quired, for the due payment of the falaries, and by that means threw Mr. King into the arms of his opponents. This defection was one of the misfortunes which brought on the ruin of that Theatre. At length the time arrived when Mr. King was to return to Drury Lane. In 1759 he was engaged by Mr. Garrick, and on the 2d of October appeared in the character of Tom in The Conjcious Lovers. He afterwards performed Brafs ; Sir Harry, in High Life below: Stairs; Sir Amorous Vainwit, in Woman's a Riddle Harlequin, in The Invafion; William, in The Way to Keep Him, and other characters which established his reputation as one of the first comic performers of the times. In 1761 Mr. Churchill's Rofciad appeared, and Mr. King was characterized in the following lines: Behind came KING-bred up in modeft lore, Bashful and young he fought Hibernia's fhore, Hibernia fam'd, 'bove every other grace, And bid defiance to all fenfe of fhame : This character, at the time of its publication, was thought to be dictated more by spleen than truth, and time has given it no additional fupport. We shall not minutely follow Mr. King in his progrefs in the Theatre. It is fufficient to ebierve, that each fucceeding year thewed his industry, his genius, and his improvement. In 1763 he produced a Mufical Farce called Love at first Sight, in which he exhibited himfelt in a new light, that of a finger; and in 1766, by his performance of Lord Ogleby in The Clandeftine Marriage, reached the fummit of his reputation. His exhibition of this character, we have heard, was totally dif ferent from that in which Mr. Ganick had conceived and intended to have reprefented it. On hearing Mr. King's reheartal of it, however, he declared honfelf fatisfied with it, and encouraged him to expect, what he afterwards received, the univerfal applaufe of every fpectator. The tremulous, feigned voice which Mr. King adopted, has, by a late writer, Mr. Wilkinion, been faid to be an imitation of a very relpectable printer at Exeter. Before the end of the feafon which pros duced The Clandeftine Marriage, Mr. King had the misfortune, by a fall from his horfe in May, to break his thigh, which however was fet, and he was restored to the ftage, after five months confinement, in November following. In the courfe of this fummer he married his prefent wife, Mifs Baker, then an eminent dancer be longing to Drury-lane Theatre. In 1768 he produced another Farce at Mr. Cautherley's benefit, entitled Wit's laft Stake, and continued adding to his reputation by the number and variety of his performances, until the retirement of Mr. Garrick from the stage in 1776. On that occafion, the quondam Manager fhewed his refpect for Mr. King, by prefenting him with his ftage foil, which he received with the following letter: Adelphi, June 25, 1776. "DEAR KING, "Accept a fmall token of our long and conftant attachment to each other. I flatter myfelf that this fword, as it is a theatrical one, will not cut love between us, and that it will not be lefs valuable to you for having dangled at my fide for fome part of the last winter. "May health, fuccefs, and reputation ftill continue to attend you! "I am, dear King, "Yours, very tuly, "D. GARRICK. "Farewell! Remember me!" In 1782 Drury-lane Theatre was open. ed under the management of Mr. King, with a Dramatic Ode written and spoken by him. In this fituation he continued until 1788, when he refigned his situation in difguft, for reafons which he affigned to the public, and for which we muit refer to our Magazine for October in that year. On relinquithing the management of the Theatre, he went to Dublin and Edinburgh, at each of which places he met with great patronage, and returning to London, engaged for part of the feason of 1789 at Covent Garden Theatre, where he produced a Farce, taken from Vanbrugh's Mificke, entitled Lovers Quar rels. Since that time he has returned to his fituation at Drury-lane, much to the fatisfaction of his employers and of the Public. We fhall conclude this account with the following lines which appeared a few years fince in the public papers: -foremost Not that in age alone his powers excel, Superior merit with a worthy mind! The ready verfe with honeft ardonr flows. With nobler ardour celebrates thy heart; To the EDITOR of the EUROPEAN MAGAZINE. SIR, THOMAS PITT, Efq. was made Governor of Fort St. George in the Eat Indies in the reign of Queen Anne, where he refided many years, and tere purchased a diamond, which he fold to the King of France for 200,000l The following account of his purchafing the diamond was written by himfelf, and appeared in the Daily Papers of the time: "Since my coming into this melancholy place of Bergen, I have been often thinking of the most unparalleled villainy of William Frater, Thomas Frederick, and Smapa a black-merchant, who brought a paper before Governor Addifon in Council, intinuating, that I had unfairly got poffeffion of a large diamond, which tended fo much to the prejudice of my reputation and the ruin of my eftate, that I thought neceffary to keep by me the true relation how I purchafed it in all refpects, that fo, in cafe of my fudden mortality, my children and friends may be apprized of the whole matter, and fo be enabled therchy to put to filence and confound those, and all other villains in their baf attempts against either. Having not my books by me at prefent, I cannot be politive as to the time; but for the manner of purchasing it, I do here declare and affert, under my hand, in the prefence of God Almighty, as I hope for falvation through the merits and interceffion of our Saviour Jefus Chrift, that this is the truth, and if it be not, let God deny it to me and to my children for ever, which I would be fo far from faying, much lefs leave it under my band, that I would not be guilty of the leaft untruth in the relation of it for the riches and honour of the whole world. latter latter end of the aforefaid month, or the beginning of March; when we accordingly met in the confultation-room, where, after a great deal of talk, I brought him down to 55,000 padagoes, and advanced to 45,000, refolving to give no more, and he likewife refolving not to abate, fo delivered him up the tone, and we took a friendly leave of one another. Mr. Benyon was then writing in my clofet, with whom I difcourfed what had pafled, and told him, now I was clear of it; when about an hour after my fervant brought me word that Jamchund and Vincaty Chittee were at the door, who being called in, they fed a great many expreffions in 'favour of the ftone, and told me he had rather I fhould buy it than anybody, and to give an inftance thereof, offered it for 50,000; fo believing it must be a pennyworth, if it proved good, I offered to part the 5000 padagoes that was then between as which he would not hearken to, and was going out of the room again, when he turned back and told me, that I fhould have it for 49,000; but I ftill adhered to what I had before offered him, when prefently he came to 48,000, and made a folemn vow he would not part with it a padagoe under, when I went again into the closet to Mr. Benyon and told him what had paffed, faying, that if it was worth 47,500 it was worth 48,000 *; so I closed with him for that fum, when he delivered me the ftone, for which I paid him very honourably, as by my books appears. And I here farther call God to witness, that I never ufed the leaft threatening word at any of our meetings to induce him to fell it me; and God himself knows it was never fo much as in ny thoughts fo to do: fince which I have had frequent and confiderable dealings with this man, and truited him with feveral fums of money, and balanced several accounts with him, and left upwards of 2000 padagoes in his hands at my coming away; fo had I used the leaft indirect means to have got it from him, would not he have made himself fatisfaction when he has had my money fo often in his hands; or would I have trufted him afterwards, as I did, preferable to all other diamond merchants? And this is the truth, so I hope for God's blefling upon this and all my other affairs in this world, and eternal happiness hereafter. Written and figned by me in Bergen, July 29, 1710. "THO, PITT." THOUGHTS ON DUELLING. IT is not a little furprising that any gen- MILTON. ment for them. Muft I endeavour to de froy my fellow-creature, because he is not of the fime opinion with me? Must an unguarded word or an inadvertent ac tion be put in competition with his life or mine ? Thefe principles are owing to falfe bravery, to fantastic law of mittaken honour, to which a gentleman is nowie obliged to conform; and he may, I think, without derogating from his dignity refute a challenge. If he is attacked, it will be time enough to fhew by his behaviour that he did not refufe the challenge through fear but principle only. With refpect to an officer in the army or navy, he is under an indifpenfable obligation to refufe, rather than accept a challenge. Does not his pay lay him under a pofitive tie to preferve peace, as well as devote his life whenever the defence of his country or fervice of his Prince requires it? May not his life and courage be looked upon as the right and property of those who pay him? How then can he anfwer for the throwing away, or ritking, what in juftice belongs to another? If * 20,4001. fterling, at Es. 6d. per padagoe. |