled me.
86. I remember once, in particular, having this feeling in reading Schiller’s Don Carlos, where there is a description of death, in a degree that almost stifled me.
87. It has been usual to raise a very unjust clamour against the enormous salaries of public singers, actors, and so on. This matter seems reducible to amoral equation. They are paid out of money raised by voluntary contributions in the strictest sense; and if they did not bring certain sums into the treasury, the Managers would not engage them. These sums are exactly in proportion to the number of individuals to whom their performance gives an extraordinary degree of pleasure. The talents of a singer, actor, &c. are therefore worth just as much as they will fetch.
87. It has been usual to raise a very unjust clamour against the enormous salaries of public singers, actors, and so on. This matter seems reducible to amoral equation. They are paid out of money raised by voluntary contributions in the strictest sense; and if they did not bring certain sums into the treasury, the Managers would not engage them. These sums are exactly in proportion to the number of individuals to whom their performance gives an extraordinary degree of pleasure. The talents of a singer, actor, &c. are therefore worth just as much as they will fetch.
88. Mr. Moore has just written a book to prove the truth of the contrary opinion.
88. Mr. Moore has just written a book to prove the truth of the contrary opinion.
89. One of ‘the blacksmith swallowing the tailor’s news,’ from Shakspeare.
89. One of ‘the blacksmith swallowing the tailor’s news,’ from Shakspeare.
90. That is, aremarkableman.
90. That is, aremarkableman.
91. This very interesting letter will be found in theElegant Epistles.
91. This very interesting letter will be found in theElegant Epistles.
92. Now at the Dulwich Gallery.
92. Now at the Dulwich Gallery.
93. Barry’s Letter to the Dilettanti Society, enumerating his grievances, was published in 1798.
93. Barry’s Letter to the Dilettanti Society, enumerating his grievances, was published in 1798.
94. These people are said to be the real descendants of the ancient Romans.
94. These people are said to be the real descendants of the ancient Romans.
95. ‘Shakspeare’s verses are not exactly “wood-notes wild.†He was indebted to a most extensive reading at the same time as to a most transcendant genius. He did not pique himself upon originality, but sat down to write his plays for the simple purpose of the moment, and without a glimpse or an ambition of the immortality which they were to acquire. He made use of whatever he recollected and thought desirable, with the contrivance of an ordinary play-writer, and only grew original and vast and exquisite, in spite of himself. If it be true that “he wrote not for an age, but for all time,†still there was no one who knew less of that fact than he! He imagined himself writing only for the day before him; and it is to this very circumstance that we owe the ease, the flashes, and the soarings of his spirit. He was never over-powered by the intended loftiness of the occasion. He made no efforts that were laborious, because his mind was always superior to his object, and never bowed down to it. He possessed, too, that affluence of genius, which rendered him not only prodigal in its use, but almost unacquainted with its existence. He never stood upon its dignity; he was never fearful of its loss nor of its denial. The swan of Avon, like the swans from which poets derive their title, was all strength and grace and beauty, without a consciousness of either. And this character of his genius accords with that character of facility, of gentleness, and of unostentation, which his biographer ascribes to the man. He knew of nothing within himself, of which he felt it worth while to be vain. He would as soon have been vain of his power to put one foot before another, as of his power to write theTempestorMacbeth. It belongs, in the midst of abundance, toGeniusasBeauty, to be thoughtless of itself. It is only for the dull and the ugly—or at least for those in whom the claims to beauty or to genius are equivocal—to be forever contemplating either in themselves, or for ever demanding the acknowledgments of others. With the plenary possessors, the luxury is too common, too much of every-day wear, to fix their attention. The restlessness of the remainder is the restlessness of poverty, and contrasts itself with the carelessness of riches.’—Kendall’s Letters on Ireland.
95. ‘Shakspeare’s verses are not exactly “wood-notes wild.†He was indebted to a most extensive reading at the same time as to a most transcendant genius. He did not pique himself upon originality, but sat down to write his plays for the simple purpose of the moment, and without a glimpse or an ambition of the immortality which they were to acquire. He made use of whatever he recollected and thought desirable, with the contrivance of an ordinary play-writer, and only grew original and vast and exquisite, in spite of himself. If it be true that “he wrote not for an age, but for all time,†still there was no one who knew less of that fact than he! He imagined himself writing only for the day before him; and it is to this very circumstance that we owe the ease, the flashes, and the soarings of his spirit. He was never over-powered by the intended loftiness of the occasion. He made no efforts that were laborious, because his mind was always superior to his object, and never bowed down to it. He possessed, too, that affluence of genius, which rendered him not only prodigal in its use, but almost unacquainted with its existence. He never stood upon its dignity; he was never fearful of its loss nor of its denial. The swan of Avon, like the swans from which poets derive their title, was all strength and grace and beauty, without a consciousness of either. And this character of his genius accords with that character of facility, of gentleness, and of unostentation, which his biographer ascribes to the man. He knew of nothing within himself, of which he felt it worth while to be vain. He would as soon have been vain of his power to put one foot before another, as of his power to write theTempestorMacbeth. It belongs, in the midst of abundance, toGeniusasBeauty, to be thoughtless of itself. It is only for the dull and the ugly—or at least for those in whom the claims to beauty or to genius are equivocal—to be forever contemplating either in themselves, or for ever demanding the acknowledgments of others. With the plenary possessors, the luxury is too common, too much of every-day wear, to fix their attention. The restlessness of the remainder is the restlessness of poverty, and contrasts itself with the carelessness of riches.’—Kendall’s Letters on Ireland.
96. See a paper on this subject in theTatler.
96. See a paper on this subject in theTatler.
97. The same praise may be extended to Matthews. Those who have seen this ingenious and lively actor only on the stage, do not know half his merits.
97. The same praise may be extended to Matthews. Those who have seen this ingenious and lively actor only on the stage, do not know half his merits.
98. SeeThe Family Journal; a series of papers inThe New Monthly Magazine, 1825, signed Harry Honeycomb (=Leigh Hunt).
98. SeeThe Family Journal; a series of papers inThe New Monthly Magazine, 1825, signed Harry Honeycomb (=Leigh Hunt).
99. The Chinese call the Americanssecond-chopEnglish [Hazlitt’s Note].
99. The Chinese call the Americanssecond-chopEnglish [Hazlitt’s Note].
100. For Sir Walter Scott’s share inThe Beaconand its successorThe Sentinel, see chapter liv. of Lockhart’sLife.
100. For Sir Walter Scott’s share inThe Beaconand its successorThe Sentinel, see chapter liv. of Lockhart’sLife.
Edinburgh: Printed by T. andA. Constable
Edinburgh: Printed by T. andA. Constable
Edinburgh: Printed by T. andA. Constable
TRANSCRIBER’S NOTESP.251, changed “uneasi-†to “uneasinessâ€.P.469, changed “upon particular†to “upon a particularâ€.Silently corrected typographical errors and variations in spelling.Archaic, non-standard, and uncertain spellings retained as printed.Footnotes have been re-indexed using numbers and collected together at the end of the last chapter.
TRANSCRIBER’S NOTES
TRANSCRIBER’S NOTES
TRANSCRIBER’S NOTES
TRANSCRIBER’S NOTES