my

fituation here would have been troublefome. There is fo much fadese in the adulation you receive from the French, that it fickens inftead of pleafes. I was introduced to the Du Menil. The Clairon and Lequin were in confinement for having refused to play upon fome particular occafion. When I received this information, I congratulated myself on being a native of Britain; where the laws would have protected me from an arbitrary imprisonment. For I certainly fhould not have fubmitted with paffive obedience to fuch an injunction.

I had a very preffing invitation to go to Voltaire's elegant retirement, where the Marquis de Vernieul was then upon a vifit; and I was very much mortified that the limitation of my time prevented me from enjoying a happiness I had long languifhed for: I wrote the reafon of my not being able at that time to accept the honour intended me; but promised that I would, with the utmost pleasure, make it my business the following fummer. I marked the day of my intended return from the fouth, where the chief purpose of my tour called me; which would be about the fame time, I learnt, that the Marquis was to be in Paris.

Upon my arrival at Thoulouse, which had been the refidence of my fair friends the Miss Merediths, I found that the eldest, who to all appearance was in good health when the

VOL. III.

C

left

left England, had breathed her laft, fome few days before I reached the place.. I was apprehenfive that the melancholy event would have proved fatal to her fifter, who had been fo long ill, and on whofe account they had come to France. But, contrary to all expectation, in a fortnight after her fifter's deceafe, he was fo well recovered as to be able to return with me to Paris; where the gaiety of that lively city, which her indif- pofition had prevented her from enjoying as The paffed through it in her way to Thouloufe, difpelled her grief, and quite re-eftablifhed her health. The never-failing fpirits of the Marquis de Vernieul, who was returned from Voltaire's, together with our trips to the environs, and the petit Joupers we were inceffantly partaking of, made the three weeks which we continued in Paris, fly with the nimble pinions of a dove. So much for my excurfion to France; which not only afforded me a temporary fufpenfion of my cares, but Mr. Calcraft time to engage a house.

Upon my return to England, I was fet down at our hotel in Parliament-ftreet; for fo it really was in comparison to the house in Brewer-freet. I was very happy to find things comme ils faut; in confequence of which my maid was to return to her former fituation, and be termed my woman, Mrs. Clifford. Mr. Calcraft had now fourteen or fifteen clerks, which made the whole of our fer

vants to amount to upwards of thirty. He had engaged a moft reputable maitre d'hotel named Quince, who had lived with Mr. Pelham till his death. Having made fo confiderable an addition to our ftile of living, Mr. Calcraft agreed to allow two thoufand five hundred pounds a year for the table; which, with the produce of the farm, prefents, &c. was fully fufficient to maintain, in this point, the magnificence we were entered into. For though the quantity of the provifions was thus increafed, the quality was by no means the fame.

From this expenfive arrangement, I did not entertain the leaft doubt but that Mr. Calcraft would readily discharge fuch a trifle as twelve hundred pounds; which was the amount of the debts I had contracted for the house expences, as already obferved. The extra ones, which I had incurred by purchafes, during my excurfion to France, my friend Mifs Meredith had enabled me to pay. Upon their fetting out for the continent, their banker, Sir Jofeph Hankey, had given them an unlimited credit on a house at Thoulouse; and the fifter that died having left the furviving one the whole of her fortune, the companion of my return was mistress of more than twenty thousand pounds. The fum I borrowed of this lady amounted to fix hundred pounds.

C 2

LET

LETTER

LVII.

March 9, 17

WH

HEN the winter campaign at the theatre commenced, I found that Barry was gone to Ireland in disgust; this had arifen from Mr. Rich's not thinking proper to comply with the exorbitant demands he made relative to the engagement of Mifs Noffiter. Mr. Sheridan was engaged for fome nights. I was not upon the beft terms with that gentleman, for more reafons than one. In the first place, I could not forgive his making me pay for the orders I had iffued during my being with him in Ireland; and in the next, from a letter he had wrote me, in which he offered me a pecuniary reward, if I would recommend a friend of his to Mr. Calcraft, as an Irifh agent. I was fo difpleased at this affronting mode of application, that although I had heard of the gentleman's, worth, and could have wished to have ferved him, I returned no answer to Mr. Sheridan's letter; in order to fhew, that I was fenfible of the affront. I have always been very particular in refufing every application that has been attended with the offer of a douceur. And if a laudable delicacy in points of this kind was more general, places

would

would not fo often be filled by the ignorant and unworthy, to the exclufion of merit.

Having very little profpect of employment at the theatre, I requested Mr. Rich to give me up my articles; in which, befides the ftipulation for my falary, there was an agreement that I fhould have my choice of parts in all plays which might be acted at that house; but this he would not confent to do. A gentleman of the name of Sparks, was engaged by Mr. Rich this feafon; he had great merit in his line of acting; but his chief excellence lay in the infinite humour he was mafter of when in company, which made his company greatly courted by all his acquaintance.

Early in the feafon a rehearsal of "The Dif treffed Mother" was called. Being rather later than ufual in my attendance, for I always made a point to be one of the first, to my great furprife, I found Mrs. Woffington repeating the part of Andromache. Upon my expreffing my difapprobation, that lady, walking up to me, told me, that as my youth and elegance better fuited the character of Hermione, and that I might also enjoy the happiness the knew I fhould have in fhewing my new Parifian finery, fhe had been induced to take the part of the Queen. Without deigning to return an anfwer to my infulting rival, I immediately fent for Mr. Rich, and told him what was going forward. The C 3 manager,